Nether Horde/History

The history of the Nether Horde spans more than 500 years and seven kings. The is a group of factions in the Nether who share one banner and one ruler. Although their unity has wavered before, the Horde has survived and managed to transition from a kingdom to an empire. 
Hundreds of years ago, the pigman warlord Tuskarr the Conqueror founded the Nether Kingdom, proclaiming himself the Nether King. He eventually conquered the entire Nether. However, many nations managed to regain independence after his son Duma became king, including the and the . His successors were left to deal with the political instability Duma failed to quash. After the assassination of Glutton, the sixth king, the Nether Civil War began, a culmination of tensions between the pigmen and the wither skeletons. It ended with the victory and ascension of Naeus, the Wither Clan's leader, as the seventh king. Naeus reunited the Nether Horde's two main races. 
Naeus started the Nether Empire by capturing the End City of New Dragonspire, becoming the first non-Ender faction to even attempt to attack the End. His subsequent invasion of the Overworld's largest continent set off the Nether War. In the Nether, his successful conquests of most of the independent kingdoms, which were subsumed into the Horde, gave birth to the .
== Nether Kingdom ==
=== Tuskarr ===
The Nether Kingdom was founded hundreds of years ago by Tuskarr the Conqueror, a pigman warlord. At the time, the Nether was divided between numerous warlords with different ideals and competing interests. Civil war was a constant. Tuskarr rose to challenge the status quo, uniting the pigmen and the wither skeletons under his banner before conquering other factions.
After defeating the crimson factions, King Tuskarr sent his champions, Naeus and Mammon, to take down the , the Nether's last major power. The Servitors ruled the soul sand biomes, where Nuriel, the Soulsand Sovereign, was doing everything he could to preserve their independence. The Nether Kingdom inevitably defeated the Soulsand Servitors, uniting the entire Nether for the first time. ("Pretty in the Sky") The Nether Horde, as a nation, arose out of the ideals of unity despite diversity and loyalty to a single ruler.
=== Duma ===
After King Tuskarr's death, he was succeeded by his son, Duma.Mori [blueblood01] (January 26, 2025). "Duma is Tuskarr’s son and the future 2nd king". Discord message.konran222 (January 22, 2025). "1. Indeed 2. You'll see". Discord message. His blunders enabled some factions to gain independence from his kingdom, such as the and . Before that, the Nether Kingdom encompassed the entire Nether.BaryonyxDude [baryonyxdude] (January 25, 2025). "Yes, one of the kings down the line fumbled the unity and caused many kingdoms to separate". Discord message.Mori [blueblood01] (January 25, 2025). "Glutton was not the one was weak and caused the separation, however no one else was powerful enough or had the time to reunite them the way naeus is doing now. The best the prior kings could do was salvage what was left". Discord message.Mori [blueblood01] (January 26, 2025). "2nd". Discord message. As the kingdom started to gradually fall apart due to conflict,Olaguer, Rain Allen [radapedaxa] (October 15, 2022). "Before Naeus reformed the Nether Kingdom, it was a huge political mess because Abigail isn't the only "true heir" to the throne, many other Nether generals believe they are the true heir for some weird reason, and they host challenges in the arena (as shown in Begin Again) to see who really is the true heir. They aren't even a proper monarchy, just a kingdom tearing itself apart." Discord message. his successors were left with the fallout of political instability. None of Tuskarr or Duma's relatives ever occupied the throne again.konran222 (January 26, 2025). "no". Discord message. Little has been revealed about the third, fourth, and fifth Nether Kings, including their names. The third king was a pyromancer.
=== Glutton ===
Glutton, better known as "the Pig King", was the sixth Nether King. His generals included Naeus, a Wither Clan leader who has been loyal to the Horde since he was an undead Netherkin serving Tuskarr; and the Blazekin warriors Lahar (who later quietly defected) and Scorch. Glutton maintained close ties with the Wither Angels, an independent clan,Olaguer, Rain Allen [radapedaxa] (August 21, 2023). "Yes, they're independent" (Discord message) Retrieved January 29, 2024. and the Piglin Kingdom, who ran supply lines and mined Netherite for the Horde in exchange for protection."Poison".Olaguer, Rain Allen [radapedaxa] (November 4, 2022). "In the series, the Piglins aren’t slaves. They provide netherite to the Nether King in exchange for protection…" (Discord message) Retrieved January 29, 2024.
