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.

Rites

Body Preservation

Spheres: Life 3, Time 3

The Sehati's khat may be subject to applied trauma while the soul is in Duat. By enacting this ritual, swallowing certain noxious mixtures, and swathing her body in oils and creams, the necromancer lends increased resilience to her khat. Although the components of this ritual aren't exceptionally expensive, they do comprise a unique collection of unguents. If a mummy knows what to look for, she may determine whether another Seshati is in the area by checking to see if certain components have been purchased at local stores dealing in herbs, essences, and lotions.

The entire process of the ritual takes a full day of work to complete. Once finished, the ritual provides the necromancer's body additional incapacitated health levels for every success above 2. While the mage is wandering the Underworld, if her body is injured to the point of death she will instead instead enter a death-like, torpid state. Unless deep scrutiny is performed the mage appears dead. Upon returning to her body, she may attempt to heal it using magic.

Shroud of Anubis

Spheres: Mind 1 or 2, Spirit 3

Funerary rituals protect the soul from the rigors of the spirit world. Pharaohs' journeys were smoothed over through the intervention of priests, while necromancers learned to protect their souls from other magicians or the dark entities that might claim them once they passed away.

The mage reclines and places some sort of symbolic shielding over her heart and eyes. This shield can be as simple as a strip of paper or as ornate as a golden mask. Attacks that impact upon or scry for the mage's soul must overcome the successes that the caster scored with Death's Shroud, making failure and inaccurate readings more likely.

The Shroud is visible to those who can sense the soul, be it with a form of spirit-sight or some other supernatural sense. A grayish halo envelopes the mage's body (or her soul, in the underworld).

Ghost Lantern

Spheres: Forces 3, Prime 2, Spirit 3

Duat can be a dark and dangerous place, in which those who are unfamiliar with its shifting spiritual terrain become lost easily. With but a syllable, the Seshati can light her way, transforming Will into a beacon of sorts. The mage can create a simple ball of light in her hand, although this Hekau is most often used to enchant an existing object. For the rest of the scene, the object gives off a greenish, flickering light that illuminates the dark places of the Shadowlands.

Judge The Soul

Spheres: Entropy 1, Spirit 1, and Mind 3

With but a brief gaze, a necromancer can weigh the purity of a subject's soul. The caster learns to judge the corruption of those claimed by Apophis or the purity of those in harmony with Ma'at. The caster need not speak any mystical syllables to exercise this judgment, although she must scrutinize the subject clearly for a full turn. Such intense staring may well draw notice.

On a successful roll, the mage can determine immediately if another individual alignment (e.g. is she scrupulous and compassionate or craven and slovenly) or if he possesses True Faith. With the inclusion of Mind, the Seshati can evaluate the subject's specific moral strength or weakness by noting which part of the soul shines brightly or flickers weakly.

Telltale signs seeping from the subject's spirit give away his inner nature. By this means, the mage can separate potential allies from more dubious companions. Vampires and other supernatural creatures can often be identified by their characteristic lusts or frailties. A vampire's thirst for blood is written on every pore of his undead face, while a werewolf's rage and spirituality battle in his every gesture. This magic also functions in the underworld, although the necromancer must be able to see across the Shroud or be a spirit in Duat herself. The mage can also determine the general demeanor of ghosts.

The ability to judge the soul can be fooled or clouded by Supernatural shrouds (such as a vampire's ability to conceal his presence or an other wizard's spell to shield his emotions). A subject with relevant magic who achieves more successes than the necromancer's player did can even generate a false reading. A vampire might seem like a normal person, or an infernal magician could appear to be pure of heart, for instance.

Awakening The Ka In Life

Spheres: Spirit 5, Mind 5, Prime 2

Usually, the ka emerges only to defend the body after death. With this spell, the necromancer can awaken her ka deliberately while she's still alive. The initial awakening requires an extended ritual (Forge Ephemera) but afterwards, the mage may evoke it from its torpor within a phylactery using a simple effect. The spirit can travel only in the Neter-khertet, the spiritual reflection of the Lands of the Living. The ka is tied too closely to the mage to allow the spirit to venture deep into Duat. The ka's purpose is to protect the khat. The actual attributes and abilities of the ka are left up to the Storyteller but Seshati ka are known to be fierce guardians of their mistresses's souls.

Awakening The Ba In Life

Spheres: Spirit 5, Mind 5, Prime 2

While the ka is the khat's protector, the ba serves a more complex purpose. With this spell, the necromancer can awaken her ba deliberately while she's still alive and use it to perform various services for her. The initial awakening requires an extended ritual (Forge Ephemera) but afterwards, the mage may evoke it from its torpor within a phylactery using a simple effect. Unlike the ka, the ba is skilled at navigating the Shadowlands and can travel deep within the Underworld to serve the will of its mistress.

Guidance of Anubis

Sphere: Spirit 3, Correspondence 2

Duat has a topography all its own, complete with ectoplasmic roads known as byways and scattered strongholds called citadels in which ghosts dwell. The Maelstroms ripped much of this spiritual terrain to shreds, however, and it continues to sweep back and forth through the Lands of the Dead. Even if a spirit learns a given path, the ghost storms may thunder through and change or erase it by the time the ghost passes that way again.

Mages in the underworld receive guidance from Anubis or one of the Aken, his boatmen. By sensing the pull of the spirit winds, a necromancer can draw herself to different destinations. Any place to which a necromancer has attuned herself -- usually a specific island or landmark in the tempest -- can serve as an anchor point that the mage can then use as basis for navigating elsewhere in the underworld. Despite the distance-warping effects that exist in Duat, the Seshati can find a quick route to her desired end. This spell doesn't guarantee a safe route -- malevolent spirits, minions of Apophis, and the Dja-akh itself can make the trip quite dangerous -- but at least the mage isn't totally lost. Despite a mage's sense of storm direction, though, other spirits or the raging ghost storm may have closed down certain passageways, making it impossible for the mummy to pass that way.

Summon The Dead

Spheres: Spirit 2

A necromancer's ties with the dead allow her to call out to spirits that she may know, including people who died in her presence, ghosts she met during a death cycle, or similar entities. The mage needs only speak the name of the ghost in question along with the summoning incantation, and then pits her energies against the soul.

Once it has been summoned, a ghost is free to act as it desires. A ghost summoned against its will may be hostile or even overtaken by its darker half. The mummy must use other Necromancy spells to compel the spirit against its will. Conversely, the caster could try to persuade the ghost to aid her, based upon past friendships or the promise of special relics or favors.

Bind The Dead

Spheres: Spirit 2, Mind 4

Just as a necromancer may summon the dead to attend her, she may also bind them to her will. The mummy pits the strength of her khaibit against the ghost's will. If successful, the ghost is compelled to fulfill the mummy's wishes although it can sometimes bend these commands to its own interpretation.

Fertility Of Osiris

Spheres: Matter 2, Life 4

The use of this ritual may repulse most modern people, but its origins lie in the desire of Isis to bear her husband a child despite his state of living death. Depending upon its specific application, this ritual may involve a very sensual encounter or a particularly grotesque act. The ritual allows a dead male to impregnate a living mortal woman.

Revisit Death

Spheres: Mind 1, Matter 1, Time 2

By rubbing the skin of a corpse and incanting this Hekau, the caster may draw out images and memories that are buried in the flesh of the khat. The necromancer gains flashes of insight tied to recent circumstances around the body. The most potent emotions surface first. The pain of dying, betrayal, lust, and heated anger would flash forth in distorted images, giving way slowly to more soothing memories and finally to blackness. The clarity of insight varies with the successes rolled. The most powerful emotion the body experienced in the day before death would come first while deeper images stretching back from death to the previous weeks of the deceased's existence. The necromancer must touch the corpse physically and it functions only upon the truly dead, not upon bodies of vampires.

Circle of the Aken

Spheres: Spirit 1, Correspondence 1

By uttering paeans to Anubis, a necromancer can attune herself to an area, becoming preternaturally sensitive to the passage of the dead. This ritual is most often used to sense for any spirits who approach the mage's sanctum, although any place may be attuned to as long as the necromancer can stand at each boundary point. The necromancer typically only attunes herself to one area, though, since the ritual doesn't tell where something crossed a border. Whenever a ghost or other Underworld spirit enters an area to which the necromancer has inscribed the circle, the Seshati knows immediately that the boundaries have been violated.

Although the necromancer must be alive to perform this ritual, it still functions if she's in her spirit form. The ritual's effects last for one month.

Aken's Shield

Spheres: Spirit 3, Prime 3

The underworld is a turbulent place rife with danger. The Dja-akh still howls through Duat and malevolent spirits threaten to flay souls that are foolish enough to roam without protection. Fortunately, a Seshati can shield herself and possibly others from the worse ravages by using her necromantic skills. The necromancer invokes her status as a priestess of Seshat to extend her purity like a bulwark against the storm.

An Aken's Shield absorbs spiritually inflicted damage giving her a soaking pool equal to her Arete.

Bind The Living

Spheres: Spirit 1, Entropy 4

A mummy can make allies among the dead, but she has no guarantee of how easy or reliable this aid may be. A necromancer may find it more useful to ally with the living. Doing so may be a simple matter of tracking down someone for whom death already approaches or helping to speed the end along.

By incanting over the subject for a full day (from sunrise to sunset) and inscribes a set of glyphs over the subject's heart, the Seshati ensures that the individual escapes final judgment at death and lingers on as a ghost instead. Suggesting to a corrupt individual that this is his only chance for redemption or to a power-hungry one that this will help him attain a higher state may not be entirely accurate, but it is sufficient to get the gist of the ritual across.

The ghost who arises is bound to the necromancer and may be summoned quite easily.

Bind the Living may be used only on normal humans. It has no effect upon animals, vampires, or similar supernatural entities whose souls are already weighted for judgment.

