Then from the siege-kraal of her distant throat
Miriam Makeba sang to the lion
an undulation washed through her shoulders
a lake of golden corn ruffled by harsh winds
and suddenly Africa spoke
Ethiopia. An ancient land and a holy land, that was already old when Rome arose to straddle the world. Kingdoms untold have risen and fallen here since the days of Homer and Cyrus, and it is said that when the Christian faith came to these lands, it was from the mouths of the Apostles themselves. From their highland homes, the people of central Ethiopia have forged an empire unlike any other on earth: one which stretches from the shores of the Red Sea to the banks of the Nile, and contains within it's borders everything from verdant mountain jungles to sweltering desert plains and rolling green savannas.
And for this empire, it is an age of splendor. Under the emperors of the Solomonic Dynasty, Ethiopia has subdued their ancient rivals among the Islamic tribes to her east, forcing them into vassalage and so unifying all the tribes and peoples of the Horn of Africa under her influence. Trade from Cairo, India, and Arabia all flows through her ports, and her cities and her cattle alike have grown fat and well-fed. Many whisper that the Virgin Mary has laid her hands upon the empire and it's people, and that the prosperity they now enjoy is nothing less than divine. Their emperor, the Negusa Negast, is a figure of awe and power, famed from India to Alexandria. It is held that he is of the blood of the biblical King Solomon, that he is descended in a line unbroken from the Tribe of the Kings of Judah, and that his is the empire of the lion.
Yet now the lion is dead. His imperial majesty Baeda Maryam — Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah,the Elect of God, the Heir of David, Master of Zion and Axum, King over Kings — has passed without warning in his sleep. His death, like a stone in a still pond, sends waves of unrest through the lands that once hailed him as lord and master. His son, the Lij Eskender, is only seven years old, and already the cracks are beginning to show. Unhelmed, the kingdom at the crown of the world reels. Powerful lords long obedient dream again of greater glories. Peoples subjugated long ago arise to shake off their yokes. And many long leagues to the north, at the mouth of the Nile, the new Sultan of Egypt gazes southward and dreams of empire.
As the empire plunges into turmoil, new ships set harbor at Medri Bahri — odd ships, bearing no mark of sultan or raj, with many white sails, bearing pale men who burn easily in the summer sun.
Welcome to Empire of the Lion, a quest set in the waning Ethiopian Empire at the dawn of the gunpowder age. You will play as the assembled court of the reigning Emperor of Ethiopia -- himself the Elect of David and the King of Kings, though you yourselves might be better described as the spirit of a nation, or the will of a people. Your choices and their consquences will depend on what forces and factions are ascendant in Ethiopia, and how weak and how strong the various parts of the empire have become as a result of your attention or neglect. It will be no easy task. The Ethiopian Empire is one of the oldest and mightiest to ever span the African continent, but it is plagued within and without by adversaries. You may have to make unsavory alliances or unfavorable concessions merely to survive in an ever-changing world. Allies must become foes, and ancient rivalries break to new friendship. The centuries ahead will be bitter with gunpowder and thunder, and thick with war and blood -- yet perhaps the empire of the lion may emerge, roaring, from the smoke of years to come?
The emperor is dead. Mighty lords and low alike circle like basking vultures around the yearling prince Eskender.
His mother, the royal widow Romna, has seen the knives glinting around her son, and has called for the assembly of a powerful crown council at the holy city of Axum to select the next emperor, hoping against hope to play the various Imperial factions against one another and find a path to survival — or, dare she dream it, rulership —for her young son.
The convocation has taken weeks to assemble. All the great majesties and powers of Ethiopia are in attendance — the Rases, the Bitwodeds, the greater part of the Mesafint and nearly all of the Mekwanint. The Dejazmaches have assembled the headless Imperial Army on the fields outside Axum, hoping to sway minds with a show of force. The Bahr Negus himself has sent an envoy, and the Abuna is of course in attendance with a retinue of many local clergymen and bishops. Many of the wealthier negade, the salt merchants, have made themselves known at the proceedings, alongside many of the Islamic traders who have of late made their fortunes in Ethiopia. Surprisingly, even a handful of tribal leaders from the outlying provinces, or gadaa, have arrived, leading dusty caravans of camels and mules from distant corners of the empire. All in all, nearly every voice of any strength has come to weigh in on which head should next bear the crown.
