Legacy of The Tenth Crusade - A Divergences of Darkness Nation Quest [Finished]
- Thread starter Fission Battery
- Start date
- Alt. History
- Location
- Somewhere in the area
- Pronouns
- He/She/They
[X] [BUDGET] Spend money and take on more debt: Government Budget goes to -2 and Agricultural Budget gains 1 Major/3 Minors
[X] [PROJECTS] Mechanization of Farms: Costs 2 Minor
[X] [PROJECTS] Irrigation Revamp: Costs 1 Minor
If I'm reading things right, we should be gaining 1 Budget this year from the visit to the Arab League thanks to the Syndicate Option winning. Which makes me comfortable with taking on some more debt in order to fully revamp the degraded irrigation systems and begin some early agricultural mechanization. Not only will this make the farms more productive and efficient, but it should reduce the manpower needed for farming, allowing for us to start rebuilding our industrial workforce.
[X] [PROJECTS] Mechanization of Farms: Costs 2 Minor
[X] [PROJECTS] Irrigation Revamp: Costs 1 Minor
If I'm reading things right, we should be gaining 1 Budget this year from the visit to the Arab League thanks to the Syndicate Option winning. Which makes me comfortable with taking on some more debt in order to fully revamp the degraded irrigation systems and begin some early agricultural mechanization. Not only will this make the farms more productive and efficient, but it should reduce the manpower needed for farming, allowing for us to start rebuilding our industrial workforce.
MordredRaal
Agitating
- Pronouns
- She/They
[X] It's not worth the cost
This was a bit of a tough decision to be honest, because on the one hand agriculture makes us money and improving it will give us more money but on the other hand Infrastructure is something that's going to be important to deal with. So after some contemplating, I decided that I want better infrastructure for the nation.
Edit:
[X] [BUDGET] Spend money and take on more debt: Government Budget goes to -2 and Agricultural Budget gains 1 Major/3 Minors
[X] [PROJECTS] Mechanization of Farms: Costs 2 Minor
[X] [PROJECTS] Irrigation Revamp: Costs 1 Minor
Screw it, we're going to deficit spend our way out of this mess.
Edit:
[X] [BUDGET] Spend money and take on more debt: Government Budget goes to -2 and Agricultural Budget gains 1 Major/3 Minors
[X] [PROJECTS] Mechanization of Farms: Costs 2 Minor
[X] [PROJECTS] Irrigation Revamp: Costs 1 Minor
Screw it, we're going to deficit spend our way out of this mess.
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- Location
- Somewhere in the area
- Pronouns
- He/She/They
Better agriculture and better infrastructure are not mutually exclusive options here, we're increasing the agricultural budget by taking on more debt, not by pulling funds from infrastructure. Debt which will be cancelled out by the income from our diplomatic visit to the Arab League.
It could even be said that not taking on more debt reduces the amount of funding available for infrastructure projects, as not taking the irrigation project here would mean it has to be taken during the infrastructure budget vote. (The consequences of not repairing our irrigation systems should be obvious) By having the Agricultural Minsitry deal with the irrigation, the Infrastructure Ministry can focus their efforts --and budget-- elsewhere.
Regency
PFP by vanathema (previously yubishines)
- Location
- Morioh Town, Mt. Ebbot
- Pronouns
- They/Them
[X] [BUDGET] Spend money and take on more debt: Government Budget goes to -2 and Agricultural Budget gains 1 Major/3 Minors
[X] [PROJECTS] Mechanization of Farms: Costs 2 Minor
[X] [PROJECTS] Irrigation Revamp: Costs 1 Minor
Banking on that +1 from diplo visit to at least curb the increased deficit.
[X] [PROJECTS] Mechanization of Farms: Costs 2 Minor
[X] [PROJECTS] Irrigation Revamp: Costs 1 Minor
Banking on that +1 from diplo visit to at least curb the increased deficit.
- Location
- Phoenix, Arizona
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[X] [BUDGET] Spend money and take on more debt: Government Budget goes to -2 and Agricultural Budget gains 1 Major/3 Minors
[X] [PROJECTS] Mechanization of Farms: Costs 2 Minor
[X] [PROJECTS] Irrigation Revamp: Costs 1 Minor
[X] [PROJECTS] Mechanization of Farms: Costs 2 Minor
[X] [PROJECTS] Irrigation Revamp: Costs 1 Minor
I realized I made a mistake with one of the prices. Petrochemical Fertilizers has been increased to 3 Minor to reflect the high cost. I may drop the Major/Minor thing in the future and just switch it being generic word since it confused me for a second there. Maybe Mini-Bug as a word. 
This doesn't take from the Infrastructure budget. That was listed to show how much money it has, and how much Irrigation will cost, so that people could decide if they want to spend on it now or in the future during the Infrastructure turn, or ignore it all together.
This doesn't take from the Infrastructure budget. That was listed to show how much money it has, and how much Irrigation will cost, so that people could decide if they want to spend on it now or in the future during the Infrastructure turn, or ignore it all together.
