BirdNES 4: Song of the Nile

[Birdjaguar]

In the stats to be posted your treasury amount includes both plunder from the previous turn and income from the current turn. Income and plunder are shown for information only; you can spend up to to your Treasury total.

[Birdjaguar]

The Song of the Nile

Update 1

Sinuhe was born on a boat, as was his father and his father before him for more generations than the storytellers told tales of. His boat, the “Feather of Maat” had been home for his family of traders for as long as he and his father could remember. With the approach of Akhet (the time of flooding) Sinuhe and his father would set out from Aswan and ride the slowing rising river north from Aswan to the sea. They usually timed their arrival in the delta to coincide with the onset of Peret, the season of planting and harvesting 4 months later. After boat repairs, more trading, and news gathering, they made their way up river during Shemu, a time of low water and favorable winds to carry them south to Aswan once again. Each round trip took a year and Sinuhe the younger had notched 18 times on the railing of the boat. His father had over 40 notches.

The weeks of waiting for the flood went on and on and the great river showed little of its customary rise. Sinuhe, his family and crew collected what news they could that came from south of the great cataract. It was grim. Envoys from Quban had demanded submission from Aswan or face brutal conquest. Mekere, King of Aswan, secure behind his fortress walls and the waterfalls of the cataract, rebuffed them roughly and made them walk back the many miles to Quban as he pillaged their ships. Secure as Mekere felt, Sinuhe did not share that feeling and longed to be away and traveling north. And so bearing the sad news of a lean year, Sinuhe steered the “Feather of Maat” into the sluggish current and the great sea.

But flight from war was not to be. Pursuit did not follow on the flood, but the flood carried Sinuhe into the waiting jaws of war. Thebes was as active as an ant hill. A temple to Sekhmet was under construction and within a few minutes of landing, Sinuhe knew of the great expedition against Koptos. By land and by water over 1000 men had descended upon the unfortunate city to the north. Imhotep was leading his armies to the glory of his god and prosperity of his people. Word of his success or failure had not yet come. Anxious to put the uncertainty and desperation that comes with war behind him, Sinuhe did not tarry in Thebes; they traded news and goods and within a few days were once again upon the Nile. Their departure was unnoticed in the confusion created by feasting and ceremonies at the still uncompleted temple as priests pleaded with Sekhmet for joyous victory. Sinuhe hoped to pass Koptos before the contest was won or lost and thus avoid becoming a target of one side or the other. Three days later, hugging the west bank, the “Feather of Maat” passed a broken Koptos. The city had fallen and Imhotep himself was overseeing the loading of the plunder onto his ships. The power of Thebes would now stretch far up the east side of the Nile. The kings of the north might pay handsomely for such news, so they made haste to Dendara and Abydos.

In Dendara they were late; the fall of Koptos was old news and already the bustle of preparations was evident. They did not stay beyond taking on fresh food and water. A full moon and a widening river even spurred Sinuhe to sail all night in hopes of being first to Abydos with news of Theben aggression.

Within a week they reached Abydos. And it seemed they were first to bring the news of Koptos’ fall. Yet few cared. The local news kept everyone busy; the new temple to Thoth was huge and beautiful as it perched upon the river bank beyond the cresting of any known floods. It attracted streams of visitors. Then there was the news of war. Not from the south and Koptos, but from the north. Imhotep Gator of Abydos had conquered Thinis and Akhmim. Thinis had been a bloody battle with over 25% of his 2000 men lost in the assault against the fort. The rich plunder had made the costly victory worthwhile though. Then a river born assault on Akhmim had been aided by deception, three to one odds and the lack of any defensive works. The city fell easily and both sides of the Nile secured for many miles.

The trip from Abydos to Amarna was uneventful and almost peaceful in its dedication to the staples of travel along the Nile: trading, drinking and whoring. Deals were made for goods on hand or those promised when the “Feather of Maat” made her return trip back up the river later in the year. A lean year was coming and the smart ones with money were making plans. At Amarna, there was more talk of war and not so much of the new temple under construction. An army of almost 5000 men had marched to storm an unwalled and lightly defended Beni Hasan which quickly fell allowing the army to push even further north and towards Minia. Sinuhe noted that the Amarna troops had no warships and would be quite stuck on the east back of the Nile. At least, he thought, there would be limits to their conquests and the disorder such wars brought.

North of Beni Hasan, the river banks were quiet once again and Sinuhe and his ship watched the farmers building and repairing while the silt rich waters inundated their farm land. In Minia itself, a new, small temple was nearly complete and by their return, would be teeming with gifts and visitors worshipping Horus. Trading was good especially in metals and leather that could be turned into weapons and armor.