Terrible Retribution of Ma'at

Spheres: Entropy 4, Spirit 1

Under duress, a necromancer may not have time to resort to ritual or to the aid of ghosts. In such cases, the Seshati can channel the raw force of the underworld, using her khaibit as a conduit to blast her opponent with spectral energy. Such an attack has its price, but it can stay all but the hardiest of souls. Use of this Hekau often causes the mage's hand and arm to become black in a reflection of the underworld's eternal night. A frequent practitioner finds her hands stained irrevocably, both in the physical and spiritual worlds. This attack functions equally in either realm.

Aken's Channel

Spheres:Spirit 3. Correspondence 3

With this ritual, a skilled necromancer can actually tear the fabric of the underworld itself to step from one place in the Lands of the Dead to another in moments. Performing the ritual takes time, so it isn't something that one can slap together on the run. The significant safety and rapid travel that it allows usually more than compensates for the preparation time.

Creating an Aken's Arch requires the enchantment of a physical portal to take the Seshati into the Underworld. Most use stairs or arches into deep, dark places. Then by channeling her khabit and visualizing where in the Underworld the necromancer wishes to go she simply steps into the portal and is transported there.

Animate Corpse

Spheres: Matter 1, Forces 3

The shambling, spirit-bound corpse is a staple of Necromancy, and the Seshati are no stranger to such a creation. The necromancer incants over a corpse while inscribing proper symbols and massaging its chest or breathing air into its lungs. If the Hekau succeeds, the corpse rises as a barely conscious thing that's under the mummy's control.

An animated corpse holds only a fragment of motive awareness, a tattered bit of soul-stuff that the necromancer plucks from the detritus floating in Duat. As such, it does little more than stand around and rot unless the necromancer provides it with simple, explicit directions.

The corpse is the equivalent of a shambler, although it doesn't sustain itself. It continues to rot, losing one health level per week until it eventually collapses into a decrepitude. A clever necromancer can preserve it with other magics.

Khaibit's Embrace

Spheres: Matter 2, Spirit 2, Mind 4

A living mummy performs this spell by first taking the subject by the face (which requires an attack roll in a combat situation), then murmuring arcane phrases to raise the individual's khabit. Shadows well up on the subject's skin and lash out to constrict his head and quickly wrap around his body. Within moments, the subject is sealed within a black, viscous bundle of ectoplasm.

Once surrounded by the khabit's carapace, the subject is forced into a trance-like state. The victim can't act, move, or use any sort of magical powers. However, neither can be killed while he's the subject to Khaibit's Embrace. Rumor holds that terrible enemies lie cocooned in tunnels between the various monuments, held in stasis where they can't escape to do harm or be reborn. Other tales suggest that terrible allies similarly wait to be released when dire circumstances call for their presence.

This spell takes three turns to complete. A resisting subject needs only break the mummy's grasp before the Hekau is finished in order to avoid its effects. Once activated, the Khaibit's Embrace ends when the caster desires it, when some preset condition is met, or when the spell is removed by a counter-enchantment. Any mummy capable of casting this Hekau can try to remove it from another at the same difficulties and costs.

[ 4 ] Protect Against The Demon [ Mummy: The Resurrection (Revised) -- Page 227 ]

Type: Ritual

Dice Pool: Occult + Necromancy

Difficulty: 6

Chi: 2

Prerequisite: Wu T'ian

Within the dominion of the coming demon emperor, the Wu T'ian seek to create places of safety that nourish and protect life. By warding an area with this ritual, the caster may protect an area from the servitors of one of Yomi's lords, be they lesser demons, mortals, or other supernaturals.

This ritual functions similarly to Summon The Dead (Necromancy level two), with the following distinction: It works against anyone who serves Apophis in some fashion, consciously or not. For game purposes, this category includes anyone from a Satan-worshiping mortal bent on mayhem to a vampire who spreads Apophis' corruption actively.

Furthermore, the caster's power is such that she may deny the offending creature entry into the protected area. Her player rolls Occult + Necromancy while the target's player rolls Willpower to resist, each against difficulty 6. If the caster's player gets more successes, the subject can't enter the space. The supernatural blockade plays upon the subject's own weaknesses, so it could have any effect from causing the subject to lose interest to forcing him to face a fear so overwhelming that he flees the area immediately. On a tie -- or if the subject's player rolls more successes -- the invader may cross the boundary of the protected area without hindrance. The intruder is oblivious to any mystical influences, but the caster still senses the incursion.

[ 4 ] Sever Soul [ Mummy: The Resurrection (Revised) -- Page 122 ]

Type: Spell

Dice Pool: Occult + Necromancy

Difficulty: 6

Sekhem: 3

This spell, which comprises a tugging gesture and a command, can be used only on a living subject whose soul has currently ventured out of its body. As with Separate Ka, Separate Ba, or the equivalent vampire or wizard abilities. The necromancer's player makes an Occult or Necromancy roll while the target's player rolls Willpower to resist (each against difficulty 6). If the defender gets more successes, nothing happens. On a tie, the defender suffers one level of bashing damage and knows that something is harming the connection back to his body. If the necromancer's player gets more successes, the mummy cuts the khu that links a spirit to its khat.

The body remains in a coma when its spirit is separated, and it may even wither away and die if it doesn't receive assistance by others in the physical world. The adrift soul functions as appropriate to the power it used to first separate from its body. However, the link to the living realm has been broken, making it possibly quite difficult for the spirit to return to its body depending on how far into the underworld it had gone.

The necromancer may attempt to control the spirit with other Hekau, or simply leave the soul to fumble its way through Duat in search of its host body. This spell may be cast from either side of the Shroud.

[ 4 ] Sin-Eating [ Mummy: The Resurrection (Revised) -- Page 122 ]

Type: Ritual

Dice Pool: Meditation + Necromancy

Difficulty: 8

Sekhem: 2

The priesthood in Egypt ritually removed the sin from postulants to purify them before they entered the underworld. Tapping into the dark passions of the khaibit, the necromancer connects to the subject's base urges and instincts. The subject must describe in detail the focus of some anger, hatred, jealousy, or other powerful negative emotion, while the mummy repeats the description and substitutes herself as the subject. "I want to kill my lover," from the subject becomes, "I want to kill your lover," from the necromancer. In the process, the mummy removes the burden of the sins and takes them into her own darker half.

Once a mummy consumes a subject's sins, the passions behind them flow from subject to mummy. The target no loner feels the intensity of emotion behind his dark urges. He finds himself quieted, without the desire to perform wicked acts. Conversely, the necromancer takes on those desires. If the mummy acts out those passions, even symbolically, she regains power. Every time the mummy takes a significant step toward fulfilling the dark desire -- literally or symbolically -- she gets one point of Sekhem or Willpower (at her player's choice).

Unlike the original subject, the mummy has strong control over her khaibit and powerful support in her dedication to Ma'at. The mummy can't become a master necromancer without such strengths. Therefore, the mummy consumes the postulant's base urges and redirects them toward positive ends. The khaibit lends strength, determination, and desire, all of which are harnessed carefully by the mummy. Unburdened by the baggage of the original subject, the necromancer can often take a more moderate viewpoint to the urges and find a better solution for the problems that may plague the victim. For instance, the mummy may devour the subject's repressed anger at a lover and turn it into the motivation to confront the subject directly with the issues at hand.

Some suggest that Sin-Eating can be used to quell even the monstrous urges of vampires, malevolent ghosts, and the like, but neither mummies nor the minions of isfret are eager to test that notion.

[ 5 ] Call The Khaibit [ Mummy: The Resurrection (Revised) -- Page 122 ]

Type: Spell

Dice Pool: Occult + Necromancy

Difficulty: 8

Sekhem: 2

Just as a necromancer can devour the terrible drives of the khaibit, so too can a skilled mummy release the khaibit itself. The necromancer recites this Hekau over a dying individual. Every powerful passion or urge, every virtueless drive, and every act of malice flashes before the victim's mind's eye. Then, with a wrenching of the soul, the khaibit separates completely. The subject dies in peace while the purified and exposed khaibit remains a bestial shadow with all of the base passions of its former soul. The subject's essence passes on peacefully without lingering as a ghost, while the khaibit remains behind as a dark entity that haunts the place of death.

The spectre of the khaibit remains at the site where the Hekau took place. Aside from being trapped at the site, this where the dark entity functions in the same manner as a spirit that's utilizing the Separate Ka spell, although to malicious ends. Substitute the capabilities of a Strong Spirit. If left to its own devices, the spectral form will try to injure or terrorize the living or steal away and devour sacrifices made to the decedent.

The khaibit remains subject to necromantic compulsion or banishment, so the necromancer may do anything from trying to destroy the spectre to binding it into service as a spiritual watchdog.

[ 5 ] Entrap The Ba [ Mummy: The Resurrection (Revised) -- Page 123 ]

Type: Ritual

Dice Pool: Occult + Necromancy

Difficulty: 9

Sekhem: 3

The mummy's cycle of life and death may be eternal, but the soul can be waylaid, lost, or trapped. A puissant necromancer can build a shackle that draws in and holds the target's spirit, making resurrection impossible or forcing a living being into a comatose state.

The necromancer must first craft an object to serve as the focus for the ba. Typically, a gemstone or talisman of some sort will do, although a skilled mummy commonly uses Amulet Hekau to reinforce the ritual. Once the item is built, the necromancer incants the Hekau while touching the object to the subject's body. The necromancer's player rolls Occult + Necromancy while the target's player rolls Willpower to resist, each against difficulty 9. Success by the necromancer causes the victim's spirit to come out of his body and become chained within the focus.

A trapped spirit remains within the focus, unable to manifest or travel the underworld. A living creature deprived of its soul falls into a coma, while a mummy becomes unable to re-enter its cycle of resurrection. The necromancer may return the spirit to its flesh by touching the focus to the body. Otherwise, the spirit can only use such spells to escape as might be possible while in spirit form, and it must then find a way to return to its khat. Typically, the only way to release the spiritual prisoner is by destroying the object.

