Of all the things I was expecting to see when I checked this site, Telamon starting an Ethiopian quest of all things was not one of them. Ethiopia is quite the interesting empire at this time, and this will no doubt be an excellent quest even with my lack of knowledge on this subject.
[X] Ras Susenyos
It disappoints me that no option increases both the bureaucracy and the army as I think those will both be vital, but the army and the people is fine too. The army being loyal will help with facing external threats, and the people being loyal will help prevent uprisings. Plus, this always leaves open the possibility of having the nephew as heir in a worst case scenario.
[x] Ras Susenyos
Popular with the military and the tribes, the bureaucracy and nobles don't dislike him, has actual high level experience, confident enough to not murder kin. All good.
The church weakened at court is OK so long as it doesn't turn into outright enmity. An overly strong church will want to be a universal church in law and expect us to impose that at sword point - a waste of blood and treasure that will not actually strengthen the empire. An empire that cannot roll with the diversity among its peoples cannot draw on the full strength of all its population. Obviously we need our state religion to be respected but the best way to achieve that is to succeed at the temporal and practical aspects of rule while being visibly pious.
For six weeks, there is debate. Voices are raised, spears are shaken, oaths are shriven. Daughters are sworn and alliances unmade, and the whole of the empire — indeed, it seems, all the world — holds it's breath.
And then all at once, it is over. Obstinate factions fall back, overcome. The Church shrinks away in wounded pride. Disagreements melt away like snow in mountain rain, and a messenger is sent to the Mountain of the Princes to summon the victorious candidate.
He is crowned in the holy city of Axum on the 12th day of the 7th month of the one thousand four hundred and seventieth year since the Incarnation of Christ. He was born Ras Susenyos of Gojjiam, but in the tradition of his ancestors he takes the throne-name of Anbessa Seged, or He Whom Before Lions Must Bow. He is presented before his people and acclaimed as the Negusa Negast. The priests anoint him with the oils of Saint Frumentius. He is permitted to ascend the steps to the carven church of Our Lady Mary of Zion and enter the presence of the Ark of the Covenant, which his ancestors brought back from Jerusalem in ancient time.
And then it is done. There is a new King over Kings. The Rases of Gonder and Tigray, whose ancestors were once kings themselves, bend to kiss his feet. The Jantirar, by honor of his royal blood, must only kiss his ankles. The Agaw and Somali chieftains who argued so strongly for his ascension stamp their feet and cheer, while the army — his army, now — roars it's approval to the skies.
Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah, His Imperial Majesty Susenyos I, King over Kings, Elect of God
Almost immediately after the coronation, the great lords that have for months occupied the city begin to melt away. Their kraals have been long abandoned, they say, and their people unattended for months on end. And yet, those who attempt to leave the city find their way blocked by the Chewa — the elite noble warrior regiments that form the backbone of the imperial army. The emperor's personal regiment, the Jan Amora ('Royal Eagle') even personally manhandle an overproud Ras who attempts to ride past the barricade.
Slowly, the news begins to trickle through the city. The new emperor has forbidden anyone to leave, be they slave, priest, or high lord. He has tired, it is said, of the irascibility and unreliability of the nobility. He has spent the last decade sat upon the Mountain watching them flaunt his brother's orders and undermine his authority at every turn. Enough is enough. They must remember who it is that is their lord. They will not be harmed, he makes it clear — but neither shall they leave.
The nobility are, almost to a man, terrified beyond words. The emperor Amda Seyon, Susenyos' ancestor, once answered the growing autonomy of the northern nobility by gathering the rebellious nobles in just such a situation, slaughtering them to a man, then dividing their lands among his Chewa. The clergy, meanwhile, are unsettled. No emperor would dare harm men of the faith, but to see armed guards barring their passage is more than many of them can stomach.
An impromptu court is assembled at the old palace of the Axumite Emperors. Susenyos fills the role of emperor well, striding tall and unconcerned among irate nobles and haranguing priests. At his right side paces the debtera Kabede, a wild-haired man with a sharp face and wise eyes. The Emperor does not speak aloud in public -- the imperial presence is enough. Rather, all his decrees and desires are read aloud by a trusted servant: the Afe Negus, the Emperor's Mouth. This position is filled now by the man at Susenyos' other shoulder, an old soldier with a lined face and ice-chip eyes. This man was the emperor's bodyguard when he was but another prince among many on the mountain. Now, he serves him still, as his master's voice.
