Shadow Wars

Author: Silvershadowfire

Betas: DracOnyx, Ankh Ascendant

Rating: R (violence and language, some sexual situations)

Summary: Alternate Universe treatment of the YuGiOh mythos, pre-Duellist Kingdom to the Ceremonial Battle.

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction, based on the anime Yu-Gi-Oh! by Takahashi Kazuki-sensei of Tokyo, Japan. All characters taken from that series are property of Takahashi-sensei and used without permission. Original characters belong to me. I am making no money from this work of fiction.

Notes: Please note that while I have done a great deal of research into Egypt, games, YuGiOh and various other sundry subjects and will try as much as possible to stick to gritty reality, I have taken certain liberties for artistic and creative reasons.

A glossary of terms not native to English will be at the end of each chapter.

Enjoy!

Shadow Wars – Prologue

"Come on." Seth grabbed his cousin's arm in defiance of all convention and divine law, pulling him from the shaking building. Stone cracked and crumbled, threatening to bury the two men in debris. The black sky through the windows blasted icy wind from the depths of Duat, reeking with chaos like the very breath of Apep. "We don't have a lot of time." Dust covered the High Priest's blue linen robes. He had lost his hat and wig at some point and his make-up smeared around exotic blue eyes, making him look like he'd been beaten around the face.

"My people are dying out there, Seth! I can't just leave them." Pharaoh Atem protested as he was dragged inelegantly through the falling rain of plaster shaken from the palace ceilings. He knew he wasn't in the best of shape either, with his ragged shenti, bruised and battered, almost exhausted. But the Millennium Puzzle shone with preternatural light around his neck, just waiting for him to touch the power inside.

"You have to. You are Pharaoh. You and the land are one. If you die, the darkness wins."

"You don't actually believe that..." Atem tugged against Seth's grip but his cousin was half again his height and stronger than he appeared. Not really surprising for a devotee of Set but a serious pain in the ass right now. "I can help them... let me go!"

"Not until you're safe. That crazy thief and his god want to kill you, and if you die then the whole resistance will go down. Now, come on."

Logic be damned, he couldn't just run away like a coward. "Seth..."

"One more word and I will knock you out, Atem. This isn't just for you... it's for everyone. We need to retreat and regroup. The capital is lost but that doesn't mean the whole country has to be."

He was right of course. They couldn't beat a god like this, broken and panicking. "Then go. Get as many of our people out as you can. I'll meet you at the temple of Atum in Annu." He didn't want to run, but Seth had a point, damn his hide. The black sky erupted with roiling lightening, thunder deafening them both for a long moment. The reek of blood hung heavy in the air.

Seth paused, his blue eyes boring into Atem's as though to gauge his intentions. "Your word..."

"I am Pharaoh, I do not lie." He drew himself up and met his cousin's glare square on. "Do not forget yourself, cousin."

The tableau held for a long moment, then Seth nodded. "Forgive me, my Pharaoh. But it is vital you escape."

"If I die, you will be Pharaoh after me." Atem replied. "By my command, you are my heir. Let the gods witness it."

Blue eyes widened, then narrowed. "Then it is all the more vital you live, I have no desire to be Pharaoh in such a way, cousin."

"But you will be a good one." Atem retrieved his arm from Seth's grip. "Go. You are Crown Prince now and speak with My authority." He slid a ring off his hand, pressing it into Seth's. "Save as many as you can. I will see you at the temple. By my word, I will not interfere." The king's eyes were dark red with power and sorrow. "I am trusting you."

Seth looked at the ring in his hand, then bowed to one knee. "By your command, my Pharaoh."

--------------at Annu ------------------------------------------

Atem stumbled as he dismounted his horse, but managed to catch his balance and walk stiffly into the temple's outer courtyard. Priests and acolytes... the temple had been abandoned, the city evacuated. Or mostly so. He'd almost been ambushed by roaming gangs of thieves and bandits twice on the way in here, people who saw only a lone man on a horse laden with rich jewels, not their king. Atem might be exhausted but he could still fight, and the very serviceable blade at his side went a long way into making sure that he was unmolested. Here, miles from the hell that was Ineb Hedj the sun was still bright, the air brisk with wind off the Nile Delta. Exhaustion dogged the Pharaoh as he guided his equally exhausted horse through the quiet streets.

