Atenkhet - City

Summary

The grandest of nebusian settlements in all of Sa-kemet began as a saltery village near the coast of the Shimmering Ocean. Situated in a rocky hovel, roughly every five years, the village would weather passing typhoons. Hence, free of most neighboring competition, they lived in enviable seclusion.   In archaic times, a nebusian tribal leader took a liking to the village's remoteness and desirable geological fixtures. Conquering and installing herself as ruler of many villages, the first proto-typical pharaoh emerged, and so Atenkhet, the 'land of fire/warmth/sun/heat' was born. A phrase, generally, meaning one of safety and home in the dangerous times of Sa-kemet's past.   Over the centuries, Atenkhet grew with its ever rising population. The seclusion it once harbored in proved constraining, but with able workforces, it was of little issue. The exact idea of what was city and what wasn't is an ever uncertain point in history. Depending on a given time period, a pharaoh may only consider one part of the total land as 'Atenkhet', and the rest were outside settlements.   The legal and political justifications of this resulted in very awkward building codes and directions. In archaeology, one can figure out who ruled where because of housing remains, for every pharaoh had an idea of how things should be. Then their successor came along and changed everything again.   The inanity of this eventually led to Atenkhet burning to the ground several times, then being rebuilt again. In these times of strife, many left in exodus, founding other great cities across Sa-kemet. It wouldn't be until the formation project for the Black Pyramid that the Atenkhet that would survive to the current day would form.   Clean drinking water is often more valuable than gold or crysium in Sa-kemet, and securing a steady supply had long been a madwoman's dream. Only those carefully filtering sea water or lucky enough to earn Poleva's favor drank on the regular, supposedly.   Thus, construction on the Black Pyramid began. Atenkhet's pharaoh of the time, and their successors, rose to the challenge of such an impossible dream. New ways of building, new legal laws to dictate them, new rules of inheritance, and so many more came into life. If one had to ask which came first, 'the pyramid or Atenkhet?', there wouldn't be a satisfying answer. One demanded the other, and so they arose in unison. Upon the pyramid's completion and four mighty rivers surged out of it, Atenkhet became the richest city in all of Sa-kemet.   All sorts flocked to the promise of clean, safe, and reliable water. With them came prestige and influence, the grandiosity of power, and the worship of the goddesses. Uatkara took proper form then, encompassing the disparate faiths into one organized pantheon. The absolute power of the pharaoh cemented itself, and the need for successful legacy became evident. Thus, the First Dynasty was born, Atenkhet in proper a grand civilization.   These dynasties defined different ages of Atenkhet in every sense of the idea. Architecture, politica, pious worship, governmental strength, foreign projection, and so on, were vastly different from one dynasty to another. In some Atenkhet behaved as a belligerent raider, in others a standoffish power few willingly dared to threaten. It often rode the line between the two, its own desires laid first in any diplomatic scenario.   Over time, few of its enemies would remain, chief among them the Sa-kemet Tribes and individual city-states like those of the mertakan. Finally, around the 9th Dynasty, Atenkhet underwent an immense change. Being built upon itself again and again, its architecture was as grand as it was squalid. The first pharaoh of the 9th Dynasty issued a decree: all of Atenkhet will be grand, or it will stand no more.   Atenkhet would not be a place for thousands, tens of thousands, or even hundreds. She demanded a city fit for millions, so all in Sa-kemet may live in their glory. For the people who built the Black Pyramid, such an insane engineering project didn't daunt them at all. So began the slow, grinding, and laborious work. Section by section Atenkhet was demolished and rebuilt, fit to the designs of the greatest architects and engineers.   Form married function, sturdy fortress-like homes and glimmering buildings as beautiful as they were resilient against dangerous weather. Immense waterways and careful protections ferried water for hundreds of miles; sewers beneath them carried waste away to reclaimation zones. Vast ports sprung up along the coast, safe habor for growing trade and fishing fleets. Unbelievable hanging gardens and green parks sprung up, dotting their city with vivid life not seen elsewhere.   There were those who came to call Atenkhet a paradiso on Veltrona the first time they visited.   As is ever the case, however, one cannot speak of Atenkhet without understanding the impact it has left in Sa-kemet at large. Thanks to the constant improvements to the Black Pyramid, its water production ability is truly staggering. A good portion of this water ends up as runoff, blasting out into Sa-kemet's deserts. These artifical rivers became hotbeds for development and war as so many fought to secure the precious resource.   Of the four, two ended up flowing into many other cities and micro-states, their literal lifeblood in otherwise barren areas. The last two, however, are quite curious. Atenkhet's dynasties paid special attention to building them special river channels deep into the deserts. It is these rivers that the Sa-kemet Tribes often drink from, an unspoken for gift among two otherwise old enemies.   In this way, the loss of the Black Pyramid is a death sentence for a great many people. The anxiety of such over reliance has led to many other, smaller pyramids themselves being created. Although nowhere near as equals, these water producing structures form vital points in their own right.