King Deshret

King Deshret, also known as Al-Ahmar, Amun and Amon in Deshret Script, was the Lord of Deserts and one of the Three Eternal Companion-Gods in ancient Sumeru. He reigned alongside Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, the previous Dendro Archon — and Nabu Malikata, the Goddess of Flowers. He died thousands of years before the events of the story.
King Deshret built his domain in the desert, full of ancient technology and mysterious powers, such as the Primal Constructs. Faruzan had also been trapped in some ruins related to him that preserved her body and mind for a century in stasis. The Eremites are descended from his subjects, and some present-day Eremites still worship him and wish to bring him back. Embers of his civilization were preserved in the form of Aaru Village, with the village's people, as well as its Guardians such as Candace, being metaphorically referred to as his descendants.HoYoLab: Of red sands and glimmering gold, her vow to defend stands strong
==Profile==
King Deshret was known as the "king of warriors, horticulturists, and sages." His domain was the desert and he was the master of the one thousand and one Jinn. He once ruled a kingdom in Sumeru with two other gods, Nabu Malikata and Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, and together the three were oathbound friends, known as "The Three Eternal Companion-Gods." However, when he and Nabu Malikata plotted to go against the Heavenly Principles, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata parted ways with both of them and built her own civilization in a separate corner of Sumeru. Following Nabu Malikata's death, he was left to rule over his people alone.
Deshret was a god with strong idealism and ambition, willing to rebel against the divine despite knowing full well what repercussions it could bring. Still, the strength of his desires was what garnered the sympathy of Nabu Malikata, who determined that he could bring about the possibility of transcending the laws of this world. He was also known as the Mourning King because of his deep sorrow and nostalgia for the past. It was said that he would look up at the sky and remember the "boundless paradise high above and the merciless reign of thousands of years past." His attachment to the past eventually caused him to go mad and brought the downfall of his people.
===Symbolism===
King Deshret's symbol of "the sun and the eye" entails an eye-like figure embedded in the center of a dark ten-point star described as the "sun." The eye is a light-blue diamond bordered by a thin, darker blue outline, with two lines extending from the left and right corners of the diamond. The pupil is a yellow-outlined red diamond of which an arcing section is cut from its top.
Deshret once wore a gold-inlaid headband bearing some resemblance to a . Imitations of this headband were widely made by priests of the desert kingdoms which worshiped him.
==Story==
===Archon War===
Information on King Deshret's origins is vague. According to legend, Deshret was a "son of the sky," which was why he received fervent worship from the "three great tribes" of the desert. However, he was said not to have known about the three moon sisters or the era of the Seelie, suggesting that he was only active after that period. He eventually met Nabu Malikata, a survivor of the Seelie, and joined forces with her to build the ancient city of Ay-Khanoum, which means "City of the Moon Maiden" in the language of the Jinn. He was in love with Nabu Malikata and she was aware of his affections, although whether she reciprocated his feelings is unknown. This relationship was known to Greater Lord Rukkhadevata even before she had allied with them.
By the time of the Archon War, all three gods had become allies. Deshret allowed the two others to share his throne, ruling together as the Three Eternal Companion-Gods. He even rejected a "gift" given to him by Celestia (implied to be a Gnosis, and by extension the position of Archon) to pursue his own interests and ambitions. All three gods had their own views on "wisdom" and often debated their ideas with one another as friends. Each God-King had their own place: "the banquet belonged to [Nabu Malikata], authority was in the hands of [King Deshret], and life was the domain of [Greater Lord Rukkhadevata]." The era of the three God-Kings was remembered as one of peace and prosperity, and the "promised land of 'Valivija' " mentioned in The Tale of Shiruyeh and Shirin may refer to their shared kingdom. In any event, it did not last.
Deshret's ambitions were said to be able to "shock even the wisest of gods," and he was even willing to rebel against the Heavenly Principles to fulfill them. One night, he shared all of these desires with Nabu Malikata, and remained convinced even after she warned of the repercussions Celestia would bring on him, like they had to her people. However, she eventually realized that his desires and resolve could bring about "the possibility to transcend the absurd shackles that governed this world." She finally agreed to assist him by granting him a path to finding "higher knowledge," but not without warning him of what he would lose and advising him that humanity would be the true source of hope in the rebellion against divinity. Greater Lord Rukkhadevata refused to support their plans, departing from the desert to construct her civilization in the rainforests with the Varuna Contraption. Though Nabu Malikata mourned Rukkhadevata's absence and awaited her return, they never reunited, leaving her and King Deshret to carry out their plans without the Greater Lord.
