Atenianity (Cult Religion of the Sun God) [P&P Shadowrun 3.0 Rules]
The Name:
The name of this monotheistic religion is called Atenianity, and those that follow it and its teachings are known as Atenites.
The History:
The Egyptian King Akhenaten, who ruled around the time of 1500 B.C., traveled to many different places in the land. And on his trips, he found all the places had one thing in common. They all had the sun. So when he returned to Egypt, he attempted in vain to demolish polytheism, in place of a new religious ideal known today as monotheism. He believed that Egyptians should worship only the sun god, known as Aten.
After Akhenaten's death, his predecessor undid all the changes that Akhenaten had done, and returned polytheism to the land of Egypt. The monotheistic ideal that Aten was the only god worthy of worship, never took well, and it wasn't long before polytheism wiped away the monotheistic belief. Of course, as the Egyptian writings survived, so do the idea of Aten being the one true god that should be paid homage to.
The Common Belief:
Those that take true to heart the remnants of the ideals of Akhenaten think that as Aten (the sun) rises, they must also get up and work until Aten goes down. It is known to all of them that when Aten is at its highest point, when no shadows are cast, then (and only then) it is time for eating.
The Devout:
Those people that are heavily into this form of monotheistic religion believe with all their heart that because Akhenaten's predecessor undid all that was set forth in praise of Aten and returned Egypt to polytheism doomed it to die. If only the Egyptians had followed the teachings of Akhenaten, they believe that Egypt would still be thriving on today.
On days when the sun is visible in the sky, the devout believers work until the Aten is at it's highest in the sky. This time is known as shadownein [taken from German and English, Shadow from English meaning "dark figure or image cast from light", and nein taken from German meaning "no"], and it is the only time when Atenites are allowed to eat.
The Lifestyle:
A common aspect of all Atenites is that all their homes have many, many windows. In contrast, all of these windows have shutters on them as well. The belief being that the more light let in during the day, the more pleased Aten will be, and the better your day shall be. On those days when dark clouds, heavy fog, night, or even a solar eclipse block the sun, the impure and or non-existent rays of light are shut out by the shutters. A single window is always left open, to see when the light is pure again and the Atenite will be able to open his shutters.
The food that Atenites eat is also of Egyptian descent. Mostly grains, such as wheat and barely, are consumed. In addition to this, only the meat of such animals as pigs, chickens, other forms of fowl, and cows are allowed to be eaten.
Bioware and cyberware are out of the question. The only allowed change to ones body in this religion is tattoos, and it is actually encouraged that one of this religion bears the mark of Aten on his right arm.
The cat is sacred to Atenites, much as it was to the Egyptians, and to sacrifice such an animal is a sin. Most Atenites have a cat in their home, and believe it takes them one step closer to their faith.
The Symbol:
The symbol of the Atenites comes from a modification of the Egyptian symbol for Aten. It is a small circle, representing the sun, with rays of light extended outward from it, always in even numbers. On the ends of these rays of light are hands. For cultists, an ankh - the symbol of eternal life - is placed in the middle of the disc of the sun. This is normally tattooed on the upper right arm of any believer of this religion.
The Worship:
Non-cultist Atenites believe in worshipping the god of the sun by not only living their lifestyle differently, and getting tattooed, but also that most people use oil lamps in their houses. Even though electricity and modern technology is not frowned upon, oil lamps are a way that people pay homage to Aten. Working all day, and sleeping throughout the night, while doing various changes of the shutter positions and burning of oil lamps in ones home is all that is required of simple worship of this religion. The devout are much more radical, and believe that those without the tattoo of Aten are no more than commoners who do not take faith in their religion.
The Prejudice:
Atenites like elves and dwarves, for they resemble cats in many ways, whether for their reflexes, their seemingly intelligent demeanor, or because they actually appear to be human. On the other hand, orks and trolls are extremely outcast by Atenites, and are hunted by the cultists for body parts to be used in rituals.