[ 5 ] Heart Of Life [ Mummy: The Resurrection (Revised) -- Page 123 ]

Type: Ritual

Dice Pool: Thanatology + Necromancy

Difficulty: 9

Sekhem: 7

This ritual allows the necromancer to remove some portion of her body -- such as a fingertip, a toe, a vial's worth of blood, or even a lock of hair -- and endow it with the ability to act as an alternative vessel for returning to life. The removed portion must be placed into an appropriate item -- typically a small canopic jar or coffin -- and entombed with inscriptions from the Book of the Dead. Should the necromancer's body be completely destroyed, she may use the Heart of Life as her new body during the resurrection roll. An individual may possess only one working Heart of Life at any particular time.

[ 5 ] Panoply Of Shadow [ Mummy: The Resurrection (Revised) -- Page 123 ]

Type: Ritual

Dice Pool: Stamina + Necromancy

Difficulty: 9

Sekhem: 20

The supreme student of Necromancy learns to focus not only the energies of the underworld, but the true depths of the spiritual void itself. Shaped and controlled properly, the khaibit's own darkness can absorb and deny nearly any assault.

Invoking the Panoply of Shadow requires the standard ritual time. Once readied, it can be unleashed any time before the next new moon with the utterance of a single world that signifies the concept of nothingness. When triggered, the mummy's khaibit surges forth, enwrapping her body with soul to defend against mundane and mystical attacks for the remainder of the scene. Effects that manipulate the mind can still function -- so the mummy can be possessed, commanded, or have her energies drained -- but no tangible force can penetrate the panoply. Anyone opposing the necromancer loses one success from his attack roll for every point of the mummy's Balance rating. Likewise, the necromancer adds her Balance score to her soak, even against aggravated damage.

Although many are familiar with the theory behind this Hekau, few necromancers have attempted to cast it. It requires accepting the unending strength of the mummy's soul and the conviction of true Ma'at. It can be hard for even the most dedicated to truly believe that her own bright existence will continue, even should Apophis consume eternity. The necromancer's adherence to the principles of Ma'at shows that a lone individual can strive to rise above defects of character or weakness of spirit, just as her own khaibit has been purged and replaced to draw purpose from the darkness. Only after reaching this epiphany can the necromancer hope to gain absolute control over the darkest part of herself.

[ 5 ] Reshape The Lost Soul [ Mummy: The Resurrection (Revised) -- Page 123 ]

Type: Spell

Dice Pool: Manipulation + Necromancy

Difficulty: 8

Sekhem: 3

Spirits of the dead remain to complete leftover tasks, and the skilled necromancer can twist their purposes to her own desires. A mummy could cause a spirit's drives to mirror her own, or she could remove undesirable passions from the soul. Doing so takes only a few moments, during which time the necromancer speaks the soul's name and proceeds to describe its new directions in conjunction with arcane commands. Success bends the soul to the necromancer's whims, altering it permanently.

A wraith manipulated with this Hekau may have its drives, passions, and goals changed completely. The dead often garner energy by fulfilling old drives as they remain to complete some task. The necromancer can remove or alter any of these drives to suit her desires. Every alteration requires a full turn of incantation and one success on the casting roll.

Manipulating the motivations of the dead can carry great repercussions against Ma'at, and some souls may not want to be changed at the necromancer's whims. The Judges of Ma'at have been known to change a soul back and then seek out the necromancer who was bold enough to toy with their servants.

[ 5 ] Scouring Oblivion [ Mummy: The Resurrection (Revised) -- Page 124 ]

Type: Ritual

Dice Pool: Thanatology + Necromancy

Difficulty: 9

Sekhem: 5

Having masted the manipulation of the dead, the necromancer becomes able to drive out death's influence. By tracing protective patterns over a subject's flesh -- or ectoplasm, in the case of ghosts -- during this ritual, the mummy scours away the marks of death. Injury, disease, poison, and the like all vanish beneath her touch. Typically, the mummy murmurs the incantations and then draws her hands along the subject's body. As the necromancer pulls away, the subject's wounds close, and poison or disease leaves the body in a visible train of dripping, excised taint. The mummy then spreads her hands, and the ichor disperses into nothingness.

Should this Hekau succeed, it restores the target to maximum health levels at its conclusion. The mummy can cast this ritual upon herself or on another.

[ 5 ] Walk The Barriers [ Mummy: The Resurrection (Revised) -- Page 227 ]

Type: Ritual

Dice Pool: Occult + Necromancy

Difficulty: Shroud rating

Chi: 4

Prerequisite: Wu T'ian

The quests of heaven aren't easy to fulfill, and the Wu T'ian must sometimes walk between the barriers that separate out reality from the spirit worlds in order to complete them. By enacting this ritual, the caster may walk across the barriers that separate these worlds.

This ritual functions like Separate Ba except that the caster's physical form transfers across the Shroud as well. The caster becomes a single psychic entity when he crosses the Shroud. This art is subject to no time limit; to return to the living world, the mummy simply enacts the ritual again.

[ 6 ] Aspect Of Duat [ Mummy: The Resurrection Players Guide -- Page 172 ]

Type: Spell

Dice Pool: Perception + Necromancy

Difficulty: 8

Lifeforce:: 4

This dark spell works only in the underworld -- in the Lands of the Living, it has no place. With an arcane gesture, the Reborn transfuses himself with the power of the dead realm, metamorphosing into a form more suited to the difficulties of Duat. Immediately upon completion of the spell, all Physical Attributes increase by an amount equal to half the character's Balance rating, and a pair of double wings sprouts from his back, allowing for rapid flight through the lands of darkness. While in this form, Balance is used in place of Willpower, though the mummy may spend Willpower Points normally for any effect that uses the Willpower rating as its difficulty or dice pool that now uses his Balance rating. The stuff of shadows darkens the skin and repels the most grievous of wounds, allowing him to soak aggravated damage using a dice pool equal to Balance.

[ 6 ] Call Forth The Reavers Of Ur [ Mummy: The Resurrection Players Guide -- Page 172 ]

Type: Spell

Dice Pool: Manipulation + Necromancy

Difficulty: 10

Lifeforce:: 2

Thought lost in the unforgiving sands of Khem, this dreaded magic is older than even the undying can remember. Translated by a long forgotten Pharaoh's scribe from a Babylonian text known to be ancient even then, this spell is considered a myth by most modern necromancers. Those who know better often wish they could wipe the knowledge from their minds. By simply tracing a symbol that is wholly out of touch with the natural order, the Reborn may summon a swarm of horrid undulating gray shapes from an unknown place to gruesomely dispatch of foes. A botch causes the spell to successfully summon the reavers but instead of attacking the summoner's intended target, they attack him or one of his nearby allies. One reaver is called per two successes gained during the casting of the spell. In the case of a botch, treat each one rolled as two successes. The swarm of reavers returns from whence it came once they have killed their intended target, the summoner is killed, or the scene is over -- whichever happens first.

Reaver Traits: Reavers are otherworldly creatures that only take damage from magic and fire; 3 dice to soak vs. magic and fire; 9 dice to hit in hand-to-hand combat (reavers frequently take multiple attacks); 3 dice of aggravated damage per hit; reavers are constantly flying and can pass through mundane materials as if they didn't exist; reavers destroy any mundane body armor they damage; they are immune to mental powers and powers that reduce Attributes; 5 health levels with no wound penalties.

[ 6 ] Eating The Heart [ Mummy: The Resurrection Players Guide -- Page 173 ]

Type: Ritual

Dice Pool: Subterfuge + Necromancy

Difficulty: 9

Lifeforce:: 6

During later dynasties it became popular belief that one could fool the Judges of Ma'at into believing that he had lived a sin-free life via certain protective spells. When one comes before the greater Judges of Ma'at, however, the game becomes deadly. Indeed, it's believed that those who judge seekers of Balance of greater than 6 can't be fooled by mere mortal magic. Nevertheless, this ritual continues to allow less than pure mummies to escape the judges' punishment for a time. The ritual creates a false heart, in a mystical sense, which is weighed by the Judges of Ma'at, thereby preventing negative judgment up to and including Balance 6. Botching the ritual brings swift retribution, however, killing the mummy instantly and bringing him to the attention of the wrathful judge Basti, whose job it is to punish those who evade justice. Basti tries the mummy once for each time he evaded judgment in the past plus one for every sin he hasn't yet judged.

[ 6 ] Gift Of Purpose [ Mummy: The Resurrection Players Guide -- Page 173 ]

Type: Spell

Dice Pool: Charisma + Necromancy

Difficulty: 9

Lifeforce:: 2

Advanced students of Necromancy learn the nine facets of the "being" according to Egyptian lore and discover how to manipulate their own soul. In particular those who learn this spell learn to channel the energies that flow from the strongest portion of their soul into another person by touch, thereby granting the recipient certain benefits. For the duration of the scene, the recipient of the spell gains use of the inherent strength of the mummy who cast the spell (represented by Purpose), though he also suffers the mummy's weakness. An unwilling recipient may resist the spell's success with Willpower. Also, should the mummy attempt to take her strength back before the end of the scene from a recipient who wishes to keep it, she must defeat the recipient of the spell in a contested Willpower roll.

[ 6 ] Khu Of Two Lands [ Mummy: The Resurrection Players Guide -- Page 173 ]

Type: Spell

Dice Pool: Awareness + Necromancy

Difficulty: 7

Lifeforce:: 1

The khu binds together body and soul, and it stands as a gateway between the spiritual and the material. This subtle spell taps into that mystic power and allows the caster to interact with both worlds. For the remainder of the scene, the mummy may perceive and interact with the material world and the near reaches of the underworld simultaneously without penalty. Attacks from either realm may harm her, however, so mot mummies are careful when using this spell.

[ 6 ] Lighten The Shadow [ Mummy: The Resurrection Players Guide -- Page 173 ]

Type: Ritual

Dice Pool: Empathy + Necromancy

Difficulty: 7

Lifeforce:: 2

Some necromancers, particularly amongst the Children of Osiris, learn that healing must sometimes come from the soul. The Sefekhi return to life nearly consumed by their hungry khaibits,and it's only through deliberate care that they have a chance to come to grips with their darker side. This ritual soothes the savage side of the spirit, giving the unhinged a chance to recover. It must be used carefully, for fear of rendering normal people dangerously passive. At some point during the ritual, the caster must touch the recipient. Total all of the successes and keep them recorded until they're used up in resisting the khaibit. Each time the recipient of the spell attempts to use a Willpower Point for any aggressive purpose, the ritual prevents him from doing so at the cost of one success. Similarly, any aggressive Ability roll made by the recipient, including all combat rolls, suffers a +2 difficulty penalty, with each such roll using up one more success from the ritual. The difficulty of any rolls made by others that attempt to calm or rationalize with the recipient of the ritual decrease by two, which also drains away a single success from the total. In addition to helping newly Reborn Sefekhi, this Hekau has been used to treat violent criminals and negotiate with dangerous factions.

