Shabti
Shabtis1 are immortal humanoid2 duplicates of mortal souls. They are brought to life through the use of a sovereign shabti and designed to bear the scourge of Pharasma's judgement on behalf of powerful individuals.3
Appearance
Most shabtis resemble humans with flawless features and physiques. Their skin looks golden, accented with various embellishments, but does not feel metallic. They stand over six feet tall and weigh from 150 to 200 pounds. Their anatomy is similar to humans', except for their infertility.3
Ecology
When a soul bound to a sovereign shabti is judged, its shabti duplicate is created. If the original is condemned, then the shabti takes its place among the shades while the soul instead travels to the plane matching its alignment. Otherwise, the shabti appears on the fringe of Axis. Shabtis come into being fully-grown, with glimpses of a privileged life, but know nothing of the magic that spawned them or the burden they have to bear.3
Habitat
Most shabtis can be found on Axis, as well as Dis, Heaven's Shore, and Medina Mudii'a to a lesser degree. Even in these places, they are rare and seldom gather in groups greater than three. In the Universe, shabtis are practically unknown and usually mistaken as naaris4 or empyreans.53
Society
Newly formed shabtis, unaware that they are copies of another individual, believe that they are dead royalty and take their rich appearance as a sign of spiritual value or divine favour. In the face of their torment or labour they prove initially indignant, then distraught. When they discover their true nature, some deny it and live as if their memories were real, while others fall into depression or insanity, and yet others embrace their newfound freedom. Some choose to distance themselves from the sovereign shabti and take family names, such as popular examples "Crown" and "Answerer".3
Many shabtis learn about their true nature from psychopomps, who constantly seek them out. Upon finding a shabti, a psychopomp immediately releases them from punishments and uses their memories to bring their creator to justice, as Pharasma despises attempts to avoid judgement.3
References
For additional as-yet unincorporated sources about this subject, see the Meta page.
- ↑ Prior to the publication of Ghost King's Rage, the singular and plural forms were both "shabti". Since Ghost King's Rage, the singular form is "shabti" and the plural form is "shabtis".
- ↑ In Pathfinder First Edition, shabti were outsiders with the native subtype, and in one source were inconsistently described as a type of planar scion. See Meta:Shabti.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 . “Bestiary” in Pyramid of the Sky Pharaoh, 90–91. Paizo Inc., 2014
- ↑ Paizo referred to ifrits as efreet and naaris as ifrits until the publication of Highhelm. See also Rage of Elements pg. 3 and Pathfinder Core Preview pgs. 2, 13, 18.
- ↑ Paizo referred to empyrean planar scions as aasimars until the publication of Player Core. These empyreans are unrelated to the type of angel with the same name.