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Decree
When the Arisen went through the Rite of Return, they had to face the Judges of Duat, and decide which aspect of their soul defined them. These aspects, based on Egyptian Mythology, are what gave them their "Decrees": Heart (Ab), Spirit (Ba), Essence (Ka), Name (Ren) and Shadow (Sheut). Arisen in general
- Berserk Button: Don't steal a Relic from a mummy's tomb; they will hunt you down to the other side of the world to get it back if necessary.
- Blessed with Suck: Mummies are basically immortal, nearly indestructible, and awaken with powers of biblical proportions. But they can only stay awake for limited periods of time in order to accomplish missions for the Judge they serve, their powers gradually weaken over the time they stay in this world, and the moment their purpose has been served, they have to go back to sleep until they are needed again. Not only that, but they first awaken with barely enough memory of their living self to function as as a sentient being. Oh, and they are basically the slaves of their Judges; should they try to do anything other than what they were awakened for (including trying to recover their lost Memory), their time will run out even faster than usual.
- Brown Note: Mummies generate a form of aura called Sybaris, which causes mortals to be confronted with the true meaning of mortality, as well as hallucinations of Duat.
- Disproportionate Retribution: Actually encouraged; mummies can slow down the degradation of their Sekhem by inflicting a horrifying punishment on someone who violated their tomb.
- Grand Theft Me: Should a mummy get their body destroyed entirely or placed in a situation where it cannot rebuild itself for resurrection, they can still have their cultists reincarnate them in a new body through a ritual, either by finding someone willing to give up his or her body or by kidnapping a proper vessel. This is usually kept as a last resort, however, as failing the ritual results in the mummy becoming a Shuankhsen. And even should it succeed, the mummy still has to deal with body dysmorphia, the constant sensation that the body isn't theirs. The Deceived don't have to worry about becoming Shuankhsen, so they tend to be freer with body-hopping, but body dysphoria is still an issue for them.
- Healing Factor: Mummies heal bashing damages in seconds, lethal in half a hour, and aggravated in three days. Not only that, but they can also instantly heal Aggravated damages by spending willpower and Sekhem, or "seal" their flesh to heal three bashing and one lethal per turn. And doing the second makes them unkillable until they are done.
- Humanoid Abomination: What mummies are in essence; they are not just walking corpses, they are remains of a corpse merged with a reconstitution of their soul. This is the reason their body, or sahu as they call it, can repair itself.
- Immune to Bullets: Unless you use explosive munitions, guns can only inflict bashing damages to Mummies, which will heal in a few seconds.
- Implacable Man: Mummies are quite possibly the most difficult supernatural creatures to put down in the entire game. Not only do they have a Healing Factor nearly on par with Werewolves, they can "seal" their flesh to heal even faster while temporarily protecting themselves against attacks, and recover from practically anything as long as their body isn't entirely destroyed (as in, nothing must remain of it), which is harder said than done, since most of them keep their organs in jars hidden in various places as back-up. And if even that happens, they can resort to reincarnation through a ritual.
- Kryptonite Factor: Fire and Relics that can be used as weapons can both inflict them aggravated damages.
- Mummy: Well, it is the entire point of the game.
- Nigh-Invulnerable: As long as "sealing the flesh" is in effect, a Mummy cannot be killed even temporarily, no matter how much damage she takes.
- Non-Linear Character: According to 2E spoilers, Duat is not fixed to the timeline of the mortal world, and so an Arisen in henet is not bound to wake up after they went to sleep. It's entirely possible to hibernate in 2019 and by their own personal history wake up next time during The French Revolution. This has... interesting consequences for Memory.
- No-Sell: Because the Rite of Return was merged completely with the mummy's remains, they are immune to possessions from creatures such as ghosts or spirits. At high Sekhem, they also are likely to shrug off most forms of supernatural power.
- Person of Mass Destruction: At high Sekhem, Mummies are essentially powerful enough to destroy everything in their way.
- Really 700 Years Old: In contrast to other playable templates in the Chronicles of Darkness, there's no known way to create new mummies or to turn a mortal into one aside from the Rite of Return, which they haven't been using. As a result, all the Arisen date back from the time of Irem- that is, so long ago most trace of this civilization have disappeared.
