Gamers and Gods: AES

by Matthew Kennedy

Somewhere in the Underworld, there is a lake of fire. And in that lake dwelt Am-heh, the Devourer of Millions. His body was that of a powerfully muscled man, but his head was the head of a savage hunting dog. He had a terrible job, but he enjoyed it, which was even more terrible.

  The souls of mortals are judged by the Balance of Anubis. On one pan he places the heart of a deceased person, where their soul resides. On the other balance he places a single ostrich feather, one of the aspects of Ma'at, the goddess of Truth and Harmony of the universe. If the soul weighs the same as the feather, the heart and soul are judged pure, and the person is sent on a long journey to Aaru the Paradise, to await rebirth. But woe betide those whose souls disturb the Balance! If the pans do not stay level, because of the sins of the individual, then the heart is tossed into the lake of fire, where the Devourer consumes it with relish, condemning the soul to remain wandering in the underworld of Duat forever.

  But does not a god, even a terrible one, have a soul also? Do not the gods themselves have hearts?

  And so it was that there came a time when Am-heh lay sleeping in his lake of fire, and his heart was placed on the balance scales of Anubis. And the scales tipped! For Am-heh enjoyed his job, forgetting that it is sinful to enjoy the suffering of others. He had become contaminated by the spirit of Isfet, god of Lies and Chaos, the violent counterpart of Ma'at.

  Needless to say, this was quite a conundrum for the gods. Justice must be done to preserve the harmony of the cosmos. But who could devour the Devourer?

  But the Children of Nuit cannot resist a challenge. They appealed to Atum, the Completer, who alone could control the Devourer. And in the fullness of time, he devised a plan to deal with the Devourer. If it did not end Am-heh's corruption, at least it would channel His energies toward a constructive purpose.

  There was a flash of light brighter than a billion Suns. Thunder rolled off him in all directions of infinite Space as Am-heh reopened his eyes.

  All was as before, yet it was not. Here he was standing in the lake of fire, as usual. And there was Anubis with his balance. But there were no dead people lined up for the Judgment.

  What could this mean? Were there no more people in the world? Had they all died, and his job was ended? What, then, should he do with himself now?

  Growling with his vicious canine face, the Devourer stepped out of the lake of fire and went over to the jackal-headed God. “What is this, Anubis? Have the cycles of Time ended, that there are no more souls to judge?”

  But Anubis stood there like a statue, senseless as stone, and did not answer. So he went to the other deities in the Underworld, but they likewise gave him no answer or recognition. He would have to look elsewhere for his answer.

  So be it. Drawing upon the heka-power used by gods and magicians to work their will, Am-heh parted the air and the earth, and went up to the land of Khem to see what was going on in the Kingdom. If there were no one to advise him what to do, then he would do whatever he wished. He licked his lips in anticipation of the feast.

  Chapter 16: Farker: more Anomalies