Djedar Rath is an enigma: a former slave who escaped from his masters more than once, he at last is truly free... or so he claims. Yet still he always chooses to wander alone, with at most a horse for company, never letting anyone get close and leading a solitary, nomadic life.
But it is a life of righteousness and devotion, both to his gods and to his order. The many strange tattoos that cover Djedar's body mark him as a captain of the Medjay: an enemy of those who would do evil and all who would defile the sacred sites and tombs of his homeland, Kemhet. Djedar serves the Medjay unflinchingly, his every movement calculated and vicious. Some doubt he actually serves them out of a desire to do good... but no one can know, and they say a lot of things.
Why Djedar chooses to eternally be alone remains a mystery - but he has his reasons. Unfortunately for his preferences, the time is coming that he must break his solitude...
Djedar is perhaps best known for his ruthless treatment of those who would dare commit evil, reserving unique hatred for those who would practice dark arts, worship dark gods and demons, defile tombs, and harm the innocent... as well as any and all slavers, regardless of their other qualities. He fights without honor and kills without mercy - an act he often deems necessary.
Djedar always travels alone, preferring no company at all or else only the company of animals to any people. Though he is quick to help those who need it, he will find any means to avoid anyone relying upon him for any extended period of time, especially traveling with him. Why he behaves with such strict rules of absolute solitude, he refuses to say. Some claim it may be an oath to one of his precious gods.
Djedar is incredibly devout, putting his faith in the gods above all things. One of the few ways to get him talking is to discuss his gods, particularly his chosen deities, Horus and Anubis, whom he says guide him and watch over him always. He takes special care to observe rites and rituals, and he puts great faith in the gods, their plans and designs, and Fate itself. Some even say he may frequently act as a masked priest of Anubis in certain cities during burial ceremonies.
Djedar never speaks of himself, his past, his current life, or provides reason for anything that he does. He often deflects with silence or an utterly irreverent answer, sometimes even bordering on inane, during which he usually only amuses himself. Occasionally, he will spin elaborate and increasingly ridiculous lies, only to admit later they were all false. It seems nothing can force him to discard even a shred of his mystery... for he trusts no one.
Deep in the mysterious desert of the Red Land, Deshret, lies an ancient tomb, the resting place of one of the greatest evils the world has ever known: Pharaoh Ankhu the Endless. Long did he reign and oppress the people of the Black Land, Kemhet. So great and terrible was his power that the gods themselves descended, defeating and cursing him, burying him in foreign land in a labyrinth never to be found by mortals.
Now Ankhu rises again with each darkening of the moon, a walking mummy, searching for that which he may never find… his own still-beating heart, denying him passage into the afterlife. Over untold ages, Ankhu’s tomb remained undiscovered, a secret protected always by the loyal Medjay, an order serving the many pharaohs of Kemhet who came after.
But now a new threat has arisen— Lord Tefnahkt the Red, cultist and warlock, drives his many slaves to uncover Ankhu’s resting place, unlock his evil power, and once more unleash him upon the world. While a small group of Medjay work to stop Tefnahkt’s plans, one slave may become the key to stopping Tefnahkt – and putting an end to his and Ankhu’s evil once and for all.
In a race against time, five Medjay and the rebellious slave Djedar Rath must stop Tefnahkt from opening the tomb before the coming of the new moon, when Pharaoh Ankhu the Endless will awaken once more… for if he escapes, the world will never survive his wrath.
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