In the days that followed, as they sailed among the cities connected to the rich lands of the Faiyum, Sinuhe lingered. The delta was near and he wanted a full hold of goods to sell for wheat and timber. The delta was a land of plenty and one of the few sources of timber brought in from distant lands. The large logs were prized all along the upper Nile and brought good prices if he could fit them in as ballast. Memphis would be his next stop.
But war again came first. Helwan had been unprepared for the sudden onslaught from its neighbor and had fallen quickly providing both plunder and more land for Memphis. Across the Nile Giza had sent a paltry force of 150 men attack Saqqara whose rich treasury quickly populated its walls with 500 men. The futile attack was abandoned. Sinuhe surmised that the new large fort under construction in Giza would probably be needed unless the king made more thoughtful plans for war. Past Giza the eastern bank of the Nile was in turmoil as armies from Memphis raided for plunder up the fields controlled by Heliopolis. While neither side provoked the other for all out war, it appeared from the talk along the river that Heliopolis had the upper hand in troops. In a few days more the reason became clear. Heliopolis had negotiated a treaty with Merimda to ally the two cities. That freed up lots of troops to guard the farms south along the river.

Beyond Heliopolis the delta was mostly a place of peace. The only effort to disrupt the planting and tilling and tending of the livestock was an attack by Rosetta against Buto. 400 warriors and 100 archers marched to take the city by storm. The city was ready though, and easily raised 400 archers and 200 warriors in its defense. Heavy losses quickly blunted the attack and Rosetta had to accept a small gain in territory for its ill fated expedition. For the most part though, Sinuhe made deals and repaired his boat for the return trip south. By the time he was ready to sail the land was fully revealed and being worked. For the most part the troubles of the northbound voyage had erased by the farmers’ effort to compensate for the low flood levels of the summer. At Minia, it was clear that the war had gone on and the city had expanded its control both up and down the river. Amarna too had used the low water season to push itself both north and south along both sides of the now lesser Nile. In fact, Minia and Amarna were now close enough to go to war directly, one against the other. Ominous times lay ahead.

Abudos nd Thebes came and went and Sinuhe’s arrival in Aswan was a joyous entry. Another notch could be carved into the rail and the wheat, barley, flax, and timber in the hold would carry them all through until it was time once more to sail north. Sinuhe gave thanks for his successful return and prayed for a better inundation when the gods released the waters of the south once again. The news from the south was less optimistic than his prayers. Quban had built a fort and ships. War would be coming, without a doubt.

[Birdjaguar]

Map for Update 1:

[Optical]

Whoops, guess I underestimated the number of troops I'd need.

[Blaze Injun]

Hey,

And I didn't know how far an army could travel in a year.

EDIT: Imhotep Gator of Abydos had conquered Thinis and Akhmim. There can not be 2 Imhotep Gators can there?

Blaze Injun

[erez87]

From Memphis
To Giza
Your word has been kept, perhaps you are more trustworthy that I thought in the past. I request to sign again on a non aggression pact for this year as well.

Ooc so how far can armies move? And how do we conquer empty non-city land? And why Heliopolis makes so much money on its own? And How do I also unite cities peacefully like Heliopolis?

And again I ask about rules, what's the pointin losses in battles if we build new armies every turn?

[BSmith1068]

Can you add Minia's stats to the front page?

[Birdjaguar]

Originally Posted by Optical

Whoops, guess I underestimated the number of troops I'd need.

You were not alone.

Originally Posted by Blaze Injun

Hey,

And I didn't know how far an army could travel in a year.

EDIT: Imhotep Gator of Abydos had conquered Thinis and Akhmim. There can not be 2 Imhotep Gators can there?

Blaze Injun

Two of you called your leader Imhotep. Who am I to argue.

At least you did name your leaders. It is a big help when key people have names. Hint hint to the rest of you.

Originally Posted by erez87

Ooc so how far can armies move? And how do we conquer empty non-city land? And why Heliopolis makes so much money on its own? And How do I also unite cities peacefully like Heliopolis?

And again I ask about rules, what's the pointin losses in battles if we build new armies every turn?

Sinuhe travels from Aswan to the delta and back in a year; an army in ships could do at least half that. If marching unobstructed, you can figure 15 to 20 miles a day under good conditions. It is about 100 miles from Rosetta to Giza as the crow flies, so figure 120 by road. That's about a weeks worth of marching if unopposed and supplied.

To conquer "empty" land (that not controlled by a city) I suggest you march in and take it. I will figure the success or failure. Nearby cities make such conquests more difficult.

