It's not paranoia when they are out to get you.While it's healthy to reserve trust, let's also not give Eurydice the "paranoid" trait inadvertently
And it's not about if you are paranoid, but if you are paranoid enough.
Blood of the Gods: A Fantasy CKII Quest
- Thread starter Cavalier
- Start date
- Original Fantasy
And it's not about if you are paranoid, but if you are paranoid enough.
RedV
Refuelling
- Location
- Right here
I know right?
Obviously Neferet is a crossover from House of Night who was behind that disgusting cat corrupting Eurydice's personality with Impulsive! Immediate cat genocide is required to purify the palace from her spy ring!
Now, this governess is obviously in her pocket.
I think we might need to channel the Queen of Hearts here too...
- Location
- Austria
While it's healthy to reserve trust, let's also not give Eurydice the "paranoid" trait inadvertently
To be fair, in CK2 trait "Paranoid" increases chances of spotting plots against you, so it would actually be pretty valuable pick
RedV
Refuelling
- Location
- Right here
The positive ones anyway.
I don't think Wrathful does anything for health, except as a "kick your enemy's ass before he hurts you" type of health.
Still, something to keep in mind, yeah.
- Pronouns
- They/Them
To a certain extent, they do. Cavalier has said that there isn't a one-to-one correlation when I asked.
I asked because obviously I wanted to know for the purpose of seeing how the system ran. You can find it a few pages ago.
YR Meritamun 1 Results
- Location
- Southern Virginia
Results for YR Meritamun 1
Costs: 3,600 s. deben, 6 gold talents
Grain purchased: 8000 s. deben
End of Year Granary Stores: 9,700 s. deben
End of Year Treasury Reserves: 6 gold talents
The Favor of Hathor
1D100+16 => 114 1D100 => 88 1D100 => 66 (268)
You celebrated the New Year rites at the capital's Temple of Hathor with the final dusk of the old year, as the goddess's star rose in the firmament of Duat. You were secluded in the chamber of the goddess and offered the idol of the goddess grain, beer, and meat. You were startled when the idol asked you to repeat the five-fold gifts of the goddess; but you remembered your lessons. You glanced down at your left hand, the hand held in sight of the peasant laborer as he scythed the grain that fed the kingdom, and responded in ticking off the five gifts.
"Safe birth, good health, fertile fields, romantic love, and life eternal."
With that you began singing the hymns to the goddess while shaking your ritual sistrum. The rattle sounded in the empty chamber and drove out curses and evil spirits from the New Year. Of course later on you recognized the voice of the idol as that of the priestess of the temple, but there were more concrete shows of the approval of the goddess.
As you were escorted out of the goddess' chamber to the celebratory promenade you were garlanded with lotus blossoms in your hair and joined the ceremonial dances with young priestesses and priests of Hathor. Around you men and women drank deeply of the heavy ale of the night, dyed red in memory of the ferocity of Sekhmet. The drinking of beer and ritual intoxication was an invocation to the lioness aspect of Hathor to drain the overflow of the Nile before it reached the lands of Kemet. Singers and musicians played on deep into the night, providing merriment as the revelers reached greater levels of intoxication and fell into comfortable sleep, or paired off for love-making.
You waded through the crowd as morning broke with your sistrum in hand and the priests of the goddess forming a cordon of such around you. You shook the rattle and offered your royal benedictions and blessings. As you did men and women cried out in thanks as you drove evil spirits from them, and it was said afterward that the blind and lame were healed in your passage. As you exited the colonnaded portico a delegation of infertile women, some desperate fellahin wives and others expensively attired noblewomen, begged for your aid. You touched them on the stomach and rattled your sistrum, blessing their wombs with the fertility of the black earth. A falcon cried overhead as you finished and the rays of the sun illuminated you in beauty to the onlookers, who loudly proclaimed you the incarnation of the Queen of Love.
All of the women you met with became pregnant within the year, though that was the least of good omens and signs that followed.
Result:
Gain Status "Favored by Hathor"
Piety +2
Bonus to Annual Flood Roll
The Annual Flood
The waters of the annual inundation arrived as predicted and with a surprising gentleness. There were almost no fatalities reported and fragrant lotus blossoms seemed to follow in the wake of the flood. As the harvest season approached the waters receded in orderly fashion back to their riverbanks, leaving behind a particularly rich loam. The earth readily accepted seed into its womb, and grain stalks grew swiftly and plentifully. The harvest would undoubtedly be a record despite the damage to the canal system and added great weight to the stories of your divinity and favor with the gods.
Result:
Bountiful harvest for Income calculations next year
Canal Repairs
Heranamenpenaef's roll ???
The gentle flood of the year avoided further damage to the canal system. Heranamenpenaef reported to the Royal Council that substantial progress has been made repairing the most important irrigation channels. He credited the enthusiasm of the fellahin discharging their corvee labor obligations for the task passing more quickly than anticipated. Repairs to the more delicate locks will require skilled labor and so the task will stretch on into next year, but he anticipated that all such work can be completed then and thereafter only mundane maintenance to the system will be required. That would free up resources and workmen for more elaborate projects such as expansion of the overflow system to protect against a further bad flood, the settlement of villages around Lake Meroe, or any other large scale construction projects that might be mooted.
Result:
Canal Repairs automatically completed next turn at reduced cost
Rebuilding the Granary Inspectorate
Sennefer's roll ???
Sennefer's report on his activities reorganizing and manning the Granary Inspectorate is a disappointment. He regretfully reported that finding the appropriate men who can be officials was too difficult a task to finish this year. The scribes and overseers purged as a result of corruption are not to be rehired to their positions so as to prevent them from reintroducing bad practices; but there are relatively few literate and upright men available to replace them. He blamed Wenamun for failing to produce the required numbers of scribes by neglecting his duties to educate promising youth, which led to a bitter argument between the two that the Queen Dowager had to break up.
Result:
Sennefer continues efforts to restaff the Inspectorate next year
Wheat Sales
Ipy's roll ???
A promising flood lowered the price of wheat substantially, and Ipy took advantage of the Mynosian speculators who had assumed Kemet would still have a shortfall to do well on the market. With an outlay of five gold talents he was able to secure 8000 silver deben in grain, enough to feed 80000 men for a full year. That went a long way to restocking the granaries against another bad flood and providing the means to pay for large scale construction work or expansion of the army.
Result:
Lose 5 gold talents, gain 8000 s. deben
Might of Ra
Khui's roll ???
Khui returned from the Delta at the end of the season of Inundation, having spent the idle time training with the division of Ra. He reported the division is ready and eager to fight against the enemies of Kemet. He pressed for a campaign against the tribes of Mefkat to bring them to their proper obedience, especially as the treasury will be in good shape after the end of the harvest. Wenamun supported his motion, arguing that the foreign desert tribes should simply be brought to heel by force and that spending time negotiating with them is a waste of effort. Ptahshepses cautioned against a campaign as the political situation in Kemet is still unstable and the full scale of the harvest will not be known for some time, a point Ipy concurs with. The Queen Dowager elected to put the matter off until next year.
Result:
Ra Division troop quality raised to Regulars
Morale increased to Average
Court Protocol
1D100+17 => 89
As the year progresses the Queen Dowager took a more active role at court and you spent much of your time in attendance with her at Council meetings, royal audiences, and temple rituals. From that you learned the formal modes of address for the classes, the customs around the various ceremonies and functions, and saw how the government actually works. Your aunt taught you to discern important matters from the trivial in the process and Ma'atneferure helped by drilling you on the noble clans after dance practice. Meryawy also aided in memorizing the various ceremonial gestures and incantations and taught you the symbolic meaning behind them. It was tedious in many ways but you soaked in what you learn in the knowledge that it will one day make you the ruler that you have dreamed of being.
Of course there's a common theme to what you've been exposed to, and the lessons you are taught. The Dowager Queen explained it one afternoon, after she dismissed the court and retired to her chambers due to a coughing fit. Once the fit subsided she had Ma'atneferure bring you to her. Bidding the handmaiden to play her flute, she returned to a composition about the Great Ancestor.
"And lo the akh of the prince appeared to her in her tent, still her husband-in-life; adorned in radiant union with Ra, to pass on the ka of rulers into her womb. The rays of the Sun God stirred life as Wadjet and Nekhab bowed; a conqueror promised to restore Maat to the trouble land."
