Chapter Text
He was known as the Sorcerer King. A man connected to both the realm of Magic and the Gods and who used this knowledge to make Egypt prosper.
Nectanebo I came to the Egyptian throne in 378 BC, having taken the crown from his uncle Teos who, due to his harsh tax regime, was unpopular with the common people.
Nectanebo's father, Teos' younger brother, Tjahapimu, had been his brother's closest General and advisor, tasked with looking after Egypt when Teos, wanting to make sure Egypt never again fell under the rule of Persia who had ruled the country after the conquest of Cambyses II, the son of Cyrus the Great, in 525 BC, led an invasion of the Middle East to crush Persian power.
Teos, sensing the need for change in Kings and, of course, wanting to advance his own power, rebelled soon after his brother's departure, placing his son Nectanebo on the throne and ruling jointly with him.
Nectanebo, like his father, had served as a General under his uncle and was well prepared for the occasion of becoming King, having been groomed for it in case Teos or his father died.
Even before coming to the throne Nectanebo's skills in Magic was well known, having been, like all Pharaohs from the time of Egypt's first King, Narmer, the grandson of Noah, thousands of years before, steeped in the ways of mysticism and spellwork.
In Nectanebo's case he benefited from the knowledge and Magic developed centuries ago by the Magic school known as the Great Dragon Court, an institution originally established in ancient Sumeria under the Kings of the City of Kish, among whom was the biblical Cain.
These Kings all claimed descent not only from the Archangel Samael, the true father of Cain, but also from the Sumerian Gods themselves, including the great Dragon Goddess Tiamat, the Grandmother of the Gods.
Pharaoh Hotepsekhemwy, founder of the Second Dynasty of Egypt in 2890 BC, was the grandson of Nimrod, King of Babylon and a descendant of the Kings of Ur and Kish. His ancestors, as Kings of Ur, were known as Dragon Lords and in their honour, when Hotepsekhemwy became Pharaoh after reuniting Egypt after a period of Civil War following the death of the First Dynasty's last ruler, Qaa, established, unofficially, the Court of the Dragon.
He married Neithotep, a daughter of Qaa and descendant of Narmer and through them their line would continue throughout Egyptian history, sometimes in power, sometimes not, until it reached its zenith under the great Queen Sobeknefru in 1822 BC, who took the title of Great Dragon Queen of Egypt and officially established the Dragon Court as a school of Egyptian Magic.
Thus officially established the Magic tradition of the Dragon would continue as the royal court's preferred system and Nectanebo, while not a direct descendant of Sobeknefru or Hotepsekhemwy (their descendants having already, in the main, left Egypt for Israel and the West by his lifetime) nonetheless took firm advantage of their ancestors' Magical knowledge to become Egypt's greatest Sorcerer.
Teos, when he learned of his brother's and nephew's betrayal, did the only thing he could do, which was seek refuge in the very same court he was trying to beat into submission, and for their part, the Persians allowed him to stay....at first.
Knowing the risks of allowing his uncle and former King to remain free in a foreign land, Nectanebo sent a trusted friend, a doctor named Wennefer, to the Persian capital of Susa to get the old man back.
The Persian monarch, having no love for Teos and desiring no war with Egypt at the moment, gave little thought to handing him over. Wennefer led the former King back into his homeland in chains where he simply fades into the mists of history, most likely killed or imprisoned for life by his brother and nephew.
Nectanebo's father died shortly thereafter and he was left to rule Egypt alone, and by all accounts, he ruled it well, becoming best known to his subjects for his religious piety and building Temples, most notably the Temple dedicated to the God of the Nile, Khnum, on the island of Abu, now Elephantine, in the Nile, and a Temple to the great God Amun-Ra in the city of Siwa which, in later years, Alexander would visit.
On the island of Philae, close to Aswan, the Pharaoh built the Temple to the Goddess Isis which would become the most important center of her worship in the Kingdom, and it was here that he decreed benefits to the various shrines and Temples throughout the land, giving special rights to the priests and priestesses, all in an attempt to show both Gods and men his piety and religiosity.
The common people under Nectanebo's reign flourished as they never had under his uncle or ancestors. Across the land farmers, from the smallest to the biggest, prospered, their harvests yielding healthy crops year after year. Merchants built up successful businesses.
The arts thrived and scholars were granted unparalleled access into the mysteries and innerworkings of Egyptian Magic and the mystical traditions, allowing them to then help the people. Nectanebo also made sure that the nobility treated those under their rule with dignity and respect, both due to a genuine concern for their welfare and he saw the hazards of treating the people like cash cows under his uncle's rule.
In the middle 360s BC Persia's eye once more turned to Egypt, hungry for its lost territory. In response the Pharaoh bolstered the royal army and enlisted the help of Greek mercenaries who were among the best warriors of their time, especially the Spartans, and it paid off in 364 BC when the Persians finally invaded the Kingdom.
In a year of bloody fighting Nectanebo, aided by his Greek Commanders Lamius of Sparta and , Diophantus of Athens, pushed back the onslaught and kept Egypt free of foreign control. In honour of his victories the common people rewarded him with the title of 'Nectanebo the Divine Falcon.' The Falcon being the animal spirit and symbol of the God Horus, the Divine protector of Egypt and God of Kingship.
Unfortunately, despite his skills in Magic and his military might, Nectanebo's time was running out even as he celebrated his greatest victories.
