Priestess OAD

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<<if $readyForKemhotepAtrium>>\ <<set $readyForKemhotepAtrium to false>>\ <<goto "AtriumKemhotep">>\ <</if>>\ <div class="textbox">\ <h1>Atrium</h1> <p>You stand in the atrium of the house. Light filters through the skylight above, casting patterns across the limestone floor. From here, you can access every room in the house. There is a doorway toward the courtyard of the temple complex.</p>\ <ul class="room-list"> <li><<action "Go to Bathroom" "Bathroom" 1 1>></li> <li><<action "Go to Bedroom" "Bedroom" 1 2>></li> <li><<action "Go to Father's Study" "FatherStudy" 1 3>></li> <li><<action "Go to Parents' room" "Parentsroom" 1 4>></li> <li><<action "Go to Brothers' room" "Brothers' room" 1 5>></li> <li><<action "Go to Kitchen" "Kitchen" 1 6>></li> <li><<action "Go to Cellar" "Cellar" 1 7>></li> <li><<action "Go to Roof" "Roof" 1 8>></li> <<if $TahiraTookBath>>\ <li><<action "Go to Complex" "Complex" 1 8>></li> <</if>>\ </ul> </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Atrium</h1> As you step from the shadowed passage of the cellar, a figure straightens from where he had been examining a loose floor tile near the parched, cracked threshold of the atrium. <<set _hk to 1>>\ <<naction "Kemhotep" "KemhotepIntro" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>>\ </div>

<div class="textbox"> <h1>Audience Room</h1>\ <<if $restorationLevel == 1>> The audience room is little more than a hollow shell, its walls crumbled inward and its floors buried under the dirt of ages. It is a melancholy sight, entirely unfit to receive the prayers of the poor or the petitions of the great. <<elseif $restorationLevel == 2>> The room has been swept of its sorrowful ruin. Temporary supports hold the cracked walls, and though it is bare and humble, you can at least walk across the floor without stumbling over the bones of the temple. <<elseif $restorationLevel == 3>> The roof has been repaired, and the intense heat of the day no longer beats down upon those who come to seek guidance. The space feels welcoming again, a refuge for the weary hearts of the city. <<elseif $restorationLevel >= 4>> It has become a grand and imposing space once more. Lavish decorations catch the eye, and the room commands absolute reverence from any citizen of the Black Land who comes to lay their hopes before the temple. <</if>> <<set _hk to 1>> <<action "Return to Complex" "Complex" 2 _hk>><<set _hk++>> <<if $finishedInheritanceQuest>> <<if $hygiene >= 50>> <<action "Hear the Pleas of the People" "Audience Room" 0 _hk "openAudienceDocketDialog">><<set _hk++>> <<else>> <li><div class="disabled-action"><em>You are entirely too filthy to sit before the people. Take a bath first.</em></div></li> <</if>> <</if>> </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Bathroom</h1>\ <p>The small bathroom is functional and clean, if a bit cramped. There's a simple basin for washing, a chamber pot for necessities, and a shelf with various hygiene supplies.</p>\ <<if $knowsTahira>>\ <<if not $metTahira>>\ <p>You can hear the rhythmic swish of a reed broom nearby. Tahira is somewhere in the house, maintaining the temple as your father instructed.</p>\ <<elseif setup.isWorkerBusy("Tahira")>>\ <p>Tahira is currently out performing the tasks you assigned her. You will have to bathe alone.</p>\ <<elseif $time < 360 or $time >= 1380>>\ <p>The house is silent. Tahira has retired to her quarters for the night, leaving you to your own devices.</p>\ <<else>>\ <p>Tahira is nearby, quietly sweeping the floors. She is ready to drop her chores and assist you with your bath if called upon.</p>\ <</if>>\ <</if>>\ <<if $bathroomExamined>>\ <p>The air is faintly perfumed with natron and aromatic oils to mask less pleasant odors. There is a lamp in the corner. Against one wall stands a shallow limestone bathing tub, just large enough for a person to crouch in. In the corner sits the toilet: a simple wooden seat positioned over a removable clay vessel. A small pot of natron salts stands nearby, used to absorb moisture and odor. A modest wooden cabinet holds hygiene supplies: linen cloths, a small pot of perfumed oil, a jar of natron powder, and several combs made of wood and bone.</p>\ <</if>>\ <<set _hk to 1>>\ <div style="margin: 1em 0;">\ <<if setup.hasEnoughResource("bathing_supplies", 1)>>\ <<if $knowsTahira and not $metTahira>>\ <<action "Call Tahira to draw your bath" "TahiraIntro" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>>\ <<else>>\ <<if $knowsTahira and $metTahira and not setup.isWorkerBusy("Tahira") and $time >= 360 and $time < 1380>>\ <<action "Take a bath with Tahira's help" "TahiraBathHandler" 30 _hk>> <<set _hk++>>\ <</if>>\ <<action "Take a bath alone" "Bathroom" 30 _hk "takeBath">><<set _hk++>>\ <</if>>\ <<else>>\ <div class="disabled-action"><em>Need bathing supplies for a full bath</em></div>\ <</if>>\ </div>\ <<if $bathroomExamined>>\ <<action "Hide Description" "Bathroom" 0 _hk "toggleBathroom">><<set _hk++>>\ <<else>>\ <<action "Examine Room" "Bathroom" 0 _hk "toggleBathroom">><<set _hk++>>\ <</if>>\ <<action "Leave bathroom" "Atrium" 1 _hk>><<set _hk++>>\ </div>

<div class="textbox"> <h1>Bedroom</h1> <p>Your private sanctuary. It is a quiet, shaded room designed to offer respite from the blistering Egyptian sun and the crushing weight of your duties.</p>\ <<if $bedroomExamined>> <p>A sturdy wooden bed frame dominates the space, strung with taut palm fibers and covered in a folded linen sheet. A curved wooden headrest sits at the top, polished smooth from years of use. A small alabaster lamp rests on a side table, its wick ready to cast dancing shadows across the painted plaster walls. Though the temple falls into disrepair, this room remains a bastion of peace.</p> <</if>> <<set _hk to 1>>\ <<if $exhaustion >= 100>> <div class="disabled-action" style="margin: 0.2em 0;"><em>[1] You are completely rested. You cannot sleep right now.</em></div> <<elseif $hunger <= 10>> <div class="disabled-action" style="margin: 0.2em 0;"><em>[1] Your stomach is empty. You are too hungry to fall asleep.</em></div> <<elseif $thirst <= 10>> <div class="disabled-action" style="margin: 0.2em 0;"><em>[1] Your throat is parched. You are too thirsty to fall asleep.</em></div> <<else>> <<action "Sleep in your bed" "Bedroom" "?" _hk "sleep">><<set _hk++>>\ <</if>> <<if $bedroomExamined>> <<action "Hide Description" "Bedroom" 0 _hk "toggleBedroom">><<set _hk++>>\ <<else>> <<action "Examine Room" "Bedroom" 0 _hk "toggleBedroom">><<set _hk++>>\ <</if>> <<action "Leave bedroom" "Atrium" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>>\ </div>

<div class="textbox"> <h1>Brothers' Room</h1> <p>The room where your brothers once slept is eerily quiet. The beds are stripped bare, and the few personal belongings they left behind have been neatly packed away. The memory of their sudden illness and passing still haunts this space.</p> <<set _hk to 1>>\ <<action "Leave room" "Atrium" 1 _hk>><<set _hk++>>\ </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Cellar</h1>\ <<set _hk to 1>>\ <<if not $hasVisitedCellar>>\ <p>The cellar is a simple underground chamber where resources can be stored safely. As you inspect the dusty walls, you notice one of the large stones near the back seems loose, its edges slightly misaligned with the rest of the foundation.</p>\ <div style="margin-top: 1.5em;">\ <<action "Push aside the loose stone" "CellarSecret" 5 _hk>><<set _hk++>>\ <<action "Leave Cellar" "Atrium" 1 _hk>><<set _hk++>>\ </div>\ <<else>>\ <p>The cellar is a simple underground chamber where resources can be stored safely, protected from the elements. Despite its humble appearance, this cellar serves as the primary storage for your temple's resources and valuables.</p>\ <div style="margin-top: 1.5em;">\ <<action "Leave Cellar" "Atrium" 1 _hk>><<set _hk++>>\ </div>\ <</if>>\ </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Cellar</h1> You push aside the heavy stone, revealing a hollow space behind it. After the medical bills, after selling nearly everything of value to pay the physicians who ultimately couldn't save him, this is what remains of your family's resources - a carefully prepared cache of essentials and valuables that managed to escape the creditors' notice.\ You peer inside and discover an impressive collection of supplies: food, drink, building materials, some assorted temple goods and even some valuables like copper ingots and golden earrings. <<run setup.unlockTempleStores()>>\ <<silently>>\ <<set $hasVisitedCellar to true>> \ <<set $readyForKemhotepAtrium to true>>\ <<set _mudbricks = random(30, 50)>>\ <<run setup.addResource("mudbrick", _mudbricks)>>\ <<set _bread = random(10, 20)>>\ <<run setup.addResource("bread", _bread)>>\ <<set _beer = random(10, 15)>>\ <<run setup.addResource("beer", _beer)>>\ <<set _linen = random(3, 5)>>\ <<run setup.addResource("linen", _linen)>>\ <<set _bathing_supplies = random(3, 4)>>\ <<run setup.addResource("bathing_supplies", _bathing_supplies)>>\ <<set _incense = random(3, 4)>>\ <<run setup.addResource("incense", _incense)>>\ <<set _copper = random(2, 3)>>\ <<run setup.addResource("copper_ingot", _copper)>>\ <<run setup.addResource("gold", 2)>>\ <</silently>>\ <<set _hk to 1>>\ <<action "Step back into the main cellar" "Cellar" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>>\ <<action "Leave for the Atrium" "Atrium" 1 _hk>><<set _hk++>>\ </div>

<<print setup.getCharacterSummary()>> <div id="skills-display"> <span id="mind-stat">Mind: <<print $mind>></span><br> <div id="mind-skills"> <span id="wisdom-skill">Wisdom: <<print $wisdom>></span> <span id="ritual-arts-skill">Ritual Arts: <<print $ritualArts>></span> </div> <span id="body-stat">Body: <<print $body>></span><br> <div id="body-skills"> <span id="grace-skill">Grace: <<print $grace>></span> <span id="resilience-skill">Resilience: <<print $resilience>></span> </div> <span id="spirit-stat">Spirit: <<print $spirit>></span> <div id="spirit-skills"> <span id="allure-skill">Allure: <<print $allure>></span> <span id="faith-skill">Faith: <<print $faith>></span> </div> </div> <<link "Return" `(passage() !== "LowVigorEvent") ? previous() : "StartingPassage"`>><</link>>

:: CharacterCreation <<set $hairColor = $hairColor or null>> Your hair color is: <div id="haircolorchoice"> <<include "HairColorSelector">> </div> <<print "Current hair color: " + ($hairColor === null ? "none" : $hairColor)>>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Thebes</h1> <<if setup.isNight()>>\ The streets of Thebes are cloaked in heavy shadows. The common folk have retreated to their roofs to sleep, leaving the winding mud-brick alleys to roaming packs of dogs and the occasional patrol carrying bronze-tipped spears and flickering torches. <<else>>\ You walk out into the restless streets of Thebes, the greatest city in the known world. The sun beats down upon the mud brick houses and the towering stone monuments of the New Kingdom. A cloud of dust is forever rising from the feet of merchants, craftsmen, and sweating porters. The hot desert wind brings the smell of the nearby Nile, the aroma of baking bread, and the heavy scent of burning incense from the temples. It is a city of immeasurable wealth and great poverty, where the rumble of chariots mingles with the cries of the hungry. <</if>>\ <ul class="room-list"> <<set _hk to 1>> <li><<action "Go to the Temple of Amun" "Temple of Amun" 15 _hk>><<set _hk++>></li> <li><<action "Go to the Market" "Market" 15 _hk>><<set _hk++>></li> <li><<action "Go to the Temple of Isis" "Temple of Isis" 15 _hk>><<set _hk++>></li> <li><<action "Go to the Harbor" "Harbor" 20 _hk>><<set _hk++>></li> <li><<action "Return to the Temple Complex" "Complex" 5 _hk>><<set _hk++>></li> </ul> </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <<if $restorationLevel is undefined>>\ <<set $restorationLevel to 1>>\ <</if>>\ <h1>The Temple Complex <<if $workerManagementUnlocked>> <<button "Temple Management">><<run window.openWorkerManagementDialog()>> <</button>> <</if>></h1> <<if not $visitedComplex>>\ As you step into the sprawling grounds of the temple complex, you find Kemhotep surveying the ruin. He turns at your approach. <<dialogue "Kemhotep" "img/kemhotep.jpg" "\"Ah, priestess. A daunting sight, is it not? Before you concern yourself with these stones, you must secure your standing. The Temple of Amun is about an hour away from here. You should go to the city and see about setting your papers in order.\"" "left">>\ <<set $startedInheritanceQuest to true>>\ <<set $visitedComplex to true>>\ <</if>>\ <<if $finishedInheritanceQuest and not $inheritanceAcknowledgementDone>>\ <p>Kemhotep approaches you as you enter, his expression lightened by a rare, approving nod. He notices the circlet that now adorns your head.</p>\ <<dialogue "Kemhotep" "img/kemhotep.jpg" "\"It is official, then? Good. Now your true quarry begins, Priestess. The gods long for the worship they have long been denied.\"" "left">>\ <p>He gestures toward the inner sanctums with a weathered hand.</p>\ <<dialogue "Kemhotep" "img/kemhotep.jpg" "\"Your first priority each dawn must be the daily rituals. For Osiris, and any others who return to this house. Only once the gods are satisfied should you turn your ear to the Audience Room to hear the pleas of the living. And should you ever find yourself with time to kill, I have cleared the rubble from the Meditation Chamber. It is a quiet place to find your center.\"" "left">>\ <<set $inheritanceAcknowledgementDone to true>> <<set $meditationChamberUnlocked to true>> <</if>>\ <<if $restorationLevel == 1>>\ <p>The complex is barely functional, close ruin. The wooden roof beams were the first to go - long since rotted away or stripped by scavengers for fuel - causing the ceilings to collapse inward in a heap of debris. While the massive stone walls and towering columns have survived far longer than the roofing, standing defiant against the desert sky, the ground is choked with fallen masonry. It will take a massive undertaking to make this place whole again.</p>\ <<elseif $restorationLevel == 2>>\ <p>The complex is slowly being cleared. The worst of the collapsed roofing and debris has been hauled away from the main thoroughfares, though many areas still lie entirely open to the sky. The walls have been stabilized, and the foundations feel less treacherous to walk upon.</p>\ <<elseif $restorationLevel == 3>>\ <p>The complex is regaining its former glory. Fresh wooden beams have been laid across the roofs of the main halls, casting deep, cooling shadows once more. The columns have been scrubbed of centuries of grime, and the painted reliefs are beginning to show their vibrant colors again.</p>\ <<elseif $restorationLevel >= 4>>\ <p>The complex stands pristine, a true house of the gods. The roofs are fully restored, perfectly sheltering the sacred inner rooms. Incense catches in the still air of the courtyards, and the entire structure commands the respect and awe of anyone who enters.</p>\ <</if>>\ <p>The open courtyard lies before you, a public-accessible space where festivals were once held, centered around a cracked sacred basin. Beyond it stands the great columned <<hover "Hypostyle Hall" "An area restricted strictly to priests">>. Further in is the <<hover "Audience Room" "A space for listening to people who come to the temple and for public worship">>, the Library and the Offering Hall where daily ritual meals were presented, as well as the alcoves reserved for the sanctuaries of the gods.</p> <<set _hk to 1>> <<action "Enter the Hypostyle Hall" "Hypostyle Hall" 1 _hk>><<set _hk++>> <<action "Enter the Audience Room" "Audience Room" 1 _hk>><<set _hk++>> <<action "Enter the Sanctuary of Osiris" "Sanctuary of Osiris" 1 _hk>><<set _hk++>> <<action " Enter the Library" "Library" 1 _hk>><<set _hk++>> /* New Meditation Chamber Action */ <<if $meditationChamberUnlocked>>\ <<action "Go to the Meditation Chamber" "Meditation Chamber" 1 _hk>><<set _hk++>> <</if>>\ /* Additional Unlockable Sanctuaries */ <<if $sanctuaryIsisUnlocked>>\ <<action "Enter the Sanctuary of Isis" "Sanctuary of Isis" 1 _hk>><<set _hk++>> <</if>>\ <<if $sanctuaryAnubisUnlocked>>\ <<action "Enter the Sanctuary of Anubis" "Sanctuary of Anubis" 1 _hk>><<set _hk++>> <</if>>\ <<action "Leave for the City" "City" 5 _hk>><<set _hk++>> <<action "Return to your house's Atrium" "Atrium" 1 _hk>><<set _hk++>> </div>

<div class="textbox"> <h2>The Realm of Dreams</h2> <p>The edges of your consciousness fray, pulling you into a vivid vision gifted by the gods...</p>  <<action "Wake up" "Bedroom" 0 "1">> </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Father's Study</h1>\ Your father's scent still lingers here - a mix of incense and dried herbs that catches in your throat. Everything remains exactly as he left it: half-written scrolls, worn reference texts, the small bronze incense holder he always kept within reach. <<set _hk to 1>>\ <<action "Go back to the Atrium" "Atrium" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>>\ </div>

<div class="textbox"> <h1>Father's Study</h1> <<run setup.addResource("letter_of_birthright", 1)>>\ You fold the second letter, which you had barely even noticed the first time - the proof of your birthright - and tuck it away. The khopesh is heavier than it looks, and then lighter than you expected, and then you stop noticing the weight entirely. It is a lot to take in. You are still not certain how you feel about the hidden reserve most of all; whether he simply accepted, at some point, that he was not going to recover, or whether he chose to go without so that you would not have to. You suppose you will never know which it was, and you suppose that is the kind of thing you will have to learn to leave unanswered. <<set _hk to 1>>\ <<action "Go back to the Atrium" "Atrium" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>>\ </div>

:: HairColorSelector [hidden] <<set _options = ["Crimson", "Blonde", "Brown", "Black"]>> <<if $hairColor == null>> <<for _i range 0, _options.length>> <<if _i > 0>> | <</if>> <<link _options[_i]>> <<set $hairColor = _options[_i]>> <<replace "#hairColorSelector">> <<include "HairColorSelector">> <</replace>> <</link>> <</for>> <<else>> <<link $hairColor>> <<set $hairColor = null>> <<replace "#hairColorSelector">> <<include "HairColorSelector">> <</replace>> <</link>> <</if>>

<div class="textbox"> <h1>Hypostyle Hall</h1> <<if $restorationLevel == 1>> You look upon the hypostyle hall and your heart grows heavy, for it is a graveyard of shattered stone. The wooden roof beams have long since rotted or been stolen for fuel by the poor, leaving the great columns bare to the scorching sun. Dust and fallen masonry choke the pathways, and the silence of ruin lies over the house of the gods. <<elseif $restorationLevel == 2>> The worst of the debris has been hauled away by sweating laborers, and the towering columns are stabilized. Yet the sky still glares down upon the open space, and the greatness of the past is only a whisper among the stones. <<elseif $restorationLevel == 3>> Fresh cedar beams have been laid across the massive pillars, casting deep and cooling shadows over the stone floor once more. The painted reliefs are being cleansed of centuries of grime, and the hall is slowly awakening from its long slumber. <<elseif $restorationLevel >= 4>> The hall stands pristine and breathtaking, a true forest of stone where the gods might walk. The massive roof holds back the sun, and the vibrant colors of the pillars shine in the dim light. You feel the awe of the divine as you stand in the cool shadows, knowing that mortal hands have brought this glory back to life. <</if>> <h2>Where would you like to go?</h2> <ul class="room-list"> <<set _hk to 1>> <li><<action "Return to Complex" "Complex" 2 _hk>><<set _hk++>></li> </ul> </div>

<div class="textbox">\ It is the 6th year of Ramesses the Third's rule, an year which history would much later refer to as 1180BC. The Kingdom on Nile, Egypt, prospers under his reign. Trade flows freely, the borders expand, and the gods watch over the kingdom with steady hands. But <<naction "you" "you" 0 1>> have not prospered. </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Atrium</h1> <<dialogue "Kemhotep" "img/kemhotep.jpg" "\"Rest assured, for the people have not forgotten that this temple once stood proud; and what it stood for. Many of the people will rever you as a priestess despite not being formally ordained. Regardless, you might find it more challenging to ensure your daily sustenance than to restore the complex.\"" "left">>\ As if your father's death wasn't enough, for the first time in your life, starvation is now a real danger. How joyful. <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"That is certainly encouraging, Kemhotep. But I am rather confident in my abilities to... not starve to death.\" You sigh. " "right">>\ <<dialogue "Kemhotep" "img/kemhotep.jpg" "\"Such confidence, priestess, is the bare minimum for personhood; hunger was merely an available comparison through which I could advise you to take care of yourself before attempting to help others.\"" "left">>\ Kemhotep gives you an intense stare. His eyes linger unblinking for a few seconds more than would be polite. For being one of your employees, he sure does talk back a lot. But never in vain, as you know his character, and the years have left you unphased by his instinct for scolding you. <<set _hk to 1>>\ <<action "Ask for advice" "KemhotepAdvice" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>>\ </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Atrium</h1> Despite his sometimes unpleasant authorative tone, Kemhotep surely knows a thing or two about priestly duties by virtue of being the temple's accountant for decades. It couldn't hurt to ask him for advice. <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"You are right about not setting myself on fire for the heat of others. My father has taught me the procedures which are required of a priestess, but the logistics elude me. Perhaps you could point me in the right direction for my first day of service?\"" "right">>\ <<dialogue "Kemhotep" "img/kemhotep.jpg" "\"Do not overstep your bounds just yet. Until your station is formally recognized by the wider clergy, you lack the authority to perform sacred rites or grant audience. You should put your papers in order as soon as possible.\"" "left">>\ <<dialogue "Kemhotep" "img/kemhotep.jpg" "\"No matter; that can wait a moment or two. Have you taken your morning bath yet, priestess? Tahira is surely waiting for you.\"" "left">> \ <<silently>> <<set $knowsTahira to true>> <<set $askedTahira to false>> <<set $askedBathing to false>> <<set $askedInvite to false>> <</silently>> <<include "KemhotepQuestions">> </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Atrium</h1> <<set $askedBathing to true>>\ <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"What makes the morning bath so pressing? I am capable of washing myself when the need arises.\"" "right">> <<dialogue "Kemhotep" "img/kemhotep.jpg" "\"A priestess must be pure before approaching the gods, or the people. It's a honor for Tahira to assist you. Additionally, there is underlying pragmatism: it is usually easiest to take a bath in the morning to have one less mundane chore to worry about later in the day.\"" "left">> <<include "KemhotepQuestions">> </div>

<div class="textbox"> <<dialogue "Kemhotep" "img/kemhotep.jpg" "\"The stones of this temple have seen much, Priestess. Even in their decay, they speak of the old ways. What brings you to me today?\"" "left">> <div style="margin: 1.5em 0; padding-top: 1em; border-top: 1px solid #444;"> <<set _hk to 1>> /* 1. SLEEP CHECK (22:00 - 06:00) */ <<if $hour >= 22 or $hour < 6>> <div class="disabled-action"><em>The door to Kemhotep's quarters is closed; the old priest has retired for the night.</em></div> <br> <<action "Leave him to his rest" "Atrium" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>> /* 2. BUSY CHECK (Worker Tasks) */ <<elseif setup.isWorkerBusy("Kemhotep")>> <div class="disabled-action"><em>Kemhotep is currently occupied with the duties you assigned him.</em></div> <br> <<action "Return to the Atrium" "Atrium" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>> /* 3. AVAILABLE */ <<else>> <<action "Play a game of <span title='Twenty Squares, also known as Aseb, is an ancient Egyptian race game which would later evolve into backgammon. Played by two people using five pieces each and four-sided dice, players race to move all pieces across a 20-square board.'>Twenty Squares</span>" "KemhotepTwentySquares" 60 _hk>><<set _hk++>> /* <<action "Ask for advice" "KemhotepAdvice" 15 _hk>><<set _hk++>> */ <br> <<action "Return to the Atrium" "Atrium" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>> <</if>> </div> </div>