[ 6 ] Loyal Companion [ Mummy: The Resurrection Players Guide -- Page 174 ]

Type: Ritual

Dice Pool: Animal Ken + Necromancy

Difficulty: 9

Lifeforce:: 2 per Background rating of the Companion

Most Companion spirits resulted from very loyal animal spirits who were mummified long ago, often with little or no true Hekau involved. These days, most animals are frightened away or destroyed by the raging Dja-akh. This ritual allows one to mummify a loyal pet when it passes away naturally, so that it will continue to befriend the mummy as an animal companion. At least one success is required per rating point of the Companion Background, with failure indicating that the creature simply continues onward to a normal afterlife. Otherwise, the creature becomes a companion to the mummy according to the Companion rules. It bears repeating that the animal must have been a loyal pet in life and must have died through no fault of the mummy.

[ 6 ] Open The Sebkhet [ Mummy: The Resurrection Players Guide -- Page 174 ]

Type: Spell

Dice Pool: Cosmology + Necromancy

Difficulty: Shroud rating

Lifeforce:: 3 + (1 per additional subject)

Literally, "Open the Fiery Door," this spell tears a hole in the Shroud just long enough for the one subject (usually the mummy) and one additional person per point of Lifeforce spent to slip into Duat. The mummy can't force anyone to enter the gate, nor can she prevent the wrong people from slipping through if they move quickly. If fewer than the maximum number of people enter the gate, the gate closes whenever the Storyteller deems that the current scene has ended. Otherwise it snaps shut behind the last person to use it. This spell allows the caster and her associates to enter the underworld in physical form. Doing so is very dangerous, but it can be useful. For one thing it allows one to bring along phylacteries and sanctified chattel. Additionally, this spell can be cast from the Duat to open a door to the physical world, so some mummies use it to travel in the spirit realm to other physical locations. Certain Children of Osiris say that the Bane mummies may have used it to trap living creatures in the realms of the dead as part of their schemes to appease Apophis.

[ 6 ] Shadow Talisman [ Mummy: The Resurrection Players Guide -- Page 174 ]

Type: Ritual

Dice Pool: Perception + Necromancy

Difficulty: 8

Lifeforce:: 1/3 the cost of amulet touched (minimum of 6)

By grasping a magical amulet and performing the proper incantations, a mummy may create a shadowy version of it that he can bring with him into the underworld. The duplicated amulet loses its powers while the shadow amulet exists, but its powers return to it as soon as the two are touched together. The shadow amulet possesses the same powers a the amulet it was created from, but its powers function only in the underworld. Though the user may wear the shadow amulet in the realms of the living, he takes the shadow amulet with him into Duat when his spirit leaves his body. The shadow amulet retains its powers for a number of months equal to Necromancy + Balance or when the original amulet and its shadow are touched together. In either case, the shadow amulet ceases to exist, and the original amulet regains its normal powers. If the shadow amulet is somehow destroyed while the character is in Duat, so is the original. If the original is destroyed, the shadow amulet ceases to function. The shadow amulet is as sturdy in the underworld as the real amulet is in the Lands of the Living.

[ 6 ] Spear Of Anubis [ Mummy: The Resurrection Players Guide -- Page 175 ]

Type: Spell

Dice Pool: Stamina + Necromancy

Difficulty: 7

Lifeforce:: 4

By cutting open his palm, a Reborn may grasp the nothingness of oblivion and form it into a dark spear. This spear of unnatural energy may be used as a melee weapon, though it causes one non-soakable lethal wound to the caster every round in which he uses it. The spear maybe thrown, but it disappears shortly after leaving the caster's hand. The dark spear does four dice of aggravated damage that bypasses all mystical and mundane defenses. Targets may soak this damage with only their Balance or Corruption rating. The difficulty to soak the spear's damage is equal to the creator's necromancy rating + 1.

[ 6 ] Walking In The Shadow Of Anubis [ Mummy: The Resurrection Players Guide -- Page 175 ]

Type: Spell

Dice Pool: Wits + Necromancy

Difficulty: 9

Lifeforce:: 2 + variable

By envisioning a nearby place, the mummy may pierce the Shroud between worlds to travel there. This spell allows the caster to quickly step into the spirit world and reappear in the living world at a specified point. The travel is instantaneous, and the destination must be chosen before the spell is attempted. The journey into the spirit world is brief, uncomfortable, and quick. For reasons know only to Ma'at, objects made of gold or glass can't be passed through. Use of this spell is impossible in areas whose Shroud rating is higher than the caster's Balance rating.

[ 7 ] Casting Away [ Mummy: The Resurrection Players Guide -- Page 175 ]

Type: Spell

Dice Pool: Cosmology + Necromancy

Difficulty: 8

Lifeforce:: 2 + variable

By opening a rift between the two worlds, the Reborn may cast a victim's body and spirit into the spirit storm that ravages the underworld, where only a few ever find their way back. Upon completing this spell, the player makes an opposed roll against the victim using his character's Necromancy rating versus the target's Willpower rating against a difficulty of 7. If the victim has a Balance rating, she may use that instead of her Willpower rating, and her difficulty is only a 6. If the victim has no powers that allow her to traverse the spirit storm of the Lands of the Dead, she's lost for an amount of time depending on the successes rolled above and beyond hers in the opposed roll. Net Successes Time Lost In The Spirit Storm One One day Two Two days Three One week Four Two weeks Five One month Six One year

[ 7 ] Dark Wall Of Hatshepsut [ Mummy: The Resurrection Players Guide -- Page 175 ]

Type: Spell

Dice Pool: Thanatology + Necromancy

Difficulty: 8

Lifeforce:: 2

By means of this potent spell, the Reborn may form an oily black sphere of power in the underworld composed of his or her own life force. Although the warded area may be no larger than a conventional room, the dark wall prevents spirits from crossing its boundaries in either direction, and the Shroud rating of the warded area increases by four (to a maximum of 10). Both of these effects last until the end of the scene or until the caster is no longer within sight of the warded area, whichever comes first. This powerful incantation is rumored to have been developed by the ancient Shemsu-heru Hatshepsut, while engaged in her underworld role as the tireless guardian of Khem.

[ 7 ] Empower Ba [ Mummy: The Resurrection Players Guide -- Page 175 ]

Type: Ritual

Dice Pool: Cosmology + Necromancy

Difficulty: 9

Lifeforce:: 10

Ultimately, the ease with which a mummy can be resurrected depends upon how well her ba spirit can negotiate the underworld. This ritual empowers the ba portion of the soul associated with the body touched by the magician, strengthening its sense of duty and attracting the attention of benevolent spiritual contacts. Without investment of effort on the part of the recipient of the ritual, this boost in energy is temporary and grants an additional dot of Ba background rating for each success for the remainder of the scene. The ritual also acts as an appropriate reason for one to gain in permanent Ba Background, however, and the recipient may choose to spend experience to add to her permanent rating.

[ 7 ] Empower Ka [ Mummy: The Resurrection Players Guide -- Page 176 ]

Type: Ritual

Dice Pool: Thanatology + Necromancy

Difficulty: 9

Lifeforce:: 10

The study of necromancy exceeds simple understandings of the body and the nature of death. It transcends such basics to engage in study of the soul. Ultimately, the study of the soul leads one to better protect the body. This ritual empowers the ka portion of the soul associated with the body touched by the magician, strengthening its sense of duty and preservation. Without investment of effort on the part of the recipient of the ritual, this boost in energy is temporary and grants an additional dot of Ka Background rating for each success for the remainder of the scene. The ritual also acts as an appropriate reason for one to gain in permanent Ka Background, however, and the recipient may choose to spend experience to add to her permanent rating.

[ 7 ] Heart Of Reincarnation [ Mummy: The Resurrection Players Guide -- Page 176 ]

Type: Ritual

Dice Pool: Thanatology + Necromancy

Difficulty: 9

Lifeforce:: 8

Similar to the Heart Of Life ritual, this rite allows a necromancer to overcome even the total destruction of his own body in order to be resurrected. The magician crafts some object, often a small one, which typically contains a bit of his blood (although males may also use semen, if so desired). If the mummy's body is ever completely destroyed, he may activate the Heart of Reincarnation. Upon activation, which requires a second use of the ritual cast from the underworld, the Heart of Reincarnation bears the essence of the Amenti. If the item ever touches a woman during conception, the resulting child will bear the soul of the Amenti, who will be reborn according to his biological parentage, except that he'll retain all prior knowledge. Storytellers who feel that the soul might enter the body later than conception may extend the window of opportunity. A newborn who results from the use of this Hekau is still a mummy, simply with a new body that must mature as is normal for child mummies.

[ 7 ] Separate Khaibit [ Mummy: The Resurrection Players Guide -- Page 176 ]

Type: Spell

Dice Pool: Occult + Necromancy

Difficulty: 7

Lifeforce:: 2

As the necromancer's mastery of her soul increases, she may attempt much more daring feats. One particularly dangerous trick is to separate one's khaibit and set it upon her enemies. The khaibit becomes a dark entity that acts at the behest of the magician, functioning in the same manner as the spirit that results from a Call The Khaibit spell for the remainder of the scene. The big advantage here is that the mummy isn't rendered unconscious and that she doesn't lose control over her khaibit's actions. While the khaibit remains separated, however, the Amenti may not spend any Willpower Points, and he suffers a +2 difficulty penalty to all aggressive actions as those energies are focused in the khaibit instead. Nevertheless, she may continue to act, and she'll probably do so far more rationally than she might have done otherwise.

