Deus Sol Invictus

Deus Sol Invictus
When the recent earthquake shook the Valley of the Sun God in its foundations, it unearthed many forgotten secrets. One of these secrets was the long lost remains of a Roman ruin, dating back to the fourth century.

The ruin is badly eroded by time and sand, although Doric columns and characteristic Roman archways are still distinguishable. The structure was once a sun temple, built by expatriated predecessors of modern day, sinister sun cults.

These men and women worshipped Sol Invictus, the unconquered sun. They left Rome and Constantinople during the reign of Emperor Constantine I to found new havens of devotion to their god. Although Constantine was a professed Christian, he largely accepted that pagans in his realm worshipped their deities. Initially sun worshippers were notable reapers of his good will - as even he, the Emperor, used the sun symbols extensively.

Later in his rule, he showed less lenience, as several temples were sacked and destroyed and people were banished. Large-scale persecution of non-Christians didn't happen until later, under the rule of his successors. Or so the history books tell us, at least.

One offshoot of the sun cult felt the brunt of his power - a group styled as Deus Sol Invictus. They believed that the true force of the sun lay buried inside the earth and that with enough adoration it would wake and rise to let true believers bask in its glory. These people used fear and discontent as tools to recruit people, and Constantine found their mad prophecies dangerous in an unstable society.

In secret, he ordered them slain, tortured or condemned. As a result, most fled and established small colonies elsewhere. Many of them went south into Africa. While travelling through Egypt, they heard of the ancient Egyptian sun cult and many of them chose to stay to explore its significance.

Here, in a remote valley, the sun worshippers learnt about the ancient Egyptians and the pharaoh who acknowledged only one god, the Aten. They heard stories of a fabled temple city, and how the old king and his closest followers were in touch with the god.

The Romans stayed for many years, taking wives and researching the area. Decades later, after being unsuccessful in their venture to find the lost temples, they finally left their homes behind and moved along the Nile deep towards the south west, to another, greater colony of sun worshippers.

Like the temple city they never found, the sun temple and houses of the Roman colony were hidden under sand by those who sought to erase all traces of sun worship and discourage future interest in the region. It has remained hidden, until now. As the sun rises over the sand dunes and cliffs, the ominous history of the region is reborn as temples, worshippers and secrets are unveiled.