Shrouded Piety: The Osiris Contract - Prologue

| > Chapter 1
In the days of the Pharaoh, there exists a powerful local 'Godcraft of Osiris' known among the Egyptian people as SAt-Wsjr. Disciplined to be perfectly loyal to the Pharaoh, SAt-Wsjr would do whatever it takes to ensure the peace and joy of her king, and when it yet again comes time for the passing of one such pharaoh, the clouds of destiny fall upon the Godcraft as she finds herself faced with yet another great tomb funeral. As SAt-Wsjr performs the ritual that should see the passed pharaoh guided to the afterlife, the new pharaoh decides to grant her a very difficult opportunity that will, by his belief, ensure his father's happiness in the life beyond...
==Chapter Reading==
== Prologue =
It was a time of innovations, discoveries, sovereignty, and expansion—it was the time of pharaohs in the ancient lands known far as Egypt. As with so many other pharaohs to rule this realm, walls across the Nile contained writings of prosperity attained as a result of the Pharaoh, the gods, and the hard workers of Egypt. Alas, a day always came where the sand would stop moving and the nerve of every man and woman disturbed; the latest pharaoh had passed in relative peace, and alongside the long process of putting him to eternal rest, a new era would begin under a new pharaoh.
Under a half moon and through many, many stairs and halls of a pyramid, servants of the new Pharaoh stood guard holding torches every fifteen or so steps. Altogether, these servants created a clear path of fire down this long route to assist in entering and leaving this section of the pyramid. At the end of the long passage existed the tomb of the fallen Pharaoh, where the final phase of the funerary process was at hand. It had been nearly two months since his passing, but at last, the coffin would be lowered into the sarcophagus, and the legacy of this ruler would be complete.
The tomb was fairly large and decorated with possessions of the former pharaoh, as well as some mummified animals of significance to the man; these and several other functionary pieces were said to help him in the life beyond.
In front of the now-closed sarcophagus stood the new pharaoh of Egypt, but despite his strong cross-armed pose, the man could hardly mask his grief; he was now the Pharaoh, but also a son no longer with a father. The Pharaoh was given space by the many others within the tomb. Furthest back were entertainers—both male and female musicians performing lively sounds, complemented by all-female dancers, who put on only quick, lively energy, just as the former pharaoh had preferred it. All around the tomb—save for the front wall—were fronted by scribes busying themselves with the funerary writings and eventually paintings. In the center of the tomb and some steps away from the new pharaoh were various priests, there to oversee the accuracy of the hieroglyphics, the rituals, and the comfort of the Pharaoh. Family was present alongside the Pharaoh, in this case, a son and no wife. Then, there was one more person—a special individual with no right to stand alongside the family, but still closer than the priests…
Tall and especially thin in build, a woman meditated over the funeral in her rich white garment of which was styled with beads of blues and reds. She was of a more Mediterranean appearance, but more notably, she had long hair and an unexplainable dark blue for both her hair and eyes. Her long, thick eyebrows, too, were dark, along with eyelashes of great emphasis. Everything about this woman was seemingly out of place for Ancient Egypt, yet there she was in the tomb of a pharaoh, wearing a rich Egyptian palatial dress, and around her neck, an Ankh necklace made from a godly bright gold.
For the time, neither she, nor the priests, and not even the royal family did anything but stand around and share their thoughts with the dead. The crackling of many servant torches and the hammering of hieroglyphics played right into the festive music and dance in an otherwise miserable sight. It was a conflicting event every time, for on one hand, the loss of a father and leader, but on the other, his opportunity to achieve immortality in the afterlife and become truly divine. For the current pharaoh, it was a time for sorrow; for the blue-haired woman, it was simply the inevitable ascension of a great man to life beyond this one.
Almost an hour would pass since the closing of the sarcophagus and yet the family idled about in silent meditation, but time was a resource just like any other, and thus the Pharaoh soon turned to face the blue-haired woman. She raised her brow at him, genuinely surprised that she would be the first to be turned to following the resting of his father.