[ 7 ] Spirit The Body Away [ Mummy: The Resurrection Players Guide -- Page 176 ]

Type: Spell

Dice Pool: Occult + Necromancy

Difficulty: 9

Lifeforce:: 1

All the tomb preparation in the world won't mean a thing if you're stranded in enemy hands when you die. A mummy who has just died can cast this spell in order to spirit her corpse away to her own tomb. Each mummy may only have a single tomb attuned to the use of this spell, and the spell must be inscribed within the tomb in preparation for its eventual use. Obviously, the mummy can't cast the spell if she has no remaining Lifeforce. If she doesn't cast the spell before the end of the scene, then it can't be cast. Certain defenses raised by enemies might prevent the use of the spell, especially if they can drive the mummy away from the underworld surrounding her body. If the mummy succeeds with the spell, the corpse is literally rendered into spirit briefly and then transported through the underworld to her tomb, where it's deposited in its proper place.

[ 7 ] Transfixing Gaze [ Mummy: The Resurrection Players Guide -- Page 177 ]

Type: Spell

Dice Pool: Thanatology + Necromancy

Difficulty: 8

Lifeforce:: 2 + (1 per additional target)

The mummy's eyes burn with the knowing light of a true master of Necromancy. All victims selected must roll their Willpower with a difficulty equal to the caster's Necromancy rating and achieve more successes than the mummy's player did on his spell roll. Those who fail to achieve enough successes are transfixed as they struggle with the inner turmoil of their khaibit for a number of rounds equal to the successes achieved on the spell roll. Once victims have regained control of their bodies, they immediately lose a temporary Willpower Point from the shock of the ordeal.

[ 8 ] Barring The Gates [ Mummy: The Resurrection Players Guide -- Page 177 ]

Type: Ritual

Dice Pool: Thanatology + Necromancy

Difficulty: 9

Lifeforce:: 10

This ritual has a effect exactly like the level seven Necromancy spell Dark Wall Of Hatshepsut except tat an area the size of an entire city block may be warded from ghostly contact, and the Shroud rating increases by five. If this ritual raises the Shroud rating above 10, treat all those inside the warded area (including the spirits) as having a ward rating versus spirits and Necromancy equal to the amount above 10. the barrier created by Barring the Gates lasts as long as the creator's ba remains in his body. Just as with the Dark Wall of Hatshepsut, this power's effect is visible only in the underworld.

[ 8 ] Call Of Oblivion [ Mummy: The Resurrection Players Guide -- Page 177 ]

Type: Spell

Dice Pool: Cosmology + Necromancy

Difficulty: Target's Willpower

Lifeforce:: 10

Ultimately, everyone dies and enters the underworld; even ageless vampires and masterful mages may be consigned to death. Some struggle to hold onto the physical world, even in death, unable to accept their fate. Most who die pass into the Duat and travel to whatever destination beckons their soul, though a few linger to haunt the spirit realms related to their lost life. Mummies say that they are the embodiment of what was supposed to be -- human beings should have been able to move from the Lands of the Dead to the Lands of the Living eternally. Yet the balance of Ma'at was tipped and the Creator's plans set awry. This spell is cast using a resisted, contested roll of the caster's Cosmology + Necromancy against the subject's Willpower (who rolls against a difficulty of 6). If the mummy acquires even a single success more than the victim does, his target instantly dies (regardless of health levels), and her soul is immediately transported to where it most properly belongs. For a suffering person who has been broken by the world yet never done evil, this destination might be the Fields of A'aru. For a creature such as a bane mummy, most believe it means finally standing before the Judges of Ma'at. (for whatever reason, this spell has never been successful against any true Bane mummy.) Some souls are sent on to transcend their current life and be reborn again as a new child in the world. Indeed some scholars of the soul suggest that this is one of the possible results of being devoured by Amemait. The Amenti can't control what happens once she casts the spell, as the soul's path is chosen by the forces of Ma'at. Mummies killed by this spell may return from death as normal, but they must first face whatever fate awaits them in the underworld. Each extra success with the spell automatically dispels one lesser effect that might otherwise prevent the proper entry into the Duat. For example, a single extra success might remove the false veil of the Eaten the Heart ritual, or remove the spiritual contract that consigned a soul to servitude to a sorcerer.

[ 8 ] Promise Made Before Ammut's Scales [ Mummy: The Resurrection Players Guide -- Page 178 ]

Type: Ritual

Dice Pool: Charisma + Necromancy

Difficulty: 9

Lifeforce:: 3 x target's permanent Willpower rating

By sending a plea to the Judges of Ma'at, a mummy may create an undying servant out of a willing mortal. The greater part of that mortal's soul now resides in the mummy's body and accompanies her on travels in the spirit world in a constant state of slumber (it can't speak or act). When the servant's body dies, the lesser part of his soul immediately rejoins the part the mummy keeps with her. The Reborn may then place this lesser ba into any receptacle capable of holding such a thing, such as an effigy or a mortal body lacking a soul. To place this lesser ba back into the original body that the servant possessed requires the careful accumulation of the original body's pieces and then its restoration by powerful magic.

The Reborn may communicate with such a servant mentally over any distance as long as both are in either the spirit world or the Lands of the Living. Aside from near immortality, the servant gets the following benefits. She may now soak lethal damage, she now has a starting Balance and Lifeforce rating equal to one third the caster's own (round down), and she may purchase points in the Awareness Talent with Experience Points.

The servant loses a permanent Willpower Point whenever her body dies, and her actions are judged by Ma'at as if they were the mummy's own.

[ 8 ] Unmaking [ Mummy: The Resurrection Players Guide -- Page 178 ]

Type: Ritual

Dice Pool: Cosmology + Necromancy

Difficulty: 8 or target's Balance, whichever is higher

Lifeforce:: 35

The ritual of Unmaking allows the caster to send anyone or anything, body and spirit, into the depths of oblivion, erasing it from existence (though not from memory). The person or thing to be sent must be present during the full course of the ritual and preferably immobile. This ritual almost always results in the loss of Balance. This ritual can physically destroy creatures with a Corruption rating, but their spirits continue on through the will of Apophis.

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 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 Astrology 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. Astrological 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 Astrology require elaborate rituals and take a great deal of time to materialize, as the mage pulls tremendous forces into alignment. Astrology often requires one hour per sphere level to be performed.

The Astrologer 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 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 mage appeal to far greater entities than herself, entities who themselves respond only to the proper supplications. An Astrologer couldn't hope to move sun and earth herself. Rather, she requests the intercession of the gods, who then respond according to her requests. Even so, the gods remain hidden, enormous entities behind the machine of the stars.

Rites

Stormshield

Spheres: Forces 2 or 4, Matter 2

With a simple utterance, the Astrologer negates adverse weather conditions within an arm's length of herself. Wind shears aside, rain deflects or stops, and debris misses her. Even unnatural phenomenon like rains of frogs or sulfur bend around the mage's weather shield. At best, the mage feels nothing more than a fine mist from the most powerful thunderstorm. With more successes or skill, the intensity of weather over a larger area. It lessens driving rain into a drizzle, turns stinging hail to fluffy snowfall, calms raging waters, or changes raging winds to steady breezes. Ambient environmental conditions reassert themselves as the celestine passes, so waves will rage and storm-tossed winds will flare once the mummy has gone by.

Lesser Chant of the Nile's Flux

Spheres: Forces 2 or 4, Matter 2

Moving her hands in concentric circles over the surface of a body of water, the astrologer causes it to slowly rise or fall in response to her continued chanting. The water level moves, influenced by small tides that the astrologer creates. A pond or small river might rise or fall by a few feet, while the bank of a sea might change by an amount imperceptible to the naked eye. The change in water level doesn't necessarily part the waters or flood areas, but it can induce a pronounced change to the course of a river, overflow a damn, or ruin irrigation. Doing so can have a staggering impact on the surrounding ecology, disrupting the wildlife, flooding low terrain, ruining entire crops, and more.

Hanging The Stars

Spheres: Time 4

The mage performs the hour-long ritual, then performs the relevant ritual that she wishes to delay. If the subsequent ritual succeeds, its effects don't occur at that time. Instead, they remain contained within the stars. The web of the ether holds the energy until the mage calls for it. The mage may delay any effect that she's already learned, although she may do so for only one ritual at a time. Further, Hanging the Stars must be performed in full view of the sky (although it may be accomplished any time during the day or night).

Hiding The Stars

Spheres: Correspondence 2 or 3

Despite the name, this spell doesn't actually alter the heavens. Rather, it veils the mage from celestial forces. By muddying the etheric waters, so to speak, the astrologer defends herself against malign divinations. Her ties to the heavens become clouded, disrupting any attempts to locate her through any means of scrying. Alternatively, the mummy can cast this spell over someone else, who must be present for the whole ritual. Successes that the mage's player scores on this ritual subtract from divining or locating effects that are targeted against the ritual's recipient. One success erodes from the ritual until the last cobwebs of obscurity blow away. The celestine can't cast this ritual multiple times to hide completely. Only the results of the most recent casting take hold.

Naming the Conditions

Spheres: Forces 2+

Over time, a mage can alter the course of the weather itself. At first, the astrologer has only slight control. He can affect mild winds, create fog in a limited area, and adjust existing conditions slightly. With experience, the celestine learns to invoke or suppress entire storms, generate massive weather fronts, call up tornadoes, and perform other awesome feats of meteorological manipulation.

The Astrologer to conjure some small, sudden disturbance -- a cool breeze, a room temperature drop, a flare of aurora borealis -- or a slight change to the local environment -- humidifying a hothouse garden, thickening cloud cover slightly, generating obscuring fog. Neither option inflicts any damage, but either one can easily make the area more comfortable or greatly unpleasant.

Ra's Eye Upon The Winds

Spheres: Time 2, Forces 1 and/or Correspondence 2

This spell enables the astrologer to attune herself to the flow of weather. At its most basic, this spell lets the mage know with a great deal of accuracy what weather conditions will be like. More notably, the mage can draw from the surrounding wind currents detailed information about the terrain over which it has flowed. The breeze whispers its secrets to the astrologer, painting a comprehensive picture of the surroundings upwind from her.

