Succession Game V: The Empire of Ra

[Gazablanca]

Account of Gazablanca Apolyton VII

Following the disappearance of Wombat to the South Pole(where it is rumoured giant flesh eating cats live),a young lad called Gazablanca takes up the challenge of ruling Egypt.His first task is to secure his hold on the throne by giving Hammurabi some duties far away near Arabia.......to guard the chokepoint which is the proposed site of the new city........

The first twenty years of Gaza's reign were quite ordinary,with only troop movements and building plans to concern him.In 1310 BC however,new research into upgrading the military(called Mobile Tactics)is undertaken,and various cities undertake work into new buildings.

In 1300 BC,the coracle has sighted land at the South Pole...just a shame it is tundra and not suitable land for building.The point of land sighted has a name.....now called Wombat's Landing,in honour of the previous Apolyton.Meanwhile,a mounted cavalry investigates great plains of grassland near the Roman Empire.

In 1280 BC,a hoplite regiment is being recruited in Crocodilopolis,as security against a 2 stack barbarian army lurking just outside the city.Meanwhile,the nomad and escorts steadily travel west towards the chokepoint....

Around 1260 BC,an embassy is established with the Yamato....we may need this diplomatic centre in years to come,as the Yamato don't like us very much at the moment......

In 1250 BC,Gazablanca feels his strength ebbing away as the end of his life approaches....then comes the news that yet again a plague has struck in all of our cities.Saddened by the loss of so many of our nation's people,the grief and shock finally finishes him off.It will now be left to the next Apolyton to site the chokepoint city:a venerable leader of a high ranking family based in Heliopolis called Hermann..........

[Locutus]

Originally posted by Immortal Wombat
In 1490?

Well, since noone else is obviously gonna get closer, I guess I'll count that one...
To be precise, it's the following section:

[...]Hammurabi came very close to losing his life. Hammurabi was the first one up the ladders onto the wall of the city of the Celts, and then he jumped down into the town with only two of his guards behind him. Before the rest of the Egyptians could catch up and save him, Hammurabi had taken an arrow in the ribs and had been knocked dizzy by a club. He was unconscious when they carried him away, and he fainted when the doctors cut out the arrow. Rumors spread that Hammurabi was dead.

It's supposed to be quite a famous passage from "Alexander", by Plutarch...

[Immortal Wombat]

Uncultured, us lot.

[Hermann the Lombard]

The Stela of Her-mann VII, Apolyton XXV of the Empire of Ra

[Archaeologist’s Note: The size of this monument is surprising, and the richness of its decoration even more so, for an apparently unimportant ruler with an uneventful reign.]

1250 BC: The new Apolyton bids a sad farewell to the Twenty-Fourth Apolyton, and examining the build queues, proclaims the late ruler “Gazablanca the Builder.” Privately, the new ruler grumbles, “’Venerable’ indeed! Who was HE to call ME old? Must have something to do with that garotting four centuries ago. Some families have long memories!” Then it’s off to the temple for the Ceremony of Reloadslic.

In this year the Empire of Ra launches its first Bireme. Her-mann (of a nautically-inclined family) marks the historic occasion, but gives credit to Gazablanca. Well if he was the Builder, then Her-mann shall be the Improver, and trading posts are placed outside Memphis and Tanis. To further improve the Empire, he orders Fertility Programs in Heliopolis and Aphroditopolis (the latter particularly appropriate). Selflessly, the Apolyton will lead the Fertility Programs, giving His all to the Glory of Ra!

Chariots from Abydos discover a barbarian slinger entrenched on the Great Wombat Road. This insult to the marsupial’s memory shall not go unavenged! The javelin cavalry from Sais (renamed Offler’s Arrow) ride swiftly west to trap the intruders.

1240 BC: A great moment in our history: the Wise Men discover the secret of Mobile Tactics! Now two paths beckon the Wise: Architecture and Philosophy. Which to choose? Her-mann orders the pursuit of Philosophy for lofty goals…like building Barracks, a true philosophical enterprise!