This now mighty pharaoh penetrated her gaze with low brows and eyes that could almost speak contempt. She, in turn, met his gaze, but did nothing and said nothing to her new king. Soon he raised his crook and flail to his chest, and briefly pointed one out at the woman.
“SAt-Wsjr, do you realize what you and I share most in common?”
The woman, known by the name SAt-Wsjr, moved her eyes around in small increments as she contemplated. She took her time until even through the loudness of song and hammers, she could hear an impatient foot from her king.
She gave it her best guess, “I should say it is that you and I share divinity, Pharaoh. You, the living vessel for almighty Horus, and I, Osiris’ entrusted Godcraft.”
Without any change to expression, the Pharaoh released a discontent sound, then turned ever so slightly. “Perhaps you speak correctly.” Expecting a continuation of this topic, the woman waited. The Pharaoh continued, “But no, SAt-Wsjr, we have a greater similarity than that you say.”
“Pharaoh, please extend your wisdom.”
“So I shall, for you, great friend of Father.”
He dramatically faced the sarcophagus, and raised his crook and frail overhead, towards the chiseled Eye of Horus over it. The eye glowed to the many torches of the tomb, as well as the sarcophagus it watched over. The pharaoh became lost for a moment in its gaze.
“I would do anything for my beloved father, who graced Egypt with prosperity and riches far greater than I may ever realize. There is no price, no sacrifice too great in my eyes for the peace and satisfaction of my father.” Without turning, the Pharaoh looked back and asked, “You and I are perfectly alike in this nature, SAt-Wsjr?”
She did not hesitate to nod, “I would continue serving your father forevermore, if only he were still here.”
“I see. That is good to hear, he… spoke a lifetime of your name in praise and will surely continue to do so right through the process of divine judgment beyond.”
The new pharaoh grabbed his child’s hand and gestured his wife to follow him as he turned and passed the blue-haired woman. The priests moved aside as well as the dancers in a performing manner. The family then stopped at the tomb entrance at the command of the pharaoh.
“SAt-Wsjr, please see to Father’s map.”
“As you wish, Pharaoh.”
Although it was a command for the woman, it was one of the priests who faced one of the walls of the tomb and spoke, “Under the all-powerful gaze of Ra and the will of Osiris!”
Synchronous with the priest’s words, the music changed, and SAt-Wsjr flourished her body in a manner of ritual. In the moment to follow, she allowed the sleeves of her dress drop so to reveal more of her hands, or rather, clear the way for the fiery energy to soon arise from her palm.
Powerful energy encompassed the woman’s hand, “May Ra sanction Pharaoh’s safe passage into the beyond!”
With this follow-up of hers, SAt-Wsjr fired a concentrated image of intense flame from her hand and to the blank wall. The resulting blast left the burned imprint of a winged solar disk upon the top of this wall. This act of artistic sorcery was succeeded by another ritualistic flourish of the arms.
Another priest spoke, “Answer to the many gods, oh Pharaoh, and speak only a true heart!”
This time the woman brought two hands out, illuminated both, and pulled them apart as if weaving a wide illustration from fire, “May the gods of judgment be impressed by your unmatched morality!”
A very wide blast of fire was sent underneath the winged solar disk, so bright and powerful that many in the tomb shielded their eyes. When all was done, a long container of seated gods—judges of the deceased’s honor—were burned into the wall. The new pharaoh watched in awe as a visibly exhausted SAt-Wsjr resumed her ritual motions.
“Leave your heart in the hands of Anubis, oh Pharaoh,” a priest continued, “And when weighed against the feather of Maat, leave the desiring Ammit unsatisfied, and Thoth to record only truth!”
The tomb watched with great anticipation as SAt-Wsjr performed an extensive twirl and dance, all the while designing a supernatural composition in mind and with fire. All but the common entertainers shielded their eyes preemptively, rightfully guessing the blinding nature of her latest charge of fire.
