Amaunotep
"I do not regret what I have become. There is nothing I would not do for my people." -Amaunotep, The Forsaken PrinceThe term "hero" does not mean the same thing on Covenant as it means elsewhere. Just because one is marked as a hero does not mean they aren't vilified by their own people. This describes few heroes more than it does the Kemetan hero Amaunotep, now an accursed being known as the Forsaken Prince.
Physical Description
Body Features
In many ways, The Forsaken Prince resembles a mummy, even if he is technically not the same manner of being. His tan skin is leathery and withered, bearing the weight of the ages. His limbs are thin and wizened from the decay that touched him.
Even in his state between life and death, Amaunotep's regal features remained. His constant stoic expression only seems to heighten his sense of dignity, never changing no matter what happens. His white, cloudy eyes seem to bear ancient and forgotten knowledge.
Apparel & Accessories
During his life, Amaunotep was a mage-priest in service to Anubis. After his curse, he maintains this appearance. He is dressed in the ceremonial attire of those who still serve that god. Stories tell that he continues to wear these trappings to mock the god responsible for his deathless condition.
He also carries two symbols of his former life. The first is his spellbook, a scroll case emblazoned with an ankh, as if in mockery of what he has become. The other is a staff that once bore the jackal-like head of Anubis, now melted almost beyond all recognition. The melted jackal has since become a symbol of the Forsaken Prince.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Originally, Amaunotep was the youngest son of the pharaoh Atensenaten IV, born in the palace at Samaphis. Unlikely to ever inherit the throne, he entered the service of the temple of Anubis. Unlike many of his fellow priests, he had an aptitude for arcane magic that his fellows nurtured to better understand and fight dark necromancy.
Around this time, the Wild Hunt appeared in the sky. At first, none knew what it meant, even after word stopped coming from some towns along the River Sebt. Any who tried to investigate simply never returned, and no one knew what happened to them.
Eventually, a party of adventurers did discover what had occurred. Strange creatures-- later known as mind flayers-- from beyond the world had enslaved the minds of the people of these towns. They were building an army, and their territory was spreading. The Kemetan army was rallied but they, too fell victim to these creatures.
This was when Amaunotep came up with a plan. He believed that the mind flayers would be unable to control undead raised through dark magic. Even over the objections of his fellow priests, he raised the honored dead under his command. Sure enough, he was correct. Those foul creatures were unable to control his minions.
The war was very short, and the mind flayers scattered. Still, even though he had saved Kemet, he had broken their most deeply-rooted taboos to do it and in so doing he'd become something else in their eyes. The Kemetan people feared him even more than than they did the mind flayers, even when he released his army back to death.
What was worse by far was that he had broken every vow he'd made in Anubis's name. The god of death would not allow this insult to stand. In response, he cast a terrible curse on Amaunotep the likes of which none had ever seen. He was banished from life and yet barred from death.
The curse has made Amaunotep truly immortal. No matter what injuries he sustains, death cannot claim him. He will continue to exist even when the desert sands are reduced to nothing. During his unending life, he will continue to protect his people, whether they want it or not.
Legends
No matter how vilified Amaunotep is he remains a hero, and is a subject of many stories. Unlike those of most heroes, save those of unbridled villainy like Karad Blackheart, his stories are darker. Kemetan parents tell their children of the dark deeds of the Forsaken Prince in an attempt to scare them into obedience. Other stories tell of what he does with his power. They say he lies in his deep, dark tomb making plots even the gods lack the wisdom to see. Rumor has it he bestows some of his power to others to serve his designs, which have become completely alien to mortal man after centuries of unfeeling immortality. His immortality has had another unintended effect, however. There are those who worship the Forsaken Prince as a god. Due to his poor reputation, only the most vile would actually worship him. Despite this devotion, there is no way the gods of Covenant would allow another to join them.Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild
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