It is not an easy choice, but it is one long prepared for. All the sons and brothers of every emperor of Ethiopia are ritually imprisoned on the royal mountain of Amba Geshen, popularly called the Mountain of Princes. There, the heirs are educated, trained, and protected for the day that they are either no longer a threat to the succession…or they are called to rule. The Solomonic dynasty has been prolific. Many princes, brothers and nephews of the dead Baeda Maryam are held upon Amba Geshen, and though certain voices call for the blood right of the prince Eskender, many others believe that the time has come for one of the princes on the Mountain to bear the imperial crown.
An emperor of the blood of Solomon shall ride away from the Mountain of Princes — but which?
The Court of the Emperors of Ethiopia is a massive web of competing factions and interests, all jockeying endlessly for power. Where one rises, another must fall back -- where one gains, another must lose. Which factions are currently in power in the court affects the choices available, the resolutions possible for certain options, and shapes the culture and society of the empire in the turbulent 15th century. For your convenience, the most influential factions in the court are:
The Mesafint, the nobles of the blood. Ancient Amhara families with equally ancient rights, they seek land, power, and status, often at the emperor's expense.
The Mekwanint, the nobles of the pen. Appointed scribes, secretaries, and bureaucrats who keep the empire running, they often lose their positions -- or their lives -- in transitions of power. They seek to retain their positions, reduce the status of hereditary nobility, and centralize the empire.
The Imperial Army, represented by the Dejazmaches, the noble commanders who lead the armies of the empire. They seek strong military leadership, and opportunities for military glory.
The Bahr Negus, the King of the Sea. The semi-independent ruler of Ethiopia's greatest port city, Medhri Bari, the Bahr Negus enjoys special privileges compared to other nobles due to his power over the empire's shipping and trade.
The Ethiopian Church, the assembled clergy and bishops of the empire. Firm adherents of tradition, faith, and submission to God, the Church has often played kingmaker.
The Negade, the various merchants, traders, and guildsmen of the empire. They seek favorable trade deals, protection of routes, and new opportunities for wealth.
The Tribes, a catchall term for the various tribal chiefs, mayors, and big men who make their voices, and the desires of their people, known in the imperial core.
In a vote, a + besides one of these groups indicates that picking this option will strengthen them in the future, while a - indicates that this option will weaken them.
[]Lij Tariku Raphael:The youngest of the six sons of the emperor Zara Yaqob, the Lij Tariku, at 17, is one of the younger residents on the Mountain of the Princes. His mother, the Emebet Nahum, was a daughter of the Jantirar, one of the supreme hereditary nobles of the empire, and as such the Mesafint, the collective hereditary nobility of the empire, have thrown their backing behind the young prince. By enshrining one of their own, they hope to reverse the decline in power and influence that they have seen under recent emperors. Tariku himself is said to be a dreamy young man with a mind for sailing and swordplay, who has spent his captivity on the mountain enthralled by the wars and deeds of his older brother Baeda, and now dreams of campaigns of his own. His interest in the ocean pleases the court of the Bahr Negus, who has indicated a favorable response should the assembly crown him. His accession is not without opponents, however -- the merchants object strongly to the idea of a warrior king who will disrupt trade routes, and the Mekwanint fear a lord who will reduce their hard-earned power in favor of the hereditary nobility. (+++ Nobility) (++ Court of the Sea King) (+ Imperial Army) (--- Bureaucracy) (-- Merchants)
[] Ras Susenyos: Second of the sons of Zara Yaqob and brother to the dead emperor, the Ras Susenyos is, at 27, the oldest male claimant. Raised outside of the Mountain, the Ras had experience with both the court and with war before his brother ascended and he was interred. A blooded warrior before manhood, he proved himself in the campaigns against the northern tribes, and now enjoys the support of a large part of the army. Controversially, the Ras has adopted as his teacher and spiritual advisor an itinerant preacher, or debtera, named Kabede, who claims to read the future in the stars. While the Church and many of the merchantry frown on such zealous exoticism, Susenyos hangs on his preacher's every word, a show of piety that has made him well-liked among the common people of the outer provinces, where debtera are exceedingly popular. On the holy man's advice, he has pledged to protect the life and safety of his nephew Eskender should he ascend the throne, winning him some support from the dowager queen. (+++ Imperial Army) (+++ Tribes) (+ The Queen Regent) (--- The Church) (- Merchants)
