THE VEIL OF ISIS

" I am all that has been, and is, and shall be, and my veil no mortal has yet uncovered"
- Isis

Fiction

Introduction
The Reborn has been here since the first times, the Zep Tepi. The Shemshu-Heru following their fanatical leader Horus in his personal war against Set while others that he calls traitors have widened their War to all of Apep's children. The Silent Striders have born their exile with millennia of stoic fortitude and there are no greater Vampire killers than these were Jackals in all of Gaia's armies. The Bubastis survives barely with a questionable loyalty, blackmailed into treachery by Set's imprisonment of their few remaining Feline Kinfolk. The most powerful Tradition of Mages is a poor reflection of the great Cult of Thoth. The Hem Ka Sobk lurk in the graveyards and back streets of the Middle east and the Mokole still breed with the sacred Crocodiles of the Nile. The land of Khem is all too entrenched in the World of Darkness and its intersecting Jyhads. Even the ignorance of the mortals cannot help but feel the draw of this great Kingdom, from Hollywood to Harvard Ancient Egypt puts food on a thousand tables.

Coincidence?

Maybe, or maybe this web of sacred and profane mystery has secrets masters all of its own. A conciliation of faithful servants and manipulated dupes governed by one who has watched mankind drag itself back from the muddy swamps of the post deluge world and claw itself to its current self destructive heights. An organisation hidden by a veil of secrecy and obfuscation and devoted to a single purpose above and beyond the petty ego of any Antediluvian or Tribe Elder.

" As for the robes, those of Isis are variegrated in thier colours; for her power is concerned with matter which becomes everything and recieves everything, light and darkness, day and night. fire and water, life and death, beggining and end."
- Proverbs 8

Isis, Queen of Khem, Methuselah of the Osirian Clan and centre of the Web of faith knows the answer to this suspicion all to well, for she is the answer to this and all questions. The Veil of Isis has been torn, frayed and patched up countless times but it has never broken. While Empires rose and fell, religions mutated and floundered, Dark ages came and went, the veil of Isis has endured to preserve the glories of Khem. Its goals are myriad and at times unguessable, but at its core is the furtherance of mankind and the defeat of the forces of Izfet wielded by Apophis in all its guises. An organisation that includes priests, thieves, warriors, merchants, spies and more than a few wandering supernaturals follows the dictates of a Vampire they worship as a Goddess in an endless battle against Evil. The prize is the survival of mankind itself.

Background

HISTORY

The Osirian Clan was short-lived in that it didn't last long enough to face the deluge. Supposedly only a single member of the Clan, Khetamon, survived the Setites pogrom and he concentrated on converting Vampires of other Clans. But Isis, fourth generation Child of Osiris, also survived. In the Zep Tepi Nephthys, the Childe of Sutekh, was originally entitled the Mistress of heaven and the Underworld, but her elder sister Isis later ascended to the title of Queen of Heaven and the pair of sisters became a feminine duality. In the eyes of the faithful Isis was the embodiment of life and Nephthys the Avatar of what lay beyond death, the passive forces that allowed osiris to be ressurected. This paradigm was so central to Egyptian philosophy that no one questioned Isis's extended lifespan and nobody would dare entertain the possibility of her undead nature. Thus while all know that the Twilight Princess had been a Nak and had been murdered by her husband, the Queen's final fate was never recorded. Egyptians of the Dynastic period worshipped Isis as a Goddess without ever realising that she was among them. Osiris has lent his name to the practice of Vampires living as God's, but it was in fact his Wife who mastered the skill.

