Codex-Lore-Divine Artifacts

Record of artifacts discovered during your adventures.

## **Anubis**

Protector of Graves, Patron God of Embalmers, Weighmaster to the Scale of Justice - these are just a few epithets given to Anubis, a denizen of the Egyptian underworld, the Duat.

Arrogant, yet self-loathing, Anubis has placed himself at the heart of a bitter family feud between Osiris and the envy-stricken Set.

Some believe that there is hope yet for the funerary god - that he has grown cruel only because he has been twisted by the spirit of the jackal he assumed to protect the dead.

## **Anuket**

When the fertile waters of the Nile, nourished by Isis's tears over the death of Osiris, swell beyond its banks, the festival of Anuket begins.

Gold, jewels, and precious possessions are sacrificed in great number to the muddy depths of the Nile in thanks to the "Nourisher of the Fields" for the life-giving water and the wealth it provides.

## **Apep**

Born of the primordial waters of chaos, Apep is the champion of riotous anarchy and limitless atrocity. Said to be as old as Ra himself, it is the most feared of all the Sun God's nemeses.

Some Egyptians believe Apep was slain by Ra, its bones left to bleach in the sun where the "First Pharaoh" could keep a careful eye on them.

Others insist that Apep cannot be trusted to remain in the fiery lake of the underworld, and fear to tread upon the ground defiled by the serpent's scales, for fear of its return.

## **Baldur**

What more can be said of Baldur, the "Slain God", the beloved son of Odin and Frigg, whose only crime was to become a source of envy and amusement for Loki?

What more can be said of Frigg's pain, upon learning that Baldur was prophesied to die? A worser fate you cannot imagine.

## **Bennu**

A symbol of rebirth, Bennu, the Egyptian God who "came into being by itself", was a herald of creation.

Flying through the darkness over the primordial waters, its lonesome clarion call pierced the primordial darkness, a pathway of sound for all of life to follow.

## **Hathor**

"Mistress of the Stars" and "Mother of Pharaohs" are names given to the goddess Hathor, whom many Egyptians insist was partly responsible for creation itself.

Hathor is the benefactor of all music, dance, joy, and love, and dwells in the sky with Ra, where she has taken on the mantle of the Eye of Ra, an extension of the Sun God's power used to destroy his enemies.

## **Isis**

Isis' wits and inner strength are exalted by Egyptian commoners who revere her as a role model.

Coveted by Set, Isis was ensared by tragedy after the murder of her husband, Osiris, and the urgent need to protect her son, Horus, from the same fate.

## **Kek**

Kek, the "Bringer of Light", is one of the Ogdoad - eight deities who brought peace and prosperity to Egypt before retiring to the Duat. His female counterpart, Kauket, is the "Bringer of Night."

## **Maat**

Ma'at is the Egyptian concept of truth and justice, balance and order.

Personified in a deity of the same name, the goddess Ma'at's most sacred duty lies within the Duat, where her ostrich feather is weighed against the hearts of the dead.

Should a heart balance with Ma'at's feather, the deceased is allowed to continue to the Field of Reeds. If not, the heart is devoured by Ammit, and the soul attached to it vanishes from existence.

## **Nefertem**

Praised for his beauty, Nefertem was said to have greeted the first dawn of creation by emerging from underneath the primal waters ensconced within a blue water-lily.

Nefertem, or "Water Lily of the Sun", is thus given thanks each day at first sunlight, as well as whenever the perfume made from the fragrance of the lotus flower has the intended effect on an admirer.

## **Tutu**

When demons and other dark beasts are unleased amongst the commonfolk to serve the bidding of less scrupulous Egyptian deities, mortals pray to the winged lion Tutu, poised protector, for deliverance.

## **Wedjat Eye**

Known also as the "Eye of Horus", the Wedjat Eye is a symbol of healing and defense, and the icon is said to have magical properties that safeguard those who wear it.

The Wedjat symbolizes Horus's left eye, and therefore said to draw its power from the moon, as opposed to his right, or "solar eye".

