Nephilim. I had Ramram deliver a note to Eldro. The note said asked if he had a book on Nephilim. If so, please give to Ramram and I will pay for it later. I thought that if anyone would have it, he would, and he did. Ramram brought the book back wrapped in a cloth so no one could read the title. I immediately started reading the book.

  First and foremost, Nephilim are not gods. Even though many have portrayed themselves as such. Superhuman abilities, yes. Gods no. They are the step between the enlightened races and the gods. Many have godlike powers. What separates them from the gods, you may ask. Nephilim can be killed.

  Nephilim can occur naturally when at least one parent is Nephilim or can be created by using magic on enlightened beings. The other way varies because there are many ways to reach Nephilim-hood. Not all methods are known and many of the known are not understood. An example: Standing under the Carrio Waterfall during the planetary celestial alignment will raise an enlightened being to Nephilim. Of course, this only happens once every 500 years. There are lots of theories why this works, but no one really knows. Mostly, we know that Nephilim exist, not how they come to be.

  Nephilim can grow more powerful than any other enlightened being. All enlightened beings are level and stat capped. Nephilim reach a roadblock at level 50. However, they are capable of breaking through the roadblock, while enlightened beings cannot. Nephilim receive a quest at level 50. Completion of this quest will remove the roadblock and allow the Nephilim to continue to level. The highest level known to be reached by Nephilim was 112. This was accomplished by Emperor Kal Dol Sot, who disappeared shortly after. Some said he ascended becoming a god on another world. Others said he died fighting the Dragon Lord Mountain River Fire. Another theory was that he just got tired of being emperor and went to Isle of Giants to continue his leveling and lives there to this day. What we do know, is that his disappearance started the two-hundred-year war of succession, which devastated the continent.

  You cannot tell who a Nephilim by anything other than their deeds is. Identification shows their original race, or the race of their parent. Even Nephilim born of two Nephilim show an enlightened race. It is the impossible deeds that betray who they are. Those actions are the only way to be sure. You might think that their unbreakable bones would be a giveaway but remember. Dragons have unbreakable bones. As do other creatures. There are even spells that can make the bones temporarily unbreakable. The only true way to tell is by their actions.

  Well, there is another way. You could ask them, but they probably won’t tell you.

  Nephilim can be any class. There is no restriction of any type. The ones we know of have been Warriors, Mages, Rogues, and a Necromancer. The King of the Undead was a terrible pestilence upon all enlightened beings. His genocidal campaigns emptied multiple kingdoms to feed his army. He simply raised his vanquished foes to grow his army after and sometime during a battle. He was an unstoppable force. At least until another Nephilim fought against him. Sherba was called a Hero of Life because she was able to defeat the King of the Undead by sealing him away in another dimensional prison. She warned that he was not dead and escape was possible, but only after she died. She too, disappeared like the Emperor Kal Dol Sot. It is rumored that if the King of the Undead returns, she will come again to fight for life, but I wouldn’t count on it.

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  Besides their incredible stats, Nephilim also have armor like skin and unbreakable bones. Story upon story talk about how the Nephilim hero without armor strode into battle and emerged without a cut on them. It is true their bones are unbreakable. This has been confirmed. A dead Nephilim’s bones have been repeatedly tested, and nothing has so much as scratched them. Multiple eyewitness accounts also verify that swords and arrows were unable to penetrate a Nephilim’s skin. However, it is also known that Nephilim can be killed by swords and arrows: Magical swords and arrows. Powerful magical swords and arrows. And these must be wielded by powerful heroes. Also, dragons have been known to eat Nephilim that attacked them.

  Late-stage Nephilim become unstoppable by mortals. If one needed to kill a Nephilim, they must be an early-stage Nephilim. The Nephilim must not have reached level 50, otherwise the task becomes an order of magnitude harder. Armies have broken against a single Nephilim multiple times in our history. Even the Demon Lord Mestiple and his army were defeated by a single Nephilim Mage. The unknown mage cast a spell call Meteor Storm upon the Demon Lord. Over twelve square miles were devastated by the Meteor Storm. Everything was destroyed by meteors smashing into it. The Demon Lord’s army gone. The land was cratered as far as one could see. Hundreds of meteors had hit the area, including the final meteor called the Star Rock. A hundred-pound chunk of star metal. The Star Rock hit the Demon Lord and left a 100-yard wide, 20 feet deep crater. Nothing was left of the Demon Lord. When the Meteor Storm was finished, the Nephilim Mage was nowhere to be found. The prevailing theory was that she ascended upon defeating the Demon Lord.

  This sounds a lot like the dream I had.

  Nephilim need conflict to grow. Mortals can grow through their profession without ever having to fight. Even combat specialist can grow outside of combat. Training and war games help them with their leveling. Of course, this is limited, but Nephilim don’t have that option. Only in the heat of battle, fighting for their lives can they continue their growth. It is said that when a Nephilim overcomes their biggest obstacle they ascend into godhood. That may explain why many Nephilim disappear after a fight.

  There is a lot more to the book, but it is mostly just histories and examples of the power of Nephilim. Unfortunately, there are more examples of ‘evil’ Nephilim than ‘good’ Nephilim.

  There was one more item that caught my eye. A single paragraph that was quite worrisome.

  It is the constant need for violence that make the Nephilim outcasts. No one wants a harbinger of violence living in their city. Most cities have laws against Nephilim living there. In many countries, Nephilim are outlawed upon pain of death.