The Osiris WorldsTM STEVE JACKSON GAMES Stock #37-1674 Version 1.0 – September 2021 ® TM Written by PHIL MASTERS Edited by NIKOLA VRTIS Illustrated by TITHI LUADTHONG GURPS System Design z STEVE JACKSON GURPS Line Editor z SEAN PUNCH GURPS Project Manager z STEVEN MARSH Production Artist z NIKOLA VRTIS GURPS FAQ Maintainer z VICKY “MOLOKH” KOLENKO Chief Executive Officer z PHILIP REED Chief Creative Officer z SAM MITSCHKE Chief Operating Officer z SUSAN BUENO Director of Sales z ROSS JEPSON Page Design z PHIL REED and JUSTIN DE WITT Art Direction and Prepress Checker z NIKOLA VRTIS GURPS, Pyramid, Warehouse 23, the pyramid logo, Infinite Worlds, The Osiris Worlds, and the names of all products published by Steve Jackson Games Incorporated are trademarks or registered trademarks of Steve Jackson Games Incorporated, or used under license. GURPS Infinite Worlds: The Osiris Worlds is copyright © 2021 by Steve Jackson Games Incorporated. All rights reserved. Some images used under license from Shutterstock.com. The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this material via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal, and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.
Contents Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Recommended Works . . . . . . . . . . 2 About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 1. Ancient Egypt in the Infinite Worlds . . . 3 Concerns for Visitors . . . . . . . . . . 3 Cultural Familiarity . . . . . . . . . 3 About GURPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Languages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Bronze Age Dating Problems . . . . . 4 Some Interesting Dates . . . . . . . . . 4 Other Osiris Worlds . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 2. Three Key Worldlines . . 6 Osiris-6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Osiris-6, 2581 B.C. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Pyramid Power! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Outworld Operations . . . . . . . . . . 7 The Great Movers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Osiris-3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 “That Criminal” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Osiris-3, 1345 B.C. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Outworld Operations . . . . . . . . . . 8 Dark Armies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Osiris-7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Osiris-7, 554 C.E. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Cleopatra Triumphant . . . . . . . . . 9 Alexandrian Technology . . . . . . . . 10 Outworld Operations . . . . . . . . . 10 Contents and Introduction 2 Introduction Ancient Egypt was one of history’s first civilizations. Its origins lost in the Stone Age African mists, it survived to the age of Rome and built the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the World. It confronted the empires of Mesopotamia and Iran as a rival, the Greeks saw it as a land of ancient knowledge and sometimes as an ally, and modern would-be magicians persist in looking there for secrets. Anyone interested in the African roots of civilization must study it, too. Hence, Egypt will always be of some interest to Infinity Unlimited whenever they encounter a timeline where its power or culture survive – which in practice means most worlds with a current-day date in the B.C. range, but not many with a much later present. Researchers will always want reports. Scavengers and opportunists will often find things worth investigating. Meanwhile, Infinity’s dark mystical shadows in the Cabal, who trace their traditions back to the Old Kingdom, regard the place with greedy awe. What is less common are timelines where Egypt is a dominant global power or the focus of Infinity’s attention. There are a few, though, and Infinity gives them the tag “Osiris,” after one of the Egyptian gods. This supplement takes a skim through that catalog, paying special attention to three interesting cases. Recommended Works Obviously, this supplement builds on the descriptions of Infinity in the GURPS Basic Set and GURPS Infinite Worlds. In addition, while historical information on Ancient Egypt is widely available from multiple sources, GURPS Egypt is an excellent summary of the topic, GURPS Places of Mystery has details of relevant locations, and GURPS Cabal describes the Egyptian early history of the Cabal. Other volumes of interest are referenced where relevant in the text. About the Author British writer Phil Masters has been the author or co-author of numerous GURPS books over the last 30 years, from GURPS Arabian Nights and GURPS Places of Mystery, through the Discworld Roleplaying Game, to GURPS Infinite Worlds: Britannica-6 and the Fourth Edition GURPS Steampunk series. He has also written for other game lines, including Champions, Mage: The Sorcerers Crusade, Ars Magica, and Trail of Cthulhu.