The spell of Life, the most potent magic ever devised by a human mind, was the sole province of the Veil of Isis but the Cult were always a separate body from the Reborn themselves. While the creatures known as the Mummy's knew the basics of the first half of the ritual they had undergone, the head priestess and her assistant, representing Isis and Nephthys, were the only ones invested with the two halves that completed the spell, and even they could not carry it out alone. Should they try to tell anyone else except for their replacement, irresistible Mind and entropy magick's would destroy her intellect and information therein. Isis and her priestesses alone had the skill and devotion capable of transforming a mortal man or woman into one of the undying. If the Shemshu-Heru were the only thing that stood between Mankind and the corruption of Set that they believed themselves to be, they owed their very existence to the veil of Isis. Horus needed to be reminded of this often as he was not the most grateful of children, but many of the Undying held the veil of Isis in high respect. As more and more Mummy's began to turn their back upon Horus and his single minded lust for revenge, it was the Veil of Isis that gave them new direction and challenge. These turncoats were smitten with a variety of derogatory names from the Shemshu-Heru such as Ishmalites and Dogs of Apep, but to the Priesthood of Isis they were beloved children and treasures to be adored. The Veil of Isis was only too happy to absorb these disenfranchised immortals into their ranks and together with the Mages and a handful of Vampires the cult emerged as a multi-(supernatural)-racial entity.

After Alexander the Greats campaign, Egypt was ruled by a foreign dynasty and their customs were vastly different to the ways of Khem. The wives of Greece were downtrodden and powerless for the most part and the cult had little influence on the Hellenic kingdoms. The Ptolemy's, who ruled Egypt after Alexander the Great, adopted many local custom's and the inherent misogyny of most Greek states was weaker here. The Cult of Isis did what it could to counter the Followers of Set and the influx of other Supernatural powers but they knew the empire was past its zenith and they began to look beyond the Deserts of Egypt.

The Cult of Isis flowed, like the life giving Nile, into the ritual worship of the virgin Mary and by the 4th century her control over Marianism was unshakable. The Images of Isis suckling Horus morphed into the Madonna and Child of the Roman church and the concept remained as fertile as ever. Even the idea of the three Magi at the nativity is a direct reforming of a tale told on a mural at Philae. In this picture Augustus is shown offering Isis Myrrh while Tiberius offers milk and incense, as well as animals sacred to the Goddess. This adaptation and mutation of focus allowed the Veil of Isis to survive even after the land of its birth had waned.

Now the Veil had cemented its subtle influence over the wives and mistresses of the Roman senate, it fenced with the Vampires and Mages of the eternal city from behind the demure and divine hierodule and Vestal virgins. Rome's influence spread across the Globe and the Veil followed in its wake. Celtic Britain, Dacian Romania, Antioch, Byzantium, Gaul, Iberia, Africa the entire civilized world was ruled by Patricians and the patricians were ruled by their wives. As the Veil spread throughout the Empire, so did the spell of Life and the Undying. The heyday of the Shemshu-Heru was over, but non-Egyptian immortals were still being created. By avoiding any overt grabs for power and/or direct challenges to the Vampires of the Empire the Veil of Isis survived the dangers of the Jyhad with panache.

The Veil of Isis maintained its influence in the harems of Egypt throughout the rule of the Arabs, the Fatimids, the Ayyubids, the Mamuluks and the Ottoman Turks and each of these empires carried her influence further and further. The priestesses gathered and improved upon the millennia of subtle manipulation and well planned suggestion and those whom they taught became the power behind the greatest thrones of the earth. When one considers the truth behind the proverb that begins 'behind every great man …' it is easy to see how the Cult maintained its power without ever having to expose itself to the Jyhad. The presence of the Undying allowed the Veil to survive all manner of internal and external pressures. Isis herself never passed on her curse because she found that she was less inclined to the eternal loneliness that prompted other vampires to create childer because the Undying could share her extended outlook on life even if they didn't share her unlife. She carefully orchestrated not only her web of mortal alliances, but also the survival of Egypt's Shadowlands. The Undying travelled to Ammenti and back again, fulfilling her wishes by proxy.

From Byzantium and Rome the Veil spread into the eastern European lands and the great Princes of the Holy Roman Empire, educated in statesmanship by their mothers, became the newest blades of the Harem conspiracy. From there they infiltrated the salons of Paris and the palaces of Vienna without difficulty and once the Europeans crossed the Atlantic, the priesthood joined the throng of supernaturals who followed them.

