DND 5th Edition

Amonkhet Overview

Gods and Glory

Amonkhet is a world of endless desert, plagued by marauding mummies, ravenous sandwurms, malicious demons, and a host of unimaginable terrors. A necromantic phenomenon called the Curse of Wandering causes any being that dies on Amonkhet to rise again as the mummified undead, burdened with insatiable hunger and an irresistible drive to attack the living. This could have been a world given over to horror if it weren’t for a single, gleaming city that stands amidst it all: Naktamun.

Naktamun is protected by a magical barrier known as the Hekma. A gift from the all-powerful but absent God-Pharaoh, the Hekma keeps the horrors of the desert at bay and allows life to flourish within the city. Every day, the people of Naktamun are confronted by the truth of what their lives would be if the Hekma barrier were to fall. The whipping sands of the brutal desert assault the transparent barrier, hordes of cursed mummies press against it, and monsters as tall as monuments strike at it. Only the magic and the might of the gods hold them off.

This is a civilization at its height. Towering, gold-encrusted monuments break the unending monotony of a horizon formed of sun-blasted sand. Awe-inspiring, animal-headed gods walk among the people, offering them care and protection from the horrors of the desert. A wide, life-giving river offers its abundant bounty, providing for every physical need. Happy, hopeful people offer sacrifices in grand temples dedicated to their benevolent gods, addressing their spiritual needs. They know that this life – wonderful as it is – is just the beginning, the prelude to the perfection that awaits them in the afterlife, promised to them by the five gods and their God-Pharaoh.

The gods are custodians of the path to the afterlife, established by the God-Pharaoh to purify and perfect the people who follow it and undergo its trials. Each god oversees one of the five trials and instructs the initiates who are preparing to face the trial, helping them to cultivate one of the five aspects of mortal perfection: solidarity, knowledge, strength, ambition, and zeal.

Soon, the God-Pharaoh will return to bring the people to a wondrous afterlife. The Second Sun, a magical orb that marks the time until the God-Pharaoh’s arrival, has nearly reached its final resting place between the distant horns of his monument. The people of Naktamun are in a frenzy of preparation, anxious to complete the five trials and prove their worth before the final hour. An eternal life awaits!

A Plane of Dichotomy

Beyond the lush river valley lies endless, scorching desert. Accursed, desiccated mummies roam the desert, while carefully embalmed mummies attend to the needs of the living in the glorious city. The people have everything they need – they are protected from the desert heat and wandering mummies by a magical barrier, and they spend their lives in focused training, honing their bodies and minds to perfection. Yet they eagerly anticipate the time when they will be permitted to die in combat and leave this world behind.

The Curse of Wandering

Part of the natural magic of Amonkhet is a necromantic phenomenon called the Curse of Wandering. This naturally occurring magic causes any being who dies on the plane to rise again after a short time, cursed with insatiable hunger and an irresistible drive to attack the living. Desiccated mummies created by the Curse of Wandering fill the desert wasteland that dominates the plane, constantly threatening what little life remains. But the people of Amonkhet do not fear the threat of attack as much as they dread the knowledge that all who live will one day die and fall under the same curse. Death under the effect of the Curse of Wandering is a terrifying afterlife filled with endless suffering.

What the God-Pharaoh offers to the people of Amonkhet is an alternative to an eternity of wandering: an afterlife of glorious delights. And all they need to do to attain this eternal bliss is prove that they are worthy. As such, the threat of the Curse of Wandering is a strong motivation for people to undergo the trials of devotion that the God-Pharaoh demands.

Putting Devotion to the Test

The inhabitants of Amonkhet, mortal and divine alike, believe that the God-Pharaoh left the five gods as stewards of the populace when he departed to prepare the afterlife. While he is gone, the God-Pharaoh expects the people to devote their lives to proving they are worthy of this great reward. Since the afterlife will be perfect, the people who enter it must also be perfect.

The gods are custodians of the path to the afterlife, established by the God-Pharaoh to purify and perfect the people who follow that path and undergo its trials. Each god oversees one of five trials, instructing the initiates who prepare to face that trial by helping them cultivate one of the five aspects of mortal perfection.

