The Akiri Pantheon - Roleplay Resources

[MAB77]

The Akiri Pantheon

Overview
The Beliefs of the Akiri
The Gods of the Akiri
Tales of the Gods
References

[MAB77]

Overview

The Akiri and Pharazian have a vibrant pantheon of gods with an elaborate mythology. Outlanders from Gothic Earth may recognize them as the gods and goddesses of the Egyptian pantheon. Three gods of the Akiri are particularly significant. Although the sun god Ra, the sun disc, is the patriarch of these deities, it is the god of life and death, Osiris, who most Akiri revere. Osiris, who was slain by his brother but restored from death, is now lord of the afterworld just as Ra rules the living realm. Osiris also controls the rejuvenating power of the desert springs. Last, but not least, sinister cults quietly worship Set, the god of deceit and of the destructive power of nature, who slew his brother Osiris but survived the vengeance of the gods. The Akiri and Pharazian also give prayers and offerings to the other gods of the pantheon when proper, though their respective clergy have largely vanished.

Throughout the Amber Wastes the worship of the Akiri gods may take different forms. The desert Sebua is devoid any significant civilization, but ruins of temples dedicated to the Akiri gods still dot the land. In Muhar, Har'Akir, the gods are openly worshipped. The clerics rule as a pale reflection of the powerful religious hierarchy that once advised pharaohs and governed from the shadows. Although the days of the god-kings are gone, the clerics have survived, and the Akiri continue to dutifully obey their edicts. It is the temple guards who keep the peace in Muhar and the clerics that mete out justice and make decisions for the community. They are led by the high priestess of Osiris, Snefru, a stern woman with decadent tastes. Beyond the village oasis, however, Har'Akir is a lawless wasteland. Travelers and hermits have no one but themselves to turn to for protection against the desert and its ancient evils. In Pharazia, the angelic despot Diamabel seeks to forge a religion in his own name and punishes worship of the old gods with death. But Diamabel can no more erase the memory of the gods than the biting desert sands can erase their ancient shrines. Worship secretly continues in Pharazia.

As a people, Akiri are terrified of death, particularly the prospect of a gray eternity in the underworld. Accordingly, they try to adhere to the principle of Ma'at, which dictates a cosmic order to all things, so that they might be admitted to paradise. Funerary traditions are paramount among the Akiri, since the dead are believed to require their mortal husks and possessions in the beyond. Merely entering a sealed tomb is considered a profane trespass in Har'Akir, and grave robbing is an unspeakable crime.

[MAB77]

The Beliefs of the Akiri

The Myth of Creation

In the beginning, all was darkness.

Then the Ogdoad awoke, Nun and Naunet, Hu and Haunet, Ku and Kauket, and Amun and Amaunet.

Together they caused a hill to rise out of the first waters. On this hill was an egg, and from this egg, the god Atum-Ra, the all-father, was born.

The Ogdoad withdrew to watch how the world would unfold. Ra was alone, then. He spat upon the ground, and from this his son Shu and his daughter Tefnut arose. Ra blessed Shu and Tefnut and gave them great power. To Shu he gave dominion over the air and sky, and to Tefnut he gave dominion over moisture. Together they began to separate the land from the water, and the sky from the world.

During this, however, Shu and Tefnut became lost in the chaotic darkness, for they had not the power of Atum-Ra to overcome it. Ra tore out his all-seeing eye and bade it look for them and bring them back. In its place he grew a new eye. Shu and Tefnut soon returned with the eye, which Ra took and placed in his crown so that he could see all. It is this eye that rests on the crown of the pharaoh, the Udjat Eye.

Ra was filled with joy at seeing his children and he wept great tears. When they hit the ground, life sprang up all over the land. Shu took Tefnut for his wife, and she bore Geb and Nut. Geb became the god of the earth and Nut became the goddess of the firmament, standing over him with Shu and Tefnut holding her up.

