The wasteland would sustain him, and one day, he would revisit it upon his foes until all the world was nothing but howling spirits and dry, bleached bones.
DRAMATIS PERSONAE
Khemri - The Living City, once the capital of Settra’s Empire
Thutep: Priest King of Khemri.
Neferem: Daughter of the Sun, Queen of Khemri
Sukhet: Prince of Khemri, Thutep’s son
Nagash: Firstborn of Khetep, Grand Hierophant of Khemri
Amamurti: Hierophant of Ptra
Khetep: Former priest king, slain in battle
Ghazid: Khetep’s Grand Vizier
Arkhan: A dissolute minor noble; later Nagash’s vizier
Raamket: A dissolute minor noble
Shepsu-hur: A dissolute minor noble
Khefru: Servant to Nagash
Malchior: Druchii warlock
Drutheira: Druchii witch
Ashniel: Druchii witch
Zandri - The City of the Waves, wealthy and powerful
Nekumet: Priest
Amn-nasir: King of Zandri, Nekumet’s son
Shep-khet: Hierophant of Qu’aph
Lahmia - The City of the Dawn, strange and decadent
Lamasheptra: Priest King of Lahmia and brother to Neferem
Lamashizzar: The king’s son
Ka-Sabar - The City of Bronze, industrial and militaristic
Akhmen-hotep: Priest King of Ka-Sabar
Suseb the Lion: the king’s champion
Pakh-amn, Master of Horse: a general in the army
Memnet: Grand Hierophant of Ptra
Hashepra: High Priest of Geheb
Sukhet: High Priest of Phakth
Khalifra: High Priestess of Neru
Rasetra - Former Khemri colony, now an independent city
Rakh-amn-hotep: Priest King of Rasetra
Guseb: Grand Hierophant of Ptra
Ekhreb: Champion of Rasetra
Lybaras - City of Scholars and wondrous inventions
Hekhmenukep: Priest King of Lybaras
Shesh-amun: Champion of Lybaras
Mahrak - City of Hope, birthplace of the old religion
Nekh-amn-aten: Hierophant of Ptra, member of the Hieratic Council
Atep-neru: Hierophant of Djaf, member of the Hieratic Council
Khansu: Hierophant of Khsar, member of the Hieratic Council
Nebunefer: Priest of Ptra and emissary from Mahrak
Quatar - The White Palace, guardian of the Valley of Kings
Nemuhareb: Priest King of Quatar, Lord of the Tombs
Numas - Breadbasket of the Kingdom
Seheb and Nuneb: Twin Priest Kings of Numas
Ankh-memnet: Hierophant of Phakth
Bhagar - A trading town in the Great Desert
Shahid ben Alcazzar: Prince of Bhagar
Bel Aliad - A trading town on the Spice Road to the south
Suhedir al-Khazem: Keeper of the Hidden Paths, Prince of Bel Aliad
THE NEHEKHARAN PANTHEON
The people of the Blessed Land worship a number of gods and goddesses, both major and minor, as part of an ancient pact known as the Great Covenant. According to legend, the Nehekharans first encountered the gods at the site of what is now Mahrak, the City of Hope; the timeless spirits were moved by the suffering of the tribes, and gave them succour amid the wasteland of the desert. In return for the Nehekharans’ eternal worship and devotion, the gods pledged to make them a great people, and would bless their lands until the end of time.
Each of the great cities of Nehekhara worships one of the great deities as its patron, though devotion to Ptra, the Great Father, is pre-eminent. The high priest of a Nehekharan temple is referred to as the Hierophant. In every city but Khemri, the high priest of Ptra is referred to as the Grand Hierophant.
In addition to the priesthood, each Nehekharan temple trains an order of holy warriors known as the Ushabti.
Each Ushabti devotes his life to the service of his patron deity, and is granted superhuman abilities in return. These gifts make the Ushabti among the mightiest warriors in all the Blessed Land. Since the time of Settra, the first and only Nehekharan emperor, the Ushabti of each city have served as bodyguards to the Priest King and his household.
The fourteen most prominent gods and goddesses of Nehekhara are:
Ptra: Also called the Great Father, Ptra is the first among the gods and the creator of mankind. Though worshipped all across Nehekhara, the rides of Khemri and Rasetra claim him as their patron.
Neru: Minor goddess of the moon and wife of Ptra. She protects all Nehekharans from the evils of the night.
Sakhmet: Minor goddess of the green moon, also called the Green Witch. Ptra’s scheming and vindictive concubine, who is jealous of the Great Father’s love of mankind.
Asaph: Goddess of beauty, magic and vengeance. Asaph is the patron goddess of Lahmia.
Djaf: The jackal-headed god of death. Djaf is the patron god of Quatar.
Khsar: The fierce and malign god of the desert. A cruel and hungry god worshipped by the tribes of the great desert.
Phakth: The hawk-faced god of the sky and the bringer of swift justice.
Qu’aph: The god of serpents and subtlety. Qu’aph is the patron god of Zandri.
Ualatp: The vulture-headed god of scavengers.
Sokth: The treacherous god of assassins and thieves.
Basth: The goddess of grace and love.
Geheb: The god of the earth and the giver of strength. Geheb is the patron god of Ka’Sabar.
Tahoth: The god of knowledge and the keeper of sacred lore. Tahoth is the patron god of Lybaras.
Usirian: The faceless god of the underworld. Usirian judges the souls of the dead and determines if they are fit to enter into the afterlife.
Scanning and basic
proofing by Red Dwarf,
formatting and additional
proofing by Undead.
[Nagash 01] - Nagash the Sorcerer Page 48