My Journey to Heritage Key, Part 2 - Life on the Nile

Walking through the teleporter to the Life on the Nile exhibit takes you to Amarna and the house of Setmare the Scribe. A variety of Egyptian outfits are available - I chose the "Beketaten" -, as well as a "journal" that keeps track of the mini-games in the area. (Sadly, the journal does not keep track of accomplishments between visits, so be sure to complete a set of accomplishments before logging out.)

The first room in the house is the western loggia, and appears to be used as a music room, with a lute and a flute-like instrument available. Below, I'm playing the solo in "Stairway to Heaven" - Jimmy Page, eat your heart out!


Setmare the Scribe is in the main hall. Come near him and he will say he does not recognize you, and challenges you to answer a question. Answer incorrectly and you may find yourself damp.

Other interior rooms include the entrance hall, the harem (!), and various bedrooms. Various household members interact to a limited degree with visitors, and a number of rooms have information displays with explanations about life in this time and place. Below, I play with makeup.


Don't forget to explore the roof of the house, the outbuildings, and the exterior. Below is an explanatory sign. Click on the prim to activates the sign. One of the interesting things is that the sign will display on the client side, so that avatars can read through the different screens at their own paces. (Note the small "1" in the upper-right-hand corner, signifying that we are on the first page, and the hand by the "click for more..." at the lower-right-hand part of the page.)


Without automation, a household this size took a fair number of servants to run. One of the mini-games involves finding these areas (not all have servants, such as the one depicted below) and sitting on the appropriate object to "help out" in running the household.

While you're at it, keep on the lookout for the four pieces of a letter that will help reveal a household plot. Solve the plot and reveal it to the correct person in the house and you could save the day! (If all that sounds too much like work, I assure you that the mini-games are not taxing.)

Before you leave for more modern times, be sure to find the river raft and play the game Rock, Scythe, Papyrus. (An ancient version of a game most of us are familiar with.) Win the round and your opponent moves backward, toward the Nile. The game ends when one player falls into the crocodile-infested river. (Fortunately, the sim is not damage-enabled.) Exploring solo? No problem. As one can see from the picture below, a hippopotamus is happy to assist. "Move, porky - you lost that round."


Next: to Stonehenge!