Nut bore the gods Osiris and Set and the goddesses Isis and Nephthys to her brother-husband Geb. They became the first gods and goddesses of the world and of men, while the others became the great gods of the earth and sky.

The Concept of Ma'at

Ma'at is a concept and the natural state of the universe to which all things are expected to conform. It combines many features such as honor, truth, duty, and integrity. Only by conforming to the Ma'at can one be at peace with the gods and live a happy life. Rulers are expected to be fair in their administration of laws while the common folk are expected to give their employers an honest day’s work for their wages. Those who do not fulfill their obligations can expect only turmoil and misery. When a mortal dies, Anubis weighs the deceased soul on a scale balanced by the feather of Ma'at. If the soul overbalances the scale, it is fed to Am-mit, the devourerof souls. If the scale balances, the deceased is revealed as a just and honorable person and may pass on to the Afterlife.

Death and the Dead

Har'Akir is a society obsessed with death. The concept of an afterlife, although not one of eternal bliss or torment, is a part of everyday life. It is impossible to separate the concepts of daily life, Ma'at, and death. Every Akiri is expected to spend his life making preparations for his death. For the nobility, the rich and powerful ancient rulers of Har'Akir, this meant the construction of great tombs and pyramids. For those not so well off, it meant fashioning some sort of burial chamber or private grave, and for the poor it meant doing what could be done (which was usually not much).

Death is seen as a time of transition. When the pharaoh ruled on earth, he was serving Ra. When he died, he traveled to the underworld to become one with Osiris and rule over the lands of the dead. Because the concept of Ma'at requires that the universe always is in a constant state, the afterlife was believed to be not unlike life on earth. Kings rule in the afterlife, laborers work on, and scribes continue to compose their works.

Respect for the dead is a primary part of Ma'at and the life of an Akiri. To undertake any action which might be seen as disrespectful to the dead is to risk the anger of the gods. And rumours speak of dread curses that find those, who break such tenets.

[MAB77]

The Gods of the Akiri

Ra and Osiris are the two most worshipped deities in the Amber Wastes. The god Set has a significant and secretive following as well. Most, if not all, clerics in Muhar will be dedicated to one of these three gods. Other deities whispered to have active cults within Har'Akir are Apep and a dark version of Anubis. Little details exist on the practices of the Pharazian nomads or of the cults secretly worshipping the old gods in the city of Phiraz, but they are still likely to worship Ra, Osiris or Set above all others.

Several other gods of the Akiri/Egyptian pantheon are still being prayed too and given offerings, but are not known to have any active cults or clerics within the Amber Wastes cluster. The ruins of temples that dot the desert are covered with hieroglyphs depicting famous acts of the gods. Included are Anhur, the four armed god of war; Bast, the cat headed goddess of pleasure; Bes, god of luck and protection; Geb, god of earth and stone; Hathor, the horned goddess of happiness; Horus, the falcon-headed god of righteous vengeance; Isis, goddess of magic and fertility; Khonsu, the falcon-headed god of the moon; Nephtys, goddess of wealth and protector of the dead; Nut, goddess of the sky and stars; Ptah, god of artisans; Shu, god of the air and wind; Sobek, the crocodile-headed god of water; Tefnut, the lioness headed goddess of moisture and rain; Thoth, the crane headed god of wisdom. 

