As noted previously, Khri-habi have a finely developed sense of obligation. If one of a Scroll-bearer’s missteps lands a friend or colleague in trouble, the Khri-habi will do everything in his power to repay the debt. If freezing in combat got someone killed, the Scroll-bearer may go so far as to dedicate his existence to the departed, carrying on her work, taking care of her loved ones and wandering far afield from his original percep- tion of Ma’at. In some cases, these efforts are unwanted, and the Khri-habi’s constant attempts are rebuffed with increasing force.
their best when circumstance does force them into the fray, but the consequences are sometimes
disastrous.
Weakness
To say that the Scroll-bearers don’t think well on their feet is akin to saying that the Dja- akh was a bit of bad weather. Contemplative in the ex- treme, the tem-akh simply does not have at its disposal the tools and knowledge it needs to deal with pressure situations, particularly not those related to danger or the vagaries of modern life.
To observers, the Khri- habi appears to freeze when the chips are down, expression vacant and mind elsewhere. This reaction is often mis- taken for panic, and as a result, the Scroll-bearers are frequently labeled cowards. Such is not precisely the case, though. (After all, they’d love to act if only they knew the appropriate response.) As it matches the available evidence, however, the accusation tends to stick. This reputation can severely damage a Scroll-bearer’s relationships with her fellow Amenti, who sooner or later refuse to trust her in critical situations. It’s not her fault, they reason, she just can’t handle the pressure. In re- turn, the Scroll-bearer can grow to resent this attitude (and more importantly, the mistaken logic behind it), so the rift between a Khri-habi and her companions can turn into a chasm practically overnight.
On the other hand, sometimes the cost of a Scroll-bearer
freezing up while the tem-akh rifles through the nehem-sen’s mental files is simple: The Scroll-bearer gets clobbered. If the Khri-habi survives the experience,
he’ll most likely learn his les- son and be very careful about
putting himself on the line again unless it’s absolutely necessary. Of course, this, too, can feed the legend of the dynasty’s collective cowardice, proving once again that no good deed goes unpunished, even among the Reborn.
Strength
Fortunately, the Khri- habi have been gifted with a method of recuperating from the consequences of their indecision. With the rising of the morning sun, each Scroll-bearer can heal either herself or another. The more in tune she is with Ma’at, the more complete the healing she can offer is. This is one reason for other Amenti not to antagonize the Khri-habi unduly over her supposed failure of nerve, for fear of disrupt- ing her ability to channel healing energies. Even the dimmest Unbandaged One can see where that cycle of recrimination leads.
It should not come as a surprise that, given the choice between healing another’s khat or her own, a Scroll-bearer often chooses the more altruistic course. While this is not always the case, particularly if the Khri- habi’s unique talents are needed to save others, the habit is common enough to make it a marked trend.
Present Concerns
Surprisingly, one of the biggest concerns the Scroll-bearers face lies within the nature of the Amenti themselves. Many of the Scroll-bearers have grown in- creasingly worried by the Udja-sen. Their unique manner of existence is profoundly worrying to the Khri-habi, and more than one concerted effort is under way to try to bring them firmly onto the path of Ma’at. More theoreti- cally minded members of the dynasty, however, worry about what precisely the mere existence of the Judged Ones means. The nagging fear that they’re evidence of the Amenti’s ultimate failure cannot be banished, so the Scroll-bearers turn their attentions ever more inward at a time when they need to be looking beyond themselves.
Mesektet
The world is a fallen place. Evil walks the streets, good souls are under duress, and the path of balance and righteousness is obscured by the smoke of a million fires. Such is how the Night Suns see the world, and their duty in it is clear. They are the trailblazers, the guides. It is their lot to bear the masses through the dark night of Apophis to a new day, much as the reed vessel bore Ra through the underworld every night. Torn from the delights of A’aru to help wrest creation back from Apophis, the Mesektet have sacrificed eter- nal pleasure to wage a just and holy war for the sake of the entire world.
That, at least, is how the Night Suns view them- selves. The other Amenti tend to take a somewhat dimmer view of them, however. After all, while the rest of the world fought Apophis, the sahu lounged in supernatural luxury without a thought or a care for the world they had left behind. Therefore, those who were left behind along with that world naturally take a dim view of the sort of messiah complex the Night Suns bring with them. They come across as arrogant, presenting themselves as if their efforts alone would be enough to turn the tide. Those who were in the trenches
while the sahu lounged in A’aru have little use for this attitude. The occasions when the Night Suns actually do manage to pull off a coup in the war with Apophis just make things worse.
After all, there’s only one thing worse than a know- it-all, and that’s a know-it-all who gets it right every so often. And since the Night Suns can glimpse the future on occasion, they get it right more often than most.
Beliefs
As Ra passed through the dark places of the earth every night, so too must the world pass through a time of shadow before it can re-emerge into a golden age. And just as Ra rode in a boat of reeds through the underworld, the Mesektet see themselves as the vessel that will carry all Creation through its darkest hours, the days when it looks as if Apophis will reign supreme. This is their duty, the coin with which the many years spent in A’aru were purchased. Ma’at, then, is a matter of accepting this role and preparing one’s self for the burden. It is knowing one’s role in the cosmos, regard- less of how humble or exalted that role might be, and striving one’s utmost to perform that role properly. Of course, the fact that the Mesektet see their role as being vital to the continued existence of reality does make it a bit easier for them to come to grips with being called back from paradise.
As for the Judges of Ma’at, the Night Suns see them as metaphysical overseers, in essence. The Mesektet