She first prayed, “Weighed by Anubis and recorded by Thoth, may your heart weigh no more, no less than that of the truthful feather, so not to be devoured by Ammit!”
Upon blasting the wall, a light left all—even SAt-Wsjr herself—recoiling to a wave of great heat and light, even causing minor burns to the scribes nearest to the wall. When all was done, underneath the many judging gods was a composition that featured the former pharaoh led by the god Anubis, his heart competing against a feather on a scale as the beast Ammit awaits the result, and the god Thoth writes down the result. So much power was put into this image that SAt-Wsjr could hardly stay standing at that moment. Nevertheless, the priests continued to finish the wall.
“Your heart being innocent of sin, oh Pharaoh, you will at last meet with Osiris, and you will be granted immortality and beyond…”
Eased by a final and much easier workload, the blue-haired woman performed a final flourish, and again with both hands constructed a fiery composition, “By the grace of Osiris, may your days in the afterlife be filled with joy and prosperity greater than any ever have or ever will know!”
The final image was burned onto the wall, of which features the former pharaoh meeting with the god Osiris—the conclusion to this journey, for the deceased goes on to live in the realm of gods. The ritual was exhausting for the magics of SAt-Wsjr, but not enough to put her off her feet.
“I have burned this map into the wall, now we must chisel and paint life into it.”
It was a straightforward mission, but one with an unexpected twist near the end.
CRASH!
Suddenly, without warning, and without clear evidence as to why, the entrance of the tomb found itself blocked by a metal design not known to have even existed. Everyone in the tomb turned with immense fear, and although SAt-Wsjr did not share this same degree of fear, she was by far the most puzzled of the group.
“A door?” was the first response by a priest.
“That is no door,” another answered.
It did not take long for several men and women to run to the entrance and place themselves against the metal—solid bronze and undecorated. SAt-Wsjr soon came forward with a mouth left open, concern growing on her as clues began to enter her mind.
“It’s a bronze door! Solid bronze!” one scribe concluded.
“It is not a door, it is a trap!”
A priest scoffed, “It is not a ‘trap,’ Pharaoh was with us only moments ago…”
One overly paranoid scribe took a nail and hammer to the bronze, “Of course it is a trap! Surely, prematurely activated as if we were graverobbers!”
He struck the bronze with these tools and found it had no effect. Finally, though, from the other side of the door, a comforting voice came with troubling words.
“Do not protest, my subjects! All is going as the gods intend!”
Everyone fell silent and still to the Pharaoh’s order, loyal to the end, but all visibly shaken. SAt-Wsjr, although just as loyal, came forward in search of clarity.
“Pharaoh! If a graverobber exists in this tomb, I will discover who and bring them forth to you!” SAt-Wsjr put her head by the bronze and insisted, “Unless you entrust me with the duty of executing any wrongdoers! Speak your desires, Pharaoh!”
For a moment, only ambiguous sounds from the other side could be heard ranging from words to objects. The woman and her peers patiently awaited Pharaoh’s command.
“There is no thief, SAt-Wsjr. I desire to satisfy Father even in life beyond our own.” She squinted at the bronze blockage and shook. “Along with the many trinkets and animals I leave in that tomb, I leave Father with you, SAt-Wsjr, and the many other servants with you.”
Meaning that was clear to everyone in the tomb, hence the unsurprising dissent from the small crowd, yet SAt-Wsjr would not accept this, “I do not understand.”
“My final command to the many of you, especially you, SAt-Wsjr, is to venture into the afterlife and accompany my father into the afterlife. Protect him, serve him, and do so well. This is my final, humble, request of you all.”
One of the priests expanded his eyes and shouted, “You cannot leave us to die!”
“Pharaoh has spoken!” was the response.