She bade you to join her on her divan, and she reclined as if exhausted.
"That is the story of the birth of the Great Ancestor. The princess Inihue was visited by the Great God, in whose soul her husband had been united. Ra stirred the womb of the princess to life." Neferet absently rubbed her own belly above the womb. "Of course there were those who did not believe."
You sat up, almost scandalized by the thought. "How could they possibly…"
"Everyone believed him the son of the Great God later," she replied, and placed her hand on your shoulder in a placating gesture. "The false rulers at Sabastis and Abdju and Henenshut declared him simply the child of a random Cyrian tribesman. Remember that, my dear niece. Not the insult, but what it said. The Cyrians of Wisa your ancestor found shelter with showed greater loyalty than many of the people of Kemet. You should be gracious to all the peoples under your rule, and reward loyalty wherever it springs from. And you should not take loyalty for granted from any corner."
You nodded diligently.
"But how do you think the Great Ancestor responded to such insults? Did he cite the witnesses of the divine visitation? Did he make note of his marked resemblance to his mother's brother-husband, the last prince of the preceding dynasty?"
Neferet shook her head.
"No, he did not dignify the blasphemies with a direct response. He simply repeated his claims and then proved them with his actions. With the aid of the gods he captured the false rulers at Sabastis and Abdju and Henenshut and smote them, and none now know their names. He stamped his name and legend upon Kemet so that none would question it ever again. And you, my daughter, are a child of that man. Our blood is the blood of the Divine Ra, and of the Great Ancestor. You must never forget that, and never cease to act like the daughter of the gods."
"So if people challenge me…" You pause to consider the lesson.
"You have no need to bandy words with traitors. Prove yourself in your bearing, in your nobility, and in your piety and charity. The people will believe what they see before them. The Great Ancestor showed he was descended from the gods in every action of his life; and now you must do the same, my daughter. Remember the honor of your blood and that you are chosen of the gods. If you do so, then so will everyone else."
Result:
Gain trait "Proud"
+1 Diplomacy
Learning to Drive (a Chariot)
1D100+17+5 => 65
Your desire to learn how to drive a chariot encountered some resistance in the palace when you first expressed it. There was no precedent for a female chariot rider and the prospect of the Queen entering battle was not welcomed by the Royal Council. Your mother encouraged your interest, however, telling you that you would likely have to fight for your reign and that it would only help cultivate your popular association with Hathor-Sekhmet. You prevailed by citing the examples of Queen Inihue and Niut, who had fought against foreign invaders at the close of their respective dynasties, and by asserting your own authority as a Queen. Your aunt Neferet gave way at that point and told the Guards of Horus to find an appropriate instructor.
Ramessu is chosen from among the ranks of the Guards to provide you military instruction. He is strikingly tall and well-toned, something which you appreciate more and more of late. He comes from a powerful noble family of Lower Kemet, a line of hereditary priests and landed gentry from Per-Wadjet. Where Khui seems to be brutal power and force, Ramessu is grace and effortlessness. He displayed enormous patience teaching you to drive a chariot, which was just as well as it took you a while to get the hang of the matter.
The heavy three-man war chariot takes a spirited team of horses to drive. Your limited strength and stature made simply keeping hold of the reins a challenge early on. Ramessu and a professional charioteer were with you at all times, and more than once they had to take control to avoid a crash. Still the luck of the goddess Hathor was with you and you passed your training with little more than a few bruises, scratches, and punctures. You enjoy the excitement of moving fast and kept at the practice until you qualified, albeit as a novice driver. In war that might not matter too much, as you would have a professional charioteer with you while you shot at the enemy with your bow, but you could not give up.
Result:
Gain Status "Novice Charioteer"
The Servant Gossip Mill
Informants 1D100+18 => 67
"Tais?
"Yes, Divine Majesty?"
The maid paused what she was doing at your inquiry, and followed you into your chambers at your gestured command. She looked nervous to have your attention, so you directed her to a divan with you.
"Please, sit. We have heard that your elder brother has fallen ill. Is this so?"
She sat very still, but her hands balled up around her skirt. "It is true, Divine Majesty. A river fever, we fear. Our father is old and if my brother dies, I don't know if I can take care of him."
"It grieves us to hear so." You awkwardly reach out to pat her back, in the kind of gesture of reassurance that Ma'atneferure had given you so often. Tais breaks into tears and you allow her to sob. "There, there. We will see that your brother is brought before one of the palace doctors. If medicine is required we will make sure that he does not want for it."
Gradually the sobbing subsides and her muffled voice croaks out thanks. She dries her eyes, smearing the kohl around her pretty chestnut eyes. You feel almost bad about exploiting her vulnerability. Almost. As Ma'atneferure taught you
"Collect yourself here in my chambers. And let us talk a while then, Tais, of more pleasant affairs here in the palace."
Result:
Gain access to Palace Gossip Mill
Included at start of each new turn
The Eunuch
1D100+17 => 103 1D100 => 31 (134)
You find it difficult to make yourself even imply that you were mistaken about Ptahshepses. Mother and the Queen Dowager both disagree with your assessment of the eunuch. And spending so much time with your aunt at Court has given you a greater appreciation for how much the eunuchs do and how important they are balancing against the temple priesthoods, local nobles, and the Army. Still, it's far from easy to admit you might have been wrong or to get over your anger at being humiliated by the eunuch. But you try, anyway.
You find Ptahshepses taking his habitual stroll in the palace garden along the bank of the Nile. Underneath the palm trees you seek out a quiet moment to speak with him and express your regret about the game.
"I took no offense, Divine Majesty," Ptahshepses answered carefully. "As a eunuch, ones learns very early not to take offense easily. I regret I imposed too much upon you with the foreign game."
"I insisted on keeping playing," you say, though it is hard to get out.
"And I should have been firmer in dealing with your Majesty," he replied, nodding his head gently. "You have a great many talents, which I say without flattery. And I think the gods, such as they may be, favor you. It was easy for me to… underestimate the degree to which you needed guidance."
His tone annoys you, as does the implication that you aren't ready to assume true rule of the country. "Are you always this forthright, eunuch?"
"Heavens no, Divine Majesty." He chuckles. "I choose my words carefully and sweeten them with honey. But you are my Queen and so I will speak the truth to you, as you above all others need the truth. To others I will ration it out as needed."
"Oh, really?" You feel your temper rising a bit, and decide to stick in the knife. "Is that why everyone says you eunuchs are corrupt, then?"
"No, Majesty. They say we are corrupt because we have no place in society. Even the gods of Kemet are gods of fertility and we will never have children. We have no power save that which the Pharaoh extends to us. We are easy targets when we are weak and will never enjoy respect when we are strong. That, Divine Majesty, is why everyone says we are corrupt. Sometimes they are even correct about that, but never for the right reasons."
You pause, taken momentarily aback by his frankness. But you grudgingly admit it makes sense. "I will… think on that."
"I believe you will," he says. "Know, Divine Majesty, I speak without dissembling for your sake and your sake alone. We eunuchs rely upon you and in turn we will serve you as well as we can. And that includes admitting our limits. That there are corrupt and false eunuchs I do not deny, though I try to weed them out; but there are many more corrupt priests, faithless officers, and oppressive nobles."
He gives you a sly, knowing smile. Ptahshepses is confident and elegant despite being challenged. And that bothers you for some reason. You're not sure if you're jealous of how he can hold himself cool, or resent that he doesn't seem intimidated by you. But you nod to acknowledge what he said and take your leave.
Whatever it is, it feels like a minor problem after the rift between you is bridged.
Result:
Lose "Dislike" toward Ptahshepses
The Bull and the Heifer
Atumnemhat's roll ???
Truly the most astonishing omen for the year followed the return of the High Priest Atumnemhat from his trip up the Nile to inspect the herds of the temples for a bull of Apis. Messengers from the temple announced to all of Kemet that a new bull had been located, to the general rejoicing of the population. You were brought out to the Garden of Ptah with Meryawy to see the god-bull in person.
The Gardens themselves served as the primary temple to the craftsman god in Temes and as such would serve the Apis Bull until a suitable temple could be constructed or appropriated. It was your first visit to the facility, and you were impressed by the careful landscaping and cultivations done on high ground overlooking the Nile. The garden was of course literal, and many foreign plants flourished above the floodplain and formed an open campus where scholars could give lectures or meet with students outside of the main temple complex. The Bull of Apis was held in an enclosure closer to the temple, in a part of the compound rarely visited by most.
