Senef-Haqr

The Nameless Empire was, according to legend, a mighty one. Legend goes on to state that it
was ruled by a class of sorcerer-kings. The Senef-Haqr believe this to be not legend, but truth. The
oldest among their number claim to have been there in the last years of the Empire, although the Fog
obviously makes this unprovable. These ancient vampires serve still more ancient beings called the
Arisen, or more commonly, Mummies. The Senef-Haqr are perhaps the oldest of the Mekhet
Bloodlines, and they are inextricably linked to the Arisen, serving as their lieutenants, high priests, and
sometimes their lovers.
The Arisen themselves have varying views as to the Senef-Haqr, and vampires in a broader
sense. Some believe that they are a remarkably good ripoff of the Rite of Return, albeit with several
obvious flaws, while others see them as unrelated, but still useful tools. The Judges have remained
silent, near as anyone can tell, about the Senef-Haqr. Whether this an implied endorsement of their
services, or they simply don't care or are somehow unaware is uncertain, but it's caused more than one
debate among Arisen scholars.
The Bloodline itself has a history ancient enough that it's rather muddy. The first Senef-Haqr,
according to legend, was an Iremite woman whose lover had been chosen for the Rite of Return years
ago, near the end of the Nameless Empire. After the collapse of Irem, the woman desperately searched
for a way to survive, and to be with her lover, even though the Rite was no longer being performed. She
found help from a man whose shadow seemed to move separately from him. If the woman promised to
feed him, she would be guaranteed immortality, so she could be there when her lover arose.
By the time the woman realized what it meant to feed her guest, it was too late. She became
what many would consider an abomination. She lived the half-life of a vampire, permanently severed
from her Ka, and longing for the day when her lover would arise. After many centuries of sleeping and
feeding, she had forgotten her name, and ended up falling in with her lover's cult, when she finally
awoke. The two had no memory of each other, but they instinctively knew that they belonged together.
Other vampires later joined the cult, and while most were disloyal, and left early on, or were
killed for their treachery, some remained loyal to the Cult. These eventually became the Senef-Haqr
bloodline, a bloodline devoted to the service of the Arisen, and by extension, the Judges of Duat.
What is known for certain is that at some point, a vampire joined a Mummy's cult, whether by
choice, coercion, or magic, and somehow became bonded with the Mummy, and that Vampire later
sired others, who were then groomed to serve Mummies. Those outside the Bloodline think that the
Mummies have some big plan that needs Vampiric servants, and some think that they aren't true
Vampires, but some kind of Vampiresque servant, made with a specialized form of the Curse that
ancient necromancers had somehow mastered. What that would mean for Vampires at large could be
troubling.
All would-be Senef-Haqr are bonded permanently with a Mummy, who serves as their master
then and forever. This bonding requires the Vampire to ritually bite the willing Mummy, absorbing the
tiniest amount of Sekhem (this induces a Descent roll, but the Mummy subtracts its highest Pillar from
the dice pool). The Sekhem makes the participant violently ill, seeing as it's concentrated life energy,
but after the Vampire has ceased vomiting, they have become bonded to their master. As a result of this
bonding, despite the Fog (for Vampires), or Memory loss (for Mummies), master and servant will
always have at least a basic, instinctual sense of familiarity with each other. They don't necessarily
remember any details, but they do at least get the general sense that they have met before.
Parent Clan: Mekhet
Nickname: Blood Cultists, Haqr, Mummy-Lovers
Covenant: The Haqr tend not to be terribly involved with the covenants of other Kindred, being
strongly occupied with the affairs of their masters' Cults, although they will gladly involve themselves
if it serves their Arisen lord. Additionally, an offshoot of the Circle of the Crone exists that purportedly

worships Iremite gods, or views the Crone through Iremite lens, has been thought to exist.
Appearance: The Haqr tend towards a gaunt, slender physique, and extremely harsh features.
With the more ancient members, the dry, taught skin stretched across old bones makes them resemble a
Mummy in form. They tend to dress in simple garments, adorned with whatever is appropriate to their
cult's attire.
Haven: Most all Haqr are welcome in the tombs and chambers of their masters, and usually
treat those as their Havens. Some may keep a secondary Haven in case they need not to be seen with
their masters, or they don't want to be followed to their lord's tomb. These secondary Havens are
usually either extremely Spartan and under-decorated, or they serve as a secondary base for their cult,
with all appropriate decorations and equipment.
Background: Newer members are usually inducted at the request of a Mummy, either the sire's
master, or one of that Arisen's allies. They are more ethnically diverse than their masters, for sure, but
truly old ones almost always come from lands once ruled by the Nameless Empire. Many act as
advance scouts, taking care of problems that don't require the Mummy's intervention, as well as helping
to bring the Mummy up to speed with modern (or at least, semi-modern) life. Younger ones are
occasionally bamboozled into it, but quite a few have loyalty to a Mummy, having been rescued or
helped by one in the past.
Character Creation: Successful Haqr usually have a lot of mental fortitude in the form of high
Resolve and Composure, in order to keep sane during the long waits between Awakenings and Sothic
Turns. The Attributes that matter to a given Haqr vary, usually with the types of Utterances their master
is willing to teach them, as well as what their master needs them to do. Those intended to act as the face
of the Cult, possibly help lend it legitimacy, are going to focus on Manipulation or Presence, while an
assassin would find Dexterity and Strength vital, and a lorekeeper would value Intelligence.
Bloodline Disciplines: Auspex, Celerity, Obfuscate, Seshem-Seba
Weakness: The Senef-Haqr share an inextricable bond with their Arisen Master, having tasted
not only the blood of their teacher, bit even a taste of the pure Sekhem of their master. When a SenefHaqr's master is in henet, the Haqr becomes edgy and irritable, like they are a junkie, deprived of their
favorite drug. They receive the Addicted condition, related to the presence of their Arisen master. They
must return to their master's tomb for an hour of prayer or meditation if it is in henet, or interact with it
if it is awake, each night, or receive the Deprived condition.
Organization: There isn't much to speak of. Many are considered de facto members of their
masters' Guilds, and sometimes join forces when their masters' goals align, but they rarely have any
standing groups outside their Cults.

Seshem-Seba
While the Rite of Return is a secret lost to the sands of Irem, many secrets of the Judges still
live on in the Arisen and their works. Those few Vampires who choose to serve the Arisen have the
uncanny ability to learn to harness some of these powers. This has been called the Discipline of
Seshem-Seba, an Iremite word meaning That which was written to be learned, in reference to the
writings from which the Haqr learn these powers. This Discipline is unusual in that it lacks any set
power or list of powers. Instead, all users receive the following benefits:
With at least one dot of Seshem-Seba, the Vampire is considered attuned to Iremite sorcery, and
is thus considered a Witness. Secondarily, it gives them the right to purchase up to 3 dots of
Status in their master's Guild.
Each dot of Seshem-Seba grants the Vampire an Affinity, known and taught by their Mummy
master. The Vampire must meet any prerequisites, but can replace Pillar requirements
(excluding Ka, which Mekhet lack entirely) with dots in Seshem-Seba. In order to activate an
Affinity, the user must spend 1 Vitae.
There are also no known Devotions for Seshem-Seba, as the magic of Irem is near-impossible

to truly meld with Vampiric arts.