Fellowship of the Secret Word/Rites

Necromancy

Given the importance of the soul in Egyptian legend the study of magic devoted to the soul is a natural outgrowth of that culture. While other magic affects the material world, Necromancy reshapes the spirit world, gifting the wielder with command of the dead and mastery of her own soul. To recognize the importance of Necromancy, one need only look to the tremendous tombs and monuments of Egypt, where the Pharaohs expended the efforts -- and lives -- of thousands of slaves to ensure their own sanctity in the afterlife.

Neophyte necromancers first learn the divisions of the soul and the importance of metaphysical relics ion the underworld. With practice, the necromancer gains authority over the dead through special rites of purification and the practice of ascetic disciplines. In effect, the mage becomes a lord among the dead, capable of commanding with a word and transfixing with a gaze.

While many Western traditions and religions regard Necromancy as an unwholesome practice, Necromancy is the fundamental art and a purifying discipline to House Shaea. The necromancer's very soul refines itself to become a being of puissant light in Duat. Through this authority, the necromancer can defend or manipulate the soul's many parts, command the dead, and channel the blackened entropy that flows through the underworld while remaining untainted herself.

Among House Shaea, Necromancy is the specialty of the khaibit. The mage channels the powers of Duat through the shadow soul, which touches most closely on the Lands of the Dead. To master Necromancy, the mage must exert authority through purification but also strengthen its ties to the khaibit. A truly puissant necromancer becomes as a noble monster. She leashes the khaibit to her will, combining the terrible monster and the purified master in order to transform herself into a lord of the dead. The priestess walks a thin line as she balances Ma'at with the strength of the khabit, eventually learning to harness the khaibit for conviction and dedication as molded through the authority of Ma'at. The khaibit's strength becomes the mage's strength, with its lusts moderated through the mage's adherence to the universal balance

Alchemy

Named for Al Khem, or the Black Land, the art of Alchemy was one of the greatest gifts from Egypt to the mysticism of the West. The search for the elixir of life, the panacea of universal medicine, and the transmutation of base substances into gold led to the creation of an encyclopedia of potions, poisons, and cures for nearly every occasion. The Egyptian priesthood naturally expanded the care for the spiritual well-being of their charges to cover their charges' physical welfare, and they commanded the greatest libraries of mystical formulas. House Shaea have preserved and adapted this great art allowing it to continue to this day.

Alchemical Preparations

An alchemist creates a product that embodies the effect he seeks or one that induces the desired result. Alchemical spells and rituals are generally called formulas, and one usually achieves their effects with a particular preparation. Except for some of the simplest preparations, Alchemy usually requires long hours of work in a suitably equipped laboratory. Assume that an alchemist must work for an average of one hour per highest sphere rating. Alchemical preparations using Ars Vis have a long shelf life and may reatin its potency for a greater length of time. To ensure that she has a steady supply of her creation on hand when the need arises, an alchemist usually creates a batch of the formula rather than just one dose.

Alchemy aims to perfect the tangible, and it can affect the spiritual only through the rarified nature of a soul's physical form. Therefore, Alchemy may affect only the body (khat) or a physical substance. A non-corporeal entity or spirit may not partake of an alchemical preparation.

Goals Of Alchemy

An alchemical preparation's purpose usually relates directly to its physical form. As part of this mystical science, Alchemy allows the apparent violation of natural chemical properties. In game terms, all Alchemy is concerned with at least one of three results:

Identification: Knowledge is power. Understanding specifically what composes any object, creature, or substance gives the alchemist potential power over it. Alchemists become aware of substances' inherent properties that mere chemists never uncover.

Transmutation: Many alchemical processes seek simply to change one substance into another, such as the well-known quest to create gold from lesser materials. The result may be a purified form of the original substance, a new substance altogether, or a strange blend of the mixture's components.

Catalyst: Many alchemical preparations have as their primary goal the ability to cause change in other substances or forms. At the heights of mastery, the alchemist may even transform her own body into a catalyst that's capable of causing changes in the world around her.

Forms Of The Art

Before an alchemist creates a preparation, she must determine what form she'll give it. The form depends upon the alchemist's method of processing the particular formula involved.

