as a teacher, reading about nex makes me fucking furious because I've seen that hate in the students I've taught. people who say young people aren't bigoted and once the old fucks die off the world will be perfect have no idea how cruel children can be when influenced by society's bigotry. while working with 8th grade, i had multiple situations of children harassing lgbt students, screaming slurs at black students, and mocking disabled, especially autistic, students. i was misgendered and degendered by these kids daily without them even knowing i was trans or gay, just that i was a feminine man. i had to dress hyper-masculine to have a smidgen of respect, and god forbid i let my disability show.
but what sticks with me the most when thinking about nex is when i had to intervene when a child proudly announced that she would murder her baby if they were trans (specifically nonbinary) because nb people were freaks, fully aware the person sitting next to her was trans. when i tried to intervene, i was disciplined because i was 'teaching my personal politics'.
this is what our schools look like. when people say they cant believe these girls could do this, i shake my head because, to me, it's no wonder nex is no longer with us. nex was a child with intersecting minority identities. our society is cruel and bigoted, and it is influencing our children. we HAVE to fix society because until we do, kids will stay cruel and kids will keep dying
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R: I'm a little late to asking, but could you talk more about your adventure to hidden portions of Amarna, Agent? Despite setbacks, it must have been utterly riveting to be surrounded by so much history.
Of course! It absolutely was.
I will mention, going in, that the reality of my world is... a bit more fantastical compared to historical record. Of note: The Aten sun disk is a very real entity, one of the sun-eaters whose captivity was used to shape my world and whose presence leeches a virulent, corrupted for of magic into its surroundings.
I was initially called out to the neighboring inhabited city of al-Merayah on reports of suspected smuggling activity outside of the known rings in the area, as well as fears of the famed Plagues of Egypt appearing again. On arrival, the city was under siege with a local militia, the Marya, defending against the modern followers of Aten.
It was eventually determined that the earthquake that led into the reappearance of the plagues was actually caused by the magic keeping the true city of Amarna concealed failing, due to a pileup of complicating factors, time being a significant one.
Entrance to Amarna - original posting
Just beyond the gates to the city itself; note Aten sun disk - original posting
For the month and some I and a handful of Council of Venice and Marya agents operated in the city, the sun/sun disk barely moved in the sky, night never fell, and it was perpetually sweltering.
Map of the city with our initial entry point and camp circled - original posting
The drawings of the seven gods on the map represent the Sentinels, seven monuments to the depicted gods containing the souls of the seven children of a high priest of Amun-Ra, bound to the city to seal and obscure it and to keep Akhenaten from rising again.
Monument of Meretseger and chamber interior - original posting
Her name was Moutemouia, third child of High Priest Ptahmose. She was tasked with keeping the city concealed and it was her strength and conviction wavering that ultimately let us in. The siblings were able to communicate both through their monument or through the smaller statues decorating the monuments' inner chambers.
Thutmose (Horus), Nefertari (Ma'at), Moutemouia (Meretseger), Hemitneter (Sekhmet), Moutnefert (Satis), Nefertari the Younger (Bast), Huoy (Anubis).
Moutnefert dreamed of travel. Ptahmose brought her postcards and stories from the outside, but she always wanted to see it for herself. Nefertari the Younger and Huoy were just excited to have someone new to play games with them. Hemitneter was itching to take the fight to the Atenists directly, haha!
...All of them were starting to wonder if they'd outlived the gods they'd stood for.
Most of the time we were there, I was helping the Sentinels with their tasks while they taught me the spellwork to access Akhenaten's tomb so he could be dealt with directly. I got to help herd souls to the afterlife, feed the corrupted to Ammut, harass the modern living and mummified original incarnations of the Atenists.
Assorted photographs of the area - original postings (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
As can probably be expected time, warfare, and modern cultist and monster activity has seen the collapse of many structures throughout the city. Most civilian dwellings are likely to have failed by this, but several of the larger structures and temples have remained largely intact. The black sludge forming on the trees and ground (image 4) and also polluting much of the limited water supply is the manifestation of the Aten's corrupted magic, as is the spider-like monster inhabiting the temple (image 5). The creature in the sixth image is a human that was heavily mutated due to exposure to this magic during the mummification process - possibly with direct influence from the Aten itself as not all mummified cultists progressed to the same degree as this particular one did. Most Atenist (and Sol Invictus, present in the wider area) mummies retained normal human proportions, but a select handful attained more monstrous forms.
As the investigation progressed, there became an increase in seismic activity that was eventually determined to be emanating from beneath Akhenaten's pyramid.
Addition photograph of the area. The Black Pyramid, Akhenaten's tomb, is faintly visible in the background beneath the Aten sun disk. We never identified that skeleton. - original posting
There is a story among the Jinn that the first of their kind, immediately upon its creation, refused to be made subservient to any creature and so consumed its own name so that it couldn't be used to control it.
Jinni tablet cotaining the story of the First Jinn, The Fabled Genie of the Lamp - original posting with full translation
According to their lore, the Unbound was eventually deceived by King Soloman who trapped the Unbound in a magical prison (by human versions, a lamp) and hid that lamp deep underground, away from anyone that the Jinn could tempt into releasing it on the promise of granting a wish.
It was fascinating! As we were researching the earthquakes, we became increasingly aware of a voice that being projected through them. I have a couple of recordings here and here!
And using the Jinn's writing, I was able to locate and access the passage that led beneath the pyramid!
Assorted photographs of said passages - original postings (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7) Image 5 contains insect religion! They were congregated and seemingly worshiping the imagery of the scarab!
I have a few posts of artifacts I came across too! Here, here, and here!
I was able to locate the First Jinn's containment as well. The modern Atenists had been using explosives to hunt for artifacts in and around Amarna and had caused a piece of the ceiling in its chamber to break loose, damaging an anchor for the wards around it.
First Jinn's chamber with damaged anchor and containment device - original posting
Much of the technology used through the chamber and passages are believed to be Third Age in origin, a version reality that was overwritten by our current one. Solomon was supposedly native to it, and one of the few (probable) humans to have been able to retain themselves through the transition. Third Age magic and technology are difficult to replicate due the world simply not working the same way anymore.
In any case, I was able to get the anchor patched up and working again.
And then I broke into the Black Pharaoh's burial chamber and confronted him directly. I. Admittedly didn't get much of an opportunity to appreciate most of it. A large conflict broke out between the Atenists and the allies I brought, and I was urged on ahead to face the more serious threats. The Sentinels backed me up.
...Someone from one of the groups I had allied with shot me after the dust settled. They stole Akhenaten's body and staff before anyone else could get in to stop them and I was nearly fired for disobeying orders and having anything to do with them in the first place, so. I never got too much of a chance to look around the pyramid unfortunately, haha...! I have a few pictures of its exterior at least.
Exterior of the Black Pyramid - original postings (1, 2, 3)
Frescos found in chambers around the pyramid depicting: (1) The birth of Akhenaten's son, Tutankhaten (later Tutankhamun), (2) The formation of the Marya under Tutankhamun and Thutmose, (3) Ptahmose sacrificing his seven children to seal the Black Pyramid and Akhenaten, (4) Akhenaten's lineage with his son and wife, blessed by the Aten, and (5) Akhenaten's judgement and execution before Ptahmose, High Priest of Amun-Ra.
Ptahmose and his children were all released from their duties following Akhenaten's defeat, and the curse on the city has been fading since. I haven't spent much time there. It's hard to see the Sentinel's monuments still there and so empty without them.
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