While the Kuei-Jin of cathay managed to prevent any Western Vampires from entering thier territory, the mages who folled Isis had taught their eastern peers the Spell of Life. Long before the Shemshu-Heru made a concerted move to the America's, the Veil of Isis had created its first Andean Mummy. As the American nation was formed, the Priesthood discovered a peculiar breed of vampires in South America that seemed to descend from their nemesis the Followers of Set. These Ahua Can Vampires and the Veil of Isis discovered a small degree of common ground in their war against the Darkness and managed to hold a delicate truce for over a century.

During the 18th and early 19th century Egypt became a mortal fetish. All forms of Egyptian mysticism and philosophy was in vogue. Characters such as Madam Blavatsky and various members of the Golden Dawn crept around the edges of the Order of Hermes, and occult practitioners seemed to be crawling out of the woodwork. The Cult of Isis found itself able to gather not only new acolytes but also several wealthy backers. The idle rich were only too happy to provide money and property in return for the secrets of ancient Egypt and the Priesthood has been able to support itself ever since. The Web of Isis now includes temples and country estates in several countries including a vast retreat in the Essex countryside of England and a Art Neavou style Temple in Chicago.

From back street Café's in the Khan El-Khalili Suq to the necropolis of the city of the dead in Cairo from the Head shops of LA with their faux canopic jars and mass produced Scarab jewellery, from the Market stalls of Camden in London to the New Age temples devoted to Isis and Osiris in cities across the globe, the Net catches all who remember when Gods stalked the Earth. This is the Veil of Isis in the final nights!!

Culture
-Beliefs
-Magickal Style
-Spheres
Common Foci
Organization
I gave and ordained laws for men, which no man is able to change
I am she that is called Goddess by women
I made with my brother Osiris an end to the eating of men
I revealed mysteries unto men
I am Queen of rivers and winds and sea
No one is held in honour without my knowing it
I am the Queen of War
I am Queen of the Thunderbolt
I am in the rays of the Moon
I set free those in Bonds
I overcome fate


The Queen of Khem surrounded herself with a secret group of loyal servants through whom she could extend protection to those of her subjects worst effected by the machinations of Osiris and Sutekh. This society never claimed a name for itself but was called alternatively the Veil, Web or Net of Isis. This name came from the Pepium, a veil or tunic that was a symbol for both her and the warrior Goddess Neith. Legend held that the Pepium is the covering with which humanity was clothed in flesh and mortal form. The people of Khem also spoke of the Peplos, the celestial veil of the Gods, a protective skin that awakened fear in all who saw it. By the time of the Greeks, who called the veil Aegis, it had become a protective support and Athena shaped it into a shield to give to Perseus. Even Thoth, Isis pupil, was forced to concede her greatness. His greatest temple was called 'The House of the Net'.

It is little wonder that Isis and those later Goddesses she used to mask her presence was seen as a protective garment, passive and yet supportive and unyielding, for this was her nature. In life she was adept Mage, a true daughter of Lilith with a instinctive grasp of the mechanics of Life and the embrace only heightened these skills. While the men of the Neteru set the powers of pharaoh against Warlord, Isis made alliances. The Cult of Thoth controlled the Scribes and the Chief Ministers while Sutekh and Osiris, and later Horus, battled to control the Pharoah's, but Isis controlled the Harem's and thus the Queens. By the time a man became Pharaoh and attracted the attention of the men, he had already been a Prince for years and his earliest influences were female. By controlling the Queens Isis controlled change, the agency of the future.

She could achieve great compromises in her marriage bed by the subtle breaching of delicate subjects in the post coital moments when her husband was as weak as all men become in that moment. These favours and concessions she bartered for other conciliations and in small ways she made life and Unlife a little easier in Khem. Her friendship with the wives, Queens, concubines and daughters of the other great leaders made her a powerful force for diplomacy and negotiation beside the Nile. Across Khem the pillow talk and words of seduction in the harems and lotus dens was a tool of Isis, it was her web, a veil of night.

