Nephon Khoumnos

Nephon Khoumnos
Fictional Character
Videssos Cycle Videssos Series
Appearance(s):	The Misplaced Legion†
Type of Appearance:	Direct (POV in one scene)
Nationality:	Empire of Videssos
Cause of Death:	Magical curse in battle
Occupation:	Soldier

Nephon Khoumnos was a capable officer in the army of the Empire of Videssos. Generally well-liked and well-esteemed, Khoumnos quickly made friends with Marcus Scaurus and his "Ronam" followers. 

Khoumnos was canny enough to ask for, rather than order, the Romans' help in quelling the sectarian riots that rocked Videssos prior to the Maragha campaign. Marcus Scaurus found two soldiers of the Imperial Guard dozing at their posts, and rebuked them harshly. The pair went to Khoumnos with a lying story that Marcus had attacked them for no reason, but upon questioning the soldiers the true story came out and Khoumnos apologized to Marcus, admitting his error.

He held de-facto command of Mavrikios Gavras's left wing (de jure command went to political rival Ortaias Sphrantzes) at the Battle of Maragha. His skill had the left wing perform its function well and it looked as though Mavrikios' plan to encircle the Yezd would work but the Yezda chief Avshar cast a spell killing him. Khoumnos first knew of it when he began to feel a chill despite the scorching heat of the battlefield. He felt colder and colder, and excruciating pain rather than the numbness supposedly associated with freezing to death. When his horse shied, his body fell off and shattered into a thousand pieces (a similar effect to simply dipping his body into liquid nitrogen).

His task nearly complete, Avshar gathered a group of heavily armored lancers and charged the Videssian left wing, heading directly for Ortaias Sphrantzes and shouting his name. Ortaias fled, screaming "All is lost!", beginning the route of the already-wavering Videssian troops. 

Khoumnos was after his death remembered by other Videssians as an upright man and a good officer. His saying, "if ifs and buts were candied nuts, then everyone would be fat," was invoked by men who had served with him.