GURPS 4th edition. Infinite Worlds: The Osiris Worlds

11 Pages·2021·4.891 MB·English

by  Phil Masters

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