Nefer/Storyline

Nefer is the owner and operator of both the Curatorium of Secrets and Northern Intelligence Network. She is a highly cunning and calculating woman who sells information to those who are willing to afford it.

Personality

Nefer enjoys dealing in information, having arranged a large intelligence network and sells information to anyone who is willing to pay the appropriate price for it. When handling business with her clients, Nefer maintains an air of confidence and authority, wisely choosing her words in order to maintain the upper hand, as shown with Dori, who is much more cautious around her compared to her other clients. She has a somewhat shaky relationship with Lauma, as the Moonchanter appears to know her a bit too well to her liking. Despite this, Nefer is still willing to help her out.

When Nefer becomes angered, the skin around her eyes darken.

As a former desert dweller prior to the Akademiya's reform, Nefer does not have fond memories of her time in the desert due to the hardships she endured.

Appearance

See also: Emerald Cipher

Nefer uses the tall female model. She has fair skin and bright green eyes with upside-down white triangular-shaped pupils. Her hair is in the style of a short bob, and a short wolf-cut, and also is dark green, fading to a lighter green color at the bottom. There is a marking similar to the Eye of Ra under her right eye, while there is a beauty mark under her left eye.

History

Past

Nefer is a orphan who was taken in by Sinuhe of the Shimti tribe. Her actual origins are unknown, but it is implied that she did not hail from the desert, as she has light skin compared to the dark skin the desert people are normally associated with. Nefer was well cared for in the tribe, referring to several as her "uncles" and Sinuhe as "father." The tribe struggled to survive in the desert, with many of the wells frequently collapsing from sandstorms. This resulted in Sinuhe heading into the territories of their rivals, the Iab and Unut, drawing water from a well controlled by the Iab. He was spotted by one of the tribespeople, and they later massacred the tribe in revenge. Nefer was the only survivor as she was hidden.

Nefer later made her way to Aaru Village, where she met Candace. She got along well with her and considered her a good friend.^[6] She convinced Uncle Anpu to call the Akademiya by showcasing her promising talent, who sent an unnamed Mahamata to investigate. Anpu convinced the Mahamata to take her, and she enrolled in Sumeru Akademiya under the Vahumana branch. There, she enrolled in various studies under her mentor Manetho. From him, she learned how students received mail in the Akademiya and discovered that the letter Sinuhe had sent had never reached its intended recipient. Desiring to fulfill her own revenge, Nefer then dropped out of the Akademiya, claiming she had issues in her hometown that had to be resolved. Before she left, she bidded farewell to Katayoun, giving her some rare and valuable incense. Katayoun asked her not to forget her, but Nefer, knowing what awaited her, knew she would forget her regardless.

Returning to the Iab tribe as a "special ambassador" from the Akademiya, Nefer convinced the Iab chief, Arif, that the Unut had control of a well over ruins that the Akademiya were interested in and offered 50 million Mora. While the Iab celebrated their newfound wealth with a feast, Nefer went to the Unut and offered the same deal to them, which the Unut chief, Nizar, also accepted. The two tribes eventually fought over the Mora, which was nonexistent, and Nefer delighted in the carnage, avenging her tribe. As a result of the battle, the Iab celebrated their victory, only for an Unut assassin to behead the chief in front of the tribe, resulting in the tribe disbanding.

At some point after the tribal war, Nefer returned to her hometown and stumbled upon the ruins in which Thoth, one of the Seven Pillars of King Deshret, resided in. Thoth gave her the question "What determines truth and falsehood?," and Nefer responded with an unknown answer. Thoth found her answer compelling and gave her a gift to match, but soon realized that her answer was a lie as he had not been freed as prophesized.^[7] Nefer had realized his deceit from the start and did not want to let him free. At the time, Thoth spoke to Nefer via Ashru, and Nefer discovered that Thoth could experience physical sensations through the cat. But before she could capitalize on it, Thoth had abandoned Ashru's body. Not wanting another chance to slip by her again, Nefer adopted Ashru and took him with her.^[8] She also acquired a unique chessboard which allowed her to relive memories of whatever was placed inside it.

