HARRY HECKEL IV AND NEALL RAEMONN PRICE

From Tears, Dust

January, Year of Our with the right and a measuring current with the sweet Sekhem
Lord, Seventeen Hundred tool with the left. Might blazing under pressure from
Ninety-One Rock Creek, thundered down his arms, the Call. But why?
setting his digits to throbbing There was a sense of
Maryland and twitching in anticipation purpose obscured; ambition
of fulfillment. and action continued despite
He heard the Call, and he
obeyed. Five blazing meteors Build your city. The directive it. Seb-Hetchet’s head ached.
swelled in him, consumed him. He shook it, sending ancient
fell perversely upwards, in
He started forward again. herbs rattling inside where
defiance of everything natural.
“Master?” the sahu hadn’t yet congealed.
Build your city. Somewhere, a few hundred
He snapped into awareness. The Arisen stopped and yards behind him, the heka
His eyes focused without effort, turned. The language was flows revealed the presence
Iremite, colored harsh by the of a tomb. His tomb. A simple
granting his surroundings
accent. Seb-Hetchet—ah! His thing, bare but serviceable. The
clarity. Cold water rushed
name!—looked to the source. rest of his cult must be there,
along his ankles and over his
A robed man stood on the he decided, suddenly recalling
feet. He stood on sharpness,
riverbanks, wearing a wide that he had a cult.
rocks strewn in the creek’s
black headdress, white-plumed
riverbed, stretching towards a “Washington selected the
feathers stretching high into
length three buildings’ worth proper site, as you foretold,
the air, gold thread sketching
ahead. Woods surrounded him, master,” the cultist said, his
around an all-seeing eye. The
dry and bare, spots of snow excitement overriding his
man shivered and stumbled at
on the ground and floating fear at the dead yet walking
the bank, trying not to shrink
in the water. Bright sunlight god before him. “By the
away from the dead man’s gaze
shone down—no more than an Eastern-Branch, swallowing
or get the hem of his robe wet.
hour after the Nameless Lion’s Georgetown. Ten miles by
In both enterprises, he failed.
zenith, if he’d read the sky right ten and ten and ten again.
(and he always did). Seb-Hetchet worked his Congress all but accused
mouth. He knew this man. the General of nepotism
He stopped, as he’d been in
A name plunged out of the for including Alexandria,
the midst of stepping forward,
darkness. “Pierre…?” but in the end none would
and took in the beauty of the
moment. An oasis, he thought, The man nodded, anxious dare gainsay the man or his
stillness amidst movement. and eager. Under his unctuous integrity.”
headdress, Pierre’s mouth spread The Frenchman doffed
The air was clear and cold.
open into a grin. “Oui. You have the headdress, wiping sweat
Steam rose around withered
come back to us, master.” from a cold-reddened brow.
legs and rotten linen. Had he
proper hair, it would have Build your city. “They’ll amend the Residence
been standing on end, the “The city… my city. What Act with no problems, master.
reeking scent of a man’s cold am I building?” Seb-Hetchet Washington has personally
flesh filling his nostrils. But he searched his mind, but no appointed me architect of the
had no nose, and stank only answer came. Symbols leapt city. We shall build a city of
of sweet Sekhem, perceptible out to his eyes, streets traced canals and gardens and pillars,
to the mortal organ as anise themselves in his mind, heka and damn Jefferson and his
and honey. The dead man, now flows untangling and matching boulevard of dreams.”
among the living once more, Seb-Hetchet, the White Jackal,
sucked a noisy breath past a watched a bit of snow detach
dry and rattling throat into itself from a rock and flow down
lungs that weren’t there. He the river. Nothing Pierre had said
looked at his hands, grasping a to him just now made any sense
finely-wrought stone hammer whatsoever. Nothing quelled the
impulse to build, an impulse the “Where… where are we, Pierre grinned at him. “The
mummy knew came from the Pierre?” the immortal said, Territory of Columbia, they
small cult that Pierre led. hesitantly. seek to call it.”

January, Year of Our The lack of bother was “Pierre should be back by now.”
Lord, Seventeen Hundred worrisome. It meant time was “Suter’s Tavern again.
Ninety-Two, Georgetown, running out. The pressure in his Washington is displeased with
Maryland (in the mind had abated over too short our ambitions,” Semasa said.
a season, replaced by the alien
proposed Territory of feeling of failure. The Jackal
“I told you, never trust men
Columbia) with red hair. They’re snakes.
regretted, again, the decision to Jefferson and Washington will
subdue the Amkhat outside the damn our endeavor before
The inn was cold yet again, city. The beast’s jaws had taken
despite the keeper’s attempt to it’s born.” He rapped his ring
far too much out of him, and
keep the hearth fed. again, this time more out of
allowing the alchemist the right
frustration than anything else.
“I do not care for this place,” of the deathblow had been a
mistake. The Jackal made an idle “We should seek to make this
Tarikh-Sethos said, for what must man Ellicott our own.”
have been the thousandth time. note of that.
Tarikh-Sethos rapped his “Pierre will talk him down,”
“It is the finest this city has the Jackal said. Washington’s
to offer,” Seb-Hetchet replied, heavy white gold ring on the
table’s edge, scarring it yet and Jefferson’s hair color
completing their daily rote bothered him too, but he could
conversation. It was ritual after again. He did this every time
Seb-Hetchet wandered off. The never say why, and knew better
long months of residence. The than to give his meret the
second floor dining room of table’s edge was a forest of
scars, deep and heavy. satisfaction of commiseration.
the Old Stone House had been A leader must be a father to his
pleasant in March, comfortable “Focus,” the master
alchemist of the Mesen- men, not an equal, though Seb-
in June, unbearable in August,
Nebu said. “We were on the Hetchet suspected the Judges
and finally bitter in December.
canals.” He tapped the heavy did not see it that way.
He was further along the Descent
than Tarikh-Sethos was. The cold parchment with a light touch, “Pierre will fail.”
had gone from a nuisance to an so as not to disturb the ink. “Have faith, my friend,” Seb-
incurable ache, but one that had Seb-Hetchet glanced at the Hetchet said. “We have eternity
finally ceased to bother. sun’s crawl across the table. on our side.”

March, Year of Our Lord, the mind. The Jackal moved to his partner was an effort.
Seventeen Hundred slowly, deliberately, lest he lose That the sun glared golden
Ninety-Two Georgetown, his balance. Lifting his eyes in his eyes confirmed he’d
Maryland (in the been sitting for three hours.
proposed Territory of The Descent had brought him
Columbia) low after but a month’s time.
He heard the call of the Duat
His thoughts came through a grow louder than the Call that
cloud of smoke, a fog gripping brought him. Tarikh-Sethos
tight the pure crystal lights of had long since left to try and
support the supposedly-fired design of the Mall. “They’re What would Tarikh-Sethos
architect. Oba-Heshef had elegant… inspired. Perhaps you say to an educated fool? “Water
insisted on seeing the new should have been an artist.” and oil may mix, but they
slaves on the block that day. He “I was. I am,” the White shall always be separate in
was alone, and soon he would Jackal said. “And a man of essence, and soon in truth. I
be dead once more. science besides. I understand cannot imagine those lines ever
Seb-Hetchet, the White that these are valued traits in dissolving, not so long as men
Jackal, looked at the unfinished this age.” truly desire them to be there,”
blueprint before him. L’Enfant Seb-Hetchet said, suddenly
“In every age, I would aware that the alchemist used
had done his best to keep imagine,” the man said. He
Washington at bay, but he had such analogies when speaking
took a sip of something that to him, and now uncomfortable
grown angry with the Jackal smelled, even to the Jackal’s
as well, as much as his sense on realizing he’d made that
dulled senses, of cheap ale. connection several times over
of obeisance allowed. The The juxtaposition of expensive
mummy could not blame him. the long Turn. What had that
tastes in morning wear and Englishman written? “It is not
Months had gone by without cheap taste in drink galled
proper work, but the flows of in the stars to hold our destiny,
him. “Sir, I do not know your but in ourselves.”
heka in the city were more art business, and I am far too busy
than science. for idle chat. Take your leave “The stars… you know, I
He was so tired. One could of me.” rarely consider it, but when
demand work, but one would one looks at a city in this
“I beg your pardon if I have manner,” he said, gesturing
never be satisfied with it.
offended,” the man said. “But to the blueprint, “We see as
Millennia of remembering
this endeavor of yours is of the stars themselves, as the
and forgetting, and still Seb-
great relevance to my life, angels on their thrones in the
Hetchet knew one could not
you see. I intend to take up deep firmament. How orderly
rush true brilliance.
residence in the federal district we must seem to them… our
“Perhaps you should have been once it is complete.” streets straight, our parks
an artist,” the man’s voice said.
“If you are content to arranged just so. Yet we look
Seb-Hetchet looked up, the live amongst the Nub—the back up and see naught but
fog boiling off in bright and Negroes, certainly,” said the the chaos of divinity, Fate itself
sudden sunlight. His eyes Arisen, catching himself mid- scattering motes across the
focused, not without effort, sentence. There was only one darkest of fabrics. The Greeks
past the golden glare that form of slave here, and only and the Romans looked up
surrounded the stranger the senators and their chattel and imagined themselves in
sitting across from him—a would inhabit the capitol. And, the sky, drawing fine lines
white man, thin and fiercely of course, the Arisen. After all, to collect the constellations.
bearded, stroking a red-haired like calls to like. They saw how the stars moved,
mane that partly concealed a and saw themselves in those
high collar above an expensive “At first, perhaps. Do you
believe, sir, that it will remain patterns. The stars moved like
suit. Dim grey eyes peered men.”
from behind spectacles. For such? People of all varieties
are attracted to power, are The man shook his head.
the briefest of moments, Seb-
they not? The rich and the “Perhaps men should have
Hetchet thought the man’s
poor will mingle.” moved like the stars. Would
features mismatched, but the
that we could build our paths
sense of asymmetry subsided
on Earth to match the orderly
amidst the glimmer.
progression of Heaven.” He
“What did you say?” stood, the sunlight holding him
“Your drawings,” the man in golden silhouette. “But I have
said, tracing a finger just above taken too much of your time.
the street lines, slightly off the Another time, sir, perhaps, if
God judges it meet to adjourn sky yawn blackly outward. And long candles, the tallow still
together again.” in that maw were the stars, the warm from their manufacture
“God is not the only judge,” siblings of the Nameless Lion, an hour before. The streets
Seb-Hetchet said, taking the roaring in some distant sky. alongside the Mall would need
man’s proffered hand. If the He reached, idly, towards to be redrawn, if the city was
stranger was troubled by the them, and began to trace to be yoked to the great wheel
White Jackal’s walk along the down from heaven to earth. of the stars. Man and woman
line of blasphemy, he didn’t There! Sothis in the sky, would inhabit the streets in
show it. marking the time of the flood. their form, the duality ensured
The stranger could not know by Sothis.
Yet as he looked down at the
page again, he was struck by it, but he held the key to the For the first time in his
the desire to look up. The air great lock of the city, and he’d Descent, Seb-Hetchet felt
was chill, but for once he did given it to Seb-Hetchet. If the hopeful. Energetic, even. His
not mind the lack of bother. Jackal expected to see his city new Irem would be as eternal
As the sun glowed ruddy red rise when Sothis did, how as the Arisen, and the answer
and gold along the horizon could he not link the two? lay always in the void above,
and the faint reflection of the The innkeeper blinked as not below.
Potomac, Seb-Hetchet saw the the Jackal snatched three Build your city.

December, 2013 every time his life stretched thoughts came ragged, and
The Hotel Cairo without waking to quiet the painfully, and he sucked great
nightmares he could never breaths into lungs made of
He snapped into awareness. remember. Never until now. magic.
His eyes focused without He thought of nightmares He’d been deceived. Tying
effort, granting his long forgotten. In life, they his city to Sothis had been a
surroundings clarity. Behind were of the Duat. But they mistake… the long years of
floor-to-ceiling windows, paled in comparison to the struggling against the baseless
the city stretched, shining true horrors of that place. His urges of humanity, even more
bright yellow and white in the first death came unbidden so. He could not make a city
night. He flexed his muscled to his mind’s eye, the years eternal, nor could he resurrect
arms, thick after long days of spent avoiding marauders lost Irem. Irem was already
chiseling stone in the harsh and stalkers before he could here, and it was already just as
light of Re. Something was approach the wolf-headed eternal as he.
wrong with that sight. sentry. Yet when he returned With his past—all the long
Why has my sahu there, time after time… years of it—stretching out
reconstituted so quickly? Why The White Jackal screamed, behind him, the immortal
have I arisen? he thought. his mind cracked open and mason pondered his future. He
And then he remembered. clawed by demons. His sahu saw the road he had built, and
He remembered every time split open, and he felt the hand where it led. It led back around
he’d risen to defend his of his Judge slap him down. His again, forever.
resting place. He remembered He did not have tears to
every curse levied upon an weep from his decayed eyes,
intruder. He remembered but in that singularly divine
every time he’d awoken in the moment, the man Seb-Hetchet
night, when he needed sleep; was once, a very long time ago,
wished that he did.
 CREDITS
Writing: Harry Heckel IV and Neall Raemonn Price
Development & Editing: C.A. Suleiman
Art Direction & Design: Mike Chaney
Cover Art: Samuel Araya
Interior Art: Aaron Acevedo, James Denton, Borja
Puig Linares, Mauro Mussi, Alida Saxon
Creative Director: Rich Thomas

SPECIAL THANKS:
To Matthew “I’m Your Huckleberry” Dawkins, for some
much-needed help in post.

Coming Soon for Mummy: the Curse

Book of the Deceived

© 2014 CCP hf. All rights reserved. Reproduction without the written permission of the
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6 Cursed Necropolis: D.C.

 Table of Contents
From Tears, Dust 2 Chapter Three: The Washingtonians 41
Kingmakers and Kings 8 Merets of the District 41
The Deathless 42
Chapter One: Monument to Fate 11 Masons 42
The Beginning 11 Alchemists 48
The War of 1812 12 Scribes 53
Stall and Stagnation 13 Priests 60
A Great Civil War 14 Laborers 66
Renewal 15 Others 72
The Last Century 16 Chapter Four: Ephemeral Strands 79
Post-war and Civil Rights 17
Storytelling D.C. 79
A Changing World 19
Themes 80
The New Millennium 19
Frameworks 81
Chapter Two: A City of Pillars 23 Flashbacks 84
The Eternal City 23 Conflict 85
In and Around 24 The D.C. Chronicle 89
The Road 24 Appendix: The Great Hunt 95
Airports 25
The Event 95
Trains 26
The Outset View 96
The Nome 27
The Truth 96
Guildmasters and Nomarchs 28
Paces of the Hunt 97
The Khent-henu 29
Getting Involved 97
Sedge’s Machine 30
Dramatis Personae 98
Five Guilds Strong 30
Prelude - The Hunt 102
Washington’s City 33
Chapter One - Scene One - War Council 104
The District 33
Chapter One - Scene Two - The Tomb 107
Virginia 39
Chapter One - Scene Three- The Pit 109
Chapter Two - Scene One - Rock Creek Park 111
Chapter Two - Scene Two- Confessions 113
Chapter Three - The Chase 115

Table of Contents 7
 Kingmakers
and Kings
My doctor told me I must go to bed early, keep out of social excitements,
and behave myself. You can’t do that in Washington.
— Mark Twain
On his first visit to the United States, cultural and turning point in his writing. His darkest, least optimistic
literary icon Charles Dickens made sure to schedule a full observations on humanity (e.g. Bleak House and David
week in reserve for its capital city. As a committed social Copperfield) emerged only after his return to England,
reformer himself, he had heard and read a great deal about following this fateful visit to the Americas.
American politics and was eager to see if the reality stood Intentions abound in the nation’s capital, it’s true.
up to the high hopes he brought with him all the long way Intentions of every source and stripe.
across the Atlantic. Indeed, one might observe that the road to the Federal
At the close of his visit, Dickens called Washington the City is paved with them.
“City of Magnificent Intentions.”
What started out in grand and fulfilling fashion—the THEME
city of New York, second to play host to the most eminent The underlying theme of Mummy: The Curse is
writer in the world at the time, feted him with a lavish memory, and although Washington is young by the
ball that saw over 3,000 guests in attendance—soon standards of the Old World, few settings are as ideal a
venue with which to explore memory than a city known
degenerated into a cold wake-up call as to the two faces of
far and wide as the city of memorials and monuments.
mankind. His time in the Midwest was one long spiral of
This goes double for explorations that revolve around
disillusionment and distaste, and by the time he arrived for
memory as central to and/or metaphor for the repetition
his week in D.C., he was completely at a loss as to which
of historical mistakes—a concept for which Washington is
America he could expect.
perhaps the very face.
Although Washington’s face was just as welcoming
More specific to this setting are the two inter-related
as had been New York’s or Boston’s—he was invited to
themes of corruption and power. Not every Arisen
the Capitol, supped with Congressmen, and attended a
nome is a hotbed of guild politicking and Machiavellian
morning reception at the White House with President
maneuvering, but D.C. truly is. Mummies from all over the
John Tyler—it wasn’t long before Dickens concluded that
world would and have found it worthwhile to pick up rod
even the politicians here were motivated not by ideals, but and flail and make an attempt at wrestling stewardship of
almost exclusively by money… just like almost everyone else the city (and thus its blessings of relics and literal showers
he’d encountered. In a now-famous letter he wrote, “I am of Sekhem) from the powerful meret, called First Chorus,
disappointed. This is not the republic of my imagination,” that claims it for Irem. To some Arisen outside the nome,
and in his nonfiction book American Notes, he complained the city itself is a corruption, in this case of the Judges’ will;
of the city’s “despicable trickery at elections; under-handed heresy a thousand years in the making. And the gambit of
tamperings with public officers; and cowardly attacks upon its visionary Mason, the White Jackal, is a backdrop like
opponents, with scurrilous newspapers for shields and hired no other, fomenting the types of guild unrest not seen since
pens for daggers.” (All of this happened in 1842, though one the days of empire.
would never know it by the sound.)
The episode was so impactful on Dickens and his MOOD
worldview that it has a name in academia (the “Quarrel As befits the town, the default mood of a D.C. chronicle is
With America”), and is regarded by Dickens scholars as the by necessity going to be one of tense paranoia and bubbling

8 Kingmakers and Kings

antipathy. The stakes are just too high, the circumstances
too unique and fated—the pitch of the entire game too
fevered—not to feel it around every corner alley, if not
A Word on Liberties
actively get caught up in it, oneself. Even those who have As arguably the center of the free world, Washington,
kept their cool for six millennia find themselves getting D.C. faces questions and deals with concerns not
a little hot under the collar, especially once they realize typically found in most cities. In addition to being
what this latest Sothic Turn might actually mean for the generally considered a global media capital, and thereby
nome, and potentially for the entirety of their kind. Should under as much direct scrutiny as anywhere (along with
the patient dream of the city’s Arisen founders come to London, with its round-the-clock surveillance), the
fruition, the entire dynamic by which mummies operate in American Rome is also a worldwide capital of security
and defense—especially in any chronicle set in the
the lands of the living could change, and in these kinetic
city’s dark(est), post-9/11 incarnation.
days, while that ultimate will of Fate is being sussed out on
the streets of D.C., the atmosphere is fully crackling. We’ll break the fourth wall a bit for a moment here to
relay the fact that both the writers of this book and
INSIDE THE NECROPOLIS its developer and editor are themselves local to the
Washington area, and all can attest to the substantial
With Cursed Necropolis: D.C. the line takes a departure
from the structure of previous books, which divided difference between D.C. in the 20th Century and D.C.
in 2014 (and presumably beyond). Even in the fictional
content in half, with player-friendly material placed in one
mirror that is the World of Darkness, we had to take
and Storyteller-focused material in the other. As primarily certain liberties with reality.
a chronicle resource, this book’s content constitutes the
latter. Inside its four chapters and one appendix will the Chief among these is the notion that D.C. is a murder
capital of the country. While it was the murder capital
following material be found.
as recently as 1991, in the post-9/11 version of the
Chapter One: Monument to Fate offers a look back
city, Washington doesn’t even crack the top ten,
at the history of the nation’s capital from the Arisen anymore. But in our version of that version, it does still,
perspective, focusing on the machinations of the ruling and this one narrative return to the early ‘90s serves
meret and the rise of its rivals. two purposes: The first is that it’s fully in keeping with
Chapter Two: A City of Pillars takes Storytellers the themes of Mummy (which is arguably the darkest
through the fundamentals of the D.C. Metro area as a of World of Darkness games); the second is that it
setting for the game, including its layout, transportation, creates an amount of “white-space” in which both
and local power structures. characters and Storytellers might work.
Chapter Three: The Washingtonians lifts the veil In the real world, any explosive or spectacular event
of secrecy from the unlives of the Deathless of the D.C. occurring within the District is going to be met with
nome, illuminating the schemes and motives of the Federal swarms of immediate attention from both civilians and
City’s oldest denizens. authority figures, many of whom are increasingly inclined
Chapter Four: Ephemeral Strands is a brief but to all but ‘shoot first.’ This, coupled with ubiquitous
concentrated guide to running the setting, with discussion camera surveillance, makes telling credible stories about
of local themes, frameworks, sources of conflict, and supernatural events a kind of logistical obstacle course…
unless there’s already so much mortal mayhem going on
permutations of the central plot.
that resources are stretched thin as it is.
Closing out the book is The Great Hunt, a sample SAS
story set in D.C. that can be run stand-alone or as prequel
to Part I of The Avarice Chronicle (found in Guildhalls of
the Deathless).

A Word on Liberties 9
 Chapter One
Monument to Fate
Most of us spend too much time on the last twenty-four hours,
and too little on the last six thousand years.
— Will Durant
Seb-Hetchet of the Tef-Aabhi, master sacred mason and After the Thirteen Colonies won their independence
the one they call “White Jackal,” had himself a vision. from Britain, the capital of the United States was
This vision is one that haunted Seb-Hetchet for untold Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1783, a group of soldiers
centuries, through untold Descents. He saw Irem rise again from the Continental Army marched on Congress with
as an eternal city, a place where Sekhem would never run demands, primarily for back pay. The state of Pennsylvania
out and where the purposes of the Deathless could finally refused to raise the militia to protect Congress, so
be complete. Through the ages, he tried to locate a city the members fled, first to Princeton, New Jersey, then
that might one day become the new Irem, but whether it to Trenton and ultimately, to New York. During the
was Babylon, Athens, Alexandria, Rome, Constantinople, Constitutional Convention in 1787, Congress returned to
or Baghdad, the cities of mortals fell as fast as they rose, Philadelphia, but the delegates resolved to create a federal
waxing and waning in their importance. In time, he district, separate from any state. The capital remained in
realized that he could never sustain a city through his New York while a site was determined for the new city. A
Descents. No matter how hard he tried, no matter how few of the members of that Constitutional Congress were
many monuments his cults helped to erect, he felt as if he associated with Arisen cults (however obliquely), but once
were a child building sand castles on a beach; with each again, it was mortal minds that made the decision to create
Descent, he would go to bed at night, and with each new a federal district as the capital of the United States.
arising, he would find that the ocean tides of humanity had Seb-Hetchet had seen his successor Irem rise along
once again ruined all he had set in motion. the banks of the Potomac, but his cult and those of his
allies faced many competing interests from other cults in

THE BEGINNING
Tired of striving in vain and finding no answers from
trying to direct the future of this new country. Fortunately,
the most important American of those times, George
Washington, owned land at Mount Vernon close to the
his guild, he eventually sought out others. Ur-Qeb, a location Seb-Hetchet had envisioned. A compromise
Sesha-Hebsu, offered Seb-Hetchet wisdom in exchange between Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Alexander
for being allowed to follow the Tef-Aabhi in his quest. Hamilton allowed the Residence Act of 1790 to establish
Ur-Qeb suggested that the city could become a new Irem Washington, D.C. as the permanent seat of government.
during the mystic conjunction that is the Arisen Sothic Philadelphia was declared the temporary capital for ten
Turn. So, Seb-Hetchet looked to the year 2013 and tried years before the government would move to the new city.
to read the patterns of human movement and nature to When the site was selected, it seemed to the Khent-henu
determine where and how he should make these latest, to be ordained by Fate.
boldest preparations. The design of the new city, however, would not be left to
Sabola, a powerful member of the Maa-Kep, learned Fate alone.
of Seb-Hetchet’s dream, and suggested that instead of In one of the single greatest (and most exhaustive)
looking to the cities and nations of Europe, they might influences of his own cult, Seb-Hetchet managed to have
find opportunity in the New World. Seb-Hetchet agreed, Pierre Charles L’Enfant, a French-American engineer,
knowing full well that many of his guildmates had decided appointed to design the city. L’Enfant was a Witness, as well
that constructing and overseeing new cities in the Americas as a believer in sacred geometry, and he fully understood
was perhaps the best way to serve the Judges. the task before him. He was responsible for insuring that

The Beginning 11
 the geomantic flows of the city would best serve the Finally, in 1800, during the administration of the second
Arisen. Wherever he could, Seb-Hetchet aided L’Enfant American President (John Adams), the government
and enlisted the help of the other members of the Khent- moved into its new capital. Just over 3,000 people lived in
henu. At this point, Oba-Heshef of the Su-Menent and Washington, D.C. full-time; mostly government officials,
Tarikh-Sethos of the Mesen-Nebu had joined the Khent- their staffs, and work crews. The city had only four or five
henu in earnest, convinced that their old ally Seb-Hetchet hundred houses then. There were stumps along the great
had a dream of lasting merit. avenues and pigs using them as thoroughfares. A creek, the
L’Enfant created a plan that drew upon the existing Tiber, flowed through the city and during a hard rainstorm;
landscape and took pieces from the great cities of Europe. it would flood Pennsylvania Avenue, making the road from
He wanted spacious avenues, circles and plazas, fountains the Capitol to the White House impassable.
and monuments. So many elements were chosen to focus The glorious new Irem of Seb-Hetchet’s dream seemed
the existing power of the site and to leave room for the great overshadowed by the city of Alexandria across the river.
creations of the Tef-Aabhi. L’Enfant was careful to place the Arguments and bickering began between members of the
Capitol building itself in the central location instead of a Khent-henu, especially during the winter, when the city
Presidential Palace. When Seb-Hetchet saw the plans before became a ghost town as the members of Congress left with
the end of his Descent, he was pleased. All seemed perfect. their staffs to return to their homes. For the members of the
Unfortunately, the Secretary of State, Thomas Jefferson, nome of Washington, D.C., it almost seemed as if everyone
had named Andrew Ellicott the chief surveyor, and Jefferson left in the city during the winters, outside of the President
had some of his own thoughts on the design; thoughts that and his staff, were members of their cults (or else otherwise
didn’t always agree with the geomantic layout of L’Enfant. connected thereto).
Talk surfaced about L’Enfant’s “madness” and impractical During this time, the efforts of architect Benjamin
sense of grandeur. The landowners who lived between Latrobe to redo the Capitol and expand the White House
Alexandria and Georgetown, Maryland didn’t care for kept Seb-Hetchet from falling into despair. He began to
L’Enfant. Three commissioners were appointed to buy the doubt, even though he knew that he should continue to
land for the federal district from the plantation owners, practice patience. During their Descents, members of the
but they disagreed with the L’Enfant plan. They didn’t Khent-henu traveled to larger cities, such as Philadelphia,
understand why a small city created for the government Lancaster, and New York to better serve their Judges before
of a new country needed vast plazas or so much property returning to Washington to rest again.
reserved for future monuments. Under pressure, L’Enfant
became more contentious. While Seb-Hetchet slept,
L’Enfant’s plan was dismissed in favor of the more moderate
THE WAR OF 1812
By 1812, Washington had grown to nearly 8,000 part-
design presented by Andrew Ellicott. L’Enfant was fired year residents, slowly but surely expanding in size. The
by George Washington himself in 1792, and Congress United States had also gone to war with the British once
approved Ellicott’s plan the same year. again. The British fleet took control of the Chesapeake
With much exertion, the Khent-henu managed to Bay during 1813, but due to their wars with Napoleon,
have Ellicott removed only a year later, but the damage they couldn’t spare the men to do more than conduct
was done. Only through the work of one of Ellicott’s small raids against the Americans. Still, there was concern
assistants, an African-American surveyor, astronomer, and among the cultists of the Khent-henu, and the Arisen were
mathematician named Benjamin Banneker, were many roused from henet. There was some debate among them as
of the designs that L’Enfant had come up with recreated. to whether the new nation would be retaken, but Ur-Qeb
People of the time were astonished at what they considered believed that it would endure. The Mesen-Nebu in the
Banneker’s ‘sharp memory.’ region suggested that assets be used to protect Baltimore,
The Khent-henu, despite their power and influence, spent which was far more valuable as a port, but Tarikh-Sethos
their Descents struggling to force the plans for the city back believed that the value remained in Washington. Seb-
to Seb-Hetchet’s vision, only to have their work undone as Hetchet decided to return to henet, leaving instructions
they slept. To the mortals, it seemed as if the new capital was to wake him should the attack come. Ur-Qeb agreed and
cursed. Roads were sabotaged. Work stoppages plagued the returned to henet as well, leaving Sabola of the Maa-Kep,
construction and miscommunications occurred throughout Tarikh-Sethos of the Mesen-Nebu, and Oba-Heshef of the
the effort to build the new city. The efforts of the Khent- Su-Menent to safeguard the city for the Arisen.
henu’s cults to influence matters made progress come to a halt. As 1813 turned to 1814, the Descent took its toll, and
Debates about boundaries and the locations of roads brought Sabola, Tarikh-Sethos, and Oba-Heshef returned to their
efforts to a standstill for days and even weeks at a time. slumber while the British remained in the Chesapeake.

12 Monument to Fate
However, Napoleon had been defeated in Europe and taken tainted, a symbol of a country too weak to defend itself.
to Elba, so now the British had the assets to attack their Debates started about whether the nation should give
former colonies. Seb-Hetchet’s cultists awakened him. up on the location and move the federal government to
Alone, he assessed matters and sent some of his own cultists another city such as Lancaster, Pennsylvania or even back
to seek out the British and learn about their activities. to Philadelphia.
The Mason’s functionaries recorded that he spent time News of the American victory at the Battle of New
walking through Washington, surveying all of the areas Orleans (which, ironically, was fought while news of peace
where his plans had gone wrong, while performing magic was still travelling to the armies) helped the United States
to strengthen a few buildings, including the White House. regain some of its pride. The cults of the Khent-henu
When the Battle of Bladensburg occurred, British forces pooled their resources along with many other residents of
defeated the Americans, and to the surprise of the residents D.C. to build a temporary brick Capitol across from the
of Washington, chose to advance upon the city thereafter. remains of the old building. Credit for this effort among the
Seb-Hetchet gave orders to make sure that the tombs Arisen went primarily to Tarikh-Sethos and Sabola of the
of the Khent-henu were protected. He also informed the Khent-henu, who understood that Congress had the power
cults of the other Khent-henu not to wake their Arisen to move the city and only by making certain that Congress
unless their tombs were threatened. His hierophant remained happy could they be certain that the city would
recorded that this decision was made out of concern that endure. This effort was a success.
in the first moments of rising, the destruction caused by Still, the nation’s capital was losing its struggle for
a rampaging mummy would cause the British to retaliate relevance. In the early 1800s, state government was
upon the populace. When the British entered the city, seen as more important in people’s lives than the federal
Seb-Hetchet was present and kept a careful watch over the government. Industry didn’t take root in Washington,
attack. The British sent public buildings aflame, but spared despite projects like the Chesapeake and Ohio canal, which
many private residences, including all of the tombs of the was outdone by Baltimore’s B&O Railroad. Washington
Khent-henu. The British commander also gave orders that couldn’t raise money for itself, as it didn’t have enough
unarmed civilians were to remain unharmed. businesses outside of the federal government, and it couldn’t
Seb-Hetchet might have remained the only member tax the government. Every winter, the population of the
of the Khent-henu to witness the event, except that Ur- city dropped precipitously as senators and representatives
Qeb, the Sesha-Hebsu, was awakened with the burning of returned home. The prospect of this city becoming a
the Library of Congress. After Ur-Qeb woke, the British successor to Irem seemed like a fairy tale. Americans were
suffered casualties from “exploding ammunition,” and a moving west and talk of manifest destiny had gripped the
massive storm, believed by historians to be a hurricane, country. Discussions began again about possibly moving the
inundated the city with rain while a tornado tore through capital to a more westward location. Furthermore, tensions
Washington, D.C., killing many British soldiers with flying in the country on the matter of slavery began to grow with
bricks. Letters among the cultists claim that it was a great abolitionist movements gaining momentum.
sandstorm that slew with stone as well as sand, and most If the Khent-henu cared about industry or slavery
believed that Ur-Qeb was responsible. or westward movements, they didn’t express it to their
Some of the cultists of the Maa-Kep and Su-Menent cultists. Plans were in motion for monument creation.
wrote in their journals and diaries that Ur-Qeb confronted Apparently satisfied that the layout of the city contained
Seb-Hetchet in a terrible rage, accusing him of planning enough geomantic elements to proceed, Seb-Hetchet laid
the destruction, though there are no known records of this out plans for monuments to his cult; in particular, his vision
among either the Tef-Aabhi or the Sesha-Hebsu. They met of a great obelisk, which would be the tallest building in
for days, alone. When they returned, Seb-Hetchet set to the world: The Washington Monument.
work making sure that the rebuilding effort fit his plans Although the Arisen ignored the debate on slavery in the
better than what had happened during the initial decade country, it had a major impact on the plans of the Khent-
of construction. Ur-Qeb never explained to his cult the henu. Alexandria was considered part of the District,
details of his conversation with Seb-Hetchet. forming the lower western portion of the diamond shape
of the city, yet it had not been developed and no federal
STALL AND STAGNATION buildings had been constructed on the Virginia side of the
Potomac. Furthermore, the C&O canal, while unable to
After the burning of the city in 1814, the country was
demoralized. Despite scathing criticism of the British compete with Baltimore, had hurt Alexandria’s own port
across Europe and even in their own parliament for the business. The city had come to rely more and more on
“barbaric” attack, Americans felt that the capital was the slave trade for its survival, and as Congress discussed

Stall and Stagnation 13

 abolishing slavery in the District, the business interests issues with slavery and seemingly expected the matter to
and politicians of Alexandria appealed to government of be resolved satisfactorily without any effort on their part.
Virginia for help, starting in 1840. Despite warnings from their cultists, the Civil War took
While Seb-Hetchet and other members of the Khent- the nome of D.C. by surprise.
henu slept, ordinary people undermined their plans once After war was declared in spring of 1861, nearly every
more. In 1846, legislation passed Congress allowing the Arisen in the city and the surrounding region was woken by
retrocession of the land held by the District in Virginia. their cultists. Fear of an invasion from Alexandria gripped
The Virginia General Assembly approved the legislation in the city as the Confederate flag rose on the Virginia side of
1847, and the diamond-shaped district was no more. the Potomac. Washington was now a city of 60,000 people,
For the Arisen, the issue was one of concern, but by but the city itself was soon isolated as mobs from Baltimore
now, the Khent-henu had accepted that they would have tore up railroad tracks connecting D.C. to the north out of
to continually adapt their plans to deal with constant fear that the South would invade. For four days, the city
interference of mortals. To them, the retrocession seemed was isolated and the residents worried that the city would
to pale in comparison with the progress being made in be burned again, as it was in 1814.
creating monuments. They felt there would be time to The nome of D.C. was split along the Potomac, as a
reclaim the land; furthermore, they were certain that number of newer mummies had settled in Virginia despite
action was unconstitutional, so in time, it would certainly it no longer being part of the district. When Union forces
be reversed. For the first time, other Arisen had begun reinforced the nation’s capital, the initial panic ended. The
coming to the city, especially Tef-Aabhi who wished to Confederate flag was pulled down from Alexandria and
contribute to the creation of monuments. the Confederates abandoned the city. The members of the
In 1845, the Smithsonian Institution was founded nome gathered in a conclave, but made no decisions about
as a national museum. In 1848, construction started the war. Most of them felt that the Union army would
on the Washington Monument, the most important capture the Confederate capital, Richmond, Virginia
element of Seb-Hetchet’s plan. The construction efforts quickly enough as it was only 90 miles to the south.
spurred growth and the population of Washington, D.C. This belief was shattered following the First Battle
continued to increase. The Capitol building was expanded of Bull Run (or First Manassas). Oba-Heshef of the Su-
in the 1850s to make room for the additional members of Menent joined a number of citizens to witness the battle,
Congress brought in due to the westward expansion. The expecting that it would be more of a show than a conflict.
Smithsonian Building was completed in 1855, and cultists Instead, the bloody Confederate victory sent the observers
from all the Khent-henu attempted to find positions with running back to Washington and convinced both sides
the museum in an effort to obtain relics. that the conflict had only begun.
However, turmoil in the nation’s politics began to During the war itself, the Arisen and their cultists did
have more and more of an impact on the Washington what they could to protect Washington. In some cases,
Monument and the plans of the Khent-henu. Abolitionist they took actions to benefit the Union, and at other times,
groups and anti-abolitionist groups held protests and they aided the Confederacy. For the Khent-henu, the goal
caused work stoppages. Anti-immigration groups railed was to re-unify the United States and protect Washington
against Catholics and Irish. Budgets were cut and in 1854, so that a true child of Irem could eventually take shape.
donations to continue building the monument ran out. A The Civil War accelerated the growth of Washington,
proposal to have different groups and states donate blocks D.C. more than any other event in its short history.
for the monument resulted in political conflicts as groups Volunteers and abolitionists descended on the city in
donated stones inscribed with their own political messages. hordes when President Lincoln called for soldiers to join
Construction was stopped at the 150-foot mark. the army. Hundreds of new residents moved to the capital
Once again, as the Arisen attempted to realize their to be on the front lines of the war supporting what became
plans, good old humanity found a way to foul things up. the de facto main camp, supply center and hospital for the
North.
A GREAT CIVIL WAR National politics overshadowed statewide decisions in
the Union. Business leaders sent representatives to win
Slavery had been part of human civilization since its
inception. The Arisen expected slaves to build monuments contracts to supply the army. Several Arisen followed,
and perform hard labor. However, the majority of them drawn by the heka generated from the emotions swirling
saw slaves as a natural result of warfare or criminal acts, around the nation’s capital, as well as being pulled by
not something that came from the color of one’s skin. business interests in the case of the Mesen-Nebu, and a
The Khent-henu didn’t completely understand America’s desire to record the events in the case of the Sesha-Hebsu.

14 Monument to Fate
For the first time, lobbyists descended in full force on the Fortunately, the end of hostilities signaled the beginning
nation’s capital to push the goals of their own interests. of a mass exodus. Within a few short years, the number
Crime grew with the population and the city created its of residents dropped to an estimated 150,000. The Khent-
first police force. Every day, new buildings went up, and yet, henu were relieved that the nation had survived and
to the dismay of the Tef-Aabhi, the monuments were no eager to reclaim their influence over the capital. For Seb-
longer important. The Washington Monument remained Hetchet, he wanted to have construction resume on the
at the same height it had been when construction had monuments and the city to be beautified.
stopped in 1854. Supply centers, residences, stables, and
hospitals were the priorities for humanity. Grand plans
for city design were discarded for the practical matters
RENEWAL
Unfortunately for the Khent-henu, Congress refused
of fighting a war. The cults of the Khent-henu found to allocate funds to assist Washington, D.C. Talk began
themselves losing influence to the newcomers and their again of moving the nation’s capital, possibly to St. Louis,
prior experiences did nothing to prepare them for the Missouri. Without funds or slaves, no one could afford to
changing city. fix the city. Politically, the District was divided into the
The beautiful city of the Khent-henu was now a place sections of Washington City, Washington County and
of filth and rot. The green space of the National Mall was Georgetown, each with their own governments and their
covered in the bodies of the sick, wounded and even the own agendas. Nothing could get accomplished and the
dead. At times, soldiers died faster than they could be city’s infrastructure continued to deteriorate even without
buried, and the stink of rotting flesh would mix with the the strain of a million residents. Washington, D.C. could
smell of human waste that overwhelmed the Tiber Creek. not pay its debts.
The constant buzz of flies and mosquitoes filled the hot and The Khent-henu showed the value of its members, as
humid days in the city. At night, moans and screams of the Sabola assisted a young ambitious politician, Alexander
dying could be heard throughout the city. Shepherd, climb to prominence. With the backing and
The pain and suffering of so many people, coupled with support of the united cults of the Khent-henu, Shepherd
the anger and righteous zeal of others caused the heka soon had allies in the halls of Congress, among doctors,
in the city to surge. Ghosts of the dead began to roam railroad operators and household servants of the wealthy.
the streets and the cults of the Arisen faced Amkhata He pressed to have the local governments unified, and
and Shuankhsen. Even living corpses made their way Congress passed the Organic Act of 1871 creating an
through city, going unnoticed among the mutilated and appointed governor for the District of Columbia. While
wounded war veterans. The Khent-henu found themselves Shepherd himself was not made the first governor, he
distracted from fulfilling their plans as they had to protect had himself placed on the Board of Public Works. Within
their tombs and their cults from supernatural and mortal D.C. itself, whispers had already begun of the power and
enemies, such as war criminals, smugglers and misguided influence of Boss Shepherd.
Confederate saboteurs. Shepherd set to work cleaning up Washington, D.C. He
As the war continued, Washington continued to grow. had roads paved, the Tiber Creek filled in, sewers built,
The filth grew along with it. Dead horses littered sections and gas lines constructed. Water mains were constructed
of the city, often victims of the war. Dirt roads ran beside and thousands of trees were planted to beautify the city.
open sewers. Rail lines now ran into the National Mall. He created a horse and carriage service. He also removed
Dysentery, typhoid and scarlet fever all broke out among buildings and rails where he found them displeasing. All of
the citizens, ravaging cults along with everyone else. this work was financed through bonds.
Many residents lived in constant terror that that However, he gained a reputation for ruthlessness and
Stonewall Jackson or Robert E. Lee would lead a made enemies of some of the wealthy citizens of D.C. At
Confederate army up from Virginia to capture the city. times, he was compared to the infamous Boss Tweed, and
Others desperately kept lookout on the Potomac River, after he was appointed the second governor of the District,
always wondering if a British or French fleet would inquiries were made into the bonds that he used to raise
appear out of the morning sun to attack on the side of the money. After a review by Congress determined that the city
Confederate States of America. Another concern were the was bankrupt, the governorship was abolished and a Board
burgeoning numbers of freed slaves who had come to live of Commissioners appointed to run the District. When
in the city. Tensions between blacks and whites sometimes President Ulysses S. Grant tried to appoint Shepherd as
led to violence. one of the commissioners, Congress refused. Ultimately,
When the war ended, D.C. had almost a million Shepherd’s time in D.C. would be used as an example of
people moving through it, and it could barely function. Grant’s corruption.

Renewal 15
 Shepherd’s power faded. He himself declared bankruptcy In the city itself, electric streetcars had replaced horse-drawn
and was nearly run out of town. But, he had achieved carriages. In 1907, Union Station was opened. All trains servicing
what the Khent-henu desired. Washington, D.C. was D.C. used the station. This allowed the rails to be removed from
rebuilt. Talk of moving to St. Louis faded, and by 1877, the National Mall shortly thereafter, and for the first time in over
construction began anew on the Washington Monument. 50 years, the National Mall was green. In 1912, Japan gifted the
The Washington Monument was completed in 1884 and city with its famous cherry trees. Victory in World War I further
opened in 1888. At the time, it was the tallest building improved the global standing of the United States.
in the world, although the Eiffel Tower would surpass it The nome of D.C. had gained the attention of other
in 1889. When it was finally completed, all of the Arisen Arisen. The concerns that the nation’s capital would be
felt the change in the flow of heka through the district. moved were gone. Beautification projects continued to
The cults record that all of the Arisen experienced visions, improve the image of the city. Mummies came to the city
and from that point, the Khent-henu seemed even more to view the grand obelisk of the Washington Monument.
dedicated to pursuing a true child of Irem. Bes-Met of the Maa-Kep took the role of envoy for the
In the next years, the value of land rose, drawing the first time, gaining responsibility for visitors to the nome.
wealthy and powerful to Washington, D.C. Marshland was The Tef-Aabhi continued to work on monuments, though
reclaimed in the area where East Potomac Park is located. now Seb-Hetchet shared responsibilities with members of
A new building was erected for the Library of Congress and his guild. Notably, the Lincoln Memorial opened in 1922.
when it was opened in 1897, it was called the largest and Organized crime gained a foothold in the city during
most expensive library in the world. Prohibition, but it made little difference to most of the
Arisen. When the Great Depression struck, the city’s
THEWithLAST CENTURY reliance on the federal government, which had caused so
many issues with money and growth in the early history,
the beginning of the 20th century, the United
States grew more important in world affairs. A victory in made Washington one of the few places in the country
the Spanish-American War allowed it to gain possessions where jobs were available. The New Deal only increased
in the Pacific and demonstrated its naval power. the opportunities, and the unemployed traveled from
across America to D.C. in hopes of finding work.

16 Monument to Fate
 Concerns about enemy spies made life more difficult for
the cults. Although the efforts of the Germans to infiltrate
History and Mummies the US government met largely with failure, Allied anti-
intelligence efforts exposed a number of cultists during the
The history of the Arisen in Washington, D.C. is war. Although hidden from the public, the government
largely found in the records of cult leaders. Even the had become aware of the Arisen, although most of their
guildmasters simply cannot recall their Descents.
knowledge was based on half-truths and wild assumptions.
They rely on their cults and their sense of purpose to
Additionally, concerns about Hitler using supernatural
guide their efforts. However, cult leaders have their
own perspectives and their personal ambitions. The artifacts to aid the Nazis caused the United States to seize
perceptions of a newly arisen mummy are colored by some relics in order to study them.
the information her cult provides, and though it may be The guildmasters of D.C. advised their members and
dangerous, histories are rewritten. Records may also their cults to avoid conflict with the government and to
be (and have been, at various times) destroyed. do their best to support the war effort without drawing
So, for example, while Ur-Qeb and Seb-Hetchet undue attention. They knew that victory in World War II
certainly had a disagreement over the burning of could only enhance the status of their city. When the war
Washington in 1814, the details are unknown, and ended with the advent of the nuclear age, the possibility
neither of their cult hierophants recorded the event. of Washington, D.C. becoming a successor Irem seemed
The history has been lost. However, it’s said that the greater than ever.
Sesha-Hebsu do have an Affinity that allows them to
recover lost documents….
POST-WAR AND CIVIL RIGHTS
The United States was the world’s only nuclear
superpower in the initial years following World War II.
The British Empire and most of Europe lay shattered.
This became a time of expansion for the cults in D.C. Washington, D.C.’s influence over world affairs now
Desperate and often hungry men were more than willing surpassed that of Paris or London. Even when the Soviet
to join a cult if it could provide food, shelter or steady Union developed its own nuclear weapons and the Cold
employment. Entire families devoted themselves to the War began, they struggled to compete scientifically and to
cults, increasing the influence of the Arisen. keep up militarily with the United States. Economically
and culturally, they were no match for America.
WORLD WAR II
World War II had a major impact on Washington, D.C.
After the attack on Pearl Harbor stunned the country,
America committed itself to the war. In order to fight the Did Tef-Aabhi Create
Axis, the Department of War expanded tremendously. This
gave Seb-Hetchet the opportunity to fix the geomantic the Monuments?
disruption caused by the Retrocession of Virginia. His cult
The short answer to this question is “no.” While Seb-
influenced the government to create a massive five-sided Hetchet’s vision did shape Washington, D.C. in certain
office building in Arlington. The Pentagon was completed ways, his guild took advantage of a new nation’s extant
in only a few years, operating by 1943. Additionally, the desire to build a testament to its glory. The urge to
Jefferson Memorial was also opened in 1943, providing a create monuments to commemorate a country’s
conduit to maintain the flow of heka across the Potomac. achievements and impress not only its own people, but
Massive numbers of rail cars traveled into and out of also those of other nations, has been true of humanity
Union Station each day during the war. Military personnel since the time of the Nameless Empire. The geomantic
came to D.C. to visit the Pentagon, advise Congress and the layout of the streets, the construction and placement of
President and provide protection for the city. “Government the monuments, was influenced by the Tef-Aabhi, yes,
Girls” were recruited to fill office jobs throughout the but the specific ideas of honoring President Lincoln
or Jefferson or honoring the soldiers who fought in
nation’s capital in the place of men who had gone to war.
Vietnam… all that came from ordinary human beings.
The population went from 650,000 at the beginning of the
war to 900,000 by the end of the war, however, unlike the The living built Washington, D.C. The Deathless just
growth during the Civil War, the infrastructure handled went along for the ride.
the population explosion far better.