No one, perhaps even Isis herself, truly realised how wide this net was cast. It fell over the Bubastis and the Simba, the Mokole and the Garou, the Magi, priests, merchants, Desert princes, Haibiru, Soldiers, Slaves and scribes. It took a great tragedy to quantify her power. The siege of Par-Bast, when Sutekh sent his armies to the Children of the moon, led to Isis calling in all of her allies. The resultant underground force was enough to save Queen Bast and many of her subjects and to thwart Sutekh's first open move for power. It also ensured that Sutekh would never again leave his older sister out of his plans for vengeance.

Initiation
-Acolytes
She, wild web, wondrous robe
Mantles the guilty globe
And men are meant to share
Her life as life does air

THE THREADS IN THE NET

Ascension for the Veil of Isis magi is no different to the goals of the mundane Priesthood, a matter of achieving Maat and the defeat of Apophis the devourer and the other agents of Izfet. Maat itself is a personal matter, a doctrine not of following an outside Dogma but of being true to ones own expectations. When Judgement is decreed the Heart of the individual is weighed against the feather of Maat and no religious text or guru will be able to effect the outcome. To some, the difficult path of Maat resembles the Bushido walked by Samurai of the east in that it is a thankless task and only the practitioner is aware of her achievements or failures.

To the Priesthood, existence is out of balance due to the proliferation of the agents of darkness. If Vampires stalk the night, Demons roam free and the forces of Evil prey upon mankind there needs to be an equal amount of benign entities to ensure that the world exists in harmony. They are taught that they must work unflinchingly to promote the ethics of Maat because the world lacks balance, but that good and evil are both essential. The Priesthood are taught that for every success they gain, the scales are tipped and the enemy is made aware of their victory. Each time Maat is strengthened by an individual, she must expect the darkness to rewrite the balance. For the Mages this is most often seen as the cause of Paradox but for all members of the Cult it grants an explanation for life's miseries large or small. This philosophy lends the Priesthood a stoic outlook upon life and death that might seem cold to outsiders. Death and misfortune are accepted without passion because all know that the price of their faith is balance.

The story of Set and Osiris is used to teach how the world was intended to work, portraying both Gods as half of the scales. Those who mistake Osiris as a wonderful patriarch are reminded of his crimes and failings while educated upon the glory of Set's battles to protect Ra from Apophis. Characters like Horus are also used to illustrate the difficult path the Veil must tread. Isis gave her son Immortality to preserve Maat, so he might ascend his fathers throne without the hindrances of the Vampiric beast, but he was obsessed with his revenge and could not see the larger picture. To Isis and her devotees, Horus is a failure. The Veil must work hard to avoid hubris and distraction while maintaining a personal code of honour. How the Vampire Queen herself manages to retain her control is unknown but at the very least she walks a rigid and unique path of enlightenment that is a reflection of the struggle her mortal priestesses must face.

Kher-minu
The Tomb Watchers - Crafters of Amulets
Throughout its existence the Veil of Isis have watched over the corpses of their beloved dead. Some of this cadavers were truly dead, while others were the dormant forms of the undying, a few were the actual Vampires who remained loyal to the Goddess. Their duty led them to recruit morticians, as well as architects and builders. They are skilled in the building and securing of tombs and havens, and in magical devices. As befits their role as defenders of bodies and tombs, the Kher-minu specialize in spells that create magical amulets and revere Ptah as their patron God.
Whether safeguarding the bodies of their dearest companions, beloved family or their own mummified remains, the Tomb Watchers follow a purpose that is as noble as their new forms are elegant. Ultimately they try to protect the existence and well being of every living thing.

Khri-habi
The Scroll-bearers - Masters of the Art of Alchemy
Those of the veil of Isis described as the Khri-habi are all Mages or sorcerers of one description or another, charged with casting the spells essential for the Cults continued existence. It is members of the Khri-habi who conduct the Spell of Life and who maintain the mundane legacies of the Undying while they are dormant. Their training as healers and sorcerer-priests appears in the Khri-habi's talent for Alchemy. As alchemy seeks to turn base metals into gold, so the Khri-habi seek to purify the bodies and minds of those they encounter. Their ultimate goal is to heal the world of the evils of Apophis.