- Resurrective Immortality: It doesn't matter how many time you take down a mummy; unless you destroy the body entirely, they will rise again and go back at you, even if the body has been ripped to pieces (it will take more time, but can be accelerated if people actively repair the body). And even if you do destroy the body entirely, the cultists can still bring them back using a ritual to get them a new one.
- Soul Jar: Downplayed; whenever their body gets entirely destroyed or trapped in a way preventing them from rising again, Mummies can resurrect around one of their organs contained in various jars, with a new body regenerating around the chosen organ. The downplayed part comes from the fact destroying one of these organs won't do anything to them, aside from removing one of their back-up.
Ab
- Beware the Nice Ones: "Beware the More Human Ones" would be a better description, but Lion-Headed have the reputation of being really devoted friends who care deeply for those who gain their liking... and just as incredibly cruel and violent toward those they hate.
- Cult of Personality: Their Cults tend to be this, since they usually rely on their charisma to gather followers.
- Emotions vs. Stoicism: firmly on the Emotion side. They believe people are defined by their passions and emotions.
- Hot-Blooded: Since they are driven by their emotions, they have a reputation of being this. Because of this, other Arisen frequently see them as rash and unreasoning, while they in turn perceive them as lifeless and cold.
- The Social Expert: Their inclination toward emotion make them better fitted to interact with mortals, and they tend to have high charisma, making them particularly good socially compared to other Arisen.
Ba
The Falcon-headed Decree, associated with Spirit. Impulsive, adventurous and proud, they believe in actions, making them constanty moving and striving.
- Action Hero: They value actions above everything, so they usually prefer getting things done by themselves.
- Bold Explorer: Many of them satisfiy their desire for constant actions and moving by travelling and exploring new places.
- Genius Bruiser: They tend to value physical and mental skills over social.
- Glory Seeker: They regenerate their Pillars from the glory of triumphing over adversity.
Ka
The Bull-headed Decree, associated with Essence. Reliable, obstinate and obsessive, they decided in their death that something mattered, and continue to carry that certainty.
- Determinator: They are near-unable to change their mind, meaning they become implacable in the pursuit of their goal once they have one. A Bull-headed will focus deeply on his objective and let nothing shake him.
- Undying Loyalty: They have a reputation of being this; since they are characterized by determination and the fact they are convinced about their role, they tend to be very reliable. However, it is worth mentioning this only applies to people who are on their side; if not, then good luck convincing them of anything.
- Utopia Justifies the Means: At their worst; Bull-headed are convinced the task they are trying to accomplish matters, and because of this they are ready to do anything to complete it.
Ren
The Serpent-headed Decree, associated with Name. Sometimes nicknamed "Whisperers", they are studious, prying and disciplined, and focus primarily on the identity — the idea there's a truth to and within everything, and that this truth makes each thing itself.
- Awesomeness by Analysis: Serpent-Headed believe all challenge can be met by the proper application of knowledge, and usually try to break down any problem they find until it becomes manageable.
- Insufferable Genius: They tend to get somewhat arrogant about topics where they feel they have a complete understanding, which becomes all the more irritating by the fact they are usually correct.
- Seeker Archetype: They are focused on scholarship and the search of identity through knowledge, making them close to this trope. In fact, they can literally refill their Pillars by recovering the truth about someone or something.
- The Smart Guy: They are the most knowledge-oriented of the Decrees; they tend to favour mental skills and attributes, and their cults usually are made of scholars, or other people seeking knowledge.
Sheut
The Jackal-headed Decree, associated with Shadow. Sometimes nicknamed the Ferrymen, they are contemplative, morbid and mystical, devoting themselves to the mysteries of death and time.
- Casting a Shadow: Some Sheut Affinities deal directly with darkness itself, including turning into a being of pure Sheut or even darkness itself.
- Dark Is Not Evil: Their Decree is associated with Shadow, and they focus on learning about death, but they aren't particularly more evil than any other mummy. In fact, their idea is that they are here to hold the torch for their peers and guide them through the darkness.