<<run setup.hireWorker("Kemhotep", "CRAFTSMAN", 8, "𓀂", {}, ["beer", "bread"])>>\ <div class="textbox">\ <h1>Atrium</h1> His linen kilt, though meticulously clean, is frayed at the hem, a mirror to the temple's own state. His face, etched with the <<hover "years of service " "Kemhotep has been the temple's accountant years before your birth; to you, he is more of a family member than a servant">> to your father – and his father before him – turns towards you. There's no deference in his gaze, only a familiar, assessing look that has often, in your younger years, felt like a gentle reprimand. Today, it feels like one of the few steady things left in this world. <<dialogue "Kemhotep" "img/kemhotep.jpg" "\"It seems the house mourns with us, $characterName.\" He gestures vaguely at the crumbling paint on a nearby pillar, the depiction of Osiris now unrecognisable. "left">> \ <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"The Great Net feels its strands tearing, and mourns with us indeed. But I feel so utterly lost, Kemhotep, as if I was in shifting sands. I would not know where to begin restoring this temple.\"" "right">> \ <<set _hk to 1>>\ <<action "Continue" "Kemhotep2" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>>\ </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Atrium</h1> <<set $askedInvite to true>>\ <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"Perhaps you would care to bathe with me yourself, Kemhotep? We could share the basin. It would save us both time.\"" "right">>\ Kemhotep does not blink. His expression remains as dry and unyielding as the desert sands, but you notice a slight tightening of his jaw.\ <<dialogue "Kemhotep" "img/kemhotep.jpg" "\"My duties lie with the temple's accounts, not its bathhouse. Do try to temper these impulses, priestess; the gods are watching. I suggest you seek out Tahira for such activities. \"" "left">>\ Still no sense of humor. There will be other occassions to make a pass at the personal accountant who is thirty years your senior. <<include "KemhotepQuestions">> </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Atrium</h1> <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"I believe I have taken enough of your time for now, Kemhotep. I shall see to my duties... and my bath.\"" "right">>\ <<dialogue "Kemhotep" "img/kemhotep.jpg" "\"May the gods guide your steps, $characterName. Do not linger too long; the temple will not rebuild itself.\"" "left">>\ Kemhotep offers a brief, formal bow before turning his attention back to a cracked floor tile. You leave him to his quiet contemplation.\ <<set _hk to 1>>\ <<action "Return" "Atrium" 1 _hk>><<set _hk++>>\ </div>

<<set _hk to 1>>\ <<if not $askedTahira>>\ <<action "\"Tahira?\"" "KemhotepTahira" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>>\ <</if>>\ <<if not $askedBathing>>\ <<action "\"Is there a particular urgency to bathing?\"" "KemhotepBathing" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>>\ <</if>>\ <<if not $askedInvite>>\ <<action "\"Would you like to take a bath with me instead?\"" "KemhotepInvite" 0 _hk "+2D">><<set _hk++>>\ <</if>>\ <<if $askedTahira or $askedBathing or $askedInvite>>\ <<action "Leave" "KemhotepLeave" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>>\ <</if>>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Atrium</h1> <<set $askedTahira to true>> <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"Tahira? That name is unfamiliar to me.\"" "right">>\ <<dialogue "Kemhotep" "img/kemhotep.jpg" "\"Your father, in his foresight, secured her services as a servant for the next ten years. This happened shortly before his passing. He paid her family in full before running out of money. She is bound to this house, regardless of our current financial standing.\"" "left">> Ten years in advance. Your father spent the last of his funds not on treatment, but to ensure you wouldn't be left entirely without help. A bittersweet, albeit slightly excessive, inheritance. <<include "KemhotepQuestions">> </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Kitchen</h1>\ <p>The kitchen is a simple area equipped with a clay oven, stone grinding tools, and various clay pots. Without a dedicated cook or the bustling family that once filled the house, the hearth remains cold and silent.</p> <<action "Leave kitchen" "Atrium" 1 "1">> </div>

<div class="textbox"> <div class="warning-message"> <h2 style="color: #e57373;">Exhaustion takes hold...</h2> <p>Your vision blurs and your limbs feel heavy as lead. You are pushing your mortal vessel beyond its limits. If you do not rest and tend to your needs immediately, you will collapse.</p> <div class="return-link" style="margin-top: 20px;"> <<link "Push through it" $returnPassage>><</link>> </div> </div> </div>

<div class="textbox"> <h1>Market</h1> The market plaza is a chaotic sprawl of canvas awnings and packed earth. It smells of roasting garlic, sun-baked dust, and the sharp tang of spilled beer. The drone of a hundred overlapping arguments creates a wall of sound, broken only by the occasional braying of a pack animal. Here, the holy quiet of the temple is replaced by the relentless, haggling machinery of daily survival. Some of the merchants here are willing to trade with you. <<button "Barter with Ahmose">> <<run window.openBarterDialog("ahmose")>> <</button>> <br> <<action "Return to the City" "City" 15 1>> </div>

<div class="textbox"> <img src="img/Caption.png"> <<link "Equipment">><<run window.openEquipmentDialog()>><</link>> | <<link "Character">><<run window.openCharacterDialog()>><</link>> <div class="time-display"><<print formatTime($time, $day)>></div>  <div class="status-container"> <<if setup.getStatusBarHTML>> <<print setup.getStatusBarHTML()>> <<script>> setTimeout(function() { if (typeof setup.initStatusTooltips === 'function') { setup.initStatusTooltips(); } }, 50); <</script>> <<else>> <div class="status-bar">No active statuses</div> <</if>> </div> <div class="needs-header">Needs:</div>  <div class="stat-row"> <span class="stat-label">Vigor</span> <div class="stat-bar"> <div class="meter" id="vigor-meter" style="width: <<print $vigor>>%; background-color: <<print getVigorColor($vigor)>>;"></div> </div> <span class="stat-value"><<print Math.round($vigor)>>%</span> </div>  <div class="stat-row"> <span class="stat-label">Hygiene</span> <div class="stat-bar"> <div class="meter" id="hygiene-meter" style="width: <<print $hygiene>>%; background-color: <<print getHygieneColor($hygiene)>>;"></div> </div> <span class="stat-value"><<print Math.round($hygiene)>>%</span> </div>  <div class="stat-row"> <span class="stat-label">Thirst</span> <div class="stat-bar"> <div class="meter" id="thirst-meter" style="width: <<print $thirst>>%; background-color: <<print getThirstColor($thirst)>>;"></div> </div> <span class="stat-value"><<print Math.round($thirst)>>%</span> </div>  <div class="stat-row"> <span class="stat-label">Exhaustion</span> <div class="stat-bar"> <div class="meter" id="exhaustion-meter" style="width: <<print $exhaustion>>%; background-color: <<print getExhaustionColor($exhaustion)>>;"></div> </div> <span class="stat-value"><<print Math.round($exhaustion)>>%</span> </div>  <div class="stat-row"> <span class="stat-label">Hunger</span> <div class="stat-bar"> <div class="meter" id="hunger-meter" style="width: <<print $hunger>>%; background-color: <<print getHungerColor($hunger)>>;"></div> </div> <span class="stat-value"><<print Math.round($hunger)>>%</span> </div>  <<if $temperance is undefined>><<set $temperance to 0>><</if>> <div class="alignment-section"> <div class="alignment-labels"> <span class="label-decadence">Decadence</span> <span class="label-temperance">Temperance</span> </div> <div class="alignment-bar-container" @title="setup.getTemperanceText($temperance)"> <div class="alignment-bar-bg"></div> <div class="alignment-center-mark"></div> <div class="alignment-marker" @style="'left: ' + setup.getTemperancePercentage($temperance) + '%;'">𓋹</div> </div> </div> <style> /* Basic styles for stat bars */ .stat-row { display: flex; align-items: center; margin-bottom: 6px; } .stat-label { width: 70px; text-align: right; padding-right: 10px; color: #aaa; } .stat-bar { flex: 1; height: 16px; background-color: #333; border-radius: 3px; overflow: hidden; position: relative; } .meter { height: 100%; transition: width 0.3s ease; } .stat-value { width: 40px; text-align: right; padding-left: 10px; color: #aaa; font-size: 12px; } .time-display { margin-bottom: 10px; color: #bbb; font-style: italic; } .needs-header { margin: 10px 0 5px 0; font-weight: bold; color: #ccc; } /* Status container styles */ .status-container { margin: 10px 0; min-height: 30px; } </style> </div>

<div class="textbox"> <h1>Parents' Room</h1> <p>Your parents' quarters remain untouched since their passing. The scent of your mother's preferred lotus perfume has faded into the dry air, replaced by the lingering smell of dust and old linen. It stands as a silent monument to the family you've lost.</p> <<action "Leave room" "Atrium" 1 "1">> </div>

<div class="textbox"> <h1>Sanctuary of Osiris</h1>\ <<run setup.initGodsSystem()>>\ The air here is heavy with the scent of aged cedar and lingering myrrh. The statue of Osiris, Lord of the Underworld and Judge of the Dead, stands solemnly in the gloom, holding the crook and flail. <ul class="room-list"> <<set _hk to 1>> /* 1. THE SACRED RITUAL */ <<if not $gods.osiris.needsMetToday.ritual>> <<if setup.hasEnoughResource("incense", 1) and setup.hasEnoughResource("ritual_oils", 1)>> <li><<action "Perform the Sacred Ritual" "OsirisRitual" 120 _hk>><<set _hk++>></li> <<else>> <li><div class="disabled-action"><em>(Requires 1 Incense and 1 Ritual Oils to perform the Sacred Ritual)</em></div></li> <</if>> <<else>> <li><div class="disabled-action" style="color: #a8cc8c;"><em>The Sacred Ritual has already been performed today.</em></div></li> <</if>> /* 2. THE DAILY OFFERING */ <<if not $gods.osiris.needsMetToday.offering>> <<if setup.hasEnoughResource("beer", 1) and setup.hasEnoughResource("bread", 1)>> <li><<action "Present the Daily Offering" "OsirisOffering" 5 _hk>><<set _hk++>></li> <<else>> <li><div class="disabled-action"><em>(Requires 1 Beer and 1 Bread to present the Daily Offering)</em></div></li> <</if>> <<else>> <li><div class="disabled-action" style="color: #a8cc8c;"><em>The Daily Offering has already been presented today.</em></div></li> <</if>> <br> <li><<action "Return to the Complex" "Complex" 1 _hk>><<set _hk++>></li> </ul> </div>

<div class="textbox"> <div class="time-display"><<print formatTime($time, $day)>></div> <div class="status-container"> <<if setup.getStatusBarHTML>> <<print setup.getStatusBarHTML()>> <<script>> setTimeout(function() { if (typeof setup.initStatusTooltips === 'function') { setup.initStatusTooltips(); } }, 50); <</script>> <<else>> <div class="status-bar">No active statuses</div> <</if>> </div> <div class="needs-header">Needs:</div> <div class="stat-row"> <span class="stat-label">Vigor</span> <div class="stat-bar"> <div class="meter" id="vigor-meter" @style="'width: ' + $vigor + '%; background-color: ' + window.getVigorColor($vigor) + ';'"></div> </div> <span class="stat-value"><<print Math.round($vigor)>>%</span> </div> <div class="stat-row"> <span class="stat-label">Hygiene</span> <div class="stat-bar"> <div class="meter" id="hygiene-meter" @style="'width: ' + $hygiene + '%; background-color: ' + window.getHygieneColor($hygiene) + ';'"></div> </div> <span class="stat-value"><<print Math.round($hygiene)>>%</span> </div> <div class="stat-row"> <span class="stat-label">Thirst</span> <div class="stat-bar"> <div class="meter" id="thirst-meter" @style="'width: ' + $thirst + '%; background-color: ' + window.getThirstColor($thirst) + ';'"></div> </div> <span class="stat-value"><<print Math.round($thirst)>>%</span> </div> <div class="stat-row"> <span class="stat-label">Exhaustion</span> <div class="stat-bar"> <div class="meter" id="exhaustion-meter" @style="'width: ' + $exhaustion + '%; background-color: ' + window.getExhaustionColor($exhaustion) + ';'"></div> </div> <span class="stat-value"><<print Math.round($exhaustion)>>%</span> </div> <div class="stat-row"> <span class="stat-label">Hunger</span> <div class="stat-bar"> <div class="meter" id="hunger-meter" @style="'width: ' + $hunger + '%; background-color: ' + window.getHungerColor($hunger) + ';'"></div> </div> <span class="stat-value"><<print Math.round($hunger)>>%</span> </div> <<if $temperance is undefined>><<set $temperance to 0>><</if>> <div class="alignment-section"> <div class="alignment-labels"> <span class="label-decadence">Decadence</span> <span class="label-temperance">Temperance</span> </div> <div class="alignment-bar-container" @title="setup.getTemperanceText($temperance)"> <div class="alignment-bar-bg"></div> <div class="alignment-center-mark"></div> <div class="alignment-marker" @style="'left: ' + setup.getTemperancePercentage($temperance) + '%;'">𓋹</div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="sidebar-nav"> <<if $hasEquipmentUnlocked>> <<button "Character">><<run window.openEquipmentDialog('character')>> <</button>><</if>> </div> <style> .stat-row { display: flex; align-items: center; margin-bottom: 6px; } .stat-label { width: 70px; text-align: right; padding-right: 10px; color: #aaa; font-size: 0.85em; } .stat-bar { flex: 1; height: 14px; background-color: #111; border: 1px solid #444; border-radius: 2px; overflow: hidden; position: relative; } .meter { height: 100%; transition: width 0.4s ease, background-color 0.4s ease; } .stat-value { width: 40px; text-align: right; padding-left: 10px; color: #aaa; font-size: 11px; } .time-display { margin-top: 15px; margin-bottom: 10px; color: #c19a6b; font-style: italic; text-align: center; border-top: 1px solid #333; padding-top: 10px; } .needs-header { margin: 15px 0 8px 0; font-weight: bold; color: #e6d2b5; text-transform: uppercase; font-size: 0.8em; letter-spacing: 1px; } .status-container { margin: 10px 0; min-height: 30px; } .alignment-section { margin-top: 20px; padding-top: 10px; border-top: 1px solid #333; } .alignment-labels { display: flex; justify-content: space-between; font-size: 0.7em; text-transform: uppercase; margin-bottom: 4px; color: #888; } .sidebar-nav { margin-top: 20px; } </style>

<<audio "main_theme" play loop>> <<set $mindBase = 0>> <<set $bodyBase = 0>> <<set $spiritBase = 0>> <<set $mind = 0 >> <<set $body = 0 >> <<set $spirit = 0 >> <<set $renown to 0>> $wisdom-skill = 0 $ritual-arts-skill = 0 $grace-skill = 0 $resilience-skill = 0 $allure-skill = 0 $faith-skill = 0 <<set $time = 360>> <<set $day = 1>> <<set $library to { disputeOwned: false, disputeRead: false, sinuheOwned: false, sinuheRead: false, ptahhotepOwned: false, ptahhotepRead: false, poetryOwned: false, poetryRead: false }>> <<set $characterName to "">> <<set $hairColor to null>> <<set $hairTexture to null>> <<set $hairLength to null>> <<set $eyeColor to null>> <<set $eyeType to null>> <<set $bodyFrame to null>> <<set $skinColor to null>> <<set $height to null>> <<set $faceType to null>> <<set $backgroundVisible to true>> <<set $readyForKemhotepAtrium to false>>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Bathroom</h1>\ <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"Before you tend to me, tell me of yourself, Tahira. Where do you come from?\"" "right">>\ Tahira sets the heating stones down in the full tub. She visibly hesitates and clasps her hands together in front of her linen dress. She is clearly not used to being spoken to with curiosity. <<dialogue "Tahira" "img/tahira_portrait.jpg" "\"I... I am of Libyan blood, High Priestess, though I was born here in the city. My family has little. My father breaks his back as a stonecutter in the deep limestone quarries, and my mother scrubs linens at the riverbanks from dawn until dusk.\"" "left">>\ She bows her head a little lower, her voice barely above a whisper. \ <<dialogue "Tahira" "img/tahira_portrait.jpg" "\"I have three younger siblings to feed. When your honorable father offered to purchase my service ten years in advance, it was a blessing from the gods. We would have starved otherwise.\"" "left">>\ <<include "TahiraQuestions">> </div>

<div class="textbox"> <h1>Bathroom</h1>\ Tahira quietly enters the bathroom, her eyes downcast as she carries the fresh linens and a basin of warm, perfumed water. She moves with practiced efficiency, pouring the water into the limestone tub and preparing the natron salts. <<dialogue "Tahira" "img/tahira_portrait.jpg" "\"The water is ready, Mistress,\" she whispers, keeping her gaze carefully fixed on the floor." "left">> You step into the basin, and she sets to work. Her touch is incredibly light, almost hesitant, as she lathers the oils into your skin. Despite her fragility, her hands are diligent, making sure every trace of the day's grime is washed away. She remains entirely silent, the picture of a perfectly obedient servant, only moving when instructed and ensuring your comfort is her absolute priority. </div>

<div class="textbox"> <<dialogue "Tahira" "img/tahira_portrait.jpg" "\"I am here, Mistress. How may I assist you with the temple's needs today?\"" "left">> <div style="margin: 1.5em 0; padding-top: 1em; border-top: 1px solid #444;"> <<set _hk to 1>> /* 1. SLEEP CHECK (22:00 - 06:00) */ <<if $hour >= 22 or $hour < 6>> <div class="disabled-action"><em>It is late; Tahira has retired to her quarters to sleep.</em></div> <br> <<action "Return to the Atrium" "Atrium" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>> /* 2. BUSY CHECK (Worker Tasks) */ <<elseif setup.isWorkerBusy("Tahira")>> <div class="disabled-action"><em>Tahira is currently busy with assigned work elsewhere in the city.</em></div> <br> <<action "Leave her to her work" "Atrium" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>> /* 3. AVAILABLE */ <<else>> <<if setup.hasEnoughResource("bathing_supplies", 1)>> <<action "Ask her to draw a bath" "TahiraBathHandler" 30 _hk>><<set _hk++>> <<else>> <div class="disabled-action"><em>(You need bathing supplies to take a bath with Tahira's help)</em></div> <</if>> <<action "Play a game of <span title='Twenty Squares, also known as Aseb, is an ancient Egyptian race game which would later evolve into backgammon. Played by two people using five pieces each and four-sided dice, players race to move all pieces across a 20-square board.'>Twenty Squares</span>" "TahiraTwentySquares" 60 _hk>><<set _hk++>> <br> <<action "Return to the Atrium" "Atrium" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>> <</if>> </div> </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Bathroom</h1>\ <<set $fetishDom to true>>\ <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"If men are brutes, Tahira, why should I be the prey? I imagine the weight of my authority made physical. To take a creature of violence and muscle and break his pride until he weeps for my permission to breathe. It would be... safe. The ultimate control over the chaos they bring.\"" "right">>\ Tahira's breath catches. She looks at your pale hands and then instinctively drops her gaze to the water. <<dialogue "Tahira" "img/tahira_portrait.jpg" "\"It sounds cruel, Mistress... but I understand the logic. Like taming a lion so it cannot bite you. Whoever you choose to conquer will surely forget his own name before the end.\"" "left">>\ <<include "TahiraFetishHub">> </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Bathroom</h1>\ <<set $fetishFeet to true>>\ <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"Men are creatures of the dust, Tahira. Why should I let them touch my face or my heart? The thought of a man, arrogant and loud in the daylight, crawling on his belly just to press his mouth to the arch of my foot... It requires nothing of me. It is the ultimate, untouchable distance.\"" "right">>\ Tahira’s gaze instinctively drops to your soft, delicate feet. Her eyes trace their curves, clean and completely removed from the filth of the streets. <<dialogue "Tahira" "img/tahira_portrait.jpg" "\"It is a cold thought, Mistress... but I look at your skin, and I suppose a man would be lucky just to kiss the dust you walk upon. It keeps you safe from their heavy hands.\"" "left">>\ <<include "TahiraFetishHub">> </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Bathroom</h1>\ <<set $fetishSub to true>>\ <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"Every word I speak dictates the fate of temple silver or a petitioner's life. I am so terribly tired of choosing, Tahira. The thought of being thrown into the dark, of having my will completely silenced... to be nothing but flesh for someone else to govern. The relief of that helplessness must be absolute.\"" "right">>\ Tahira blinks in profound shock. The idea that someone of your staggering authority would *want* to be subjugated seems to collapse her mind for a moment. <<dialogue "Tahira" "img/tahira_portrait.jpg" "\"To... to surrender? Mistress, you are the highest authority I know. The thought of you helpless like a slave... it is scandalous. I cannot imagine any mortal man worthy of holding your leash.\"" "left">>\ <<include "TahiraFetishHub">> </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Bathroom</h1>\ <<set $fetishWatersports to true>>\ <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"We bathe in blessed water and pretend we are made of gold. But we are animals beneath the linen, Tahira. I imagine the sheer, profane shock of ultimate degradation... of the hot, sudden claim of bodily waters. It strips away all the holy lies. There is no pretense left in such a messy, absolute marking.\"" "right">>\ A fresh wave of pink dusts Tahira's cheeks as she struggles to process the confession. She bites her lower lip, staring at the bathwater as if it has suddenly turned dangerous. <<dialogue "Tahira" "img/tahira_portrait.jpg" "\"Honestly, Mistress, this is the first time I hear of taking pleasure in these acts. But the Nile gives life with her waters, so perhaps it is only natural for a Priestess to find divine pleasure in... such things.\"" "left">>\ <<include "TahiraFetishHub">> </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Bathroom</h1>\ <<silently>> <<set $askedTahiraIntimacy to true>> /* Initialize flags ONLY if they don't exist yet, so we don't wipe the player's choices! */ <<if $fetishFeet is undefined>><<set $fetishFeet to false>><</if>> <<if $fetishWatersports is undefined>><<set $fetishWatersports to false>><</if>> <<if $fetishSub is undefined>><<set $fetishSub to false>><</if>> <<if $fetishDom is undefined>><<set $fetishDom to false>><</if>> <<if $prefRomance is undefined>><<set $prefRomance to false>><</if>> <<if $prefCasual is undefined>><<set $prefCasual to false>><</if>> <</silently>>\ <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"The steam hides us, Tahira. No one is listening. Tell me the truth. You are untouched, but you have eyes. Which of the men in the market makes your blood stir? Maybe a guard, with eyes like a hungry hawk?\"" "right">>\ Tahira looks at the water, her face darkening with a simple, honest heat. <<dialogue "Tahira" "img/tahira_portrait.jpg" "\"The guards are loud and smell of beer, Mistress. I have no taste for them. If I wonder at all, I think of someone quiet. A man whose hands are strong but do not bruise.\"" "left">>\ She pauses, looking up at you. The expression in her blue eyes shifts from shyness to genuine disbelief. <<dialogue "Tahira" "img/tahira_portrait.jpg" "\"But you, High Priestess... you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. Your skin is like pure velvet. Surely some noble or high official has... I mean, I assume you knew everything of pleasure.\"" "left">>\ The smile you have been taught to wear now feels thin and brittle. You look at your hands, soft and untested. <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"I know the scrolls, Tahira. I have read the House of Life's texts on anatomy and the sacred unions. But it is all just ink on papyrus. In truth, I am as empty of experience as you are.\"" "right">>\ You feel a sharp, cold knot of anxiety in your stomach. Despite your fears, you know that you are clever enough to govern the temple well, but the prospect of managing a man's hunger feels alien and dangerous. <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"I am a High Priestess. I am supposed to be a vessel of joy for the people, yet the thought of it - the heat, the salt, the sheer mess of a man - it intimidates me. It feels like a debt I am forced to pay. But even in my dread, I find myself curious about certain things.\"" "right">>\ The air in the bath is thick and heavy. You have admitted your inexperience; regardless, this would be the perfect moment to ''establish your tastes'' for the future. <ul class="room-list"> <<set _hk to 1>>\ /* These options will disappear once the player clicks either of them */ <<if not $prefRomance and not $prefCasual>>\ <li><<action "\"For me, the act requires deep emotional devotion and tender connection.\"" "TahiraIntimacyRomance" 0 _hk "+10T">><<set _hk++>></li>\ <li><<action "\"I prefer intense, primal release. Pure adrenaline without the burden of feelings.\"" "TahiraIntimacyCasual" 0 _hk "+10D">><<set _hk++>></li>\ <</if>>\ </ul> </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Bathroom</h1>\ <<silently>>\ <<set $metTahira to true>>\ /* Hires her: Name, Class, Wage (5), Icon, Skills, Wages, Efficiency (0.75) */ <<set $tahiraId to setup.hireWorker("Tahira", "SERVANT", 0, "𓁐", {}, ["bread", "beer"], 0.25)>> /* Dialogue Flags */ <<set $askedTahiraLover to false>> <<set $askedTahiraService to false>> <<set $askedTahiraRespect to false>> <<set $askedTahiraIntimacy to false>> <</silently>> You call out for Tahira, and within moments, soft, hurried footsteps echo from the hall. A young woman steps into the room, keeping her head bowed respectfully. She carries a rectangular tray of burning hot stones with uncanny strength; the heating bricks must weigh at least as much as she does. Her appearance is strikingly foreign; pale skin that seems untouched by the harsh Egyptian sun, framed by flaxen blonde hair that falls softly against her shoulders. When she briefly glances up to acknowledge you, you notice her eyes are a vivid, watery blue. She possesses a lithe, almost fragile figure, wrapped in a simple linen servant's dress. <<dialogue "Tahira" "img/tahira_portrait.jpg" "\"You called, High Priestess? Shall I prepare the bath for you?\"" "left">>\ Her voice is soft, carrying a deeply submissive cadence. It is clear your father trained her well in the little time he had left. She seems eager to please, completely deferential to your authority. <<action "\"Tell me a little about yourself first.\"" "TahiraBackstory" 0 "1">> </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Bathroom</h1>\ <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"This was a pleasant conversation, Tahira, but now I would like you to prepare the water.\"" "right">> Tahira immediately nods, turning her attention to the limestone tub. She quickly gets to work pouring aromatics into the water, after which she fetches a box with different types of soaps and oils. The water is warm; it must have taken her at least an hour of hard work to prepare it using the hot stones. You take off your clothes and enter the basin. Having her tend to your bath is a relaxing, if deeply intimate, experience. Her hands are gentle as she scrubs your back. She does not speak, given that she is not spoken to. Her touch is incredibly light, almost hesitant, as she washes your skin. Despite her fragility, her hands are diligent, making sure every trace of grime is washed away. After drying you off, she takes great care in rubbing your body with scented oil. You should probably seek out Kemhotep. He should be somewhere in the Temple Complex. <<action "Return to the Atrium" "Atrium" 0 "1">> <<set $TahiraTookBath to true>>\ <<run setup.unlockWorkerManagement()>>\ </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Bathroom</h1>\ <<set $askedTahiraLover to true>>\ <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"A girl of your beauty... tell me, have you ever taken a lover? Have you laid with anyone before coming to this house?\"" "right">>\ A deep, furious blush spreads across Tahira's pale cheeks, reaching all the way to the tips of her ears. She shakes her head rapidly, her blue eyes wide with embarrassment. <<dialogue "Tahira" "img/tahira_portrait.jpg" "\"N-no, Mistress! Never. My mother kept me close to the washing basins, away from the men of the city. I am entirely untouched. I was told... I was told my purity was required to serve in the house of a Priestess.\"" "left">>\ Her absolute innocence is almost palpable. It adds a certain weight to the reality that she is now your servant. <<include "TahiraQuestions">> </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Bathroom</h1>\ <<set $askedTahiraRespect to true>>\ <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"You come from a family of hard labor. I respect that. You need not fear me, Tahira; you will find me to be quite undemanding.\"" "right">>\ A faint flicker of relief washes over Tahira's delicate features, though she quickly suppresses it to maintain her deferential posture. \ <<dialogue "Tahira" "img/tahira_portrait.jpg" "\"You are deeply merciful, High Priestess. But please, do not hesitate to order me to do as you see fit. I am sworn in service of your house..\"" "left">>\ <<include "TahiraQuestions">> </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Bathroom</h1>\ <<set $askedTahiraService to true>>\ <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"How do you find your service here, Tahira? Does the work suit you?\"" "right">> <<dialogue "Tahira" "img/tahira_portrait.jpg" "\"It is a profound honor, Mistress,\" she answers immediately, her tone laced with genuine reverence. \"The work is clean, the roof is sound, and I am not exposed to the brutality of the sun or the cruelty of the streets. My only worry is to to ensure your comfort and the upkeep of the house.\"" "left">>\ <<include "TahiraQuestions">> </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Temple of Amun</h1>\ <<if setup.isNight()>>\ The massive white walls of Amun stand stark against the dark sky. The continuous hum of human industry that chokes the forecourt by day has vanished, replaced by the sharp crackle of brazier fires and the measured tread of armed temple guards. The side gates where the cedar shipments arrive are barred shut, and the accountant's small desk sits abandoned in the shadows. The few priests who remain move with quiet, nocturnal purpose. <<else>>\ The temple of Amun does not announce itself so much as accumulate. First the walls, massive and white, higher than anything has a right to be. Then the sound: not silence, as you might expect of a holy place, but a low, continuous hum of human industry, the scrape of sandals on stone, the distant chant of a choir rehearsing something imperfectly, the bark of an overseer directing the unloading of a cedar shipment through a side gate. Two dozen people are ahead of you in the forecourt alone. Priests in white linen move among them with the unhurried efficiency of men who have processed supplicants all their lives and find them neither interesting nor troubling. <<if $finishedInheritanceQuest>>\ Sitting at a small desk near the side gates is the Temple Accountant. He maintains the inventory of the temple's daily needs and is willing to sell excess supplies to ordained priests and priestesses. <<button "Barter with Temple Accountant">> <<run window.openBarterDialog("temple_accountant")>> <</button>> <</if>>\ <</if>>\ <ul class="room-list"> <<set _hk to 1>> /* 1. Quest is active, but the errand hasn't been given yet */ <<if $startedInheritanceQuest and not $startedInheritanceErrand>>\ <li><<action "Enter the inner cloister" "Inner Cloister" 2 _hk>><<set _hk++>></li> <</if>>\ /* 2. Errand is resolved, returning to report to Amenhotep */ <<if $wenenneferResolved and not $finishedInheritanceQuest>>\ <li><<action "Enter the inner cloister" "WenenneferReturn" 2 _hk>><<set _hk++>></li> <</if>>\ <li><<action "Return to City Navigation" "City" 2 _hk>><<set _hk++>></li> </ul> </div>