• Solidarity. Oketra the True, the cat-headed god of solidarity, teaches that the worthy shall know and respect all others whom the God-Pharaoh deems as worthy. For in the afterlife, all will be together in purpose and in action.
• Knowledge. Kefnet the Mindful, the ibis-headed god of knowledge, teaches that the worthy shall cultivate a nimble mind – one capable of perceiving the wonders beyond imagining that await in the afterlife.
• Strength. Rhonas the Indomitable, the cobra-headed god of strength, teaches that the worthy shall hone a strong body that can endure throughout an endless life.
• Ambition. Bontu the Glorified, the crocodile-headed god of ambition, teaches that the worthy shall strive for greatness, as supremacy will be rewarded in the afterlife.
• Zeal. Hazoret the Fervent, the jackal-headed god of zeal, teaches that the worthy shall rush toward the afterlife with unhesitating fervor. Relentlessly, they will rise to overcome any obstacle in the way of earning a place at the God-Pharaoh’s side.

Initiates who pass one of the trials are awarded a cartouche – a magical emblem they will take with them to the afterlife. The trials culminate in the Trial of Zeal, which is a combat to the death. Dying in this final battle is proof of worthiness, with a glorified death earning the initiate a place in the afterlife. The bodies of the slain are loaded onto funerary barges and sent through the Gate to the Afterlife. But this is not an end. Rather, it marks the beginning of the most wondrous part of an initiate’s existence. Each looks forward to death in the final trial, hoping to find a glorious end at the hand of a close friend, so that together, they can live as Eternals in the afterlife with the God-Pharaoh, forever.

The Journey to the Afterlife

Acolytes

Children as young as five are invited to become acolytes. Along with the others in their birth year, they are known as the year’s crop. As part of their preparation, a crop must construct a ceremonial obelisk. The task can take over a decade, and as they work, the acolytes strengthen their bonds of friendship, demonstrating that when the time comes in the final trial they will do the honor of granting each other Glorified Deaths.

The Ceremony of Measurement

Their time as acolytes comes to a close when a crop is called to stand before the pantheon of gods for the Ceremony of Measurement. Through the magic of the ritual, the gods can see the true heart of each acolyte. Those judged worthy become the God-Pharaoh’s initiates or are selected by the individual gods to become viziers in service to the gods. Those judged unworthy are culled from the crop and exiled from the city.

Initiates

The majority of those judged at the Ceremony of Measurement become initiates. Initiates will face the five trials that test the five aspects of worthiness: Solidarity, Knowledge, Strength, Ambition, and Zeal.

For each trial passed, initiates earn a cartouche, an amulet inlaid with shimmering blue lazotep and imbued with the magic of the God-Pharaoh. Each successive cartouche is attached to the one above, so they form a line running down the initiate’s chest. The God-Pharaoh teaches that this record of the initiate’s achievements preserves the initiate’s essence, safeguarding their life force for the journey to the afterlife.

The Trial of Zeal, the last of the five, is a combat to the death. The bodies of the worthy dead who succeeded at all five trials are carried through the Gate to the Afterlife on a funerary barge. They will wait in a glorious oasis until the God-Pharaoh arrives to welcome them as eternals in the afterlife.

Viziers

At the Ceremony of Measurement, a select few are chosen by one of the five gods for honorable service as a vizier. Viziers perform a number of essential tasks: they lead rituals, oversee the trials, teach and train acolytes and initiates, keep watch over the protective Hekma, and carry out the will of the gods. They do not earn five cartouches as the initiates strive to do. Instead they are given a single cartouche to represent their mastery of one aspect of worthiness. Their devotion is rewarded with a Glorified Death at the end of their service.

Serving Mummies

While all strive to prove they are worthy of the afterlife, not everyone succeeds. An acolyte may perish in training, an initiate may die in a trial, or a vizier may pass before having the chance to prove devotion. The God-Pharaoh has promised that the fallen, though unworthy, will not spend eternity in the desert suffering from the Curse of the Wandering. Their bodies are carefully embalmed, anointed, and awakened to serve.