Deity [gender]	Domains	Alignment	Favored Weapon	Symbol	Portfolio
Anhur [m]	Chaos, Strength, War	CG	Falchion	Bird of Prey	War, Warriors
Anubis [m]	Death, Evil, Repose	LE	Mace	Black Jackal	Judgement, Death, Werejackals
Apep* [m]	Destruction, Evil, Fire	NE	Heavy Pick	Flaming Snake	Evil, Fire, Serpents
Bast [f]	Chaos, Destruction, Protection, Strength, War	CG	Tiger Claws (Bagh-Nakh)	Cat	Cats, Vengeance
Bes [m]	Luck, Protection, Trickery	CN	Shortsword	Image of the Deity	Luck, Music, Protection
Geb [m]	Earth, Plant, Protection, Strength	TN	Quarterstaff	Mountain	The Earth
Hathor [f]	Good, Luck	NG	Longsword	Horned Cow's Head with a Lunar Disc	Love, Music, Dance, Moon, Fate, Motherhood
Horus [m]	Good, Chaos, Sun, War	CG	Khopesh (Scimitar)	Hawk's Head	Sun, Vengeance
Isis [f]	Good, Magic, Protection, Water	NG	Quarterstaff	Ankh and Star	Fertility, Magic, Marriage
Khonsu [m]	Magic, Protection, Travel	LN	Flail	Moon Disc, Sidelock Falcon	Magic, Moon, Mysteries
Nephthys [f]	Chaos, Good, Protection, Repose	CG	Mace	Horns around a Lunar Disc	Death, Grief
Nut [f]	Air, Healing, Good, Protection	NG	Flail	Stars against the Night Sky	The Sky, Couples forbidden to marry
Osiris [m]	Good, Protection, Repose, Water	NG	Light Flail	Crossed Crook and Flail	Harvest, Nature, Underworld
Ptah [m]	Knowledge, Law, Travel	LN	Light Mace	Bull, Mummified Hand	Crafts, Knowledge, Secrets, Travel
Ra [m]	Air, Curse, Good, Law, Sun	LG	Falchion	Ankh over a Solar Disc	Nobility, the Sun
Shu [m]	Air, Good, Law, Sun	LG	Quarterstaff, Mace	Ostrich Feather	Winds, the Atmosphere
Set [m]	Curse, Death, Evil, Trickery	LE	Shortsword	Coiled Cobra	Darkness, Evil, Night, Desert Storms, Drought
Sobek [m]	Animal, Evil, Water	LE	Spear	Crocodile Head with Horned & Plumed Headdress	Water, River Hazards, Crocodiles, Wetlands
Tefnut [f]	Air, Destruction, Law, Water	LG	Dagger	Pyramid and Sun	Moisture, Rain
Thoth [m]	Knowledge, Magic	TN	Quarterstaff	Ibis	Knowledge, Wisdom, Learning

* Apep is also known as Apophis.

Ra (God of sun and law)

Ra is the father of the Akiri pantheon and is said to have created mortal man from his tears. The Akiri believe that every day, Ra rises above Manu, the hill of sunrises, aboard his great boat Manjet and looks down upon the world with his blazing eye, the sun. At night, Manjet transforms itself into Mesektet, a funeral barge, and Ra guides it back across the waters of the underworld, so that he may once again cross the sky in the morning. Strange behavior on the part of the sun are perceived as omens from Ra. He is the patron of many things, but is most commonly associated with the sun and pharaohs. Rulers could only do so with his blessings. As the once great bond between Ra and the pharaohs of Har'Akir has been broken, his cult has somewhat waned in favor of that of Osiris, though he remains essential to Akiri worship as the god of law and ruler of the livings.

Priests of Ra used to be the advisors to pharaohs, if not pharaohs themselves. That age is long gone but they still serve as community leaders. They wear white robes, but they also adorn themselves with golden crowns, bracers, and other symbols of their high office. Men shave their heads whereas women keep their hair long. Priests of Ra must greet him each morning as he guides Manjet into the sky and bid him farewell at dusk when he leaves the sky. Failure to meet these obligations may cause a priest to fall from grace until the oversight is corrected.

The Nature of Ra

Pharaoh to the Gods, by this name Ra is known and also by his light. It is the brilliance of the desert sun. He rides the air in a war galley. One made in part from the sun and which is called Manjet. The light of day, the truth, the good, -- these are but a few of the marvels for which hi is known. The praise of the growing fields belongs to Ra, and it is said no magic can affect him. Though the gods of evil and of good find themselves in conflict, Ra will not permit them to go to war. Open battle among them is forbidden. It is the influence of Ra which allows a measure of goodness to survive in Har'Akir.

