SHR Main Page | Opera Propria | Vestiges in Sand Introduction
Thousands of years ago, Egypt was a land of great wealth and prosperity. Its civilisation was centred above all on the Nile basin, where regular floods, depositing rich nutrients on the river's banks, created large regions of fertile land where cultivation could take place. In this land of plenty the Egyptian people flourished, developing a sophisticated culture.
Egyptian religion was a complex affair, involving a plethora of gods. Not only was the pharaoh himself regarded as divine, but many other deities stalked the land. There were a number of major deities, all of which formed part of the state religion, of which the pharaoh was the high priest. In addition, the Egyptians also worshipped a number of personal deities and local divinities associated with particular places or objects. Thus, whatever the task that one was about to undertake might be, there was invariably at least one deity, if not several, that one could pray to for aid in one's endeavours.
The days of the pharaohs are long past, but it is said by some magi of the Order of Hermes that the Egyptian religion still persists, followed by small groups of mage-priests in secret places and obscure temples. It is not known what, if any, feelings these priests might have towards the Order, but needless to say there are some Hermetic magi who see them as yet another potential threat.
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The first decision the player should make is which deity the character follows. The player should either choose one from the (by no means exhaustive) list at the end of this article or, given the plethora of deities worshipped by the ancient Egyptians, pick another from Egyptian mythology or create a new one under the supervision of the storyguide.
It should be noted that mage-priests may be either male or female. In addition, the term "Egyptian" is used here to designate the tradition they belong to, rather than their nationality. While they are most commonly found in Egypt, it may be that there are hidden enclaves of mage-priests elsewhere in the mythic world.
Purchase or roll characteristics as normal
Egyptian mage-priests receive the Sight and Magic Sensitivity Virtues for free. They may take up to 10 points of Virtues, balanced with up to 10 points of Flaws. They must take the -1 Flaw Vow, representing a prohibition placed upon them by their deity or temple; common restrictions include refraining from particular gestures or a taboo on certain types of food (fish, red meat, etc.). If this vow is broken, they will be unable to perform ritual castings of spells (see below) until due penance is made. They have access to General Virtues and Flaws and to any Hermetic Virtues and Flaws that the storyguide sees fit. Like Hermetic magi, mage-priests are obviously Gifted, so the Gentle Gift Virtue is equally useful to them.
Egyptian mage-priests begin the game with the following Abilities:
| Speak Own Language | 4 |
| Speak Ancient Egyptian | 4 |
| Scribe Hieroglyphics | 3 |
| Theology: Ancient Egyptian | 3 |
| Ka Mastery | 3 |
| The Sight | 2 |
| Magic Sensitivity | 2 |
| Concentration | 2 |
They receive Age + 8 additional experience points to spend on Abilities. They may choose freely from the Abilities listed in ArM4, page 53, including Academic and Arcane Abilities, but may not choose Certamen, Parma Magica or Order of Hermes Lore.
Ancient Egyptian is an Academic Knowledge, a language that is only taught to members of the Egyptian priesthood, which is used in ritual practice for spells and incantations. It is written down in hieroglyphics (Scribe Hieroglyphics is another Academic Knowledge).
Ka Mastery is an Arcane Knowledge, granting the possessor the ability to control their ka, the spiritual double that is the life force of each human being. An Egyptian mage-priest manipulates their ka to produce a number of magical effects. The Ability also gives the character Magic Resistance equal to Ka Mastery multiplied by 5 (modified by Magic Sensitivity, of course).
The Sight is an Exceptional Talent, effectively both Second Sight and Faerie Sight, granting the possessor the ability to see both magical and faerie things. For more details, see The Dragon and the Bear, page 169.
The character may choose up to 150 levels of spells, with the restriction that they may only choose spells either affecting their patron deity's animals (for humanoid animals, ignore cosmetic details such as headdresses or skin colour) or fitting into the deity's realms of influence (see the list of gods and goddesses below). They may choose spells of a level equal to their Intelligence + (Ka Mastery multiplied by 5) + 10. These may be formualic or ritual spells.
