The Scythans were once a nomadic tribe of Men who came to the city of Numas in Nehekhara to worship their god. They believed that the Prince of Numas was a manifestation of their god and so dedicated themselves to his service.[1a]
Each day they tended to the necropolis, guarding the tombs from those who sought to defile them. The Prince of Numas now rules over the living and the Undead, and both live in strange harmony. These black-robed nomads patrol the deserts, warning Prince Tutankhanuc of any intruders to his realm. In return, the nomads are allowed to live in the city under the protection of Undead soldiers who do not sleep. Though why anyone would feel safe when their lives are guarded by those who are dead is beyond the comprehension of many men.[1a]
When the Prince of Numas goes to war, his chariots race alongside the white Arabyan steeds of the Scythian warriors: living and dead fighting side-by-side. It is said that when a Scythan warrior dies, his body is left in the desert for the carrion to pick his bones clean. After forty days and nights, his skeleton is carried back to the tombs of Numas where it is prepared so that he may continue to serve the prince in death as he did when he was alive.[1a]
Trivia[]
The Scythans of Warhammer are clearly a reference to the real-world Scythians, an Iranian steppe tribe that lived in the Pontic-Caspian Steppe (present-day southern Ukraine, southwestern Russia and western Kazakhstan) from the eighth century B.C. until their last remnants were destroyed by the Goths in the third century A.D.