Nabu Malikata ultimately sacrificed herself in order to conduct a ritual which would guide Deshret to understanding "all there was to know about the skies and the abyss," bringing down sandstorms which laid waste to the kingdom they had created. After her passing — unbeknownst to him, willingly — King Deshret mourned her deeply. Following her passing, the Jinn, followers of Nabu Malikata, became his servants; He apparently deceived them by claiming that the Goddess of Flowers was merely in a deep slumber, and that in exchange for granting him their power, he would help them find her again. According to legends, he went to look for the Divine Nail of the sands, and upon finding it, used its power along with the aid of the Jinn to build the Eternal Oasis as a cemetery for Nabu Malikata, leaving Ferigees to watch over it. In the aftermath, he was left to rule over the people of the desert alone.
===King Deshret's civilization===
King Deshret then began to pursue his dreams of a utopia, free of "worry, schemes, and slavery," based on what Nabu Malikata had taught him,The result of his utopia may be the Golden Slumber and the Eternal Dreamland, which were featured in the World Quest Golden Slumber. making plans to establish a vast kingdom in the desert with those virtues as the foundation.
At some point before building his kingdom, Deshret had made a deal with the ancient Dendro Dragon, Apep, who claimed dominion over the desert. Apep made a deal with Deshret to allow him to build his kingdom undisturbed, with the condition that it would consume him after his death to absorb his knowledge, in the hopes of gaining "higher knowledge" with which to use against the Heavenly Principles.The chronology of when the deal was struck is unclear. Apep is aware that Nabu Malikata was the one who helped Deshret uncover "higher knowledge," which suggests that the deal was made during or after the Archon War; however, given that Deshret was supposedly already a sovereign of the deserts before he met Nabu Malikata, it is also possible that this happened earlier. Previously, Apep and its offspring had "let the sea of sand rage like boiling water and swept houses down as if they were falling leaves," presumably causing destruction for the desert peoples, and stopped after the agreement with Deshret. Although Apep states it "didn't think much" of Deshret, their relationship may have been more than mere neutrality, as Apep was described as a friend of Deshret who held court in the caverns underneath the Desert of Hadramaveth.
With Apep satisfied, Deshret went on to establish his rule over the desert. At that time, the three gods' former kingdom had supposedly splintered into numerous warring tribes. With the Jinn as his envoys and messengers to humanity, according to legend, he sought humans with hearts "untainted by the allure of corruption" to act as vassal-kings and priests who would follow his ideals and guide the people in his stead. Meanwhile, Deshret also created a royal city in the desert, named Akhtamun, and continued to research taboo knowledge in a bid to attain his desired paradise, becoming ever more absorbed by nostalgia and obsession.
