Naktamunian

The citizens of Amonkhet begin training for the trials of the five gods at a very young age. Children as young as five years old are invited to become acolytes—the first stage of their spiritual development. An annual ceremony serves as a rite of passage for these youths, marking the beginning of their journey toward the afterlife.
After completing their training and the construction of the obelisk that will be defended during the Trial of Solidarity, a crop of acolytes is finally prepared to stand before the five gods in the Ceremony of Measurement. Those who are judged worthy are asked to continue their journey toward the afterlife as the God-Pharaoh’s initiates. Others are selected by individual gods to take an alternative route to the afterlife, becoming viziers in service to the gods. But some stand in the light of the two suns and are deemed unworthy of either course, lacking in the virtues necessary to secure entry into the afterlife. In particular, acolytes who doubt the God-Pharaoh’s teachings or the way of life in Naktamun are culled from the crop and exiled from the city-state.

Humans

Of the five humanoid races of Amonkhet, humans are the most diverse and adaptable. Different humans train in a wide variety of fighting styles, including those particularly favoured by other races. A human mage might use any of the five colours of mana, while mages of other races focus on one of only two colours. Human viziers serve all five gods, and different human initiates excel in different trials. Humans defy trends and categorization, and opponents who face a human in one-on-one combat can’t know what kind of fight to expect—from the foresight and cunning often associated with Kefnet, to a ruthlessness that emulates Bontu. At the beginning of such a fight, this uncertainty can give an edge to the human combatant.
Once the fight has begun, of course, victory relies on different factors. But here, the human drive toward perfection once more tilts the scales in their favor. Humans are willing to go to any length, exhausting all available options, to reach the pinnacle of achievement and win the favor of the God-Pharaoh.
As diverse as they are in most respects, the humans of Amonkhet share a drive toward perfection. However, they approach this challenge differently. Some humans specialize in a relatively narrow set of skills, while others seek to master a wide range.
Perfection through Specialization. Humans who choose a path of specialization often piously identify with one of the five gods (often as a vizier), and thus focus on one aspect of perfection. For them, the best way to earn a place in the afterlife is to hone a single facet of their character to the utmost quality, and as initiates, they hope to put that quality to use in all five trials. A mage initiate who identifies with Hazoret might cultivate zeal above all other virtues, master spells of fiery magic to channel that powerful emotion, and rely on raw energy and enthusiasm to get through the four trials leading up to Hazoret’s final test. An initiate dedicated to Oketra, on the other hand, relies on cooperation, solidarity, and teamwork to get through the trials—even Bontu’s Trial of Ambition, which attempts to break down such bonds.
To Oketra’s disciple, ambition means a drive to help an entire crop of initiates achieve glory together, rather than exalting oneself over others. Humans with this viewpoint see their chosen virtue colouring all others and believe that the five gods offer their people a choice of which virtue to emulate and emphasise.
Perfection through Balance. Other humans believe that true perfection lies in mastering all the virtues, without giving preference to any one over the others. They compare themselves to multifaceted stones whose beauty lies in the polished perfection of every facet. These humans are careful not to let their skills in one area outshine their other efforts, and if they grow too accomplished in one set of skills, they set it aside to concentrate their training on others until their abilities are in balance once more.
Philosophically, such humans believe that the gods are five in number so as to remind the people of Amonkhet not to focus their attention on a single god or a single virtue but to serve the gods equally and master their teachings to the same degree. Thus they hope to achieve a balanced state of perfection that will guarantee their admission into the afterlife.