Seth shouldn't be far behind him now, with the remains of the army. The should have no problems getting here, and the power of the gods would protect the temple itself from looters. He led his horse into the stables beside the temple and brushed him down, murmuring soothing nothings in his twitching ears. The gelding nuzzled his bare leg as Atem found grain, hay and straw to make him comfortable, then dipped out water to fill his trough. "Not too much now." he chided, rubbing the animal's crest gently before leaving him to his meal and going to look for his own. This was one part of his childhood running around in the kitchens to avoid his lesson helped with. Unlike probably 98% of his ancestors, Atem was a decent enough cook. Granted he was out of practise... the only ones who were holy enough to consume a meal he made now were technically the gods and himself. But until Seth got here that was all he had to feed anyway, so...With a mental shrug, he descended past the sanctuary to the kitchens and living quarters that served the priests who lived here. They would have taken all the food they could carry, but chances were good that they had left the stores untouched.

He was right and wrong. They had plundered the stores but not completely, and there was enough there to keep himself comfortably for a while, along with whoever made it back here. The city of bread lived up to its nickname still, it seemed. He sincerely hoped it was more rather than less, and that they wouldn't have to be here long.

Starting a fire, he mixed water with barley flour and lard to make simple cakes, washing his hands after he set them to bake on the hearth. A crock of honey would add the perfect touch to them if he could find it.

A bit of rummaging found his treasure, and the Pharaoh smiled to himself. A crock of honey and all his! Atem had a weakness for the sweet liquid, and it was always in demand at the palace. Especially on barley cakes and fermented as a sweet dessert beverage. But only rarely did he allow himself to avail himself of it like this, straight. If he ate it as often as he would like, he'd probably be as fat as a corrupt priest. With a small evil giggle he cracked the wax seal and dipped a finger in, licking it greedily. Yum. Feeling rather like a boy who had stolen the the jar, Atem hefted it up and carried it to the hearth, checking on his cakes.

They were still cooking, so he left the honey by them and walked to the pump, deciding to bathe. It was warm enough with the fire to do so after all, and the lingering heat of the day. So he stripped off his Pharaonic finery and ragged shenti, stepping into the cool water of the wide sink with a sigh. Nice thing about being so small, he could bathe in a dishwashing sink. There were no oils here, but he was happy just to be clean.

He wet sand and scrubbed it over tanned skin, digging out the grime of battle and the stink of sweat, blood and smoke. When that was done he ran it through his thick hair, scrubbing. Days like this made him just want to shave it all off – it would be cooler – but no wigmaker could make a duplicate and he had to confess to a certain vanity in the exotic colours. Though, there was no time for vanity now. They were at war.

The thought stole the hedonistic pleasure from his bath and Atem sighed, stepping from the makeshift tub and using his shenti to sponge the worst of the water off himself. He let his thick hair dribble water down his back, rinsing it a final time before scrubbing the worst of the dirt out of the ragged linen. It really wasn't meant for this kind of abuse. Draping the cloth up to dry, he paced back to the fire and poked the cakes to see if they were done.

They were, so he dribbled honey on them and ate quickly, washing it down with watered beer. There wasn't much in the stores, so they would have to be chary with it and his skills in the kitchen didn't extend to the brewing of beer.

His belly full, Atem leaned back and watched the flames, trying not to brood. Seth should have been here, shouldn't he? Granted Atem had a head start and one man travelled more lightly than and army. Still, as the light through the high windows faded he started to really worry.

Rising, he threw more wood on the flames and draped his cape around his hips as a makeshift shenti. It was almost sunset; he could say the rites to Atum, which would both keep his mind off fretting and bring the blessing of the god of the sunset and creation on them, hopefully.

Taking the last barley-cake, he padded barefoot out of the kitchen and through the priest's barracks to the outer sanctuary.

The sun was just setting, visible through the open front of the sanctuary, when Atem emerged. He bowed to the setting sun, then turned and paced to the forbidden inner court where the God's home was. Not that anyone could forbid the Living Horus into any sanctuary; he was after all supposed to be the link between Egypt and the gods. Not that Atem believed it really – after all, shouldn't a living god have been able to stop Zorc?

Shaking his head, he bowed before pacing into the dim enclosure. Atum was the god of the primordial mound and the setting sun, and Atem's namestake. His sanctuary was dark, with only the one high window to illuminate it. He bowed again, then glanced around for the statue. To his shock, the alcove was set not with a filler statue but the true cult statue, still dressed in fine linens and with offerings at his feet. The Pharaoh paused, then paced over to study the painted stone. The god's statue should have gone with the priests... why was it here? Respectfully he knelt and chanted the prayers of welcome and respect. It wasn't the same as it would be with the priests here, and he added the chant asking forgiveness for that. Laying the cake down as an offering, Atem bowed three times and sang the hymn of the Setting Sun in his honour. Not that he was a terrific singer, but he did his best, and the god would appreciate the effort if not the effect.

