Aramix, Eternal Pharaoh of Atenkhet (Ah-RAHM-icks)

Summary

Born into the merchant caste, Aramix's life had long since paved the way for her to take over the family business. In many ways, with an arranged marriage, obligations towards familial allies, and plenty of financial success already done, her life was slated to be an easy one. And so, she performed her duty, and succeeded well in it. Such a life, however, was empty of meaning, and Aramix grew more and more discontent. The farther she ventured from her family's well-to-do business, the more problems she uncovered in the world. The poor, sickly, and lower castes alike in Atenkhet were suffering, but as she looked into the matter, she uncovered it was entirely by design. Unable to ignore her findings, she delved further, and uncovered a sinister cult had taken root. With the mistress of it yet hidden from her, Aramix brought her findings to the judicial courts. Despite her due diligence, her findings were overturned–and indeed, found so offensive, Aramix was stripped of rank, title, and banished into the wastelands of Sa-kemet. Her family disowned her, finding her conduct unbefitting and dangerous to the natural order of things. Powerless, she marched into the desert with nothing but a robe and three days of supplies. She knew of lands beyond Sa-kemet, having seen the prized maps of her family, and so she desperately tried to make it through. Day turned to night, and then day returned again, her supplies dwindling, and her cushy, comfortable lifestyle having left her horribly unprepared for rugged survival. Doomed in the vast sands, Aramix fell, only to awake later in the tranquil waters of a cave. A secret cult had saved her, one that practiced worship of the three moons—a forbidden taboo. Hiding her disgust, Aramix earned their favor, and studied their teachings for years as a fellow member. Rising through the ranks, she acquired great prestige, reaching the very height of the cult. Through this position, she proposed a plan that she'd long harbored in secret. Knowing the truth of the corruption in her homeland, she convinced the cult their time had come to root out the evil once and for all. To this end, she was given a priceless artifact: a sun-gold forged staff adorned in the iconography of the Moons. Bestowed with the cult's greatest weapon, she marched with her heretical fellows into Atenkhet proper. Sneaking into her own home city, she and the worshipers assaulted the palace of the cult. In the ensuing battle, Aramix slew the coven's leader and inner circle, killing the sickness of her home at its roots. Her mission done, she and the moons worshipers surrendered, and the aftermath proved to be an even bigger mess. The one Aramix killed was merely one of many leaders, all beneath the-then pharaoh, a coven member herself. Brought to the capital and shackled upon the Golden Plaza, the pharaoh and other cultists smiled down at her. Behind them and their crowd-filled stands loomed the Guardian of the Black Pyramid, its titanic form casting them all in shadow. All around her, Aramix saw the end result of her failure–her nation heading to ruin, laughing and cheering all the while. Staring upon the Black Pyramid as the sun crowned the sky, Aramix smiled and, as best she could, cut in to all those around her. With an oratory skill that stunned the rapacious crowd into silence, and made her argument–not to the crowd, nor the pharaoh, nor the nobles or any other mortals, but to Akenra and the Moons themselves. In a prayer as much as judicial case to be made, she laid the fate of Atenkhet before them instead. And so, when the Guardian moved at the pharaoh's command, she opened her arms, and embraced the incinerating blast from it. Awash in the divine energy, everyone watched in awe as Aramix arose, the moons staff within her paw once again. With the icons of the sun and moons glowing brightly, she cast terrible magic upon the coven's arrogant leaders, burning them from the face of Veltrona utterly. To the pharaoh, she commanded the Guardian, turning it upon the traitorous ruler and her ilk. In doing so, all their followers fled into the scorching deserts of Sa-kemet, and the shifting sands swallowed them whole. In the wake of such violence, Atenkhet fell into anarchy, with many of the noble families purging the coven. To the many masses untouched by the spectacle, Aramix became a holy figure in an instant, blessed by Akenra herself. Rather than capitalize on her new fame, Aramix brokered peace between the shattered priestesshood and the nobility. The masses demanded her coronation as only was right, but she insisted proper ritual to be followed, ultimately buying valuable years to stabilize her homeland. With the blessing of the Solar Sect, Aramix went through the proper tutelage of priestesshood. She was nearly unanimously put forward as a successor candidate, with her opposition bowing out completely. Passing the ascension ceremony and its dozens of trials with arduous effort, she claimed the Solar Throne, ushering in a new age. City-by-city, Aramix reformed the government, reaffirmed allegiances, and reunited Atenkhet into the unyielding power it has since remained as. For what can be said of her rivals, they did try. Aramix outlasted them all, if not with her incredible leadership skills, then through time itself. As their flesh faded and their bones laid beneath the sands, she remained, and so all peoples called her 'Aramix, the Eternal'. It isn't clear what became of the moons worshiping coven who aided her. Even their prized artifact had been changed, the moons removed from it to leave the sun alone emphasized. Aramix, tight-lipped and with the supreme power of the pharaoh, did not allow any to speak of it again. Still, people wondered. It wouldn't be out of place to have them all killed, such was their heresy. Yet, Aramix easily speaks of her own prayers to the moons, and mandates the Solar Sect to include it within doctrine. Despite this paradoxical issue, this inclusion hasn't brought about the end of days that many in the priestesshood feared. While it overturned some ancestral traditions and conventions, moons-centric doctrine breathed life into a theology otherwise devastatingly stagnant. In a sense, it gave the push-and-pull tidal forces Uatkara needed in order to mature further. Such has come to be a characterizing point for pharaoh Aramix. A vigilant and eternal guardian, but also a stern ruler who is constantly pushing her people forward.

