Updated: 23 July 1998

Bast-Hemet
The Handmaidens of Bast

                    The Bubastis were a shapechanger race living around the Lower-Egyptian city which took their name. Following the way of Bast (or way of the Cat), they were organized around their temples and their priests and priestesses, all Kinfolks or Bubastis.
Set once walked in the middle of Bubastis, while the Lower and Upper Egypt were still at war. Spying the werecats, wondering at the dark color of their skin, for the Lower-Egyptians were of a paler hue, he saw a young dark-skinned priestess dancing alone in the temple's grounds. He talked to her, and was charmed by her easy-going nature. He chose her as one of his Childer.
At first, the Bubastis were horrified about the Change of their young priestess. But in time, they accepted her. Ankh-Meres-Bast, who would have felt her first garou change just days after her Embrace, easily created the Bastis Discipline and took the name Bastet, protecting her own people through her Bloodline: The Bast-Hemet (The Handmaidens of Bast).

                    At first, the Bast-Hemet were largely chosen within the Bubastis city, meaning that more than half are dark-skinned. As the time will go, the misture of population will lighten a little the color of their skin. Most of them are agile and beautiful. They tend to have permanent feline traits appearing with the centuries. Vertical slits, yellow, grey or green irises are not unknown. While male tent to be totally hairless because of their priesthood background, female always have long hair, normally worn with complex knots.

They like to wear light clothes, and have a knack for jewelery.

                    Most will have their haven at a temple, or at least within the mansion of some Nome Prince. Their havens tend to be full with gold, jeweleries and similar luxuries, full with a staff of servants and musicians.

                    Almost all Bast-Hemet were Bast priests or priestesses in their living days. Most retain their ties with the priesthood, by taking up some high responsibility charge.

Most of the time, Kinfolk are Embraced. Bubastis Abomination are not unknown, as at least 1 of 10 Bast-Hemet is an Abomination (i.e.: Unlike the Garou, the Bastet Shapeshifters can easily become ghouls or even be Embraced. Still the Bastet Abomination soon lose their Gifts and Rites as their Gnosis plumets down to zero).

                    The Priesthood of Bastet is one of pleasure and life. Social Attributes are primary, as well as Talents.

The Bast-Hemet tend to have low virtues and low willpower.

                    Obfuscate, Presence and Bastis.

                    Like the other Childer of Set, the Bast-Hemet suffer a malus of +2 at the difficulty of every social Roll, due to some mysterious eerie presence.

Most tend to lack courage, too.

                    There is no real organization of the Bloodline, which tend to keep to itself around the Bubastis city. Seeing a Bast-Hemet elsewhere than in the Nile Delta is rare indeed. Some open temples dedicated to Bastet in large Egyptian cities.

Bal-Noure: The Vulture Guardians of Higher Egypt are like their Serpent counterparts. Too serious. Still, while warriors of lesser might, they are not called the Eyes for nothing...

Hat-Maat: These are the guardians of moral and philosophy. While I admire them to avoid the pleasures of life and unlife with such dedication, I don't follow them in their madness. As long as they don't bother me...

Hekau-Nebet: The Sorcerers are powerful. At first, they were nothing, but they succeeded in controlling powerful magics. All the Obelisks and Pyramids you see are created for them to harvest Sekhem.

Meryt-Pneter: Beautiful gods, so beautiful it can hurt to look at them too often. Sculptors and artists, they look their reflection in water too much for their own good.

Ouro-Sen: Powerful warriors, guardians of Lower Egypt. The Followers of the Uræus are fearsome fighters, even if they lack some of the intelligence of their Bal-Noure sisters.

Khui-Amon: Before the New Empire: Lawful Gods manipulating mystery as they manipulate shadows. They are our best administrators After the Begining New Empire: They hid their game well. Amon betrayed Set's dream by taking over Egypt, and unbalancing the Divine Hierarchy. Beware of the shadows...

Anoup: Great fighters. We are at the origin of the alliance between the Childer of Set and the Anoup.

Msoh-Sobek: Unreliable allies. Their monstrous appearance shows a lot of their soul. They don't like us, and would remove us all if they could.

Nerhib-Pehrt: We are the Bubastis allies, before even our loyalty to Set or to Maat.

Hon-Aton: Crazed Magicians and Priests trying to talk to the god of the gods. How arrogant they are...

Isis-Tiaou: This cult is perhaps more popular than our own. They seem to be the only magicians with more might than the Hon-Aton.

Shemsu-Heru: These magicians reached immortality, for sure... Everyone here try to steal their secrets: I wonder the price I could get from it if I could steal it...

Clan: What we think of this Clan?

                    The Bast-Hemet will never be in any position of power through all the history of Egypt. They will work for the good of the Bubastis, and will be almost destroyed by the Setite Purge. Their Founder, Bastet, will be Diablerized by Neferu.

Still, some Bast-Hemet will survive, hidden within their Bubastis allies territories. But they will loose the connection they had with their founder, and slowly change their Presence Discipline to Celerity. Bastis will become Felys. They will call themselves the Felys, and will grow in size in the 20th Century of our era, hidding among the Gangrel Clan.

                    ''Miawwooo...''

                    The influence of the Clan limits itself to the Bubastis city, and its neighbourhood. They limit themselves to hear and transmit information. Their control of the Temples of Bast are almost absolute, and as Bast is a very popular God in Ancient Egypt, they have the ears of the people. Their enemies fear the rebirth of Sekhmet, and so, let the Bast-Hemet and the Bubastis well alone.

                    Bastet is the incarnation of the principle of Bast on earth. Every one of the Bloodline members have priestly titles, and are called sphinxes. While they tend to avoid fight, half of them are capable fighters. So the priesthood is both a priesthood of Rituals, and a Priesthood of warrior. The Bast-Hemet are the only Bloodline to have developped a Martial Art akin to the fighting traditions of the Bubastis.

                    The Bast-Hemet are the more sensual of all the Childer of Set, probably because of the bubastis blood they drink often. Passion is their life, and it is what probably attracted Set the first time. While the Bubastis didn't practiced orgias as did the romans thousands years after, they viewed sex as one of the great pleasures of life, and this philosophy was deeply implanted in the priesthood, even the Undead, who shared their blood often.

Another pleasure of the Bubastis and the Bast-Hemet was the hunt. Unlike their Garou cousins, who hunted to eat, the Bubastis and the Bast-Hemet liked the hunt in a very perverse and cruel manner. Some criminals too much evil to be redeemed, or the known enemies of Egypt were sometimes given to the Bast-Hemet. This is considered a cruel death...

                    The first concern of the Bast-Hemet is the Bubastis. And as the good of the Bubastis and the good of Egypt is, for now, the same thing, they work hard for Egypt, in their own, lazy way. They are very wary of the Mokole, because of ancestral wars between the two races.

Bastet; 4th Generation.
Hamarkhis; ?th Generation.
Mafdet; ?th Generation.
Menhyt; ?th Generation.
Pakhet; ?th Generation.
?; ?th Generation.
?; ?th Generation.
?; ?th Generation.
?; ?th Generation.

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