Szarekh the Silent King is the overarching antagonist of the tabletop science fantasy series and universe Warhammer 40K.(needs citation)
He is the Silent King and creator of the Necron race, slowly emerging after millions of years of self-exile to reclaim the galaxy alongside them.
Once the supreme ruler of the sickly Necrontyr, the fortunes of his species changed when he encountered a primordial parasitic race known as the C’Tan. After forming an alliance with this godlike race and giving them physical form, they waged war on the powerful Old Ones for dominion of the galaxy. After being offered a chance to rid his people of their fragile bodies and gain immortality by a certain C’Tan, the Silent King gladly accepted only to immediately regret this decision when his people were transformed into soulless automatons. After the War in Heaven was over, Szarekh left the galaxy in self-exile for millions of years, only to return when the Necron Tomb Worlds began to awaken.
Biography[]
Szarekh was born to the sickly Necrontyrs, a species with short lifespans due to the radiation of their sun. Growing to become their supreme leader, it was during Szarekh’s reign that the C’Tan, a primordial race of extraterrestrial solar parasites older than the Old Ones, an advanced race who previously refused to give aid to the Necrontyr. Sensing opportunity, the Necrontyr gave physical form and sentience to the C’Tan, seeking to gain a powerful new ally against the desired war on the Old Ones.
Having greatly enhanced their technology and pitting the C’Tan against the Old Ones by making them crave their souls, the cataclysmic War in Heaven began. During the war, the Silent King was approached by a C’Tan known as the Deciever who told him of a way to free his people of their physical burdens and granting them immortality, without any charge. Delighted at this prospect, Szarekh accepted and forged a deal with the Star Gods. As such, the entire Necrontyr race had their consciousness transferred into mechanical husks, leaving their souls to be devoured by the C’Tan. It was only then that Szarekh realized his horrible mistake. Gone were the Necrontyr, with the Necrons born in their place.
Despite this, his new body was more durable than it ever was and he was given unwavering loyalty of his subjects due to the C’Tan installing command protocols into the Necron bodies, thus giving the species a unity it has and will never know since. Although grateful for this unity, Szarekh was disturbed that he had brought it about through tyranny rather than consent, but daring not sever the command protocol lest he face the wrath of his people for dooming their souls.
Now stronger than ever, the C’Tan and Necrons laid waste to the galaxy, destroying planets, extinguishing stars, and ripping solar systems apart, chasing the Old Ones to the ends of the cosmos. The Necrons breached the Webway, the last sanctuary for the Old Ones and, with the onslaught of the C’Tan and the calamitous warp-spawned perils birthed during the war, finally destroyed their old nemesis.
However, Szarekh was not content with the Old Ones as he desired to punish the Star Gods for their crimes against his people as well. As he bided his time, for the C’Tan were too powerful to face directly, he launched a rebellion when the C’Tan were at their most undefended. Due to their arrogance, the Star Gods lost and surrendered themselves to be shattered into fragments to be imprisoned by Szarekh in Tesseract Labyrinths.
Having defeated both his enemies, Szarekh ordered the Necrons to hibernate in their tomb worlds so that they may awake to a fully healed galaxy, severing the command protocols soon after. He then spent the next sixty million years wandering the galaxy in isolation, contemplating his actions and reflecting upon his crimes against his people, overseeing the rise and fall of the Aeldari Empire from a distance.
It is only recently that Szarekh re-emerged following the reawakening of his people to reclaim the galaxy, but more specifically for him to eradicate the threat of the Tyranids, a faction he sees as a threat for his plans to free his people from their mechanical bodies as they intend to absorb all biomass in the galaxy.
Powers and Abilities[]
Szarekh is one of the most influential and potentially powerful characters in the Warhammer 40k universe. For countless decades after returning from his exile he has traveled across the galaxy in a quest to reawaken as many tomb worlds as possible in a bid to unite themselves against the growing threat of the Tyranids, adding ever more numbers and new undiscovered technologies to his newly reformed dynasty. He has secretly influenced and worked through many unwitting lords, crypteks, and triarchs to achieve his goal, and has steadily influenced the galaxy from one side to the other. His ultimate goal is to unite the whole necron race or at the least a vast majority of it against the Tyranid threat and returning every necron to their original flesh and blood state, a necrontyr.
He is the supreme ruler of the Szarekhan Dynasty, the most powerful and influential dynasty. The Dynasty is well known for their technological superiority and exceptionally skilled crypteks, and have access to an immense amount of resources. Thanks to this, the Szarekhan Dynasty are equipped with the most durable necrodermis bodies and the most destructive weaponry.
Wargear[]
- Necrodermis body: Like all Necrons, Szarekh's body is built from the self-repairing living metal known as Necrodermis. He was given the most sophisticated and powerful Necron body during Biotransference and it is said to include a sensory and neurological network far superior to anything flesh and blood could create. His physical form is built from the Necrodermis of a C'tan. It is capable of repairing even the most grievous of wounds in a matter of moments.
- Sceptre of Eternal Glory: The personal weapon of the Silent King. It is a master-crafted and ornate staff that is able to channel the power of the enslaved C'tan known as The Burning One, which allows him to send burning destruction upon his foes.
- Dias of Dominion: The Dias of Dominion is a unique Necron anti-gravity construct that Szarekh and his two accompanying Triarchs sit atop while going to battle. It is powered by C'tan shard of Nyadra'zatha, more commonly known as The Burning One. It has built-in Noctilith beacons that can banish the infernal powers of the Warp which includes psychic powers as well as create Dolmen Gates to the Webway. Finally the Dias can also control and coordinate nearby Necrons as well as generate temporal fields that dispel any incoming attack.
- Triarchal Menhirs: These are floating construct devices that can both absorb incoming fire as well as unleash devastating Annihilator Beams capable of annihilating almost any enemy from existence and penetrate the thickest of armor. Two of these protect Szarekh and his Triarchs upon the Dias of Dominion.
Trivia[]
- Befitting his title as Silent King, Szarekh is known to rarely speak, usually having advisors or lords speak for him. When he does speak it seems to be only at a whisper.
- Szarekh might be one of the most influental characters in the 40k lore, alongside the Emperor and the Chaos Gods, as he is indirectly responsible for the creation of the Aeldari and Orks. This is because the Old Ones created these races as a means to fight the Necrontyr.
- Due to potentially having the entire arsenal and population of the Necrons under his control, the Silent King is arguably the most powerful character in the series not to be a deity.