<div class="textbox"> <h1>Temple of Isis</h1> You seek the sanctuary of Isis, where the scent of myrrh and lotus hangs heavy in the shadowed air. It is a place of deep mystery, where the magic of the Great Mother draws those who seek healing or love. The priestesses move silently on soft sandals, their eyes holding secrets older than the pyramids, and the quiet chanting brings a strange peace to the troubled heart. <ul class="room-list"> <<set _hk to 1>> <li><<action "Return to City Navigation" "City" 2 _hk>><<set _hk++>></li> </ul> </div>

<div id="temple-test-container"></div> <<script>> console.log("Passage Script: Checking for setup.renderTempleInterface..."); function attemptRender(retriesLeft) { if (typeof setup.renderTempleInterface === 'function') { console.log("Passage Script: Function found, calling now for #temple-test-container..."); try { setup.renderTempleInterface('#temple-test-container'); console.log("Passage Script: Function call finished."); } catch (e) { console.error("Passage Script: Error occurred DURING renderTempleInterface call:", e); const container = document.getElementById('temple-test-container'); if(container) $(container).text('Error during rendering: ' + e.message); } } else if (retriesLeft > 0) { console.log(`Passage Script: Function not found, retrying in 50ms (${retriesLeft} retries left)...`); setTimeout(() => attemptRender(retriesLeft - 1), 50); // Wait 50ms before retrying } else { console.error("Passage Script ERROR: setup.renderTempleInterface function NOT FOUND after multiple retries!"); const container = document.getElementById('temple-test-container'); if (container) { container.style.color = 'red'; container.style.fontWeight = 'bold'; container.textContent = 'Error: setup.renderTempleInterface function NOT FOUND!'; } } } // Start checking, retry up to 20 times (1 second total wait time) attemptRender(20); <</script>>

<div class="textbox"> <h1>Two Sandals Tavern</h1> You step into the dim and noisy warmth of the Two Sandals Tavern. The air is thick with the sour smell of harbor wine, roasted lotus seeds, and the sweat of seamen. Here, the rich and the poor alike seek to drown their sorrows in brightly colored goblets. <<set _hk to 1>> <<action "Return to the Harbor Market." "HarborMarket" 1 _hk>><<set _hk++>> </div>

<div class="textbox"> <<run setup.applyDeathPenalty()>> <<if $mindBase <= 0 and $bodyBase <= 0 and $spiritBase <= 0>> <div class="death-message"> <div style="text-align:center; margin:20px 0;"> <span class="final-death" style="color: red; font-weight: bold; font-size: 1.5em;">FINAL DEATH</span> <p>All of your fundamental qualities have been nullified, reducing you to a husk. Death opens its doors for you for the last time; it will never spit you back out again. Pray your amulets are proper and your prayers were well said, so that the jackal will not find your heart sinful and condemn you to eternal suffering!</p> </div> </div> <<else>> <div class="death-message"> <<if $timesDied is 1>> <p>Darkness surrounds you. Then, a voice... familiar yet distant.</p> <p>"Not yet, child. Your journey is not complete."</p> <p>You gasp for air as consciousness returns. Death has claimed a piece of you, but not all.</p> <<elseif $timesDied is 2>> <p>The darkness is familiar now. The same voice speaks, but with concern.</p> <p>"Again you falter. Each return diminishes you. Take care with this mortal vessel."</p> <p>You return to life, but feel even more of yourself left behind in that dark place.</p> <<elseif $timesDied is 3>> <p>The darkness welcomes you like an old friend. The voice sounds weary.</p> <p>"How many times will you walk this path? Each death takes more than the last."</p> <p>You return to the world of the living, but feel hollow. Parts of you remain in death's realm.</p> <<else>> <p>You have died <<print $timesDied>> times. Each resurrection weakens the connection...</p> <p>The darkness is now a familiar companion, the boundary between life and death growing thin.</p> <</if>> <p style="color: #e57373; font-style: italic; margin-top: 15px; border-left: 2px solid #e57373; padding-left: 10px;"> <<if $statTaken is "Mind">> Your thoughts are clouded and memories slip through your grasp like sand. (Mind reduced by 1) <<elseif $statTaken is "Body">> Your limbs feel incredibly heavy and a deep, physical weakness settles into your bones. (Body reduced by 1) <<elseif $statTaken is "Spirit">> The divine connection feels fainter, a cold emptiness lingering in your chest. (Spirit reduced by 1) <</if>> </p> <div class="return-link" style="margin-top: 20px;"> <<link "Wake up" $returnPassage>><</link>> </div> </div> <</if>> </div>

<div class="textbox">\ The scent of warm stone drifts through the open shutters, carrying the distant bray of donkeys and the chatter of merchants preparing for the day's work. It is your first morning truly alone. No father's guidance, no mother's voice, only duty. Your parents, however, have left a spiritual inheritance of their... <<action "...encyclopedic knowledge." "grats" 0 1 "updateStatAndRecalculate" "mind" 1>>\ <<action "...physical virtues." "grats" 0 2 "updateStatAndRecalculate" "body" 1>>\ <<action "...sharp intution." "grats" 0 3 "updateStatAndRecalculate" "spirit" 1>>\ </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <<run calculateSkills()>>\ <<set $hasCharacterUnlocked to true>> \ <<set $hasEquipmentUnlocked to true>>\ The walls of the house feel oddly unfamiliar, despite the twenty-three years you have spent within them. You make your way to your father's study, where his scent has outlived him: incense and dried herbs. The morning sun catches the dust and sets it drifting. Everything is exactly as he left it, which is the hardest part. "When the time comes," your father had said with his last breath, barely above a whisper, "look in the cedar box. The one with the ankh carved on its lid." You know it well. It sits on the highest shelf. Standing on tiptoe, you lift it down. The ankh catches the light as you trace it, just as he used to. Your hands are steadier than you expect. Inside, beneath a handful of dried lotus petals that crumble at your touch, you find two things. The first is a khopesh - your grandfather's, by the look of it, the bronze worn soft with age but the edge still true. A woman alone has need of one, your father had always said. You understand now that he meant it practically. The second is a sealed papyrus. You break the <<naction "seal" "last words" 5 1>>. <<run setup.addResource("bronze_khopesh", 1)>> </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <div class="ancient-scroll"> <div class="scroll-edge-top"></div>\ <div class="scroll-edge-bottom"></div>\ <div class="papyrus-fibers"></div>\ <div class="ancient-text"> <<print $characterName>>, my daughter, <div class="ancient-break"></div>\ If you are reading this, then I am with your mother, and with your brothers, and I find I am not sorry for it. I only regret leaving you alone with this quarry. You were always the strongest of us. I am not certain I ever told you that plainly enough. <div class="ancient-break"></div>\ Beneath the great amphora in the cellar, the one scarred at the rim, a loose stone hides a small reserve. It is what little I have managed to put away on my final day so that I could buy you some time to get accomodated to your new duties. <div class="ancient-break"></div>\ Your first order of business is your ordainment. Present the other letter in this box to the Temple of Amun. It establishes your lineage and your claim. The ceremony will be a formality, and they will make it feel like a favor. Do not let them, for you have earned it.<div class="ancient-break"></div>\ The temple itself is in a sorry state, and I will not pretend otherwise. I made poor decisions, and you will inherit their consequences alongside everything else. The Amun priesthood holds land that was ours. Getting it back will take patience and cunning in equal measure. Do not go to them in anger. Anger is a luxury for people who have already won. <div class="ancient-break"></div>\ Your grandfather's khopesh is in the box beside this letter. He carried it his whole life and never once had to use it, which he always said was the mark of a man who carried it correctly. You are alone now. Carry it correctly. <div class="ancient-break"></div>\ There is one last thing I must say, and I will say it without ceremony because it would be dishonest. There are requests that come to a priestess that would never come to a priest. Men will seek the temple in many kinds of hunger, and not all of it is spiritual. Some will come with maladies that yield only to a woman's touch, and some will simply desire the warmth of a body to cure their loneliness or longing or sorrow. A priestess is the bride of the god, and some men take that as an open invitation to present themselves as supplicants of the flesh. How you answer is your choice alone, and I will not decide it for you from beyond the grave. Whatever you choose, be firm in your path and eager to serve, for the gods witness the difference even when men do not. </div>\ </div>\ The words "many kinds of hunger" linger in your mind. You are not surprised at all, but the thought of possibly having to indulge... <<action "...sends a slight warmth between your thighs." "FatherStudyD" 0 "1" "+3D">>\ <<action "...makes you sigh; intimacy should not be easily dispensed." "FatherStudyD" 0 "2" "+3T">> </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <p style="margin:0; padding:0; line-height:1.4;">\ Your name is: <input type="text" id="characterName" value="" oninput="window.updateCharacterName(this.value)"/> <<button "Generate Egyptian Name">> <<run generatePCName()>> <</button>> Your <<toggleOptions "hairColor" "crimson" "blonde" "brown" "black">> hair, styled in <<toggleOptions "hairTexture" "straight" "wavy" "curly" "coiled">> locks cascading down to your <<toggleOptions "hairLength" "ear" "shoulder" "chest" "waist">>, frames eyes of <<toggleOptions "eyeColor" "emerald" "sapphire" "amber" "zircon" "obsidian" "diamond">> hue of a distinct <<toggleOptions "eyeType" "almond" "round" "upturned" "downturned">> shape. A <<toggleOptions "bodyFrame" "curvy" "rounded" "lithe">> figure with <<toggleOptions "skinColor" "dark" "olive" "copper" "light">> skin and a <<toggleOptions "height" "short" "medium" "tall">> stature complements your <<toggleOptions "faceType" "delicate" "elegant" "sharp" "rounded" "sweet">> facial features, giving you an unmistakable allure. You are a priestess, as were your ancestors before you, stretching back at least twenty generations. Or so your father always told you. He had been preparing you your whole life, teaching you speechcraft, healing arts, spells and rituals. The formal initiation required a sponsoring priest of standing, a ceremony. It was not something a dying man could perform from a sickbed. And so it waited. The fevers came first for your mother, then for your brothers, then for your father, and the physicians prescribed many remedies, at considerable cost. To pay them, your father borrowed against the only thing of value he had left. Parcels of the temple estate, some of them older than living memory, passed into the hands of the Amun priesthood in exchange for silver that dissolved as quickly as it came. He believed he would recover. He did not recover. It was only yesterday they buried him, the last of your family to go. His ushabtis and scarabs were plentiful; his place in the Field of Reeds well assured. You try to console yourself with the thought. He leaves behind the weight of his inheritance: a temple stripped of half its lands, debts owed to powerful men, and a title you were raised for but never formally given. \ <div id="readyCheck"> </div>\ </p>\ </div> <<silently>> <<script>> // Check if we are testing or published var folder = (setup.isTesting ? (setup.localPath + "img/") : "assets/"); // List all your possible backgrounds here var backgroundsToPreload = [ "Thebes.jpg", "Temple.jpg", "Market.jpg", "Harbor.jpg", "AmunTemple.jpg", "House.jpg", "Bathroom.jpg" ]; // Silently fetch them all while the player reads the title screen backgroundsToPreload.forEach(function(bgFile) { var img = new Image(); img.src = folder + bgFile; }); <</script>> <</silently>>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Temple of Amun</h1> A young acolyte receives you at the outer gate before you have time to wonder whether you should announce yourself. He is perhaps sixteen, shaven-headed, and possessed of the particular blankness of expression that institutions produce in the young. You show him your letter of birthright. <<dialogue "Acolyte" "img/AmunAcolyte.jpg" "\"Priestess of Osiris.\" He reads this from your papers without surprise, as if he has handled stranger requests this morning. \"You must be here for the High Priest. Please follow me.\"" "left">>\ You <<naction "follow" "Inner Cloister Cont" 0 1>> him. He does not ask if you have been here before. </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Temple of Amun</h1>\ <<run setup.removeResource("letter_of_birthright", 1)>>\ The avenue of ram-headed statues is longer than you remember. You walked it once as a child, holding your father's hand, and it did not seem so long then. Perhaps you were less aware of what waited at the end of it. Walking through the winding corridors of the temple, you arrive in one of the many audience rooms. The high priest in front of you is perhaps fifty, well-fed in the way of men who have never had cause to consider whether they will eat today. He reminds you of better days. You recall his name from somewhere: <<hover "Amenhotep" "a common priestly name meaning 'Amun is satisfied'">>. He is reading something when you enter and sets it aside with the air of a man who has been interrupted by nothing. <<dialogue "Amenhotep" "img/amenhotep.jpg" "\"Sit,\" he says, and the word is warm, not commanding. \"You have come a long way this morning.\"" "left">>\ The acolyte bows and returns to his duties, leaving you alone. You sit down. <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"My most respectful greetings, High Priest. I am $characterName, daughter of Senusret. You may be aware of my father's recent passing; I am here concerning the rights I have inherited from him.\" You hand him the letter." "right">>\ He takes his time. You get the sense that he already knows everything written inside. <<dialogue "Amenhotep" "img/amenhotep.jpg" "\"Your father was a good man,\" he says finally. \"I knew him a little. Not well. He never asked for help when he should have, which is a virtue in some men and a misfortune in others.\" He sets the papers on the table between you. \"I was sorry to hear of his passing.\"" "left">>\ <<dialogue "Amenhotep" "img/amenhotep.jpg" "\"The matter of the land,\" he continues, in the same tone one might use to mention that rain is expected, \"is straightforward enough. The law is clear that temple estates belong to their gods. It is also clear that your father entered into a formal arrangement, in the presence of witnesses, pledging the revenues of those parcels as security against the loan advanced to him.\" He pauses. \"The loan which was never repaid.\"" "left">>\ He slides a <<naction "document" "Inner Cloister Cont2" 0 1>> toward you. The writing is very fine. </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Temple of Amun</h1>\ <<dialogue "Amenhotep" "img/amenhotep.jpg" "\"What this asks you to acknowledge,\" he says, \"is simply that the arrangement was legal. That the land transferred in accordance with its terms. It protects you, in fact, from any future dispute over the legitimacy of your claim to what remains.\"" "left">>\ <div class="ancient-scroll"> <div class="scroll-edge-top"></div>\ <div class="scroll-edge-bottom"></div>\ <div class="papyrus-fibers"></div>\ Let it be known and recorded in the presence of Amun, Lord of Thrones, and before the witnesses whose seals appear below, that this instrument is set down in the sixth year of the reign of Ramesses, third of his name, Son of Ra, in the city of Thebes, in the temple of Amun. Whereas the priest <<hover "Nakhtaris" "your father's official priestly name, which you have never heard used in a legal context before">> of the temple of Osiris, Foremost of the Westerners, did in the fourth year of the current reign enter into a lawful arrangement with the estate of Amun, pledging the revenues and administrative custody of the following parcels of land in perpetuity as security against a loan of <<hover "3,200 deben" "a standard unit of account used across Egypt to make bartering easier; a loaf of bread might be worth two deben, a jar of beer three, a modest house several hundred. Not a physical coin or weight, simply an agreed measure of value that everyone recognizes">> advanced by the estate of Amun in good faith; And whereas the said loan was not repaid within the agreed term, nor was any partial repayment made, nor was any formal dispute lodged with the administrative court within the period prescribed by law; The undersigned, being the lawful heir of Nakhtamun and successor to his priestly office, does hereby affirm: That the arrangement described above was entered into freely and without duress. That the transfer of administrative custody over the parcels listed hereunder was completed lawfully and in accordance with its terms. That the estate of Amun holds permanent administrative authority over said parcels, including sole authority to determine the terms and valuation of any future transaction concerning them, said authority to remain in effect until such time as all obligations arising from the original arrangement have been satisfied in full, as assessed by the estate of Amun. That the undersigned makes no claim, present or future, against the legality of this transfer, and waives the right to bring such claim before any court, civil or priestly, in the city of Thebes or elsewhere in the kingdom. The parcels are as follows: The urban plot lying within the <<hover "temenos" "the sacred enclosure wall defining the boundaries of a temple's territory">> wall of the temple of Osiris, bounded to the north by the street of the sandal-makers, to the east by the property of the coppersmith Herihor son of Mahu, to the south by the outer wall of the temple hypostyle, and to the west by the processional road, being approximately nine arouras together with all structures, workshops, storage facilities, and dwellings currently standing or formerly standing upon them. The northern field lying outside the city walls beyond the third irrigation gate, bounded to the north by the field of the herdsman Amenmes, to the east by the great canal, to the south by the road to the quarries, and to the west by the field of the temple of Mut, being approximately thirty-five <<hover "arouras" "a standard measure of land area; one aroura is roughly two-thirds of an acre">> of arable land presently given over to grain. The eastern field lying beyond the city in the direction of the desert road, bounded to the north by the field of the merchant Panehesy, to the east by the dry channel known as the old arm, to the south by unclaimed scrubland, and to the west by the field of the temple of Mut, being approximately twenty arouras, of which twelve are presently cultivated and eight lie fallow. The marsh plot adjoining the former sacred lake of the temple of Osiris, bounded on all sides by the temple temenos or its former extent, being approximately four arouras of reed-marsh and silted basin, together with any water rights historically associated with the said lake. In witness whereof the undersigned sets her seal below, in full knowledge of the contents of this instrument. </div>\ The document is not new. The edges have yellowed, and the fold lines are set deep, the papyrus having been rolled and unrolled more than once already. This was prepared months ago, for someone who had not yet walked through the door. He is watching you read with an expression of patient goodwill.\ <<dialogue "Amenhotep" "img/amenhotep.jpg" "\"Take your time.\"" "left">>\ <<silently>> <<set $askedAmenhotepValuation to false>> <<set $askedAmenhotepAge to false>> <<set $askedAmenhotepRefuse to false>> <<set $signedAmenhotepDocument to false>> <</silently>> <<include "AmenhotepQuestions">> </div>

<<if _hk is undefined>><<set _hk to 1>><</if>>\ <<if not $askedAmenhotepValuation>>\ <<action "\"What does 'as assessed by the estate of Amun' mean, exactly?\"" "AmenhotepValuation" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>>\ <</if>> <<if not $askedAmenhotepAge>>\ <<action "\"This document was prepared before I arrived.\"" "AmenhotepAge" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>>\ <</if>> <<if not $askedAmenhotepRefuse and not $signedAmenhotepDocument>>\ <<action "\"I will not sign this.\"" "AmenhotepRefuse" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>>\ <</if>> <<if not $signedAmenhotepDocument>>\ <<if $askedAmenhotepRefuse>>\ <<action "Sign the document." "AmenhotepSignAfterRefusal" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>>\ <<else>>\ <<action "Sign the document." "AmenhotepSign" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>>\ <</if>>\ <</if>>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Temple of Amun</h1>\ <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"The third affirmation. It says the estate of Amun holds sole authority to determine the terms of any future transaction. That would include the price at which I could reclaim my own land.\"" "right">>\ He does not blink. <<dialogue "Amenhotep" "img/amenhotep.jpg" "\"Standard administrative language. It simply ensures that valuations are handled by those with the expertise to conduct them fairly, rather than left to the vagaries of informal negotiation. You would not want your land assessed by a street merchant, I imagine.\"" "left">>\ He smiles. <<dialogue "Amenhotep" "img/amenhotep.jpg" "\"The temple has always been fair in these matters. I would not expect that to change.\"" "left">>\ He has not answered the question. He has answered a different question so smoothly that the difference is easy to miss. <<silently>><<set $askedAmenhotepValuation to true>><</silently>> <<include "AmenhotepValuationPress">> </div>