With a thundering rattle of spears, the Emperor's guards shake the room to silence. The Afe paces to the midst of the assembled nobility and reads aloud the new emperor's first act: that, to celebrate his inauguration, the emperor Susenyos invites his most powerful subjects to serve him in a new capacity. They shall follow him as he marches to reassert order in the empire, and behold with their own eyes the elect of God at his work. For a year and a day, they shall be witness to the King of Kings, and travel in his Court.
He goes on to lay out exemptions and exceptions: the clergy are of course exempt, but are required to send suitable representatives. The merchantmen are invited, and all who attend shall be given favorable treatment in trade for a period of five years. The tribal chiefs are also all extended an invitation, and shall have their taxes in cattle reduced for a five years should they present themselves before the emperor to swear fealty.
As he speaks, the nobles — the mighty Rases, the Balambaras, the Azmaches in their robes of gold — realize with wide eyes that this is no dream or mad flight of fancy. Miles from their fortresses, their levies, and their families, they have no recourse, no resort, and no escape.
The great men of Ethiopia have fallen wholly into the hands of the emperor.
(Nobility - - - -)
Current Noble Power: (Weak)
Trait Gained:
The Captive Court: The Emperor Susenyos has forced the high nobility of the empire to follow him for a year and a day, stalling their schemes and stunting their power. All effects on the influence of the nobility are doubled. All effects on Imperial power are doubled. Significantly reduced taxes and greatly reduced administrative capability.
The emperor's decisiveness and suddenness have shaken many in the Imperial Court. Things, clearly, will not be as they were before. It has not, however, gone unnoticed that the new Emperor has not yet appointed a Bitwoded, or 'beloved one'. Not quite an official position in the court, the title of Bitwoded signifies the person or persons officially recognized as the Emperor's right hand -- his chief minister, closest confidant, and most valued aide. No matter their official position or title, this recognition and acclaim elevates the official in question above all others. Several personages are jockeying for this prestige, each backed and opposed in turn by many voices and factions within the Court.
The Right Hand:
[] The Tsehafi Taezaz: Already one of the most powerful men in the imperial court, the Tsehafi Taezaz, or Imperial Scribe, is perhaps the most powerful appointed noble in the empire, responsible for recording all the emperor's orders and commands, issuing laws and proclamations, and keeping track of the titles and lands handed out by the emperor. The current Taezaz, Lemuel, is hailed by the Mekwanint as a capable and efficient organizer who has already proven himself capable of running an imperial court. Yet, he is a Jew, and many in the court bare teeth at the thought of letting him rise any higher. His long years in the bureaucracy and at the side of the last emperor may prove a boon.
[] The Abeto: Newly freed from his imprisonment on the Mountain of the Princes, the Abeto Yohannes has now been imprisoned once more, this time as part of the Imperial Court. Many among the nobility champion his inclusion into the inner circles of power, hoping that his royal blood will curb his royal cousin's excesses. Meanwhile, the Mekwanint, who might have loved him as a king, fear that the Abeto's ascension to chief minister will diminish the power of the appointed nobility. Untested and untried, the Abeto is still an intelligent youth — who once, it must be remembered, was a stone's throw from an empire.
[] The Queen Mother: Traditionally, the Emperor's mother plays a dominant position in the state. With the early death of his own mother before his ascension, the late emperor instead elevated the last of his father's wives, the Queen Eleni — his mother in spirit if not in fact. Intelligent, well-educated, and shrewd, the dowager empress served her stepson with an iron fist and a silver tongue, eclipsing the actual empress Romna. In her youth she was a princess of the Hadiya tribe to the far east of the empire, a fact which has won her much love from the outskirts in the years since, and she has emerged in her time in the court as an outspoken defender of the emperor — a strategy she has achieved by appeasing the nobility and granting them autonomy to avoid civil war, working instead to centralize power on the imperial person. The Queen Mother is, some suggest, far too powerful to be ignored outright.
[] The Bitwoded: Bitwoded Amda Mikael, builder of a dozen churches, father of a dozen sons, and lord of a dozen lands, was the most powerful man in the reign of the emperor Baeda Maryam. Widely supported and widely liked, many expect the honor of being the emperor's right hand to be near-automatically granted to him once more. Beloved by the clergy for his charitable donations, Mikael has deep connections among the Islamic merchants of the Horn, which he has used to build his outrageous fortunes. A close ally of the Bahr Negus, his gold-coated fingers can be felt in nearly every corner of the empire.
[] The Empress Regent: Briefly regent of an empire and mother to a king, the former empress Romna now has little to her name beyond her pride and the clothes on her back. Deserted by most in the court after her ambitious gambit failed, she awaits her fate in Axum with her most loyal retainers and allies. Many expect her to be packed off to a monastery to wait out her days in solitude, but some few voices, the preacher Kabede among them, remind the emperor that mere days ago this woman nearly bent an empire to her whim with little more than words.