IamtooSleepy
I came here to be an ant
[X] [BUDGET] Spend money and take on more debt: Government Budget goes to -2 and Agricultural Budget gains 1 Major/3 Minors
[X] [PROJECTS] Mechanization of Farms: Costs 2 Minor
[X] [PROJECTS] Irrigation Revamp: Costs 1 Minor
Being in (more) debt hurt, but not being able to actually modernise our agriculture hurt more.
Also, feeling a bit of regret on not reforming the church land, but oh well, what's done is done, it not like we can't do that next government.. right?... Right?
[X] [PROJECTS] Mechanization of Farms: Costs 2 Minor
[X] [PROJECTS] Irrigation Revamp: Costs 1 Minor
Being in (more) debt hurt, but not being able to actually modernise our agriculture hurt more.
Also, feeling a bit of regret on not reforming the church land, but oh well, what's done is done, it not like we can't do that next government.. right?... Right?
World Map - 1916 - Updated Labelled Version
A labelled version of the world map. I probably should have made it earlier. That should help make the world a bit clearer. I'll also do a write up on the state of the government and should have that posted tonight or tomorrow. Another info post that probably should have been done weeks ago.
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Theaxofwar
Definitely not a Bunny Cat in disguise.
- Location
- Standing right behind you
Why is there an independent Korea again? Seems like Japan would be very interested in changing that fact.
Japan tried before. It failed. A Qing and Korean alliance held them off. The Qing lost ground to the Taiping Heavenly during various wars over the century, while Korea managed to industrialize enough to become the dominant partner in the arrangement. The Korean monarch was eventually overthrown by a communist revolution, during which Japan attempted to invade Qing, only to get pushed back by Korean intervention. That's left Manchuria split while Korea and Japan glare at each other. The Comintern's since provided aid to build up Korea, while Japan developed Siberia and Alaska to extract more out of them in an attempt to make up the difference.
- Location
- France
- Pronouns
- She/They
[X] [BUDGET] Spend money and take on more debt: Government Budget goes to -2 and Agricultural Budget gains 1 Major/3 Minors
[X] [PROJECTS] Mechanization of Farms: Costs 2 Minor
[X] [PROJECTS] Irrigation Revamp: Costs 1 Minor
A bit of debt is fine and agriculture is still our lifeblood for now.
[X] [PROJECTS] Mechanization of Farms: Costs 2 Minor
[X] [PROJECTS] Irrigation Revamp: Costs 1 Minor
A bit of debt is fine and agriculture is still our lifeblood for now.
- Location
- barking
[X] [BUDGET] Spend money and take on more debt: Government Budget goes to -2 and Agricultural Budget gains 1 Major/3 Minors
[X] [PROJECTS] Mechanization of Farms: Costs 2 Minor
[X] [PROJECTS] Irrigation Revamp: Costs 1 Minor
[X] [PROJECTS] Mechanization of Farms: Costs 2 Minor
[X] [PROJECTS] Irrigation Revamp: Costs 1 Minor
- Location
- New York
[X] [BUDGET] Spend money and take on more debt: Government Budget goes to -2 and Agricultural Budget gains 1 Major/3 Minors
[X] [PROJECTS] Mechanization of Farms: Costs 2 Minor
[X] [PROJECTS] Irrigation Revamp: Costs 1 Minor
We have to spend money to make money. The farm mechanization and the irrigation revamps seem to be more about dealing with deferred maintenance than truly modernizing Egyptian agriculture as we would be merely buying more animal powered machinery and fixing up the irrigation systems. However, while I am not an expert on agriculture, I have heard that it is generally unwise for a poor country to try to improve its agriculture by simply going to debt to import large amounts of tractors and fertilizers that cannot be made domestically while ignoring the basics.
[X] [PROJECTS] Mechanization of Farms: Costs 2 Minor
[X] [PROJECTS] Irrigation Revamp: Costs 1 Minor
We have to spend money to make money. The farm mechanization and the irrigation revamps seem to be more about dealing with deferred maintenance than truly modernizing Egyptian agriculture as we would be merely buying more animal powered machinery and fixing up the irrigation systems. However, while I am not an expert on agriculture, I have heard that it is generally unwise for a poor country to try to improve its agriculture by simply going to debt to import large amounts of tractors and fertilizers that cannot be made domestically while ignoring the basics.
Tabascoheath
Unkempt, Evil-eyed Charlatan, and Pseudo-Mystic
- Location
- Your Nearest Orbital Habitat
[X] [BUDGET] Spend money and take on more debt: Government Budget goes to -2 and Agricultural Budget gains 1 Major/3 Minors
[X] [PROJECTS] Mechanization of Farms: Costs 2 Minor
[X] [PROJECTS] Irrigation Revamp: Costs 1 Minor
[X] [PROJECTS] Mechanization of Farms: Costs 2 Minor
[X] [PROJECTS] Irrigation Revamp: Costs 1 Minor
Vote closed
Country Information - Mandate of Egypt
The info post I'd promised, here at last. I hope it helps in painting a clearer picture of the country.
