This is my report for Realms Beyond Civilization Epic Twenty-eight. For the details on this game visit Realms Beyond Epic 28.

Here opens the tale of Hathor, my lady--Mistress of the Sun. I am her humble maidservent, Dedi. My mistress was born of a humble peasant woman--my mother's sister. That is nothing remarkable--but her father--that is another tale entirely. Words cannot do justice, there are not enough scrolls in Egypt, and my humble skills are insufficient to fully tell, but as my mistress has commanded me to record her trials for him, I will try. He is the God of the Sun--Ra, who came to earth and honored my mother's sister with a child--my mistress. His choice was wise, but his demands were great--the scrolls stated that the glory of Egypt must be the complete subjugation of the known world. Of course, that is not enough for Ra--his demands to my mistress are that the all the known and unknown world must bow down to the superior culture of Egypt, BUT, at no time must they acknowledge this at the point of a sword. Cities may only join Egypt by their own free will. Any attacks of other cultural centers will bring shame upon the family. As you can see--my mistress' father has no mere mortal designs for his daughter. It has also been foretold that others who share our world will begin with might beyond that of a deity.

So my mistress leads those who would follow her to glory forth--and looking around, with our workers first moving to some mineral rich grassland, my mistress chooses to settle the great city of Thebes immediately. She decrees that the first four milennia of our history will be reckoned separately from the remaining two milennia and 50 years. A tribe of wandering minstrals donates their year's earnings (25 gold pieces) to the glory of Egypt. Thebes will have success in farming, with game soon to be within our borders.

My mistress calls upon her science advisor. Despite his pleadings about learning how to fashion the river clay into pots, she orders him to learn how to fashion rocks and wood into round objects, but at a slow pace. She later confides to me that her father suggested that the military might of our foes will help them learn many secrets, and that the power of the gold piece will convince them to teach us these secrets. Thebes first trains a warrior scout, and my mistress orders him to scout north of Thebes. My mistress orders more scouts forth to find and destroy the barbarians, and to find new locations for the cities of our future empire. The scouts report much good news--a great site far to the North with ample floodplains, including two with vast fields of wheat growing there. The scouts also report a nearby location with fields of wheat. Silks are immediately south, and incense and gems spotted in the north. Our scouts meet a tribe called the Arabs in 3150 BC--our science advisor nearly chokes at how advanced they are--they have all our technology the knowledge of bronze and the code of warriors. Our fierce scouts eliminate a barbarian camp in 3000BC, but they do not survive to toast their success.  Our warrior scout sprint to a barbarian hut--beating the flat-footed Arabs by one turn--but the locals only reward our sprint with maps.  A leader who calls himself "Caesar" arrives in 2800 BC.  Again our science advisor drools over this advanced civilization--he knows the secrets of using river clay to make pots, and the working of Bronze.  He offers the services of several slaves--but my mistress passes on all purchases at this time, hoping that the round object research will give us much bartering ability.  Thebes holds a week-long festival in 2750 BC, as our first intrepid settlers march off to expand the empire.  A leader calling himself Hammurabi arrives on the world scene in 2670 BC--he knows the secrets of bronze, alphabet, pottery, and the code of warriors.

The pronouncements of my mistress come true in 2630 BC, as she teaches us the power of brokering--buying mysticism from rome for 98g. Tehn selling it and 40g to Babylon for the secrets of bronze and pottery.  The foreign advisor learns that the Romans have a monopoly on the secrets of iron.  My mistress holds a two-day feast to honor her father, Ra, in 2590 BC with the start of the pyramids in Thebes.  Our citizens further rejoice with the founding of Memphis northwest of Thebes by the wheated plains.  That same year, a strange looking man named Gandhi arrives.  Our foreign adviser earns her stripes with a trade of mysticism and 11 gold for the secrets of alphabet.