Egyptian mage-priests practise an art that is both magical and faerie in nature. The ancient Egyptian gods were magical entities, but when they eventually withdrew from the world, they withdrew to the Faerie Realm, from which they still supply their worshippers with power. In game terms, this means that Egyptian mage-priests are equally comfortable in both magical and faerie auras, and in any given situation may choose to use either the Magic or the Faerie column of the Realm Interaction chart (ArM4, page 239).
Egyptian mage-priests use magic to create the following effects. The exact details of these are dependent on which god or goddess the character follows.
This is the first power that a mage-priest is taught. At will, the mage-priest may change the shape of their head to that of the animal (sometimes humanoid) associated with their deity. In the case of a deity with more than one associated animal, the player should choose one of the deity's animals at character creation; this will be the only form the character can use. In the case of beast shapes, the gender of the beast to be shapechanged into should be chosen at character creation. In the case of humanoid shapes, the gender will match that of the human figure associated with the god; thus priests of Nun, regardless of their gender, will take the head (and the form, if using the next power listed, Shape of the God) of a man composed entirely of water. The change takes a few seconds, or one combat round. The mage-priest gains the benefit of any special senses possessed by the animal (a hawk's sight, for example), but retains the power of speech.
NB: In order to practise any other Egyptian magics, the mage-priest must be wearing the Face of the God. This applies equally to short-term and seasonal activities.
The character may change the rest of their body, taking the shape of the animal associated with their god (or the one they have chosen, in the case of more than one being associated with the deity). Again, the change takes a few seconds, or one combat round. The character follows all the usual rules for shapechangers (ArM4, page 252), but retains the power of speech. The character may retain animal shape for a maximum number of hours equal to the character's Stamina + Ka Mastery (minimum 1).
By entering a trance, the character may discorporate their Ka, sending it wandering while their body remains inert. The body of a mage-priest who does this is utterly vulnerable, unable to speak, move or sense anything around it, and if it takes killing damage, the mage-priest dies. However, while roving as a ka, the mage-priest can move at normal human speeds, can pass through solid objects, and can speak and use all their regular senses. They can also turn visible or invisible at will; again, the change from one state to the other takes a few seconds, or one combat round. The priest may make use of any Abilities or powers possessed, but cannot affect or be affected by solid objects. Magic and other supernatural powers affect them normally. The mage-priest can return to their body at will, even if the body has been moved. The character can discorporate their ka for a maximum number of hours equal to their Stamina + Ka Mastery (minimum 1).
The primary purpose of the ancient Egyptian priests was to conduct ritual worship of the gods, acting as the representatives of the pharaoh. This worship took the form of both physical acts - clothing and feeding statues of the gods - and also hymns and incantations. Egyptian mage-priests may conduct ritualistic castings of spells they know.
Before conducting the spell-casting, the mage-priest must be ritually pure. This means that the mage-priest must have conducted a ritual purification by chewing natron, fumigating him or herself with incense, washing, trimming his or her nails and (in the case of a man) shaving and depilating himself of all body hair. All priests are circumcised and also must be observing their particular temple or deity's prohibitions (as represented by the Vow Flaw, above).
Spell-casting involves a number of invocations and ritual gestures, so may not be conducted if the caster is partially or fully prevented from performing these. The actual spell-casting takes a number of minutes equal to the level of the spell to be cast, in the case of a formulaic spell, or 15 minutes per five levels, in the case of a ritual spell. For every five minutes or part thereof spent casting the spell, the character should expend a fatigue level (yes, this does make casting high-level or ritual spells very difficult, but see below). For ritual spells, vis should be expended as normal. At the end of the procedure, the character rolls a stress die + Stamina + Concentration + (Ka Mastery multiplied by 5) + aura, modified by fatigue penalties. If the total equals or exceeds the spell level, the spell is cast successfully, with a penetration equal to the total. Otherwise the spell fails, though any vis used for ritual spells is still expended. Botches frequently involve some sort of magical backlash, as the energy that has been built up over time escapes the caster's control.