Another great moment, as the Dream of Locutus V is realized: the city of Asyut is founded at the narrowest point of the isthmus, on the very border of Arabia, even pushing that border back. A canal is promptly dug to link the two seas, and the Apolyton orders a celebration. The palace pastry chef produces new confections in honor of the occasion; he calls them Necho Wafers.

The Celtic Gods may be less than pleased; a Force 1 earthquake strikes Armagh. (“Force 1? And they call themselves Gods? Hah!” – famous last words). More of the fruit of Gazablanca’s reign come to ripeness: a Bazaar in Heliopolis and a Shrine in Armagh (best to honor the Gods of Egypt after dissing the Gods of Gaul!) Six cities are restive, on the verge of riot, perhaps upset by what some hear as blasphemy.

Offler’s Arrow makes short work of the barbarians. An Arabian Bireme appears off Abydos, but our (only) Bireme remains at the pier.

A scribe brings papyrus to the Apolyton and proudly displays his inky craft: “With the discovery of the secrest of making bronze, we now have the means to expand or empire through conquest and trade. We have entered the Classical Age.” Two typos and “news” of an ancient advance? The scribe is tortured with quills under the fingernails, then drowned in a vat of ink.

1230 BC: The city of Memphis surpasses 100,000 population! A Forge is ready in Cardiff, already the most productive city in the Empire.

1220 BC: Offler’s Arrow traps a barbarian force on the South Road. Bubastis reaches 70,000 population. That Arab Bireme appears again, this time off Heliopolis.

1210 BC: The cornered barbarians entrench and await their fate, and Offler’s Arrow brings doom upon them. However, the mounted archers of the barbarians do great harm to Offler’s chariots before being overcome. (“We need some of these potent riders ourselves!” Her-mann makes changes to some build queues.) The Shrine of Ptah is ready in Memphis. A barbarian slavemaster appears in the forests north of Tanis. Abydos grows to 90,000 and more of the resources of land and sea become available to the great port.

The Coracle of Wombat arrives in Asyut and picks up javelin cavalry to further explore the wasteland across the southern sea. Our Diplomat explores the Yamato road net, with some thoughts about the “In Different Circumstances” plan drawn up in the reign of Wombat (also known as the Mute Plan). Even farther north, the javelin cavalry boards the legendary Great Old Coracle to explore the world’s northernmost peninsula.

1200 BC: Another Forge is ready, this time in Carmarthen, and a Granary opens its doors in Sais, the Wheat Port. Travelers report that the Byzantines have gone to war with the Arabians. Perhaps our friendship with the Byzantines will give us the pretext… Never mind! This is a time of peace! A biding time of peace.

1190 BC: Sobek dispatches the barbarian slavemaster. The Great Fleet returns in triumph to Abydos and is joined by the “new” Bireme. Asyut grows to 20,000.

1180 BC: Wombat’s Coracle drops off the cavalry in some seaside ruins, where the hapless horsemen are ambushed by fearsome warriors called Hypaspists. They may sound like a speech impediment, but they are too much for the cavalry! Forges are ready in Bubastis and Kells. Crocodilopolis grows to 60,000.

1170 BC: The first native Mounted Archers of the Empire of Ra join the Army of Nun and Hannibal’s Second in Cardiff; our army in Gaul is now concentrated at the center of the province. Tanis reaches 90,000.

1160 BC: The Forge in Thebes is now ready. This is the Fifth Forge of the reign of Her-mann VII, and so the Twenty-Fifth Apolyton becomes known as Her-mann the Forger. That’s why. Really.

1150 BC: The Fertility Programs of Her-mann the Forger bear fruit once again: Thebes and Sais grow to 70,000, Heliopolis and Aphroditopolis grow to 90,000, and Carmarthen grows to 100,000. Exhausted and spent by the sweat and toil of leading these programs, the selfless Her-mann collapses and expires after a reign of only one hundred years, youthful to the end (you hear that, Gazablanca?)

