Until the time when Seth was banished, the kingdom of Aegyptvs was one. The Pharaoh ruling from the White Walled City of Memphis in the Lower Kingdom. Only occasional external threats posed any disruption to the Kingdom. Kushite fanatics from the south, Numidian and Libyan raiders from the west, Phoenician pirates from the north east. Occasionally an invader might come from the kingdoms to the north east but the desert and power of the kingdom had been enough to counter these.
Fifty years ago Seth began his plans to over throw Osiris and ordered his priesthood to move to the city of Thebes in the Upper Kingdom. Here they undermined the local government and eventually managed to get a governor who was a faithful servant of Seth. At this time he rebelled from the Pharaoh in Memphis and installed himself as a new Pharaoh under the protection of Seth. The old kingdom was effectively split in two between the two major cities of Memphis and Thebes.
The Pharaoh in the north at the time was young and newly appointed ruler, and rather than raise an army and smash the upstart he allowed advisors to sway his thoughts and attempted to negotiate the situation. This only strengthened the rebels position and allowed him to secure control of many of the upper cities. To make matters worse several more independently minded governors between the two Pharaohs seized the chance to declare themselves free of the control of either ruler.
Since then the situation has stalemated into a status quo. Neither side has been willing to commit to an expensive war of invasion that would involve defeating the larger free cities between the two nations, and then the opponents army itself. Surprise is almost impossible. To make matters worse the split nation has attracted increased activity from historical enemies, Kush in the south and the Phoenicians in the north.
In the mean time new enemies have emerged to the far north that may soon be a problem. The warlike states of the Hittites and the Horse Princes of the Mitanni have arisen and are quickly expanding their borders. Hopefully they will expand into each other before they become an issue for Aegyptvs.
Survival is a big part of the game, be sure to take some level in the skill.
Attached you should find several game maps. The most useful one is limited to the Nile Valley down to just below where the Blue and the White Nile merge. It goes north to include most of ancient Syria/Levant. This is the main play area.
A larger map extends out west to Carthage and Rome, north to Greece and Troy and Hattsusa, and east to Babylon and Ur. These areas play a role as quest areas during the campaign. The players will travel to several of these areas to recover things, but they do not need to explicit detail of the first map. Most of the time they will simply sail to a target city or location, then sail back.
The vast majority of the game map is exactly as it is today, or was in 1500BC. A few differences do matter.
The Aswan Dams (modern ones) show on the map. This is actually useful because in the main story the Pharoah of the Upper Kingdom (Upper as in further UP the Nile) seeks to dam the Nile and tame it to his purposes. The players will foil this, hopefully.
Further south and west is the Drahg Lands (the Drahg and half men/dragons). A large plateau/mesa with three active volcanoes. This will be a “Lost World” (check your movie references pls), which means you can have dinosaurs there.
Drahg Mord is raised some 500 feet above the surrounding desert and has its own unique weather, with plenty of water. This flow of water cascades over the edge of the mesa and forms a new river – The Green Nile that flows into the Nile itself.
The east side of the lower Nile is called The Broken Lands, and is inhabited by Giants – big ones, and little ones. Giants are a character option and player giants start out 9ft tall and can grow somewhat. In the Broken Lands however they are really big, 20 to 30 ft tall.
The Broken Lands are … broken. The landscape is tossed and turned like a giant plough had been run over the land, turning the hills and mountains over into a jumbled land of jagged and chaotic terrain features. After-quakes, avalanches and rock slides are frequent and more of a danger to humans than to the Giants who live there.
Lastly there is the desert, surrounding the lands of Aegyptvs. A harsh and deadly environment where water and heat are your primary concerns. But there is more to the desert than meets the eye. Many different hidden cultures live happily in the western desert. The Golems, the Scorpionmen, the Sissra, the Numidians and Libyans and the Arabs are some of the major ones.