===
Mandate of Egypt
It is a colonial regime nominally under the joint control of Venice and Macedonia, formerly an overseas province of Venice. It was forcibly broken off and reconstituted into a condominium by Macedonia to 'promote development' in the region, under the guidance of Governor Marcato until 'a native government' could be established. In some regards it is effectively independent, though to acknowledge it as such would invite foreign intervention. It's a parliamentary republic with a strong executive, unsurprising given it's a colonial project meant to establish a friendly collaborator regime. Marcato's involvement in the election disrupted Iskandar's plans, though Macedonia is willing to wait and see how it plays out while they're busy attempting to pacify Anatolia and Pontus.
In Parliament, AENC won 54% of the seats, CAP won 44%, and Indepents won 2%
===
The All Egyptian National Congress is divided into three factions/wings. The Marxists, Ba'athists, and Islamists. As a note, socialism will be used to refer to the overall party but also to refer to both the Marxists and Ba'athists. Every wing is Pan-Arab. Within the party control of parliament seats breaks down as such: Ba'athists 55%, Marxists 25%, and Islamists 20%
Marxists are, as the name implies, Marxists and are the leftmost wing of the party. They fall in line with mostly orthodox teachings about creating a dictatorship of the proletariat, modified to fit the majority rural population of Egypt, so more attention has been given to peasant concerns. Their attitudes on various issues range within the wing, though as a whole are the most internationalist, militarant, and democratic wing of the party. The largest supporters of Pan-Africanism come from this wing as they want to use Egypt as a base of operations to aid resistance movements across Africa into gaining independence. Included in its support base is the small but active number of Copt workers. They want to remove the Islamists from the party.
Ari Khouri is the most prominent Marxists in the cabinet and unofficial leader of them.
Ba'athists are mostly defined by Arab Socialism, which places less emphasis on class conflict within Arab society, and more about socialism as part of the conflict against imperialism. Which is an understandable view, since a great deal of property and money was seized from the majority of Arabs by colonial regimes. Though that said reactionaries are considered enemies of the people, so nobles have no place in Egypt. It also emphasizes a strong military and central government in order to unite Arabs to protect them from imperialism. It does contain much more conservative members though, those that agree with socialist economic policies but want to put stuff like women's liberation on the back burner. They want to sideline the other wings and merge them into the center.
David Hakim and Jabari Nadir are the heads of the party and Ba'athists. They are on the left socially progressive side of the wing. Hanif Issa is on the conservative side of the wing.
Islamists technically have the most broad views within the wings, ranging from a small but vocal number of Islamic Communists to Liberal and Reformist Islamists, though the majority of them are fairly hardcore conservatives. It contains the type of people who'd have found a place in the Muslim Brotherhood in real life. They all agree that Islam should be a central tenant in any future Egypt, and overall consensus of the majority faction is the creation of an Islamic Republic. Included in their supporters are bourgeois Arabs, who stand to lose out as socialist policies are enacted, though they support socialism when used against imperialists. Got a funding boost from mosque land sales. They want to purge the Marxists and socially progressive Ba'athists.
Nizam Salaam is one of the most prominent Islamist. He describes himself as a conservatively minded modernist.
===
The Christian Alliance Party is the party of bourgeois Copts and Europeans who've settled in Egypt. It includes various Christian groups under its wings from Catholic to Orthodox churches. It was and still is perfectly content to establish minority rule in Egypt to benefit themselves, though with Iskandar and his clique leaving that's less likely than it was before. It's headed by Mina Psoy, now free from Iskandar's oversight and micromanagement. He's managed to maintain friendly relations with Macedonia through Ambassador Pavlotis.
Psoy's pivoted to eking out as much of a niche for the party as possible by cooperating with the AENC, though he fully prepared to push a vote of no confidence and collapse it, should he ever find the support to do so.
===
Independents are the few remaining Royalists, who managed to bribe and browbeat enough officials into being given their seats. Their dreams of restoring the monarchy passed with the king's passing and son's abdication of any claim to a throne that doesn't exist. Their focus has thus been on maintaining their own privileges as nobles, though they have found little backers. With the passing of land reform their base of power has been completely cut out from underneath them, essentially eliminating them as a faction. Still they hold their seats until the next election and have connections elsewhere. They are conservatives through and through, but have yet to move one way or another.
===
Egyptian Army
The officers can be broken down into a few broad categories: Royalists, Socialists, Copts, and Other. The majority of soldiers are Arab Muslims. To give it numbers, I'd break it down roughly out of six, so it'd go 1/6 Royalists, 2/6 Socialists, 2/6 Copts, and 1/6 Other in terms of size.
Royalists made up the core of older officers who've since been sidelined. Their skills have grown rusty and some have begun to retire, but still have a presence in the army. Effectively exiled in office without being fired, yet, and politically isolated. Many have experience in the field, which is valuable, and connections outside of official channels. Outsized influence despite their numbers.
Socialists are the up and coming generation of officers sent to study abroad by the king, many of whom went to learn in the USR. Some questioned this logic, but the country was open to Egyptian officers and had valuable experience from WW1. They were sidelined when Egypt was under Venetian control, but have since been brought back to prominence with the AENC in charge.
