The Cult of Set is an ancient cult that has its foundation in the exiled House of Amsetis. It is a series of gangs of subversives, terrorists, assassins, outcasts, and criminals who have banded together to fight against the godkings of Mulhorand.
The Cult of Set is based mostly in Mulhorand, with smaller cells in Murghom, Thay, and other lands once part of the Mulhorandi Empire.
History
The official founding date of this cult (if anyone cared to mark it), was -1048 DR when Set, all his kin, the noble House of Amsetis, and all his followers were exiled from Mulhorand forever. Since that time, Set and his followers fled underground and have hidden among the outcast elements of Mulhorand’s society.
From the shadows the cultists of Set have had a hand in engineering numerous setbacks that have befallen the Mulhorandi Empire, including the deaths of no less than 3 Pharaohs (one Pharaoh was slain twice) and a number of Oblaran of the other gods.
During the early years of the Second Empire of Mulhorand, the Cult of Set spent decades infiltrating beast cultists that had migrated into Mulhorand from the north, successfully bringing the Cult of Typhon into its fold, before orchestrating attacks on other beast cults and sparking off a decade of civil unrest among the refugee groups.
Over time, the Cult of Set was almost destroyed by internal politics that exposed many of its membership. Cult cells survived as academic secret societies in the lands north of Mulhorand, which had always been a stronghold of the Setites. Slowly the cult was able to rebuild its ranks when the priest Aap Nura discovered some of Set’s personal effects in Thay and successfully underwent the ritual to become the Divine Incarnation of Set; Anraset the Hooded Cobra.
Anraset united the disparate cults of Thay, Murghom, and Semphar, and when Thay rebelled from Mulhorand in 922 DR, the cultists of Set were ready to take advantage of the chaos and try to weaken Mulhorand further. Despite the success of Thay’s rebellion, Mulhorand ruthlessly hunted the followers of Set, drowning Anraset in the Gbor Nor along with many of his other followers. The few followers who survived fled into the Raurin Desert and were believed to have perished in the hostile environment.
The Cult was believed eradicated in Mulhorand and its neighbours; in truth small cells societies survived that persisted in their worship of Set, but they were no longer active in working against Mulhorand and instead operated more as secret societies with exclusive membership.
In 1320 DR, a new Incarnation of Set was declared leader of the Cult of Set from his stronghold in the Raurin Desert. Seti set about establishing his rule over the secret societies that had once been cult cells long ago. He has grown the Cult of Set into a large organization with followers and agents in every major settlement in Mulhorand and cells in neighbouring Murghom, Semphar, and Thay as well.
The Cult is now expanding its activities from its initial activities of recruitment and espionage and is about to engage in sabotage of the government of Mulhorand and the assassination and replacement of the Pharaoh.
Organisation
Headquarters: Raurin, The Oasis of the White Palm, The Tower of Set
Members: 2,000 cultists, plus 10,000 slaves
Hierarchy: Cellular
Leader: Each cell is organized and ruled by its own hierarchy, but each of those cells are aware of Seti being declared the Oblaran of Set, and all cultists obey his supreme authority (or suffer a painful death).
Religion: Set
Secrecy: High. The Cult of Set is outlawed in Mulhorand, to be discovered as a member is to suffer the death penalty.
Symbol: A coiled cobra
The Cult of Set is well structured compared to most cults, each cell has a series of ranks and titles linked to a creature of evil (evil according to most law abiding Mulan), these are (in descending order); Serpent King, Noble Jackal, Noble Crocodile, Noble Scorpion, Noble Serpent, Jackal, Crocodile, Scorpion, Serpent, Slave. These titles are usually supplemented with other adjectives denoting darkness, evil, poison, or death (for example Sable Scorpion, Pestilent Noble Serpent).
Some cells use other creatures from Mulhorandi legend instead of Crocodile and Noble Crocodile (which are often seen as part of the Cult of the Smiling Death), such as the Scarab, or the Thael.