## **Hedj Wer**

The "Bull of Stars", Hedj-Wer is a solar god which takes the form of an alpha baboon, so it may awake each morn at dawn's first light and lead the rest in frenzied ritualistic prayer to the sun.

Forever connected to Ra, Hedj-Wer is trusted by the Sun God to wield the all-seeing Eye of Ra, which holds the power to restore, protect, and sacrifice in his name.

## **Taweret**

Also known as "Lady of the Birth House", Taweret, the Egyptian goddess of fertility, takes the form of a female hippopotamus - a creature devoted to protecting its offspring with unmatched ferocity.

## **Norse Amulet**

Throughout Midgard, Vikings earned reputations as violent interlopers. Yet, among their ranks they counted craftspeople and artisans of undeniable skill and innovation.

This beautiful amulet, its fantastic beasts interwoven by violent grip, is evidence as such.

## **Beserker**

What you wouldn't you give for an army of these Norse warriors who fight with fugue-like ferocity, charging into battle as mad as boars, mouths foaming - their throats parched for want of blood.

## **Mjolnir**

Mjolnir serves as both a weapon and divine apparatus to Thor the Thunderer. Its short handle is the result of Loki's attempt to sabotage the dwarves Brokk and Sindri as they forged it.

Loki has since become more familiar than he'd like with the "business end" of Thor's hammer, as the following ballad attests...

"Silence, thou impure being, My mighty hammer, Mjolnir, shall stop thy prating."

## **Valkyrie**

Winged warrior maidens of Odin, valkyries are entrusted with choosing which among those who have fallen in battle are worthy of a seat in Valhalla.

## **Plundered Brooch**

The Beauty and the Berserker is the tragic tale of King Harald Redaxe, and his wife, Melbrigda. At the urging of his queen, Redaxe plundered the Celts to bring her this brooch.

The gift bred naught but obsession and jealousy between the pair – a love triangle of two, or so it was said, but one that brought a bloody end to both all the same.

## **Scoprion of Isis**

Before the birth of Horus, Isis undertook a journey in secret to protect her unborn child. She was accompanied by seven magical scorpions for protection.

It was at the Papyrus Swamp she sought shelter at the home of a wealthy trader. Not recognizing Isis through her disguise, and angered that a "stranger" would bring such beasts to her home, the woman turned Isis away.

Isis's scorpions sought revenge by poisoning the trader's son - yet Isis took pity on the boy and healed him. Ashamed of her behavior, the trader spent all she had on this tribute to the "Queen of Every Land."

## **Horus**

Wounded in pride, flesh, and spirit - exiled and robbed of his birthright, Horus has offered his allyship, but how far can one trust a vengeful god's heart? It is a question you have seen answered before.

## **The Midgard Serpent**

Born of a union between Loki and the giantess Angrboda, the Midgard Serpent lies at the bottom of the sea where it was banished by Odin, and has grown so large that it encircles the earth.

Its hatred of Asgard has grown even larger. It is said that when Ragnarok is upon the land, the oceans will rise and flood the earth after the serpent releases its tail from its mouth to fill the air and sea with venom.

## **Sleipnir**

The eight-legged horse, Sleipnir, is the result of Loki's dalliance with a magical stallion, Svadilfari, after Loki took the form of a mare to lure the steed away from Asgard. A long story, that one.

Loki then presented Sleipnir as a gift to his sworn blood-brother, Odin, who took it as his prized steed, making it the only offspring of Loki's that the Allfather did not immediately banish from Asgard.

## **Rognvald**

Among the first mortals to fight alongside you when were still a fledgling god, the loose-tongued Rognvald's "aid" was to either declare the obvious or boast like a knave after his first cup of mead.

## **Ingrid**

The first of many heroes to be guided by your hand, the iron-willed Ingrid refused to rest until she avenged her brother's death at the hand of the Norse god Tyr, whose warrior cult razed her village.

It was with Skofnir, her axe, and by your will, that Ingrid's thirst for vengeance was quenched with the fall of Tyr the Hunter.