Is it an ominous sign that the mysterious Arabian Bireme appears yet again, this time off Kells? A new leader must be found to interpret the Signs and Portents!

[No pictures this time; really nothing much to show!]

-- HtL

[Gazablanca]

Originally posted by Hermann the Lombard

Exhausted and spent by the sweat and toil of leading these programs, the selfless Her-mann collapses and expires after a reign of only one hundred years, youthful to the end (you hear that, Gazablanca?)

I hear you....you old fart!!!!!!!

[Hermann the Lombard]

I was just thinking--despite the senility--that we had a stroke of luck that the Celts only had four cities. If we had taken a fifth city, wouldn't we have tripped the frenzy code?

[Locutus]

Hey guys,
I'm currently having the worst ISP problems I've ever had. I've called my ISP helpdesk a dozen times and they keep saying my cables or my PCs are broken while I keep telling them 5 sets of cables and 2 PCs can't all break down at exactly the same time, especially not since they work fine when I test them. So we're kind of in a deadlock there; I can only hope the problem will be resolved before Christmas...

Anyway, this combined with the fact that my exams start tomorrow (and because of that I don't work or go to uni or some other place where they might have Internet) means that I have pretty much zero time or means to access Apolyton. However, I did receive a savegame from Hermann for Succession Game V just before my connection went down (yes, that was almost a week ago), which also reminded me I still had a game open for Succession Game VI Anyway, in between studying I managed to finish both games and I'm borrowing the neighbour's PC for a few minutes so I'm attaching the savegames here (no Internet, no email...). No elaborate stories this time, the above should explain why not

---

1150 BC
Wages decreased so more Commerce to Science.
Rush-bought Shrine in Asyut.
Although the Arab village of Asyut was burned to the ground and all evidence of its existance destroyed before an Egyptian city was founded on the same location, Locutus VI decides that this is not enough and renames the city Lykopolis (Sauty in the Holy Script), to remove any reference to the previous occupants.
[note: who's idea was it to build tile imps in the outer ring of Memphis? Surely everyone knows that that is very inefficient for a size 10 city if there's still room in the first ring? Especially since one of them negates the effect of a trade good and Farms were built on Plains, were Pastures are twice as effective...]

1140 BC
Lykopolis riots and builds a Shrine at the same time ()
Although far removed from any kind of water, Cardiff starts production of the Lighthouse of Alexandria
Aphroditopolis finishes Bazaar, starts Apothecary

1130 BC
Romans start Spartan Philosophy
Romans and Yamato have gone to war
Tanis builds Bazaar and starts Apothecary
PHilosophy discovered, Cosmology started
Memphis finished Forge, starts Apothecary

1120 BC
Mine built near Cardiff

1110 BC
Mounted Archer built in Carthamen, now building Chariot
Armargh builds Mounted Archer, starts Ziggurat
Heliopolis builds Slavemaster, starts Apothecary
Embassy establish in Roman Empire

1100 BC
Sais builds Mounted Archer, now building Shrine
Mine built outside Cardiff
Barbarian Chariot spotted entrenched on mountain in between Egyptian guards on eastern edge of empire, near Sais (how the hell did he get there without anyone spotting him?), Slavemaster from Heliopolis moves in for the capture

1090 BC
Kells builds a Mounted Archer, starts Theatre
Yamato start Spartan Philosophy
Established Embassy with Byzantine Empire
Traded Mobile Tactics for Republic with the Byzantines
Buying Architecture from Byzantines failed
Gave Byzantines 200 Gold
Bubastis builds Mounted Archer, starts Apothecary
Barbarian Charioteer in the east moves towards our Chariots, even further east

1080 BC
Barbarian Chariot attacks our Chariot. Doesn't do any significant damage but the Slavemaster wasn't there in time to capture the slaves
Barb Chariot spotted outside Memphis, Sobek moves in