The last sliver of the sun winked down over the horizon as Atem trilled the final note of the hymn, leaning back on his knees to simply enjoy the quiet. He rather enjoyed his times in the sanctuaries; the gods weren't known for bothering mortals much unless they were annoyed and the priests usually had other duties to attend to, which left Atem in the dark and the quiet where he felt the most comfortable. It was then that sometimes he thought he felt the gods; not in the elaborate ceremonies that called and honoured them but in the quiet afterwards.

The darkness settled around him like a cloak and he closed his eyes, humming under his breath. He let his worries for his cousin and people go, giving them to the God. For a moment, it almost felt like the shadows were whispering to him, and then he felt a sudden, strange surge of power. Opening his eyes he looked up, and almost fainted when he saw the great statue moving. His namestake god looked down at him, his features carved into a semblance of wisdom and knowledge beyond mortal ken. The linen of his shenti whispered as he stepped down from the dais. In one hand he held the was staff of strength, in the other the ankh of life. The Pharaoh trembled as the god paced towards him. "I have heard your need, Son of Ra, and have come to offer you the aid you require. But the price will be great."

"The price...?" Atem managed to stammer out.

"Yes. It will be heavy, Son of Ra, and you must bear it alone."

"I understand." It was after all the duty of the king to stand between danger and his land. "Tell me what I must do."

Atem woke to the warmth of full day and a hand on his shoulder, shaking him. "Atem, for the love of the gods, wake." Seth snapped irritably.

"Seth?" Atem blinked slowly, then his dream came back to him and he sat up with a start. The statue in the alcove stared down at them impassively and Atem shivered. "How long have you been here?"

"We got in an hour before sunrise. It wasn't a fun trip and the men are resting now. What are you doing sleeping in here?"

"I made the sunset offering and Atum answered." He wrapped his slender arms around himself. Even in the warmth of the day he was cold... so cold. "He told me how to stop Zorc."

"How?"

"I must break the Millennium Puzzle, and trap Zorc within." He didn't mention the price to be paid for such magic, that he himself would be trapped with the dark one; his ka would not fly to the afterworld, his ba would be lost, with no body to inhabit. His very name would be lost to time. Only his shadow would remain, locked in eternal combat with the god. "He will be trapped there until the Puzzle is solved. And you, cousin.. you must rid Khemet of all references to me and to the shadow magics."

Seth glowered down at him. "Why must I do that?"

"It's the only way to be sure that the dark one is never freed again."

Seth's frown grew deeper, but he offered Atem a hand up. "Is that all? Simply break the Puzzle?"

Not really. "No, but the rite must be performed by me alone. You and the army will have to keep Zorc from breaking in here to stop it. If he does, or if his thief minion takes the Puzzle, then the country and our world is doomed." The pharaoh shivered, dark dreams echoing in his mind. The god had shown him the world if this did not succeed. It was not a pleasant sight – chaos and darkness, ruled over by a mad god and his pawns. "Priest Aknaudin is leading them."

"What?" Seth stepped back, startled. "He's turned traitor..."

"Not exactly. I think he's been possessed." Which made him wonder about the evil god's other pawn; was the thief possessed as well? Could all this have been prevented if he had investigated earlier, or taken more seriously the thief's accusations and not simply treated him like a meaningless attacker.

Too late now... "And Seth?"

"Yes, my Pharaoh?"

"Make certain that the Items are never used again." Atem straightened his shoulders and lifted his chin. "I will begin the ritual right away... there is food in the kitchens, and a bit of beer. Make sure the men refresh themselves."

Seth opened his mouth but then closed it again. When Atem took that tone, he wasn't his younger cousin. He was the king of the largest empire in the world, and his word was law. "As you command, my Pharaoh."

Atem watched him leave. He didn't like ordering Seth around like that – it seemed disrespectful somehow, as odd as that sounded. But in this case, he didn't want Seth interfering. Odd as it was in a priest, Seth would defy an edict from Ra himself if his heart told him it was wrong. Atem respected him for that, for the sheer self will that allowed him to serve the gods and the people but still be himself so fiercely. In this case though... nothing and no one could be allowed to interfere.