Post-War and Civil Rights 17

 The Sothic Turn seemed to be rapidly approaching, and the energy to be directed into better flows to increase the
Seb-Hetchet’s plans appeared to be falling into place. A ambient energy within the bounds of the District.
second guild of Mesen-Nebu, led by Asem Kannika, moved It was also during this time that Kannika of the Mesen-
into the area surrounding the city. Other mummies came as Nebu invested heavily in airport construction and rapidly
well, drawn by the lure of the monuments, the relics stored improved her guild standing until she was recognized as a
away in the museums, government warehouses and private second guildmaster of the Mesen-Nebu.
collections of the wealthy, and in some cases, a compulsion The civil rights movement and the protests against the
to go to a place that invoked a sense of their original lives. Vietnam War sent students and activists marching through
The nome of D.C. turned its focus on preparations for the Washington. While there had always been protesters in
Sothic Turn, but also, trying to figure out how to deal with the past, nonviolent protest and political expression grew
the attention that their increasing importance brought stronger than ever, particularly with television coverage.
from other mummies and even other supernatural beings. In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous “I have
The greatest challenge that they faced during this time came a dream” speech at the Lincoln Memorial, channeling the
from the government. While the FBI hunted down suspected hopes of millions. The flow of heka on that day made more
communists, other less known and mysterious agencies, than one of the city’s Arisen feel as if they were truly alive for
some without official designations “black book” operations the first time in centuries. Later that year, the state funeral of
investigated the Arisen. Cultists continued to be arrested, John F. Kennedy had a similar impact, if a far more sobering
usually under suspicious of having ties to the Soviet Union, but one. The Arisen did not miss the fact that these two dramatic
sometimes because of their suspected ties to ancient powers. events occurred fifty years before the Sothic Turn. It appeared
A few were even accused of having ties to extraterrestrials. that Fate itself had lent its support to the First Chorus.
Rumors persist among cultists that the United States captured As a whole, the Arisen supported the Civil Rights
a mummy during this time and still have its remains hidden movements as they gained momentum in the late 60s. A call
away, possibly in Fort Detrick in Frederick, MD, to the north of for equal rights for women was wholeheartedly supported
the city, hidden in their biowarfare labs. as well. The Khent-henu felt that the recognition of these
The Khent-henu continued their preparations. The rights must be a step toward building their successor Irem.
growing numbers of not only ghosts, but also Amkhata In 1976, the treasures of the Pharaoh Tutankhamen
concerned the members of the nome. In 1951, the idea of went on exhibition in New York City. Excitement gripped
creating a beltway around the city was proposed. By 1961, the nation regarding everything Egypt. This had the
the first section of the I-495 beltway was open, including unintended side effect of masking the cults and their
the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. By 1964, the beltway looped activities. Government agents trying to locate Soviet spies
around the city. This encirclement helped to seal the system and Communist conspirators discounted the Arisen cults
of heka flowing through the city’s design, as well as placing the and their relics. Interest in ancient Egypt was considered a
District and “recaptured” parts of Virginia as well as Maryland fad and collecting artifacts hardly seemed unusual.
in its bounds. None of the Arisen realized at the time how This time of relative safety for the cults was short-lived.
significant this event would be for the future of the city. The charismatic Jim Jones had founded his own cult based
Suburban flight had begun as well, and the population of on “apostolic socialism” and garnered significant media
the city dipped as the wealthier residents took advantage of attention for his views. As far as the Arisen know, he had no
new roads to move outside the city. Most of the people who connection with any mummy. However, he was very popular
fled were white, and in 1957 Washington, D.C. became and had contacts throughout political circles, including
the first major city in the United States with an African- meeting with the Vice-President. His plan to build a utopia
American majority population. While the city population called Jonestown in Guyana was followed by the media. In
itself fell, the population of the larger metro area continued 1978, his followers murdered a Congressman and others
to grow. Residents of Virginia and Maryland identified who had gone to investigate the settlement, and he and his
“Washington, D.C.” as their home even if they lived dozens followers drank cyanide in a mass suicide. In all, 918 people
of miles away. died, including the murder victims. This would remain the
The demand for better access from the suburbs led to a largest death toll of American civilians in a single incident
desire for a subway/elevated rail system for the D.C. area. In until the events of September 11th, 2001.
1962, construction began on the D.C. Metro system. This Government investigations immediately targeted
also coincided with the end of the electric trolleys that had anything that even remotely resembled a cult. The Carter
served the city for nearly 100 years. The Metro system was Administration was determined not to let anything like
very successful and the Tef-Aabhi took advantage of the Jonestown happen again. Furthermore, people no longer
lines that it needed to provide a conduit for heka, allowing wished to be associated with cults, and members of the

18 Monument to Fate
Arisen cults fled with some reporting their priests to the the increasing number of residents hailing from African
authorities. Many cultists that remained loyal started nations and the Middle East.
questioning the directions of the priests and the mummies, Cults had a chance to regroup during the Nineties. The
wanting explanations for commands instead of blindly fall of the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe ended the
following, not wanting to “drink the Kool-Aid.” Cold War, and counter-espionage efforts that had ensnared
cult members since the 50’s ended. In 1993, when the
THE RISE OF SEDGE compound of the Branch Davidian cult in Waco, Texas
The cults were still recovering as Ronald Reagan took went up in flames, critics attacked the government for its
office in 1980. Drugs became a major problem in the handling of the situation. In the aftermath, investigations
city, and the crime rate rose dramatically. Gangs, known of cult activities were largely curtailed.
as crews in D.C., took control of neighborhoods. Streets With the advent of the Internet, communication
within blocks of the monuments became unsafe. Drug- between cult members became faster and easier than
related violence shattered many lives. In the late 80s and ever. Most cults recruited or trained computer experts.
early 90s, D.C. earned itself the title “murder capital of the Information flowed as swiftly as heka through the D.C.
United States” (though it has since been eclipsed in that
area. The Sesha-Hebsu saw this as a blessing. The time of
grim category by the likes of Chicago and Detroit).
the Word had come. For the Mesen-Nebu, assets could be
Much in the same way that figures like Marion Barry
obtained from across the world. While the Arisen didn’t
dominated District politics, so-called ‘Boss’ Sedge grew a
fully understand this new technology, they were more than
cult with influence in politics, crime but also charitable
willing to take advantage of it.
organizations. His cult swelled in comparison to those of
Computer companies fought for government contracts
his rivals. Like Marion Barry, who was arrested on federal
as the US government tried to keep a technological edge
drug charges, only to return to power in local politics,
over the rest of the world. Research groups specializing
setbacks for Sedge only seemed temporary. His cult
in multiple disciplines set up around the D.C. Metro area
continued to gain power even while he slept. Compared to
take advantage of their proximity to the nation’s capital for
Sedge, the Khent-henu moved slowly, satisfied to continue
following their plans, knowing that the Sothic Turn was access to lawmakers and patent offices.
growing ever closer. With the exception of Seb-Hetchet, A faction of the Tef-Aabhi dedicated to the “human
Sedge eventually became perhaps the most connected and monument” instructed their cult members to work on
influential figure, though not the most personally powerful discovering and recreating the mitochondrial DNA of
one, in the nome. the citizens of Irem. A few mummies even gave samples
The number of commuters who traveled into the city to of their bodies so researchers could try and extract genetic
work each day had increased exponentially. People spent material. It is widely rumored that some Tef-Aabhi may
hours sitting in traffic every day going into the District and have begun ‘breeding’ people, using methods such as
returning home. The daily commute worked its way into finding mail-order brides for lonely young men or offering
the collective psyche of D.C. residents. The Beltway had immigrants US citizenship in return for marriage and
become a geomantic engine capable of generating massive subsequent children.
quantities of heka through dread, frustration, rage and
despair. The gyre of emotions coupled with the thousands
of deaths caused by accidents drew Amkhata out to the
THE NEW MILLENNIUM
As the world closed in on January 1, 2000, doomsayers
Beltway. Once there, they became trapped like insects in suggested that computers throughout the United States
a spider’s web, able to struggle, but effectively unable to would fail due to the change in the digits of the year.
escape. Some believed that nuclear war would be the result. Some
elements of the media suggested that planes would fall from
A CHANGING WORLD the skies and even entire governments would collapse.
Even the most skeptical of cult leaders woke mummies in
As the city entered the last decade of the 20th Century,
Sedge used his influence to reduce the city’s violence. case the worst did come to pass. As a whole, the Arisen
Immigrants moved to the city in greater numbers, did not understand the concerns, but most of them still
increasing the diversity of the neighborhoods. Washington, appreciated being awake to mark the beginning of the new
D.C. took on a more international flavor, and the Arisen millennium (even those who realized that 2001 would be
saw more parallels to Irem. The growing number of cafes the true start thereof). And though disasters predicted for
and coffee shops seemed to recall the City of Pillars. Even the year 2000 didn’t come to pass, catastrophe struck all
the people began to resemble the populace of Irem from too soon.

The New Millennium 19

 plans. It seemed that no matter how powerful the Arisen
SEPTEMBER 11TH were, they could never build or create anything that would
On September 11, 2001, people used hijacked planes to
stay safe from humanity. Slowly, the country recovered
attack the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New
from the shock of the attacks, but the security measures
York and to smash into the Pentagon. If not for the bravery
and the monitoring of communication continued. The
of the men and women on United Flight 93, which crashed
relative safety that the cults had enjoyed since the 90’s was
near Pittsburgh, a fourth plane might have hit another
gone.
target in Washington, D.C. Flights were grounded, security
was tightened to levels never seen in the United States,
and Americans stayed glued to the news for some time
THE TURN COMES
The number of Amkhata sightings increased due to the
thereafter. heightened levels of fear. Over the next few Descents, most
A sense of insecurity and vulnerability gripped the of the resident Arisen were concerned with supernatural
country immediately. People grew afraid, and as many enemies. Even while this was happening, more Arisen and
feared, security measures were increased and terrorist new cults relocated to the D.C. area. A realization had
hotlines were opened. Authorities asked citizens to report spread that the Sothic Turn was coming. More and more
anything unusual. Muslim Americans fell under suspicion mummies surmised that Seb-Hetchet intended to turn
and became the victims of harassment and, at times, of far Washington on the Potomac into a true successor to Irem,
worse crimes. although the details remained unknown.
The concerns of the Khent-henu were for the damage
done to the five-sided Pentagon at first, but that soon THE CAGED OBELISK
seemed insignificant compared to how dangerous life had On August 23rd, 2011, an earthquake measuring 5.8 on
become for their cult members. Since many of the Arisen the Richter Scale struck Louisa County, Virginia (about
had sahus with Middle Eastern features, even they were 80 miles south of Washington). Government buildings
occasionally stopped and questioned. After the passage of were evacuated. Damage was reported as far north as New
the Patriot Act, government authorities tapped phones, England. Pieces fell from the towers of the Washington
inspected mail, and monitored electronic communications. Cathedral. After the shaking subsided, the Arisen felt a
The members of the nome agreed that the best course of change in the atmosphere of the city, a disruption in the
action was to do next to nothing and to wait for the country carefully shepherded geomancy.
to return to normal. Seb-Hetchet was infuriated that a The pinnacle of the Washington Monument had
handful of mortal men had done so much to threaten his cracked. Inspectors determined that repairs were needed
to the interior and exterior. The National Park Service
closed the monument.
The apex of the Sothic Turn was upon the city, and the
The Sniper most essential element of the Rite of Irem Reborn was
damaged. Almost all of the Khent-henu were at the end of
In October of 2003, a new terror came to the D.C. a Descent, and their powers were at their weakest. Repair
Metro area in the form of a mysterious sniper who of the Washington Monument was the responsibility of the
randomly shot people at gas stations, open parking
National Park Service.
lots, and the like. The initial attacks in the area took
Scaffolding went up around the monument, entombing
place in Montgomery County, Maryland, just north of
the district proper. Soon, attacks had spread to Virginia it in a skeleton of steel. According to the National Park
as well. The media speculated that the attackers were Service, repairs would be complete between 2013 and
driving along the Beltway, choosing targets. 2014; potentially too late for certain important events.
Residents started looking for cover when buying
gasoline, furtively running through parking lots to
TODAY
A recent conclave of Arisen met in the city, led in part
stores, and trying to shop or pump gas at odd
by the Su-Menent’s First Prophet of New York, to debate
hours. The level of fear that residents of the region
experienced was similar to what they had known the use of a book said to contain insight on the heretical
during 2001. Two gunmen (an older man and his teen teaching known as Apotheosis. According to those in
accomplice) were soon apprehended, but not before residence, the book implies a number of dubious things
true fear had spread across the D.C. Metro area. about the Arisen, and many believe that the book caused
the fall of the First Prophet of Tokyo, further fueling the
fires of suspicion as to the danger inherent in the text.

20 Monument to Fate
 Now, the Sothic Turn has come and the Khent-henu have Seb-Hetchet, alone among the Khent-henu, has not
risen, each one ready to serve his role in the Rite of Irem yet arisen with the latest Sothic Turn. With each day
Reborn, each one ready for the vision of Seb-Hetchet to come that passes, with every sunrise and sunset, the collective
to pass. Oba-Heshef largely wants validation in foregoing the nome of D.C. hungers for word that Seb-Hetchet sleeps
opportunity to be a First Prophet and serve as a prophet of no longer.
D.C., instead. Tarikh-Sethos longs for the great transformation Meanwhile, the Washington Monument remains
of the city and the riches it will provide. Sabola of the Maa- encased in its own tomb of scaffolding, the red lights atop
Kep looks forward to the culmination of decades of work. Yet it glowing from behind a skeleton of steel.
Ur-Qeb of the Sesha-Hebsu… only waits and watches.

The New Millennium 21

 Chapter Two
A City of Pillars
One of these days this will be a very great city, if nothing happens to it.
— Henry Adams

Conceived by a thing of eternity and imagined by a of Washington marks you as corrupt, seduced by special
Freemason cultist, the District of Columbia hosts the interests and a culture of ethical lapses, a person without
country’s rulers… but isn’t permitted to rule itself. The roots and without integrity. Money and special interests
young and poor jab needles full of oblivion into their veins, worm their way into your circles the moment you arrive.
collapsing within sight of stately halls of power illuminated It’s indeed a place of extraordinary cynicism and hypocrisy,
by golden floodlights in the night. They’re bagged and but with an undercurrent of genuine emotion.
tagged before morning, when the interns who do the Seb-Hetchet’s vision of a city that was and would be
country’s real work start to trickle in before the dawn. again is gone—though really, he’s succeeded all too well.
Look over the chipped-paint windowsill of an Anacostia What remains is a place of corruption, power, and promise.
slum, see the Lexus fly by, a drunk Congressman in the
driver’s seat and a call girl’s head in his lap. Just six months
ago, he ran on a platform of family values and reforming
THE ETERNAL CITY
Cities themselves are works of art. The culture and
corruption. character of the city are defined both by those who live
And worse, he believed in it. there and the buildings and monuments they leave behind.
The juxtaposition between opulence and poverty is Where D.C.’s architecture was touched by the Masons
an unseemly dichotomy everyone notices, but none can reveals a heavy mix of Georgian, Gothic and Gothic
affect. Drugs, money, and murder flow through the city Revival, Modern, and Neoclassical styles, mirroring the
quicker and smoother than the Tiber Creek ever did, national monuments. The Founding Fathers are old
and the power’s more addictive than the drugs. Sekhem, enough to be heroes, but young enough for Americans
Dedwen and heka roar through the city’s geomancy, to feel a direct connection, a sense of reverence towards
intoxicating to the enlightened senses of the Arisen. them—worshipped as gods should be. It’s a subtle effect:
Superficially, Washington is nothing like Irem—a land of despite an age measured in a handful of centuries, D.C.
hills, heat magnified by extreme humidity, insects that fly feels like a timeless city, a city of men who’ve achieved
rather than crawl—but it feels like home. The monuments apotheosis, heavy under the weight of history but open to
twist upward in one’s vision, until they resemble the djed the sky.
of that lost city, the spines of Azar arching upward. The The subtle energies mastered by the Tef-Aabhi are
Pharaoh and the Senate still vie for power. critical to the magical effect embedded in the city’s design
The two cities are the same where it matters. by L’Enfant, the same design mutilated by war and politics
It’s called “the city,” by those who’ve lived here all their and Ellicott. Those who call the city home or depend on
life, and “this town,” for those who’ve been here more it in a thousand different ways are those who characterize
than a decade. The District proper is called, simply, “the its magic. Such dependence stretches far beyond the city’s
district.” The entire metropolitan area is “Washington”. borders. Even those in the larger area consider themselves
This is how a Beltway insider speaks. Refer to the area Washingtonians; someone living in Silver Spring, Maryland
otherwise, and you mark yourself as an outsider. may casually refer to their living situation as “D.C.” for
Insiders and outsiders—this is the lens through which simplicity’s sake.
everyone, mortal or no, views the city. Despite partisan Washington’s an idea as much as a place. What was a
bickering, Washington is a close-knit community for its sleepy town has transformed into a magnificent reactor,
inhabitants—insular and self-serving. The foreign political mixing violence and media and money. The subtle magics
class keeps to its own, and the city-dwellers do the same. In of the entire human race focus on the idea of the capital
the more conservative parts of America, being an insider of the world’s sole remaining superpower. In turn, that

The Eternal City 23

 superpower spreads influence and culture over the
known world as only one other has before: Irem, when
D.C. at a Glance it squatted upon the sands.
But now, the sands are shifting. Washington no
Size: About 7 miles square (70% of it controlled by the longer has the influence it once did; the world has
National Park Service). moved on. America faces the rise of China, diffusing
Population (WoD, 2014): Approximately 900,000 (District), global interests in the Middle East, a resurgent Russia,
approximately 8 million (D.C. Metropolitan Area). Washington is and even itself, polarized and divided politically. The
the 24th largest city in the U.S.; the city has a higher population elite still find common cause in enjoying the spoils
than several states and territories. of rule, even as their bickering turns from partisan to
Arisen Population: 24 (not including transients and PCs). punditry. Their servants struggle to craft policy while
Demonym: “Washingtonian”. the masters battle in the streets and in the air, fury
open to the world aside congenial alliances in private.
Mayor (2014): Vincent Gray.
The empire teeters on its edge. Sothis ascends, and
Guildmasters: Nomarchs (the Khent-henu): Sabola (Maa- with it rise the Arisen of the capital, to once again face
Kep), Tarikh-Sethos (first Mesen-Nebu), Seb-Hetchet (Tef- down Fate.
Aabhi), Oba-Heshef (first Su-Menent), Ur-Qeb (Sesha- They, too, are divided, even as they belong to a club
Hebsu). Guildmasters: Kanika (second Mesen-Nebu), far more exclusive than elected seats. They, too, are
Tepemkau (second Su-Menent; MIA).
seduced by the power outside forces wield over them.
Airports: Baltimore/Washington International (BWI), The old guard who once walked the same streets
Dulles International (IAD), and National Airport (DCA). as the country’s Founding Fathers find themselves
Highways: Interstate 95 and 495 (Capital Beltway), eclipsed by merets with a view of the Judges bordering
Interstate 270, Interstate 66; MD Route 295 (Baltimore- on heresy. The Khent-henu are lacking in context,
Washington Parkway). memory, and relevance—but not at all in puissance.
Climate: Generally temperate, with clear and pleasant Sedge’s machine has some control, minions, cults, and
springs, humid and unpleasant summers, mild autumns, a dangerous defiance of the way things have always
and frustrating winters (17 inches of seasonal snowfall). been done. The city of Washington is history’s largest
Economy (2014): One of the healthiest economies in and most ambitious attempt at relic geometry; the art
the U.S., with 150,000 government professionals and of arranging heka flows to channel Sekhem and using
heavy private investment in biotechnology, government humanity’s innate magic to create a large-scale relic.
contracting (especially defense), and various research Such a monument, conceivable only in the dreams
organizations (including political think tanks). The city’s of the Masons, was doomed from the start. But they
budget is controlled by the House. have succeeded in making the city magnificent, a
Law Enforcement Agencies: Primarily policed by the tremendous exaggeration of power and of history.
District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department (city It is indeed a monument worthy of Irem.
property), the United States Park Police (federal property),
Federal Building Police (federal buildings), White House
Police (the White House, in conjunction with the Secret
Service), and the Metro Transit Police (Metro rail and
IN AND AROUND
Achieving ingress to the District of Columbia
area surrounding stops). Select areas of the Capitol are requires utilization of three airports, three highways, or
patrolled by the United States Capitol Police and the
two railways. As a general rule, the Arisen of the nome
Federal Marshalls.
prefer travel through Reagan, since the Beltway can be
Notable Locations: The Capitol Building, National Mall, a dangerous avenue even at the best of times. Once
Newseum, Smithsonian, the White House, the Lincoln inside the District, the Arisen acclimate quickly to the
Memorial, various (and numerous) other museums and Metro stations (after all, they’re reminiscent enough
memorials.
of tombs) and the streets of the District are extremely
Notable Locations (Arisen): The Washington Monument, pedestrian-friendly, a fact that Seb-Hetchet did not
the House of the Temple, Meridian Hill Park, the Cairo Hotel. anticipate but was (for once) pleased to discover.
Motto: Justitia Omnibus (“Justice for All”).
THEBesides
ROAD cultists driving their mom’s powder blue
sedan, hired limousines, or even a mummy who’s

24 A City of Pillars
bothered to learn to drive in the last century, Chinese taillights. Commuters add hours on to their drive to
immigrants run a fairly cheap bus service that links the accommodate the Beltway, and local residents will drive to
Chinatowns of New York and the District. Getting into the Metro stations on entirely different lines simply to avoid the
city is easy enough; the roads are generally one-way, but mess. To call the Beltway “famously frustrating” wouldn’t
the grid of the city itself leads to several wide roundabouts scratch the surface of the misery the highway generates on
and lends itself to easy navigation. Several highways lead to a daily basis. District residents claim that merely getting on
Washington, D.C., as detailed above. All of them have one the Beltway gets one aggravated.
thing in common, however—they connect to Interstate It goes beyond simple road rage. The Sekhem bleeding
495, the Capital Beltway. The Arisen avoid road travel, from the geomancy of the District and the emotional energy
and not just because it’s a pain to drive on. generated from thousands of frustrated motorists has
Describing a lopsided circle around the District, the transformed the Beltway’s spiritual resonance into a unique
eastern side of the highway runs concurrently with and titanic form of vestige. It’s not enough to seriously
Interstate 95, parallel to the Baltimore-Washington affect the character of the city (at least, not past the auras
Parkway. This all but ensures that anyone trying to cross of the Khent-henu and the vestiges of Arisen residents),
from Maryland to Virginia experiences the rare pleasure but it’s too big (and angry) to successfully contain. The
of the road. Traveling clockwise along the Beltway means Beltway creates a feedback loop of misery centered around
you’re on the “Inner Loop” relative to D.C., while counter- the 95/495 concurrency, called “the mixing bowl.” The
clockwise places you on the “Outer Loop”. Natives are Capital Beltway is a haven for Amkhata, attracted by the
usually just as confused as the tourists. The Beltway’s death and emotional resonance of the highway. The Su-
traffic pattern hearkens back to an older time of highway Menent of the District make a habit of binding the ghosts
construction, originally designed to allow motorists of those who’ve died on the Beltway, using them as a
traveling along the eastern seaboard to drive past the city detection and hunting system for the Amkhata who roam
and for the military to easily establish a defensive perimeter the roads.
in case of homeland invasion. Ironically, the completion
of the Beltway in 1964 resulted in a massive boom in the
population of Washington suburbs, combining with a
AIRPORTS
Air travel, on the other hand, is relatively Lifeless-free.
lamentably-timed cultural love affair with car ownership. Three airports service the D.C. nome; residents refer to
The use of the Beltway for local and commuter traffic them as Dulles, National, and BWI. Interestingly (and
alike ensures unpredictable but truly incredible congestion appropriately for the city), not a single one of them is
at virtually any time of day. Poor shoulder construction also located within the district, itself.
ensures that even minor accidents lock up the highway for
hours at a time, while serious accidents become fatal as BALTIMORE WASHINGTON INTERNATIONAL (BWI)
emergency crews sit miles away behind a sea of lambent Big, modern, and highly-trafficked, BWI is the hardest
airport to access from the nome, since traveling there
involves the Beltway (and the Baltimore nome has its own
Home Rule: concerns on the matter, and generally isn’t as friendly to
transients as D.C.). Interstate 95 is often congested, but
The Slowed Descent if you can get past the Amkhata and the sour look of the
one Sadikh who lives in the airport, it’s a great choice.
Although a far cry from what it once was, and a farther
Ubaid, for example, occasionally travels up to BWI to meet
cry from what it could have been, the city’s ruined
geomancy does confer some benefits. Besides the
incoming Arisen.
possibility of encountering an oasis (see pg. 38), Arisen
who walk within the bounds of the District itself feel
DULLES (IAD)
heka buoying up their energies and Sekhem drizzling “Little issue, little problem. Big issue, big problem. No
down on them from Washington’s obelisk. Any mummy issue? No problem.”
within the District treats their Descent schedule (see Even without a scorpion-emblazoned ring dotting the
Mummy: The Curse, p. 154) as if their rating was two fingers of a few Customs and Border Patrol agents, Dulles is
less than current, to a minimum of 2. Those at Sekhem corrupt as all hell. Easily the most highly trafficked airport
2 or less do not enjoy this benefit; the city’s power is a of the three, and bypassing the Beltway by means of the
bandage that stems hemorrhaging, not a transfusion. bus-transit Silver Line, Dulles is a beating chamber of the
heart of D.C.’s smuggling operations. Massive, packed with
sights and smells of thousands of travelers carrying foreign

In and Around 25
 flora and fauna for no discernable or legal reason, Dulles is to the right on the escalators. The left is for walking, and
viewed unkindly by those who use it and those who work standing on the left is the easiest way in the city to be
it alike. But not only do international flights generally branded as a tourist.
connect to Dulles, the CBP agents have been on the Consisting of five lines, more than 100 miles of track and
mummy dime since 2001, so Arisen flights from overseas 86 stations, the Metro is kept extremely clean by a police
come through Dulles. It’s almost pathetically easy for two force empowered to make arrests by the District, Maryland,
cultists to finger their secret decoder rings or idly scratch and Virginia (you will be fined for eating). The Red Line
a certain tattoo on their neck, and the agents don’t say syncs with Union Station, allowing rail passengers from the
too much about what’s in the bags. There’s only the small Northeast Corridor and the Crescent an easy segue into
matter of other agents noticing what’s going on. A small intercity travel.
group has pooled together their knowledge in the break The Metro’s clean and ardently policed. Despite that,
room, but rather than succumb to their duty or Sybaris, it’s a hotbed of corruption. The city’s old bus union holds a
they’ve developed into Witnesses. Now they’re beginning tight lock on the hiring practices of WMATA, ensuring that
to switch shifts to be around when the cultists are on duty, inefficient service remains unpunished. Sedge’s machine
to be around when the next ancient woman walks the achieved influence over the system thus (they weren’t
halls. And the strangest thoughts they have… happy about the inefficiency—Maa-Kep, after all—but it
was a choice between corrupt influence or efficient lack of
REAGAN NATIONAL (DCA) influence, and they made their choice).
National Airport is located along the Metro’s Red Line, Along the subway’s dark walls, deep beneath the Potomac
just across the Potomac from Virginia. Modern and chic, and amidst the reek of ozone and the stink of fried rubber
marble floor coloring the main walkways, National has a that so resembles the smell of dried dead fish, hieroglyphs
vibe that’s new and clean. It’s a good choice for domestic are inscribed across the walls. Centering vestiges and power
flights that don’t get rerouted through Dulles. Far and focuses the heka of the subways. Looking at a map, you’d
away, the Arisen of the D.C. nome prefer their comrades hardly believe the District had been retrocessed at all.
to enter through National, both due to safety and because
it makes the best impression on the most visitors. A CITY OF TOWERS
The construction of the Cairo Hotel in 1894 was to
TRAINS be a crowning achievement of the Tef-Aabhi within the
city. Thomas Franklin Schneider, the hotel’s architect,
Union Station was built to prevent railways from criss-
crossing the nation’s capital; all incoming rail traffic is was but the latest in a long line of local artisans who
routed through the station. The Arisen didn’t influence found inspiration in the pillars of the cult. At the time
this decision. Rail lines include Amtrak Northeast the tallest residential building in the District, the building
Corridor, the Crescent Corridor, Virginia Railway Express was designed to house two Arisen tombs (including the
(VRE), and the Maryland Rail Commuter (MARC) (going remodeled resting place of the White Jackal). Several
up through Baltimore). The Arisen again prefer trains, hallway floors on different levels, and every doorknob in
which are generally fast-moving enough to avoid picking the building, were crafted entirely out of marble to form a
up strays in amxhaibit. three-dimensional geomantic pattern carefully designed to
heighten Sekhem sensitivity atop the building. The rooftop
THE METRO deck provides an expansive view of the Northwest skyline,
“Step back, doors closing.” When the Beltway’s including the Capitol and the Washington monument,
congestion began in the late 60s, resistance to freeways allowing those Arisen who possess the Godsight Affinity a
became ubiquitous within D.C. In an effort to ease detailed insight into the city’s energy flow.
commuter angst, the city council diverted unused freeway The city hated it. From the beginning, height had been
funds to the construction of an underground subway a central concern for the city. The goal of Washington
system. In 1976, the Metro stations—defined by dimly-lit, and Jefferson was of a city of wide avenues and expansive
homogeneous stations with high domed ceilings in stark streetscapes, easily visible by pedestrians. Jefferson himself
concrete, hexagonal orange tile floors, and the longest wrote eloquently of his desire for the grand and quaint
escalators on the continent—finally opened, providing buildings of Europe, without cramped streets and tall
easy intercity access everywhere but Georgetown. When buildings driven by commercial construction blocking
travel guides tell those coming to the city to park outside the city’s monuments and picturesque buildings. He was
it and take the Metro, they’re not shilling for the city— cited often by those in power as justification for federal
it really is just easier. Do yourself a favor, though—stand action after Cairo. Congress passed the Height of Buildings

26 A City of Pillars
Act, limiting the height of any building to the width of District without pesky height restriction laws. Without
the adjacent street plus 20 feet (limiting most buildings to upward space, rents climbed for decades, while the
less than 90 feet on residential streets, 130 on commercial suburbs flourished and commuter travel caused horrifying
streets, and 160 for a few places on Pennsylvania Avenue). congestion. What was intended to keep the city beautiful
As a result, cities like New York and Chicago grew crippled it economically and environmentally.
upwards, but D.C. never truly grew out. Once again, the
Arisen could not predict how quickly and completely
mortals could ruin the grandeur of Irem. The District
has the grand, pedestrian-friendly avenues envisioned
THE NOME
The power structure of the D.C. nome is headed by a
by the founders. What it did not have, for a long time, single meret—the Khent-henu (“First Chorus”). Their
was money or energy. Businesses flocked to places like name is a declaration to the world—they sing with one
Alexandria, which allowed easy commercial access to the voice, one power, one Descent. They are indeed unified,

The Nome 27
 as befits a group guided by a prophetic Mason and holding
fast to the belief that it was the first true meret of mummies.
Guildmasters all, the Arisen of First Chorus have forged Transient Arisen
a vision of a bold, new Irem, a city shining bright on the
Proper etiquette on visiting a foreign nome requires
river. They are exemplars of the five guilds, of how the
announcing one’s self to the resident guildmaster of
Shan’iatu’s paradigm stands eternally strong. one’s guild (nomarch or priest), or sending a message
That’s the idea, at least. through the Sesha-Hebsu guildhalls before traveling.
In reality, the Khent-henu are seen as mighty, and despite When one is a guest of a foreign nome, one is subject
the flaws, Washington’s an incredible accomplishment: to guild business (see Guildhalls of the Deathless
capital of a mighty empire, geomantically potent, a for more) within, but with the acknowledgement of the
tremendous and guarded flow of relics and vestiges, and visitor’s situation. If there is no guildmaster within the
capable of hosting Arisen from all over the world at a nome, lower-ranked guildmates may request aid from
moment’s notice. It simply doesn’t have the influence that the visitor, but generally cannot compel it.
Seb-Hetchet desired at the time of the Turn, nor have its In other words, an Arisen’s Guild Status Merit is a
patrons’ efforts been condoned fully; if not for the efforts static thing; it does not change from nome to nome.
of Oba-Heshef and Tepemkau, the First Prophets and When an Arisen visits a foreign nome, it’s possible
Kenbets would have condemned the endeavor as heresy that the guildmaster there will ask them to perform
centuries ago. If not for Sabola, the Maa-Kep would have certain duties as a subordinate, but with the implicit
struck against the group before the Washington Monument understanding that such duties won’t interfere with the
reason the Arisen came to the nome in the first place. If
was completed. For their parts, the Tef-Aabhi can’t decide
there isn’t a guildmaster, both sides have much to gain
if ending the Diaspora by honoring Irem is a good idea, and from being polite, and much to lose by being impolite.
the Mesen-Nebu only care for the shifting flows of power.
Those with enough Memory to consider the issue believe
Seb-Hetchet intends to not merely end the Diaspora, but to
discard the Diasporic Code and its most ardent of rules—the
Shadow Law: Do not grasp the sunlit flail. Never openly assume
power, for that is not the mummy’s lot in the lands of the guilds, and two more to represent and administrate the
living. Seb-Hetchet publicly and privately denies the charge, Mesen-Nebu and the Su-Menent, nominally the two most
but as he falls again and again into Duat, he cannot help but powerful guilds in the city. The positions of nomarch are
think of a statue of his god in place of Lincoln. held by the Khent-henu, without exception—in theory, by
Despite their long standing alliance, the Khent-henu are keeping the positions of guildmaster and nomarch within a
far from undivided, and their control is equally far from single meret, they hold absolute control over the city.
certain. While the city is united by the elite and their The attitude of the Khent-henu—you can’t truly be of
shared interest in maintaining the flow of Sekhem, D.C.’s the city unless you’ve been here since the beginning—is
nome can be accurately summed up as a cold shadow war darkly reflective of mortal attitudes on what constitutes
between two factions. First and foremost, the Khent-henu, a true “Washingtonian.” While they were fine with other
which theoretically operates as a unified philosophical Arisen journeying to D.C. to solidify the city’s status as Irem
front, and which boasts members and relics of the greatest reborn, the nomarchs were historically reluctant to allow
puissance; and its chief rival, Sedge’s machine, which does other Arisen to actually know of the White Jackal’s plan
operate as a unified front, boasts the largest cults, and for the nome. Yet D.C. becoming a haven for lobbyists and
overall possesses a slightly more diversified power portfolio. commercial interests attracted the Mesen-Nebu within the
Everyone else exists on a continuum along (or outside) last five decades, while the concerns of the faithful toward
these poles. The Sothic Turn has driven long-simmering the curious number of Arisen traveling to D.C. naturally
issues to the fore and polarized the two factions, mirroring attracted the Su-Menent. The ascensions of Tepemkau
mortal Washington’s transformation over the last three and Kannika to guildmaster status (during the 19th and
decades even as its inner city continues to rot as a murder 20th centuries respectively) were a necessary political and
capital of the nation. logistical compromise. The degree to which the Maa-Kep
politico Sedge will influence this new century remains to
GUILDMASTERS AND NOMARCHS be seen.
The Metro area’s population, along the relatively high
D.C.’s unique in a lot of ways, and this uniqueness numbers of transient Arisen temporarily subsumed into
extends to the nome’s every level. The District nome the guilds, logically merits a full ten guildmasters. It’s
possesses seven guildmasters: one for each of the five

28 A City of Pillars
only the resistance of the Khent-henu (and their status as neighborhoods retain their imprinted locations (if not
nomarchs) that keeps the number static, though for just their shapes or sizes), and important details regarding the
how much longer is a subject of considerable contention functioning of the guilds may be consulted.
come the latest Turn. The record contains data only, with no emotional or
memetic value retained. While the Khent-henu have no
THE KHENT-HENU problem descending into a cold detachment from those
who inhabiting the nome alongside them, it’s led to several
Faction leaders: Seb-Hetchet, Oba-Heshef, Sabola,
Tarikh-Sethos, Ur-Qeb unfortunate side effects, such as the lack of emotional
Honorary members: Aziza, Kanika, Khu-Set, Ubaid connection to the other Arisen in the nome. The
Goal: Irem reborn. dependence on talismans has also inadvertently crippled
The Khent-henu know just what they want: a new Irem. Sabola; her talisman vanished in 2001 in the chaos of the
What they’ve lied about is their place in the resultant city. 9/11 attacks, and she’s been bereft of functionality since
Seb-Hetchet and Ur-Qeb both think they should rule (see Chapter Three).
openly; Tarikh-Sethos and Oba-Heshef disagree; and no Coupled with D.C.’s natural abeyance of the Descent,
one can truly remember what Sabola thinks, her least of all. reliance on talismans means the Khent-henu are able to
maintain the heights of their magic for longer than normal,
ADVANTAGE: PUISSANCE even if they “burn out” a bit more quickly. Between this,
To put it bluntly, the Khent-henu blew their accumulated
experience increasing their personal power and looking their guild relics, and their own puissance, the Khent-henu
askance at the high and questionable cost of raising have a massive arcane power base. Which itself is bolstered
Memory. Besides the guild resources afforded to their rank, by...
the Khent-henu have superior Attributes, potent Affinities,
and a great number of Utterances at their command. All
ADVANTAGE: LEGITIMACY
Arisen society acknowledges the Khent-henu’s status as
of the Khent-henu know at least one Unison Utterance,
and they’ve been working as a meret since the concept was a meret, as guildmasters, and as nomarchs. They’re legit.
created. It’s not something openly acknowledged, but none They’ve played the game and won, and anyone who enters
of them have any problem letting the meret see a glimpse the D.C. nome must acknowledge this fact. The notion
of their guild secrets if it means a Turn-long goal coming that both the Mesen-Nebu and Su-Menent Priests of Duat
to fruition. are allied with the meret’s faction is incredibly significant
There’s a few reasons for this singular focus. The first all on its own.
was simple insurance: Seb-hetchet knew there’d be others Whether the world likes what the Khent-henu have
amongst the Arisen who didn’t care for the idea of a new done with the place is another matter entirely. When he is
Irem and he intended to be a powerful enough deterrent to in town, Antu-Herap—the Prince of Glass, grand Kenbet
dissuade any but the most dedicated detractors. This was of the Sesha-Hebsu—rarely leaves his tomb, but when
enough for the Khent-henu, but not for Seb-Hetchet. The he’s been recorded to do so, he often journeys to visit the
détente segues nicely into the ultimate end goal of what Bennu Initiative. This irregularity has been accepted by
had been the Jackal’s plan: rule over Washington. By his those guildmates in the know as him implicitly condoning
own admission, this would require subjugation of forces, this Irem reborn. Pestem-Aah, the Maa-Kep leader of the
mortal and otherwise, who also inhabit Washington, and South American Hall of the Jagged Pyramid, has criticized
(most importantly) hardline Arisen who disagree with rule the essential nature of American imperialism (and her
in the light. Although their Memory was fairly high before arguments have caused Seb-Hetchet more grief than he’s
the 19th century, the entirety of the 20th has seen a slow, willing to admit), but other Maa-Kep guildhalls have quietly
gradual decline to the baseline where all Arisen come to
endorsed the endeavor, and because it’s too late to openly
rest. They’ve supplemented their failing Memory with...
challenge the meret. The Tef-Aabhi see the spire’s success as
ADVANTAGE: TALISMANS a revitalization of their guild, something new, and the Flesh
Not only are the Khent-henu mighty alone, but each Masons see the city’s magnified heka flows as a fertile testing
crafted a talisman during the third Sothic Turn. The ground for their theories (that the city is highly cosmopolitan
talismanic record contained within the relics allows the and a haven for young, vibrant professionals helps matters).
meret to remain functionally relevant even at fairly low The Su-Menent have stopped commenting on the matter in
Memory (at least, they seem to think so). Important public, but even they’ve acquiesced to simple pragmatism:
personages imprint themselves upon the record, their upcoming Conclave is set to be hosted within the city.

The Nome 29
 In theory, the machine seeks to smooth the functioning
SEDGE’S MACHINE of the nome, overseeing the flow of Sekhem through
Faction leader: Sedge diplomatic parcels and the Smithsonian. In truth, Sedge
Prominent members: Envoys: Bes-Mat, Edja, Sudi-Tau, uses his patronage and links to the other guilds as a means
Ur-Zahur; Others: Sekhimib, Yusif of exerting control. Many of the advantages of power
On paper, the Khent-henu are the unquestioned masters enjoyed by the Khent-henu are thus also enjoyed (and in
of the D.C. nome. But the world isn’t papyrus alone. Sedge truth, enabled) by the machine, given Sedge’s investment
himself was (and is) Master of Envoys, a honey-tongued in the structure of the guilds.
diplomatic genius. Sedge’s machine has been built over the Using qaheter, and his personal management and
greater part of a century, with the aid of several outsiders. influence over them and their cults, Sedge has built a
Goal: The Sekhem Must Flow complex web of relationships allowing him to empower or
Sedge doesn’t care much for leaving the city and disable other mummies simply through his own will. More
following the trail of a relic. He’d much rather take importantly, he builds goodwill between guild subordinates,
advantage of a system that brings relics to him, at least supports other guilds, and purports himself to be a “truer”
part of the time. “It’s above the Mendoza Line,” Sedge power than even the Khent-henu.
says, in a diplomatic nod to America’s second-favorite
pastime. Needless to say, it’s an attitude dangerously close ADVANTAGE: NUMBERS
to turning a religious experience into a purely monetary The Khent-henu are powerful individually, but the mummies
transaction. If one put it to Sedge in those terms, he’d of the machine are greater in sum. This machine also counts
probably decline to comment. mummies from outside the nome amongst its allies. Some
of the beleaguered guilds of Baltimore, far from the power
ADVANTAGE: SUBVERSION and the promise of Washington, are as gears to the machine.
Sedge’s machine relies on qaheter, or guild envoys—a That’s well over a dozen mummies, none of whom possess the
specific rank within the Maa-Kep. In addition to the exalted rank of guildmaster. While the insular meret that calls
summons of their cults or the instinctive reaction of a Frederick (MD) their own refuses to deal with Sedge, the lone,
defiled tomb, qaheter arise in conjunction with other nominally apolitical mummy in Fredericksburg (VA) certainly
mummies. Linked by specific Maa-Kep Guild Affinities will. All have come to know Sedge as one who will cut through
to another mummy of a different guild, the qaheter are the (oft copious) guild bullshit and get things done. Even beyond
capable of rendering selfless aid… while simultaneously the envoys, the mummies affiliated with the machine and their
influencing their charges, in ways gross or subtle. cults are willing to pitch in to support Sedge’s motives because
Nor does this influence end with the Arisen themselves. they know the machine will back them.
Cults are extensions of the mummies they serve, and so Want a cultist in the Smithsonian? Sedge keeps abreast of
too are the cults of the envoys. The envoy cults work hiring freezes and his cultists will provide a letter of reference.
in tandem, wielding blackmail and patronage over the Need a ritual athame from Irem? Sedge knows a guy who
cultists of the others, favoring those cultists whom they knows a guy who’s hierophant to Tepemkau. This perception
can manipulate and ruthlessly grinding down those they is as valuable to Sedge as the actual ability to get things done.
cannot. Standing over all is Sedge’s cult, a high mastaba Nor does this perception stop at the Arisen, which leads to...
atop the machine’s pyramid.
Half of the Arisen of the city think Sedge is playing his ADVANTAGE: DIVERSITY
long game in what amounts to the Allied Dead framework Sedge’s machine isn’t solely focused on mummies. The
(Mummy, p. 239). Sedge considers it a fairly polite Rival Khent-henu see ghosts and other entities as useful tools
Dead framework. The Maa-Kep know that friendship is a at best, nuisances at worst, and irrelevancies the rest of
craft—something to be shaped, perfected, and utilized. the time. The machine sees them as useful tools… and, on
More so than any other but the cults of the Mesen-Nebu, rare occasion, partners. It was Sedge who reached out to
the machine’s cults have a lock on some of the most highly- the remains of the city’s population of restless dead after
regarded positions in Washington. From sinecure jobs like the 1996 Omni-Shoreham massacre, and it is Sedge who
Homeland Security contractors kept in a permanent cycle lets the Mesen-Nebu know of the market where one can
of waiting for security clearance (meaning they collect a full bargain with souls and relics and Sekhem.
government salary with benefits, but legally aren’t allowed
to work), to boards of a think-tank that possess power and
prestige, to influence in the Pentagon as to who becomes
FIVE GUILDS STRONG
This section offers a brief, historical overview on how the five
the next security advisor in the West Wing. Arisen guilds take shape in the nome that is the Metro D.C area.