Ancient Egypt in the Infinite Worlds 3 Infinity’s corporate knowledge of Ancient Egypt is maintained by one of dozens of specialist offices under the Records and Research Division, staffed by scholars and retired Scouts. This is strictly a civilian department; some of the academics periodically need reminding of that, as they would love to get out into the field to confirm their theories. Also, one minor complaint against them is that, because they recruit from mainstream academia, they are institutionally incapable of treating the supernatural as real. Members of any Infinity branch can call on the Ancient Egypt Office’s expertise. The office also liaises with outside organizations, from White Star to Time Tours. Actual fieldwork, though, is in the hands of the usual I-Cop and Scout teams and departments. Concerns for Visitors Ancient Egypt was a civilization, with a remarkable degree of continuity across its 3,000 years. Although it was sometimes conquered, like other long-lived civilizations, it showed a capacity for assimilating conquering rulers; it helped that one who declared himself Pharaoh might be worshiped as a god, which many doubtless enjoyed. Many details of its culture are lost on Homeline, though, making it hard to insert agents into the Ancient Egypt of a newly discovered world and have them pass as anything except bumbling outlanders – so that is what they typically do, entering from a neighboring area and posing as merchants or other travelers. Cultural Familiarity For GURPS purposes, from 3100 to 330 B.C., “Ancient Egypt” has one Cultural Familiarity. That, inevitably, is a simplification. Egyptian culture was indeed remarkably stable, but it really is a stretch to imagine the exact same systems of etiquette and deference surviving unchanged for 3,000 years. Hence, anyone with that Cultural Familiarity entering a version of Ancient Egypt that they have not visited before takes a temporary penalty to “skills with a cultural component” (p. B23) of -1 to -3, at the GM’s option. This is akin to a technological familiarity penalty (p. B169); each -1 of penalty can be eliminated by eight hours of immersion in the life of the society. So, for example, a penalty of -3 is usually eliminated after three days of life in the specific setting. Chapter One Ancient Egypt in the Infinite Worlds About GURPS Steve Jackson Games is committed to full support of GURPS players. We can be reached by email: [email protected]. Our address is SJ Games, P.O. Box 18957, Austin, TX 78760. Resources include: New supplements and adventures. GURPS continues to grow – see what’s new at gurps.sjgames.com. Warehouse 23. Our online store offers GURPS print items, plus PDFs of our books, supplements, adventures, play aids, and support . . . including exclusive material available only on Warehouse 23! Just head over to warehouse23.com. Pyramid (pyramid.sjgames.com). For 10 years, our PDF magazine Pyramid included new rules and articles for GURPS, plus systemless locations, adventures, and more. The entire 122- issue library is available at Warehouse 23! Internet. To discuss GURPS with our staff and your fellow gamers, visit our forums at forums.sjgames.com. You can also join us at facebook.com/sjgames or twitter.com/sjgames. Share your brief campaign teasers with #GURPShook on Twitter. Or explore that hashtag for ideas to add to your own game! The GURPS Infinite Worlds: The Osiris Worlds web page is gurps.sjgames.com/osirisworlds. Store Finder (storefinder.sjgames.com): Discover nearby places to buy GURPS items and other Steve Jackson Games products. Local shops are great places to play our games and meet fellow gamers! Rules and statistics in this book are specifically for the GURPS Basic Set, Fourth Edition. Page references that begin with B refer to that book, not this one.