The Cult:
The Cultist Atenites follow a path such as the blood rituals performed by Aztechnology, only with different ceremonies and procedures to be followed. The type of rituals one would perform would be based on a large, disc like circle that represents the sun. From this, lines would be drawn to represent the suns rays. On the ends of these lines, would rest a single hand, cut freshly from a troll or ork.
If a single person was conducting his own ceremony, then he would take his place in the middle of the ritual circle, and place an ankh in his lap before proceeding. From this point, he could attempt to summon a spirit.
In the case of a group conducting the ceremony, then the leader of the rite would place an ankh in the center of the circle, and then take his place at one of the hands. Each of the other members would follow suit, as the leader would begin a chant, to summon jointly a spirit.
The more precisely and largely drawn, also with the number of rays of light and the number of severed ork and troll hands gathered and members all together constitute the power of the summon the cultists can create.
The Stereotype:
Most Atenites are human, elf, or dwarf. No trolls or orks allowed. The regular worshippers are normally mundane, and bear only tattoos. The cultists are summoners, who use blood magic twisted with their belief to call spirits. Priest type Atenites are normally able to read hieroglyphics, speak in an Egyptian Tongue, and are magically active. Needless to say, this religion only came up after the Awakening in the year 2037 A.D.
The human followers of this religion normally hook up with the Yakuza in some form, because of their tattoo and some of them have magic backing. Most of them tend to stray from street gangs, unless they are in the form of a group of Atenite Cultists or are a front for what they do. The mundane followers of this religion are normally pacifist and dislike violence. The magically active and cultist followers of this religion normally are brutal and mean, placing themselves before all others, and their only fear being the sun god and the sacred animal known as the cat.
Another thing is that most Atenites have an obsession with creatures of paranormal existence, and also dragons. Most of them are very knowledgeable on this subject, and can tell you a lot about them. Other subjects such as fine art, architecture, and things of that type are not out of the question.
To Create An Atenite:
If you wish to play as an Atenite, you most likely will wish to partake in one or more of the following skills.
*Egyptian Language/Hieroglyphs
*Paranormal Animals
*Dragons
*Art
*Architecture
*History
*Literature
*Parazoology
*Fringe Cults
*Magic
For edges and flaws, you should try and go for things such as are on this list.
Edges -
*Exceptional Attribute (Quickness or Intelligence)
*Bonus Attribute Point (Quickness or Intelligence)
*Animal Empathy
Flaws-
*Pacifist
*Day Job (10/20/40 hours a week)
*Distinctive Style
You should have no cyberware or bioware, with the exception of a single tattoo of Aten if you so chose to add one on your upper right arm. To wear a tattoo of Aten on your upper left arm is a sign of disrespect, and you are liable to be killed by a cultist if you are seen wearing such symbolism in this manner.
For stats, you should have more intelligence, willpower, and knowledge skills more than anything else. Since the cat is such a praised animal, speed and agility is valued higher than strength in Atenitian society. Ones body should only be at an average level as well, as agility is valued more than endurance as well.
The Archetype:
Here is an example of a basic, plainly laid out Atenite.
Name: Pershanth
Magic: Mundane
Body: 3
Strength: 3
Quickness: 6
Charisma: 3
Intelligence: 6
Willpower: 4
Edges:
Bonus Attribute Point (Intelligence)
Flaws:
Pacifist
Organizations Aligned With:
Yakuza (Seattle)
Identifying marks:
Tattoo of Aten (Egyptian Sun God) on his upper right shoulder.
Active Skills:
Athletics: 4
Stealth: 6
Sport: 4
Etiquette: 5
Negotiation: 5
Forgery/Physical Forgery: 2/4
Car: 5
Knowledge Skills:
Fringe Cults: 4
Architecture/Human: 4/6
Dragons: 6
Paranormal Animals: 6
Yakuza Territory: 6
Magic: 3
Gear:
Fine Clothing
Standard Credstick Rating 2
Telecom (200MP)
Ration Bars (10 Days)
Medkit
Antidote Patch
Tranq Patch
Trauma Patch
Vehicles:
Volkswagen Elecktro
+Performance Tires [4]