Banefre, the Supervisor of the Garden, met you outside the wooden stockade with a score of attendants and priests of Ptah. "Your Divine Majesty, life, peace, health," he said before prostrating himself before you. "This unworthy one regrets that the living god cannot be given a more prosperous enclosure on our grounds."
"Rise, Our servant Banefre," you commanded. "It is Our will that you look to the needs of the god as well as you can. Our support will be forthcoming."
"Thank you, Divine Majesty."
As he rose you looked over the enclosure. It was a wooden stockade, not much different from any other cattle enclosure. It seemed like a large area and the Apis looked happy enough munching upon hay and surrounded by three heifers that made up a portion of his harem. As you examined the bull more closely you looked for the markings that made it holy; the white triangle upon its brow, the vulture-wing pattern on its back, and so on. The beast was a powerful looking bull, you had to grant, all muscle and boasting a vicious looking pair of horns with which to defend his harem.
You were satisfied with the arrangements for the time being and opened discussion on the level of funding needed for the Garden. You were interrupted by a cry of praise from a party of workmen winding their way toward the enclosure guiding a piebald heifer on a rope. You turned in some annoyance to look at the spectacle and would have rebuked the workmen, had Meryawy not suddenly broke away to examine the cow.
"Praise be to Ra, bringer of life! This cow's birthmark is uncanny."
Now curious you step over to join the priest. The workmen recognize that you are someone of importance and adopt deferential stances. The cow's head is pure white, except for a spot of russet on the forehead about level with its horns. It is a perfect circle, flanked and appended by extending tendrils that taper and curve toward the top. On the whole it looks unmistakably like the sun-disk and horns associated with Hathor in her guise as a primordial cow-goddess.
"The cow was brought from Tjenu to join the harem of the Apis Bull, Noble Lady." The overseer of the workman party was finally bold enough to address you. "The birthmark of the cow was clear to me, praise be to the Great Queen of the West, who answered my prayers for a child. Should it be honored like the Apis bull? I am not wise in the ways of the gods, Noble Lady."
"The goddess Hathor is the consort of the god Ptah, so it fitting that you continue your task and unite them. But this omen will bear more thinking on."
In the end the bull of Hathor is introduced in the enclosure to the Apis Bull. He stops eating and enthusiastically ruts with the new heifer. This was taken as a very positive omen by Meryawy, and news of the uncanny heifer and the cow soon spreads across Upper Kemet. The priests assure you that it is proof of your divine favor from Hathor as revealed at the New Year's celebration.
Result:
Increased political stability
Unlocked options next turn
OOC: Your very first turn is done. There will be another interlude and maybe an event or two before the next turn, though progress is apt to slow down a bit into the holiday season. Hope everyone remains interested and engaged, and that this does not disappoint.
Costs: 3,600 s. deben, 6 gold talents
Grain purchased: 8000 s. deben
End of Year Granary Stores: 9,700 s. deben
End of Year Treasury Reserves: 6 gold talents
The Favor of Hathor
1D100+16 => 114 1D100 => 88 1D100 => 66 (268)
You celebrated the New Year rites at the capital's Temple of Hathor with the final dusk of the old year, as the goddess's star rose in the firmament of Duat. You were secluded in the chamber of the goddess and offered the idol of the goddess grain, beer, and meat. You were startled when the idol asked you to repeat the five-fold gifts of the goddess; but you remembered your lessons. You glanced down at your left hand, the hand held in sight of the peasant laborer as he scythed the grain that fed the kingdom, and responded in ticking off the five gifts.
"Safe birth, good health, fertile fields, romantic love, and life eternal."
With that you began singing the hymns to the goddess while shaking your ritual sistrum. The rattle sounded in the empty chamber and drove out curses and evil spirits from the New Year. Of course later on you recognized the voice of the idol as that of the priestess of the temple, but there were more concrete shows of the approval of the goddess.
As you were escorted out of the goddess' chamber to the celebratory promenade you were garlanded with lotus blossoms in your hair and joined the ceremonial dances with young priestesses and priests of Hathor. Around you men and women drank deeply of the heavy ale of the night, dyed red in memory of the ferocity of Sekhmet. The drinking of beer and ritual intoxication was an invocation to the lioness aspect of Hathor to drain the overflow of the Nile before it reached the lands of Kemet. Singers and musicians played on deep into the night, providing merriment as the revelers reached greater levels of intoxication and fell into comfortable sleep, or paired off for love-making.
You waded through the crowd as morning broke with your sistrum in hand and the priests of the goddess forming a cordon of such around you. You shook the rattle and offered your royal benedictions and blessings. As you did men and women cried out in thanks as you drove evil spirits from them, and it was said afterward that the blind and lame were healed in your passage. As you exited the colonnaded portico a delegation of infertile women, some desperate fellahin wives and others expensively attired noblewomen, begged for your aid. You touched them on the stomach and rattled your sistrum, blessing their wombs with the fertility of the black earth. A falcon cried overhead as you finished and the rays of the sun illuminated you in beauty to the onlookers, who loudly proclaimed you the incarnation of the Queen of Love.
All of the women you met with became pregnant within the year, though that was the least of good omens and signs that followed.
Result:
Gain Status "Favored by Hathor"
Piety +2
Bonus to Annual Flood Roll
The Annual Flood
The waters of the annual inundation arrived as predicted and with a surprising gentleness. There were almost no fatalities reported and fragrant lotus blossoms seemed to follow in the wake of the flood. As the harvest season approached the waters receded in orderly fashion back to their riverbanks, leaving behind a particularly rich loam. The earth readily accepted seed into its womb, and grain stalks grew swiftly and plentifully. The harvest would undoubtedly be a record despite the damage to the canal system and added great weight to the stories of your divinity and favor with the gods.
Result:
Bountiful harvest for Income calculations next year
Canal Repairs
Heranamenpenaef's roll ???
The gentle flood of the year avoided further damage to the canal system. Heranamenpenaef reported to the Royal Council that substantial progress has been made repairing the most important irrigation channels. He credited the enthusiasm of the fellahin discharging their corvee labor obligations for the task passing more quickly than anticipated. Repairs to the more delicate locks will require skilled labor and so the task will stretch on into next year, but he anticipated that all such work can be completed then and thereafter only mundane maintenance to the system will be required. That would free up resources and workmen for more elaborate projects such as expansion of the overflow system to protect against a further bad flood, the settlement of villages around Lake Meroe, or any other large scale construction projects that might be mooted.
Result:
Canal Repairs automatically completed next turn at reduced cost
Rebuilding the Granary Inspectorate
Sennefer's roll ???
Sennefer's report on his activities reorganizing and manning the Granary Inspectorate is a disappointment. He regretfully reported that finding the appropriate men who can be officials was too difficult a task to finish this year. The scribes and overseers purged as a result of corruption are not to be rehired to their positions so as to prevent them from reintroducing bad practices; but there are relatively few literate and upright men available to replace them. He blamed Wenamun for failing to produce the required numbers of scribes by neglecting his duties to educate promising youth, which led to a bitter argument between the two that the Queen Dowager had to break up.
Result:
Sennefer continues efforts to restaff the Inspectorate next year
Wheat Sales
Ipy's roll ???
A promising flood lowered the price of wheat substantially, and Ipy took advantage of the Mynosian speculators who had assumed Kemet would still have a shortfall to do well on the market. With an outlay of five gold talents he was able to secure 8000 silver deben in grain, enough to feed 80000 men for a full year. That went a long way to restocking the granaries against another bad flood and providing the means to pay for large scale construction work or expansion of the army.
Result:
Lose 5 gold talents, gain 8000 s. deben
Might of Ra
Khui's roll ???
Khui returned from the Delta at the end of the season of Inundation, having spent the idle time training with the division of Ra. He reported the division is ready and eager to fight against the enemies of Kemet. He pressed for a campaign against the tribes of Mefkat to bring them to their proper obedience, especially as the treasury will be in good shape after the end of the harvest. Wenamun supported his motion, arguing that the foreign desert tribes should simply be brought to heel by force and that spending time negotiating with them is a waste of effort. Ptahshepses cautioned against a campaign as the political situation in Kemet is still unstable and the full scale of the harvest will not be known for some time, a point Ipy concurs with. The Queen Dowager elected to put the matter off until next year.
