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The
Egyptian empire is falling into pieces under steady
attacks from both North and South. One of the greatest
seers of our age, Seldontep, has come with a vision
how to overcome the hard times that are coming soon.
He says that Kushites and Hittites will meet near Abedju
in a big battle for supremacy over the fertile Nile
region in 100 years, and this battle will drain the
power of both nations. If Egyptian nation and culture
can survive until this time, Egypt can be reclaimed
in the name of its ancient rulers - city by city, nome
by nome, and before anyone notices it, the newly born
empire will be powerful enough to defend itself and
expel the foreign rulers from Upper and Lower Egypt.
But,
Pharaoh still believes that he can defeat both enemies
now, on the battlefield, but he knows that the fate
of Egypt is at stake. He asked Seldontep what to do...
and got this answer: "Build a city that will be hidden
from all, and no one will know about it except those
living there. Build it in a place where no one would
ever search Egyptian settlement, that is accessible
only for people who know the secret paths. Such place
can be found in mountains of northern Nubia - no one
ever lived in this valley, no one has seen it yet.Yet
itis rich in all resources except copper, the land is
fertile and you'll find numerous herds of antelopes
there."
Pharaoh will try to support you, but it is absolutely
vital that this city remains a secret. Therefore, as
soon as the Kushite troops approach Baki, this city
will cease to trade with you. According to Seldontep,
you have less than 3 years to establish a self-sufficient
city. After 3 years, no standard trade will be possible
except occasional import of incense from Pwenet. You
have to do something unprecedented in the history of
Egypt - encourage the scribes into becoming smugglers.
Call them "free merchants", that sounds better - they
have to infiltrate all cities in the area, and later
in all of Egypt, and sell them the precious goods your
city will produce.
You
as a governor will never see a deben from this trade
directly, but it will be refunded in high tax income
if you govern the city wisely. Free merchants may sometimes
arrange for exchange of goods against weapons or sell
food at high price to cities that suffer with famine,
but not often. Think twice before you allow this, great
deals can be profitable but dangerous, because someone
could become aware of your presence in this area. If
some enemy units happen to find the way to your city
in track of your merchants, kill them before they can
spread the news! Many dangers lurk in the mountains
and surrounding deserts, and you have a fair chance
that wild animals and shifting sands or rockslides will
be blamed for their disappearance.
Your
city has to evolve into a stable state, and in case
of your absence for a longer time all things have to
run smoothly. This is really hard to accomplish, but
I believe you can do it. If Seldontep is right, you
are the only hope for the future of Egypt... although
you will never see this future.
I
wish you good luck!
Hint:
Message announcing "granite price increase by 1
Db" is reminder for required December save and
is not part of game play.
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