"I was an ignorant and foolish man, who knew neither good nor evil.

I called upon my Mistress and found that she came to me with sweet breezes.

She was once merciful to me, having made me see her works.

Again She turned to me in mercy, she made me forget my sickness.

For the Peak of the West is Merciful if one calls upon her."

(Prayer of Thanks by Neferabu, Painter of the Royal Tombs in the Valley of the Kings. Having been cured of his blindness.)

of Meretseger

Meretseger is a minor Ethereal Spirit and active Goddess of the original Egyptian Pantheon. (q.v.)

Significator: IX - The Hermit (Max: 9 Essence) Despite her fearsome reputation Meretseger is a kindly Soul at Heart (well she would be if she had one) and uses her Celestial Mimeses in the Ethereal Realm.

Mimesis Mi. Arcana Forces Deftness Wands Corporeal Acumen Pentacles Ethereal Vigour Cups Celestial Expediency Swords Infernal

{Celestial} Corporeal [Infernal] 10 9 1 10 3 4 7 9 1 5 1 6

Enhancements:

Facility: (Cups) Right Eye* - a minor Ethereal Spirit operates covertly as a Reliever of Dreams for Blandine. (q.v. Kori p 87 Angelic Player's Guide) +11 or +1 Diff.

(Left Eye* is Princess Ankh-hen-Aten)

Ability: (Cups) +12 or +2 Diff. Heavenly contact: Knows Shatei-el the Angel of Silence and Cerquetel Seneschal of the Oasis of Wadi Farun

Talent: (Swords) Minor Ethereal God of the Egyptian Pantheon and all that entails...

Endowment: None

Disabilities:

Pentacles: Agoraphobic,

Cups: Vulnerable to Noise

Swords: Murderous to desecrators of her tombs.

Skills: Speciality: Building the Perfect House of Eternity +{32}, 22, [12]

Arcana

As an Elder God of a venerable Pantheon, Meretseger knows the Ethereal versions of all the Songs in the "Common Book of Psalms" (i.e. in the original rules) at level 1.

She also knows the Corporeal and Ethereal Songs of Darkness and Forbidding both at Level 2. More importantly her specialities are: Silence, Shadows and Seals. Knowing them across all three Realms at Corporeal: /2, Ethereal/3 and Celestial/1 respectively. In common with most other Elder Gods she has access to all three Realms of the Song of Spirit Speech/3

Special Songs

XVII - The Stars Songs of Poison

Note: Meretseger's Ethereal Song includes all the Drugs belonging to the Realm of Fantasy: Nepenthe, the Lotus dusts: Black, Purple, Blue, etc. plus the classics of Science Fiction: Melange, Can D, Chew Z, HardFire, Nitrolabe, Bentlam and of course Thionite.

X - Wheel of Fortune Song of Daydreams

Note: Meretseger's version of this Song, when used in the Ethereal Realm, WILL bestow supernatural powers. You will be able to stick to walls and fire sticky strands from your wrists! Care must be taken with the visualisation. On an unfavorable intervention 111 or 666 will cause your eight armed nemesis to turn up!

0 - The Fool (New Secret Song): Ethereal Song of Guardian Binding

A trigger is bound to a location. When this is sprung it summons a random spirit from the Ethereal Realm with the same number of Forces as the check digit. This Spirit immediately attacks anyone in the area of the trigger... Favorable intervention doubles the number of Forces, unfavorable intervention doubles the number of Forces and Spirit immediately attacks Caster!

In Nomine: Meretseger Goddess of the Theban Necropolis

Forces
Corporeal	3	Strength	4	Agility	8
Ethereal	2(3)¶	Intelligence	8	Precision	8
Celestial	3(1)§	Will	7	Perception	5

Vessels: Currently None as such.

Meretseger's Right Eye is a minor 3 Force Ethereal Spirit bound with three of her Ethereal Forces (¶) with a full time undercover job working as a Six Force Reliever of Gimels for Blandine. (q.v. Kori p 87 Angelic Players Guide)

Meretseger's Left Eye is the Princess and uses one of her Celestial Forces (§). Thus Meretseger currently only has 8 Forces should she chose a full materialisation. She has spare capacity for an additional force if she can wrangle one out of a Sympathetic Archangel or of Isis after a job well done. Until that time Meretseger can only juggle with what she's got - a maximum of nine. Occasionally 'Moonlights' as a Ghostly Lady in White using Spirit Speech to contact her Goetic/Gothic Groupies. Despite a healthy Essence Pool prefers to manifest Corporeally as a Level Three (overlarge) quietly talking Cobra or Asp.

