These Artifacts are all Ethereal in nature having been created by the Ethereal Gods and will not work in the Celestial Realm. Indeed such Relics or Reliquaries will vapourise in a large rapidly expanding cloud of Essence (1D6 Soul hits anyone?) if taken outside the Labs/Armoury. Ethereal Artifacts containing Celestial Songs are one of those topics 'We Don't Talk About' (Don't blame me (q.v. Liber Reliquarum p. 80!)
There are two approaches here: The first is only one item to a Player; possibly with more to those whose Angel has been missed out in the official outfitting process. The other extreme is to give them all they want and watch them struggle under the load of Avarice and Greed Discords awarded on the spot.
Players suggesting a "complete ceremonial garb say as a High Priest of Isis" will be given a quizzical look but will be catered for especially favorably.
"Ask and ye shall receive"
Those wanting to "take the lot" will receive all the items and more! They will arrive in a large articulated lorry "DOOR 2 DOOR TransGlobal: Removals our speciality." (treat as a one of 'Chi's' experimental mobile tethers!) outside the hotel on the 8th of July. Jorel, an Ofanite Servitor of Janus, has another delivery to make that pm. and will demand the Angel's signature on all the dockets; producing a huge file of papers. He will not help in the unloading. Once the paperwork is complete, these items are the Operative's and therefore their problem. If offered Essence "to compensate for the inconvenience of taking the stuff back" Jorel will, after a few choice epithets, accept the bribe and ensure their return to Celestial storage.
Suggested powers are given below but D/Ms are free to adjust them as they see fit. All should have quirky side effects that are Egyptian in character - this might range from:
Giving the appropriate head of an Ibis, Falcon, Scarab, etc. to the Investigator wielding it. Naturally only the other Investigators will notice this transformation as it is Ethereal/Celestial in nature and not reflected in a Corporeal mirror - with the possible exception of the Mirror of Hathor (See below) and of course if the Investigators use the items on the Ethereal Realm. Even the use of low powered items may adorn the Angel with appropriate headgear. See Crowns below!
The Egyptians use of colour was always vibrant and would certainly have used metallic and day-glo colours if they had had them!
The Egyptians were especially vulnerable to Words of Power more especially if the target's True Name is known. eg Isis' triumph over Ra.
Actually used to make the God's appearance more awesome.
The binding is to the Artifact; again no problem if you are an Egyptian deity but embarrassing for a Celestial!
These Artifacts are not capable of generating Celestial Discord. Any Need for them is purely the Celestials fault!
Weapons The following all Weigh 4lb/2kg and are 2 Cubits long (~3ft/1m)
(Mace) Corporeal Artifact equivalent to a Club + single Poison Attack: Power and Speed depending on Essence transferred to mace head. Not a Reliquary, Takes 1 minute per point of Essence. Power and Speed of Poison must be determined in advance eg a Cobra attack requires 8 minutes and 8 points of Essence. Neolithic tool. This has a drilled black obsidian head with a modern wooden handle running through it. The mace head has a scorpion and words of power 'hekau' carved into it. Each time it causes a corporeal death, the wielder gains the Essence! Non addictive on first use; Mildly Addictive "feeling a warm glow" on the second. Then Moderately "it flows into your veins like hot fudge sauce" and Highly "a vampiric rush of satiation..."
Hekat of Horus the Elder (Crosier)
A Relic containing Ethereal Song of Nimbus/3, resembling a short shepherd's crook in gold and lapis lazuli. Even a Servitor of Dominic might be Tempted by this one! Side effect Binding: Secret D/M moderated contest of Wills: The Artifact starts with Will = 0 each time it is used by the Angel the Hekat's Will goes up by 1 If the Artifact wins, the Angel receives the Bound/1 Discord!
Nek-ha-kha of Neith
"The Flail of Might…"
This is a small hand and a half Flail and Skill Granting Talisman: Small Weapon/1 (Flail: Power +2 Accuracy -1). As a Relic it contains the Corporeal Song of Might/1 and is a non attuned Reliquary/6. No side effect. Appears to be a battered old bronze weapon that has seen a lot of use. It exudes Power.
