![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Senef-Hekau While Egypt was still new, Sechat's mission have been to give the Vampire Gods of Egypt magical power that would enable them to defend the Two Lands from exterior aggression. Disciplines were at the same time created, but Set believed letting mortals from priesthoods and memory weak mummies be the magicians of Egypt could be a great mistake. Sechat, wife of Thot, not only enabled the Vampires to have access to Thot-Hekau, but she even went higher, as she discovered the use of Celestial Structures to power High Spells, as well as Path Disciplines, similar to Vampire Disciplines, but attuned to each Hekau Path. Of course, few mortals could use High Spells, but for her Bloodline, the Hekau Nebet, this was a new source of power few had dared to dream about... Systems Senef Hekau is a name behind which is hidden in truth three Disciplines: Necromancy, Thaumaturgy and Celestial Magic. After the Setite Purge, another magic called Set Sorcery was created to replace the lost Senef Hekau. Necromancy and Thaumaturgy have already been described in most White Wolf books, and only old and forgotten paths are described here. Celestial Magic is a forgotten way of casting magic, relying on the power of great structures to be able to use powers otherwise too much powerful to fuel with simple Tass, Sekhem or Vitae. Set Sorcery relies on the energy of souls to fuel their magic, through Mummies-based rituals... Hekau Thaumaturgy
Those learning Senef Hekau use Thaumaturgy differently from the Tremere. The Discipline only enable the Vampire to learn Paths and Rituals. Paths, even the primary one, must be learnt separatly. The Paths of Hekau Thaumaturgy are: Hekau Thaumaturgy and Thaumaturgy are fully compatible, but one can tell if a Path is Hekau or Hermetic Thaumaturgy: Words are said in ancient egyptian, and not in greek, latin or even hebrew... It means that a Tremere Thaumaturge learning an Hekau Path can cast it with Thaumaturgy system (spending Vitae, etc.), but that the words and other components used are Hekau instead of hermetic ones. The second difference comes only from the Parent Discipline used. For example, if a Sorceress has both Thaumaturgy and Senef Thaumaturgy, she can use either Thaumaturgy system or Hekau Thaumaturgy system to use any ritual or Path (be them Hekau or Hermetic). That means that she can burn blood to power the Path of Blood or the Path of Amulets, or burn Sekhem to reach the same results. If she has only Hekau, then she must power her Paths/Rituals. with Sekhem. If she has only thaumaturgy, then she must power her Paths/Rituals with Vitae. It is possible for someone to learn twice the same Path, one Hermetic version, and one Hekau, in any order. The second Path will be learnt with XPs costs halved (Meryt-Neith used this subterfuge to avoid being recognized by the Clan Tremere as a non-hermetic mage...). Hekau Necromancy
Those learning Senef Hekau use Necromancy differently from the Giovanni. The Discipline only enable the Vampire to learn Paths and Rituals. Paths, even the primary one, must be learnt separatly. Also, the sorcerer must follow for the Paths and Rituals of Necromancy the same rolls than those of Thaumaturgy (Blood expenditure, Willpower Roll, etc.) in addition to the rolls explained in each Power's description. In the other hand, a sorcerer can learn Hekau Necromancy Path as Thaumaturgical Paths, that is, one per level of Hekau Necromancy. The Paths of Hekau Necromancy are: Hekau Necromancy and Necromancy are fully compatible, but one can tell if a Path is Hekau or Hermetic Necromancy: Words are said in ancient egyptian, and not in greek, latin or even hindu... It means that a Giovanni Necromancer learning an Hekau Path can cast it with Necromancy system (spending Vitae, etc.), but that the words and other components used are Hekau instead of hermetic ones. The second difference comes only from the Parent Discipline used. For example, if a Sorceress has both Necromancy and Senef Necromancy , she can use either Necromancy system or Hekau Necromancy system to use any ritual or Path (be them Hekau or Hermetic). That means that she can burn blood to power the Path of Blood or the Path of Amulets, or burn Sekhem to reach the same results. If she has only Hekau, then she must power her Paths/Rituals. with Sekhem. If she has only Necromancy, then she must power her Paths/Rituals with Vitae. It is possible for someone to learn twice the same Path, one Hermetic version, and one Hekau, in any order. The second Path will be learnt with XPs costs halved. Hekau Set Sorcery
This is often called the Fourth way by Elder Setites who know something about Senef Hekau. Hekau Thaumaturgy, Necromancy and Celestial Magic have been lost with the Setite Purge, but some among the betrayers knew something about magic. Instead of trying to learn once more how to fuel magic with Vitae or Celestial Structures, they decided to fuel it with a source of Sekhem easily available in Egypt: Mummies... Being the fetters of Wraiths in the Egyptian Underworld, they were a link to those souls. The Setite Sorcerers used this Link to fuel their Paths. A version of the Path of Corruption is said to exist. Also, two more Paths are known by Setite sorcerers. It is believed that the Sethite Sorcerers can reproduce any kind of Thaumaturgy Path and Rituals with their Magic. But no other example than the Path of Corruption is known... Hekau Celestial Magic Hekau Celestial Magic is an original Discipline fueled not by the Vitae of the Vampire Sorcerer, but by using external forces. While one must still roll Willpower to use these Paths, no Vitae expenditure is needed. One must use Sekhem, usually from a Celestial Structure, to fuel these Powers. Sekhem Amulets
The Vampire magician can use Amulets the same way Mummies and mortals can, but because of their extended lifetime, Vampires and Mummies have two problems concerning the Sekhem Amulets, which explains why few among them even remember how to create one: Celestial Structures Vampires can use Celestial Structures as easily as can other Hekau magicians. In facts, Vampire usually found it easier: Most Ancient Egypt Vampires were powerful Generation Cainites, thus enabling them to have High Spells, which needed this kind of structure. Faith? It is rumoured that some Vampires of Ancient Egypt could increase their Sekhem pool by somehow absorbing the True Faith of their priests. No Hekau Spell enable the magician to do that, so if this was true, it must have been a strange Discipline, now long lost... ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
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