Each of the anointed is given a cartouche that directs them to a particular form of service. They may harvest food, quarry stone, construct buildings, cook and clean, care for children, dispose of waste, assist in ceremonies, spar with acolytes, lead drills for initiates, load the funerary barges, or embalm the bodies of others like themselves. A second lifetime of service will earn them a place as attendants in the afterlife.

Unworthy Dissenters

Even in the paradise-like oasis of Naktamun, there are dissenters who doubt the teachings of the God-Pharaoh. They refuse to follow a path that would lead them to the afterlife. Punishment for dissenters is severe. Angels bind them in special sarcophagi, called Tombs of Disgrace, which leave the prisoners’ hands exposed. The sarcophagi line the streets of Naktamun for all to look upon in what is known as a Display of Doubt. When the display concludes, the angels carry the dissenters through the Hekma and into the desert beyond where they are left to be consumed by the Curse of Wandering.

Character Backgrounds

The citizens of Naktamun 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.

Background: Initiate

You are an initiate, on the path to completing the trials of the five gods in the hope of earning a glorified death in the final Trial of Zeal. Some combination of your natural aptitude, your crop’s needs, and your teachers’ assessment while you were an acolyte led you to focus your training in one particular area of specialization – hand-to-hand combat, long-range combat, or spellcasting. But only a well-rounded initiate can be called truly worthy of the afterlife.

If you are a hand-to-hand specialist, consider the barbarian, fighter, monk, paladin, or rogue classes. As a long-range combat specialist, you might be a fighter, a ranger, or a rogue. If you are a spellcasting specialist, you might be a bard, sorcerer, or wizard. And beyond this initial choice, you might consider multiclassing or using feats to round out your skills in all three areas.

Skill Proficiencies: Athletics, Intimidation

Tool Proficiencies: One type of gaming set, vehicles (land)

Equipment: A simple puzzle box, a scroll containing the basic teachings of the five gods, a gaming set, a set of common clothes, and a belt pouch containing 15 gp. If you have completed any trials before the start of the campaign, you also have any cartouches you have earned.

Feature: Trials of the Five Gods. Your life is oriented around your participation in the five trials that will determine your worthiness in the afterlife. While you prepare for and undergo those trials, you have constant access to training. A comfortable place to live and regular meals are provided to you by servitor mummies (the anointed) under the supervision of viziers. You can enjoy these benefits only as long as you obey the societal norms of Naktamun – training for the trials (with or without your crop), obeying the orders of the gods, and following the instructions of their viziers. If you violate these norms, you risk being treated as a dissenter. See “Trials of the Five Gods” for more information about undertaking the trials and their rewards.

Suggested Characteristics. An initiate’s life is focused on the trials, but it doesn’t need to be all about the trials. Though some initiates are highly focused on their training, most undergo that training while also experiencing joy, sorrow, love, loss, anger, jealousy, hope, faith, delight – the whole range of mortal emotions and experience. The afterlife might be a constant presence in every initiate’s mind, but it is the culmination of a life well-lived – not a replacement for it.

Background: Vizier

You are a vizier, a servant of your god. You perform tasks that are essential to facilitating the initiates’ journey, so the gods reward you with entry into the afterlife with the God-Pharaoh’s blessing. You hope to achieve the most honored status in the afterlife by being the best possible servant to your god.

As a vizier, you can have any class, but you are especially likely to be a cleric or paladin. You might also be a druid, particularly if you serve Rhonas, or a wizard, particularly if you serve Kefnet.

Skill Proficiencies: History, Religion

Tool Proficiencies: One type of artisan’s tools, one type of musical instrument

Equipment: A set of artisan’s tools or a musical instrument (one of your choice), a scroll of your god’s teachings, a vizier’s cartouche, a set of fine clothes, and a pouch containing 25 gp

Feature: Voice of Authority. Your voice is the voice of your god, at least in theory. Your job might include training and instructing initiates, and they are required to obey you. In any circumstance, an initiate is expected to defer to your voice and obey your commands. If you abuse this authority, though, your god might personally punish you.

Suggested Characteristics. A vizier’s characteristics strongly reflect the ideals and personality of the god they serve.

