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Night Monarch

This article contains both "in Lore" and "in play" information about the Night Monarch.
"In Play" information will be presented in boxes that look like this.
The Night Monarch is the name given to the ur-Zombie in any given Word War. Believed to be generated by The Iron Tome, the Night Monarch is the Tome Zombie who spawns the Undead Horde in each given year.

Qualifications

The Night Monarch must be a Literomancer It appears that popularity and name recognition among Literomancers also plays a role.  
The Night Monarch is elected from the Game of Tomes players. They must be a streamer, and they should be well-known and respected within the Game of Tomes community.
  The living Literomancer who will become the next Night Monarch must also suffer from intrusive thoughts of self-doubt and perhaps other mental health issues relating to low self-esteem, or other thoughts that undermine their sense of their own capability. In many cases, desperation also appears to have made certain people susceptible to the temptations that lead them down this dark road.
  • Erin Righ wanted the power to destroy The Company after they brought harm to Lord Galakrond.
  • AuthorGoddess confessed to a feeling of isolation and a lack of belonging.
  • ECC Books felt that his Literomancy was mediocre at best, and he desperately wanted to matter.
  • Lord Galakrond was desperate to defeat an enemy, although no further details have been given publicly.
  • AttorraRu confessed to crippling self-doubt, and a sense that she simply wasn't good enough as a Literomancer.
  • Requirements

    The Night Monarch is believed to be subconsciously chosen by living Literomancers prior to the next Word War. This theory spawns from a series of dreams about a "Night Monarch election campaign" that most living Tome Knights reported in 2022.  
    The Night Monarch is elected from the Game of Tomes players each year. Nominees are put forward in the April Tourney, and the election takes place during the July Tourney. You may nominate yourself, or someone else may nominate you and you may accept the nomination. The election has been resolved by various means, most commonly by Discord vote through the use of emojis, but it has also been resolved by voting with Twitch Bits to raise money for charity.

    Appointment

    No one quite understands where the Night Monarch gets their power from. The most commonly-accepted theory is that they are chosen by The Iron Tome itself. Other theories suggest that they are either chosen by some external evil force, selected by the original magic that created the Iron Tome, or are simply a force of nature in a literomantic universe, as inevitable as eclipses.  
    Once the Night Monarch is elected, they work with the Organizers to concoct a storyline that explains their fall to darkness and their subsequent dark apotheosis.

    Duties

    It is hard to say what qualifies as a "duty" for an undead tyrant who controls the very will of their followers. However, the Night Monarch drives the Undead Horde onward to continue generating Dark Literomantic energy in order to claim the Iron Tome. While the Night Monarch appears to somehow be able to get their hands on the Tome every Halloween, they cannot open it to use it. It is understood that they must defeat the armies of the living with their Horde of undead in order to win the Tome's favour and gain access. No one knows, or wants to know, what will happen if they ever do.  
    The role of the Night Monarch to the playing of Game of Tomes cannot be underestimated. It is their job to roleplay the Big Bad that inspires the players to write. They should be a menace to the living, and an inspiration to the undead. It is important to keep those who have fallen to the Horde by the game rules motivated and writing. They are encouraged to have a good time and encourage their Horde to have a good time, too.

    Responsibilities

    In order to win the Iron Tome, the Night Monarch must defeat the living forces allied against them. They are empowered to raise the dead as Zombies or Tome Zombies for this purpose. There seems to be no limit to the number of undead the Night Monarch can create, although would-be undead must be dead first. They must also command those undead in battle against the living. They seem to concentrate their efforts on the living Literomancers, in particular the living Tome Knights, who are sworn to protect the world from the Undead and other supernatural threats. Defeating the populace at large is a secondary goal. This may have been the only saving grace for the world thus far.  
    The Night Monarch has the same responsibilities as any other House Leader. They are considered one of the Organizers and are required to participate in Organizer activities, conversations, and if necessary, meetings. They are required to guide the Horde members through their questions and concerns, or direct them to someone who can help. They are also required to keep the peace in the Horde. They should stream regularly during the Game of Tomes event, so that their Horde can see them writing and be inspired.

    Benefits

    There seems to be an effectively unlimited supply of dark Literomantic Power for the Night Monarch to draw upon to raise their undead army and make their bid for the Tome. Being able to direct millions to obey your every command is a powerful allure as well.

    Grounds for Removal/Dismissal

    If the Night Monarch fails to defeat the living and acquire the Iron Tome, they lose all of their granted powers. Whether or not they are Resurrected with the other zombies depends on the mercy of the House Leader among the living who has claimed the Tome.

