Dev Narrative - AAR news - Pharaohs & Consuls mod for Crusader Kings II

Hi all, just wanted to post the first chapter of my first ever AAR for CKII, which is using the current alpha branch of the mod. Just wanted to show everyone I am still active and recently had alot of free time to work on the mod so let me know what you think and if you enjoy the style/content?!

A Magistrate of Egypt

Preface & Introduction

NOTE: This AAR is done using a WIP version of an unreleased alpha build of Pharaohs & Consuls.

Greetings, I bring you the tale of a young nobleman recently appointed to the chair of the city of Swenett, Egypt, by the grace of the Pharaoh in the Year 99 AUC (Ad Urbe Condita, so approx 654/3 BC). That (little-known at the time) man is Nynetjer, of the house of Amenemhet.

Egypt has just been reunited by Psamtik I of the Saite dynasty, after expelling it’s former Kushite Pharaoh, Tantamani, to the lands of Nubia and Kush. The past several years has seen the current Pharaoh’s father, Necho, killed in battle at the hands of Tantamani, with a heavy tribute placed upon Psamtik’s freshly reunited Egypt by the Assyrian’s in return for their assisting him in seizing the throne. Some Egyptians even dare whisper that it was Ashurbanipal the Assyrian King who had devised the entire scenario of replacing Tantamani with the Saite dynasty as puppets to further his own objectives in Egypt, as if Ra Himself had not willed the rightful return of the Pharaoh.

The walled city of Swenett lies on Egypt’s current southern border, it is the largest city in the province of the same name, with moderate yearly harvests and reliable inundation from the nile. The newly-appointed Leader of the City, Nynetjer, had arrived from his hometown of Per-Amun in Lower Egypt just a month earlier and was just sworn in with little ceremony on the 2nd of January of the current year.
This is the Story of the House of Amenemhet, as recorded by his own telling with supplemental information as is required in regards to the state of Egypt and the neighbouring countries at the time.
-by Godream
​ - Chapter I -

I, Nynetjer

I was certain my reputation as a skilled negotiator was the only thing that had secured me this posting. I had never heard of Swenett, that is until several weeks ago when the Pharaoh’s Royal Steward, Ramses had sent me a scroll with the order to report to the city as it’s chief Magistrate.

It was a tiring journey of several weeks, journeying through both Lower and then Upper Egypt, I was thankful for the timing of my assignment, as it meant that I was travelling during the cooler months of the year and this meant that the heat was not as unbearable as it usually was. During my travels I heard several rumours from my travelling companions and from other noblemen we encountered along the way, that the Pharaoh’s armies were preparing to march against the Kushites again. I wondered how this might affect my new responsibilities; Swenett was situated on the border with Nubia which was considered Kushite territory.

Finishing my journey, I arrived at the Temple of Isis, which was situated a few kilometres from the walls of Swenett itself. There, the head Priest of the Temple, a man named Khnemet, greeted me warmly amid my procession of servants and travelling companions and brought me to his public chambers to discuss my appointment. The chamber in which we were meeting was just adjacent to the large limestone walls of the Temple itself.After settling in, He graciously explained to me that He was the current Chancellor of Swenett as well as the head Priest of the Temple of Isis, a dual responsibility which had been forced upon him due to the unexpected demise of the city’s former Magistrate, barely a month prior.

He also explained that it would be best for me to take a local woman as a wife as soon as possible as was the custom in Swenett, seeing as I was from Lower Egypt He offered to assist me and explain any of the local customs or traditions as best he could as was also his duty as my chancellor.

I thanked Khnemet, I informed him that if there was a suitable woman, I would be willing to have a wedding ceremony organized as soon as possible to show my goodwill to the people. He seemed pleased by my decisiveness and nodded vigorously. In addition to this, as he was my Chancellor it seemed fitting that I mention the rumours I had heard during my travels concerning the possibility of another war with Kush.

The Chancellor seemed unsurprised, He shrugged his shoulders and said he had heard the rumors for quite some time now and also that it may prevent my attending to local administrative matters initially, as I would be required to report with a body of the city’s armed warriors to the Pharaohs armies if the call to war would indeed occur.