Osiris (God of life and death)

The husband of Isis and son of Geb and Nut, Osiris has a dual nature. While he is often worshipped as a god of nature and plant life, he is also the protector of graves and enemy of the undead. He is furthermore held as the god who taught the Akiri the arts of civilization. He is depicted as a muscular man with a greenish tint to his skin. The Akiri myth claim that Osiris and Set are bitter enemies, for the latter once tricked him into lying down in a magic coffin. Once inside, Osiris was unable to escape and soon died. His wife Isis, mummified his body. In so doing she gave him eternal life and made him a god of the dead.

Priests of Osiris must honor the dead and the places in which they rest. They prepare corpses and guard the sanctity of death. Osiris’s clerics wear white robes and shave their heads if they are men. Women keep their hair long. A priest of Osiris that ever participates in or condones the looting of a grave or the desecration of a tomb is at great risk of falling from grace. It is strongly believed that a priest who dies while so disgraced rises again within a few weeks as an accursed mummy.

Set (God of deceit and of the destructive power of nature)

A cold and calculating god, Set is perceived as the jealous personification of evil. He always acts against the interests of mankind and the gods of Har'Akir, seeking to establish himself as the head of the pantheon. His clerics teach that whatever a person is strong enough to claim belongs to that person by right. Authority should be respected only insofar as it is powerful enough to enforce its will. His followers are a dark and scorned lot who work under of darkness and keep themselves cloaked in treachery and deceit. Set was the son of Geb and Nut. His birth was horrific by any measure, for he tore himself free from his mother’s womb sprang upon the world as a foul and hideous thing. He is depicted as a powerful man with a bestial head resembling a donkey, with a curved snout and upright, square-tipped ears. He also has a long, forked tail. Set’s supreme act of evil was murdering the god Osiris. Despite his deceitful nature, Set is held as taking good care of his followers and to never willingly betray or abandon his people.

Priests of Set often oversee the activities of thieves, assassins, and other evil beings. They are always looking for ways to recruit new followers and to disrupt the worship of the other Akiri gods. They are not permitted to betray members of their order and must always work to promote “the brotherhood of evil”. Male clerics shave their heads like clerics of other deities, but prefer black armor to white robes.

At the end of each month in the domain of Har'Akir, comes a natural phenomenon called the moon-death. This total eclipse of the moon occurs on the last day of every month, without fail. It is believed to be a time of evil by the inhabitants of Har'Akir, a night when the dark god Set has free reign over all that transpires.

The Nature of Set

Enemy of Ra, he who stands against the light, opponent of Horus and Osiris. -- these are among the titles cherished by Set. jealous of the powers of the righteous, envious of nature, he spreads his jealousies among men. God of secrets. God of evil. Set respects no man, and for the gods he holds contempt. In form, it is said Set resembles a man, upon whose shoulders rests the head of a fierce jackal. Stories are told which defy belief, tales of corruption in which hearts of the most pure are turned by the dark one. Who among the faithful can resist such power?

Apep (God of darkness and chaos)

Apep, also refered to as Apophis, is an evil creature of the underworld, an enemy of the gods and the living embodiment of evil. A being with no creed but destruction and evil for its own sake. He is depicted as a demonic gargantuan serpent of over 100 feet long and said to be served by a host of fiery serpentine demons. Shrines to Apep usually drip with snakes and snakelike motifs.

Only the deranged, corrupt, and otherwise evil souls devote themselves to this fell entity. Followers of Apep hide their allegiance as ordinary members of society, though never as clerics of other gods. They carry no symbols that might identify them. They meet with other cultists only in utmost secrecy, under cover of darkness, in windowless cellars and behind locked and barred doors. Any hint of their activities would bring fiery wrath on their heads. They do not strive for a world dominated by evil, but for nothing less than the end of the world.