## **Frodi**

Who could forget the blind priest, Frodi of the Gothi, and his journey from half-mad outcast to savior of Midgard?

Having been driven from his order for practicing forbidden magic, you restored Frodi's sight and reunited him with Vinsaga, his soul-harnessing staff.

By your will, it was Frodi who saved the Great Column of Midgard from the hordes of Helheim, completing his miraculous transformation from castaway to hero.

## **Stikkan**

A self-described "import-export agent", Stikkan proved that even gods, fledgling or not, must take care when dealing with the dark elves of Svartalfheim.

Your bargain with Stikkan put you on the wrong side of the righteous, on the right side of wicked, then back again. The elf's talents may be useful in the future, yet you are in no hurry to become reacquainted.

## **Risi**

You rescued the half-man, half jotun, Risi, from imprisonment on Skadi's Island in Jotunheim, at a time when the giant-slayer Thor brought war against the jotnar.

Thoughtful and kind, Risi defied commonly held beliefs by Asgardians of giant-folk. By your guidance, Risi would ultimately triumph against the "killer of Jotnar", an act of defiance the Thunder God would not take lightly.

## **Egil**

Transformed from a shark, the dutiful, if not overeager Egil bore twin blades and a grin full of dagger-like teeth - and fought with the frenzy of a storm surge advanced by an unrelenting hurricane.

## **Hulda**

Tranquil, yet tenacious, Hulda stood in your defense at great personal risk, facing down flames and absorbing blows that would have felled lesser followers without so much as a whimper.

## **Astrid**

The "Winged Menace of Midgard", Astrid is an eagle you transformed who kept watch overhead like a guardian angel, and whose arrows found their marks like angry hornets.

## **Steinar**

When you decided that the hero priest, Frodi, would need added strength on his quest to save the Great Column of Midgard, Steinar was transformed from a bull, and his brawn put to work.

An imposing figure, the stoic Steinar kept a short leash on an even shorter temper, as he directed his rage at any and all obstacles in Frodi's path, whether flesh, stone, or something more sinister.

## **Sigrid**

When the Great Belfry in Midgard refused to reveal its secrets, you transmuted an owl into the warrior called Sigrid. Quiet, cautious, and wise, the ranger radiated a graceful calm along with her crossbow bolts.

## **Bjornhild**

You cannot help but smile at this divine homage to the bear called Bjornhild, the "Mother Bear of Niflheim."

A fearless protector and stalwart guardian, even having her totem to watch over you lightens your spirits.

## **Siggi**

First met along the river Gjoll, the spear-wielding amphibian known as Sigmund–or "Siggi"–was a far more formidable fighter than at first appeared.

However, his true gift lied with obtaining objects well out of reach for those without an adhesive, viscoelastic tongue.

## **Runa**

Runa was but another opportunistic raven circling the prison on Skadi's Island when you plucked her out of the sky and gave her the gifts of speech, a feather cloak, and scythes that craved blood.

The raven used her cloak to drift unseen through the shadows, slashing unsuspecting enemies with her curved blades, often dealing a killing blow before they knew they'd been struck.

## **Rolf**

You found Rolf amongst the ruins of the Old Keep in Niflheim, a lone wolf in search of a pack. This follower was ever-alert to threats to his new master, and fearless in his duty to protect.

With his dual axes and piercing howl, Rolf fought with the ferocity of dozen frenzied berserkers, yet without abandoning reason or cunning.

## **Fafnir**

The power to transform dragons came to you in Jotunheim with Fafnir. Grateful for his freedom, he swore an oath on his sword to serve as guardian and bathe your enemies in dragonfire.

## **Huldufolk**

The enigmatic Huldufolk appear to love their riddles above all else. They are few and far between - presumably because very little of their presence goes a long way.

## **Ancient One**

Their motives a mystery, these silent sentinels encountered in your earliest sagas gave aid only to heroes who proved their valor in tests of lethal combat.

Curiously, these spirits in tree-form appeared only in lands you had previously tread.

Whether to stake their claim or keep your peace, you cannot tell.