30 A City of Pillars
 be paralyzed now. As it is, the Mason is frantically buying
TEF-AABHI himself more time while convincing the Khent-henu to
The Tef-Aabhi appear unified, as they always do. Their
hold off on their own plans just a bit longer.
guild is a microcosm of the nome entire. On the surface,
they wait for Seb-Hetchet to rise; in his absence, Ubaid has
effectively assumed the role of guildmaster, arbitrating disputes
MESEN-NEBU
The Mesen-Nebu of the city have a great deal of influence
and setting policy. Outside of their appearance of unity, the with the political class—not just the politicians, who have to
guild’s a mess. The White Jackal kept a great deal of secrets return to their constituencies and seek re-election every so
to himself, carefully delegating Lifeweb monitoring to his often (and, occasionally, are voted out unexpectedly-a fact
subordinates and never revealing his full plan for the nome. that makes the Mesen-Nebu wary of investing too heavily in
This has given rise to the custom of visiting cafes to better a single politician), but the aides and political operators who
understand the flows of heka and keep abreast of matters of are passed around like so many bottles of fine liquor. They,
import in the modern world; or at least, what matters to the at least, never leave the city. The guild’s strongholds are the
citizens. Seb-Hetchet likes Dupont Circle, Ubaid prefers Ben’s lobbyist firms of K Street and the gentleman’s clubs of old
Chili Bowl and the Ethiopean cafes in Shaw (while keeping Georgetown (Tarikh-Sethos is quick to assure that he doesn’t
an eye on Sedge), and Sekhimib tends to stick to the (very) mean a house of burlesque, but an elegant storied building
numerous Starbucks. He even owns a gold card. where men of wealth come to address matters of import).
With the Jackal’s ongoing failure to rise, the guild finds One of the grandest traditions of the District those Born
itself unwilling to even conduct guild business as usual, and of Gold have come to adopt and adore is that of the ball,
Ubaid’s authority only goes so far. In reality, Seb-Hetchet where even the poorer members of high society exhibit their
has risen, but has disappeared from his tomb within the finest garments. It’s common for international organizations
Cairo Hotel. Ubaid knows this (after all, his tomb’s in the and embassies to sponsor such events for their members
same place), but has only a few suspicions as to where the and constituents, and the District is so full of them that a
guildmaster has gone. Too late, Ubaid laments his support gala event occurs nearly every weekend. Dedwen flows freer
of restricting the number of guildmasters; had he argued than alcohol at such events, which mingle youth and young
more forcefully for it in decades past, the guild would not

The Nome 31
 talent with the experience of the aged masters of the city.
It’s a heady cocktail, even for those who don’t imbibe arcane
potions in the course of their duties. If you need an invite, Six Guilds Strong
just ask—Tarikh-Sethos knows a guy who knows a guy. Just
Seb-Hetchet’s meret helped build the monuments
don’t show up wearing that.
and artifacts of D.C. in accordance with their faltering
MAA-KEP memory of Irem and its lost glory. By linking the city’s
fate to Washington, he believed they could watch over
On the surface, Sedge is an ideal Maa-Kep: getting things
the city and finally break the cycle of empire. As Irem
done, quietly and efficiently. He’s leveraged the immense was built with the strength of five guilds, he’d say, so
respect all of the guildhalls feel towards him to be cast as must the meret bring the arts of those same guilds to
the quiet, loyal opposition. “If there is a rot at the heart of Washington.
the District,” they say, “You must be there to slice it out.”
But Irem wasn’t built by five guilds. It was built by six.
Sabola, of course, believed Sedge to be the rot in the
heart of the District. Naturally, she had to go. If the rest of What of that lost guild, now known as the Deceived?
the guild had any idea about his ambitions or how much Are their dark arts felt in Washington? The celestial
oracles Seb-Hetchet consulted to find the city’s site
power he actually wielded, they’d have sealed him in a
may have been of the lost guild. Seb-Hetchet matched
sarcophagus long ago. Sedge has taken the quiet acceptance
the design of the streets to mirror the constellation of
of the Maa-Kep as the ones who truly know what’s going on Sothis and channel the power of that bright polestar.
and turned it into an art form, where only he has an idea As above, so below, after all.
of what’s going on. Bes-Mat has an idea, but he’s a good
But how could he have done so without the Deceived
servant when it comes down to it. Sedge is careful always
informing him such a thing was preferable? If the
to speak well of the Judges in the conservative Arisen’s Deceived are still within Washington, D.C., they haven’t
ear. And while Sabola knew of Sedge’s manipulation of made themselves known. If they can be said to have
the envoy system, she was never able to prove it enough any footing within the District, it’s probably around
to generate an Obloquy hearing. Now, of course, she’s and/or in the Naval Observatory, a place traditionally
disappeared entirely. It’s only a matter of a decade or so… eschewed by the Arisen. Besides sharing their grounds
with the residence of the Vice President (a traditionally
SU-MENENT powerless position), the Observatory is a leading
Tepemkau’s disappearance has sent the guild into authority on the topics of time and celestial observation,
disarray, weakening it significantly. Besides his cult going and for their collection of atomic clocks and incredibly
rogue, Tepemkau handled most of the arbitration for rare astronomy texts from the past few millennia. If
Shepherd internal affairs and handled guild business the Deceived observe any traditions in Washington,
assignments for transient Arisen. He also took a personal it’s a habitually casual stroll on the grounds at sunset,
watching the sun die and the stars rise.
hand in creating Sleeve-Riders, the legion of ghosts born
out of dead motorists on the Beltway. On the plus side, the
Su-Menent were the guild least in league with Sedge and
his machine (being fearless makes you surprisingly resilient
to blackmail and intimidation), so they’ve been unaffected of the Christian messiah). The Mormon Temple overlooking
by Sedge’s machinations and power plays. the Beltway was able to afford the golden statue of the angel
There’s a change in the guild these days, though none Moroni atop their structure, chiefly due to a large anonymous
can truly say what that is. The modern world hasn’t been donation from the Arisen. The angel blows his trumpet east, to
close to the Judges for thousands of years, but the gulf seems greet the sun; if anyone on the ground notices the much smaller
almost insurmountable in the modern era. In Washington face carved into the angel’s base, surrounded by a winged sun
too few care about justice or serving the will of Duat, even facing westward, they haven’t mentioned it.
in the most direct manner. When you believe yourself to
be representing your constituents, even the most heinous SESHA-HEBSU
of deals can be made with a clean conscience. The work of the Scribes in the District is based not only
Remarkably, the Su-Menent have made a habit of patronizing around the National Archives—which many of the guild
the various religious centers in the universities around the consider to be a work worthy of Irem’s successor—but
District, especially the Maryland Hillel at the University of a pet project of Hebeny’s called the Bennu Initiative. A
Maryland at College Park (Oba-Heshef takes a particularly grim nonprofit devoted to data reconstruction and translation
joy at the pun of a Jewish center being named after the mother and ancient document retrieval, the Initiative seeks to

32 A City of Pillars
“Give modern voices to ancient words” by translating and any number of TV shows or films, you’re really looking at
propagating the philosophies of the Greeks and Egyptians any number of state capitals or other cities.
through seminars, public speaking engagements, think
tank dialogues and mediation counseling, and an aggressive NORTHWEST
public awareness campaign that’s really starting to take off. Northwest is the largest and most affluent section
And, of course, it’s mostly Iremite propaganda. of the city, home to Georgetown and Rock Creek Park.
The Initiative’s mission is to covertly spread Iremite Many embassies are located in Northwest, as well as
culture, and it’s assisted by the Su-Menent. All Arisen three universities: Georgetown, George Washington,
approve of the memetic monument to Irem, though. and American. The tallest structure in Northwest is the
Besides sponsoring translation software coding at the National Cathedral.
University of Maryland and archaeological digs in the
Middle East, the Initiative also sponsors a local think tank
Rock Creek Park
of young professionals and a Fun-Run with NIH and Last Bisecting the Northwest quadrant of the District is the
Dynasty International (amusingly, neither organization is 160-acre Rock Creek Park. Numerous stretches of trees,
aware of the other’s true nature yet). broken only by streams, the occasional bike trail, and
As of late, though, Hebeny has quietly toned down the various picnic areas fill the park, and groups of wild deer
idea of the Judges in favor of promoting the principles of live in the woods. Rock Creek Park is pure Appalachian
cosmic justice, which appeals to both the cultural relativists country, with only a few signs of civilization. From here,
and young professionals (who are mainly secular or atheist) you can’t see the city from the trees. This was the ancient
and the religious conservatives who work in government and tomb of Seb-Hetchet, before he relocated to the Cairo. It’s
for faith organizations (and believe universal justice to be not common knowledge, but his Sadikh still resides there,
the purview of God) who inhabit the District. Neither group and the Tef-Aabhi returns there occasionally to view stars
knows that these principles are those of Ma’at, a balanced with slightly less light pollution. More and more, hikers are
philosophy (and, for a while, a literal goddess) of the ancient beginning to avoid the area, as the White Jackal’s Sekhem
Egyptians that promoted living in harmony with the universe. invokes a feeling of dread animals stalking the miniature
hinterland in the midst of the city.

WASHINGTON’S CITY
As with so many of the regional attitudes in the
Federal Triangle and Old Downtown
Pawn shops and rundown buildings once lined
continental United States, the nation’s capital distinguishes Pennsylvania Avenue between the Capitol and the White
between those who are native to the region and those who House. After the assassination of Martin Luther King
are newcomers. Jr., rioters set downtown ablaze, destroying many of the
This section of the book will offer a look at Washington, buildings that had long been considered a national eyesore.
D.C. and the surrounding region with not only descriptions, Afterwards, many businesses moved away rather than
but also the look and feel of the areas. Mystical sites will try to rebuild. Government offices soon replaced the old
be detailed as well as areas indicated for use by the players’ buildings, and more recently, developers have restored and
characters. renovated many of the other now historic structures. That
the Mesen-Nebu’s cults take a great interest in this should
THED.C.DISTRICT come as no surprise.
is divided into four quadrants: Northeast (NE), Pension Building
Northwest (NW), Southeast (SE), and Southwest (SW).
These quadrants have the Capitol building as their center Completed in 1887, this red brick Italian Renaissance
point, so they aren’t divided up evenly. Northwest is the largest Revival building stands on F Street between 4th and 5th
quadrant, followed by Northeast, Southeast, and finally, the streets. Designed to serve the needs of Union veterans,
much smaller Southwest (a jagged edge, due to retrocession). the engineering of the building provided for natural air-
Washington D.C. features a great number of iconic conditioning and light. The interior has a hall with 75-foot
images– the front lawn of the White House, the Washington Corinthian columns supporting the roof. It has been used
Monument, the Capitol Dome, the Lincoln Memorial. All for Inaugural Balls for over a century, attracting the Mesen-
of these things are found in the city, but they’re a small Nebu’s constant attention. The structure contains the
section of the District entire. Hollywood takes liberties with National Building Museum, a traditional meeting place for
the placement of these structures; seeing “Washington” in Tef-Aabhi of the city—their “guildhall away from home.”

Washington's City 33
 Old Post Office Washington University. Many societies and agencies have
headquarters in Foggy Bottom, including the National
When it was completed in 1899, the Old Post Office
Academy of Sciences. A metro station serves this area, the
pavillion was the largest government building in the city,
last before venturing into Virginia. More so than any other
located on 12th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue. The
place, the gentrification of Washington is especially visible
clock tower has an impressive view only surpassed by
here, as Starbucks and casual fine dining joints pop up and
the view from the Washington Monument. Shops and
the Arisen gradually seem more and more out of place.
restaurants line the interior courtyard and it isn’t unknown
for meetings between the Arisen and their cult members to The Watergate
take place here.
Situated on the edge of the Potomac River, the Watergate
The White House is an impressive complex of offices and apartments, well
known for the break-ins which resulted in scandal and
The eyes of the world continually remain focused on the
the removal of President Nixon from office. Tarikh-Sethos
residents of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. The White House
maintains his tomb in a sub-basement here; the propensity
is the home of the President of the United States, and the
for scandal within the complex can likely be attributed
Washington nome expressly forbids any interference with
to his guild’s energies permeating the atmosphere, but he
or visitation to its grounds. No cultists are brazen enough
swears he simply enjoys the view and takes no direct hand
to call their Arisen with requests to interfere with the
in the free flow of Dedwen.
inhabitants. Any cultist who tries is sure to be purged soon
thereafter. Likewise, the Blair House and the Old Executive Georgetown
Building (formerly the State-War-Navy Building) are also
In the District’s early years, while the nation’s capital
protected sites.
languished, George Town was a bustling port for tobacco
Foggy Bottom merchants. A few years after being annexed by the District,
George Town asked to be returned to Maryland, but was instead
North of the White House area, beyond Lafayette Park
forced to remain in the District. The area’s economy collapsed,
and south of Georgetown, is Foggy Bottom. This area
but was successfully revived and restored in the 1950s.
contains some prime hunting grounds, including George
Now the wealthy neighborhood is home to club owners,
lawyers, politicians, and bureaucrats galore. The historic
preservation movements in Georgetown managed to
prevent a Metro station from going up in the area (though
Movin’ On Out the WMATA claims the deep hills of the area prevented
subway construction), despite the fact that after dark, the
Washington, D.C. was a “chocolate city” not too long
ago. A decade before the Sothic Turn arrived, the city
restaurants, night clubs and shops attract people from as
was majority black. It still is in 2014, but it’s gentrifying far away as Foggy Bottom. M Street and Wisconsin Avenue
rapidly, as the majority black population is pushed can offer almost everything, except a parking space.
back to Anacostia and Congress Heights (Ward 8, Some of the old gentlemen’s clubs (with cigar selections,
of course, is still run by Marion Barry—Mr. Mayor, the no less) hold a great deal of memory for the Arisen. Here they
District mayor who was busted for smoking crack with sat, and discussed matters of Fate and politics. Visiting these
a prostitute and then subsequently re-elected). locales usually results in a degree of Sebayt experience, and a
Today, it’s still chocolate, but the vanilla creeps in. U mirage on occasion. Kanika is not an old boy by any means,
Street and the Shaw district teem with students and but she deeply enjoys the ambience of these ancient clubs,
young whites unloading moving boxes from trucks. and relishes spending time deep within the colonial buildings.
Professionals come from all over the nation to be a part Her tomb is located under one such club, accessible via a
of the political process here, and they’re mostly white, rather large and sturdy dumbwaiter in the kitchen.
too. The natives of This Town look at the transients with
a degree of ill-ease. The Arisen who’ve been awake and Georgetown University
have paid attention to this phenomenon wonder if they’ll
Built in the Gothic style, this private school is the oldest
be in the minority in a few more years; previously, the
city had hidden their demographics well, but they won’t Jesuit school in America. Spires and gargoyles loom over the
be able to hide much longer if gentrification continues. campus. The school’s diplomatic corps are highly-regarded,
though some students believe religious “inquisitors” secretly
operate on the university grounds (Sesha-Hebsu and Su-
Menent, basing themselves near the Beltway).

34 A City of Pillars
 The C&O Canal Go into the Tap and Tavern, just to the right from
the Metro station. Ask for a draught from the dusty keg
This canal, originally meant to keep George Town’s port
and spigot at the back corner of the bar, and you’ll get
open and turn Washington, D.C. into an industrial giant, is
the closest thing the modern world has to Iremite mead.
now a tourist attraction. In the summers, mules pull barges
Correctly guess the name, and you’ll be ushered over to
along the canal. There are many tunnels leading to the
Jone Yohannes, a burly Ethiopean-American holding
canal from across the city, and the Arisen will make use of
court in the back room past the famed stage. Yohannes is
them if they need to travel privately.
Sedge’s hierophant; the white-skinned Sedge stood out in
Meridian Hill Park the neighborhood until the turn of the millennium, when
gentrification began to take hold. When he’s called on by
Directly north of the White House is where the true mortals, the bss lets his priest do the talking, sipping mead
masters of the city come to meet. At the base of the in a corner booth within earshot and thinking on centuries
thirteen-step basin cascade fountains will you find the gone by. Only Sadikh and mummies catch the Sedges’
Arisen. In the early parts of the 20th Century, this park full attention. In his god’s absence, Yohannes grasps the
was designed to replicate the stately gardens of European conspiracy-styled cult in a well-manicured fist.
cities. To the Arisen, it’s a pleasant taste of home, and
the sunlight and gardens helps to greatly minimize any Dupont Circle
issues their Sybaris may well cause. The alignment of the
Three of the most important streets in Washington—
Park over sacred geometry helps to perceptibly slow the
Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Hampshire
Descent (and add a die to attempts to meditate to restore
Avenues—come together at Dupont Circle. In the center
pillars; many mummies will simply relax and let their minds
of the green circle stands a fountain decorated with
wander while inside the park’s boundaries). The nomarchs
the figures of Sea, Stars and Wind—symbols that were
have forbade anyone from constructing a tomb lest it
important symbols of Irem, but are sufficiently secular
damage the geomancy of the area, but it’s become far too
today to be mere pleasant symbology (though the Bennu
valuable as a neutral ground (and far more pleasant than
the Hotel Cairo) for anyone to claim it.

Shaw-Howard Diplomatic Pouches

Home to a Green Line stop, Shaw grew out of freed slave
encampments, and has remained a historically African- In the aftermath of World War II, a stretch of
American neighborhood ever since. Howard University, mansions along Massachusetts Avenue NW—formerly
“Millionaire’s Row”, the premier residential address of
which dominates the skyline of Victorian rowhouses to
the city’s elite—was radically transformed. The nations
the extent anything in D.C. can, is also a historically black
of the world bought out the former homes of the rich,
college. Before Harlem, the neighborhood was a hotbed turning them instead into resplendent embassies for
of cultural and intellectual activity, inspiring Langston their ambassadors. Thus, “Embassy Row” was born,
Hughes and birthing Duke Ellington. Bohemian Cavern and the smuggling began.
bar hosted jazz groups in the sound’s earliest days, while
Despite the name, diplomatic pouches can be boxes,
the Lincoln Theatre hosted plays and actors kept from bags, suitcases, or—at most—a shipping container. So
Broadway by their color. The neighborhood also hosts long as it’s marked, a diplomatic pouch has the ability to
Ben’s Chili Bowl, a small stop with worldwide renown. bypass customs, and enjoys diplomatic immunity from
It’s considered both a rite of passage and a necessity for search and seizure. Besides the Smithsonian, cultists
aspiring politicians to get press of them eating a half-smoke working out of the various embassies of the world will
from the Bowl. routinely place precious objects within parcels, making
They just have to first step over the homeless junkies their way with the banner of their master’s Judge all but
sleeping out front, an omission the press quietly obliges. emblazoned on the side.
Since the 70s, the neighborhood’s been plagued by drug During Egypt’s Mubarak administration, no few parcels
addicts and dealers; the trade’s brazen and ubiquitous made their way from Cairo containing certain relics of
enough that the Metro police will occasionally stake out Irem. In a corrupt government, faith and money go a
the roof of the Bowl. The attractive dichotomy and easy tremendously long way, and nowhere is that any truer
access to the Metro (and proximity to his tomb on U than in Washington.
Street) makes the neighborhood incredibly attractive to
Sedge.

36 A City of Pillars
Initiative seeks to change that). In the 60s, Dupont Capitol Hill
Circle became a rallying point for counterculture and
Referred to only as “The Hill” by residents, this area
gay pride movements. In Washington today, its cultural
of the city consists of sections of all four parts of the
and ethnic bookstores and restaurants make it home to
District. The Capitol is the centerpiece, located where
many members of the young intelligentsia. The District’s
all of the boundaries intersect. Numerous governmental
gay community still maintains a strong presence around
and political organizations have offices nearby, and several
Dupont Circle, and despite his rough-and-tumble exterior,
aides live in neighboring Victorian-style homes.
Bes-Mat will often send members of his tribe to patrol the
area and ensure it remains safe (hilariously, the presence The Capitol
of rather large bikers with Egyptian tattoos make people
feel far more imperiled). A Metro station lies beneath The Capitol was designed in a Roman style reminiscent
the Circle; other entrances to the old subway system are of the Pantheon, and its enormous 285-foot-high dome
locked and chained. Bes-Mat maintains his primary tomb is one of Washington’s most famous sights. A statue of
under here, in a small maintenance tunnel where he can Freedom stands atop the dome. Because the Capitol
park his bike. There’s enough room for his cult to have a building is always active with reporters and congressmen,
clubhouse nearby. the Washington always has young cultists watching to
make sure that nothing untoward or over should occur
The Washington National Cathedral nearby.
Located at the intersection of two of Northwest’s Union Station
major streets, Wisconsin and Massachusetts Avenues, the
Gothic towers of the cathedral dominate the surrounding In the early 1900s, Congress decided to beautify the
landscape. The Washington National Cathedral is the city. In order to remove the large number of train tracks
sixth largest cathedral in the world. crossing the Mall, it decreed that all trains would use a
single depot, Union Station, north of the Capitol. Built
Embassy Row with white marble, columns, and statuary, Union Station
was a great success during its early years. During the ‘60s,
Starting at Dupont Circle and heading north along
the train station fell on hard times. A restoration project
Massachusetts Avenue is Embassy Row, which includes
in the late 80’s and early ‘90s has returned the station to
clusters of embassies and legations. The largest embassy
its former grandeur, adding also a number of shops, a food
in Washington is the British Embassy, which resembles
court, and even a movie theater. Union Station also has a
a manor house. A statue of Winston Churchill stands in
metro station.
front. Also along Embassy Row are many of Washington’s
most exclusive social clubs, such as the Cosmos Club. The Library of Congress and the National Archives
Upper Northwest The Library of Congress is housed mainly within three
structures: the Jefferson Building, at Independence Avenue and
The rest of Northwestern D.C. is primarily residential,
1st Street, SE; the Adams Building, at 2nd Street, SE; and the
with the exception of the shops lining Wisconsin
James Madison Building, between Independence Avenue and
Avenue. American University, chartered by Congress
C Street. The Capitol building contained the Library originally,
and best known for its international and political science
but expansion in the late 1800s required use of the Jefferson
departments, lies next to Ward Circle, where Nebraska
building and beyond. The National Archives is a related but
Avenue meets Massachusetts Avenue. Much of this area
separate institution, located just north of the Mall.
was used as military barracks and for weapons testing
The octagonal Main Reading Room of the Library, what’s
during the World Wars. Several unexploded shells have
most often shown in pictures of the Library, is located in the
been found in gardens and beneath streets in the area.
Jefferson Building. The Library contains more than 30 million
Adams-Morgan books and at least 60 million other items of interest. While
it’s main purpose is to provide (you guessed it) books for the
Adams-Morgan, located south of Cleveland Park in
purpose of Congressional research, it’s second only to the
the heart of the city, is Washington’s melting pot of ethnic
British Library in size, and contains a great number of Egyptian
groups. Its excellent restaurants, Bohemian atmosphere and
writings. Naturally, the Sesha-Hebsu make a dedicated effort
wild night life draw almost as many visitors as Georgetown.
to keep the librarians initiated into their cults; the long hours
Most of the apartments near Adams-Morgan were built in
required by the library segue nicely into clandestine meetings
the 19th century and have an ornate feel to them.
in robes and papier-mâché scorpion masks.

Washington's City 37
 The Sesha-Hebsu regard the National Archives The black citizens here still live in widespread poverty, but
as a national treasure. The building stands between there are middle-class neighborhoods. Eastern Market,
Pennsylvania Avenue and Constitution Avenue which contains the entirety of the area’s white and mixed
and contains the Declaration of Independence, the population, is thoroughly gentrified and hosts a massive
Constitution and the Bill of Rights. In addition, many market every weekend (where, it’s said by the Su-Menent
government records are stored in the National Archives and the Mesen-Nebu, you can buy far more than fresh
and researchers and genealogists often visit to view produce).
historical documents. Although the National Archives Southwest D.C. is the smallest part of Washington,
contain a vast store of records, the majority of its holdings tucked between the monuments on the Mall, the Potomac
are kept in storage in the suburb of Suitland, Maryland. River, and Southeast. It includes Fort McNair and a
waterfront with a marina. East Potomac Park is also
The Supreme Court located in Southwest. Crime is not as much of a problem in
The Supreme Court didn’t have a building of its own Southwest, because it is patrolled by police protecting the
until 1935. The Court is in session from the first Monday in Mall, in addition to the nearby military bases.
October until it has heard all of its cases, usually sometime in
June. The Big Chair
The 20-foot-tall Big Chair is literally the world’s largest
NORTHEAST chair, and actually serves as a powerful vestige for anchoring
Northeast D.C. is the second largest part of the District,
containing some of the best and worst that Washington can
offer. Gallaudet University, one of the finest universities in
the country, is a well-known school of the deaf. Catholic Home Rule: Al-Wahat
University includes the National Shrine of the Immaculate
Conception, one of the largest Roman Catholic churches in The White Jackal’s struggle to end the Diaspora by
the world. Both schools are hotbeds of Su-Menent cultists; altering the Fate of Irem from something ancient to
something eternal has created glimmers of power
though the priests favor the blind, they find the insular and
and Fate throughout the city. Here, the flashbacks
specified culture of the deaf much to their liking, and it to which Arisen are prone find strong, sweeping
greatly aids students of history—medieval, Byzantine and manifestations.
early Christianity—to have on-hand people who actually
While places of Fate and power are a long-
lived those days, even if they’re a bit fuzzy on the details.
studied element of relic architecture (called oases),
National Arboretum Washington’s manifestations are not tied to a place
or time. These shimmering waves of the Fate of
The Department of Agriculture uses this strange Irem within the city are called mirages, so named
415-acre-area for the study of trees. Thirty-two different by Ur-Qeb in 1885, who made an analysis of their
types of soil cover the Arboretum, supporting a variety sudden and dramatic increase after the completion
of trees not typically native to the Washington area. The of the Washington Monument. Forming only rarely in
Arboretum borders on Anacostia Park, which surrounds Alexandria or Rosslyn (they’re usually constrained to
the Anacostia River and follows it into Maryland. the lopsided district), they affect mummies alone.
Anacostia Park includes golf courses and a marina. Mirages are a vision relating to the Fate of Irem, a
Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens fragmentary lesson Fate imparts to the character. Only
North of the Arboretum, bordering Anacostia Park, are those with high Memory can effectively contextualize
the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens—14 acres of ponds filled the vision (and thus, understand what the mirages
with subaquatic plants. This unique collection of pools and are communicating). As Memory rises, the mirages
plants is one of the most bizarre settings in the city. Sedge become more distinct and involved, from brief overlays
to lurid, waking dreams.
adores this place as a meeting area instead of Meridian; he
loves the sound of his voice across the water, and the life of Details on playing through mirages are covered in
the area helps to quell Sybaris as well. the Storytelling chapter. Regardless, mirages act
as justification for awarding Sebayt experience, if
SOUTHEAST AND SOUTHWEST the character acknowledges the vision and actively
contemplates the meaning it contains (p. 93).
The population of Southeast is predominantly black,
particularly east of Anacostia. It’s this area that once gave
the city its reputation as a murder capital of the world.

38 A City of Pillars
the energies of the area. It’s the pride in this chair, the largest in Old Town Alexandria
the world, that serves as a beacon of hope for the inhabitants
Much of the colonial charm of Alexandria has been
of the area. The Arisen are as mystified as outsiders, but it’s a
preserved. Homes and shops dating back to the 18th
source of wonder and determination nonetheless.
century line cobblestone streets in Old Town Alexandria,
Fort McNair and clipper ships still dock at the waterfront. The
atmosphere, festivals and art displayed in the Old Town
The troops at Fort McNair protect the President and
draw tourists as well as locals. More so than anywhere else
guard the city. The fort looks nicer than most army bases,
out of the shattered diamond of the city, mirages will form
and it contains two military colleges for training officers as
here. An Arisen strolling the street in search of memory
well as one of the finest military libraries in the world. Across
will find it.
the Potomac Canal from Fort McNair is East Potomac Park.
ARLINGTON
VIRGINIA Arlington lies across the Potomac from Washington.
From the city’s heights, there are impressive views of the
The Washington, D.C. metro area extends far beyond
the District. Most people who work inside the nation’s District. Arlington was part of D.C. until the Virginia
capital have homes elsewhere. Additionally, may political Reclamation. Like much of northern Virginia, Arlington
and governmental functions overflow from the nation’s is a residential area. The rich and powerful own some
capital into the surrounding suburbs and satellite cities. large and beautiful homes here, and the Arisen who do
Many visitors to D.C. fail to realize the number of groups not maintain tombs within the district keep to themselves
or sites associated with Washington that are actually located out here.
in Virginia. The Pentagon, Arlington Cemetery, National
and Dulles airports, and the U.S. Marine Corps Memorial
Arlington National Cemetery
are all in Virginia. Two Virginia cities border Washington: More than 400,000 graves comprise Arlington National
Alexandria and Arlington. Alexandria is the larger of the Cemetery, on the ancestral grounds of Robert E. Lee. An
two, and in the first few years of the district’s history, large average of 27 funerals a day are performed at Arlington
sections of this city were considered to be one and the same. National, and the cemetery has been working on an
Virginia took this area back, however, and Alexandria grew expansion project to allow interments to continue as long
to be its own city, separate from the capital. as possible before it is full. The most often-visited grave is
that of John F. Kennedy, where the eternal flame continues
ALEXANDRIA to burn steadily. Jacqueline Kennedy is buried beside him,
Alexandria was founded in 1749, a busy tobacco port and two of their children rest nearby. The graves of his
trading primarily with ships from the East and West Indies. brothers, Robert and Edward, also lie close by. South of
Plantation owners came for miles to shop in Alexandria, the Kennedy graves stands the Tomb of the Unknowns. In
and the city thrived. George Washington, and, years later, front of the white marble sarcophagus, soldiers from the
Robert E. Lee, grew up here. Many high-tech firms have U.S. 3rd Infantry stand watch 24 hours a day, regardless of
started in northern Virginia, keeping themselves close weather. They do not know who is buried there, but Oba-
to the nation’s capital in order to lobby for government Heshef does, and he considers his debt to the man paid in
grants and contracts. L’Enfant was pleased when the site full. The large building at the front of the cemetery is the
of Washington was chosen, but Congress’ trepidation at Netherlands Carillon. From the Carillon, one can look out
placing the capital on land owned by Washington and across the Potomac and see the monuments, illuminated
many of his compatriots never subsided. This led to the at night by flood lights, shimmering in the water as if they
retrocession several years later. stretched upward from the sands.

Washington's City 39
 Chapter Three
The Washingtonians
If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog.
— Harry S. Truman

By way of a default, the Arisen of the District and let the cameras fool you. Though their cults are at odds, the
surrounding metropolitan area number about twenty-four, Arisen tend to work together, and thus there’s little practical
in all. It doesn’t seem like much, especially considering difference between their cults on the macro level.
that mummies aren’t usually active for longer than a year
at a time. The constant flow of relics means frequent calls,
it’s true, and the city itself allows for a particularly long
MERETS OF THE DISTRICT
This section provides an overview of the merets active
Descent. And Washington sees a lot of visitors… within Washington, along with their default Arisen
But it’s still a deceptively low number. Backing each of memberships.
the Arisen are their cults, ranging from a few dozen blue-
blood families based out of Georgetown, to a different man THE KHENT-HENU
on every corner of the Shaw, to an intern in every company First Chorus needs little introduction by this point, but
subcontracting the Department of State. Total it up, and they still consider themselves a meret, and occasionally
you’ve got over a thousand souls in D.C., operating on every even claim to have invented the very concept.
conceivable level of the city, all of them giving tithe to the Members: Seb-Hetchet, Oba-Heshef, Sabola, Tarikh-
banner of the scorpion… whether they know it or not. Sethos, Ur-Qeb
THE NATURE OF THE CITY THE AMARNA LETTERERS
Arisen society in Washington mirrors the political So named after the capital city Pharaoh Akhenaten
culture. In front of the cameras-in front of their cults- created upon his ascension to the throne (thus mirroring
the Arisen are divided by politics and partisanship. Their the creation of Washington), this meret disbanded
cults keep to the rough and uneasy alliances described by during the Third Turn, but their members have reunited.
their merets, casting aspersions, glares, and occasionally Ostensibly, the meret’s goal is to support the Khent-
violence towards their competitors. They’re divided by henu, albeit approaching the topic from a slightly more
Judge worship, by Arisen, by meret, by class, by economic secular angle than the Jackal’s plan. Hebeny has been
status, by geography. Conflict in such an environment isn’t quietly betraying his meret’s aims, stymieing their aid
merely expected, it’s all but necessary. and sabotaging their interactions with the cults of the
The Arisen themselves, though, belong to a unique Khent-henu by introducing misunderstandings, personal
fraternity. Members of the most elite club on the planet, dramas (including engineering the infidelity of Tarikh-
they’ve had long Turns to know one another, and this Sethos’ hierophant with one of Miw-Sher’s followers, the
fosters a fairly incredible sense of community. Even the most scandal publicly damaging their cults), and systematic
quarrelsome amongst them maintain an amicable working inefficiencies. Ur-Zahar’s become aware of this, but as his
relationship. The Cairo Hotel’s massive stoop is a favorite and Hebeny’s goals come to align, he’s kept quiet as well.
place to meet, given it’s proximity to the reason they’re all Members: Ahm-An That, Hebeny, Miw-Sher, Ubaid,
there. Between purposes, the Arisen gather, sitting on the Ur-Zahar
patio and watching the people of Dupont Circle stroll by. Atop
the rooftop of the Cairo, the entirety of the District is visible. THE DISCIPLES OF HAPI
It is here where the Arisen conduct their own congress, the As Hapi is charged with protecting the lungs of the
warm air of Washington flowing over them, thick with heka. deceased, so too the Disciples take charge of the breath
It’s a congress as amiable and polite as the mortal one-don’t of the city. Namely, they ensure that the flow of relics

Merets of the District 41

 remains undisturbed and unceasing. Aziza is largely allied
with Seb-Hetchet, but Rashida is more concerned with
THE HEQ-KHASUT
A newly-formed meret, the “Shepherd Kings” seek
acquiring new scrolls to digitize for the Bennu Initiative.
dominance over the mortal realm, pursuing a parallel but
To that end, their cults focus on the Smithsonian and the
ultimately divergent vision of Irem. Sedge, of course, runs
law enforcement agencies responsible for smuggling items
his machine, trying to manipulate Arisen society by tapping
past customs (chiefly, the fine but chronically underpaid
into other merets, but he also has a stranglehold on the
agents of the Customs and Border Patrol).
flow of guns and drugs coming into the city. Although D.C.
Members: Aziza, Edja, Rashida
doesn’t have much of a gang mentality, Sedge’s cult is spread
across nearly every dispossessed group in the city and in the
city government. Sekhimib, by contrast, tends to focus on
Hand of the Guildmasters the consulates, the historically black universities, and the
medical institutions of the city. Ahmose is most interested
Kanika, Tepemkau, Ur-Qeb, and the White Jackal all in the concerns of the Arab-American immigrants within
possess master-level Guild Affinities (Refined Purity
the city, but generally speaking, he goes along with what
of Purpose, Wisdom from Ruin, Erudite Bastion of
Perfection, and Builder’s Wisdom [see Guildhalls
Sedge asks him to do. Buikhuwati tends to pursue his own
of the Deathless]). Besides providing a benefit eclectic quests, but does a few favors for the other Arisen
to their Arisen, the guild magic radiates outward, in exchange for favors to his meager cult.
affecting everyone—mortals, ghosts, everyone—within Members: Sedge, Ahmose, Buikhuwati, Sekhimib
a diameter of one mile. So long as the Arisen is awake,
this presence affects the District in the following ways:
• The Resources Merit may be purchased with largely
flimsy justifications; additionally, characters may
THE DEATHLESS
Now it’s time to take a look at the notable residents of
cannibalize dots of Morality or Physical Attributes our modern Gothic vision of the Federal City. The meret
to provide experience for raising the Merit. For of your game might have occasion to deal with any or all
the most part, this has engendered materialistic of the personalities describe herein, as the story requires.
corruption and gentrification fueled by withered Note that D.C. has a much larger number of visiting and
geriatric patriarchs. transient Arisen than most cities.
• The minimum manifestation modifier for ghosts or
other beings in Twilight is set to +3. As a reminder,
Amkhata do not roll to manifest. “Weird D.C.” blogs
MASONS
abound the Internet with tales of haunted houses
and the ancient ghosts of Georgetown.
SEB-HETCHET, THE WHITE JACKAL
As far as anyone knows, Seb-Hetchet has not yet
• All Academics rolls, and all Mental rolls that directly arisen. His tomb in the Cairo Hotel remains sealed, the
further Sesha-Hebsu guild business, benefit from marble sigils undisturbed. At least, that’s what Ubaid tells
the 9-again roll. For the most part, this benefits everyone. In reality, the chief Mason of D.C. has left, and
searching for opinions and writings that reinforce
none know where he has gone. Ubaid suspects he is still
ideological purity. From time to time, Washington
within the district, and regularly has his cult monitor the
sees peaks of intellectually-colored jingoism.
Test scores at American, George Washington, amplified power of Arisen magic that signals a Tef-Aabhi
Georgetown, and other colleges spike whenever guildmaster’s presence... but such monitoring is all but
Ur-Qeb is active; this effect has not gone unnoticed obvious to certain Arisen. It is only a short time before the
(see Chapter Three). truth becomes known.
• Whenever the other guildmasters are awake with
See Chapter Five for more information on Seb-Hetchet.
Seb-Hetchet, the total diameter of these effects
equals the number of active participants in miles.
AZIZA, THE VIRTUE OF STONE
As of December 2012, this has set the diameter to Quotes: “He will rise when all else is in place. This was
four miles (three in February 2013, with Tepemkau’s foreseen.”
disappearance); of the Arisen, only Ubaid has Background: If there is only one truth in the cosmos,
noticed this and realized that it likely constitutes a Aziza would say it’s that Irem will return when her
kind of definitive proof of Seb-Hetchet’s arising. guildmaster rises. She has never been a leader in the
Descents that she remembers, but her steadfast faith in
the plan of First Chorus (or her Tef-Aabhi-centric vision of

42 The Washingtonians
it) has caused others to gravitate to her. As whispers pass
through the city that the White Jackal has will not rise
again, she has become a beacon of reassurance with her
unflinching faith that all goes as it should. Such a grand
design can’t go wrong. She is seen almost as a religious
figure or prophet by those within her guild and by members
of the cults of the Tef-Aabhi. Others outside the Tef-Aabhi,
especially those who feel that something has gone wrong in
the city, see her as a hindrance, an obstacle to finding the
truth about why a glorious new Irem has not risen.
Aziza enjoys traveling through the city and admiring the
monuments. She remembers fondly sculpting golden bulls
among the Minoans, as she did the calf statues of Baal. She
has other memories of lost kingdoms in Africa, and some of
Moorish Spain. Some of these seem more like dreams than
memories, but she chooses to embrace them all. While
she has never been a grand visionary or architect, neither
planning cities nor grand monuments, she has always been
one who adds the finishing touches, especially in statuary.
She has always preferred to follow the lead of the true
visionaries among the Tef-Aabhi, though she doesn’t shy
away from the role that this Descent has thrust upon her.
When encountering the newly arisen, she is more than
willing to help, and will quickly reassure them that they
stand on the cusp of the greatest event in the history of
the world. She is extremely protective of the city, its
monuments, and the tombs of all the Arisen who reside
within the area. She will try to take action to prevent Concept: Reticent Resident
anything from changing D.C., other than the completion
or beautification of existing construction. When she Decree: Essence
looks upon the scaffolding surrounding the Washington Judge: Arem-Abfu, the Final Judge
Monument, she sees the chrysalis of a caterpillar, waiting
Guild: Tef-Aabhi
to be shed and reveal the new butterfly of the restored
obelisk. Attributes: Intelligence 4, Wits 2, Resolve 3; Strength 2,
Description: Her sahu is that of a woman of medium Dexterity 2, Stamina 3; Presence 2, Manipulation 2,
height with warm brown skin and dark eyes that are nearly Composure 2
black. Her hair is glossy black, straight and long, and she Skills: Academics 4 (Research), Athletics 3, Crafts 5
prefers to wear it in a braid. She’s fond of loose gowns (Sculpture), Empathy 1, Expression 2, Intimidation 1,
and dresses and sandals, even in cooler weather. Her cult Persuasion 2, Politics 2, Socialize 1, Survival 1 (Sailing)
consists primarily of members of historical preservation
societies, a small architectural tour company and some Merits: Cult (Enterprise; Reach 2, Grasp 1), Guild Status
construction workers. She sometimes wishes that she had (Tef-Aabhi) 3, Language (Arabic, English, Spanish), Relic 2,
more influence and intends to focus on building her cult in Tomb (Geometry 3, Peril [traps] 1, Endowments 1)
preparation for that great day of triumph. Affinities: Guardian Wrath, Model Lifeweb,
Storytelling Hints: Aziza has concerns and doubts; Shrouding Aura
not in the great plan, but in herself. She fears that she Utterances: Palace Knows Its Pharaoh, Rite of the
will run out of Sekhem before the time is right. She does Sacred Scarab
not want to miss a single day of the glory that will come
to her city. While she will vehemently defend D.C., she Pillars: Ab 2, Ba 3, Ka 4, Ren 3, Sheut 2
will also retreat if physical combat is going against her. She Sekhem: 6 (as of early 2014)
will gladly ally herself with anyone who believes that Seb-
Willpower: 5
Hetchet’s vision can be realized.

Masons 43
 Memory: 6
Virtue: Faith (Aziza believes that the vision of a successor
Irem will come true—further, she believes that the designs of
the Tef-Aabhi, the monuments that they create, will resonate
throughout eternity—that the promise of an eternal paradise
will be realized when it is built.)
Vice: Pride (Aziza is beyond certain in her beliefs. She refus-
es utterly to concede points that would violate her faith. Even
in a distant life in ancient Crete, she did not believe that the
volcano of Thera would destroy what was created. This flaw
has proven her downfall in the past, and may do so again.)
Initiative: 4
Defense: 2
Speed: 9
Size: 5
Armor: 0
Health: 8
Notes: Aziza almost always carries a small hammer and
chisel somewhere on her person. She has also come to en-
joy capturing images on a smart phone, though she needs
help from her cult to manipulate the images. She favors
large purses to carry any items she might need.

BUIKHUWATI Washington to partake in Seb-Hetchet’s vision, but also to

Quotes: “In every age, there is complacency. Man must not
add his personal touch to the work. A single sculpture or
lie down and be content with what he has, what he is. Art fires painting may not itself last forever, but the ideas it inspires
the mind, and finds in the spirit a spark to ignite.” “What is live on through generations. In particular, the idea that
forever? I will make it a monument to realized potential.” ordinary things hold the potential to become vestiges or
Background: Each Descent finds Buikhuwati (or Bu, relics intrigues and fascinates him, and he specializes in
to his friends) driven to inspire others, to shake up the creating improvisational artworks with everyday objects.
status quo and to lead mortals to ever-greater heights of True to form, however, Buikhuwati often finds himself
spiritual progress through art and creative works that defy rebelling against the Judges’ decrees to uncover his past.
established systems. From what he remembers of the distant The memory of a woman with laughter like honey and eyes
past—which, more often than not, he believes is more than like a sunrise drifts through the haze of many a Descent,
many of his compatriots—during the third Sothic Turn, often prompting him to take detours from his Purpose to
upon hearing that the great Library at Alexandria had been try and find out who she is and why she is so important.
destroyed, he gathered up a group of pagans who had been To that end, he scours the dark corners of the city, stalking
turned out of their homes and temples by the coming of the the hidden places, seeking out oases and winding his way
Christian Empire. He created an underground movement through twisting mirages to catch a glimpse of the woman
which defied Constantinople with subversive anti-Christian who haunts him.
public art. Although his cult was hunted and persecuted, Description: Buikhuwati is a wiry, athletic, dark-skinned
he kept his people united as they sowed seeds of creative man with black hair arranged in long dreadlocks and a neatly
rebellion and performed the Judges’ work. trimmed beard. He usually wears a smile and has a habit of
Buikhuwati believes that humanity guided by the will of offering a kind word to people he passes on the street.
the judges and the hands of the Arisen can reach an Irem Storytelling Hints: Bu’s on a constant mission. He’s
reborn, rather than a new Irem. Through progress and the set his cult to scouring the city for both the woman he’s
gradual enlightening of the collective human soul, humanity seeking and for mirages, so he can track her down. His
will surpass the vision of ancient grandeur. He came to mission consumes him when it doesn’t interfere with his

44 The Washingtonians
purpose. His joining the meret is a purely mercenary move; Background: The Howard University College of
he occasionally helps Sekhimib with guild business, and Medicine was founded in 1868 to provide a black
Sedge keeps his cultists well-kept when he doesn’t. He institution of learning and medicine in response to the
enjoys leaping from rooftop to rooftop, and engages in District’s growing population of freed slaves. The college
what modern street parlance would deem parkour. was able to form the academic institution due to an
Concept: Sculptor of the Extraordinary extremely generous grant from an anonymous donor in
Decree: Spirit exchange for a few (odd, but not untenable) demands. Of
course, this was never about generosity. This was an Arisen
Judge: Neheb-Nefert, the Beautiful One playing the long game.
Guild: Tef-Aabhi Sekhimib is a Flesh Mason—a member of the secretive
collective of Tef-Aabhi who have grasped the idea that if
Attributes: Intelligence 4, Wits 3, Resolve 2; Strength
humanity creates heka, then humanity can be crafted to
3, Dexterity 4, Stamina 2; Presence 2, Manipulation 2,
create a higher quality of heka. To that end, they seek to
Composure 3
create monuments of humanity—first using eugenics, and
Skills: Academics 1, Athletics 3 (Leaping), Crafts (Street now the primal construct of the genetic code. They wish to
Art) 3, Empathy 2, Expression 1, Investigation 3, Larceny grasp the primal self-magic of the human race and channel
(Sleight of Hand) 2, Occult 2, Persuasion 1, Stealth 1, Sur- it through the flesh, not through crude monuments.
vival 2, Weaponry (Improvised Weapons) 3 As long as he’s been able to remember—and he can
Merits: Guild Status 1 (Tef-Aabhi), Cult (Conspiracy: Reach remember pretty far back, for one of his kind—Sekhimib
1, Grasp 3, Blasé), Tomb 3 (Geometry 2, Prime Location), loved people-watching. How a person was working was so
Language 1 (Greek, Coptic Egyptian) much more interesting to him than what they were actually
doing. Were they distracted? Worried? Anxious? Bored?
Affinities: Living in Now, Model Lifeweb, Anointed Prow- Excited? Dedicated? The possibilities were endless. This
ess, Falcon Soul Aloft was why Sekhimib found himself in the Tef-Aabhi, and
Utterances: Palace Knows Its Pharaoh, Dust Beneath Feet later with the Flesh Masons. When he great cosmopolitan
Pillars: Ab 1, Ba 3, Ka 3, Ren 1, Sheut 1 cities of the world became his stalking grounds. Sekhimib
and his cult walked them—Istanbul, Angora, Anyang—
Sekhem: 7 (as of early 2014) cataloguing how blood and culture warped the heka of a
Willpower: 5 city. In July 1853, the Author had left his makeshift tomb
on Dejima Island in Japan with the help of a native cult to
Memory: 4
observe the isolationist heka of Edo (so different from the
Virtue: Faith (Bu believes in his purpose, in the Lifeweb, in culture and peoples of the City of Pillars!) only to witness
the Pillars of Azar, and the connections of living things. He Commodore Perry’s ships steam into the bay. From the
holds faith that his ideas will last.) sailors who landed after bombarding the city, he learned of
Vice: Pride (He takes great pride in his works of art and his the city of Washington, and knew it was the work of one
efforts to spread messages to inspire others, often creating of his guild.
without considering any consequences.) It took another decade for him to reach the district
(being one of the only Arisen to circumnavigate the globe
Initiative: 5 before air travel was invented) but Sekhimib instantly
Defense: 2 grasped Seb-Hetchet’s aim and the other Mason’s purpose.
Speed: 10 How could he not? The visage of Irem was obvious, but
Seb-Hetchet was always coy about his end game, and
Size: 5 Sekhimib had seen enough of the world to know what that
Armor: 0 meant. Yet he threw his wholehearted support behind Seb-
Hetchet—the guildmaster’s work amplified and regulated
Health: 7
the heka of the land, and the Author was nearly ready to
Notes: If you’re utilizing Parkour Merits, Bu has all of them. put his plans into fruition. His cultists have, for decades,
sought out the remnants of the diaspora of old Irem—the
SEKHIMIB, THE BODY CANVAS people those in the colonies became after the city itself
Quote: “Have you tried this? It’s yirgacheffe, from Ethiopia… sank into the sands (or did it? Sekhimib can’t remember).
exquisite. I love to drink it when I’m watching people. You should Sekhimib knew them well; his own family lived far away,
try it. The watching, I mean. But also the coffee.” even as he served the Shan’iatu in Irem.