Ancient Egypt in the Infinite Worlds 4 After 330 B.C., Cultural Familiarity (Hellenic) becomes more appropriate in Alexandria and other cities, but the older cultural patterns may persist in backwoods parts of Egypt for many years. Languages The language of Ancient Egypt is effectively dead on Homeline; even the most knowledgeable academics cannot teach it beyond Broken level unless they have studied timelines where it is still used. “Egyptian” evolved over time, but oversimplifying for game purposes, it can be divided into Old, Middle, and Late Egyptian, the languages of the Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms respectively, with the latter two surviving into the following periods in legal and religious use; and Demotic, used for general and literary purposes in Ptolemaic times and evolving into Coptic in the Roman period. Coptic was generally replaced by Arabic after the Muslim conquest but remained in everyday use among Coptic Christians until the Middle Ages. It survives today as the liturgical language of the Coptic Church. In games which deal with languages in detail, someone who knows one of these languages can be treated as knowing its immediate predecessor and successor at one level below, and languages two steps removed as two levels below. For example, someone with Native-level Middle Egyptian effectively has Accented Old and Late Egyptian and Brokenlevel Demotic. To add to the complications, written Egyptian uses multiple scripts. From early times, formal and religious texts are written in hieroglyphs, but producing a page of clear hieroglyphic text requires Native-level literacy and a successful Artist (Calligraphy) roll at +3; if that roll is failed, any rolls involving comprehension of the text are at -2. Casual Old, Middle, and Late Egyptian writing uses hieratic; Demotic writing almost always uses the even more casual Demotic script, while hieroglyphs disappear, and Coptic is written in its own script, based on Greek with some letters borrowed from Demotic. Understanding of the hieroglyphic, hieratic, and Demotic scripts was lost in the Middle Ages, and only recovered in the 19th century. Some Interesting Dates These dates might be of particular interest to Infinity researchers and other outtimers. 5500-3150 B.C.: TL1 communities along the Nile cohere into 30 pocket kingdoms, or “nomes,” which in turn merge into Upper Egypt (the river valley) and Lower Egypt (the broad river delta). c. 3150 B.C.: Southern kings invade the north, uniting Egypt and becoming the first pharaohs. 2686 B.C.: Start of the Third Dynasty and the Old Kingdom. c. 2630-2610 B.C.: Career of Imhotep, “history’s first scientist,” vizier to the Pharaoh, the greatest architect, philosopher, and physician of his age, and creator of the first pyramid tomb. 2589-2566 B.C.: Reign of the Fourth Dynasty Pharaoh Khufu, or Cheops, who commands the construction of the Great Pyramid of Giza, a 480’ wonder that survives to this day on Homeline. The engineering methods used are still unclear. 2558-2532 B.C.: Reign of Khufu’s son Khafre, or Chephren, who builds the second greatest pyramid and orders the construction of the great Sphinx (unless the fringe theories that it is at least partially much older are correct). 2184 B.C.: Collapse of the Old Kingdom into an “Intermediate Period.” c. 2040 B.C.: Egypt reunited under the Middle Kingdom. 1782 B.C.: Collapse of the Middle Kingdom into another Intermediate Period. c. 1660 B.C.: Lower Egypt conquered by the Hyksos (possibly Indo-Europeans, more probably a Levantine people). This may have been a military conquest, with the Hyksos introducing war chariots to Egypt, or perhaps just large-scale immigration. The Hyksos rapidly adopt Egyptian customs. Bronze Age Dating Problems One problem (or opportunity) with historical Bronze Age game settings is uncertainty over dates. Traditional chronologies are based largely on lists of Egyptian pharaohs and their reigns (which assumes that records remained reliable across 2,500 years). However, it is unclear whether some of these reigns took place in sequence or in parallel (with Egypt split between rival rulers, or fathers training their sons in kingship). Some lists may have excluded hated rulers entirely. Carbon dating has not always helped enough. Some scholars are even unsure that, say, the “Greek Dark Ages” at the end of the Bronze Age actually happened. Some want to prove the accuracy of the Bible; some think that it is overrated. Some hate to discard existing chronologies; others say that the whole mess needs reworking. See GURPS Egypt, p. 32, for more on this. Since that book was written, a little evidence has been found to support something like the traditional chronology, but it is still possible to believe that 250-350 years can be cut out of accepted Egyptian timelines without being treated as a crank. There are also people who would cut more. For convenience, this supplement follows GURPS Egypt for dates. However, an Infinite Worlds game could easily involve “calibration” missions to timelines with different astronomical dates, checking who is presently Pharaoh and what is happening elsewhere in the region. Any GM who is convinced by one of the rival theories is welcome to adjust the “present” dates of any Osiris timeline to match. For real confusion, different chronologies could be correct on different timelines. Some experts might then call “wrong” timelines myth parallels, making their rivals into fantasy writers. Echo timelines might be used to determine the correct chronology for Homeline, but then, determined scholars might question whether those really are echoes. For extra chaos, Scouts might discover that reality quakes are ripping through various early-date timelines, creating the very anomalies that cause so much controversy.