Advancement is common within the cult, with assassination or exile (through public exposure) being a common way to remove one’s superior, less common is alliances and usurping power within a cell such that the more senior priest is forced out of his position and a replacement is then chosen.
The Fangs of Set: Seti has created a number of skilled groups which he has dispatched to various cells in Mulhorand to exert his leadership over those cells, and to pursue a specific goal.
The Fangs of Set are one such group founded by Seti, it’s members are the most powerful, capable, and ruthless individuals that Seti could corrupt into joining his cause. Their goal is to assassinate the Pharaoh Akonhorus II and replace him with a shape-changer loyal to Seti. To help achieve these aims the group has been adventuring amid the ruins of the Old Empires, searching for powerful magic that might help them achieve their goal.
Dogma / Motivation / Goals
The ultimate goal of the Cult of Set is to destroy the government of Mulhorand and its churches (especially those of Horus-Re and Osiris), and build a new nation in its place, with the Cult of Set at it’s heart).
In order to fulfill that goal, the cult cells and their cultists are to use any means necessary. Assassination, thievery, blackmail, arson, espionage, drug running, brigandage, tomb robbing, these are just a few methods employed by cultists to acquire funds and followers, and to bring about the downfall of Mulhorandi government.
Most cultists spend their time trying to acquire informants and “sympathisers” by using bribery, espionage, or drug dependency (caused and fueled by the cultists) as leverage for blackmail. Brigandage, tomb robbing, and thievery are used to acquire funds for cult activities. After months and even years of planning to strike against high profile targets, and cause the maximum amount of disruption, cultists will employ assassination, arson, and any other means necessary to eliminate their targets and spread chaos.
Most cult cells usually plan to assassinate high profile targets such as precepts and senior priests, to burn down or otherwise demolish government buildings, to steal government funds or important documents. Recently; since Seti has become the leader of the entire cult, a series of long term plans have been set in motion with communication between cells to organize events to occur simultaneously.
Membership / Recruiting
The Cult of Set recruits many of its members from “informants” and “sympathisers” who are being blackmailed by the cult and who realize they can no longer return to normal Mulhorandi society so must embrace their new “allies”, the rest come from skilled members of Mulhorand’s criminal and outcast communities that are usually present in the slums of every Mulhorandi settlement.
Recently, the Cult of Set has taken to acquiring members from slaves who desire their freedom, and are enticed with offerings of wealth, power and position within the cult, and the promise of control over their own life (something that Mulhorand’s society will never allow them). The recruiting of slaves has been a phenomenal success, but thus far the slaves are kept as sleeper agents and have taken no active part in cult activities beyond informing on their masters.
Allies
The Cult of Set is alone among the official organisations of Mulhorand, however, among the criminal gangs, thieves’ guilds, assassins guilds, and other criminal organisations the Cult of Set has a ready supply of potential recruits and groups that are willing to aid it in bringing down Mulhorand’s society so that a new one can be built that is more lenient to criminal activity.
The Cult of the Queen of Chaos: The Cult of Set is forming a tentative alliance of sorts with elements of the Cult of the Queen of Chaos, as some of the more wide ranging members of Unther’s cult have ventured into southern Mulhorand and found potential allies willing to assist in its war against Gil-Geamesq’s rule in return for future aid against Mulhorand.
The Nighthunters: Seti has formed an elite group known as the Nighthunters, these masters of assassination, poison, and subversion have been dispatched to all the cult cells as messengers of Seti’s authority (slaying those who disagree), and provide assistance and advice on current and future cult activities. The Nighthunters constantly roam between different cult cells and the Tower of Set, gathering and providing information, they have been responsible for the long term changes in the cult like the recruitment of slaves under orders from Seti.