Income is generated by land and the annual inundation from the Nile. Lots of land (along the river) and lots of flooding mean lots of income. Much of the 400 gold in plunder captured by Heliopolis came from it alliance; for how they did it, you need to find out from Gem Hound

Losses are important if you plan to have a prolonged campaign against more than one target or if you are attacked after your armies have fought a battle. For example, if you attack a city during the Nile in flood and win, then your enemy might well attack you back later in the year once the Nile has receded. Your losses in the first battle may well affect the out come in the second battle. And now that you know that ships can carry war many miles up or down the river, you may want to remember that as much as the Nile brings life, it can also carry death.

Originally Posted by BSmith1068

Can you add Minia's stats to the front page?

Oops....

They are up now.

[Gem Hound]

Originally Posted by erez87

From Memphis
To Giza
Your word has been kept, perhaps you are more trustworthy that I thought in the past. I request to sign again on a non aggression pact for this year as well.

Ooc so how far can armies move? And how do we conquer empty non-city land? And why Heliopolis makes so much money on its own? And How do I also unite cities peacefully like Heliopolis?

And again I ask about rules, what's the pointin losses in battles if we build new armies every turn?

From: Heliopolis
To: Memphis
This is war. You will not be doing any "Uniting" in the lands of Hapi. No one messes with Heliopolis.

OOC at Everyone else: I plan to play peacefully unless raided or attacked and Memphis raided me last year. So, connect the pieces.


@Bird
Flip the Nile in flood part with the Nile not in flood part for my orders please.

OOC: losses in battles allow your other plans to be that much less effective.

offer an alliance to the cities of Bubastis and Merimda. Every city would keep their patron gods, but would pool their resources. This would include army, wealth, and strategic resources. Excess food from the Nile would go to feeding starving cities first, then the remainder would be sold to the highest bidder.

Maybe that is how?

[erez87]

OOC: That is a strange way to do it. If I'd known I can just ask other cities to join it would have made things much easier. Like this:
to all cities:
Join us!

Anyway. Got it about casualties. I think it's time for some PvP with Heliopolis

from Memphis
to Heliopolis:
I laugh at your threat. Hahaha.

OOC: lol. I'm thinking whether I should totally overpower you or save some money on the side. I dunno... I am rather fond of the shock and awe technique.

Birdj - I don't understand the treasury. I banked 500+250 plunder+42, how is that 1242? No one's economy makes sense unless it's 42 every month? or something? I dunno. 450 came from Helwan? Its the most obvious solution, but it doesn't say that anywhere.
Oh and if two people attack each other, the armies meet in the middle and no bonuses apply to defenders and attackers?

[Birdjaguar]

Originally Posted by Gem Hound

@Bird
Flip the Nile in flood part with the Nile not in flood part for my orders please.

I've done so.

[Gem Hound]

Originally Posted by erez87

OOC: lol. I'm thinking whether I should totally overpower you or save some money on the side. I dunno... I am rather fond of the shock and awe technique.

OOC: Totally overpowering me is not an option since I also have over 1.2k gold.

[erez87]

Originally Posted by Gem Hound

OOC: Totally overpowering me is not an option since I also have over 1.2k gold.

You are reading it all wrong Treasury is all the income you can spend...

Originally Posted by from rules

Your posted Treasury amount includes your income for the current turn plus plunder from last turn. There is no need to add it. You can spend up to your full Treasury amount.

from Memphis
to Heliopolis:
I will let the weaklings like you another chance of surrender and pay both a panelty and a tribute to the greater Memphis. What do you say about... 500 gold? and 100 every turn?

[Birdjaguar]

Originally Posted by Birdjaguar

In the stats to be posted your treasury amount includes both plunder from the previous turn and income from the current turn. Income and plunder are shown separately for information only; you can only spend up to your Treasury total.

For emphasis ^^^.

[Gem Hound]

great.

[Blaze Injun]

Hey,

Thebes orders sent.


Blaze Injun

[Birdjaguar]

I will update this weekend with all the orders that I have received by Saturday night.

[thomas.berubeg]

sending Orders tomorrow

[Gem Hound]

Originally Posted by erez87

You are reading it all wrong Treasury is all the income you can spend...


from Memphis
to Heliopolis:
I will let the weaklings like you another chance of surrender and pay both a panelty and a tribute to the greater Memphis. What do you say about... 500 gold? and 100 every turn?

Accepted.

Orders Sent.

[erez87]

Originally Posted by Gem Hound

Accepted.

Orders Sent.

Really?! It was just an over blown suggestion that you weren't suppose to accept! I guess I have to resend orders! 500 gold and 100 every turn is a great income for me. Much better than conquering your pitiful city god help you if you are trying to back stab me or attack my guy in Giza, I ensure you, I'm leaving a hefty sum for defenses...

Wait for me Birdj!
New orders sent.