<<set _hk to 1>>\ <<if not $askedAmenhotepValuationPress>> <<action "\"That is not what I asked.\"" "AmenhotepValuationPressResponse" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>>\ <</if>> <<include "AmenhotepQuestions">>

<div class="textbox">\ <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"You have told me the temple is fair. You have not told me what prevents the temple from deciding, at any point of its choosing, that the land is worth considerably more than what my father borrowed. There is nothing in this document that would stop that.\"" "right">>\ Something shifts behind his eyes. Not displeasure exactly. Something closer to reassessment. <<dialogue "Amenhotep" "img/amenhotep.jpg" "\"You read carefully,\" he says. \"That is a quality I respect.\"" "left">>\ He does not answer the question. <<dialogue "Amenhotep" "img/amenhotep.jpg" "\"I will tell you what I can tell you honestly: the temple has no interest in making an enemy of the priesthood of Osiris. Your temple recovering its strength serves the religious life of this city. A adversarial relationship between us serves no one.\"" "left">>\ He spreads his hands. <<dialogue "Amenhotep" "img/amenhotep.jpg" "\"I cannot write you guarantees against futures that have not happened. I can tell you that I am speaking to you in good faith, and that you are welcome to take that for whatever you believe it is worth.\"" "left">>\ It is, you think, the most honest thing he has said since you sat down. It is also not a guarantee of anything. <<silently>><<set $askedAmenhotepValuationPress to true>><</silently>> <<include "AmenhotepQuestions">> </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Temple of Amun</h1>\ Three months. Perhaps four. And your ordination waiting on the other side of it like a door held just slightly ajar. Clenching your jaw, you sigh furiously. There is no way around this... Despite everything you told him, you ask him for the document. The reed pen is already on the table. He did not need to fetch it. Amenhotep takes the document, reviews your seal, and folds it once with the practiced efficiency of a man who has handled a great many documents and finds satisfaction in the handling of them. It disappears into the folds of his robe. <<dialogue "Amenhotep" "img/amenhotep.jpg" "\"Good. Now.\"" "left">>\ He laces his fingers together on the table, and his expression settles into something warmer, as if a minor administrative difficulty has been resolved and the real conversation can begin. He does not further acknowledge your initial refusal. <<silently>><<set $signedAmenhotepDocument to true>><</silently>> <<set _hk to 1>>\ <<action "Continue." "AmenhotepErrand" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>>\ </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Temple of Amun</h1>\ You sign. The reed pen is already on the table. He did not need to fetch it. Amenhotep takes the document, reviews your seal, and folds it once with the practiced efficiency of a man who has handled a great many documents and finds satisfaction in the handling of them. It disappears into the folds of his robe. <<dialogue "Amenhotep" "img/amenhotep.jpg" "\"Good. Now.\"" "left">>\ He laces his fingers together on the table, and his expression settles into something warmer, as if a minor administrative difficulty has been resolved and the real conversation can begin. <<silently>><<set $signedAmenhotepDocument to true>><</silently>> <<set _hk to 1>>\ <<action "Continue." "AmenhotepErrand" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>>\ </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Harbor</h1>\ <<if setup.isNight()>>\ The relentless chaos of the day has bled away, leaving the harbor eerily quiet. Torches flicker along the stone quays where armed guards patrol the moored ships. The only signs of life are the rhythmic lapping of the black Nile and the muffled, drunken shouting spilling from the Two Sandals Tavern. <ul class="room-list"> <<set _hk to 1>> <li><<action "Enter the Two Sandals Tavern" "Two Sandals Tavern" 5 _hk>><<set _hk++>></li> <li><<action "Return to City Navigation" "City" 5 _hk>><<set _hk++>></li> </ul>\ <<else>>\ The harbor is a tangle of commerce, smelling of river mud, drying fish, and the sweat of a thousand laborers. Ships from up and down the Nile are docked along the quays, their crews shouting over the din of merchants haggling. <ul class="room-list"> <<set _hk to 1>> <li><<action "Visit the Harbor Market" "HarborMarket" 5 _hk>><<set _hk++>></li> /* Porter job only available during the day! */ <li><<skillaction "Work as a porter" "WorkPorter" 360 _hk "resilience" 2>><<set _hk++>></li> <li><<action "Return to City Navigation" "City" 5 _hk>><<set _hk++>></li> </ul>\ <</if>>\ </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Temple of Amun</h1>\ <<dialogue "Amenhotep" "img/amenhotep.jpg" "\"There is a small matter, if you would be willing. A gesture of good faith - to the community, and to us - before we proceed to the formalities of your ordination.\"" "left">>\ He describes it as simply as one might describe sending a letter. A merchant named Wenennefer trades in livestock and caravan supplies near the harbor. Some months ago he approached the temple requesting a blessing for his animals before a long journey, paid in advance as is customary. He paid half. He promised the remainder on his return. He has returned. He has not paid.\ <<dialogue "Amenhotep" "img/amenhotep.jpg" "\"I would not trouble you with something so mundane, except that I think a fresh face may resolve it more simply than one of our own priests, toward whom Wenennefer has expressed some hostility. You would be doing us a kindness. And it would give you an opportunity to see the city as it operates.\"" "left">>\ He says this last part as though it is a gift he is offering you. <<dialogue "Amenhotep" "img/amenhotep.jpg" "\"A priestess who does not know her city,\" he adds, \"is of limited use to anyone.\"" "left">>\ This is exactly the attitude your father was warning you about. You've heard of no tradition requiring you to be the priest's errand boy before being formally anointed, but for now, there is no choice but to dance to his tune. <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"As you say. I will return once the matter is solved.\"" "right">>\ <<silently>> <<set $startedInheritanceErrand to true>> <</silently>>\ <<set _hk to 1>>\ The junior acolyte from before is summoned to <<naction "walk you to the gate" "Temple of Amun" 0 _hk>> </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Harbor</h1>\ Wenennefer's stall is not difficult to find. It is the loudest thing in its part of the harbor market, a sprawling operation of pens and crates and baled fodder, smelling of animals and river mud. He is arguing with a porter about cargo weight when you approach, and he finishes the argument before acknowledging you. This takes some time. When he finally looks at you, he takes in your linen and your bearing and draws his own conclusions. <<dialogue "Wenennefer" "img/wenennefer.jpg" "\"Amun's people. I wondered when they'd send a woman.\"" "left">>\ He folds his arms. <<dialogue "Wenennefer" "img/wenennefer.jpg" "\"The spell didn't work. Three of my animals went lame before Thebes was out of sight. Lost four days in the desert waiting for a trader going the other direction who could sell me replacements. Whatever your priests said over those animals, the gods were not listening. I don't pay for prayers that go unanswered.\"" "left">>\ He spits to one side. <<dialogue "Wenennefer" "img/wenennefer.jpg" "\"Tell them that.\"" "left">> <<silently>> <<set $wenenneferResolved to false>> <<set $wenenneferLied to false>> <</silently>> <<include "WenenneferQuestions">> </div>

<ul class="room-list"> <<set _hk to 1>>\ <<if $wenenneferResolved is false>> <li><<action "Handle this with decorum." "WenenneferTemperance" 2 _hk "+2T">><<set _hk++>></li> <li><<action "Handle this differently." "WenenneferDecadence" 2 _hk "+2D">><<set _hk++>></li> <<else>> /* Now pushes the player back into the world to navigate manually */ <li><<action "Return to the Harbor Market." "HarborMarket" 1 _hk>><<set _hk++>></li> <</if>> </ul>

<div class="textbox"> You consider him for a moment. A practical man, clearly. Not unreasonable, perhaps, if approached correctly. <<set _hk to 1>> <<skillaction "Challenge the terms of the agreement." "WenenneferMind" 1 _hk "mind" 1>><<set _hk++>> <<skillaction "Meet his anger with unyielding physical presence." "WenenneferBody" 1 _hk "body" 1>><<set _hk++>> <<skillaction "Ask him how the rest of the journey went." "WenenneferSpirit" 1 _hk "spirit" 1>><<set _hk++>> </div>

<div class="textbox"> <h1>Harbor Market</h1>\ <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"What exactly did you pay for? The gods do not make promises. Your contract was for a ritual properly performed: the correct prayers, spoken by a priest of standing, before a consecrated flame. Are you claiming the ritual was not performed? Do you have witnesses to that?\"" "right">> He says nothing. <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"If the gods chose not to intervene in the lameness of your animals, that is between you and the gods. It is not a breach by the temple. Unless, of course, your animals were already ill when the blessing was given. In that case the misrepresentation was yours, not ours.\"" "right">> A long pause. He seems slightly irritated by the fact that your logic is sound. <<dialogue "Wenennefer" "img/wenennefer.jpg" "\"Half.\"" "left">> <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"The agreed amount. In full. By the end of the week.\"" "right">> <<dialogue "Wenennefer" "img/wenennefer.jpg" "\"Three quarters. And I'm being generous.\"" "left">> <<set _hk to 1>>\ <<action "Accept three quarters." "WenenneferAcceptPartial" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>>\ <<action "Hold out for the full amount." "WenenneferHoldFirm" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>>\ </div>

<div class="textbox"> <h1>Harbor Market</h1>\ Three quarters is not nothing. You have already obtained Amenhotep a greater reward than you had intended. <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"Three quarters, then. End of the week.\"" "right">> He nods, looking faintly surprised that you conceded. <<silently>><<set $wenenneferResolved to true>><<set $wenenneferResult to "partial">><</silently>> <<include "WenenneferQuestions">> </div>

<div class="textbox"> <h1>Harbor Market</h1>\ <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"The agreed amount. You entered into a binding contract, and the ritual was performed. What the gods chose to do with it afterward is between you and them, not between you and the temple.\"" "right">> He looks at you for a long moment. Something in your expression, or perhaps simply in the fact that you have not moved, settles it. <<dialogue "Wenennefer" "img/wenennefer.jpg" "\"End of the week. Full amount.\"" "left">> <<silently>><<set $wenenneferResolved to true>><<set $wenenneferResult to "full">><</silently>> <<include "WenenneferQuestions">> </div>

<div class="textbox"> <h1>Harbor Market</h1>\ You do not argue the contract. Instead, you step closer with the weight of a temple statue. Despite the blistering harbor sun, the stench of the mud, and the heavy carts rumbling violently past you, you do not flinch. You do not sweat. You simply stare up at him, your posture perfectly rigid. <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"You try to use your size and your loud voice to intimidate me, Wenennefer. You see me a woman of the temple and you act dismissive, hoping I will run back to Amun empty-handed.\"" "right">> He blinks, instinctively taking a half-step back as your sheer physical presence commands the space around the stall. <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"But that will not happen. I will not yield to the tantrum of a tired merchant. I will stand here until the Nile dries up, or until you hand over the silver you owe.\"" "right">> He stares at you for a long moment. It would seem that you caught him completely off guard: this is not a man who is used to being talked down to. His defensive posture melts away, replaced by a begrudging, genuine respect for your endurance. <<dialogue "Wenennefer" "img/wenennefer.jpg" "\"You have a spine of limestone, Priestess. I'll give you that.\"" "left">> He rubs the back of his neck, sighing. <<dialogue "Wenennefer" "img/wenennefer.jpg" "\"Fine. End of the week.\"" "left">> <<silently>><<set $wenenneferResolved to true>><<set $wenenneferResult to "full">><</silently>> <<include "WenenneferQuestions">> </div>

<div class="textbox"> <h1>Harbor Market</h1>\ <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"The animals that went lame. Did they recover?\"" "right">> He pauses. <<dialogue "Wenennefer" "img/wenennefer.jpg" "\"Eventually.\"" "left">> <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"And the rest of the journey?\"" "right">> Silence. <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"How did the rest of the journey go, Wenennefer?\"" "right">> <<dialogue "Wenennefer" "img/wenennefer.jpg" "\"...Well enough.\"" "left">> <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"The gods hear what is asked of them. Sometimes the answer is not the absence of difficulty, but the presence of enough grace to survive it. Your animals came home. You came home. The prayer was answered.\"" "right">> He looks at the ground. When he looks back up, something in his face has quietly rearranged itself. <<dialogue "Wenennefer" "img/wenennefer.jpg" "\"Fine, then. End of the week.\"" "left">> <<silently>><<set $wenenneferResolved to true>><<set $wenenneferResult to "full">><</silently>> <<include "WenenneferQuestions">> </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Harbor Market</h1>\ There are other ways to bend a man's will. You step closer, closing the narrow space between you and letting him feel the heavy, intoxicating scent of your perfume. <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"You misunderstand. But maybe this dispute could be solved in a much more pleasant manner once both parties understand each other's needs a little better.\"" "right">>\ He blinks, the defiant frustration faltering for a moment as his gaze drops hungrily to the sheer linen against your skin. But then his jaw tightens. <<dialogue "Wenennefer" "img/wenennefer.jpg" "\"Is this the new custom of the House of Amun? I thought the servants of the gods kept themselves undefiled. Has that great temple grown so impoverished that it sends its women to act as common harlots in the street?\"" "left">> \ You do not flinch at the insult. Instead, you let your voice drop and talk softly in his ear. <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"Do not confuse a sacred vessel with a woman from the taverns, Wenennefer. I am a Priestess of Osiris, the Lord of Silence. Amun’s high priests merely... borrowed my services to ensure this debt was handled with a certain... candor. My loyalty is to the Osiris, but my time is my own\"" "right">>\ <<dialogue "Wenennefer" "img/wenennefer.jpg" "\"Hah! A pretty excuse to spread your legs.\" he spits, though you notice the sweat beading at his temples. \"I have seen women like you in the pleasure houses of Thebes. You are all a net and a snare.\"" "left">>\ He seems quite dismissive of your advances. <<set _hk to 1>> <<action "His body does not seem to share his reluctance; insist." "WenenneferDecadence_Continued" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>> <<action "He could become even more aggressive; back down." "WenenneferBackdown" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>> </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Temple of Amun</h1>\ <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"This papyrus is months old. The fold lines are set. You had this drawn up before I came to you.\"" "right">>\ A brief pause. <<dialogue "Amenhotep" "img/amenhotep.jpg" "\"Your father's situation had been a matter of administrative record for some time. When a loan goes unresolved, it falls to us to prepare for the various outcomes. It would have been irresponsible not to.\"" "left">>\ He folds his hands. <<dialogue "Amenhotep" "img/amenhotep.jpg" "\"I am glad you came. Some heirs do not.\"" "left">>\ <<silently>><<set $askedAmenhotepAge to true>><</silently>> <<include "AmenhotepQuestions">> </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Temple of Amun</h1>\ <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"I will not sign this. Not today.\"" "right">>\ His expression does not change. <<dialogue "Amenhotep" "img/amenhotep.jpg" "\"Of course. You are not obliged.\"" "left">>\ He takes the document back without hurry and sets it to one side. <<dialogue "Amenhotep" "img/amenhotep.jpg" "\"The matter can be reviewed by the temple's administrative court. These things take time, three months, perhaps four, depending on the calendar. Your ordination, naturally, cannot proceed while questions of inheritance remain unresolved.\"" "left">>\ He says this with what appears to be genuine regret. <<dialogue "Amenhotep" "img/amenhotep.jpg" "\"I hope you will reconsider at your leisure. The document will be here when you are ready.\"" "left">>\ <<silently>><<set $askedAmenhotepRefuse to true>><</silently>> <<include "AmenhotepQuestions">> </div>

<div class="textbox"> <h1>Meditation Chamber</h1>\ The Meditation Chamber is quiet, offering a serene environment to focus your mind, body, and spirit. The scent of old incense still lingers in the stonework.. <ul class="room-list"> <<set _hk to 1>> <li><<action "Practice Ritual Arts" "Meditation Chamber" 120 _hk "meditationTrain" "ritualArts" "mind">><<set _hk++>></li> <li><<action "Deepen Wisdom" "Meditation Chamber" 120 _hk "meditationTrain" "wisdom" "mind">><<set _hk++>></li> <li><<action "Train Grace" "Meditation Chamber" 120 _hk "meditationTrain" "grace" "body">><<set _hk++>></li> <li><<action "Harden Resilience" "Meditation Chamber" 120 _hk "meditationTrain" "resilience" "body">><<set _hk++>></li> <li><<action "Refine Allure" "Meditation Chamber" 120 _hk "meditationTrain" "allure" "spirit">><<set _hk++>></li> <li><<action "Deepen Faith" "Meditation Chamber" 120 _hk "meditationTrain" "faith" "spirit">><<set _hk++>></li> <li><<action "Return to Complex" "Complex" 1 _hk>><<set _hk++>></li> </ul> </div>

<div class="textbox"> <h1>Temple of Amun</h1>\ The way to the high priest's quarters seems shorter this time around; or perhaps you are simply walking faster. Amenhotep receives you in the same room, at the same table, with the same expression of patient goodwill. He listens as you prepare to give your report. <<silently>> <<set $askedAmenhotepLie to false>> <</silently>> <<include "WenenneferReturnQuestions">> </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Temple of Amun</h1>\ <<if $wenenneferFlirted>>\ You recount the merchant's ultimate decision with a steady voice, carefully omitting the heat of the street and the way you used your own body as a method of persuasion. You speak only of the final terms, keeping the memory of your hands and the dark promise of the Osiris sanctuary locked behind your teeth. <<else>>\ You give him the brief, telling of the merchant's initial resistance but how you eventually managed to bring him to an agreement. You speak with the clarity of a scribe, detailing the exact terms the man eventually buckled under. <</if>>\ <<if $wenenneferResult is "full">>\ <<dialogue "Amenhotep" "img/amenhotep.jpg" "\"You handled that well. Better than I expected, if I am honest, which I am sworn to be. Thank you, $characterName. You have done the temple a service today.\"" "left">>\ <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"It was a simple enough matter, High Priest. Though I suspect he is more stubborn than most.\"" "right">>\ <<dialogue "Amenhotep" "img/amenhotep.jpg" "\"Men usually are, when their coin is involved. But you have proven you can navigate them without unnecessary damage.\"" "left">>\ <<else>>\ <<dialogue "Amenhotep" "img/amenhotep.jpg" "\"Only a partial payment? A pity. Still, half a measure in the treasury is better than an empty scale. I had prepared myself to write off the entire sum. Thank you, $characterName.\"" "left">>\ <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"He was stubborn to a fault, High Priest. I extracted what I could without causing a scene in the middle of the harbor.\"" "right">>\ <<dialogue "Amenhotep" "img/amenhotep.jpg" "\"A wise choice. Men will bleed themselves dry over pride if pushed too far in public. You brought back something, and that is sufficient.\"" "left">>\ <</if>>\ Whether the approval is genuine or another kind of performance, you cannot tell. You are not certain the distinction matters. He rises from his seat. <<dialogue "Amenhotep" "img/amenhotep.jpg" "\"Come. The ordination is a small thing, and it will not take long.\"" "left">> <<silently>><<set $askedAmenhotepLie to true>><</silently>> <<set _hk to 1>>\ <<action "Proceed to the ordination." "AmenhotepOrdination" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>> </div>

<div class="textbox"> <h1>Temple of Amun</h1>\ You offer a slight, knowing smile. You tell him that the merchant was resistant at first, but that you were able to... persuade him. <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"He will be paying his debt in full. In fact, I am quite certain he will be visiting the temple very soon to handle his obligations personally.\"" "right">> Amenhotep pauses, taking in your posture, your tone, and the implication hanging in the air between you. A faint, amused smile touches the corners of his mouth. <<dialogue "Amenhotep" "img/amenhotep.jpg" "\"I see. Thank you, $characterName. You have a rather... effective method of ensuring devotion.\"" "left">> <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"I simply find that men are far more generous when they feel their offerings are deeply appreciated.\"" "right">> <<dialogue "Amenhotep" "img/amenhotep.jpg" "\"A dangerous philosophy, but an undeniable one.\"" "left">> He rises from the table, his amusement still lingering. <<dialogue "Amenhotep" "img/amenhotep.jpg" "\"Come, then. The ordination is a small thing, and it will not take long.\"" "left">> <<silently>><<set $askedAmenhotepLie to true>><</silently>> <ul class="room-list"> <<set _hk to 1>>\ <li><<action "Proceed to the ordination." "AmenhotepOrdination" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>></li> </ul> </div>

<div class="textbox"> <h1>Temple of Amun</h1>\ You tell him it went smoothly. That Wenennefer was cooperative. That the debt will be paid in full and without further complaint. <<dialogue "Amenhotep" "img/amenhotep.jpg" "\"Good. Thank you, $characterName. We prefer when these matters conclude without friction.\"" "left">> <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"He merely needed to be reminded of his obligations. There was no real trouble.\"" "right">> <<dialogue "Amenhotep" "img/amenhotep.jpg" "\"Indeed. Sometimes the mere presence of the temple is reminder enough.\"" "left">> His eyes rest on you for a moment longer than necessary, as if searching for the cracks in your story. Then he rises. <<dialogue "Amenhotep" "img/amenhotep.jpg" "\"Come. The ordination is a small thing, and it will not take long.\"" "left">> The money may or may not arrive. If it does not, the temple will deal with it in their own way, and no blame will attach to you. You tell yourself this. <<silently>><<set $askedAmenhotepLie to true>><<set $wenenneferLied to true>><</silently>> <ul class="room-list"> <<set _hk to 1>>\ <li><<action "Proceed to the ordination." "AmenhotepOrdination" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>></li> </ul> </div>

<div class="textbox"> <h1>Temple of Amun</h1>\ The ceremony is briefer than you expected. There is a pool, cold and smelling of natron. An oath spoken in a room where the incense has been burning long enough that the smell has become the walls. Amenhotep places his hand on your head and speaks the words in a voice that has spoken them many times before. You speak yours. A scribe records your name in a register that already holds several hundred others, and does not look up while he does it. You are presented with a choice of three coronets. <<set _hk to 1>>\ <<action "The circlet of lapis and gold. <span style='color: cornflowerblue'>+1 Ritual Arts, +1 Faith</span>" "ChooseCircletLapis" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>>\ <<action "The circlet of carnelian and electrum. <span style='color: indianred'>+1 Grace, +1 Allure</span>" "ChooseCircletCarnelian" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>>\ <<action "The circlet of malachite and faience. <span style='color: lime'>+1 Wisdom, +1 Resilience</span>" "ChooseCircletMalachite" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>>\ </div>

<div class="textbox"> <h1>Temple of Amun</h1>\ <<run setup.addResource("circlet_lapis", 1)>>\ <<set $renown += 5>>\ <<run setup.notify("Renown has increased by 5.", "positive")>>\ <<dialogue "Amenhotep" "img/amenhotep.jpg" "\"It was my pleasure to formally induct you into the priesthood. As for the matter of the parcels legally owned by the Temple of Osiris, do feel free to return any time. You shall find I am a reasonable man to bargain with.\"" "left">> Rubbing the salt in the wound. You walk back through the avenue of statues, you turn the morning over in your mind. You are a priestess now, formally, in the eyes of the law and the clergy and the gods, as you have always been in everything but name. The temple is yours to tend. The land is gone. Somewhere in the harbor district, a merchant is deciding whether you are worth the trouble of crossing.<<if $wenenneferFlirted>> You have already bartered the promise of your own body to settle a mundane debt. It is a strange, unsettling way to begin a holy life, and you are not entirely sure what that says about the priestess you will become.<</if>> The statues watch you go with their calm stone faces and do not offer an opinion. <<silently>> /* Marking the entire questline as finished */ <<set $finishedInheritanceQuest to true>> <</silently>>\ <<set _hk to 1>>\ <<action "Return to the city." "City" 5 _hk>><<set _hk++>>\ </div>

