[Recursions]

New Kingdom (Magic)

Seeded from the myths of ancient Egypt commingled with modern stories of that period, the New Kingdom is a recursion located along an alternate Nile where pharaohs yet rule the land, and gods such as Anubis, Isis, Nephthys, Osiris, Ra, and Tefnut are revered, as is the Pharaoh himself. Great pyramids of previous pharaohs are scattered about the land’s edges, and each contains elaborate traps and vicious guardians protecting the body and grave goods of the former rulers, ensuring their place in the afterlife. The center of the realm is the vital Nile, which provides life, water, fish, and trade.

The New Kingdom is especially dangerous to visit. Recursors, regardless of their translation choices, often arrive in bodies that set them apart from regular natives. Such was the curse of Anubis, pronounced to protect his people. Thus, a recursor might find herself with the pale skin of an outlander, a disfigured face, and a tail, wings, horns, or other deformity that makes the average Egyptian know at a glance that she is not to be trusted, and is likely interested only in stealing the treasure of the pharaohs.

As it happens, recursion miners do sometimes visit the New Kingdom with the express hope of stealing the treasure of the pharaohs, so the natives’ fear is not unwarranted.

ANKH OF DEATH

Level: 1d6+2
Origin: New Kingdom (mythological)
Law: Magic
Form: Ebony ankh-shaped rod

Effect: This one-handed ankh-shaped weapon can be used to make a melee attack that inflicts damage equal to the artifact level. Struck targets are blinded for one round and aged five years.

Depletion: 1 in 1d20

ANKH OF LIFE

Level: 1d6+2
Origin: New Kingdom (mythological)
Law: Magic
Form: Ebony ankh-shaped rod

Effect: If the ankh is touched to a character, she regains 10 points in one Pool, is cured of blindness, and, if elderly, is reduced in apparent age by ten years.

Depletion: 1 in 1d10

KNOT OF ISIS

Level: 1d6+1
Origin: New Kingdom (mythological)
Law: Magic
Form: Brooch with symbol resembling an ankh,

Effect: When the wearer makes a slashing or piercing attack on a foe, the foe takes damage as normal. In subsequent rounds, however, the wound bleeds abnormally strongly, dealing 3 points of damage each round for three additional rounds.

Depletion: 1 in 1 d100

PHYLACTERY

Level: 1d6+1
Origin: New Kingdom (mythological)
Law: Magic
Form: Circlet set with square ebony gem

Effect: While the phylactery is worn, the wearer’s soul is stored in the ebony gem. This provides the wearer +1 to Armor and an asset on Might defense tasks. In addition, he can choose to ignore the effects of becoming impaired or debilitated. Finally, he can choose to ignore the effects of death itself for a limited time.

Depletion: 1 in 1d20 (check for each minute spent either impaired or debilitated, and for each round the user would otherwise be dead)

SCARAB OF SHIELDING

Level: 1d6+2
Origin: New Kingdom (mythological)
Law: Magic
Form: Scarab-shaped ebony medallion

Effect: The wearer has an asset on all Might and Intellect defense rolls. A depletion roll is required each time she succeeds on a roll while wearing the scarab.

Depletion: 1 in 1d100

SPELLBOOK OF THOTH

Level: 1d6+2
Origin: New Kingdom (mythological)
Law: Magic
Form: Weighty tome filled with pages of spell runes

Effect: When the user incants from the spellbook and makes a level 3 Intellect-based roll, she casts one of the following spells.

• Calm: One target in long range loses the desire to fight for up to one minute. A calm target isn’t necessarily a cooperative one, and attacking the target or taking an action that it would normally violently oppose prematurely ends the state of calm. However, the target may be reasoned with while it is calm, and perhaps an agreement can be reached that will withstand the end of the spell.
• Knowledge: The knowledge of Thoth is infused into the spellcaster for one hour. During that period, the difficulty of all non-attack Intellectbased tasks is decreased by three steps. Speak to Creature: The spellcaster can speak to any creature, including animals, in its own language.
• Summon Baboon: A level 2 baboon appears for one minute and does the spellcaster’s bidding. The baboon is best used for combat, though each round in which it attacks, the spellcaster must use her action to command the baboon to do so.
• Summon Ibis: A level 1 ibis (a kind of bird) appears and will deliver a message recited by the spellcaster to any one creature in the same recursion, or possibly in another recursion.

Depletion: 1 in 1d20

STAFF OF RA

Level: 8
Origin: New Kingdom (mythological)
Law: Magic
Form: Simple staff set with elaborate circular headpiece

Effect: This staff functions as a normal medium melee weapon. In addition, the wielder can call upon the following effects.

Combust: If the wielder uses the staff to strike a foe in melee, she can activate a flame as hot as the sun that inflicts additional damage to the target equal to the artifact level.

Dawn: The user summons the dawn, which could be as simple as clearing the clouds that obscure the rising sun to as dramatic as collapsing part of a structure to let in the light or advancing time so that dawn is imminent. The GM may rule that this use automatically depletes the staff of Ra.

Sun Ray: Allows the user to make a long-range attack with a golden beam of sunlight, inflicting damage equal to the artifact level and blinding the target for one round. Spirits, zombies, vampires, and similar creatures take 5 additional points of damage from each sun ray.

Depletion: 1 in 1d20 (upon depletion, becomes a beam of sunlight that leaps into the sky)