Not wanting to return to the desert, Nefer left Sumeru and went to Nod-Krai, setting up two businesses; the Northern Intelligence Network and the Curatorium of Secrets, hiring one employee, Jahoda, who originally hailed from the Seahook Gang. She became well-known in Nod-Krai due to her connections and ability to gather information, with many using her services when others could not achieve their goals. The intelligence network spread across Teyvat, and Nefer became acquainted with Diluc through this network^[9], giving him the codename "Owl."^[10] Her attempts to establish the network in Liyue failed in part due to Yelan and her associates, though Nefer bore no ill will towards her, as Yelan paid top Mora for intelligence that her organization gathered.^[11] She also became acquainted with Lauma, Aino and Flins. She paid for Jahoda's robotic arm in full.^[12] She was also responsible for saving Dori when she arrived in Nod-Krai after her jinni was rendered unconscious upon arrival and entered a life-or-death situation.^[13]

Present

Nefer and Jahoda observed Lauma when she brought them to Nasha Town.

The Traveler is first introduced to Nefer when Lauma brings them to the Curatorium of Secrets. They had come after the Frostmoon Scions' sacred relic had been taken, and the Traveler was worried about implicating their sibling. Lauma had also asked her to help infiltrate the Kuuvahki Experimental Design Bureau, though she had refused her numerous times due to a neutrality agreement. With Nefer's deductions, the Traveler realized that it was not their sibling who had taken the relic, but something else. Lauma asked Nefer once more to assist her, but she refused. Lauma then requested that whoever stepped through the door, regardless of their affiliation, were to help them. Coincidentally, this ended up being Jahoda, and Nefer "fired" Jahoda in order to have her help the trio infiltrate the facility.^[14]

Jahoda completed the commission and returned to Nefer with her clients, where she had poured some tea out for them and told Jahoda to fetch her own cup. She provided Lauma some medicine, promising to send the rest to her later and inquired about the Wild Hunt attack when they retrieved the relic. She was concerned about a phantom that could take on the appearance of others before taking some time to consider the new development.^[15]

When the Traveler returned to the Flagship, they were denied entry by Valta due to a Banquet being held inside. Since the event focused on gossip and information, the Traveler went to Nefer. At the same time, Jahoda returned with medicine, but the Traveler realized it was salt, causing Nefer to throw a dangerous glare at Jahoda. The Traveler then told her about the Banquet, and Nefer agreed to take them. Inside, she scanned the area for useful tidbits, introducing the Traveler to the attendees as a special bartender from Mondstadt, allowing them to get bits of gossip. The attendees later had a Roulette Special and Nefer ensured that no one apart from the Traveler would roll the "Dark Horse," allowing them to get some more information. Following the event, she met with one of her informants, Korhonen, learning from him about various Wild Hunt anomalies, some of which were destroyed before the Lightkeepers even got to them.^[16]

While running around Nod-Krai, the Traveler learned from Aino that Sousi had been killed. They ran into Nefer in Nasha Town and investigated the crime scene. With the known information in hand, Nefer told the Traveler that they would need to find Flins to figure out what was going on. She was then informed by Sieciech that Flins had been spotted along with the Wild Hunt and were preparing to organize a party to dispel it. Nefer promised to reward him for his leak and while the Traveler ventured there alone, she would distract the Lightkeepers.^[17]

Nefer was later relaxing at the Flagship when a mob of locals swarmed the bar to look for Flins. Angered by the disturbance, she had Demyan allow the mob to search the premises. They failed to find Flins, and Nefer proceeded to punish the mob for the ruckus they caused. She then saw the Traveler and told them that the people now knew that the Wild Hunt could transform into others. As they prepared to find any remaining motives, Rerir proceeded to cause chaos in Nasha Town. Nefer assisted in calming the locals down by calling in some favors.^[18]

Varka wrote a letter to Nefer to meet up at the Secret Base and the Traveler told her what had happened. Nefer initially refused to help, stating that there was nothing in it for her. Lauma offered to pay her well if she did, though Nefer doubted that she could afford her payment. Jahoda then chimed in, wanting to donate her wages. Nefer sighed and told Jahoda to never give out favors before agreeing to help them. She asked Flins for Rerir's heart, planning to use it to follow up on some leads.^[19]

With Rerir's heart, Nefer returned to the Curatorium alongside Lauma and Jahoda. She had Jahoda fetch Dori for her, asking to borrow the amulet that Alice had given her. Dori initially refused but eventually relented before leaving. With the amulet, Nefer brought the two into a sealed room and initiated a ceremony in order to delve into Rerir's past. She was also commissioned by Dainsleif to figure out why Rerir had become a Sinner. She was aware of his identity as a Khaenri'an native, but agreed to his request. During the memory delve, they came upon a memory of Tholindis and Orlog, which confused her as she was not sure how Rerir would have been aware of the event while not being there.^[20]