SAt-Wsjr barred her teeth and pounded a fist to the bronze, “Pharaoh, Pharaoh! You cannot leave us here to die! This act is dooming of your own eventual passage into the afterlife.” Despite the pharaoh being outside of the tomb, the woman waved back at her wall art, “This is an act of many sins!”
“I do not command sin, SAt-Wsjr, I am only sending the many of you into the afterlife to support my father. You will find that the gods are on my side. That is all I will say…”
“Pharaoh!” SAt-Wsjr clawed at the bronze, “I implore you, Pharaoh! Reconsider your intentions!” But at that time, and for the time to immediately follow, there would cease to be an answer from the other side. “Pharaoh!”
Entertainers, priests, scribes, a mummy, and one sorcerer were left in a tomb with only so much torch left to burn, and not a thing to eat or drink beyond the water used for the paint materials. There was a lot of tension and panic in the tomb, and certainly a lack of options. When it came time for the group to huddle in search of a solution, it was perhaps unsurprising that SAt-Wsjr found herself unofficially seen as the leader.
One priest went for the immediate solution, “SAt-Wsjr, do you not possess some magic that can destroy that obstacle?”
The blue-haired woman turned her eyes down to her palms, lowered her thick brows, and replied, “It is a bronze obstacle of undetermined thickness. Even if it is the thinnest of layer, all I have to offer is an element of fire…” she closed her eyes for a moment, and when they opened, were concentrated on the wall pictures she burned, “That is the best I could do.”
A scribe closer to the wall gulped, “That is all you can do? You hardly scratched the rock surface!”
“If I tried enough times, surely, damage would be dealt… but it could take a very, very long time.” She looked over to the bronze blockage. “I could burn the same spot over and over, and perhaps in a few years -”
“Years?” the same priest flailed his arms, “We have a day, at most!”
SAt-Wsjr lowered her eyelids, “My power is not without limit, I can only do so much before depletion overcomes me, and I must then recover.”
A musician nevertheless shouted, “Try anyway!”
The woman glared at him but nonetheless entertained his demand by channeling a single-handed blast of fire at the bronze. The attack left the woman shutting her eyes tightly with a pulsating brow, and at the end of the attack, all that had changed was the browning of the spot of bronze she hit.
“That is all I can do for now. I am too tired to maintain such an attack longer than I did.”
The same musician shouted, “Do so anyway!”
“I- I c-” she closed her eyes and reached for her forehead, “You are not listening to me! My powers cannot act as a solution to our immediate situation!
A priest who had been silent up until now then threw in an undesired comment, “Perhaps a solution is not within our best interests. Pharaoh commanded this of us. How could we defy his will?” He looked deep into SAt-Wsjr’s eyes as if her opinion meant everything. “Is to deny the will of the Pharaoh not to disrespect the authority of all gods?”
A schism resulted from this, as the faces of men and woman all around the room was enough to distinguish which side one was on in the matter. All in all, polite silence came about as for whatever reason everyone seemed to treat the verdict of SAt-Wsjr as most important. She delivered this with a sigh.
“I agree. Tragic as this is, it is Pharaoh’s wish that we accompany his father into the afterlife.”
“No. No!” One scribe responded with ferocity, turning around and charging at the bronze with a running kick, and following this, a desperate hammer. “I refuse to submit to this fate!”
He was then assisted by two musicians, a dancer, and another scribe. The remaining men and women remained by SAt-Wsjr, who again sighed and revealed, “Even so, I fear Pharaoh has made a great mistake.”
“Is that even possible?” one priest challenged.
“Make no mistake, friends, you are here only by unfortunate timing and circumstance, for it is I who Pharaoh wished to trap in here most of all. It is I more than anyone he wishes to send alongside his father.” The woman turned to the sarcophagus and shook. “A humble desire, struck by one simple problem…” she turned back aground, blinked nervously, and admitted, “I do not think it is possible for me to enter the afterlife, for both a gift and curse destines me to a life of never-ending resurrection following ‘death.’”