<div class="textbox"> <h1>Temple of Amun</h1>\ <<run setup.addResource("circlet_carnelian", 1)>>\ <<set $renown += 5>>\ <<run setup.notify("Renown has increased by 5.", "positive")>>\ <<dialogue "Amenhotep" "img/amenhotep.jpg" "\"It was my pleasure to formally induct you into the priesthood. As for the matter of the parcels legally owned by the Temple of Osiris, do feel free to return any time. You shall find I am a reasonable man to bargain with.\"" "left">> Rubbing the salt in the wound. You walk back through the avenue of statues, you turn the morning over in your mind. You are a priestess now, formally, in the eyes of the law and the clergy and the gods, as you have always been in everything but name. The temple is yours to tend. The land is gone. Somewhere in the harbor district, a merchant is deciding whether you are worth the trouble of crossing.<<if $wenenneferFlirted>> You have already bartered the promise of your own body to settle a mundane debt. It is a strange, unsettling way to begin a holy life, and you are not entirely sure what that says about the priestess you will become.<</if>> The statues watch you go with their calm stone faces and do not offer an opinion. <<silently>> /* Marking the entire questline as finished */ <<set $finishedInheritanceQuest to true>> <</silently>>\ <<set _hk to 1>>\ <<action "Return to the city." "City" 5 _hk>><<set _hk++>>\ </div>

<div class="textbox"> <h1>Temple of Amun</h1>\ <<run setup.addResource("circlet_malachite", 1)>>\ <<set $renown += 5>>\ <<run setup.notify("Renown has increased by 5.", "positive")>>\ <<dialogue "Amenhotep" "img/amenhotep.jpg" "\"It was my pleasure to formally induct you into the priesthood. As for the matter of the parcels legally owned by the Temple of Osiris, do feel free to return any time. I will instruct our temple accountants to be open to commerce with you; you will find them to be reasonable men.\"" "left">> Rubbing the salt in the wound. You walk back through the avenue of statues, you turn the morning over in your mind. You are a priestess now, formally, in the eyes of the law and the clergy and the gods, as you have always been in everything but name. The temple is yours to tend. The land is gone. Somewhere in the harbor district, a merchant is deciding whether you are worth the trouble of crossing.<<if $wenenneferFlirted>> You have already bartered the promise of your own body to settle a mundane debt. It is a strange, unsettling way to begin a holy life, and you are not entirely sure what that says about the priestess you will become.<</if>> The statues watch you go with their calm stone faces and do not offer an opinion. <<silently>> /* Marking the entire questline as finished */ <<set $finishedInheritanceQuest to true>> <</silently>>\ <<set _hk to 1>>\ <<action "Return to the city." "City" 5 _hk>><<set _hk++>>\ </div>

<div class="textbox"> You set up the board in a shaded corner of the complex and spend the next hour playing a best-of-twelve set of Twenty Squares with Kemhotep. <<modifyRelationship "Kemhotep" 2>> <<run setup.notify("Your relationship with Kemhotep has improved.", "positive")>> <<set _roll to random(1, 5)>> <<if _roll == 1>> You completely crush him, outmaneuvering his pieces at every turn. He grumbles good-naturedly about the knuckle-bones favoring the youth, though there is a proud glint in his eye. <<elseif _roll == 2>> You narrowly win the set. It comes down to the absolute final throw, but the gods of fortune smile upon you, allowing your final piece to slide off the board just before his. <<elseif _roll == 3>> It's a draw! After twelve grueling rounds, neither of you can claim absolute supremacy. Kemhotep nods approvingly at the respectful stalemate. <<elseif _roll == 4>> He narrowly wins. His years of experience show as he expertly blocks your path just steps away from the finish line, clinching the final round. <<else>> He completely crushes you. His pieces glide across the board as if guided by Thoth himself, leaving you staring at the board in disbelief while he chuckles into his cup. <</if>> <<set _hk to 1>> <<action "Return" "KemhotepDialogueHub" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>> </div>

<div class="textbox"> You invite Tahira to sit with you for an hour, playing a best-of-twelve set of Twenty Squares. At first, she is hesitant to play against her mistress, but she quickly becomes absorbed in the dice game. <<modifyRelationship "Tahira" 2>> <<run setup.notify("Your relationship with Tahira has improved.", "positive")>> <<set _roll to random(1, 5)>> <<if _roll == 1>> You completely crush her. She takes the overwhelming defeat gracefully, offering a soft, genuine smile as she helps you clear the board. <<elseif _roll == 2>> You narrowly win the set. It was a remarkably tense match, but a lucky throw of the dice seals your victory in the final moments. She claps her hands lightly in genuine congratulations. <<elseif _roll == 3>> It's a draw! You trade wins back and forth until the very end. The even match leaves both of you pleasantly surprised, and you catch her smiling warmly at the board. <<elseif _roll == 4>> She narrowly wins. A sudden streak of luck allows her to slide her final piece off the board just before yours. She quickly averts her eyes, as if apologizing for her victory, but the corners of her lips are turned up. <<else>> She completely crushes you. For someone usually so timid and deferential, she possesses a remarkably ruthless strategy on the board, systematically dismantling your every move. <</if>> <<set _hk to 1>> <<action "Return" "TahiraDialogueHub" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>> </div>

<div class="textbox"> <h1>Harbor</h1> You switch your temple robes for rugged linen and join the throng of laborers at the docks. For six grueling hours, you haul sacks of grain, timber, and heavy clay jars under the unforgiving sun. Your muscles burn and your feet ache, but your physical resilience keeps you from collapsing into the mud. <<run /* 1. Calculate the Allure bonus */ var allureBonus = State.variables.allure || 0; /* 2. Roll 2-4 for each resource, then add the Grace bonus */ var earnedBeer = Math.floor(Math.random() * 3) + 2 + allureBonus; var earnedBread = Math.floor(Math.random() * 3) + 2 + allureBonus; /* 3. Add to inventory using the universal resource function */ setup.addResource("beer", earnedBeer); setup.addResource("bread", earnedBread); /* 4. Save to temporary variables so Twine can print them below */ State.variables.porterBeer = earnedBeer; State.variables.porterBread = earnedBread; State.variables.porterBonus = allureBonus; >>\ When the overseer finally calls an end to the shift, you are handed your wages: **$porterBeer jugs of beer** and **$porterBread loaves of bread**. <<if $porterBonus > 0>>\ The overseer lingers for a moment. Whether due to your natural allure or respect for a woman braving such grueling labor, he grunts and shoves an extra **$porterBonus loaves** and *$porterBonus jugs** into your hands. <<else>>\ He doesn't even look up from his ledger as he tosses the meager payment into the dirt at your feet, already shouting for the next line of laborers to move out. <</if>> <ul class="room-list"> <<set _hk to 1>> /* Return takes 0 time because the 6 hours were already consumed by the skillaction button */ <li><<action "Return to the Harbor" "Harbor" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>></li> </ul> </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Sanctuary of Osiris</h1>\ <<run window.fulfillGodNeed("osiris", "offering"); setup.removeResource("beer", 1); setup.removeResource("bread", 1); >>\ You place the bread and the jug of beer upon the offering table before the statue of Osiris. You murmur a short prayer, asking that his ka be sustained by these earthly gifts. <ul class="room-list"> <<set _hk to 1>> <li><<action "Return to the Sanctuary" "Sanctuary of Osiris" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>></li> </ul> </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Sanctuary of Osiris</h1>\ <<run window.fulfillGodNeed("osiris", "ritual"); setup.removeResource("incense", 1); setup.removeResource("ritual_oils", 1); >>\ You light the incense and carefully anoint the sacred relics with the ritual oils. For two hours, you chant the ancient litanies of life, death, and rebirth, ensuring the Lord of the Underworld is honored according to the old ways. <ul class="room-list"> <<set _hk to 1>> <li><<action "Return to the Sanctuary" "Sanctuary of Osiris" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>></li> </ul> </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Harbor Market</h1>\ <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"A net and a snare.\" You let the words sit in the air between you. \"Poets write that about every woman worth fearing. It is not the insult you intend it to be.\"" "right">>\ He says nothing. You take it as an invitation and double down your advances. <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"And why would you talk to me like that, Wenennefer? You have been on the desert roads for months. Sleeping in a merchant's tent while the wind strips the warmth out of the night. And now, you stand here in the Thebes heat, where a beautiful woman has approached you. And you are choosing to be angry.\"" "right">>\ A muscle moves in his jaw. His eyes drop just for a moment, before he pulls them back up. <<dialogue "Wenennefer" "img/wenennefer.jpg" "\"You are very confident for a woman collecting someone else's debt.\"" "left">>\ <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"I am confident because I am not collecting a debt. That was the temple's errand. I am having a conversation. Those are different things.\"" "right">>\ The internal battle plays out plainly on his face. Trying to sway it in your favor, you caress his exposed neck with your nails, making his pride wrestle with a sudden, agonizing need: you catch a small, freshly formed bulge under his belt. <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"The silver goes to Amun. That is already settled. What happens after that - how we will continue our conversation - that is entirely your own business.\"" "right">> Wenennefer's arms are still folded, but they seem lighter and more relaxed. <<set _hk to 1>> <<action "Let him talk himself into it." "WenenneferDecadence_Subtle" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>> <<action "Make him a blunt promise." "WenenneferDecadence_Direct" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>> <<action "Command him to submit." "WenenneferDecadence_Aggressive" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>> <<action "Back away and focus on the debt." "WenenneferBackdown" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>> </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Harbor Market</h1>\ You consider him for a moment. If the promise of pleasure will not sway him, perhaps reason will. You step back, letting the tension dissipate into the hot, dusty air of the market. You straighten your posture, restoring the respectable, rigid bearing of a High Priestess. The sudden shift in your demeanor seems to catch him off guard. He blinks, the sweat still beading at his temples as his defensive hostility is momentarily replaced by cautious confusion. <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"As you wish. Let us leave the sanctuaries out of this, Wenennefer. We shall speak strictly as merchant and priestess.\"" "right">>\ He is a practical man, clearly. Not unreasonable, perhaps, if approached correctly. <ul class="room-list"> <<set _hk to 1>> <li><<skillaction "Challenge the terms of the agreement." "WenenneferMind" 1 _hk "mind" 1>><<set _hk++>></li> <li><<skillaction "Make clear what refusing means." "WenenneferBody" 1 _hk "body" 1>><<set _hk++>></li> <li><<skillaction "Ask him how the rest of the journey went." "WenenneferSpirit" 1 _hk "spirit" 1>><<set _hk++>></li> </ul> </div>

<div class="textbox"> <h1>Harbor Market</h1>\ You let out a soft, delicate sigh, your shoulders dropping and look up at him through your lashes. <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"I was told Wenennefer the trader was a man of immense success.\" You stroke his chin with the back of your hand for emphasis. \"A man who commanded fleets and caravans. Yet here you are, forcing me to stand in the heat and haggle over a few rings of silver as if you were a desperate street peddler.\"" "right">> He frowns, his pride instantly bristling at the comparison. <<dialogue "Wenennefer" "img/wenennefer.jpg" "\"I am not a peddler. But I earned my silver, and I don't part with it lightly.\"" "left">> <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"Clearly. It is a shame. I had hoped to return to the temple and tell the High Priest of your generosity and success. Perhaps even indulge in the fantasy of meeting a rich and adventurous rogue like yourself again. But if this sum truly breaks your ledger, I will leave you to your... struggles.\"" "right">> You turn as if to walk away. It is obvious manipulation, but the sound of his ego cracking is almost audible. He cannot stand the idea of an aristocratic woman looking down on him as a poor man. <<dialogue "Wenennefer" "img/wenennefer.jpg" "\"Wait. Damn you, wait! I didn't say I couldn't pay it.\"" "left">> He aggressively rubs the back of his neck as you spin around theatrically on your heels. <<dialogue "Wenennefer" "img/wenennefer.jpg" "\"End of the week. They will have their silver, and your adventurous rogue will surely seek you out again.\"" "left">> <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"I am glad we could see eye to eye, Wenennefer. If you are as eager for our next encounter as I am, seek me out in the Temple of Osiris.\"" "right">> <<silently>> <<set $wenenneferResolved to true>> <<set $wenenneferResult to "full">> <<set $wenenneferFlirted to true>> <<set $wenenneferReturnDay to $day + random(1, 3)>> <</silently>> <<include "WenenneferQuestions">> </div>

<div class="textbox"> <h1>Harbor Market</h1>\ You drop the pious, untouchable demeanor of the priesthood entirely and reach out and lay a single, smooth hand directly into his tunic, cupping his chest. It is a shocking breach of propriety. He freezes instantly, his words dying in his throat as the heavy scent of your perfume surrounds him. Beneath your palm, you can feel his heartbeat spike in a sudden, panicked rhythm. <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"Are you going to yell at me, Wenennefer?\"" "right">> Your voice is a low, honeyed murmur. You trace your thumb just slightly against his skin. <<dialogue "Wenennefer" "img/wenennefer.jpg" "\"I... I wasn't yelling, Priestess. I was explaining the contract—\"" "left">> <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"I don't care about the contract. I care that I am tired, and it is hot, and I want my silver. You are a strong, capable man. Are you truly going to deny me something so simple?\"" "right">> He is entirely out of his depth. He is used to men shouting and waving fists, not to a priestess working her gentle charms. The fight drains out of him, replaced by a desperate need to agree just to get his brain working again. <<dialogue "Wenennefer" "img/wenennefer.jpg" "\"No. No, I suppose not. You will have it by the end of the week.\"" "left">> You let your hand fall back to your side, deeply satisfied by how easily the big man crumbled. <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"I am glad we could see eye to eye, Wenennefer. If you are as eager for our next encounter as I am, seek me out in the Temple of Osiris.\"" "right">> <<silently>> <<set $wenenneferResolved to true>> <<set $wenenneferResult to "full">> <<set $wenenneferFlirted to true>> <<set $wenenneferReturnDay to $day + random(1, 3)>> <</silently>> <<include "WenenneferQuestions">> </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Harbor Market</h1>\ You decide to force the issue, tired of his stubbornness. You grip his tunic firmly, your voice hardening into a command. <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"Enough posturing. You owe the temple, and you owe me for wasting my time. You will pay Amun what is owed, and then you will come to my sanctuary and service my needs. Do we have an understanding?\"" "right">>\ The shift from seductive temptation to blatant, aggressive demand hits him wrong. His eyes flash with sudden anger, and he roughly bats your hand away, taking a large step back. <<dialogue "Wenennefer" "img/wenennefer.jpg" "\"You think because you wear fine linen and smell nice you can order me around like one of my porters?\"" "left">>\ His pride, which was melting away just moments ago, returns with a vengeance. He scowls, adjusting his tunic. <<dialogue "Wenennefer" "img/wenennefer.jpg" "\"I told you I don't pay for unanswered prayers. And I don't pay women who think they own the harbor. You can go back to Amun and tell them they'll get three quarters of what's left. Take it or leave it.\"" "left">>\ You crossed the line, pushing him too far. You realize you won't get the full amount out of him now. <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"Fine. Have it your way.\"" "right">>\ <<silently>> <<set $wenenneferResolved to true>> <<set $wenenneferResult to "partial">> <<set $wenenneferFlirted to false>> <</silently>> <<include "WenenneferQuestions">> </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Audience Room</h1>\ The next petitioner approaches with a slow, hesitant gait. He is a local farmer, his sun-baked skin coated in a thin layer of dry dust. He nervously wrings his hands, holding a small basket containing a few pathetic, withered stalks of grain. <<dialogue "Farmer" "img/placeholder.jpg" "\"Priestess... the gods bless you and keep you. I come seeking the temple's intervention. My fields are dying, while my neighbor's thrive.\"" "left">>\ <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"The Nile provides differently from season to season. Are you certain this is a matter for the temple, and not simply poor soil?\"" "right">>\ The farmer shakes his head frantically, his eyes wide with fearful conviction. <<dialogue "Farmer" "img/placeholder.jpg" "\"No, Priestess! I saw him in the dead of night, burying an inscribed clay shard at the boundary of my land. He has cursed my harvest out of jealousy. I beg of you, perform a cleansing ritual. Break his foul magic!\"" "left">>\ Whether it is truly a curse or simply an excuse for poor farming, his fear is genuine. A proper warding ritual would put his mind at ease, but it will require burning sacred incense to appease the gods. <ul class="room-list"> <<set _hk to 1>>\ <<if setup.hasEnoughResource("incense", 1) >= 1>> <li><<action "Perform the warding spell." "GenericFarmerWantsCrops_Help" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>></li> <<else>> <li><i>You do not have enough Incense to perform the ritual.</i></li> <</if>>\ <li><<action "Refuse to indulge his superstition" "GenericFarmerWantsCrops_Refuse" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>><<set _hk++>></li> </ul> </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Audience Room</h1>\ You look at the withered grain in his basket, then back to his desperate, dirt-smudged face. <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"The temple does not squander its sacred rites on petty neighborly disputes. If your soil is dry, dig a better irrigation trench. Do not blame magic for what can be solved with hard labor.\"" "right">>\ The farmer recoils as if you had struck him. His desperate hope shatters into bitter disappointment. <<dialogue "Farmer" "img/placeholder.jpg" "\"But... the shard... I saw him...\"" "left">>\ <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"If you are so certain he has wronged you, take it up with the local magistrate. The gods have more pressing matters to attend to. Now, step aside.\"" "right">>\ He lowers his head, clutching his basket of dead crops tightly to his chest. He mutters a quiet, dejected apology before turning and shuffling out of the audience room. You have saved the temple's resources, but the man will find no comfort tonight. <ul class="room-list"> <<set _hk to 1>>\ <li><<action "Return to Audience Room" "Audience Room" 0 _hk "openAudienceDocketDialog">><<set _hk++>></li> </ul> </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Audience Room</h1>\ You nod gravely, accepting his plea. You step back toward the brazier, taking a pinch of precious temple incense and casting it into the coals. The fragrant, heavy smoke immediately fills the hall. You raise your hands, chanting a traditional warding prayer to Osiris, asking the Lord of the Underworld to turn away any malicious spirits or foul intentions buried in the earth. The farmer watches the smoke rise with absolute reverence, the tension visibly melting from his shoulders. <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"The smoke has carried your plea to the heavens. The earth is cleansed. Whatever your neighbor buried, its power is broken. Go back to your fields in peace.\"" "right">>\ <<dialogue "Farmer" "img/placeholder.jpg" "\"Oh, thank you, Priestess! Thank the gods! I am but a poor man, but please, take this offering for the temple.\"" "left">>\ He reaches into his satchel and places a few humble provisions at your feet before bowing repeatedly and hurrying out of the audience room, his spirit entirely renewed. <<silently>> <<run setup.removeResource("incense", 1)>> <<set _breadReward to random(1, 3)>> <<set _beerReward to random(1, 3)>> <<run setup.addResource("bread", _breadReward)>> <<run setup.addResource("beer", _beerReward)>> <<set $renown += 1>> <</silently>> <<run setup.notify("Renown has increased by 1.", "positive")>>\ <ul class="room-list"> <<set _hk to 1>>\ <li><<action "Return to Audience Room" "Audience Room" 0 _hk "openAudienceDocketDialog">><<set _hk++>></li> </ul> </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Audience Room</h1>\ <<if $panebInitialInquiry>>\ <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"Keep your deben, Paneb. If the hounds and jackals were kind enough to enrich a friend, I will not be the one to tax your luck.\"" "right">>\ <<else>>\ <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"Keep your deben. The temple will provide the ink today. Use the saving to buy a sturdier lock for your friend's new door.\"" "right">>\ <</if>>\ Paneb’s eyebrows shoot up. You dip the reed into the dark soot of the palette. As you write, you can feel Paneb's gaze on the precise movements of your hand across the papyrus. He leans slightly against a nearby pillar, his thumb absentmindedly turning the emerald ring on his finger. He watches you work silently for the better part of ten minutes. After rolling the complete document rolled, you hand it to the potter. Nebnefer clutches it like a holy relic, though he knows it is only the first of many hurdles with the magistrates. You roll the papyrus and hand it down. Nebnefer bows so low his forehead nearly touches the stone, mumbling prayers of thanks. <<dialogue "Paneb" "img/paneb_portrait.jpg" "\"You are a generous woman, Priestess. I will see that the potter remembers who provided his roof.\"" "left">>\ He lingers for a heartbeat, his eyes drifting from the rolled scroll back to the stylus on your desk. He doesn't speak of the ink, but he studies the arrangement of your tools with a quiet, measuring intensity. <<dialogue "Paneb" "img/paneb_portrait.jpg" "\"I suspect I shall find my way back to your temple soon. May the gods keep you, Priestess.\"" "left">>\ He offers a short, elegant bow and leaves before you can answer, leading his friend out into the heat. <<set $panebFavorableFirstInteraction to true>>\ <<silently>> /* Advance his quest stage */ <<set $panebStage to 1>> /* Keep his quest active */ <<set $panebActive to true>> /* Schedule him to return in 2 to 4 days */ <<set $panebReturnDay to $day + random(2, 4)>> <</silently>>\ <<set _hk to 1>>\ <<action "Return to Audience Room" "Audience Room" 0 _hk "openAudienceDocketDialog">><<set _hk++>> </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Audience Room</h1>\ The next petitioner is not a laborer or a merchant, but a young scribe with ink-stained fingers. He is practically vibrating with nervous excitement, clutching a tightly rolled papyrus against his chest. <<dialogue "Scribe" "img/placeholder.jpg" "\"Priestess! I am eternally grateful for this audience. I have spent yesterday copying 'The Dispute between a Man and his Ba', and I find myself completely deadlocked on the implications! I need the perspective of a servant of the gods.\"" "left">>\ <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"You came to the Audience Room to discuss classical literature?\"" "right">>\ <<dialogue "Scribe" "img/placeholder.jpg" "\"It is not merely literature, Priestess! It is a profound meditation on life and the afterlife! The man is in despair, longing for death, but his Ba - his soul - threatens to abandon him if he dies before his time. Is the Ba acting out of cruelty, or out of divine pragmatism?\"" "left">>\ He is looking at you with the desperate hunger of a scholar who hasn't spoken to an intellectual equal in months. You have already committed the time to seeing him; you might as well entertain his debate. <ul class="room-list"> <<set _hk to 1>>\ <li><<action "Argue that the Ba is pragmatic and bound by duty." "PatientScribeDebate_Pragmatic" 45 _hk>><<set _hk++>></li> <li><<action "Argue that the man's suffering is valid, and the Ba lacks empathy." "PatientScribeDebate_Empathetic" 45 _hk>><<set _hk++>></li> <li><<action "Dismiss his philosophical musings as irrelevant." "PatientScribeDebate_Refuse" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>></li> </ul> </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Audience Room</h1>\ <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"You judge the man too harshly, and the Ba too lightly. The text speaks of utter alienation. The man says, 'To whom can I speak today? Hearts are rapacious.' His suffering is entirely valid. It is crushing loneliness. The Ba's threat to leave him is an act of spiritual extortion when he is at his most vulnerable.\"" "right">>\ The scribe stops, blinking in surprise. He looks down at the text, reading it over silently before looking back at you. <<dialogue "Scribe" "img/placeholder.jpg" "\"I... I had always read the Ba as the voice of divine reason. But you suggest the Ba is flawed? That it fails to understand the true weight of human despair?\"" "left">>\ <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"The divine does not always comprehend the exhaustion of the mortal coil. That is why priests exist, to bridge the gap between the flawless gods and broken men.\"" "right">>\ The scribe is visibly moved. The debate that follows over the next hour and a half is less academic and more deeply philosophical, exploring the nature of suffering and divine empathy. <<dialogue "Scribe" "img/placeholder.jpg" "\"Priestess, you have illuminated this text for me in ways my masters never could. The temple is truly blessed to have your wisdom.\"" "left">>\ <<if $library.disputeOwned is false>>\ <<dialogue "Scribe" "img/placeholder.jpg" "\"It would be my honor if you were to keep this copy within your temple's library.\"" "left">>\ <</if>>\ <<silently>> <<set _mindReward to random(10, 15)>> <<run setup.gainXP("mind", _mindReward)>> <<set $renown += 1>> <<if $library.disputeOwned is false>> <<set $library.disputeOwned to true>> <<run setup.notify("Received 'Dispute Between a Man and his Ba'.", "positive")>> <</if>> <</silently>>\ <<run setup.notify("Renown has increased by 1.", "positive")>>\ <ul class="room-list"> <<set _hk to 1>>\ <li><<action "Return to Audience Room" "Audience Room" 0 _hk "openAudienceDocketDialog">><<set _hk++>></li> </ul> </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Audience Room</h1>\ <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"The Ba is not cruel; it is bound by the laws of Ma'at. A man cannot simply abandon his earthly post because it is difficult. The soul requires the man to live his allotted days so that it might be properly sustained in the afterlife. It is a pragmatic warning.\"" "right">>\ The scribe's eyes light up. He unrolls a section of the papyrus, pointing triumphantly at a column of hieroglyphs. <<dialogue "Scribe" "img/placeholder.jpg" "\"Exactly! Exactly! He tells the man, 'If you cast blame on life, I will not be with you!' It is a transactional relationship, not merely an emotional one. The body and the soul must fulfill their obligations to one another.\"" "left">>\ For the next hour and a half, the two of you dissect the text line by line. It is a rigorous, exhausting, but deeply stimulating conversation. By the time he finally rolls up his papyrus, your mind feels remarkably sharper. <<dialogue "Scribe" "img/placeholder.jpg" "\"Priestess, you have illuminated this text for me in ways my masters never could. The temple is truly blessed to have your wisdom.\"" "left">>\ <<if $library.disputeOwned is false>>\ <<dialogue "Scribe" "img/placeholder.jpg" "\"It would be my honor if you were to keep this copy within your temple's library.\"" "left">>\ <</if>>\ <<silently>> <<set _mindReward to random(10, 15)>> <<run setup.gainXP("mind", _mindReward)>> <<set $renown += 1>> <<if $library.disputeOwned is false>> <<set $library.disputeOwned to true>> <<run setup.notify("Received 'Dispute Between a Man and his Ba'.", "positive")>> <</if>> <</silently>>\ <<run setup.notify("Renown has increased by 1.", "positive")>>\ <ul class="room-list"> <<set _hk to 1>>\ <li><<action "Return to Audience Room" "Audience Room" 0 _hk "openAudienceDocketDialog">><<set _hk++>></li> </ul> </div> </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Audience Room</h1>\ <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"You occupy the temple's time with idle scholarly debates while there are real people starving in the streets? The Dispute between a Man and his Ba is a problem for the dead. My concerns are with the living.\"" "right">>\ The scribe physically recoils, his enthusiasm instantly evaporating. He rolls his papyrus up tightly, his face flushed with embarrassment. <<dialogue "Scribe" "img/placeholder.jpg" "\"I... I apologize, Priestess. I believed the temple was a place for theological reflection. I see I was mistaken in taking up your time.\"" "left">>\ He bows stiffly and hurries out. You saved your time, though the interaction leaves a slightly sour taste in the air. <ul class="room-list"> <<set _hk to 1>>\ <li><<action "Return to Audience Room" "Audience Room" 0 _hk "openAudienceDocketDialog">><<set _hk++>></li> </ul> </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Audience Room</h1>\ The next petitioner does not walk so much as march, the bronze butt of his spear cracking sharply against the sacred stones. He is a guardsman from the city watch, his armor smelling of dust and stale sweat, his face drawn tight as a bowstring. The hollows beneath his eyes are bruised purple with exhaustion. He eyes the heavy shadows of the audience room with impatient paranoia. <<dialogue "Guard" "img/placeholder.jpg" "\"Priestess. Make it quick. I walk the harbor watch in less than an hour, and my captain will take the hide from my back if I'm late.\"" "left">>\ <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"The gods do not care for your captain's schedules, guardsman. What sickness rots your peace?\"" "right">>\ He drags a calloused hand across his face, his rigid, military posture finally slipping. <<dialogue "Guard" "img/placeholder.jpg" "\"It is the nights. When I close my eyes in the barracks, the shadows crawl up the walls. I wake choking on my own breath, soaked in cold sweat. I haven't slept in days. I need a ward against the dark before I collapse on my post.\"" "left">>\ He is wound to the breaking point, trembling with adrenaline and raw fatigue. A proper ritual of sacred smoke might center his fractured spirit. \ <<if $fetishFeet>>\ But as he speaks, you catch his bloodshot eyes repeatedly dropping toward your feet, hungry and ashamed. It plants a darker idea in your mind perhaps his desperate, coiled tension would be better broken beneath the soles of your feet.\ <<else>>\ But beneath the bronze, the brutal tension of his muscles suggests a much baser, physical purging would buy him his sleep just as well.\ <</if>>\ <ul class="room-list"> <<set _hk to 1>>\ <<if $temperance <= -10>>\ <<if $fetishFeet>>\ <li><<action "Instruct him how to relieve his physical tension as he looks at your feet." "GuardNightmares_DecadenceFeet" 0 _hk "+2D">><<set _hk++>></li>\ <<else>>\ <li><<action "Instruct him how to relieve his physical tension in front of you." "GuardNightmares_Decadence" 0 _hk "+2D">><<set _hk++>></li>\ <</if>>\ <</if>>\ <<if setup.hasEnoughResource("incense", 1)>>\ <li><<action "Perform a cleansing blessing." "GuardNightmares_Temperance" 0 _hk "+1T">><<set _hk++>></li>\ <<else>>\ <li><i>You do not have enough Incense to perform the blessing.</i></li>\ <</if>>\ <li><<action "Dismiss his complaints as cowardice." "GuardNightmares_Refuse" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>></li>\ </ul> </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Audience Room</h1>\ <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"There is no ghost in your head, guardsman. You are simply wound too tight. Your body has become a burden to you, and the barracks offers no place to set it down. You need to be emptied.\"" "right">>\ He blinks, his face drawn with a fatigue so deep it looks like pain. Before he can stammer an excuse, you pick up a scrap of linen from a nearby table. You toss it at him. He catches it instinctively, looking at the rough fabric with confusion. <<dialogue "Guard" "img/placeholder.jpg" "\"Priestess? I... I don't understand. What is this for?\"" "left">>\ <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"I have no desire to see you collapse on your shift. Untie your kilt. Relieve the ache before it breaks you.\"" "right">>\ He recoils as if you had struck him. His spear clatters against the floor, and he fumbles to keep his balance. His face turns a deep, shamed red in the torchlight. <<dialogue "Guard" "img/placeholder.jpg" "\"Here? Before you? Are you sure?... I am a common soldier. I cannot...\"" "left">>\ <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"It is only flesh, guardsman. Do not make it more than it is. Would you rather walk out of here and let the shadows take your mind? Be honest with your own needs.\"" "right">>\ He hesitates, his hands shaking as they move to his waist. With a slow, agonized movement, he unfastens the knot. The coarse linen falls away, and his manhood springs free - a heavy, rigid weight that seems to throb with every ragged breath he takes. <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"Good. Now, put your hand on it and begin stroking.\"" "right">>\ He looks at the floor, unable to meet your eyes, his knuckles white as he begins to stroke himself. The sight is visceral. You feel a wave of heat climb your neck. You are a virgin, but you are a scholar of the temple, and you recognize the raw, animal desperation in the way his muscles flex. But his rhythm is stalled by his own shame. He is holding back. You reach for the golden pin at your shoulder. Your fingers are cold, but you move with a steady, practiced grace. You slide the pin free. The pleated linen of your gown slips, pooling at your waist and baring your breasts to the dim light. His head snaps up. His eyes widen, fixed on the pale, heavy swell of your chest and the way your breath hitches. <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"Look at me. Keep touching yourself as you look at my breasts.\"" "right">>\ The sight of you shatters the last of his discipline. He lets out a low, broken groan, his hand moving in a frantic blur. As he reaches the edge, his body seizing with the onset of the climax, he remembers your first command. He frantically presses the linen cloth against the head of his cock. With a deep, guttural sound, he thrusts forward, his entire frame shuddering as the cloth soaks up the scalding heat of his release. He stands there for a long time afterward, his chest heaving, his armor suddenly looking too heavy for his shoulders. The frantic, paranoid energy is gone, replaced by a sluggish, post-orgasmic peace. <<dialogue "Guard" "img/placeholder.jpg" "\"I... Priestess... I have no right...\"" "left">>\ You slowly pull your dress back up and secure the pin. Your hands are trembling, but your voice is flat and sovereign. <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"You are a man who will finally sleep tonight. Take the cloth and burn it in the braziers. Do not let the slaves find it.\"" "right">>\ You offer him a faint, calculating smile. <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"Go to your shift. And offer a prayer to the gods.\"" "right">>\ <<silently>> <<set $renown += 1>> <</silently>>\ <<run setup.notify("Renown has increased by 1.", "positive")>>\ <ul class="room-list"> <<set _hk to 1>>\ <li><<action "Return to Audience Room" "Audience Room" 0 _hk "openAudienceDocketDialog">><<set _hk++>></li> </ul> </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Audience Room</h1>\ You motion for him to kneel. Despite his armor, he complies, bowing his head. <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"The dark is only empty space. It is your own fears that populate it. We will fill that space with the light of the divine.\"" "right">>\ You pinch a measure of incense and cast it over the brazier. As the fragrant smoke blooms upward, you step behind him, pressing your hands firmly against his armored shoulders. You chant a prayer of protection to Ra, invoking the sun to banish the terrors of the night. You trace a protective ward on his forehead with ash. The guardsman breathes in the sacred smoke deeply, his shoulders dropping a fraction of an inch at a time until the rigid, fearful tension completely leaves his body. <<dialogue "Guard" "img/placeholder.jpg" "\"The weight... it's gone. My mind is quiet.\"" "left">>\ <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"Walk your patrol with honor. The shadows will not touch you tonight.\"" "right">>\ He stands, his expression clear and profoundly grateful, before bowing deeply and making his way to his shift. <<silently>> <<run setup.removeResource("incense", 1)>> <<set $renown += 1>> <</silently>>\ <<run setup.notify("Renown has increased by 1.", "positive")>>\ <ul class="room-list"> <<set _hk to 1>>\ <li><<action "Return to Audience Room" "Audience Room" 0 _hk "openAudienceDocketDialog">><<set _hk++>></li> </ul> </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Audience Room</h1>\ You fold your arms, unimpressed by his display. <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"You carry a bronze spear for the Pharaoh, yet you flinch at shadows on a wall? The temple offers solace to the truly afflicted, not to men who are afraid of the dark.\"" "right">>\ The guard's face flushes a dark, humiliated red. His exhaustion is instantly overridden by defensive anger. <<dialogue "Guard" "img/placeholder.jpg" "\"I am not a coward! I came to the temple seeking legitimate aid, not insults.\"" "left">>\ <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"Then find a tavern on your way to the harbor and drink a cup of strong beer. It cures nightmares just as well. Now, return to your post.\"" "right">>\ He glares at you, his jaw tight, before turning on his heel and storming out of the audience room. His nightmares remain. <ul class="room-list"> <<set _hk to 1>>\ <li><<action "Return to Audience Room" "Audience Room" 0 _hk "openAudienceDocketDialog">><<set _hk++>></li> </ul> </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Audience Room</h1>\ The next petitioner does not walk so much as shuffle into the room. He is a beggar, his linen garments reduced to ragged strips, his frame painfully thin. He keeps his head bowed, intimidated by the grandeur of the temple and the presence of a High Priestess. <<dialogue "Beggar" "img/placeholder.jpg" "\"Priestess... may the gods look favorably upon you. I do not ask for a miracle, nor for silver. I only ask for a single piece of bread. I have not eaten since yesterday morning.\"" "left">>\ <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"The temple receives many who are hungry. Our stores are meant for the gods and their servants.\"" "right">>\ <<dialogue "Beggar" "img/placeholder.jpg" "\"I know, I know... but surely the gods have enough to spare a crumb for the lowest of their children?\"" "left">>\ He looks up at you with hollow, desperate eyes. It is a simple request, though the temple cannot feed everyone in Thebes. You could give him the bread, refuse him entirely, or - if your connection to the divine is strong enough - call upon the gods to sustain his spirit in place of physical food. <ul class="room-list"> <<set _hk to 1>>\ <li><<skillaction "Offer a blessing of sustenance." "PatientBeggar_Pray" 0 _hk "faith" 1>><<set _hk++>></li> <<if setup.hasEnoughResource("bread", 1) >= 1>> <li><<action "Give him a piece of bread." "PatientBeggar_Give" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>></li> <<else>> <li><i>You do not have any Bread to give him.</i></li> <</if>>\ <li><<action "Turn him away." "PatientBeggar_Refuse" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>></li> </ul> </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Audience Room</h1>\ You do not reach for your provisions. Instead, you step down from the dais and gently place your hand upon his bowed head. <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"Bread will only feed you for a day, and tomorrow you will hunger again. I will give you something that lasts longer.\"" "right">>\ You close your eyes, calling upon your deep connection to the divine. You speak a prayer to Osiris, the god of grain and resurrection, asking him to fill this man's spirit with the strength of the harvest. A profound, serene silence falls over the audience room. When you lift your hand, the beggar exhales slowly. He touches his own chest, his eyes wide with quiet awe. The gnawing desperation in his posture has vanished, replaced by a deep, unnatural calm. <<dialogue "Beggar" "img/placeholder.jpg" "\"I... I feel warm. The ache in my stomach... it is quiet. Thank you, Priestess. The gods truly speak through you.\"" "left">>\ <<silently>> <<set $renown += 1>> <</silently>>\ <<run setup.notify("Renown has increased by 1.", "positive")>>\ <ul class="room-list"> <<set _hk to 1>>\ <li><<action "Return to Audience Room" "Audience Room" 0 _hk "openAudienceDocketDialog">><<set _hk++>></li> </ul> </div>