This Nek-ha-kha is the personal property of the Egyptian Goddess of Battle Neith who lost it in the Purity Wars/Etheric Cleansing. In her hands it is revealed in all its Gold and Turquoise glory, enlarging by a factor of six across all the Realms into a massive twelve metre Flail: Talisman: Large Weapon/6 (Flail: Power +12 Accuracy - 6), Reliquary/36 (!) containing All Songs of Might/6. She would be grateful for its return,. Very grateful… well you know what these Egyptian Goddesses are like! Note in full battle mode Neith expands sixfold as well!
(Non linked) Reliquary/4: Corporeal Song of Stone/4. A polished Granite Paleolithic Handaxe. Dated to 700,000 BC Weighs 2 lb/1kg
(A + 5 Invocation Modifier for Servitors of Michael)
SOAPBOX RANT In theory in combat this requires Small Weapon (Rock) Skill - According to IN Stylesheet (Posted 30th March 1999) Personally I ignore most weapon subskills - for God's sake this is supposed to be a simplistic combat system ! If you want weapon categories play Rolemaster... And even Rolemaster puts the Short Sword in the same category as a Dagger!
Any Earthquake will get the immediate attention of the nearest
Servitor of David...
(Sickle Sword) originating in Asia Minor this weapon was not native to the Egyptians but was the hand weapon of choice for Pharaohs of the New Kingdom. Corporeally a plain, dull edged, bronze hand sickle and moderately valuable antique! Despite no apparent powers it nevertheless oozes Essence. In the Ethereal Realm it assumes it's true shape and reveals its powers as an Artifact
It is a linked Relic and Reliquary/3 with the Songs of (Moon) Light/3. Effects are attenuated appropriately: Effectively identical with the exception of the Celestial Song which only bedazzles at -1 to Deftness Actions (IN: Agility) and any Skills dependent primarily on eyesight.
Additionally in the hands of a Male Ethereal it also has his Father's Songs of Forgetting! Wielded by a Female Ethereal it has the powers bestowed by his mother Mut, naturally the Songs of Fruition but with no possibility of Gorgon Creation. Only Khons himself could access these simultaneously. Angels who are essentially sexless celestial beings will be able to perceive these powers but unable to use them.
It was acquired after one of Uriel's Ethnic Cleansing sessions when Khons, with the impetuosity of youth, charged forward into a fatal ambush. Unbeknownst to all, the blade has one of Khons' Ethereal Forces bound in a manner similar to that of Thor and Mjolnir. If returned to his mother there is good possibility that this boy God could be brought back from the oblivion into which his Father seems to have disappeared...
In practice the khepesh was probably used in the manner of a single handed battleaxe or possibly as a a sabre. It really does require getting used to and despite the above rant will require the development of Large Weapon (Khepesh) Skill. Due to its novelty even skilled Sword wielders will operate at an additional -1 penalty until:
Art G/M: Ace of Swords is laid; IN G/M a CD of 6 is obtained (success or fail!) Thus indicating that the user has finally determined its' advantages and limitations. From then on being able to develop its use normally.
Optionally under the light of the full moon its powers become operational in the hands of a Corporeal... on the Corporeal.
A set of three, jumbled up in a non compartmented case. Comprising of three cedar wood 'Papyrus Wands' 1 cubit long (1 cubit = 52.5 cm or 20.67 inches) with sockets and three golden capitals with pegs; all are interchangeable. All need careful handling otherwise the heads fall off, thus they are useless in real combat situations being far too fragile. Careful examination of heads will reveal, mixed in with all the other arcane hekau, a cartouche with the name of the God. But the Numinous Corpus will be a dead give away...
They comprise Papyrus Wand = Reliquary and Golden ornamental Capital = Relic.
Note that a Wand can thus invoke its NC on more than one Player, all that is required is that the Player put Essence into the Wand. Only one NC is invoked, being the highest the Player has been exposed to. Have fun!
SYMBOL
Egyptian Name
Kherep
Sekhem
Aba
"trans."