A strong response from one priest, “What?”
“Are you saying -”
SAt-Wsjr spoke calmly, “I was a young woman when the pyramids, too, were young, and I will remain a young woman thousands of generations beyond our own.” She once again waved to her wall images, “I do not believe I will ever get to hand my heart to Anubis nor earn the praise of Osiris, nor will I fulfill Pharaoh’s wish of reuniting with his father. I believe I am trapped not just within this tomb, but in this world, forever.”
The many souls in the room trembled, if not by the woman’s claim of immortality, definitely the implications that they are doomed to die due to a possible lost cause by the Pharaoh.
One woman who was more agitated than scared concluded, “So, we are doomed, then.”
SAt-Wsjr lifted a finger, “Have faith, friend, for there is one logical solution for escape left to attempt.”
Desperate to live, all persons in the room huddled around SAt-Wsjr as she slowly walked over to the wall containing her burned images. She approached the final imprint of the god Osiris in particular.
“I have sketched out the map with my magic, but there is still work to be performed.” She turned and said, “The priests must direct the scribes to carve the imagery and paint, and the entertainers must do whatever they must to assist in seeing the project to completion.”
The priests dared not comment, but one dancer was quick to criticize her plan, “A day or so from now we will all perish from lack of water. Why spend our final moments working?”
SAt-Wsjr turned a fierce face onto her, “Because in light of the lack of options left for us, we are left with one device: Faith.” She received looks of nervous approval from some. “If we work together and complete this wall with finalized carvings and paint, then perhaps the gods will lift that bronze for us.”
A scribe smirked and crossed his arms, “Paint the wall, and then Ra will open the door for us?”
The blue-haired woman anchored her gaze onto the face of Osiris on the wall, and in a monotone voice, answered, “Yes.”
“And what will you do?”
Her eyes closed, “Resistant to age as I may be, the same cannot be said of my body. Like you, I require food and beverage to retain my strength, energy, and health. If there is a chance I will remain here for… a very long time, I cannot allow myself to deteriorate so quickly.” When she reopened her eyes, she found herself still looking at the image of Osiris. “Far from here, perhaps in the same world as the afterlife for all I know, there exists a hallway only I may access. It is tiny, void of character, of life, of pleasure, but it is in this hallway far beyond where I am in a perfect state of constant condition, I will be safe in this hallway.” Her vague explanation left even her deepest admirers in a bit of a glare. “If nothing will move the bronze, then I must remain in this forbidden hallway so as not to deteriorate my worldly form.”
One priest had enough, “You have the means to abandon us and will do so!”
“No!” SAt-Wsjr turned with wide eyes, “I am trapped here with you all and that may never change.” She quirked her mouth and looked down, “It is simply the case that, for me, I have a choice between here and… somewhere debatably worse, but safer.”
Despite her best effort, all support in the tomb for SAt-Wsjr had now been lost. Even so, there was a unified agreement in her plan amongst the trapped.
“Placing our faith in love and hope for mercy from the gods, we must finish that wall,” was the conclusion of one priest. “And we will do so with or without SAt-Wsjr.”
She closed her eyes, hid her hands within her sleeves, and answered in a smooth voice, “Then may I extend my greatest wish for all that the entrance be opened soon…”
To be continued…
| > Chapter 1
==Chapter Summary==
# It is the time of ancient Egyptian kings--pharaohs--and the latest pharaoh has passed away.
# SAt-Wsjr is a blue-haired, blue-eyed, supernatural sorcerer of Egypt known as a 'Godcraft' who takes after the god Osiris as her patron deity.
# The former pharaoh's coffin is enclosed in a sarcophagus and SAt-Wsjr uses her Godcraft abilities to burn 'sketches' for funeral tomb art into the wall as a map to the afterlife for the passed pharaoh.
# The new pharaoh traps SAt-Wsjr, many priests, scribes, and entertainers inside the tomb with an unmovable bronze obstacle, claiming that they are needed alongside his father in the afterlife.
