Isiemkheb Kaphiri
Shemsu-Heru
Sunlit Alcoves
Description
Height: 5'8"
Weight: 135 lb.
Ethnicity: Mixed (white/Middle Eastern)
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Long elaborate black
Clothing: Black promenade formal
Comportment/Cadence: Confident
Distinctions: This beautiful, fantasy dream-woman of exotic heritage stands statuesque and commanding in whatever gorgeous gown she dons tonight, with brilliant eyes and carefully styled hair, and a flair for both blending in wherever she goes, and stealing that place's scene utterly as the queen of the hour
Supernatural Qualities: Beyond her ageless beauty, she is well-known among her kind both for her lineage and her wise counsel and proven allegiance; also, once she turns off the charm and slips away, it's surprisingly difficult to track her
Accoutrements: Moderate jewelry, purse full of interesting potions
Traits: Appearance 5 (bewitching); Style 5 (classic); Arcane 2; Reputation
"I am not my mother. I am Isiemkheb. I am Isiemkheb."
History
Date of Birth: February 20th, 45 BCE
Home: Alexandria, Ptolemaic Egypt
Family: Julius Caesar and Cleopatra VII Philopator (parents), Caesarion (younger brother), Cleopatra Selene II (younger half-sister), Ptolemy Philadelphus (younger half-brother)
First Death: External Supernatural Trigger (a princess of both Egypt and Rome, her parents the incredibly famous rulers, Caesar and Cleopatra, she was their first of two children, but unlike their son, her mother hid her away, spiriting her from the capital to Cyrene in Libya, there to grow up in aristocratic trappings but away from the cutthroat politics of the era; but it was the rise of Augustus, her cousin, that spelled her doom, as he set forth to clear all obstacles from his gradual ascension to imperial power; the Shemsu-Heru quietly approached and offered her the Spell of Life, rescue from certain discovery and assassination, in exchange for service to the ancient gods; though reluctant, she agreed), 21 BCE
Mentor: Amennakhti
The Test: Trial by Knowledge (Isiemkheb proved a natural study of Reborn metaphysics and magic, particularly a strong grasp of the Hellenistic alchemy, likely due to a cosmopolitan education in her earlier life; even when she went before Osiris, who clearly did not value Ptolemaics very much, she maintained regal poise and earned his approval)
Comrades: Marcus Cocceius Nerva, Clarence Laurie, Roger Burks, Jahim Koray, Nebtawi Kosey, Persephone Maraki, Vadim Kolek, Jelani al-Houssam, Ravenna Grove, Rosanna Monckeberg
Key Event #1: Awe & Wonder (the early years of her first "life" as Reborn was spent quietly in Numidia among Silent Strider werewolf allies, developing her arts and lore in preparation for her long-term assignment)
Key Event #2: Treachery (when ready, Isiemkheb was set up by the Shemsu-Heru to serve openly as their representative to the Kindred of Rome, with the purpose of helping to guide the children of Caine and help them purge wickedness from civilization)
Key Event #3: Awe & Wonder (such work would consume her for the rest of her existence, and as such her life/death cycles were carefully curated by the faction, with a sense of naturalness abiding each ending and rebirth, spent frequently in the safety and comfort of Osiris's court, and complete with a solid network of lavish tombs and loyal servants, like any princess of the pharaohs could expect to enjoy)
Key Event #4: Awe & Wonder (in Rome, she found herself drawn to the "beautiful people", including those Kindred of Clan Toreador; and while flattered by the return attentions, she kept her wits and independence)
Key Event #5: Treachery (however, at one point she did find herself caught up in the webs of the Lasombra vampires, whose schemes to undermine the imperial bureaucracy forced her to "sacrifice" herself to expose their conspiracy, resulting in a purification of corrupt senators and Praetorian guards alike)
Key Event #6: Awe & Wonder (when Christianity arrived to Rome, she was not fond of its conflicting doctrines and often hypocritical adherents, but she worked anyway with the younger Kindred who swore by the faith)
Key Event #7: Treachery (when Rome fell from the spotlight, Isiemkheb's mission did not end; Horus directed her to accompany the same Kindred to Constantinople to maintain the empire)
Key Event #8: Awe & Wonder (she even employed her mummy magic to alchemically reinforced the city walls, the better to defend against "barbarian" incursions)
Key Event #9: Treachery (she was instrumental in persuading the emperor to abandon the collatio lustralis tax, providing relief to many mortals and their Kindred patrons)
Key Event #10: Personal Tragedy (as a supporter of anti-corruption reforms in the empire, she was murdered during the Nika Riots, targeted by Anarchs who did not want reforms but to tear the whole government down)