Aven

Aven have humanlike bodies, arms, and legs, along with birdlike wings and heads. Two distinct varieties of aven are found in Naktamun. One has the head of a hawk or similar bird of prey, with short wings allowing fast flight. The other variety has the head of an ibis atop a long neck, with wide, angular wings better suited to soaring. All aven have lean bodies with feathers extending from their heads down to their shoulders.
Aven delight in flying above their foes, using their superior mobility to confound and outpace their opponents. They love soaring through the sky as well, though the Hekma limits their altitude. Like all people of Naktamun, they are grateful for the Hekma’s protective magic, of course. But they keenly anticipate the hour when the God-Pharaoh will return and dissolve the veil, letting them fly without limit in the afterlife.
Spellcasters are common among ibis-headed aven drawn to follow the teachings of Kefnet. Their physical resemblance to the god of knowledge is reflected in the metal discipline, focus, and confidence for which aven spellcasters are known. They wield magic of air, wind, and sometimes water to buffet their foes, enhance their own flight, and counter enemy attacks. Hawk-headed aven who follow the path of the mage are more likely to learn sand-based magic that can cloud the air, blast their foes, or bury enemies in living dunes.
Hawk-headed aven are often drawn to master techniques of long-range combat, whether the javelin that is the preferred weapon of many, the bow, or other thrown weapons. Whatever weapon they use, aven hover and swoop in the air above the fray, seeking the opportune moment to strike in exactly the right place. In line with the teachings of the god of solidarity, they often fly in tight formations with other aven in their crops, supporting and protecting each other. Aven take great pride in the precision of their attacks, relying on their keen vision and superior vantage points. They view the sharp tip of a javelin or arrow as a symbol of their love for precision, and some initiates maintain carefully tended collections of spearheads or arrowheads.
A relatively small number of aven of both varieties end up focusing on hand-to-hand combat. Even there, they use their ability to fly to great advantage, often swooping down on their foes from a great height. The speed and power of a blow from a diving aven can be utterly devastating, but such a strike poses a tremendous risk to the aven as well as the target. An aven who fails to pull up from the dive in time can suffer even worse injuries than the target of the attack. Aven often minimize this risk by hurling javelins while they dive, then pulling up early after a successful throw.

Khenra

The khenra of Amonkhet are tall and lean, with graceful bodies and heads that strongly resemble jackals. Their snouts are long and sharp, and their angular ears rise straight above their heads. Their bodies are covered in dark, sleek hair that ranges from the brown of the desert sands to ebony black. Despite their sharp teeth, they consider biting to be an uncouth and unworthy combat tactic.
Nearly every khenra is born a fraternal or identical twin, and a pair of khenra twins forms an extremely close emotional bond unknown to most other residents of Amonkhet. The death of one twin in training or the trials causes a tremendous shock to the survivor, who typically grows more aggressive and foolhardy in battle. The rare khenra who are born without twins are believed to have killed their siblings in the womb, and are thus viewed as natural-born initiates, sure to achieve a glorified death in the Trial of Zeal.
Many khenra believe that they are created in the image of Hazoret, and though they venerate all five gods in the manner of all citizens of Naktamun, they have a special affinity for the teachings and philosophy of the god of zeal. These khenra share a deep love of combat, especially hand-to-hand fighting, and they devote themselves to their training with particular intensity.
The familial bond experienced in the Family Temple of Hazoret’s monument is a part of every khenra’s experience as one of a pair of twins. As such, these khenra sometimes think of themselves as Hazoret’s children even before they finish the fourth trial. For her part, Hazoret seems to favor khenra among her viziers, and some say that she shows particular favor to khenra initiates who survive to reach the Trial of Zeal.
Other khenra choose to distance themselves from Hazoret and the reckless battle frenzy she encourages. They devote themselves instead to honing their physical strength, resilience, and adaptability, inspired and guided by the teachings of Rhonas. These khenra have a great fondness for wrestling (or tussling, as they often call it), and they keep careful track of the matches they win and lose against other initiates. They often seek out matches against minotaurs, enjoying the challenge of pitting their sinewy strength against the brute muscle of larger and heavier opponents.

