a moment in time (campaign bkgrnd)

8/9/2019 A Moment in Time (Campaign Bkgrnd)

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1 Nonarchy: a societal group where the members are all

entirely equal and considered well-educated enough and

possessed of such common sense that no leadership or

government is needed. Such groups govern themselves. No form of hierarchy is imposed on the populace. No one is better

or more important than anyone else.



Character Races

There are 7 races to choose from...

Pesedjer(Humans)

The last of the Divine Races created by the greater gods ofKhemti is the one that has gone on to forge the greatest destinyHumans are a proud and ambitious race. Their status as thecreation of the gods assembled, rather than a single deity,gives them a confidence that often borders on arrogance, butnonetheless leads to some incredible achievements. Humanswork well with members of the other Divine Races; they knowthat each older race offers a focus from which humanity canbenefit.

Asari(Halflings) As the favoured creations of Osiris, the Asari embody much ofwhat the Lord of Life holds as his dominion. They share in theduality of their divine patron, and are both a fun-loving, butdeeply spiritual race. The most capable and exacting ofKhemtian priests hail from the ranks of these devout people,and their fundamental understanding of the cycles of life anddeath exceeds that of most any other race. Long ago, humans

coined the nickname “halflings” in reference to the Asari’s sizeand appearance, and the term has stuck through the long agessince. Today, the nickname has lost any derogatory connotationit may once have held, though this term is still rarely used inwriting or in a formal setting.

Anpur (Gnolls)In the depths of the Red Land and the farthest reaches of theBlack dwells a frightening race of jackal-headed humanoids.To other races, they are known as Gnolls, from the elven word“engnol,” for jackal, but the children of Anubis call themselves the Anpur. They are a mysterious people, feared by others fortheir predatory visage and a fascination with death making eventhe afterlife-obsessed Khemtians nervous. Some of the Anpurleave their brethren to interact with human society, but mostkeep to themselves until they need something. And what the

gnolls need, they take.

Peseshet(Half-Elves)

As the bearers of divine fertility, elven women have occasion tomate with non-elves. This usually happens when a non-elvenmale captures the heart of an elven woman, but it also happenswhen elven concubines are impregnated by their non-elvenlords. (This is more common in Upper Khemti than anywhereelse). Whatever the cause, the results of these unions are thePeseshet (the “divided ones”), commonly known as half -elves.These creatures fall into one of two broad categories. A “first generation” peseshet is someone whose parents werefullblooded members of their respective races: a dwarf, gnome,gnoll, or human father, and an elven mother, while those whoseparentage springs from another half-elf are considered “second

generation”— this is the case no matter how many generationsaway the elven blood actually is. Whatever blessing is that flowsthrough the veins of elf women, it is not passed on to theirhalfelven daughters. Half-elves have children with half-elf, elf, orhuman partners.

Ptahmenu(Dwarves)

Wherever one looks in Khemti, one sees copious evidence ofthe skill of this race of artisans, builders and engineers. Fromthe time of Creation, the finest tombs, temples and homes havebeen designed and built by the hands of these small wonders.The favoured creations of Ptah, the Great Creator, thePtahmenu claim to be the oldest of the Divine Races and, as

such, are anextremely proud people. During the golden age ofKhemti, society publicly admired and revered them for theirskills. As Khemtian society spiraled downward, however,humanity saw and treated them as little more than slaves.During the days before the rebellion, condescending humanslavers referred to them as “dwarves,” while the rest of societyusually called them “Ptah-men,” a pithy if harmless corruption oftheir formal name. Since the latter term had no stronglynegative connotation, it is the one the race has “allowed” toremain in usage after the rebellion. Today, nobody would referto one as a dwarf (or call him that to his face!) unless he waslooking for a fight.

Sutekhra(Gnomes)

The favoured creations of the dark god Set have single-

handedlymaintained their own interests throughout history. Evenduring Khemti’s darkest periods, the Sutekhra seemed to putthemselves in the best positions so they could escape theworst.It’s said that they sense what’s to come, like an animal with a coming storm, and then react accordingly —preemptively.To be fair, much of this comes from the fact that the Sutekhraoccupy exploitable positions, so that some of the most capablecouncilors, diplomats, advisors and government officialsthroughout Khemtian history have hailed from their ranks. Earlyin history, the race made a conscious effort to dissociate itselffrom its own origins, at least as far as society was concerned,and began commonly referring to one of its own as a “gnome,”from their own word meaning “trusted one.” Of course, there is also a second meaning; “nome” is the Khemtian word for

official or district, and the two sound identical to the human ear. Although technically reserved for those who actively worshipSet, whatever their race, people often use the term “Setite”interchangeably with the term “gnome,” since the race isinextricably linked with its creator. Occasionally, an individualgnome will object to this blanket association, but most simplysmile at its mention.

Esitri (Elves)

The Esetiri are a magical and artistic people. Some of thegreatest poets, dancers, lovers and musicians in all of Khemtihave Esetiri blood coursing through their veins, and the race isconsidered by many to be the keepers and inheritors of divineartistic inspiration. They are also the source and symbol of

fertility among the Divine Races, and elven women can bearthe children of the males of any other Divine Race—except,for some reason, the children of her husband, Osiris. Thoughfavored creations of the goddess Isis, and exult in her witheverybreath they take, they understand well the power of namesand they revere hers above all others. Thus, it is the Esetirithemselves who coined the colloquial term for their kind— “elves,” from the Esetiri word “eleva,” meaning “inheritor” — that is widely used today. They prefer the formal term informal settings, but prefer the other in common parlance.

a moment in time (campaign bkgrnd)

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