Anubis (God of mummification, Gatekeeper of the underworld)

Anubis, the son of Osiris and Nephthys, is the god that guides the souls of dead mortals to the halls of judgment, supervises their weighing on the scales of Ma’at, and protects them on their journey to the afterlife if they are deemed worthy. He is a keeper of magical knowledge and an expert on herbs and medicines. According to Akiri myths, he helped with the mummification of Osiris, after his father's murder by Set. He is depicted as a male human with the head and long tail of a dog or jackal. A neat mane of straight black hair falls over his shoulders. He dresses in a white knee-length robe, a decorative scale mail breastplate of glittering gold, and a numbers of bracers and arm-bands. He typically carries either a sceptre or a true ankh. The cult of Anubis experienced a slight theological shift since its inception in the lands of the Mists. Cultists of Anubis appear to be increasingly secretive and zealous in their devotion to their god. Though the roles of his clerics remain the same, their practices took a somewhat darker bent, being more obsessed about death and proper funeral rites, and caring less about the livings.

Followers of Anubis practice rigorous discipline to hone their minds and spirits, preparing themselves for the eventual journey to the afterlife. Clerics of Anubis dress in white kilt, with men shaving their heads and women keeping their hair long. Priests of Anubis usually officiate at funerals and handle mummifications, though this role is now largely played by clerics of Osiris in Har'Akir.

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Tales of the Gods

The Tears of Ra

There is a legend, one that is whispered in the high places and the low places of Har'Akir. In the age of beauty, it is said, in an age when innocence walked the earth, there came among men mortals too beautiful to bear. Their goodness blessed the fertile lands. By their grace they set an example for men and gods alike.

Yet no age lasts forever. In the end, the evils of desert and darkness rose up to overwhelm the pure of heart. In those days the gods of goodness and purity wept. The tears of Ra fell to the earth. These were tears of polished light. It is said that they shone with a brilliance so great it caused vast destruction. So it was that the handmaidens of Ra were sent to collect the tears. Whether each and every tear was found is a matter of great study among scholars.

Thoth and the Eye of Horus

Once, as Horus was resting beside an oasis, Set crept up on him in the form of a black boar. As Horus slumbered, Set ripped out his left eye, and flung it beyond the edge of the world. Horus awoke in pain and rage, and retaliated against Set, but the damage had already been done.

For the left eye of Horus was the moon which shines in the night sky, and deprived of its light the night sank into blackness.

But Thoth, ever the peacemaker between the two warring gods, scoured the chaos beyond the world's confines until he discovered the missing eye. It had been shattered by its fall, but Thoth pieced it together once more and restored it to Horus.

The return of the eye symbolizes the restoration of Ma'at, the cosmic order of balance.

The Eye of Horus was thereafter represented by the wedjat amulet.

The Festival of Bast

In the days before the Wall of Ra, the festivals held annually within the Abal River Valley in honour of the cat-headed goddess Bastet were among the best-attended ones in Har'Akir. Bastet's festivals were the most popular within the Akiri calendar.

As was custom, many would travel along the Abal River by barge during the festival, traveling to the Temple of Bastet. Women would keep up the continual clatter of castanets, and men would play flutes, while others would sing during the voyage.

Whenever they passed a town on the riverbank, they would bring the barges close to shore, and the women of the barge would shout abuses at those women of the town, or start dancing, or stand up and hitch their skirts.

When the temple was reached, they would celebrate the festival with elaborate sacrifices, and more wine and beer was consumed than any other day of the year.

Cats which had died were taken to the Temple of Bastet, where they were embalmed and buried in sacred receptacles. Thousands of cats were mummified and interred in underground galleries beneath the temple, so that they might carry their owners' messages all the more swiftly to the realm of the gods.