Ancient Egypt in the Infinite Worlds 5 c. 1570 B.C.: The pharaohs of Upper Egypt reunite the land, founding the New Kingdom, which invades Canaan to eradicate the Hyksos threat. Egypt then conquers Nubia. 1498-1483 B.C.: While serving as regent for her infant son, Queen Hatshepsut decides that she wants a male Pharaoh’s status; she takes to dressing and acting as a man. 1350-1334 B.C.: Reign of Akhenaten, “the inventor of monotheism”; see GURPS Who’s Who 1, pp. 14-15. 1334-1325 B.C.: Reign of Akhenaten’s successor, Tutankhaten, who restores the old religion, changing his name to Tutankhamun. He is buried in a relatively small tomb that survives largely intact to be famously rediscovered in the 20th century. 1279-1212 B.C.: Reign of Ramesses II, thought to be the Pharaoh of the Bible, whose monuments still litter Homeline Egypt. Creation of 1,000- ton statues and wars against the Hittites drain his treasury, and Egypt must subsequently deal with foreign invasions and minor civil wars. 1274 B.C.: Battle of Kadesh, probably a marginal victory for Ramesses over the Hittites. c. 1200-900 B.C.: The Late Bronze Age collapse. Kingdoms and empires from Greece to Babylon implode, perhaps because of a combination of climate change, the development of ironworking (shifting Egypt from TL1 to TL2), and an associated revolution in military tactics. Egypt is invaded c. 1175 B.C. by the “Sea Peoples,” and although Ramesses III defeats them, Egypt fragments again under his successors. 1069 B.C.: End of the New Kingdom and start of the Third Intermediate Period. 671 B.C.: Lower Egypt conquered by Assyria. In 664 B.C., the Assyrian viceroy declares himself Pharaoh. 525 B.C.: Egypt conquered by Persia. 404 B.C.: Egypt regains independence. 343 B.C.: Egypt reconquered by Persia. 332 B.C.: Persians conquered by Alexander the Great. Egypt sees Alexander as a liberator; they have been allying with Greeks against Persia for years, and Alexander gives them a new capital, Alexandria. 323 B.C.: Death of Alexander. 305 B.C.: Alexander’s general Ptolemy, who was governing Egypt, declares himself Pharaoh, establishing the last dynasty. 48 B.C.: Julius Caesar arrives in Egypt during a civil war and allies with Queen Cleopatra. 44 B.C.: Caesar assassinated in Rome, leading to civil wars. Mark Antony allies with Cleopatra, but they are defeated at Actium in 31 B.C.; Egypt becomes a province of the Roman Empire, which treats it as a source of grain, wealth, and weird ideas. Egypt remained important to Rome and its successors, the Byzantines, but purely as a province. Eventually, it fell to Islam (see GURPS Arabian Nights). Though it sometimes achieved varying degrees of independence, its culture and government were now Islamic. Other Osiris Worlds Osiris-1 (Q6, current year 1261 B.C.), originally called “Kadesh,” saw an overwhelming Egyptian victory at the Battle of Kadesh. Ramesses II then snapped up many lesser kingdoms before pivoting to confront the rising power of Assyria. A showdown is coming; Infinity believes that Egypt’s superior resources will probably overwhelm King Shalmaneser’s tactical skill. There are also two known timelines in which Kadesh was a total Hittite victory. On Hatti-1 (Q6, current year 969 B.C.), the Hittites went on to prevent the rise of Assyria, and still dominate the Middle East, blunting the Late Bronze Age collapse. On Hatti-2 (Q4, current year 1210 B.C.), the Hittites are expanding north and west, developing as a maritime power and picking off Mycenaean kingdoms while Assyria turns south to conquer Egypt and expand into Africa and the Arabian coastlands. On Osiris-2 (Q3, current year 2452 B.C.), a Cabalist faction is exploiting Egypt as a trove of magical resources; the mana level is normal, but Cabalist visitors are secure in their technological superiority. As they are also training local wizards as minions, Egypt has become a garish dark fantasy land of dueling necromancers and scheming nomarchs. Infinity would like to prevent magical civil war, but all that sorcerous firepower makes things risky. Osiris-4 (Q7, current year 1989 B.C.) was a close parallel when it was discovered by Centrum some years ago, and they decided on an experimental policy of gradualist intervention with Egypt as their pawn. It now has an Iron Age technological base and cadres of sophisticated bureaucrats and military officers; its empire encompasses much of the Eastern Mediterranean. Infinity interventions are limited to occasional subtle assistance to independent kingdoms, mostly to annoy Centrum on principle, but that generally just leads to more dead locals, followed by Egyptian victory. Infinity is inclined to write the timeline off; Centrum will have to put in a lot of work to turn this into anything more profitable than a source of low-tech indentured workers, after all. Osiris-5 (Q5, current year 1266 B.C.) is a rather ordinary parallel, despite small mammoth herds in Siberia and an unusual culture in the Andes. However, Infinity believes that in less than five years, Egypt will see trouble from a group of foreign conscript-workers, the “Apiru,” in the eastern Delta. This may or may not involve a divinely inspired leader, ominous plagues, and miraculous events during the conscript-workers’ flight to their ancestral homelands. They are expected to shake off pursuing chariot forces in the marshes of the “Sea of Reeds” and escape into the Sinai Desert. Infinity dreads to think what various Homeline groups would do to interfere with these events, or just observe them. Hence, access to the timeline is strictly limited. On newly discovered Osiris-8 (Q4, current year 1153 B.C.), the Bronze Age collapse seems not to be happening, with the Mycenaean Greek kingdoms and Hittite Empire surviving longer and a persistent Egyptian presence in the Levant preventing both the rise of the Sea People-descended Philistines and the emergence of monotheistic Israel. Stable empires in a balance of power may lead to a cultural flowering, but that stability might mean a delay in the move to Iron Age technology.