Mesektet
The Night Suns, or Vessels of Ra - Seers of the Celestial
Members of the Mesektet cult serve as advisors and seers for the veil of Isis, as well as interpreters for the will of the Gods. They understand Ma'at most completely and are dedicated to thwarting the agents of Izfet such as Apophis (the Wyrm), Sutekh (and his Nak followers) and the Infernal.
The Night Suns search for the signs of fate in the heavens while striving to bring the will of the gods to the earth.

Sakhmu
The Spirit Sceptres - Artificers of Effigy (Ushabti)
Sakhmu retain the role of Priests much as it existed in ancient Khem. They beseech the gods for aid and to attend to the needs and ceremonies of the divine. Daily they must lie out food for the statues of the Gods and see to their dressing and adoration. These statues, the physical manifestations of the divine spiritual beings, become all important to the Sakhmu priests and priestesses, and no other cult is more attuned to the Ushabti and golems of the temples. The Spirit Sceptres continually seek a greater understanding of their role as eternal link between the two worlds. By studying living creatures, especially the unique natures of both the Undead and the undying, Sakhmu gain a greater understanding of how Matter and spirit coexist in life. They see that they are the hand of a greater architect and skilfully bring the power of the spiritual realms to the art they craft. Insight into the spirit world inspires the Sakhmu to invest their crafts with the spark of the divine. The Sakhmu have long had a close relationship with those Shapeshifters who work with the Veil of Isis. The shared philosophy of the two groups has been beneficial to both and members of the Silent strider tribe of garou, the Bubastis Bastet and the Heri-Shi Mokole are often found alongside the Sakhmu.

Sefekhi
The Unbandaged Ones - Adepts of Necromancy
In the years that followed the Diaspora, aspects of the Cult of Isis and the Hem-ka-Sobk joined together. The aesthetic self-flagellation and self-denial of the Sunu allowed the newly emerged Sefekhi to work with the darkest aspects of the soul, the Khaibit. The Khaibit is the driving and aggressive essence of the being. It epitomizes drive of all sorts: rage and lust as well as the desire for mastery and success. Even the Egyptians feared its unrestricted animalistic urges. The Sefekhi perform the most violent and dangerous sacred tasks, accepting the burdens of sin and Izfet for their actions. Occasionally found in the company of vampires, the Sefekhi rarely if ever dwell in close proximity to other devotees of Isis; instead they flock to inner city communities and urban havens. These darkly aspected followers carry out assassinations, infiltrations and conduct the most forbidden of magic from their havens.

Udja-sen
- Masters of Nomenclature (Ren Hekau)


Ashukhi

Eset-a

Concepts

Stereotypes

The Mages of the Veil of Isis are closest to the Verbena model, specialising in the Life Sphere and revelling in the carnal aspects of existence. They respect the skills of the midwife and the mother, and as such have held a role in the Middle east that echoes that of the Western witches. The Spheres of Prime and Spirit hold a specifically religious significance to the Priestly Mages, and the control over Time, Matter and Correspondence is a gift from Isis herself. Only those who walk in Ma'at can practice mind magic, or so they believe and Entropy is only manipulated by those whose devotion to Ma'at is strong enough to deal with its opposing force. Entropy is viewed as the paradigm of Izfet, even in the aspects that are recognisably benign, and Mages who cannot grasp the importance of the duality are proscribed from seeking any abilities with the Sphere.

Unsurprisingly their rotes are similar to the Hekau of the Undying; Advise sought through fortune telling (Celestial) is incredibly important to the Veil of Isis, no major action is taken without first consulting the stars, the flight of sacred Ibis or the flow of menstrual blood over holy symbols. The Magic of ancient Egypt eventually split between the Hermetic cult of Thoth and the synergetic and sympathetic style of the Veil of Isis, but for both philosophies the creation of powerful Foci (Effigy, Amulets and Alchemy) allowed the magic to take on a small degree of permanence. The veil of Isis is renown for its production of Talismans and objects with magically enhanced sigils, even the lowliest acolytes have small amulets and items of protection that match the Heart Scarabs and symbols of office found on Mummys.

