Senef-HaqrThe Nameless Empire was, according to legend, a mighty one. Legend goes on to state that it was ruled by a class of sorcerer-kings. The Senef-Haqr believe this to be not legend, but truth. The oldest among their number claim to have been there in the last years of the Empire, although the Fog obviously makes this unprovable. These ancient vampires serve still more ancient beings called the Arisen, or more commonly, Mummies. The Senef-Haqr are perhaps the oldest of the Mekhet Bloodlines, and they are inextricably linked to the Arisen, serving as their lieutenants, high priests, and sometimes their lovers.The Arisen themselves have varying views as to the Senef-Haqr, and vampires in a broader sense. Some believe that they are a remarkably good ripoff of the Rite of Return, albeit with several obvious flaws, while others see them as unrelated, but still useful tools. The Judges have remained silent, near as anyone can tell, about the Senef-Haqr. Whether this an implied endorsement of their services, or they simply don't care or are somehow unaware is uncertain, but it's caused more than one debate among Arisen scholars.The Bloodline itself has a history ancient enough that it's rather muddy. The first Senef-Haqr, according to legend, was an Iremite woman whose lover had been chosen for the Rite of Return years ago, near the end of the Nameless Empire. After the collapse of Irem, the woman desperately searched for a way to survive, and to be with her lover, even though the Rite was no longer being performed. She found help from a man whose shadow seemed to move separately from him. If the woman promised to feed him, she would be guaranteed immortality, so she could be there when her lover arose.By the time the woman realized what it meant to feed her guest, it was too late. She became what many would consider an abomination. She lived the half-life of a vampire, permanently severed from her Ka, and longing for the day when her lover would arise. After many centuries of sleeping and feeding, she had forgotten her name, and ended up falling in with her lover's cult, when she finally awoke. The two had no memory of each other, but they instinctively knew that they belonged together.Other vampires later joined the cult, and while most were disloyal, and left early on, or were killed for their treachery, some remained loyal to the Cult. These eventually became the Senef-Haqr bloodline, a bloodline devoted to the service of the Arisen, and by extension, the Judges of Duat.What is known for certain is that at some point, a vampire joined a Mummy's cult, whether by choice, coercion, or magic, and somehow became bonded with the Mummy, and that Vampire later sired others, who were then groomed to serve Mummies. Those outside the Bloodline think that the Mummies have some big plan that needs Vampiric servants, and some think that they aren't true Vampires, but some kind of Vampiresque servant, made with a specialized form of the Curse that ancient necromancers had somehow mastered. What that would mean for Vampires at large could be troubling.All would-be Senef-Haqr are bonded permanently with a Mummy, who serves as their master then and forever. This bonding requires the Vampire to ritually bite the willing Mummy, absorbing the tiniest amount of Sekhem (this induces a Descent roll, but the Mummy subtracts its highest Pillar from the dice pool). The Sekhem makes the participant violently ill, seeing as it's concentrated life energy, but after the Vampire has ceased vomiting, they have become bonded to their master. As a result of this bonding, despite the Fog (for Vampires), or Memory loss (for Mummies), master and servant will always have at least a basic, instinctual sense of familiarity with each other. They don't necessarily remember any details, but they do at least get the general sense that they have met before.Parent Clan: MekhetNickname: Blood Cultists, Haqr, Mummy-LoversCovenant: The Haqr tend not to be terribly involved with the covenants of other Kindred, being strongly occupied with the affairs of their masters' Cults, although they will gladly involve themselves if it serves their Arisen lord. Additionally, an offshoot of the Circle of the Crone exists that purportedly worships Iremite gods, or views the Crone through Iremite lens, has been thought to exist.Appearance: The Haqr tend towards a gaunt, slender physique, and extremely harsh features. With the more ancient members, the dry, taught skin stretched across old bones makes them resemble a Mummy in form. They tend to dress in simple garments, adorned with whatever is appropriate to their cult's attire.Haven: Most all Haqr are welcome in the tombs and chambers of their masters, and usually treat those as their Havens. Some may keep a secondary Haven in case they need not to be seen with their masters, or they don't want to be followed to their lord's tomb. These secondary Havens are usually either extremely Spartan and under-decorated, or they serve as a secondary base for their cult, with all appropriate decorations and equipment.Background: Newer members are usually inducted at the request of a Mummy, either the sire's master, or one of that Arisen's allies. They are more ethnically diverse than their masters, for sure, but truly old ones almost always come from lands once ruled by the Nameless Empire. Many act as advance scouts, taking care of problems that don't require the Mummy's intervention, as well as helping to bring the Mummy up to speed with modern (or at least, semi-modern) life. Younger ones are occasionally bamboozled into it, but quite a few have loyalty to a Mummy, having been rescued or helped by one in the past.Character Creation: Successful Haqr usually have a lot of mental fortitude in the form of high Resolve and Composure, in order to keep sane during the long waits between Awakenings and Sothic Turns. The Attributes that matter to a given Haqr vary, usually with the types of Utterances their master is willing to teach them, as well as what their master needs them to do. Those intended to act as the face of the Cult, possibly help lend it legitimacy, are going to focus on Manipulation or Presence, while an assassin would find Dexterity and Strength vital, and a lorekeeper would value Intelligence.Bloodline Disciplines: Auspex, Celerity, Obfuscate, Seshem-SebaWeakness: The Senef-Haqr share an inextricable bond with their Arisen Master, having tasted not only the blood of their teacher, bit even a taste of the pure Sekhem of their master. When a Senef-Haqr's master is in henet, the Haqr becomes edgy and irritable, like they are a junkie, deprived of their favorite drug. They receive the Addicted condition, related to the presence of their Arisen master. They must return to their master's tomb for an hour of prayer or meditation if it is in henet, or interact with it if it is awake, each night, or receive the Deprived condition.Organization: There isn't much to speak of. Many are considered de facto members of their masters' Guilds, and sometimes join forces when their masters' goals align, but they rarely have any standing groups outside their Cults.Seshem-SebaWhile the Rite of Return is a secret lost to the sands of Irem, many secrets of the Judges still live on in the Arisen and their works. Those few Vampires who choose to serve the Arisen have the uncanny ability to learn to harness some of these powers. This has been called the Discipline of Seshem-Seba, an Iremite word meaning That which was written to be learned, in reference to the writings from which the Haqr learn these powers. This Discipline is unusual in that it lacks any set power or list of powers. Instead, all users receive the following benefits:With at least one dot of Seshem-Seba, the Vampire is considered attuned to Iremite sorcery, and is thus considered a Witness. Secondarily, it gives them the right to purchase up to 3 dots of Status in their master's Guild.

Each dot of Seshem-Seba grants the Vampire an Affinity, known and taught by their Mummy master. The Vampire must meet any prerequisites, but can replace Pillar requirements (excluding Ka, which Mekhet lack entirely) with dots in Seshem-Seba. In order to activate an Affinity, the user must spend 1 Vitae.

There are also no known Devotions for Seshem-Seba, as the magic of Irem is near-impossible to truly meld with Vampiric arts.