Three Key Worldlines 6 These three worldlines present especially interesting challenges for Infinity Unlimited – and in some cases also for Centrum, Reich-5, or the Cabal. For other Osiris worlds, none of them entirely lacking in complications, see p. 5. Osiris-6 The Russian parachronic researchers who discovered this timeline by random dialing claim that they reported it promptly, as per regulations. Infinity believes that the Yugorovsky Group was running around there for weeks before some more academic Russian scout looked at Egypt and panicked, but so far as anyone can tell, no harm was done by the delay. Regardless, the Russian miners have pulled out. What any Egyptologist would have expected to find was the Great Pyramid under construction. What the Scouts have observed from a nervous distance seems to be a fringe theorists’ myth parallel: The Great Pyramid and the Sphinx almost complete and work on the future Pyramid of Khafre already underway, thanks to something that enables the builders to move the great stone blocks around with casual ease, with no need for conscript labor. Infinity needs to know what is going on in case this power or ability threatens The Secret, but investigating may itself run that risk. Its experts are understandably but dangerously curious. The only people who seem to be comfortable with the situation are the locals. That may be their mistake. Pyramid Power! Imhotep was a genius, but he made himself into a pawn when offered the opportunity to realize his visions with such ease. That said, the “Builders” with whom he struck some kind of deal demand very little; they not only help build giant structures with their unfathomable “magic,” but also offer good advice on peaceful governance. Imhotep and his early successors only had the help of a handful of Builders, but Khufu believes that power is meant to be used, and now there are many more in the city than there used to be. The Builders’ aid is only given to the Pharaoh and the court; although they assist with other projects if asked by the Pharaoh, they have made no bargains with the priesthood. Hence, Egypt’s millennia-long conflict between the pharaohs and the priesthood is being preemptively settled in favor of the former. Some Egyptians are disturbed that such clearly divine beings are uninterested in offers of prayers or sacrifices. No Egyptian human knows, or likes to ask, why the Builders act so obligingly, but Infinity has pointed some passive instruments at the pyramids – which are slightly different from the versions on Homeline – and has noted some subtle but growing modulations in local quantum flux patterns. The best current guess is that the Builders have manipulated the Egyptians into requesting an ultra-advanced energy modulator while reducing them to a state of happy submission. Chapter Two Three Key Worldlines Osiris-6, 2581 B.C. Current Affairs Pharaoh Khufu wills the construction of the greatest wonders of the world but may not understand the price. Divergence Point 2656 B.C.; seeking the most efficient way to construct the Step Pyramid, Imhotep makes an alliance with entities of unfathomable power. Major Civilizations Egyptian (unitary), Mesopotamian (multipolar). Great Powers Egypt (dictatorship, CR3). Worldline Data TL: 1 (“Builders” 1+?^) Mana Level: low Quantum: 6 Infinity Class: Z1 Centrum Zone: Currently undiscovered (potentially Red)
Three Key Worldlines 7 Why remains a mystery, but that level of quantum flux manipulation might do anything – including creating trans-dimensional portals at whim – and the Egyptian population may be scheduled for use as a psychic energy source. Outworld Operations Worlds with exotic (possibly alien) technologies, advanced psionics, or radical magitech give Infinity the willies, and on Osiris-6, they still don’t know where to start asking questions. Anyone capable of this may also be perfectly capable of detecting off-world investigators, capturing them, and pulling information out of their brains, so the Scouts move very slowly. Infinity also wants to keep knowledge of this world secret on Homeline; too many crazies and opportunists (and crazy opportunists) would just love to hear that this sort of “ancient wisdom” is real and accessible. That should not be hard – unless any Russian mining scouts know too much and feel inclined to sell the story. Fortunately, no other crosstime power seems to know about this Egypt . . . yet. Scenarios on or concerning Osiris-6 might involve intensive training in mental defense followed by very careful infiltration of Egyptian society, double-checking that the Russians who discovered the place are not talking to anyone, or research into possible analogous events in the past of other timelines. Visits to Mesopotamian city-states to determine