<div class="textbox">\ You reach into a nearby satchel and pull out a fresh, crusty loaf of bread. You hold it out to him. <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"Take this. May it give you the strength to see another sunrise.\"" "right">>\ The beggar's hands tremble as he takes the loaf. He doesn't devour it immediately, instead clutching it to his chest as if it were a brick of solid gold. Tears well up in the corners of his eyes. <<dialogue "Beggar" "img/placeholder.jpg" "\"Bless you, Priestess. Bless you and the House of Amun! I will not forget this kindness.\"" "left">>\ He bows repeatedly, backing away toward the exit before finally tearing off a piece of the bread and eating it with desperate gratitude. It is a small sacrifice for the temple, but a monumental gift to him. <<silently>> <<run setup.removeResource("bread", 1)>> <<set $renown += 1>> <</silently>>\ <<run setup.notify("Renown has increased by 1.", "positive")>>\ <<set _hk to 1>>\ <<action "Return to Audience Room" "Audience Room" 0 _hk "openAudienceDocketDialog">><<set _hk++>> </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Audience Room</h1>\ You shake your head, your expression unyielding. <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"The temple is not a bakery. If we fed every hungry mouth that walked through those doors, the gods would have no offerings left. Go to the harbor and find work. They always need men to carry bales.\"" "right">>\ The small spark of hope in his eyes dies instantly. He does not argue or beg further; men like him are far too used to rejection. <<dialogue "Beggar" "img/placeholder.jpg" "\"As you say, Priestess. Forgive my intrusion.\"" "left">>\ He bows his head lower and shuffles back out into the harsh sunlight of Thebes, leaving the audience room exactly as empty as when he arrived. <ul class="room-list"> <<set _hk to 1>>\ <li><<action "Return to Audience Room" "Audience Room" 0 _hk "openAudienceDocketDialog">><<set _hk++>></li> </ul> </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Audience Room</h1>\ <<if $panebInitialInquiry>>\ <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"Even a master of intuition must pay his tithe, Paneb. The temple fee for a contract of this weight is eight deben.\"" "right">>\ <<else>>\ <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"I will not ask how a man with such a quick tongue found three hundred deben, but the temple's ink is not a gift. The fee is eight deben.\"" "right">>\ <</if>>\ Paneb doesn't hesitate. He doesn't haggle like the merchants in the square; he simply shifts his weight, the movement as fluid as a cat, and produces some silver from a pouch at his belt. He sets the pieces on the edge of the dais with a sharp, clean clatter. You dip the reed into the dark soot of the palette. As you write, you can feel his gaze on the precise movements of your hand across the papyrus. He leans slightly against a nearby pillar, his thumb absentmindedly turning the emerald ring on his finger. He watches you work silently for the better part of ten minutes. After rolling the complete document rolled, you hand it to the potter. Nebnefer clutches it like a holy relic, though he knows it is only the first of many hurdles with the magistrates. <<dialogue "Paneb" "img/paneb_portrait.jpg" "\"A fair trade, High Priestess. You have a steadier hand than most.\"" "left">>\ He lingers for a heartbeat, his eyes drifting from the rolled scroll back to the stylus on your desk. He doesn't speak of the ink, but he studies the arrangement of your tools with a quiet, measuring intensity. <<dialogue "Paneb" "img/paneb_portrait.jpg" "\"I suspect I shall find my way back to your temple soon. May the gods keep you, Priestess.\"" "left">>\ He offers a short, elegant bow and leaves before you can answer, leading his friend out into the heat. <<set $panebFavorableFirstInteraction to true>>\ <<run setup.addResource("silver", 1)>>\ <<silently>> /* Advance his quest stage */ <<set $panebStage to 1>> /* Keep his quest active */ <<set $panebActive to true>> /* Schedule him to return in 2 to 4 days */ <<set $panebReturnDay to $day + random(2, 4)>> <</silently>>\ <<set _hk to 1>>\ <<action "Return to Audience Room" "Audience Room" 0 _hk "openAudienceDocketDialog">><<set _hk++>> </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Bathroom</h1>\ <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"Is it so foolish to want what the poets sing of, Tahira? I don't want a worshipper, a petitioner, or a good-looking vessel of animalic lust. I just want a man who looks at me and sees... me. Not my rank, not my expensive jewels. A human being, with all the messiness and aspirations of one. I would love to meet a soul who cherishes my company, one to split my sorrows and double my joys with. who would walk with me in the temple gardens at dusk, and hold my hand simply because he wants to.\"" "right">>\ Tahira’s eyes soften, a gentle, understanding smile breaking across her face. In this quiet, steam-filled room, the heavy weight of the gods seems to lift, leaving only two young women talking in the dark. <<dialogue "Tahira" "img/tahira_portrait.jpg" "\"It isn't foolish at all, Mistress. It sounds like a beautiful dream. To be truly loved, just for yourself.\"" "left">>\ <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"Yes. But even in that soft dream, when I try to imagine the... physical reality of sharing a bed with someone, my curiosity sometimes wanders to unexpected places.\"" "right">>\ <<set _hk to 1>>\ <<include "TahiraFetishHub">> <<set $prefRomance to true>>\ </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Bathroom</h1>\ <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"I have watched people in the city, Tahira. They tie themselves together and then they rot. They get bored, they argue over copper, and they spend their lives carrying each other's burdens like pack animals. It seems messy, and quite foolish. Is it not more honest to simply take what you want, when you want? A night of heat, no promises, and no heavy chains left over in the morning.\"" "right">>\ Tahira stares at you with wide, disbelieving eyes. To her, you sound like a philosopher of the docks, bold and cold in a way she never expected. <<dialogue "Tahira" "img/tahira_portrait.jpg" "\"Mistress... you make it sound so... practical. But isn't it lonely to have no one to hold your hand when the sun goes down?\"" "left">>\ <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"I have the temple for company, and I have my own mind. I do not need another person's problems, Tahira. I only have a use for their... vitality. Why pretend it is anything more? It is a fair trade that harms no one. And when I imagine that kind of uncomplicated freedom, my thoughts drift toward some very specific... indulgences.\"" "right">>\ You speak with the confidence of a scholar describing a foreign land she has never visited. The theory is perfect; now, you only need to see if the reality is as clean as you've convinced yourself it will be. <<set _hk to 1>>\ <<include "TahiraFetishHub">> <<set $prefCasual to true>>\ </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Audience Room</h1>\ <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"There is no ghost in your head, guardsman. You are simply wound too tight. Your body has become a burden to you, and the barracks offers no place to set it down. You need to be emptied.\"" "right">>\ He blinks, his face drawn with a fatigue so deep it looks like pain. Before he can stammer an excuse, you pick up a scrap of linen from a nearby table. You toss it at him. He catches it instinctively, looking at the rough fabric with confusion. <<dialogue "Guard" "img/placeholder.jpg" "\"Priestess? I... I don't understand. What is this for?\"" "left">>\ <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"I have no desire to see you collapse on your shift. Untie your kilt. Relieve the ache before it breaks you.\"" "right">>\ He recoils as if you had struck him. His spear clatters against the floor, and he fumbles to keep his balance. His face turns a deep, shamed red in the torchlight. <<dialogue "Guard" "img/placeholder.jpg" "\"Here? Before you? Are you sure?... I am a common soldier. I cannot...\"" "left">>\ <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"It is only flesh, guardsman. Do not make it more than it is. Would you rather walk out of here and let the shadows take your mind? Be honest with your own needs.\"" "right">>\ He hesitates, his hands shaking as they move to his waist. With a slow, agonized movement, he unfastens the knot. The coarse linen falls away, and his manhood springs free - a heavy, rigid weight that seems to throb with every ragged breath he takes. <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"Good. Now, put your hand on it and begin stroking.\"" "right">>\ He looks at the floor, unable to meet your eyes. But you notice his gaze isn't just fixed on the stone; it is anchored to your feet. He is staring at the high arches and the intricate henna patterns tracing your toes with a desperate, starving intensity. You feel a wave of heat climb your neck. You are a virgin, but you are clever enough to recognize a man’s hunger when it is bared so plainly. <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"You have been looking at my feet since you entered the room, guardsman. Do they please you?\"" "right">>\ He chokes on a breath, his hand faltering on his shaft. <<dialogue "Guard" "img/placeholder.jpg" "\"I... I have no right, Priestess. They are... they are holy.\"" "left">>\ <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"Then look at them while you touch yourself. See how clean they are compared to the harbor mud.\"" "right">>\ You reach down and slide your feet from your leather sandals. You extend your legs onto a low wooden stool nearby, so your bare, painted feet are perfectly level with his line of sight. The air is cool on your skin. <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"Keep touching yourself. Watch my toes. Imagine how soft they would be against your skin.\"" "right">>\ The sight of your bare feet, offered so close to his face, shatters the last of his military discipline. He lets out a low, broken groan, his hand moving in a frantic blur. He stares at your soles completely enthralled. As he reaches the edge, his body seizing with the onset of the climax, he remembers your command. He frantically presses the linen cloth against the head of his cock. With a deep, guttural sound, he thrusts forward, his entire frame shuddering as the cloth soaks up the scalding heat of his release. He stands there for a long time afterward, his chest heaving, his armor suddenly looking too heavy for his shoulders. The frantic, paranoid energy is gone, replaced by a sluggish, post-orgasmic peace. You slowly slide your feet back into your sandals. Your hands are trembling, but your voice is flat and sovereign. <<dialogue "Guard" "img/placeholder.jpg" "\"I... Priestess... I have no right...\"" "left">>\ <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"You are a man who will finally sleep tonight. Take the cloth and burn it in the braziers. Do not let the slaves find it.\"" "right">>\ You offer him a faint, calculating smile. <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"Go to your shift. And offer a prayer to the gods.\"" "right">>\ <<silently>> <<set $renown += 1>> <</silently>>\ <<run setup.notify("Renown has increased by 1.", "positive")>>\ <ul class="room-list"> <<set _hk to 1>>\ <li><<action "Return to Audience Room" "Audience Room" 0 _hk "openAudienceDocketDialog">><<set _hk++>></li> </ul> </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Audience Room</h1>\ The sunlight cuts through the openings of the audience room, casting long, unyielding shadows across the stone. The next petitioners do not grovel or march. They simply stroll in. There are two of them. The heavier man is clearly a potter; his hands are stained with the pale, dry silt of the riverbank, and he looks around the sacred chamber with nervous reverence. But it is the man beside him who draws your eye. He is slim, moving with an easy, fluid agility that seems entirely out of place among the heavy, monolithic stone of the temple. He wears a simple linen kilt, but as he raises a hand in a polite, formal greeting, the sunlight catches a flash of silver - a heavy pinky ring set with a fractured emerald. <<dialogue "Paneb" "img/paneb_portrait.jpg" "\"High Priestess. May the gods grant you their blessings.\"" "left">>\ His voice is smooth, entirely lacking the trembling fear or desperate exhaustion of the men who usually stand before your dais. He bows. <<dialogue "Paneb" "img/paneb_portrait.jpg" "\"I am Paneb, and this is my good friend, Nebnefer. We come seeking a favor of writing, Priestess. My own hands are... a bit too clumsy for the stylus, and my parents had no copper to spare for the House of Life.\"" "left">>\ His politeness is flawless, and he wears his illiteracy without the usual crushing shame of the lower classes. <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"The temple provides scribal services for the illiterate, Paneb. But there are magistrates in the city for common contracts. Why bring a simple matter of writing to the high altar?\"" "right">>\ He offers a sincere smile. You immediately notice his well-kept, straight teeth. <<dialogue "Paneb" "img/paneb_portrait.jpg" "\"The scribe we found by the docks was so ancient I think he actually knew Osiris personally. He fell asleep halfway through asking for our names. I told Nebnefer, 'It is terrible luck to let a corpse write the deed for a new living-house.' We decided to seek out someone whose blood was still moving.\"" "left">>\ The sheer, audacious normalcy of his quip throws you off course. You have braced yourself for dramatic petitioners and lustful common folk, but you were not prepared for a man to simply tease you. Before you can reprimand his familiarity, the potter steps forward, wringing his silt-stained hands. <<dialogue "Nebnefer" "img/placeholder.jpg" "\"Forgive him, Holy One, he speaks before he thinks. But I am in a desperate pinch. I have found a house I wish to buy. The trader demands proof of my funds before he will even draw up the deed. Paneb here has graciously agreed to loan me the gold, but the trader's scribe will not believe a potter has such backing without an official seal.\"" "left">>\ <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"A formal loan of gold. I see. And what is the exact sum you require me to record, Nebnefer?\"" "right">>\ <<dialogue "Nebnefer" "img/placeholder.jpg" "\"Three hundred deben, Priestess. He says I can pay it back anytime within the next five years, without interest.\"" "left">>\ Paneb nods in confirmation, and your hand hovers over the blank papyrus. Three hundred deben of gold is a heavy sum. It is not the wealth of a nomarch, but it is easily two years of solid labor for a skilled artisan. It buys a complete set of temple jewelry, or a sturdy river barge. Your temple probably stores only a little over double this sum. You look from the nervous, silt-stained potter to the charming, illiterate man with the silver ring. For a man like Paneb to casually offer such a sum to a friend is highly unusual. You hold the stylus, weighing your options. You could simply play the dutiful servant of the gods and record the numbers, or you could exercise your authority to satisfy your sudden curiosity. <<set _hk to 1>>\ <<action "Draft the loan and charge the standard temple tax." "PanebLoan_Fee" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>> <<action "Waive the fee and draft the loan as a favor." "PanebLoan_Free" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>> <<action "\"Three hundred deben is a heavy purse. Explain yourselves.\"" "PanebLoan_Press" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>> <<action "Three hundred deben is an enormous sum for a loan between two very suspicious men; refuse." "PanebRefuse" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>> </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Audience Room</h1>\ <<set $panebInitialInquiry to true>> You do not dip the reed into the ink. Instead, you rest it against the wooden palette. The soft click echoes in the quiet room. You keep your posture perfectly straight, fixing Paneb with a calm, measuring gaze. <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"Three hundred deben is a heavy purse, Paneb. It is not a king's ransom, but it is a sum that takes a good man years to pull from the river mud.\"" "right">>\ You lean forward just a fraction. <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"Pardon me, but a man who cannot read a contract usually does not have the means to freely loan out such sums. I do not seal stolen gold. I would know how you came by it before I can write your document.\"" "left">>\ Nebnefer the potter immediately pales. He turns jittery and clasps his hands together. The desperation of a scolded child. <<dialogue "Nebnefer" "img/placeholder.jpg" "\"Mistress, please, I swear by Ptah it is honest -- \"" "left">>\ <<dialogue "Paneb" "img/paneb_portrait.jpg" "\"Peace, Nebnefer. The High Priestess is only doing her duty.\"" "left">>\ Paneb does not look intimidated in the slightest. In fact, his dark eyes brighten with genuine interest. He steps slightly closer to your throne, resting his hand on his hip. The silver and emerald ring flashes again. <<dialogue "Paneb" "img/paneb_portrait.jpg" "\"I did not steal it, Priestess. Nor did I inherit it. You could say I am a student... of probabilities. While the scribes study the movements of the stars, I study the movements of the hounds and the jackals.\"" "left">>\ You blink, processing the metaphor. <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"You are a gambler.\"" "right">>\ <<dialogue "Paneb" "img/paneb_portrait.jpg" "\"I prefer 'master of intuition,' but the guards certainly call me a gambler. I have spent the last four moons sitting at the tables at the Two Sandals. Men with too much gold and too little sense sit across from me. When they leave, they have a valuable lesson in humility, and I have their money.\"" "left">>\ <<dialogue "Paneb" "img/paneb_portrait.jpg" "\"The gold is clean, Mistress. Won fairly under the eyes of the gods. And the city guards, but I'm assuming the gods would be worth more for a woman of your station. And now I wish to use my gold to see my friend put a decent roof over his head. Will you write the words for us?\"" "left">>\ You look at him for a long moment. He is completely comfortable in his own skin, lacking the over-constructed politeness of the priests or the crushing despair of the commoners. He lives by the throw of the sticks. It is a chaotic, terrifying way to live, yet he stands before you with more peace than anyone else you have seen today. <<set _hk to 1>>\ <<action "Draft the loan and charge the standard temple tax." "PanebLoan_Fee" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>> <<action "Waive the fee and draft the loan as a favor." "PanebLoan_Free" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>> <<action "Three hundred deben is an enormous sum for a loan between two very suspicious men; refuse." "PanebRefuse" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>> </div>