The emperor's proclamation has not gone unheard. He shall march out at the head of the army to restore order — but where exactly that order shall be restored, and what form it shall take, is an open question. The emperor listens with open ear, but he is a soldier, and his soldier's heart may already be set on a decision. (Non-military choices require an overwhelming majority, or convincing discussion, to win)
The Imperial March:
[] The Harari Campaign: With the death of the emperor Baeda Maryam, the Sultans of Adal whom he struggled so hard to force into tribute have declared their oaths null and void. While the Sultan has kept his insolence to sending no tribute, his emirs have begun their old patterns of raiding into the imperial lowlands and terrorizing Christian subjects. One in particular, an Imam named Mahfuz, lord of the city of Harar, is more daring than all the others. Leading a force of elite Malassay warriors, he has led a devastating raid into the imperial borderlands during the season of Lent, just as the ritual fasts and holy observances have left the borders near defenseless. He has crowned this blasphemy by looting churches and monasteries, the stolen wealth of which he has taken back to Harar. This crime must be avenged. The clergy and the army alike urge the emperor to march east and make his name by conquering Harar and seeing this Mahfuz to deserved end.
[] The Royal Progress: Even in the best of times, organizing an empire is difficult. Obtaining a proper tally of the population, resources, and defenses of the various regions is a monumental task, and has uncertain results even in the best of times — and these are not the best of times. When the occasion calls for it, emperors have been known to circumnavigate the entirety of the empire, visiting every kraal, fortress, and city to simultaneously conduct a census, collect taxes, and allow the people to see their emperor. The Mekwanint urge the emperor to embark on a progress now, showing off the imperial army and the court at every end of the empire.
[] The Semien Campaign: High in the Semien mountains of the Ethiopian highlands, a kingdom resists the empire of Christ as it has resisted it for nigh on a thousand years: the Beta Israel, the House of Israel, those Jews of Ethiopia who defied the conversion to Christianity. For centuries, their kingdom has struggled against and warred with the Ethiopian Empire, and many long centuries ago, they sacked Axum and razed the Mountain of the Princes. Though greatly reduced in size and strength from that ancient triumph, the Beta Israel are no less indomitable. Their King, Gideon (tenth of that name), has refused to pay tribute or to acknowledge Susenyos as his emperor, and many among the army and the nobility are encouraging the new emperor to prove his reign with a show of force against the empire's staunchest foes. But the mountain-cities of the Jews are fortified and well-armed, and many an emperor has returned in shame from those green heights.
[] The Great Pilgrimage: Ethiopia is an ancient and holy land. Massive rock-hewn churches dot her landscape, titan cathedrals of basalt and rock cut from the living mountains. These churches mark momentous events in the history of Ethiopia, or the burial sites of emperors and saints. Axum itself stands as one of the holiest cities in the world, peer to Jerusalem, home of the Ark of the Covenant. In a time when many doubt the provenance of the emperor, there are some monks and priests who suggest that a great royal procession between all of Ethiopia's holy sites is precisely what is needed, both as a show of strength and a show of piety. Is not the emperor Protector of the Holy Places, and the Elect of God?
[] The Wej Campaign: In the Wej region to the southeast of the Ethiopian highlands dwell the Maya tribe, skilled archers and warriors who have long served as mercenaries for the emperors. On learning of the emperor Baeda Maryam's death, however, the Maya have begun shirking their duties, abandoning the borders, and sending no tribute. It is said they even dare to raid the valuable salt caravans which pass through their lands, threatening the beating heart of Ethiopian trade. Outraged, the merchants have demanded the emperor do something about this injustice. The Maya king, Gojan, is known to be an opportunistic and clever warrior, who has fought in many battles. Many of the Dejazmaches advocate a quick and brutal war to put the Maya back in their place — a triumph over a warrior such as Gojan will win respect and fear from all the tribes surrounding the empire.
[] The Imperial Expedition: War has always been among the emperor's first resorts with the powers to her east. The Sultans of Adal and Ajuraan are powerful and haughty, and too often it has been necessary to shatter their walls and their pretensions at royalty...and yet, there may be another way. A merchant by the name of Nasr, hailing from Yemen, has suggested another course: an imperial expedition, a show of might and wealth that would cow the high lords of the Horn of Africa without a drop of blood spilt. March the splendor of Ethiopia through Adal and Ajuraan, visit the cities that have so long defied imperial power, and imprint indelibly on all their minds who is lord and master. Who could see the host of the King of Kings, and not know fear for all their days?
