Bast

Goddess of War and Prophecy

### Purviews

Artistry (Dance, Music), Beasts (Cats, Lions), Epic Dexterity, Fertility, Fortune,Health, Moon, Sun, War

Bast started as the Goddess of war in ancient Egypt, patron of lions and cats, the most fearsome hunters of the wild. She took her duty seriously, fighting against the Titan serpent Apep who sought to overthrow Re. She stood by Re’s side as his bodyguard and protector, one of his many children. The more she stood by his side, the more duties and jobs she took on for him. She even took time as the sun, while he went on (what she assumed) was a lazy vacation. Plenty of the other Gods sought to take advantage of her warrior prowess, and she found herself being pulled in too many directions.

Besides cats, Bast is also the patron of prophets and was gifted with prophecy herself, though that ended up double-edged: while it did give her something better to do than fight everyone else’s business, it was a terrible and draining thing that nearly drove her mad and definitely drove her to drink.

Bast wars with herself over her own nature, even in the modern World. When she is calm and contemplative, she goes by Bast, the prophet and gentle guide. When visions of the future
become too much, the old warrior surfaces within her. Bast appears as a woman with long, straight black hair, light-brown skin, and flashing green eyes. Talking to her takes patience and daring; her dual nature makes it difficult to know who you're really talking to at any given time. However, if you check for alcohol on her breath, it's relatively easy to figure out.

Bast’s Scions embody her warrior prowess and nature. They sometimes gain her abilities of prophecy, but it is not nearly as debilitating to them as it is to her. She is a hands-on God,
guiding her Scions through the difficulties presented by their warlike nature, leaving them surprisingly well-adjusted, despite their drunkard mother.

#### **Bast, Bastet, and Sekhmet**

Sekhmet and Bast were the same deity, once, but aren’t any longer. The Goddess Het-Heru once wore the Mantle of Sekhmet, a twin sister fighting alongside Bast. Sometimes Bast takes back the Mantle of Sekhmet, and sometimes Het-Heru does; sometimes, all three appear in the same place, which puzzles the conspiracy theorists of the Netjer. When she’s Incarnated in the World, Sekhmet drinks to forget her visions and fights anyone who crosses her — and she could be Bast’s twin sister, albeit of a rougher disposition. She spends most of her time in a drunken haze in some spot of the sun. She frequents bars, pubs, wineries, boxing rings, and sports matches — pretty much anywhere she can find a drink and a good fight. She has **Epic Strength and Wild** in addition to Bast’s Purviews, more of a lioness than a cat.

Bastet is another Goddess entirely. She may also have once been one of Bast's divine Mantles, but the current Goddess Bastet was most certainly once a Scion of Bast, and she grew far apart as time went on. Bastet is associated with cats and fertility, but also with prophecy and guardianship. Her Scions are sometimes hard to distinguish from Bast’s, but woe betide any Scion who can’t keep all three straight.