Open Invite - Age of Azar

[atamajakki]

May do some research, myself, once I'm inspired enough.

Rough idea so far: as mercenary scouts and nomadic tribesmen, the Medjay have had countless generations to learn of the myriad horrors of the desert. The same traits that make them desirable to the Egyptian army also make them desirable Cultists, and one Mesen-Nebu of the period chooses to enlist a mercenary band of Medjay with payment not in gold, but in further knowledge of the foes they may face; they respond by burning him to cinders and selling their services to the highest bidder. Whether as bodyguards to the wealthy who fear what the newly Arisen might do to their safe cities or as a dagger aimed at the heart of enemies both dead and Deathless, the Brotherhood of Anhur know no fear.

What I'm having a hard idea working in (and this may not be the best place for it) is how the Alchemists come to revere intrinsic value under the name of a Nubian god, Dedun/Dedwen. What do the Medjay bring to the world of the First Turn that leaves such a profound mark on thr core philosophy of that Guild for the rest of time?

[Deionscribe]

Anyone care to assist me with fleshing out the fluff and benefits to the Cult of Nekhbet? Who happen to be mystical oracles and keepers of Relics. Among the notable items in their vaults happen to be the supposed war regalia of the Shan'iatu.

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Mystery Cult Initiation [Cult of Nekhbet]

(o) - One dot in Trained Observer or Meditative Mind.

(oo) - One dot in Esoteric Armory

(ooo) - Dot in Occult/Religion or two dots in Esoteric Armory

(oooo) - Medium or Omen Sensitivity

(ooooo) -

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Also, Arcanist recommended the following, but having trouble deciding which to put in, swap out, etc. Any additions or suggestions will be appreciated.

There should probably be a Specialty in there somewhere, maybe the option of Hardened Exorcist or Invoke Spirit

Hardened Exorcist and/or Invoke Spirit could be a five-dot benefit. The Specialty could be a one-dot benefit, while bumping Trained Observer and Meditative Mind at the second dot in place of Esoteric Armory?

Makes sense to me. Maybe increase the dot value of Trained Observer and Meditative Mind to fit the new placement?

[Deionscribe]

Rough idea so far: as mercenary scouts and nomadic tribesmen, the Medjay have had countless generations to learn of the myriad horrors of the desert. The same traits that make them desirable to the Egyptian army also make them desirable Cultists, and one Mesen-Nebu of the period chooses to enlist a mercenary band of Medjay with payment not in gold, but in further knowledge of the foes they may face; they respond by burning him to cinders and selling their services to the highest bidder. Whether as bodyguards to the wealthy who fear what the newly Arisen might do to their safe cities or as a dagger aimed at the heart of enemies both dead and Deathless, the Brotherhood of Anhur know no fear.

What I'm having a hard idea working in (and this may not be the best place for it) is how the Alchemists come to revere intrinsic value under the name of a Nubian god, Dedun/Dedwen. What do the Medjay bring to the world of the First Turn that leaves such a profound mark on thr core philosophy of that Guild for the rest of time?

Hmm. I'm not really well-versed in Mummy's lore to offer much input. Though perhaps this could be the focus of a chronicle, if you want to explore it via play.

[atamajakki]

Hmm. I'm not really well-versed in Mummy's lore to offer much input. Though perhaps this could be the focus of a chronicle, if you want to explore it via play.

Don't need to know Mummy to get it. The tl;dr is a group of foreign mercenaries who use insider info to hunt the supernatural for the right price; think roughly VALKYRIE with Cheiron's mindset, but with the technology of your time period.

[Arcanist]

A Medjay Conspiracy would be awesome- especially considering Medjay mercenaries made up a lot of the standing army of Kemet at this time. They are obviously knowledgeable, persistent, and effective in handling Lifeless and Deathless. That alone would endear them to the Mesen-Nebu, especially because their entire ethos involves exploiting every resource at their disposal and functioning as a meritocracy. Everything the Medjay of Kemet have, they've spent blood sweat and tears earning.

What are you picturing for them Atamajakki? How do they function? Would they harvest Sekhem like LDI?

[Deionscribe]

Also, how do you think their interactions with the Cults of Sutek and the Phoenix are fleshed out? I can actually see both groups contracting them for their services as part of their respective Vigils, especially against Mummies.

[atamajakki]

A Medjay Conspiracy would be awesome- especially considering Medjay mercenaries made up a lot of the standing army of Kemet at this time. They are obviously knowledgeable, persistent, and effective in handling Lifeless and Deathless. That alone would endear them to the Mesen-Nebu, especially because their entire ethos involves exploiting every resource at their disposal and functioning as a meritocracy. Everything the Medjay of Kemet have, they've spent blood sweat and tears earning.

What are you picturing for them Atamajakki? How do they function? Would they harvest Sekhem like LDI?