what anyone there knows might be profitable. Of course, Nazis or Centrum agents might show up sometime. The Great Movers Possibilities as to what the “Builders” are include: • A cult of psionic adepts with more telekinetic aptitude than any known mortal human psionic. If they are native to this world, how did they arise here? If not, where did they come from? • Wizards from this or another timeline with a lot of power focused on the Earth college or equivalent. Could they be a Cabalist faction seeking to reenact the origins of the Cabal itself under controlled conditions? • Aliens with hypertech. But why should this be the only timeline with the confirmed presence of extraterrestrials on Earth? Or could they be extradimensional aliens, from a timeline outside of Infinity’s quantum model? The Builders are rarely observed up close by casual observers. Scouts who have seen them from a distance report that they appear humanoid, if taller than normal humans, but are always clad entirely in “shining white” garments, including full-face masks. They carry off the classic air of mystery so easily that some Scouts say that they must be survivors of Lost Atlantis, just because. No reliable local informant has come up with more details; the Builders never shed their “robes” in front of mortals. Scouts have not observed them using any powers other than those involved in cutting and assembling the great monuments, and they work to the designs of human engineers. They do sometimes move around on flying platforms that may be antigravity vehicles or a way to focus telekinetic energies. However, Infinity cannot believe that beings who can do what they do lack other scary powers. It is possible that they are taking some kind of payment but are obscuring the fact from the minds of observers. Paralabs is developing subtle, preferably passive, instruments that can be disguised as TL1 equipment and used to determine what the “Builders” are doing. Osiris-3 This timeline was discovered when a Nexus Oversight team (Infinite Worlds, p. 13) investigating a dimensional highway blundered into a primal forest in Europe and measured the local parachronic coordinates. Probes identified the local date and other conditions and failed to detect any large-scale deviations from Homeline history. As the reign of the heretic Pharaoh Akhenaten (see “That Criminal,” below) seemed like an interesting topic to investigate, Scout teams were inserted into the Syrian highlands, disguised as itinerant traders. The first clue that all was not well came when the Scouts had difficulty establishing contact with paranoid local herders. The second was when locals who they did contact told them that any attempt to visit Egypt would be crazy. The third was an encounter with a patrol of vicious nonhuman troops. Moreover, no one had heard the name “Akhenaten”; the ruler of the Egyptian Empire was known only as the Pharaoh, though the word might be accompanied by a curse. “That Criminal” In Homeline history, Akhenaten ascended the throne as Amenhotep IV and made a bold attempt to curb the power of the priests of the state worship of Amun. He replaced it with worship of the solar disc (or Aten), changed his name, and moved the court to his new city of Akhetaten. Akhenaten is sometimes described as the inventor of monotheism and even as history’s first individualist; romantics from Homeline had long wanted to meet him, although some Egyptologists warned them to be prepared for a shock. Archaeological evidence suggests that the workers in Akhetaten were malnourished and sickly; perhaps it was less a utopia than a cult compound. . . . King of the Gods, whose names are manifold, whose forms are holy, thou being of hidden form in the temples, whose Ka is holy. – The Egyptian Book of the Dead
Three Key Worldlines 8 On Osiris-3, it is much worse. Infinity does not believe that the situation corresponds to any other timeline’s history, whatever the priests of Amun said. Amenhotep has been transformed into something terrible, raised an army of monsters, and developed uncanny powers that strengthen his rule over an Egyptian Empire where rebels and captured enemies die horribly. Now, Egypt’s ghoul armies are moving north while the Hittites quail. Outworld Operations Infinity would be happy to pull out of Osiris-3 and prohibit further visits, except that they do not know whether the Dark Pharaoh may be capable of operating beyond this timeline, especially as several nexus portals and dimensional highways have now been identified as leading here. (Nexus Oversight is fortifying those very strongly.) Hence, a base has been set up on Lucifer-2 (see Infinite Worlds, p. 134) from which cautious expeditions jump over. The problem is that any contact with Egyptian authorities is