<<silently>> /* Initialize his stage if this is the very first time he is called */ <<if ndef $panebStage>> <<set $panebStage to 0>> <</if>> <</silently>>\ \ <<if $panebStage === 0>> <<include "PanebIntro">> <<elseif $panebStage === 1>> /* You will write this passage later for his second visit */ <<include "PanebVisit2_WritingLesson">> <<elseif $panebStage === 2>> <<include "PanebVisit3_Gambling">> <</if>>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Audience Room</h1>\ <<if $panebInitialInquiry>>\ <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"You may have won this gold fairly under the eyes of the gods, Paneb, but three hundred deben is a heavy shadow. The temple will not seal a gambler's wager. Take your business elsewhere.\"" "right">>\ <<else>>\ <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"I do not know how a potter and a man of dubious occupation came to hold such a fortune, and I will not attach the temple's holy seal to a mystery. Find someone else to write your contract.\"" "right">>\ <</if>>\ Nebnefer’s shoulders slump in immediate, crushing defeat. He looks as though he might drop to his knees and beg, but Paneb casually places a hand on the potter's shoulder, stopping him. Paneb does not look angry. He simply sighs, the easy smile fading into a look of practical resignation. He is a man who knows that not every roll of the dice lands in his favor. <<dialogue "Paneb" "img/paneb_portrait.jpg" "\"A pity, High Priestess. I had hoped to spare my friend the market scribes, but a man cannot argue with the gatekeeper of the ink.\"" "left">>\ He gives a short, unbothered shrug, adjusting the linen of his kilt. <<dialogue "Paneb" "img/paneb_portrait.jpg" "\"Come, Nebnefer. We will find a man by the docks who prefers silver over questions. May the gods keep your hands clean, Priestess.\"" "left">>\ With a polite but dismissive bow, he turns and leads his despairing friend out of the audience room, leaving you to the quiet shadows of the audience room. <<silently>> <<set $panebRefused to true>> <</silently>>\ <ul class="room-list"> <<set _hk to 1>>\ <li><<action "Return to Audience Room" "Audience Room" 0 _hk "openAudienceDocketDialog">><<set _hk++>></li> </ul> </div>

<div class="textbox"> <h1>Audience Room</h1>\ The heat has thinned the crowd to almost nothing. You're lost in your own thoughts, when you notice a sillhouette in the shadow. The doors shift. Paneb does not knock. He walks in with that particular gait of his, the one that suggests he has somewhere better to be and is choosing not to go there, and under his arm is a bundle tied with cord. He sets it on the floor in front of you with the careful deliberateness of a man who has rehearsed this. Six rolls of papyrus. Pale, clean, smelling faintly of river water and fresh pith. Not cheap. <<dialogue "Paneb" "img/paneb_portrait.jpg" "\"I told you I would come back when the shadows were quiet.\"" "left">> <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"Paneb, you did not need to buy the temple's favor. Your friend's loan is already sealed.\"" "right">>\ <<dialogue "Paneb" "img/paneb_portrait.jpg" "\"It is not a bribe. It is a proposal.\"" "left">> He meets your eyes with that expression you have catalogued from his first visit, a smirk that is doing a great deal of work to conceal something earnest underneath it. <<dialogue "Paneb" "img/paneb_portrait.jpg" "\"I have spent my entire life putting a thumbprint in wet clay while other men wrote my fate for me. Contracts, debts, temple records. I hand over the reed and I trust that what gets written is what was said. I am tired of trusting.\"" "left">> He glances at the papyrus, then back at you. <<dialogue "Paneb" "img/paneb_portrait.jpg" "\"Teach me. The reed, the signs, whatever comes first. I learn fast when something matters.\"" "left">> You look at him for a moment. Then at the papyrus. It is a good quality offering for a man who lives out of a single room near the harbor district. He spent real silver on this. To teach him would require hours of sitting shoulder-to-shoulder. It would mean stepping down from the pedestal of the High Priestess and allowing a mortal man into the guarded, quiet space of your mind. ''If you begin this, it will not be a fleeting interaction.'' <<set _hk to 1>>\ <<action "Accept. Begin the lesson." "PanebLesson_Start" 10 _hk "+2T">><<set _hk++>>\ <<action "\"The temple is not a school for gamblers.\"" "PanebLesson_Refuse" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>>\ </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Audience Room</h1>\ You do not touch the bundles of papyrus. You keep your hands folded in your lap, maintaining the cold, unyielding distance of your holy office. <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"The House of Life trains scribes for a decade, Paneb. It is not a trick you can learn between throws of the dice. I am a priestess, not a tutor for vagabonds.\"" "right">>\ For a moment, the audience room is dead silent. Paneb’s eyes search your face, perhaps looking for the woman who generously accepted to sign his loan days ago. The spark of hope in his eyes extinguishes, replaced by the practical, fatalistic resignation of a man used to closed doors. He does not argue. He simply nods. <<dialogue "Paneb" "img/paneb_portrait.jpg" "\"I see. Forgive my presumption, High Priestess. I mistook your kindness for... something else.\"" "left">>\ He does not take the papyrus back. He leaves it resting on the stone edge of the stairs, a monument to what could have been. <<dialogue "Paneb" "img/paneb_portrait.jpg" "\"May the gods keep your hands clean.\"" "left">>\ With a brief, formal bow, he turns and walks out of the temple. The dance-like grace of his movements is still there, but the warmth is gone. You know, with absolute certainty, that he will not return to your audience room. <<silently>> <<set $panebActive to false>> <<set $panebRomanceLocked to true>> <</silently>>\ <<set _hk to 1>>\ <<action "Return to Audience Room" "Audience Room" 0 _hk "openAudienceDocketDialog">><<set _hk++>> </div>

<div class="textbox"> <h1>Audience Room</h1>\ <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"You do not start on papyrus.\"" "right">>\ <<dialogue "Paneb" "img/paneb_portrait.jpg" "\"No?\"" "left">>\ <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"You would ruin a fortune in a single afternoon. Sit there, by the light.\"" "right">> He sits cross-legged on the reed mat near the doorway without argument, which surprises you slightly. You go and return with an ostracon, two reed brushes, and a small cup of red ink ground from ochre. You kneel beside him. The proximity is more immediate than you anticipated, close enough that you can smell a whiff of seawater in his linen, and something faintly cedary underneath it. You set the ostracon between you. <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"Pick up the brush. Just hold it for now.\"" "right">> He picks it up. His hands are extraordinarily dexterous, but he grips the brush the way you would grip a knife, tight and purposeful, the knuckles going pale. You reach out without thinking about it. Your fingers close over the back of his hand. The contrast stops you for a half second, your skin against his, soft where his is rough. He goes very still. You adjust his grip and shift the angle of the brush until it rests correctly. <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"The ink flows. You do not push it. There is a difference.\"" "right">> He gulps. <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"What is your favorite game?\"" "right">> <<dialogue "Paneb" "img/paneb_portrait.jpg" "\"Senet. Always Senet. I once watched a magistrate bet his own wig on a throw and lose it. He had to walk back to the palace with his bald head burning in the midday sun and pretend he had done it on purpose.\"" "left">> You take the brush from him, dip it, and write the hieratic signs for Senet across the top of the limestone. Clean, unhurried, right to left. <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"Then let's try writing Senet.\"" "right">> He stares at the signs the way you imagine he stares at an opponent across a game board: reading, calculating, looking for the angle. Then he puts the brush to the stone. His hand shakes with the effort of controlling it. The line comes out wrong. It's too thick at the start and trails off into nothing. <<dialogue "Paneb" "img/paneb_portrait.jpg" "\"Well... It looks like something died on the stone. Like I squashed an ant with my finger and slid its body all over.\"" "left">> He purses his lips, slightly disappointed. <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"It looks like a first attempt. You should try again, Paneb.\"" "right">> He looks at you. Then at the ostracon. His jaw sets with a quiet, absolute stubbornness that tells you he is going to be here for some time. He dips the brush again. <<set _hk to 1>>\ <<action "Guide his hand through the stroke." "PanebLesson_Guide" 15 _hk>><<set _hk++>>\ <<action "Let him find his mistakes himself." "PanebLesson_Correct" 15 _hk>><<set _hk++>>\ </div>

<div class="textbox"> <h1>Audience Room</h1>\ You watch him attempt the first stroke again. It is marginally better. The line is still too heavy and it breaks where his wrist tensed, but the angle is closer to correct. You do not tell him this. You take the brush from his hand. <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"Watch the wrist, not the sign. It's important to understand the movement first.\"" "right">> You demonstrate the opening stroke slowly, your hand moving with the unhurried ease of something practiced until it stopped being practice. Then you hand the stylus back and move behind his shoulder. <<dialogue "Paneb" "img/paneb_portrait.jpg" "\"You make it look like breathing.\"" "left">> <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"It took three years to feel that way.\"" "right">> <<dialogue "Paneb" "img/paneb_portrait.jpg" "\"Three years. Six rolls of papyrus each lesson... assuming three lessons per week... Almost a thousand rolls. That's comes to... four thousand deben? I'll make you a very rich woman, priestess.\"" "left">> Surprisingly quick and accurate arithmetic for an illiterate man. But he is a gambler, after all. <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"You asked me to teach you, not reassure you.\"" "right">> He makes a sound that is almost a laugh. He puts the reed to the stone again. The wrist is better. The stroke starts clean and then falters halfway through, the angle collapsing. You reach your arm above his, your hand closing over his again. This time he does not go still, or rather, he does, but differently. He doesn't seem as startled. You move his hand through the full stroke. Slowly. <<dialogue "Paneb" "img/paneb_portrait.jpg" "\"That was smooth. \"" "left">> <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"Again. Without me this time.\"" "right">> You pull back your hand, and he looks at his hand as though it has briefly become someone else's, then back at the ostracon. He attempts the stroke alone. It is not good, but it is recognizably the same sign. <<dialogue "Paneb" "img/paneb_portrait.jpg" "\"Can I tell you something about Senet?\"" "left">> You do not look up from the ostracon. <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"You will regardless.\"" "right">> <<dialogue "Paneb" "img/paneb_portrait.jpg" "\"It is a game of patterns. There's something you can't quite grasp in the air, but it's there. The particular way someone snaps their wrist when casting their roll, then he moves a piece three squares forward, and you just know you're going to capture it on your next throw.\"" "left">> <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"That is not how writing works.\"" "right">> <<dialogue "Paneb" "img/paneb_portrait.jpg" "\"Are you certain? Because what you just did with my hand felt remarkably similar.\"" "left">> You do not answer immediately. He is not really wrong. <<dialogue "Paneb" "img/paneb_portrait.jpg" "\"I have that same sensation just now, like I just know my next move.\"" "left">> <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"Copy the sign ten times. If I have to correct more than four of them, you practice the opening stroke alone until it is flawless.\"" "right">> <<dialogue "Paneb" "img/paneb_portrait.jpg" "\"And if you correct fewer than four?\"" "left">> <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"Then I will teach you the second sign.\"" "right">> <<dialogue "Paneb" "img/paneb_portrait.jpg" "\"High stakes.\"" "left">> <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"You said you learned fast when something mattered. Prove it.\"" "right">> He looks at you for just a moment too long. Then he dips the stylus and begins. Paneb goes slowly, pausing before each attempt, studying his last line before starting the next. You have taught exactly one other person to write, briefly, years ago, and they had approached it with anxious speed. Paneb approaches it with extraordinary care, very unfit for a gambler. He finishes the tenth copy. You lean forward to examine them. Three need correction. You mark them in the appropiate places with red, without comment. <<dialogue "Paneb" "img/paneb_portrait.jpg" "\"Well?\"" "left">> <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"Three mistakes.\"" "right">> His smile arrives slowly. <<dialogue "Paneb" "img/paneb_portrait.jpg" "\"The second sign, then.\"" "left">> <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"The second sign.\"" "right">> You dip the stylus. <<set _hk to 1>>\ <<action "Finish the lesson." "PanebLesson_End" 30 _hk>><<set _hk++>>\ </div>

<div class="textbox"> <h1>Audience Room</h1>\ You hand him the red ink cup without explanation. <<dialogue "Paneb" "img/paneb_portrait.jpg" "\"What is this for?\"" "left">> <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"When you see an error, mark it yourself. Then correct it.\"" "right">> <<dialogue "Paneb" "img/paneb_portrait.jpg" "\"I do not know what an error looks like yet.\"" "left">> <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"You will. Look at what I wrote. Look at what you wrote. Find where they stop resembling each other.\"" "right">> He looks at you with an expression suspended between amusement and mild outrage. Then he looks at the ostracon. A long pause. He picks up the red ink and marks, slowly and with evident reluctance, two places on his attempt. He holds it up. You take it. He has found two of the three errors. You mark the third yourself without comment and hand it back. <<dialogue "Paneb" "img/paneb_portrait.jpg" "\"I missed that one.\"" "left">> <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"You missed it because your eye is reading the shape as a whole. You are looking at it the way you would look at a face, not the way you would look at a game board.\"" "right">> <<dialogue "Paneb" "img/paneb_portrait.jpg" "\"What is the difference?\"" "left">> <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"A face you take in at once. A game board you read piece by piece, position by position. Do that.\"" "right">> <<dialogue "Paneb" "img/paneb_portrait.jpg" "\"That's actually useful.\"" "left">> <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"Copy it again.\"" "right">> He does. You watch from the side rather than leaning in, giving him space to work. His wrist is still wrong but he is beginning to feel that it is wrong, which is different from being told. You can see it in the slight adjustment he makes mid-stroke, unconscious, trying to chase the correct line. He finishes. Studies it. Picks up the red ink and marks one place himself, correctly, before you say anything. <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"Better.\"" "right">> <<dialogue "Paneb" "img/paneb_portrait.jpg" "\"You sound surprised.\"" "left">> <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"I am not surprised. I am noting progress.\"" "right">> <<dialogue "Paneb" "img/paneb_portrait.jpg" "\"Is that what it sounds like when you note progress?\"" "left">> <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"Copy it eight more times. You had three errors on the second attempt. One on the third. At this rate, by the eighth you will have none. Possibly.\"" "right">> He works without speaking for a while. You find yourself watching his hands more than the ostracon. The same hands that apparently relieved a magistrate of his wig are now moving in slow, careful increments across a piece of limestone. On the seventh attempt he produces a sign that is, within reasonable tolerance, correct. He does not say anything. He simply holds the ostracon up so you can see it. You examine it. The third stroke is marginally too short, but you decide not to mention it. <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"One more.\"" "right">> <<dialogue "Paneb" "img/paneb_portrait.jpg" "\"Come on! That one was good, and you know it!\"" "left">> He makes a sound of profound theatrical suffering and dips the stylus again. The eighth attempt is better than the seventh. He holds it up without looking at you, staring at the ceiling instead, waiting for judgment with exaggerated patience. <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"That will do.\"" "right">> <<dialogue "Paneb" "img/paneb_portrait.jpg" "\"Eight attempts and I earn 'that will do.'\"" "left">> <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"Eight attempts and you have learned one sign. There are approximately two hundred more.\"" "right">> A pause. <<dialogue "Paneb" "img/paneb_portrait.jpg" "\"You are very honest for a holy woman.\"" "left">> <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"Osiris weighs the heart against a feather. There is very little room in that theology for comfortable lies.\"" "right">> He considers this. <<dialogue "Paneb" "img/paneb_portrait.jpg" "\"Two hundred signs sounds like a lot.\"" "left">> <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"That is just the start. Now, let us move on to our second sign.\"" "right">> <<set _hk to 1>>\ <<action "Finish the lesson." "PanebLesson_End" 30 _hk>><<set _hk++>>\ </div>

<div class="textbox"> <h1>Audience Room</h1>\ You flip the ostracon over and begin teaching him the second sign. His early attempts are at the top, clumsy, overcautious, the lines breaking where his wrist fought itself. The later ones are different. Not good, not yet, but different in a way that matters. You can see the moment he stopped thinking about his hand. <<dialogue "Paneb" "img/paneb_portrait.jpg" "\"Two signs.\"" "left">> <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"Two hundred and some remaining.\"" "right">> He picks up the ostracon and studies it with the same expression he has worn the entire meeting: focused and slightly combative, like a man arguing with something that cannot argue back. <<dialogue "Paneb" "img/paneb_portrait.jpg" "\"Can I take it?\"" "left">> <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"It is a piece of limestone.\"" "right">> <<dialogue "Paneb" "img/paneb_portrait.jpg" "\"To you. To me, this is the first thing I have ever written.\"" "left">> You look at him and push the ostracon toward him. He tucks it under his arm alongside the untouched papyrus rolls, which he picks up with significantly more care than he arrived with. He stands, and the room rearranges itself back into a temple audience chamber now that he is upright and moving toward the exit At the threshold he pauses. <<dialogue "Paneb" "img/paneb_portrait.jpg" "\"Same terms next time? Limestone and red ink.\"" "left">> <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"Same terms.\"" "right">> He nods once, the way a man seals an agreement he intends to keep. Then he is gone, and you are left with the smell of ochre and cedar fading slowly in the heat. <<set _hk to 1>>\ <<action "Return to Audience Room" "Audience Room" 0 _hk "openAudienceDocketDialog">><<set _hk++>> </div>

Clever goose!