[] Abeto Yohannes: A cousin of the late emperor through his uncle Wolde Mikael, the young Abeto is, at 20, now distant enough from the imperial succession that he will be released from his imprisonment should any other claimant win. A dark horse if ever there was one, he has kept his head down for most of his imprisonment, preferring instead study and quiet reflection. His tutors say the princeling is deeply intelligent, and furthermore is well-studied in theology, arithmetic, and rhetoric, having long prepared himself for a career in the Imperial Court. The army commanders doubt just how well this sickly youth will lead them, but he enjoys surprising support among the Mekwanint, the appointed bureaucratic nobility, who see in him a monarch that might protect their powers and expand the bureaucracy. The Abuna, head of the Ethiopian Church, has signaled that he would back the prince Yohannes, a noted student of the faith, should the convocation elect him. (+++ Bureaucracy) (++ The Church) (-- Imperial Army) (-- Nobility)
[] Lij Eskender: The old emperor's son, the Lij Eskender is, as one clergyman so astutely puts it, a cub among lions. A bright and precocious youth, he is nevertheless far too young to have any virtues of his own -- his rights, such as they are, are championed and defended ferociously by his mother, the Queen Regent, who might be likened to a lioness among men. Her son, she proclaims, is the blood of Solomon, sole rightful emperor of Ethiopia, and herself his rightful regent. To win backing for his claim, she has made a great many promises, some more solemn than others. To the Mekwanint, she has sworn to protect their positions and status, while at the same time she has promised more freedom and autonomy to the nobility. The Church, she has promised absolute control over their holdings, and to the army she has relinquished supreme command to the Dejazmaches until her son is of age. Her web of alliances and promises has against all odds won the boy-prince the most support of any candidate, and may yet hold Ethiopia together, but many fear that in the days and years to come, they will reduce the power of the Emperor. (++++ The Queen Regent) (+++ Bureaucracy) (+++ Nobility) (++ The Church) (++ Imperial Army) (------ Imperial Power)
One of our biggest issues over the next three decades are going to be the Islamic cities and tribes to our west. Both because they're in prime position to cut us off from the ocean, and also because they're the means by which the Ottomans historically intervene in the area, thus bringing down Ethiopia's hegemony. So going martial for that.
Centralization is good for monarchies, and we will desperately need such unity in the wake of the barbarians of europe who will seek to enslave our people and plunder our treasures.
At this point the Empire is far too grand an enterprise to be left to a mere Emperor, better instead to institutionalize the imperial majesty as a series of harmless palace puppets developed into a line of much more immediate and stable succession around the most direct blood, and thus safely defang the dangers of princely cousins trying to usurp the crown with elective acclaim and bloody intrigue.
This look fucking awesome and I have always day dreamed about a surviving ethiopian empire so count me in! please have this quest survive more than a month
Centralization is good for monarchies, and we will desperately need such unity in the wake of the barbarians of europe who will seek to enslave our people and plunder our treasures.
The Portuguese actually tried to help and make friends with the Ethiopians IRL. Being fair, it probably would have changed in a century or so but the Ethiopians were both Christian and also rivals with the Ottomans. And considering the Ottomans were making their own play for the Indian Ocean at the time, the Portuguese were very happy to have local help. Even if it was a disaster that failed for both the Portuguese and Ethiopoians.
Only the fact that the Ottoman noble who was pushing for the Indian Ocean ended up falling out of favour and in fact was an enemy with the Vizier I think it was of the Sultan saved the Portuguese from being pushed further back, or even out of the region. And the Ottomans never really turned their attentions back to the region...
We definitely can't depend on things turning out that way here, but we should definitely keep in mind that the Europeans can be a firm and useful ally for now in the face of Ottoman attention. It's in the latter half of the 1500s and the 1600s onwards that we need to become very concerned about their colonial ambitions. Well, unless we ban and pirate their trade, but that's an entirely different situation.
Honestly, the only reason I know about this is thanks to this channel on YouTube: Kings and Generals
The link is to an hour and a half documentary about the Ottoman-Portuguese conflict. There's also three other videos that are more specifically about Ethiopia's involvement, but I think the important information, even if not the specifics of the wars, are covered by the first one. One, Two and Three.
In case of uncertain succession you want to have the army on your side. More centralization would be good but we can still strenghten the bureaucracy through our policies. Holding on to power after the transition and modernizing the army will be our most pressing concerns.
27 is also the right age. 7, 17 and 20 are all too young to properly lead an empire.
Abeto Yohannes prepared himself for a court career and he is a dark horse. We can utilize him in our administration.