Mage-priests may also attempt to invoke aid from their patron deity to create effects for which they do not know a spell. The mage-priest may effectively attempt to cast a spontaneous spell either to affect their patron deity's animals (for humanoid animals, ignore cosmetic details such as headdresses or skin colour) or to achieve an effect fitting into the deity's realms of influence, following the limitations placed on spontaneous spells in ArM4, page 70. Again, the caster must be unhindered from making suitable ritual gestures and incantations. The casting takes a number of minutes equal to the level of the spell being cast, and costs a fatigue level for every five minutes or part thereof spent on casting the spell. The caster then rolls a stress die + Stamina + Concentration + (Ka Mastery multiplied by 3) + aura, modified by fatigue penalties. If the total equals or exceeds the spell level, the spell is cast successfully, with a penetration equal to the total. Otherwise the spell fails.
It is common for mage-priests to gather into groups to cast spells. A mage-priest is designated as the principal caster, while the others support the principal caster by absorbing fatigue. In the case of a group casting, fatigue loss is allocated among the members of the group by the principal caster, though no member of the group may be required to absorb more fatigue than they have Fatigue levels. It is entirely possible for members of the group to fall unconscious during the spell-casting, but as long as the principal spell-caster is still conscious, the die roll will still be made, using his or her scores. The principal spell-caster may have a maximum number of supporting mage-priests equal to his or her Communication + Leadership, but they do not all need to be followers of his or her deity.
Mage-priests may also attempt to invoke aid from other deities. They are considerably less good at this than they are at invoking their own patron deity, but the Egyptian gods rarely refuse any worship that is offered. The mage-priest may effectively attempt to cast a spontaneous spell of any Technique and Form (there are easily enough Egyptian deities to cover any endeavour, within the Limits of Magic), following the limitations placed on spontaneous spells in ArM4, page 70. Again, the caster must be unhindered from making suitable ritual gestures and incantations. The casting takes a number of minutes equal to the level of the spell being cast, and costs a fatigue level for every five minutes or part thereof spent on casting the spell. The caster then rolls a stress die + Stamina + Concentration + Ka Mastery + aura, modified by fatigue penalties. If the total equals or exceeds the spell level, the spell is cast successfully, with a penetration equal to the total. Otherwise the spell fails. Again, botches frequently involve a magical backlash of some sort. Group castings are not possible.
Egyptian mage-priests may engage in many of the seasonal activities listed in the Laboratory chapter of ArM4. These are listed below with appropriate notes:
Mage-priests may spend experience and conduct seasonal studies in the same way as other characters (ArM4, pages 186-90). Generally, any books they scribe are written in hieroglyphics. They do not study from vis.
Heliobolus Magister, the follower of Bonisagus at the Covenant of the Pyramids (version II, see Blood and Sand, pages 116-7), manages to integrate Hermetic and Egyptian magic in a way that enables its practitioners to perform rituals producing effects that bend the limits of magic. This makes the new theory very attractive, but the system also involves worship of the ancient Egyptian deities, which may make many religiously-minded magi hesitate to learn it. In addition, the church would look very dimly upon the Order if it took to the worship of pagan gods. How will the Order as a whole deal with this problem, and how will it personally affect the player characters?
Quaesitores of the Order claim that the College of Isadora, a secret society promoting the worship of Isis (see The Mysteries, pages 158-9), is actually carrying out rites intended to produce the eventual return of the ancient Egyptian gods and the destruction of the church. Is this true, or is the accusation actually the result of secret society politics? The characters may be sent by other Qauesitores or powerful magi to investigate. If it is true, how will the magi of the Order react? While the Order normally attempts to avoid conflicts with the church, some magi may feel that the activities of the College of Isadora offer an opportunity for the Order to free itself from the restrictions of the Dominion.