Result:
Ra Division troop quality raised to Regulars
Morale increased to Average
Court Protocol
1D100+17 => 89
As the year progresses the Queen Dowager took a more active role at court and you spent much of your time in attendance with her at Council meetings, royal audiences, and temple rituals. From that you learned the formal modes of address for the classes, the customs around the various ceremonies and functions, and saw how the government actually works. Your aunt taught you to discern important matters from the trivial in the process and Ma'atneferure helped by drilling you on the noble clans after dance practice. Meryawy also aided in memorizing the various ceremonial gestures and incantations and taught you the symbolic meaning behind them. It was tedious in many ways but you soaked in what you learn in the knowledge that it will one day make you the ruler that you have dreamed of being.
Of course there's a common theme to what you've been exposed to, and the lessons you are taught. The Dowager Queen explained it one afternoon, after she dismissed the court and retired to her chambers due to a coughing fit. Once the fit subsided she had Ma'atneferure bring you to her. Bidding the handmaiden to play her flute, she returned to a composition about the Great Ancestor.
"And lo the akh of the prince appeared to her in her tent, still her husband-in-life; adorned in radiant union with Ra, to pass on the ka of rulers into her womb. The rays of the Sun God stirred life as Wadjet and Nekhab bowed; a conqueror promised to restore Maat to the trouble land."
She bade you to join her on her divan, and she reclined as if exhausted.
"That is the story of the birth of the Great Ancestor. The princess Inihue was visited by the Great God, in whose soul her husband had been united. Ra stirred the womb of the princess to life." Neferet absently rubbed her own belly above the womb. "Of course there were those who did not believe."
You sat up, almost scandalized by the thought. "How could they possibly…"
"Everyone believed him the son of the Great God later," she replied, and placed her hand on your shoulder in a placating gesture. "The false rulers at Sabastis and Abdju and Henenshut declared him simply the child of a random Cyrian tribesman. Remember that, my dear niece. Not the insult, but what it said. The Cyrians of Wisa your ancestor found shelter with showed greater loyalty than many of the people of Kemet. You should be gracious to all the peoples under your rule, and reward loyalty wherever it springs from. And you should not take loyalty for granted from any corner."
You nodded diligently.
"But how do you think the Great Ancestor responded to such insults? Did he cite the witnesses of the divine visitation? Did he make note of his marked resemblance to his mother's brother-husband, the last prince of the preceding dynasty?"
Neferet shook her head.
"No, he did not dignify the blasphemies with a direct response. He simply repeated his claims and then proved them with his actions. With the aid of the gods he captured the false rulers at Sabastis and Abdju and Henenshut and smote them, and none now know their names. He stamped his name and legend upon Kemet so that none would question it ever again. And you, my daughter, are a child of that man. Our blood is the blood of the Divine Ra, and of the Great Ancestor. You must never forget that, and never cease to act like the daughter of the gods."
"So if people challenge me…" You pause to consider the lesson.
"You have no need to bandy words with traitors. Prove yourself in your bearing, in your nobility, and in your piety and charity. The people will believe what they see before them. The Great Ancestor showed he was descended from the gods in every action of his life; and now you must do the same, my daughter. Remember the honor of your blood and that you are chosen of the gods. If you do so, then so will everyone else."
Result:
Gain trait "Proud"
+1 Diplomacy
Learning to Drive (a Chariot)
1D100+17+5 => 65
Your desire to learn how to drive a chariot encountered some resistance in the palace when you first expressed it. There was no precedent for a female chariot rider and the prospect of the Queen entering battle was not welcomed by the Royal Council. Your mother encouraged your interest, however, telling you that you would likely have to fight for your reign and that it would only help cultivate your popular association with Hathor-Sekhmet. You prevailed by citing the examples of Queen Inihue and Niut, who had fought against foreign invaders at the close of their respective dynasties, and by asserting your own authority as a Queen. Your aunt Neferet gave way at that point and told the Guards of Horus to find an appropriate instructor.
Ramessu is chosen from among the ranks of the Guards to provide you military instruction. He is strikingly tall and well-toned, something which you appreciate more and more of late. He comes from a powerful noble family of Lower Kemet, a line of hereditary priests and landed gentry from Per-Wadjet. Where Khui seems to be brutal power and force, Ramessu is grace and effortlessness. He displayed enormous patience teaching you to drive a chariot, which was just as well as it took you a while to get the hang of the matter.
The heavy three-man war chariot takes a spirited team of horses to drive. Your limited strength and stature made simply keeping hold of the reins a challenge early on. Ramessu and a professional charioteer were with you at all times, and more than once they had to take control to avoid a crash. Still the luck of the goddess Hathor was with you and you passed your training with little more than a few bruises, scratches, and punctures. You enjoy the excitement of moving fast and kept at the practice until you qualified, albeit as a novice driver. In war that might not matter too much, as you would have a professional charioteer with you while you shot at the enemy with your bow, but you could not give up.
Result:
Gain Status "Novice Charioteer"
The Servant Gossip Mill
Informants 1D100+18 => 67
"Tais?
"Yes, Divine Majesty?"
The maid paused what she was doing at your inquiry, and followed you into your chambers at your gestured command. She looked nervous to have your attention, so you directed her to a divan with you.
"Please, sit. We have heard that your elder brother has fallen ill. Is this so?"
She sat very still, but her hands balled up around her skirt. "It is true, Divine Majesty. A river fever, we fear. Our father is old and if my brother dies, I don't know if I can take care of him."
"It grieves us to hear so." You awkwardly reach out to pat her back, in the kind of gesture of reassurance that Ma'atneferure had given you so often. Tais breaks into tears and you allow her to sob. "There, there. We will see that your brother is brought before one of the palace doctors. If medicine is required we will make sure that he does not want for it."
Gradually the sobbing subsides and her muffled voice croaks out thanks. She dries her eyes, smearing the kohl around her pretty chestnut eyes. You feel almost bad about exploiting her vulnerability. Almost. As Ma'atneferure taught you
"Collect yourself here in my chambers. And let us talk a while then, Tais, of more pleasant affairs here in the palace."
Result:
Gain access to Palace Gossip Mill
Included at start of each new turn
The Eunuch
1D100+17 => 103 1D100 => 31 (134)
You find it difficult to make yourself even imply that you were mistaken about Ptahshepses. Mother and the Queen Dowager both disagree with your assessment of the eunuch. And spending so much time with your aunt at Court has given you a greater appreciation for how much the eunuchs do and how important they are balancing against the temple priesthoods, local nobles, and the Army. Still, it's far from easy to admit you might have been wrong or to get over your anger at being humiliated by the eunuch. But you try, anyway.
You find Ptahshepses taking his habitual stroll in the palace garden along the bank of the Nile. Underneath the palm trees you seek out a quiet moment to speak with him and express your regret about the game.
"I took no offense, Divine Majesty," Ptahshepses answered carefully. "As a eunuch, ones learns very early not to take offense easily. I regret I imposed too much upon you with the foreign game."
"I insisted on keeping playing," you say, though it is hard to get out.
"And I should have been firmer in dealing with your Majesty," he replied, nodding his head gently. "You have a great many talents, which I say without flattery. And I think the gods, such as they may be, favor you. It was easy for me to… underestimate the degree to which you needed guidance."
His tone annoys you, as does the implication that you aren't ready to assume true rule of the country. "Are you always this forthright, eunuch?"
"Heavens no, Divine Majesty." He chuckles. "I choose my words carefully and sweeten them with honey. But you are my Queen and so I will speak the truth to you, as you above all others need the truth. To others I will ration it out as needed."
"Oh, really?" You feel your temper rising a bit, and decide to stick in the knife. "Is that why everyone says you eunuchs are corrupt, then?"
"No, Majesty. They say we are corrupt because we have no place in society. Even the gods of Kemet are gods of fertility and we will never have children. We have no power save that which the Pharaoh extends to us. We are easy targets when we are weak and will never enjoy respect when we are strong. That, Divine Majesty, is why everyone says we are corrupt. Sometimes they are even correct about that, but never for the right reasons."
You pause, taken momentarily aback by his frankness. But you grudgingly admit it makes sense. "I will… think on that."
"I believe you will," he says. "Know, Divine Majesty, I speak without dissembling for your sake and your sake alone. We eunuchs rely upon you and in turn we will serve you as well as we can. And that includes admitting our limits. That there are corrupt and false eunuchs I do not deny, though I try to weed them out; but there are many more corrupt priests, faithless officers, and oppressive nobles."
