Updated: 08 January 1999


Hekau Path of Glyphs

                    This path is almost unknown, even to mummies. Only the greatest magicians and priests were known to know it. Dja-Dja-Em-Ankh, the mummy magician, is whispered to be one of them. But if this is true, he never taught it to anyone. While Ren-Hekau gives power over others through their names, the Path of Glyphs gives power over those reading them, or, in some cases, over the ones violating the sanctuary they protect. This path can be the basis for the ''Pharao's Malediction'' fashion that followed the discoveries of TutAnkhAmon's tomb.

Most Rituals of this Path takes only a turn to be effective (the time to write the Glyphs). But non-carved Glyphs are only active for a night. One must carve the glyph on stone (or other ''permanent'' material) and then use the special ink created by the Glyph Rituals to colorize them. Note that the Glyph must be explicit: A Death Glyph can't be marked as a ''Ankh'' (which means life!) unless the whole sentence is used as a glyph (''If you enter, your life will be drained''). Not that only Hieroglyphic Glyphs works. One can't use Latin Alphabet, or even Norse Runes as Glyphs.

Most Glyphs will work only once, even if more powerful ones are known to work more than once. Most are, too, activated by contact, reading (even if someone doesn't understand the meaning of the message, as would a naive explorator who doesn't know how to read hieroglyphs) and/or passage through the door or wall protected by it. Even large scale destruction will cause activation, even if the victims will seem chosen at random. (The whole workers, for minor effects (or deadly random effects), instead of only the one who bulldozed the wall.

Note that one can resist the glyph's power if he only read them: By rolling Willpower against a diffictulty of 6 and having as much successes as the level of the Glyph, he can recognize the glyph (and thus, turn away his stare) before the activation of the Glyph. Those proficient in the Path of Glyph add their Path Level to this Roll.

The magicians mastering this Path can add the Path rating to any roll whose aim is avoid starting the effects of a glyph which is touched, read, etc. So a magician touching in the dark a glyph can, perhaps, recognize it and remove his hand before triggering it. This doesn't work if the glyph is violated (by going through the doorway while knowing a glyph protects it, etc.).

Glyphe d'Ouverture
Glyphe de Fermeture

* : Glyph of Alarm

Difficulty: 3
Cost: 1 Sekhem


                    This Glyph is paired with another. Should the Glyph be activated, destroyed, or dispelled, the other will be activated. This is an innofensive glyph that can alert someone when her haven have been visited...

                    System: 1 Sekhem, Diff: 3.
The Glyph need not be understandable, even if it always has some meaning of protection of vigilance. Udjat Eyes are often used for this Ritual.

** : Level 2 Power

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*** : Level 3 Power

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**** : Level 4 Power

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***** : Death Glyph

Difficulty: 8
Cost: 5 Sekhem


                    This powerful Glyph simply causes death. Nothing more, nothing less.

                    System: 10 Dices of Lethal Damage.
Anyone reading, crossing or touching the glyph will be victim of this damage.

***** * : Level 6 Power

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***** ** : Level 7 Power

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***** *** : Level 8 Power

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***** **** : Level 9 Power

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***** ***** : Level 10 Power

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