Amon (Greater Deity)
Amon-Ra; Amun; Amun-Re, Amun-Min; The Hidden One; God of the Sky; King of the Gods; The Creator of All Things
Divine Ranks: 18
Deity Symbols: Goose, Ram
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Portfolio: Creation, fertility, royal authority, sky, sun, supreme (Thebes)
Domains: Air, Balance, Sun, Wind
True Form: Amon’s true form is unknowable, being the very essence of creation which no mortal has yet to look upon with understanding
Avatar Form: A blue-skinned human male wearing a short kilt, a feather pattern tunic, and a tall, double plumed crown
Other Manifestations: As above except with a ram’s head; he also appears as a monstrous serpent
Allies: Auran creatures, Horus, Osiris, Ra
Foes: Aberrations, Set, Undead
Sacred Items: Egg (of any kind), the blowing of the east wind
Sacred Animals: Goose, ram
Sacred Plants: First cutting of the season’s grain harvest
Sacred Minerals: Nile River clay
Divine Artifacts: Kheperesh (The Blue Crown)
Mythology: According to the lore of his most devote worshippers, Amon was the first god, self created from Nun, the primal waters, in an act of akin to the first thought. Finding himself awash in the chaotic moisture of raw creation, Amon created the Primal Mound and raised himself above the churning sea. Beset by the loneliness of his existence, the god’s thought drifted towards companionship. So, with an issue of moisture from his own flesh, gave rise to the gods Shu and Tefnut, the vault and void of the heavens. These gods, in turn, began to populate the emerging lands with offspring of their own.
This lore is contested by the adherents of other gods, most notably those of Ra, who proclaim their deity supreme over all others. While ancient wisdom holds that Ra came after the inception of Amon, none can argue with the newcomer’s awesome might. Whether Ra is a new god in his own right, or a reinterpretation of Amon, none can say. Regardless, neither side would acquiesce nor submit to the authority of the other. The gods’ faithful took an unusual step and actually began to merge their faiths, focusing on their similarities, instead of their differences. To this end, the celestial and mortal division between Amon and Ra melded, allowing the two gods to become blurry reflections of one another.
Main Tenets of the Faith: The tenets of Amon are placed into two camps, those that adhere to the most ancient of beliefs – that Amon is the creator god – and those that praise the Amon-Ra relationship. The former sees the world itself as Amon’s blessing: a rich panoply of life that pervades everything. These adherents view the enrichment and maintenance of life as a sacred duty and often become its protectors against the depredations of the ignorant.
The latter group espouses the might and authority of the Amon-Ra union over the whole of creation. While acknowledged as the supreme creator by most Egyptians, this is secondary to the role of Amon-Ra as the first of kings, ruler of heaven and earth. From him all majesty emanates, like the rays of his beloved sun.
Location of Faith: The largest temple of Amon rests in Thebes, Ipet-isut (“Most select of places”), which is the ancestral home of his earliest worship. A slightly smaller temple complex resides in Luxor, south of Karnak, and is dedicated to his serpent form that is seen as being the very essence of renewal. Major cult areas also exist in Deir el-Bahri, Medinet Habu, and Tanis. The largest temple to the Amon-Ra relationship is found Heliopolis and Hermopolis, but temples can be found throughout the Nile valley.
Sects: A number of very small sects exist that remain true to Amon’s claim as ultimate creator. These cadres are usually druids that dwell in the farthest oases, tending and protecting them from harm.
Responsibilities of the Clergy: Amon’s clergy are charged with maintaining the existence of creation itself. They are to forestall any grand destruction of nature’s wonders and punish the wicked for such acts. Amon-Ra clergy largely ignore natural creation, instead focusing on the natural authority of god and pharaoh. They see the physical world not as something worthy of veneration in and of itself, but as a sistrum to herald the power of mighty pharaoh.
Rights of the Clergy: Both the Amon and Amon-Ra sects are entitled to the first gleanings of the first grain harvest. This corn is sacred to the clergy, who use it to bake holy wheat and millet cakes used in their various ceremonies.
Restrictions of the Clergy: The clergy of the Amon sect is forbidden the consumption of beans of any type, including peas, lentils, onions, leeks, and garlic. Being seen as the embodiment of the primal mound upon which Amon rose above Nun, they are deemed too holy to be eaten, though they are still cultivated by the clergy. The clergy of the Amon-Ra sect also must eschew the eating of beans and must abstain from the consumption of swine and fish, being seen as unclean for the servants of a mighty god.
Rituals: The productivity of the land and the rule of pharaoh are tied to the flooding the Nile, during which the most venerated idol of the god in Ipet-isut is placed on a barge and floated down the river with sacrifices being made to it at every settlement and temple, no matter the god to which it belongs. Lesser ceremonies, when the clergy pray for their spells, are performed with the rising of the sun and entail the sacrifice of a white goose or ram, grain cakes, and other vegetable bounties.
Vestments: The clergy of the Amon sect dress in short kilts, wearing a pectoral of a solar disk pronouncing their adoration. The clergy of the Amon-Ra sect wear full robes of bleached white belted with gold or yellow dyed flax. They too wear a solar disk pectoral.
Amon’s Path of the Devout
Devout Classes: Adept, cleric (Amon-Ra sect only), druid (Amon sect only), expert, monk, paladin, and ranger.
Devout Alignments: LE, LG, and LN
Favored Weapon: Flail, khopesh sword, and mace
Devout Oath: The clergy of the Amon and Amon-Ra sects must forswear to never kill for pleasure, but only for true need, such as for sacrifice or sustenance. They also suffer a –2 penalty to Diplomacy checks when dealing with practitioners of the Memphite or Hermopolite theology.
Devout Benefits: 1/day a devout member of either the Amon or Amon-Ra sects can gain fire resistance 5 for 10 minutes. This ability can be activated as a free action.