Masons 45
 shaping their genes, rather than the other way around.
When the Rite goes forward, the people will remember
who they were. Irem will be reborn in the most literal
sense imaginable, the minds of the people shattering and
transforming into a form pleasing to the Judges. When the
Rite goes forth, Sekhimib will ensure the people bow and
worship. And he fully intends to the one they bow to when
that day comes. On that day, he will embrace the woman
he knows to be his mate, and they will be a family again.
Description: Sekhimib tends to grin a lot under his
sunglasses. They hide his constantly-darting eyes, trying to
take in virtually every aspect of the scene. He’s huge, one
of the tallest among the Arisen, a big Nubian male topping
six-foot-five, with a girth to match.
Roleplaying Hints: Sekhimib loves this city, and he
likes people. How not? Can’t they see how glorious they
are? People simply living and existing in an area entrances
him, to the point where he can’t help but watch and smile.
Despite his gregarious and modern nature, he’s very much
a follower of the Judges. This world has forgotten their
true masters, and they’ve even forgotten who they are. But
their bodies haven’t, and that’s how he’ll bring them back
to the Judges.
Abilities:
Academics (••••• ••••• ••)
Being an immortal patron of a university has several
advantages, like free tuition. Sekhimib’s supernaturally
In the 1960s, his cults engineered the placement of potent Intelligence during an early Descent allowed him
refugee visas, while Howard University became a prime to easily grasp his studies. Sekhimib could easily achieve
international destination for black students. Slowly, but doctoral status in architecture, postcolonial studies and
surely, certain individuals from Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, sociology, and is fully capable of discoursing (at length) on
and Somalia trickle into D.C., receive their green cards, those topics and a dozen more.
and grow into a community. Now, when Sekhimib sips Socialize (••••• ••••)
his coffee and smiles at the denizens of the streets, it Sekhimib’s a lover of fine coffees; their aroma tends to
nearly feels like home. So much, in fact, that he strongly cling to his skin. He loves few things more than a chat over
believes he’s found a descendent of his mortal daughter. a cuppa, and tends to be quite talkative when caffeinated.
His hierophant Galbreath hasn’t confirmed the genetics, Doing this for several centuries, he’s gotten fairly good at it.
of course, but Sekhimib knows she is of his blood. In her Brawl (••••• •••)
face, he can see the cheekbones of his wife, the eyes of Sekhimib is a big and powerful man, even amongst the
his daughter. She works for Homeland Security in Rosslyn, Arisen. He learned the sweet science in past Turns, and
and every day he is awake, Sekhimib watches her as she traveling across the world only gave him ample opportu-
goes to work. He ponders if his love’s soul would be so nity to use it. He’s glad to tolerate all manner of verbal
fortunate to be reincarnated in his mortal bloodline. abuse, but threaten him physically, and he’ll smile as he
Sekhimib doesn’t see the Rite as a means to recreate the pounds you senseless.
city, he sees the Rite as a catalyst to revitalize the people.
The Fate of Irem cannot be avoided with blocks of stone, UBAID, THE RIGHT HAND OF GLORY
but with the blood of a people. This is why Sekhimib has Quotes: “Just wait a little longer. Once Seb-Hetchet
embraced the African- and Arab-American groups within arises, he’ll clarify matters for you. Until then, accept my
the city—they are the last remnants of the people who recommendation in his stead.”
populated Irem. It’s his theory that an attempt to alter the Background: Ubaid, the hand of his master. Ubaid,
Fate through the city itself will instead cause the people forever denied his rightful place. He was a true leader in
to recall their true nature as Iremite citizens—the heka previous Turns, taking charge of his meret in the city of

46 The Washingtonians
Amarna, where Akhenaten made his seat. Hebeny tells
Ubaid that they left the city when their cultists were
abused by the ruler’s monotheist cronies, and Ubaid takes
this story as truth. Hebeny recalls the true reason they
parted ways—both mummies were both in love with Miw-
Sher, and she returned Ubaid’s overtures but not Hebeny’s.
This is a slight mischaracterization, as Miw-Sher had been
romantic with both men over different Turns, but Hebeny
isn’t one to forgive in any event.
If you asked Ubaid to name his true love, he’d likely
say it’s his duty to Seb-Hetchet. He first met Seb-Hetchet
in Persepolis in 420 BCE, when the city was the capital
of the Achaemenid Empire. Even then, the Arisen who
would become the White Jackal was a visionary, and Ubaid
was enchanted by the other mummy’s vigor. He believed
that the future of the Judges was in the other Tef-Aabhi’s
hands, and swore he would work with him when the time
came. Of course, he only remembers the vow and his title
as the Right Hand of Glory, not the circumstances that
spawned it.
When Ubaid achieved enough Memory to remember
what his title truly meant, it was 1922. Ubaid’s cult had
been intertwined with the sultanate for years; when
Mehmed and the Ottomans fell, Ubaid found himself
exiled from Istanbul. By sheer coincidence, he was met by
a Kurdish woman, Oznur Murad, the Sadikh of Sekhimib.
Recognizing the signs of the scorpion cult, she made an
offer to the displaced mummy, to emigrate to Washington. earned him guildmaster ranking in any other city, the
When Ubaid heard the name of Seb-Hetchet, he could not White Jackal refused to initiate Ubaid into the highest
help but agree. mysteries. As nomarchs, they blocked every petition to
His arrival in Washington was not the welcome he’d formally increase the number of guildmasters within the
hoped for. The Jackal’s fondness for him had cooled; city. Ubaid was left handling many of the menial tasks of
while Ubaid was welcomed into a place of prominence, maintaining the city.
he struggled to act as Seb-Hetchet’s second in the nome But now, the White Jackal is gone, and for once the
while rebuilding his cult. Despite Murad’s dedication to Khent-henu is as much in the dark as he. Their fragmented
Sekhimib, she found time to aid him in the endeavor of memory prevents them from realizing just how little regard
establishing a new cult in populous Washington, an act that Ubaid had within the city, however. Ubaid has quietly
first endeared her to him and eventually stole his heart. assumed the position of nomarch, adjudicating matters
She even helped him acquire a number of cultists in the within his guild in the absence of the master. He wonders
beleaguered Republican Party, a legacy strategy that paid what will happen when Seb-Hetchet does return. He now
enormous dividends a half-century later in 1980, and again wonders if he wants Seb-Hetchet to return…
in 1994. Even now, many of his most prominent priests Description: Olive-skinned with a slight build and
work as chiefs of staff to dozens of moderately conservative long dark hair, Ubaid does his best to maintain a youthful
senators and representatives. He knows that Sekhimib still appearance, but he was approaching middle age when he
carries Oznur Murad’s name deep within him, after her was made Deathless. Still, he’s an incorrigible flirt, and many
death in the fire that slew the cultist conclave in the Omni women have acquiesced to his charms over the centuries.
Hotel in 1996. His guild-mate knows of his ardor; the price Roleplaying Hints: Loathe as he is to admit it, Ubaid is
he’ll exact on Ubaid for her resurrection is one he ponders a romantic. He’s loved Miw-Sher and Sekhimib’s Sadikh
with dread, but knows he’ll pay gladly. over the millennia. What Ubaid truly wants is a noble
Yet these distractions could not hide the fact that ending to his story: one where he suffers as a neglected
Seb-Hetchet kept his own council, or that of his meret’s. second all these years, but finally takes the place of his
Even once Ubaid had performed duties that would have delinquent guildmaster to the showering praise of all.

Masons 47
 Abilities:
Bureaucracy (••••• •••)
Ubaid knows the workings of D.C.’s political machinery
from an administrative level better than most other Arisen
in the capital. His breadth of knowledge is hardly likely
to ever make another mummy kneel in awe, but it fulfills
a very important function for his cult and any Deathless
blessed with gracing his inner circle. Namely, permits,
forms, licenses, and access to restricted areas—Ubaid can
obtain all of these, knows how to snip his way through the
red tape and can manipulate the machine to slow others
down, when necessary.
Hide in Plain Sight (•••••)
Unsuspecting Arisen would be unlikely to suspect Ubaid
of a great proficiency for stealth. Certainly he has never felt
a propensity for grooming such a talent, yet unknowingly
he has developed the ability to hide in plain sight at a level
comparable to the most efficient assassins. The peculiar
outcome of this expertise is his going unnoticed even in
rooms filled with his Deathless peers, despite his attempts
to receive recognition and respect. Such a specialty has
been conditioned in Ubaid via the White Jackal’s low
esteem and ignorance. If Ubaid ever realized the talent he
possessed, he could potentially put it to lethal use.
Persuasion (•••• ••)
Another skill Ubaid has yet to use to full effect and few
would suspect him of possessing is the gift of persuasion.
His usage of persuasion on mortals and historically his in), and it was the River who pointed out the sheer amount
immortal paramours has been largely restricted to the act of money to be made from the Southern Strategy. Tarikh-
of seduction, but quite naturally he finds himself greasing Sethos almost single-handedly built the Mesen-Nebu into
the cogs of government through his words and actions, the most powerful guild in the most powerful city in the
along with those of his cult. Ubaid knows how to pitch a world, and by the Judges, he made his city love all that
good deal without making it sound like a deal is even being glitters and the power that courses down the river of gold.
brokered. What he proposes just makes logical sense. Tarikh-Sethos should be proud of these accomplishments.
He should be proud of the glittering monument he’s built.
ALCHEMISTS As the Acherusian Wine courses through his blood and
bones, it carries the talismanic magic with it, and he knows
TARIKH-SETHOS, THE RIVER OF GOLD these things he’s done. But without Memory, there is
Quotes: “We built this city. We paid its price. We will see no importance, no pride. He may as well be reading the
this vision come to pass.” accomplishments of some other grand and terrible mummy.
Background: Tarikh-Sethos has a lot riding on Seb- And he wonders why he should care.
Hetchet’s vision—altogether too much, to hear him tell The talisman records other things, as well. The behavior
it. It was the River that helped usher K Street into a hub of his fellow Arisen. The long talks with Seb-Hetchet, and
of industry and lobbying over the past century, seeing the strain in the White Jackal’s voice year after year, failure
immense success over the last thirty years. It was the River after failure. The talisman records the sacrifices the River’s
who funneled money through the Senate and the House, had to make in order to fund this dream of Irem. But now,
who fueled the concoction of the modern media campaign he beholds more debt being bought up by foreign countries
and the very concept of an electoral war chest—at least, (and, he wonders, foreign Arisen?). He sees funds poured
how to fill it up they way they are nowadays. It was the into the campaigns of candidates espousing ideological
River who funded the smears against Jefferson (he was purity, ones who resist the “corruption” of the city and the
pretty proud of the idea that Jefferson would build an wonders carried along the river of gold by the principles of
“Egyptian” temple in front of the Capitol to have orgies Dedwen. His talisman tells him they arise from those same

48 The Washingtonians
strategies he crafted long ago, and he wonders if purity Affinities: Blessed Catalyst, Divine Flesh, Entombed Glory,
simply isn’t what it’s cracked up to be. Equivalency Principle, Gift of Truth, Rouse the Khaibit
Tarikh-Sethos was the first to arise this cycle, and he’s Utterances: Doom Affliction, Dust Beneath Feet, Power of
had nearly a decade to watch the city grow more and more Re, Words of Dead Hunger
intransigent. People are corrupted by the city’s temptations
every day, it’s true, but they give so little back—or worse, Pillars: Ab 2, Ba 4, Ka 2, Ren 4, Sheut 5
want to tear the city down to the foundations. The River Sekhem: 5 (as of early 2014)
has come to the conclusion that the Mystery has no answer
Willpower: 10
worth knowing. There is nothing beautiful in purity, and
the undeserved receive so much in this town. The values Memory: 3
of this age are worthless. Virtue: Fortitude
He wonders if the Sesha-Hebsu would have him, after all
Vice: Pride
he’s done. He’s made a few tentative inquiries to Hebeny
about what the Bennu Initiative could do with, say, roughly Initiative: 5
$80 million in the form of a charitable donation. But for Defense: 3
all that, he has no idea how he’d go about being a Closed
Book—so he’s been on the lookout for a transient to the Speed: 11
city who might teach him, if quietly. Size: 5
Description: Tarikh-Sethos looks every inch the archetypal
Armor: 0
Mesen-Nebu. His white hair is kept close-cropped, as is his
equally-white beard, both contrasting with deeply-lined, Health: 8
tanned skin. He wears a Quantum Limited Edition watch, Notes: No equipment when newly arisen.
Italian suits—as always, it’s less about the actual cost than
the trends that bespeak quality. But lately, his suits are looking
a tad ragged, and if there’s a speck of dirt on his shoes, well,
AHMOSE “YUSIF MAHSIN”
Quotes: “Where is true value found? Have we forgotten
Tarikh-Sethos doesn’t spare the effort to clean it. that we must always change?”
Roleplaying Hints: You really, truly, absolutely, do not Background: From the scraps of memories that he
give a shit anymore. You’ve become convinced that the recalls, Ahmose believes that he was a traveler and a
true value in the world is leaking out. You’ve been thinking trader in his original life, seeking out rare spices, elixirs and
that maybe it’s being dispersed to a place you can’t see, but metals and discovering the means of transforming them
you don’t know much of anything for sure. You’ve built a to produce value. During the early period of the Abbasid
giant gilded cage of bullshit and lies, and it makes you sick Caliphate, he experienced his own transformation and
to think too long on it. You’ve become judgmental enough began to sway from the paths of the Judges and explore
about your creation that you’re actually considering Islamic teaching. The wealth and creativity of the golden
jumping ship to another guild, but some last lingering hold age of the caliphate impacted his worldview and he gained
on your philosophy stops you from doing so. a great admiration for Abbasid traders and their ability to
Concept: Disillusioned Master of Dedwen gather and move wealth from Spain to China. He even has
Decree: Shadow a strong respect for Islam as a religion, and if it weren’t for
fear of what the Su-Menent and the Judges might do to
Judge: Nebha, the Flame
him, he would at least consider trying to convert in earnest.
Guild: Mesen-Nebu He prefers to use the name Yusif Mahsin instead of
Attributes: Intelligence 4, Wits 3, Resolve 5; Strength Ahmose, as he feels it better represents who he is now.
2, Dexterity 2, Stamina 3; Presence 4, Manipulation 2, He also has holdings and assets under the name of Joseph
Composure 5 Mason, since many families of European ancestry feel more
comfortable with a non-Arab name.
Skills: Academics 2, Athletics 1, Crafts 5 (Alchemy), Empa- As word spread across nomes of the grand experiments
thy 1, Expression 3, Firearms 1, Intimidation 2, Investigation of the Tef-Aabhi of Washington, D.C., Yusif relocated his
3, Larceny 1, Occult 5, Persuasion 2, Politics 4 (Campaign cult out of a desire to learn more. He has aligned himself
Finance), Science 3 (Physics), Socialize 5, Streetwise 2 with Kanika. For the most part, she leaves Yusif and his
Merits: Cult (Enterprise; Reach 5, Grasp 3), Guild Sta- cult alone, as she has been working on her preparations to
tus (Mesen-Nebu) 5, Tomb (Geometry 4, Peril [traps] 4; abandon the city, should the great rite of Seb-Hetchet fail.
Haunted; Prime Location), Resources 5 He prefers it this way.

Alchemists 49
 that the FBI has put him on a watch list; he has also been
told that charities which he has supported have had their
assets frozen by the American government due to possible
“terrorist links.” He finds the state of affairs more annoying
than terrifying, but he worries for his cultists, many of
whom come from families which hail from the Middle East.
His tomb is located in the D.C. suburb of Loudon
County, Virginia, and his cult rents a number of offices in
Northern Virginia and in Washington proper.
Description: His sahu takes the form of a tall, lanky
man with a Middle Eastern complexion and dark hair
with more than a few wayward curls. He prefers to wear
tailored suits and almost always travels with an entourage
of cultists. When he uses the Divine Flesh Affinity, his skin
becomes silver.
Storytelling Hints: You love talking and debating
philosophy almost as much as discovering a new trade
opportunity. You appreciate other Arisen and actively seek
their company for pleasant conversation, while keeping
your business matters to yourself. You often spend time in
the coffee shops of D.C. and are as likely to be seen talking
with the Sesha-Hebsu as with your own guild members.
While not impolite, you try to avoid the Su-Menent,
as their devotion to the Judges sometimes makes you
uncomfortable.
New experiences appeal to you. You secretly want to try
something impulsive and irrational. You also think it would
Yusif maintains a vast cult which conducts smuggling be exciting to try and fall in love. Ultimately, you want to
and black market trading, as well as more legal pursuits in be alive.
D.C. He doesn’t see laws that prevent him from discovering Concept: Alchemical Philosopher
new wealth or finding transformation to be worth obeying. Decree: Spirit
Recently, he has considered whether this should hold true
for the rules of the Arisen. He has recently discovered that Judge: Heraf-Het, Whose Face Is Behind It
he doesn’t want to be trapped as a mummy forever. With Guild: Mesen-Nebu
modern science and the vast repositories of knowledge found
Attributes: Intelligence 4, Wits 3, Resolve 3; Strength
in computers, he believes that a new way to combine magic
and science will allow him to experience a metamorphosis 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3; Presence 4, Manipulation 4,
and become something far more than he is now. Composure 3
For these reasons, he maintains close ties to the Sesha- Skills: Academics 3 (History), Athletics 2, Brawl 1, Crafts
Hebsu and the Maa Kep. He believes that their aid has 3 (Alchemy), Empathy 3, Expression 1, Intimidation 2,
been invaluable to him on multiple occasions. He also Investigation 1, Occult 2, Persuasion 4, Politics 2, Socialize
participates in the Amkhata hunts on the Beltway 3, Subterfuge 3
whenever possible. He has no desire to complete his
Merits: Cult (Enterprise; Reach 5, Grasp 3), Guild Status
current Descent before he must. He believes that he
(Mesen-Nebu) 4, Languages 3, Tomb (Geometry 4, Peril
needs to seize the opportunities presented. Quietly, he also
[curse] 2), Vestige 2
encourages and supports Sedge’s efforts. He believes that
Sedge probably understands true change best, while others Affinities: Divine Flesh, Equivalency Principle, Familiar
clutch at pointless traditions. The one certainty in the Face, Living in Now, Nihilist Awakening
world is change, and he doesn’t understand why so many Utterances: Obedient Clay, Palace Knows Its Pharaoh
Arisen can’t see it.
One of his greatest concerns is the way that Americans Pillars: Ab 3, Ba 4, Ka 2, Ren 2, Sheut 3
treat people from the Islamic World. His cult has told him Sekhem: 6 (as of early 2014)

50 The Washingtonians
Willpower: 6 only construction companies but government lobbyists.
Memory: 4 Foreign countries employed her cult’s services to lobby for
international aid and to influence global affairs.
Virtue: Hope (Yusif has an eternal optimism. He believes For her own part, she took advantage of her Descents to ally
that there is always something new to discover and that herself with as many Arisen as she could. While the Khent-
even the worst situation can be transformed into something henu concentrated on geomancy, she maneuvered herself into
positive.) a position of greater and greater importance. Soon, the envoy
Vice: Greed (Despite his ideals, Yusif has a strong desire for came to rely on her assistance when resources were needed to
the better things in life. He wants prestige and possessions. help new residents or visitors. By 1990, she was recognized as
Although he isn’t even aware of it on a conscious level, he a guildmaster, earning the title of Asem.
secretly wants others to envy him, at least a little.) She and her cult now shared the vision of the Khent-
henu. There was no denying the flow of Heka within the
Initiative: 6
District itself. Kanika enjoyed her extended Descents. She
Defense: 3 could see where Seb-Hetchet might succeed in creating a
Speed: 10 successor Irem, and if so, then she wished to be part of such
a grand experiment. She saw herself as an ally of the Khent-
Size: 5 henu and wanted nothing more than to become one of them.
Armor: 0 When she re-established her tomb in the neighborhood
Health: 8 surrounding American University in Northwest, D.C., close
to the nearby embassies, she was pleased.
Notes: Yusif enjoys his tailored suits and prefers to wear During her first Descent of the 21st Century, her view
silver watches and rings. He carries his vestige, an ancient began to change. The atmosphere of the city was different
coin, with him at all times. after 9/11, and she was certain that she could feel the
change. As she studied the state of the world, she realized
KANIKA, THE TWICE-ARISEN that the United States economy was poised for a fall. With
Quotes: “If one is wise, one seizes opportunity—wherever the debt spiraling out of control and the failures of leaders
and whenever one can.” to consider the need for population growth to sustain their
Background: Many centers of civilization—Thebes, pensions, America’s position in the world was untenable.
Babylon, Alexandria, Rome, Constantinople, Baghdad, Washington, D.C. no longer appeared to be the world
Paris, London—have been home to Kanika. Throughout capital of the future.
the centuries, she and her cult have traveled in search Kanika has made contacts in Asia; in particular, Hong
of a new Irem, a new world capital. When she originally Kong and Mumbai. She believes that China with its
learned about the scheme of the Khent-henu to establish growing economic power and massive population will soon
themselves in the United States, she scoffed. She had rise to pre-eminence and that once it does, Beijing may
herself well-established in the London nome at the heart of become the de facto world capital for centuries. If China
the British Empire. Queen Victoria was the most powerful does not rise, she suspects India and most likely, Mumbai,
monarch of her time, and Kanika was fully prepared to will become the center of world affairs. Either way, a move
welcome the next Sothic Turn in London. to Beijing or Hong Kong (either will do, though she leans
Unfortunately, she awoke in the 1940s to find her tomb towards the former) will position herself to take advantage
collapsed during the Blitz. In the aftermath of the chaos, of massive opportunities. To that end, she has dispatched
she became one of the many emigrants from Europe to the cultists to China for nearly a decade to make preparations,
United States. Opportunity had passed over the British and will command guild business to her own ambition. She
Empire. She decided that the vision of the Khent-henu is waiting only for the rise of Seb-Hetchet to determine
had been far clearer than her own, and the rise of America if the dream of the Khent-henu has any value to her. If
in world affairs was indisputable. Washington was fated to it doesn’t, she’s leaving, and taking everything she can
be her city. When she arrived, she did everything possible with her. Her cult will retain its connections to the U.S.
she could to establish herself in the Washington nome. government, but it will be long past time for her to claim
The economy blossomed after the war and her investments her place in the Beijing nome. Transformation is at the
in both construction and government contracts brought heart of alchemy, after all.
profits for her cult. Her cult members took advantage of Her impending departure is not a secret. She has used
every opportunity they could, and soon, she owned not it as a threat and a negotiating point. Instead of trying to

Alchemists 51
 when someone who has wronged you comes crawling back
to beg your forgiveness.
Concept: Itinerant Soul
Decree: Heart
Judge: Neheb-Ka, the One Who Unifies
Guild: Mesen-Nebu
Attributes: Intelligence 4, Wits 3, Resolve 4; Strength
2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3; Presence 4, Manipulation 4,
Composure 3
Skills: Academics 2 (History), Athletics 1, Brawl 1, Empa-
thy 3, Expression 2, Intimidation 3, Investigation 2, Larceny
2, Occult 2, Persuasion 4, Politics 3, Socialize 4, Stealth 3,
Streetwise 1, Subterfuge 3
Merits: Cult (Enterprise; Reach 4, Grasp 4), Guild Status
(Mesen-Nebu) 5, Languages (Arabic, English, French,
Mandarin), Tomb (Geometry 4, Peril [Traps] 1)
Affinities: Divine Countenance, Divine Flesh, Glorious
Mien, Miraculous Benefactor, Refined Purity of Purpose
Utterances: Blessed is the God-King, Dreams of Dead
Gods
Pillars: Ab 4, Ba 2, Ka 3, Ren 2, Sheut 3
Sekhem: 8 (as of early 2014)
Willpower: 7
support the city and the vision of the Khent-henu, she is Memory: 3
now focused on herself and her cult.
All things change. Virtue: Prudence (Kanika believes in positioning her assets
Description: In her last Descent, Kanika became one of and planning to take advantage of every opportunity like a
the Twice-Arisen, her souls taking residence in the body of successful investor.)
a young Han woman. Nobody’s entirely sure what caused Vice: Wrath (Kanika has always felt that those who interfere
this to happen, and the cultists who performed the ritual with her plans deserve to suffer. She takes pride in her ability
are now dead. Now, she appears as an attractive woman harm her enemies, preferring to destroy their resources or crush
of Chinese descent, and her low Memory means her sahu their social standing so they cannot interfere in the future.)
does little to correct this. She prefers to wear jewelry made
of white jade. A glittering golden sheen graces her skin, Initiative: 6
which changes to pure gold if she needs to protect herself. Defense: 3
Storytelling Hints: You remain always ready to help and Speed: 10
assist other Arisen, regardless of their guild. Your position
relies primarily on your generosity, and you prefer to be Size: 5
liked. You are a social chameleon with a preference for the Armor: 0
finer things in life. You look others in the eye and carry
Health: 8
yourself with confidence. Everything is about building
opportunities for yourself, now and in the future. The help Notes: Kanika worries more about her appearance than
you provide may seem free, but everything has a cost. You having any relics or special items with her. She does have
expect favors in return for your help. Usually, this is easy cultists who serve as her bodyguards, and they are trained
enough, but those who aren’t ready to help you will become in unarmed combat as well as firearms. They keep guns in
targets of your anger. You tend to attack rivals through the home above her tomb, but usually rely on fighting skills
buying off or manipulating members of their cults. You rather than risk issues for carrying guns around this particu-
attack assets, not individuals. You find a special enjoyment lar city.

52 The Washingtonians
 has learned. Other Sesha-Hebsu see Ur-Qeb as a true
SCRIBES devotee of the Word. Unlike some members of his guild,
he gladly shares information with all Arisen. He is a strong
UR-QEB, THE CONQUERING QUILL proponent of the Bennu Initiative, a movement among the
Quote: “The value of patience cannot be overestimated. Sesha-Hebsu to digitize ancient texts.
Watch, and you will learn.” He has also been trusted with Seb-Hetchet’s secrets. If
Background: Ur-Qeb has always believed that history is anyone knows what Seb-Hetchet had planned, if anyone
not just created in a moment, but rather it is determined has the knowledge to replace him, it would be Ur-Qeb.
by how that moment is remembered. He longs to be part Yet, he has revealed nothing. He knows that there must be
of something important, something eternal. Seb-Hetchet’s a reason, perhaps one that he doesn’t remember. He will be
vision of a successor to Irem intrigued him centuries ago. patient and wait. He will remember, eventually.
He recalls fondly discussing Irem and gathering together as Description: When most people first look at Ur-Qeb,
many details as possible with Seb-Hetchet through many they see a shabbily-dressed dark-skinned man who might
lifetimes. He believes that he was the one who suggested be one of D.C.’s homeless. He dresses poorly and often
that all guilds must play a part in crafting this dream, and is confused for one of the city’s homeless population.
that he helped found the Khent-henu. However, his dark eyes are keen and his manner is
Now, he waits. His friend has not returned from his confident. He has seen many things over the ages and very
deathsleep. The Sothic Turn is upon them, and the others little bothers him anymore. He takes time out to protect
grow disenchanted and impatient. While he has questions the forgotten people and reserves a special kindness for the
and doubts, as all scribes must, Ur-Qeb knows the value mentally ill. While some might believe he takes pity on
of patience. them, he actually enjoys talking to the disturbed as he finds
His most distant memory involves watching a young their observations fascinating and believes that they may
scorpion climbing a sand dune while the wind was blowing. understand secret truths.
Several times the creature was buried, but managed to Storytelling Hints: You are distant around other Arisen.
reach the surface of the sand. It moved forward and slipped You listen more than you speak, and when you do talk,
back. His shadow struck it once and the scorpion moved you speak in measured tones. You don’t worry about how
back in fear. It stopped many times, and he still watched. you dress and don’t judge others by appearances. While
When the light was fading and the scorpion made it over you are happy to share knowledge, you don’t like questions
the dune, Ur-Qeb was satisfied. about your past. You know that you had conflicts with Seb-
In past times, he was more involved in actively Hetchet in other Descents, but you have faith in him.
manipulating events in the mortal world. He came to the You know that your presence inspires others to achieve
aid of the mad and the helpless, such as widows and old greater understanding. You spread the power of the Word
women without husbands. They gathered around him and with your mere presence, so you like to take walks. Your
became his cult. Sadly, tales reached religious authorities of cult might not be readily apparent, but they are never far
women being visited by a man with skin the color of soot. He from you. Police officers, joggers, homeless people, and
was accused of being the Devil, and as his power waned, his political interns around you all may belong to your cult.
cultists were tortured to death or burned at the stake. You judge others almost exclusively by their intellect and
If this had only happened once, he might have ignored it, open-mindedness.
but the same circumstances occurred in at least two of his You are willing to dress up for events like grand conclaves,
Descents, once in Europe and another in the New England and you take your role as guildmaster very seriously. The
colonies. It wasn’t until after the events of the second members of your guild are your younger brothers and
happened that he remembered the first. He now fears that sisters, your peers in the pursuit of knowledge. Despite this,
no matter how well intentioned his actions, he may only you tend to leave them to solve their own issues. You justify
cause pain and suffering. So, he has chosen to remove this by telling yourself that solving their own problems
himself as much as possible and to observe and record. helps them to grow, but in truth, there is a part of you that
Ironically, his devotion to observation and his desire simply is afraid to act.
to record events has fueled his rise in importance to his You feel the burden of knowing Seb-Hetchet’s plans, but
guild. He has gained a reputation for meticulous record- you are patience itself, in all things.
keeping. He spends his days wandering around the city, Concept: The Silent Voice
using his abilities to improve the educational level of the
places he roams, wordlessly inspiring. At night, he spends Decree: Name
hours writing, notating and recording everything that he Judge: Usekh-Nemtet, the First Judge

Scribes 53
 Virtue: Prudence (Ur-Qeb has enough patience to watch a
sand dune move grain by grain from one place to another.
He refuses to let the Descent dictate his actions, secure in
his knowledge that acting in the right way at the right time is
always better than acting from desperation.)
Vice: Sloth (Ur-Qeb has been an observer for so long that
he has forgotten and even fears to act. What if he would be
the one to make a mistake and change the course of events?
He is far more confident to observe and reserve judgment
until it no longer matters.)
Initiative: 7
Defense: 2
Speed: 9
Size: 5
Armor: 0
Health: 8
Notes: Ur-Qeb always carries a small spiral notepad and
a pen.

AHM-AN TAHT
Quote: “All that we see and know is but a semblance of the
truth, and yet all is revealed if one just knows where to look.”
Background: Ahm-An Taht is not simply brilliant,
but his mind works in ways that others don’t understand.
Guild: Sesha-Hebsu He sees connections and patterns all around him, living
at times in what he considers a conceptual universe. His
Attributes: Intelligence 5, Wits 2, Resolve 4; Strength cultists believe that his pronouncements are divine, and
2, Dexterity 2, Stamina 3; Presence 3, Manipulation 2, yet it seems that even he doesn’t fully understand the
Composure 5 meaning behind his sayings, sometimes researching them
Skills: Academics 5 (History), Athletics 1, Brawl 1, Empa- as if they came from another life.
thy 3, Intimidation 3, Investigation 4, Medicine 1, Occult 5, While he doesn’t come across as a comedian, he certainly
Persuasion 2, Politics 3, Science 1, Stealth 3, Streetwise 2, seems to take the world with a dose of amusement. It’s as
Subterfuge 2, Survival 1 if he is laughing on the inside at jokes he doesn’t think
anyone else would understand. His wit comes across as dry,
Merits: Cult (Tribal; Reach 3, Grasp 1), Guild Status
cutting, and obscure.
(Sesha-Hebsu) 5, Languages (Arabic, English, German,
Ahm-An Taht came to the Washington area in the early
Greek, Hindi, Latin), Tomb (Geometry 4, Peril [traps] 2,
Twentieth Century with almost no standing in the Sesha-
Prime Location) Hebsu. He originally cultivated an identity as “just the
Affinities: Dauntless Explorer, Eyes of Justice, Godsight, librarian” and kept his name a secret. He settled out in
Soulsight, Ashes for Ink, Erudite Bastion of Perfection Winchester, Virginia, some distance from the capital. For a
Utterances: Secrets Ripped from Skies, Redacting the few decades, his cult established itself in northern Virginia
and slowly gained members in Washington, D.C. In the
Word, Word of the Amanuensis
1930s, he came to Washington and presented himself to
Pillars: Ab 3, Ba 2, Ka 3, Ren 5, Sheut 3 Ur-Qeb as Ahm-An Taht. While he is recognized as a
Sekhem: 7 (as of early 2014) member of the guild and part of the Washington nome, he
continues to maintain his distance.
Willpower: 9 His cult owns a number of properties in and around
Memory: 4 Winchester, but he’s moved closer to D.C. proper, with a

54 The Washingtonians
tomb located behind Dulles airport. He likes to visit the
Udvar-Hazy location of the Air and Space Museum. E-mail
is his preferred mode of communication, although he’s
trying to become better at texting and using social media.
He’s found himself aligned more and more with Rashida
and Hebeny and the Bennu Initiative.
Outside of his guild he tends to be disliked, as some
cultists refer to him as “I’m in that,” believing that his
supposed name is simply a joke made at the expense of the
Arisen. Additionally, he speaks disparagingly of the Khent-
henu’s attempt to create a successor to Irem, believing
that Seb-Hetchet hasn’t returned because he doesn’t want
to face his failure. If he or his cult are concerned about
the opinions of other Arisen, they don’t show it. His cult
follows his lead faithfully, no matter how strange or cryptic
his commands. His cult leader, Mazdak Mojerani, is an
internationally renowned surgeon. He believes that his
master has a plan which involves prophetically “deceiving
the Deceived,” but as to what it is, he doesn’t know.
Description: Ahm-an Taht is a thin man of average
height, clean-shaved with a mop of untamed dark curls on
his head. He has a Middle Eastern complexion but bright
blue eyes that give him a slightly incongruous appearance.
He typically wears dark trenchcoats, gloves, scarves if the
weather allows it and hats, sometimes commenting that
he likes to “wrap himself up” in his clothing. Strangely,
his desire to hide himself in his clothing tends to draw
attention rather than deflect it. Merits: Cult (Tribal—Benefit 1—Intellectual, Reach 2,
Storytelling Hints: Your mood and demeanor can change Grasp 2), Enigma 2, Language (Arabic, English, Hebrew,
from mischievous and bemused to deadly serious with the
Urdu), Relic 1, Tomb (Endowment 1—Obscure, Geometry
snap of your fingers. There are terrible things out in the
3)
world including your fellow Arisen. Acting strangely keeps
others from bothering you and makes potential enemies Affinities: Anointed Prowess, Dauntless Explorer, Enlight-
underestimate you. There’s something about D.C. that’s ened Senses, Eyes of Justice
terribly wrong, and although you don’t know what it is (you Utterances: Dust Beneath Feet, Secrets Ripped From Skies
suspect the involvement of the Deceived), you are determined
to make the city give up its secrets. You believe that you have Pillars: Ab 1, Ba 1, Ka 2, Ren 3, Sheut 3
come very close to understanding great cosmic truths and Sekhem: 7 (as of early 2014)
that most lesser minds can only distract you, not aid you.
Willpower: 7
Concept: Finder of Corollaries
Memory: 4
Decree: Name
Virtue: Fortitude (Ahm-An Taht believes that he can unlock
Judge: Bastu, the Stare
the secrets of Fate through study and observation. He’s long
Guild: Sesha-Hebsu since given up trying to enlist others on his search for cosmic
Attributes: Intelligence 4, Wits 3, Resolve 4; Strength concepts and patterns and thrives on being discounted or
3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 2; Presence 2, Manipulation 1, mocked by others.)
Composure 3 Vice: Wrath (When provoked, Ahm-An Taht has a terrible tem-
Skills: Academics 2 (History), Athletics 2, Computer 1, per, and he is well aware of it, giving him yet another reason
Crafts 1, Expression 2, Intimidation 2, Investigation 3 (Arti- for avoiding others. When he does lose his temper, he may
facts), Occult 3, Persuasion 1, Science 2, Stealth 1, Survival physically attack his provoker, beating them with the flat of a
2, Weaponry (Swords) 2 sword while screaming insults at them in Iremite Egyptian.)

Scribes 55
 Initiative: 6 struggles to remember Irem that he recalls why he doesn’t,
Defense: 3 but by then his sahu has clarified his form. The rising
prominence of mirrors was a development Hebeny grew to
Speed: 11 loathe, as a single glance sent waves of discomfort through
Size: 5 him. Few places accepted those who felt so different and
divided as he. The chaos he creates by his existence, the lie
Armor: 0
he feels cutting so deeply, and the violence he’s seen dealt
Health: 7 over millennia to those like him… is this why Hebeny’s
Notes: Ahm-An nearly always carries a weapon under his thoughts stretch back to Hatshepsut, and the idea of Ma’at
overcoat, usually a sword. that once reigned in her court?
Ma’at—the concept of universal justice, of cosmic
HEBENY, THE BULL OF BENNU harmony and an orderly world, clearly expressing binary
aspects in balance. The concept of Ma’at goes against the
Quote: “…”
Background: Hatshepsut was unique, in that she orthodoxy of the Judges and their Priests, and they deem
was a woman who claimed the title of pharaoh in Egypt the philosophy a false path. Hebeny spent much of the
(specifically, the fifth pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty last Sothic Turn in Duat, his cult destroyed by the Maa-
of Egypt). Though she wore the false beard of kingship and Kep for spreading the pernicious heresy. He’s been far
power, she also wore her nemes—the lined headdress— quieter this Turn, thus far contenting himself with working
over a tight-fitting dress. Unlike her father, she did not take on the Bennu Initiative, spreading the concept of Ma’at
the title Strong Bull of His Mother, asserting her femininity throughout the world, slowly replacing the idea of biased
overtly and ultimately laying claim to the status of most Judges with a heretofore alien sense of universal justice.
beautiful woman in the world. Her ascension to the throne It is he who has turned the Initiative’s fundraising events
caused a cultural shift in how the Egyptians approached to humanitarian causes beyond ancient knowledge free to
the concept and roles of man and woman in mid-fifteenth the public.
century BCE society. Curiously, while Hebeny seeks to promote the ideals of
Hebeny thinks about Hatshepsut often, when he can Hatshepsut and Ma’at, these fundraisers do not extend
remember her. His cult comprised a number of her court, to the concept of international transgendered rights,
and Hebeny himself was an honored advisor to Hatshepsut despite it being a topic he’s deeply invested in. Besides
during two separate life cycles. She was a woman to be the controversy such fundraisers ensue, Hebeny tends to
admired, one who took on the mantle of a man, but still avoid many trans groups in the Washington nome. The
expressed her essential femininity. None could doubt the past cycles have seen mortals crafting their own solution
divinity of the pharaoh. Although he is equally divine, to his angst, expertly reshaping the gods’ own clay with
Hebeny feels far more trapped by his own sahu. knives and hormones to match their Ka. It is a solution
Born with the body of a woman considered beautiful by denied him by treacherous memory shaping his eternal
all who looked upon him, Hebeny felt he had far more in sahu. Hebeny has considered becoming a Twice-Arisen,
common with the men of the City of Pillars. So long as but claiming a male sahu would mean the destruction of his
a Scribe could keep an inquisitive and judgmental mind khat and canopic organs, an act blasphemous against the
alongside a quick and firm hand, the Shan’iatu didn’t care Judge he yet serves. It would also require murder, and that
how they felt about themselves. The citizens of Irem did, is something Ma’at would never tolerate. Besides, it might
however; Hebeny’s adoption of masculine clothing and send him screaming into the jaws of the Devourer. And
culture left him ostracized and on the verge of losing his still the idea rises, unbidden, millennium after millennium.
status as a Closed Book. And a genuine loss that would Hebeny can’t help but pursue knowledge of himself,
have been for the guild of scribes; Hebeny is intelligent, of Irem. It helps his work with the Bennu Initiative in
inquisitive, passionate, and argumentative. He threw a thousand myriad ways, since there’s nothing like a
himself into this work to avoid the world outside the firsthand account to confer proper context on historical
temples, and was as surprised as any when the Shan’iatu documents. He quietly opposes Seb-Hetchet’s goals, for
summoned him to the star chambers to become Deathless. he sees Irem as having been fatally flawed, and not worth
Yet the magics that return him to life also bind him, in recreating. For now, he spreads the idea of balance and
a way Hebeny feels more keenly than his fellows. When Ma’at, of a universal order to things, in subtle defiance of
his Memory ebbs, his feminine sahu reacts, adopting an the Judge-centric cosmology espoused by the Su-Menent.
androgyne appearance with masculine overtones. At low If he cannot find balance within, he will work to bring
Memory, Hebeny feels more like himself; it’s only when he balance without.

56 The Washingtonians
 Description: Hebeny is short and slim, with skin
the color of cinnamon and hair a shiny, dark black. He
usually wears it cut short. He prefers suits of a masculine
cut, though as his Memory rises, his feminine physicality
has been slowly reasserting itself. Gradually, his voice
lilts higher in an obvious manner, his face flattens with a
prominent jaw, and his breasts swell in betrayal.
Roleplaying Hints: Hebeny is miserable when he
starts to consider it, so he tries to never think about it.
He’s cool, unforgiving, and ruthlessly professional in his
dealings. After four Turns, he’s never grown used to the
subtle alteration of the khat in response to his memory, and
every supernatural remedy he’s attempted has never lasted
longer than a Descent (but he treasures that one summer
in 1678, when he felt the Inscriptions of Flesh reshape
him; it’d be deeply disappointing to lose that in the haze
of memory). In truth, he does not take slights well at all.
Concept: The Enlightened Khat
Decree: Essence
Judge: Fentu, the Snout
Guild: Sesha-Hebsu
Attributes: Intelligence 5, Wits 3, Resolve 2; Strength
4, Dexterity 2, Stamina 4; Presence 2, Manipulation 3,
Composure 3
Skills: Academics 5 (History), Athletics 2, Brawl 3,
Computer 2, Empathy 3 (Emotion), Expression 1, Occult 2, Initiative: 5
Politics 2, Survival 2 (Sailing), Weaponry 2 (Swords) Defense: 3
Merits: Cult (Enterprise; Reach 4, Grasp 4), Guild Status Speed: 11
(Sesha-Hebsu) 3, Language (Arabic, English), Tomb (Ge-
ometry 5, Peril [traps] 4) Size: 5
Affinities: Anointed Prowess, Deathsight, Enlightened Armor: 0
Senses, Eyes of Justice, Gift of Truth Health: 8
Utterances: Rebuke the Vizier, Redacting the Word Notes: No equipment when newly arisen.
Pillars: Ab 2, Ba 3, Ka 5, Ren 5, Sheut 1
Sekhem: 6 (as of early 2014)
RASHIDA, VOICE OF THE WORD
Quotes: “Even the mortal world can see the truth. This is
Willpower: 5 the Age of the Word.”
Memory: 8 Background: Rashida views each of her Descents as a
new life. Each one has its own purpose, its own challenges
Virtue: Justice (In life, it was perhaps Fortitude, but the long and its own ending. She believes that she even has a
Turns have caused Hebeny to quietly seek the concepts of different worldview based on her memories. Like many
Ma’at, and apply them to his world. Hebeny does what he others in her guild, she attempts to overcome the loss of her
can to make things balance in the end.) memory through records of her life. In the past, she wrote
Vice: Wrath (The amount of anger Hebeny keeps under his journals, diaries and even letters to herself. Although she
facade is unfortunate, but eminently understandable. Under took pains to capture as much information as she could,
his visage lies a heat seeking justice bitterly, and reacting she found the words incomplete. In her current Descent,
with fury where he doesn’t see it. More often than not, it she has been able to view and listen to messages from
resides as spite, hard and heavy in his soul.) three previous Descents in addition to her writings. The

Scribes 57
 nuances of her body language and voice tones have passed
information on to her which she couldn’t preserve before.
In short, she loves modern technology.
Above all else, Rashida thinks that the Word is the key
to enlightenment and freedom. In her mind, science is the
triumph of the Word. Computers are relics in her eyes with
a magic all their own. The internet, although she doesn’t
fully understand it yet, seems to be the greatest creation in
the history of the world. Rashida wants all Arisen to share
their knowledge, to overcome the fog of the Descents, and
she believes that higher truths will be revealed in time.
Rashida, along with her guildmate Hebeny, is a strong
advocate of the Bennu Initiative. She heartily advocates
digitizing ancient documents, so that they could be shared
with other Arisen. She recalls rising to discover that the great
libraries of the world had burned, that precious knowledge
had been lost. In her mind, knowledge must be preserved.
Rashida’s growing rivalry with Su-Thoth stems from the
feeling that her fellow Sesha-Hebsu wishes to hoard books
and information for her own sake, rather than protecting
them for safekeeping, as Su often claims. Despite the
differences in opinions about knowledge, Rashida knows
that Su-Thoth sees herself as a librarian, and Rashida once
saw herself the same way. But that was in another life.
The modern Rashida wants to be on the cutting edge
of information technology. She’s recruited computer geeks
and social media experts into her cult. She’s done her best
to learn about geek culture, and can reference superheroes on the Sekhem from Beltway Amkhata, or stealing relics
and science-fiction movies with the best of them, although from her own kind, or even finding a way to upload her
she gets confused if the conversation continues for too immortal soul into the cloud. She prays for Seb-Hetchet’s
long. She projects an image as the Arisen of the future, success, for the success of the Khent-henu, that they can
a prophet of the age of information, adorned with a make a glorious new Irem in this filthy age, but if they
Bluetooth headset in lieu of a crown. can’t, she intends to find a way to create a truly eternal city.
She tends to avoid the Su-Menent, but she has ties to Description: Rashida could be mistaken for someone from
the other guilds. Her tomb is hidden near the campus of India at first glance. She wears her dark hair long and favors
the University of Maryland in College Park, just over the silver jewelry. While she dresses appropriately for important
district line. Most of the Deathless believe that she lets meetings, she prefers wearing jeans and nerdy t-shirts with
her falcon-headed nature fly herself recklessly at the new references to computers, literature or pop history. She prefers
and shiny technology. She’s okay with that, but the truth sandals to other shoes. She makes a point of smiling, especially
for her comes down to this: she doesn’t want to die again. when she doesn’t fully understand the conversations around
A deep terror of Duat lives in the back of her mind, the her. Her cultists resemble a group of grad students, or part
terror that makes her know her brain rotted away long ago and of an IT department. She’s sensitive about the possible smell
her sahu is only a projection over tattered bones. She believes of rot and decay following her (despite assurances to the
all she is, the entire essence of her being, is her mind. And to contrary) and always wears some type of perfume.
her horror, she sees the differences in her mind now and the Storytelling Hints: Rashida offers to help other Arisen
thoughts of her previous Descents. As much as she thinks she is whenever possible. She tries very hard to live in the present
alive, she knows in some quiet place inside her that she is dead. and act human, however, she’s not always successful. She
Not only is she dead, but she realizes that she is a dead slave of wants other mummies to see her point of view, although
whatever purpose wakes her. The desire to gather relics calls to she’s careful to reveal her ideas slowly because she knows
her like a drug addiction, and she can’t resist. she’s something of a heretic. She finds herself not fitting in
She doesn’t want it anymore. She wants to live for real. well, but she keeps hoping that other paths exist for her.
She wants to find a way, whether it’s Apotheosis, or feasting She’s always interested in computers, especially life online.

