The Nephilim
A Rephaim holding a scarap blade – the tallest known Nephilim by the year 923YC (year of the church)
Note on dates: BI refers to Before the Imperium, with the imperium’s founding in the year 1YC referring to Year of the Church, though some scholars will also use YI or Year of the Imperium since both were founded in the same year.
The Fallen Ones
The giants of Raddhon are an ancient warrior race with, by now diluted, angelic blood. When the first angels took an interest in humans and walked among them, around 8000 BI, some began relationships with both human men and women. Many of the mortal women who subsequently became pregnant did not survive childbirth. However, the angels who had taken female form, having had relations with human males, had no such trouble.
These angels who had been intimate with humans were considered fallen by their fellows, and later after several conflicts were exiled, with many settling in the paradise world of Elysium, another world within the Spectrum of Existence. There were some notable exceptions however, including both Adal and Linuncia who later had relations with humans and were not condemned for it. The fact these two were on the Seraphim Council may well be the reason. Corruption and hypocrisy are not unique to mortals. It must also be noted that while most Nephilim were physically of a large size, there were others who were of a more reasonable stature, though they would have inherited special gifts. The daughter of Adal and the daughter of Linuncia are two examples.
(The Spectrum of Existence or Spectrum, is everything in existence including the mortal, angelic and spiritual planes and everything in between)
Such unions between angels and humans of course resulted in unusual progeny; the first Nephilim. There were some angels who had taken female form that had begun relationships with human men, the subsequent offspring often becoming legendary figures or warriors. However, those who had human mothers and angelic fathers proved to be far more powerful, though few mothers survived. Many of the resulting babies were of monstrous size at birth; these quickly became leaders among their kind, size and strength important among Nephilim. The direct descendants of these ones would later become known as Rephaim.
(The oldest imperial records indicate that almost every mother failed to come to full term and died. A few babies were born of normal stature, but not many. There were other unverified reports by unknown authors, which were nevertheless noted by later imperial historians, suggesting many of these women killed either the foetus or themselves before reaching term. Other Nephilim children were murdered when older, or cast out from human society, considered as dangerous, and even evil. This meant that only after a few years, such births ceased. Though the surviving children lived extraordinarily long lives, they all eventually died out, and over time, their descendants, as the Nephilim began to breed with each other, grew smaller. The later trauma and distrust between humans and Nephilim may have at least in part be caused by these early events.)
The first Nephilim were said to be beautiful, extremely tall at some fifteen or sixteen feet in height – with some exceptional individuals reaching twenty feet according to unverified ancient accounts – and they were very powerful with massive feathered wings. Little if anything is known about the more human-sized Nephilim, those born to angelic parentage but who were of ordinary stature. There have been many historical figures that held great power and influence, who were suspected of being Nephilim, but it is impossible to know for certain.
Isolation
Over the centuries, the Nephilim became more isolated from the rest of the world. They eventually retreated from it altogether, and for a time controlled the southern continent of Eladaldor in the west. Another few thousand years passed and they had retreated further into Raddhon in the northeast corner of that continent.
The Fading
As time went on, the physical stature of the Nephilim began to fade, as the passing of generation after generation diluted their angelic blood. No longer did they possess the beautiful wings of their forefathers with many having none. Eventually the Rephaim clan were the only winged Nephilim and their wings were a far cry from the glory days of their forefathers. It would not be until a new king in the year 926YC that the glory of the first Nephilim would be seen again.
By the year 5,500 BI, serious divisions within Nephilim society had begun to develop and they began to form into various clans. Inevitably, these clans began to war with one another. The Horim clan were forced into servitude as a result, and over the centuries their size decreased the most.
Eventually there were seven clans as follows:
Rephaim – who produced a long line of Nephilim kings who also became known as the Dead Ones, though where this name came about is uncertain. Possibly from the Nephilim/human wars, but there are few surviving records from that time. They are the largest and the only ones with wings, although these are a shadow of their angelic ancestors.
Anakim – rivals to the Rephaim often in height, but also politically. They have somewhat longer necks and often like to stick them out especially in challenging the Rephaim for power.
Avim – double-jointed and long-limbed, not to mention hot-tempered, they are perhaps the weirdest looking of all Nephilim. Theories as to their unusual development as compared to others of their kind have abounded for centuries. One favoured hypothesis among scholars though there is no evidence to support it, is that this clan spent centuries living in almost inaccessible locations high in the mountains, This was where they developed much stronger legs and arms, and where they were forced to jump large distances across crevices, gorges etc. While unprovable, it is the best theory to date.
Horites – these often acted as priests and healers among the clans, and were said to have become mediators during both internal disputes and playing a role in ending the human/Nephilim wars. These giants are also said to protect the Shathra Stone, although they are very secretive; it is said that not even the Nephilim king knows a lot about this clan.
Zuzim – a mysterious clan, rarely seen with some imperial historians debating if they exist at all. However, anecdotal evidence suggests members of this clan are used as assassins and spies. They are often closer to human size, and therefore they can blend more easily among them. It has been suggested that they are descendent from a more human-sized ancestor as mentioned earlier. Another possibility is they are descended from Nephilim-human unions. Again, it is impossible to know for sure.
Emim – most often this clan act as warg handlers or sappers. Roughly eight feet tall, these giants are very aggressive, likely due to the nature of their charges. They often only wear light armour except for the arms and legs where it’s likely they can receive bites from their wargs. Some Emim have been observed missing limbs or with serious facial damage. It is unlikely that many of them ever develop a meaningful relationship with the beasts, but there are rumours of such.
Horim – the smallest of the Nephilim, these are treated as servants by others, and often not even considered as a clan. They were subjugated during earlier clan wars, and their height may be partly due to their being forced to mate with humans in the past, as they were considered to be as low as humans in standing. This is, of course, unverifiable.
The First Wars
Humans grew more numerous quickly, while Nephilim numbers remained static, and the discovery of mages among humans led to larger societies and cities. Kingdoms and then empires formed as humans began to spread across the world, forcing the Nephilim to retreat further until eventually they only existed in the western half of the world. It was not long thereafter that they also began to retreat from the northern continent of Adalalcas.
Unfortunately, the first of many human-Nephilim wars began in the year 6452BI as Nephilim and humans began to see each other as a greater threat. Though the initial wars were short, they were numerous, and dozens of conflicts were fought over the following thousand years. Though the Nephilim were larger and more terrible in battle, the humans had the first mages on their side. Those wars proved devastating to both species.
The Darkness Rising
There were several angelic interventions to halt such conflicts, with Adal and Fakir, leading most of them. Although the creation of the Nephilim had not been deliberate, Adal saw potential in their becoming guardians for humankind. This may be why he decided to father his own child with a human woman.
Unfortunately, there were other forces always seeking to thwart his good intentions, as Tartaros sought ways to interfere. Already the Darkness had found a way, as it began to influence the first human mages. It wouldn’t be until the greatest and most powerful human mage to ever exist was born in 127 BI in the kingdom of Icarthya, that it would finally have its chance.