FACTION: The Kingdom of Makuria

[The Mongol]

Hand me my broadsword, it's the one that says bad mother****er on it.

[Zephrelial]

about the longswords:
These blades were most common in Abyssinia and that particular area of east Africa, arriving via Arab traders in Assab and Maqdishu:





(Seif's/Sayf's are the straightswords originally from Yemen, Shotels are the blades with the massive curves, and gurades are the most "sabre like" swords. The first picture are swords from Yemen/Ethiopia and the Last are from Ethiopia/Eritrea and Somalia)

but the longswords were also prevalent, like:

-Sigh..... God..Why is it that the East is always the one that is Exotic and mystic..Even its swords..

[Beauchamp]

exotic? well it depends on the point of view doesnt it

[Miraj]

They look like pretty practical yet beautiful swords to me. Now this is exotic.

[Kefka_101]

I think I've said this on every preview, but this looks like the faction I'll play first.

[Beauchamp]

Indeed.

[Cadmium77]

WOW! This is looking really great! Those Abyssinian Champions have the coolest longswords...

[Slaxx Hatmen]

Hand me my broadsword, it's the one that says bad mother****er on it.

ROLF!! That would be such an awesome T-shirt phrase!

[Beauchamp]

I know this faction is still TBD, but should I look for cities/cultural information? Also, are you guys still sure that you will include Makuria but not Islamic Assawa or Eritrea? That and Ethiopia might be cool a little bit later, once the map can be expanded.

[Ahiga]

Makuria is the best option for now due to the fact that there's a good deal of information showing they fought with the Egyptians, as well as information about them. A Christian Makuria becomes a hindrance for Egyptian expansion out of Africa, just as, if we include them in the future, a Muslim Zengid will become a hindrance for Koj expansion into africa.

If you can provide information about Islamic Assawa or Eritrea (Are these Beja groups?) then we can give them more consideration. I tried to find some Muslim African Kingdoms in this part of the world and the only ones I seemed to find were Beja ones. As for Ethiopia, the issue is somewhat similar to Kiev and the Kypchaks - Right now, the Kypchaks are fuller and richer because they mix Kiev and Kypchak, just as Makuria mixes Nubia and Ethiopia. Separating the two (Kypchaks into Cuman and Kiev, or Makuria into Nubia and ethiopia) would allow us to invest further in either, but as a result cut down upon their richness.

[Beauchamp]

You must also keep in mind that the Kingdom of Makuria was defeated by the Funj Sultinate of Sinnar's Jihad during the late 1400's.

Makuria:
Idea for flag, something with a coptic cross might be cool, I think it would be best in Blue and Black, something Tuaregish...



Cities:


Faras
Qasr Ibrahim ("Castle of Abraham" in Arabic)
Dongola (capital)
Soba

Titles:
In Amharic:
Nagus (King)
Mesafint (Prince)

As for Eritrea:
Massawa was the main centre of trade between the Arab world and Ethiopia, and the area was mostly under Zagwe control until the Afar jihad under Ahmad Gran. I guess that Makuria would be a good choice, seeing as most of the muslims were under Ethiopian christian control untill the mid 1400's and 1500's. Islam was most apparent in the large port cities of Masawwa, Zeila, Berbera, Maqdisho, etc. and so those cities remained almost 100% Muslim until the 1400's and 1500's when they began to spread, via the Jihad of Ahmad Gran and the sultinate of Afal.

I suggest, that possibly for a later version including The Solomonic dynasty of Ethiopia (although not before you guys create the Omani's ) so you could gain access to all of those troops south of as-Sudan.

[Ahiga]

You must also keep in mind that the Kingdom of Makuria was defeated by the Funj Sultinate of Sinnar's Jihad during the late 1400's.

Of course, their life span was a very long one, compared to a lot of our factions (Great Seljuks were something like 100 years, Ghorids were pretty much just the life of Ghor)

Thanks for the information, the Cross in particular - we were hoping to go with one, and since we have this authentic one instead of relying on an ethiopian or Coptic one, that's even better.

For titles, we were going to with Negusa Nagast (Which seems to translate into 'King of kings' or emperor in Ethiopia, which is being relied upon in the absence of abundant Makurian information.) for the Ruler, and Leul Negus (Leul being a prince of royal blood, negus being King. So it basically translates to Prince-King). But we can give Mesafint consideration - it sounds cool.

The Beja were pitched as an idea, in particular because they have become Muslims (Or at least a majority have) in the 1100s and 1200s, and apparently harassed the Makurians enough to force them to build a series of fortresses on the nile. They would likely be very much like a Camel and Horse Nomadic faction. But unless we expand the map, strong rebel spawning in this region is enough to help cull any Makurian advance on Egypt

[Beauchamp]

Negusa Nagast is really an Ethiopian term, so I think just "Negus" or even "Negus Makuria" might work. "Misafint" is a term that means prince/lord.

[iudas]

They look like pretty practical yet beautiful swords to me. Now this is exotic.

Is that a hint?

[The Mongol]

I can't hold it in anymore, I have to spill the beans

Broken Crescent will actually stetch East until it hits the Americas.

It will be Khwarezm vs China vs Aztec action.

[Hounf of Culan]

Good one Mongol. I would have alot of fun sacrificing my prisoners as the aztecs.

[Miraj]

Yes, we're currently working on our Samoan faction.

[Tadzreuli]

Samoan faction.

what is it? some news?

[Miraj]

what is it? some news?

Lol. I was just joking Tadz.

No we are not working on a Samoan faction.

[The Mongol]

The Samoans are excluded from 1.0, we will see them in 1.2 perhaps.

For now AlphaDelta is working on the Hawaiians.