He gives you a sly, knowing smile. Ptahshepses is confident and elegant despite being challenged. And that bothers you for some reason. You're not sure if you're jealous of how he can hold himself cool, or resent that he doesn't seem intimidated by you. But you nod to acknowledge what he said and take your leave.
Whatever it is, it feels like a minor problem after the rift between you is bridged.
Result:
Lose "Dislike" toward Ptahshepses
The Bull and the Heifer
Atumnemhat's roll ???
Truly the most astonishing omen for the year followed the return of the High Priest Atumnemhat from his trip up the Nile to inspect the herds of the temples for a bull of Apis. Messengers from the temple announced to all of Kemet that a new bull had been located, to the general rejoicing of the population. You were brought out to the Garden of Ptah with Meryawy to see the god-bull in person.
The Gardens themselves served as the primary temple to the craftsman god in Temes and as such would serve the Apis Bull until a suitable temple could be constructed or appropriated. It was your first visit to the facility, and you were impressed by the careful landscaping and cultivations done on high ground overlooking the Nile. The garden was of course literal, and many foreign plants flourished above the floodplain and formed an open campus where scholars could give lectures or meet with students outside of the main temple complex. The Bull of Apis was held in an enclosure closer to the temple, in a part of the compound rarely visited by most.
Banefre, the Supervisor of the Garden, met you outside the wooden stockade with a score of attendants and priests of Ptah. "Your Divine Majesty, life, peace, health," he said before prostrating himself before you. "This unworthy one regrets that the living god cannot be given a more prosperous enclosure on our grounds."
"Rise, Our servant Banefre," you commanded. "It is Our will that you look to the needs of the god as well as you can. Our support will be forthcoming."
"Thank you, Divine Majesty."
As he rose you looked over the enclosure. It was a wooden stockade, not much different from any other cattle enclosure. It seemed like a large area and the Apis looked happy enough munching upon hay and surrounded by three heifers that made up a portion of his harem. As you examined the bull more closely you looked for the markings that made it holy; the white triangle upon its brow, the vulture-wing pattern on its back, and so on. The beast was a powerful looking bull, you had to grant, all muscle and boasting a vicious looking pair of horns with which to defend his harem.
You were satisfied with the arrangements for the time being and opened discussion on the level of funding needed for the Garden. You were interrupted by a cry of praise from a party of workmen winding their way toward the enclosure guiding a piebald heifer on a rope. You turned in some annoyance to look at the spectacle and would have rebuked the workmen, had Meryawy not suddenly broke away to examine the cow.
"Praise be to Ra, bringer of life! This cow's birthmark is uncanny."
Now curious you step over to join the priest. The workmen recognize that you are someone of importance and adopt deferential stances. The cow's head is pure white, except for a spot of russet on the forehead about level with its horns. It is a perfect circle, flanked and appended by extending tendrils that taper and curve toward the top. On the whole it looks unmistakably like the sun-disk and horns associated with Hathor in her guise as a primordial cow-goddess.
"The cow was brought from Tjenu to join the harem of the Apis Bull, Noble Lady." The overseer of the workman party was finally bold enough to address you. "The birthmark of the cow was clear to me, praise be to the Great Queen of the West, who answered my prayers for a child. Should it be honored like the Apis bull? I am not wise in the ways of the gods, Noble Lady."
"The goddess Hathor is the consort of the god Ptah, so it fitting that you continue your task and unite them. But this omen will bear more thinking on."
In the end the bull of Hathor is introduced in the enclosure to the Apis Bull. He stops eating and enthusiastically ruts with the new heifer. This was taken as a very positive omen by Meryawy, and news of the uncanny heifer and the cow soon spreads across Upper Kemet. The priests assure you that it is proof of your divine favor from Hathor as revealed at the New Year's celebration.
Result:
Increased political stability
Unlocked options next turn
OOC: Your very first turn is done. There will be another interlude and maybe an event or two before the next turn, though progress is apt to slow down a bit into the holiday season. Hope everyone remains interested and engaged, and that this does not disappoint.
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Very great! I think, next turn, we should Investigate Khui, Learn Archery (to shoot from the chariot with) and, hrm, not sure what else. Pick a Mentor?'
We definitely got lucky. I was afraid we'd flub the Eunuch roll and that it'd thus be wasted. But nope, everything went pretty well, or well enough.
We definitely got lucky. I was afraid we'd flub the Eunuch roll and that it'd thus be wasted. But nope, everything went pretty well, or well enough.
Last edited:
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Martial, Stewardship and Piety would all be nice to be raised next turn. Martial and Piety most of all. And maybe a little with our Mother and the magic thing? Hrm. We can't spread out too far, but I'm liking the Martial-Piety link we have going.
Uh, just curious by the way, why does Novice Charioteer only give +1 Piety? Or, rather, I get the piety part because of the argument, but I was sorta ssuming it'd also have other advantages. For instance, it mentions we had trouble having the strength to hold the reins, and yet we managed to learn and practice, so I was assuming it might have some general positive effects on our physical fitness, if not necessarily our prowess as a general or anything.
Uh, just curious by the way, why does Novice Charioteer only give +1 Piety? Or, rather, I get the piety part because of the argument, but I was sorta ssuming it'd also have other advantages. For instance, it mentions we had trouble having the strength to hold the reins, and yet we managed to learn and practice, so I was assuming it might have some general positive effects on our physical fitness, if not necessarily our prowess as a general or anything.
NavySeel
"I don't know what I'm doing."
- Location
- Places
I'd have thought it would have maybe given diplomacy or martial, not because we're better at those things but because people have a higher opinion of us.
- Location
- Southern Virginia
Well, for one, she can drive a chariot. That opens options and so on.
Can't really do much from it at the moment, so it's not really a Martial thing. And Eurydice is already fit so it takes quite a bit to go from that to full conditioned.
Also really I'm running into some serious stat inflation issues and I already said I was going to be more stingy handing increases out as Eurydice becomes an adult. That also includes not giving a Trait for every single thing she does or skill she picks up. Simply being able to drive a chariot increases her identification with Hathor-Sekhmet, but any improvements in opinion and so on will be dependent on what she does with being able to drive a chariot.
YR Meritamun 2
- Location
- Southern Virginia
State of the Realm, YR Meritamun 2
Population: 2,020,000
Population Growth Rate: 0.2% per year
Political Stability: Stable
Income for Year 2 of the Reign of Queen Meritamun
Agricultural Tax Income: 27,000 s. deben
State Granaries: 9,700 s. deben
Wastage in Storage: -2900 s. deben
Military Upkeep: -2700 s. deben
Civil Upkeep: -2000 s. deben
Available Grain: 29,100 s. deben
Mining Income (gold): 14 gold talents
Treasury Reserves: 6 gold talents
State Imports (copper, tin, silver): -4 talents
Trade Fees: 2 gold talents
Tribute: 0 gold talents
Net Treasury: 18 talents
The incredible bounty of the previous year weighs on your mind as the time for the New Year rites approaches. Hathor favored you greatly at a critical moment. Will she be so availing this year?
You can only hope so. And there are many other matters for the Regency Council to attend to. The Queen Dowager remains the head of Kemet, despite your coronation, but she is more inclined to listen to you now. The other members of the Council are likewise respectful, though Ptahshepses has underscored the need to find a focus for your reign. The eunuch still irritates you, but you are forced to concede his point. Any member of the Council is willing to take you on for your final education; though your old tutors are also available, and they have their own unique skills. Mother has been blasé about the matter, though her dislike of your aunt is clear enough; as is her disapproval of Ipy and Meryawy as models for a ruler, contempt for Atumnemhat and Wenamun, and suspicion of Khui. It's not clear exactly who she thinks is a good model, but she said she has more lessons for you in any event.
Several projects have also been put into motion by the regent. Ptahshepses has been given the honor of overseeing the final construction of your father's grand memorial tomb. The Queen Dowager is quite eager to have the eternal home of her brother-husband ready for when she joins him. Herenamenpenaef remains engaged repairing the irrigation system, though he anticipates it should be back in fully working order in time for next year as long as this year's flood is gentle. Ipy is again dealing with the Mynosian merchants with the aim of turning some of the surplus of the late harvest into imports of gold, jewels, copper, tin, and above all silver for the ritual objects of the gods. Finally Khui remained in the Delta at Inbu-Hedj, training the division of Ptah to the standards of the Division of Ra set last year.