Background: Dissenter

Even in the carefully constructed and curated city-state of Naktamun, and in the presence of the five gods, some people rebel against the doctrines of the God-Pharaoh. They don’t challenge the existence of the gods, of course, for those gods are visible nearly every day in the streets of the city. Nor do they question the fact of life after death, which is plain to see in the anointed mummies that surround them, as well as the marauding mummies outside the Hekma. Rather, these dissenters simply refuse to follow the ordained course of life that leads to the glorious afterlife.

Some dissenters are spurred by fear, not wanting to subject themselves to a violent death in the trials (or in training for the trials). Some are moved by conscience, unwilling to kill their crop-mates in the trials. For while they cannot deny that the gods exist, they can deny that the gods are just – and can fight to prove that the dictates of an unjust god need not be obeyed. Some believe that one god (probably Bontu) has corrupted the process of the trials and the path to the afterlife. Others hold suspicions that the God-Pharaoh did not actually have the people’s best interests in mind when he ordered their society.

A character who is identified as a dissenter loses the benefit of the initiate’s or vizier’s background feature. In its place, the character gains the following feature.

Feature: Shelter of Dissenters. If they wish to have any hope of survival, whether hiding within the city or cast out into the desert, dissenters must help each other. You can find a place to hide, rest, or recuperate among other dissenters. They will help shield you from those who hunt you, possibly even risking their lives for you.

The Pantheon of Gods

In the absence of the God-Pharaoh, five gods rule over Amonkhet. They believe they were created by the God-Pharaoh to act as his stewards, to protect the people, and to guide them through the five trials to the afterlife. If they execute their duties faithfully, they too will be welcomed to the afterlife.

The gods have humanlike bodies and heads of living gold that resemble the heads of animals – Oketra, a cat; Kefnet, an ibis; Rhonas, a cobra; Bontu, a crocodile; and Hazoret, a jackal. They stand thirty feet tall, wield enormous weapons, possess immense physical power and magical might, and are nearly invulnerable.

Daily, the gods can be found among their people, teaching the virtues they embody. Each god is responsible for training and testing initiates in one aspect of worthiness. The five trials are held in the gods’ monuments: massive, awe-inspiring structures shaped like the gods’ heads that line the Luxa River.

Cleric Domains. Clerics of the five gods, who are typically viziers of the gods, can choose the domains associated with their gods: Solidarity, Knowledge, Strength, Ambition, or Zeal.

Oketra the True – Goddess of Solidarity

To be in Oketra’s presence is to be awed and inspired. She is an archer with unshakable focus who never misses her mark. Her arrows are made from the light of the Second Sun, and a single wound is enough to take down even the largest desert horror.

The inscription on her monument reads: “The worthy shall respect the worthy. In the afterlife, all will stand united.”

Clerics of Oketra may choose the Solidarity Domain.

Kefnet the Mindful – God of Knowledge

Kefnet knows all, from the deepest fears in the hearts of the initiates to the wondrous truths of the afterlife. With his glorious golden wings, he soars over Naktamun, observing everything and everyone. He considers the city under his protection; his command over water and illusion sustains the Hekma barrier.

The inscription on his monument reads: “The worthy shall cultivate a nimble mind to perceive the glorious wonders that await them.”

Clerics of Kefnet may choose the Knowledge Domain, which is the same as the traditional Knowledge Domain.

Rhonas the Indomitable – God of Strength

To Rhonas, strength is all. Strength encompasses physical forcefulness, speed, endurance, mental refl exes, willpower, and determination. He believes he has obtained perfect strength. Without hesitation, he rushes into battle to protect the city and its people from desert horrors, wielding his powerful weapon and poisonous fangs.

The inscription on his monument reads: “The worthy shall hone a strong body to endure the boundless energies of the afterlife.”

Clerics of Rhonas may choose the Strength Domain.

Bontu the Glorified – Goddess of Ambition

Bontu is a solitary being. She spends most of her time in the embalming chambers under Naktamun. It’s her duty to oversee the preparation of the anointed, and in turn she selects the best of the serving mummies to tend to her every need. Bontu believes that among the gods she is the most worthy, and she intends to prove her worth to the God-Pharaoh.