The second skill for which the Veil of Isis is renowned is the Spell of Life and its derivatives (Necromancy) and the skills required for the preservation and protection of corpses. Both the Undying and the Undead benefit from the Cults manipulation of Matter and entropy in the upkeep of their lifeless bodies. Those undying allied to the Priesthood are able to reanimate their Khat much easier and need spend less Sekhem to reform and repair them. The Veils understanding of the Egyptian practice of Ren Hekau (Nomenclature) runs parallel to what they consider True Magick. Both the use of Quintessence, depicted in art as rays extending from the Eye or disk of Re and the manipulation of the Spheres, which they identify with different members of the Ennead (see Cult of Thoth for a detailed explanation of the Egyptian view on Magical practices). These latter spheres of magick were the specialisation of the Cult of Thoth, but much of the Priesthood of Isis were considered to have more than a passing skill in the magick of Hieroglyph and symbology.

Organisation
Each Chantry ( Temple) of the Veil, called the House of Life, maintains a simply Hierarchy. A head Priestess representing Isis herself is aided by a secondary acolyte, the Nephthys, and for many Temples these two form the entire household. Larger Chantry's are arranged below these two, with roles set aside for the High priests; the Fortune tellers, Scholars and teachers, who wear Ibis headed masks in important ceremony. Below them are the The Anubis masked funerary staff (often Acolytes who are medical students or working paramedics in the sleeping world), the members of the Cult responsible for Healing others and for preserving the Khat of the Undying. Next in line are the Horus masked guards and general laity who are expected to carry out the menial tasks such as food preparation and cleaning duties. Outsiders and guests will never see the deepest rituals and would never observe the cultists in their full ceremonial garb, with masks and gold ornaments.

The largest Temples carry out countless other duties, from the feeding and dressing of statues to the careful study of internet and media sources for signs of the agents of Izfet. Areas are set aside in which the unoccupied Khat of the Undying can be stored while they sojourn in the shadow lands and it is not unusual for these areas to be opened up to house Vampiric allies or to hide those fleeing from mortal or supernatural establishment. Most Temples have managed to obtain permission to store the bodies of the deceased as practitioners of a 'pagan' religion. A shared body of knowledge allows the Veil to carry out their duties in the modern world without running afoul of the authorities.

Common Magicks

THE SPELL OF LIFE

This is simply an idea about what the Spell of life might involve. I wrote it for a scene in a Game I never ran and only include it here for the sake of completeness. Take what you like and ignore the rest. - Spike.

The process varied from age to age in Egypt, but the key elements remain consistent as is usual for sympathetic magic. It always involved removing the internal organs (which were replaced, after treatment), treating the body with resin, natron and various other unguents, and wrapping it in linen bandages that have been inscribed with spells. The Magic's involved were long and protracted, requiring long periods of preparation for the materials beforehand and over 70 days to perform the rite correctly after the first Death of the body. The minimum requirement of practitioners is three; the supplicant (the Undying), the head priestess (representing Isis) and her assistant (representing Nephthys). The supplicant petitions the two Goddess, often swearing oaths as to how he will serve them as Isis and Nephthys and as representatives of the Veiled Priesthood.

The supplicant:
May the king of Egypt be gracious to me, that I may live on his grace.
May I greet the Mistress of the Land who is in his palace,
and hear the behests of her children. Then may my limbs grow young again;
for old age has descended; weakness has overtaken me,
my eyes are heavy and my arms faint; my legs fail to follow, my heart weary;
I am near to death!
May they conduct me to the Cities of Eternity, may I follow the Lady to the Limit,
Then may she tell me that all is well with her children;
may she traverse eternity over me!
(From the 'Tale of Sinuhe')

In the earliest days of the Veil of Isis, when the Goddess herself still performed all the rites, any imperfections in the supplicant's mortal body were corrected at this point (through Magic and the powers of Vampire blood) so that he approached immortality in perfect health. The supplicant is then ritually slain by Nephthys and the second part (the Post Mortem section) of the Ritual is begun. The cord that ties the Soul together, the thread usually severed by death, is made impervious to all outside forces. While the Body might become dormant through lack of its spiritual components, this state is a temporary one. The Fragments of the Soul that travel beyond the physical realm are still bound to the corpse and will eventually return, thus reanimating the whole collective.