You have some options for various projects you could attend to yourself. Atumnemhat is overseeing a new temple for the Apis Bull he discovered the month before. The cow with the birthmark of Hathor remains as a consort but an idea has been forming in your mind. Setting aside the funds and corvee labor for a separate temple, and introducing rites to celebrate this cow as a divine symbol of the goddess would be possible. It would take a lot of effort, but Hathor was once worshipped as a cow and the associations make a lot of sense. Raising the prominence of your own patron goddess could pay off substantially in the long run, especially if the people are beginning to identify you with her. That does presume quite a bit on Hathor's favor, and there's always the risk of the Temple of Atum feeling threatened in their theopolitical pre-eminence. Since Atumnemhat is going to take the cow of Hathor to the temple of the Apis Bull once completed you only have this chance for a limited time.
You could also see about organizing that expedition to Kerma, or having Wenamum do so for you. It is unclear what the political and social conditions are below the cataract at Swenett are, though the tribal raiders were a bad sign. If Kerma has disintegrated or weakened it could be a major problem or a great opportunity. A trade and diplomatic expedition with a suitable escort would be the first step in determining that, and if Kerma is rebuilding into a regional power then reaching out in peace sooner rather than later would be a good idea. Kerma was also in ancient times a source of gold, ivory, and silver as well as luxuries from further south in Puntland which Kemet has been without for a long while.
And then there are other sources of learning and relaxation. You can continue studies with your tutors, hopefully picking up something useful from Zizel-Kur or Meryawy. Your aunt the Queen Dowager remains interested in you and indulgent in your attempts to match her skill as a writer. Ma'atneferure on the other hand is more active, though little surprise there; but her interest in dance and music is useful for the rites and she remains a reliable confidant about your body's development as well as a more interesting gossip than Tais and the servants. If you wanted to get out of the palace you could stroll the bazaar and look for something interesting or you could, as your great ancestor Sarepentepher did in the stories, slip out in disguise and mingle among the common people. Learning the bow would be the next step to becoming capable of demonstrating martial prowess, though chariot driving was fun enough and you were still unskilled enough that more practice would be useful.
A myriad of choices are yours; but your time is not infinite, and neither are the resources of Kemet. Choose wisely for the year ahead!
Personal Actions (4/4)
Royal Authority (20/20)
Palace Gossip
As heard from Tais, serving-girl
"The harvest was just so great this year! It was a miracle. The festivals will be extra grand!"
"City people are still talking about how all those women got pregnant after you blessed them at the festival of Hathor! Divine Majesty, please bless me too when I find a husband!"
"Treasurer Ipy is honest, but I wish he was a little less honest sometimes. And that son of his is mooning over one of the new girls in the kitchen. I wish he'd show some interest in me!"
"I heard Chief Scribe Wenamun had a debtor flogged over only four deben of wheat!"
"They say the Queen Dowager was cursed with evil magic, as was the late Pharaoh. Pardon, Divine Majesty, but some of the fellahin say your mother is responsible. Ignorant louts!"
Ra
[ ] Threaten recalcitrant vassals
[ ] Negotiate with the Tribes of Mefkat [-10 Royal Authority]
[ ] Correspond with provincial governors
[ ] Send an Expedition to Kerma [-10 Royal Authority, 1000 s. deben, 2 gold talents]
[ ] Visit Province [500 s. deben] (Write-in)
[ ] Learn diplomacy from a character (Neferet, Wenamun, or Ptahshepses)
[ ] Hear Petitions at Court
[ ] Appoint/Dismiss Official [Cost varies] (Write-in; can be taken multiple times, does not cost an action)
[ ] Grant Title [Cost varies] (Write-in; can be taken multiple times, does not cost an action)
[ ] Build a monument [Cost varies] (Write-in)
[ ] End the Regency [Attempt to convince the Royal Council]
Osiris
[X] Perform New Year Rites to Bless the Flood (Meritamun)
[X] Complete the Tomb of Ameneheb II [3000 s. deben and 4 talents, for 3-4 years] (Ptahshepses)
[ ] Start on building your own tomb [Cost varies] (Write-in)
[ ] Patronize the temples of a god [1000 s. deben, 2 talents] (Write-in; can be taken multiple times)
[X] Build a new temple to the Apis-Bull [2000 s. deben, 4 talents] (Atumnemhat)
[ ] Build a temple to Hathor's cow and institute new rites [-20 Royal Authority, 2000 s. deben, 4 talents]
[ ] Study the sacred rites of a god (Write-in; can be taken multiple times)
[ ] Consult the oracles of Wadjet and Nekhbet [-1 talent]
[ ] End the Regency [Seek out an appropriate omen]
Isis
[X] Finish repairs to the irrigation canal system [1000 s. deben] (Heranamenpanaef)
[ ] Settle villages around Lake Meroe [3000 s. deben, 2 talents]
[X] Re-staff the Granaries Inspectorate [300 s. deben, one year] (Sennefer)
[X] Buy/Sell Wheat [Sell 6000 s. deben] (Ipy)
[ ] Review Treasury Receipts
[ ] Inspect granary sites
[ ] Learn stewardship from a character (Ptahshepses, Sennefer, Ipy, or Heranamenpanaef)
[ ] Rebuild the road to Khanais [-10 Royal Authority, 2000 s. deben, 1 talent, for 2-3 years]
[ ] Rebuild the coastal road through Mefkat [-10 Royal Authority, 4000 s. deben, 4 talents, for 4-5 years]
[ ] Build fortification network in a province [Cost varies] (Write-in)
[ ] Give charity to the capital [500 s. deben]
[ ] Study magic with your mother
[ ] Explore the ruins outside Temes
Set
[ ] Investigate a character (write-in; can be taken multiple times)
[ ] Plot against a character (write-in; can be taken multiple times)
[ ] Meet with foreign merchants
[ ] Visit the bazaar [Cost varies]
[ ] Sneak out of the palace and mingle among the people [50 s. deben]
[ ] Hire mercenaries [Cost varies] (Write-in)
[ ] Restore the Medjay [10000 s. deben, 6 talents]
[ ] Learn about palace intrigues from a character (Mother, Ptahshepses, or Ma'atneferure)
[ ] End the Regency [Begin a Plot against Neferet]
Hathor-Sekhmet
[ ] Raise Troops [cost varies] (write-in)
[ ] Train Division of Ptah (Khui)
[ ] Prepare an invasion
[ ] Learn to use the compound bow with Ramessu
[ ] Continue chariot-training with Ramessu [-5 Royal Authority]
[ ] Spend time writing poetry and verse with Neferet
[ ] Spend time dancing, learning music, and gossiping with Ma'atneferure
[ ] Spend time with your friends outside court
[ ] End the Regency [Attempt a coup d'etat]
Ptah
[ ] Choose a mentor (write-in)
[ ] Investigate the Royal Archives with Meryawy
[ ] Inspect the Garden of Ptah
[ ] Study astronomy with Zizel-Kur
[ ] Recruit a new tutor/courtier [500 s. deben] (Write-in specialization; can be taken multiple times)
[ ] Commission the crafting of an item [Cost varies] (write-in; can be taken multiple times)
OOC: Struck-through actions are not available at this time due to the Regency or other reasons. They are there to give an idea of things that might be possible and might come up later on. You have at least 24 hours to discuss before voting, and I may extend that if discussion warrants. You do have the option of submitting unlisted ideas for actions which I will either veto or will approve and add to the selections here. Please ask questions and have fun. Remember voting will be in the [ ] Plan X format.
Population: 2,020,000
Population Growth Rate: 0.2% per year
Political Stability: Stable
Income for Year 2 of the Reign of Queen Meritamun
Agricultural Tax Income: 27,000 s. deben
State Granaries: 9,700 s. deben
Wastage in Storage: -2900 s. deben
Military Upkeep: -2700 s. deben
Civil Upkeep: -2000 s. deben
Available Grain: 29,100 s. deben
Mining Income (gold): 14 gold talents
Treasury Reserves: 6 gold talents
State Imports (copper, tin, silver): -4 talents
Trade Fees: 2 gold talents
Tribute: 0 gold talents
Net Treasury: 18 talents
The incredible bounty of the previous year weighs on your mind as the time for the New Year rites approaches. Hathor favored you greatly at a critical moment. Will she be so availing this year?