A group of exceptionally well-trained soldiers who distinguish themselves by being utterly apolitical during thr turbulent time of the First Turn. The chaos devouring Unas' kingdom and the rising of the dead and Deathless matters not, so long as they get paid; that ideological untouchability is fun to play with. No magic tricks up their sleeves - they're a Compact, not a Conspiracy - but they already grasp that Relics make exceptional bait for mummies and that things don't stay dead unless killed with fire.

Plus, I like opposition for the Arisen that doesn't come from their own ranks or the Shuankhsen. It never hurts to remind them that the mortals have fangs, too.

[LostLight]

I've made a more detailed wrietup for a the Cult of Sutek and their modern incarnation, if someone is interested.

[Deionscribe]

I've made a more detailed wrietup for a the Cult of Sutek and their modern incarnation, if someone is interested.

Yes. I am.
XD

[Second Chances]

Okay, I've got a small contribution, but it may be helpful for those of us who are historically minded. Dreams of Avarice prompted me to review Sothis Ascends to try and chronicle of the reign of Unas in CofD. I had to make some educated guess, but I was able to do some with the help of historical chronicles.

- Mesedikereh turned Unas-Ankh into a Fasad at about the time the boy was said to have died. Unas-Ankh's death is traditionally dated to the tenth year of Unas reign, putting it at 2365 BCE, six years after the Sothic Turn. It is at this time that Unas-Ankh takes Shankhsen as advisors in his pursuit of immortality.
- The Battle of Nekhen-Nekheb takes place before the Great Diaspora of the Arisen. From the way it is described in Sothis, it sounds like Unas is on his last legs by this point. This makes sense if the battle took place at some point in 2346, since the Shankhsen abandon Unas after their defeat.
- Unas dies about a year later, likely from withdrawal from the potions he was trying to use to gain immortality. As he is on his deathbed, the Arisen meet, codifying the Guilds and laws that will govern them from here on out to avoid a repeat of the Battle of Nekhen-Nekhab. The Arisen Diaspora begins. The Heretic lays the foundation of his cult, then succumbs to the long sleep, finally losing his last dot of Sekhem (this may not happen for a little longer though). Given that this is part of the Sothic Turn, this may be the first death cycle for many Arisen.
- The Heretic is woken by his cult ten years later, and believes himself a Prince of Irem. The cult ask his to defend them from Teti's tax collectors. Instead the Heretic uses his Utterances to overthrow Teti, placing Userkare on the throne.
- Two years later, as the Heretic is once again fading, similar magic is used by Nefernewet to overthrow Userkare, placing Pepi I on the throne. The Heretic gains the upper hand initially in confronting Nefernewet, but eventually loses to the shell-maker, falling back into a death cycle.

For those of you who are visually inclined (I know I am) there is a timeline in the spoiler below. If you are having trouble reading it, open it in its own tab to make it bigger.

[Deionscribe]

Okay, I've got a small contribution, but it may be helpful for those of us who are historically minded. Dreams of Avarice prompted me to review Sothis Ascends to try and chronicle of the reign of Unas in CofD. I had to make some educated guess, but I was able to do some with the help of historical chronicles.

For those of you who are visually inclined (I know I am) there is a timeline in the spoiler below. If you are having trouble reading it, open it in its own tab to make it bigger.

Just to clarify. Does Awakened Diaspora happen to refer to actual Mages? Because if it does, I might explore that when I got the time.

[Arcanist]

I think Second Chances meant to write "Arisen Diaspora" there. This was the period when the Diasporic Code was written by the Sesha-Hebsu, headed specifically by one of the canon characters- the Prince of Glass (don't have the book with me at the moment for his actual name).

[Second Chances]

I think Second Chances meant to write "Arisen Diaspora" there. This was the period when the Diasporic Code was written by the Sesha-Hebsu, headed specifically by one of the canon characters- the Prince of Glass (don't have the book with me at the moment for his actual name).

Whoops! My bad. Yes, that's what I meant, I'll go fix that. I'll see if I can't comb Guildhalls this weekend in between creating exams and get a bit more context on the era.

[Deionscribe]

Whoops! My bad. Yes, that's what I meant, I'll go fix that. I'll see if I can't comb Guildhalls this weekend in between creating exams and get a bit more context on the era.

Take your time. The more Mummy material sifted through for easy perusal. the better.

[Aiden]

This is all great stuff. If I ever do a First Sothic Turn game I'll be using all of this, except one point where I quibble on the vampire clans:

The Mumviri? I cringed when I saw they had Vigor and Stamina instead of Resilience and Resolve, especially once you had them gain the Ventrue Clan Bane if they get embraced in a non-traditional way. It just threw off the otherwise entertaining and perfect fit there for me. Part of that is just how I view the five clans as universals, and the Julii as strictly a cultural variation on the Ventrue, so that might just be me.

I'm not saying it's objectively bad, it just gets up in my craw for entirely subjective reasons like above.