# SAt-Wsjr reveals that her Ankh necklace allows her to seek refuge within a supernatural hallway outside the world of the living, and that she will need to reside there until the tomb is opened, else risk physical deterioration over the ages to earthly decline.
# SAt-Wsjr and the trapped agree that their only chance of escaping the tomb is to finish carving and painting the wall art, in faith that the gods will reward them by opening the tomb for them.
# Despite the betrayal, SAt-Wsjr refuses to condemn the pharaoh's betrayal, perfectly loyal right to the end.
==Author Notes==
====From Francia to Egypt====
With this prologue, Shrouded Piety: Tale of Two Godcrafts was de-canonized and the Shrouded Piety series rebooted. This allowed me a very significant opportunity to readdress the issue of Selina's surname, 'Osiris,' and truly make sense of it considering the very Catholic character she displayed in the story originally. For a character originally born among the Christian Franks of Europe, it always baffled me why she would take on/be granted the name of an Egyptian god, let alone by the people that would forge a Holy Roman Empire. Thus, aided by my own interests in ancient Egypt, I made the major decision to have Selina turned from Frankish into Egyptian, and by extension, this allowed me to put Selina's history thousands of years further back than what was originally suggested in Tale of Two Godcrafts. With this decision, Selina's very character changed dramatically in that her values, beliefs, and aspirations would all tie in to the gods of ancient Egypt and loyalty to the pharaoh, rather than loyalty to Francia and the pope. What was more, as will be evident in Chapter 1, is that this change would easily allow me to introduce Selina to Napoleon in a far more interesting way, capitalizing on the old myth that Napoleon entered the pyramids by himself.
====Date of Prologue====
At the time of this writing, I did not have a specific date in mind as to when this is taking place, and therefore also what pharaoh this is centering around. This was, partly, due to a lingering question at the time of whether I wanted the Biblical story of Exodus to be canon or not, as the pharaoh of the Prologue could be the Pharaoh of Exodus. While the matter of Exodus would eventually be decided on, a canon answer on which pharaoh died or locked Selina in this tomb remains anonymous.
====SAt-Wsjr====
Likely the wrong spelling, the Egyptian name of Selina, SAt-Wsjr, is meant to translate into 'Daughter of Osiris' and thus open the door to the surname she would eventually adopt in Shrouded Piety. Because of the distant date that the Prologue takes place in, I saw no sense in starting her character off with the Westernized name of 'Selina,' and so I decided to play around with the concept of her not starting with this name. This would also have an unintended inspiration on Suri's name in her own story, as the surname 'Yaktosh' would develop from the name of her village, 'Yaktovus.'
==Chapter Illustration==
The first ever chapter illustration for The Osiris Contract features Selina along with the Ankh that her Godcraft necklace is shaped like. The illustration would go on to also be used as the cover image for the story, and follows a similar design to the cover for Order of Yaktosh.
The image was prepared fully through Adobe Photoshop.
==Characters Introduced==
====Selina Osiris/SAt-Wsjr====
SAt-Wsjr (Later known as 'Selina Osiris') enters the story as an ancient Egyptian magician and funerary ritualist involved in the laying of a recently deceased pharaoh. She demonstrates a great commitment to the Egyptian religion as well as a strong loyalty to the title of Pharaoh. An immortal Godcraft, she uses her powers in this introduction to burn funerary text and images to the walls of this tomb, meant to help guide the deceased pharaoh into the great beyond. When the new pharaoh decides to trap her in this tomb (as a sacrifice to his deceased father,) she continues to respect the title of Pharaoh even in face of this cruel betrayal. To prevent her deterioration while imprisoned in this tomb, SAt-Wsjr teleports inside of her magical Ankh necklace, where her state of being is preserved for as long as she remains there; those who are trapped in the tomb with her, unfortunately, are left to their fate.