He wouldn't do it here either. The inner sanctum of a god's temple wasn't the right place. He wanted to see the sun as he died.

That in mind, he paced down to the kitchen hearth and dressed himself in his now dry shenti and the jewels and gold of his position. Nor was it vanity that prompted him to do so; there were protective sigils worked into his crown, his bracelets, the heavy broadcollar, his earrings and even woven into the ragged hem of his shenti. He would need all the help he could get to keep it together long enough for him to finish the rite by himself.

That done, he made his way back outside and paused, then cursed. South, on the horizon, he could see the black clouds forming. Zorc was coming... his darkness blotted out the very light of Ra. "Seth!"

His high priest appeared as though by magic, his face grim. "I see it. We won't be able to hold him back for long, but we'll give you the time you need."

"Blessings of the gods be with you." Atem murmured, touching his shoulder, before dashing off towards the area behind the temple sanctuary. It was hard to get to, and other than the cattle runs there was only one way to get in and out. With luck, Atem would have the time he needed.

It was a chilling thought that the world could rely on simple luck. Atem forced himself to run faster, skidding to a halt in the open area of the cattle pens. Abandoned now of the sacred bulls, they would give him the room he needed to work the rite.

It would have to be quick and dirty. Atem paced a circle over the dusty ground, chanting under his breath a prayer to Isis and Wadjet, for protection and guidance. Shadows swirled up under his feet, echoing the circle. That done, he knelt in the middle and spoke the rites of purification. His fingers trailed through the dust, forming symbols in the magical language of the priests, said to have been invented by Thoth.

"Isis, great in power spread your wings over me. You have sent scorpions against my enemies; you have guarded my throne. Your magic fills me with determination.

Thoth great in knowledge guide my hand; you have touched your power to my tongue; you have borne the words of magic and poured them out over me. Your knowledge guides my hands and heart.

Atum of the sunset, great in power, you have given me your name. You strike my enemies with your terrible breath, and with a gust of your nostrils have destroyed them. You have given me the power to do your will.

Set great in strength, you have raised the sands against my enemies. Your arm reaches over the land to smite the enemies of Ra my father. You have given me your strength to defeat my enemies."

Atem intoned the prayers and invocations, feeling the power of the gods around and inside him.

Looking up he could see the shadows growing longer, stronger. Hurry, the wind seemed to whisper as it picked up dust and swirled it around him. Hurry...

He finished the preparations and stood in the middle of the circle, letting the humming feel of magic soothe him. Carefully taking the Puzzle of Unity from his neck, he raised it over his head and started to sing.

The clamour of battle, men and horses screaming, drifted to him on the freshening wind. How could they travel so fast? And where was the thief? Atem poured his power into the rising spell, watching the Puzzle start to strain as his magic pushed at it. He would have to hold it like this until the magic literally imploded. The trick of course wasn't in shattering the sacred Puzzle, but in trapping Zorc within. Which meant he had to link to the other Items, especially the Ring that the thief had won from Mahaado.

He closed his eyes and breathed, in and out. Breathe in power, breathe out tension, one after another. When he was ready the Pharaoh spread his hands and tendrils of power lashed out, vanishing much closer than they should have. A cry of pain and outrage heralded the sudden and unexpected appearance of the Thief King himself, not ten cubits from where Atem stood in his circle. His monster roared in tandem, appearing as well. Atem's magic latched onto the Ring and around the white haired man. A second, weaker line jumped from Ba'Khura into the darkness beyond; Atem had to hope it was the link to Zorc. His fingers clasped the glowing Puzzle, white hot metal burning into his fingers as he wrestled the magic into place.

"PHARAOH!" It was a howl of rage and madness, Ba'Khura struggling to get free of the holy magic wrapping tightly around him. Atem ignored him, his limbs ablaze with pain as he burned his ba into pure power. The agony drowned out the mere physical pain of the magic consuming his body. The chant never wavered, the strength of his kau holding him steady. One by one they appeared, only to have their spirits consumed by the divine fire that blazed around Atem, bright as Ra come to earth. Obelisk first, the stone monster cracking and dissolving into blue dust that joined the wild dance around the magic circle. The Sky Dragon next, roaring defiance as red and electric blue sparks erupted from him. Finally only the Winged Dragon remained, gold and pure as the sun, Atem held between his great paws.

Then the Puzzle shattered and the magic imploded in on itself, the gold pieces scattering around Atem like confetti. He never knew it though... his red eyes were empty and blank as the imploding magic consumed his body, soul and finally his name, leaving only his shadow, wrapped around Zorc like a vine, trapping a portion of his essence in the endless labyrinth.

