Qar
Ça commençait à avoir un sens. Qar pouvait voir la source du ressentiment du jeune Pharaon, sa méfiance à l'égard des pièges du pouvoir et sa réticence à devenir Pharaon. Leur combat dans la ville et sa libération des esclaves avait évidemment allumé de nouveau son ambition, lui rappelait un but très cher à lui et, maintenant qu'il était ici pour prendre le trône, il n'y aurait pas d'arrêt jusqu'à ce que ce but soit atteint. Comme l'a dit la prêtresse, les Viziers étaient là pour le conseiller et faire en sorte que les souhaits du Pharaon deviennent réalité, indépendamment de leurs opinions personnelles. Comme Zamois, jusqu'à présent tranquille et retiré de leurs discussions, a parlé Qar pourrait commencer à voir un but d'unité au sein du conseil.
Aperel serait contre ce discours révolutionnaire, mais Qar avait depuis longtemps supposé que l'homme était contre toute réforme et le soupçonnait d'être une sorte d'espion de toute façon. Lui, lui-même et la prêtresse ont tous deux vu des avantages pour le statu quo actuel, mais pour Qar ce n'était pas la pratique elle-même, mais l'ordre qu'elle avait apporté. Aussi longtemps qu'il pouvait se souvenir, et que de nombreuses générations avant lui pouvaient se souvenir, l'esclavage avait toujours existé dans le Royaume et ce n'était qu'un fait accepté. Ceux qui n'étaient pas esclaves étaient reconnaissants de ne pas être, ceux qui possédaient des esclaves sont devenus riches à cause de cela et les esclaves étaient trop faibles pour faire quoi que ce soit à ce sujet. Tout simplement libérer tous les esclaves dans le royaume allait tourner l'ordre sur sa tête et le chaos régnerait à la fin de laquelle le pharaon serait probablement mort et son royaume en ruines, fractionné entre voisins opportunistes. S'ils exauçaient les souhaits d'Amen, alors il faudrait une planification minutieuse et une mise en œuvre par étapes avec un soutien suffisant pour maintenir l'ordre avec une période de transition en place et maintenant, quand ils étaient les plus faibles, ce serait un mauvais moment pour l'annoncer.
Enfin, les autres Viziers avaient dit leur bit et Qar a cherché à les ramener à la tâche à venir.
« Je pense que nous sommes tous d'accord pour dire que, quelles que soient nos opinions personnelles, les souhaits du pharaon sont les nôtres pour faire de la réalité. Pour moi, la réalité est difficile à imaginer, mais ce n'est peut-être que l'effet de siècles de ce statu quo. Quoi que nous fassions, il doit être d'une position de force et progressive. Si le pharaon, et donc ce conseil, tombent avant que la tâche soit accomplie, alors celui qui prend le contrôle rétablira très probablement le statu quo et tout cela aura été refusé. » Il s'est tourné vers Zamois et a hurlé à l'égard de l'énorme homme. « Comme Zamois l'a dit, il ne serait pas préférable d'annoncer cette politique dès maintenant. Il créerait trop d'ennemis et notre but dans l'élaboration de ce discours est de rendre la position du Pharaon stable, d'abord et avant tout. Une fois cela fait, nous pouvons commencer à trouver des alliés qui appuieraient le pharaon dans cette affaire, surtout parmi les chefs de l'armée. » Il regarda Satiah, se demandant à quel point elle était bien connectée parmi ses dirigeants. Son contrôle sur leurs armées serait crucial s'il y avait un défi à l'autorité d'Amen.
"Il serait sage, comme Zamois l'a dit, de faire des ouvertures vers l'Alliance des villes libres dans le discours de Pharaon. Pas pour annoncer nos intentions, mais nous pouvons utiliser leur expérience dans l'abolition de l'esclavage pour forger une voie sûre vers cette éventualité. Nous pourrions inviter leurs dirigeants ici sous le couvert de pourparlers sur le commerce; je suis sûr que la noblesse et les classes marchandes seront satisfaites du potentiel d'accroissement du commerce, peu importe d'où il vient. J'ai quelques réflexions sur la façon dont cela peut être lié à nos premiers pas, mais c'est pour une autre fois. Nous devons d'abord rédiger ce discours. Vizier Aperel," Qar s'adressa soigneusement au vieil homme en utilisant son titre, "si vous pouviez commencer. Nous avons peu de temps et le Pharaon doit être en mesure de prononcer ce discours avec confiance, sinon les mots eux-mêmes n'auront pas de sens et cela signifie la pratique. Je pense que nous devrions nous pencher sur les préoccupations de la noblesse, car la prêtresse Nabet et vous-même avez clairement indiqué qu'elles constituent la plus grande menace pour l'autorité du Pharaon. Les moins astucieux cesseront d'être attentifs lorsque le Pharaon se penchera sur les affaires du peuple, ce qui nous donnera une plus grande marge de manœuvre à cet égard. Je crois que Satiah, Zamois et le Pharaon lui-même sont les mieux placés pour faire cette partie du discours."