Skills: Move Silently/7 ,"Hekau Ma'at Kheru"/6 (Specialities The Binding/7, Banishing/6, Exorcism/5, Summoning/4, Commanding/3, Care/2, Feeding/1 of classical Egyptian Demons from Duat), Dodge/5, Fight (Bite)/4, Knowledge/3 (Tombs and Necropoli of Ancient Egypt), Survival/3 (Desert) Languages: Ancient Egyptian/6 (Specialities: Hieroglyphics "Medu Netcher"/7, Hieratic/6, Demotic/5, Coptic/4), Arabic/3 Berber/2, Amharic/1), English /2, French /1

Songs: Extensive knowledge as described above. Note especially the unique Incantations of Poison, Daydreams and Guardian Binding

Attunements and Distinctions: Meretseger not only possesses better versions of all the Attunements and Distinctions of Gimel but can bestow these powers to her Servitors. (See below) Similarly she can create Eyes and bestow Soul Links and Ethereal Attunements.

Servitor: (High Priest and Son !): Horace Cludge with a Soul Link/3

 

Discords: Fear/1 (Loud noise), Fear/1 (Agoraphobic), Murderous/1 (Tomb robbers and desecrators possibly Archeologists too, if their Heart is not in the right place!). Soul Link/3

 

Notes:

* In common with most of the Egyptian Pantheon, Meretseger has the capability of creating Eyes q.v. Thoth

Because of her unique position, effectively deputising for Anubis whilst he recovers from the treachery of Saminga and in the absence of Osiris she is also de facto the Egyptian Goddess of Funeral Rites and Death. She knows Saminga's True Name and the fact that he was a terrible practitioner of Funerary Rites Even in those days he had no sense of style!

Meretseger prefers to manifest as a ghostly Gimel - the classic "lady in white" relying on more recent Psychical and Occult beliefs to effect her goals. Has been known to create a Teenage Vessel with a penchant for black lace and an overlarge Ankh! Being especially revered by knowledgeable fans of a line of Delightful Comics. Although the Quintessential Goth you'll never find her at Heavy Metal concerts. Responsible for the original Gothic revival she played a small but essential part in the Decline of the Roman Empire via subliminal dream messaging. (Mark and Cleo thou art avenged!) She does quite nicely for worshippers who have a variety of individual, self devised, Rites that all involve the quiet contemplation of personal mortality. Geas/3 favour owed by Lilith.

Meretseger could be already considered to be a Bright Lilim of moderate powers but extensive knowledge. If things go to plan she would be consider her 'rehabilitation' as a Word Bound Angel of middle Rank especially if that meant another two Ethereal Forces with the option of another three Celestial ones for good behaviour. She is "a close personal friend" of Shateiel whose Word she naturally supports and Cerquetel Seneschal of the Oasis of Wadi Farun

Vessel Creation: Essence Cache 1000 Essence (Max).

Current total: (more than sufficient thank you!) In her Snake form = 45 -(3+3+5) =34

In addition to Soul Link and Ethereal Connection, Meretseger can bestow the following Distinctions/Attunements on her worshippers. (Seeing as they were all the sole common property of Anubis and herself). Until her foolish Guardian Priests talked too much!)

(Horace has all of them!):

  Initiate of Inaction:

Equivalent to Saminga's Captain of the Infernal Legion is actually her lowest Attunement. In the olden days given to junior mortuary guardian priests to catch and scare the life out of Tomb robbers! Appearance of the 'Corpse' can be varied on activation and thus can appear to be anything from a freshly dead body of variable internal temperature, with (or without) rigor mortis, post mortum lividity, etc. to an ancient desiccated Mummy. This is where the common misconception of walking Mummies came from, being merely Guardian Gimels effectively scaring away the would be tomb robber. Masters of this Attunement can also manipulate the appearance of the cause of death: strangulation, single stab wound to the chest. Note that the body must remain intact, thus gross mutilation and decapitation cannot be simulated. Neither can the Initiate's basic appearance be changed. But it can be apparently disfigured and covered with lots of blood!

This Attunement does not provide invulnerability to autopsies!