Seth stood defiant against the darkness, directing the few remaining soldiers as he prayed that his cousin would succeed. There was no sign of the thief, but at the head of the army of undead that marched towards them the priest could see Aknaudin, High Priest no more. Now he was an avatar of Zorc.

The winds of magic carried the monstrosity that had been the holder of the Eye past the soldier and down to the plaza where Seth stood. "Son."

Blue eyes narrowed. "You are no father of mine. My father would have died honourably in service to Khemet and the Pharaoh before he allowed himself to become what you have."

"You don't understand..." the man gestured outward with both hands. Seth could no longer see his face; only the Eye remained, staring at him from a white empty mask. Black robes replaced white, and a heavy cloak covered over all. "I did this for you! You will be Pharaoh! You see? I did this so that you would have the throne I never had!"

"You're a fool." Seth spat. "I never wanted the throne, old man. The Pharaoh and I had a perfectly good system... he ruled and between Shimon and I we actually ran things. You think I would WANT to be Pharaoh? No... I'd be a terrible ruler. I'm the power in the shadows, you old fool, and now thanks to this Atem has made me his heir. I'm Crown Prince now... and you had nothing to do with it!"

"But..." Aknaudin dropped his arms, obviously confused. Seth kept up his verbal attack – he could see that with the other concentrating on his words, he undead army was faltering.

"You became a traitor, you gave up your soul. . . and all for what? For a dream I never wanted, and certainly not at that price. Be honest. It was not for me you wanted the golden throne. You were younger twin... you always wanted to be Pharaoh! Instead your brother became Pharaoh and that rankled you. It twisted you... made you bitter and greedy. Fool! You could have been like me; the true power of Khemet is not in the throne but in the priesthood!"

"You're the fool! Kowtowing to that foolish child of my brother's! It is you who do not understand true power, my son... the true power of the shadows, and that of the gods. Not political power, but the power to rule the world!" He gestured again and shadows leapt, swirling around him. "Join me, join my lord Zorc! You will be Pharaoh over all the world and our rule will never die!"

Seth held up the Rod. 'Hurry, cousin...' he thought as he spoke. "Never. You will not succeed here, old man. We will stop you."

"Hardly. By now the thief will have the Puzzle and put a knife through your precious Pharaoh's heart. Clever of my master to convince him that it was my brother who ordered his village put to the sword to hide the genesis of the artefacts of Darkness, rather than myself."

Now it was Seth who was stunned. "You mean the thief spoke true? His village was slaughtered to make these...?" He gestured with the Rod.

"Oh yes. Ninety nine souls sacrificed to the Shadows to power them and to open the gateway to Zorc's realm. But I couldn't have any witnesses. So I ordered the men my brother had sent with me to make sure that there were none. Their deaths, the pain and anguish of it, only added to their power. My innocent brother, the trusting fool, never asked the price of Khemet's salvation. He took the Puzzle I gave him and never realized that it would feed on his soul as the price of it's power. He died from it... and now his son will die."

Seth made a gesture of warding. "I want nothing to do with such evil." With a flick of his wrist, he cast the Rod to the ground and raised empty hands to his father. "I will depend on my own strength to defeat you."

"Then you're more a fool than I dreamed, my son." The Eye flared and lashed out. Seth gestured, tracing a symbol in the air as he spoke a single sharp word. The attack burst against the barrier he had raised but didn't shatter, crawling along the invisible sphere. The shadows were only visible to a mage, but to Seth's eyes they were dark black and seeped in evil, their darkness a corruption that ate at his holy magic. He spoke another word and the shield flared, throwing his father's attack away. "Set, lend me your strength." he prayed. He only had to hold out long enough for Atem to finish the ritual.

"Give in to the darkness." Another attack; Seth flinched back as this one dug in and tore his shield to shreds. "You can't defeat it. You can only give in."

"Never." Seth traced another sigil in the air and dove aside as the former priest attacked again, shadow lancing through the air where he had been. The symbol glowed and then flared, bright as the sun to dispel the shadows.

"Your magic is paltry." Aknaudin mocked. "No son of mine should ever be so weak." The Eye glowed again as Seth braced himself, hands wide and ready to grab. He wished he had a sword; he'd see if the darkness would protect the old man against three palms of bronze in his guts. Instead he dodged again as the Eye lashed out. He'd always been fast on his feet; now that dexterity was going to save his life.