Copts are mostly lower ranking officers that got promoted quickly by the Macedonians to rapidly fill out the ranks as they attempted to purge the military. The process wasn't completed. They are inexperienced, politically unreliable, connected to the CAP directly or indirectly, and generally hold their position because of cronyism, but are the second most numerous group of officers. Khouri is demonoting, removing, and selectively purging them in the background.
Other are mostly European officers. The process of building a colonial army was incomplete and many left after the Tenth Crusade or were part of Iskandar's clique. Smallest in number, notable simply for holding several high ranking positions among a collection of middling posts. They're the most experienced officers, as many have fought in wars abroad before they were assigned to Egypt. Loyal to Marcato, many are being drawn upon by Lorenzo to aid in training Islamist Paramilitaries.
===
Land Reform
Some rough numbers on percent of landownership post reforms: Farmer's Syndicate 71%, Macedonian Plantations 11%, and CAP Churches 18%. Before about 98% of farmland was owned by roughly 5% of the population, and that includes foreigners. So take heart, drastic change will be sweeping the countryside.
===
Mandate of Egypt
It is a colonial regime nominally under the joint control of Venice and Macedonia, formerly an overseas province of Venice. It was forcibly broken off and reconstituted into a condominium by Macedonia to 'promote development' in the region, under the guidance of Governor Marcato until 'a native government' could be established. In some regards it is effectively independent, though to acknowledge it as such would invite foreign intervention. It's a parliamentary republic with a strong executive, unsurprising given it's a colonial project meant to establish a friendly collaborator regime. Marcato's involvement in the election disrupted Iskandar's plans, though Macedonia is willing to wait and see how it plays out while they're busy attempting to pacify Anatolia and Pontus.
In Parliament, AENC won 54% of the seats, CAP won 44%, and Indepents won 2%
===
The All Egyptian National Congress is divided into three factions/wings. The Marxists, Ba'athists, and Islamists. As a note, socialism will be used to refer to the overall party but also to refer to both the Marxists and Ba'athists. Every wing is Pan-Arab. Within the party control of parliament seats breaks down as such: Ba'athists 55%, Marxists 25%, and Islamists 20%
Marxists are, as the name implies, Marxists and are the leftmost wing of the party. They fall in line with mostly orthodox teachings about creating a dictatorship of the proletariat, modified to fit the majority rural population of Egypt, so more attention has been given to peasant concerns. Their attitudes on various issues range within the wing, though as a whole are the most internationalist, militarant, and democratic wing of the party. The largest supporters of Pan-Africanism come from this wing as they want to use Egypt as a base of operations to aid resistance movements across Africa into gaining independence. Included in its support base is the small but active number of Copt workers. They want to remove the Islamists from the party.
Ari Khouri is the most prominent Marxists in the cabinet and unofficial leader of them.
Ba'athists are mostly defined by Arab Socialism, which places less emphasis on class conflict within Arab society, and more about socialism as part of the conflict against imperialism. Which is an understandable view, since a great deal of property and money was seized from the majority of Arabs by colonial regimes. Though that said reactionaries are considered enemies of the people, so nobles have no place in Egypt. It also emphasizes a strong military and central government in order to unite Arabs to protect them from imperialism. It does contain much more conservative members though, those that agree with socialist economic policies but want to put stuff like women's liberation on the back burner. They want to sideline the other wings and merge them into the center.
David Hakim and Jabari Nadir are the heads of the party and Ba'athists. They are on the left socially progressive side of the wing. Hanif Issa is on the conservative side of the wing.
Islamists technically have the most broad views within the wings, ranging from a small but vocal number of Islamic Communists to Liberal and Reformist Islamists, though the majority of them are fairly hardcore conservatives. It contains the type of people who'd have found a place in the Muslim Brotherhood in real life. They all agree that Islam should be a central tenant in any future Egypt, and overall consensus of the majority faction is the creation of an Islamic Republic. Included in their supporters are bourgeois Arabs, who stand to lose out as socialist policies are enacted, though they support socialism when used against imperialists. Got a funding boost from mosque land sales. They want to purge the Marxists and socially progressive Ba'athists.
Nizam Salaam is one of the most prominent Islamist. He describes himself as a conservatively minded modernist.
===
The Christian Alliance Party is the party of bourgeois Copts and Europeans who've settled in Egypt. It includes various Christian groups under its wings from Catholic to Orthodox churches. It was and still is perfectly content to establish minority rule in Egypt to benefit themselves, though with Iskandar and his clique leaving that's less likely than it was before. It's headed by Mina Psoy, now free from Iskandar's oversight and micromanagement. He's managed to maintain friendly relations with Macedonia through Ambassador Pavlotis.
Psoy's pivoted to eking out as much of a niche for the party as possible by cooperating with the AENC, though he fully prepared to push a vote of no confidence and collapse it, should he ever find the support to do so.