- Nerves of Steel: Because they make it their task to deal with darkness and dread, they tend to have high Composure and stay calm when facing danger. In fact, showing no fear when faced with possible destruction is one of the ways they can regain Pillars.
- No Social Skills: Because of their morbid attitude and their lack of interest in mortals, they tend to not socialize very well with them, and their cults usually are rather small.
- The Quiet One: They have a reputation of being somewhat more placid and detached than other mummies.
Guilds
Maa-Kep
Bearers of the Engraved.
Between the masters and the slaves, there were middle-class citizens and freeworkers who weren't particularly remarkable, but still knew enough to be useful. Nicknamed the Maa-Kep, or "Bearers of the Engraved", they became so useful they were eventually made Irem's Secret Police, in charge of preserving the city's ideological purity.
- Boring, but Practical: Weaponized; because they typically focus on accomplishing the role of middle-managers and taking care of unglamorous yet necessary tasks, nobody really pays attention to them most of the time. Which makes it all the easier for them to go unnoticed and spy on everyone.
- Manipulative Bastard: A lot of abilities granted by their Guild Affinity focus on helping people or gaining their trust so you can use them to your own ends later.
- Secret Police: They were in charge of keeping Irem's ideological purity back in the time of the Nameless Empire. Because of this, they tend to focus on surveillance, taking advantage on their unremarkable position as the middle-managers to spy on everyone.
- The Spymaster: Comes with being the Secret Police, obviously. Their Guild Affinity, Affable Aid, can be used to reinforce stealth and their ability to manipulate people.
Mesen-Nebu
Born of Gold
The alchemists of Irem, the Mesen-Nebu were the ones who unlocked the secret of bronze and other metals, giving the city its industrial basis. Despite this however, they were very disliked by everyone, in great part due to them treating low-caste workers as resources at best.
- Alchemy Is Magic: They could use it to transmute mundane metals into more precious ones, or even human flesh into gold and lapis-lazuli. Their knowledge of Alchemy single-handledly made Irem the rich city it became.
- Chrome Champion: Their Guild Affinity, Divine Flesh, can be used to temporarily turn their skin into metal, effectively granting them a +2 armor bonus.
- The Friend Nobody Likes: Nobody in all Irem really liked them much; other Guilds hated bartering with them for essential material, and low-caste workers hated being treated as resources and material to be converted. At best, all they got from them was a grudging respect. Still, they played a major part in bringing Irem to the level it did, so they were still tolerated.
- Human Resources: In the height of their power, they could literally transmute slaves into the raw materials for their industries through their alchemical secrets.
- Noble Demon: The reason they were still respected despite everyone hating them; for all their flaws, they recruited their members on merit rather than bloodlines, meaning they would gladly recruit slaves in their rank if said slave proved skilled with alchemy. Ironically, this also means they tend to be more forgiving toward relic thieves who manage to escape them — after all, if the thief is good enough to keep it, then obviously he deserves it more than them.
Sesha-Hebsu
Closed Books
The scribes of Irem, the Sesha-Hebsu were archivists, notaries, and tax assesors, in charge of knowledge and truth, making them the second most respected in status, preceded only by the Shan'iatu themselves. In modern times, they are mediators, investigators and researchers.
- Aura Vision: Their Guild Affinity grants them the ability to see auras around people, allowing them to identify both other Arisen and murderers.
- Occult Detective: They were in part in charge of justice and investigation, so a lot of the abilities granted by their Guild Affinity focus on enhancing their ability to investigate, figure out the truth and detect Relics.
- The Smart Guy: They are obviously the most knowledge-oriented Guild.
Su-Menent
Shepherds of the Chamber
The priests of Irem, the Su-Menent were in charge of dealing with religious matters, practicing the Rite of Return for the Shan'iatu and generally dealing with occult matters. In modern times, they ensure the Judges are still worshipped.
- Fearless Undead: Even by Mummies' standards, they are near-impossible to frighten. Their Affinity allows them to treat any attempt to scare them as a failure.
- Immune to Mind Control: Their Guild Affinity enhances their ability to resist Mind Manipulation even when they are at low Sekhem.
- High Priest: Back in the time of the Nameless Empire, they were the ones leading the Judges' cult under the Shan'iatu's instructions. Nowaday, with their masters gone, they are pretty much the only cult leaders left.