On top of that, many secret places hide in the desert. The Great Pyramid of RA, the Lost Valley of Isis, the Sea of Sands, the Oasis of Tranquility, the Lost City of Sisshara to name a few. All of these are out there in the desert, somewhere. In most cases they are just places, they don’t need to be positioned on the map other than… out there in the desert.
Rameses VII rules the Lower Kingdom, in the north, from his capital in Memphis. A generation of weak advisers, undermined by Sethian gold, has resulted in a weak and corrupt bureaucracy, unable to, and unwilling to challenge the southern breakaway state, let alone the rebel cities. The Pharaoh is in his late middle age (50) and reportedly of ill health. He has no direct heirs.
Rakmanaset II, The Iron Pharaoh, rules the Upper Kingdom, from Thebes, terrorising his people through his ruthless and dark theocracy. No one dares to challenge the avatar of Seth or his dark priests.
He has begun to build an army and has made the decision to invade the north. He has sent emissaries to the Hittites and the Mitanni to open contacts with them in the hope they may be of some use. He also sends gold to the Libyans and the Numidians to incite them to raid the north. The only thing he may not be able to control is the Kushites to his south, but they are currently shattered and fighting an internal war.
The Rebel Cities: Amarna, Asyut and Abydos, along with the lesser cities nearby, continue to claim neutrality, but even they can see the writing on the wall. They have begun looking at the possibility of forming a Middle Kingdom to thwart any threat from the two major states. The chances of this happening however depend very strongly on the Dwarves of Atard and Gworn joining with the other cities in a united front. This isn’t very likely at this stage as the dwarves oppose slavery and will not unite with any city that allows it.
The dwarves have always lived mostly apart from the humans, and mostly in their two great cities of Atard and Gworn. Protected from the ebb and flow of politics on the Nile due to their location, they have remained in peace for over 1000 years. They have dug deeper and deeper into the rock and created cities that are the stuff of legends, even if they aren’t all that appealing to the human senses. Closely aligned and respectful of the Pharaohs of the past they have always been free to decide their own fate.
In the current situation they have strongly maintained their position of neutrality, although underneath they oppose Seth and his Iron Pharaoh. Approaches from the rebel cities are heard but the chances of the dwarves being drawn into a war with two other kingdoms are small.
Note: Dwarves cannot interbreed with other races, they are a unique species.
The elves have always been small in their numbers and with no central body or home city that stands as the leadership of their race. Elves are loosely scattered over most of Aegyptvs and the surrounding lands and pose no threat militarily. What they do have is influence, elves are not only a very long lived race, they are a very rich race, both in gold and knowledge and influence. Every court of every land has a few elves present as advisors. Every major city has a small but powerful group of elvish merchants. And everywhere people tend to seek out and listen to the words of the elves.
Note: elves cannot interbreed with other races, they are a unique species.
The Ashrak are nomads of the deserts and wild lands, shunned by most humans as barbarians and savages. They dislike cities and the close proximity they require, instead seeking the open lands and the wind and sky, free to be whatever they chose to be. What they are good at however is war. Ashrak mercenary companies are much sort after by people who want the best soldiers money can buy. They are notoriously loyal but also notoriously brutal. Because of this they are feared and admired, depending on which end of their attention you are at. Normally the Ashrak are small in numbers, the vast majority of their people remaining out in the desert lands. The looming scent of war however has drawn larger numbers of them into the Nile kingdoms, numbers that might influence the result of battle.
Note: Ashrak cannot interbreed with other races, they are a unique species.
Aegyptvs is surrounded by hostile peoples who envy the fertile lands and the constant source of clean water that is the Nile.
To the south are the Kush, a race of humans who worship a single god (monotheistic) called Garm. The followers of Garm want only wealth and worldly possessions, greed is good. They are fanatical about it and every hundred years they tend to sweep north out of their lands and into the Upper Kingdom, looting and pillaging as they go. Most of the other times they are fighting internal wars amongst themselves.