The Pharaoh Akhenaten (r. c. 1350-34 BCE) attempted to overthrow the ancient Egyptian religion in favour of a faith based on worship of the sun (Aten) and himself as its earthly embodiment and offspring. The temples of the other gods were closed, and attempts were made to erase the names of the other deities from existing monuments. Akhenaten's faith disappeared soon after his death, with the old gods being restored, but it may be that some of his followers remain, practising their own hidden rites and plotting the downfall of the other Egyptian mage-priests. What powers will these followers of Akhenaten's religion have? Given their worship of the sun above all else, it may be that they will have awesome powers associated with heat and light. Should the Order ever come into conflict with the mainstream Egyptian priesthood, the followers of Aten could prove to be extremely useful allies.
Each ancient Egyptian deity is listed in the following manner:
Name | Image of the deity |
| Animal: The animal or animals associated with the deity. | |
| Sphere of Influence: The sorts of spells and magical effects that may be created by mage-priests of the deity. | |
| Description: A general description of the deity. |
Anubis |  |
| Animal: Jackal | |
| Sphere of Influence: Death, embalming, burial, guiding, investigation | |
| Description: Anubis is the god of death. The embalmer of corpses, he presides over burial rites and guides the souls of the dead on their way to the afterlife. He is also the one who determines the eventual fates of souls. Each soul's heart is weighed against a feather of truth and justice; those who pass the test, their hearts being outweighed by the feather, are allowed to pass on to the afterlife, while those whose hearts, heavy with guilt, outweigh the feather, are devoured by Amit, a monster with the head of a crocodile, the body of a lion and the hindquarters of a hippopotamus. Anubis is the one who reads the scale and reports to Osiris, the King of the Underworld. |
Bastet |  |
| Animal: Cat | |
| Sphere of Influence: Courage, hunting, berserk fighting, ferocity | |
| Description: Bastet is the patron goddess of cats. Cats were extremely popular animals in Egypt, to the point that many were mummified after death. They were admired for their abilities as hunters, and also for their courage and ferocity when fighting. |
Bes |  |
| Animal: An ugly dwarf with a large head, a lion's mane, protruding ears, a flat nose, bow-legs, a tail and a long penis | |
| Sphere of Influence: Childbirth, children, protection from demons and wild animals, destruction of wild animals, music and dancing | |
| Description: Bes is a protector and easer of pain in childbirth. He takes particular care of children; indeed, his ugliness, music and dancing make children laugh and drive demons away. He also kills snakes and other animals that might harm children. |
Hathor |  |
| Animal: Cow | |
| Sphere of Influence: Fertility and children, sky, light and heat, carousing, virgins, destruction | |
| Description: Hathor, the Golden One, is the cow goddess. She is also associated with the sky; ancient Egyptians conceived her as a gigantic cow straddling the earth, with her belly forming the sky and the sun held between her horns. She is said to be terrible when angry, but fond of slapstick and bawdy humour when happy. She is a lover of music and alcoholic drinks and is a patron of virgin women and mothers. She is aided in her works by Bes. |
Heket |  |
| Animal: Frog | |
| Sphere of Influence: Creation, childbirth | |
| Description: Heket is an ancient creator goddess. A servant of Khnum, she is also a divine midwife who attends childbirths and ensures that babies are safely delivered. |
Horus |  |
| Animal: Falcon, often wearing the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt | |
| Sphere of Influence: Sky, light and heat, the dead, vengeance, creation, eyes, royalty | |