Essence: A volatile substance that's either kept in gaseous form or kept standing as a liquid that evaporates quickly upon exposure to the air. The desired subject must inhale the essence or be caught in its caustic cloud for the spell to take effect. Essence preparations are often used as perfumes, although smoke or incense may also be considered a form of essence.

Potion: A specially formulated liquid that its beneficiary (or victim) must drink. If the alchemist mixes the potion with another substance -- such as wine, water, or coffee -- to mask it, the target may make a suitable Perception roll to notice that something is amiss. To be successful, the attempt requires a number of successes greater than the alchemist's Alchemy rating.

Powder: A mixture dehydrated for ease of transport. Such a preparation is usually mixed with a liquid for consumption or burned to create an essence. Rarely, the formula calls for the conglomeration of the powder into a solid piece, such as the legendary philosopher's stone.

Salve: Any soft paste or lotion that may be applied to skin or the surface of an object. A poisonous salve may be applied to a sharp blade, while a healing salve is typically applied to the wound. The individual applying the salve must be careful not to touch the salve directly in order to avoid experiencing the effect herself.

Ren (True Names)

What is a word, but a name that describes the very essence of a thing? When speaking a word, one speaks a concept and defines the purest form of the subject. Egyptian sorcerers understood the power behind this unfettered knowledge. The ren, or true name, provides not only comprehension of a subject, but power over it. Just as we answer to our own names and understand what someone says by their words, so too does the practitioner of Nomenclature -- often referred to as a scribe or magist -- command others through the true name or unlock the secrets of a subject with its ren.

The magic of true names doesn't come easily: A true name must be understood and pronounced with exacting care. An impatient scribe will find that her improperly spoken ren fails to have any effect whatsoever. Indeed, even learning true names can be arduous. The would-be magist generally must find someone patient and willing to pass on the knowledge of true names with perfect precision. Since thousands of true names exist -- some with very subtle vowel in difference from others, and each with a different degree of scope -- mastery comes only slowly and with much effort. But Seshati are experts in this art.

The classification of ren often varies with the subject's spiritual strength. A simple chunk of stone uses the same true name as nearly any other block of similar material. Every granite boulder can be described with one ren, for instance. Note that true names don't necessarily correspond directly to specific elements. Rather, they function in terms of the metaphysical importance of an item. Therefore, "granite" probably describes several types and grades of granite, but "iron" and "steel" would be separate true names. Similarly, different types of animals have ren for their species. Individual humans and thinking creatures have unique ren of varying complexity. A common person who has little ambition or spiritual strength possesses a short and simple ren, one that can be discerned by unlocking the person's whole given name and applying the complexities of ren to it through a few descriptive words of power. A unique, powerful being such as a brilliant and well-educated individual or a potent mystical or supernatural creature has a highly complex and unique ren that describes her explicitly. Learning such a true name requires the chore of gathering detailed information about the subject and translating that knowledge into the true words that can form the ren.

In the case of a unique personal name, the scribe may have no way to test the name except by simply using it. The Storyteller should adjudicate the usefulness of names that a character garners through book-learning and deduction. Research rolls (most often Intelligence + Occult, although Intelligence + Enigmas has its uses) can be helpful here.

Note also that various creatures have unique personal names just like individual humans, although such names are often modified by the supernatural context. Therefore, a vampire's true name reflects the fact that the individual is a bloodsucking fiend. Many supernatural names change overtime (as do some human names) as experience causes the individual to change. Keeping up with the changes requires constant study.

Learning True Names

Discovering a new ren is a demanding undertaking. Usually a scribe who has developed some skill with Nomenclature knows a few true names. Three useful names -- often one for a type of stone or metal, one animal, and the ren for the concept of "self" -- is a good start. Learning more names takes time and dedication (i.e., experience points).

To learn a true name, the mage needs only study with an appropriate instructor. The Storyteller might award knowledge of a ren as part of a story or simply charge three experience points for each additional name. Remember that learning a true name isn't a simple matter of hearing a name once. It's a matter of breaking down the name into component words, learning the meanirg of each, learning their correct enunciation and pacing, and then putting them back together into the whole ren. Often doing so means comprehending the innermost nature of an item or animal. For instance, a mage can't learn the ren for "armor" unless she also learns how to make armor. She can't learn the ren for "hawk" unless she studies the hawk and understands its true nature.