The Sarrukh of Okoth: Unbeknownst to Seti and the rest of the Cult of Set, recent tomb robbing efforts around Lake Azulduth resulted in a number of cultists being twisted by a histachii brew into part reptilian, part human who were quickly tortured into obedience by the sarrukh resident in the tomb. The still human looking histachii returned to their cult cells and have been using the histachii brew to turn more agents into part reptiles. Sarrukh are now moving into ruins around Mulhorand and are gradually taking control of the Cult of Set.
Enemies
The enemies of the Cult of Set are many, the entire state of Mulhorand and all its people could be considered an enemy, for should they discover the identity of a member of the cult, he will quickly be sentenced to death for his crimes.
Important NPCs
Hamsetis (Neutral, Human – Mulan, Warrior 11): This huge warrior stands 6 ft 8 inches tall with a chest size of nearly 60 inches. He was a former slave gladiator from the Black Pit in Bezantur renowned for eviscerating opponents with razor-sharp daggers, crushing men with an inescapable embrace or throwing them long distances across the arena (the distance thrown was the subject of betting as often as the outcome of the fight).
Seti paid a year’s profit from the Desert Winds company to secure Hamsetis freedom, and gave him the name Hamsetis (his former masters never bothered to give him a name, his arena moniker was only “The Lion-Devil”). Since that day Hamsetis has loyally served Seti in whatever capacity is desired.
Hamsetis recently secured his place among the Chessentan mercenary company known as the Cimbaran Blood Swords by challenging and defeating their champion in single combat. The Cimbaran Blood Swords are contracted to help defend the walls of the City of the Gods (another punishment to the Church of Anhur for its failure), and here Hamsetis came under the watchful eye of the Vizier. Hamsetis is now one of the Vizier’s personal bodyguards.
Hodkamset (Evil, Human – Mulan, Magic User 12): Hodkamset; formerly known as Sesostris Jabendim was once one of the High Magistrates of Osiris, one of the most powerful and respected priests in all Mulhorand. He held the honorary title of Ascendant Manipulator of Flesh, responsible for the blessing of flesh golem guardians in the Land of the Dead, for 13 years before Vizier Rezim Helcalli publicly decalred Sesostris had a gambling habit (gambling is illegal in Mulhorand), and revoked the rights on all the farms Sesostris and his family owned (they had long since sold the land to the Church of Horus-Re to pay for Sesostris’ gambling and had been renting ever since).
Hodkamset was stripped of office and his family were made destitute. Hodkamset all but lost his mind and was wandering the streets of Sampranasz when he encountered the merchant Sekeot Amsiith (otherwise known as Seti), who hired him for his caravan company.
Seti has played upon Hodkamset’s instability and paranoia; that all the priests and the entire of Mulhorand plotted against him and his family and that they deserve to be destroyed, Set once suffered similar victimization and the Cult of Set can help Hodkamset to get his revenge.
Nekiset (Evil, Human – Turami, Magic User 10): The leader of the Fangs of Set is a former child slave from Sampranasz, the first freed by Seti and welcomed into the fold of the Cult of Set. Brainwashed from a young age by Seti, she has become a cold and calculating killer with a keen mind for scheming and plotting, and a natural gift for spellcasting that has seen her become one of the most senior cultists of Set.
Nekiset has spent the last decade attempting to infiltrate her slave contacts into the City of the Gods as attendants to the Pharaoh. Thus far she has 2 slaves in the Pharaoh’s harem and another food taster, the plan is that eventually the slaves will plant innocuous jewellery around the palace and attempt to entice the guards into taking them (the jewellery makes the wearer susceptible to commands no matter what they are or who gives them).
Seti (Evil, Human – Mulan, Expert 3, Magic User 12): Before his transformation and rebirth as Seti, Sekeot Amsiith was the ambitious son of a minor merchant family living in Sampranasz and making a living from trading papyrus from their small farm to passing merchants.