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Harbor Market</h1>\ <<if setup.isNight()>>\ The market is dead. The canvas awnings have been struck down, and the merchant stalls are secured under heavy netting. Only a few stray dogs roam the aisles scavenging for dropped fish heads. <ul class="room-list"> <<set _hk to 1>> <li><<action "Return to Harbor" "Harbor" 5 _hk>><<set _hk++>></li> </ul>\ <<else>>\ Past the chaotic docks, the harbor market erupts into a tight maze of canvas awnings. The heavy stench of raw fish mingles fiercely with foreign spices. At the center of the fray sits Mahirper, presiding over clay amphorae and glistening cuts of river catch. <<button "Barter with Mahirper">><<run window.openBarterDialog("mahirper")>><</button>> <<set _hk to 1>> <<if $startedInheritanceErrand and not $wenenneferResolved>>\ <<action "Approach Wenennefer's stall" "WenenneferApproach" 5 _hk>><<set _hk++>> <</if>>\ <<action "Return to Harbor" "Harbor" 5 _hk>><<set _hk++>> <</if>>\ </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Library</h1>\ You step into the library, where the dry, dusty scent of cured papyrus is baked into the walls. Your father had to sell the biggest part of his books in order to pay the physicians; he kept only the instruction papyri concerning law and temple procedures. You will have to rebuild the literature collection yourself. <<set _hk to 1>>\ <br> <<if $library.disputeOwned>> <<action "Read 'Dispute Between a Man and his Ba' (60 mins)" "ReadDispute" 60 _hk>><<set _hk++>> <</if>> <<if not $library.disputeOwned>> <i>You have no papyri to read.</i><br><br> <</if>> <<action "Return to the Complex" "Complex" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>> </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <div class="ancient-scroll"> <div class="scroll-edge-top"></div>\ <div class="scroll-edge-bottom"></div>\ <div class="papyrus-fibers"></div>\ <div class="ancient-text">\ THE DISPUTE BETWEEN A MAN AND HIS BA <div class="ancient-break"></div>\ I opened my mouth to my ba, that I could answer: “This is too much for me today, that my ba no longer talks with me. It is really too great to be exaggerated. It is like abandoning me. Let not my ba go away; it should wait for me because of being ignored. May it attend to me in this! <div class="ancient-break"></div>\ There is no competent person who deserts on the day of misfortune. Behold, my ba wrongs me, but I do not listen to it, dragging myself toward death before I come to it and casting myself upon the fire to burn myself up, without it suffering therein. May it be near to me on the day of misfortune and wait on that side, like a praise singer does: 'This is one who goes forth, as he has brought himself!' My ba is stupid to try to win me over, one wretched over life, and delay me from death before I come to it. Make the West pleasant for me! Is that so bad? <div class="ancient-break"></div>\ Life is a circumscribed period: even the trees must fall. Trample down wrongs, yet my wretchedness endures. Let Thoth, who propitiates the gods, judge me. Let Khonsu, the scribe in truth, defend me. Let Re, who pilots the sun barque, hear my speech. Let Isdes defend me in the sacred hall. My wretchedness is too heavy to weigh. Pleasant would be the defense of a god for the secrets of my body.” <div class="ancient-break"></div>\ What my ba said to me: “Art thou not a man? Art thou not alive whilst thou livest? What is thy goal? Thou art concerned with life like a possessor of wealth!” <div class="ancient-break"></div>\ I said: “I have not departed as long as these things are neglected. He who carries men off forcibly will take, without caring about thee, like any criminal saying: ‘I shall carry thee off, for thy fate is still death, though thy name may live.’ But yonder is a place for setting down, the guide of the heart; death is home, a voyage to rest. If my ba will listen to me, an innocent man, and its heart agrees with me, it will be fortunate. Then I shall make it reach the West like one who is in his pyramid, at whose burial a survivor has stood. I shall make a shelter over thy corpse, so that thou mayest scorn another ba as inert. I shall make a shelter - now it must not be too cool - so that thou mayest scorn another ba which is too hot. I shall drink at the watering place and shall heap up hay, so that thou mayest scorn another ba which is hungry. If thou delayest me from a death of this fashion, thou wilt not find a place where thou canst settle down in the West. So be favourable, my ba and brother, until my heir has appeared, he who will make offerings and will stand at the grave on the day of burial, so that he may prepare the bed of the cemetery.” <div class="ancient-break"></div>\ My ba opened its mouth to me, that it might answer what I had said: “If thou art thinking of burial that is heart’s distress. It is a bringing of tears, making a man sad. It is taking a man out of his house, so that he is left on the hillside, whence thou shalt never go up above that thou mightest see the suns. They who build in granite and who hew out chambers in a pyramid, good men in good work, as soon as the builders have become gods, their offering-stones are as bare, for lack of a survivor, as those of the weary ones, the dead on the dyke - the waters take hold of an end of him, and the sunlight as well, and the fish of the water-banks talk to them. Listen to me. Behold, it is good for men to listen. Pursue the happy day and forget care! <div class="ancient-break"></div>\ The poor man plows his plot of ground and loads his harvest into a ship’s hold. He makes the journey by towing the boat, because his feast day is approaching. When he sees the forthcoming of an evening of high water, he is vigilant in the ship when Re retires, and so comes out safely, with his wife. But his children are lost on the lake, treacherous with crocodiles in the night. At last he sits down, when he can take part in speech, saying: ‘I am not weeping for that girl, although there is no coming forth from the West for her, for another time on earth. But I am concerned about her unborn children, broken in the egg, who saw the face of the crocodile-god before they had (even) lived!' <div class="ancient-break"></div>\ The poor man asks for an afternoon meal, but his wife says to him: “It’s for supper!’ He goes out-of-doors to grumble for a while. If he comes back into the house and is like another man, his wife is still experienced in him: that he does not listen to her, that he grumbles, unresponsive to communications.” <div class="ancient-break"></div>\ I opened my mouth to my ba, that I might answer what it had said: Behold, my name will reek through thee More than the stench of bird-droppings On summer days, when the sky is hot. Behold, my name will reek through thee More than a fish-handler On the day of the catch, when the sky is hot. Behold, my name will reek through thee More than the stench of bird-droppings, More than a covert of reeds with waterfowl. Behold, my name will reek through thee More than the stench of fisherman, More than the stagnant pools which they have fished. Behold, my name will reek through thee More than the stench of crocodiles, More than sitting in the assembly among the crocodiles. Behold, my name will reek through thee More than a married woman Against whom a lie has been told because of a man. Behold, my name will reek through thee More than a sturdy boy of whom it is said: “He belongs to his rival!” Behold, my name will reek through thee More than a treacherous town, which plots rebellion, Of which only the outside can be seen. <div class="ancient-break"></div>\ To whom can I speak today? My fellows are evil; The friends of today do not love. To whom can I speak today? Hearts are rapacious: Every man seizes his fellow’s goods. To whom can I speak today? The gentle man has perished, But the violent man has access to everybody. To whom can I speak today? Even the calm of face is wicked; Goodness is rejected everywhere. To whom can I speak today? Though a man should arouse wrath by his evil character, He only stirs everyone to laughter, so wicked is his sin. To whom can I speak today? Men are plundering; Every man seizes his fellow’s goods. To whom can I speak today? The foul friend is an intimate, But a brother, with whom one worked, has become an enemy. To whom can I speak today? No one thinks of yesterday; No one at this time acts for him who has acted. To whom can I speak today? One’s fellows are evil; One has recourse to strangers for uprightness of heart. To whom can I speak today? Faces have disappeared: Every man has a downcast face toward his fellows. To whom can I speak today? Hearts are rapacious; No man has a heart upon which one may rely. To whom can I speak today? There are no righteous; The land is left to those who do wrong. To whom can I speak today? There is lack of an intimate friend; One has recourse to an unknown to complain to him. To whom can I speak today? There is no one contented of heart; That man with whom one went, he no longer exists. To whom can I speak today? I am laden with wretchedness For lack of an intimate friend. To whom can I speak today? The sin which treads the earth, It has no end. <div class="ancient-break"></div>\ Death is in my sight today Like the recovery of a sick man, Like going out into the open after a confinement. Death is in my sight today Like the odor of myrrh Like sitting under an awning on a breezy day. Death is in my sight today Like the odor of lotus blossoms, Like sitting on the bank of drunkenness. Death is in my sight today Like the passing away of rain, Like the return of men to their houses from an expedition. Death is in my sight today Like the clearing of the sky, Like a man fowling thereby for what he knew not. Death is in my sight today Like the longing of a man to see his house again, After he has spent many years held in captivity. <div class="ancient-break"></div>\ Why surely, he who is yonder Will be a living god, Punishing a sin of him who commits it. Why surely, he who is yonder Will stand in the barque of the sun, Causing that the choicest offerings therein be given to the temples. Why surely, he who is yonder Will be a man of wisdom, Not hindered from appealing to Re when he speaks. <div class="ancient-break"></div>\ What my ba said to me: “Set mourning aside, thou who belongest to me, my brother! Although thou be offered up on the brazier, still thou shalt cling to life, as thou sayest. Whether it be desirable that I remain here because thou hast rejected the West, or whether it be desirable that thou reach the West and thy body join the earth, I shall come to rest after thou hast relaxed in death. Thus we shall make a home together.” <div class="ancient-break"></div>\ This was copied from start to finish as found in writing. </div>\ </div>\ <<if not $library.disputeRead>>\ <<notify "Your Mind is sharpened by the philosophical debate. You gained +1 Wisdom." "success">> <<silently>> <<set $library.disputeRead to true>> <<set $wisdom += 1>> <</silently>>\ <<else>>\ <<notify "You revisit the familiar arguments." "neutral">> <</if>>\ <br> <<set _hk to 1>>\ <<action "Roll up the papyrus" "Library" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>> </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>The Roof</h1> <<if setup.isNight()>>\ The flat roof serves as a second living space, a necessary escape from the stifling heat trapped within the walls below. Woven reed sleeping mats wait beneath a stretched linen awning, offering a quiet, dusty vantage point over the dark streets of Thebes, now without the usual daytime ruckus. <ul class="room-list"> <<set _hk to 1>> <li><<action "Sleep on the mats" "Sleep" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>></li> <li><<action "Go back to the Atrium" "Atrium" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>></li> </ul>\ <<else>>\ The flat roof serves as a second living space, a necessary escape from the stifling heat trapped within the walls below. Woven reed sleeping mats remain unrolled beneath a stretched linen awning, waiting for the brutal summer nights when the entire city ascends to the skyline just to breathe. A low wooden table and a sweating clay water jug sit nearby, offering a quiet, dusty vantage point over the chaotic streets of Thebes. <ul class="room-list"> <<set _hk to 1>> <li><<action "Flee the heat to the Atrium" "Atrium" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>></li> </ul>\ <</if>>\ </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Audience Room</h1>\ The audience room lies quiet. Smoke curls upward from the brazier like the slow exhalation of some ancient god who has grown weary of mortal bargains. You sit upon your seat, the weight of your circlet pressing against your brow, when you see a silhouette filling the doorway. Wenennefer has washed the worst of the harbor filth from his skin, yet the man remains a creature of the docks: broad-shouldered, thick through the chest and arms, his linen kilt stained faintly with dust and sweat. The scent of him rolls ahead: salt, cedar, sun-baked hide, and the faint metallic tang of livestock. His eyes find you at once. There is no reverence in them, only raw, unblinking hunger. <<dialogue "Wenennefer" "img/wenennefer.jpg" "\"The quartermaster has his silver. The debt to Amun is settled.\"" "left">>\ His voice is lower than you remember, stripped of the booming merchant cadence. Each step brings him closer across the sacred floor. He stops before the throne, close enough that you can see the pulse beating heavily in the thick column of his neck. <<dialogue "Wenennefer" "img/wenennefer.jpg" "\"Now I have come to collect what you offered me at the harbor, Priestess.\"" "left">>\ The words land heavy between you. You feel the sudden, treacherous heat rise in your face. In the harbor it had felt like power, a game of words and glances to bend a stubborn man. Here, beneath the silent gaze of the gods, with the incense curling around you like judgment, the reality of his size and intent presses upon you like the desert at noon. Your virginity, your new-minted authority, the shaky dignity of this half-ruined temple all of it feels suddenly fragile. He steps onto your pedestal without invitation. The heat of his body radiates against your linen. One heavy hand rises, calloused fingers brushing the edge of your sleeve as if testing whether you will flinch. You do not. But inside, anxiety coils tight in your belly, a living thing that whispers of seed spilled upon holy ground and the slow, inevitable ruin that will follow. <<if $fetishWatersports>> His gaze drops openly to the lower half of your body, lingering at the place where your legs meet beneath the pleated linen. A coarse, knowing smile tugs at the corner of his mouth. <<dialogue "Wenennefer" "img/wenennefer.jpg" "\"I have thought of little else since you pressed yourself close and spoke so sweetly of satisfaction. I wonder... will the proud priestess kneel, or does she have other ways to honor her word?\"" "left">>\ <</if>>\ <<if not $fetishWatersports>> His gaze travels over you with blunt possession, settling on your breasts, then lower. <<dialogue "Wenennefer" "img/wenennefer.jpg" "\"You played a dangerous game with me, woman. Now the debt is mine to claim.\"" "left">>\ <</if>> The merchant towers over you. His breath stirs the fine hairs at your temple. You are acutely aware of the hard line already forming beneath his kilt, the sheer masculine weight of him so close to you. Your fingers tighten against the arms of your chair. Part of you seeks the words to reclaim control. Another part, younger and far more human, trembles at the threshold of what you so carelessly offered. <<set _hk to 1>>\ <<if $temperance >= 5>> <<action "Firmly dismiss him with diplomatic grace" "WenenneferHornyReturn_Refusal" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>>\ <</if>>\ <<action "Allow the encounter to escalate" "WenenneferHornyEscalation" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>>\ </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Audience Room</h1>\ You feel the merchant’s heat like a living wall against your skin. For one suspended heartbeat the anxiety claws at your throat: the memory of your own teasing words at the harbor now returns as a chain around your neck. You offered more than silver. You offered yourself. And here he stands, ready to claim it in the house of the gods. Yet you are no longer merely a frightened virgin playing at power. You are Priestess of Osiris. You rise slowly from the throne. Your spine straightens with the discipline of long training, even as your pulse hammers wildly beneath it. <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"The debt to Amun is paid. That was the extent of our arrangement, merchant.\"" "right">>\ Wenennefer’s thick brows draw together. His jaw works, the heavy muscles in his neck tightening as he stares down at you. The bulge beneath his kilt has not subsided; if anything, your resistance seems to feed the fire in his eyes. <<dialogue "Wenennefer" "img/wenennefer.jpg" "\"You spoke differently by the harbor. You pressed close. You offered satisfaction. Do not play the chaste priestess with me now.\"" "left">>\ His voice is rough, edged with frustration and lingering lust. You do not flinch. Instead you fix him with the calm, unyielding gaze you have practiced before lesser men and greater gods. <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"I offered words, and words were given. The silver crossed hands. Our business is concluded. You will not soil this house with your animalic demands.\"" "right">>\ The words leave your tongue steady, but inside your stomach twists. The memory of how easily you had let your voice drop into invitation, burns like salt in an open wound. You had been so certain of your control. Now that control feels paper-thin, and the man before you is very real, very hard, and very close to shattering the fragile sanctity you are only beginning to embody. Wenennefer breathes heavily through his nose, nostrils flaring. For a long moment the air between you crackles with dangerous tension. You can almost see the calculations behind his eyes: the risk of forcing a priestess in her own temple, the potential wrath of the gods, the damage to his reputation. His hand hovers, then slowly drops. <<dialogue "Wenennefer" "img/wenennefer.jpg" "\"You play a cruel game, woman. Teasing a man with promises and then hiding behind your holy title...\" He exhales a low, bitter laugh. \"But I am no fool to rut in a temple and invite divine wrath. Not today.\"" "left">>\ He steps back, though his gaze still devours you, The hunger does not leave him, but it is leashed, for now. You incline your head with cool dignity, even as shame and relief war inside your chest. <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"Then we understand one another. Go in peace, Wenennefer. The gods have witnessed your fulfillment of the debt. Let that be enough.\"" "right">>\ For a moment longer he stands there, breathing like a bull denied its mate. Then, with a coarse grunt, he turns on his heel and the sound of his sandals fades down the corridor. You remain standing long after he is gone, hands clenched at your sides. Your thighs press together instinctively, aware of the untouched heat between them. A virgin still. <<silently>> <<set $renown += 1>> <<set $temperance += 3>> <<set $wenenneferRejected to true>> <</silently>>\ <<run setup.notify("Temperance increased.", "positive")>>\ <<run setup.notify("Renown increased by 1.", "positive")>>\ <<set _hk to 1>>\ <<action "Return to your duties" "Audience Room" 0 _hk "openAudienceDocketDialog">><<set _hk++>>\ </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Audience Room</h1>\ You feel the merchant’s heat like a living wall against your skin. For one suspended heartbeat the anxiety claws at your throat: the memory of your own teasing words at the harbor now returns as a chain around your neck. You offered more than silver. You offered yourself. And here he stands, ready to claim it in the house of the gods. Wenennefer does not ask. He steps toward you, until his chest brushes your breasts, his heavy hands gripping your hips with calloused strength. The sheer size of him crowds the pedestal, blocking the light from the high windows. One hand tugs roughly at the knot of his kilt while the other fists the hem of your pristine linen gown, yanking it upward. <<dialogue "Wenennefer" "img/wenennefer.jpg" "\"Enough words. You offered yourself. I will have you.\"" "left">>\ Your heart slams against your ribs. Panic surges hot and sharp. This is no controlled game anymore. He intends to bend you over and take you right here, in the house of Osiris. The thought of his thickness breaching your untouched body sends a jolt of raw fear through your belly. You catch his wrists, your fingers digging in with surprising strength. <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"Wait.\"" "right">>\ Your voice is low, urgent, edged with the anxiety you fight to keep from showing. He freezes, but his grip on your gown does not loosen. You can feel the rigid heat of his cock brushing against your thigh through the linen. <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"Not like this. Not here. I am still a virgin. The guards patrol the streets. A bastard child born of this would ruin us both.\"" "right">>\ He growls, low and frustrated, but you do not release his wrists. Your mind races. You slide one hand down his sweat-slick stomach, past the coarse hair, until your palm presses against the thick, throbbing length of him. He hisses between his teeth. <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"I cannot give you my body... but I promised satisfaction. I will keep that promise.\"" "right">>\ Wenennefer’s breathing grows ragged. His hips twitch forward instinctively into your touch. You feel the heavy pulse of him, the scalding heat, the way his pride wars with raw need. For a moment you fear he will simply overpower you anyway. Then his grip loosens. <<if $fetishWatersports>> His eyes darken with a different hunger. He looks down at your body, then deliberately at the stone floor between your feet. <<dialogue "Wenennefer" "img/wenennefer.jpg" "\"Then you will kneel and open that proud mouth... or perhaps the priestess will offer something even more intimate. I have imagined I could empty my bladder into that warm mouth of yours.\"" "left">>\ <</if>>\ <<if not $fetishWatersports>> His eyes burn as he stares down at you, voice rough with frustration and lust. <<dialogue "Wenennefer" "img/wenennefer.jpg" "\"You had best make it worth my while, woman.\"" "left">>\ <</if>> Your cheeks burn with shame even as your hand remains pressed against his rigid cock. Yet beneath the anxiety there is a strange, unwelcome throb of power. You still hold the reins, however narrowly. He waits, breathing like a bull, his massive frame trembling with barely-leashed need. <<set _hk to 1>>\ <<action "Use your hands" "WenenneferHornyRelease_Handjob" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>>\ <<if $fetishWatersports>> <<action "Allow him to use your mouth to relieve his bladder" "WenenneferHornyRelease_Watersports_Blowjob" 0 _hk>><<set _hk++>>\ <</if>>\ </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Audience Room</h1>\ You sink to your knees on the cold stone before the merchant can change his mind. The incense is thick in your nostrils, but it cannot mask the heavy, animal scent of his body as he loosens his kilt. His cock springs free, already leaking. The sight of it so close to your face makes your stomach tighten with shame. Relieving himself into your mouth would be a truly degrading price, but one you can endure in silence. He grips the back of your head with one large hand, not cruelly, but firmly enough that you cannot pull away. The fat head of his cock presses against your lips. <<dialogue "Wenennefer" "img/wenennefer.jpg" "\"Open.\"" "left">>\ You part your lips. The first hot stream hits your tongue without warning, both bitter and salty. Your eyes widen. You try to pull back but his hand holds you steady. You swallow convulsively, throat working, the taste flooding your mouth. It's briny, and it takes great willpower to not gag. He groans deeply, the sound echoing off the temple walls. He stops. You gasp for air, lips shining, thin trails running down your chin onto your linen. Shame burns through you like fire. You are a priestess of Osiris, on your knees drinking a merchant’s piss in the audience room. Before you can speak he pushes forward again. Another heavy stream fills your mouth. You swallow again and again, the liquid thick and endless. You barely have time to breathe between the spurts of piss. He pulls back slightly, then pisses once more, shorter this time, making you chase the head with your lips. Each time he stops you think it is over. Each time he begins again. Your eyes water, and you gasp desperately. Your belly feels full and warm. The taste coats your tongue, your teeth, the back of your throat. Every swallow is a fresh humiliation. <<dialogue "$characterName" "img/Priestess.jpg" "\"...Enough...\"" "right">>\ He chuckles low, voice rough with pleasure. <<dialogue "Wenennefer" "img/wenennefer.jpg" "\"Not yet. You wanted to satisfy me. Drink it all like a good priestess.\"" "left">>\ Another stream. Then another. Your head spins. You keep swallowing, cheeks hollow, throat bobbing. The shame is so deep it feels like it might choke you worse than his piss. This is what your flirtation has bought you. Finally the flow slows. He is breathing hard, hips twitching. His cock has grown even thicker, the head flushed dark and glistening with your spit and the last drops of his urine. <<dialogue "Wenennefer" "img/wenennefer.jpg" "\"Gods... I’m so fucking horny. It won’t take much more from that pretty mouth. Just keep sucking.\"" "left">>\ You try to pull away, but his hand tightens in your hair. He pushes forward, sliding the thick length over your tongue until he bumps the back of your throat. Panic flares bright and sharp in your chest. This is no longer just drinking. He begins to thrust—shallow, urgent strokes, using your mouth like a cunt. You gag. Tears spill down your cheeks. But he does not stop. His breathing turns into harsh grunts. The heavy, musky taste of his cock mixes with the lingering bitterness. Your hands clutch at his thick thighs, not sure whether you are pushing him away or holding on. <<dialogue "Wenennefer" "img/wenennefer.jpg" "\"Now swallow... that’s it...\"" "left">>\ His hips jerk hard. The first thick spurt of seed hits the back of your throat. You panic completely—there is no escape, no air, only the pulsing cock and the hot, salty flood filling your mouth. In pure instinct you swallow again and again, gulping down rope after rope while he groans like a wounded bull above you. When he finally pulls free, a last weak spurt lands across your lips and chin. You cough, gasping, strings of spit and cum connecting your mouth to his softening cock. Your belly feels swollen. The taste is everywhere. Wenennefer looks down at you with heavy-lidded satisfaction. He tucks himself away slowly, adjusting his kilt. <<dialogue "Wenennefer" "img/wenennefer.jpg" "\"A priestess on her knees... worth every piece of silver.\"" "left">>\ He turns and leaves without another word. You remain on your knees for a long moment, trembling. Deep, crushing shame rolls over you in waves. The virgin priestess who only wanted to restore her father’s temple has just swallowed a merchant’s piss and seed on the floor of the audience room. Your linen is stained. Your mouth feels ruined. Slowly you push yourself up. Your legs shake. No amount of bathing will wash away this shame. <<silently>> <<set $renown += 2>> <<set $decadence += 5>> <<set $wenenneferSatisfied to true>> <<set $hygiene to $hygiene - 20>> <</silently>>\ <<run setup.notify("Decadence increased.", "negative")>>\ <<run setup.notify("Renown increased by 2.", "positive")>>\ <<set _hk to 1>>\ <<action "Return to your duties" "Audience Room" 0 _hk "openAudienceDocketDialog">><<set _hk++>>\ </div>

<div class="textbox">\ <h1>Audience Room</h1>\ You stay on your knees, heart pounding. Taking him in your mouth feels too intimate. Your hands will have to be enough. You reach up and wrap both palms around his thick, throbbing cock. He is burning hot and heavy, the skin velvet over rigid muscle. Wenennefer groans and immediately starts thrusting into your grip, using your hands roughly. You stroke him as best you can, sliding both fists up and down his thick length. He is leaking steadily, making your palms slick and messy. The wet sounds of skin on skin feel profane in the quiet audience room. Shame burns hot in your face. A priestess on her knees, jerking a sweaty merchant like a dockside slut. Wenennefer is impatient. His large hand closes over yours, forcing a tighter grip and a faster rhythm. His other hand grips the back of your neck, holding you in place while he fucks your fists with heavy, demanding strokes. Your arms begin to ache, but he does not slow. You keep pumping him, twisting your hands, trying to finish him quickly. <<dialogue "Wenennefer" "img/wenennefer.jpg" "\"Harder… that’s it. Make me cum, priestess.\"" "left">>\ His breathing grows ragged. His thrusts turn brutal and erratic. You feel him swell even thicker in your hands. Suddenly he groans deep. You panic. As the first powerful spurt erupts, you quickly angle his cock down toward your open palm, trying desperately to contain the mess. Thick, hot ropes of seed shoot across your palm and fingers, pulse after heavy pulse. The cum is scalding, sticky, far more than you expected. It overflows your hand and drips onto your gown and thighs. You stare at the obscene pool of semen filling your palm in pure horror. Wenennefer chuckles low, watching you with dark amusement. <<dialogue "Wenennefer" "img/wenennefer.jpg" "\"What’s the matter, little priestess? Afraid of a man’s spend?\"" "left">>\ Shame crashes over you like a wave. In a desperate attempt to hide the evidence, to make it disappear, you bring your cum-filled palm to your mouth and gulp it down. The thick, salty seed slides over your tongue. You swallow convulsively, again and again, until your palm is clean. A string of it still clings to your lower lip. Wenennefer laughs roughly, clearly entertained. <<dialogue "Wenennefer" "img/wenennefer.jpg" "\"Gods… you really swallowed it. What a proper little whore you are beneath that holy linen.\"" "left">>\ He tucks himself away and adjusts his kilt, still smirking. <<dialogue "Wenennefer" "img/wenennefer.jpg" "\"The debt is paid. I’ll remember this the next time I visit.\"" "left">>\ He turns and leaves. You remain kneeling, trembling with deep, crushing shame. The taste of his cum coats your mouth and throat. Your gown is stained. Your hands still feel sticky. You, a virgin priestess, have just jerked a common merchant to completion and then swallowed his seed like a desperate slut in the middle of your own audience room. Slowly you rise and stagger to the ritual basin. You scrub your hands and mouth raw with water and linen, but the taste and the memory refuse to leave. <<silently>> <<set $renown += 1>> <<set $decadence += 4>> <<set $wenenneferSatisfied to true>> <<set $hygiene to $hygiene - 15>> <</silently>>\ <<run setup.notify("Decadence increased.", "negative")>>\ <<run setup.notify("Renown increased by 1.", "positive")>>\ <<set _hk to 1>>\ <<action "Return to your duties" "Audience Room" 0 _hk "openAudienceDocketDialog">><<set _hk++>>\ </div>