My mistress continues to receive emissaries from foreign lands--Alexander in 2470 BC, when they they finish the colossus and start on the oracle. Upon meeting  another leader, Xerses, my mistress has to admit to the collected advisors that her gambit to learn the workings of round objects has failed by eight turns.  So, the advisors do nothing but bicker and fight the decrees of my mistress.  Being merciful, instead of killing them outright, she shows them WHY she is supreme.  Meet greeks and persians--all are up 4 techs WC, writing, IW, and the wheel.  So in 2310 BC, she sends 6gpt & 46g to Gandhi for writing. Writing is then sent to the Arabs for the code of the warrior, contact with Temujin, and 10g. Alphabet and masonry are shipped to the Mongols for knowledge of iron and 7g.  Those pompous advisors are again put in their place--there is technological parity excepting the wheel, which is due in 4 on a min science run. My mistress has acquired 4 secrets and contact at the cost of 159g. A sister leader, Elizabeth, shows up in 2190 BC--my mistress sends iron working her way at a monopoly price (Elizabeth has met no one yet) for 250g.  Another sister, Joan D'Arc also shows up--she has a puny 7g to offer for anything--my mistress tells her no thanks. Our soothsayers learn the wheel and start another minimum science run on mathematics. As her final training to the foreign advisor, my mistress shows her another lightning round of bartering:  Contacts with England and France to Rome for HBR & 43g. Sell contact with the english to Arabs for all 70 g, persians for all 48g., India for 40g, greece for all 28g, Hammurabi for 24g.  All our rivals are broke or practically broke, and the treasury's coffers bulge with 525g. My mistress confides in me that it is better to be lucky than good.  My mistress, having turned over the reigns of foreign trading to her advisor, tells of a successful trade in 1950 BC.  Abu and Alex get to meet Joan for a total of 49g.  In 1725 BC, we pull another 2-fer--our worldmap and 159g to X-man for the secrets of making maps. This secret is traded to India for Philosophy, their territory map and 3g.

The foreign advisor tells of another broker in 1475 BC--mathematics from Alex for maps and 161g. Math is then sold to Gandhi for Literature and TM. Math and Literature to the Arabs for a code of laws, territory maps and 63g. Code of laws and Math to Mongols for their WM and 29g. Math and liturature to Joan for WM and 39g. The domestic advisor reported the exploits of our intrepid settlers founding the following cities: Heliopolis in 1450BC, Elephantine in 1325 BC, Alexandria in 1300BC. My mistress orders a month-long feast in 1225 BC, when we establish a trade route for silks.  My mistress ordered the foreign advisor to work tirelessly until she finds the two remaining unknown civilizations--this work ends in 1075 BC, when we contact Korea, who is traded code of laws for his WM and contact with the Japanese.

The Scrolls of Dedi--Part II--The End of Ages and Millenia

Our foreign advisor continues trading, using two-fers.  In 925 BC, WM, 8gpt, & 302g to X-man for construction.  Construction is sent to the Arabs for secrets of worshiping many gods, 156g and their WM.  My mistress came home from her cabinet meeting--lamenting the inability of our foreign advisor to obtain the ability to create the Hanging Garderns--France, Rome, England, and Persia all have Monarchy, and the French did not have Construction--but trading for Monarchy would have bankrupt Egypt.  The only thing keeping her spirits up was the founding of  Giza.  Athens completes the Lighthouse in 825 BC.  Byblos founded in 770 BC.  El-Almarna founded in 550 BC.  In 540BC, the people rejoice for two months, as the long 40 season wait to learn currency completes, and Egypt enters the Middle Ages.  My mistress instructs the foreign advisor to trade construction and currency plus 2 gpt and 59g to Gandhi for republic.  Immediately the people demand more representation in their government, in 510BC, Egypt is a republic--income jumps 7 gpt even with luxury taxes rising to 20%.  My mistress sends the science advisor on a long holiday; the foreign advisor will acquire all our knowledge while he is resting.  Hieraconpolis' founding in 490BC provides more horses to Egypt, and begins to apply the pressure of our advanced cultureto a nearby greek city.  The domestic advisor reports an income of 36 gpt.  The foreign/science advisor uses some ingenuity in 490 BC by practically giving away currency to Wang Kon for WM and 34g. My mistress ignores the frantic screams of the vacationing science advisor--having some knowledge of what her deft foreign advisor intends.  Korea obtains a free secret--feudalism.  The republic, WM  and 97g gets feudalism from him.  Feudalism, WM, 4gpt, and 15g to England for Engineering.  Feudalism, WM, 9gpt, and 93g to the Arabs for Monotheism.  The foreign advisor sells Engineering back to Korea for 97g and Monarchy.  A feast is held in the foreign advisor's honor for obtaining three middle age secrets for 13 gpt and 74g.  The science advisor slinks back off to his beach house, as Theology will be researched in 40 seasons.  Here is a rendering of Egypt in 490 BC.

The tale of the remaining years of the fourth millenia of Egypt are few in great detail.  Many work parties get trained out of the capital, and more cities are founded.  My mistress laments that the Persians complete the Hanging Gardens in 430 BC.  Abydos is founded in 410 BC.  In this time, Egypt becomes known for its high culture, and my mistress believes that everyone's science advisors are on holiday--as she smiles mischieviously.  A weeklong feast is held in honor of Egypt's first cathedral is built in 300 BC.  Theology is learned before our 40 season run completes, so the foreign/science advisor buys it from Rome in 70 BC AIs for 33gpt and 112g.  Theology is bartered with France with 4 gpt for Invention.  My mistress coyly gives in to our neighbor, England's demands for our territory map and 11g in 70 BC.

Here is our mapmaker's efforts to capture the extent of the Egyptian empire in 10 AD.

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