Nefer later had the Traveler and Lauma join her in viewing more of Rerir's memories. When they finished, they left and suddenly found themselves in the desert. Realizing that something was wrong, Nefer ordered the two to follow her. Rerir had been alerted to Nefer's attempt to view his memories and imprisoned her in her own in turn, which the Traveler and Lauma expressed sympathy for what she had endured. Arriving at the ruins where she found Thoth, they found Asha and Nefer petted him, only for him to turn into Rerir. But before he could finish them off, Nefer used Dori's amulet, stopping him from killing her before Dainsleif used his own power to teleport them away. Brought back to reality, the chessbox began to violently shake, and Nefer sealed Rerir inside it before he could escape, estimating that her barrier would only hold him off for two days at most.^[21]

After the two days passed, Nefer fought alongside the Traveler, Flins, Lauma and Aino, though the latter three were expelled when Rerir began to take the fight more seriously. Nefer goaded Rerir to attack her to distract him, successfully doing so. In order to protect both herself and the Traveler, she attempted to restrain him at the cost of her own sight. Her sacrifice was instrumental in allowing the others to empower Columbina and expel Rerir from Teyvat. Lauma was worried about her recklessness, but Nefer stated that she had no choice. Lauma then proceeded to give her some medicine to restore her sight over the next few days.^[22]

With Rerir out of the picture, Jahoda later informed Nefer about a phantom spaceship in Starsand Shoal, which was quickly noted by everyone. Nefer agreed to lead an investigation into the Hyperboreans.^[23] She was later tested by Nicole to see if she could transfer kuuvakhi. Unfortunately, she did not pass, as she started to have a headache from the kuuvahki exposure.^[24] Columbina's form was eventually restored and she decided to add "Hyposelenia" to her name, which made Nefer curious as to what it meant.

Nefer later had the group prepare a farewell card for Columbina before she returned to the moon, but Columbina was ambushed by Dottore before she was about to leave. After she fell into the moon's reflection to stop him from harnessing her powers, Nefer learned of the events from the Traveler and agreed to help gather intelligence and find her.^[25]

Arlecchino later sent a representative, Gediminas, to inform the Traveler and the others of her activities. Nefer went with the Traveler, Flins and Lauma to Dottore's research facility, fighting their way to the center where they met Dottore. Despite their efforts, they failed to harm him, and Dottore promptly made the Traveler disappear.^[26] While everyone wanted to rescue the Traveler, Nefer advised caution, since they were not prepared for Dottore nor knew his motives. On the way back, they had spotted mysterious energy fields before Sandrone scanned everyone present, discovering that all who entered the facility had been "cursed." To ensure everyone's safety, they decided to evacuate everyone from the region, with Nefer telling Jahoda to help Lauma in this task. Later, she met with Flins, expressing skepticism that Columbina had died. They decided to investigate the Traveler's room, and although they did not spot anything at first, Nefer remembered Columbina's words stating that what she would write to them would only be seen in moonlight. She broke the nearby window and both were shocked to see Columbina's script across the entire wall, informing the others of their discovery.^[27]

As the group continued on their tasks, Nefer decided to take some of the Traveler's belongings and use her chessbox to examine them in an attempt to discover where Dottore was holding them. Dottore sensed Nefer's presence and tried to destroy her, but Nicole stopped him at the last moment, telling her that she was remarkably brave for her feat. Through this brief connection, Nefer discovered where Dottore was holding the Traveler and informed Albedo and the Wanderer, who broke them out.^[28] Rendezvousing with the others, they shared more information and learned that there were four moons present. Wondering where Columbina was, Nefer noticed Luonnotar and decided to delve into its memory, discovering the truth behind the Three Moons; fortunately, the cost of the delve was covered by Columbina, who had anticipated such an event.^[29]

Nefer and the others who had been "cursed" later fended off Dottore's minions at Nasha Town before confronting him on a platform he had conjured in the skies. During the battle, he opened several Moonwither Realms, trapping Nefer, Flins and Lauma in them. They held off the moon replicas until Columbina returned, who brought them back to reality, and they worked together to finish Dottore off.^[30]. They later formed a new League in the aftermath of the events, and Nefer attended the opening ceremony before having banter with Lauma before everyone went their separate ways.^[31]