To the north-east of the Kushites, and south of Aegyptvs is the land of the Nubians. A race of dark skinned Africans who are fearsome warriors. They are commonly found as mercenaries for hire, and as elite bodyguards for those who can afford them. They are reknowned for their loyalty and trustworthiness.
To the west are the desert races of the Numidians and the Libyans. The Numidians survive in the deep desert and worship a form of Isis and believe in the mythical Unseen Valley of Isis and its promises of paradise on earth. The Libyans reside more along the coastal areas. Both races are hardened nomadic tribal peoples, well adapted to the desert and its challenges. They have no central government or binding identity, at best minor warlords achieve short periods of dominance of some portions of the peoples and lead them to raid Aegyptvs for pillage.
To the east is Arabia and another tribal nomadic desert race, the Arabs. These people are very spread out and rarely pose a threat to the kingdom of the Nile. They are however a good source of exotic trade goods from further east.
North east are the lands of the Phoenicians (The Sea People), actually more the cities of the Phoenicians. The Phoenicians are a maritime people, expert sailors and supreme traders. They arrived from unknown lands some 500 years ago and invaded all along the coastline of the Great Sea. Where they landed within the kingdom of the Nile they were resisted and retreated back to their ships. Elsewhere they stayed and founded great cities. Carthage, Tyre, Sidon, Tripoli and Biblos are all Phoenician cities. The Phoenicians are a rich people and their cities reflect this. Since their initial landings they have rarely taken any interest in war unless there was an easy profit to be made. The Phoenicians have no single king, each city is ruled by a local lord. When required however the cities will all support each other.
The Hittites: a warrior race who appeared from central modern day Turkey. The Hittites have conquered as they expanded and now control an empire of considerable size. They presently reach down to the city of Ugarit, which they conquered some 5 years ago. Since then they have come into contact with the Horse Princes and an uneasy détente has resulted. The Hittites have discovered the secret of working iron, something only the dwarves used to be able to do. This has given them a strong technological advantage over their enemies who still use bronze.
Horse Princes of the Mitanni: A warrior race of centaurs, from the far northern (Russian) plains. They swept into the region (Mesopotamia) some 100 years ago and captured several cities, particularly Aleppo and Carchemish. The Horse Princes are not a unified nation, consisting of several princes each ruling a city or region (a Tribe). They come together for defence and attack purposes. The Horse Princes are the ruling class within their kingdom, but they are a minority compared to the local humans whom they rule. Due to military might, enormous charisma and lack of unity by their enemies, they have been able to maintain their position. The arrival of the Hittites and Assyrians however is of concern. To alleviate this they have begun using Scythian mercenaries (centaurs) from their homelands to the north. They also hire Greek mercenaries to bolster their infantry.
Lydia: a greek state based around the capital city of Lydia (Sardis). One of the early kings of Lydia was the legendary Midas (of the Midas touch), and because of this Lydia is very rich in gold. Lydia has a powerful military machine, including a noble cavalry arm with armoured horses, but they are not overly expansionistic at this time. This could change with the right King of course.
Minoans: a civilization of Minotaurs based on Crete. Minoanian civilisation is highly evolved and their scholars are amongst the best in the known worlds. As are their warriors. Their capital, Knossos, is a marvel to behold and the Great Maze of the Minotaur is legendary (err and nothing like the historical one).
Greeks (Ionians): on the mainland of Greece are four growing city states, Sparta, Athens, Corinth and Thebes. At this time in the history they are nothing like what they eventually become, but they are a source of good mercenary infantry.
Troy: a Greek city state in the north west of Turkey. Troy is currently beginning to flex its muscles militarily, and its position near the Dardanelles allows them to control trade through the region.
Syracuse: this city state was built by Greeks and for the most part can be considered to be greek, but they have absorbed a fair amount of local, Carthaginian and Roman culture to become a true cosmopolitan city. They trade heavily with Carthage and the two cities prosper because of it.