===
Independents are the few remaining Royalists, who managed to bribe and browbeat enough officials into being given their seats. Their dreams of restoring the monarchy passed with the king's passing and son's abdication of any claim to a throne that doesn't exist. Their focus has thus been on maintaining their own privileges as nobles, though they have found little backers. With the passing of land reform their base of power has been completely cut out from underneath them, essentially eliminating them as a faction. Still they hold their seats until the next election and have connections elsewhere. They are conservatives through and through, but have yet to move one way or another.
===
Egyptian Army
The officers can be broken down into a few broad categories: Royalists, Socialists, Copts, and Other. The majority of soldiers are Arab Muslims. To give it numbers, I'd break it down roughly out of six, so it'd go 1/6 Royalists, 2/6 Socialists, 2/6 Copts, and 1/6 Other in terms of size.
Royalists made up the core of older officers who've since been sidelined. Their skills have grown rusty and some have begun to retire, but still have a presence in the army. Effectively exiled in office without being fired, yet, and politically isolated. Many have experience in the field, which is valuable, and connections outside of official channels. Outsized influence despite their numbers.
Socialists are the up and coming generation of officers sent to study abroad by the king, many of whom went to learn in the USR. Some questioned this logic, but the country was open to Egyptian officers and had valuable experience from WW1. They were sidelined when Egypt was under Venetian control, but have since been brought back to prominence with the AENC in charge.
Copts are mostly lower ranking officers that got promoted quickly by the Macedonians to rapidly fill out the ranks as they attempted to purge the military. The process wasn't completed. They are inexperienced, politically unreliable, connected to the CAP directly or indirectly, and generally hold their position because of cronyism, but are the second most numerous group of officers. Khouri is demonoting, removing, and selectively purging them in the background.
Other are mostly European officers. The process of building a colonial army was incomplete and many left after the Tenth Crusade or were part of Iskandar's clique. Smallest in number, notable simply for holding several high ranking positions among a collection of middling posts. They're the most experienced officers, as many have fought in wars abroad before they were assigned to Egypt. Loyal to Marcato, many are being drawn upon by Lorenzo to aid in training Islamist Paramilitaries.
===
Land Reform
Some rough numbers on percent of landownership post reforms: Farmer's Syndicate 71%, Macedonian Plantations 11%, and CAP Churches 18%. Before about 98% of farmland was owned by roughly 5% of the population, and that includes foreigners. So take heart, drastic change will be sweeping the countryside.
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Two thirds of Egypt's officer core would put the entire cabinet up against the wall if given the chance. Make no mistakes about it. At some point contradictions, internal and external, must be dealt with, and sides must be picked, or it risks being caught in the middle of a power struggle fought on other people's terms. Also I was asked about the experience of each category of officer, so I'll share that information here.
Other has the most experience, given many are veterans of previous colonial wars and crusade. They've actually marched around Africa and Asia building up armies and putting down revolts. The older ones even fought in WW1, or had mentors who did.
Socialists and Royalists might be tied for second most experienced. Socialists have better, more modern training alongside youthful vigor and ideology, but Royalists are veterans of the king's wars against its neighbours for regional dominance, so they do have practical experience in wars that Socialists lack. Even if they've gotten a bit rusty with time. They have very different approaches to commanding of course.
Copts have the least experience. Iskandar had planned on having them trained up once the CAP won, but that didn't happen, so they're filling up a solid third of the officer core collecting a paycheque.
So a quick clarifying question, Are the socialist officers Marxist and Ba'athists or more generally pro AENC officers as you mention socialist will be used to refer to both.
They're a mix of Marxists and Ba'athists.
Countries of North Africa and the Middle East
I figured an info post on the region was in order, especially before the diplomatic turn. Please refer to the map to see where each country is. This should be the last info post for a while too. Next update will be the diplomatic turn.
===
Countries of North Africa and the Middle East
Adal Sultanate: Somalia kingdom that helped itself to Ethiopia during a civil war in the 1840s, and has managed to consolidate power since. It attempted to push into Spanish Kenya when its empire collapsed, but didn't get far before Burgundy asserted control over most of the region. It's since courted investment from Scandinavia and Bengal to minor success. Owns the Socotra Islands off the horn, which Yemen still claims, as it previously owned them before Spain took then lost them. Dislikes Yemen on account of it being socialist, but otherwise unconcerned by it if it stays on its side of the strait.
Armenia: Carved out of Ottomans and Iran by Macedonia, it's an allied Christian kingdom meant to give them a foothold in the region. The king was a local noble, and former official in the Ottoman Empire, who threw in with the Crusaders when it looked like they were winning. There was no Armenian Genocide, so their population didn't suffer like it did in real life, but the country is quite large with many other ethnicities in it put under the boot. Its current government is quite intent on maintaining power and firmly attached itself at the hip to Macedonia as its new patron, even if that causes increased resentment and unrest among the population.
Assyria: It was founded in the wake of the Crusade by Aragon, later propped up by Macedonia, as a Christian Assyrian republic meant to give police the interior. It was kept separate from Syria to prevent it from having access to the coast, forcing it to rely on Syria for trade. There was no genocide of them like in real life, so Assyrian demographics are still fairly high, but still constitute a minority within the country. In a similar situation as Armenia. Its rulers are ride or die for Macedonia in order to hold onto power.
