Kemet

Kemet is a male Exekian. Over four hundred years old, he is a former imperial soldier who briefly rose to prominence in the later years of the Old Exekian Empire, attaining the title of hunyadi before being disgraced and forced into exile.

After the collapse of the Empire in the First Exekian War, he went into hiding, living as a hermit in a mountain cave for the next century and a half. During this time, he maintained numerous artifacts from the imperial days, including a copy of the Mandorlin written in Old Exekian. These documents formed the basis of Dagda Vormund's translation, which Kemet aided him in creating. After the dissolution of the Cult of Vormund, Kemet was forced to flee along with his human wife Clara Montag. His current whereabouts are unknown.

## Appearance

Kemet is described as having delicate, chiseled features, pale skin like marble, golden eyes which glow in the dark, and white hair. During his self-imposed exile, he permitted his hair to grow extremely long, keeping it out of the way by braiding it. Later it was forcibly cut by Rasvan, thereby challenging Kemet to join the fight for his species' survival. Kemet tends to dress all in black as though he were in mourning, often wearing a dark cloak that can make him seem like a more imposing figure.

## Biography

### Early Life

Kemet was born in 245 BYZ, the only child of Matta, a famous Exekian polymath. He never knew his mother, who abandoned him shortly after birth. Kemet was raised at Casca Dun, Matta's private residence and research center. As the son of a renowned scholar, Kemet was given the finest education money could buy. Matta financed Kemet's schooling and military career, but he remained distant from his son, preferring his books and his experiments to spending time with the boy.

Kemet eventually ascended to the rank of hunyadi. Around 72 BYZ, Matta became a radical abolitionist and vowed to put a stop to the institutionalized slavery of the Empire. While Kemet shared many of his father's views, he was reluctant to participate in accelerationist or terrorist activities, as it would jeopardize his position. Eventually Matta tried to coax Kemet into helping him free the slaves on a plantation owned by Caspar, the heir of Emperor Rokanan. Kemet was initially led to believe that the scheme would simply allow the slaves being held at Caspar's plantation to escape to Dardanos, and so he helped in the operation by arranging for a gate to be left open.

Matta slew the guards at the plantation and armed the slaves, who proceeded to murder Caspar in his sleep and then attempted to assassinate Emperor Rokanan. When the assassination attempt failed, they were forced to retreat, and a few of the slaves were captured. Interrogated under torture, the slaves confessed to everything, including Kemet's involvement.

Kemet was charged as Matta's accomplice. To save his own skin, Kemet offered to assist in capturing Matta. After tracking his father to the ruins of an old fort, Kemet slew Matta and brought back his body. Despite a full pardon by the Emperor, Kemet had no desire to remain a hunyadi and retired from his position.

While he lost his princely holdings, Matta's estate, Casca Dun, including his vast library, fell into Kemet's hands. Kemet abandoned public life completely and became increasingly reclusive. He spent much of his time reading through the endless tomes in Matta's library. That was how he came to truly appreciate the copy of the Mandorlin which his father had based his fatal decision upon.

### Hunted

During the First Exekian War, the world Kemet knew crumbled around him. He lost everything - his wealth, property, position and influence - and was forced out of Tyr.

Heading south, Kemet eventually took shelter in a cave burrowed into Arza Kell, a mountain near the southern border. He stayed in hiding, but was occasionally attacked by humans while out foraging for food and other supplies. He encountered increasingly few members of his own kind, but heard rumors of feudal warfare among the Exekians who escaped to the southern wastes. He chose not to follow them in order to avoid becoming a soldier again. He buried the books and manuscripts he managed to save from Matta's library within the caverns, including the mysterious copy of the Mandorlin.

### The Cult of Vormund

In 162 AYZ, Kemet was badly injured during a scuffle with a group of human farmers. He was found and nursed back to health by the prophet Vormund and his followers. They gradually gained his trust and he allowed them to continue living in the caverns even after he had recovered.

Vormund convinced Kemet to dig up the buried Mandorlin manuscript and help translate it into Amarnan. One of Vormund's followers, the ex-prostitute Clara Montag, befriended Kemet. The two began a romantic relationship and they eventually married in a double ceremony with Gavin and Melissa. After Melissa died in childbirth and Gavin was forced to return home, Kemet and Clara agreed to take care of Gavin's daughter Laura until he returned.