Even the Pharaohs of Har'Akir venerated Bastet during the Festival of Bastet, and ordered the building of many shrines to her honor.

The Tale of the Phoenix

In the lore of the Heliopolis, it speaks of the sun first arising in the form of a sacred bird called the benu, which in common tongue is the phoenix.

The benu was sacred to the gods, and was protected from Apophis by the Great Cat of the Heliopolis, sacred to Ra.

In the ancient texts of the temple of Ra, the benu appeared as a yellow wagtail, a manifestation of the great god Ra.  Its name translates as "to rise in brilliance."  Later references in the Book of the Dead claim the benu took the form of a grey heron.  Either way, it is a symbol of rebirth and a harbinger of good fortune.

In the form of the Heron, it is written that the benu perched above the waters of chaos, breaking the silence with its cry.  The cry of the benu set forth the act of creation, and decided "what is and what is not to be."

In the tales, there is never more than one benu alive at any time.  When it dies, its corpse is taken by its successor to the sun gods temple in the Heliopolis.

The Game of the Moon

Know that in the Ancient Times in the land of Har'Akir, there was the moon-god Khonsu.

In those days the Moon shone almost as brightly as the Sun, and it did not change from night to night. Khonsu held up the Moon over the land of Har'Akir every night, and it was second only to the Sun Boat of Ra.

Now Khonsu was a jealous god, and desired the knowledge of secret things that occurred in the shadows where his light did not touch. He was envious of Thoth, who knew all and heard all secrets and knew the thoughts of men before they reached their lips.

He challenged Thoth to a game of Senet. Each god wagered a portion of his power. Thoth wagered secret knowledge, Khonsu wagered a portion of his light. The game went on for many hours, each god being an equally skilled player of Senet. Many of the other gods gathered around to cheer on their favorite.

Finally, each player had only once piece on the board, both on the square called the House of Atum-Ra, where a piece may leave only if a two is thrown. The final casting of the sticks would determine the winner. Khonsu went first, he cast a three, and was unable to move. Thoth cast a two and won the game.

Thoth took the piece of Khonsu's light, placed it in his crown, and henceforth became known as a moon-god. Khonsu remained the god of the moon, but ever after, he cannot show his full light. Each night he grows a little larger until he shines brightly once more, but then he becomes dimmer and dimmer, finally growing dark.

The Prince and the Sphinx

Once upon a time, many more years than you can tell me, and twice as many as I can tell you, there was a prince in Har'Akir named Thutmose. He was the son of the great Amenhotep and had been named for his grandfather, the pharaoh Thutmose III who had succeeded the great queen, Hatshepsut.

Because he was the eldest son of Amenhotep, many of his brothers and half-brothers would plot against him, for they desired to be pharaoh. They would plot to make Amenhotep think that Thutmose was unworthy to succeed him. They would plot to make him look a fool in front of the people so that they would not want him as pharaoh. As he got older they would even plot against his life. But all these plots would fail, for Thutmose honored the gods, and so they smiled upon him.

Yet Thutmose was troubled in his heart, and these things made him unhappy. He would frequently leave the Valley of Pharaohs to go hunt in the desert, or to seek solitude in the mountains. Even when his father wished his presence for a festival or simply to speak to him, Thutmose would stay as short a time as he could and then leave with his trusted servants once more. Amenhotep grieved that his son was unhappy, and prayed to the gods that his heart might be lifted.

One day, during the great Festival of Ra at Heliopolis, when all of the pharaoh's court was present, Thutmose escaped once more, for he wished to see the burial pyramids of Kham, the oldest of them all. He and two servants rode out into the desert where they found the great stepped pyramid of Zoser, the ancestor of Amenhotep.
 
The next day, they went hunting for gazelle all morning, and when Ra had reached the height of the sky, and the day grew hot, Thutmose and his servants found themselves near the Great Obelisks of the Abal River Valley, which the pharaohs Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure had built over twelve hundred years before Thutmose was born.