- The Medic: Their Guild Affinity, Fated Soul, increases the ability to diagnose and heal wounds.
- Nerves of Steel: A requirement back in Irem to join the Guild; members of the Su-Menent had to be able to stomach the bizarre and often gory experiences practiced by the Shian'iatu in the development of the Rite of Return.
- Undying Loyalty: A major part of their belief is that you owe complete obedience to the Judges. In practice, some of them have started to question this somewhat in present days.
Tef-Aabhi
Father of Tools
The architects and engineers of Irem, specialized in the creation of magical effigies. Believed to be the youngest of the Guilds, they were assembled by the Shan'iatu with the purpose of finding new ways to advance Irem's understanding of civilization, technology and magic. In the modern day, they are fascinated by this new world and try their best to adapt to it.
- Post-Modern Magik: Unlike most mummies, they take the mysteries of modern technology as a challenge rather than an obstacle, and are fascinated by the current world rather than frightened. Because of this, they tend to adapt fast to modern technology — but less so to modern culture.
- The Power of Creation: Being architects, this is a given. Their Guild affinity, Model Lifeweb, grants them bonuses to create and repair items.
- Supernatural Sensitivity: They are particularly sensitive to the interplay of Sekhem around them, and can analyze it using their Guild Affinity.
- These Are Things Man Was Not Meant to Know: Defied; the Tef-Aabhi consider this trope a bad excuse to avoid actually making effort to understand mysteries around them. As far as they are concerned, anything can be understood with the proper means, and nothing truly is beyond human comprehension.
The Deceived
The infamous sixth Guild, who for some obscure reasons forgotten by most Arisen rebelled at the end of Irem, forcing the five other Guilds to unite in order to put them down, even resorting to dark magic just to make sure they wouldn't be able to rise. Despite this, rumors persist that members of the Guild still survive, seeking revenge against their former compatriots.
The rumors are true. The Deceived still walk the world.
And they hate every second of it.
The Akhem-Urtu, to use their proper name, were once the purest artisans of Irem; whereas all other Guilds focused on mostly practical pursuits (including the Su-Menet, who focused mostly on the direct intervention of mystical powers), the Restless Stars were patrons and purveyors of the arts and philosophy. If you ask the temakh, the remnants of the Shan'iatu guildmasters' psyches, they were by far the most important, being in effect the soul of Irem — and the source of many of its problems, since it was they who came up with the idea to kill Azar and resurrect him as their pawn. As the Shan'iatu began preparations for the Rite of Return, however, the Akhem-Urtu started to grow suspicious of their fellows' intent, particularly given how it seemed the other guilds did not consult them for assistance in the sacrifices needed to power it. Eventually, one interrogated Anpu, God of the Dead, and realized the truth; because it was the Restless Stars who had named Azar King when the Shan'iatu reincarnated him, so did they have the most mystical sway over that title. Just as the Rite would presumably allow the Shan'iatu to replace the Judges of Duat, said Rite would presumably also give the Akhem-Urtu authority to make themselves Judges of both Duat and the living world. So, they decided to hijack the Rite, and become the first among equals once again.
Rather than make them the mightiest of the ascended guildmasters, the hijacking was itself hijacked (at least, they think it was hijacked) and shattered the Semi-Divine bodies of the future Deceived guildmasters, binding pieces to them to the mortal members of the guild who had successfully become Arisen and blending them into inchoate masses of both personalities. As they regained their bearings, the temakh slowly realized what had happened and slowly turned wroth with rage, realizing they had been denied their chance at godhood and now were mere shadows imprisoned in the minds of their own lieutenants — and worst of all, they had lost their artistic capacity, unable to use their shared brains to grasp the Nomenclature of True Name magic and art so transcendent it calls down the stars themselves. But their lieutenants, however, were just as powerful as the other Arisen — if not more so, thanks to the sentient spark of divinity within each of them. In dreams and portents, the temakh gave their Guild new orders; find new art to replace what they had lost, collect the seba, the semi-physical spells that serve as the Lost Guild's relics, and above all else, punish the Shan'iatu.
