The ancient power of Egypt (or something close enough for undiscerning eyes).

Nickname: Ignorant culturally-appropriative pseudo-scholars who have made a mockery of our entire profession. (by actual Egyptologists)

It was a strange turn of events that led the University of Ohio History Department into the Occult Underground. After a professor of Ancient Egyptian History was called away mid-semester to help his ailing mother, an influential but out-of-practice history professor took over the vacant classes.

The ersatz professor (whose specialty was actually post-World War I Ohio local history) didn’t know what to do, and just improvised the class, getting a lot of things wrong. When he made a fake cartouche in his home to entertain an increasingly hostile classroom, he discovered that the cartouche carried real magical power.

Since then, the professor has come to view himself as a kind of cult leader figure, making farcically incorrect claims about Ancient Egypt and attracting an enthusiastic following of deluded teacher’s assistants and undergraduates. His teachings are wildly incorrect, but very theatrical. So far, the rest of the History department has been unable to stop him from his absurd historical reconstructions, since he has tenure.

The rituals of Cairomancy are inspired by dreams and visions of Ancient Egypt, with all actual archaeology and academic rigor filtered away. Cairomancers create “authentic ancient Egyptian temples” based on their dreams, visions, and whims. These temples, fueled with passionate delusion, bear very real magical power.

The founder of the school, who believes very strongly in an “intuitive style of historical reconstruction,” had originally intended to name the school Aegyptologicomancy, but changed the name to Cairomancy, guided by his dreams.

Demons in particular are very fond of these structures, since it gives them a quick and easy way to influence the walking world.

Generate a minor charge: Spend a day constructing (or supervising the construction of) Egyptian-style architecture.

As a minor school, Cairomancy does not generate significant or major charges.

Taboo: If you include any items that are historically accurate to Ancient Egypt in a structure, that structure loses all power. Also, if any expert in Ancient Egypt (someone who has spent at least four years in direct study) inspects a structure and verbally points out the flaws and inaccuracies in the structure (specifically by detail, requiring at least a few minutes of time and a successful major Egyptology skill roll), that structure loses all power. When a structure breaks taboo, it can be enchanted again with additional days of work.

Like Mechanomancy, Cairomancy creates persistent artifacts instead of instant effects. Charges are not saved up and spent later — instead, they are invested into a room as the room is being created, to create a magical effect. However, all of Cairomancy’s constructs are magical effects tied to a specific structure. Each structure can be about the size of a room. A Cairomancy room can have multiple formulas in place, and often does.

Random Effects: Impressing the living, and giving power to the dead. Cairomancers can’t control demons: they just give them new ways of gaining access to the living world. The reasons why this is a terrible idea are left as an exercise to the reader.

Symbolic Tension: Cairomancy is based upon popular images of historical reenactment, but disconnected from anything from the actual past.

Blast: Cairomancy has no blast.

Starting Charges: A starting Cairomancer is assumed to have one or more structures, with a total of 4 minor charges already spent.

Note: Cairomancy formulas all give a particular room a Skill. That Skill’s level is equal to the result of the Magick skill roll made by the adept spending the charges. If the same formula is used again in the same room, use the new result only if it is higher.

Voice of the Ancients
1 minor charge

Gives the room a “Speak with the Living” skill that can be used by any demons that happen to be nearby. Objects within the room will seem to talk, resonating with disembodied voices.

Tomb of Death
2 minor charges

Creates traps in a room for those who are forbidden. Gives the room a “Struggle” skill that can be used to do hand-to-hand damage against interlopers each round, doing dice like a hand-to-hand attack with +6 damage for having traps as weapons. The details of these traps are mutable, but those who are wary can always use a Dodge or Notice skill (or any skill related to traps, security systems, or architecture) to defend themselves.

Halls of the Pharaoh
2 minor charges

Gives the room an “Impressive” skill that can be used either to create a particular psychological effect, or can be used by another dressed up in impressive Egyptian-looking getup who seems to be the owner of the room, whether or not they actually are.

Inner Sanctum
7 minor charges

Gives the room a “Mystic Protection” skill that protects the place. Any attempt to scry on or secretly observe the chamber (whether through magic, eavesdropping, surveillance equipment, or whatever) must roll the appropriate skill at a higher level than the Mystic Protection skill, or the attempt is blocked.

Any attempt to cause physical harm to someone who is formally welcome within the chamber (by you or the chamber’s legal owner) must roll higher (on the appropriate combat skill, magic skill, or whatever) than the Mystic Protection of the chamber, or the attack is deflected away harmlessly. This includes punches, blasts, guns, and whatever.

Mummification Chamber
7 minor charges

A tomb-like structure must be prepared specifically for a particular person. Creates a “Resurrection” skill for that room. As long as the body spends a majority of each day inside the chamber, the body will not rot or decay or even smell bad. If that person’s dead body is placed within the tomb, any nearby demons can use the Resurrection skill to possess and reanimate the body. This formula provides no particular means to control the possessing demon.

What You’ve Heard

Grant Spelevich, an Ohio local historian and professor, has used Cairomancy to create his own powerful cult, duped by assorted demons who generally play along with the fake Egypt schtick. Dr. Spelevich’s Egyptology is terrible, but nobody can deny the magical power he slings around so recklessly. Lately, Dr. Spelevhich has been drawn into the Occult Underground, and a three-way battle with different minor adept factions at the university.