RichGreen
Adventurer
Hi,
Here’s the 11th installment in a series of 13th Age icons for Parsantium. This one is another new one: the Mummy Queen of the fallen desert kingdom of Khemit, a popular choice for the playtesters at both Dragonmeet and #UKT5.
THE MUMMY
The Mummy is the undead Queen Merytnofru, last pharaoh of the fallen desert kingdom of Khemit which lies to the south of Parsantium.
QUOTE
“The waters of the Nahal River will soon rise again, bringing the bounteous floods and restoring my kingdom to its former greatness.”
USUAL LOCATION
In her pyramid tomb in the half-buried ruined city of Hammunopolis, Khemit
COMMON KNOWLEDGE
The desert kingdom of Khemit collapsed more than 1,500 years ago following a terrible magical cataclysm caused by Queen Merytnofru’s sorcerers as they attempted to destroy the invading army of the Caliphate of Aqhran. Khemit today is a burning hot wasteland, its magnificent cities buried beneath the desert sands. Its sparse inhabitants – humans, gnolls and halflings – eke out a meagre existence in small towns based around oases.
Since the time of Corandias the Magnificent, expeditions from Parsantium have ventured into the abandoned desert ruins and carted off whatever they could lay their hands on, from great stone sphinxes and obelisks (like the one standing on the spina in the Hippodrome) to the fabulous treasures and jewellery found inside the tombs and pyramids of the pharaohs. Sometimes, the tomb-raiding of adventurers and thieves has disturbed things best left well alone: recently, a group of arcane scholars from Parsantium’s university discovered a secret entrance into the Great Pyramid of Merytnofru in Hammunopolis and made the fatal mistake of opening the Mummy’s gold sarcophagus.
Having disposed of the interlopers, the newly-awakened Mummy began gathering the forces she needs to restore her once-great kingdom to its former splendour. She swiftly seized control of the nearest oasis and subjugated its human and gnoll inhabitants. Next, Queen Merytnofru plans to return her powerful sorcerers from the dead, so they might raise an undead army. The Mummy will use these unliving soldiers to conquer what’s left of Khemit before turning her fury on the hated Caliphate of Aqhran. But to bring back the sorcerers, the queen needs to recover a number of lost artefacts, many currently in the Free City of Parsantium.
Queen Merytnofru is truly terrifying to behold: a shrivelled, blackened walking corpse, wrapped in yellowed bandages and dripping with gold and lapis-lazuli jewellery. She wears the tall golden Cobra Crown of Khemit atop her head.
ADVENTURERS & THE ICON
Evil sorcerers and dark-hearted Khemiti adventurers, both gnoll and human, ally themselves with the Mummy, seeking to gain personal power through their service. The Queen sends her agents to Parsantium to steal back magical items plundered from desert tombs. At higher levels, adventurers may be required to break into the hidden vaults beneath the Imperial Museum of Antiquities or even the “Collection” on the nineteenth floor of the Marjani Minar.
ALLIES
None currently, but the pharaohs of Khemit traded with Dhak Janjua in the time of the Rajah’s rule, so there is potential for an alliance in the future.
ENEMIES
The Mummy hates Aqhran for causing the downfall of her kingdom, and has sworn revenge on the current Caliph. The Grand Master of the Blue Lotus is also despised because mages of the Esoteric Order have been plundering magic from the tombs and pyramids of Khemit.
HISTORY
The kingdom of Khemit was already in decline when Vrishabha became Rajah of Dhak Janjua: its pharaonic dynasty had long since descended into decadent indolence. In the centuries following the fall of the Rajah, Khemeti civilisation continued to decline as the power of the neighbouring Caliphate of the Aqhran rose. Eventually a warlike Caliph, Bahir al-Asad, sought to expand the Caliphate into Khemit and thereby secure the important overland trade route to Dhak Janjua. Expecting to just march into Khemit with his army, the Caliph underestimated the lengths Queen Merytnofru was prepared to go to keep the Aqhrani out of her kingdom. Her sorcerers cast a terrible ritual of dark power which obliterated the Caliph and his entire army, but also devastated the lands around and the Nahal River on which Khemit’s very existence depended. Horrified at what she had done, Queen Merytnofru killed herself with a poisonous asp, and was entombed in her Great Pyramid, where she lay undisturbed for over 1,500 years.
THE TRUE DANGER
Everything will be alright as long as the Mummy and the Rajah do not form an alliance.
Comments or questions much appreciated!