dangerous; ghouls have already killed two Scouts, and Infinity is frankly more worried about the danger that others may be captured and magically interrogated. Current plans involve providing secret aid to the Hittites, if only to buy time. It would help if Infinity had any a clear idea what the Pharaoh is. The best guess is that Amenhotep has been possessed by a malevolent supernatural entity, and if it claims to be a god, it may have a point. Professor William Headley (p. B314) of ISWAT might have some ideas, but these currently remain nebulous (and unpronounceable). The Scouts or ISWAT may soon be tasked to acquire more information. Osiris-3, 1345 B.C. Current Affairs The Dark Pharaoh reshapes Egypt into a weapon and a dark mirror of his (its?) will, while terrified Hittites and Babylonians strengthen their defensive alliance. Divergence Point 1350 B.C.; seeking spiritual communion with the Aten, the new Pharaoh Amenhotep IV achieves union with something which is not the Sun God. Major Civilizations Egyptian (empire), Hittite (empire with satellites), Mesopotamian (empire with rivals), Minoan (diffuse). Great Powers Egypt (theocracy, CR6), Hittites (dictatorship, CR4), Kassite Babylon (dictatorship, CR4), Mycenaean Kingdoms (clan/tribal, CR2). Worldline Data TL: 1 Mana Level: normal Quantum: 3 Infinity Class: Z1 Centrum Zone: Inaccessible
Three Key Worldlines 9 Fortunately, no other crosstime factions appear to be aware of this timeline yet. Centrum is unlikely to find it except via a random portal, Reich-5 does not seem to have blundered into it and would hopefully be ideologically disinclined to ally with Egypt, and no Cabal activity has been identified. Some Patrol officers have wondered about reaching out to saner elements of the Cabal for some kind of alliance here, but most analysts are unsure whether Cabalists would be most likely to oppose the Pharaoh, study him closely, or offer him Grand Master status. Also, the symmetry of this mystery and that of Osiris-6 (pp. 6-7) has not escaped Infinity’s notice. The possibility that the Builders are planning to unleash an interdimensional psychic WMD on the Dark Pharaoh is interesting, but leaves the question of possible collateral damage. Osiris-7 Osiris-7 isn’t the first timeline to be discovered where Antony and Cleopatra won at Actium; Johnson’s Rome (Infinite Worlds, pp. 130-131) has a similar past. In this timeline, though, Cleopatra was a more equal partner, thanks to a stroke of luck dating back a generation, and the Antonine-Ptolemaic dynasty resurrected much of the glory that was Egypt. Now, six centuries on, Infinity has found a world where the Egyptian-Roman Empire thinks that its glory is eternal, and clockpunk wonders simply embellish it. Infinity, however, knows that all good things will come to an end. Cleopatra Triumphant On Homeline, Cleopatra played the hand that she was given quite well. In a world where her father was better advised, she held better cards. While her conflict with her brother and her alliances with Roman leaders happened much the same way, she made a point of securing the loyalty of the palace guards, a small force but trained in the skills and tactics of a Roman legion. Additionally, the aid of experienced Egyptian diplomats enabled Caesar and Antony to win more in the east at lower cost. Hence, Actium was a genuine joint victory for her and Antony. The Roman politician was smart enough to acknowledge this without alienating anyone too badly; Alexandria became the de facto capital of the eastern half of the empire, but Egyptian corn and wealth and triumphs over Persia kept Rome content. At about this time, Cleopatra began restoring and expanding the Library of Alexandria as a symbol of her glory. A couple of centuries later, this paid off when scholars there invented the scientific method. The technologies they create tend to be small, elegant, and showy rather than powerful, but they filter through to strengthen the empire. Meanwhile, Egypt’s leaders encountered the problem of governing a sprawling, polyglot realm, but the solution was implicit in their situation; they formalized the existence of two capitals. Alexandria is sophisticated and diplomatically adept; Rome is straightforward and provides a military foundation. It is surprising that this has taken so long to lead to the predictable problems: a deep cultural split, with ambitious consuls in Rome sneering at the emperors who prefer the luxuries of Alexandria. Dark Armies The Pharaoh’s elite forces have been raised magically from dark corners of the land, or perhaps from other dimensions, and reshaped into soldiers. They are brutal, with unpleasant eating habits, and very tough. They take military discipline but lapse into uncontrolled atrocity given the