Physical Description

General Physical Condition

Physically fit, and a bit shorter among nebusian standards, Aramix exudes an oppressive presence with her statue-esque appearance. Her centuries-practiced posture and manners carry regality in every motion, and a glare from her stone-set face can make hardened people crumble underneath its intensity. Although she rarely smiles or laugh, she is not entirely unwelcoming–indeed, others might regard beholding her as standing in the presence of a giant

Body Features

Her body fur is neatly trimmed to a pristine shortness, exceedingly formal and intimidating compared to the wilder, fluffy fur of others. A few lingering scars might be seen on her dark skin across her body, now but thin narrow slashes or jagged claw marks from bygone eras. Hieroglyphic tattoos are inked into her skin, speaking in a dead nebusian language that no one else has yet to learn the meaning of.

Identifying Characteristics

The degree of refinement she carries, alongside her reverent aura, are virtually impossible for anyone to ignore. Even amongst body doubles, Aramix is a distinct presence, and overwhelming to those who are unprepared for her.

Special abilities

Exalted – Aramix is a true Exalted. Solar and Moons Magic – Calling upon the power of the Sun and Moons, Aramix wields devastating magic capable of leveling entire cities. The nature of this magic changes depending upon the day cycle, shifting between radiant and eclipse magics not seen elsewhere on Veltrona. Veltron Magic – Aramix has long trained to command the unique sands and soft veltron of Sa-kemet. While nowhere near her main strength, it offers her incredible protection and forms her main line of personal defense.

Apparel & Accessories

Aramix's attire is old and traditional by many of Atenkhet's current standards. A white, insulating cloth forms the basis of a baggy dress. This reaches down to the waist, where the skirt then sub divides into a 'front half' and 'back half', leaving the sides open and exposed. The same cloth is then used for pants, which go down to the ankles and are tied-off to prevent sand getting inside. A second skirt, attached to a belt, is affixed around her waist. The second skirt is sub-divided into seven sections, with the first being front-and-center with Aramix's torso. A painted on tapestry over the black fabric showcases a stylistic rendition of Atenkhet's primitive history: that of the ancient tribes founding their city around the black pyramid, atop of which lays the luminous sun. The rear two sections (that which Aramix would sit upon) contains the moons and night time depictions. Her accessories are predominantly made out of sun-gold, but a number of different gems and jewels are embedded into them. A smooth golden band encircles her crown, while a circular, stylized rendition of the sun sits on her forehead. A beautiful, large fire opal sits as the center piece, its refractive colors evocative of the fiery light all of Atenkhet reveres. A segmented gorget adorns her shoulders and covers the upper half of her chest, fanciful blues and greens decorate it, evocative of waters, reeds, and life-around-water. From the ends of the gorget hang smooth reed beads, giving an audible rustling whenever Aramix moves fast or suddenly.

