Rebirth of Ubaste-Sekhmet

The Rebirth of Ubaste-Sekhmet is an event in which a nearly forgotten Mulhorandi power was reawakened and restored to divine presence.

## Overview

When the Mulan were stolen and enslaved by the Imaskari, incarnations of their gods came with them - but only a handful 'survived' with their divinity intact. Subject to the laws of a foreign Crystal Sphere that governed divine essence and the shape of Pantheons, numerous powers were forced into more static incarnations, while others were made to compete against local deities to maintain their influences. Weakened as they were by the kidnapping that had taken their mortal worshippers piecemail, many of the gods fell into slumber and were eventually forgotten as the rest of Faerun began to influence Mulhorandi culture and beliefs.

Among these was the goddess Ubaste-Sekhmet. The strict structure of pantheons in Faerun precluded the more dynamic, sometimes fluidic merging and fusion of divinities, and without a base of power for herself, Ubaste-Sekhmet, along with Sekhmet herself as an individual power, faded from memory into an astral dream. Their iconography was mostly subsumed or attributed to Bast, who had managed to claw out a divine niche for herself and rmained empowered by her mortal followers.

The practices of Bast became popular amongst non-Mulan, and as belief and worship of her migrated into others lands and cultures, so too did the goddess herself. In the sordid travel that eventually resulted in Bast becoming Sharess - which in turn caused an assimilation that redefined her as part of the Faerunian pantheon, and Bast no longer a part of the Mulhorandi's - the divine memories and influence of the goddess were sewn across the lands. One of these 'seeds' was the memory of Ubaste-Sekhmet.

Ubaste-Sekhmet's essence was like a ghost, an astral dream without form or power. Acts that appealed to her would call her toward waking, but so forgotten was her name and the recollection of her identity, that she would invariably return to slumber while festivals and hunts were dedicated in the name of other gods. She could only sleepwalk toward things that were familiar, like blind and powerless kitten seeking warmth, before falling into a divine unconsciousness again. But eventually, she was drawn to acts that allowed her to awaken for the first time in ages.

## A Goddess Awakens

During an offensive against Sharran operatives and militant cells conducted principally by Hyzar el Saqhdan and Tserrav Shala along with their allies, the attention of the slumbering essence had been roused. Hyzar himself, living his life equal shares of lascivious and wrathful, stirred Ubaste-Sekhmet's bygone memories and unwittingly became her champion in his crusade against the zealots of the Dark Goddess. More perfect still was his bonded companion, the jaguar Shula, who accompanied him on this strikes. Though she had little power, in her blossoming awareness, Ubaste-Sekhmet was able to 'watch' and 'feed' upon the events, fettering herself to Shula in the process.

For the mortal perspective, this initially went unnoticed. The first indication of something unusual came when Shula, who had been more aggressive than was typical of her, for the first time did not heed a command from Hyzar's to stand down during one of their sorties. Instead, she slaughtered their enemies without quarter or pause, including those that had been intended for capture and questioning.

The atypical behavior continued when they returned home as well. Shula had become more wild, and through their bond had expressed a desire to finally become a mother - although her ferocity and zest remained heightened even after she returned from being taken to her homelands to find a mate. When the divine essence had grown enough to interact with the Prime Material through more than just the id of a feline, Hyzar was able to take notice of something else than fickle moods at play. Abjurative wards had alerted him to another entity's presence, and through his Divinations he was able to see an emanation nearby and occasionally mingling with Shula.

Through the use of further Divination spells and lore, he was able to coax out the name of the goddess, and sect dedicated to her in Muldorand. Hyzar, along with a handful of friends and allies, dispatched to the temple to learn more of what he had uncovered.

Concerned for what the situation meant for his life-long companion, Hyzar had an audience with Meritubast, along with several other priests of Ubaste-Sekhmet, and Ipuet, a priestess of Hathor and cohabitant of the temple. Shula was treated as a living deity, and as Meritubast explained the goddess-who-had-been, relating to them the lore of the nearly forgotten deity, it was revealed that indeed the case.

## A Goddess is Reborn

Shula had become host to the reawakened essence of Ubaste-Sekhmet.

Although the clergy were ecstatic for the return of their long-lost goddess, Hyzar was concerned for the implications of what that might mean as Shula as a divine vessel. Ultimately, the choice was left to Shula herself, and after a few days of deliberation (during which there was abundant doting and worship lavished upon her) the jaguar had made it.

The ceremony in which the divine emanation within Shula was released was a private affair, attended by only the clergy of Ubaste-Sekhmet; after which, Shula was reunited Hyzar, now solely herself. The newly released Ubaste-Sekhmet, now fettered to her own temple, had been reborn as a demipower and the Mulhorandi pantheon regained a goddess.