Nhengu

The Returned Prince

Sunfall    Animals, Plants and Diseases    Mammals      Nhengu

Pitted with spears and javelins, Nhengu is twice the length of a trireme and white as snow. He is as old as this world and his rage will never be satiated, not until our world ends. Be afraid of him, rightly so but remember we all have a Nhengu in us, even if we'd like to imagine we don't...

— A Samadic sailor telling the story of Nhengu

Nhengu was a large white sperm whale bull that lived off the coast of Samadas in the last century before Sunfall. It is estimated that he could have been over 24 metres (80 feet) long. During this time, he harassed and sank dozens of ships and became a great concern for Samadic sailors. So great was this concern that the Samadic King X conducted major efforts to capture or kill the beast however he was unsuccessful. Despite beaching himself in XBSF, Nhengu survived and has not been seen since XBSF.

Contents

Name

^{Back to top}

The name Nhengu comes from a mythological tale based on the fallen warrior, Nhengu. In this tale, it is told that Nhengu was a prince who controlled the waters around Samadas with his wife and children. His wife was strikingly beautiful and caught the attention of a local noble who saw fit to abduct her and her children, stealing them away to his trireme. Nhengu attempted to follow them but was captured, weighed and thrown into the sea.

In the arms of Ahassunu, Nhengu was freed from his irons and brought to the surface. She spirited him to an island and brought life back to his body. She tasked him with avenging his death and transformed into the whale

— A retelling of Nhengu's mythological origin

The goddess Ahassunu brought back Nhengu as a white whale to rejoin his family and take revenge on the noble who had wronged him. However, the noble never again entered the seas and Nhengu hunted fruitlessly for a family he would never see again.

Life

^{Back to top}

First spotted in XBSF, Nhengu was supposedly over 24 metres (80 feet long). He harassed ships for over 70 years outside the city of Samadas, the capital of the Samadic Kingdom. During these 70 years, he would often disappear for years at a time before returning abruptly and attacking ships once more. He made no distinction between merchants, fishermen or warships and typically sank those he attacked. During his attacks, he would sound with a deep rumble and then breach so forcibly that his entire body would exit the water. The local mariners became so scared of Nhengu that some refused to fish when sightings were reported and at least one raiding fleet turned back after being attacked by him. There are a few recordings of Nhengu swimming alongside a handful of ships without attacking them and those aboard saw this as a blessing from Ahassunu.
Nhengu was brought to the attention of the Samadic King X who wanted to ensure the sea routes remained open and that his fleet would launch made it a paramount concern to capture or kill the whale and several attempts were made, all unsuccessful. One crew who took it upon themselves to claim the bounty attacked Nhengu with hooked ropes hoping to tire out the whale. Once hooked, Nhengu rammed the ship and dove rapidly sinking the ship. Some attempted to jump into the water but were killed quickly. A few sailors who tied the ropes around themselves to increase their grip were pulled to the bottom of the ocean with Nhengu.

Nhengu threw himself out of the water, hooks buried in his hide. Those foolish enough to maintain their grip were thrown into the air before plunging into the water and being dragged under. The beast circled and collided with the trireme, breaking it in two.

— A description of one attempt to kill Nhengu

The closest Nhengu came to capture was when he beached himself, on a low tide, chasing squid in XBSF during a rough storm. He was quickly discovered by the locals who attempted to hack at him with axes and spears although his hide was too tough. Nhengu thrashed violently killing a few locals who returned shortly with ropes to bring him further inland however the tide rose before the ropes could be used and Nhengu escaped.

He remained in local waters for 15 years and continued to attack local shipping before being last seen in XBSF. Scholars believe that he reached the end of his natural life and died although many of the locals believe he finally avenged his family and Ahassunu finally gave him peace.

It's been hundreds of years and some still give offers to Nhengu, just in case he still swims in these waters

Legacy

^{Back to top}

White whales are a rarity and whales the size of Nhengu are even rarer. His disappearance came as a great relief to the Samadics who considered themselves masters of the seas and had become afraid to sail the waves. Nhengu was never seen near a pod of other whales and never appeared to have any offspring. Occasional rumours of his reappearance aren't uncommon and the stories of his attacks have become common amongst the Samadics. Souvenirs from Nhengu, such as torn boards and engraved teeth, are common trickets found in the markets of Samadas although their origin is dubious at best. The Great King X supposedly has a proven tooth from Nhengu that he displayed at private feasts stating that under his reign the terror of Nhengu came to an end.

Nhengu

The Returned Prince

---

Personal Details

Born

Before XBSF

^{Samadic Kingdom}

Died

Unknown
^{Samadic Kingdom}

Years active

X - XBSF

Known for

Attacking ships at sea

Residence

Outside of Samadas

Size

24 metres (80 feet) long

Appearance

White hide, pitted with scars