The Jinni Liloupar found a suitable vassal for the "mortals' ideal kingdom" in the shepherd Ormazd. With her help, he went on to establish the vassal state of Gurabad, conquering and reuniting the various tribes of the desert under its banner. It is uncertain how much of a role Deshret actually played in Gurabad, although Ormazd attributes the prosperity of his people to Deshret's guidance and built numerous temples and monuments to honor him, possibly even intending to make human sacrifices.Interactable: Nameless Tablet (V) Both he and his successor Parvezravan were recorded as envoys of King Deshret.Interactable: Vaguely-Readable Inscription, The Sands of Al-Azif Liloupar states that Deshret charged the "mortals' ideal kingdom" at Gurabad with the duty of protecting the Eternal Oasis, and personally created a system of canals to provide irrigation for the vassal kingdoms surrounding the Eternal Oasis, indicating that he was actively involved in the creation of their state.Interactable: Vaguely-Readable Inscription, Debris of Panjvahe However, other sources state that Liloupar guided the humans to settle around the oasis, and that Ferigees defied Deshret's orders when she shedded her form to make the environment around the oasis safer for the humans.Interactable: Nameless Tablet (III) Regardless, it is known that King Deshret was greatly angered when he found out that Liloupar had orchestrated the destruction of Gurabad, and had her spirit split into seven parts, given to his seven sages to be hidden throughout the land, as punishment.Interactable: Vaguely-Readable Inscription, Safhe Shatranj
===Obsession===
Since the time of the Three Eternal Companion-Gods, Deshret had desired to create an eternal "dream" paradise, holding "an idea that joined the wisdom of thousands, and the great attempt at binding their dreams to power." Nabu Malikata's death only propelled him further. He sought to manage his dominion with rules "more elegant and precise" (as compared to those of the Heavenly Principles, which had devastated the Seelie with the Divine Nails) and so avoid further suffering for the survivors of Nabu Malikata's people. The Lay of Al-Ahmar states that Deshret secluded himself deep within his territory to research forbidden knowledge for countless years, seeking a way to transcend his mortal form. Deshret's people proudly followed his dreams, longing for his paradise, which he said would be the "golden slumber" where there would be "neither sorrow nor parting" and none would have to drink the "bitter salt water." The results of this research included the Primal Constructs, which were built with the purpose of "rebirth[ing] the paradise that [he] dreamed of." It also resulted in a mysterious mechanism to "gather wisdom" at Khaj-Nisut, which would allow anyone to enter the golden slumber if they recited a certain prayer and sat in Deshret's throne.
Gurabad's fall pushed Deshret further into his "path of self-destruction." Within one generation of the fall of Gurabad, Deshret made the decision to create Aaru,Given their descriptions, it is possible that Aaru and the "golden slumber" at Khaj-Nisut were, or were part of, the same idea. From the Scarlet Sand Slate and Record of Aaru's Shut, it is possible that Aaru would have been an extension of the Khaj-Nisut mechanism which would somehow encompass Deshret's full territory. a culmination of his ambitions which would encompass the entire desert and "prevent such a thing [as Gurabad's fall] from happening again." In Aaru, none would have to experience "age or decay," hunger, thirst, or sadness. He appointed a survivor from Gurabad, the "product of a tryst between a fugitive and a maid," to be Aaru's architect.
Deshret's motivation was not truly out of benevolence towards his people. In the end, he realized that "that which [he had] always longed to find once more [had] never been a paradise for the many," and longed for a return to the days when he, Nabu Malikata, and Greater Lord Rukkhadevata were still together. In fact, The Lay of Al-Ahmar suggests that "resurrection and life eternal" was the reason why Deshret pursued his paradise, as opposed to ignoring and moving on from the past, or owning it.
The Scarlet Sand Slate and The Lay of Al-Ahmar both state that King Deshret ultimately managed to separate his mind from his body, which was left in his mausoleum. This, together with the entrance to the Eternal Dreamland at Khaj-Nisut, suggest that he reached some success in his plans.The Lay of Al-Ahmar additionally claims that Deshret distributed his mind into the structures of his kingdom, and that he went on to connect his mind to his citizens' minds in one way or another. Given the nature of the book, this is not backed up anywhere else.
===Death===
In the end, all of King Deshret's dreams were left unfulfilled. In pursuing his ambitions, Deshret ended up unleashing forbidden knowledge on the world, quickly destroying his royal city and devastating his people, and bringing the Withering into existence, with Eleazar being a manifestation of it on humans. Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, compelled by her former friendship with Deshret and their mutual bond with the deceased Nabu Malikata, came to his rescue and had priests build temples with the power of life to mitigate the disaster. Since the forbidden knowledge remained a threat, however, King Deshret chose to sacrifice his life, temporarily ending the disaster.
Per their agreement, Apep consumed Deshret's body after he died in order to gather his knowledge, but ended up being corrupted because of the nature of the forbidden knowledge acquired by Deshret. Apep believes that Deshret was aware of this and intentionally used it as a fail-safe in his plan.
==Character Mentions==
==Trivia==
* King Deshret's eye symbol may have been inspired by the symbol in Egyptian mythos.
