Rosewater Oasis in the shadow of the obelisk

from the depths of vahanet’s twilight sands, samirseti approaches—a whisper of divinity given form. the air shimmers faintly with heat, even now, under the watch of ra’s dying gaze. he halts, watching the strange, diminutive figure steady himself beside andalib.

yet another?

they arrive broken. akashingo’s ruin has sent them forth like scattered grains of sand.

you seek my gates, it is weariness that fills pharaoh's voice. not weariness from a stranger, but weariness for the stranger himself. such a small man, exhaustion must cling to him from such a long journey!

it is now he understands why senedjet's return has been delayed.

do the sands not relent in their cruelty? did the red serpent leave any untouched by his wrath?

his beloved uncle, who had been more a brother than anything. his aunt, pharaoh of the red sands, who's reign had been cut too short. their young children. samir's own wife. the two boys, nokht and ahkre. samir's heart holds much grief for his subjects.

pharaoh tilts a gold crown downwards. you are welcome in vahanet. come. the gesture of a large paw, far too large for the scarred, lanky limb it connects.