Rah'tuma, The City of Ka'tau

[Boknice275 1188]

 

City of Rah’Tuma

 

[!] A scenic overview of the city of the Rah’mun peoples, Rah’tuma

 

 

Far from their homeland amid the grainy sands of the deserts, the Rah’mun peoples have settled a mighty citadel to the Gods upon the cliff sides of the west. The mighty lighthouse of Flame rises from the lower levels of the city, it’s light only outshone by the crystal lights shining from the Temple Hesthor, the mighty shrine of purity in all of the West, and the temple of the Ra’tuhmet, whose flaming obelisks proclaim the power of the Eternal Sun over the city. 

 

Rah’tuma Culture:

 

    [!] A group of Rah’muns congregating in everyday life.

 

History:

 

Rah’tuma is the city of the Rah’mun peoples that exists right outside of Nor’asath overlooking the oceans. The Rah’mun peoples were originally a desert dwelling culture who are devoted to the idea of Ka’tau: the universal law of Creation that holds everything together and demands enforcement. To this end, the Rah’mun people worship Gods who embody different aspects of Creation and conduct various religious and cultural festivals to ensure Ka’tau flourishes throughout the lands. Some Rah’mun cities reflect devotion to a single God, whereas others serve several or all of the Gods in the pantheon. The Rah’muns are also an innovative people, and put great emphasis on wit, invention, and strategy in matters of the world and civilization. Followers of the God Atah are known to invent many structures and tools for everyday use, wartime purposes, and spiritual use. Many Rah’muns in general own businesses in foreign lands and help other civilizations with their own needs through inventions. There is also a strong intellectual core amongst the Rah’mun population, establishing their prowess as intellectuals and thinkers. 

 

The origins of the Rah’mun peoples are ancient, though formal narratives about their history are often conflicting and inconsistent. The general narrative is that the Rah’mun empire spanned continents long ago, but fell apart around three-hundred years ago after a horrible attack from sorcerers of Isfet [chaos] and their Inferi helpers. This attack scattered the Rah’mun people across several continents, caused their cities to fall into chaos and degrade, and almost resulted in the elimination of the Rah’muns as a whole.

 

Now, under the leadership of Pharaoh Atemu-Ta, the beginnings of a new Rah’mun empire are underway. The Pharaoh established the city of Rah’tuma in Nor’asath and welcomed all Rah’muns and outsiders who wish to learn more about the way of life of their people.

 

The Gods (spirits)

 

[!] Shrine to the Ra’tuhmet, God of Eternal Sunlight, in his Rah’tuma temple.

 

[!] Shrine to Hesthor, Cow Goddess of Pure Waters and Bovine Purging

 

 

 

 

 

[!] The exterior of the Temple of Pure Waters dedicated to Hesthor in Rah'tuma

 

[!] The Shrine of the Sphinx-God Tetu, defender of Rah'tuma and Conqueror of Chaos, facing Rah'tuma's entrance, awaiting to deal with impending foes.

 

The city is full of shrines, temples, and statutes to the various deities within the ancient Rah’mun religion of Ka’tau. There are three major temples and shrines within Rah’tuma: the Temple of the Sun, the Temple of Pure Waters, and the shrine of Tetu. The three main Gods praised in Rah’tuma are the Ra’tuhmet, Hesthor, and Tetu. The Ra’tuhmet is the embodiment of eternal sunlight and is also seen by many Rah’muns as the Creator deity of the world. Hesthor is the personification of purity manifest as a white cow woman  bearing a sistrum, pharonic headdress, and a cross of the Ankh representing her authority to cleanse life. Tetu is a sphinx-god who is said to have authority  to defend against supernatural dangers to the Rah’mun peoples such as demons, malign spirits, bad dreams,  voidalists, and other forces that oppose Pharaoh. He is also considered to be a guardian of Rah’mun cities from all potential harms. All shrines except Tetu's are vested with divine authority and distant echoes from the Gods's domains can be heard near them.