Again, I thanked the Chancellor and informed him that I should make speed to the city for my ceremonial appointment and begin my duties as besst I could. He respectfully received my appreciation and mentioned that my High Steward and Commander would receive me at the city gates and attend the ceremony with me.

​Taking my leave of the Chancellor and of the temple, I headed towards the City gates with my procession of servants and companions and was greeted there by a body of noblemen and several guards. The two more regally dressed men in the group introduced themselves as Inaros and Shabataka; and then identified themselves with well-practised bows, as my Royal Steward and Commander.

For several days following this I rested, and acquainted myself with other members of my ruling council, all of whom were from the city and quite familiar with the local populace and customs. There was Ahmose, the Spymaster, known to be a honourable but ambitious man. Then there was Djehutime, the local court priest, who had a reputation of being both a heavy eater and quite lazy in regards to his duties. The rest of my council I had met on my first day in Swenett and overall I had an impression of friendliness and attentiveness from them, which I took as a small blessing in this new undertaking.

On the 3rd of January, My Steward, Inaros, arrived in my magistrate’s office with a tall, elegantly-dressed, and quite beautiful woman. Noticing my approving gaze, He introduced her as Hebeny, saying that she had a reputation as diligent and kind, but was also known to the local nobility as a proud woman who resisted the efforts of several suiters earlier in the year. Hebeny, while standing quite still and seeming at ease, met my gaze and for a moment I was certain I could see agreement towards me in her eyes. Finally forcing my eyes away from hers, I noticed Inaros pause and then finally dive into the ending of what seemed to be a prepared speech, “She has been offered to you in marriage, your acceptance of this offer would please and honour her parents greatly.” I did notice that He did not mentioned her being affected by this marriage, and so out of curiosity I bid him pause, and asked her if she would be pleased by my acceptance. A few seconds of silence followed and her startlingly sweet voice answered mine with a “Yes, my Magistrate.” while meeting my gaze again.

The Marriage ceremony was over within a few days, with my Chancellor, Khnemet graciously performing the ceremony. I did not regret my decision at all, Hebeny and I have bonded so far quite well and share a mutual affection for each other. I have pleased the local peoples by respecting their customs and traditions and I believe have found a good wife in this Swenettian Noblewoman.

Several days after the Marriage ceremony, A messenger arrived from the capital, Zau {Sais} (located by the Nile Delta region in Lower Egypt) with important news, I was to be appointed Nomarch of Swenett, effective immediately.

I could scarcely believe my ears as the messenger read the contents of the papyrus scroll aloud in my audience chamber… I hadn’t even accustomed myself to my duties as the Magistrate of the city itself, much less the local countryside. I consulted Chancellor Khnemet, who explained to me that although it was a great privilege for one so young to be bestowed such a position, it was mostly honourary and had little in terms of additional responsibilities, aside from being the head of one of the many sepats (duchies) which formed the twin kingdoms of Egypt.

Within a few weeks of being promoted to the rank of Nomarch, I had spent a large portion of my time with my wife and Chancellor overseeing the affairs of the city when another messenger arrived, this time from Nomarch Iufni of the Sepat of Waset (Thebes). It contained a request for troops to be raised and marching orders to join the Pharaoh’s armies as they passed Swenett and into Kush for an offensive against the Nubians on the border.

Khnemet and I worked tirelessly to raise as many men in a short time as possible, by the time the Pharaoh’s army slowly came into view from the walls of Swenett, we had just prepared around two-hundred spear-armed warriors. Leaving my wife Hebeny in Swenett as my designated regent, Chancellor Khnemet and I joined the Pharaoh’s army on the march into Nubia.

The campaign was long and hard; after a grueling six months on the march, Khnemet and I had fought at two decisive battles, Zabargad and Qasribim. After the battle at Zabargad, Khnemet had pointed out the middle-aged Pharaoh Psamtik to me, from amongst a group of royal attendants and generals.