Egypt: You folks, the players, see related info post.
Ethiopia: The kingdom was weakened by territorial losses in previous decades, but has since stabilized and held onto what it could, reluctantly accepting that it was stuck between two sultanates. It attempted to court Spain and Aragon for backing but found little support despite being Christian, on account of being African. It's been forced to accept the status quo of playing second fiddle to other powers in the region.
Funj Sultanate: Sudanese kingdom that managed to hold off Egypt's attempts at conquering it. It was preparing to fight off Venice when its colonial empire got cut out from under it, giving them more room to breathe and develop. It's fairly stable, with a modernizing military, funded in part by Burgundy seeking a friendly state in the region. It's politically conservative, as you'd expect from a monarchy. Uninterested in getting dragged into Egyptian affairs.
Hejaz: It is a Caliphate and member of the Arab League. The ruler claims the title from relation to the previous holder who was vassal to the Ottomans. It backs Nejd to the hilt, and is quite vocal about the need to destroy Levant. Controls Mecca and Medina, granting it a great deal of soft power, especially after the destruction of all Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem. Otherwise it's a junior partner in terms of population and military.
Iran: Formed by a Turkoman/Azerbaijani khanate from the Caucasus that managed to outmaneuver and conquer its rival dynasties in Persia to unite the country. It received aid from Crimea in doing so, an alliance which has remained strong, as Crimea formed Tatarstan and invested heavily into Iran. The monarchy was overthrown in a coup which turned into a revolution, establishing a left leaning republic with a strong socialist streak. Fully committed to the Black Seat Pact. Nearly on par with Turkey in terms of development. Its oil wells are well established. Qeshm Island off its coast in the Strait of Hormuz was owned by Spain until its revolution, whereupon Iranian soldiers told the garrison they'd have safe passage back home if they left, which they did, and retook the island without firing a shot.
Iraq: It exists in the shadow of Iran, before and after it was unified. It's a kingdom with close ties between a modernizing military and the monarchy. Spain was making inroads into the country when its empire collapsed, leaving Iraq with some industry and investments it could seize without fear of repercussions. It attempted to take territory off the Ottomans during the Tenth Crusade but failed to take Mosul and eventually pulled back when Iran threatened to intervene. Since then, it has attempted to court closer ties with the Arab League, Sadozai Kingdom, and make overtures to the Black Sea Pact.
Levant: Otherwise known as the Kingdom of Jerusalem. It is an aggressive apartheid crusader state ruled by a Sicilian-Catalan king conducting ethnic cleansing against Jews and Muslims alike. Currently waging a low intensity war against much of the countryside, fending off never ending skirmishes from the Arab League in the East Bank. It remains afloat from Macedonian and Polish investment and arms. Its goal is the conversion of everyone in the region to Catholicism, and failing that it's fine ramping up its genocide. Is explicitly at war with Islam and Arabs as a concept.
Maghreb: A kingdom that once covered Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, it managed to survive in the Algerian interior despite Spanish and Aragonese attempts to fully conquer it. It was more like a government in exile at that point, it managed to regain its momentum when the Spanish Revolution occurred, giving it breathing room to recuperate. It would ask for its former territories back, but many voted to remain within the Iberian Union, preferring socialism to monarchism. Nonetheless many Iberian Arabs went over the border to arm and train Maghreb, and fifteen years later fought alongside the kingdom to push Aragon out of much of North Africa. Since then socialism has expanded in the kingdom, with parties similar to the AENC forming. It's understood that once the aging king passes away the monarchy will be dissolved. The decision is held off out of polite respect for the king for holding the country together. It's currently aimed at Aragon to reconquer the coastline. It's likely to seek closer ties with the Arab League and push for Iberian Morocco to join it once it transitions to socialism.
Nejd: The kingdom behind the Arab League. It's the biggest member, literally and metaphorically, with the largest economy and population. It's on the front lines fighting Levant, attempting to court allies from abroad to rally the Muslim world behind their cause to drive out imperialists. It often leaves out the part where it cozied up to Spain as a patron and backer, leaving it with a great deal of wealth and arms from their dealings. Spain conquered the Gulf States, which overthrew the collapsing regime during the Spanish Revolution, only for Nejd and Oman to intervene and conquer them for themselves. It houses the Yemen monarchy in exile and would like to see it returned to the throne, though it's willing to put that aside until after Levant is dealt with. The king hopes that Egypt will see reason and aid it in putting the peninsula back in order when the time comes.
Oman: Another junior partner in the Arab League, and another former client state of Spain that benefited from its collapse. It marches lockstep with Nejd, and contributes what manpower it can to aid in harassing Levant. Receiving minor investments from Scandinavia in exchange for basing rights. Doesn't care much for Iran, claiming that Spain had transferred Qeshm Island to them to safeguard, which there is no proof of such a promise. It's fine with reparations for the loss of territory, paid for in gold preferably.