Aknaudin made an audible sound of anger, though it was impossible to tell his emotions otherwise. He spread his arms wide and this time instead of a bolt, a wave of shadows hurtled towards Seth. It picked the priest up and threw him hard against the stone of the Temple, stunning him. With a gasp he dropped to the ground, all the wind knocked out of what felt like a set of broken ribs. Faintly over the screams of the men and the howl of the wind, he thought he could hear cries and cursing from behind him... behind the Temple. He looked up to see the dark priest pacing towards him. The older man stopped to pick up the Rod, then continued his steady pace towards Seth. "Now, you will accept your destiny."

Seth raised his hands in a last ditch defence, but Aknaudin stopped in mid pace, head jerking up. Spears of red-wreathed shadow lanced into the Eye seemingly from the Temple itself. Aknaudin screamed and clenched at his head; he ripped the mask off to reveal a horror, the skin of his face shrunken and cut, weeping blood and pus. His formerly good eye was gone, leaving only an open gaping socket. Seth pushed himself upright against the walls, unable to look away as the dark priest tried to pull the Eye out of his face, his voice rising in an obscene scream of agony. The golden Rod clattered to the ground; Aknaudin went to his knees as another lance of power arced from him to the dark god in his cloud of shadows.

And not just from him; Seth saw six other lances in six different colours of shadow pierce Zorc. The god screamed, his obscene dragon-headed phallus thrashing as he tried to pull away the beams. They clung to him though, and slowly his body started to dissolve into oily black smoke that collected and streamed along the beams to the Items. Seth got a good look at two of them, one to the Eye and one to the Rod. Aknaudin's screamed filled the air as his body slowly collapsed inward, finally dissolving into a pile of black cloth and hair. The Eye rolled out along the stone, finally coming to a rest beside the Rod. Both gleamed with an unholy radiance that made Seth's skin crawl. Sliding off his tunic, he tossed it over the golden artefacts and scooped them up, tying them into the makeshift bag.

The undead army dissolved into sand and shadow, and Ra's light started to burn through the dark shroud that cursed the land. Seth sighed; that had to mean that Atem had succeeded, and that now the dark god was trapped forever in the cursed items.

Dreading what he would find, but knowing he had to go, Seth walked towards the back of the temple, the cheers of the men ringing in his ears, to see what sacrifice the gods had taken for victory.

In the back stockyard, Seth found a strange mass of objects scattered around a circle burned black on the ground. Gold glittered – the pieces of the Millennium Puzzle, Atem's jewellery, and off to one side in a pile of red and black cloth, the Millennium Ring shone with the same malign glitter that marked the other Items. Of Atem's body, there was no sign. Seth clenched the bag in his hands; he didn't even have a body to bury. All he has was a broken country, and Atem's last wish.

"You have my word, cousin." He heard soldiers behind him and turned. "The Son of Ra has become Osiris." the new king of the two lands proclaimed. "Let the word be spread; he died to save us all."

------Glossary--------

Egyptian terms:

Shenti: A lightweight wrap made of linen. Ubiquitous garb of Ancient Egyptian men, worn by everyone from the Pharaoh on down.

Annu: Egyptian name for the ancient city and cult centre known in Greek as Heliopolis (lit. City of the Sun). It has been occupied for millennia and was a centre of sun worship. For more information, Wikipedia has a very informative entry: .org/wiki/Annu

Ankh: Ancient Egyptian lit. meaning 'eternal life'. Symbolized by a symbol resembling an English 'T' with a loop at the top and often held by gods and pharaohs in art of the time.

Was: (Lit. 'power')Ancient Egyptian staff with a stylized animal head at the top and a forked base that symbolized power and control over the forces of chaos. Associated with the god Set.

Pharaoh: Anglicised version of the Greek and Latin term 'pharao', which is a version of the Egyptian term pr-'3 (paro, more or less). Literally refers to the palace of the King of Upper and Lower Egypt, used as a formal title for the king from the mid-eighteenth and nineteenth dynasties.

Khemet: from km.t, the ancient Egyptian word for their land.

Duat: Ancient Egyptian realm of the underworld, chaos and demons.

Ineb Hedj: Ancient Egyptian name for the capital city of Memphis, lit. "The White Walls".

Cubit: (more properly mahe or royal cubit) Unit of measurement used in antiquity. In Ancient Egypt, it was about 52.3 cm (Approx 20.6 inches) long.