Since the Shan'iatu are rather hard to reach, the Deceived have settled for the next best thing: Their servants.
- And I Must Scream: A Deceived does not have the docile rest of menet, no. Rather, they have henet, which is to say their soul is cast out of their body and spends the entire sleeping cycle running from her own temakh, lest she be sealed in her own body and sealed within a nightmare until she wakes up again. It really says something about how miserable the Akhem-Urtu's situation is that many of them prefer henet, since at least in henet they're sane.
- Blessed with Suck: Even more so than Arisen. The Deceived still have the minds of their old guildmasters with them and the raw power of their divinity backing them up, but the temakh are arrogant, self-centered Mad Artists whose alien intellect drives each and every one of the Lost Guild literally insane, and whose modifications have turned the Deceived's true forms into walking incarnations of horror.
- Blue-and-Orange Morality: The Shan'iatu were demigods who lacked the basal impulses of Vice, but that also blunted their capacity for empathy with humans. While the Deceived have normal Virtues and Vices, they also have their temakh's own Virtue, which is something completely different from human norms.
- Body Horror: The temakh have turned the Deceived into expressions of their art, adding whatever physical characteristics they desire to their servants' bodies, such that anyone who sees one of the Deceived in their true form immediately pings them as obviously wrong.
- Brown Note: The Lost Guild possesses their individual temakh's mystical mastery of their respective art form, allowing them to influence emotion simply by giving a really good performance of said art.
- Complete Immortality: The Arisen are immortal, but finite — if they're forgotten, they won't come back. The Deceived are eternal — if their body is destroyed and they have no cult, Fate will summon them into an intact corpse at the next Sothic Turn. If no intact corpse is available, then a fragment will be used instead. If all trace of humanity is scoured from existence, they'll still come back.
- Mad Artist: The temakh are inventors of the concept of art, and none of them are precisely sane — something that is passed down to their hosts.
- Never My Fault: The temakh claim they were completely undeserved victims of betrayal. As shown by their backstory, they were planning to betray the Shan'iatu themselves and it's entirely possible that the others were acting in self-defense, assuming their current state isn't a product of getting too greedy and the others had no idea.
- Nigh-Invulnerability: No "Nigh" about it — the Deceived are flat-out invulnerable.
- Omnicidal Maniac: Downplayed, but the temakh think all civilization is born of the Shan'iatu, and gleefully plan to tear it all down and rebuild it in their image.
- Perception Filter: The continued existence of the Lost Guild is rumor and legend among the Arisen, in no small part because Fate conceals the Deceived from notice, making it difficult to learn about them or find them. This is represented in-game by all Deceived getting the Enigma merit for free, and should they choose to buy dots in it, its benefits extend to their cults as well.
- Punch-Clock Villain: The human part of a Deceived is, despite their bluster, an unwilling partner the vast majority of the time, and would like nothing more than to hold on to what's left of his sanity for dear life.
- Rage Against the Heavens: The temakh think that the current Judges are actually the ascended Shan'iatu, and so go out of their way to blaspheme them and work against their designs. Even if that wasn't the case, the Su-Menet are the primary Guild they blame for their miserable state, and so they blaspheme to piss off their nemeses.
- Reptiles Are Abhorrent: Subverted. The Guilds think all members of the Deceived are Serpent-Headed, but in truth they're a different type of mummy than Arisen who all happen to have Ren as their primary Pillar.
- Sixth Ranger Traitor: In their backstory, they used to be the sixth Guild in Irem, until their guildmasters were betrayed by the other Shan'iatu (or possibly had their own betrayal found out).
- Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: Not so much the vain, self-centered temakh, but the unfortunate human soul stapled to it. None of them asked to have the Rite go so hideously wrong and force them to play as eternal, mentally-disturbed toady of a crazy demigod.
