“The suicidal folly of internal division naturally provokes foreign attack."
- George Rawlinson 

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Egypt, also known as Kemet, has remained unified for a long time. The concept of Ma’at has helped maintain the throne during difficult times. But now, in the 20th Dynasty period, this fragile peace seems to be eroding.

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Under the reign of Ramesses XI, unity is simply an illusion, with the once unquestioned authority of the Pharaoh weakening due to the decay of  economy and administration. On one hand, Lower Egypt remains under the Pharaoh. The traditional taxation bureaucracy still operates, although under growing stress. Tax collectors are dishonest and treasonous. Due to the competing authorities, farmers have halted production, and prefer the temple over the Pharaoh. Economically, this has led to significant damage. Agricultural produce now flows unevenly across local authorities, temple owners and administrators. Farmers pay whoever offers them stronger protection, or impose stronger authority. As royal revenues decline, the Pharaoh’s administration struggles to adequately pay laborers, maintain garrisons, and sustain the large bureaucratic and military apparatus that once upheld imperial Egypt. The administration has also fallen hollow. Due to the rise of intermediate temple powers across the land, royal authority has declined. 

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On the other hand, in the south, in the sacred city of Thebes, a different power has risen. Once serving God and the Pharaoh, the High Priest of Amun now threatens to surpass royal authority, claiming stronger religious connections to God. The priest’s strength stems from the belief of the people that he is a more accurate representation of God’s will. This belief stems from the fact that it is the priesthood that conducts rituals, makes sacrifices and reaps rewards. They spend their lives in the service of God and are therefore seen as visible intermediaries who speak the language of God directly, compared to the Pharaoh, who the people view as distant rulers issuing decrees from northern palaces. Many thus see the priest as a guardian and protector, providing steady reassurance when all else fails. 

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And therein lies the fracture.

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If the gods speak through the temples, what becomes of the king who claims to be their chosen voice?

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Between these two powers stands a third force. The military officers and regional authorities, particularly those tied to the territories of Nubia, command control over gold mines and trade routes. These figures, neither wholly loyal to the crown nor the temple, have become wielders of raw power and possess the ability to topple well-established regions. 

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What emerges is not open war, but a slow fragmentation. Egypt is no longer a singular entity, but a rather multifaceted land, plagued by various crises that threaten to consume it. 

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The foremost of these crises is the question of resources. Grain, the lifeblood of Egypt, is increasingly concentrated within the temples, limiting the Pharaoh’s ability to sustain his administration and military. Gold, from Nubia, gives the military men many advantages over economy and trade. 

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Another important crisis is that of legitimacy. The Pharaoh, historically the bridge between gods and men, is now being denied power in the face of both a rebellion and a reinterpretation. If the priests transmit God’s will, then to whom does authority really belong? This strains the very ideological essence of the state.

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Meanwhile, the people of Kemet: farmers, artisans, labourers, traders find themselves caught up in this evolving order. As officials misuse their powers by assuring closeness to God, law and order breaks down.

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Within the council, delegates take on the characters of key figures across the fractured landscape of Kemet: royal officers, priestly authorities and military officials. In a fragile Egyptian land, even the smallest of missteps could land in chaos. 

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Here, deliberation is more than governance. The outcome shapes the very essence and identity of power. Should the Two Lands of Egypt be reunified under a single monarchy restoring the power of the Pharaoh? Or should the authority be restructured and divided for the priestly influence? Will divine order be upheld, or redefined by those who claim to interpret it?

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Every decision carries consequences. To empower one faction risks alienating another. To preserve balance may require sacrifice. Egypt is at a critical juncture, and in a place where the divine and the monarchy have always been intertwined, who, now, truly rules Kemet?