You can only hope so. And there are many other matters for the Regency Council to attend to. The Queen Dowager remains the head of Kemet, despite your coronation, but she is more inclined to listen to you now. The other members of the Council are likewise respectful, though Ptahshepses has underscored the need to find a focus for your reign. The eunuch still irritates you, but you are forced to concede his point. Any member of the Council is willing to take you on for your final education; though your old tutors are also available, and they have their own unique skills. Mother has been blasé about the matter, though her dislike of your aunt is clear enough; as is her disapproval of Ipy and Meryawy as models for a ruler, contempt for Atumnemhat and Wenamun, and suspicion of Khui. It's not clear exactly who she thinks is a good model, but she said she has more lessons for you in any event.
Several projects have also been put into motion by the regent. Ptahshepses has been given the honor of overseeing the final construction of your father's grand memorial tomb. The Queen Dowager is quite eager to have the eternal home of her brother-husband ready for when she joins him. Herenamenpenaef remains engaged repairing the irrigation system, though he anticipates it should be back in fully working order in time for next year as long as this year's flood is gentle. Ipy is again dealing with the Mynosian merchants with the aim of turning some of the surplus of the late harvest into imports of gold, jewels, copper, tin, and above all silver for the ritual objects of the gods. Finally Khui remained in the Delta at Inbu-Hedj, training the division of Ptah to the standards of the Division of Ra set last year.
You have some options for various projects you could attend to yourself. Atumnemhat is overseeing a new temple for the Apis Bull he discovered the month before. The cow with the birthmark of Hathor remains as a consort but an idea has been forming in your mind. Setting aside the funds and corvee labor for a separate temple, and introducing rites to celebrate this cow as a divine symbol of the goddess would be possible. It would take a lot of effort, but Hathor was once worshipped as a cow and the associations make a lot of sense. Raising the prominence of your own patron goddess could pay off substantially in the long run, especially if the people are beginning to identify you with her. That does presume quite a bit on Hathor's favor, and there's always the risk of the Temple of Atum feeling threatened in their theopolitical pre-eminence. Since Atumnemhat is going to take the cow of Hathor to the temple of the Apis Bull once completed you only have this chance for a limited time.
You could also see about organizing that expedition to Kerma, or having Wenamum do so for you. It is unclear what the political and social conditions are below the cataract at Swenett are, though the tribal raiders were a bad sign. If Kerma has disintegrated or weakened it could be a major problem or a great opportunity. A trade and diplomatic expedition with a suitable escort would be the first step in determining that, and if Kerma is rebuilding into a regional power then reaching out in peace sooner rather than later would be a good idea. Kerma was also in ancient times a source of gold, ivory, and silver as well as luxuries from further south in Puntland which Kemet has been without for a long while.
And then there are other sources of learning and relaxation. You can continue studies with your tutors, hopefully picking up something useful from Zizel-Kur or Meryawy. Your aunt the Queen Dowager remains interested in you and indulgent in your attempts to match her skill as a writer. Ma'atneferure on the other hand is more active, though little surprise there; but her interest in dance and music is useful for the rites and she remains a reliable confidant about your body's development as well as a more interesting gossip than Tais and the servants. If you wanted to get out of the palace you could stroll the bazaar and look for something interesting or you could, as your great ancestor Sarepentepher did in the stories, slip out in disguise and mingle among the common people. Learning the bow would be the next step to becoming capable of demonstrating martial prowess, though chariot driving was fun enough and you were still unskilled enough that more practice would be useful.
A myriad of choices are yours; but your time is not infinite, and neither are the resources of Kemet. Choose wisely for the year ahead!
Personal Actions (4/4)
Royal Authority (20/20)
Palace Gossip
As heard from Tais, serving-girl
"The harvest was just so great this year! It was a miracle. The festivals will be extra grand!"
"City people are still talking about how all those women got pregnant after you blessed them at the festival of Hathor! Divine Majesty, please bless me too when I find a husband!"
"Treasurer Ipy is honest, but I wish he was a little less honest sometimes. And that son of his is mooning over one of the new girls in the kitchen. I wish he'd show some interest in me!"
"I heard Chief Scribe Wenamun had a debtor flogged over only four deben of wheat!"
"They say the Queen Dowager was cursed with evil magic, as was the late Pharaoh. Pardon, Divine Majesty, but some of the fellahin say your mother is responsible. Ignorant louts!"
Ra
[ ] Threaten recalcitrant vassals
[ ] Negotiate with the Tribes of Mefkat [-10 Royal Authority]
[ ] Correspond with provincial governors
[ ] Send an Expedition to Kerma [-10 Royal Authority, 1000 s. deben, 2 gold talents]
[ ] Visit Province [500 s. deben] (Write-in)
[ ] Learn diplomacy from a character (Neferet, Wenamun, or Ptahshepses)
[ ] Hear Petitions at Court
[ ] Grant Title [Cost varies] (Write-in; can be taken multiple times, does not cost an action)
[ ] Build a monument [Cost varies] (Write-in)
[ ] End the Regency [Attempt to convince the Royal Council]
Osiris
[X] Perform New Year Rites to Bless the Flood (Meritamun)
[X] Complete the Tomb of Ameneheb II [3000 s. deben and 4 talents, for 3-4 years] (Ptahshepses)
[ ] Patronize the temples of a god [1000 s. deben, 2 talents] (Write-in; can be taken multiple times)
[X] Build a new temple to the Apis-Bull [2000 s. deben, 4 talents] (Atumnemhat)
[ ] Build a temple to Hathor's cow and institute new rites [-20 Royal Authority, 2000 s. deben, 4 talents]
[ ] Study the sacred rites of a god (Write-in; can be taken multiple times)
[ ] Consult the oracles of Wadjet and Nekhbet [-1 talent]
[ ] End the Regency [Seek out an appropriate omen]
Isis
[X] Finish repairs to the irrigation canal system [1000 s. deben] (Heranamenpanaef)
[X] Re-staff the Granaries Inspectorate [300 s. deben, one year] (Sennefer)
[X] Buy/Sell Wheat [Sell 6000 s. deben] (Ipy)
[ ] Review Treasury Receipts
[ ] Inspect granary sites
[ ] Learn stewardship from a character (Ptahshepses, Sennefer, Ipy, or Heranamenpanaef)
[ ] Rebuild the coastal road through Mefkat [-10 Royal Authority, 4000 s. deben, 4 talents, for 4-5 years]
[ ] Build fortification network in a province [Cost varies] (Write-in)
[ ] Give charity to the capital [500 s. deben]
[ ] Study magic with your mother
[ ] Explore the ruins outside Temes
Set
[ ] Investigate a character (write-in; can be taken multiple times)
[ ] Plot against a character (write-in; can be taken multiple times)
[ ] Meet with foreign merchants
[ ] Visit the bazaar [Cost varies]
[ ] Sneak out of the palace and mingle among the people [50 s. deben]
[ ] Restore the Medjay [10000 s. deben, 6 talents]
[ ] Learn about palace intrigues from a character (Mother, Ptahshepses, or Ma'atneferure)
[ ] End the Regency [Begin a Plot against Neferet]
Hathor-Sekhmet
[ ] Train Division of Ptah (Khui)
[ ] Learn to use the compound bow with Ramessu
[ ] Continue chariot-training with Ramessu [-5 Royal Authority]
[ ] Spend time writing poetry and verse with Neferet
[ ] Spend time dancing, learning music, and gossiping with Ma'atneferure
[ ] Spend time with your friends outside court
[ ] End the Regency [Attempt a coup d'etat]
Ptah
[ ] Choose a mentor (write-in)
[ ] Investigate the Royal Archives with Meryawy
[ ] Inspect the Garden of Ptah
[ ] Study astronomy with Zizel-Kur
[ ] Recruit a new tutor/courtier [500 s. deben] (Write-in specialization; can be taken multiple times)
[ ] Commission the crafting of an item [Cost varies] (write-in; can be taken multiple times)
OOC: Struck-through actions are not available at this time due to the Regency or other reasons. They are there to give an idea of things that might be possible and might come up later on. You have at least 24 hours to discuss before voting, and I may extend that if discussion warrants. You do have the option of submitting unlisted ideas for actions which I will either veto or will approve and add to the selections here. Please ask questions and have fun. Remember voting will be in the [ ] Plan X format.