​In January of the following year, I was attending to the siegeworks around the Kushite capital of Meroe under the command of the Egyptian general Kheperekheperure of Tpyhwt. He and I had quite some time during the long siege to discuss many topics, after speaking at length we both realized we shared strong views on the righteousness of our Egyptian faith, and shared many jokes at the expense of the Kushite’s mistaken beliefs. Chancellor Khnemet, himself a priest, seemed to take a more moderate view on the topic, but engaged in our conversations anyhow; we were glad for the company and how it helped time pass more quickly.

Towards the end of the siege, there was a brief sortie from the exhausted Kushite defenders of Meroe; Khnemet and I found ourselves fighting hand to hand with several warriors, after this encounter I thankfully granted him the rank of Seal Bearer in my court. It was during this campaign that I also appointed Chancellor Khnemet as the Court Physician due to his high knowledge of religious and medical matters.

Meroe soon fell to Kheperekheperure’s forces, and in the days that followed I received word from my Wife Hebeny that our Royal General, Shabataka, in command of supply deliveries to our troops, had died of a sudden illness. The scroll also mentioned that there was an ongoing revolt against the Nomarch of Thebes by a Magistrate Neferetiabet of Nekhab and his local supporters as a result of the Nomarch’s arbitrary rule. I sent word back to her promising that I would fill the council position upon my return to Swenett, and asked her to strengthen the city guard in case the rebels decided to march south. The majority of our forces continued the siege of several smaller Kushite towns and fortresses around Meroe in the weeks following this.

News soon reached our camp of several stinging defeats at the hands of the Kushites. A prominent young commander in their ranks, known to us as Loua, had defeated the Pharaoh’s Philistine allies at Marsaalam and also defeated and captured the Pharaoh’s General, Sneferu, at Aydhab. This turn of events meant the eastern armies of the Pharaoh arrayed along the coast were in full retreat and our own force was cut-off from its supply lines.

Upon hearing this news, our Commander, Kheperekheperure, ordered us to break camp and march north. Forming up our men in a column, Seal Bearer Khnemet and I led the march towards Hayya.

Upon arriving in Hayya, Kheperekheperure ordered our forces further north into the Nubian heartlands. Again on the march, we passed several columns of Philistines and Egyptians marching southward who were led by a group of noblemen. I had a chance to speak to several of the attendants and they informed me that this force was heading to secure the area around Meroe and was led by a newly-appointed general from Khito (Near the capital Zau), Akheoerkare, who had a reputation as a brave and honourable warrior.

Rumours had reached us claiming that the Kushite army was embroiled in tribal conflict along the Nubian coast. Around the same time we established our camp near several Nubian tribal strongholds, my Seal Bearer Khnemet came to me and shared that he had heard that the rebels in Thebes had defeated several Theban armies led by Hsekiu, the General of Thebes, and were laying siege to the city itself. Although I was troubled by this news, I did not let it disturb me from my duties as I led my men through their daily training drills. Khnemet and I were soon summoned to the General’s tent and informed that the army would be led by a new nobleman from Lower Egypt, Meribre; several of the Commanders spoke highly of him as he was known to be a zealous Egyptian and also possessed an intelligent mind.

​The weeks dragged on and turned to months, it had almost been two years since I left my wife and court in Swenett, we busied ourselves with the business of sieging tribal strongholds and had a few open battles with the local Nubian tribes. It was during this time that I garnered a reputation as being honest and gregarious, my time spent with the soldiers and lower ranking officials had given me a reputation as sociable and friendly.

In March, following the successful siege of the largest Nubian stronghold, a large contingent of Arubu soldiers (from the Sinai Peninsula) joined our command alongside a General from Upper Egypt ordered to take the fight to the Kushite army. This General, Sanakhte of Khasu, had a reputation as an honourable duelist, and had been chosen to lead the entirety of the Pharaoh’s army in Nubia against the common foe.

Now under new orders, We marched towards the coast, and presumably the Kushite army. After several days of manoeuvring near Salum, a decisive battle was fought, with General Sanakhte outflanking the notorious Kushite leader, Loua and annihilating his force. Victorious, our Army marched north in pursuit, and caught the majority of the Kushite stragglers near Aydhad and began an assault on the garrison there.

-End of Chapter I