The inscription on her monument reads: “The worthy shall strive for greatness. Supremacy in life leads to supremacy in the afterlife.”

Clerics of Bontu may choose the Ambition Domain.

Hazoret the Fervent – Goddess of Zeal

Hazoret believes she is the daughter of the God-Pharaoh, made of the same magic as the Second Sun and the fire of the God-Pharaoh’s breath. In turn, she sees the initiates who pass the first four trials as her children. She celebrates with these glorified initiates before the final trial, and it falls to her to grant them a Glorified Death.

The inscription on her monument reads: “The worthy shall rush to the God-Pharaoh’s side with relentless zeal, rising to overcome every obstacle.”

Clerics of Hazoret may choose the Zeal Domain.

The God-Pharaoh

The five gods sing his praises and teach that the safety and glory of Naktamun is thanks to the God-Pharaoh's efforts, but little concrete information is known about the God-Pharaoh himself. His massive throne, backed by a pair of curving horns reaching into the sky, has sat empty for as long as anyone can remember. Long ago, the God-Pharaoh departed from Amonkhet on a great celestial quest, with a vow to return when the Second Sun reached his throne.

The inscription on his throne is known as the Accounting of Hours:

When the Second Sun rests between the horns on the horizon, so begins the Hour of Revelation. Then the Hour of Glory, the Hour of Promise, and finally the Hour of Eternity.

All questions will be answered during the Hour of Revelation.

In the Hour of Glory, the gods and the untested will prove their worth before the God-Pharaoh.

When the Hour of Promise arrives, the God-Pharaoh will tear down the Hekma, for its protection will be needed no longer.

When all doubts have melted away, the worthy will meet the Hour of Eternity and earn a place at the God-Pharaoh's side.

Trials of the Five Gods

The Trial of Solidarity

Oketra’s is the first trial initiates undertake. A crop enters her monument to find their obelisk, which they worked for years to construct, standing in the center of the chamber. At the beginning of the trial, Oketra shoots a massive arrow to the far side of the chamber. The floor of the monument shifts, creating a treacherous landscape, and all manner of enemies swarm in – viziers, anointed mummies, horned beasts, and even angels. The enemies assault both the initiates and their obelisk. The crop must work together to defend their obelisk and retrieve Oketra’s arrow. They succeed or fail together.

The Trial of Knowledge

Kefnet welcomes initiates to his trial with a spell that dampens their physical instincts, forcing them to depend on their mental acumen and spellcasting abilities. A vast labyrinth of water and illusion extends before them. The maze defies reality. It is filled with threats like illusory horrors, traps, and false doors – all curated to play on the fears of the individual initiates. Not only must the initiates navigate this labyrinth of terror, but they must also realize the glyphs on the walls hold the key to passing the trial: a spell that will reveal the true exit. Without this spell, they will drown in the final room. A truly wise initiate will feel barely a drop of water.

The Trial of Strength

Rhonas has little patience for the weak, which is why he made entry into his monument a trial of its own. Initiates must climb thorny vines and ride down a raging waterfall. Rhonas greets those who survive, informing them that toxin from the thorns has left them incapable of spellcasting; they must depend on their physical prowess. Within the monument, a seemingly endless jungle is filled with territorial beasts and poisonous hazards. It takes days for initiates to reach the heart of the jungle where they find an ancient basilisk. They must claim one of the basilisk’s scales, which holds the cure for the toxin. But that is not the end. Initiates must still cross the final half of the jungle.

The Trial of Ambition

Ten members of a crop enter the Trial of Ambition, where they are made to compete rather than cooperate. The further they advance, the more pressure they come under to turn on each other. In the final chamber, Bontu informs the remaining initiates that there are three doors, and their starting position in the final Trial of Zeal will be determined by the door through which they exit. The initiates are forced to act quickly as swarms of flesh-eating scarab beetles enter the room. It is the initiate willing to put personal glory over friendship who will achieve the highest honor.