58 The Washingtonians
Concept: Virtual Reality Visionary knowledge. While her guildmaster, Ur-Qeb, may spend his
Decree: Spirit precious moments waiting and wandering the city trying
to learn from the mortals who dwell here, she prefers to
Judge: Heraf-Het, Whose Face Is Behind It accumulate knowledge through reading.
Guild: Sesha-Hebsu A single affinity, Ashes for Ink, guides Su-Thoth’s life.
She enjoys recovering lost knowledge more than anything,
Attributes: Intelligence 3, Wits 4, Resolve 3; Strength
so she has accumulated vast numbers of blank scrolls and
2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3; Presence 2, Manipulation 3,
books with empty pages. Whenever she finds out about a
Composure 3
book that has been lost, she attempts to recreate it. When
Skills: Academics (History) 4, Athletics 2, Computer 2, she is successful, it is a moment of joy. She will lose herself
Crafts 1, Empathy 2, Investigation 3, Occult 1, Persuasion in the book, reading it until she has finished the last page,
2, Politics 1, Science 2, Stealth 1, Subterfuge 3 no matter how dry or boring the subject.
Merits: Cult (Conspiracy; Reach 2, Grasp 2), Guild Status She has a zeal for discovering texts and acquiring them
(Sesha-Hebsu) 3, Language (English, Hindi), Tomb (Geom- for her Judge. She will go to great lengths to acquire relics,
etry 2) and she is even willing to steal them from other Arisen.
Her tomb is located near the Library of Congress, a
Affinities: Eyes of Justice, Familiar Face, Voice of Con- gift from Ur-Qeb for a codex that she found for him.
science Many of her cult members work both there and at the
Utterances: Command the Beasts, Torn Veil of Forgetting National Archives. She also has cultists who have jobs
Pillars: Ab 3, Ba 4, Ka 2, Ren 3, Sheut 2 as janitors, food service workers and security guards for
the Smithsonian, the National Geographic Society and
Sekhem: 6 (as of early 2014) the Discovery Channel. In such positions, they usually go
Willpower: 6 unnoticed, but they have a duty to feed her information,
even if it is just a hint or a title of a book that once existed.
Memory: 4
If she can call the writing back into existence, it goes
Virtue: Fortitude (Rashida derives strength from her fear of into her library that she keeps at the heart of her tomb,
death and from the rivalry she has with Su-Thoth and other protected by the same forces that keep her safe during her
Arisen who discount her affection for modern technology.) sleep.
Vice: Envy (Rashida can’t truly be happy because she She doesn’t care much about the current state of
knows she’s not truly alive. She secretly covets the lives that affairs in the nome. She doesn’t see a need to worry about
her cultists lead, and wants to experience human pleasures the Khent-henu if Ur-Qeb seems content to remain
and pains.) unconcerned. She finds her guild-mate Rashida’s advocacy
of sharing information to be short-sighted. Information
Initiative: 6 should be in the hands of those with the intelligence and
Defense: 3 wisdom to understand it. Su-Thoth thinks that in some
Speed: 10 ways, the world was better when scribes lorded over the
reading and writing, although she appreciates her own
Size: 5 hypocrisy in relying on her cultists to read documents they
Armor: 0 can’t comprehend so she may increase her acquisitions.
Although books are her first love, she is very protective
Health: 8
of her cult. Her cult protects her books and provides her
Notes: Rashida always carries a smartphone with her, and the means to accumulate more. If something causes a cult
she knows how to use it to call in help from her cult. She member to have trouble fulfilling their duties, she will
gladly searches for information on the Internet when there’s gladly use her powers to remove the obstacle.
a question she can’t answer, and often comes across as An incident over a century ago caused a rift between
more knowledgeable than she really is. herself and Khu-Set, who was once a member of the Sesha-
Hebsu. He has followed her to D.C., and though he has never
SU-THOTH, THE HUNGRY EYE done anything to suggest that he seeks vengeance for her part
Quote: “I will recover all that was lost.” in his expulsion, she remains wary of him. It doesn’t help that
Background: For Su-Thoth, most everything is she has no real memory of the details of the incident.
about books. Writing has fascinated her since the time Description: Su-Thoth stands slightly over five feet
of pictograms, and more than anything, she desires tall. Her skin is the color of dried dates, a warm brown,

Scribes 59
 Guild: Sesha-Hebsu
Attributes: Intelligence 5, Wits 3, Resolve 4; Strength
2, Dexterity 2, Stamina 3; Presence 2, Manipulation 2,
Composure 3
Skills: Academics 5 (History), Computer 2, Drive 1, Inves-
tigation 3, Larceny 2, Medicine 1, Occult 2, Persuasion 1,
Science 2, Stealth 1, Subterfuge 1, Weaponry (Knives) 1
Merits: Cult (Tribal; Reach 3, Grasp 3), Guild Status
(Sesha-Hebsu) 4, Language 4, Tomb (Geometry 4, Peril
[curse] 1, Prime Location, Famous Obscure)
Affinities: Ashes for Ink, Eternal Legend, Eyes of Justice
Utterances: Redacting the Word, Rebuke the Vizier, Word
of the Amanuensis
Pillars: Ab 3, Ba 3, Ka 3, Ren 5, Sheut 2
Sekhem: 6 (as of early 2014)
Willpower: 7
Memory: 4
Virtue: Faith (Su-Thoth has faith in books and knowledge.
She believes that ultimate truth can only be found in words
and names.)
Vice: Greed (Su-Thoth believes that she should have
custody of as many ancient writings as possible. When she
discovers that another Arisen has possession of a lost tome
and she has straight black hair long enough to reach her that she wishes to have in her collection, she’s not above
waist, though she normally wears it in a braid or a ponytail. sending cultists to “borrow” it for scholarly purposes.)
When she talks, she gestures with her hands, emphasizing Initiative: 5
her speech through tapping, pointing and spreading her
arms. She doesn’t smile often and when she does it seems Defense: 2
forced. If she has the opportunity to read, she can become Speed: 9
lost in a scroll or book, oblivious to the world around her. Size: 5
Storytelling Hints: You are nervous around other
Arisen, and you prefer reading to talking. You don’t mind Armor: 0
intellectual discourses, but you always want to know Health: 8
where another Arisen gained her knowledge. Ultimately,
everything comes down to acquiring more lost books and
more information. If you could discover new utterances or PRIESTS
acquire a rare millennia-old tome, you would be willing to
pay nearly anything. OBA-HESHEF, THE SECOND PROPHET
Unlike many of your fellow Arisen, you have learned Quotes: “We drift now into the darkest of times. More than
about computers, as they allow you to access so many ever, the lessons of the past must be our guide.”
more words and so much more knowledge. You enjoy Background: Oba-Heshef agreed to aid Seb-Hetchet
experiencing modern technology, and always keep an and join the Khent-henu because he believed that his
e-reader with you. understanding and devotion to the Judges would prevent
Concept: Spirited Cataloger the White Jackal from using his gifts of magic to lead other
Arisen away from their appointed purposes. Now that Seb-
Decree: Name Hetchet has not risen, he wonders if his efforts have been
Judge: Unem-Besek, the Eater of Entrails in vain.

60 The Washingtonians
 Oba-Heshef relies on the same unfailing moral compass
that he has always used to guide his actions. He believes
that the path to follow is one of absolute devotion to the
gods of his people. Belief in the power of rationality and
science to solve problems has left humanity deluded and
drunk with its own self-satisfaction. They can no longer
understand that all they see will fall to rot, and ultimately
their world will crumble. Their souls have become weak,
and the dark things in the shadows will soon feast upon
them. The Sesha-Hebsu have allowed this to happen by
forgetting their devotion to the Shan’iatu. He has his own
visions brought on by the ghosts with whom he speaks.
He sees these failings of mortals most clearly in his
own cult. He has spent his Descents in Washington,
D.C. concerned with protecting the city, serving as a
shepherd, driving off British and Confederate attackers
alike. Currently, he resides in Arlington as close to the
cemetery as he has been able to manage. He sees the rise
of capitalism as yet another corruptor where the lie of the
American Dream has made men believe that money is the
source of all that is good. To some extent, he blames the
Mesen-Nebu and their maddening lust for material wealth,
and he isn’t afraid to voice his accusations.
He has long ascribed to an ancient worldview where the
gods choose the leaders by birth and nations were shaped
with the sharp points of blades. Manual labor should be
performed by slaves and skilled artisans who are not nobles
should know their place, rather than become leaders He suspects Khu-Set of conspiring to seize control of his
in their own right. The adoration with which singers, cult, to take away his temples. He believes that Boss Sedge
thespians and athletes are treated is fine; the wealth and is a rabid jackal that should be put down. He knows that
power they receive is not. When he listens to the voices of the Whisperer barely pays him lip service. For now, he is
the ghosts that he can see due to his guild status, they echo forced to hold up the Tef-Aabhi Aziza’s unfailing belief in
many of his own beliefs. her master as a reason that hope is not lost. He looks to
However, his cult has taken his teachings and twisted the Sesha-Hebsu guildmaster, Ur-Qeb, for answers, though
them. Many of them believe that he is some sort of angel that arrogant fool remains silent. Even outside of the city,
sent by the Christian God to share knowledge from the Menmaatre, the First Prophet of North America, seemed
Garden of Eden. He is a shepherd, and he was a shepherd more interested in the Maa-Kep motorcycle outlaw in
long before Jesus of Nazareth walked the earth. They think regards to the Grand Conclave than in anything having
that his references to the Judges are a type of code for the to do with him.
secret lessons of their deity. They believe that slavery is In time, all of those who have forgotten their purpose
right and just but have associated slavery with the color of will be set right, one way or another. Darkness descends…
men’s skin. The fools have no concept of the fact that they even upon the Deathless.
are all descended from filthy European barbarians. Description: At some point in his past, Oba-Heshef’s
Yet, they still serve his purpose. As long as they do sahu changed. He has dim recollections of a time when
what they are told, he will let them live. Most of them his body was destroyed, but he doesn’t care to revisit
are attached to old families, and more than a few are those thoughts. He appears as an athletic brown-haired
willing to perform violence in his name or sacrifice their Caucasian man with piercing blue eyes. He usually dresses
lives. In time, they will have to be replaced, but for now, in black and carries a walking stick, though he doesn’t
his concerns are only for Seb-Hetchet. As long as the appear to need it. Instead, he uses it to emphasize his
guildmaster of the Tef-Aabhi doesn’t awaken, his leadership points when talking. What most Arisen suspect is that the
position in the Su-Menent grows more and more tenuous. walking stick is a relic.

Priests 61
 Storytelling Hints: Oba is an old grumpy man in a
healthy young man’s body. He resents nearly everything
KHU-SET, THE TERMINUS OF PRAYER
Quotes: “We have much to learn from endings.”
and hopes that the gods will eventually come and pass
Background: After centuries of collecting books, tomes,
judgment over everyone. He wants Seb-Hetchet to rise,
and codices, Khu-Set could no longer find answers in
and he’s going to take action to make it happen, whether
the Word. He had tried to be true to the Sesha-Hebsu,
it involves trying to perform the ritual without him or, if but nothing he learned from pages, stone walls or mud
all else fails, finding a way to travel to Duat and pull Seb- tablets helped him understand the truth of his existence.
Hetchet screaming into the world of the living. He turned to other members of his guild to assist him, in
Concept: Embittered Elder particular, Su-Thoth. Her knowledge was far greater than
Decree: Spirit his and she seemed to comprehend mysteries that he could
not. She requested favors and assistance from him and his
Judge: Neheb-Nefert, the Beautiful One
cult in exchange for the wisdom she gave him.
Guild: Su-Menent When his cult set fire to the hall of a monastery in
Attributes: Intelligence 4, Wits 2, Resolve 4; Strength England containing scrolls preserved from the conquests of
2, Dexterity 2, Stamina 3; Presence 3, Manipulation 2, Rome, the incident was brought before his guildmaster. Su-
Composure 5 Thoth claimed that she had no idea about the scrolls and
blamed the incompetence of Khu-Set and his cult. When
Skills: Academics 2, Animal Ken 1, Athletics 2, Brawl 2, Khu-Set had a chance to defend himself, he questioned the
Empathy 1, Expression 1, Intimidation 4, Investigation 2, very essence of his guild and the character of his guildmaster.
Larceny 1, Medicine, Occult, Persuasion 3, Politics 2, So- He was cast out.
cialize 1, Subterfuge 3, Survival 2, Weaponry (Cane) 2 For a time, he wandered, clinging to a few of the most loyal
Merits: Cult (Tribal; Reach 5, Grasp 3), Guild Status members of his cult. Eventually, he sought out the Su-Menent
(Su-Menent) 5, Language (English, Greek, Hebrew, Latin), and begged the forgiveness of the Judges for the wrongs he
Tomb (Geometry 3, Peril [traps] 3, Prime Location) had done. It was Oba-Heshef who accepted him. His loyalty
to the Su-Menent is absolute, and he does all that he can to
Affinities: Ancient Horror Unveiling, Fated Soul, serve his new guild. He fears that he could be cast out once
Living in Now more, and if that happened, who would take him?
Utterances: Doom Affliction, Water of Life and Death The Su-Menent made Khu-Set see the world in a new
way. He no longer looked for the Word in ancient texts
Pillars: Ab 2, Ba 4, Ka 2, Ren 1, Sheut 3
alone, instead, he sought the secrets that are hidden from
Sekhem: 5 (as of early 2014) the world, secrets found only behind the veil of death. Pain
Willpower: 9 and frustration, fear and rage, love and happiness, all of
these emotions created power. He now studies the living,
Memory: 4 their passions, their torments and their deaths.
Virtue: Justice (Oba-Heshef has always interpreted the Whether it comes from manipulating the crews of D.C.
will of the gods and the Judges. He firmly believes that his into warfare or silently watching a skilled dominatrix at
current state is a result of his own actions. He has a strong work, he has a fascination with how mortals experience
sense that he must enforce what is right and wrong.) pain. He especially savors watching a living thing die,
though he doesn’t go out of his way to commit murder.
Vice: Pride (Oba-Heshef knows in his heart that he is the
He prefers to visit nursing homes or hospice units as a
one who has kept the Khent-henu together. Further, he be-
volunteer. When death occurs, he watches, hoping to see
lieves that Seb-Hetchet’s vision is his plan. He rules over his
something which will help him recall Duat.
cult and should rule over his guild, as well.) He also feels a strange compulsion to learn about Su-
Initiative: 7 Thoth and her cult. He doesn’t know if they were once
Defense: 2 lovers or if perhaps he harbors resentment for her role in
his exile. Perhaps the next death will spur his memory…
Speed: 10 His tomb stands between Frederick and Baltimore,
Size: 5 Maryland, hidden in an old brick house surrounded by
woods that mortals assume must be a historical site of some
Armor: 0 nature. Both a nursing home and a convalescence center
Health: 8 are nearby.

62 The Washingtonians
 Merits: Cult (Tribal; Reach 1, Grasp 2), Guild Status (Su-
Menent) 4, Languages (Arabic, English), Tomb (Geometry 2)
Affinities: By Steps Unseen, Fated Soul, Voice of Tempta-
tion
Utterances: Awaken the Dead, Words of Dead Hunger
Pillars: Ab 2, Ba 2, Ka 2, Ren 4, Sheut 4
Sekhem: 5 (as of early 2014)
Willpower: 9
Memory: 4
Virtue: Prudence (Khu-Set pleasantly builds trust in mortals,
encouraging and comforting them until he has the opportu-
nity to share in the final moments of their lives.)
Vice: Gluttony (Khu-Set is driven ceaselessly to see things
end, and this hunger drives and guides him, constantly
coloring all of his actions.)
Initiative: 7
Defense: 2
Speed: 10
Size: 5
Armor: 0
Health: 8

Description: Khu-Set stands over six feet tall. In ancient PTAH-NEFER, THE BINDING LASH
times, he towered over others, but he was self-conscious Quotes: “I am bid by the Eater of Shadows, not you. You
and so he tends to slouch and stoop. He dresses in white would do well to seek the wisdom of your own Judge. Never
whenever possible and with his wavy brown hair and his forget, it is he to whom you have pledged your eternity.”
close cropped beard and mustache, he resembles a classical Background: Ptah-Nefer sometimes remembers a
artist’s drawing of Jesus Christ, albeit perhaps taller and time when he walked through the great necropolis of the
with a slouch. Nameless Empire, paying homage to the gods and preparing
Storytelling Hints: Speak softly and kindly. Smile. You study the way for the souls of the great and mighty to meet their
death and pain, but you like to provide comfort as well. Suffering reward in Duat. He gave warnings in those times to fools
is greater when it comes with betrayal. You are a shepherd and who would mock or disobey the gods, particularly among
the sheep should be cared for before the slaughter. the pitiful slaves and peasants, and yet, he himself always
Concept: Voyeur of Decay prayed that he would not fall victim to hubris and commit
crimes against the gods.
Decree: Shadow
Yet, he knows that he must have failed in his duties, for
Judge: Tcheser-Tep, the Exalted Hand now he must remain in this world, reborn again and again and
Guild: Su-Menent again to do his penance through endless service to the Judges.
He is certain that this would have shaken the faith of a
Attributes: Intelligence 4, Wits 2, Resolve 4; Strength lesser man, but he has chosen to embrace his role. If this
2, Dexterity 2, Stamina 3; Presence 3, Manipulation 2, is the path that Fate has chosen for him, so be it. If this is
Composure 5 the calling which his soul must heed, so be it. If he is meant
Skills: Academics 3, Animal Ken 1, Brawl 1, Empathy 3, to redeem himself through his service to Am-Khaibit, the
Expression 1, Intimidation 2, Investigation 3, Medicine 2, Eater of Shadows, so be it.
Occult 2, Persuasion 2, Stealth 2, Subterfuge 2, Survival 3, He will not fail, and he will guide the cult he has been given.
Weaponry 2 (Knives) He will teach them faith and sacrifice. He is a shepherd.

Priests 63
 the dream of a successor Irem will never come. When the
Khent-henu fall, he intends to be around to remind them to
follow the Judges once more. Should the consequences of
the Khent-henu’s hubris bring down the wrath of the Judges,
he and his cult and their slaves will survive. He will be the
shepherd for all the souls of D.C. It is through this vision that
Bes-Mat influences him with Sedge’s ideals, though both
mummies know Sedge’s true nature. Sedge may be a serpent,
Ptah-Nefer believes, but at least he’s an “honest” one.
He remains on the outlook for other Arisen who
might share his faith in the Judges, or who could provide
resources to assist his ‘farms’. Most of his neighbors (usually
separated by at least a half-mile) believe that Ptah-Nefer’s
group are ‘preppers’ and pay little attention to them. The
cult is happy to promote this belief as they acquire food,
weapons, and, of course, relics.
Description: A skinny, black-haired man in his early
thirties. His Iremite heritage translates into a classic Middle-
Eastern appearance for his sahu. Ptah-Nefer’s face is marred
by ritual scars, some of which are shared by his cultists.
Storytelling Hints: Very orthodox, you pride yourself
in spending your Descent retrieving relics and punishing
sinners according to the tenets of your Judge. You serve the
Eater of Shadows and your ‘farms’ are places of supernatural
slavery. You mete out whatever punishments are needed,
including asking your cult priests and acolytes to visit
suffering and even murder upon communities that commit
Ptah-Nefer appears to support Oba-Heshef, yet he crimes against your Judge. You are glad to aid others who
questions why Seb-Hetchet has not returned. He has nothing wish to serve their Judges. When you speak, you often
but disdain for discussions of Apotheosis, even if the First paraphrase religious texts, twisting verses to reflect your
Prophet of New York believes in discussing such matters. Of own interpretation of your forgotten civilization’s beliefs.
all the Arisen of the nome, he holds a special dislike for the Concept: The Mouth of Orthodoxy
Whisperer, considering him a madman, hardly better than
Decree: Shadow
one of the Deceived; his extreme actions make a mockery of
the Judges and drive others away from their paths. Judge: Am-Khaibit, the Eater of Shadows
Despite his feelings regarding the Whisperer, many Arisen Guild: Su-Menent
and their cults draw comparisons between the two. It is Ptah-
Nefer who binds the majority of the Red-Sleeved, a role he Attributes: Intelligence 2, Wits 3, Resolve 4, Strength
seems to relish. His cult does perform killings on occasion, 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 5; Presence 2, Manipulation 3,
removing those who would interfere with the plans of the Composure 3
Judges, but he always has a justification for his actions. Skills: Academics 3, Animal Ken 1, Athletics 2, Brawl 2,
He has also enslaved a number of other Arisen’s cultists, Empathy 1, Expression 2, Intimidation 3, Occult 3, Persuasion
funneling them through trafficking to one of the “farms” or 2, Politics 1, Stealth 1, Survival 4, Weaponry (Swords) 1
“temples” his cult controls. More than a few of Oba-Heshef’s
Merits: Cult (Tribal, Reach 3, Grasp 3), Guild Status (Su-
former cultists have quietly found themselves trapped in this
Menent) 3, Language (Arabic, English, Latin, Spanish),
fate. Such victims inform Ptah-Nefer, allowing him to judge
Tomb (Geometry 5, Peril [curse] 2)
whether his fellow Arisen have remained focused on their
purposes and their loyalty to the Judges. Affinities: Fated Soul, Fearsome Soul, Night Creature
Additionally, these ‘farms’ are meant to provide a haven Utterances: Command the Beasts, Words of Dead Glory
for the true believers should the end of all things come.
Ptah-Nefer believes that Seb-Hetchet and the Khent-henu Pillars: Ab 2, Ba 3, Ka 3, Ren 1, Sheut 4
have failed. Soon, all the Arisen of the nome will realize that Sekhem: 7 (as of early 2014)

64 The Washingtonians
Willpower: 7
Memory: 5
Virtue: Justice (Ptah-Nefer rules his cult with a firm hand.
Those who violate the laws of the Judges must pay the price,
and Ptah-Nefer finds strength in dispensing just punishments.)
Vice: Pride (Despite all of the things that he has obtained,
Ptah-Nefer wants to be recognized for his wisdom, espe-
cially by his guild-mates.)
Initiative: 6
Defense: 3
Speed: 10
Size: 5
Armor: 0
Health: 10

THE WHISPERER
Quotes: “Evil? Evil is not serving the gods that granted your
miserable existence.”
Background: The Whisperer gave up his name long ago,
as he sees no need for a name. There was a time in days past
where he considered himself a master of the funerary rites.
He has dim recollections of consoling families and laboring
to safely send souls on their journey through Duat, but that
was before he ventured into Duat himself.
forgotten souls and reveals to them the power that the
Now he knows that he is nothing—his own voice fainter gods have granted him. He whispers promises if they give
than a whisper in the dark against the enormity of the eternal. up the wretched excuses that they have for their own lives
There is no hope, only acceptance. Only by giving away and devote their souls to serving his cult.
all of themselves to the purpose which they serve can the In many ways, the other Arisen have come to view the
Arisen find salvation. Faith in the Judges, faith in the Whisperer more as a cult than as one of their own. The
gods—that will lead to a new Irem, not the arrogant plans members of his cult are devoted zealots trying desperately
of a mad Tef-Aabhi. So many of the Deathless believe that to serve the powers of the Underworld. They often go
they can learn truths for themselves, that the choices they unnoticed in the halls of power, serving as janitors and
make during the Sothic Turn will let them achieve their watchman, cleaning crew members and dishwashers.
own personal ambitions. The Whisperer cares very little for the members of
But to what end? In the framework of existence, the the nome. He sees them as fools and heretics, even the
needs of the individual are insignificant. There is nothing ones who would claim otherwise. He believes that the Su-
but the endless emptiness of the universe and the terrible Menent have lost their way with their lack of memory. They
powers that demand subservience. Humility is the only have forgotten the gods. He sees Seb-Hetchet the dreamer
hope. Humility and sacrifice. So, the Whisperer has as the greatest of fools, and he is certain that Judges are
sacrificed his memories, sacrificed his identity and given holding the Tef-Aabhi in Duat so he may understand his
himself over to the will of the gods. He has barely any folly. Everything comes through service to the masters, to
status among his own guild, not because he fails to follow following their will. Nothing can come from the Deathless
their ways, but because he has distanced himself because except humility and service.
he does not feel that they serve the will of the Judges He knows that he must teach the truths that have
faithfully enough. been forgotten. He must make humanity and the Arisen
He spends much of his time in the tunnels under understand their fragility and fear their own mortality.
Washington, D.C., seeking out the fallen, the insane, They must all be humbled, and the best way to humble
the desperate, and impoverished. He takes these lost and them is to make them afraid… deathly afraid.

Priests 65
 From his underground lairs, he dispatches members Judge: An-Afkh, the Bringer of His Arm
of his cult to mystify and terrify. He strikes out at other Guild: Su-Menent
Arisen by taking or destroying whatever they might truly
care about. Until they all learn that everything they love Attributes: Intelligence 3, Wits 2, Resolve 4; Strength
is meaningless, they must suffer this. He demands this 3, Dexterity 2, Stamina 3; Presence 3, Manipulation 2,
suffering and calls for these acts that others see as evil, not Composure 5
out of hate, but out of compassion. Without faithful service Skills: Academics 2, Athletics 3, Brawl 3, Empathy 3, Ex-
to the gods, the Arisen are nothing, their endless Descents pression 2, Intimidation 4, Investigation 1, Occult 3, Persua-
meaningless. sion 1, Stealth 4, Streetwise 3, Subterfuge 1, Survival 2
In Arisen society, the Whisperer sends Witnesses from
Merits: Cult (Tribal, Reach 1, Grasp 4, Blasé), Enigma
among his cultists to represent him during most events. He
3, Guild Status (Su-Menent) 2, Language (English,
prefers to remain mysterious, hiding in the shadows, living
Hebrew),Tomb (Geometry 3, Peril [curse] 3, Stained His-
as close to the Underworld as he physically can. More than
tory, Obscure, Prime Location)
a few of the mummies of the D.C. area believe that the
Whisperer is deranged and that his mind was shattered Affinities: Deathsight, Fated Soul, Nihilist Awakening,
during a particularly traumatic Descent. Others believe Voice of Conscience
that he has made deals with other creatures, exchanging Utterances: Awaken the Dead, Blessed is the God-King
his power in return for their service. He doesn’t care what
they think of him, only that they find faith. Pillars: Ab 2, Ba 2, Ka 5, Ren 3, Sheut 3
Despite his macabre tendencies and his preaching Sekhem: 5 (as of early 2014)
about devotion to the Judges, the Whisperer is seen as a Willpower: 9
god in his own right among his cultists. They know that
he can animate the dead, they know that he can grant Memory: 3
mystical powers to others, and they believe that he is to Virtue: Fortitude (The Whisperer gains strength from his
be worshipped, that he is the prophet of the dark gods. For many foes. They only inspire him to perform more so-called
his part, the Whisperer justifies this devotion in his belief atrocities in the name of the Judges and the gods.)
that the cult serves the Judges. He has also come to use
Vice: Pride (The Whisperer knows that he is perhaps the
the service to the Judges to justify a great many things,
only one of the Arisen who truly lives his beliefs. Despite his
including draining relics of their power to maintain his
professed humility, he has no doubt that all that he does is
Sekhem. The longer he is active, the better he can serve
right.)
the Judges, he says.
Could everything that he says and pretends to be, be a Initiative: 7
lie? Perhaps it is all a madness, a derangement that needs Defense: 2
to be cured, or maybe those who believe that he is a servant
of other supernatural forces besides the Judges are right… Speed: 10
Description: Concealing his features with black robes Size: 5
and often wearing an Egyptian funerary mask, he more or Armor: 0
less appears as a mummy from a horror movie. He even
wears wrappings to hide his sahu. He does not want to be Health: 8
reminded of his former humanity; instead, he prefers to bask
in his identity as a Deathless servant of the Judges. When he
speaks, he prefers ancient Iremite though he knows English.
LABORERS
His voice is a whisper, but a strong one, in some ways more
of a rasp. He is always surrounded by cultists.
SEDGE, THE MACHINIST
Quote: “You couldn’t comment, but I certainly could.”
Storytelling Hints: You are a true believer that all you In a dry nation in 1929, the District was one of the
do is justified by your devotion. Your cult is an extension, wettest cities in America, and Hal Leary enjoyed every
not of yourself, but of your faith. You rasp rather than drop of it. Hal was young and he was white, but he was
speak and tend to preach rather than talk. You always have also Irish, with a Catholic grandfather who’d come off the
cultists surrounding you, Witnesses, your Sadikh, and even boat at Ellis Island during an Gorta Mór. Nativist anti-
dead servants. Irish sentiment was still common, anti-Catholic beliefs
Concept: The Truest Believer even more so, but James Aloysius Farley ran Franklin
Decree: Essence D. Roosevelt’s gubernatorial campaign to a victory (if

66 The Washingtonians
only barely), which meant young Irish Hal and men like
him were dispatched to Washington to start laying early
groundwork for 1932. The machine was good to the Irish
back then; Hal determined to rise as high as he could,
maybe even to political boss, and the district was the place
to do it.
K Street was lousy with speakeasies, and speakeasies
were lousy with lobbyists and flappers. When a slender
woman with dark circles under her eyes invited Hal back
to her place, Hal thought D.C. was the greatest city in
the world. He drank the proffered cupboard wine—too
thick and vinegary for his taste—and tried to kiss her. The
wine affected him sooner than he’d thought, because he
couldn’t feel her lips. Or his face. He barely felt the impact
of his face on the carpet. When the men in the other room
came for him, dropped him onto his back on the altar in
the basement, his protests were little more than moans
past paralyzed lips. When the flapper with the dark circles
under now-teary eyes lifted the crude copper tube above
her head (the edge, so sharp), Hal couldn’t even scream.
Before he was Sedge, he was Bes-Sed, Master of Envoys.
A model Maa-Kep, Bes-Sed had the intriguing distinction
of having once counted a member of every guild amongst
his uaqeb—brethren of another guild, linked by blood
and magic and bound as a master to the servant. In the
shifting course of Flail-Bearer politics between Turns, Bes-
Sed manifested the four Envoy Affinities. Of Artisan rank,
totally devoted to guild and his uaqeb (whomever they were In their haste to relocate their sleeping patron, Bes-
at the time), never once did he abuse the sacred trust placed Sed’s cult made the poor decision of basing a new tomb
in him by the other guilds, or take up the ephemeral flail that in a speakeasy that wasn’t under the control of George
his Affinities wielded against the linked. Some whispered Cassiday, the first and last name in District bootlegging.
that Bes-Sed was even linked to the Deceived, but none Having returned to henet in his new home, the Arisen rose
could prove this allegation. Had Bes-Sed chosen to abuse to the screams of his worshippers, but his Sekhem woke
that sacred trust, he would have been a terror amongst the him too late to withstand the inferno. Bes-Sed perished
Arisen, but all came to see him as a genuinely helpful Maa- along with his organs, amidst the stench of smoke, anise,
Kep, dedicated to the cause of perfecting the guilds. and vaporized gin.
Bes-Sed first heard of the White Jackal’s dream in the The death of a talented and storied Maa-Kep, a servant
seventh century CE, when the Father of Idols came to sorely needed by the eldest meret, was a crushing blow to
him in Iberia and asked for help. The Flail-Bearer used his city’s planned unity. It was not, however, the worst thing
contacts to acquire strange celestial magics for the Jackal, that could have happened. That came later.
but demanded a full accounting of the city’s goals as his Perhaps some element of Hal’s ambition and frustrated
price. He forgot the encounter, eventually, but never forgot privilege remained in his body; perhaps the young man
the magic in the Tef-Aabhi’s words. A new city of pillars. held ambitions an immortal never clearly envisioned.
For some reason, though, Bes-Sed kept thinking of the Called from Duat by a dream of dead gods, Bes-Sed’s soul
empty throne of the pharaoh in this new city... wrapped itself in the body on the altar, but Sedge was
The century before the new Turn saw Bes-Sed fielding the one who opened his eyes. Sedge looked at the city of
requests from Tarikh-Sethos and the Hall of the Northern D.C. and judged the White Jackal’s meret (for really, the
Bear. The master of North American Maa-Kep wanted Mason was first among equals) to be unworthy of rule. His
Bes-Sed’s help in unifying America through the medium of guild afforded him a unique viewpoint on control, and he
Washington culture, while the Mesen-Nebu sought an old discarded an immortal life’s worth of humble service in an
friend to help him unify the city’s immigrant Arisen under instant. If the city was to function smoothly, it needed a
the Khent-henu. firm hand to rule. A firm second hand.

Laborers 67
 The Arisen chose his cult well—they were men of Affinities: Affable Aid, Blessed Soul, Divine Countenance,
industry and women of service, aides to senators and Ever-Pertinent Authority, Faithful Servant’s Blessing, Flail of
secretaries to the powerful. In the first year he spent in Scorn, Living Monolith, Retributive Curse
the district’s radiant Sekhem, Sedge’s tomb slowly came Utterances: Bound as Fingers in a Fist, Dreams of Dead
together underneath the goat pastures of Swampoodle, Gods, Words of Dead Glory
beside K Street. Establishing his tomb and cult, Sedge built
his machine. Pillars: Ab 3, Ba 1, Ka 5, Ren 3, Sheut 3
Through six millennia of existence, Bes-Sed had never Sekhem: 5 (as of early 2014).
once chosen nor accepted a title, unlike so many other
Willpower: 8
Arisen. Now he finally had one: Boss.
Description: Sedge is short, and keeps his dark red Memory: 7
hair close-cropped. He sports a well-trimmed but thick Virtue: Fortitude (Sedge survived Duat, envoy service, and
mustache and goatee. He favors three-piece power suits the annihilation of his khat and cult. His powerful survival
in black and charcoal, to contrast his skin and hair. He
radiates calm and friendliness, preferring to speak softly.
He is rarely without two aides (one a Caucasian man, the
other an African-American woman). Both are embodied
intruders, who have Passions to serve him and defend his The Machine
person.
Even if it’s not recorded in their statistics, Sedge’s
Roleplaying Hints: Reciprocity (both positive and machine relies on the Guild Envoy Affinity (see
negative) is the name of the game. It’s the name of every Guildhalls of the Deathless) to aid and influence
game. Want others to do your will? Make them give you the merets of the city. Edja is bound to Aziza, Bes-Met
something first, make them need you. Someone hurts you? is bound to Ptah-Nefer, Ur-Zahar is bound to Hebeny,
Make them feel the pain until they beg. Consequently, and Sudi-Tau is bound to Miw-Sher. If you do not own
Sedge catches more flies with honey than vinegar, but his the supplement, the Affinity requires the Maa-Kep to
vinegar is pure acid. In many ways, he’s an ideal Maa-Kep, gift an amulet to the other mummy; so long as the
except for that pesky bit about wanting to be a shadow other mummy possesses the amulet, whenever they’re
pharaoh. Sedge builds relationships with transient Arisen, called, the Maa-Kep will rise with them. The Affinity
with dispossessed or out-of-favor mummies, with virtually affords mystical support to the recipient’s actions, but
also allows the Maa-Kep a slight measure of control.
anyone who can listen or will benefit. He respects his
While the guild as a whole is extremely reluctant to
Sadikh and his hierophant and intruders, and treats them utilize this measure, Edja, Sudi-Tau, and Ur-Zahar are
as near equals. But no matter how affable he is, Sedge is (presumably) liberal with their threats to do so.
always closing in on his goal—total control over the nome.
Sudi-Tau and his uaqeb Miw-Sher, the Lion of the
Concept: Undermining Politico
Senate, don’t have an appearance in this chapter
Decree: Essence beyond their names, titles, and a few more hints.
Neither do Edja (the Sesha-Hebsu envoy) and Ur-
Judge: Neha-Hatu, the Stinking Body
Zahar (the Tef-Aabhi envoy). We’ve left them, and more
Guild: Maa-Kep specifically their relationships, deliberately undefined
for you.
Attributes: Intelligence 3, Wits 3, Resolve 4; Strength
3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3; Presence 4, Manipulation 4, As her name implies, Miw-Sher likely has ties to
Composure 4 the United States Senate—more specifically, the
Democratic-controlled aspect, if you want to make
Skills: Academics 2 (Political Science), Athletics 3, Brawl her a foil for Ubaid, who’s steadily losing power in
3, Computer 1, Crafts 2 (Amulets), Empathy 2 (Motives), the face of the Tea Party’s resurgence. She had love
Expression 1, Intimidation 3 (Veiled Threats), Investigation affairs with both Ubaid and Hebeny over previous
4, Larceny 1, Persuasion 3, Politics 4 (Bribery, Scandals), Turns. As a prominent member of what’s nominally the
Socialize 2, Streetwise 3 (Rumors), Subterfuge 2 most powerful guild in the city, she likely commands
considerable clout. How much of that clout Sedge
Merits: Cult (Conspiracy; Reach 4, Grasp 4; Glamorous, can usurp, or whether the arrangement has turned into
Paranoid), Enigma 1, Guild Status (Maa-Kep) 5, Relic 2, something stranger, is up to you.
Tomb (Geometry 2, Peril [Curse] 2; Prime Location)

68 The Washingtonians
drive was always there, it’s just been repurposed to see “not to get their hands dirty. He’s found them ideal servants
ruling the city” as a form of adversity.) to a Maa-Kep, easy to turn towards serving the will of
Vice: Greed (Put simply, Sedge wants the nome. He can the Judges. If they’re high-profile, what of it? The slaves
play humility, dress his pure will up, but at the end of the work best when they see the flail in your hands. After the
day, it’s a lie to cover his enormous ambition.) fall of Irem, he walked with the bandits who roamed the
deserts, smashing houses down. During the Third Crusade,
Initiative: 5 Bes-Mat rode with Teutons expelled from the Order for
Defense: 3 savagery in Jerusalem. In the seventeenth century, he
sailed with pirates around Port Royal. In the 1950s it was
Speed: 11
biker gangs, and he left Washington very briefly to acquire
Size: 5 a club of his own.
Armor: 0 Bes-Mat takes his duties to the Su-Menent seriously—
he shares their conviction, after all. He takes his duty to
Health: 8
greet those who enter the nome with equal fervor. It’s not
Notes: Although he has a Guild Status of 5, Sedge has uncommon for Bes-Mat to transport Arisen dignitaries
not been granted commensurate rank, and thus does not who give him notice in the cramped back end of a food
have the cartouche of a true Maa-Kep guildmaster. Sedge truck flanked by the club—food trucks are a dime a dozen
effectively controls the Maa-Kep within the city, save Bes- in D.C., the Sons own a small catering business, and the
Mat and Sabola, and wields power disproportionate to his Arisen tend to stink once you get past the anise reek of
rank. His tomb is deep inside the sub-basement of the St. raw Sekhem. Besides, Bes-Mat says, you don’t need to eat,
Aloysius Church in Swampoodle; until the early 90s, it had but there’s nothing like a taste of home. The truck sells
the Stained History drawback. His relic amulet is a glittering street food, of the kind you’d find back in Irem. Bes-Mat
gold scarab amulet, similar to the Olympic Frog (Mummy: gleaned the recipes from a particularly potent mirage, and
The Curse, p. 218) save that it affects his Manipulation. they remind transients of their duties.
Sedge is strongly considering making it a talisman. Of late, Bes-Mat has grown dour. Tepemkau has
vanished, and the mummy’s cult is running amok. His
BES-MAT, KNIGHT OF JUDGMENT friend Menmaatre, First Prophet of New York, has called a
Quote: “Riding through this world, the Judges own your Conclave of the Su-Menent—and wishes for it to be held
souls. What little else we’ve got is ours, and we mean to keep in D.C. Last but not least of his worries, Sedge and Ubaid
it that way.” seem to be gearing up to make their respective moves
Background: You want to find Bes-Mat, you’ll find him to replace the missing guildmasters. Bes-Mat cannot
wherever the new Arisen are in town. He’s got eyes in the stand Sedge, and hates every moment the two spend
TSA, in the embassies, on every entrance into this town. awake together—he considers the other mummy to be a
You’ll see him at the head of his cult—a phalanx of near- perversion of the guild, slowly co-opting the role of the
outlaw bikers, motorcycles roaring down the Beltway’s Judges in determining what the path of the Arisen should
shoulder and off-ramps. They’re rare enough on the East be. But he loathed Sabola more, and if supporting Sedge is
Coast, and most residents think they’re weekend warriors, the price to pay for her absence, he’ll gladly pay it.
but the shit Bes-Mat’s made them do would make one- Description: Bes-Mat was big for his era—well over
percenters blanch. If Bes-Mat’s job is to escort the transient six feet—and he’s still big today. Lean and muscled, he
Arisen around the New World city of pillars, he’s going to has a cruel cast to his stance, like he’s ready to snap and
do it in style. do violence at your slightest indiscretion. Indeed, if you
Don’t let the leather kutte (read: vest with patches sewn trespass against the Judges or the Su-Menent, he will do
on) fool you. Bes-Mat is Maa-Kep to the core, capable of just that. He wears jeans, boots, and his kutte at nearly all
a surprisingly extensive discourse on comparative religion. times. The MC’s patch is a flaming man with indistinct
He’s envoy to the Su-Menent, after all, and if he were features grasping a crook and flail, a sun-disc behind
blasphemous enough to speak for the Judges, he’d likely his head. More than once, Bes-Mat has sent someone
deem all of Washington heretical. But that’s not his call. careening down the street, tied to a bicycle and doused in
What is his call is unswerving obedience in his cult to the kerosene.
Judges and the gods of Duat. Roleplaying Hints: You’re tough, it’s true. But your dog-
For as long as he’s considered it, Bes-Mat has loved loyalty and convictions are based on rational thought. You
outlaw groups. They tend to cling to brotherhood and cultivate the image of unthinking thug, but only because
idealism with religious conviction, but they’re never afraid force is the easiest way to make yourself known to those you

Laborers 69
 Affinities: Affable Aid, Dauntless Explorer, Living in Now,
Paragon Shames the Weak
Utterances: Words of Dead Fury, Words of Dead Glory
Pillars: Ab 1, Ba 5, Ka 4, Ren 1, Sheut 1
Sekhem: 10 if roused during this story
Willpower: 5
Memory: 4
Virtue: Fortitude (Loyal unto Duat, Bes-Mat will grumble
and rant about injustices and slights, but will also maintain
his position, even in the face of oblivion. While undoubtedly
quick to temper, Bes-Met’s reason for anger is in defense
of causes in which he believes and protects, the nome chief
among them and his biker gang coming a close second.)
Vice: Pride (Bes-Mat’s cult and activities have seen much
success in recent awakenings, resulting in his historic Wrath
being tempered by a glut of Pride. Unafraid to boast of
his achievements in debate, knowing how such words can
swiftly shut down a lesser opponent, he is increasingly
relying on former glories. This tactic may see him eventually
outmatched by a more progressive adversary.)
Initiative: 5
Defense: 3
Speed: 11
associate with and those whom you need to exert your will Size: 5
upon. Amongst other Arisen, who are immune to such ploys, Armor: 0
you are polite, thoughtful and argumentative. Your skills as a Health: 8
debater are legendary amongst the society of the Diaspora,
and you sincerely believe in the nome’s mission to end that Notes: No equipment when newly arisen.
Diaspora. You believe it almost as much as you keep faith with
the Judges, and that is the one absolute in your life. SABOLA
Concept: The Faithful Hound Quote: “Did I know you once? You seem familiar. Can you
tell me what I’ve forgotten?”
Decree: Spirit Background: Next to the Tap and Parlour on Shaw’s U
Judge: Usekh-Nemtet, the First Judge Street is Bohemian Caverns, a legendary jazz club. Duke
Ellington practically lived here, just before he made it
Guild: Maa-Kep
big, and the ‘60s saw all the greats play on the dimly-
Attributes: Intelligence 2, Wits 5, Resolve 3; Strength lit, smoke-filled stage of the Caverns—Miles Davis,
3, Dexterity 2, Stamina 3; Presence 3, Manipulation 2, Shirley Horn, John Coltrane, Eric Dolphy, and, of course,
Composure 2 Charlie Mingus. Through it all, Sabola sat in a side booth
Skills: Academics 1, Athletics 1, Brawl 2, Crafts 1, Drive lined with genuine imitation Corinthian leather, always
in shadow, always nursing a cup of Iremite-style mead.
2 (Motorcycles), Expression 2, Firearms 1, Intimidation 2,
Often she was on the arm of some smart-dressed man of
Larceny 1, Occult 1, Persuasion 3, Politics 2, Streetwise 2,
her cult, always on the side, always the best bearer of the
Survival 2 (Sailing), Weaponry 3 (Swords)
engraved… but oh, how she loved the drink. She kept
Merits: Cult (Enterprise; Reach 4, Grasp 4), Guild Status the breweries fermenting it, even during Prohibition.
(Maa-Kep) 2, Inspiring, Language (Arabic, English), Strong “Nothing reminds you so much of home like the taste of
Back, Tomb (Geometry 5, Peril [traps] 4) honey, wouldn’t you say?”