[X] The Harari Campaign: With the death of the emperor Baeda Maryam, the Sultans of Adal whom he struggled so hard to force into tribute have declared their oaths null and void. While the Sultan has kept his insolence to sending no tribute, his emirs have begun their old patterns of raiding into the imperial lowlands and terrorizing Christian subjects. One in particular, an Imam named Mahfuz, lord of the city of Harar, is more daring than all the others. Leading a force of elite Malassay warriors, he has led a devastating raid into the imperial borderlands during the season of Lent, just as the ritual fasts and holy observances have left the borders near defenseless. He has crowned this blasphemy by looting churches and monasteries, the stolen wealth of which he has taken back to Harar. This crime must be avenged. The clergy and the army alike urge the emperor to march east and make his name by conquering Harar and seeing this Mahfuz to deserved end.
Wow we have a lot of power with our nobility captive we'll need to take the chance to cement imperial power over them. But any who I think I'll go with either the guy with the priest connections to appease the priest/merchant as our right hand man. And well for war the Harari aren't paying us tribute that'll have to change sooner then later.
[X] The Bitwoded: Bitwoded Amda Mikael, builder of a dozen churches, father of a dozen sons, and lord of a dozen lands, was the most powerful man in the reign of the emperor Baeda Maryam. Widely supported and widely liked, many expect the honor of being the emperor's right hand to be near-automatically granted to him once more. Beloved by the clergy for his charitable donations, Mikael has deep connections among the Islamic merchants of the Horn, which he has used to build his outrageous fortunes. A close ally of the Bahr Negus, his gold-coated fingers can be felt in nearly every corner of the empire.
[X] The Wej Campaign: In the Wej region to the southeast of the Ethiopian highlands dwell the Maya tribe, skilled archers and warriors who have long served as mercenaries for the emperors. On learning of the emperor Baeda Maryam's death, however, the Maya have begun shirking their duties, abandoning the borders, and sending no tribute. It is said they even dare to raid the valuable salt caravans which pass through their lands, threatening the beating heart of Ethiopian trade. Outraged, the merchants have demanded the emperor do something about this injustice. The Maya king, Gojan, is known to be an opportunistic and clever warrior, who has fought in many battles. Many of the Dejazmaches advocate a quick and brutal war to put the Maya back in their place — a triumph over a warrior such as Gojan will win respect and fear from all the tribes surrounding the empire.
The raiders probing the empire need to be dealt with, but with all the nobility of Ethiopia looking over our shoulders we have to very carefully choreograph a success above everything else. Though some might pay a lot of attention to something overly cautious or unkingly after such an ambitious opening, even that might be preferable to catching even the slightest hint of weakness in the big moment. I'm partial to doing a Royal Progress now, and then following through with an attack on the Harari next turn, once we have hopefully instilled the proper about of respect and deference into the nobility (and have carefully marked out where each of them live with our own bare eyes).
[X] The Empress Regent: Briefly regent of an empire and mother to a king, the former empress Romna now has little to her name beyond her pride and the clothes on her back. Deserted by most in the court after her ambitious gambit failed, she awaits her fate in Axum with her most loyal retainers and allies. Many expect her to be packed off to a monastery to wait out her days in solitude, but some few voices, the preacher Kabede among them, remind the emperor that mere days ago this woman nearly bent an empire to her whim with little more than words.
[X] The Imperial Expedition: War has always been among the emperor's first resorts with the powers to her east. The Sultans of Adal and Ajuraan are powerful and haughty, and too often it has been necessary to shatter their walls and their pretensions at royalty...and yet, there may be another way. A merchant by the name of Nasr, hailing from Yemen, has suggested another course: an imperial expedition, a show of might and wealth that would cow the high lords of the Horn of Africa without a drop of blood spilt. March the splendor of Ethiopia through Adal and Ajuraan, visit the cities that have so long defied imperial power, and imprint indelibly on all their minds who is lord and master. Who could see the host of the King of Kings, and not know fear for all their days?
Generally, anywhere between half a year to a year, starting next turn. Next turn there will also be significantly more votes and options as the Imperial Court settles into the business of empire (and not the business of being abducted by the guy they just elected).
This is good. Maybe not very subtle, but good. One of the advantages of having a permanent royal court is keeping all those nobles close in case they try something, and absolute monarchy can be good for going over the heads of the nobility and interacting with the peasantry directly, not to mention building state power. Of all our interest groups, the nobility are our biggest enemy and the ones who will have to go first.