Il regarda autour de la pièce, voyant les divisions du groupe. Ils étaient un assortiment étrange, lui-même inclus, pour être réunis en un seul endroit. Avec la vision d'Amen, peut - être pourraient - ils enfin travailler ensemble, qu'il s'agisse de sa position et de son autorité ou de son dévouement à sa cause? Qar était déterminé à tout faire fonctionner, même si cela signifiait que son rôle n'était que celui du maintien de la paix.
"Il serait préférable de garder le discours court, nous avons peu de temps pour la prose éloquente et le pharaon a encore moins de temps pour engager le discours à la mémoire."
Peu d'autre chose à dire, il s'assit et espérait, priant, qu'ils auraient assez de temps pour écrire un discours digne.
Name: Qar
Alias: Only his title, Royal Physician. Some may simply refer to him as 'Scholar'.
Sex: Male
Age: 24
Date of Birth: 17th October
Appearance: Tall, especially for one born amongst the poorest of farmers, with a strong and athletic build, Qar might easily be mistaken for a warrior or a guard. Perhaps an adventurer. That would be if not for the robes he wears with no armour above or underneath and the elaborately carved staff he carries everywhere. His attire certainly ascribes the title of 'scholar' to his person although he will never be found without his cloth sack containing all the tools of his healing craft. If it were not for his height and build he might be one thieves would choose to target, especially as he often looks lost in thought and has the soft expression of one who has never suffered terrible personal trauma.
Personality: Usually mild-mannered with a calm and balanced approach to all things, Qar is someone who many might find frustrating. He has a strong belief in morality and justice, especially when it is underpinned by the rule of law, courtesy of his patron deity's position in support of the latter. He will offer advice where he feels he can but will often stay quiet when someone he feels has superior knowledge or experience is putting forth their view.
As far as Qar is concerned his main mission is to keep people alive, whether through repairing broken bodies or by curing them off illness. Much of his time is devoted to this but he is also aware of his official duty and position and so spends less time than he might formerly have doing the rounds for the local populace. He attempts to impart his knowledge but finds that myth and tradition often gets in the way of understanding the reality of his craft. While he is a strong believer in the Gods himself and acknowledges the importance of faith, especially in maintaining one's strength and purpose in times of turmoil and pain; Qar will become frustrated when a patient will refuse his methods in favour of unproven but nevertheless traditional cures.
Always keen to gain more knowledge, Qar loves to discuss academic matters of all disciplines: whether it be of technological innovations in agriculture to astrological readings to the lore of the Gods. He tends to get on better with those who have such interest, or great knowledge, themselves but does not look down on those who do not; perhaps due to his own very humble and ignorant beginnings.
His studies in medicine and healing have drifted into the realm of physical well being and its importance in maintaining general health. As a result of his observations, Qar maintains a vigorous exercise routine and tries to engage in sparring sessions with guards when possible; although he is not a skilled fighter his natural height, build and fitness give him a slight edge. As a physician he encourages those for whom is responsible to exercise regularly and take all things in moderation, particularly food and alcohol. While he may not understand the actual sciences behind such things his observations alone have given him evidence enough to see the benefits of good practice in the matter.
Biography: Qar was born into a large family of farmers. As far as the little remembered history of his poor family went, they had always been farmers in the same village. It was one of many villages scattered in the area too small to be worthy of a name, often moving in time with the seasons to survive the hottest periods or to return to the Nile to begin ploughing the fields.
They had a poor diet, as was common for many in their position. They never starved, their father having a knack to place them early and well whenever the planting season began. Still, there were too many of them to be properly sustained on mere farming. By the time Qar reached the age of eight he had twelve surviving siblings, seven older and five younger than himself. It soon became clear that he had an inquiring mind, he was the first to be seen talking to any nomads or visitors to their small community and listened keenly to anything he was told and rarely forgot any of it.
Seeing the promise in their child, his parents eventually agreed that he and they would be better served by sending Qar to a temple in the hope that he would be taken in. By the age of twelve he was already taller than his father and so they were loathe to let go someone who promised to be a good worker but the priests too recognised his potential and took him in.
For the next four years Qar learned about the Gods and worshipped them, especially Thoth to whom the temple was mainly dedicated to. Noticing his favour with Thoth the priests began to educate him in matters relating to magic. While he had no talent for being a magician, Qar's hard work in those years gave him an appreciable skill. Reflecting his own nature, and his adherence to Thoth's teaching, his magic was one that affected others' magic more than brought about effects in and of itself. Whether by reflecting other magic or refining it on some way, he was clearly meant to be one to support other Magicians and not to use his magic by itself.
Shortly after seventeenth birthday word came of banditry escalating in the region. During that time many injured came to the temple seeking sanctuary and aid and Qar began to build up a rudimentary skill in the art of healing. He disliked seeing others' injuries going untended and worked hard to improve his methods, diverting much of his time for private studies into the craft and away from that of magic.