Babylon: a rising power in the far east is the city of Babylon, sitting between the banks of the Euphrates and Tigris River. It is famous for its Hanging Gardens. Babylonians are excellent archers and have powerful chariots.
Assyria: another rising power in the east, based around the cities of Azzur and Ninevah. The Assyrians are a very aggressive race and their god Ashur is a powerful wargod.
The Eye Lords: also called the Slaver Lords, these monstrosities are based around their City of the Eye. Many of them have taken to the seas and become pirates. They have many smaller enclaves hidden around the inner sea. They have conquered Cyprus and the Slaver cities of Famagusta and Episkopi.
Eye Lords are totally inhuman. Fully mature they are a giant intelligent mollusc with a huge central eye,and tentacles, living in a giant oyster shell. They are mostly immobile and require access to sea water to survive, but some of them manage to move around quite a bit. All Eye Lords are powerful arcane casters. Eye Lords are able to dominate the minds of humans if given enough time and turn them into obedient slaves, hence their reputation.
Carthage: a branch of the Phoenicians who settled under a famous Queen and established this kingdom. They are growing quickly in the western Med (North Africa and Spain). They are having some problems with the Romans. Recently they have fallen under the thrall of a dark god known as Baal. Baal is an evil, blood drinking god and the city has become a place of darkness and great fear. A literal dark cloud lies over the city perpetually, making it always night within the walls. His priests and “children” ruthlessly enforce his will.
The Broken Lands: far to the south east, beyond the Nubian lands, lies the Broken Lands. An area of extremely rough, hilly ground, inhabited by a race of giants. The Giants tend to be fairly savage and beastial, but they do have some levels of intelligence. Giants come in various shapes and sizes, from 10 foot to 30 foot, one eyed, two headed etc.
The Great Pyramid of Ra: legend says that RA built the first pyramid as a place he could rest at when on the mortal plane. Since he has removed himself the pyramid remains unused. Nobody has seen the Great Pyramid, but everyone knows it is out there, far into the desert, somewhere. And it is full of treasures.
The Unseen Valley of Isis: paradise on earth is what Isis was said to have created, but only for the truly devoted. A valley of perfect weather, unlimited water, and supremely fertile soil. They only problem is that nobody has seen it for quite some time, not since the gods left the physical world. Legends says there is a key for whomever is able to find it.
The Drahg: a race of dragon headed humanoids who live around the Drahg Mord, a large volcano dominated plateau to the far south west. The Drahg are fire based creatures and abhor water, it is said that lava runs in their veins rather than blood. They worship RA alone.
The Sissra: a race of snake people, some say the first creations of Seth, others that they are agents of an even worse evil. They are evil personified. They have a city out in the desert to the south west called Sisshara.
The Sissra are large creatures, when fully matured they are 2-3 times the size of a man, and it is said they are able to swallow a man whole (snake like). They are also feared arcane casters and priests of Seth.
They are also shape changers, able to take on the form of other creatures, especially humans.
Sarat: a free city of refuge for slaves on the run.
The 6 sacred oasis of the Sahara – Siwa, Natrun, Bahariya, Dakhla, Kharga and Dunqul.
The Cities of the Levant: running north up the coast from Aegyptvs are a string of mostly Phoenician (Sea Peoples) cities, beginning with Gaza and ending with Ugarit. Of these Tyre is the largest and most powerful. With the exception of Ugarit, which is now controlled by the Hittites, each of the cities is a free state with a local ruler.
The Mummy King: a long dead Pharoah cast out from his lands after turning himself into a lich. He has built himself a City of the Dead on the Red Sea, and here he gathers the dead into his service.
The Scorpian Lord: a giant half man, half scorpion race that lives in the western desert, ruled by their tyrannical lord.