Cheers
Rich
Here’s the 11th installment in a series of 13th Age icons for Parsantium. This one is another new one: the Mummy Queen of the fallen desert kingdom of Khemit, a popular choice for the playtesters at both Dragonmeet and #UKT5.
THE MUMMY
The Mummy is the undead Queen Merytnofru, last pharaoh of the fallen desert kingdom of Khemit which lies to the south of Parsantium.
QUOTE
“The waters of the Nahal River will soon rise again, bringing the bounteous floods and restoring my kingdom to its former greatness.”
USUAL LOCATION
In her pyramid tomb in the half-buried ruined city of Hammunopolis, Khemit
COMMON KNOWLEDGE
The desert kingdom of Khemit collapsed more than 1,500 years ago following a terrible magical cataclysm caused by Queen Merytnofru’s sorcerers as they attempted to destroy the invading army of the Caliphate of Aqhran. Khemit today is a burning hot wasteland, its magnificent cities buried beneath the desert sands. Its sparse inhabitants – humans, gnolls and halflings – eke out a meagre existence in small towns based around oases.
Since the time of Corandias the Magnificent, expeditions from Parsantium have ventured into the abandoned desert ruins and carted off whatever they could lay their hands on, from great stone sphinxes and obelisks (like the one standing on the spina in the Hippodrome) to the fabulous treasures and jewellery found inside the tombs and pyramids of the pharaohs. Sometimes, the tomb-raiding of adventurers and thieves has disturbed things best left well alone: recently, a group of arcane scholars from Parsantium’s university discovered a secret entrance into the Great Pyramid of Merytnofru in Hammunopolis and made the fatal mistake of opening the Mummy’s gold sarcophagus.
Having disposed of the interlopers, the newly-awakened Mummy began gathering the forces she needs to restore her once-great kingdom to its former splendour. She swiftly seized control of the nearest oasis and subjugated its human and gnoll inhabitants. Next, Queen Merytnofru plans to return her powerful sorcerers from the dead, so they might raise an undead army. The Mummy will use these unliving soldiers to conquer what’s left of Khemit before turning her fury on the hated Caliphate of Aqhran. But to bring back the sorcerers, the queen needs to recover a number of lost artefacts, many currently in the Free City of Parsantium.
Queen Merytnofru is truly terrifying to behold: a shrivelled, blackened walking corpse, wrapped in yellowed bandages and dripping with gold and lapis-lazuli jewellery. She wears the tall golden Cobra Crown of Khemit atop her head.
ADVENTURERS & THE ICON
Evil sorcerers and dark-hearted Khemiti adventurers, both gnoll and human, ally themselves with the Mummy, seeking to gain personal power through their service. The Queen sends her agents to Parsantium to steal back magical items plundered from desert tombs. At higher levels, adventurers may be required to break into the hidden vaults beneath the Imperial Museum of Antiquities or even the “Collection” on the nineteenth floor of the Marjani Minar.
ALLIES
None currently, but the pharaohs of Khemit traded with Dhak Janjua in the time of the Rajah’s rule, so there is potential for an alliance in the future.
ENEMIES
The Mummy hates Aqhran for causing the downfall of her kingdom, and has sworn revenge on the current Caliph. The Grand Master of the Blue Lotus is also despised because mages of the Esoteric Order have been plundering magic from the tombs and pyramids of Khemit.
HISTORY
The kingdom of Khemit was already in decline when Vrishabha became Rajah of Dhak Janjua: its pharaonic dynasty had long since descended into decadent indolence. In the centuries following the fall of the Rajah, Khemeti civilisation continued to decline as the power of the neighbouring Caliphate of the Aqhran rose. Eventually a warlike Caliph, Bahir al-Asad, sought to expand the Caliphate into Khemit and thereby secure the important overland trade route to Dhak Janjua. Expecting to just march into Khemit with his army, the Caliph underestimated the lengths Queen Merytnofru was prepared to go to keep the Aqhrani out of her kingdom. Her sorcerers cast a terrible ritual of dark power which obliterated the Caliph and his entire army, but also devastated the lands around and the Nahal River on which Khemit’s very existence depended. Horrified at what she had done, Queen Merytnofru killed herself with a poisonous asp, and was entombed in her Great Pyramid, where she lay undisturbed for over 1,500 years.
THE TRUE DANGER
Everything will be alright as long as the Mummy and the Rajah do not form an alliance.
Comments or questions much appreciated!
Cheers
Rich