Syria: A Christian republic established by Aragon, now backed by Macedonia. It's taken a less hardline stance against Muslims and Jews than Levant has, but is still controlled by a Syriac Christian business class backed by European expats in coastal cities. Macedonia is settling Greeks in Antioch and Alexandretta/Iskenderun, attempting to claim the cities for itself. Macedonia dreams of a Seleucid homeland reborn. Some concessions are given to local elites in the interior, establishing a patron system between coastal bourgeoisie and interior nobility. The northern border is slowly fortifying in preparation for the next war against Turkey.
Turkey: Socialist republic formed during the Tenth Crusade by an officer's coup, led by General Hassan. He favoured the more centrist Free Officers within his cabinet, pushing a military first doctrine backed by a strong centralized state and closer ties with the Black Sea Pact. It's preparing for the next war, and expects to liberate its former lands or die trying. Seeking aid from the Comintern to aid in expanding its industry, and also floating forming closer ties to the Arab League as possible allies against Macedonia's puppet regimes.
Yemen: It was conquered by Spain, but managed to overthrow it during its revolution, and socialists managed to seize power during the revolt, establishing a Pan-Arab state. The monarchy fled to Nejd, where it's spent the last fifteen years making ties with the royal family. It likely would have been attacked by its neighbours, had it not been for the Tenth Crusade drawing everyone's attention elsewhere. While Aragon didn't push as far inland from the Levant as it had hoped, it did raid the coastline and attack several cities on the peninsula. Yemen repulsed Aragonese marines multiple times, and sent aid to Hejaz, preventing Mecca from being razed. Saving the city earned Yemen a great deal of goodwill from many. The president knows his allies are jackals and vipers intent on crushing Yemen, but his army is battle hardened and knows that the people of the peninsula yearn for freedom. The only question is if the fires of revolution will be fueled or allowed to be snuffed out. He looks to the AENC as a source of inspiration and believes that the Arab world will soon be able to throw off the shackles of imperialists and reactionaries, and create an United Arab Republic.
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Countries of North Africa and the Middle East
Adal Sultanate: Somalia kingdom that helped itself to Ethiopia during a civil war in the 1840s, and has managed to consolidate power since. It attempted to push into Spanish Kenya when its empire collapsed, but didn't get far before Burgundy asserted control over most of the region. It's since courted investment from Scandinavia and Bengal to minor success. Owns the Socotra Islands off the horn, which Yemen still claims, as it previously owned them before Spain took then lost them. Dislikes Yemen on account of it being socialist, but otherwise unconcerned by it if it stays on its side of the strait.
Armenia: Carved out of Ottomans and Iran by Macedonia, it's an allied Christian kingdom meant to give them a foothold in the region. The king was a local noble, and former official in the Ottoman Empire, who threw in with the Crusaders when it looked like they were winning. There was no Armenian Genocide, so their population didn't suffer like it did in real life, but the country is quite large with many other ethnicities in it put under the boot. Its current government is quite intent on maintaining power and firmly attached itself at the hip to Macedonia as its new patron, even if that causes increased resentment and unrest among the population.
Assyria: It was founded in the wake of the Crusade by Aragon, later propped up by Macedonia, as a Christian Assyrian republic meant to give police the interior. It was kept separate from Syria to prevent it from having access to the coast, forcing it to rely on Syria for trade. There was no genocide of them like in real life, so Assyrian demographics are still fairly high, but still constitute a minority within the country. In a similar situation as Armenia. Its rulers are ride or die for Macedonia in order to hold onto power.
Egypt: You folks, the players, see related info post.
Ethiopia: The kingdom was weakened by territorial losses in previous decades, but has since stabilized and held onto what it could, reluctantly accepting that it was stuck between two sultanates. It attempted to court Spain and Aragon for backing but found little support despite being Christian, on account of being African. It's been forced to accept the status quo of playing second fiddle to other powers in the region.
Funj Sultanate: Sudanese kingdom that managed to hold off Egypt's attempts at conquering it. It was preparing to fight off Venice when its colonial empire got cut out from under it, giving them more room to breathe and develop. It's fairly stable, with a modernizing military, funded in part by Burgundy seeking a friendly state in the region. It's politically conservative, as you'd expect from a monarchy. Uninterested in getting dragged into Egyptian affairs.
Hejaz: It is a Caliphate and member of the Arab League. The ruler claims the title from relation to the previous holder who was vassal to the Ottomans. It backs Nejd to the hilt, and is quite vocal about the need to destroy Levant. Controls Mecca and Medina, granting it a great deal of soft power, especially after the destruction of all Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem. Otherwise it's a junior partner in terms of population and military.
Iran: Formed by a Turkoman/Azerbaijani khanate from the Caucasus that managed to outmaneuver and conquer its rival dynasties in Persia to unite the country. It received aid from Crimea in doing so, an alliance which has remained strong, as Crimea formed Tatarstan and invested heavily into Iran. The monarchy was overthrown in a coup which turned into a revolution, establishing a left leaning republic with a strong socialist streak. Fully committed to the Black Seat Pact. Nearly on par with Turkey in terms of development. Its oil wells are well established. Qeshm Island off its coast in the Strait of Hormuz was owned by Spain until its revolution, whereupon Iranian soldiers told the garrison they'd have safe passage back home if they left, which they did, and retook the island without firing a shot.
