Isu Rehkotep

Isu Rehkotop is a villainous NPC from the Touch of Death adventure module. She is a corrupt priestess and a High Priestess at the Temple of Muhar. Before her betrayal, Isu served Osiris. However she became corrupted, converting to the worship of Set, and so was guilty of apostasy. In or before 738 BC, she reanimated previously deceased Senmet as a greater mummy.

Background

Isu wrote about her life experiences in the eight autobiographical scrolls. She was once the Lawful Good high priestess of Osiris in Muhar. One day she found an unholy scroll that set down the procedures to create a greater mummy. She resisted the corrupting pull of dark knowledge for years, but eventually she became enamored with the forces of evil. She became a secret convert to the Cult of Set.

Isu dared to venture through the Valley of the Dead to Anhktepot's Tomb, where she performed the ritual of reanimation to create a greater mummy, that mummy being Senmet. Isu foolishly believed Senmet was under her complete control. Unfortunately for her, the deceptive Senmet was not the thrall Isu thought he was. In truth, she could only hold power over him for but a few brief moments in any one day. Senmet bid his time, gathering power for an attempt to usurp Ankhtepot's power.

Although Senmet ultimately hoped to get the people of Muhar to worship him alone, Isu was as devout a servant of Set as she had once been of Osiris. She began blending in the unholy teachings of Set with the holy teachings of Osiris, even corrupting the religious texts. A capable manipulator in her own right, Isu hoped to eventually draw all of Muhar into Set's flock.

In Touch of Death

In the Grand Conjunction module Touch of Death, Isu operates as co-conspirator with Senmet against Anhktepot while at the same time serving as the leader of Muhar under the facade of worshiping Osiris. Senmet ultimately hopes to use her to redirect the faith of Muhar villagers to enable him to take Anhktepot's power over Har'Akir without the darklord awakening to stop him. She feigns friendliness to the player characters while plotting with Senmet for her deaths.

If the events of the module play out as according to the planned order therein, Isu's treachery is revealed by the ghost of Dulcimae, whom Isu sacrificed to Set. Here Senmet abandons her, refusing to send the Statue of Set Golem to defend her, leaving her to her very possible death.

According to Senmet's profile in Ravenloft Monstrous Compendium I & II, Isu may accompany Senmet if he flees to another domain and she survives. If Isu is killed, she may rise as one of the undead. (How Isu and Senmet would reconcile after Senmet's abandonment is not addressed in the entry.)

Legacy

Regardless of her death or simple defeat in ToD, later sources indicate that she is no longer in power, having been replaced by Snefru. Yet it would seem that Isu's legacy of corruption lives on, as Snefru's religious practices seem more in league with the Cult of Set than the Cult of Osiris.

Game Statistics

female human Specialty Priest 8 of Set, Lawful Evil

Other Information

Isu Rehkotep had a beloved pet cat named Bashet (which is also an alternate name for the cat goddess Bast.) Isu affords it special reverence, even seemingly conversing with it. Despite her pretensions, Bashet is but a normal house cat. Although somewhat peculiar by itself, Isu's attachment to a cat named after Bast is even more bizarre in context. Bast and Set are sworn enemies of each other. (The contextual oddity of Isu and her pet's relationship is neither mentioned nor explained in the source material).

Chronology

725 In Har’Akir, Isu Rehkotep (a young priestess of Osiris) discovers a hidden, ancient scroll which details the foul rites to command one of the Children of Anhktepot. Horrified, she attempts to destroy the scroll, but it will not burn. She hides it away, but the knowledge of its existence slowly corrupts her. [DoD pg. 17; ToD pg. 3]

738 Isu Rehkotep, now converted to the worship of Set, raises the traitorous priest Senmet as one of the living dead. Together, they begin a plot to take control of Har’Akir. [DoD pg. 17; ToD]

738 Senmet recruits the werejackal priests of Anubis to aid him in his plans to usurp control of Har’Akir. However, that very night, a mysterious fire wipes out the entire priesthood, except for the young Abu al Mir. Abu flees, and the Mists transport him to Nova Vaasa. [CotN:W pg. 49]

738 Senmet’s plot to overthrow Anhktepot is foiled; Ankhtepot’s 7th awakening. The third verse of Hyskosa’s Hexad is fulfilled. Senmet survives the failure and flees into the Mists. (Touch of Death). [DoD pg. 17; RRS; MCAI&II]

739 In the wake of Isu’s death during Senmet’s coup attempt, another woman takes Isu’s place as high priestess of Osiris: Snefru. Like Isu, Snefru is secretly truly a servant of Set. [Speculation based on DoD pg. 102]

Data from the Ravenloft Catalogue

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