Discovering a true name from books or study proves considerably more difficult. A book's guides to pronunciation are often less exacting than a living instructor, so the mage must practice, experiment and compare the word to the materials that she already knows. The following chart provides a benchmark for various categories:

True Name Category	Requisite
(dung beetle, cobra) Animal Ken 2+
Simple element (sand, granite)	Occult or Science 2+
Complex animal (ape, cat)	Animal Ken 4+
Simple hand weapon (club, iron mace)	Melee 2+ and material requisites
Simple projectile weapon (bow, sling)	Athletics 2+ and material requisites
Complex hand weapon (steel khopesh, obsidian knife)	Melee 4+ and material requisites
Complex projectile weapon (pistol, crossbow)	Firearms 2+ and material requisites
Personal name	Subterfuge 2+
Simple supernatural name (a ghoul, a minor spirit)	Occult 2+
Complex supernatural name (a vampire, a werewolf)	Occult 4+ or Lore 2+ and personal name

A Seshati practicing Ren rites knows the various verbs that arc necessary to enact her spells. Those verbs are what the scribe learns when she unearths the spell to begin with. Learning the nouns to affect a creature, though, requires the aforementioned study. Therefore, a mage who learns Cloud the Name knows automatically how to use the words of transformation as described in the spell, but he would have to research and learn the actual name upon which to use the spell.

Example True Names

The names here represent but a small fraction of the Egyptian terms known to Nomenclature scribes.

Body Part	Name
Backbone	aat
Eyes	merti
Face	her
Head	tep
Heart	ab
Phallus	bah

Common animals answer to these true names.

Animal Type	Name	=	Ape	amhet
Cat	mau
Dog	uher
Eagle	a
Elephant	ab
Hare	un
Hawk	heru
Hippopotamus	apt
Horse	sesem
Ibis	tehuti
Lion	ma
Rat	pennu
Vulture	mut

Ushabti

The power of a symbol is tremendous. In ancient Egypt, the mastery of mythic symbols formed the basis for the power of the priesthood and the Pharaoh. From the pyramids that represented the primordial mound of creation to the statues of the gods that ensured their continuing presence on earth, mighty Hekau spells channeled tremendous power. The magicians of the Two Lands crafted magical relics to protect themselves and their charges in the afterlife, and they even provided those charges with ushabti (the "answerers" who performed work for them in the Fields of A'aru). The ushabti were so common in funerary settings that they became the symbol of the Hekau magic involved in their creation.

This Hekau based upon ideals of sympathetic magic and the manufacture of spiritual objects. Such objects may serve as relics for the soul in the afterlife or powerful artifacts in the material world. A picture or model may be empowered to cause its fate to affect the thin it depicts.

Crafting An Ushabti:

Properly speaking, an effigy is a statue representing a person. Within the Hekau arts, any object may serve as an effigy of an idea or thing. The main difference between effigies and amulets is that the user doesn't have to wear an effigy, and that an effigy may be immaterial in its final form. Some exceptions exist, such as the creation of armor or clothes that only exist within Duat.

Like an amulet, an effigy must first be crafted, which generally requires a Dexterity + Crafts or Wits + Crafts roll with a difficulty that depends on the complexity of the desired result. Such an effort needs at least one success, although the Storyteller may call for an extended action to sculpt or assemble an appropriate detailed effigy. The words of power for the ritual are then inscribed into the item. As noted for all rituals, doing so requires an extended action that uses a dice pool designated by the particular ritual in order to gather a number of successes equal to the sphere rating.

An Ushabti ritual takes one day per level of the ritual being performed unless otherwise noted. Since the work requires demanding focus, much of the time that the caster takes to perform the ritual includes breaks to recover physical and spiritual strength. While crafting an effigy, an artisan may do nothing but sleep, eat, and meditate to recover Sekhem. To speed the process along, the artisan may use Sekhem from other sources, such as the Tears of Isis potion or Vessels that are capable of storing magical power. Once an effigy has been created, its enchantment doesn't need to be renewed as an amulet's does. The effigy is infused with Sekhem only when the artisan channels energy into it, and it sits inert the rest of the time.

