SET
God of Evil

Domains: Air; Destruction; Evil; Trickery

(Seth, Setekh, Setesh, Seti, Sutekh, Setech, Sutech)

Khemian god of evil, drought, evil necromancy, and desert storms, Set is one of the nine Ennead of the Khemian pantheon. . He is associated with foreign lands and is the adversary of the god Osiris and Horus. Set is usually depicted in human form with a head of indeterminate origin. He has a curved snout, erect square- tipped ears and a long forked tail. Sometimes he is represented in entirely animal form with a body similar to that of a greyhound. He is said to be the son either of Nut and Geb or of Nut and Ra, and the brother of Isis, Osiris and Nephthys. Nephthys was once his wife, but he also lusts after Isis.  When it comes to planar affairs, Set is the most active of the Khemian powers.  This allowed his clergy to take control of Khemt.

In the Book of the Dead, Set is referred to as the "lord of the northern sky" and held responsible for storms and cloudy weather. Set protects Ra during his night voyage through the underworld against the Apophis-snake. On the other hand, Set is a peril for ordinary Khemians in the underworld, where he is said seize the souls of the unwary. Among the animals sacred to Seth are the desert oryx, crocodile, boar, and the hippopotamus in its aspect as a destroyer of boats and of planted fields. The pig is a taboo in Set's cult.

Set's birth was horrific in Khemian lore.  He tore himself free from his mother's womb, Nut, and sprang upon the world as a foul and hideous thing.  Set is willing to ally himself with any evil being or organization if it fits with his long-term goals.  He quickly abandons such an alliance when it suits his purpose as well.  A cold and calculating god, Set is the jealous personification of evil.  But despite his loathsome nature, Set takes good care of his followers and does not willingly betray or abandon his people, as he finds it practical to maintain their loyalty.   He never laughs except when relishing another creature's pain, and the sound of his laughter is said to be that of a creature's final death scream.

The clergy of Set includes alienist wizards and priests.   Several orders of assassins are headed by the clergy of Set.  Such priests are not allowed to betray members of the order and must always work to promote the "brotherhood of evil".  Clergy of Set shave their heads, but they do not paint three blue circles on their foreheads as do other Khemian clergy.

Priests of Set do not have any formal holy days.  Rather, they perform their important ceremonies and sacrifices every time they achieve a major victory in the name of Set.  Particularly loathsome to other priests is the Reconsecration ceremony performed by grave robbers who serve in Set's clergy.  This ceremony involves the complete defilement of a burial chamber, the creation of an unholy altar to Set, the looting of the crypt's treasure, and the animation of the dead as undead horrors.

The clergy of Set always dress in kalasiris (white tight-fitting linen skirts stretching from the waist to the knees), sandals laced to the knee, and a headdress adorned with the head of a snake, crocodile, scorpion, or jackal.  They typically wear an ornate pectoral collar that serves as a lower coif and breast plate and armlets and bracers that collectively serve as armor.  Priests have a base AC 7 when in full ceremonial garb.

The rare true priest of Set has many unique spells at his disposal.  Sarcophagus of Death, Incarnation of Evil, and Create Ancient Dead are three examples.

The priests of Set may backstab as thieves of equal experience, can cast mage necromancy spells (as per alienist rules), radiate protection from good 10' radius, and, at 3rd level, gain the benefits of Undetectable Alignment.  At fifth level, priests of Set become immune to poison and can create poisons.  At 7th level, they gain 60' infravision.  At 10th level, the priest may summon one minion of Set once per day.  At 13th level, the priest attracts 2d10 faithful, evil followers (thieves, fighters).  At 15th level, all edged or pointed weapons are automatically poisoned if they so desire.  This poison does not work against priests of Ra, Isis, Nephthys, Osiris, Thoth, Hathor, or against the duly crowned Pharaoh of Khemt.

Unlike most worlds where this pantheon is worshiped, Set has managed to achieve dominence in Khemt.  This is due to the power of Pharaoh Kronos I, who was an incarnation of Set, and the recruiting of alienist mages into the clergy of Set.

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