70 The Washingtonians
 She continues these habits still, but everything else has
changed—Sabola most of all.
For two centuries, Sabola kept herself out of sight, as
befit a dark-skinned woman in a city that couldn’t decide
whether it liked black slavery or not. Sabola wasn’t Nubian
herself, but she was dark enough to look exotic in a nation
that didn’t like outsiders. She traveled the neighborhoods of
the district, ranging outward from her tomb in Georgetown,
coordinating the actions of the Maa-Kep within the city
and subtly culling any who did not see eye-to-eye with Seb-
Hetchet’s vision. She traveled the nation, keeping the Maa-
Kep as a whole from truly understanding the goal of the city.
One summer day, she traveled, and she forgot herself.
Now, she is nothing, but at one time she was a master.
Sabola was a Maa-Kep, through and through. Her cult
touched the Masons and drifted into the same realms as all
others in the city, so that she might keep an eye on how the
banner of the scorpion wavered. A matronly figure despite
the femme fatale attitude, Sabola would sit other mummies
(and cultists—she did not discriminate overly much,
unlike some in her meret) before her, gradually guiding
them to wisdom with questions and pointed observations.
She loved the mystery behind what she did, more than the
other Second Hands. Her advice was oft couched in riddles
and cryptic words. “Frankly, I think that king goes a bit too
far,” she’d say to the white politicos who enjoyed the club,
or, “I think this Barry fellow has what it takes to belong to
this city.” So many events, so much darkness, all at Sabola’s hands.
Sabola herself rarely acted, preferring intermediaries for The blood on her hands, the damage to her souls, these
her work. She funneled them through the Caverns, speaking things were held in abeyance only by her talisman, a golden
softly, so that listeners had to strain to hear her over the hot amulet shaped as a child’s skull. Was it this mockery of
music. She would make them do terrible things. Once, she uter that made Bes-Mat despise her so? Is that why her
forced a cultist to give his firstborn child up to consecrate the subordinate conspired with Sedge? Sabola does not know.
Washington Monument—it didn’t have the requisite blood She doesn’t even remember enough to ask the question.
in the mortar, and the paltry amount that could be sacrificed She sits in the Bohemian Cavern, and the bartender is paid
without the city noticing required a certain mystical charge. well to keep the old woman in the corner booth supplied
In 1968, it was Sabola who stirred her cultists in the FBI with the sour mead she loves so much. The bartender
to convince Edgar Hoover to simply shoot the rioters who doesn’t care. The woman harms no one, and besides, she
disturbed the city’s heka on the death of Martin Luther King. seems to really love the music.
Another time, in the 70s, she sicced a small hate-fueled Now, Sabola is without Memory, a woman lost. The
mob on a resurrected Hebeny, simply because she knew mystery is gone… a riddle no more.
the other Arisen would slaughter the mob out-of-hand, Description: Sabola was a tall and beautiful woman, the
and that mob contained several men who would serve her product of Irem’s colonies mixing together. She was darkly
purposes better in death (they held positions Sabola would skinned, but not so much that she couldn’t pass in the dark
rather her cultists held; the police ended up calling it a riot days of the city’s history. Now, her lack of memory has
again). Seb-Hetchet once called her a monster, but Sabola warped her sahu into a bent frame, a withered and elderly
called herself necessary, if a new Irem were to rise. So many version of what she once was. Her clothes grow rattier by
subtleties had to come in to play, that the heirs of Irem knew the day, as whomever cared for her in the earliest days
that Washington was where they must go, but not that Seb- without purpose no longer does so.
Hetchet planned to be their pharaoh. Seb-Hetchet himself Roleplaying Hints: You take a sip. The star, your star, is
did not know, but Sabola did. A good Second Hand must high above. You can see it through the ceiling, through the
know always what’s needed. ground, from wherever you are. Sothis ascends. You take a

Laborers 71
 sip. This wine is fine and strong. It warms your bones, and whoever could restore her Memory (via Sebayt and mirage
your bones feel so icy. It reminds you of a time when you exposure, or by recovering her talisman) would find them-
were young and strong, but you don’t quite recall what that selves with a guildmaster in their debt. Her Memory loss is
means, and an anger wells up in you. Without a place for the result of degeneration, not resurrection.
it to reside on, it transmutes into self-pity. You take a sip.
Concept: The Forgotten
Decree: Spirit
OTHERS
Most Mummy: The Curse chronicles have their fair
Judge: Utu-Nesert, Vigorous of Fire share of mortal characters, notably cultists and their
Guild: Maa-Kep contacts. The following are a few mortals who could be
inserted into a cult or associated with a given mummy to
Attributes: Intelligence 3, Wits 2, Resolve 4; Strength add some D.C. flavor.
2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 4; Presence 4, Manipulation 5,
Composure 3 DANIEL HOLDEN
Skills: Academics 3, Animal Ken 1, Brawl 1, Crafts 3 Quotes: “To serve your purpose, you need influence, yes? In
(Amulets), Drive 1, Empathy 3, Expression 2, Intimidation 4, this town, I am influence.”
Investigation 3, Larceny 1, Occult 3, Persuasion 3, Poli- Background: The archetypical golden boy from the
tics 2, Socialize 4, Stealth 2, Streetwise 3, Subterfuge 3, wealthy D.C. suburb of MacLean, Virginia, Daniel excelled
Survival 1 at everything he did. He had the sense to avoid things that
Merits: Cult 0, Enigma 5, Guild Status (Maa-Kep) 5, Lan- were difficult or would cause trouble later in life. Blessed
guage (Arabic, English, French), Relic 5 (Guild Cartouche), with intelligence and good looks, he figured out early on
Relic 4, Tomb 0 how to manipulate others, a trait his parents recognized
and cultivated. His father always told him that he was
Affinities: Affable Aid, Auspicious Mastery, Charmed destined for something special, and Daniel believed it.
Lives, Falcon Soul Aloft, Grip of Death, Running Like Flight, His mother was an antiquities dealer who liked telling
Voice of Temptation
Utterances: Doom Affliction, Dreams of Dead Gods
Pillars: Ab 2, Ba 5, Ka 2, Ren 2, Sheut 5
Sekhem: 10 if roused during this story
Willpower: 7
Memory: 1
Virtue: Fortitude
Vice: Pride
Initiative: 5
Defense: 2
Speed: 10
Size: 5
Armor: 0
Health: 9
Notes: Sabola owns a relic talisman, which has been sto-
len from her. Without it, she lacks essential details of his life
and how to relate to the world. Her cult has perished; when
Sabola awoke, she stumbled out into the world alone, and
her tomb has since been desecrated. She could, in theory,
simply resurrect around her talisman (wherever it is) but
does not recall this is even a possibility. An Arisen without
Memory is either a pitiable thing or a powerful ally, and

72 The Washingtonians
him myths about ancient gods and heroes. By the time he but he is respectful. Valued as a servant, or even perhaps
could drive, Daniel intended to be President of the United as a peer, but he is keenly aware that his value is never
States. more than that to the mummies. He suspects how powerful
He attended Georgetown University and interned at they may be, and has no desire to make enemies of them.
Capitol Hill. There, his dreams of being a world leader When Daniels speaks, he meets the gaze of others and
died. He saw first-hand the lavish gifts and favors showered nearly always delivers at least one compliment. Try to be
on politicians by lobbyists. He overheard conversations as straightforward as possible about what services you can
where supposedly idealistic men and women would agree offer, and make it crystal clear that you are not part of
to compromise their values to gain votes, or orchestrate anyone’s cult. Daniel owes allegiance only to himself and
entire conflicts for the benefit of their careers. He grew the higher plans of the gods. If he’s not careful, he’ll end up
angry, disenchanted, and disgusted with politics. But once someone’s lifeless Sadikh.
he shed his youthful ideals, he also became much better at Abilities:
playing political games. Politics (••••• •••)
A fatal car accident involving a drunk driver took his Daniel is a prodigy, hampered only by his lingering sense
parents the year before he graduated. His father left him of disenchantment and disgust with the way the District
wealth. His mother left him a scarab and a note in a safe works. Even that, he’s quickly discarding. The more time
deposit box. She explained how the myths were real, and he spends amongst the truly powerful, the more he sees
how he should take the scarab and discover the true masters the myriad web of connections that sustains Washington,
of the world. Within days, he’d come into contact with his literally and metaphorically.
first Arisen. He doesn’t even know who it was, only that
they offered to help him get a job with an influential think
tank in exchange for future favors. He agreed.
Ever since he obtained the scarab, he’s gained the ability New Cult Benefit:
to sense supernatural beings. He feels drawn to them,
encountering the Deathless and their minions almost by Wayward Cult
accident. He has discovered that he is all but immune
Most scorpion cults follow a similar structure: they
to the fear that mummies generate, and he seems to be
worship the Judges through the avatars of the Arisen,
protected from any number of charms or curses. Now a who are as walking gods. Enterprises and Conspiracies
well-established lawyer with plentiful political connections do so a little more indirectly than Tribal arrangements,
on the left and the right, Daniel sees himself as the lobbyist but they mostly function around Judge worship. For
to the Arisen, taking bids for his services from competing the most part, cultists are pretty good about keeping
cults. their ducks in a row in regards to staying hidden in an
Recently, he’s noticed that he seems to be having more area hostile to worship of the Judges. But sometimes
chance encounters with the supernatural, as if he’s drawn it’s less trouble to simply shrug and go with the flow.
to them, or perhaps the other way around. He’s become Wayward cults have been directly misled by their
increasingly possessive and secretive of the scarab. He Arisen; for whatever reason, the Arisen has chosen
believes his mother was a member of a cult, but he doesn’t simply not to tell them the truth of the Judges, instead
spinning the Arisen’s nature as some perverted
know which one. He also wonders about that first Arisen
and altered aspect of a native faith. These cults are
who he met years ago. One day, he’s going to meet that particularly popular in the American Bible Belt and in
mummy again… and return a very big favor. Mexico, where Christian groups regard the Arisen as
Description: Daniel has blond hair, blue eyes, and the gifted with undeath as Lazarus was, but in the past
shoulders of an athlete. He looks like a movie star playing cults in Japan, Iberian Spain and the Belgian Congo
a politician, but he’s very affable when he wants to be, have all been lead astray. Wayward cults add +2 to
making friends easily and making other people around him their Reach and Grasp ratings when blocking other
feel important. He is an impeccable dresser, but he has the cults (they’re full of heathens!), but blocking other cults
wisdom to dress appropriately for his environment. He more than twice in a month forces the Arisen into a
keeps a bottle of cologne nearby to use in case he should lengthy explanation of how their religious beliefs are
encounter any of the Deathless. He doesn’t want to smell superior to the other cult’s, and if they don’t have a
good reason for why the enemy’s cult has a mummy
like funerary herbs.
too, their cult will turn more hostile, slowly but surely.
Storytelling Hints: Daniel is a Witness, projecting
confidence around the Arisen. He isn’t afraid of the dead,

Others 73
 Socialize (••••• ••)
Being a lobbyist requires learning the art of charm. Daniel
is more than capable at what he does-attending everything
from happy hours to private parties to galas, finding the
most important people in the room, and schmoozing them.
Occult (••••)
He knows less than he thinks, and he doesn’t think he
knows a lot. Still, Daniel’s savvy enough to recognize the
great powers in the city, and to understand when something
off means something wrong. If it can be recognized,
someone, somewhere knows something about it. It’s just a
matter of finding that person.

DR. TIMOTHY GALBREATH

Quotes: “Tracing the DNA back to the beginning… that’s
what it’s all about.”
Background: Dr. Galbreath holds a prestigious position
at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland,
north of Washington, D.C. Officially, he works to map
genomes with a specialization in mitochondrial DNA.
He also consults with Last Dynasty International. He has
written several papers on the spread of disease and the
effects of environment on human genetics. He performs all
of his expected duties well, sometimes showing a flash of
brilliance in his work. He’s a respected geneticist with years
of service, and he doesn’t garner any unusual attention.
What truly inspires Dr. Galbreath, what consumes his
thoughts and time outside of work, is his sacred mission of
“Come in. I’m sure we can work out something you can
tracking mitochondrial DNA back to Irem. He sees himself
help us with to defer the costs.”
as one of the greatest servants of Sekhimib, a servant who
Description: Dr. Galbreath is an older man of average
will help his master complete the human monument. With
height with thinning white hair and a pronounced chin.
his knowledge, he has provided the other cult members with
He wears thick-black rimmed glasses and button-down
information on which ethnicities and nationalities must
shirts and slacks beneath a perpetual lab coat. He wears a
interbreed to turn back time and restore native Iremites to
cartouche with the name “Tim” spelled out in hieroglyphs
the world. He loves his duty and sees it as a sacred calling.
around his neck, and his office is covered in pictures of
He’s even tried to sample cells from a sahu in order
vacation trips to Egypt. His conditioning is limited to
to ascertain more details about Irem. Unfortunately, the
walking on golf courses during the weekends. He tends
sahu of one of the Deathless does not contain salvageable
to be quiet, but any discussion of Irem, ancient history or
genetic material. The dried bones don’t seem to help either.
genetics makes him suddenly become animated.
During the weekends, Dr. Galbreath spends his time in
Storytelling Hints: You like to listen more than talk, but
West Virginia away from the District, trying to relax and
you have an irresistible curiosity about genetics. You can’t
map out the genes and the populations that are needed to
help but ask someone about their ancestors. If possible,
bring back Irem. Some medical problems have bothered
you like to get genetic samples. You derive most of your
him in recent years, such as a bit of basal cell carcinoma
self-worth from your importance to the Tef-Aabhi, and you
and a few unusual polyps detected by a colonoscopy.
easily respond to flattery about your value to the guild.
While he’s had nothing life-threatening, he is becoming
Abilities:
concerned with his own mortality. Recently, he decided to
Science (Genetics) (••••• ••••)
take some of the assets that he’s accumulated from the Tef-
Timothy is a patient man, except when it comes to his
Aabhi to help with his personal research and store them
own mortality. He can easily wait decades to see his genetic
away. He’s strongly considering scraping together the funds
experiments come to fruition. Which is fortunate, because
to undergo the anti-aging treatments his friends over at
these things take time—but between now and then he
LDI are always raving about. “By all means, Tim,” they say,
remains one of the foremost minds in his, or any, field.

74 The Washingtonians
 Medicine (••••• •••)
From a very young age, Dr. Galbreath knew he didn’t
want to die. If the Arisen won’t make him a Sadikh, he
intends to use his knowledge of genetics to find a way to
survive. He originally went to medical school to learn how
to stave off death’s cold embrace, and retains that talent
himself.
Academics (History ••••• ••)
Studying the movement patterns of humanity requires
understanding population movements. While his cell
cultures grow and the lab processeses DNA strands,
Galbreath pours over census data and ancient accords.
He’s well aware of historical trends in general, especially
when it comes to diseases or population centers.

ERICA DEJESUS
Quotes: “My superiors are suspicious of everything.”
Background: Erica’s family has been loyal to her cult for
as long as they can remember. Arrangements were made
early in her life to have her positioned to become an agent
of authority, whether for the police or the government.
She excelled in her studies and upon graduation earned a
job with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement with the
Department of Homeland Security. When she expressed
an understanding of the supernatural, she was moved to
a division that specializes in investigating the unusual.
Now, she does something a little more exotic than hunting
terrorists.
Storytelling Hints: You are a government agent who
Erica isn’t completely certain who or what she serves.
hunts down the supernatural. Very little surprises you, but
She’s read and observed enough to believe that she has
you sometimes see magic and supernatural activity where
connections to ancient Egypt, but the cult members who
it doesn’t exist. You are having doubts about your cult, and
have contact with her have told her that she should know
you are desperate to validate your devotion to it. However,
as little as possible for her own protection. She has faith
if you were to discover you have been lied to your entire
that the cult has her best interests at heart.
life, you could also call upon the resources of the United
However, she’s seen a number of terrors from ghosts to
States government to help take down the cult.
werewolves, and she’s had some concerns about the cult.
Abilities:
She started her own side investigation because she simply
Firearms (••••• •)
wants to know. She still believes that they are on the right
Erica is a government agent, and spends regular time
side, but she just prefers to know.
on the firing ranges. More so than she used to, in fact. Her
Unfortunately, her side investigation was discovered by
cult is on the side of light, and as idealistic as it seems, she
a fellow agent, who believes that she’s found something
believes good will triumph over evil. She just doesn’t think
important. She’s now being pushed to learn the truth and
it’ll go without a fight.
for once, she’s hiding a secret from the cult.
Intimidation (••••• •)
Note: Erica could easily belong to the cult of a player
Erica knows how to flash her badge in order to get
character or interact with cultist characters. She could
results. She has no problem bullying a witness around a
also be used as an antagonist with access to resources that
little, throwing her departmental weight to and fro, if it
could threaten the plans of the Arisen.
means squeezing a bit more information out of the leaned-
Description: Erica’s a Hispanic woman in her late 20’s
upon.
in excellent physical condition. She normally wears suits
Investigation (••••• ••)
on the job, and she tends towards reasonable tops and
She’s a cop, first and foremost. Well, a government
jeans when she’s off-duty, with the occasional dress for a
agent, but law enforcement is law enforcement and
night out.
that criminology major and minor in forensics is good

Others 75
 for something. Erica’s got a keen eye for details and a
cunning mind, along with the instinct to know she’s on to
something.

MALIN ALKURD, ROGUE HIEROPHANT

Quotes: (in flawless Iremite Egyptian) “Jennifer… you’re
on sign-ups for the event tonight. Lauren, I want you working
the crowd. Richard, you’re the spotter. And Lyla, as soon as
Richard spots him, you take the shot. We’ll rip that fucker’s
amulet off him before he can say sharmoota. Any questions?”
Background: Malin was born the daughter of two
Kurdish immigrants fleeing Saddam’s purges, but she grew
up loving America more than her native culture. Not that
she didn’t learn a great deal from her parents—in fact, the
story of her family’s flight from Iraq stayed with her through
childhood, the injustice and brutality of it all inspiring her
to study international law and diplomacy. The impulse of
flight in her parents was strong in her as well, but took a
far fightier nature. Malin was driven to excel, organizing
her life with cheerful optimism and a ruthless, relentless
commitment to excellence. She graduated at the top of her
class from Georgetown’s International Relations School,
but her family’s loans ran out before she could double back
for a law degree. Facing mounting debt, like so many of her
age, she took a job with a think tank in Washington. It was
a frustrating, degrading experience—her gender and looks
were prized far more highly than her intelligence. How
could she discuss policy in countless memos, when there
was real work to be done? her sleep, but by burning off the fatigue). She’s whipped
Malin’s skill at organization and her cheerful disposition the rest of the organization into a shape she finds obedient
were what attracted the Su-Menent Tepemkau to her. Her and pleasing. True, without their mummy, they’re at a
was looking for a new priestess, one who could reform his disadvantage. But they do have what few relics Tepemkau
flagging cult and whip it into shape. He’d absolutely found didn’t take with him, and a base of operations in his tomb
his woman in Malin, but utterly failed to account for her under the House of the Temple. The Cult of the Nameless
sheer ambition. Within six months, Malin had risen to the Youth has gone on the warpath—they know enough to
rank of high priestess. After that, it was a simple matter to hunt other mummies and other relics, enough to be truly
engineer a false flag attack on the cult so vicious (it killed the dangerous but not enough to be wise. They’ve already
hierophant, after all) that it required sacrifice of Tepemkau’s broken up another cult in a stunningly-executed array of
Sadikh (too bad they’d utilized the Khent-henu’s relics to midnight sieges and daring raids, and escaped the wrath
find that uter Incan mummy king in the Smithsonian a few of the ancient mummy who guarded the other cult (he
weeks back. If only that’d panned out, right?). seemed a bit addled, at any rate). The relics they recovered
And then, Tepemkau disappeared. Malin didn’t know were more than enough to keep their day jobs secure. As
why. She’d risen too far, too fast; she never benefited from for Malin, she’s nearly forgotten that she ever wanted to
the years of indoctrination and occult lore that came with make a difference in the world, to fight and create a place
rising through the ranks at a normal pace. She didn’t know her parents would never need to flee from.
about Sothis, and she didn’t know Tepemkau could simply Description: Barely topping five feet, Malin is beautiful,
get up without her calling. of obvious Turkish and Kurdish descent, with a disarmingly
She had the rest of the cult, though. There was that. genuine smile. If she comes off as a bit fake, it’s because she’s
For Malin, it’s a chance to truly shine. The power the trying extremely hard to do everything with the highest degree
Arisen hold can really make the difference in the world. of poise possible, and nobody’s that good all the time. At
Already, the necklace of black pearls she wears is really least, now without practice. Since she became hierophant,
helping her with her sleeping problems (not by helping she’s seemed so much more alive than she did before.

76 The Washingtonians
 Roleplaying Hints: You genuinely want people to like Politics (••••• ••)
you, and be happy. You just think they’ll be happiest in an If Empathy is her talent, Politics is Malin’s hard-earned
orderly structure, that’s all. The relic uter you took from skill. She is quickly learning the intricacies of how to play
Tepemkau’s tomb has really gotten the lead out of your political games, both to keep the Nameless Youth cult in
mind and helped you focus. Be cheerful, happy, and direct, line and to keep herself sitting atop it.
and do everything with as much grace as you can possibly Streetwise (•••••)
muster. Malin keeps her ear to the ground—Capitol Hill interns
Empathy (••••• •••) and student reporters from the journalism school at the
Malin’s true talent is her ability to empathize with University of Maryland are her two favorite groups to
people, to understand their needs better than they do. She grab drinking buddies from—and she can certainly charm
even possesses the very rare talent of making people feel information out of a few. The Arisen are much less subtle
as if they have no needs at all. This was why Tepemkau than they like to think, and if you look closely enough,
recruited her. you’ll see signs of a scorpion cult. After that, it’s all about
watching them and not letting them notice you.

Others 77
 Chapter Four
Ephemeral Strands
Washington is a very easy city for you to forget
where you came from and why you got there in the first place.
— Harry S. Truman

Few cities are as well-known as Washington, D.C. The The setting is also meant to be used for Arisen to visit,
iconic images of the monuments and the White House whether for one story, multiple stories or for a significant
appear on news programs daily throughout the world. part of a chronicle. Rumors that the Washington Monument
The vast economic, cultural, scientific, and diplomatic works with the geomantic designs of the city to restore
influence of the United States makes its capital arguably Sekhem would give mummies a reason to find out the truth
the most important city on earth. for themselves. Politics in Washington could be affecting the
Washington, D.C.’s importance holds true for the preservation of a sacred site and some supernatural persuasion
Arisen as well as for the living. The collections of ancient may be needed. One of the Deathless could see the nation’s
artifacts in the city, coupled with the ability of the American capital as the key to achieving her purpose, and the leader
government to shape global affairs, lures those Deathless of a nome or a guildmaster could send Arisen and their cult
who wish to find a better way to serve their purposes. Only members to prevent any conflicts. Of course, there’s always
a handful of other cities have a population of mummies to the Smithsonian. What Storyteller doesn’t want to run a
rival that found in Washington on any given night, and with scene where a player’s mummy wakes up on display?
each year more cults seek influence within the Beltway. Of course, maybe you don’t want to have a chronicle
There are Deathless who only grudgingly see such a set in D.C. and over the course of your game, your players
young city in such a young nation as significant, believing seem set against leaving their home city. It’s always possible
that more important matters are transpiring in religious to bring the events and characters in the book to the setting
centers, such as Jerusalem or Mecca, or in older cities, of your chronicle. One of the Tef-Aabhi in this book may
such as London, Cairo, and Rome. They see Washington, travel to another city in hopes of finding information on
D.C. much like the fireworks used for Independence Day how to prompt the White Jackal to rise. The influence
celebrations—it burns brightly for now, but soon it will go of Sedge may reach mortals or draw imitators among the
out. Still, even they have curiosity, and many guildmasters Arisen in other cities. As mummies are equals and have
send Arisen to Washington, D.C. to retrieve relics or lived for millennia, one of the D.C. Arisen could be a
investigate rumors and to learn more about the city, just in friend, advisor or rival, communicating through mystical
case it might serve their purpose. means or the far more mundane telephone, email, Skype,
etc. (with or without the help of his cult).
STORYTELLING D.C. Finally, you could simply take many of the NPCs,
relics, and other details and move them to your own city.
As a Storyteller, you have a number of options on how
to use this book for your chronicle. Obviously, a chronicle While everything was written to take advantage of the
can be set in Washington, D.C., and the locations and Washington, D.C. setting, changing details of names or
NPCs have been written with that mindset. Since backgrounds should be straightforward enough. If nothing
Arisen characters don’t remember all of their histories or else, the stats of a guildmaster from D.C. could be used as
relationships when they awaken, establishing ties to NPCs the stats of a guildmaster in another nome.
or roles within guilds can be done as the characters gain Mummy: The Curse offers an additional way to use the
Memory through the course of the chronicle. In other setting—the flashback. The Federal City could be a setting
words, you don’t have to fully understand the complexities for flashback stories and events that took place before the
or relationships of this setting to start running a D.C. current chronicle. A troupe’s characters could easily have
chronicle. fled D.C. at some point in the past.

Storytelling D.C. 79
 hope isn’t horrific. They always should have hope even as
THEMES they struggle against the inevitable end of their Descent.
After deciding how you want to use the setting, choosing
the theme for your chronicle will assist in creating the IREM REBORN
atmosphere of your stories. Below are some themes that The secret of Washington, D.C. stands in plain sight,
resonate with both Mummy: The Curse in general and in the form of a 555-foot tall white obelisk dominating
with the Washington, D.C. setting in particular. the cityscape; in the monuments that resemble ancient
Greek and Roman temples; in the designs of the avenues
RISE AND FALL and circles that control the flow of traffic. Echoes of past
The nation’s capital is a place of hope and ideals. If glories, memories of the great capitals of the past, draw the
you’ve ever visited D.C. with children, you know they often attention of visitors and occasionally wake residents from
point in wonder at all of the monuments and ask questions their personal reveries.
about what everything means. Even to the adult explaining To the Arisen, Washington, D.C. is an imperfect
why so many great buildings were erected, the answers can attempt to restore Irem, perhaps an attempt doomed to
seem simplistic and idealistic, but that idealism becomes failure and perhaps a creation that will surpass the original
the truth to the child. It’s only later as they grow older that vision. Though a chronicle can take any path and should
they learn that our great leaders were human, with human be tailored to meet the needs of its group, the theme of
failings and mistakes. Irem restored parallels the story of the Arisen, continually
It’s a story that repeats itself with almost every election. struggling to find a balance between their shattered
A new president or new Congress comes in with elected memories and their vast power.  
candidates making promises, but by the next election cycle The creation of a new kind of Irem is the goal of the
even the best of intentions always seem to have fallen Khent-henu, the coalition of Arisen, now guildmasters,
short. who effectively run the nome of Washington. Despite their
For the Arisen, each Descent is a new “election cycle.” efforts, mortals seem to unravel their plans as they sleep,
They rise full of potential and promise, coupled with raw whether by changing the borders of the city, altering roads,
power and purpose (a mandate if you will), and they lack or building new monuments. In truth, Irem can never be
the knowledge of how to get things done in Washington. As rebuilt. Not really. None of the mummies can remember it
time goes on, and they learn about life within the Beltway clearly enough, and even their clearest memories could be
and how to play the political game, they understand how constructs from daydreams or even delusions brought on
to use their abilities even as they lose their strength. by too many lifetimes. Even if they had a perfect memory,
The Descent moves closer to its end even as the Arisen Irem is gone and the world has changed tremendously from
accumulate the knowledge and memories they need to fulfill the time of the Nameless Empire.
their purpose. Their abilities have faded with their loss of
Sekhem. The tragedy is that once they know what they need STAGNATION
to do, they have the least chance to accomplish their purpose. From the Beltway to the halls of Congress, Washington
To emphasize this theme, describe the scenes at the is known for its gridlock. Every generation, outsiders come
beginning of the chronicle in optimistic and hopeful terms. to the city promising to reform government in D.C., to
If a member of the troupe asks if they think it’s possible to bring new ideals and new energy to business inside the
do something, present the information in positive terms. Beltway. Perpetually, their ideals crumble against the
You needn’t lie, but be encouraging. Let the characters feel bureaucracy, regardless of the political spectrum. Now, in
empowered by their purpose. the real world, arguments can be made about how much
In the later stories of the chronicle, use more pessimistic business actually is accomplished, but within the World of
descriptions. Remind the characters of past failures. Have Darkness, Washington is a place where ideals are bought
cult members beg them to use utterances or affinities that and sold, where honest people become powerless, and
they can no longer access. Let cult members and allies where visionaries receive encouragement only to find out
become disenchanted with the mummy’s lack of ability. that the dreams they represent are lies.
Think of the frustration that adult children have with The Khent-henu came to D.C. full of energy and
elderly parents or grandparents. great plans. Through L’Enfant’s initial designs, the city’s
However, be careful not to overdo the pessimism. Players geomantic patterns were created. The Tef-Aabhi went on
still need to have fun. One way to mitigate the sense of to ensure the construction of a city of monuments, and
growing despair and desperation is to remind them that the even those monuments that they didn’t create where
characters have experienced this before. Pessimism without influenced by the ones that they had erected. However,

80 Ephemeral Strands
whenever they awake, monuments have been changed. D.C. lends itself to a Pyramid framework, where some
Humans have reconstructed some or are renovating players play Sadikh or mortals, while one plays an Arisen.
others. Roads are redone and the metro lines disrupt the The city itself gives humans a plethora of activities and
flow of energy. No matter how much effort is put into the roles to play. Mummies do not want to be discovered
city during each Descent nothing seems to change. in the capital of the most powerful country on Earth. If
At the Sothic Turn, the Khent-henu stand ready to any government poses a threat to the Arisen, it’s the US
accomplish their Rite of Irem Reborn, but even this is not government. Instead, events are manipulated from afar
possible with Seb-Hetchet remaining in his deathsleep. As by most of the city’s Deathless. They are like powerful
time moves on and the Sekhem of the guildmasters fades, lobbyists or the heads of think tanks. They have an agenda,
D.C. may yet claim another set of grand plans and ideas. but the cultists are the ones who implement that agenda.
When running a chronicle with a stagnation theme, use The Rotating Pyramid, where each player has an Arisen
an Arisen’s cult to help emphasize the theme. Have cult and a member of the cult to play, and the role of the Arisen
members complain about being stymied or make excuses rotates among players, gives a Storyteller many advantages of
as to why they can’t get anything done. Let them explain the Pyramid framework, while letting everyone enjoy playing
that the Arisen’s previous plans have hit roadblocks due to an Arisen. The framework can switch for the climatic stories
zoning issues or crime or poor building codes. of the chronicle to an Allied or even Rival Dead game with
multiple players taking the roles of the Arisen.
TWO CITIES Ultimately, the rule is to have fun and tell a good story.
It’s a well-worn trope in media and literature, but it’s
If this is your first Mummy chronicle, you may want to
easy to contrast the wealthy, influential and usually white
do either an Allied Dead or Rotating Pyramid framework.
suburbanites with the residents of the District who lack a
If you have an established World of Darkness game with
voting representative in Congress and tend to be African-
mortals, the Pyramid may be the best.
American and poor. Setting stories around this theme
allows for the exploration of a number of real-world issues,
including economic fairness, prejudice and exploitation.
THE ALLIED DEAD
The Allied Dead framework has the advantages of giving
The Arisen have more in common with the residents the player characters a reason to work together as they will
of the city than the politicians who regularly fly back and usually be part of a meret. For some groups, just knowing
forth from their districts across the country. They were the that they are part of the same team will inspire a sense of
ones who kept Irem running, not the ones who governed loyalty and reduce conflicts. An Allied Dead framework
the city itself. However, they were not the lowest class works well for dealing with external conflicts, such as the
either. They were as close to a middle class as the Nameless meret against other Arisen, other Deathless or even for
Empire had and they may strive to find a way to walk a internal conflicts as the individual mummies struggle to
path between the rich and the poor. find their own identities and their own purposes.
It’s important to know your troupe when designing
stories around this theme, as they can become politically THE RIVAL DEAD
and emotionally charged. For some troupes, this could D.C. has plenty of opportunities for a Rival Dead game.
even cause interpersonal conflicts. The important thing to remember is that rivals should still
Additionally, it’s important to be careful not to seem too have similar or even complimentary goals. For example,
derivative in the stories. Be careful to make sure that the theme almost all of the Arisen of D.C. want to see Seb-Hetchet’s
doesn’t lead the chronicle into a plotline seen on television the dream come to fruition. Specific feelings vary, but they can
night before (at least not without disguising it thoroughly). all see the promise, how a new kind of Irem could rise from
the streets of Washington, D.C.
FRAMEWORKS What you don’t want to have happen would be for the
troupe to spend its time in complete conflict. If the game
Before the chronicle begins, you, as Storyteller, need to
decide which of the different frameworks you wish to use for becomes completely about the conflicts, you as a Storyteller
your group. As most players want to play an Arisen (after all, won’t have any stories to make. The players will completely
the game is Mummy: The Curse), the easiest framework to dominate and dictate the flow of the game.
choose would be The Allied Dead, followed by The Rival While direct conflict may not be acceptable among
Dead, depending on the capacity of your group to handle the Arisen, there’s nothing to stop cults. There have
conflicts. A meret with enough mummies to play an Allied been many times in D.C.’s recent past when violence and
Dead game would certainly draw the attention of guildmasters criminal activity have escalated. Cult members could easily
and could be seen as a threat to the others in the city. threaten or harm other cult members.

Frameworks 81
 There are far more ways to defeat someone than responsibility for performing actions to serve the Judges.
physical conflict. Stripping your foes of their assets is Additionally, the Deathless have to worry about the dangers
a specialty of the Mesen-Nebu. Reputation in a city of the federal government. There are security agencies
like D.C. can also ruin a rival. If an archaeologist is within the United States that know about the supernatural
discredited, then his museum privileges may be revoked. and actively attempt to combat them. Fortunately, more
If a relic smuggler is believed to be an FBI informant, than a few cultists have infiltrated these groups.
he won’t have any jobs, and moreover, his life will be in The Pyramid can be run with a single person playing the
danger. When a Deathless has lost her cult, her influence Arisen, or a rotating Pyramid variant can be used with each
is limited. Precious time spent rebuilding a cult is time player having an Arisen and a cultist or possibly a Sadikh
that can’t be spent fulfilling her purpose. Loss of guild character. The advantage of the Pyramid is that everyone
status can have an impact upon powers. has a chance to know their characters and what they can
Should combat between two Arisen occur, news of the battle do. They can develop their personalities and focus on their
will spread through the nome. While most of the Deathless in
strengths and weaknesses. The disadvantage is that only
D.C. might allow two rivals to settle their differences privately,
one person has the chance to play a mummy, which may
they will look down upon mummies who are pursuing their
not go over well with most troupes.
personal agendas instead of serving the Judges (at least publicly).
In the rotating pyramid, all of the players have an Arisen
If personal rivalries should draw the attention of the mortal
world or be perceived as interfering with the Khent-henu, the and a cult member. Ideally, all of the mummies should be
rivals will find the guildmasters united against them. connected and the humans should be part of the same
cult. In a flashback, each player could play a Deathless
THE PYRAMID or players could play ancestors (true ancestors or spiritual
The Pyramid fits well within the setting of Washington, ones) of the mortals. Maybe a cult always has a financier.
D.C. With the amount of bureaucracy, government influence Perhaps the cult always chooses an older woman as high
and interactions, the cults of the D.C. Arisen have a large priestess. These aspects of the cult need to be considered.

82 Ephemeral Strands
 will have conflicts and may turn your game into a Rival Dead
USING THIS SOURCEBOOK framework unintentionally. If the same group or organization
Though it has been mentioned, it bears repeating: Change
anything and everything for your chronicle. Players will read breaks into the tombs of the Arisen, the chronicle’s purpose
this sourcebook and even if they don’t, they will read about will be to seek vengeance upon that group. If you want
it online. Trying to hide the secrets of this book from players individual purposes, consider having one Arisen wake to
in the internet age is well-nigh impossible unless they make reclaim a relic, another to protect a cult and a third to seek
an effort not to try and find out. revenge against an ancient enemy. Once they realize that the
Fortunately, mummies change. They change a lot. In ancient enemy stole the relic to attack the cult, you have a
the course of a chronicle, the Arisen will see their power unified set of mummies ready to battle their foe.
grow and slip away. They will remember that another
On the other hand, you may want to create a conflict in
Arisen is their enemy at one point in their Descent and
treat their foe accordingly. However, as they regain more your Allied Dead game. If the mummies have been awoken
of their memories, they will recall that the attack that to claim the same relic, they may all work together, but
they remembered which proved the other Arisen was ultimately, only one will be able to deliver the relic to their
their enemy actually was an attempt to knock them out gods in the afterlife.
of the way of the claw of a manifesting Greater Amkhata. In a Rival Dead game, you can amplify the rivalry of the
Furthermore, they will remember that their foe took the characters by setting them at cross purposes.
force of the attack in order to protect them.
Every NPC in this book can change from friend to foe to
friend. The power levels vary depending on where they are
in the Descent. The Sekhem listed is only a guide. There is Cultist Characters
plenty of justification for changing any of them. In a Pyramid framework, most of the troupe will not be
But as a Storyteller, you don’t need any justification at all to playing an Arisen. The creation of cultist characters is
make changes. Do so often and happily, and follow the lead of performed differently than Arisen.
your troupe. If a player character develops an obsession with
For a cultist, create a mortal using the rules in the
one of the major characters in the D.C. setting, for example,
World of Darkness rulebook. Go over the cult, its
Boss Sedge, give that player a flashback to a life where he purpose and its goals with the player. Make sure
knew Boss Sedge and establish a connection. Perhaps Boss that the cultist knows what common information
Sedge goes from being an antagonist in your chronicle to a exists about the mummy and how the cult reacts to
friend and mentor to the player characters. So be it. the mummy. Do they fear the Arisen or see her as a
Above all else, make sure everyone is having fun. servant of the cult?
Spend some time going over the cult itself. Will it
PURPOSE be a conspiracy cult? What assets does it control?
In Mummy, the way that the characters awaken Who are the other members? What internal conflicts
determines their purpose. Were they called by their cult for exist? Is there a struggle for leadership or perhaps
a specific mission? Do they need to stop an old rival? Do a more philosophical debate ongoing? Who guards
they need to recover something taken from them? Could the relics? What actions does the cult take while
a powerful relic have called them back from Duat? Did the Arisen lies in deathsleep? Which members have
someone invade their tomb? supernatural powers and what are the sources? What
Purpose defines an Arisen as much as their guild or their are the cult’s major adversaries—another cult, a ghost,
decree. As a Storyteller, you have a responsibility to provide a major corporation or a general sense of malaise
that purpose. The character’s struggle to fulfill that purpose among the cult members?
or their rebellion against their purpose will color the entire Run a solo session for the cultist character before
chronicle. The first session will set the stage for the conflicts the first group session. Make sure that the cultist
and themes of your game. Even if the game is set during a character learns about events that will be useful to the
Sothic Turn when the Arisen awaken without a purpose, the Arisen. Have the character encounter other cults or
the antagonists specific to your chronicle. Make sure
first impressions of your game and the first moments when
that the player feels comfortable facing foes that have
players make decisions for their characters may create a de powers far beyond her own (and understands that
facto set of purposes for the mummies to follow. sometime the best option is to run).
The framework that you choose will define the number of
Arisen in your troupe. If you are running an Allied Dead game,
the characters should have similar purposes, otherwise you

Frameworks 83
 sources of information about their vision comes from the
FLASHBACKS character sheet and the choices that the player has made
Mummy: The Curse is unique among World of Darkness in terms of spending points.
games in that players don’t start with a prelude. Instead, What Mummy may miss in a solo, it more than makes
the characters intentionally have little memory of their up for in flashbacks. Unlike other games, players can fail
past and work to earn it over the course of a chronicle. The and die in their flashbacks. By the same token, they can
challenge becomes how to make a history for a character perform deeds that have a direct impact on their modern
without disappointing the player or ruining their concept lives, hiding relics or creating allies. You may want to take
and yet, still have something to surprise them. advantage of the past lives of the Arisen to run a flashback
Mummy has an excellent section on how to handle this story after they’ve regained some of their Memory. This
element of a chronicle. In short, the most important thing gives players an opportunity to explore and develop their
to do is to communicate with the players to understand characters and have the solo that they missed in the
the concept of their character. One of the most valuable beginning. It also provides a break from the impending
doom of their Descent, although to maintain the tone of
Mummy, there’s nothing wrong with starting the story
after the flashback with a Descent roll.
A Word on Preparation In a Washington, D.C. chronicle, it’s important to
Preparation makes stories better. Anyone who has a remember that all of the characters would have probably
run a story can attest to that, no matter how good they moved into the area in the last century and a half. Most
might be at ad-libbing. Here are a few ideas that may of the people who live and work around D.C. have moved
help running a Cursed Necroplis: D.C. game. into the area and often find their opinions dismissed by
Beyond their sobriquets and aliases, mummies have
longtime “true” residents of the city. The first Arisen to
ancient Egyptian names; say the names of NPCs dwell in the city were the First Chorus, and they and
aloud before the game session. It helps to practice their cults share similar feelings about those who have
pronunciation so you don’t stumble when dramatically “recently” arrived, even if they have been in the area for
introducing them and to make sure that the name nearly seventy-five years.
doesn’t sound silly or inappropriate. Here are some D.C.-centric ideas for flashback time
Find images of the locations that you want to use. periods:
Although everyone may be familiar with the major
monuments, having an image to view will help with the THE CIVIL WAR
description of events When the Capitol was first completed, it served as a
hospital for Civil War soldiers. Richmond, Virginia, the
Write up a list of mortal names in order to create
capital of the Confederacy, was only ninety miles away
impromptu cult members. An encounter with any
Arisen is likely to include cult members as well. A list and the residents of D.C. lived in constant fear that a
of jobs or roles may help as well. Confederate Army would launch an attack on the city.
The pain and suffering of soldiers coupled with the fear
Be familiar with the effects of Utterances or Affinities
and determination of citizens certainly would have drawn
possessed by NPCs. Depending on the Sekhem and
Pillars possessed by an NPC at the time, the abilities
the attention of the Deathless. Cults may have been torn
they can access will change. This is true of relics as between North and South while the Arisen could well have
well. been confused over why a country would destroy itself over
something as common to the human condition as slavery.
Consider the implications of any potential ties between
PCs and NPCs in former lives. Over thousands of
years, it’s likely that any Arisen would have encountered
THE GREAT DEPRESSION
While the United States suffered through the Great
each other. Having a vague idea of what may have
happened can add to a scene even if it isn’t directly Depression, Washington D.C. actually increased in
referenced. population. Even during the roughest years, the government
was one of the few employers that hired. Desperate people
Make sure that you know when Descent rolls are
flocked to the city in hopes of providing for their families
needed and the Sekhem levels of Arisen. While
Descent is critical to Mummy, it should enhance your
and finding a way to survive. New buildings and houses were
stories instead of disrupting them. constructed. Cults of Arisen had their pick of new members,
recruits who would do anything to prove their loyalty in
hopes that they would have food to put on their tables.

84 Ephemeral Strands
 The city itself didn’t have electricity in most homes at is a dangerous force in any time period—don’t be afraid
the time, so D.C. would have been dark. Lights were kept to have men in black come knocking on the doors of a
on the monuments and electric streetcars served a similar mummy’s cult members.
function to the modern Metro, moving along designated Although you may not want to change history, if you
lines. Water pumps and wells were found on street corners can make the Deathless the cause of an historical event, all
and families would gather and collect buckets of water. the better. Consider researching a little known event from
Stores were small and usually were the only source of credit D.C.’s history, a fire or a riot perhaps and have the Arisen
for people. A number of families hunted in Rock Creek involved in a scene that results in the event. When your
Park, catching squirrels and rabbits for meat to supplement troupe discovers that the event actually occurred, it will
their food. add a sense of reality to the chronicle (and probably make
them smile knowingly if the topic is brought up).
WORLD WAR II
As war broke out, Washington boomed. Military ENDING THE DESCENT
personnel and government agencies expanded dramatically Possibly the most important element for a Storyteller
to win the war against the Axis. The population swelled to consider in a Mummy chronicle is the end of the
to its highest point in history, over 800,000. It was a chronicle. While all good stories need to have a strong
time when people were united by a common enemy, but ending, some chronicles can stretch longer than others,
it was also a terrifying time as no one knew who would but with Mummy the end is coming. It’s part of the game
ultimately win the war. For the Arisen, it was a time when mechanics and unavoidable (even Apotheosis means an
Washington, D.C. seemed to be reaching its promise. To end of a different variety).
combat the occult beliefs held by Nazi leadership, the Although players should fear running out of time, most
United States certainly would have responded by gathering chronicles should hopefully come to an end without the
relics of power. Due to fears of Nazi agents and German Arisen failing their final Descent roll.
sympathizers, any strange or unusual individuals like a The most important rule of any game is to make sure that
mummy with low memory easily could run into trouble everyone has fun. Different players and storytellers have
with the War Department. different definitions of fun. Running a tortured character
One of the most important events of the war in D.C. who fails in everything they attempt and wallowing in self-
was the construction of the Pentagon, the largest office pity may fit a player’s definition of fun. This is a game that
building in the world. The five-sided structure situated in explores deep philosophical themes and participants may
the “broken” part of the District’s former diamond shape disagree or interpret events differently, but it needs to be
certainly was influenced by the Tef-Aabhi. enjoyable.

THE CIVIL RIGHTS ERA

Although many Arisen are worshipped as gods and
CONFLICT
Conflict is at the heart of every story. Spending some
goddesses by their cults, they eventually remember their time thinking about the types of conflict in your stories and
past lives as workers. They were not rulers and they chronicles will make crafting those stories easier. You can
feel an affinity for working people. During the late 60s also set up conflicts with you choice of description. A rival
and early 70s, Washington was the scene of numerous Arisen may seem ‘arrogant and aloof’ while a potential
protest marches and rallies. Minorities, including women, ally may seem ‘distracted’ even though they may act and
demanded civil rights, the status quo was challenged and speak in the same manner. Understanding how you want
America became increasingly disappointed in the lingering challenges to develop should also inspire ideas for scenes
war in Vietnam. This was a time when the middle class fled and stories throughout your chronicle.
the city to what would be the wealthy suburbs. The Arisen
might easily find themselves caught up in the fervor and GUILD VS. GUILD
philosophical battles of this time, while their cults might There is an understanding among the guildmasters of
look to them for guidance in this age of social upheaval. D.C. that all of the guilds are needed to remake Irem.
When running flashbacks in Washington D.C., avoid All of the members of the First Chorus find value in the
dramatically changing history, unless you have a plausible contributions of other guilds, and yet, they also understand
explanation to resolve why the history books got events that they each serve their own purposes. Struggles between
wrong. If a player decides that her character needs to wreck guilds are discrete affairs in Washington, D.C., subtle games
the White House, have her plans go awry or just make reminiscent of the Cold War between the United States
sure that the President is away. The federal government and Soviet Union. Both sides wish to outdo one another,

Conflict 85
 but neither one wishes to risk war and both want to appear Cults may also be shared across a meret. Again, in this
in the best light in the eyes of others. case, the mortal leaders of the cult will have more influence
Guilds may have disputes over sites for tombs, cult over the cult’s activities than the Arisen. They are the ones
activities or the possession of relics. who are awake and alive. If a mummy has made poor choices
Conflicts between guilds are games of cat and mouse and empowered unscrupulous members of a cult with relics
where one guild can be lured into a sense of victory, only and abilities, those members may be able to advance their
to discover that their hostile actions have allied the other own agendas at the expense of the Arisen.
guilds behind their rivals. Should an Arisen on either It’s easy to envision a conflict between cults that tries to
side be “killed” or should a threat to the nome itself be pit two Arisen against each other, even if they have been
unleashed, all of the other guilds will work to extinguish close friends or lovers during past Descents. Discovering
the conflict. D.C. is too precious with its supply of Sekhem, the source of these conflicts may be more difficult than
with its relics and with the effort that has been expended ending them.
to craft it into a new Irem. If a particular mummy was Cult vs. Cult conflict can be a civil war within the cult.
responsible for one of these acts, she and her cult may find Sometimes the best alliances fall apart. With rock bands,
themselves exiled. it can be due to “creative differences” and lead to former
When running a chronicle that features conflict between best friends no longer speaking. An even stronger analogy
guilds, make sure that the characters are reminded that would be to a family falling apart, however, in this case,
they are to embarrass and weaken the other guild, to harm there’s no easy way to decide who gets custody of the
them indirectly rather than directly. The guildmasters may Arisen. If anyone’s ever been involved with a situation
even have come to an agreement about the rules of the where an online guild breaks apart or where a church or
conflict. Cold War spy novels can provide inspiration with company splits, those real-world conflicts provide a wealth
vessels, relics, and utterances replacing military secrets and of material for intra-cult fights. Maybe there are no easy
embedded assets. answers or simple solutions to the struggle, but the Arisen
It’s also important to remember that the Arisen are must be the arbiter of who remains part of his Cult and
equals. Guildmasters may be first among equals, but all decide what happens to those who know his secrets but
Mummies have power and influence. A conflict between can’t be trusted.
guilds may build out of a friendly rivalry between two Members of the losing side in an intra-cult battle may join
mummies or their cults without other members of a guild another Arisen cult, or if things go very badly, they might
realizing what has happened until the city is filled with decide to join a group of hunters or a company like LDI.
whispers of the struggle. With conflict within the cult, it’s possible that the issues
were created not by humans but due to the influence of
CULT VS. CULT supernatural forces. In other words, the cult has been
If the conflict between Guilds resembles the Cold War, corrupted. It could be under the influence of one of the
conflict between cults is a hot war. Mortals don’t always Deceived or another supernatural being, perhaps a ghost. If
share the same reservations as the Arisen, and guildmasters a new “god” appears while a mummy is sleeping, she might
are not going to become involved in a conflict just because awaken to find her cult twisted.
a human was killed. All of the Deathless have seen people It’s important though to remember that if a “corrupt”
die before in their countless lives. Some pity them, others Cult story or chronicle is run that the characters should
envy them, but all Mummies have accepted the fact that still receive the benefits of whatever points that they’ve
people die. It’s an inescapable part of their existence. contributed to their Cult. One way to do this would be
Some Arisen may not realize the danger inherent in to have the loyal faction of a cult have assets or influence
conflicts between cults. After all, they are just mortals. All beyond what their numbers would indicate. Additionally,
of them may well be gone at their next Descent and fewer supernatural allies such as a Sadikh or even other entities
of them will be remembered. However, cults are more than from the World of Darkness could help balance out the
servants of an Arisen. They serve the Judges as well and point expenditure (such as a mage).
they may chose to manipulate their Mummies or try to
use the power of an Arisen to serve their own ends. This INDIVIDUAL VS. COLLECTIVE
can be relatively easy since when the Arisen first awaken, This is the struggle of Seb-Hetchet. The Khent-henu—
their cult members are the ones that they rely upon for his longtime allies—expect him to rise again and perform
the truth. If a cult member tells a newly-risen mummy that whatever actions are needed to bring their collective vision
a romantic rival violated their tomb, they won’t have a into reality. He waits, doubting himself and not wishing to
romantic rival much longer. face his allies.

