Mishcara

Mishcara is a mysterious creature. Originally a high priest of Anubis in ancient Egypt, he studied the Book of the Dead and performed the rites & rituals within. After a time he discovered the cavern of the Black Pyramid and studied some of the profane rites taught in it. After being cursed by the other priests of the Ancient Egyptians, he was cursed with being mummified alive. The priests that carried out the mummification, forced him to be laid in a tomb made of black obsidian stone bound together with Leviatha's Flesh & Black Sand filling his sarcophagus. After existing for millennia in a state of near death, his cruel imprisonment caused his spirit to reach out from his shrine / tomb in Memphis into the void. Someone answered. Leviathan called, and sent the roots of Underdark plants through the earth to free his new Cenobite.

Physical Description

Physical quirks

Not known for his swiftness, Mishcara appears stiff when moving almost to the point of slowly shuffling along. This is offset due to his surprising toughness, with most physical attacks bouncing off him.

Special abilities

Mishcara has many many abilities of a High Priest of Anubis, able to call upon this deity to cast spells & do miracles in Anubis' name. He can call upon any of these abilities at almost any time but many are reversed in effect as he is now something altogether different. The same applies wit hLeviathan as he is now a follower of this dark deity.
He possesses the ability to attract undead instead of repel them, his touch causes the flesh to mutate of wither instead of heal, and as a cleric of death & pain his abilities are reflected as such. Opening wounds, causing damage to sources of food & water, harming the environment, all part of this. Usually he needs to view or touch the area or creature in person, but if he has something linked to either can do it at a distance in some cases.
Also, he can be summoned. This is caused when one of his grave goods is manipulated or tampered with by a creature deliberately, and sapient. Always appearing as if the earth is splitting open and strange roots burst out. From these, they part and the tolling of a bell is heard whil cold pale bluish white light spills out, then he steps out. He can attract & dominate any undead here in the region, and can raise them. He can also call forth a few Cenobites as well.
He seems to be able to turn his leathery black skin to a bark-like appearance when attacked, and in return send out iron hard plant roots as if from nowhere to penetrate his victims. The final property he has is the ability to conjure linen wraps similar to the linen wraps used in mummification. These bind & constrict a victim, immobilising & soffocating all the while.
He can easily turn his leathery tough skin to a strange bark like sunstance making himself more durable.

Apparel & Accessories

Usually nude but regularl;y seen in darkened linen mummification wraps and sometimes an ankh saff & headdress of gold. The headdress are in the shape of a Jackal in honour of Anubis. He sometimes wears jewellery in the shape of a set of golden scales and a golden feather, or carries an actual set so he can weigh the heart of victims. A finely crafted set of mummification tools is regularly carried by him too made out of obsidian, gold, and bone with magical Egyptian symbols carved into them.