"the controller"
"the powerful"
"the commander"
God/Aspect of Ra
Re-Horakhte/Ra as the rising Sun
Khepri - Ra The Midday Bearer of the Sun
Re-Atum /Ra as the Setting Sun
Description
The Sphinx - human headed lion
A Scarab or scarab headed man
A hawk headed human
SHAPE OF CAPITAL
TRUNCATED CURVED CONE
DOWNWARD POINTING ARROW
Y SHAPED
Regeneration Time
Dawn
Midday
Sunset
Essence Regeneration:
Reliquary/1
Reliquary/2
Reliquary/3
Song
Celestial Light/1
Celestial Light/1 (/3 at Midday!)
Celestial Light/1
[Secret Song]
[Ethereal Song of War/1]
[Celestial Song of Essence/1]
[Ethereal Song of Calling/1]
[Limitation]
[Dawn to Midday only]
[Midday only]
[Midday to Sunset]
Option if used repeatedly and consistently at the end of the adventure the NC may become a voluntary Song with a use at/1 eg Leonine Claws or Teeth, 2 additional insect Arms with strong manipulative powers but no combat effects or a powerful Peck/1!
A Sealed Box (of Ushabti figures) A Sealed Box (of Ushabti figures)
Placed in tombs as deputies for the Deceased when they were called upon to perform tasks by the Pharaoh (Osiris) in the Afterlife. These figures would only perform the menial tasks egs planting the crops, weeding, carrying water... It was considered 'bad form' to send these doppelgangers to perform important tasks like joining Ra to fight the Demons of the 12 Hours of the Night or Warring on Uppity Gods from other Pantheons. There would be one figure for each workday of the year (including leap years) plus an overseer for every 10 workers. The Egyptians had a 10 day week Thus 330 workers + 33 overseers + 3 nomarchs and one vizier = 367 figures.
Another perfect number of Workers was 401 in this case 365 workers and just 36 Overseers. Many tombs would have ushabti figures far in excess of these two numbers added together!
"O Ushabti, if I am summoned or assessed to do any work which has to be done in the Land of the Dead. If problems are piled up for me by any man concerning his work in sowing fields, irrigating the land or in moving stone from the East bank to the West. Say 'I shall do it! I am here!' You shall answer to it (that call) "
(Spell of activation written on the larger Ushabti figures.)
This box has Hieroglyphs that translate as "Danger-Men at Work" or is that "Danger! Men at Work" The box is made of finely carved cedar with Words of Power in gold leaf. It is sealed by a loop of gold wire and a Gold cartouche with the name of Ptah. If the box is opened these could be anything from:
a miniature army of pint sized automata: soldiers ready to obey
the Operatives every command (some chance!)
a village of diminutive peasants capable of cultivating an area
of 10 square cubits 29.67 square yards (27.5625 square metres)
a 'Djoser style' work gang that immediately start building a miniature
pyramid out of spun sugar.
a small horde of miniature figures that immediately attack the
Players!
Sistrum of Bast as the Goddess most strongly associated with Dance and Music;
sistra are her sacred instrument. A metal loop spanned with wire
bars and jangly pieces threaded on; the ensemble attached to a
wooden handle. There will be any number of these but the best
will use silver as the metal, this being more valuable than gold
in Ancient Egypt! If the D/M requires it can be a Relic or Reliquary
containing one of Bast's unique Songs: Fecundity and Felicity (q.v.)
Lesser sistra will have Talismanic effects on Singing and Dancing Skills. More esoteric effects could be a General Ethereal Song Enhancer! Otherwise anything from kitten summoning to Bast Summoning depending on requirements. The wielder can expect to get a Cat or Lioness's Head NC. Any wielder attempting a cat sacrifice with it will have their Forces shredded. No Save (archaism)!
Mirror of Hathor As a Goddess of Beauty and associated with perfumes and cosmetics
a true revelatory nature of the Mirror is in doubt. Don't expect
any Attunements of Litheroy. Talismanic effects could include
Lying, Savior Faire and especially Seduction, the Celestial Song
of Form is a good bet but a typical Reliquary would contain the
double edged sword of the Ethereal Song of Ecstasy and either
Addiction, Need or Lustful Discord depending on usage.