In the summer of 1318 DR, the Year of the Tired Treant, Sekeot Amsiith’s entire family were wiped out by the Plague of Dragons. The following month, Sekeot sold as many assets as he could (except for the family farm) and bought a caravan, determined to make his vivid dreams come true and find a way to cross the Raurin Desert to Durpar.
In 1319 DR Sekeot Amsiith and his caravan loaded with papyrus drove out of Sampranasz heading north to Murghom. From Zindalankh he turned south into the deserts of Raurin and within 6 days his caravan became the latest victim of the dust storms that roam the deserts, some even whisper he encountered the dreaded Skriaxit that strips flesh from bone.
Sekeot Amsiith somehow survived with a single camel and two packets of papyrus, he wandered the desert for days before stumbling upon a seemingly deserted tower that he took shelter in. Surprisingly his family crest (worn on a necklace) unlocked a secret cellar where Sekeot encountered and was captured by the hidden inhabitants of the tower; followers of Set.
Surprised to find a wanderer who carried the secret symbol of Set and yet knew nothing of their religion, the cultists spent many months interrogating Sekeot before ultimately deciding to transform him into a Divine Minion. Sekeot however managed to escape his rusty cell and wandered through the miles of tunnels and catacombs that extend beneath the tower.
After days of wandering, and delirious from thirst, he discovered a hollow in a wall that contained a vial of liquid (which he hastily consumed) and a collection of dusty scrolls. When the cultists finally found him they recognized the scrolls as lost writings of Keoth Amsetis himself and upon further interrogation discovered that Sekeot had imbibed the blood of Set and survived. This was taken as a sign and Sekeot was instead forced to undergo the Ritual of Oblaran.
Sekeot Amsiit survived the ritual and was reborn as Seti I on 20th Nightal 1319 DR, the Winter Solstice, he was declared the true ruler of all Setites and all Mulhorand (if he had the power to take it from the descendants of Horus the Liar). Seti determined that his father was a member of a secret society that had devolved from a cell of the Cult of Set driven underground following the rebellion of Thay, he surmised there might be hundreds of these societies across Mulhorand and its neighbours and so decided to find them and return the cult to its former glory.
Seti continued his journey to Durpar, using the power of his new followers to ensure his journey through the desert was uneventful. In Durpar he sold the papyrus at a great price and purchased spices in demand in Mulhorand at bargain prices (using his cultists to intimidate, blackmail, and convert merchants to his side).
Upon returning to Mulhorand, Seti established the caravan company known as the Desert Winds and makes the run through the Raurin Desert twice a year. He has purchased most of the papyrus reed beds in Sampranasz and is now rich beyond measure. The profits from this caravan company have been used to establish cult cells throughout Mulhorand, Murghom, Semphar, and even Thay. Throughout his travels, Seti has been seeking out secret societies that were once cells of the Cult of Set, he has then acquired their loyalty through any means necessary (most fear exposure as Set worshippers, others required a token offering of money), and he has since dispatched his true cultists to enforce that loyalty. The Desert Winds delivers information, orders, resources, and new members to the growing cells, Seti’s most trusted servants like the Nighthunters now work alongside these cults and make sure they perform Seti’s bidding.
Seti hopes to position enough cultists within the state institutions of Mulhorand so that he can orchestrate the assassination and replacement of the Pharaoh and his heir. Seti’s personal goals involve him researching the life of Keoth Amsetis and the other Incarnations of Set so that he can discover their magical secrets and become a godking himself.
Seti has discovered that there was once an empire of reptilian humanoids that dominated the lands of Mulhorand and Unther, their power was centred on Lake Azulduth (although he does not believe the lake existed then) and they were great practitioners of magic. Seti is sending out agents to Lake Azulduth (in the guise of archaeologists from other churches – their slaves usually include followers of Set) to see if he can plunder their secrets or if possible make contact with living members of this once powerful race.