** The Eye of Horus is a ubiquitous eye hieroglyphic believed have protective capabilities. It mirrors the , the feminine counterpart of the Egyptian God Ra, who later fused with another Egyptian god Amun to form Amun-Ra; which may have collectively inspired King Deshret's Goetic name, Amun.
* The description of King Deshret during Secret of the Scorching Desert recalls elements present in the works of , as deity bearer of forbidden knowledge capable of driving people into madness.
* King Deshret's lore, and quest names related to him and the Jinn that served him, contains a few minor allusions to the biblical , who was believed to be one of the wisest leaders in the Old Testament.
** Legends about the Jinn entering magic bottles and being marked by his seal when they became his servants, mentioned in The Shepherd and the Magic Bottle, is likely derived from the story of the fisherman in . It further ties into the legend of the , a signet ring Solomon owned which allowed him to control the jinn.
** The Dirge of Bilqis derives "Bilqis" from the supposed name of the , who in biblical accounts gave Solomon several difficult riddles, all of which he answered satisfactorily.
*** The first quest in the series, Wisdom Has Built Her House, She Has Hewn Out Her Seven Pillars, derives its name from the Bible verse Proverbs 9:1, which is among the chapters believed to have been written by Solomon himself.
** In the original Chinese description of the artifact Wilting Feast, Nabu Malikata comments on King Deshret's ambition with the metaphor which refers to actions devoid of purpose. It is most prominently used in Chinese translations of , a book debatably written by Solomon, in which he laments how applying his knowledge and wisdom to understand the world and wisdom itself only led him to conclude that they were all meaningless.
* The ruins of the city established by King Deshret are known as the "Akhtamun" Ruins, and obelisks found at The Mausoleum of King Deshret, Opet Hall, and Khaj-Nisut (three locations which are connected as part of the way to Deshret's paradise "Aaru") all bear this word in Deshret Script. However, the obelisks spell it as .
** Candace's character portrait contains the scripts "Sen-nebty Setepen-Amon" and "Mery-Amon Akhet-Amon."Chinese HoYoLAB: 
* 
*According to King of Invokations, the in-game story that accompanies TCG, Deshret had seven sages. These were described as the Goat King (the sages' head), Bennu (a bird), Shesepankh (a lioness with a human head), Apep, the Crocodile King, the Ibis King, and Hermanubis.Dialogues of the Desert Sages However, it's unclear if this background is accurate, given its purpose of providing a mythological background for a trading card game. Still, many of these figures are alluded to throughout the Sumeru desert, and the mural featured in An Introduction to Indoor Archaeology notably has seven major individuals below Deshret.An Introduction to Indoor Archaeology
*At the Temple of Silence in Cyno's Second Story Quest, Oathkeeper, upon exploring, you come across a member of the Temple named Asenath, that fully discloses King Deshret's Seven Pillars. They are as followed: Dragon King Apep (a supreme spirit), Goat King Heryshaf (Minister of Ministers), Crocodile King Sobek (Captain of Captains), Ibis King Thoth (Scribe of Scribes), Hermanubis (Greatest of Sages), Bennu Most-Radiant, and Shesepankh Most-Holy. Additionally, the cinematic cutscene found in this quest provides a visual depiction of all seven figures.
===Etymology===
* King Deshret is derived from the , the red crown worn by rulers of .
* is Arabic for "The Red One."
** This name may derive from the Red King of the Jinn, .
* The name "Amun" and "Amon" may be derived from the ancient Egyptian god . The name of the deity is also notably the origin for the demon , a Grand Marquis of Hell in the .
** The reason for the variation in King Deshret's Goetic name is because ancient Egyptian did not record vowels and the consonants were also speculated by later scholars. The ancient Greeks recorded the word "Ammon" in ancient Greek, referring to the major ancient Egyptian deity "Amon." In modern languages, when referring to the ancient Egyptian god "Amon", it has become customary to spell it as "Amun."
==Gallery==
Forbidden Knowledge Event Card.png|King Deshret's eye in the Forbidden Knowledge event card from TCG
==Notes==
==Other Languages==
==Change History==
==References==
es:Rey Deshret
fr:Roi Deshret
ja:キングデシェレト
pt-br:Rei Deshret
th:Scarlet King
zh:阿赫瑪爾