1070 BC
Cosmology discovered, Hippocratic School started
Exchanged Architecture for Cosmology with the Byzantines
Romans went to war with the Arabs
Abydos finishes Apothecary, starts Shrine
Barbarian Mounted Archer spotted outside Armargh, Hammurabi's 2nd Guard moves in: 2 more Barbs discovered just outside LOS of cities
Barbarian Chariot north of Memphis defeated by Sobek

1060
Hammurabi's 2nd Guard defeats 2 Barbarian Mounted Archers, exactly 0 damage
Diplomat finds a LOT of Etruscan and Roman troops around Byzantine Trapezus, I wonder how long that city will remain Byzantine...
Carthamen builds Chariot, starts Apothecary
Barbarian Hoplite outside Armargh defeated by Hammurabi's 2nd Guard
Farm built in Memphis

[Locutus]

Forgot the savegame...

[Immortal Wombat]

Ouch! I think despite the displeasure that ISP problems can cause, they may be a message from Ra to tell you not to visit 'Poly until the exams are over

[Locutus]

If it is, it's not working. In spite of the helpdesk of my ISP claiming again and again that the cable modem could not possibly be broken, I decided to give the thing a thorough check and whaddayaknow: after disconnecting and restoring the power supply and reattaching all cables, all problems disappeared

[Immortal Wombat]

Hooray. I think?

[Locutus]

Yeah, I guess that's a hooray

That's the last time I called my ISP helpdesk though, stupid morons...

[Immortal Wombat]

This site needs a sister site from the other end of the phoneline?

[Hermann the Lombard]

Originally posted by Locutus
after disconnecting and restoring the power supply and reattaching all cables, all problems disappeared

That's the advice I'm getting from my ISP, except that I have a perfectly-good (brand-new) DSL connection, it just won't connect to the ISP's email server.

[Immortal Wombat]

Herein lies the biography of the Apolyton Chancellor Wombat II of the Egyptian Federation of City States.

1040BC: Wombat's first act as chancellor...is to eat a dorito. But after that, he orders the borders secured against "all the barbarians in the world, and those odd red wearing blokes too."

1030BC: Our foreign ambassador abroad moves westward towards Etruria.

1020BC: Thebes builds a Ziggurat, Aphroditopolis builds
an Apothecary, Crocodilopolis builds a Forge. Wombat declares that under his rule, Egyptian science will catch up with that of our peaceful neighbours since our long war has ended. All three cities are ordered to begin building academies.

1010BC: Egyptian wisemen discover Hypocratic School. At least, thats what 11 of them said. The 12th one, named Hypocrates, claimed the invention for himself, and suggested that all the other wisemen wasted government money drinking, and going to strip-clubs. He unexpectedly died just before the hearing, so the truth will never be known, but a replacement was found, and Wombat ordered the discovery of a government to be known as Oligarchy - coined to mean "Government that can handle 20 cities."

1000BC: Memphis starts Lighhouse of Alexandria. Our ships will be able to sail with haste across the map. A fitting millennium monument. A Watchtower is also built in the south to scare away barbarians. Its great! Our diplomat established a diplomatic embassy in Etruria. Tanis builds an apothecary and joins the "Wombat Academiatisation Project"

990BC: Abydos builds a shrine, Heliopolis builds an Apothecary. Both begin academies.

980BC: Wombat cuts his toenails in every city in the Egyptian Federation of City States.

970BC: Kells builts a theatre. Go on, guess what it begins.

960BC: We accept a request to leave Roman territory. Its not going to happen, because we're sailing our diplomat south to the last remaining civ, but we might get through before they get too irritated.

950BC: Bubastis builds an Apothecary, and yes, begins an academy. In the later half of the year, Wombat goes on another toe-cutting tour of Egypt, and, upon reaching Kells, the final city in the tour is assasinated by a far-left fanatic religious nut-job who had strict beliefs with regards to toe-nail cutting.

The election date is set...