Key Event #11: War (meanwhile, Isiemkheb felt little more interest or appreciation of Islam than she had for Christianity, but again tolerated the Abrahamic faith; naturally, she remained loyal to the empire even during the First Siege by Muslim crusaders)
Key Event #12: War (she remained so aligned during the Second Siege but this time an Ishmaelite mummy who put stock in the Muslim faith targeted her with powerful Ren-Hekau, not only slaying her but nearly Withering her, too)
Key Event #13: Awe & Wonder (but she survived and returned, only to find her value to the Kindred reduced; she joined an outpost of the ceremonial Droungarios of the Watch as far west as Spain; Horus insisted she accept the lesser role, and so she was forced to also move all of her cyclical belongings and construct new tombs)
Key Event #14: Treachery (luckily, this minor role ended quickly as her diplomatic tact demanded her return to the "front lines" in Antioch, Anatolia [Turkey]; there she provided counsel to the Kindred during these early crusades, developing the Treaty of Devol)
Key Event #15: Personal Tragedy (with this stroke of diplomatic genius, Isiemkheb returned to Constantinople in good graces, only to die before she even really settled in during the Massacre of the Latins)
Key Event #16: War (she returned, of course, only to find her skills needed on the front lines of two great clashing civilizations; she went to Gallipoli just as the Ottomans conquered it; she attempted to reason for mercy but they not only ignored her but slew her, too)
Key Event #17: War (as always, she returned, and this time her Kindred allies begged her assistance: this time to side with the invading Mongols during the Battle of Köse Dağ to sabotage the Ottomans...and their crusading Assamite patrons)
Key Event #18: Treachery (even after the Ottomans finally conquered Constantinople, Isiemkheb remained; the Assamites quasi-tolerated her for her counsel on Western affairs, while she continued her commandment to help the Kindred move beyond the Jyhad and establish a good world order)
Key Event #19: Awe & Wonder (when the Anarch Revolt broke out, she quietly helped Idealist Brujah stay true to their traditions of philosophy, at least in Anatolia)
Key Event #20: Treachery (after the Convention of Thorns changed the face of Kindred civilization, she moved to Rome, reconnecting with and spending many centuries of the modern era among old friends and elders, who now ruled the Camarilla as princes and justicars; while she helped keep these Cainites from falling too far, she could not dissuade them from patronizing mortal explorers...and colonists...from spreading to the New World and complicating the goals of the Shemsu-Heru by expanding a civilization still too toxic even farther abroad)
Key Event #21: Treachery (she always stayed loyal to the Shemsu-Heru even after two millennia; her warnings often helped her brethren in North Africa anticipate Kindred schemes, especially the plans of their old rivals, the Followers of Set; such counsel helped the faction keep Ethiopia free even from colonization well into the 20th-century)
Key Event #22: War (but the rise of fascism and World War 2 troubled her deeply and she left Rome, giving up lavish tombs and luxury, fleeing to Addis Ababa to help resist Mussolini's forces and the Sabbat vampires who backed them)
Key Event #23: Treachery (post-war, Horus reassigned her to Casablanca to bolster the faction's allies, especially Silent Strider werewolves, against resurgent Setite advances)
Key Event #24: Awe & Wonder (indeed, Isiemkheb's work uncovered Setite plotters and she followed this French Connection to the Caribbean, confronting the vampires in Bermuda after developing potent new poisons designed to specifically affect not just vampires but Setites)
Transition: Victory (the leader of the coterie she purged in Nassau fled to New York City; for the first time, she set foot on American soil in pursuit of her enemy; in the city, she made unlikely allies among a handful of other Reborn attracted to the city's vitality, though she remained dedicated to her life-long quest)
Magical Artifacts
Diadem of the Empress
Appearance: A slender crown of platinum, woven in a Roman laurel design, set with multiple kinds of colorful gems on the brow
Origin: Gift
Effects: Improve her social and intrigue traits (+1 to any single Social Attribute or social-related Ability per turn of use)
Activation: She benefits so long as she wears it
Significant Other
Name: Marcus Cocceius Nerva, 2006
Nature: Companionship
Marcus
Weakness
The Daughter
Isiemkheb insists she is not her mother, and she isn't. In fact, after 2,000 years, unsurprisingly she is better than her mother in most ways. But that realization has also gone to her head.
Likelihood of Corruption
Low.
Though she is rather conceited (shocking!), she is self-aware and generally compassionate enough a person and maintained these perspectives for all these years.
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