"From the back of the book: You came all this way, to a land you once spurned, just to find me - to know my wisdom - and I say to you it begins with a question: What is a pillat, truly? You know the word, certainly, think you apprehend its meaning, but this is the lesson that defies learning... the page that eludes the seeking scribe. What the quill can never see is the essential truth, the immutable design that in itself strips the word of all meaning, whatever its definition. If you would answer my question by reaching for the word, you would already be in the wrong. You cannot define the pillar, though in the fullness of time, you might come to know it. If you would understand the pillar, look to its source. There lies its purpose. And I am the hand that sets the pillat, the pillar that sets the hand. My pillar is the lathe of Fate." - Seb-Hetchet, the White Jackal This book includes: - Contextualized discussion of the history and inner workings of the Federal City from the mummy point of view, including the rise of the powerful meret known as the First Chorus and a complete overview of D.C.'s geography and internal currents, political and supernatural alike. - An array of non-player characters fully integrated into the nome, including both the Arisen who call D.C. home and a few of the mortals who do their secret bidding, willingly or otherwise. - "The Great Hunt" - a complete Mummy story that Storytellers can run alone or as the prelude to a three-part series called The Avarice Chronicle.