chance. Use one of the Ghoul, Fantasy Ghoul, or Ghul templates from GURPS Horror, pp. 59-60, depending on what the GM wants to define as the true nature of the Pharaoh. Other monsters may also be present as elite assault troops or palace guardians. Osiris-7, 554 C.E. Current Affairs Roman dynamism, Hellenic ingenuity, and Alexandrian scholarship power a clockpunk empire of whirling cogwheels, Heronian motors, and luminous war-balloons, intimidating other powers – but not Rome itself, which dreams of old-fashioned glory. Divergence Point 55 B.C.; a better-advised Ptolemy XII acquires the nucleus of a Roman-style army and initiates a subtle diplomatic policy. Major Civilizations Romano-Hellenic-Egyptian (empire, turning bipolar), Chinese (multipolar), Indic (empire with rivals), Iranic (empire), Bactrian (diffuse). Great Powers Rome-Alexandria (oligarchy, CR4), Persia (feudal, CR4), Neo-Panchala (caste, CR4), South Chinese League (dictatorship, CR5), Tocharians (theocracy, CR2). Worldline Data TL: 2+2 Mana Level: low Quantum: 6 Infinity Class: P9 Centrum Zone: Yellow
Three Key Worldlines 10 Outworld Operations Osiris-7 would make a fascinating study and a great tourist destination, without many threats to The Secret – if not for the politics. The Roman Empire has already fragmented in everything but name, and war looks inevitable. The eastern frontier is far from stable, and the tribes of northern Europe, having been bottled up by Alexandrian technology and diplomacy, are poised to lash out. China and India experience troubles, too, despite having assimilated a number of imported Alexandrian inventions. Infinity keeps agents in place, trying to decide how much to interfere while shepherding tourists and monitoring Cabalists in the Library of Alexandria. Centrum, however, having recently discovered this timeline, is moving resources into place to bolster Alexandria, before turning it into a global technocracy. The problem for I-Cops is stymieing that without handing the empire over to the ur-fascism of Rome. A further minor oddity is the appearance of an enigmatic prophet who has united several Bactrian tribes with a powerful monotheistic message that reminds some I-Cops of early Islam. With Persia and China both unstable and distracted, there may be scope for a new power to erupt in the near future – especially if Alexandria backs the prophet in order to keep Persia off balance, which would be typical of its excessive cleverness. Alexandrian Technology Most of Osiris-7 is at high TL2 and rising. The western empire is heading strongly into TL(2+1), mostly through imported technologies from Alexandria that bring it close to Homeline TL3; it has stirrups, steels, and new farming methods. Its armies resemble those of the Homeline Byzantine Empire, with good infantry and cavalry. Persia, India, and China have imported some similar technologies, and their alchemists and doctors are fully capable of independent breakthroughs. The Alexandrian Empire is solidly TL(2+1), advancing to TL(2+2) in Egypt and dabbling with TL(2+3) clockpunk gadgets in Alexandria. Tinkerers there build excellent clockwork, complete with escapement mechanisms; if using the rules on pp. 7-15 of GURPS Steampunk 2: Steam and Shellfire, treat these as TL5 devices with the Dedicated and Mechanical options mandatory. The best local steels give elite troops fancy TL4-equivalent armor; elegant Alexandrian scholar-equestrians wear smallswords and have developed fencing skills to go with them. Alexandria does not have gunpowder, but a few army officers carry powerful (but very expensive) air guns, equal in performance to the assassin’s air rifle in GURPS Steampunk 2, pp. 32-33, or the Steyr-Girandoni in GURPS High-Tech, p. 88. Steam power has been invented, but so far is just a toy; “Heronian” engines develop high speeds but little torque, and even if they are connected to ingenious gear systems, are very inefficient. Most dramatically, at least in the eyes of locals, Alexandria has hot air balloons, as good as if not better than anything in Homeline’s 19th century. Low-tech hot air balloons are usually incapable of prolonged flights, but Alexandrian alchemists have developed expensive, dangerous fuels based on naphtha that allow, for example, military observation balloons to stay up for a couple of hours. Even Alexandrian alchemists have not yet produced hydrogen, but they may achieve this soon; if they do, local aeronautics will doubtless adopt it. (These are comparable to the observation balloons described in GURPS Vehicles: Steampunk Conveyances, pp. 13, 17, but with increased SM.) Inventors are also tinkering with submersible designs resembling Fulton’s Nautilus (Steampunk Conveyances, pp. 10-12).
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