Three years later, in 361 BC, the Persians returned, this time their army greater than anything the Egyptians had ever faced before, over thirty thousand warriors made up of Persians, Greek mercenaries, and others in the Empire, led by Pharnabazus, one of Persia's greatest Generals.
The day Nectanebo learned of the invasion he was in the royal palace surrounded by his retainers and servants listening to petitions from local officials on various matters, a dull but necessary routine in his daily life. It proceeded like any other day until one of his servants, bursting through the throne room door, threw himself down terrified, breathless.
"My King!"
He cried,
"The Persians have come!"
No reports had come through, no indication that any such thing was coming reached his ears before then so Nectanebo sat stunned for a moment, his mind racing.
The silence was broken by the stammers and incoherent babble of the courtiers and retainers, all offering unasked for advice or asking what they should do.
Nectanebo ignored them all and focused his thoughts inward.
He wasn't afraid of the Persians, he had beaten them several times before and proved himself their equal in combat, but it was the way in which they had struck so fast, so hard that no one foresaw it or knew it was coming. Not even with his Magic had the King been able to figure it out.
Leaving the throne room, giving orders to his guards to leave him be, the Pharaoh withdrew into his private quarters, grabbed a special robe he used only in ritual spellwork, and began conjuring spells.
Using spices, he threw them on a brazier and created a thick cloud of smoke, taking a bowel of water and setting it in the middle of it. Nectanebo then took a wand and touched the four corners of the bowel, representing the four corners of the earth.
He spoke his spell then and instantly images of Persian ships filled the water. Hundreds of them, all manned with heavily armed warriors.
Waving the images away the Pharaoh put away his Magical equipment and returned to the throne room, commanding all the officers there to prepare for war.
Days later Nectanebo and his army met the Persians in battle, the Pharaoh and his men fighting valiantly, but it was in vain. Thousands were butchered before his eyes, his Magic failing him the time he needed it the most.
Retreating from the field Nectanebo went from fortress to fortress battling the Persians, losing each one and countless of men until finally there was nowhere left to run but out of the country.
Grabbing what gold and jewels he could carry, the Pharaoh abandoned Egypt to its fate and escaped into Nubia where he found refuge for awhile.
It was in Nubia where he learned of the fall of the capital of Memphis to the Persian King, ending his dynasty and the restoration of Persian rule.
Now a King without a Kingdom Nectanebo spent some time in Nubia before drifting on and crossing the Middle East into Europe. In time, by chance, he found himself in Greece and the highlands of Macedonia in 359 BC where, settling in the capital of Pella, he decided to end his days working as a Medium and fortuneteller.
His fame soon grew due to his accurate predications and connecting deceased loved ones with their living relatives and it came to pass that Olympias, now Queen, learned of this strange Egyptian Prophet, as he was being called, and sent for him to be brought to the palace.
Nectanebo duly made his way to the royal residence where he met with the Queen. Philip at this time was away waging war and so she, left behind as regnant, had the run of the place.
As they spoke it became apparent to Olympias that, far from being a simple man as most assumed from his dress of cheap fabric and rough appearance, that the Egyptian was much more than he was letting on. She asked him many questions of Egypt, of himself, and what matter of people did he come from.
Nectanebo answered as honestly as he could without giving away his identity. Then, in a moment of divine inspiration, he told Olympias that she would give birth to a son and that, should he choose it, he would have the whole world at his feet and be long lived in the minds of men.
This sudden pronouncement proved to the Queen that he was a true Prophet for, the day before, she learned she was with child.
Nectanebo proceeded to tell the Queen that his God, Amun-Ra, would follow the progress of her child, and should he prove worthy, he would raise him up as Lord of the Nile. At this the Egyptian King stopped, shocked by this himself and what it meant.
The two stared at each other, neither able to speak. Nectanebo, finally, excused himself from her presence and left the palace to continue his work elsewhere, but his prophecy shook him ever after.
Later that night, while Olympias slept, she fell into a strange dream where a man, with bull's horns on his head, came to her.
Horrified Olympias shrank back and guarded herself against what she believed was an evil spirit about to attack, but the being did not move. He stood there silently for a time and then told her that he was Amun-Ra, the God of Nectanebo. He came, he said, to confirm what the Medium relayed to her, that her child, if they proved worthy in the sight of the Gods, would become great with their blessing and that the world would remember their name.
The Queen, struggling to comprehend what had just been said and by whom, thanked the God who disappeared, leaving her again to sleep dreamless.
Meanwhile in Illyria where the Macedonian army was encamped battling against the Illyrians, the King lay sleeping in his tent and just like his wife he had a strange dream.
In his dream, so he recounted later, a great Red Dragon came to him and plucked him up off the ground, carrying him back to Pella to the royal palace where the Magical creature sat him down on the balcony of the royal bedchamber.
Inside the bedchamber Philip saw the same two horn headed man standing beside a sleeping Olympias. The man looked at him, drew his attention to a seal in his hand, and sat down on the bed next to the Queen.
The seal, engraved with a lion's head, a morning sun, and blazing sword, was placed on the Queen's stomach. Philip watched on, confused, not understanding what he was seeing.
Then he woke up, calling for his wise men and priests to help interpret the dream.
Each in turn said he would be a father. That the man he saw was a God, and that his child was to be blessed by them.
Months later, on July 20th, 357 BC, Olympias gave birth to a healthy baby boy in Pella.
She named him Alexander in honour of his late uncle.