Suliyar (Evil, Rakshasa, Rakshasa 7): A shapeshifter exiled from lands west of Raurin (some speak of Shou-Lung, others say he is from Ra-Khati or Khazari. Suliyar is a member of the Al’Kursi clan of Rakshasa, with an incredible skill for mimicry and impersonation. Suliyar also possesses limited telepathic limited; he finds people are most open with their memories after intercourse, and so has spent the last two years in the form of a harem slave as a personal favourite of the Pharaoh.
Thah Rahalar (Evil, Human – Mulan, Warrior 7): That Rahalar was, many millennia ago, a loyal servant, one of the Divine Minions (Abetlaran), and personal bodyguard to Anubis. He served with distinction during the Orcgate Wars, tirelessly retrieving the bodies and wounded kin of the godkings of Mulhorand.
Following the death of Anubis, Thah Rahalar was bereft of god and purpose. He wandered the graveyard of the Netarand for many centuries, serving the Guardian of the Land where Dead Sleep. When foreign invaders came to the Netarand, Thah Rahalar returned to Mulhorand and took up with various churches; Horus-Re, Osiris, Bast, and most recently Anhur.
It is unknown what has preserved Thah Rahalar for so long, despite his longing to die he has not lost any of his vigour, although his mental well being has declined greatly over the millennia of his existence. About 60 years ago he was patrolling the Great East Trade Road when he was captured by Setites.
Thah Rahalar was forced to undergo the transformation into a Divine Minion of Set. His new, rather more bloodthirsty masters seem more to his liking than those of the last millennia, and he has become a cold and calculating killer.
Thah Rahalar appears as the very perfection of a human male, he is 6 ft tall, broad shouldered, muscular, and athletic. He wears an ornate helmet that completely covers his head and gives it the appearance of a mastiff like dog, he has never been known to remove the helmet and it is unknown if it can be removed now.
Uzhur (Neutral, Human – Mulan, Expert 1): A highly trained scribe (and slave) from Sampranasz who five years ago was dispatched to work in Sultim. The caravan he was travelling in was attacked by bandits and Uzhur ended up being sold in Thay to a member of the Red Wizards.
Uzhur now works in Eltabbar as the personal scribe of Lauzoril, the Zulkir of Enchantment. Uzhur is also an agent for the Cult of Set, his training was paid for by the Desert Winds, and his abduction was paid for by the cult, as was his delivery to Thay and sale to a passing Red Wizard. Since the first sale Uzhur has worked hard to gain entry to the upper echelons of the Red Wizards, his familiarity with the Mulhorandi language is much sought after and he was traded many times before Lauzoril finally acquired him.
Uzhur’s allegiance is well known to Lauzoril, and the Zulkir of Enchantment is deliberately leaking information to the Cult of Set in the hopes they will assassinate leading members of the Mulhorandi government (perhaps even the Pharaoh).
Vasrass (Evil, Large Viper, Expert 3): Vasrass is one of the most unusual followers in the Cult of Set, being an intelligent snake rather than a human. Some fifty years ago, Sekeot Amsiith also known as the Incarnation Seti, came across this large snake during one of his caravan treks. Seti took the viper with him and when he next reached the Tower of Set he used some of the ancient spells stored in the Hate of the Cobra to transform the viper into an Elder Serpent.
Vasrass has worked hard to become one of the most skilled infiltrators in the cult, able to slither unnoticed into places a human infiltrator could not, and deliver a deadly bite to chosen targets.
Sphere of Influence
Mulhorand: Mulhorand is the ultimate target of the Cult of Set. It’s following in this country was all but expunged by the activities of Thothibistep II, the remaining members were forced to abandon their loyalty or risk exposure.
Seti has now revived the cults fortunes within Mulhorand by seeking out those families and societies who were once part of this cult (their family sigils and minor markings often hid subtle Setite symbology), and ensuring their return to the fold. The Cult of Set now has small cells in every major settlement in Mulhorand (most numbering less than 10 members), but the settlement of Sampranasz houses nearly 10,000 slaves who all hold their allegiance to Seti and the Cult of Set.