 

These are only a fraction of the Gods known and venerated by the Rah’mun peoples. There are many more deities within the pantheon of Ka’tau that citizens of Rah’tuma are welcomed to worship, and all of them have varying levels of popularity.

 

The veneration of Ra’tuhmet in Rah’tuma reflects both the namesake of the city and the Rah’muns eternal devotion to the source of Creation. In Rah’mun belief, the sun gives form to Creation, and by the same token it can also eviscerate what does not conform with it. The pure waters of Hesthor wash what is correct but unrefined, and wash away what is completely unclean, both supernaturally and otherwise. It is common to see Rah’muns in the Temple Hesthor drinking the blessed waters of purity to renew their minds and souls. It is also common to see Rah’muns entering the temple of the Ra’tuhmet and casting offerings in his feet or placing them in the donation box.

 

A common occurrence every few days in Rah’tuma is the ritual of overthrowing Keop which takes place in the Temple of the Eternal Sun. Rah’muns gather together with clay figurines of Keop, a dark figure in Ka’tau religion, and writings of him in tow. Then, lead by a high priest of the Ra’tuhmet, they begin reciting a series of prayers cursing Keop’s name and they proceed to rip up their papers, destroy the clay figurines of their targets in a rather creative way, all while joining the priest in pronouncing prayers against the Dark One. 

 

Numerous events are held in the Temple Hesthor, including both rituals and sometimes educational gatherings. The priesthoods of Ka’tau rarely prostelytize, though, expecting their flocks to live out their devotion to the Gods in everyday life rather than in mere dogma.

 

The priesthoods for the Gods, which are known for teaching their priests how to utilize their divine authority in different ways, also routinely recruit interested Rah’muns to their ranks.

 

According to many Orcish observers, the Rah’muns are a spiritualist culture that worships spirits as Gods and has shamans as priests. While this is technically true, few Rah’muns would ever call their Gods spirits or lessers of any sort - they refer to them as predominant divine forces and see anything else as redundant. 

 

A growing number of Gods have established groups of champions fighting for them beneath their banners.

 

 

 

[!] The Grand Rah'mun Trading Hall in Rah'tuma.

 

 

[!] The Desert Lily Tavern located in Rah'tuma

 

 

Economics and politics

 

Rah’tuma is a traditional absolute monarchy led by a figure called “Pharaoh.” The Pharaoh in Rah’mun society has traditionally been venerated as a Godlike figure, and is the supreme figure in all matters of interpretation in the Rah’mun religion. He sets religious doctrine and rituals, is considered the voice of the Gods and the ultimate lawbringer of Ka’tau. Pharaoh is also considered to be the one who upholds the balance of the realms by ensuring Ka’tau prevails over the forces of chaos, which adds to his godlike physique.

 

Despite all political power falling to Pharaoh and his advisors, there is a strict emphasis on freedom in Rah’mun society. Ahura-ma, the Rah’mun goddess of Freedom, demands that practices like enslavement or captivity never be practiced amongst the Rah’muns, and her dictates are held deeply.  

 

Economically, the Rah’muns are both traders and inventors. On the lowest level of Rah’tuma there is a giant trading area for merchants from all over to setup and sell their wares. There is also a strong emphasis on selling potions, spiritual elixirs, weapons of war, and food in the city. Anyone is free to set up a stall in the Rah’mun market so long as they pay a small fee.

 

Rah’tuma’s primary currency is mina, though diamonds or pearls and pure salts are sometimes accepted, the latter two representing the dominance of Hesthorian beliefs in the city. 

 

 

 

OOC: Here’s the link to join our Discord group. We’re looking for more people who are interested in Egyptian-themed LOTC RP. More lore info can be found here:

 

https://discord.gg/c9UhjkJjtg

 

His Lordship Pharaoh Atemu-Ta, 

The Keeper Of Ka’Tau And High Propeht Of The Gods.

Edited November 25, 2023 by Boknice275