Eye of Thoth

Spheres: Correspondence 1 or 2, Matter 1 (portals or secret doors), and/or Entropy 1 (hidden patterns), and/or Mind (to detect cloaked supernaturals)

Through the auspices of heaven all thins are revealed. The Book of Thoth (the god of wisdom) holds knowledge eternal. Lesser beings can only glimpse at a few of the secrets held therein, but such wisdom often provides great illumination. While a mage can use other astrological divinations to read the future, the Book of Thoth allows an astrologer to glimpse secrets held by a person or situation right now. Typically, the mage simply closes her eyes (or passes a hand in front of them) while she mutters a mystical phrase to open herself to the wisdom of Thoth. Thereafter, the mage gains a preternatural awareness of her surroundings. She may pick out hidden figures, concealed portals, and even supernaturally invisible entities. The mage exhibits a superb awareness of things happening around her. Indeed, this awareness isn't simply a heightening of senses, but a revelation of secrets and subtexts. The secret knowledge lets her determine hidden patterns with accuracy (although she may not know what they signify), and she can't be surprised by any natural stealth. The mage may also detect an object or person that's concealed supernaturally.

Divine Guidance

Spheres: Time 2, Entropy 2

The stars hold may secrets, among which is the key to weaknesses in an opponent or auspicious times for magic. Careful astrological readings allow a Seshati to unveil the heavens' secrets and use them to advantage in casting other Hekau. The astrologer discovers the motions behind the gods, and she tailors her Hekau to take advantage of prevailing forces. This rite reveals a specific time or places of import for the casting of a given spell. An astrologer who moves to a specified place or waits for the appropriate time may garner a lower difficulty on the casting of a subsequent spell. Each success above 1 lowers the difficulty to a max of -3.

Sahu-Ra

Spheres: Forces 3, Prime 2

A simple but impressive incantation, the Sahu-Ra takes but a moment to invoke. With this spell, the mage takes on the mantle of Ra, shining with the sun god's munificence. Each success scored on this simple Hekau causes the celestine to glow with sunlit radiance for one turn. The light extends only a few feet from the mage, but it has the qualities of soft, natural sunlight. It illuminates dark places, highlights the mage, and even injures creatures vulnerable to sunlight. In game terms, treat as if the vampire as if it has been caught in indirect, shrouded sunlight.

Invocation Of Heaven's Wrath

Spheres: Forces 2, Matter 3 and Prime 2, or Correspondence 4, Matter 1

A powerful astrologer can call upon astrological forces to draw out the stars -- or at least heavenly bodies under the mage's direction. The Seshati utters invocations to Nuit, praying for the intervention of the sky upon the earth. At the conclusion of the ritual, the heavens respond. Meteors rain down, spectacularly, destroying structures and blasting a designated site to rubble. Although they're small (golf ball sized), the meteorites strike with tremendous speed, shattering fragile objects, punching through car roofs or wooden roofing and killing unfortunates caught in the open, or lacking sufficient protection from heaven's wrath. Red-hot from their descent through the atmosphere, the meteorites ignite virtually any flammable substance that they hit. Damage caused by the meteor storm or its fires are handled via the Forces damage chart.

Divine Forms

Spheres: Life 3 or Mind 1+,

A connection to celestial forces implies a connection to the deities behind them. Not only can an astrologer manipulate the heavens, she can plead with the gods for inspiration. The Seshati calls to the gods to move within her spirit and rouse the divine to prominence.

The astrologer composes a short prayer to one divinity of the Egyptian pantheon -- although whether the god actually answers such a prayer remains a topic of some debate. Regardless of its source, the magic has a swift function: The mage evinces some divine characteristic that improves an Attribute appropriate to the deity upon which she called. Therefore, supplicating Geb (God of earth) might raise the mage's Stamina, while summoning the form of Ptah the Creator might improve Intelligence or Perception.

Awakening of Ra

Spheres: Life 3, Mind 2, Spirit 1

Each morning, Ra passes across the sky and brings light to the world once more. With experience, the astrologer can learn to reflect Ra's Awakening in a simple gesture. The astrologer waves one hand in a rising arc, singing an evocation to Ra and each subject feels warmth overcome him as if he's greeting the rising sun. In a living creature, this spell banishes fatigue as if the subject had undergone a full night's sleep. Ra's energy suffuses the target with alertness and readiness for a new day. The subject finds his concentration improved and his energy renewed. The difficulties of all mental tasks decrease by one and even a wounded subject feels a surge of life that halves all wound penalties (rounded down) for the next hour.

In addition to its refreshing benefits, Ra's Awakening seems to shine with the sun god's munificence, illuminating each subject's very soul. A target of the spell feels as if he's being watched and judged for his actions. A caring, generous, and honest person (or one who believes himself to be) feels a positive acknowledgment of his strength. One who feels that he's somehow lacking or is weighed down by guilt is wracked with remorse.

Read the Tree of Life

Spheres: Time 2, Entropy 1

Written among the heavens' secrets are the lives of all mortals. Recorded on the Tree of Life by Seshat (the wife of Thoth), a skilled astrologer can discern these symbols. The Seshati can unfurl the leaf of heaven that holds one life and decipher thereupon the future of the individual. Even the undead aren't immune. Any being with a beginning and ending has a recorded fate.

Once a mummy reads the fate of a being, she can predict the general course of the being's future with some accuracy. Such predictions are rather vague, of course. The writing of Seshat is complex and cryptic, and the figures become more blurred and distant the further one reads along the leaf of a life. Still, such divination affords many opportunities.

The mage can divine successor failure in some upcoming endeavor. By reading backward, the mummy can dig deeply into the subject's history. A forewarned subject may even meet his fate with greater clarity and purpose. In effect, he gains a free re-roll when the prophesied event comes to pass.

Plagues of Ma'at

Spheres: Varies

The great biblical plagues were inflicted upon Egypt, not in defense of it. Ma'at has accepted the justice of those ancient events and opened the way for the faithful to draw upon similar symbols of retribution. Aside from serving as a devastating weapon against those who oppose the balance, these rituals act as a reminder for Egypt's guardians never to grow too proud of their powers and stature, lest they be put in their place. Seshati must learn each plague separately, and they must engage in extensive of rituals to make them effectively terrible.

Beetles (Life 2, Prime 2): Flesh-eating beetles boil out of the ground and swarm over the area. The insects overwhelm any flesh they encounter (aside from one another), swarming over it and devouring it. Even corpses and the undead aren't safe. An unfortunate covered in beetles automatically suffers one lethal health level of damage each turn as they consume her flesh. Luckily, the beetles can be outrun, they aren't very good climbers, and they fear fire, so it's possible to evade them. Those who are unaware of the ravenous insects' approach may be buried in the bugs before they're aware of the danger, though.

Death (Entropy 4): One mortal in 10 dies. The Storyteller may roll a die for each group of 10 mortals, with a 1 indicating the fatality, or he may just pick out a reasonable percentage. Death comes from sudden hemorrhaging or heart attacks, so begins not susceptible to such injury are unaffected. This plague doesn't cause nearly as much material destruction as some of the others do, but the loss of life and corresponding horror is tremendous.

Frogs (Life 2, Prime 2): Streams of frogs rain down from the sky. Many hit the round with such force that they spatter to bits. Those that survive hop about with a tendency to et into machinery or people's clothing, much like the locusts. Again, most people will panic when exposed to this plague. The frogs excrete a mild toxin on their skin that causes rashes in any who touch them, reducing the victims to Appearance 1 for a full week.

Locusts (Life 2, Prime 2): Swarms of locusts overtake the area. These insects devour grain, vegetables, fruits, bread, and anything else that gets in their way. The locusts clog engines or fans almost as badly as a sandstorm, crawl on people, and generally cause tremendous havoc. The ravenous insects target any and all foodstuffs, even ones that are enclosed in cupboards. Such is the nature of the plague that the locusts find entry into seemingly the most secure rooms and devour or befoul any nourishment. Although living beings aren't subject to the locusts' appetite, many will understandably panic under such an attack and flee the area.

Scorpions (Life 2, Prime 2): Scorpions emerge from cracks and dark corners to spread across the area. Typically they can be avoided but a foolish or unlucky individual may be stung. The scorpion's poison causes one lethal level of damage per turn for three turns. Multiple stings can incapacitate or kill.

Sores (Correspondence 2, Life 3): Once the ritual goes into effect, people in the area suffer itches and slowly spreading red spots on their skin, or the buildup of pustules. After a few hours, these blemishes open or burst into wet, oozing sores. This outbreak inflicts one level of lethal damage to all victims and drops their Appearances to one dot. The sores remain until the damage is healed.

Water to Blood (Matter 2, Correspondence 2): All water within the designated area turns into cold, dead blood. Beverages are ruined, and people even weep and sweat blood. All water brought into the area suffers the same effects until the next sunrise. The blood has no nutritive value, so victims probably suffer from some dehydration as well. Even vampires gain no sustenance from it.

Rousing Aphophis

Spheres: Forces 4

All of the resurrected know of Apophis, the great corrupt serpent who seeks to devour Ra and plunge the world into darkness. Although this fearful beast is ostensibly only legend, its visage alone is enough to make the world tremble. The astrologer draws upon great forces to rouse Apophis momentarily -- and the earth shakes as a result. The Great Serpent's fury results in an earthquake of great magnitude. The epicenter of the earthquake is where the mage stands performing the ceremony.

Aid of the Star of the North

Spheres: Forces 1+

Many alchemists discovered the odd ability of certain substances to detect the northern direction. Practitioners of Celestial Hekau honor the star that dominates the northern sky as the ruler of this magnetic force. This useful spell aligns the magnetic forces in the area according to the magician's will. If the spell is used for simplistic purposes, even a single success can determine the northern or even southern polar direction.

Alternatively, the spell may be used to sense the nearest large collection of magnetic material in the area. With a focused roll, defeating any contested Stealth or concealment efforts, the magician may instead use the spell to detect the presence of any metallic items that are concealed from view nearby.