Specialized Equipment

Mishcara has access to an altar to Anubis & an altar to Leviatahn in a temple room. Here he stores his sarcophagus, for some unknown reason. He always has a hidden pouch on himself containing Black Sand, and a sliver of Leviathan's Flesh. In rare cases he will carry a golden ankh staff of office and a headdress of gold too. In these are set a sliver Leviathan's Flesh and polished regularly with Black Sand and used to increase his contection to his gods. They both seem to boost his powers considerably, but their destruction does not stop him having access to the powers in general.
He owns a set of jewellery in the shape of a set of scales and a feather which contains magical properties. He also has a full working set of these and can actually use them in magical rituals when working necromantic magic on a body. He is known to have embalmer tools that he uses for the latter as well, and rumoured to improve his ability to cast necromantic spells with them.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Mishcara is a mysterious creature. Originally a high priest of Anubis in ancient Egypt, he studied the Book of the Dead and performed the rites & rituals within. High enough ranked to be one of the Pharaoh's most rtusted advisors. He had been born into a powerful family and was chosen from the upper classes due to his devotion to the gods. What can be seen from what few records remain is that his family were known to produce a great many powerful high priests throughout the Kingdom, and all showed a courious mind & devotion to Egypt & it's people. Exactly who the Pharaoh he served though has never been found, and likely left off the records to protect their identity.
After a time he discovered the cavern of the Black Pyramid and studied some of the profane rites taught in it. Mishcara had heard rumours of it and travelled around Egypt trying to find a way to access it. He had the thought that either he could turn this evil away from Egypt or gain information to add to the Book of the Dead. The latter happened. Finding an entrance in a set of sandy hills east of Alexandria north of an oasis, he travelled down in.
When in the grounds he chanced upon the Black Pyramid. Standing at the edge of the Pyramid was a twisted humanoid monstrosity dressed in the skins of humanoids. A series of belts hung on it, covered in different bloodstained pins, needles, sawblades, knives & sewing kits. Four clawed arms were attached, and no hair was present on its pallid scarred skin. Speaking in a gurgling whisper, he asked why Mishcara was there. Mishcara asked if this place was an entrance to the Afterlife or part of Apep's domain. No was the repy and it would give an alternative entrance to gain Ra's favour.
All the Mishcara had to do was to train for seven days and nights, then he will gain forbidden knowledge and bypass the usual mummification process. It would allow the Pharaoh to bring new power to the gods and closer to true manipulation of the flesh. This could be used to strengthen the bond between the mummified body and the Sahu (the spiritual body in the afterlife). The rituals Mishcara learned relied on the deliberate manipulation of the flesh of living beings with the local Black Sand & a substance called Leviathan's Flesh, sometimes rendered down int balms, potions and ointments with other strange & wonderous materials. These were drunk, rubbed on, had the tissue placed in, or even the whole body soaked in. After the seven days were up and Mishcara had the necessary rituals recorded and a supply of these components he left back to Memphis.
For months following his return the mummifications in Memphis started to change, subtly at first but growing ever more drastic in time. Many of the mummies created were wrapped in linens & placed in sarcophagi or caskets chased with strangely marked brass highlights. Canopic jars with the same decorations were produced too. Markings never seen before appeared in the hieroglyphs marking the tombs of the dead, and many did not seem to stay dead for long, arising to torment the living. Strange sounds of a bell ringing and a baby crying rang out from deep in the tombs, and many that were opened had the remains inside missing with no clue as to where they had went.
Eventually, the different priests convened a meeting with the Pharaoh to tell them what had been happening. Tracking it down to the return of Mishcara, he was arrasted, brought before the Pharaoh & cursed by the other priests, being cursed with being mummified alive. The priests that carried out the mummification, forced him to be laid in a tomb made of black obsidian stone bound together with Leviatha's Flesh & Black Sand filling his sarcophagus. All the while the other tombs were checked and the damage recified where possible. The remains of Mishcara was buried in his own crypt with all parts of his 'work' placed with him, and any names of who he served or had regular interactions with, removed frm the records. No-one would remember who he was before, his life's work gone. His tomb is still hidden somewhere in Memphis. All the dark magic & materials such as the Black Sand etc, was placed there too, and still found in heavily protected quantities in his possession.
He existed for millennia in a state of near death, his cruel imprisonment caused his spirit to reach out from his shrine / tomb in Memphis into the void after an extended time. Someone answered. Leviathan called, and sent the roots of Underdark plants through the earth to free his new Cenobite. Taking the form of a mummy-ike creature wrapped in roots that grow from his own body, he was freed after an earthquake caused by the shifting of underground passageways weakened by the roots he was freed by. Searching the immediate region he found some of the Underdark creatures perfect for subjagating and proceeded to dominate them. Clearing everything he could out of the tomb, he had the mishmash of creatures he now controlled to strengthen it, and started to raise the dead were possible.
Knowing he could never take on the Mummy Lords of his once proud nation, he sent word to the Order of the Gash claiming his allegience to them and acting as a priest of sorts to them. Many of the Cenobites will attend his now hidden court deep under the city of Memphis, where he deals with constant battles against other undead forces & elements of the Yuan-Ti. Saying this, he has made contact with friendly Yuan-Ti who search him out for rituals & items concerning Set & Apep of which he is willing to trade. These trades usually involve living & dead humans and the like, as well as knowledge about the world above.
It seems that Mishcara is a strange hybrid, possibly even the first, or at least a precurser, to the Cenobites of the Order of the Gash. To say he is ancient is no small fact, and he doesn't seem to bear the black religious butcher smocks or garments of the Order. The few that have encountered him and survived, no matter how insane their ramblings, say that he seems to have abilities & looks that manifest in Mummy Lords & Cenobites. Exactly how this came about is unknown, though some speculation exists that Leviathan experimented on him in the sarcophagus for centuries wel before te first true Cenobite (known as Librarian Stitchscar) existed, and the founding of the Order of the Gash.
A strange case surrounds him in that he is reported to have appeared in other countries outside Egypt, always appearing as if the earth is splitting open and strange roots burst out. From these, they part and the tolling of a bell is heard whil cold pale bluish white light spills out. Next he walks out as if from nowhere. Besides being able to dominate undead in a surrounding area, he has powerful priestly spells, spreads undead plagues, and capable of three unique abilities. He seems to be able to turn his leathery black skin to a bark-like appearance when attacked, and in return send out iron hard plant roots as if from nowhere to penetrate his victims. The final property he has is the ability to conjure linen wraps similar to the linen wraps used in mummification. These bind & constrict a victim, immobilising & soffocating all the while.
It is noted that he is found outside his vast tomb-palace of the dead & multilated only when a canopic jar or other item of his funerary hoard appears & is tampered with. In these cases it seems to act like a mix of a beacon (of which he knows exactly where it is and when it is interacted with), and who has tampered with it. Mishcara appears as if summoned and immediately seeks to drag the person back to his tomb-palace. If not he will seek to kill them on the spot, and will summon undead & even Cenobites to his side to help in punishing the victim for summoning him. When he gets the chance he will happily seize the item in question to return it to it's place of rest.
He has become a scourge of tomb raiders & antiquity collectors for quite a number of them rank amongst his growing undead servitors or as minor Cenobites. What makes him more terrfying is that his tomb has been expanded into a tomb palace, with many religious altars throughout. It is populated by undead of great numbers, along with a cadre of Cenobites, as a gift from Leviathan, of which he also worships with the Old Gods of Egypt. Yuan-Ti, and members of other undead courts, are regularly found in his seeking to sway him to one side or another, or threatening him into complying to another court's will.
Concerning his tomb-palace, the epicentre of it straddles the Material Plane and Leviathan's Labyrinth, basking in it's unholy energies. Ther is also a secret hidden pathway through the Underdark linking the tomb-palace to the Cavern of the Black Pyramid. If it exists it is certainly well-hidden, heavily protected & dangerous. Some even speculate that if it does it could very well pass through regions that have many prehistoric sites known only in tales spoken by the most ancient of Dragons & Giants.