Thutmose bade his servants rest at a pool nearby, for he wished to go off for a time that he might offer prayer to his ancestors. He rode his chariot out to the pyramids, the sun gleaming off their polished sides. He stopped and marveled at them, knowing that nowhere else was their like equaled, and that at no time since could anything like them be built. He gazed upon them for a time and then noticed a huge stone head that rose out of the sand.

Thutmose had heard of this marvel, the Sphinx of Khafre, though he had never see it before. It was modeled on the sacred animal of Harmakhet, Horus of the Rising Sun, and a creature of great wisdom and power. During the many ages since the reign of Khafre, the sands had buried it almost completely. Only its head remained above the sand, defying all attempts to hide it forever.

Thutmose sat and contemplated the great face, which was said to be the face of Khafre. It wore the headdress of the pharaoh, a great crown and veil, with the uraeus cobra and udjat eye, symbols of power, placed in it. He had never seen such terrifying beauty. He prayed to Harmakhet for deliverance from his troubles.

When he was finished, there was a rumbling sound, and the sand trembled beneath his feet. Thutmose looked up at the sphinx and started, for the head had moved! The sphinx moved like a great cat attempting to free itself from bonds, and then turned its head toward Thutmose and spoke in a mighty yet kind voice.

"Behold, Thutmose, son of Amenhotep, who is pharaoh of men by the power of Horus, know that I am Harmakhet, Horus of the Rising Sun. I am your father, and the father of all pharaohs of Har'Akir. It is your destiny that the pharaohs mantle shall come to you, to be taken up or cast aside as you will."

"Know that if you become pharaoh, my blessings will be upon you, and you shall have long life and health all your days. Under your rule, Har'Akir will become strong and rich, and its people shall never want, for there shall be days of plenty."

"You have shown me devotion this day, when my statue is all but forgotten in the desert, and so I have looked kindly upon you. But I ask of you one thing: see how the sand encloses me and hides me from my people? I ask that if you are a good son, that you will help me and free me from the desert sands. Clear away that which holds me fast so that the people may once again come to me and worship."

Then Thutmose was surrounded by light and he knew no more. When he awoke, the Sun Boat of Ra was sinking in the west. He heard the voices of his servants calling to him and he called out that he was alive and well. He looked up and saw the Sphinx, lifeless once more, and he remembered the vision.

He stood and shouted aloud, "Harmakhet my father! This day I do swear an oath, and I call upon the gods to witness it! If I become pharaoh, my first command shall be that your sacred image, this Sphinx, shall be freed from the sand and restored to its glory, that all men may come and give you honor!"

Thutmose and his servants rode back to the Valley of Pharaohs, and from that day forth, all that Thutmose did was blessed. Soon his father Amenhotep named him as heir to the throne, and years later, Thutmose became pharaoh. He was regarded as a great king, and the gods blessed him all the days of his long life and he was beloved by his people. Har'Akir did indeed become strong and rich, and there was abundance in all of Har'Akir.

The Cult of the Crocodile God

A few decades back, a small cult sought to revive the worship of Sobek. Their main belief being that the Amber Wastes was a desert because Sobek turned his face from the land when his worship ended. The cultists of Sobek, escaped slaves from Muhar, would come back in the cover of darkness to capture sacrificial victims, believing that blood sacrifices would awaken their slumbering god. They were convinced that, once awaken, their god would turn the land back to a lush fertile valley. It is unknown if their actions ever achieved anything, but the fledgling cult seemingly vanished shortly after its creation.

[MAB77]

References

Domains of Dread, Touch of Death, Darklords, Denizens of Darkness, 3rd ed. Ravenloft Campaign Setting, Ravenloft Dungeon Master's Guide, D&D 3rd ed. Deities & Demigods, Legends and Lore, Champions of the Mists, Chilling Tales, Stone Prophet, Forbidden Lore.