The Sentinels

The Sentinels
Their protection of the valley has held for three thousand years, but with the reinvigorated Aten cult, it has become impossible for the Sentinels to keep the evil from spreading. Filth seeps into the valley, monsters squirm through cracks between this dimension and others, and the Black Pharaoh and his terrible god stir ever more in their restless slumber. The protective powers of the Sentinels are not as strong as before and, without help, they cannot restrain the darkness much longer.

Unlike his sister, eight-year-old Houy, the second son and youngest child, is very lonely. Youth isolates him from his family. He has only a few precious memories of life before the Sentinels. Despite knowing more about the world than any scholar, his conceptions are limited by his fancies. After all, his is the eternal mind of a child. As a result, he is dependent on the judgements of his father and siblings. Too often they discount him as too young to be included in discussions and decisions - all except his sister Moutemouia, who has taken a motherly role towards him. His patron is Anubis, whose aspect lets Houy lull the unquiet dead to sleep.

Ptahmose's youngest daughter, called Nefertari like her oldest sister, barely remembers anything from the revolt. Only ten years old, she was pampered and protected from the worst of the chaos. She was born in the desert and only stayed a few months in the cities before her soul was sealed in a Sentinel statue. She doesn't comprehend the awful events of the past and present, or the grim task she takes part in. Immortality has granted her happiness, for she knows that her family will be together forever. She is doted on by all her siblings, the family's most beloved. A natural choice of patron was Bast - Nefertari adores animals and Bast allows her to protect the desert beasts from poison and madness that seeps out of the temple city.

The restless, adventurous Moutnefert cares deeply for Egypt. She appreciates the importance of her duty to her land, but - as in life - wishes she could see more of the world outside. She was fourteen when she was blocked from ever leaving the Valley of the Sun God, but unlike her sister Moutemouia, she doesn't feel sorry for herself. Her father always returns to the valley to recount wondrous things, and she uses his words to weave a murky, beautiful, complex vision of the world that the Marya once saved, and must save again. Through her patron, Satis, the fertility of the Nile is her sacred aspect. She has used it to clean the valley water of the corruption that spilled from the pyramid, but as Aten stirs and the Filth spreads again, the plants wither once more and the waters become pools of death.

Hemitneter, though only seventeen when she transcended from mortal to immortal life, is the most strong-willed of the lot. A confrontational and impulsive tomboy, she is a better warrior than most men. During the Marya resistance against the Atenists, she was there - on the battlefields - covered in sand and the blood of her enemies. It was the best time of her life. She dislikes her current static existence and desires a body that she could hurl into the excitement of the present-day valley. Indeed, she hates being a Sentinel. Not because she disavows the responsibility, but because she resents being passive. Her natural patron is Sekhmet, the lioness, and her role is to protect her siblings, with terrible force if necessary.

The odd one out in the family is Moutemouia. Quiet, pensive and melancholic, she is the one who most disagreed with her destiny. At twenty-one, she had a vibrant life; she was happy. When Aten cultists wanted her dead simply because she was her father's daughter, she knew that the only way to protect her husband and children was to abandon them. Tearfully, she left her own family to join Ptahmose and her siblings, cursing her bitter lot in life. Not a day has gone by that she hasn't thought of the ones she left behind. Her love for them is her greatest weakness. She is constantly racked by doubt and resentment. Her patron, Meretseger, gives her the ability to hide the city from the eyes of the outside world, but because of her doubts, Moutemouia was easy to corrupt when Akhenaten stirred in his crypt. Her protection is not as strong as it once was.

Nefertari is only a year younger than her brother Thutmose. She sees the duty of her family in the absolute terms of her chosen patron, Ma'at - the principle of justice. She opposes chaos, lies and violence, all of which are embodied in Akhenaten and his dark god. Although she means well, Nefertari comes off as uncaring and distant. Always on the moral high ground, a few of her sisters find her insufferable; she is the cause of many squabbles between the siblings. Despite this, she is invaluable as Ma'at enables Nefertari to bind the Black Pharaoh inside his cold stone sarcophagus.

The eldest of the children is twenty-five-year-old Thutmose. A strong man and dutiful son, he was like a second parent to his siblings during their exile. Brave and wise, he accepted their fate immediately, and some of his siblings look to him for leadership more than their father. Thutmose chose the aspect of great Horus - the mighty sky god - whose powers could silence the corrupting whispers of the Aten.

Although their bodies have long since withered to dust, the siblings have remained the same in mind and in spirit. Three thousand years have given ample room for doubts and squabbling - they have distinct personalities and the family dynamic is not without friction.

In their new role, the children were given the aspects of a patron deity which would help them protect the valley from the powers of the Aten and keep Akhenaten locked away in his tomb. Though this is no good life - not really life at all - they have held up their charge faithfully.

Ptahmose carried the heavy burden of delivering death to each of his children. With the help of a dear friend who had great magical powers, their souls were immortalised and manifested in the seven great statues. It was a painless ending, a smooth transition between the loss of one consciousness and the gain of another. After sealing their fate, he ended his own, mortal life. Not quite dead, not quite living, he would look after them as he always had.

The answer was as tragic as it was necessary. Someone had to sacrifice their life and bind their soul to the City of the Sun God to forever stand guard against the return of Akhenaten and his god. Ptahmose made a terrible decision on behalf of his family. His children would become eternal Sentinels, and he would become their caretaker. In this twilight death, they would protect the world from the insanity of Akhenaten and, in so doing, be together forever.

During the 18th dynasty of ancient Egypt, Ptahmose and his children - five daughters and two sons - fled Akhenaten's persecution. When the time was right, they fought in the frontlines of the revolt against the Aten cult, and the family was instrumental in its collapse. Despite the victory, they knew that their triumph would be short-lived if no permanent solution was found.

They are Ptahmose's legacy to the world. In life, his children had no time to excel or be written into historic records, but in death they have carried a great responsibility with fidelity and ease. Until now.

Seven towering statues instilled with seven innocent souls loom over the City of the Sun God. More than three thousand years old, they are empowered by magical, mystical means to forever imprison the mad king Akhenaten and silence the whispers of his dark god. Nearby, an old man, wise beyond years but burdened by solemn sadness wanders the sands, often stopping quietly by each statue before moving to the next. He is Ptahmose, once Vizier and High Priest of Amun, now caretaker of his seven immortal children - the Sentinels.