Using The Effigy:

Unless otherwise stated, one may use an effigy repeatedly, but someone with knowledge of Effigy Hekau must activate it. The user doesn't have to be of a level capable of actually creating the effigy, but her player must succeed with the appropriate Trait + Effigy roll against the difficulty of the effigy ritual in order to use the item in question. Botching this roll usually destroys the magic of the item and renders it spiritually inert. Some effigies have been created for a specific person, and they won't work for anyone else.

Unlike an amulet, an effigy usually requires an expenditure of Sekhem every time someone uses it. The mummy's player spends this Sekhem immediately upon activation and periodically thereafter in order to continue using it. If an effigy is denied its supply of required Sekhem at any point, the object returns to its Quiescent state immediately. The rituals listed here denote respective costs to create and maintain various effigies.

Some simple Effigy Hekau can be performed in a single turn. Such powers are referred to as spells. Casting these spells involves scratching a potent symbol or two onto an object's surface and investing it with Sekhem to activate it. Other simple sympathetic magic might require a very crude shaping of a representation of the target from whatever material is at hand. Invoking magic in a hurry with such weak links often devours a greater amount of Sekhem energy, and it's more likely to fail. Therefore, most Effigy practitioners prefer to have time to prepare.

Care And Feeding Of An Effigy:

The comparison between amulets and effigies has been made already, but notable distinctions exist between the two. Otherwise they wouldn't warrant separate Hekau paths. Among these differences is the fact that most effigies are more durable than amulets are.

An effigy crafted in the shape of a creatures looks like a small statue, but it grows to resemble an actual living animal when it's activated. It isn't truly alive, however. For the sake of simplicity, use the appropriate description as a basis for a creature effigy. The effigy may use its Stamina to soak lethal damage. However, it can't heal any damage it has sustained, and it suffers wound penalties like its living counterpart would. Unless otherwise indicated. The artisan must repair any damage to an effigy herself. Doing so requires her player to roll Crafts + Effigy (difficulty 6) for each separate wound and spend one Sekhem to mend each health level. An effigy that suffers damage past Incapacitated is destroyed.;

An inactive effigy registers as a magical item to awareness or appropriate mystical senses. Regardless of the means used to identify it, destruction of an effigy ends its enchantment. Its destruction can trigger a final magical effect in certain cases, however.

Decanic Astrology

The sun and moon, stars and planets -- indeed, all heavenly bodies and their movements hold great significance in Egyptian magic. Astrologers and celestines learned long ago to read the constellations for auspicious signs, to shape the weather and to call down the provenance of the gods.

Just as the sky encircles the globe, so too does Celestial Hekau encompass vast areas. A skilled mage can shape storms, raise plagues, and cast horoscopes that affect individuals, entire family lines, or even whole nation. Event the lowest level paths of Celestial Hekau have tremendous power. Celestial magic just might have a broader scope than any other form of magic. A talented astrologer can draw upon the powers of the heavens to summon and shape the environment to suit her needs. She can query the gods themselves to glean the trends of the future. Such powers rarely come easily. Most Celestine Hekau require elaborate rituals and take a great deal of time to materialize, as the mummy pulls tremendous forces into alignment. In game terms, Celestine magic requires one hour per level of the ritual being performed.

The celestine has no need for a laboratory or arcane devices to craft her magic. Although a quiet place and reference material may help, all that a mummy needs in order to complete a ritual in the end is her mystical understanding of the heavens themselves. The Celestial astrologer must have a firm grasp of the constellations, the secret names and meanings of the planets, the places of the gods, and the titanic forces with which she wrestles. Calling to the heavens requires that the mummy appeal to far greater entities than herself, entities who themselves respond only to the proper supplications. A celestine couldn't hope to move sun and earth herself. Rather, she requests the intercession of the gods, who then respond according to her requests. Not all mummies believe in these gods or their intercessions, but all who practice Celestial magic do so with these prayers. Even so, the gods remain hidden, enormous entities behind the machine of the stars.