Murghom: Murghom’s nominal independence of Mulhorand allowed many cult cells to survive the inquisitions of Thothibistep II although they became isolated cloak societies who traded information for power but shied away from any illegal or treasonous activities.
Seti was able to easily identify these societies and bring their members into his cult (with promises of even greater power). Murghom now holds roughly 800 cultists spread across its settlements (with over 100 in Murghyr alone).
Raurin: The Raurin Desert is the ancestral homeland of the Cult of Set. When Set was exiled from Mulhorand it is believed he fled here and from his tower he commanded his followers and family to do his bidding.
The Tower of Set has always had a Setite presence within it; although at times it numbered less than 30 individuals, but it was not always known to the cultists in Mulhorand, Murghom, and Semphar (for Set kept it’s location secret from all others). The followers of Anraset rediscovered it following the collapse of the cult, and their descendants found Sekeot Amsiith after he was lost in the desert.
Since Seti was born, the number of cultists in the tower has expanded greatly, nearly 300 individuals are present at any one time undergoing training for some task defined by Seti, when they are ready the cultists are sent out (drugged so that they cannot find their way back) to their new homes in Mulhorand, Murghom, or Semphar.
Resources
Alabaster Staff: This staff appears to be an exact replica of the Staff of Ra, otherwise known as the Ankh of Life. It is not precisely known why Set created a cursed artifact that imitated Ra’s most sacred possession but it has certainly fooled many possessors over the years into believing they possessed an item supposedly capable of restoring life.
The Alabaster Staff was first documented in secret archives in the Solarium when it was used in an attempt to restore Pharaoh Horusret I who had just died of poisoning. The Vizier grabbed the staff which he believed to be the Staff of Ra; recovered from the House of Amsetis in 1048 DR, and with its touch brought life back to the dead Pharaoh, or so he thought.
The newly reanimated Pharaoh at first seemed melancholy and abnormal, which most put down to his recent brush with death or the lingering effects of the virulent poison used (which many believed was administered by Set or his followers). Over the next few days, it became clear that all was not well with Pharaoh Horusret I, his skin turned grey or green and he began to emit a foul odour, worse still was his desire for flesh that soon became murderous. After 3 days the assembled priests of Horus-Re were forced to destroy the undead Pharaoh.
The Alabaster Staff vanished in the 3 days following the reanimation of Pharaoh Horusret I. It is believed the emerging Cult of Set spirited the staff away, but it has not been seen or used since. Indeed, few beings outside of the Vizier and the Pharaoh know that the staff exists at all (it is a great dishonor that has been well hidden over the millennia), but it is possible that the staff still secretly resides in a cult stronghold.
The Alabaster Staff has the power to restore any being to unlife, making them an intelligent undead with an irresistible craving for flesh. The undead creature possesses all the memories (although they are twisted into hateful memories) and powers (except those that require being alive) that they possessed in life, thus the more powerful the target was alive, the more powerful he will be in undeath.
Book of the Serpent: This book is a sacred text of the Cult of Set, believed to have once been the diary and personal spellbook of Keoth Amsetis himself and within contains secrets that the Setites believe will allow the cult to finally overthrow the rule of the Pharaoh of Mulhorand.
The book is believed to be bound in the skin of a dragon bearing the golden symbol of a serpent that was once the sigil of the House of Amsetis. No cultists has ever beheld the book and the descriptions are based upon ancient murals depicting Keoth Amsetis as the Favizier of Mulhorand.
The Book of the Serpent is believed to contain a number of sacred magics including the Ritual of Oblaran and a variant of the Ritual of Abetlaran (where the target does not have to be a willing participant). Aap Nura was obsessed with Keoth Amsetis and studied his personal history which allowed him to locate an undiscovered cache atop the Thaymount which contained a number of scrolls he believes were penned by the man who would become Set. Similar scrolls were discovered later by Seti beneath the Tower of Set that seem to support Aap Nura’s theories.
