Prince Apophas

Prince Apophas (also known as the Cursed Scarab Lord) is a Tomb King special character introduced in 8th edition of Warhammer Fantasy. Like many an unfortunate opportunist in Warhammer, he is an example of as to why betrayal and backstabbing to climb up the ranks will always be a bad idea. A desert wraith composed of a skull and a fuck-off massive swarm of beetles, he desperately searches for a soul equal to his so that he can pass on.

History

In life, he was a jealous prince in the city of Numas, and he desperately wanted the throne. He was so desperate that one night, he slit the throats of HIS ENTIRE FAMILY while they slept and proclaimed himself king the following morning. But this wasn't the beginning of a glorious new era for Apophas. Far from it. You see, regicide is generally considered to be the worst possible crime in Nehekharan culture - and he didn't have the power or fear factor to get away with it like Nagash did. So because Apophas had effectively committed this crime several times over, a much worse fate was in store for him.

He was buried alive in a coffin full of flesh-eating beetles ala that one scene in The Mummy, and when they opened up the sarcophagus, all that was left was a skeleton picked clean of flesh. Before his bones were thrown into the desert to be eaten by the vultures, they inscribed a magical hieroglyph onto his skull, which tied his soul to the skull. Upon entering the underworld, Usirian, the Nehekharan God of the Dead, was due to torment him for all eternity. But thankfully for him, because he was of noble birth he was able to bargain with the god. In return for not being tortured, Apophas would scour the earth for a soul equal to this that would take his place. Usirian agreed, and Apophas became the Cursed Scarab Lord.

When returning to the world, Apophas' body is actually made up of a swarm of beetles with his skull on top of them, a desert revenant rather than a reanimated corpse. Wielding the same blade he slew his family with, that still drips with their blood, Apophas sought to slay the perfect soul with this weapon, hoping to earn his freedom. While a ferocious force on the field of battle, his goal always remains paramount. Once Apophas slew a prospective target, he'd bind their spirit in a mystical soul-cage before returning to the depths of the Underworld. Here the soul is placed on a pair of scales and compared with Apophas' own cursed spirit.

Little did Apophas know this was a doomed endeavor from the start. No two souls have equal value. What's more, Usirian knew this from the start. Therefore, he is doomed to spend the rest of eternity hunting souls for Usirian.

The End Times

After Nagash invaded Nehekhara, Apophas was given a powerful Nehekharan blade - the Destroyer of Eternities - by a Skaven spy. Thus armed, he joined a Settra-led coalition to bring Nagash down. Unfortunately, they lost. As Nagash consumed Usirian, the Scarab Lord became former's slave instead, after which he completely disappeared from the narrative.

Trivia

• His name is likely a corruption of Apophis, the giant evil snake who's the god of evil in Egyptian mythology.
• Occasionally he has to deal with Stargate Command foiling his plans.
• Apophas was considered as a possible Tomb King Legendary Lord for Total War: Warhammer II DLC, but was dropped due to the fact that animating him would cause an immeasurable pain in the ass, as well as cost too much money.