The Trial of Zeal

All who enter the final trial have earned the rank of worthy and will be invited to the afterlife. This trial determines what place each shall have, and it ends with Glorified Death for all. Hazoret’s trial takes place in the arena of her monument, known as the Proving Ground. A series of escalating combats pit initiates against each other. The surviving initiates from each combat climb to the next platform, moving up the Steps of Battle. The bodies of those who die are carried to funerary barges, which will take them through the Gate to the Afterlife. When only one initiate remains, Hazoret grants that initiate the most Glorified Death with her forked staff. Her gift is eternal honor.

The Curse of Wandering

The Cursed

The Curse of Wandering is the greatest danger of the desert lands. A creature killed in the desert rises again as a zombie as soon as the moisture has dried from its flesh. As a result, the corpses of every kind of desert creature shamble across the dunes alongside the humanoid zombies of dissenters and would-be explorers. Most of these former humanoids are mindless marauders, though some tales speak of mummies that have retained a sinister intelligence and even magical ability.

The Anointed

Not every citizen of Naktamun proves to be worthy of the afterlife. Acolytes sometimes die before the Ceremony of Measurement, perhaps in training accidents. Many initiates perish in one of the first four trials, before earning their five cartouches. Viziers sometimes die before they have truly earned a place in the afterlife serving their gods. Without having proven themselves worthy, these poor souls have no place as Eternals in the afterlife – but neither have they committed a grievous sin that would warrant abandoning them to the Curse of Wandering as marauding mummies.

Fortunately, the beneficence of the God-Pharaoh is great enough to provide a role for these people. Called the anointed, they are carefully embalmed, protected from the Curse of Wandering, and allowed to spend another lifetime in service to the worthy. The God-Pharaoh promises that those who faithfully serve as the anointed will earn a place as attendants in the afterlife as well, and even an eternity of service in the afterlife is preferable to an eternity subjected to the Curse of Wandering.

The bodies of the anointed are carefully wrapped in cloth and adorned with cartouches. In contrast to the cartouches of initiates and viziers, these do not harbor the life essence of the deceased at their best. Instead, they coach the anointed for a particular form of service. With their cartouches in place, the anointed rise and join the ranks of serving mummies who attend to the needs of daily life in Amonkhet.

The World Itself

Naktamun

Naktamun is located at the banks of the river Luxa and protected from the horrors of the surrounding deserts by the Hekma, a magical barrier maintained by the god Kefnet. Officially, the city is ruled by the five gods, who act as stewards of the God-Pharaoh. The living population is rigidly divided into three groups: Acolytes, Viziers, and Initiates.

The city of Naktamun is mostly harmonious in its construction and organization.

The Hekma

The dangers of the desert always loom over the people of Naktamun. Fortunately, the God-Pharaoh provides even in his absence, in the form of the great magical barrier between the city limits and the desert wastes. The Hekma magically absorbs water from the Luxa, then magically converts it into a faint blue mist, which drifts into the sky as a dome over Naktamun itself. As the Hekma accrues damage each day from the attacks of desert beasts, it is maintained by the magic of the god Kefnet.

The Desert Lands

The desolate wilderness beyond the protection of the Hekma is largely uncharted. Immediately beyond the protective veil is a chaotic dune sea called Shefet, the Scouring Sands. The desert wears away at the edges of the fertile lands surrounding Naktamun, serving as a constant reminder that only the bounty and protection of the God-Pharaoh stand between the people of the city-state and a grisly death in the sands beyond. Beyond Shefet are parched, cracked expanses called Ramunap, the Broken Lands. The ruins of ancient civilizations are said to lie in the Broken Lands, though no one has ever explored such ruins and returned to Naktamun to tell of them.

Sandwurms are the largest predators of Shefet, swimming through the sandy dunes like serpents through water. They are capable of amazing speed and can lift their lamprey-like heads far above the ground to snatch even flying creatures. But they can also lie in wait beneath the sands for years, until the slightest tremor alerts them to the presence of prey.

The Luxa River

The Luxa river is an abundant source of life, fertilizing the lush valley around Naktamun and providing water to humanoids and animals alike. It is also a vibrant habitat for countless creatures, including many species of birds, fish, and frogs. Crocodiles and hippopotamuses can be a danger to boats and barges, but perhaps the most feared denizens of the river are the giant serpents known to lurk near its bottom. When roused to anger, they can sink fishing boats by the dozens and flood the shore.

