Imhotep

## Background

Imhotep was not only King Djoser’s chief priest and vizier; he was also an architect, mathematician, physician, and statesman. His broad range of skills led him to the first successful construction of an Egyptian pyramid, an architectural landmark that was mimicked for over a thousand years.

Sadly, temporal achievements did not satisfy Imhotep. He sought eternal life. In those days, magic was plentiful, and Imhotep had already seen many unsuccessful attempts at immortality using necromantic magic. Imhotep sought a true immortality in which both the body and the soul would be preserved after death.

After numerous vile experiments, Imhotep discovered a way to compel all seven parts of the soul to linger in the world after the body had died. He proceeded to test his new discovery upon Djoser himself, telling the king that he was sure of success and wanted only to give his pharaoh eternal life. The magical process tipped the balance of nature, instead, ripping a hole in the fabric of the universe allowing the Red Death to creep into the world.

Imhotep and King Djoser were instantly corrupted by the Red Death and painfully transformed into its servants. Although both had received what they asked for—eternal life—it came at the terrible cost of their eternal souls.

For the next thousand years, Imhotep, Djoser, and their minions terrorized Egypt. Finally, however, their reign of terror was brought to an end by King Ankenaten and Queen Nefertiti. This king and queen created a pair of magic items, the Amulets of the Sun and Moon. The Amulet of the Sun prevented Imhotep and Djoser from walking about during the day, while the Amulet of the Moon kept them from prowling the night. Imhotep was imprisoned in the very pyramid he designed for Djoser.

Now, after thousands of years of bending all his thought to it, Imhotep has found a way out of his prison: he can manifest during the setting and rising of the sun, when the line between night and day is blurred.

## Combat

The limits of Imhotep’s power are beyond the understanding of anyone who remains on Gothic Earth. Imhotep has seen the birth and death of kingdoms, cultures, religions, even entire languages. Those who oppose him are nothing more than idle curiosities or tools to him, beings that will die within a few short decades, lost in the long corridors of time.

Imhotep approaches each conflict with cold-blooded calm, patience, and diligence. His plans are devised in terms of how they will unfold over centuries. He never makes hasty decisions, nor is he ever distracted from his far-reaching goals. Heroes who have faced Imhotep in the past have been shocked to find themselves his unwitting pawns, setting into motion a chain of events he had planned even before they were born.

The only way Imhotep's foes have been able to strive against him is to commit to long-term plans and objectives to counter his enduring ambitions. Whole generations of qabalists have been born with no other purpose than to carry out their ancestors’ plans to oppose Imhotep and his end schemes.

## Weaknesses

Imhotep only exists as long as his image or written name appears on Gothic Earth. Unfortunately, this practically means Imhotep is virtually undefeatable since, as a famous figure in Egyptian history, his name appears in countless journals and books and his image appears in thousands of locations as well.

Thankfully, due to the effect of the Amulets of Sunrise and Sunset, Imhotep is limited to manifesting himself on Gothic Earth during the times of sunset and sunrise.

Legend has it that there exists a magical formula for the creation of two more amulets that Queen Nefertiti was never able to complete: the Amulets of Sunrise and Sunset. If these two amulets were completed, Imhotep would be truly imprisoned, without any means of escape at all. Unless, of course, one or more of the amulets were destroyed—which is a goal Imhotep's servants ceaselessly pursue.

## Lair

Imhotep is confined a prison of his own making: the famous step pyramid of King Djoser in Egypt, the first pyramid ever constructed and the one on which all other Egyptian pyramids are based. There he is doomed to forever remain, until he can find a way to break one of the ancient mystic seals.

## Possibilities

Imhotep is an excellent master villain for your Masque of the Red Death campaign. As a true immortal, Imhotep can peer into just about any place where his name or image appears, and because he is a central figure in history and archaeology, this means that he can watch or appear in almost any place where Egyptian archaeology is mentioned. He has access to most of the major libraries in the world, allowing him to maintain a global network of spies and servants.

Heroes facing Imhotep find themselves up against numerous adversaries arrayed along an extensive and complex chain of command. Deadly and immediate threats may be vanquished, but only at the cost of discovering that the enemy now takes orders from someone else—or that the momentary tactical victory plays into one of Imhotep's larger, more long-term strategic plans.

Imhotep has numerous agendas, all working in conjunction. However, his chief goals are to find the long-lost Amulets of Sun and Moon in order to destroy them, allowing him to freely stalk the earth once more.

## Sources

Imhotep is described for 5th edition D&D, including a full stat block, in *Harker's Handbook* by R P Davis, available at DMsGuild.com