Once sensed, the Seshati may choose to cause some or all of these metallic items in the same scene to be drawn together or manipulated via a powerful magnetic attraction.

Festival of Ma'at

Spheres: Mind 3

Many cultures hold celebrations of holy events or holidays believed to be important to the well-being of the celebrants. Observances inevitably bear celestial connections to the stars, the seasons, or in ancient Egypt, to the inundation of the Nile. The Festival of Ma'at begins with the actual casting of the ritual and doesn't stop until the end of the party that follows it.

Unlike most rituals, the leader of a Festival of Ma'at doesn't have to provide three-quarters of the Lifeforce required, as even normal mortal celebrants expend one point of their own. Record the results of all of the rolls of the ritual casting, plus one Carousing die pool roll for each non-caster celebrant in the party that follows, and total up the number of successes. These successes will continue to affect the welfare of the celebrants until they're expended. Each time any single participant makes any roll that might influence Ma'at, she either receives a -1 bonus or +1 penalty -- whichever creates the greater Balance -- and this modifier reduces the remaining successes by one. Certain mummies attribute worldwide attempts to cast this ritual on New Year's Day with defusing the close of the millennium's sense of doom.

Geb's Strength

Spheres: Forces 2+

The Egyptian god Geb represents the earth upon which we walk, the father who welcomed Osiris to earth and whose bones contain the houses of the dead. To modern science, he's also the source of the incredible celestial force known as gravity. This spell targets any one subject within sight of the caster. All physical actions requiring movement become contested against a Strength rating equal to the successes obtained, and this rating should also be added to actions that already require a Strength test.

Incantation Of The Dry Nile

Spheres: Matter 2

The rise and fall of the Nile was of incredible importance to Egyptians as it provided the life-giving water and rich soil that they needed to survive. It was so important, in fact, that the calendar was built around the celestial signs that tracked its natural rise and fall. Potent priestesses often sought to alter the flow of the waters during times of great need. This powerful ritual is perhaps one of the magics they may have invoked. The ritual must be enacted within the flow of the water or upon the banks of the flowing body of water to be affected. The effect raises or lowers the depth of the body of water. With sufficient successes, the ritual may cause terrible floods or leave a dry riverbed with little more than standing puddles.

Arch of Nuit

Spheres: Spirit 2 and/or Matter 2

The sky-goddess Nuit, wife to Geb, seeks to protect her husband and children from the darkness that lies beyond the stars. Her body forms the arch of the heavens and stands steadfast against the influences of evil spirits upon the earth. This ritual empowers the protective influences of Nuit by hampering all negative spiritual energy. Ghosts, demons, and spirits of all sorts face a greater degree of difficulty entering the physical world within the area of effect and/or enacting their supernatural powers across the arch, into the area of effect. This protection works against any creature attempting to pierce or affect anyone on the other side of the Gauntlet. It also hampers the supernatural efforts of creatures such as Risen, inanimae, zombies, and other beings whose animation in the physical world depends upon spiritual empowerment.

Evocation of Ra's Progress

Spheres: Forces 3, Life 3

As Ra sails across the sky during the day and passes beneath the earth at night, so does he affect the entire world with the cycle of his passing. This spell causes the magician to glow with the blinding light or Ra and to pulse rapidly through his cycles of day and night. The world around the Seshati responds to the periods of day in remarkable ways, which are perhaps too numerous to list here. The rote causes the equivalent of one day's worth of time to pass for all of those who can see the Seshati. The energy of Ra is generally life-giving, however, so its effects are beneficial to most creatures. A mortal would suddenly feel as though she had rested and healing and the regaining of Willpower. She wouldn't, however, suddenly suffer intense hunger and thirst. Unnatural creatures such as vampires, however, are adversely affected.

Forces 3, Time 3, Prime 1

The passage of cycles burns away one Blood Point per success, just as if the vampire had spent them to awaken for an equal number of nights. Additionally the blast of light from the Seshati qualifies as direct sunlight, and it affects all vampires it strikes for a single turn as per normal sunlight rules.

Sign of the Damning Star

Spheres: Time 4, Entropy 3

The Seshati pride themselves on their ability to see the future and to gain power by preparing for it ahead of time. Many Seshati learn to defeat their enemies by tying them inexplicably to bad signs, negative influences, and "evil stars." Some of them feel that dark fates await much of the world, and that such fates should be redistributed to those more deserving of them. The Seshati ties the victim's fate to a specific, malefic sign and by evoking it, fouls up their next action. Successes for effect on this ritual negate successes made by the victim at the time of the mage's choosing. All the mage must do is evoke the malefic sign. The mage may employ Correspondence to evoke the sign at a distance.

Scrying of the Tree of life

Spheres: Time 4, Entropy 1

The secrets of the heavens and the lives of all mortals are recorded on the Tree of Life by Thoth's wife Seshat. Lesser divinations can grant a talented astrologer visions of the contents of the leaves of heaven that let her read the future like it was written on a page. The flow of Sekhem throughout the universe carries whispers of the secrets held by the Tree of Life, and this spell lets the mage listen to them simply by tapping into this mystical current granting images of the future that prepare her for her fate. In game terms, the mage hangs the spell until the time of her choosing. Upon releasing it, the each successes lowers the difficulty of an action by 1 (to a max of -3).

Amulets

The Hekau path of Amulets -- also called Meket -- is the art of crafting charms that focus magical power, most often for protection against evil, sickness, or sorcery. Deceased Egyptians were usually buried with a number of amulets that were designed to ward them from various calamities that might befall them in the underworld. These items ranged from tiny carved trinkets hidden in the mummy's wrappings to a Pharaoh's full regalia. Tomb Watchers commonly learned to use at least a few warding spells while defending the khat. Each of the Kher-minu possesses at least one point in the Amulets Hekau path.

Crafting An Amulet

Creating an amulet first requires crafting an item to contain the power invested (roll Dexterity + Crafts or Wits+ Crafts). The time it takes to inscribe the proper magical symbols onto the item determines how long it takes to create an amulet. Painting a series of symbols onto the skin requires five minutes per level of the Amulets Hekau. Such designs are fragile, though, which makes them very short-lived. Considering the magical energy expended in creating an amulet, most Hekau artisans wish to invest in more permanent materials. The time one spends inscribing words of power into an amulet of more durable nature depends upon the complexity of the ritual. Unless otherwise noted, an Amulets ritual takes one day per level of the ritual being performed. Since the work requires demanding focus, much of the time includes taking breaks to recover physical and spiritual strength. While crafting an amulet, an artisan may do nothing but sleep, eat, and meditate to recover Sekhem. To speed the process along, the requisite Sekhem may come from other sources, such as the Tears of Isis potion or vessels capable of storing magical power.

The artisan himself needs not actually craft the base item to be enchanted (although it helps). The ancient priesthoods of Egypt employed a veritable army of skilled craftsmen to create jewelry and other baubles that reflected the magnificence of the gods. Likewise, scribes drafting tiny scrolls of warding didn't often make the papyrus that they wrote upon. Whether she makes the amulet herself or uses a pre-made object, the artisan must actually inscribe the magical symbols into the item personally. As noted for all rituals, doing so requires an extended action using a dice pool designated by the particular ritual to gather a number of successes equal to the Sekhem rating.

An active amulet's resonance causes a slight mystical interference around its bearer. A successful Perception + Awareness roll (difficulty 9) reveals something special about the amulet. Actually discovering the item's purpose or its approximate power level requires an Occult + Amulets roll against a difficulty equal to the amulet's Hekau path rating + 3. One can use supernatural means of perception against the same difficulty to discern the amulet's function. An amulet that's designed to protect against scrying reduces any such attempt against all items that the user has about her person.

Once an amulet is created, it retains its enchantment for a number of months equal to the character's Amulets + Balance total. To renew the enchantment before the time elapses, the artisan's player rolls the dice pool listed for the ritual. Doing so is a simple action that takes only five minutes per level of the ritual, and only one success is needed. She must invest the full Sekhem listed for the ritual, however. If the amulet's enchantment lapses the artisan must perform the entire ritual again.

Using An Amulet

Using an amulet generally requires nothing more than wearing it in some fashion. Doing so may be made more tricky if the artisan installed safeguards that require some sort of activation before the amulet functions, or if he has personalized it so that only a particular individual may use it.

Most amulets provide continuous effects, although some may operate only under specific circumstances. Unless otherwise stated in the descriptions, amulets work for any living creature who wears them. A number of amulets provide protection for a natural (i.e., inanimate) corpse, including a mummy's body while her spirit is in the underworld. Ancient mummies were usually buried with a number of protective wards concealed within their wrappings, while mighty priests and Pharaohs practically dripped with jeweled protection.

Amulets won't benefit vampires, shapeshifters, or non-corporeal beings such as ghosts and spirits. Storytellers are encouraged to devise appropriately catastrophic mishaps should a being other than a mortal or mummy attempt to use an amulet. It's rumored that some Bane mummies have special amulets that may aid other monsters, but only the foolish and insane would accept the corrupting aid of the Children of Apophis.

Some amulets even allow for quick and dirty one-shot spells. Such Hekau typically consists of simple symbols written hastily in makeup or paint on the skin or ink on a scrap of paper or papyrus. Even spittle and dirt on a nearby surface may serve in desperate situations. The Sefekhi occasionally carve such symbols directly into their flesh. As with all Amulet magic, the real power of the inscription is the Sekhem invested into it. Still, the emergency nature of hurried spells often carries with them greater cost in terms of magical energy.

Wards

The most common use of amulets throughout history has been to ward off danger or evil. As such, a Hekau amulet's safeguarding capability is typically called a ward. Each ward protects against one particular circumstance and operates at a specific ward rating equivalent to the amulet's Hekau path level.

Unless otherwise specified, the ward rating subtracts from any successes rolled against the user that fall into the realm of the ward's protection. Therefore, if the wearer has a level two ward that protects against hostile magic and he's struck with a magical attack that achieves three successes the amulet reduces the attacker's successes to one automatically. This effect applies immediately after the attacker's roll and prior to any other resolution, such as soak or dodging.