| Description: Horus is the son of Isis and Osiris. Osiris was slain by his brother Seth, who was jealous of his power. Horus avenged his father, fighting a long and drawn out struggle with his uncle. Seth once gouged out Horus' eyes, but these were replaced with falcon's eyes by Hathor; since then the eye of Horus has been regarded as a protective emblem. On another occasion Seth struck his nephew in the eyes, and they had to be healed by Re. Eventually Horus overthrew his uncle and became king of Egypt; indeed, the reigning pharaohs were regarded as being incarnations of the god. Horus is also associated with the sky and the sun, and is a guardian of the dead. |
Isis |  |
| Animal: Kite, or a beautiful woman with a miniature throne on her head | |
| Sphere of Influence: Women and children, spirit and transformation magic, healing, love and fertility, knowledge | |
| Description: Isis is the devoted wife of Osiris and mother of Horus. After Osiris was slain by his brother, Seth, the body was thrown into the Nile. Isis eventually recovered her husband's corpse, but while she left it unattended Seth tore the body to pieces, which he scattered across Egypt. Isis painstakingly gathered the pieces together, fanned life into her dead husband and with him conceived Horus, who would be his father's avenger. Thus Isis is associated with pregnancy, children and fertility. She is also omniscient, a powerful magician and healer, and the guardian of lovers. |
Khnum |  |
| Animal: Flat-horned ram | |
| Sphere of Influence: Creation, pottery, water, air, life | |
| Description: Khnum is an ancient creator god. He is said to have created humans from clay on a potter's wheel. Apparently humans were originally animated using water and air, but eventually Khnum tired of constantly both creating and maintaining life, so he put potter's wheels into the wombs of all females, thus endowing them with his creative power, allowing him to concentrate on maintaining life after its creation. Khnum is also associated with the Nile and its annual flood. |
Maat |  |
| Animal: A woman with an ostrich feather on her head | |
| Sphere of Influence: Truth, justice, order, regularity, right relationships | |
| Description: Maat is the daughter of Re and the personification of truth, order and justice. The ostrich feather that protrudes from her head is the one weighed against the hearts of the dead when they are judged in the afterlife. She is the personification of the regularity of the universe; the passing of the seasons; the movements of the sun, moon and stars; and the right relationships of mankind to the gods and each other. |
Neit |  |
| Animal: A woman wearing the Red Crown of Lower Egypt, or a cat | |
| Sphere of Influence: Hunting and warfare, weaving, creation, prophecy, wisdom | |
| Description: Neit is the mother goddess who created the world, light and the other gods, before prophesying the birth of the sun. She is also the patron of Lower (Northern) Egypt and is associated with hunting, warfare, wisdom and cats. |
Nekhbet |  |
| Animal: Vulture | |
| Sphere of Influence: Protection, royalty, circles | |
| Description: Nekhbet is the protectress of the royalty of Upper (Southern) Egypt. She is often depicted carrying the hieroglyphic sign shen, "to encircle," indicating that the king is lord of all that is encircled by the sun. |
Nephthys |  |
| Animal: A woman with the hieroglyphs for her name worn as a headdress | |
| Sphere of Influence: Protection of the dead, adultery, loyalty between siblings | |
| Description: Nephthys is the wife of Seth, but aided her sister Isis in the collection of the pieces of her brother Osiris. She was chief mourner for Osiris and is a protector of the dead. Another story also tells that she once tricked Osiris into committing adultery with her, from which union Anubis was born. |
Nun |  |
| Animal: A man composed entirely of water | |
| Sphere of Influence: Water, sea | |
| Description: Nun is the personification of the primaeval waters from which the world was created. He is also the god of the ocean. |
Osiris |  |
| Animal: A bearded man with black or green skin, wearing a white shroud and the White Crown of Upper Egypt, or a ram or goat | |
| Sphere of Influence: Royalty, death, rebirth, plants and agriculture, judgement | |
| Description: Osiris is the father of Horus and the husband of Isis, a divine king who was betrayed and murdered by his brother, Seth. He gave civilisation and agriculture to humankind and through his own death and rebirth is associated with the apparent death and rebirth of plants and crops. He is King of the Underworld, and ancient Egyptians believed that those who were buried with appropriate rites became Osiris in the afterlife. |