The Lifeless
A collective term, the name "Lifeless" actually cover three different types of creatures: Amkhata, Sadikh and Shuankhsen. The one thing all these creatures have in common is that they aren't considered alive in the traditional sense of the term, hence the name. Amkhata
First created during the earlier times of Irem's discovery of magic, Amkhata are grotesque animal anomalies, looking like amalgams of various beasts, which are either born from wasted Sekhem or unholy rituals. They usually exist in a state known as "amxaibit" ("in shadow"), where they are immaterial beings similar to ghosts and spirits, but whenever they manage to feed on the proper occult energies (especially Sekhem), they can become "amxuti" ("in between the two horizons") and turn tangible. This makes them painfully problematic to Arisen, since they seek out Relics to drain them of their energy.
- Animalistic Abomination: Being Mix and Match Critters of various species, they have some similarities to normal animals, but they also are creatures that should not be, distort reality by their mere existence, and cause a Brown Note to any mortal who looks at them. Oh, and the biggest ones are quite literally created by patching various animal bodyparts together.
- Brown Note: Seeing them can be this to mortals; religious people automatically perceive them as defying the natural order, while those with a more scientific mind will instinctively feel like they defy all laws of physics.
- Life Drinker: Since they feed on occult energy, they will sometimes try to drain the Arisen's Sekhem so they can stay tangible longer. They can also get tangible through the death of a human being.
- Made of Iron: When fighting mortals; no matter what kind of weapon humans bring to the fight, any attack they strike them with will only inflict 1 bashing damage (unless they have a nuke, which makes the Amkhata lose all stored occult energy and forces them into amxaibit, or a relic, which does lethal damages, neither of which is particularly likely). Against supernaturally-infused attacks and Mummies, they suffer lethal damages as normal. In the second edition, this rule only applies to Amkhata with the "Fiendish Resilience" Dread Power.
- Mix-and-Match Critter: Amkhata typically look like various animals combined together into a single being.
- Powered by a Forsaken Child: The occult energies they can feed on include the death of a human being. The ritual used to create higher Amkhata also requires human blood. Not only that, but you need to get the various limbs and bodyparts from actual animals, and it's suggested taking them from endangered species makes the ritual more efficient.
- Taking You with Me: Amkhata are fueled by vermin living inside them, variably scorpions, bees, centipedes or fungi. When they die or get attacked, whatever was contained inside them gets free and attacks everything around.
Sadikh
Half-alive servants created by the Arisen, the Sadikh are chained to a similar cycle of death and rebirth. Unlike their master, however, they spend their "rest" time dreaming a false normal life, allowing them to keep their knowledge of the real world fresh. Whenever a Mummy rises again, her Sadikh usually awakens as well, eager to serve.
- The Ageless: Sadikh never age nor die of old age, unless their health is filled with Aggravated damages.
- Back from the Dead: Even when they die, Mummies can still spend a Willpower dot to rise them again.
- Made of Iron: They automatically gain the Iron Stamina Merit, and take bashing damage from any non-magical attack.
- No Immortal Inertia: If a Sadikh gets his health filled with aggravated damages, he immediately ages to the point he should be, killing him.
- Undying Loyalty: A Sadikh will never challenge his master's order, unless said master's frail memory is making her lack judgement. Aside from this, they will eagerly and loyally serve them.
Shuankhsen
The Arisen's Evil Counterparts. Shuankhsen were members of Irem's underclass who were offered by the Shan'iatu to Ammut, the Great Devourer, as part of the price to develop the Rite of Return. Since then, however, Ammut has abused this ability, sending them to the living world so they could be killed and devoured by her again. This has eventually allowed her to develop an interest in devouring life itself, and she has started using them as minions to do so.
- Body Surf: Unlike Arisen, Shuankhsen lack the ability to form a Sahu of their own. So they come back by reincarnating into nearby corpses instead.
- Cannibalism Superpower: Their main feature; Ammut gave them the ability to steal Sekhem from conscious beings by literally eating them.
- Dangerous Forbidden Technique: Bane Affinities, the powers they develop through Ammut's selective nibbling of them, are always very powerful, but deactivate if their owner is moral enough and come with a dire price tag of a curse.
- Evil Counterpart: Like the Arisen, they were created by the Shan'iatu through a ritual and offered to the service of a Judge. However, said Judge is even more unstable than the other ones, and she uses them as minions to try to devour life itself. Arisen who fail the ritual of reincarnation typically become Shuankhsen. The Deceived, however, do not — their nature prevents it.