This binding together of the soul prevents the portion that usually ascends to Heaven from making that journey, it also circumvents the troubles encountered when parts of the soul need to cross the gauntlet between the Shadowlands and the skinlands. Parts of the Ritual conducted on earth echo across the gauntlet and allow the Supplicants Wraith to battle the forces of Apophis he meets their. This is a very dangerous time for all involved because the powerful spell appears to act as a clarion call to the Baneful spirits attached to Apep.

Isis (the head priestess):
Come thou to me quickly
since I desire to see thy face after not having seen thy face ..
my heart is hot at thy wrongful seperation;
I yearn for thy love towards me
Come! be not alone! be not far off!

While the First priestess takes the role of Isis the grieving wife, wailing and gnashing her teeth, her sisters actions are vastly contradictory. Nephthys role is far more salacious. She dances and sings, tempting the soul back to the body with sweet smelling fruits, wine libations and her own naked form, which she rubs across the corpse, covering it with erotic kisses and whispering carnal promises into its ears. Yet again the importance of the spiritual is not allowed to overshadow the physical so that Ma'at is kept in Balance.

Nephthys (the second Priestess):
Draw nigh, so please you, to us
We miss life through Lack of Thee

Should the Wraith survive its terrifying journey and manage to gather the requisite power and self awareness to return and if the Priestesses have completed the ritual perfectly, then the Undying may arise. Ba, Ka, Ren, Ab, Sekhem, Khu, Khaibit, Sahu and Akh are rejoined and a Mummy is created.

In recent years the Dja-akh or Spirit storm has made life difficult for the Undying in the Shadowlands. For many this Maelstrom has managed to bring about the unthinkable and the thread is broken. The Undying suffers the same horrendous fate as the Akh that live in Amennti, most of whom are lost to Oblivion. The portions of the Undying soul are rent asunder and can no longer return to re-animate the Body (Khat), leaving little if anything of the previous Supernatural being. As time goes on the Veil of Isis fears it will see less and less of the original Undying return from their sojourn beyond the gauntlet and those who do return will be greatly diminished and far from complete.

Occasionally these wind tossed scraps of soul manage to fight there way back to the skinlands, especially those that once formed part of the Undying, of Mages, Vampires, Kings and Heroes, those who were already endowed with power or virtue in life. These soul fragments desperately seek refuge and a few of them manage to find a recently dead corpse with sufficient emotional residue to allow them to re-animate it. The power of life flows into the corpse, burning away the weak portions of its own soul. The fragment of an ancient Egyptian soul replaces the flawed or impure portion of the modern soul, and it is called a tem-akh, or "completing spirit." The new soul joins seamlessly with old; the newly empowered soul merges once more with the body.

The resurrected individual is now in a race against time. Should it manage to find a member of the Veil of Isis it can petition the priesthood to have a weakened and less powerful Spell of Life performed upon it, allowing it to remain in the skinlands, in effect resurrecting it as a lesser Undying or Amenti. This 'Mummy' gains a second chance at life, but will one day have to face the same spirit storm that tore it asunder, and risking the same fate again.

These new, unchosen reborn, referred to formally as an Amenti in honour of the lost city of the dead, are fortuitous in finding a Cult of Isis only to happy to bargain immortality in return for servitude. While it is true that the Tem-akh were often important and well aspected Wraiths in the Dark Kingdom of sand, it is just as possible for darker or less deserving souls to have survived and crawled back to the land of the living, only time will tell how many Amennti are friend and how many are Foe.