The new cult member Leonard Gorrister sought Kemet out, but the Exekian was reluctant to show himself. He eventually agreed to meet after Leonard accidentally saw him during a strange incident. The two spoke of the Mandorlin, with Leonard becoming convinced the book was the most important thing the cult had to offer.

The group left Kemet behind with Clara and Laura as they traveled to Hiberia.

~Add more here later!~

That night, Kemet returned Laura to Gavin, and the friends split up for the last time.

After crossing the river Antrea, Kemet and Clara snuck across the Amarnan border into the free territory of the Lowlands. The couple rebuilt an abandoned cottage they found, adding extra structures and repairing the house. They lived there in secret as husband and wife for the next seventeen years.

### Dissolution and Unity

In search of other members of his kind, Kemet traversed the southern wastes, which had become known as the country of Exekia. He swiftly learned of the situation among his people in the south; two rival factions had formed, one led by an Empress that claimed to be a continuation of the Empire, and the other an alliance between the *hunyadi* Zimreon and his lieutenant Nechtan, who called themselves the Clan.

Kemet recognized that the Clan would never seek peace with the humans, but the Empress might. His attempts to gain an audience with her were rebuffed, however, and while he spoke to numerous Exekians, he failed to convince any of them that peaceful coexistence with Amarna was possible.

At some point he began a correspondence with Gavin, who kept him up to date on the situation for the Vormundists in Amarna. It was in these letters that Kemet promised to help Gavin's family if anything ever happened to him.

### Kluuda and Fifth Exekian War

In the year 183, the first Exekian *kluuda* since the fall of the Empire occurred. Prior to the manifestation of symptoms, Kemet was staying in the coastal town of Telovet. There, he was approached by an Exekian named Rasvan who was an agent of the Empress. Her Majesty had heard his pleas for peace with the humans, he claimed, and had sent him to speak on her behalf in these negotiations.

As the "peace talks" progressed, it became clear to Kemet that Rasvan was attempting to manipulate him. As Kemet's kluuda began, the agent locked the ailing, feverish Kemet alone in a room. Kemet was able to escape through a window during a snowstorm, but got into a fight along the way. Ashamed, he cut his hair as a sign of his return to warrior status. He returned home to Clara, who later became miraculously pregnant by him.

Isolated in their cottage for the duration of the winter, the couple were unaware that the region was about to be invaded by King Aldous until Marena arrived with a contingent of men hoping to fight for the Exekians. Marena, Clara, and Kemet, who had not met in over fifteen years, conversed about the current state of affairs and decided to seek safety further south. On their way out, they were spotted and fired upon by Aldous' scouts. Thus began the Fifth Exekian War.

Forced to head deeper into the south, Kemet and Clara posed as master and servant to avoid suspicion. The couple encountered Rasvan again when the agent was sent to Marena as a representative of the New Empire. He intimidated Kemet into agreeing to move to Heliobas, an ancient fortress which the New Empire was using to house and protect civilians from the invaders. In Heliobas, Kemet was made a commanding officer and placed in charge of managing the fortress, which was rapidly becoming a major target of Aldous' troops.

Clara gave birth to a son, whom they named Sinuhe. In order to hide his existence from the Exekians, they handed him over to Queen Laura in exchange for her son, the heir to the throne.

## Notes

1. Depending on who is addressing him, he may be referred to as "hunyadi Kemet". This is generally only a rule when he is conversing with other Exekians, as they tend to place titles in front of names.

## Quotes

*"Vormund carried him in from the forest, where he had been beaten by vengeful villagers. He refused to speak for several days, watching them with sleepless suspicion, but eventually he gave them his name, Kemet, and admitted he had been attacked for stealing food. None of them asked what he was doing in Amarna, but it was generally believed that he was in a kind of exile."*

—Gavin meets Kemet

## Trivia

The character's earliest known incarnation was as "Prince Caspar of Thun", and he shared many traits in common with Matta. "Caspar" appeared in a short story called Entropy, which was published on Wattpad as part of the anthology *The Old World Lives Anew!* In later drafts*,* he was named "Apollo", before his name was finally changed to "Kemet", from the ancient name for Egypt, meaning "black land".