“I am SetraAmuthep, he who opens the ways. The undying Pharao extends his greetings to the scholars and warriors, the merchants and emissaries. No greetings does the undying Pharao extend to the unworthy and slaves, the retainers of the nameless one and to  them who have come to steal the treasures of Heshrar.”

This page belongs to the subject area “egyptians”. The beginning would be here: Egyptians

2007, 2009. Skarabäus- campaign. The NPC wears foam armour during the whole game and is supposed to interact with the players instead of chasing them around. That´s why the outfit mustn´t look too much like  “Let´s make tracks. At once”.

What indicates “egyptian”?
Main focus point is the helmet; humans tend to seek eye-contact (which is one of the reasons why we build particularly menacing monsters without eyes). Although it has no historic example (there were no helmets like this) it is reminiscent of Tut- Ank- Amuns death mask or the sphinx´s head. This theme of the so-called “Nemes” headdress and the colours (bronze in the gameworld) together with elements from movies the european eye at once classifies as “egyptian” make the impression of the figure.
The harness implicates insectoid elements, a reference to the scarabaeus; in egypt a symbol of life.
Black and gold in this particular world are the official colours of Heshrar.
The staff is a foam weapon.
It isn´t easy to find artificial fur that looks right, but we wanted it as a distinctive feature and this sort did its job.

Above: Construction of the harness. The cords that hold the armpieces cannot be glued; they have to be sewn on pieces of cloth to create sufficient contact face. Glue: Pattex.

Foam is not tearproof. Every part of the armour that is subject to stress is plastered with cloth from the underside. Only the combination of cloth/ glue/ foam is sufficiently durable.

Every plate was furnished with a thin ledge which helps to create the impression of “metal”.  The surface was treated with a soldering iron before painting.

The connecting piece on the bottom is removable (velcro strips). The green pieces visible in the collar are remnants of the auxiliary construction made of cheap camping mats necessary to hold the desired shape while forming it. It is cut out again when the piece is finished.

The collar is a real 3d- construction (meaning if it was cut off and spread it couldn´t lie flat) which demands that you know what the material can do and what not. Experimentation is the recommended way.

Above: Painted (acrylics). Ground black, drybrush metal, then inking in all recesses, then highlights. See where the black “patina” was applied.

No latex was used which means the armour is odor- neutral and non-sensitive to heat.

Above: The collar shall resume and continue the lines of the helmet without impairing the head´s freedom of movement. A compromise is not acceptable because each contact with the collar will dislocate the helmet (learned that the hard way; see also “fails”...). The priority is with the helmet, the collar has to be built with apropriate clearance.

Notice that the plates on the upper arms are secured against folding up by cords under the arms.

Minimized contact surface
The armour touches the wearer only at a few places and is worn loose so that air can stream under it. The new helmet (see “egyptian helmet”) likewise is ventilated. If there is an airdraught the armour benefits from it. That is why these foam- parts can be worn as long as desired.

Above: 2 variants of the costume- necessary as long as we can´t play in a real desert. See on the right the assembled plexus-plate that serves to fill the space between the “horns”.

The trousers are called “hakama” (superwide skirtlike japanese trousers) and are much more versatile than a kilt.
Whoever has experience with floor-length clothes (particularly while climbing stairs) knows about the danger of stepping onto a hem and falling flat on one´s face.
Search Youtube for aikido- guys and see how they move: The idea is never to let the toes get under the hem by keeping them parallel to the floor. And even japanese sword-masters are not above lifting their hems a bit with a hand sometimes.
If you want to wear floor-length clothes, train with them before the game. I mean it.

For Egyptologists:
“Amuthep” is the egyptian “Duamutef” in bad disguise. The title is real but belongs to a guy called “Wep-Wawet”.
Egyptians need hieroglyphs (for example on the underarm- armour). They are an essential distinctive feature. At first I tried to randomly combine the most beautiful ones I could find. And say what: It didn´t look “right” although I´m not Champollion. So the means of choice is to copy original passages. Doesn´t have to be accurate but looks authentic to the european eye.
That´s why the character shows original fragments from the egyptian book of the dead. Fitting for his job...
last edit oct 2016