PROLOGUE:
Derajyt Oasis, Upper Egypt-2145 BC
It is a sad time for Egypt. The yearly Nile floods stop and famine grips the populace. With the pharaohs losing power the Egyptian Empire soon splits into two separate kingdoms. It isn't long before the ruling families of both Upper and Lower Egypt declare war on each other and Egypt plunges into a civil war.
Derajyt Oasis, a small town on the western edge of Upper Egypt, is feeling the effects of the famine and civil war even though it was far from the battlefields. The trade caravans that used to come often were now far and few between and the town was slowly suffocating to death.
On the streets an eighteen-year-old girl named Tetisheri was heading home with a loaf of bread. With the famine food was very scarce and very expensive. She and her mother had to spend a good part of their savings for the bread.
When she got home her mother greeted her. "Thanks the gods! You have got some bread! I thought there would not be any when you got to the bazaar."
"They still had some bread," she said. "But there were not many who could afford it. Some were trying to steal it. They were trying to steal from me also."
"I am glad you have come home safe. Now let us sit down and eat."
They had started to sit down when they heard screams outside. They ran to the door and saw lots of people running past.
"What is happening?" Tetisheri shouted to them.
"The Lower Egyptian Army!," a woman yelled. "They are coming!"
She looked around and saw them, hundreds of them, converging on the city. It was too late for escape.
"Come on!" her mother shouted. She pulled her back inside and toward the back of the house to a chest. She opened it. "Get inside!"
Tetisheri stared at her mother in shock. "No! No, I will not! Let us hide together!"
"There is no time! No matter what happens we will see each other again! I love you, Tetisheri! Now get in!"
With tears in her eyes she hugged her mother and then got into the chest. After closing it her mother covered it up in linen. A moment later a soldier came in and saw her. "You! Get over here!" She responded by throwing a piece of pottery at his head. Enraged the soldier pulled out his sword and plunged it into her chest.
Inside the chest Tetisheri heard the whole thing and bit her lip to stop her from crying out. She stayed there long after the sounds outside ended. It was nightfall when she finally climbed out of the chest. She immediately saw her mother laying on the floor in a pool of her own blood. She was dead. Sobbing uncontrollably Tetisheri knelt by her mother's side and held her head in her arms.
When she stopped sobbing she was suddenly overwhelmed by rage. She looked at her mother and said. "I will avenge your death mother. I swear by the gods I will."
She stood up and ran outside. There were many buildings burning and bodies laying on the streets. Every body she saw made her even angrier.
Why were they attacked? She asked that through her mind as she ran through the streets. Derajyt Oasis was a peaceful town and had no strategic value to the Lower Egyptians. Perhaps they were attacked as an example to the rest of Upper Egypt.
After running a few minutes she reached the Temple of Seth, the Egyptian God of War. She ran inside and immediately knelt by the altar. She then said, "Oh, mighty Seth, God of War, I call upon you to give me the strength to attack my enemies and help me avenge my mother's death!"
For a few moments nothing happened. Then a rumbling started below her. Suddenly the floor gave way and she fell into a cave. After getting up she looked around. At first she couldn't see anything. Then suddenly the torches along the walls flared up by themselves.
Scared but confident she started to walk through the cave. After a moment she came to a huge door. She pulled on it but it wouldn't open. It was locked.
She turned around to look back the way she came when she heard a loud clank behind her. She turned back to see the door open by itself. After taking several deep breaths she went in.
Inside the huge room there was a giant gold statue of Seth. In its hand was the Sword of Seth, a gold sword with amazing powers. It is said that the person who has the Sword of Seth can control his armies and grant its user incredible power. Because of this the priests of Seth hid the sword under Derajyt Oasis and destroyed all records of its existence.
Tetisheri stared up at the statue in awe. She had never seen anything so beautiful and huge. Just then she heard a voice that sounded like a growl.
"Take the sword and your wishes will come true."
With shaky hands she took the sword. There was a hieroglyph inscription on the blade. After reading it she raised the sword and said the inscription.
Gold lightning shot out of the statue's eyes and hit the sword, which then traveled throughout Tetisheri's body. When it stopped she lowered the sword, an evil smile forming on her lips.
A few days later she found the soldiers that destroyed her town and killed her mother. They were camped on a small oasis near the Upper/Lower Egypt border.
"Revenge is mine," she said.
She raised her hand to the sky. Clouds suddenly appeared overhead, blocking out the sun and plunging the area into the darkness. The soldiers stood up and looked up at the sky, astonished. Tetisheri closed her eyes and concentrated. Fireballs began raining down, engulfing the land and soldiers that were hit by them. She then took out the Sword of Seth and drove it into the ground. It created a massive earthquake and the desert floor opened up swallowing up more soldiers. In the end they were all dead. Tetisheri thrust the sword into the air and let out an evil laugh.
It was then that she proclaimed herself the Queen of Destruction and proceeded into Lower Egypt, destroying three cities in her wrath. Nothing would stop her in her ultimate goal, the destruction of all Lower Egypt.
Nothing except Seth, which at that moment took his part of the deal. In agreeing to help Tetisheri, he took possession of her soul, which was warped by the powers into pure evil. Her body was later found and taken to Hamunaptra, the City of the Dead. She was sealed in a special sarcophagus and buried deep below the city. She was to be guarded at all costs, for if she was ever awakened, her powers would be even more devastating and she would continue her quest of destruction.