86 Ephemeral Strands
 Individual vs. Collective conflicts work best with a his power fading, even as his Memory increases. Every day
small number of players. The individual at the heart of is a choice.
the struggle will become a focus of stories as they attempt The inner conflict can be made more intense as Memory
to resolve their conflict. In an Allied Dead chronicle, the increases. As the Storyteller, you can create flashbacks
individual against the collective could be transformed into about lost loves or terrible rivals and emphasize that these
the meret against a guild or even the entire D.C. nome. In are not part of the Arisen’s purpose. Some mummies may
a Rival Dead game, one of the Arisen could be rebelling come to the realization that they truly are pawns of the
against her guild, while the other characters could support Judges. They may desperately want to live their own lives
the guild. instead of giving in to the pull of relics.
Another area to consider for this type of conflict would In most cases, the Arisen will struggle with Descent,
be an Arisen’s cult. The cult members may want to perform possibly choosing to drain a relic to regain Sekhem or going
acts that another cultist may actively sabotage. Cult vs. the other direction and declaring his love for a mortal
Arisen is dealt with below. despite the penalties.
In most Western literature when an individual struggles
against a collective, the individual is almost always right. ARISEN VS. CULT
This is thematic of American culture which rewards In some cults, the Arisen is worshipped as a god. In
independence and individualism. However, in order to others, the Deathless is seen as a dangerous yet useful
make a more interesting conflict, there should be strengths tool. Many cults rejoice when the Deathless rises, but
and weaknesses to the positions of both sides. Depending oftentimes, those same cult members feel a sense of relief
on which point of view that someone chooses either could when the mummy returns to its rest. They no longer have
be right, creating a dilemma. Exploring these dilemmas to worry about the anger of the Arisen or the enemies that
often generates some of the most memorable roleplaying. seek it out. If they found favor with the mummy, they know
that they won’t fall out of favor until the next Descent.
ARISEN VS. MORTAL WORLD
When humans learn that the dead have risen and are
using their powers to manipulate mortal affairs, all bets are
off. One of the more obvious ways to set up this conflict The Waking Game
is to have humans raid the tomb of the mummy. Perhaps
the Arisen was taken by mortals and wound up on display One way that cults can struggle against each other is
in the Smithsonian (face it, every Storyteller wants to run to intimidate or pressure a rival cult into waking their
that scene!). Arisen at the wrong time or for the wrong reason.  If
one cult can trick another into waking an Arisen to
Although mortal foes are inherently weaker than a
deal with a non-existent issue so that the Arisen is not
mummy, they can bring far more resources to bear. The
available to them at some point in the future, they have
sahu of a Deathless will not last long against a helicopter an advantage over their rival.
gunship. The U.S. government can bring modern military
force to bear very quickly in Washington D.C. A credible For example, if an expedition was searching for an
important relic that was to be recovered and delivered
threat to the White House or the Capitol will have military,
to the Smithsonian, one cult might allow a rival cult to
homeland security and police coordinating anti-terrorist learn misinformation that the relic had already arrived in
efforts, along with countless private security contractors. D.C. When the misinformed cult wakes their mummy,
Last Dynasty International makes an excellent mortal only to force her to have to wait as her Sekhem
foe. continues to drop, chaos ensues. The Arisen may
blame her incompetent cult leadership. Cult members
ARISEN VS. HIMSELF may fight among each other. If the relic is found, the
The struggle for identity is at the crux of Mummy. original cult may always awaken their Arisen, knowing
From the awakening when the Deathless arises to the last that their mummy will have more power than his rival
poignant moments of the Descent, the Arisen must try to when the relic arrives in the city.
gain Memory, must struggle to understand himself, must Of course, none of the Arisen openly support such
fight to remember who they are. actions, and if a cult were found to knowingly be
The battle between desire and purpose tears at the soul engaging in such activity, the leadership of the city
of the Arisen. If he does what he must do and follows his would certainly take action.
purpose, he will retain his Sekhem longer. If he tries to find
himself and seeks out his own personal goals, he will find

Conflict 87
 In a Pyramid framework, this conflict can work much What does a Deathless do when she realizes that her
like the Rival Dead. The mortal characters may have their cult has gone rogue and no longer serves the interests of
own agendas which only tangentially further the plans of the Judges? Can she ferret out the corrupting influences
the Judges. They may want to manipulate the Deathless to without having the cult turn against her? Even more
raise them into a position of power or even compete with interesting might be what happens if the cult does turn
each other to curry favor with the mummy. against her? Would she be willing to destroy them and does
In an Allied Dead or Rival Dead game, the Mummies she have the time or ability to rebuild a cult?
may realize how much power their cult has over them, If the chronicle features Cult vs. Arisen as a conflict,
especially after they’ve regained some of their Memory. remember that you don’t want to deprive a player of
When a mummy rises, she relies heavily on the cult to give benefits that they have paid points for, especially the cult
her information. If she is told that another Arisen is her merit.
long-time foe, what happens when she and her “foe” learn Another way to run this conflict would be to have the
that the high priests of their cults pit them against each Arisen come into conflict with the cult of another mummy,
other whenever they’ve served their purpose, in order to perhaps one who has only recently had their Descent and
hasten their Descent out of fear of what they might do? is unable to reawaken soon. The cult may believe that the
It’s possible that all the mummies may come to resent meret or cult which the players are part of has committed
their human cults for the way they are treated. No cult a crime against them or is working at cross purposes with
will treat an Arisen the same way that they would treat them. They may believe that they were tricked into waking
a human. People may avoid the mummies out of a fear of their Arisen and that she might not be available when she
the unliving or a sense of the incredible power a mummy is needed in the future.
possesses. The Arisen may resent receiving lip service Although the Arisen are incredibly powerful, a cult can
about devotions all the while realizing that her cult prefers be a formidable foe. First, they outnumber the Arisen.
to have her asleep. Second, they have a better understanding of the modern

Not That Undead

Comparisons may be made between Arisen and other supernatural beings that might also inhabit their world, vampires
in particular. After all, they are both undead immortal beings with great mystical powers. They both have an influence
on mortal affairs from the shadows. They are among the eldest supernatural beings in any iteration of the World of
Darkness.
Despite the surface similarities, the Arisen are very different from vampires in their outlook and actions. Vampires can
be patient creatures living throughout eternity, always with another evening to achieve their plans. For mummies, the
Descent begins with the moment that they rise. Every hour is precious, becoming more so as they prepare to sleep
again. Despite being far more ancient than a vampire, an Arisen has far less time. Once they recover their Memory
enough to understand their purpose, their powers have often started to fade. A vampire can meticulously plan and plot
for decades; a mummy has only weeks or months to achieve her ends before she must leave everything to her cult and
sleep.
Almost as important, the Arisen, despite any pretensions, were not nobles or upper class. They have always been
servants and remain servants of their Judges and often of their cults. They do not see themselves as lords and ladies of
undeath; a mummy might find herself more at home among the middle and lower classes. They often cherish their cult
members and understand the precious value of life.
Additionally, there are no elders or ancients among the Arisen. Likewise, there are no new Arisen. Only the guilds create
a social structure among the Deathless, and participation and service to a guild is a matter of choice. Those who are not
leaders among the mummies are not leaders for their own reasons, but this doesn’t mean that they may not hold secrets
or wield powers that can help others.
The other thing to remember as a Storyteller is that mummies change. A vampire may stay basically the same for years,
but as a mummy regains Memory, her personality and reaction to events changes. As Sekhem drops and Utterances
become inaccessible, she will react differently in confrontations. When faced with the end of her current Descent, she
may desperately try to cling to whatever humanity she can find or fanatically attempt to achieve her purpose before she
must face her Judge once more in Duat.

88 Ephemeral Strands
world and can call upon modern resources. Finally, they Arisen and their cults will certainly weaken the threat posed by
understand Arisen and their powers. They know the even the most formidable supernatural entities. Furthermore,
weaknesses of an Arisen and how to manipulate their if a large number of vampires, werewolves, mages, etc. were to
purposes and how to use vestiges or relics against them. bring their powers to bear against an Arisen in D.C., it would
However, the advantages don’t entirely lie with the cult. steal away the significance of the setting. In the long term, no
Knowledge of the Arisen works both ways. Although the group of supernatural beings can afford to have themselves
cult may know about what an Arisen can do, this knowledge exposed to any real extent without risking the mortal world
can generate fear as well as give a cult an understanding of bringing all of its power to bear against them (and with billions
how to fight against the Deathless. Also, numbers are only of people, that’s a lot of power).
useful as long as the cult remains united. What if an Arisen The beltway serves as a barrier for the Amkhata deriving
promises a cult member the position of high priest or offers its potency from the geomancy of the city design and the
eternal life at the mummy’s side? anger and rage of the mortal drivers who must face it every
morning and evening. Suppose something went wrong and
ARISEN VS. SUPERNATURAL the Amkhata were unleashed.
Whether it’s other Deathless, mages, vampires, ghosts or
werewolves, other supernatural beings pose a tremendous
threat to the Arisen. The power possessed by the Arisen THE D.C. CHRONICLE
would certainly attract other beings, perhaps to try and The Sothic Turn has finally come. If it is the destiny of
bend the mummy to their will or to even harvest his energy. the Khent-henu to bring about a new Irem in Washington
While a mummy has tremendous power and is virtually D.C., they believe that this is the time. They have prepared
unkillable, they aren’t invincible. Facing off with other their cults and their guilds for two centuries for this year. For
supernatural beings can certainly test a mummy. Seb-Hetchet of the Tef-Aabhi, this is the culmination of even
This is a good conflict for a Pyramid framework chronicle. more centuries of study and work to find a location, to predict
For the Allied Dead or even Rival Dead, the abilities of multiple the rise of a world power, and to unite the guilds as one.

The D.C. Chronicle 89

 And yet, of all the Khent-henu, he still sleeps. The Su-Menent is angry. He feels certain that rituals
Seb-Hetchet dreams from Duat, and the visions that were not performed properly and that the White Jackal
have come to him have made him question what will offended the Judges. He has begun plans to open a portal
happen when he arises. Doubts have crept into his soul, to the Duat and find Seb-Hetchet and drag his spirit
but as to the nature of those doubts, he remains silent. screaming into the light to answer questions about what
He, himself, is not sure exactly why he waits, but he knows has transpired and what needs to pass. Too much time and
that once he rises, he will struggle with his memory like all life have been invested in Washington, D.C. to let this
Arisen. If something is wrong, if outside forces are at work, opportunity go to waste.
if he has been manipulated, he must understand what is Yet, all of the guildmasters strive not to show any sign
happening now and take actions while he lingers in the of weakness. None of them want their guild members to
underworld. If he waits until he rises, he will no longer share their doubts. All the while, Sedge offers a potential
know what to do. alternative. He is someone who will take action, and now,
So he continues to sleep, but doubt does not rest. some of the Arisen look away from the guildmasters and to
Instead, doubt grows in the thoughts of Seb-Hetchet’s Sedge to guide them.
fellow guildmasters. Questions root themselves in the The great city which could be a new Irem lies paralyzed,
hearts of his cultists. Each day that passes gives such waiting for Seb-Hetchet’s return, as despite the efforts
doubts more strength. Everywhere those connected with of the guildmasters, unease spreads. Even mortals with
the Deathless in Washington look for signs, often without no knowledge of the Deathless seem to sense it, an extra
realizing that they are doing so. Every action, every unknown source of stress in their daily lives. A force that
incident, every possible omen becomes more important. makes them rage or cry seemingly for no reason at all.
Instead of a city on the verge of celebrating utopia, they In running a chronicle in D.C., Seb-Hetchet’s stay
act more like they sense Judgment Day crawling closer
in Duat should be as much a part of the setting as the
with every hour. The Khent-henu wonder as they feel their
scaffolding around the Washington Monument. Cultists
Sekhem fade, if something terrible has happened to Seb-
throughout the city whisper that things aren’t right, even
Hetchet. If one of them doesn’t take action, will they all
if they don’t know the reason. A few have created their
be doomed? What chance do any of them have of being in
own theories, including a belief that until the Washington
this position when the next Sothic Turn comes?
Monument is restored, the Arisen in the city are threatened.
For Tarikh-Sethos, he is in the unfortunate position of
Some believe that the Washington Monument holds back
waiting. He and his guild support the plan as it is, but he is
terrible forces, while others think the rumored Indian in
striving to find information and seek out anything that may
Rock Creek Park is responsible.
help him discern what has happened to the Tef-Aabhi who
has brought him such success. The Tef-Aabhi find themselves on the receiving end of
His rival Kanika has different ideas. She wasn’t part of both praise and criticism. A few Arisen have decided that
the Khent-henu and sees Seb-Hetchet’s failure to rise as the Tef-Aabhi need to be appeased. Some believe that Seb-
a sign that Washington, D.C. and the United States are Hetchet has been weakened or cursed terribly and offer
about to decline. She is already concentrating on how to their help whatever chance they can. Still others think
move her guild to Beijing or Mumbai, as she sees both of that Seb-Hetchet’s cult is responsible and plan to punish
those cities as having a better chance to emerge as a new the members until they bring him back.
capital of the world. Even if your chronicle doesn’t focus on Seb-Hetchet and
Ur-Qeb, leader of the Sesha-Hebsu, knows how to his continued time in Duat, it’s worth incorporating into
perform the Rite of Irem Reborn. He understands what your story, as it plays a part in the larger metaplot continued
Seb-Hetchet intended and would only need to divulge in all the supplements for Mummy: The Curse. It becomes
the information to another willing Tef-Aabhi to take Seb- the subject of hushed whispers in the background, adding
Hetchet’s place. Instead, he does nothing. He isn’t sure an ominous undertone to the chronicle. Just be careful to
what has transpired, and he doesn’t want to be the one have an NPC as a voice of reason around to suggest that
responsible for such as event. He is first and foremost a Seb-Hetchet will rise when he is ready, and that all Arisen
historian, a scribe. He is the Word but not the Will, and may not follow the same schedule even during the Sothic
he fears that if he became both, there would be tragic Turn. Another idea is to make the conflicts that you have
consequences. Instead, he stays silent, patiently waiting, chosen to focus on in your chronicle so important that
keeping his knowledge hidden. He knows others suspect the characters literally don’t have time to look into Seb-
that he could take action, but as long as all they do is wait Hetchet. If you don’t, your troupe may decide to thrust
and suspect, he’s content to let them wait. your chronicle directly into the metaplot.

90 Ephemeral Strands
 unfettered, unhindered, and in that moment, they are
THE RITE OF IREM REBORN whole. The ankh fades, and the memories fragment.
As more books come out in the Mummy line, additional
But they breathe.
elements of its backstory and setting will be revealed and
No longer do they have the false breath of the sahu,
expanded upon. To some degree, waiting to have the
but rather, the true breath of a living being. They have
White Jackal rise will allow the incorporation of other
regained their lives. Irem has been restored, but not the
elements in the world of the Arisen as further supplements
city itself, but rather, the Arisen, the people who built and
are developed and released. However, that may not be the
ran the City of Pillars. They are Irem. They have all been
most satisfying outcome for a chronicle.
freed from the eternal cycle of the Descent.
So, what does happen if Seb-Hetchet rises? What
While this may be the end of a chronicle, it could be
happens if Ur-Qeb decides to perform the rite without
continued. All of the Arisen certainly wouldn’t want
him? Perhaps the characters find a way to perform the
to be merely mortal. How will their cults feel when the
ritual on their own without the Khent-henu…
source of their powers has become a human? The newly
Ultimately, that decision belongs to you. Here are some
living mummies may still have their Sekhem, but as the
concepts for what could happen next.
Descent comes to an end, they don’t return to eternal rest.
Nothing Much Instead, they live out the remainder of their natural lives
The ground rumbles, the stars shudder in the heavens, as ordinary people.
a terrifying wail comes from the spirits of the dead, and Other Arisen would flock to D.C. to find out what
for the space of a heartbeat, a light radiates outward from happened. They may want to destroy these living mummies
the top of the Washington Monument… and the light goes in the name of their Judges, or they may want to help them
out. undo the effects of the rite. Maybe the players need to
Too much has gone wrong with the plan. The city’s uncover a way to restore themselves to their undead status
roads have undergone too much change since the time of lest they face a final judgment in the Duat upon their
L’Enfant. Too many of the carefully placed border stones upcoming death.
have been removed. The perfect shape of the District has The City of the Pillar
been ruined by Virginia taking back its land. As with so The Rite of Irem Reborn finishes, and Sekhem radiates
many of the great plans of the Deathless, the mortals have outward from the Washington Monument. No longer do
undone this one as the mummies slept. the Arisen within the boundaries of D.C. fear the Descent.
This is the least satisfying result of all the alternatives, The emotions of the world directed at the US Capital
but it is the most thematic for the setting. One principle now fuel them as the entire city functions as a relic. The
tragedy of Mummy: The Curse is that despite their Pentagon focuses the energies once lost when the District
immortality, the Arisen cannot create anything lasting. boundaries changed. A new era has begun.
They are always stymied by the ongoing tides of human Not only do the Deathless no longer lose Sekhem, but
history, being forced to relearn the world with every they actively regain it as they spend time meditating. As
Descent. Although they possess tremendous power, they word spreads throughout the world, others journey to the
are at the mercy of the mortal society that lives and dies New Irem. Seb-Hetchet is hailed at first as the greatest of
all around them. all Arisen, but soon the other members of the First Chorus
Failure doesn’t have to be the end of a chronicle. step forward to take credit for the rite, some enthusiastically,
What happens to the D.C. nome now? If the Rite of Irem some reluctantly. The ultimate result is conflict.
Reborn fails, does it mark the beginning of the hegemony A battle has begun for possession of Washington, D.C.
of Boss Sedge? Certainly some mummies will leave the The Arisen and their cults go to war. Guild turns against
city in disgust, while others may return to the henet guild, merets tear themselves apart, and America struggles
hoping to forget this Sothic Turn rather than live with the against the supernatural invasion, open or hidden, of their
consequences. Perhaps the rite is merely incomplete and capital. Such an event does not go unnoticed among other
something more must be found or a second rite must be supernatural creatures.
performed within the same Sothic Turn to complete it. In the end, the result will tear reality. The boundaries
To Live Again between the world of the living and Duat shall open. Relics
Once the Rite has been performed, all of the Arisen lost to time may return, and other things, terrible things
within the bounds of the Beltway see a great glowing ankh that make the wildest Amkhata seem tame, may cross over
appear before their eyes. They are unable to turn away, and into Washington D.C. At some point, a group of Arisen
within the light of the ankh, they see their many Descents may decide that the key is the Washington Monument,
flash before their eyes. Memory rushes through them, and they may attempt to shatter it. Perhaps Seb-Hetchet

The D.C. Chronicle 91

 himself decides that he must undo what has been done. themselves directly serving a manifestation of their Judge.
The players will have to decide whether they should save Perhaps the entire rite is a carefully planned trap, a way for
“Irem” or destroy it. the Deceived to entrap the Arisen of D.C. and the Judges
The City Returned in a timeless city removed from the rest of reality.
Despite the revelations in his deathsleep, Seb-Hetchet Maybe it’s all a dream brought on by a sudden influx of
has returned and been convinced to go through with the Sekhem.
rite. With the possible aid of the player characters, the rite The End of Washington
has been completed. In this scenario, the unthinkable happens and the rite
And it worked. fails in spectacular fashion. A section of Washington, D.C. is
The City of Pillars is restored upon Washington, D.C., destroyed through the actions of the Khent-henu, including
replacing the modern city in places, seamlessly meshing the National Mall. The Washington Monument collapses,
with it in others. All is as it should be. the Lincoln Memorial suffers tremendous damage, and
And yet, something’s still wrong. part of the Capitol dome gives way. All of the Smithsonian
Time itself seems to have stopped outside the boundary museums along the Mall are impacted. Loss of life is farther
of the Beltway. Travel beyond is impossible. Energy still reaching as Sekhem has been torn out of human bodies.
radiates from the geomantic patterns of the city streets. The America blames the attack on terrorists. A biochemical
ritual is still transforming the city. Soon the Arisen see other attack is suggested in addition to the explosion. Security
transformations, strange images and hieroglyphics appear, a measures are increased, and the people of the United States
deep hissing is heard from beneath the streets and hollow trade more of their freedoms for safety. Cults fall under
Iremite chanting can be heard near the pillars. A cold fills the intense scrutiny, and many cult members are arrested on
hearts of the mummies, an inner chill of the soul that they suspicions of being part of terrorist cells.
now remember from the first time they went to the Duat. The Deathless know what has happened, and they must
The Judges are coming, and the Arisen must be judged. face the results of the actions of their fellow mummies. How
How everything ends is up to you and depends on many relics were destroyed? Was the damage and loss of
your chronicle, but it could be that the Arisen now find human life, both from the rite and from the reactions of the

92 Ephemeral Strands
 Of Monuments and Mirages
Unease Sybaris (see Mummy: the Curse, pg. 148), left of scarlet cloth. The Beltway becomes the walls of the City of
unchecked, has the potential to affect entire cities. Vestiges, Pillars, with demons and ghost staked as sentries. They look
bastions of Memory and life, can directly alleviate this when at the Washington Monument, wreathed in scaffolding, and
anchored to the Lifeweb (add the vestige rating to Memory see slaves toiling and dying to build the Irem’s great obelisk.
when determining degree of unease). This is why the greatest Democrats and Republicans squabbling on the Hill waver
nomes exist in cities with mighty monuments; the emotional until they’re Shan’iatu arguing over the thing in the desert.
resonance of the Washington Monument alone acts as This is the manifest Fate of Irem. For Arisen of low Memory,
an effective 4-dot vestige for the entire city, meaning that mirages are brief flashes lacking context and power. The
Unease Sybaris in the District never grows worse than mild familiarity that should be within the mummy’s lacuna-ridden
despair (surrounded by political symbols) and flourishing souls is a maddening itch of the mind. As Memory climbs,
scorpion cults. The Monument doesn’t overwrite the Sybaritic mirages extend from brief flashes into analepsis: a brief
energies of Duat like a proper vestige, but instead redirects flashback. Analepsis always overlays the present, growing
it to the city’s occult patterns. Immersed within urban heka, into full-fledged flashbacks.
Washingtonian Arisen repeatedly experience the Flood of
Duat, causing Memory events known as mirages. Seeking out a mirage involves traveling the unfamiliar
places of the city to find dark spaces and scenic vistas,
It begins with the desert, the District’s humidity fading into attempting to use the Fate to brute-force memories
Irem’s dry heat. Buildings grow squat, shining white and gold. locked within the fivefold soul. The Flood manifests at the
Pillars sprout like rain-borne mushrooms. People become Storyteller’s discretion and description. Actively seeking
brown and black, wearing kilts of white linen and long robes mirages counts as pursuing Sebayt experiences.
Arisen Memory Mirage Effect
Memory 1-2 The Fate cannot take grasp a sundered soul; the character cannot see mirages.
Memory 3 Memories seen through a thunderclap; brief images only.
Memory 4-5 Mirages last from a few seconds to a minute of subjective time before resolving to
normal Washington; they contain almost incomprehensible symbols.
Memory 6-8 At this level, mirages last for minutes to an hour. The character may see a scene from
their mortal life play out, of special relevance to their current predicament.
Memory 9 Here, the Fate becomes evident to the character, the sense of the coming fall of the City
of Pillars mirroring the decay of Washington; mirages can last hours to a day.
Memory 10 The Fate of Irem overwhelms the mummy. Triggering a mirage means waves of Fate
dashing the character against metaphorical rocks for days. The city is indistinguishable
from this Town; mirages actively recontextualize memories, allowing the character to
glean truths of the current world from the past.

American military worth it? In other cities, some guildmasters they share a greater concern for the artifacts and relics
may clamp down on similar rites in their nomes. Other found in the Smithsonian. Finally, they mourn their
mummies may travel to D.C. to survey the damage and grand city.
attempt to secure any relics in the possession of the Khent- Use of this scenario should be carefully weighed with the
henu. troupe’s possible reactions. Even if the damage is not far-
As for the guilds, the Mesen-Nebu either leave or ranging, the players may not find it fun to have caused so
begin political infighting to assume control. The Sesha- much destruction when they attempted to achieve a major
Hebsu stand revitalized without the paralytic waiting of goal of the setting. If they attempted to stop the Khent-
Ur-Qeb. They swiftly ally themselves with the Maa-Kep henu and failed, then they may find some satisfaction in
more or less under Sedge. The concern of the members knowing that they were right and perhaps appreciate the
of the nome is survival first and foremost. After survival, challenges of what happens next.

The D.C. Chronicle 93

 Appendix
The Great Hunt
I believe the Prince of Darkness could start a branch of hell in
the District of Columbia… if he has not already done it.
— Mark Twain

Welcome to “The Great Hunt,” an introduction to the Night after night, human predators stalk their prey
players and politics of the Washington, D.C. nome. The on the streets of D.C., but the humans of the city are
scenario is meant to double as introduction to the layout of neither the foremost hunters nor the most dangerous
D.C., and is capable of being played by natives and visiting game. On the roads of the Beltway, ghosts walk
Arisen alike. It can also act as a prologue to The Avarice the shoulder lanes, full of fire and fury after their
Chronicle (chronologically, it takes place approximately a betrayal… at the hands of mummy magic. They
few weeks prior to the events of “Crucible of Fate”; part of alert the living and the dead alike to the presence of
the impetus for the Hunt is to “clean the place up” before Amkhata, those Lifeless beasts created by impure
the Su-Menent Grand Conclave), or just be run separately. Sekhem admixture. Drawn to the great highway that
encircles Washington by the city’s radiant energies
THE EVENT and bindings, the Amkhata find themselves trapped in
The central event of “The Great Hunt” is, naturally, the an endless loop of raw lifeforce.
eponymous Hunt, at least at first. It’s something that happens
once a year; a Greater Amkhat gets drawn out to the Beltway, Once in a while, a Greater Amkhat is snared by this Sekhem
the Sleeve-Riders sight it and alert their handler, and a variable trap. The Sleeve-Riders corral the beast towards an area
number of the Arisen who are within a life cycle and currently devoid of cars, where the scions of Irem and the abominations
operating in the Washington nome gather up into a war party. created from ancient sorcery do battle. Those low in their
Putting the beasts down is a social and religious imperative, Descents are often allowed to deliver the killing blow, in order
but the Arisen aren’t solely operating on their own sense of of greatest need. In this way, the Arisen maintain their society
righteousness. Slaying a Greater Amkhat is one of the most and their respect for one another.
reliable ways to earn the favor of the Judges and to prolong one’s
Descent. Aside from that, hunting together and exchanging Before Sothis’ ascension, the Arisen would call on their
favors for the right of the deathblow tends to bind the mummies cultists to close off a section of highway at night so they
of the nome together in a community—exactly as Seb-Hetchet could unleash themselves fully, without fear of madness.
desired when he started the custom back in 1792. The local mummies call these sojourns Great Hunts, and
Sent out to help another Arisen delay the Descent, the not a year goes by without one.
characters are expected to ride shotgun and run escort
while the weakened Arisen destroys a Greater Amkhat. This time, though, things are different. The attacks seem
Unfortunately, they encounter an unusual event: the regular, intended to demoralize more than anything, and
Amkhata of the Beltway are organized, running in packs, the Greater Amkhat snared by the trap is so much worse
using tactics. Not just any tactics, either; old-school Iremite than usual.
legion tactics. Where the general should be in formation, there
is a chimera—a shifting, warping monster of an Amkhat, a The truth is that the characters face an Amkhat that has
titanic beast with the head of a lion, belching black flame. been mutated by both the dark mysticism of the Deceived
Driven back beyond the Beltway, the Arisen of the city and by the relics it has swallowed. Now it absorbs other
reconvene… not for the hunt, but for war. Someone has Amkhata, ripping into their memories and their power.
taught the Amkhat the tactics of Irem. Someone has taken And this foul prince of the Lifeless grows stronger by
a Greater Amkhat and made it greater. the day. Worse still, the beast seems to have some sort of
And the question remains: Where is Seb-Hetchet? connection to Seb-Hetchet, himself.

The Event 95
 are fettered along the highway, policing the Beltway of
THETheOUTSET VIEW lesser Amkhata and alerting their jailors to the appearance
treacherous gyre of emotions coupled with of greater Amkhata. Viewing the Sleeve-Riders through
thousands of deaths caused by accidents and the radiant the lens of a mirage will show them to be as demons torn
Sekhem of the city entire draws Amkhata to seek out the from the Duat, staked outside the City of Pillars by the
Beltway. Once there, Sekhem-seeking instincts keep them necromancers. Condemning an otherwise innocent soul to
trapped like insects in a spider web, able to struggle but decades of slavery is lamentable, perhaps, but the Scribes
unable to escape. They feed off the death and angst of have never found a soul without sin. The victims of the
the roads; every year, dozens of people suffer and die in Beltway did not choose to die, but they are dead there
accidents along the Beltway, and the Amkhata arrive to nonetheless, a resource to be utilized. Necromancy will
feast on their suffering. defend lost Irem as ably as it ever has.
Their torments don’t end there. In conjunction with At the same time, Sedge feels his Sekhem waning. With
the Sesha-Hebsu, a priest of the Su-Menent is called by Seb-Hetchet gone, the Master of Envoys requires every
his cult in response to Beltway fatalities. Journeying to the possible advantage he has in order to maintain his push
scene, both Arisen warp the soul of the deceased to guard for guildmastery in the absence of Sabola and Tepemkau.
the Beltway itself. The Sesha-Hebsu forces the deceased to Desperate, he plans to pledge favors and supplies in order
recount his or her sins to judge the length of service, and the for the support of the player characters in a Great Hunt.
Shepherd effectively carries out the binding. Over the last He too has heard the chilling moan of the Sleeve-Riders.
10 years, 70 mortal souls have been bound thus. Reshaped
into beings of war, these ghosts—called the Sleeve-Riders,
for the guardian demons carried by the ghost catchers—
THEGreater
TRUTH Amkhata are made, not born. This particular
beast was made in a small pit in an annex wing of the
National Zoo… by one of the Deceived, no less. This
particular one, Hab-Utet, has kept tabs on the city for as
Connecting Threads long as it’s existed. In fact, as Seb-Hetchet realizes, D.C.
In Mummy, the Amkhata are—fundamentally—mere wouldn’t have existed without the interference of the Lost
animals; dangerous and cunning animals that sup on Guild. The realization of how deeply he’s been manipulated,
the semi-sentient lifeforce of the cosmos, maybe, but coupled with the further realization that he couldn’t escape
animals nonetheless. They hunger, but they are not evil Irem’s imperial cycle of rise and fall by simply building the
inherently… just Lifeless. city a second time, has completely broken the White Jackal.
This adventure focuses on the release of a particular Hab-Utet expected this—viewing Washington, D.C. as
Amkhat—a sort of occult dirty bomb, if you will—that an abject lesson to the Arisen in general and the Jackal
denies the Arisen of Washington the use of a time- specifically wouldn’t be an inaccurate view—but he didn’t
honored tradition and sets them at each other’s throats. expect Seb-Hetchet to go to ground. The Mason is still
It’s meant to showcase the fragility and the resilience present within the nome, but no one knows where. Thus,
of the camaraderie of the nome, and to kick over the it’s become necessary to smoke the Jackal out of his hole.
status quo of the default setting by heralding the Hab-Utet built the Beast of the Beltway, grafting
return of the White Jackal. The Arisen stick together,
Deceived relics into the Sekhem-driven name of the
yes, but cannot agree on an adequate response to the
situation, and they’re willing to cut each other down
thing—or rather, the lack thereof. A master of Deceived
to ensure that they’re the ones leading the rest to the name magic, Hab-Utet has created a jagged edge in the
correct situation. (In other words, they’re like every Beast’s Name in the shape of Seb-Hetchet. It has to devour
other ‘senate’ in history.) his Sekhem. It must.
The resultant Amkhat is more chimerical than usual.
The adventure’s path deals mainly with finding the
roots of the Beast and the whereabouts of Seb- All Amkhata have a bestial intelligence and sapient
Hetchet—but it can support a great number of other cunning, but none of them are capable of truly intricate
scenes. Storytellers are encouraged to increase the thought—except the Beast. The curse and empowerment
factionalism during the second chapter, with multiple of the Lost Guild’s relics allows the Beast to reason and
Arisen vying for the meret’s attention and resources plot. Moreover, the presence of these relics bound so tightly
and attempting to force them to choose sides. to the Beast’s nature drives it mad—it hungers, but cannot
devour, having a carrot dangling before its face. Whipped
into a frenzy by the relics bound to it and the desire to
seek Seb-Hetchet, Hab-Utet released the Amkhat into

96 The Hunt
the ecosystem of the Beltway to see what will happen. The
Beast cannot escape the Beltway; not yet, anyway. It has GETTING INVOLVED
to build up a substantial amount of time to be spent out of The characters can get involved with the Hunt in a
amxhaibit. Once that’s done, it will rampage through the variety of ways, and on any number of levels. The biggest
city, seeking the hidden Jackal. factor to take into consideration is whether or not the
The game’s afoot. characters are residents of the nome, or transients who
are “just visiting” for any number of reasons. In the former
PACES OF THE HUNT case, they’ll have their own axes to grind and their own
allies who will want to find Seb-Hetchet or neutralize the
The Great Hunt is divided into three parts, with a mix
Beast; in the latter, they’re far easier prey for the political
of action and roleplaying between them. The Storyteller
animals that inhabit Washington.
could, in theory, run the events of the Great Hunt in any
sequence after the prologue, but the adventure is designed
to be run along a set path. There’s nothing stopping
BENEFICIARIES OF THE MACHINE
Sedge has his hands in almost everything in the District,
enterprising players from destroying the Beast and picking but he can’t do it all alone. Patronage is how the Machine
up Seb-Hetchet’s trail after the fact, though. functions (how all machines function, really). If you
Thrust in the middle of battle, the characters engage a scratch Sedge’s back, he’ll scratch yours. In exchange for
group of lesser Amkhata. When the Amkhata suddenly taking him on the Hunt and granting him the right of the
retreat and then imitate an ancient Iremite battle paradigm,
the characters catch sight of the Beast. Driven off, Sedge
demands they regroup within the city.
After being ambushed by the Beast of the Beltway, the
Arisen of the Washington nome meet to determine a Personae Cheat Sheet
course of action going forward. Even with the dire threat
Of the non-player characters active in the Great Hunt,
to security on the horizon, the characters must navigate the
five take center stage:
complex web of politics in which the Arisen have ensnared
themselves. Deputized to scout and investigate the course of Seb-Hetchet, the White Jackal (Tef-Aabhi): The White
action, the meret will eventually identify the National Zoo Jackal’s disappearance is responsible for much of the
intrigue currently gripping the city. He holds the keys
as the source of the Beast’s construction, and that the Beast
to defeating the Beast, even if he doesn’t quite know it.
is gradually coming closer to breaking out of the Beltway.
Finding Amy Remington means the characters find Bes-Mat (Maa-Kep): One of the most conservative
the sacrificial pit—which quite literally has Seb-Hetchet and hard-line Arisen in Washington, Bes-Mat takes the
written all over it—used to build the Beast. From there, it’s threat to the safety of the city and the Sleeve-Riders
incredibly seriously. While all agree the Beast must
a trip to the Hotel Cairo, where the characters confront
be destroyed, Bes-Mat is a galvanizing force for the
Ubaid, learn Seb-Hetchet’s location, and confront the attitude that annihilation must be the driving goal for all
man who would be architect of the city’s future. They fight mummies in the nome.
their way past his Sadikh, but instead of finding a secret
Sedge (Maa-Kep): Sedge is one of the prime movers
manipulator, they find a shattered Arisen, innocent of
and shakers in D.C. He calls the first Hunt, but he ups
what he’s been accused of.
the ante when the Beast arises, seeing it as a threat
Armed now with the knowledge to defeat the Beast, to “his” city.
it’s a race to lure the creature to a place where it can be
effectively destroyed. The characters must weave their Amy Remington (Scorpion Cultist): A veterinary
student employed by the Smithsonian, Amy is new to
way through the streets of the District to trap the Beast in
the District—she’s a scorpion cultist from another area.
geometry that neutralizes the relics bound to it. Then, they Unbeknownst to her, however, her Arisen patron has
must force it onto the killing field and finish the bloody been co-opted by Hab-Utet.
task of ending the anathema.
Hab-Utet, the Hidden Begotten (Deceived): A
EPILOGUE member of the enigmatic Lost Guild, Hab-Utet
isn’t likely to be encountered during the Hunt, but
The Beast is destroyed, but the knowledge of how much
he’s directly responsible for both the existence of
influence the Deceived wield in presumably Arisen affairs
Washington and for the adventure’s events.
is deeply disturbing. Potentially more troubling than that is
the return of Seb-Hetchet, upsetting the delicate détente
into which the nome had settled during his absence.

Getting Involved 97
 deathblow, Sedge promises political favors like high-paying though he never discovered what happened to them.
sinecure positions for the character’s cultists, tips on relics He remembers using the Razzias in 1544 as a pretext for
coming in from Dulles, placements of vestiges to affect delving into the ruins of Irem’s lesser colony on the isle
heka flows, just to start. Whatever they need, the Machine of Ischia to retrieve ancient drawings allegedly of the city
can do…but they’ve got to play a bit of ball first. itself (he even remembers when the lesser colony was fully
populated, a bastion of culture compared to the greater
DESCENDED colony). The only thing he cannot remember is his time
Alternately, perhaps one of the characters is far enough spent in henet, and even that exists as a maddeningly
along in the Descent that they could benefit from a reset. painful lacuna in his memory. Even considering the matter
The propensity of Amkhata finding their way to I-495 isn’t causes his sahu to warp and undulate in a disconcerting
merely auspicious, it’s downright sacred. Destroying them fashion, as if he has grasped the very heart of life.
is both a religious commandment and a highly beneficial, Letting his memories fade in pursuit of power was
if risky, practice. The Washington nome’s geomantic a mistake, he knows now. If he’d focused on actually
behavior ensures a reset lasts far longer than anywhere else. remembering Irem, he’d have realized that it had been
built over and over again—in Babylon, in Ecbanata, in
ALTERNATE LOCATIONS Pataliputra. Before he fell to Duat, he centered a dangerous
To be frank, the action of “The Great Hunt” doesn’t lend ritual that would lay a mirage over his tomb, so that he
itself well to other cities. It takes advantage of D.C.’s radiant would draw Fate down with him and combat it with the full
geomancy, unique culture, and the enemies and allies might of the Judges on his side.
who’ve sequestered themselves inside the White Jackal’s Instead, he arose remembering everything. Immersing
monument to lost Irem. Essentially, it’s all about This Town. himself in the oasis did not affect the Fate of Irem. It crushed
This isn’t to say that elements of the adventure couldn’t Seb-Hetchet under Fate’s wheel. Empires rose, every one
be incorporated into other cities, however. The quarreling of them a mirror of the City of Pillars. Every one of them
Arisen of Rio de Janeiro might feel safer warring with fell, as Irem did. The sun rises, reaches a zenith, and falls—
each other if their relics remain untouched by wandering the Fate of Irem was one of frontier and conquest before
Amkhata, so perhaps they’ve constructed a killing field of the inevitable fall. By yoking Washington to that Fate, he’d
their own. If you’re comfortable venturing farther afield, doomed his endeavor before he even began. The mummy
the ancient Iremites might well have done the same thing simply couldn’t bear the thought of an entire Turn wasted;
outside some of the consistently-inhabited villages and it would permanently shatter his meret, and potentially
cities in the Nile Delta—and after four Turns, those strips damn the Arisen existence entirely by exposing them to
are absolutely teeming with Amkhata. The Beast could a world fully capable of waging a global war on mummies.
threaten any city and go after any character; the Beltway And so he ran. His faithful, ancient Sadikh guarded his
provides a cage for the unnatural animal, one that could older tomb, a simple construct of stone and clay under Rock
break at any moment. It’s meant to let the players know Creek Park. There Seb-Hetchet waits, for something—
that time is a factor in their decisions and provide a driving anything—to pull him out of his self-imposed exile.
impetus for the story. Description: Seb-Hetchet was a young man of Libyan
extraction when he died the first time. His skin is olive,
DRAMATIS PERSONAE and his hair is a long, dark brown. He prefers loose suits of
Many of the Arisen in Chapter Three make an white linen, and favors carrying a watch—an affectation
appearance within this adventure, and all of them could he acquired during a stay in London during the 1890s. A
potentially be an ally. Of note, Hebeny and Ubaid both small gray cat often follows him around; when he’s not
play substantial roles within the adventure, the former with him, he’s acting as the mummy’s eyes and ears within
knowing a great deal about the Deceived and the latter the city.
having access to Seb-Hetchet’s primary tomb. Storytelling Hints: Seb-Hetchet helped build
Washington thinking that by constant attention and the
SEB-HETCHET, THE WHITE JACKAL power of the Arisen, he could guide a city past the critical
Quote: “My work has grown by leaps and bounds. We watch stage of development where the empire begins to fall. He’s
over a capital of empire, a city of pillars. I have succeeded, it’s convinced not that he’s lost his chance, but that he never
true, but I’d never considered that success might be more painful truly had one to start. The patterns of empire, modeled on
than failure.” Irem, are too ingrained in human behavior for a replica to
Background: The White Jackal remembers everything, behave any differently. As a result, he’s quite depressed,
now. He remembers his wife and daughter in Irem, and his Sadikh hasn’t been able to shake him out of it.

98 The Hunt
 Pillars: Ab 2, Ba 4, Ka 3, Ren 5, Sheut 5
Sekhem: 7 (as of early 2014)
Willpower: 10
Memory: 7
Virtue: Hope (Seb-Hetchet dared dream of a new Irem,
and for the Diaspora that spread his kind across the globe to
finally end. It was this dream that pushed him to achieve the
marvel that is Washington.)
Vice: Pride (In the end, Seb-Hetchet’s dream was his and
his alone. Washington could not be built on any terms but
his own. It is this realization, and knowing that his dream
cannot be, that has broken him.)
Initiative: 5
Defense: 3
Speed: 11
Size: 5
Armor: 0
Health: 8
Notes: Seb-Hetchet’s relic is a small replica of a pillar. It
looks like a child made it, and one did. The White Jackal
built it himself, his entrance exam into the guild of Masons.
What it does is something he’s never revealed, but he recov-
Concept: The Shattered Idol ered it sometime during the First Turn, and it now functions as
Decree: Shadow his talisman.
Judge: Nekhenhu, the Innocent
Guild: Tef-Aabhi
HAB-UTET, THE HIDDEN BEGOTTEN
The lone Deceived in Washington has watched
Attributes: Intelligence 7, Wits 4, Resolve 6; Strength Seb-Hetchet for centuries now. He’s fascinated by the
4, Dexterity 3, Stamina 4; Presence 5, Manipulation 3, other mummy’s drive, even as the desire to rend Irem’s
Composure 4 works possesses him. In the years prior to the American
Revolutionary War, it occurred to the Deceived that if the
Skills: Academics 4, Animal Ken 3, Athletics 3, Brawl 2,
Fate of Irem were immutable (and he believed it to be so),
Crafts 5 (Architecture), Expression 5, Intimidation 2, Inves-
then a city which became Irem reborn would necessarily
tigation 4, Occult 5 (Geomancy), Persuasion 2, Politics 3,
suffer the same fate. This, he believed, would crush the
Socialize 2, Stealth 3, Streetwise 1, Weaponry 2 (Swords)
hopes of the Arisen forever, proving once and for all the
Merits: Cult (Tribal; Reach 3, Grasp 3), Guild Status (Tef- folly of building a monument to a city of betrayers and
Aabhi) 5, Languages (Arabic, English, French, Greek, Latin, thieves.
Spanish), Tomb (Geometry 5; Famous, Prime Location), Hab-Utet has no statistics, no description. Seb-Hetchet
Tomb (Geometry 2, Peril [traps] 2; Obscure), Relic 3 has figured out the Deceived’s motives and involvement,
Affinities: Beast Companion, Builder’s Wisdom, Charmed but not his name. We state it here for completeness, in
Lives, Deathsight, Enduring Flesh, Entombed Glory, Falcon case the Storyteller wishes to have a framework on which
Soul Aloft, Godsight, Guardian Statue Empowerment, to build further stories of the Lost Guild’s activity in the
Model Lifeweb, Paths Trod by 10,000 Feet, Ripples Upon Washington nome.
the River, Shrouding Aura
THE BEAST
Utterances: Mastery of Heka’s Bounty, Rebuke the Vizier, The Beast is intelligent the way Shere Khan (the Jungle
Secrets Ripped From Skies, Smite the Heavens Book tiger) was; reasoning, even capable of communication,
but eminently an animal. It’s aware that it was made (and

Dramatis Personae 99
 uplifted) by one of the Deceived, though it doesn’t truly
grasp the political or metaphysical distinctions between
mummies, and the characters would have to interrogate
it to glean that much. The Beast will never allow that to
happen. It wants to hunt Seb-Hetchet, but it’ll settle for
his cousins in the meantime.
It was built with a lion’s head and claws, an elephant’s
body (historical note: elephants existed during the time of
Irem, and art occasionally depicted the failed attempts to
train them as beasts of war) and about four different pairs
of functioning wings (tenh) from four different raptors. Its
heart is a damned and dark star, which is what you get when
you’re made by a blasphemous immortal astrologer who
knows what he’s about. The ritual that bound the relics
of the Deceived has mutated the form of the Amkhat. It’s

Relics of the Deceived

As their name suggests the Lost Guild was once a guild,
and a special class of relics were their accorded purview.
Irem-derived relics are self-perpetuating patterns of
Sekhem bound to a physical object. They reinforce
themselves by leeching a particular flavor of immortal
energy from their environment. These patterns are
sympathetic in nature, and refuse to be bound to any
but their like. Hence, uter patterns require true flesh begun devouring its own kind to quench the flames that
to be bound to the material world, while the subtle threaten to consume it, and will occasionally manifest
thieving patterns of amulets need, well, amulets. Yet their properties. In game terms, that means the Beast will
unlike the relics of the other five, the relics of the Lost reap health levels from the victim Amkhat as they dissolve
Guild are purely conceptual in nature, and formless. into black flame. Once it’s done so, it can manifest some
When Hab-Utet forged the Beast, he simultaneously of the same features the victim did in addition to its normal
conducted a ritual to bind the relics of the Deceived complement of creature features by reflexively spending a
to the creature. He bound its existence into the relics, Willpower point to bring out another (only for one turn,
melding them until they were largely indistinguishable thankfully). In the event it devours a mortal, it’ll start
from one another. Such an inauspicious creation could parroting their voice, usually something along the line of
only occur due to a particular conjunction of Jupiter the victim’s last coherent thoughts while being eaten by a
within Canis while Sothis rose over Washington, but hideous monster.
Hab-Utet was content to count his limited blessings.
If the characters sit and watch the thing long enough,
Choosing the Beast as a weapon was both pragmatic they will see a flickering constellation (Canis Major, if
and portentous. The Deceived knew of the Nameless they make the Academics roll, and just Orion’s Belt if they
Lion’s companion, a dark star in the distant sky, hidden don’t) across its undulating body. It subtly pulses in time
to those without the ability to perceive Sekhem’s flow. with the Beast’s heartbeat.
Modern science is still decades away from proving the
Concept: Unique Amkhat
existence of this companion, dismissing it as ancient
myth and modern mistakes in gravitational calculations, Attributes: Intelligence 2, Wits 5, Resolve 3, Strength
but this companion still grants a measure of power to 6, Dexterity 5, Stamina 6, Presence 3, Manipulation 0,
those who can call upon it, and the Hidden Begotten Composure 3
has drawn a powerful relic from the firmament to power
his terrible servitor. Skills: Athletics 3, Brawl 5, Stealth 5, Survival 2
Willpower: 6
Initiative: 8

100 The Hunt

Defense: 5 Health: 12 (the Beast regenerates 2 levels/turn)
Speed: 3 (20 Flight) Notes: The relics bound to the Beast render it immune to the
Size: 10 trick of winning allegiance by feeding it Sekhem; it’s grown far
too intelligent for that. Feeding the Beast a dot of Sekhem will
Weapons/Attacks: pacify it temporarily, for about two turns—it’ll defend itself but it
won’t attack the characters. It’s immune to attacks that use flame
Type Damage Dice Pool
as a weapon, such as flamethrowers or the third tier unleashing
Bite 4(L) — of Revelations of Smoke and Flame. Additionally, the Beast has
Lion’s Claw 2(L) — assumed the role of apex predator; all lesser Amkhata obey the
Starheart Flame 3(A — Beast as they would a pack alpha, following its unspoken com-
mands and paying the mutant proper obeisance and fear.