. .
The Uraeus - "iaret" (of Upuaut) either a circlet or ornament attached to the head-dress. Normally
in the form of a coiled hooded cobra rising to strike. This was
one of the most potent offensive magical protective charms, ready
to spit venom and/or fire(!) at anything attempting to harm the
wearer. The common front adornment of a double headed cobra and
vulture was reserved solely for the Royal head dress; representing
the dual powers of the protective Goddesses of Upper and Lower
Egypt: Nekhebet and Wadjet. This item is a fine circlet in plain
gold with a single hooded cobra. It is a Talisman Fast-Talk/3.
Optionally there may be many others whose eyes are appropriately
bejewelled, containing Offensive/Defensive Songs. Such items will
have snake like NC effects on Celestials. Exceedingly powerful
examples will impose Anger, Aura and Paranoia Discords.
Crowns and Helmets (primarily to aid in NC descriptives.)
Khat- a white head-dress made out of vertically banded white cloth
was worn by commoners as well as nobles.
Nemes (or Nemset) - a blue and gold (yellow) horizontally striped Royal head-dress
made out of dyed heavy cloth covered with golden sequins.
Khepresh - the Blue Crown erroneously called the War Crown was a simple
Royal head-dress as opposed to the two crowns of state.
Both the above may have Cobra or Vulture ornamentation signifying Lower or Upper Egypt respectively or a plain Uraeus
Hedjet the White Crown: Resembling a skittle or bowling pin, the State
Crown of Upper Egypt aligned to the Title "He of the Bee" would
sometimes have the addition of a vulture head, representing Nekhebet
or an Uraeus but not the Cobra (Wadjet) of Lower Egypt. The classical
Atef crown (or Hem-Hemet Crown) as worn by Osiris would have twin ostrich
plumes to either side or sometimes goose feathers worn by Horus
the Elder. Other ornate adornments and embellishments, including
rams horns, garlands, dangling ornaments, incense holders, sun
or moon disks were worn by a variety of other Gods and Pharaohs.
Such crowns were known as Festival Crowns.
Deshret - the Red Crown: The State Crown of Lower Egypt, aligned to the
Title "He of the Sedge" A hollow conical Crown with a narrow high
back peak and a spiralling frontal ornament. Could have a cobra
Wadjet or Uraeus decoration but was less prone to ornamentation
than that of the Hedjet crown. The only notable exception being
the Ibes crown worn by the human form of Amun and the original Horus who wear
this crown with two palm plumes.
Pa-sekhem-ty "The two powerful ones" or more commonly the Pschent crown where the Red and White crowns were combined in the "Pharaoh
of the Two Lands" Crown: The Hedjet sliding inside the hollow Deshret. Traditionally both the Cobra and Vulture adornments would be
attached at the front.
Amulets
The Egyptians had more Amulets than Angels could dance on a pin (as many as want to!). Amulets are not to be confused with The Amulet and are covered in a more factual manner in Appendix III: Amulets required for the Resurrection - a modern perspective.
D/Ms can use that Appendix to chose suitable Amulets for the Talismanic Egyptian Skill Granters
Ankhs "Life" The fashion accessory of choice.
Carried by the Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt. All are fragile, being made out of: thin sheet bronze, silver, and gold and contain the Corporeal, Ethereal and Celestial (!) Songs of Healing/1 respectively. All have to be presented holding the ankh through the hoop and touching the base to the mouth of the target. They all weigh about the same: .5kg (1lb) They are slightly larger than a ping-pong bat but smaller than a badminton racket.
Egyptian staves are many and as varied as their Amulets. Indeed some of the more popular eg the Djed and Ankh were used as capitals to staves being combined into a symmetrical whole notably in the Staff of Ptah.. Animal and human figures were also popular as standards. Staves were carried by the Gods as a matter of form i.e. if their hand wasn't carrying anything else! Usually the grounded end or Ferrule had three forms: plain, bifurcated (hand like pincers) and the "Eternal tadpole"! The latter - a combination of a tadpole glyph meaning 100,000 (just think of the similarity of frogspawn and zeros!) sitting on the 'Shen' symbol (that's a circle bound to a rod) meaning Eternity. The Staves of Gods often had this ferrule indicating that their staff was more powerful than most - 100,000 x Eternity is a long time. Festival staves used this to indicate that the bearer, or more often the recipient, was to enjoy the event many many times. Either in the real world but more often in the Afterlife.