- Game Face: While they usually look the same as regular mummies, and as such have a humanoid face, they possess the ability to shapeshift their head into Ammut's face, gaining its wide, sharp-toothed jaws to devour Arisen with them.
- Life Drinker: Shuankhsen start with a Sekhem of 3, and get it higher by cannibalizing the Arisen. They also refill their Pillars by draining the life force of their mortal servants.
- Morphic Resonance: Their new bodies always develop elements of their original appearance and features to suggest what originally killed them.
- Punch-Clock Villain: When it comes to serving the Devourer — they don't actually like Ammut, but keeping her fed is the only way to stay alive and avoid being feasted on by her again. Averted when it comes to the Arisen, however; they have several millennia worth of grudges to work out with the Deathless.
- Scars Are Forever: They always keep scars reflecting the wounds and mutilations that killed them. Even if you make them move to another body, the scars will immediately form on it.
- Tragic Villain: Slaves in their first life, sacrificed for favored slaves for their first death, and now slaves eternal, their very souls chew toys for an Eldritch Abomination personifying entropy and the desire of the universe to return to Primordial Chaos. Is it any wonder why the Shuankshen are so angry and bitter?
Human factions
Cults
Most Mummies form cults to serve them, using them as both as minions, contacts, support, and a means to help them adapt to the modern world. These usually consist of secret groups of humans who form around a mummy and dedicate themselves to helping her, though not all members will always know about it. In time of need, they can also use rites to awake their master.
- Ancient Conspiracy: The "Conspiracy" type of Cult is designed to fit this archetype, consisting of various people working through passwords and other tricks. They tend to be the most efficient cults when it comes to acting illegally and behind the scenes.
- The Church: "Tribes", the oldest type of Cults, are organized religious groups where the Mummy presents herself as a prophet of some sort providing them with moral rules to follow. Unlike the other two types, all members usually know about their master, and they tend to have a good balance of legal and illegal influences, but require more intimate attention on the Mummy's part.
- Cult: Duh.
- Home Field Advantage: For obvious reasons, a Cult's influence tends to be much stronger when close to their Mummy's Tomb.
- MegaCorp: "Enterprises" are cults who over the course of centuries have evolved into legitimate corporations with an actual business as a facade for their true purpose. Because of this, they usually are the richest of the three types and have the best influence in the modern world when it comes to acting legally.
- Mooks: If needed, a Mummy can order her Cultists to grab weapons and fight by her side, though they usually are more useful for their influence and the social support they bring.
- We Have Reserves: Averted; It is preferable to not sacrifice your cultists randomly, as their death can cause the entire cult to lose influence and members due to the negative effect on their morale. Mummies typically consider using their cult as an army unwise, and keep it as a last resort.
Last Dynasty International
A powerful company who study Mummies and everything related to them, trying to make profit out of it.
- Ancient Conspiracy: They trace their origins back to a mummy cult founded in Ptolemaic Egypt, though they only became a corporation after World War II.
- Corrupt Corporate Executive: The entire company is in great part motivated by corporate greed, and won't hesitate to use questionable methods such as selling Sekhem-based medicine to build themselves a reputation, then keep selling the same product without Sekhem so it will be cheaper.
- MegaCorp: They are a powerful corporation with agents all over the world.
- Pet the Dog: One of the products created by LDI can be used to cure HIV if applied fast enough, and is currently sold back in Africa. The book makes it perfectly clear there is no sinister motive behind this — the Three Gentlemen are genuinely appalled by the AIDS situation.
- Post-Modern Magik: They are trying to do this with Irem magic, creating new products out of Relics, Sekhem, Amkhata and everything else they can find regarding Irem.
- Pragmatic Villainy: Two of their branches, the Killwarden Fund (which deals with protecting endangered species) and their transport branch, actually are covers to hide amoral activities — respectively creating Amkhata and crafting poisons to use against the Arisen's cults. However, both branches actually focus most of their efforts and resources on their official tasks with only a very small part of them doing their real activities, as this makes it harder to unmask them.
- Really 700 Years Old: The LDI founding members, known as the Three Gentlemen, have been able to survive to this day by using an Immortality Inducer produced from Sekhem.