Dramatis Personae 101

 PRELUDE
THE HUNT
MENTAL •• PHYSICAL ••• SOCIAL •
the other side of the massive divider, car horns blare, the
OVERVIEW fury of their drivers fueling a titanic and cunning trap.
Everyone has a price, and Sedge has met the meret’s.
This section of the highway is closed off for a two-mile
The characters have agreed to accompany Sedge on an
stretch, with the halfway mark where the characters are
expedition onto the Beltway. Before beginning, just ask the
standing (by the Connecticut avenue stretch). The walls
players what it would take for their characters to agree to
here are high and enclosed, and traffic has been redirected
accompany Sedge on his hunt; not what they want, what it
take up all four lanes on the other side of the divider.
would take. So long as they don’t loathe the upstart Maa- Filling the sky on the horizon is the massive white-and-
Kep on sheer principle, they should agree to something gold Mormon temple. Two overpasses are nearby, but
modest for their cultists. Expedited security clearances, they’re being kept clear of pedestrians.
free and discreet usage of one of the finer escort services Sedge removes a teddy bear from his overcoat. It’s worn,
in the city, a small cache of surplus-grade weapons, a tip threadbare, with an eye missing. He places it reverently
on a guild relic that’s coming through Reagan in the next on the ground, walks ten paces away, takes out a pistol,
week—Sedge can do all of these things, and more. But and blows the bear’s stuffing all over the highway. The
Sedge doesn’t know that there’s something waiting for him gun’s report vanishes in the noise of the highway. And
out in the Beltway. then the waiting comes. The characters can talk amongst
“The Hunt” begins in medias res. It’s the first time things themselves, talk to Sedge, whatever—they’re waiting the
go wrong, and if the characters refuse to take Sedge’s deal, Amkhata to finish lapping up the last bit of Sekhem from
he finds others who will (Ubaid and Hebeny would likely the destroyed vestige and manifest.
take him up on it). At a lull point, roll initiative. Characters with Sight
Beyond Eyes have their Affinity triggered, as usual.
DESCRIPTION A single lesser Amkhat will answer the destroyed vestige,
It’s a clear, cold night in the city of Washington. This
and attempt to lead the characters to an overpass about
late in fall, the leaves have lost most—but not all—of their
a hundred yards down the highway. There, several lesser
crunch on the ground. Sedge and the characters ride in a Amkhata await, ready to materialize. Once the characters
black van driving along Connecticut Avenue, going slow are engaged, another series of Amkhata materialize over
to avoid the ubiquitous speed cameras placed at the behest the second overpass, with the Beast at their head. The
of the neighborhood’s rich landowners. The cultist in the massive palace of the Temple rises behind it. Underneath
front seat—one from a character’s cult—has a huge grin it, scrawled in spray-paint across the overpass, are the
on her face. She’s already profited enormously from the words SURRENDER DOROTHY.
deal that’s been made. The thing swarms down amidst ten (10) other Amkhata,
Sedge has already explained that the Sleeve-Riders are arraying itself in a phalanx-style formation a character can
whispering of the Greater Amkhat in this area. Some of recognize with an Intelligence + Academics or Memory
their numbers have already fallen to its fangs. In exchange roll as a classic Iremite battle pattern. The Beast is a mass
for the aid of the characters, he’ll give them what he’s of wings and shifting flesh, illuminating the highway with
promised. starlight shining out from lambent eyes.
The van slowly drives through the roadblock leading Jackal, it growls, wisps of dark flame crawling out of a
to the 95 exit, flashing orange diamonds indicating gaping lion’s maw. Every member of the meret should be
construction. The road workers—either scorpion cultists suitably freaked out by this.
themselves or paid off by ones—step aside. It accelerates
up the ramp, drives a few hundred yards in darkness, and STORYTELLER GOALS
then the doors to the side open. The wind howls along the This scene is meant to be fairly short, setting up the earliest
icy asphalt of the Capital Beltway. In the distance, and on encounter with the Beast. The idea is that battling minor

102 The Hunt

lesser Amkhata will lead to fighting a Greater one, at which Defense: 7
point the Arisen wear the thing down, keep it off one another, Speed: 18 (flying)
and deal the deathblow. If all goes well and nobody gets their
Sekhem eaten, it’s a milk run, as much as any pitched and Size: 1
furious battle against ancient abominations can be. Weapons/Attacks:
Unfortunately, that’s not what happens. The characters
have likely never seen this kind of Amkhat before, and they Type Damage Dice Pool
certainly feel disconcerted by it talking to them. It’s possible Bite 1(L) 6
that they want to really cut loose and tear into whatever the Beeeeees! 1(B) per turn —
hell this thing is, though, and that’s a perfectly legitimate (up to 10B)
response. In that case, the Storyteller should feel free to
let the characters bust out third-tier unleashings. Keep in Health: 3
mind, however, that the other side of the highway is still The cultist, for her part, has been sitting in the back of the
fairly close; collateral damage will injure civilians, resulting van with her eyes closed (having been warned of the pos-
in Memory degeneration checks. sibility of watching the Arisen fight; however, the people on
the other side of the highway who see the Beast materialize
CHARACTER GOALS on the overpass are currently flipping out in their cars, in-
Survive, mostly. The characters are suddenly faced with creasing the chaotic honking and causing a minor accident).
far more than they’ve bargained for: a dangerous enemy She’s surprised if and when the characters rip through the
and a disconcerting departure from the norm. The best van’s door and order her to drive. If she does catch sight of
course of action is retreat, though this doesn’t come natu- the Amkhat, she’ll immediately begin suffering from Sybaris.
rally to a lot of players. If they don’t voice the clarion sound The characters will either have to sprint down the off-ramp
of retreat, Sedge does—and if they resist, he’ll point out themselves or drive the van.
that their mortal cultist is in danger as well.
In either case, the Beast won’t follow them. The goal of
ACTIONS revealing itself to the Arisen of Washington was to stop their
The lure Amkhata is jackal-headed and falcon-bodied, hunts, shake their confidence in their abilities, and maybe
with a bee heart. It’s small and quick, meant to dodge and rough them up a bit. At the sign of emergency vehicles
flit and get the characters to where the Beast can make a on the other side of the highway, it’ll silently signal for an
proper predatory display. orderly retreat, which the remaining Amkhata obey (itself a
Attributes: Intelligence 1, Wits 4, Resolve 3; Strength 1, deeply troubling development).
Dexterity 7, Stamina 2; Presence 3, Manipulation 0, Com-
posure 2 CONSEQUENCES
Skills: Athletics 3, Brawl 4, Stealth 3, Survival 2 This scene directly leads to the first in the series, “War
Council”. Since the characters can’t do much to affect the
Willpower: 1 earlier events, it’s possible or even preferable that they start
Initiative: 6 directly with the council on the roof of the Cairo.

Prelude-The Hunt 103

 CHAPTER ONE
SCENE ONE - WAR COUNCIL
MENTAL ••• PHYSICAL • SOCIAL •••
It wasn’t a normal Amkhat, if anything about those fiends
OVERVIEW can be said to be normal. It wasn’t anything I’d ever seen before.
The War Council takes place on the roof the Hotel
It was different, intelligent. It lead us into a trap so it could
Cairo. One of the tallest buildings in the District and a
show off to us.
guilty pleasure, architecturally speaking, the Hotel looks
We’ve had our differences in this city. This is something that
over much of Northwest and has a commanding view of
threatens us all. If it can command the lesser Amkhata, as it
the Washington Monument. It’s for this reason, and the
appeared to do, it can make them strike as an army. An army
influence the Tef-Aabhi had on the building’s design, that
that could permanently close our flow of relics, overwhelm the
the Arisen regularly meet on the roof for coffee and private
Sleeve-Riders, and assault any Arisen who crosses into the city.
meetings. Built in the waning days of the 19th Century, the
Cairo was a haven for drug dealers and prostitutes during It’s connected to Seb-Hetchet, somehow. It called out his title. I
the 60s, but eventually became home to posh condos in the think it wanted him.
early 80s. Two Arisen—Ubaid and Seb-Hetchet—reside in At this, Sedge pauses. I think it was calling for its master.
their tombs in the Cairo, constructed out of well-fortified The crowd blows apart, mummies angrily shouting at
apartments within the building. Of course, Seb-Hetchet Sedge or one another. What he’s doing is very deliberately
hasn’t yet risen to greet the new Turn. calling Seb-Hetchet’s absence into question and linking it
The actual meeting takes place about day after the to the threat that faces the nome.
Beltway attack. As the Beast predicted, the Arisen are Aziza issues the rejoinder, while Ubaid looks on. While
quite upset by the appearance of a talking Amkhat—much her lead-in is weak, her reasoning is fairly strong:
less one bellowing out the title of the city’s leader. We stand on the work of a giant, whom all acknowledge as
the leader within this city. We respect the wisdom of the Khent-
DESCRIPTION henu and their status as the ones who built this nome. We
Walk through the lobby, taking in the terrazzo floor cannot simply throw away their hard work, and besmirch the
and the vaguely Middle Eastern feel of the interlocking name of a stalwart Mason, without proof.
tile pattern and sandy hues. Twist your worn key copy Sedge is a politician, first and foremost. Bes-Mat, one
in the elevator, and it’ll let you out into a maintenance of the most conservatively-minded Arisen in the District
space just above the penthouse. Here, in the vast, dirty (albeit one dressed in biker leathers) steps forward; what
and unpainted upper floor of the Cairo, you’ll find relics of comes next is a plea that’s transparently beneficial to
a more mundane sort: various old movie posters, ancient Sedge, but not something completely out of line.
handmade tables and chairs, a case of Iremite-style mead We need leadership, and a plan to conquer this Beast. For
for special occasions. There are a few worn couches near all of our sakes, we cannot allow it to threaten our way of life
the roof access, which consists of a metal ladder. here. He pauses and looks at the monument. If the Khent-
About 20 Arisen occupy the chill roof of the Hotel Cairo. henu have abandoned us, or turned against us, we must take
Some carry paper cups of coffee from a popular chain’s kiosk the safety of this city into our own hands.
in the hotel’s lobby. Some bundle themselves against the
cold, a far cry from their city’s incessant warmth. The Arisen STORYTELLER GOALS
from the mountains of Sinai feel right at home, though. The goal of this scene is to underscore the various factions
In the distance, the spire of the Washington Monument of the city, and to strike a blow against traditionalism. The
stands wreathed in a cage of steel and glass. Sedge is off merets largely stick together, with the independent Arisen
to the side, addressing the group as a whole; only Ubaid is floating freely amongst them. What’s left is to galvanize
taking a directly adversarial stance towards him. Already, them into two factions and see what shakes out. Sedge has
the discussion is heated. Sedge relates the details of the been planning a move towards power and mastery of the
encounter, and then continues with his analysis: guilds for nearly three decades; after all, he neutralized

104 The Hunt

Sabola for a reason. The Sothic Turn and this unique about this point, for all of the reasons stated above.
set of circumstances (and not one, but three missing An occult-mutated Amkhat is a serious threat to
guildmasters) means Sedge’s timetable has moved up a few the nome.
years. The above ultimatum essentially decrees: Two points rapidly emerge: 1) that garnering intelligence
• The disappearance of Seb-Hetchet and Sabola on the Beast is paramount to defeating it; 2) that calling
showcases the flaws within the Khent-henu, as the or summoning Seb-Hetchet is absolutely paramount to
two most secretive members of the meret have like- determining the Mason’s involvement. Once the gathering
ly fled the city. (Although Ubaid swears his master largely splits along the lines of Khent-henu and Sedge
is still active, he’s reluctant to provide any proof.) (with a variable neutral portion), Sedge utters a word that
Clearly, they know something their meret doesn’t, stops the meeting cold: Obloquy.
proving that the meret’s status as nomarchs is built If evidence can be found that Seb-Hetchet has created
on a foundation of mutual cooperation. an Amkhat that threatens the city, or worse, that he’s been
dabbling in the magics of the Deceived, his position as
• Two positions of nomarch and guildmaster both are guildmaster of the Tef-Aabhi is subject to challenge. It’s
vacant and must be filled. If you aren’t with Sedge, this that drives the adventure, beyond the secondary goal
you’re with the Khent-henu. Tarikh-Sethos bristles of determining how to stop the Beast.
noticeably at the mere suggestion that they’ve
turned against the city they built, though Ur-Qeb PLAYER GOALS
and Oba-Heshef remain more placid. This is a politically-motivated scene; even if the players
aren’t fully invested in the nature of the nome and the
• Whatever’s decided, the Beast must be destroyed. heavy amount of politics underlying the cordial and
While the above two points are Sedge trying to turn congenial atmosphere (welcome to Washington!), they
the situation to his gain, he’s actually deadly serious can benefit a great deal from this scene. If the characters

Chapter One-Scene One-War Council 105

 are established as players within the nome, they have the
opportunity to forge alliances and build a consensus as to
how the war party should be formed and what the first.
If the meret is visiting the city, there’s little they can do
The Machine
to affect the insular nature of the Washington nome. By Part of this scene is dependent on the disposition
that token, however, the nomarchs are far more willing of the machine in your chronicle. How much support
to accept them as neutral agents. If the Khent-henu seem Sedge gathers for his proposal to begin Obloquy
distant, though, it’s because they’re only academically preparations is really determined by the strength of
interested in the reins of power—their failing Memory has the envoys and how much of a hold they possess over
largely divorced them from the nome, a long-term cause of their relevant guild. As Sudi-Tau, Edja, and Ur-Zahar
are effectively ciphers (see Chapter Three), the overall
Sedge’s rise.
strength of Sedge’s machine isn’t set in stone.
Ultimately, the characters must decide whether they’ll
support Sedge in his attempt to seize power within the city.

ACTIONS
An Intelligence + Occult while speaking to Hebeny will Wits + Socialize will reveal that Sedge’s intent is to use
reveal that the energies suffusing the frame of the Amkhat, Sekhimib to bring Obloquy—a trial of status—against Seb-
as they’ve been described to him, don’t match anything the Hetchet. This can’t be done in absentia, but by amassing
Bennu Initiative has in its records (and Hebeny’s Memory is significant support amongst the denizens of the District, Sedge
fairly high, and he’s participated in few hunts before; when looks like a progressive and community-minded leader and
he says, “I’ve never seen anything like it,” he really hasn’t.). Seb-Hetchet looks like a sleepyhead. He doesn’t truly expect
While the District imports a number of rare animal species, the Obloquy to go anywhere—what he wants is for the Khent-
there’s one spot in particular that’s particularly attractive henu to consent for his elevation to the status of guildmaster.
to the budding necromancer: the National Zoo.
If the characters have a close relationship with Hebeny, CONSEQUENCES
he will reveal that the very structure of the Amkhat has If the meret has established themselves as a capable
changed, from the description of it. This isn’t a matter of group within the nome, they’ll have no shortage of factions
the Word, he says. This is an alteration of the Will. That’s the courting them. Hebeny and the Bennu Initiative wish to
magic of the Deceived, and if Seb-Hetchet is involved somehow, learn more about the potentially Deceived nature of the
it bodes ill. Amkhat; Sedge wants proof that Seb-Hetchet is involved
Success on a Wits + Politics roll indicated that the to fuel a future Obloquy; Tarikh-Sethos and the Khent-
merets have split themselves along Machine-based lines. henu want that information buried, if at all possible, but
The Su-Menent of the city are concerned about the they also want their leader risen (but can’t do it themselves,
Sleeve-Riders, and whether the sentries they’ve put in for fear of destabilizing their meret).
place will be able to withstand assault from the massive Sedge thanks the characters no matter who they sided
Amkhat (they’re also concerned for any Arisen who have with—after all, they’ve now clearly declared their alliances
the misfortune to fall into a death cycle). to him—and leaves to tend to his own cult and alliance.

106 The Hunt

 CHAPTER ONE
SCENE TWO-THE TOMB
MENTAL ••• PHYSICAL • SOCIAL •••
as stated before, the ritual he set into motion on his last
OVERVIEW rising in 2011 worked all too well. Given that Seb-Hetchet
If the characters convinced Ubaid to give them the keys
simply changed his clothing, walked out of the apartment
to Seb-Hetchet’s tomb in Scene Two, he’ll lead them to
and locked the chamber door behind him, there’s really no
the seventh-floor apartment on the east side of the Cairo.
evidence as to how long he’s been gone.
Ubaid’s taking a fairly serious risk, as the tomb is small and
The characters will likely ask, “What now?” and Ubaid
the risk of disturbing it is fairly high; if Seb-Hetchet isn’t
doesn’t know. There is another room to the apartment,
actually awake, then he’ll rise to defend it. With the Sothic however. It’s a simple room with a very large table in the
Turn in full swing, the White Jackal’s hierophant refuses middle and a walk-in closet in the back. The table is piled
to call his patron; the cultist fears that his patron will high with books, sets of fine tools, building blueprints,
somehow miss his Turn (he won’t, but the cultist doesn’t small fetishes and carved pillar replicas. Under the table is
actually know that). a single canopic jar (the lungs, if the players are curious).
Lining the walls are bookshelves full to the brim. There
DESCRIPTION are no curios or mementos in this section of the tomb;
Like every apartment in the building, the tomb has a
the Jackal didn’t care for them while he built Washington.
marble doorknob; unlike every other apartment in the
The closest things to curios are various hand-carved rods
building, Seb-Hetchet’s has gold filigree on it, helping to
scattered about the room in random places, small replica
center the geometry. The door unlocks with an audible
pillars that have become invested as vestiges. The closet
clack, but Ubaid puts muscle into slowly swinging the
contains racks of clothing perfectly tailored to the Jackal
door open, revealing massively reinforced hinges. Once
(some of it decades old, and in some cases over a century).
the characters walk inside, they see why—there’s a
massive marble slab on the inside of the door, covered in PLAYER GOALS
hieroglyphs. Hanging on the apartment’s walls are similar Almost immediately after stepping onto the seventh
slabs, covered in cramped sigils. To the side is a modest floor, the characters begin to feel the effects of the curse
kitchen with unadorned countertops and windowed on the tomb (Mummy: The Curse, p. 82). Ubaid himself
cabinets with the barest of essentials (pasta, olive oil, a is immune to the curse; if he likes the characters, he cheers
few bottles of brown beer). In the main room stand eight them on, urging them to push past the dread that invades
elegant pedestals, made of fine wood; each has a drained their minds and souls.
relic atop it, a former sacrifice to the Judges. Touch nothing, The players are out to find Seb-Hetchet, and there’s a
Ubaid says, even though the relics no longer interact with number of ways they can go about it.
the room’s Lifeweb.
Seb-Hetchet’s sarcophagus, made of carved wood and ACTIONS
sleek with fragrant oil, lies in the bedroom. Are you ready? Investigation is the primary skill for this scene; without
the junior Mason asks. If the characters say yes, he reaches it, the characters will be largely lost. However, Ubaid has
down and gently flips the lid off the sarcophagus. an idea of where Seb-Hetchet is, even if he’s not saying it.
Of course, it is empty. Intelligence + Investigation will allow the characters to
locate some of Seb-Hetchet’s older journals, whereupon they
STORYTELLER GOALS discover the scene from the prologue fiction (the stranger
The Storyteller’s goal here is to set up the mystery of the who gave the Jackal the idea of matching Washington’s
Jackal’s whereabouts by leaving physical clues in his tomb, streets to the constellation of Sothis itself). An exceptional
and additionally to introduce a hint of just what he was success also reveals a brief mention of Peirce Mill, a famous
attempting in his pre-Turn ritual. Seb-Hetchet has been historical landmark within Rock Creek Park. Seb-Hetchet’s
gone for three months now; he awoke at the Turn, but journals become more perfunctory and cool in tone towards

Chapter One-Scene Two-The Tomb 107

 the start of the 20th Century, indicating a greater reliance on Success on a Wits + Occult roll will inform a curious
his talisman as a means to keep his mind sharp. player that the hanging slabs of stone in the main room
Wits + Investigation lets the characters recognize the both center the curse of the mummy and have an additional
frequency of maps relating to Rock Creek Park is much effect. Further examination reveals newer stone marks on
greater than anywhere else in the city; by the tone of the the slabs, with some serious magic in them; an exceptional
correspondence saved, Seb-Hetchet was a major silent success reveals that the purpose of the ritual was an attempt
partner in a number of conservation efforts to preserve the to summon Fate itself as a loose construct bound to the
park. Most of the surveys are focused on the northern part Sothic Turn, a unique occurrence only possible within
of the park; an exceptional success will perfectly locate an Washington. It’s crazy, but it’s just might have worked. But it
area about the size of an acre that’s a commonality across also combining the Word and Will in a way no Sesha-Hebsu,
all the maps, while a simple success narrows the area to much less a Tef-Aabhi, could. This ritual is of the Deceived.
about a dozen acres. Presence or Manipulation + Persuasion or
Presence + Socialize and talking to the neighbors Intimidation will convince Ubaid to reveal that Seb-
reveals that nobody’s seen Seb-Hetchet for years, save Hetchet often goes to Tenleytown and vanishes, and that
one—the kindly old lady across the way. She thought he’d he’s spoken often of a Sadikh whom few in the city have
moved out, but she saw him not three months ago while seen since the latter days of the 18th Century. There’s only
the District was gripped by a heat wave (“He really should one place in the city where one of the servants could survive so
know better than to wear long sleeves in that kind of long, given all that’s changed in the world.
weather!”). Questioning the neighbors also reveals that the
Jackal made a concerted effort over the years to welcome CONSEQUENCES
new tenants to “his floor”; savvy mummies will realize this By the end of the scene, the characters should know where
inured his neighbors to his tomb’s curse. This did little to Seb-Hetchet is—or at least have a very solid idea of where
alleviate the effects of Unease Sybaris; consequently, the to begin looking. They’ll also know that he’s awake and on
inhabitants of the Cairo are a fairly morbid lot. his Sothic Turn… and that he was apparently attempting to
use the magic of the Lost Guild to his own advantage.

108 The Hunt

 CHAPTER ONE
SCENE THREE-THE PIT
MENTAL •• PHYSICAL •• SOCIAL ••
The elephant houses reek of dung and mammalian
OVERVIEW stink during the day, and are worse after-hours. It’s not
Built on a series of extreme hills, the National Zoological
too dissimilar from some of the pits in Irem, though. The
Park is part of the Smithsonian Institution, a 160-acre
buildings away from the public eye are built for transporting
urban park a short walk uphill from the Adams Morgan
whole cages of animals to and from the zoo, multileveled
Metro off the Red Line. Pedestrian-friendly and completely
open spaces lit by the cheapest flickering fluorescents
free to the public, the zoo contains well over 400 different
money can buy. Absent the daylight, the bulbs cast the
species of animals, including Tai Shan the Panda, Rusty
warehouse-sized employee areas into ghoulishly muted
the Red Panda, and the Five Lion Cubs. Sadly, several of
hues.
the rare animals die every year, a fact the Zoo is extremely
quiet about. STORYTELLER GOALS
It’s absolutely ideal for building Amkhata. If the Beast was built with an elephant body, there’s no
Normally, it’s well-guarded by the cults of the Arisen for other place to have gotten a fresh corpse. A quick Internet
this very reason. Recent machinations by Sedge’s machine, search shows that a zoo elephant died roughly a month
however, have reduced the number of cultists assigned to ago of natural causes. Asking Hebeny about the Zoo will
the area as a side effect of Sedge’s power grab. Hab-Utet garner that several of Sabola’s cult work at the Zoo; due to
corrupted the last remaining cultist guardian, a slightly her disappearance, however, the cult’s in disarray. Hebeny
off-kilter veterinary intern named Amy. She’s currently does know of one cultist, Amy Remington. She’s unlikely
guarding the Pit where the Beast was built. to be friendly, but the meret isn’t exactly dripping in leads.
Thankfully, they only really need Amy.
DESCRIPTION Unfortunately, she isn’t in a talkative mood. Repeated
During the day, the zoo is crowded, even in the winter. exposure to the Deceived, her tending to the Pit, and a
It’s open every day the federal government is save lesser Amkhata that’s been following her around has caused
Christmas, which means the park staff are clearing out her mind to become unhinged in the face of Sybaris. It’s all
snow on occasion. The walking paths are made out of faux- she can do to hold down her job as a night vet, checking
cobblestones, a deliberate artistic choice to link the Zoo to the cages for contaminants and ensuring the animals who
nearby the nearby Woodley Park neighborhood. need round-the-clock care receive it. When the characters
The National zoo is closed at night, but it’s not exactly find her, she’s alone, rocking back and forth in the office
difficult to get into, especially for the Arisen. Inside, the beside the long hallway behind the elephant cages.
chill air of the encroaching winter keeps the sounds to a I know why you’ve come, she says, her voice cracking.
minimum; the great apes stay in their house, the aviary A victim of Sybaritic Omens, her eyes are bloodshot,
is closed. It’s a zoo of wide boulevards, sloping hills, and her blonde hair unwashed and pulled back into a rough
a great deal of privacy. The winding main trail roughly ponytail. It’s obvious she isn’t sleeping. I saw the pit. Do you
parallel to North Road, and the propensity for well- want to see it, too?
forested lesser trails leading to major exhibits to branch off,
means the massive zoo being easy to hide in. The Elephant PLAYER GOALS
Trail (undergoing renovation since 2010) and Asia Trails Interrogating Amy is obviously on the character’s minds.
are particularly secluded, and offer a commanding view It’s clear that she’s severely addled by Sybaris, however.
of large parts of the zoo. It’s lightly patrolled by the Park Once she recovers, she can lead the characters to the Pit.
Police, but it shouldn’t be anything the meret can’t handle. It’s accessible through one of the sub-basements of the
More troublesome are the homeless who occasionally scale elephant facility, hidden amongst the foundations of the
the fence and sneak inside; they can be pretty fiercely structure. However, it’s actually in one of the renovated
territorial. areas, nestled up against one of the Zoo’s wooded areas but

Chapter One-Scene Three-The Pit 109

 open to the sky. It’s hard to see with all the ambient light Smithsonian after veterinary college led to a job working
in the area, but Canis Major is clearly visible in the sky. the night shift; student debts and a rather odd ex-boyfriend
There’s clear evidence of ritual offerings—melted candles, led to participation in Sabola’s scorpion cult. Sabola wanted
shattered and despoiled valuables, a mass of rotting animal to keep an iron grip on the Zoo, lest the animals within fall
corpses in the middle of the pit. Given another week or so, prey to the wrong sort of Arisen attention. In fact, it did;
the smell will begin to attract attention, but for now it’s Hab-Utet co-opted Amy’s allegiance with work favors,
only truly potent just above the pit itself. rare medicines for the animals, and additional funding for
the tigers (her favorite). She was none the wiser, believing
ACTIONS her vigilance for Sabola had final paid off. By the time the
Entering the park at night requires a Dexterity + fall equinox came, she was his completely, willing to do
Athletics roll to scale the fence from either Connecticut most anything. But when she found the pit, the realization
Avenue or Rock Creek (which also requires swimming). of the creatures she’d been working for nearly broke her.
Avoiding the Park Police is Wits + Stealth; their routes By the time the characters find her, her empathy has been
are relatively predictable, and the park is sufficiently large vanishing for a while.
enough that hiding isn’t terribly difficult. Using the Gift Description: Friendly and attractive (especially if you like
of Truth Affinity on Amy will immediately cure her of her glasses), Amy never lacked for male attention, cared more for
Sybaris, earning her gratitude for the sudden clarity of the animals than her own personal life. Any awkwardness and
thought. hint of trepidation vanishes when she’s interacting with the
Speaking to Amy will garner that she’s a cultist and inhabitants of the zoo. Lately, though, she’s gotten bags under
suffering from severe Unease Sybaris; she is suffering her eyes and much less care to her personal appearance.
from a -2 to her Resolve dice pools and has become fairly Abilities:
unhinged. It takes a Socialize roll to determine that 1) Animal Ken (••••• ••): More talent than learned
she’s a scorpion cultist, 2) she belongs to Sabola, and 3) skill, really, but Amy’s good with animals. You sort of have
she hasn’t seen her patron or interacted with her cult in to be in her line of work.
three months. Medicine (••••• •): For the animals, but works on
The pit’s for making greater Amkhata, all right humans, too.
(Mummy: The Curse, pg. 183). What’s more, a small
carved pillar—the same type found in Seb-Hetchet’s CONSEQUENCES
tomb—is nestled amongst the rotten animal remains at the The characters have found where the Beast was made,
bottom of the sacrificial pit. and evidence that clearly links it to Seb-Hetchet. If they
Actually investigating the pit with a successful take it back to Sedge, or even Ubaid, it’s enough to fuel
Intelligence + Occult roll will reveal several oddities. an Obloquy hearing if and when the Jackal surfaces.
Besides the fact that it’s open to the sky, the markings on However, it’s all circumstantial evidence—without an
the sides of the pit are fairly unique, and there’s far more actual eyewitness account, it’d be a pretty weak negative
ritual detritus than normal (and building a greater Amkhat confession. The last thing to do is to track down Seb-
already produces a tremendous amount of waste). In fact, Hetchet himself for the reckoning.
the geometry of the pit is much more like a tomb than that However, the meret also must deal with Amy; she’s
of a normal Amkhat pit, as if it were capable of supporting become deeply troubled by her exposure to Sybaris, and
a personal Lifeweb. she isn’t quite capable of joining a new cult. Simply leaving
Amy Remington her be will exposure both her and the Arisen to a great
Amy was a quiet child, smart and studious. She was the deal of public scrutiny, as she’ll inevitably be linked to the
stereotypical veterinary student—awkward with humans, pit (she’s willing to tell total strangers about it, after all).
perfectly calm with animals. An internship with the Absent magic, it won’t be an easy task.

110 The Hunt

 CHAPTER TWO
SCENE ONE
ROCK CREEK PARK
MENTAL •• PHYSICAL • SOCIAL ••
From there, the characters have to convince the Last
OVERVIEW of their intentions towards Seb-Hetchet. Thankfully, the
Rock Creek Park is a slice of pristine wilderness in the
Last is woefully out of date on the state of Arisen politics—
middle of the city, bordering Tenleytown and the richer
and indeed, to the current state of the world, due to his
portions of Dupont. Like most forests in this part of
extreme age.
America, it’s partly forested year-round, albeit blanketed
with a thick layer of dead leaves. Deer and rabbits aren’t PLAYER GOALS
uncommon game, and the park makes for the best hiking By this point, it’s possible the players are entirely sick
the area can offer (which isn’t saying very much). It’s of being ambushed; if this is the case, the Last will simply
also the location of the tomb Seb-Hetchet built back in approach them with weapons drawn, demanding to
1753, guarded by a Nacotchtank warrior—the last of his know who they are and what their business in the park
tribe. Seb-Hetchet’s Sadikh of nearly three hundred years is. However, the characters haven’t yet been afforded an
has held up remarkably well, all things considering. The opportunity to truly cut loose with their Utterances and
characters will have to defeat or bypass him in order to Affinities. Well, here’s their chance. If they decide to go
reach the hidden tomb. full-bore, the Last will borrow whatever Affinities he needs
to survive from his master, but if he’s slain, Seb-Hetchet
DESCRIPTION will find the characters—and he’s far less likely to go easy
Rock Creek Park spans a whopping 2,802 acres; on them.
without actually knowing where Seb-Hetchet’s tomb is, As a final alternative, openly brandishing one of Seb-
the characters could wander for weeks and never find it Hetchet’s hand-carved pillars means the Last will approach
(reference: the tomb’s in the northern section). The trunks as a friend, believing the characters to be earnestly seeking
bunch up tightly to one another, leaving very few paths his master for peaceful ends—after all, they bear his badge.
through the wilderness. The leaves crack and crunch
underfoot. Without a path, the characters have no hope of ACTIONS
finding Seb-Hetchet’s tomb, even knowing an approximate Last of the Nachotchtank
location. Description: Huge, broad-shouldered, and eminently
They’ve got a guide, though. They’ll just have to get him sad. The Last knows, deep in his heart, his tribe is gone—
talking first. shattered, fled to a far-away place, having forgotten its
roots. His tribe was dying when he agreed to become Seb-
STORYTELLER GOALS Hetchet’s Sadikh in 1753, and the Mason promised that
Make it clear to the characters that they’re being stalked his people would have a place in Washington. The White
through the wilderness. The Last will dance around the Jackal did not keep his promise, and never intended to. The
area, try to force them into a clear area without cover, Last has forgotten his name, the names of his children and
and start loosing arrows at them from cover. He’s a skilled his wife. He stalks the Park, guarding the last stronghold
tracker and hunter, but not infallible. It isn’t meant to of the Jackal, avoiding the sight of cars a glimpse of the
severely injure them, merely test their mettle. Once the world outside (and in truth, such a sight would damage
characters show signs of fighting back, he’ll come out of him badly; his stability is largely due to the park’s stasis
hiding and appear to surrender. Peace, ancient ones, he says. rather than any internal fortitude). Deep in his heart, he
You are here for my master. knows that Seb-Hetchet cares little for him, seeing him

Chapter Two-Scene One-Rock Creek Park 111

 Skills: Academics 1 (Egyptology), Archery 3, Athletics 4,
Brawl 3, Crafts (Repair) 3, Stealth 3 (Shadows), Survival 4,
Weaponry (Heavy Club)
Merits: Giant, Iron Stamina 3 (B), Language (English,
French, Iremite Egyptian, Iroquois)
Pillar Abilities: Reverent Name, Shadowed Hand
Sekhem: 4 (only for supernatural resistance)
Willpower: 6
Morality: 3
Virtue: Faith
Vice: Pride
Initiative: 6
Defense: 3
Speed: 11
Size: 5
Weapons/Attacks:
Type Damage Dice Pool
Short Bow
Heavy Club
Armor: 0
as a mere guardian of a secret place. But that heart has a Health: 8
name inscribed upon it, so he obeys body and soul. He just
doesn’t like it very much.
Concept: Living Relic
CONSEQUENCES
How the characters handle someone taking potshots to
Master: Seb-Hetchet see what kind of folk they are is really up to them. However,
injuring the Last will severely inconvenience them when
Attributes: Intelligence 2, Wits 4, Resolve 3; Strength
dealing with Seb-Hetchet later on. The key to the tomb
4, Dexterity 4, Stamina 3; Presence 1, Manipulation 2,
rests around his neck.
Composure 3

112 The Hunt

 CHAPTER TWO
SCENE TWO- CONFESSIONS
MENTAL •• PHYSICAL SOCIAL •••
Chinese Wall hasn’t been brought down fully, the White
OVERVIEW Jackal has slammed right up against it and peeled off to
The characters have finally come across Seb-Hetchet’s
leave a bloody smear behind. He knows it’s there, that
tomb. Inside waits the White Jackal, the man who built
it was placed there, and he knows precisely what area of
the new city of pillars, and the mummy everyone’s been
his mind it’s guarding. His only explanation is that the
waiting for. Yet he would not hide without reason—he has
Shan’iatu put it there to hide something, though he
a secret that’s capable of tearing the city apart.
cannot say for sure what.
DESCRIPTION PLAYER GOALS
The tomb itself is well-concealed under a hill; the
Here he is, the man with the answers. He’s surprisingly
characters must slide down a slight muddy shaft into a cave.
Deep within are lights, casting a stone platform and pillars willing to talk; the White Jackal’s restored memory of how
into relief. On the platform are relics, carefully arranged much he’s lost and his sense of how futile everything is has
amidst circles of figures, glyphs, and concentric circles. In reduced him to a depressed husk of a mummy. Still, he is a
the middle of the platform, legs crossed, sits the Jackal. mummy, and he’s an immensely powerful and prideful being.
His white clothing has been stained and rendered He will brook no insult towards himself or his city. He’s just
muddy by the descent down the cave. His eyes shine with surprisingly truthful and talkative about the dark magics he
intelligence and sadness. If the Last precedes you, he sighs co-opted to build the thing’s geomantic foundation.
mightily. I could not hide forever. I had hoped the Turn would
be well along before I was found out, though.
ACTIONS
The interactions with Seb-Hetchet take the form of
If the Last was killed, or the players found the tomb
questions the players will likely ask. Seb-Hetchet can explain
anyway, Seb-Hetchet is far more curt. You will leave this
much of what he was attempting: the ritual that broke
place, and tell none of what you saw here. If there are any Tef-
him, the Deceived who tricked him in Georgetown, how
Aabhi in the group, he will fix his gaze upon them. I would
he intended to grasp the sunlit flail. Actually convincing
have expected more from you.
the White Jackal to help stop the Beast hunting him from
STORYTELLER GOALS breaching the Beltway is Presence or Manipulation +
The White Jackal is hiding for a reason: He knows the Persuasion, but the Jackal warns that an obvious return may
Deceived conned him into helping build Washington to have more consequences than it appears.
align with their magic. He helped build the city because he What did you do to become like this? I… I believed that
believed it was the final exam for the end of the Diasporic I alone could save this city. The mirages of Fate were growing
Code, and the greatest test for a sacred geometrist since in strength, cresting the city as a wave. I would have ridden that
the days of Irem. He believes that not only has he failed wave down to Duat, to deal with it in the place of our masters.
the test, but that he was doomed from the beginning. Instead, I was drowned in the tides of Fate.
And were any other Arisen to discover the Deceived’s Why did you come to Washington? The Diasporic Code
role in building Washington, Seb-Hetchet himself would kept us as one people, but it could not make us whole. We were
soon find himself the subject of an intense investigation beginning to forget the Judges, to forget ourselves. I knew of
courtesy of the Maa-Kep. With the Khent-henu’s leader companions who beseeched the Judges to create an item to
out of commission, Sedge’s dream to rule over Washington punish heretics. I sought to make a monument so overwhelming
unchallenged would be one step closer to fruition. that the heretics would see themselves as manifestly incorrect.
Seb-Hetchet’s trick of dragging Fate down with him Did you intend to rule over the city, openly, as a
into henet has caused some rather dramatic physical mummy? No, but if there was to be a Pharaoh in Irem once
effects. Chief among these is the fact that, while the more, better the Khent-henu under my aegis than Bes-Sed.

Chapter Two-Scene Two-Confessions 113

 not, is to fall. The Shan’iatu conquered death and created
the Arisen, but they could not stop Irem’s fall.
Remembering Everything Did you pursue the mysticism of the Lost Guild? I did,
to my sorrow. I am not in league with them, if that’s what you’re
As Storyteller, you should be careful with this. The asking. I do know something of their strange rituals. Irem was
White Jackal can answer a great deal about the built not by five guilds, but by six; if my endeavor was to succeed,
setting and origins of Irem proper, and potentially the I had to acquire their arts, as well. In this, I was aided by several,
histories of the characters themselves. “What was including Bes-Sed—the creature you know as Sedge. If I did not
I like when I was still breathing?” is something the know better, I would believe his lust for power was their doing as
Jackal actually could answer, assuming they ran in the
well… but Bes-Sed always had a dark side to him.
same circles. Even if they didn’t, the Jackal probably
Who created the Beast? I do not know his name, but I
met them sometime in the last 6,000 years. (All things
are possible with Memory 10!) have felt the creature gnawing upon my Lifeweb. It sups at the
energies of my vestiges like a babe at the breast. The rituals
The White Jackal might well choose not to tell the bound into Washington and the city’s link to Sothis have made
characters, dismissing it as irrelevant. Saying it doesn’t
it fertile ground for calling down the relics of the Restless Stars,
matter; what you are now is far different than what you
were isn’t inaccurate, but flies in the face of Mummy’s
our lost and damned brethren. I would stake my guildmastery
theme that Memory alone isn’t what defines you. that some relic of theirs animates the creature. Its beating heart
is not one of necromancy, but a heart of starlight.
And hey, he could always be lying. Even if he isn’t,
Why hasn’t it found you? I imagine the Beltway continues
the characters don’t necessarily have to believe his
to contain it, but even if it were to break free, it could not find
sincerity, and ultimately, the road to enlightenment is
one that must be walked alone. me here. I shall not return to the city.
(on convincing Seb-Hetchet to return) How can we
stop the Beast? If the characters discovered the Pit and
realized that the geometry of the place was similar to that of
an Arisen tomb, Seb-Hetchet will take them the rest of the
Do you remember everything now? I do. Gods help me,
way. If it is powered by one of the relics of the Deceived, there may
I do.
be a way. Slaying the Beast would be difficult, but I know that some
Then what is Duat like? On being asked a question
of their relics may be bound to places of power. Seb-Hetchet pats
similar to this, Seb-Hetchet rears back silently. His sahu
the walls of his tomb. Here, for example. If the Beast is bound
splits open as a clamshell, revealing a screaming and
to the relic, we bind the relic to my tomb. I can prepare a ritual
withered khat underneath. It snaps shut violently, the
that will do just that. But it may be safer, in the long run, to simply
twisting motion hurling Seb-Hetchet across the tomb. He
try to kill the thing despite its power. Seb-Hetchet is wary about
is nearly unconscious for about thirty seconds, then sits up
returning to Washington; if he does so, he’ll need to address
weakly, a bit of watery fluid dribbling from his mouth. I…
the implementation of his plans for the Turn (seizing power
I cannot think of it. I cannot see it. I feel as if it is not what we
and ruling as a glorious golden god-king, which isn’t really his
believe it to be. When I can remember Irem, those last days…
bag, what with the restored memory and all).
his sahu shudders yet again, a ripple of flesh undulating
across his body… I felt as though something was going to CONSEQUENCES
happen. Something terrible. Before I went to die, I walked the The Beast can be slain; the Jackal confirms that much.
streets without seeing slaves. I saw them emptied of the people. The Amkhat may also be contained, as the star that gives
What did our masters do? it life can be caught inside the tomb as a firefly within
Why have you forsaken the city? It has been touched by a jar. But more importantly, the characters now know
the Deceived, and is corrupt for it. I believed that their practices the heretical truth that the Deceived had a hand in the
would not carry their taint along with them. I was wrong. The creation of Washington, and whether or not they’ll choose
city is an abject lesson in hubris. If the Abrahamites knew the to reveal that is a topic for discussion.
tale, they would deem the city Babel Anew, and be done with it. If the characters wish to confront the Beast, it’ll be a
Why would the Deceived help build Washington? tough and bitter fight, but one the characters can win with
Because monuments crack and fade. Because we alone look allies. If the characters wish to lay low the Beast and contain
on the works of the ancients and despair. No one living knows. it within Rock Creek Park—thereby potentially saving
No one cares. By daring us to build as the Shan’iatu did, the numerous casualties at a greater risk to themselves—the
Deceived have forced us to revel in our failure. Seb-Hetchet is best course of action is to lead it across Silver Spring and
despondent; he believes the fate of all empires, unliving or into Rock Creek Park.

114 The Hunt

 CHAPTER THREE
THE CHASE
MENTAL •• PHYSICAL ••• SOCIAL •
they’ve pooled their cults together to gather a number of
OVERVIEW bodies to fight Amkhata, but this is a sacrifice on their part
If the characters want to take the Beast down the
and on the part of the cultists, considering mortals can’t
hard way, it’s going to be a knock-down, drag-out fight
do a tremendous amount to help. Still one level of bashing
the likes of which haven’t been seen since the American
damage can add up over the course of a combat, if the
Civil War. The Arisen of the city haven’t unleashed
characters are willing to waste their cults to kill the Beast.
their full capabilities in a good long while. There will be
If they’ve managed to accrue Arisen allies, all bets are off.
casualties. The best way to actually confront the Beast is
Any of the Arisen in the city is a capable fighter, assuming
the Beltway, where the creature isn’t hiding itself; it’s just
they’re willing to risk their Descent. Depending on whom
behind a massive force of Amkhata that it’s subsumed and
the characters sided with in the previous scenes, this could
dominated
be a tremendous number of allies, or a few, or none.
DESCRIPTION PLAYER GOALS
The Beast stalks the highway in amxhaibit, visible to
Confronting the Beast on the highway itself isn’t the
any who can perceive it. The Capital Beltway is a long
smartest of ideas. A better course of action is to lure it out,
and winding road. The best place to confront the Beast,
using one of Seb-Hetchet’s relics or hand-carved pillars. To
if the characters decide to do so on the highway, is around
do that, they need:
the bend just before Georgia Avenue and the 495-95
concurrency. In the shadow of the grand Temple may the • A relic of Seb-Hetchet’s, some of his hand-carved
Beast be slain. The highway is blocked off by noise dividers, pillars (which have become invested as vestiges) or
forested on all sides, divided by concrete that stretches the the mummy himself.
height of the average sedan, and it’s heavily trafficked at
all times. • A getaway vehicle, driven by a cultist (preferably
Jackal. The Beast’s growl resonates in their minds, a Witness) of significant Willpower (so glancing in
trembling their pillars. Jackal. his rearview mirror doesn’t cause him to crash, what
If the players decide to lure the Beast, it’ll chase them— with the “Objects in mirror are closer than they ap-
hence, the name of the scene. Assuming they want to lure pear” and the Beast’s yawning jaws).
it to Rock Creek Park, taking the Georgia Avenue exit off Once the Beast is sufficiently baited—and merely waving
the Beltway leads to about a mile’s worth of stop lights, the relic or vestige before it is enough to get its attention—it
housing developments, and urbanization before they hit the will begin to pursue the car. The Beast is big and it’s quite
Park. Speed camera glare and flash even in bright sunlight, quick; if the getaway vehicle doesn’t have the Speed, the
catching mere glimpses of the monstrosity as it pursues the characters will have to intervene to smack the Amkhat down.
characters and the probably freaked-out cultist driving A number of lesser Amkhat accompany the Beast, and if the
them. Behind them swing the red-and-blue lights of the characters succeed in doing damage, it’ll pause to swallow a
Montgomery County police and state troopers, assuming fellow monster and regenerate itself. One they’re free of the
they don’t peel off as the Beast rapidly materializes and Beltway—off the off-ramp, that is—the Beast is alone. The
dematerializes to vent its frustration on passersby (while characters can try to kill it here (with more eyewitnesses) or
opening itself to a ranged attack by the characters). they can keep leading it to Rock Creek Park.

STORYTELLER GOALS ACTIONS

Despite the lead in to the confrontation with the Beast, This is a running fight, with the Storyteller managing a
this scene is highly dependent on what the characters have pitched battle that leads to the Beast wrenching itself free
done to accumulate allies. The safest assumption is that of the Beltway’s grasp.

Chapter Three-The Chase 115

 As befits one of the most trafficked roads in America, it Last flagging them down, the Sadikh’s eyes goggling and
takes three cults of Reach 4 each to close down the Beltway knees weakening at the sight of their vehicle. Piling out,
for an hour. Any significant damage to the highway itself it’s a flat run through unfamiliar terrain to get to the tomb.
will result in massive news coverage and the intervention Thankfully, the Beast’s Speed is cut by 10 while it’s moving
of Homeland Security. Still, if the Arisen actually have between the thick trees.
other cults capable of Reach 5 actions, it’s actually nothing The characters need only run into the tomb; once there,
a few rolls won’t fix (“Petrochemical spill. Very dangerous. Seb-Hetchet awaits. With a wordless gesture of power, the
Sorry, Mr. President.”) Using Utterances is still a grave hieroglyphs flare gold around him, illuminating his body in
risk, and sufficiently showy displays of power means a lot a wash of light. The Beast slams into the small cave hole,
of explaining for their cults to do. Sedge, as always, will wriggling and breathing fire, having finally found its prey.
attempt to curry favor and spin events his way, using the The glyphs flare once, too bright to look at, a searing light
stretched-thin cults to consolidate resources. that leaves an afterimage.
Wits + Drive for maneuvering through the off-ramp The Beast slams to the floor of the tomb, its fiery breath a
traffic. Depending on when the characters decide to drive mass of black smoke pouring from a maw in place of blood.
the Beast out, it’s either incredibly foolhardy or early in It chatters, the starmap on its skin spinning wildly. As it
the morning, before any witnesses come on the scene. 3.30 lunges for Seb-Hetchet, the way out becomes clear. Do the
A.M. is the best time to attempt this endeavor. characters leave the Jackal to a fate of being stuck inside
Once the characters reach Rock Creek Park, however, an ancient tomb with a monstrous companion? Or do they
the car they’re driving must ram a small metal barricade risk themselves to finally drop the mutated Amkhat?
(put up by Park Police to ensure joy-riders don’t do exactly
the thing the characters are attempting. The entrance AFTERMATH
to Seb-Hetchet’s tomb is roughly a half-mile from the The Beast’s battle ends as quickly and suddenly as it
nearest road; once they approach the area, they see the began, whether by blood and battle or by a howling in a

116 The Hunt

long-forgotten tomb. The Terror Sybaris that has gripped in while their cults are exhausted, unless the meret worked
the city, and the less arcane terror that has gripped the with him for his takeover of the nome.
nome, has finally come to an end. If Seb-Hetchet was not trapped in the tomb with the
Did the characters make allies in the nome? Did another Beast, he’ll have returned. If his Memory is still high, he’ll
Arisen sponsor their slaying of the Beast? If not, they likely strive to tear down what he’s built, dissolving the
receive gratitude for their sacrifice but little else. If they established structure of the nome and becoming a savvy
extracted concessions or favors for their work, they get political operator against Sedge and the Maa-Kep.
them—the nome knows how to play ball. Committing cult One question remains: What of Hab-Utet? And what
resources to close down the highway means Sedge moves will the Deceived do now that the White Jackal is arisen?

Chapter Three-The Chase 117