The Golem King: an Ancient Mechanical Being who constructs others in his like to serve his unknown purpose. He resides in a city out in the western desert, but his golems roam wide and far. It is said that he is powered by a piece of the Burning Stone, an ever burning elemental rock. He uses this magical stone to pass its power to his minions, giving them life and power. Golems are creatures of Fire and loath water, although they still need it to power their bodies.
The desert is everywhere, even whilst standing in the waters of the Nile itself the sands of the desert will blow in on the wind to remind you of its all-pervading presence.
On the map the areas coloured yellow(ish) are all desert areas, or more to the point, areas of little water. Deserts come in many forms, from sandy dunes to rocky mountains, but they all have one thing in common - a lack of water - and (in this region) severe heat during the day.
A few races have evolved, or learned, to survive in the desert. The Ashrak spend most of their life in the desert and are well suited to it. Other peoples, Numidians, Libyans, Nubians and Arabs have learned to live with the desert, adopting nomadic life styles. The average Aegyptian however would quickly perish in the hostile environment. Special rules for the desert are included later, but it is strongly suggested that all characters take some Survival skill.
The desert is not meant to be an overwhelming hurdle for players, particularly as they will be adventuring into it quite regularly. It is however a tool the GM can use to remind the players of the world they are living in, and the types of characters that are most suited for it. Good role playing will dictate that your characters should have some skill with handling the desert and the heat. Although I will include rules for somewhat random effects of the desert, a GM should feel free to use them or NOT use them, as the situation and story warrants.
One area that can be often be deliberately overlooked is transporting water. If the story doesn’t require the detail of whether the players have enough camels to carry all that water then don’t do it. If the players make reasonable efforts to provide themselves with food and water then let it go in the interests of playability. If you want them to die of dehydration, well that is another matter…
If the GM feels the players have been exerting themselves whilst in the desert you may call for the players to make a Survival roll at the start of any encounter. The target for this roll is 4 normally, 6 if it is very hot, 8 if it is blisteringly hot (or you can use the values in the Weather tables later). If they fail the roll they suffer 1 level of FAT. If they critically fail it they suffer 2 levels of FAT.
During any melee in the desert between the hours 8am-4pm, any time a character uses a non-picture card Club for their actual initiative, they must make a Survival roll. A failed roll causes Shaken, and a critically failed roll causes a FAT level. This is done after Shaken recovery. This does not result in a wound (non-physical shaken).
Wearing ANY armour in the desert has a debilitating effect on you. The amount of the effect is the same as the bonus you get from the armour. So a breastplate that gives +3 toughness gives –3 to your survival rolls. Some armour is designed for use in the desert, or may be magically enhanced to negate its penalties.
Plate armour in particular gives -3 for the breastplate and another -1 for each of the greaves and vambraces and helmet, for a total of -6.
Other factors can influence this roll at the discretion of the GM. Some edges help to mitigate the effects, as do some spells.
It is the Bronze Age.
Bronze is actually not that bad a metal to use, it is only when you start making steel that it falls behind. Raw iron is actually worse than bronze and it wasnt until iron was improved into steel that it became useful. Never the less I am assuming for this game that Iron is poor steel, and Steel is better steel, and that both of them are better than bronze.
Benny's can be used for all the normal things listed in the rules, plus the following extra uses.
Have a Dream if sleep is possible.
Re-roll a Trait result
Soak a wound
To add an extra power to a newly found magical RELIC!
To bind a RELIC! item to you and access the first power
To access a new RELIC! power.
To establish a relationship
To incite a Passion
To modify one word on an adventure card
Add +1 to a roll BEFORE rolling.
The following languages are used: Egyptian, Phoenician, Greek, Kushite, Hittite, Arabian, Dwarf, Elvish, Eastern (Babylonian & Assyrian), Mittani, Minoan.
Everyone gets their SM/2 points in languages for free, each language taken costs 1 pt for spoken, 2 pts for written (implies Literacy). You get your own spoken language free.
So someone with SM d6 would have their home language, plus 3 pts of other languages. Literacy has an influence on how you would expend your pts.