Ptah |  |
| Animal: A green-skinned man with a wedge-shaped beard and close-shaved head, wearing a burial shroud, or a bull | |
| Sphere of Influence: Creation, thought, speech, commands, royalty, crafts, justice | |
| Description: Ptah is an ancient creator god, who brought the world into being through thought and speech. He is the inventor of crafts and patron of kings and judges. |
Re |  |
| Animal: Falcon, cat or piebald or black bull | |
| Sphere of Influence: Creation, words and names, royalty, light and heat, knowledge and seafaring | |
| Description: Re is another who claims to be the first god, who created the world, including the other gods, through naming all its parts. He then became king of gods and men. He is a solar god, riding a barque across the sky during the day, and fighting off demons at night. He is also omniscient. |
Sekhmet |  |
| Animal: Lion | |
| Sphere of Influence: Warfare, anger, disease, healing | |
| Description: Sekhmet is a fierce goddess of warfare and strife, who also slays her enemies with diseases; in ancient Egypt, "priest of Sekhmet" was synonymous with "doctor," as Sekhmet's priests were the ones who could appease the goddess who had afflicted people with sickness. |
Selkis |  |
| Animal: Scorpion, or a beautiful woman with a scorpion on her head | |
| Sphere of Influence: Poison, heat, deserts, coffins and tombs, beauty | |
| Description: Selkis is the scorpion goddess of the desert, the personification of the scorching heat of the sun. She is the guardian of coffins, and is said to be eternally beautiful. |
Seth |  |
| Animal: All creatures regarded as dangerous or unpleasant: scorpion, serpent, hippopotamus, crocodile, wild ass, boar, pig (a creature particularly abhorred in ancient Egypt) or a creature with the body of a greyhound, a forked tail, an elongated muzzle, elongated ears with flattened tips, and almond-shaped eyes | |
| Sphere of Influence: Storms, treachery, evil, ambition, deserts, darkness, fear | |
| Description: Seth was the brother of Osiris. Jealous of his brother's power, he tricked his brother into climbing into a coffin, which he then sealed with lead and threw into the Nile. Later, when Isis recovered the body, he tore it to pieces and scattered it across Egypt. He also contended with Horus for the kingship of Egypt, but was eventually defeated. He is the Red God of the Deserts and lord of storms. He is also associated with darkness and fear. However, he is also the champion of Re during the latter's night-time battles. |
Sobek |  |
| Animal: Crocodile | |
| Sphere of Influence: Hunger, blood, hunting, armour | |
| Description: Sobek is the crocodile god, patron of the beasts that roam the Nile seeking to devour the unwary. Ancient Egyptians sought to appease him before embarking on any endeavour that might bring them into contact with his creatures. |
Tefnut |  |
| Animal: Lion | |
| Sphere of Influence: Hunting, eyes, rain, moisture, light, growth | |
| Description: Tefnut is a daughter of Re, but she became estranged from her father and fled to Nubia, where she raged throughout the land in the form of a lioness. Eventually she was persuaded to return to Egypt and become reconciled with her father, who missed his Eye, as she was often called. She is associated with both the moisture and rains and the sun of spring that bring life to the land. |
Thoth |  |
| Animal: Ibis or baboon | |
| Sphere of Influence: Writing, knowledge, magic (Vim), law, medicine, mathematics. Egyptian mage-priests have not yet managed to create spells that will manipulate time. | |
| Description: Thoth is the god of wisdom. He is the inventor of hieroglyphic writing and the patron of the arts and sciences. He is also a magician par excellence. He is said to have written forty-two books containing all the wisdom in the world, including magic and the laws of Egypt. He is also the lord of time and counting. |
Text copyright © Niall Christie 2003. Ishtar copyright © Autumn Domoslai 2003.
Egyptian deity images kindly supplied by Neferchichi's Tomb.
