Ancient Egypt: The Pharaoh's Beard Modelling Secrets (Part 1)

Ancient Egypt, 1400 BCE. The New Kingdom is at its zenith — monumental temples, all-powerful pharaohs, and an elaborate system of gods who will absolutely rip your heart out if you displease them. Keon's arrived in Thebes as "Kheper," and his top priority is beard grooming tips. Specifically, the pharaoh's beard grooming tips. Everyone's got their reasons.

Keon's approach to ancient Egypt: ignore the mission, wander into the House of Life, befriend a scholar with an impressively groomed beard, and ask to see the Book of the Dead. His endgame involves a psychedelic theme park, a beard-based brand empire, and a casual trip to the Underworld to meet the jackal-headed god Anubis. The Game Master this week is a bitter, angry old man who has made it very clear that reckless behaviour will cost lives. Keon's response to this warning is to request a 2pm slot for the afterlife.

Ancient Thebes (modern-day Luxor) was the religious and political capital of New Kingdom Egypt. The House of Life was a real institution, a scriptorium and centre of learning attached to major temples. The journey through the Underworld was described in the Book of the Dead — a gauntlet of gods, trials, and the famous weighing of the heart against Ma'at's feather of truth. Keon's plan to commercialise the afterlife is, historically speaking, not what the pharaohs had in mind.