Education

Trained as a High Priest of Anubis, Mishcara has a high level of religious understanding. Access to clerical magic, rituals and special powers, as well as the ability to read & write, allows him to gather knowledge pretty quickly. Since he served an early dynasty of Pharaohs, he has an indepth knowledge of the Old Kingdoms of the Nile and surrounding lands from that time.

Intellectual Characteristics

Mishcara has took to ruling over his new domain as a tyrant to the living and as a shepherd to the dead, as well as a tudor to many a Cenobite in the more mystical arts of fleshcrafting. He has took to learning as much as he can about the new world he is reborn into and looking to expand his power base. With this he has turned his mind to learning as much about the nations of the world, their languages, and how to corrupt them. This ability to learn is one of his most deadliest characteristics, only tempered with the fact that due to his nature is the time it takes for him to catch up. As slow as it seems he can still outmatch most opponents.

Morality & Philosophy

Mishcara believes that the afterlife is everything and that all must be prepared to meet the grave some day. By doing so, one must accept death and pass through the process of attaining eternal life in the physical, or spiritual realms, though both is prefered. As, to go to the underworld and have the soul obliterated is a waste, and should be avoided at all costs.
All life can be prepared by the shaping of flesh and following a god or gods that will accept a person no matter what the outcome. Preferrably this is done in a fashion that the Old Gods and Leviathan finds pleasing though deities that can give eternal life is welcome, especially ones that also are willing to shape the world in their own vision while still alive, even in undeath.
He believes that the dead can be resurrected and should be, and those that live can find a unique link to the Afterlife in extreme body modification. The latter, he believes, causes peaks of intense spiritual awakenings & causes specific deities to notice the individual. In the case of fleshcrafting as practiced by the Cenobites, this attracts the attention of Leviathan.

Taboos

A major taboo held by Mishcara and his more devoted followers, is that the grave goods, offerings & tributes left in graves should be left there with the body. If the bidy is reanimated by any means, then the grave goods has to be stored in a designated place and protected to be claimed only by that specific undead. It is to help them in the Afterlife, even if the afterlife in question is part of an undead horde under the control of Mishcara & his cronies.

Personality Characteristics

Motivation

All Mishcara wanted was the ability to help the people of Egypt, especially the royal family and other high-ranking individuals pass to the Heavens to keep the state of Egypt alive & prosperous. Now that is all changed.
Seeing that the Egypt he knew fall into the sands of time, he wants to destroy and resurrect the old empire as a place of death. This is a punishment for letting the Old Ways die and be replaced by beliefs & peoples who should not be there. The damage to the old tombs are a disgrace, even if some are inhabited by those who originally cursed him.
As for those who cursed him, he would happily destroy and take them as his personal 'pets', as well as take their own little fiefdoms to add to his own. Even better would be if he could turn them to his cause and bow before him admitting that he was right to follow Leviathan as well as their own deities.

Virtues & Personality perks

Mishcara surprisingly has a respect for those who do not harm jackals & cats, and those who fully observe funerary rites of any faith. It doesn't stop him from having graves robbed of the remains when he deems it necessary, but will respect the dead otherwise. If anything he prefers to deal with the living and offer them eternal life as an undead or a Cenobite.

Vices & Personality flaws

Mishcara canot seem to differentiate between the idea of someone wanting to live eernally in the heavens when they die or continue to walk the Earth as an undead under his control. Those he can't truly control he is willing to turn into a Cenobite so they can get joy out of pain & hardship, even if they want the opposite. This dual outlook causes most living beings he deals with to be confused as to exactly what he wants, and appears contradictory somewhat.

Species

Mummy Lord

Age

Unknown

Sex

Male

Gender

Male

Eyes

Eyes gone

Hair

None

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Blackened, leather like, and tough.

Height

5' 8"

Weight

Unknown

Known Languages

Ancient Egyptian, Coptic, Arabic