Amonkhet Bestiary

Sphinxes

Sphinxes are inscrutable beings, and keepers of secrets and mysteries. They have leonine bodies, hawklike wings, and faces resembling humans, framed by great frills or manes of feathers. Their powerful forearms are also feathered, and fans of long feathers form their tails. For an insolence in the distant past, the God-Pharaoh placed them under a curse to guarantee their silence. A sphinx is utterly incapable of communication – verbal or nonverbal, even written – as long as the curse remains in effect.

Angels

The angels of Amonkhet are exotic and menacing. Their limbs are long and thin, with elongated shins and forearms. Their huge wings are adorned with white and black feathers. Light shines through their joints and chests as if from an internal fire, and their eyes glow with a gold or orange light.

The angels are the God-Pharaoh's personal agents during his absence from Amonkhet. Their mission, which they pursue with unwavering devotion, is to keep Naktamun free of dissenting voices. They stand as sentinels over the city, extending supernatural senses to detect the presence of dissenters. They use their long, hooked staffs to capture those who question the God-Pharaoh’s rule, and are tasked with carrying out the punishment that the God-Pharaoh's law demands. Dissenters are bound into sarcophagi – the Tombs of Disgrace – and exposed to the mockery of fellow citizens in the Display of Doubt. On the following morning, the angels carry the sarcophagi into the desert and abandon the dissenters to the horrors of the sands – and the Curse of Wandering.

Demons

Deep in the desert, far from the protection of the Hekma and the safety of Naktamun, lies a place called Ifnir, the Demons’ Nest. The people of Amonkhet believe that the God-Pharaoh banished all the demons of this plane to the desolation of Ifnir as punishment when they rose up in rebellion against him. Some say that the angels carry the worst dissenters into the heart of Ifnir, which is a fate far worse than merely being abandoned amid the scouring sands.

The demons of Ifnir bear some resemblance to angels, with long limbs and tails, huge wings, and gaunt bodies adorned with horns and blades. Other demonic creatures have more bestial features, including ammits – crocodilian demons sometimes used as challenges within the trials of the five gods – and the scorpion demons called soulstingers, whose venom causes excruciating pain in its victims.

Dragons

Dragons are fierce monsters with heavy reptilian bodies, crocodilian heads, and leathery wings, and are distinguished by their ability to breathe fire. A normal D&D dragon would probably feel no kinship for these savage, dim-witted beasts. They live mostly in the remote reaches of the desert, soaring in lazy circles through the sky as they search for prey. Sometimes they are captured and brought inside the Hekma, where they are put to use within the trials of the five gods – especially in the climactic battles of the final Trial of Zeal.

Drakes

Drakes are similar to dragons, though they lack any ability to breathe fire and have only two legs in addition to their huge wings. They are less aggressive than dragons, and possibly slightly more intelligent. They are drawn by the glint of lazotep in mines, the shine of gold in Naktamun, and the glimmer of the sun on the water of the Luxa river. They also like to perch on obelisks and other spires on city buildings.

Manticores

Manticores are catlike creatures with feline bodies, tails like those of scorpions, and chitinous plates on their lower legs and feet. The venom of their tail stingers is the most virulent poison known on Amonkhet, and they can sting with lightning speed even while tearing at a foe with claws and teeth. Their deadliness makes them prized for use in the Trial of Zeal, where they grant glorified deaths to many initiates.

Serpopards

Serpopards are strange felines with serpentine features, including long, flexible bodies, venomous fangs, and sensitive tongues they can use to detect the scent of prey from a great distance. They like to perch in trees near desert oases or along the Luxa river, inside the Hekma, to drop down on creatures that come near the water.

Cerodons

Cerodons are sometimes mistaken for herbivores because of their resemblance to bulls, but they are never mistaken for harmless. They stand over thirty feet tall at the shoulder, and their heads are crowned with enormous horns that jut forward from the nose, then extend backward almost the entire length of their bodies. The horn structure resembles a sandstone cliff, and a cerodon can use it to ruin buildings or monuments with a minimum of effort. Cerodons are extremely aggressive, and often mistake the shimmering Hekma for an intruder into their territory.