In game terms:
|
The Lotus Staff of Nekhebet (Infinite Multiplier effect) Charisma +6 (added to Status!) Experimentation(!) will reveal
that it contains an exact equivalent of Andrealphus' Dark Desire
Attunement! Note that desires need not be dark eg. a desire to
complete a task, stop smoking, help little old vultures across
the road etc.! If Celestial Powers discover this they will probably
confiscate the item and put it back in the cupboard. Excessive
'dark' use may lead to a visit from hesh hirself! or at least
a Lilim go-between.
Lotus Staff A symbol of Upper Egypt, as was the vulture and the Goddess Nekhebet.
Four cubits long (6.8 ft/2.1m) with a conical decorated papyrus
tuft in ivory. Weighs 8lb (4kg) in cedar with a truncated teardrop
capital representing an unopened lotus bud. The Lotus Standard
adds one or two to the Charisma of the Operative's Vessel/ Corporeal's
Body.
NC side effect Vulture head circlet in ethereal gold or just a Vulture head
or polychromatic iridescent feathers for skin. "Not so Cool!"
A Festival Lantern (or Lesser Staff of Thoth) (only one). Effectively a 'Festival staff' (See above) with an oil
lamp suspended from the tip by three copper chains. The lamp is
small copper bowl which requires oil and a floating wick. This
staff was used in night-time festival processions and more mundanely
to illuminate the tombs whilst they were being... illuminated
(sorry!) Has to be lit in order to function. A properly attuned
Angel will obtain the Sense of Significance Attunement as a Servitor
of Litheroy.
[The Staff can be an important sub-plot of the Script and various
mechanisms can be used to ensure that the Operatives end up with
this item. If your cryptic comments about its uses and potential
devastating powers don't tempt them then it will be delivered
in the field by accident. And then no-one will have signed for
it! Alternatively it can turn up as part of the esoteric equipment
found in any of the locations visited by the Team.
The Festival Staff of 100,000 Eternities (only one) The staff was traditionally made from a notched Palm
rib and in hieroglyphic form represented the word "year" the top
being curved over and with a basket of various Amulets suspended
from it egs years, life, protection, stability,... (q.v.) Appendix III. Festival Staves are always were tipped with the "Eternal Tadpole"
This staff has a 'basket' in the form of a large golden djed with
a green malachite inlay. From the decorations it is clear that
the five slots are for the addition of five smaller versions.
In its current form it acts as a Reliquary/5 and Relic/1 with
all three Songs of Attraction. It is clear that it already attuned
to items somewhere on the Corporeal,... in Egypt,... at the Four Pillars. This item screams out "Collect the set"! None of the Talismanic
Amulets are compatible. Even Desmoniel would hesitate to guess what its eventual powers are. But could
range from Summoning on a massive scale to Time Travel!
The staff is a specially designed Osirian detector wand and is
attuned to the 42 fragmented Ethereal Forces of Osiris after his
ambush by Set/Saminga. See Saminga and the History of Egypt - the real story. These are currently bound in a set of Djed amulets of random
shape, composition and manufacture. And in the possession of various
members of the OSS. The Staff will tug in the direction of the largest concentrations
of these: towards Lake Tana in Ethiopia(3), then equally to El-Amran (2), Siwah (2) and Alexandria (2) in Egypt itself. Finally to any number of places in and around
Cairo, Egypt, the Middle East, the World and the Far Marches!
This item is an adjunct to Horace's ability to locate his stolen items and an alternative means
by which the Team can be drawn into the Egyptian Extremes sequence
of the Campaign.
OPTIONALLY by adding djed amulet Osiris' Force is 'downloaded'
into the Staff increasing its capacity as a Reliquary and giving
it more powers. Osiris is not only the God of the Resurrection
but also of Vegetation and Fertility.]