Animosity has long existed between the pigmen and the wither mobs, the Nether's two dominant races. Glutton failed to truly unite the Nether in a social manner. He kept both species at bay as he was seen a unifying figure for both, with generals like the unnamed Wither Knight and Naeus, having great respect for Glutton. Both species, however, usually did not fight together, with the battle for Glacierford being a prominent example of the Horde keeping wither skeletons off the front lines.Olaguer, Rain Allen [radapedaxa] (February 22, 2021). "The Nether under King Glutton wasn’t a united Nether. He only kept the Wither Skeletons at bay. King Naeus was the one who truly united the Nether, because the Pigmen and Withers fought alongside each other in his campaign." (Discord message) Retrieved January 29, 2024. Blackbone seemingly only ever got his group of withers united again once the alliance between the Undead and Horde was forged, as prior, Blackbone was the only seen member of the Undead who was a Wither Skeleton.
==== Undead War ====
thumb|Glutton, flanked by Scorch and Abigail Crysteffor, hears Herobrine's proposal for an alliance. ("We Are the Danger")|left
During the Battle for Glacierford, the Pig King accepted Herobrine's proposal for an alliance and initiated a merciless counterattack against the Frostbourne (the alliance is now broken due to the Fall of the Undead). After the counterattack, Abigail's friend from before she became the Nether Princess, Rain, seeking vengeance and stormed the Nether Fort, killing Glutton, Scorch, and his former friend. The Pig King's death started the Nether Civil War between the Wither Skeletons led by Naeus and the Pigmen, led by the False Pig King.
===Naeus===
The False Pig King, a tyrant, claimed the throne, causing the pigmen and the withers to collapse into civil war. Naeus led the withers to victory and became the third king. He unified the two races and started a campaign to invade other dimensions. Kralos, Grandmaster of the Wither Knights, and Hogsworth, a pigman commander who Naeus spared, became his main generals.
== Nether Empire ==
Naeus captured New Dragonspire by destroying the , starting the Nether Empire. The Nether annexed parts of the Overworld and the Far Plains, starting a war with the and several other human factions. The Frostbourne tried to retake the Far Plains. In the ensuring battle, the Frostbourne were completely defeated but Naeus was crushed by an airship, destroying his body. As he is undead and a skeleton, he can be rebuilt by necromancers.
Hogsworth pushed his forces into Frostbourne territory, but found that his forces quickly crumbled to the cold. The Frostbourne pushed the Nether back to the Far Plains, but Naeus, rebuilt by Zarkos, reappeared and easily destroyed the troops. Naeus then annexed most independent Nether kingdoms, but faced resistance from rebels like the piglins' Freedom Fighters. The Nether Princess was fortuitously resurrected and joined the Freedom Fighters, winning piglin independence. Feeling used and witnessing imperial oppression firsthand, she starts the .
The Frostbourne ally with the Netherbane and obtain the two remaining end crystals. 
==List of monarchs ==
Monarchs of the Nether Horde
Succession	Monarch	Species 	Notes
1 	 	Pigman 	Founder of the and the Nether Horde. The first and only person to unite the Nether under one banner.
2 	Duma 	Pigman 	The son of Tuskarr. He was a weaker king whose political blunders caused many factions, including the and the , to separate from the Nether Kingdom. His bloodline did not continue through to the throne, and his successors were left to deal with the fallout of his actions.
3 	Unknown	Unknown 	Unknown.
4 	Unknown	Unknown 	Unknown.
5 	Unknown	Unknown 	Unknown.
6 	 	Pigman 	Second known king to recognize an heir, Abigail Crysteffor. The Nether Civil War began after both were assassinated.
— 	 	Pigman 	A general who usurped power after the assassination of Glutton, leading to the Nether Civil War. Unrecognized ruler.
7 	 	Wither Skeleton	The leader of the Wither Clan, which came into power after winning the Nether Civil War. Founder of the . Aims to restore the Nether as it was, united, under Tuskarr.
==References ==