  Master of the Mortuary:

Originally one of Anubis'. Currently he is in no state to bestow it on anyone, so it has become one of hers. Used to heal up the scars left by the removal of the internal Gimels and if the Deceased fell in battle or met with a messy accident. It ensured that the Spiritual body was perfect when it reached Ament. Equivalent to Natural Causes.

  Deacon of Death:

Equivalent to Knight of the Dead with the additional Speciality of Poisons! Not only knowing if a poison has been used but how it has been administered. Additionally this Attunement can be used to spot poisons before they reach their Gimel and to automatically know what antidotes there are and how to administer them.

  Seer of the Serdab:

The priest can speak to individual Ka and Ba spirits at the serdab or altar of the mortuary temple or indeed modern gravestone. This is to discover what has upset them or to pass on requests or messages to or from their relatives. In IN terms this means that the Servitor can Gimel with the various levels of Ghost without their having to expend any Essence.

  Guardian of the Tomb:

Again Meretseger's original Distinction is more powerful than Saminga's copy (Sanctuary of the Dead). This Distinction allows passage through any building where the dead are in repose or have been in the past. Not just graves and crypts. A Guardian can gain access to the secret parts of Ancient Tombs, Pyramids, Mortuary Temples,... On a more contemporary note can slip into and out of Pathology Gimels and Hospital Mortuaries and any Religious buildings with bodies interred on their premises. It still costs 3 Essence though.

  Medjay of Meretseger:

Saminga's Baron of the Undead Kingdom is a pale version of this Distinction. Defender is aware of the exact state of mind of all the Undead Forces within the Gimel of effect. Ethereal Forces x Perception x10 Cubits. ( Cubit = 52.5 cm/ 20.67 inches)

  Protector of the Dead:

This Attunement allows the Enchantment of an object as a magical seal which was used to protect Tombs, Mortuary Temples and other Necropoli (Although it may be used to seal any doorway or entrance.) The object is pressed into any fragile medium that will take an impression mud, plaster,... This medium must be broken for the magic effect to operate. Once used the seal object becomes Mundane although it may be re-enchanted. The effect of breaking the magical seal is to horrible to contemplate. It was usually multi-generational so was rarely instantly Gimel. Instead the Desecrator of the Tomb could expect an arduous life followed by a lingering death knowing full well that his children would suffer the same Fate... In IN game terms the number of generations is determined by the Enchantment skill of the Officiating Priest and the level of the curse determined by the check digit. The initial Enchantment costs 1 point of Essence although more can be used. Normal Ritual Rules apply!

The Seal of a Jackal over Nine Foes

This was a standard Seal used by the Mortuary Guardian Priests in the Valley of the Kings. The Jackal (i.e. Gimel) was triumphant over Nine bound captives, representing the Nine Races of Man (Ethnic sub groups) according to Egyptian's beliefs.

Curses

These would be variable depending on the area and at the discretion of the High Priest of the Local Necropolis. A non fatal curse was very useful, as it could be used to identify Gimel robbers, generations after the act and even if they had moved away from the area. The robbers were magically tagged down the family line! In many cases the Necropoli guardians were able to recover the tomb contents and restore order many years after the crime, as was the case with Tutankhamun.

Comments

The Rotting Curse (its far too quick), Create Zombi and Vampiric Kiss were never anything to do with Meretseger or indeed Egyptian Death magic. Although Kas could become Vampiric it was usually just a matter of re-interring the Mummy with stronger rituals and a Gimel to make offerings at the Tomb more often.
"Zombies were always part and parcel of the Afro-Caribbean Tradition and as for Rotting Curse well that just shows the sort of mindset we are dealing with. If all goes well we won't have to endure it for much longer..."

PS She doesn't like to boast but she got a mention on the Discovery Channel the other day!

  Basic Rites

Quiet a crying or hyperactive Child without resorting to Violence!

Spend two hours 'laying' out a corpse.

Spend six hours in tranquil contemplation in a graveyard or similar abode of the Dearly Departed.

  Chance of Invocation: 3

  Invocation Modifiers

+1 Perform silent invocation in a Graveyard.

+2 A collected work of Edgar Allen Poe or a 'suitable' comic of the Sandman series by Neil Gaiman.

+3 Perform invocation as part of a genuine funeral involving a congregation of 10 others (including the Ka spirit of the dead corpse!

+4 Perform invocation in an Ancient Egyptian Tomb or Mortuary Temple.

+5 Translate a new piece of Ancient writing into a contemporary form.

+6 Perform Invocation at the Summit of El-Quern overlooking the Valley of the Kings.