Derajyt Oasis, Upper Egypt-2145 BC
It is a sad time for Egypt. The yearly Nile floods stop and famine grips the populace. With the pharaohs losing power the Egyptian Empire soon splits into two separate kingdoms. It isn't long before the ruling families of both Upper and Lower Egypt declare war on each other and Egypt plunges into a civil war.
Derajyt Oasis, a small town on the western edge of Upper Egypt, is feeling the effects of the famine and civil war even though it was far from the battlefields. The trade caravans that used to come often were now far and few between and the town was slowly suffocating to death.
On the streets an eighteen-year-old girl named Tetisheri was heading home with a loaf of bread. With the famine food was very scarce and very expensive. She and her mother had to spend a good part of their savings for the bread.
When she got home her mother greeted her. "Thanks the gods! You have got some bread! I thought there would not be any when you got to the bazaar."
"They still had some bread," she said. "But there were not many who could afford it. Some were trying to steal it. They were trying to steal from me also."
"I am glad you have come home safe. Now let us sit down and eat."
They had started to sit down when they heard screams outside. They ran to the door and saw lots of people running past.
"What is happening?" Tetisheri shouted to them.
"The Lower Egyptian Army!," a woman yelled. "They are coming!"
She looked around and saw them, hundreds of them, converging on the city. It was too late for escape.
"Come on!" her mother shouted. She pulled her back inside and toward the back of the house to a chest. She opened it. "Get inside!"
Tetisheri stared at her mother in shock. "No! No, I will not! Let us hide together!"
"There is no time! No matter what happens we will see each other again! I love you, Tetisheri! Now get in!"
With tears in her eyes she hugged her mother and then got into the chest. After closing it her mother covered it up in linen. A moment later a soldier came in and saw her. "You! Get over here!" She responded by throwing a piece of pottery at his head. Enraged the soldier pulled out his sword and plunged it into her chest.
Inside the chest Tetisheri heard the whole thing and bit her lip to stop her from crying out. She stayed there long after the sounds outside ended. It was nightfall when she finally climbed out of the chest. She immediately saw her mother laying on the floor in a pool of her own blood. She was dead. Sobbing uncontrollably Tetisheri knelt by her mother's side and held her head in her arms.
When she stopped sobbing she was suddenly overwhelmed by rage. She looked at her mother and said. "I will avenge your death mother. I swear by the gods I will."
She stood up and ran outside. There were many buildings burning and bodies laying on the streets. Every body she saw made her even angrier.
Why were they attacked? She asked that through her mind as she ran through the streets. Derajyt Oasis was a peaceful town and had no strategic value to the Lower Egyptians. Perhaps they were attacked as an example to the rest of Upper Egypt.
After running a few minutes she reached the Temple of Seth, the Egyptian God of War. She ran inside and immediately knelt by the altar. She then said, "Oh, mighty Seth, God of War, I call upon you to give me the strength to attack my enemies and help me avenge my mother's death!"
For a few moments nothing happened. Then a rumbling started below her. Suddenly the floor gave way and she fell into a cave. After getting up she looked around. At first she couldn't see anything. Then suddenly the torches along the walls flared up by themselves.
Scared but confident she started to walk through the cave. After a moment she came to a huge door. She pulled on it but it wouldn't open. It was locked.
She turned around to look back the way she came when she heard a loud clank behind her. She turned back to see the door open by itself. After taking several deep breaths she went in.
Inside the huge room there was a giant gold statue of Seth. In its hand was the Sword of Seth, a gold sword with amazing powers. It is said that the person who has the Sword of Seth can control his armies and grant its user incredible power. Because of this the priests of Seth hid the sword under Derajyt Oasis and destroyed all records of its existence.
Tetisheri stared up at the statue in awe. She had never seen anything so beautiful and huge. Just then she heard a voice that sounded like a growl.
"Take the sword and your wishes will come true."
With shaky hands she took the sword. There was a hieroglyph inscription on the blade. After reading it she raised the sword and said the inscription.
Gold lightning shot out of the statue's eyes and hit the sword, which then traveled throughout Tetisheri's body. When it stopped she lowered the sword, an evil smile forming on her lips.
A few days later she found the soldiers that destroyed her town and killed her mother. They were camped on a small oasis near the Upper/Lower Egypt border.
"Revenge is mine," she said.
She raised her hand to the sky. Clouds suddenly appeared overhead, blocking out the sun and plunging the area into the darkness. The soldiers stood up and looked up at the sky, astonished. Tetisheri closed her eyes and concentrated. Fireballs began raining down, engulfing the land and soldiers that were hit by them. She then took out the Sword of Seth and drove it into the ground. It created a massive earthquake and the desert floor opened up swallowing up more soldiers. In the end they were all dead. Tetisheri thrust the sword into the air and let out an evil laugh.
It was then that she proclaimed herself the Queen of Destruction and proceeded into Lower Egypt, destroying three cities in her wrath. Nothing would stop her in her ultimate goal, the destruction of all Lower Egypt.
Nothing except Seth, which at that moment took his part of the deal. In agreeing to help Tetisheri, he took possession of her soul, which was warped by the powers into pure evil. Her body was later found and taken to Hamunaptra, the City of the Dead. She was sealed in a special sarcophagus and buried deep below the city. She was to be guarded at all costs, for if she was ever awakened, her powers would be even more devastating and she would continue her quest of destruction.