There are five guilds of the Arisen from the Nameless Empire that have survived to the modern day and operate openly (to Arisen, that is), and possibly a sixth one known as the Deceived which operates in secret. These guilds were once the dominant middle class of the old kingdom, each led by seven of the Shan'iatu, but with the fall of the empire they have continued their work and their service to the Judges of Duat in a more clandestine way throughout the globe. Guilds are often central to a mummy's existence, and form one of the most potent magical resources they have access to, as many Utterances and Affinities are restricted to certain guilds[1]. However, while rare, it is not unheard of for mummies to switch guilds[2].
The five great guilds, and their favored vessels, are...
- Maa-Kep, the Engravers of Amulets, who are the grand puppet-masters of the Arisen. Their favored vessels are amulets.
- Mesen-Nebu, the First Alchemists and transformers, who create power from raw materials both human and inanimate. They favor regia vessels.
- Sesha-Hebsu, the Inscribers of Texts, who remain the scholars and loremasters of the Arisen as well as the keepers of law and custom. Unsurprisingly, they favor texts.
- Su-Menent, the Shepherds of the Shell and priests of the dead, who serves as the spiritual leaders of the Arisen and as the impartial and relentless servants of Fate. They favor uter vessels.
- Tef-Aabhi, the Builders of Effigies, once the masons and engineers of ancient Irem and now the architects of much more. They favor effigies.
Additionally, there are four minor guilds[3]. These minor guilds consist of individuals from Irem who did not undergo the proper Rite of Return, and are instead cursed with "incomplete immortality"[3], and thus are not truly Arisen. These four guilds are
- The Deceived: Consisting of those who claimed to be eldest of the Shan'iatu, and the mortals who served them. In Irem, the Akhem-Urtu served as priests and protectors of the Pharaohs. Now, they hide in the shadows, and even the Arisen don't know about their continued existence[4].
- The Kher-Minu: Irem's foot soldiers, subject to an earlier version of the Rite of Return, which shunted their souls into objects[5]. Their neolith tend to be small, and easily portable, so they may be revived and sent into battle again.
- The Maar-Kherit: Irem's healers and physicians. They were horrified at Rite of Return, believing that death was a natural part of life. For this, the Shan'iatu massacred them, and told the citizens that the healers were quarantined in their guildhall. When some members of the Maar-Kherit's sister-guild, the Su-Menent discovered what had really happened to them, they attempted their own Rite to bring back the Maar-Kherit. It went horribly wrong, condeming the Maar-Kherit to an eternity of constant agony, unable to even enter henet as the Arisen do[6]. Their Relics are ankhs.
- The Wadjet-Itja: A guild of lesser oracles in Irem. Their guildmaster in Irem was not a member of the Shan'iatu, but gambled with them, and learned magic this way. He conducted his own version of the Rite on the Wadjet-Itja. It went well enough that the members of this guild consider themselves true Arisen. They have no Relics, only the tools of their trade (such as dice or tarot cards)[7].
Organization[]
In each nome there are typically seven guildmasters, with the two strongest guilds having a consequently greater presence. In larger cities (such as Cairo or London) there are two for every guild, making a total of ten strong mummies who give direction to the others. While an Obloquy, the process which would allow a mummy's status in a guild to be questioned, is an affair of a guildmaster, it must be started by a regular member[8].
All guilds use the terms apprentice, journeyman, and master, as well as Nome related titles derived from Irem (such as Priest of Duat or nomarch)[8]. Guilds also have specialized internal terms for members (such as the Tp-a Priests from the Su-Menent, or the M'shakabiu from the Sesha-Hebsu)[8].
References[]
- MTC: Mummy: The Curse Rulebook, p. 10, 31-55, 64, 66-68, 70, 79-81, 98, 113, 145-146, 216
- ↑ MTC: Guildhalls of the Deathless p.79
- ↑ MTC: Guildhalls of the Deathless p.17
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 MTC: The Book of Lasting Death, p.9
- ↑ MTC: The Book of Lasting Death, p.11
- ↑ MTC: The Book of Lasting Death, p.16
- ↑ MTC: The Book of Lasting Death, p.20
- ↑ MTC: The Book of Lasting Death, p.23-24
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 MTC: Guildhalls of the Deathless p.5