The breaking point came when members of his former community arrived with his family, far fewer in number, also present. Bandits had raided their village, taken their food and either killed or enslaved much of the populace before disappearing into the sands. Qar did what he could for the injured but nevertheless, many more passed away. Finally, bearing his inability no more, the young man now aged eighteen sought permission to leave the temple and learn the art of healing wherever he could. Properly sanctioned, he journeyed all over the various kingdoms of Egypt and learned what he could.
After four years he returned to the temple to distil everything he could, spurning methods he found ineffective and designing his own. For a few months after he carried on his studies of Magic but found it hard to pick up where he had left off, his passion now poured into healing others. When news came that the Pharaoh had died and his young son had taken the throne, the priests chose Qar to represent them. His knowledge of medicine, healing and many other matters surpassed that of his fellows and his relative youth would allow him to serve better than his seniors.
With the decision made, Qar headed to Thebes with the few gifts the temple could spare him: an intricately carved staff to replace the battered one he had returned from his travels with, a well made cloth satchel and numerous wooden boxes and leather containers as well as several scrolls carefully chosen from the temple's archives.
Combat Information
Magician: Yes
Deity: Thoth
Equipment:
Elaborate Staff - originally Qar carried a staff for support during his young years, spent travelling to learn from different tutors their craft. Since then he has elected to wield a more decorated staff, a slight vanity to denote his advancement and status, which has also been crafted with strength in mind as it is the only weapon the young physician carries. The decorations on the staff are not terribly ornate for its frequent use would soon render such detail invisible but is nevertheless well carved with symbols and scenes representing his patron deity.
Herb Pouch - more of a large canvas sack, this pouch contains numerous small wooden chests and smaller canvas or leather pouches. In each are carefully selected herbs to deal with the most common, but still dangerous, ailments and also those to create dressings and salves to speed on the healing of wounds.
Ability: Qar is not a warrior, having spent much of his still brief life in the pursuit of knowledge. That is not to say that he is incapable of handling himself in a fight, merely that his true talents lie elsewhere.
Medicine - while still a crude and unreliable art, Qar has learnt many different techniques and distilled this knowledge to form his own theory. Although he is still making discoveries, he has found the fruits of his labour effective enough to stand out from the efforts of local healers.
A good scholar - although the focus of his studies has been on curing maladies and healing the injured, Qar has not entirely neglected studies on other matters. While his knowledge would be distinctly inferior to that of a priest or priestess, he is well enough equipped to at least engage in intelligent conversation. More usefully his mind has been sharpened so that puzzles, both intellectual and more mundane, become easier to solve when Qar is properly applied.
Balance and Reflection - Qar's patron deity is Thoth who is heavily associated with the Moon and in arbitrating disputes making Qar's magic one that affects others' more than bring about results by itself.
Spells/Techniques:
Moon Shield - Places a shield of Life Essence around the user or the designated target and reflects incoming magic out, usually back at the caster. This does not discern between offensive magic or supporting magic.
Arbiter - Qar follows Thoth's role as arbiter and judges other magic, refining it in some way. This can be narrowing its field but enhancing its potency or the reverse, for example. The power does not change, merely its properties.
Thoth's Blessing - Thoth once oversaw battles between gods, maintaining balance between the two by healing the wounded but never altering the balance. Qar need not follow such rules and can heal those, but only when in the midst of battle. Once the fight is over this magic will no longer work.
Thoth's Wisdom - Allows Qar to understand magic he sees. This goes beyond simply working out its mechanics but understanding its limitations, strengths and nature upon seeing it for the first time. Using this ability is incredibly draining for Qar and will only ever be useful when he is acting in a support role.
Star Fall - With Thoth's unique knowledge of the Heavens and the stars within it, Qar replicates the falling of a meteor to Earth on a smaller scale. A fiery sphere will fall on his intended target although once the trajectory is set he cannot alter it, and the sphere will crash down with explosive force. The sphere is small and the effective radius is only a few metres but the force it expels would maim or kill any within it. If Qar were more skilled in the use of Life Essence the ability might be far more dangerous.
Burden of Knowledge - Thoth's learning on the application of force gives birth to this simple ability which lends additional weight to Qar's blows. In conjunction with his staff it allows him to shatter bones, wooden shields or even crack armour relatively easily without over tiring himself.
Blinded Ignorance - Qar hides everything within a certain field from prying eyes. Anything that enters the field is invisible to everything from outside and can either be a fixed area or centred upon himself as he moves - it cannot be attached onto a different moving target. The field is only a few metres in diameter and so could hide half a dozen people at most when moving, perhaps a dozen uncomfortably when stationary. The other use of this ability blinds one or two people completely, or severely limits the vision of several, for a short period of time.

Parameters

Essence: 2 / 5
Attunement: 4 / 5
Magic: 3 / 5
Strength: 3 / 5
Speed: 3 / 5
Body: 3 / 5
Wisdom: 4 / 5