There are some among the cult who believe that Keoth Amsetis divided the Book of the Serpent into separate parts and hid them across Mulhorand, Raurin, and beyond. Furthermore they believe these pieces, when reassembled once more into the Book of the Serpent will reveal Set’s path to godhood as well as his magical might. Skeptics however believe that Set may have just penned separate tomes during his lifetime and that these tomes may have been scavenged over the millennia by his family and followers, leaving only scattered scrolls across his former holdings.
Hate of the Cobra: Penned around 895 DR, by the then priest Aap Nura, following his discover of a storage cache he believed once belonged to the Grand Vizier Keoth Amsetis himself (otherwise known as Set). Aap Nura used the diaries and scrolls in this cache to create the Hate of the Cobra, which he intended to form the basis of the religious text for the Cult of Set when he became its leader.
Using other effects found in the cache, Aap Nura was able to undergo the Ritual of Oblaran and became the Incarnation of Set; Anraset, the Hooded Cobra. The Hate of the Cobra did indeed become the basis of the religious doctrine for the Cult of Set for many years, detailing the aims of the cult, how to best heed Set’s will, and a number of sacred spells previously unknown to the Setites.
The book was lost late in 923 DR, when the Legion of Dawn marched upon Semkhrun and raised it to the ground, slaughtering the Masters of the Temple (a group that Anraset had infiltrated years earlier), and drowning Anraset in the Gbor Nor along with the other masters.
The few followers that escaped Semkhrun, fled into the Raurin Desert and were believed slain by the many perils of that place. The Setites survived and eventually rediscovered the Tower of Set, where the Cult of Set persisted until it was revived by Seti a few decades ago.
The Desert Winds: This caravan company was established over 40 years ago by the merchant Sekeot Amsiith. Sekeot became the first caravan in several centuries to attempt to travel from Mulhorand to Durpar through the Raurin, it was a disastrous expedition and Sekeot lost his entire crew and wandered lost in the desert with two camels and 4 packets of papyrus.
Despite losing the bulk of the cargo, Sekeot was able to reach Durpar a much changed man, and he made enough profit from the sale of papyrus to buy spices that he knew were in great demand when he left Mulhorand. He returned to Mulhorand and made an enormous profit, he then rebuilt his caravan company and began his expedition again. Sekeot has since ran caravan’s through Raurin every 3 months with complete success, not a single cargo or camel is lost during the impossible journey through Raurin.
The Desert Winds caravan company now owns nearly half of all properties in Sampranasz, and rents 3 successful papyrus farms and over 500 slaves from the Church of Horus-Re.
Unbeknownst to the state in Mulhorand, Sekeot was a descendent of Keoth Amsetis himself, and during his first expedition through Raurin he stumbled across the ruined Tower of Set. His capture by the zealots within and his unwilling participation in a sacred ritual (he was to become a Divine Minion) and desperate escape ended with him being lost in the deepest catacombs for days. After imbibing a random vial to quench his thirst he was eventually recaptured and forced to undergo the Ritual of Oblaran.
Sekeot is now the Divine Incarnation Seti, true leader of the Cult of Set, and he has set about masterminding and implementing a number of plots that will allow him to overthrow the government of Mulhorand. The Desert Winds is a cover for Sekeot to establish regular contact with the various cells that have survived in Mulhorand over the millennia, while acquiring enough capital to fund his schemes. The Cult of Set cells protect the caravans as they travel through the wilderness of Mulhorand and Murghom and more importantly through the Raurin desert.
The Desert Winds have recently begun sending caravans into Thay (using cult contacts within Thay to ensure the caravans are unmolested by Thayan officials). This trade route has traditionally been highly unpredictable (due to the ever changing political nature of Thay), but the Desert Winds have returned with caravans laden with slaves and valuable commodities.
The Alternate Forgotten Realms 