Minotaurs

Minotaurs are powerfully built, barrel-chested humanoids with heads resembling rams. Their horns curl tightly against the sides of their heads to encircle their ears, and manes of shaggy fur—shorter in females—fall over their broad shoulders. As their appearance suggests, they combine physical strength with stubbornness, bravado, and reckless bravery. They revel in combat, especially when the odds against them seem overwhelming.
Minotaurs are rowdy, boisterous, and direct to the point of rudeness. They have no qualms about declaring what they want and defying others to keep it from them. In combat, they bellow loud challenges in defiance of their foes, and roar with laughter as they triumph. Minotaurs believe they hold a unique place among the races of Amonkhet. The khenra can look to Hazoret, the naga to Rhonas, and the aven to Kefnet to see themselves represented among the gods. Humans have no single god to look to, which explains why they demonstrate such variety. But only one god bears a pair of curving horns: the God-Pharaoh himself, who holds a special place for many of the minotaurs of Amonkhet.
Even those minotaurs who feel personal affinity for the horned God-Pharaoh align themselves most closely with Bontu and Hazoret in practice. Driven by a fierce and powerful desire to prove themselves, to earn glory in life, and to win a glorious death, they view every challenge or obstacle as a chance to demonstrate their prowess. With ruthless abandon, they slash, batter, and pummel their way through anyone or anything that stands in the way of their own advancement. With reckless fervor, they fight without heed for their own safety, shrugging off the blows of their enemies.

Naga

Naga resemble enormous snakes with shoulders, arms, and a torso that resembles a humanoid form. They typically hold their heads and torsos off the ground while moving, but they can increase their speed by lowering their bodies and using their hands for extra propulsion. They adorn their torsos with armor, jewelry, and a vague nod toward the clothing worn by other races. Male naga have broad hoods, wider than their shoulders, while females have narrower hoods and longer faces. Naga believe in a principle called the Sweetest Harmony, which describes a perfect balance between the body and the mind. Finding that balance, as they understand it, is a sure path to glory in the trials, since a combination of physical and mental preparation will ensure success in every trial. For an example of this Sweetest Harmony, they point to the Luxa river and the land it nourishes, which exist in a delicate and life-giving balance. Either one without the other would be diminished and useless. Just so, mental strength supports physical capabilities, and physical fortitude feeds mental tenacity, so neither mind nor body can exist in isolation. In the same way, the naga believe that Kefnet and Rhonas exist in interdependence, and that their trials are best conceived as two halves of a whole. But in practice, as much as they strive for balance and harmony, most naga identify more strongly with one god than the other.
To the benefit of those naga who struggle with the ideal of the Sweetest Harmony, the training of acolytes encourages specialization. Thus, naga who follow in the path of the snake-headed god Rhonas can cultivate their physical strength as they specialize in hand-to-hand combat styles, while other naga favor the teachings of Kefnet and other combat styles.
Naga who specialize in hand-to-hand combat rely on axes, daggers, and shortswords—but also on their own fangs and the constricting strength of their serpentine bodies. They make extensive use of poison, coating their weapons with multiple layers of deadly substances—including, but by no means limited to, their own venom. Quick, well-timed, and well-placed blows, followed by an equally nimble retreat, allow many naga to triumph over opponents who might seem stronger. With acknowledgment of the Sweetest Harmony, these naga cultivate an understanding of strategy and tactics that enhances their physical training.
Speed and accuracy are equally important to naga who specialize in long-range combat. Some prefer to analyze a battle from a distance and pick off the strongest opponents with their ranged weapons, including poisoned spears and arrows. Others ride in chariots driven by trusted drivers (usually other naga) and throw their spears from the midst of battle. In any case, they excel at finding and exploiting strategic advantages.
Some naga mages, drawn to the example of Kefnet, Naga Oracle Deruchenko Alexander make extensive use of illusion magic to trick and mislead their opponents. Others apply Rhonas’s teachings to their studies, wielding poisonous magic that weakens opponents or kills them outright with clouds or darts of deadly toxins. Still others, in service to the ideal of balance, use the magical power of their minds to enhance their physical strength and speed.

Related Locations

• Amonkhet