- Pronouns
- They/Them
[ ] Learn to use the compound bow with Ramessu
Okay, I think this is important. After all, if we're going to war, it's going to be 'shooting arrows on the back of a chariot.'
[ ] Build a temple to Hathor's cow and institute new rites [-20 Royal Authority, 2000 s. deben, 4 talents]
This one seems really interesting.
[ ] Investigate a character (write-in; can be taken multiple times)
We should investigate the general.
Huh, having a specific tutor sounds cool. But there's too much to get at now, so I'm going to wait for some sort of cohesion to work its way through my mind. Because right now it's not coming together, though I know in general some of the things we need to do.
Okay, I think this is important. After all, if we're going to war, it's going to be 'shooting arrows on the back of a chariot.'
[ ] Build a temple to Hathor's cow and institute new rites [-20 Royal Authority, 2000 s. deben, 4 talents]
This one seems really interesting.
[ ] Investigate a character (write-in; can be taken multiple times)
We should investigate the general.
Huh, having a specific tutor sounds cool. But there's too much to get at now, so I'm going to wait for some sort of cohesion to work its way through my mind. Because right now it's not coming together, though I know in general some of the things we need to do.
[] Plan Gods Blessed
[] Build a temple to Hathor's cow and institute new rites [-20 Royal Authority, 2000 s. deben, 4 talents]
[] Study the sacred rites of a god (Write-in; can be taken multiple times)
-[] Hathor
[] Patronize the temples of a god [1000 s. deben, 2 talents] (Write-in; can be taken multiple times)
-[] Atum
[] Choose a mentor (write-in)
-[] Mother
Seems like a good opportunity to cement on the miracle if we combo these? Study the rites to make sure the temple is done correctly, patronize Atum to appease the Atumites.
But it'd be risky, expensive and of uncertain merits. A child declaring new rites is...very uncertain. Rewards appropriate of course
I'm leaning towards:
[] Plan Outreach
[] Send an Expedition to Kerma [-10 Royal Authority, 1000 s. deben, 2 gold talents]
[] Continue chariot-training with Ramessu [-5 Royal Authority]
[] Choose a mentor (write-in)
-[] Mother
[] Investigate a character (write-in; can be taken multiple times)
-[] The general
[] Study the sacred rites of a god (Write-in; can be taken multiple times)
-[] Sekhmet
Seize the Kerma opportunity as a good way to let our presence be known to the nation after the blessing.
Then continue the training, pick up Mother(Intrigue training, Magic training, if we leave it to the Magic Training action, it's basically never going to be taken unless she's our Mentor and generating automatic training), andbalance out the Hathor rites with Sekhmet's follow up on the general.
Actually
@Cavalier
Question: Could you make the mentor selection a separate vote if it's chosen? There's some division on the matter and it's going to cause the plans to split weirdly.
[] Build a temple to Hathor's cow and institute new rites [-20 Royal Authority, 2000 s. deben, 4 talents]
[] Study the sacred rites of a god (Write-in; can be taken multiple times)
-[] Hathor
[] Patronize the temples of a god [1000 s. deben, 2 talents] (Write-in; can be taken multiple times)
-[] Atum
[] Choose a mentor (write-in)
-[] Mother
Seems like a good opportunity to cement on the miracle if we combo these? Study the rites to make sure the temple is done correctly, patronize Atum to appease the Atumites.
But it'd be risky, expensive and of uncertain merits. A child declaring new rites is...very uncertain. Rewards appropriate of course
I'm leaning towards:
[] Plan Outreach
[] Send an Expedition to Kerma [-10 Royal Authority, 1000 s. deben, 2 gold talents]
[] Continue chariot-training with Ramessu [-5 Royal Authority]
[] Choose a mentor (write-in)
-[] Mother
[] Investigate a character (write-in; can be taken multiple times)
-[] The general
-[] Sekhmet
Seize the Kerma opportunity as a good way to let our presence be known to the nation after the blessing.
Then continue the training, pick up Mother(Intrigue training, Magic training, if we leave it to the Magic Training action, it's basically never going to be taken unless she's our Mentor and generating automatic training), and
Actually
@Cavalier
Question: Could you make the mentor selection a separate vote if it's chosen? There's some division on the matter and it's going to cause the plans to split weirdly.
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- Pronouns
- They/Them
Veekie, I will say two things. First, I think we should do something with investigating the general. Second, while chariots are nice, if we actually go to war we're going to have to use a bow and arrow for that.
- Location
- Southern Virginia
Yeah, sure, that's reasonable.
1) Makes sense, I'll probably switch out the Rites of Sekhmet for that then. It's not super urgent since she's mainly invoked in War.
2) At present we aren't going anywhere near the fighting, so master having a good chariot footing first, THEN learn the bow. Does that make sense?(Also in a meta sense, we'd be spending Authority, so it's best to put the bit of the training that costs Authority earlier since we can train the Bow on turns Authority is scarce). I figure being able to move freely on the battlefield outweighs our ability to personally do damage initially.
I'm going to list the actions that cost Authority, so we have an idea of what we can do with our limited resources:
I'm pretty confident that 'Build a Temple' would generate additional 'Base Authority' and provide a substantial boost to our reign's stability in the long term. It'd be expensive, and there would a dice roll involved (re: "Hathor's favor"), and would probably cost us some of the favoritism of the priests of Atum, but now is certainly the time to embark on long-term projects of this sort.
...Speaking of long-term, let's figure out who our Mentor should be. Here are the primary options:
Lots of options, but I'm confident we should pick a mentor this turn.
I'm pretty confident that 'Build a Temple' would generate additional 'Base Authority' and provide a substantial boost to our reign's stability in the long term. It'd be expensive, and there would a dice roll involved (re: "Hathor's favor"), and would probably cost us some of the favoritism of the priests of Atum, but now is certainly the time to embark on long-term projects of this sort.
...Speaking of long-term, let's figure out who our Mentor should be. Here are the primary options:
- Our mother (Satysis, the Royal Magician). Competent at Intrigue and Learning. Probably the most loyal mentor we could find, and with some of the highest stats. However, we lost fully half of our first-turn Base Authority because we were the child of a foreign-born witch. Elevating our mother and giving her 'favored' status and unparalleled access to us is a bad idea when we're still in our Regency and still trying to consolidate power around our own right to rule. This would be a very costly mistake.
- Our aunt (Neferent, the Queen Dowager). Competent at Diplomacy. Given her own ill health, Neferet's loyalty to us is probably second only to our mother, and this would be a highly respectable option (which might improve our Base Authority). However, I seriously question if she's competent enough to actually give our stats much of a boost. Her only specialty is Diplomacy, which we already specialize in (we're still a child and have 20 Diplomacy) -- how much improvement would we see from her mentorship?
- Our general (Khui, the Commander of the Royal Army). Competent at Martial. If we want a martial-heavy build, Khui is the obvious choice... and an obvious mistake. Khui is very ambitious, and as Cetashwayo pointed out, ambitious generals are how dynasties end, especially if those dynasties failed to pay adequate attention to the military side of things (as our father did). I'm convinced that this would be the most costly mistake. If we want a Martial-heavy build, I think a far safer option would be to pick our chariot instructor, Ramessu.
- Our steward (Ptahshepses, the Chief Eunuch). Competent at Diplomacy and Intrigue and Stewardship. If we want to build our character as the best administrator, this is the obvious choice. Ptahshepses is incredibly competent in multiple fields, and now that we've reconciled with him there isn't anything to keep him from being an effective mentor for us. That said, his loyalty has been questioned by some at court. While we've encountered nothing to indicate those rumors are valid (indeed, I'm confident he's distrusted because he's so good at Intrigue), this is another Mentor that would not substantially increase our Base Authority.
Lots of options, but I'm confident we should pick a mentor this turn.
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Would it be possible to decide on a mentor first, before the rest of the vote?
If we pick Ramessu as our Mentor (to emphasize our Martial training), then I'd probably view chariot + compound bow training as unnecessary, since we'll be working so closely with a soldier that such training would take place anyway. However, if we pick Neferet or Ptahshepses as our mentor, then additional Martial training would be obviously necessary.
Our choice of Mentor will have a considerable effect on some of our other votes this turn.
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Can we pick multiple mentors? I mean, obviously within reason? Or...dunno. Still really undecided. Still curious about Khui and the Eunuch connection.