The user may wear multiple amulets, but only the highest rating applies if more than one ward has the same defensive focus. Should that amulet be removed or destroyed, the next highest rating kicks in.

Destroying An Amulet

Although invested with tremendous power, an amulet isn't impervious to harm. As a simple guideline, one level of bashing or lethal damage is sufficient to break an amulet made of glass or plastic. Two damage levels will wreck a talisman made of bone or wood, and three damage levels will ruin an amulet made of metal or stone. One level of aggravated damage is sufficient to destroy any amulet.

To cause destruction, the attack must specifically target the amulet. This means the attacker must know the talisman is worth attacking to begin with. This typically requires a Perception roll as described above, or some other method of detection -- even something as foolish as the mummy brandishing her amulet and crying out, "My Greater Ward protects me from all harm!" The amulet loses its mystical ability as soon as it's destroyed. This doesn't involve anything like a spectacular burst of preternatural force. Perhaps anticlimactically, the amulet's effect dissipates as if in the face of a strong wind, leaving the amulet ruined and the wearer no loner benefiting from its charms.

Ashen Shroud

Spheres: Life 3

By intoning appropriate words of power while quickly applying dirt or ash to her face, the artisan takes on a mien of death. Her appearance becomes as one of the walking dead for the remainder of the scene. She's a creature that clearly isn't alive, yet she moves nonetheless. All mortals in the area are thrown into hysterics at the sight.

Talisman

Spheres: Matter 2, Prime 2, Entropy 2

This bundle encloses the corpse of the mage in yards of hand-woven fabric, in which various other amulets, treasures, and so on may be placed. When finished, the large and sturdy bundle lasts for centuries. The bundle protects the enwrapped contents from all normal damage, and it has a soak of five dice against aggravated attacks.

Eye Of The Horizon

Spheres: Correspondence 2, Matter 1

This spell links any single image of an eye to the artisan's own senses. This image can be anything from the plastic eye of an action figure to an ancient hieroglyph carved on a tomb wall to one drawn quickly on a napkin. The artisan may see what the linked eye sees just as easily as he can see with his own eyes.

Simple Wards

Spheres: Various

A Simple Ward allows for a variety of defensive effects. Each is designed to defend the wearer against one particular type of harm, so the artisan must learn each ward as a separate ritual. Some wards protect specific parts of the body and those effects mystically associated with them, while others guard against particular types of magic. A few common wards are listed here, although players and Storytellers are encouraged to work together to create more.

• Eye of Horus (udjat)
  • Life 3
  • This ward protects against all magic that affects the user's health. This includes poisons and spells that harm the body as a whole.
• Heart (ab):
  • Mind 2, Life 3
  • This ward protects against all attacks aimed at the heart. Because the Egyptians believed that the heart was the seat of consciousness, the ward guards against physical damage to the physical heart as well as magic targeting the mind, from illusions to all forms of mental control and psychological influence.
• Ren
  • Mind 2
  • This ward protects against Nomenclature Hekau that affects the user through her true name. A name ward is always attuned to a single user.

Warding Sign

Not every symbol must be inscribed physically in order to provide protection. Nevertheless, those signs created with simple gestures are useful for brief, relatively simple effects. The most basic ward is one against bad luck. If this spell is successful, the first botch that the mummy's player rolls during the remainder of the scene affects him no more severely than a normal failure. The character may have only one Warding Sign in effect at a time.

Wood Ward

Spheres: Correspondence 3, Matter 2

Whatever its form, this amulet makes the wearer resistant to any object made of wood. Most objects bounce off the user's skin, although fragile implements may shatter. To damage the mage using a wooden implement the user much successfully wear down the ward itself and the mage may use the ward to destroy wooden objects.

Naturally, a few disadvantages occur when a mage wears such an amulet. Most notably, even casual contact can damage a wooden object. Wooden chairs, fences, chopsticks, baseball bats, and the like that the user touches may crack or wiggle from her grasp. Additionally, nature spirits generally take offense at an individual wearing a Wood Ward.

Amulet Of Cloud Walking

SPheres: Prime 3, Forces 3

This amulet lifts the wearer into the air to the level of the clouds in the sky (although there needn't be any actual cloud cover for it to function). She may then actually travel by walking through the air. Cloud layers vary greatly based on factors including geography and seasons. As a general rule, assume that the altitude is around 10,000 feet above sea level -- roughly the safe limit at which the air is still rich enough to breathe. The time it takes to traverse the clouds varies from a few minutes to many days. It may also be partially dependent upon how long the traveler believes it'll take. Roll Wits + Survival. Rolling a greater number of successes shortens the time that it takes to walk across the sky. Upon reaching the desired location, the wearer gently descends to the round and the amulet deactivates.

Once activated, this amulet works for anyone, but activating the amulet requires an artisan who understands Amulets Hekau to hold the amulet between her hands. The user then rolls Manipulation + Amulets (difficulty 5) to activate the amulet, even if another character is currently wearing it. Only one success is required. The same process will deactivate the amulet while in use -- although anyone foolish enough to deactivate or remove her own amulet while walking in the sky will fall.

Scarab Of Life

Spheres: Life 3, Prime 3 or 4

The scarab was certainly the most common amulet in ancient Egyptian society, as evinced by the number of them found in Egyptian tombs. It was identified with the god Khepera and his strong connections with the sun and the power of rebirth. When a living person wears it, a Scarab of Life provides a ward against any magics that would reduce the wearer's physical attributes. Placed upon an injured body, the amulet reduces the difficulty of any healing upon the subject by 3.

Metal Ward

Spheres: Matter 2, Correspondence 3, Life 1

This ritual creates an amulet similar to the Wood Ward. Such is the amulet's protective power that metal objects become pliable, softening or crumbling to flakes along the edge nearest the wearer. For rules purposes, the amulet adds the effect successes to the user's natural Stamina when resisting any damage from metal objects. The wearer may also soak lethal damage (difficulty 8) inflicted by a metal object, even if she can't normally do so.

The user's natural Strength likewise increases by the effect successes when trying to deflect, harm, or otherwise deal with metal objects with her hands or body. Therefore, the amulet-wearer could apply the successes if she shoved with her body against a steel door, but not if she chopped at the door with a fire axe.

A few disadvantages naturally occur when wearing such protection. Most notably, even casual contact can damage a metal object. Door knobs, car doors, utensils, pistols, and the like that the user touches may bend or wiggle from her grasp. Small pieces of metal -- zippers, loose change -- separated from the user's body by clothing vibrate almost imperceptibly, making for a mildly uncomfortable but bearable sensation. Additionally, nature spirits generally take offense at an individual wearing a Metal Ward.

Sign of Luck

Spheres: Entropy 2

This spell empowers one of many tiny superstitious rituals to improve one's fortunes. When worn the amulet allows the user to lower the difficulty of any roll made (to a max of 3). Fortune is a fickle mistress, however.

Veil Of Amaunet

Spheres: Forces 2, Life 3

The goddess Amaunet, the counterpart to Amon, was the goddess of invisibility. This amulet calls upon her favor to render the wearer undetectable to all of the senses that animals possess (i.e., sight, touch, sound, taste, or smell). Even a being that can take the form of an animal is subject to the amulet's magic while it's in its beast form. A supernatural creature of this sort is naturally more intelligent than most animals, so even if it can't see the person wearing the amulet, it may still get a Perception + Awareness roll (difficulty 8) to notice a dim haze. This roll doesn't bestow any understanding of what the paranormal being sees, however. If an animal has some mystical ability that pierces invisibility, it operates as appropriate.

Wrappings Of Imhotep

Spheres: Life 3 Most amulets protect against some sort of harm. Named after the famed mystic and physician Imhotep, these ensorcelled bandages may be used after the damage occurs. The artisan inscribes a few mystical symbols to a covering or wrapping when he casts the spell. Clean, dry cloth or sterile dressings work best, but even a paper restaurant napkin will suffice in an emergency. The artisan empowers the bandage to heal damage from a wound to which it's applied.

Ebon Binding

Correspondence 3, Spirit or Mind 1 Although most Seshati wear amulets for protection, a few amulets are designed to harm the body or soul. This particular ritual lets the artisan enchant a length of bandage with spells that entrap a victim. Placed around a body in which the soul still resides, the bandages trap the spirit within the khat. Wrapping around a body whose soul has departed, the bindings block the spirit from rejoining its flesh. As long as the coils of this bandage remain in place, the soul can't pass through them to escape or reenter its physical form.

Eye Of Sekhmet

Spheres: Entropy 4 The goddess Sekhmet served as the instrument by which Ra's enemies were destroyed, and she was considered the eye of his vengeance. By tracing the symbol of the eye of justice over her own eye while casting the spell, the artisan afflicts a targeted victim with the judgment of Sekhmet. The victim suffers a +2 difficulty to all actions and finds it harder to heal. A mortal heals as if his injuries were two categories more severe, while a supernatural must spend twice the normal amount of time and effort to restore each health level.

Geb's Blessing

Spheres: Matter 2 and Forces 2 or 4

Geb is said to have created the world, and he was the father of Osiris. This amulet channels energies to protect the wearer from those natural forces that the earth generates. Rain, sleet, and hail fall without touching the wearer. Natural extremes from desert heat to arctic cold have no effect. Only extreme damage -- anything considered aggravated, like that from a lightning bolt or molten lava -- may harm the wearer. The artisan's Amulets Hekau rating applies as a dice pool to soak this damage. .

The secondary effects of natural weather may still cause the user some difficulty, although to nowhere near the same degree as an unfortunate who lacks Geb's Blessing. An avalanche or mudslide may still inundate the wearer, but she may draw upon the amulet's strength to get free. The artisan's Amulets score applies as additional dice to the character's efforts to extract herself from hazardous conditions, such as swimming against a rain river current, avoiding falling debris, and so on. Note that the amulet doesn't protect the user against her own actions. She might still drown if she tires before reaching shore. She might not feel the heat in the desert, but she can still die of thirst. She could dig more easily out of a rockslide, but she might suffocate if she can't get free first