During Nasha Town's annual trade expo, Nefer met the Traveler and asked them to help Jahoda manage the event, aware that more VIPs would be joining and wanting an uneventful expo. These VIPs were from Liyue and Fontaine, who had been investigating an international arms syndicate that had taken interest in the expo. Since the event was overseen by the Voynich Guild, which forbade violence during the event, the Liyue and Fontainian authorities could not directly intervene without violating the rule. Seeing this, the Traveler brought Yelan and Chevreuse to the Curatorium, where Nefer proposed that they handle the arrests outside of the expo. She also received an application from Ashvapati, though she discovered that he had lied about everything but his desert origins. After the syndicate was dismantled, Nefer suggested to Ashvapati that he return to the desert and try to create a peaceful life there, though the man was unsure until seeing his adoptive children willing to return and purchased a crystal from Dori that would allow them to start their plan.^[32]

Nicole later visited Nefer after learning of a dire situation growing in Sumeru. Nefer allowed the angel to come in and spoke with her, though she initially refused to help. Nicole pointed out that if Sumeru was destroyed, she would lose everything tied to it, causing Nefer to relent and agree to help. She simply asked the angel to pay for all trip expenses as payment before calling Jahoda, telling her to run the curatorium in her absence as she went to Sumeru. They arrived at an opportune time, as Dottore's meddling caused Irminsul to seal Sumeru to protect the rest of Teyvat, preventing anyone from travelling in or out of the nation. Nefer met with the others at the Temple of Silence, where they travelled to The Mausoleum of King Deshret. Nefer reunited with Thoth, who reminded her that the answer she gave her in the past was not correct. Nefer clarified that the answer she initially gave was based on her own and not King Deshret's. She then gave the correct answer, "time," causing the curse to break and allowing Thoth, Sobek and Heryshaf to regain their physical forms.^[33] She later assisted Cyno in apprehending a Fatui spy at Caravan Ribat.^[34] Thoth also enhanced the chessboard he gave her as a reward. Following Dottore's final defeat, Nefer accompanied Dori to Sumeru City, where she was revealed to have exposed Dori's secret for sympathy and met with Katayoun, who gave her the book Reasoning Knows Not Time of Day, but Suspense Always Follows a Blizzard. Nefer gave her some more incense, having believed that the batch she gave her would have been used, but Katayoun revealed she hadn't used it since they separated.^[35]

Trivia

• Nefer is from Aaru Village, having stayed there for a period of time when she was younger before being enrolled in Vahumana.
  • The scene from the chessboard in Dance of Death: Serpent and Scorpion most likely takes place nearby there since the soundtrack (Wind of Tranquility) can be heard in Aaru Village at night and the various people shown during the quest are family members from her childhood.
  • Nefer was not originally from Aaru Village- her father, Sinuhe, was the chief of the Shimti tribe (Nefer's birth tribe, most likely), as he describes himself as "the chief of our tribe[]" during Dance of Death: Serpent and Scorpion. Later on, he and the majority of the village would be killed in a fight that was triggered when Sinuhe was forced to steal water from another tribe's well.
  • In addition, her Character Story 1 describes Candace as her friend, while Character Story 2 has her writing a letter to [Candace] and considering various things people have said about desertfolk. Within the same letter, Nefer states, "...I think that perhaps I should return to Aaru Village. There is no place for me here at the Akademiya. I miss you too, Candace..."
• Nefer was not given a chance to take the entrance exam to determine which Darshans new students are eligible for, as was her right. It is inferred that Azar was already Grand Sage, and his bias towards desertfolk caused him to make an actual rule that desertfolk enrollees would have a Darshan chosen for them instead, without their input. Cyrus had protested Azar's policies towards desert-dwellers before his retirement in a letter, only for his protests to go unread, as Azar seemingly did not care about his fellow sage's objections.
• Twice, Nefer refers to drinking or consuming animal blood.^[36][37] It's known that the Eremites learned to bleed their Sumpter Beasts for fluid as a last resort, in the case of a dire emergency,^[38] so her comments may be related to that in some way.
• Nefer's Constellation, Ludus Latrunculorum, shares its name with a Roman strategy game ("Game of Brigands," or "Game of Soldiers") that can be considered the precursor to chess. While gameplay rules may vary per recreation, as the exact rules have been lost, pieces usually can move either vertically or horizontally, and pieces are captured by being trapped between two opposing pieces.

Etymology

• Nefer is an Egyptian hieroglyph, representing a trachea and heart and means "perfect" or "beautiful." Her name could also be a reference to Nefertiti, a queen of ancient Egypt.

References