Iraq: It exists in the shadow of Iran, before and after it was unified. It's a kingdom with close ties between a modernizing military and the monarchy. Spain was making inroads into the country when its empire collapsed, leaving Iraq with some industry and investments it could seize without fear of repercussions. It attempted to take territory off the Ottomans during the Tenth Crusade but failed to take Mosul and eventually pulled back when Iran threatened to intervene. Since then, it has attempted to court closer ties with the Arab League, Sadozai Kingdom, and make overtures to the Black Sea Pact.
Levant: Otherwise known as the Kingdom of Jerusalem. It is an aggressive apartheid crusader state ruled by a Sicilian-Catalan king conducting ethnic cleansing against Jews and Muslims alike. Currently waging a low intensity war against much of the countryside, fending off never ending skirmishes from the Arab League in the East Bank. It remains afloat from Macedonian and Polish investment and arms. Its goal is the conversion of everyone in the region to Catholicism, and failing that it's fine ramping up its genocide. Is explicitly at war with Islam and Arabs as a concept.
Maghreb: A kingdom that once covered Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, it managed to survive in the Algerian interior despite Spanish and Aragonese attempts to fully conquer it. It was more like a government in exile at that point, it managed to regain its momentum when the Spanish Revolution occurred, giving it breathing room to recuperate. It would ask for its former territories back, but many voted to remain within the Iberian Union, preferring socialism to monarchism. Nonetheless many Iberian Arabs went over the border to arm and train Maghreb, and fifteen years later fought alongside the kingdom to push Aragon out of much of North Africa. Since then socialism has expanded in the kingdom, with parties similar to the AENC forming. It's understood that once the aging king passes away the monarchy will be dissolved. The decision is held off out of polite respect for the king for holding the country together. It's currently aimed at Aragon to reconquer the coastline. It's likely to seek closer ties with the Arab League and push for Iberian Morocco to join it once it transitions to socialism.
Nejd: The kingdom behind the Arab League. It's the biggest member, literally and metaphorically, with the largest economy and population. It's on the front lines fighting Levant, attempting to court allies from abroad to rally the Muslim world behind their cause to drive out imperialists. It often leaves out the part where it cozied up to Spain as a patron and backer, leaving it with a great deal of wealth and arms from their dealings. Spain conquered the Gulf States, which overthrew the collapsing regime during the Spanish Revolution, only for Nejd and Oman to intervene and conquer them for themselves. It houses the Yemen monarchy in exile and would like to see it returned to the throne, though it's willing to put that aside until after Levant is dealt with. The king hopes that Egypt will see reason and aid it in putting the peninsula back in order when the time comes.
Oman: Another junior partner in the Arab League, and another former client state of Spain that benefited from its collapse. It marches lockstep with Nejd, and contributes what manpower it can to aid in harassing Levant. Receiving minor investments from Scandinavia in exchange for basing rights. Doesn't care much for Iran, claiming that Spain had transferred Qeshm Island to them to safeguard, which there is no proof of such a promise. It's fine with reparations for the loss of territory, paid for in gold preferably.
Syria: A Christian republic established by Aragon, now backed by Macedonia. It's taken a less hardline stance against Muslims and Jews than Levant has, but is still controlled by a Syriac Christian business class backed by European expats in coastal cities. Macedonia is settling Greeks in Antioch and Alexandretta/Iskenderun, attempting to claim the cities for itself. Macedonia dreams of a Seleucid homeland reborn. Some concessions are given to local elites in the interior, establishing a patron system between coastal bourgeoisie and interior nobility. The northern border is slowly fortifying in preparation for the next war against Turkey.
Turkey: Socialist republic formed during the Tenth Crusade by an officer's coup, led by General Hassan. He favoured the more centrist Free Officers within his cabinet, pushing a military first doctrine backed by a strong centralized state and closer ties with the Black Sea Pact. It's preparing for the next war, and expects to liberate its former lands or die trying. Seeking aid from the Comintern to aid in expanding its industry, and also floating forming closer ties to the Arab League as possible allies against Macedonia's puppet regimes.
Yemen: It was conquered by Spain, but managed to overthrow it during its revolution, and socialists managed to seize power during the revolt, establishing a Pan-Arab state. The monarchy fled to Nejd, where it's spent the last fifteen years making ties with the royal family. It likely would have been attacked by its neighbours, had it not been for the Tenth Crusade drawing everyone's attention elsewhere. While Aragon didn't push as far inland from the Levant as it had hoped, it did raid the coastline and attack several cities on the peninsula. Yemen repulsed Aragonese marines multiple times, and sent aid to Hejaz, preventing Mecca from being razed. Saving the city earned Yemen a great deal of goodwill from many. The president knows his allies are jackals and vipers intent on crushing Yemen, but his army is battle hardened and knows that the people of the peninsula yearn for freedom. The only question is if the fires of revolution will be fueled or allowed to be snuffed out. He looks to the AENC as a source of inspiration and believes that the Arab world will soon be able to throw off the shackles of imperialists and reactionaries, and create an United Arab Republic.
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