    History

    There were almost certainly Night Monarchs who existed in the earlier Literomantic Age, but very little record of them survives. Theories as to why vary.   The most prevent theory is that most of the records of such a being were destroyed in the various persecutions of Literomancers that took place over the centuries. Conspiracy theories exist: it's a viral internet theory that either the Illuminati or the Vatican have stolen all records of the Night Monarch and the Undead Horde and hidden them away somewhere.   An intriguing theory proposed in Dr. Geoffrey Davis' book The Shadow War: A History of the Literomantic Great Houses, suggests that Literomancers were not exactly forthcoming about what they actually did, and the existence of the Night Monarch was actively covered up by The Great Houses to avoid widespread panic. Mythologists propose that records of previous Night Monarchs do survive in the form of legends of powerful, evil beings, such as Lilith, or the Wendigo.   But historians and anthropologists have proposed what they consider to be the most likely theory: that since the Night Monarch was just part of accepted reality, nobody bothered to write much about them because they assumed people would just know. Only a small percentage of written history survives through centuries, and it is possible that most of the information that did exist on the Night Monarch is simply not part of the material that did.

    Cultural Significance

    In the modern Literomantic Age, most of the world has been actively transformed by the existence of the Night Monarch. Many Christian denominations believe they are the Antichrist of Biblical legend. Some Muslim sects believe the Night Monarch is a powerful djinn that has broken free of its prison. Zoroastrians believe the Night Monarch represents Angra Mainyu incarnate.   Some Asatru were convinced that the Living Dead Girl was an incarnation of Hel, goddess of the Underworld and architect of Ragnarok, and that ICC DeadPeople was an incarnation of Nidhogg. A few Chaos Magicians, Lovecraft fans, and Cthulhu cultists were convinced that Lord GalaWight was the herald of the Elder Gods.   Buddhists believed that AttorraRu was the incarnation of the dragon that was subdued by Kwan Yin, while some Christians, Jewish mystics and scholars, and Neo-Pagans believed she was the incarnation of Lilith as the serpent in Eden.
    This article is a work in progress, and may be subject to changes.
     
    This article is part of a series related to streaming the Game of Tomes. For more information, see Streaming Game of Tomes.
    Type
    Royalty, Military
    Status
    Active only in November (so far)
    Creation
    The first Night Monarch in recent history, The Nite Qing (Erin Righ) spontaneously appeared when the Iron Tome awoke in 2020
    Form of Address
    Each Night Monarch chooses their own title. The living will use that title to differentiate from the living person the Monarch once was (ie. "The Nite Qing" as opposed to Erin Righ,) while the undead will acknowledge their rulership (ie. "My Qing")
    Equates to
    The Night Monarch can be thought of as a sort of House Leader, equivalent to The Chief Rabbit, The Great Badger and other such figures.  
    In game play, the Night Monarch is considered to be a House Leader for the length of their term. They become one of the Organizers upon election, and remain one for the following year as well, in order to assist and guide the upcoming Night Monarch.
    Source of Authority
    Unknown. However, the almost deific powers of the Night Monarch cannot be denied.
    Length of Term
    One Word War; or, in theory, indefinite, if the Iron Tome is claimed by the Undead during their reign
    First Holder

    The Hall of Infamy

    A demonic figure in a ball cap and sunglasses, with a rifle and a katana, and a skull and jack o'lantern at his feet
    The Nite Qing returned by HeroForge
    Erin Righ, The Nite Qing, was the first known Night Monarch in recent times (2020).
    A woman with blue lipstick, surrounded by frost, glowering at the camera
    The Living Dead Girl by AuthorGoddess & Sable Aradia
    AuthorGoddess, The Living Dead Girl, was the second modern Night Monarch (2021).
    A man in photonegative, laughing or screaming into the camera
    ICC Dead People by ECC Books
    ECC Books, a.k.a. ICC DeadPeople, The Night King or King of the Night, was one of the next two Night Monarchs (2022).
    A young man summoning magical power from an open book
    Lord Galakrond the Conjurer by Missi & Sable Aradia
    Lord Galakrond, a.k.a. Lord GalaWight, The Night Prince, was also one of the next two Night Monarchs (2022).
    A purple amethyst dracolich
    The Nite Qween's dragon form by HeroForge
    AttorraRu, The Nite Qween, was the most recent Night Monarch (2023).


    Cover image: The Undead Horde, Word War 4 by Moonflower (HeroForge)

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