Mental characteristics

Gender Identity

Female

Sexuality

Asexual

Education

A natural-born intellect, Aramix received extensive education even as a small child. Basic economics, arithmetic, geography, and even haggling had been achieved before her 20th summer. Following her exile, she spent much time learning doctrine and religious history, even if it was through the lens of moon worship. In her ascension to the Solar Throne, she received an intense curriculum by the wisest and oldest of all Atenkhet's teachers. Finally, as a near-immortal Exalted, she has not once relented in her acquisition of knowledge in virtually every field imaginable. While her ultimate talents lay in governance and overseeing her people, she knows enough about everything else to figure out when someone is trying to lie or double-cross her. Hence the saying, "the easiest business with the pharaoh is the most honest kind".

Mental Trauma

Although she has come to peace with it, the harrowing experience of total isolation and abandonment sits in the back of Aramix's mind. In this respect, she has eliminated exile as a form of capital punishment, preferring outright execution in the rare instances the matter comes up.

Intellectual Characteristics

Aramix is a seasoned political veteran, warrior, and priestess. She adheres to decorum and ritual formality with unfailing precision, and regards all others who fail to do so with the greatest of contempt. Her unwavering seriousness makes her something of a stiff conversational partner, and she does not regard any other as her intellectual equal in discourse. In many ways, her mannerisms are condescending and domineering, but she is not unreasonable–if one speaks their piece and holds it up well and sanely, she will freely engage with it. A collector of fine arts, Aramix is responsible for driving many civil pursuits into the arts. A number of grand works are directly ordained by her, and there is a known competition between her and some of the artisan mistresses, constantly trying to one up each other in creating ever grander works. In a similar vein, although she is not an engineer, she enjoys employing them to create "beautiful, but functional" architecture.

Morality & Philosophy

The entirety of Aramix's world is drawn in relation to the Sun, the lands, and her people. It is imperative to divine meaning in everything, to interpret what Akenra desires, and to facilitate the greatness her people aspire toward. In many ways, she is a living embodiment of Atenkhet's ideals, and there is no distinction between Aramix, the person, and Aramix, the pharaoh, anymore. Given she wields absolute power within her lands, virtually all matters she spends time on have a serious, veltrony weight to them. With this perspective in mind, Aramix ceaselessly endeavors to ensure the moral character of Atenkhet is proper. Times change, and with them so does knowledge and understanding. Rather than risking stagnation, she looks forward in time, trying to forecast the trends and directions. In such a way, she might come to understand important lessons that need contemplation, and ultimately, dissemination to the masses. All this, to suit peace, prosperity, and the happiness of her people.

Personality Characteristics

Motivation

Since taking the Solar Throne, Aramix has ever aspired to continue being the shining leader of Atenkhet. Shouldering the responsibility of guiding her entire nation, she is ever determined to find the right path to take. Yet, when the future hosts any number of possibilities, her progress can be slow, almost stagnant--finding where not to go is as useful as where to go. A fact that some of her more modern critics often do not understand appreciably. Nonetheless, no shred of doubt exists in her mind, nor any uncertainty in her role within Atenkhet. As certain as the sun that rises every day, Aramix is the leader her nation needs.

Divine Classification

Exalted

Current Location

The Black Pyramid

Species

Nebusah

Honorary & Occupational Titles

For many outsiders, the position of pharaoh (or its analogs of 'queen', 'empress', etc) is noteworthy but often unimpressive. That is, lacking of ethereal or grandiose qualities, it may not immediately impress the serious depth it carries within Atenkhet's culture. There is no other more important in mortal life than the pharaoh, and Aramix's incredible lifespan (for a nebubis) is directly correlated with her divine status. For those who dwell underneath her, she is a living goddess or similar conduit to the realm of divinity.

Year of Birth

741 TD 1694 Years old

Children

Current Residence

Atenkhet

Gender

Female

Eyes

Protruding, mostly round with a hint of being upturned; Golden iris that have a ring of plasma yellow-glow (ala the Sun), white sclera

Hair

Black

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

A deep, dark brown

Height

Medium

Weight