After the news of the diplomat's sudden disappearance, a second diplomat is sent to Sennar. He returns without a hitch and informs both rulers of each other and establishes relations. In addition, a companion is sent to investigate the first diplomat's sudden disappearance.
After asking in a local tavern, it turns out that the diplomat, Abdul, was mugged and killed by some bandits in the streets of the capital of Sennar-- which is also named Sennar-- at night. Such is the reality of travel into far-away lands in our times.
The sultan contemplates sending an infiltrator into the Kono Kingdom but there are no formally-trained spies. Information gathered would be unreliable, and thus harmful to any hostile actions taken. A small detachment of a hundred horsemen and one-hundred-and-a-half desert nomads is sent right into the frontlines of the Kanem-Kono War. After the battle, a scout tells the sultan of the battle.((I don't really have a deterministic combat system but I will use d20 rolls to determine advantage for each attacker, adjusted for technology, organization, experience, etc.))
The small, agile army finally finds the tribal rebels just as they were marching through the semideserts of the underdeveloped Kanem hinterland towards a small town. The rebel army is unaware but due to the flat terrain notices the Sultan's army from far away (-2 to roll for rebels). The rebels are disorganized, but so are the horsemen as the assigned commander is inexperienced (no effect on roll). Some of the rebels have firearms, but most are equipped with spears and crude swords. In addition the rebels are inexperienced with using the firearms. (+1 to roll for rebels). The experience of the elite horsemen (professional) gives them an advantage over the rebels (medium) (+3 to roll for horsemen). The equipment of both is similar enough to not have an effect.
Rebel troops:
Tribal warriors
Equipment: iron and copper spears, primitive iron swords, light armor
Experience: mediumWadai troops:
Horsemen
Equipment: bows, spears, and light armor.
Experience: professional.
Desert nomads
Equipment: bows, swords, and civilian clothes.
Experience: medium (inter-tribal warfare).
RANGED PHASEThere are
around 500 rebels in this particular army vs
around 250 horsemen.
Rebel morale: medium vs
Horsemen morale: highThe horsemen charge at the rebels, firing arrows and getting ready to joust them with spears and slash them with swords. The rebels shoot.1d20-2+1 vs 1d20+3 = 17 vs 8The gunfire, even if little in amount, scares the horses, thus hurting the morale of the horsemen and killing or critically wounding a few of them. The rebels put up their leather shields, deflecting a lot of the arrows, however many fall to the arrow-fire, and a few turn to flee.MELEE PHASE 1There are
around 450 rebels in this particular army vs
around 230 horsemen.
Rebel morale: medium vs
Horsemen morale: mediumThe horsemen regroup and charge, this time reaching the rebel army.1d20-2 vs 1d20+3 = 14 vs 18The melee portion of the battle is brutal. The horses trample many of the Kirdi rebels under their hooves. Their firearms are slow to reload and thus ineffective in this phase (firearm bonus negated). Their shields have difficulty blocking both arrows from above and melee. Despite this, the tribals fight ferociously, striking down many horsemen or knocking them from their steeds.MELEE PHASE 2There are
around 260 rebels in this particular army vs
around 190 horsemen.
Rebel morale: low vs
Horsemen morale: mediumThe battle continues, with the tribal rebels now a disorganized mass due to low morale (-2 to rebel roll).1d20-4 vs 1d20+3 = 0 vs 22 (bruh)
The Kirdi warriors panic and flail wildly at the ruthless fighters of the Sultan's army as they die under the hooves, are hacked apart by the sabers, and are impaled by spears. It is a complete bloodbath, with only a few losses from the horsemen, most of the rebels massacred, and the survivors hastily retreating.
The battle ends in a near-total Wadai victory.There remained
around 20 rebels (fled) and
around 190 horsemen.
The veterans of the battle brought back captured firearms! While guns are known around these places, they are very expensive and thus not feasible to use on the army scale. Having our wise men attempt to reverse-engineer some of those firearms might help us make them cheaper and not rely on trade. This was a risky battle, however. Our warriors got quite lucky. If the rebels had such luck, they would have won easily. To gain intel, a spymaster, Amjad Al-Noori, is recruited from a local Arab noble family. He is unambitious and thus unlikely to backstab the Abbasid dynasty...
In addition, now that the situation in the Sultanate is more-or-less stable, Abd al-Karim's two wives, Tharwa and Aaisha, ahve arrived into court, having previously resided in a village in west Darfur.
According to reports from Kanem diplomats, the war effort is going strong, especially with our help. Abd Al-Karim looks into some way to find more firearms while local production is not secured. A diplomat is sent to the nearest major Ottoman city, but that is a long trip across the Sahara over hostile tribal land...
Everything seemed fine, but a plot to start a rebellion in the southern provinces of Wadai was discovered by our new spymaster! A nobleman of mixed descent (Arab and Tunjur) had a letter of his "accidentally" opened by a freshly-recruited and, admittedly, slightly paranoid spy. The nobleman, named Talha, was cooperating with the chief of a nearby Ubangi (a people living in the western parts of Azande territory) tribe, to try to get the tribe to help him establish his own Emirate! Talha was immediately arrested but now there are fears of any potential supporters-- who else could be in his web...?Government:
- Despotic Sultanate
- Sultan: Abd al-Karim Al Abbasi (male, aged 33)
- Succession: Agnatic Primogeniture (eldest male son of ruler inherits)
- Heir: Mohammad Al Abbasi (male, aged 11)
- Spouses: Tharwa Al Abbasi (female, aged 30), Aaisha Al Abbasi(female, aged 33)
- Capital: Ouara
Religion:
- Sunni Islam (state religion)
- Traditional religion (oppressed)
Court factions:
- Abbasid Dynasty (ruling)
- Tunjur Nobles (minor opposition, furious)
- Talha's Faction (separatist opposition, scheming)
Economy: Weak (
Trend: Improvement)
Army: Weak
Stability: Medium-Low
Kanem-Bornu Empire - Good relations
Government: Feudal Empire
Religion: Sunni Islam
Mai (King/Emperor): Idris III ibn Ali
Darfur Sultanate - Shaky relations
Government: Despotic Sultanate
Religion: Sunni Islam
Sultan: Suleiman Solon
Kono Kingdom - Icy Relations
Government: Tribal Kingdom
Religion: Traditional religions
King: Oudoa Eto'o
Sennar Sultanate - Neutral Relations
Government: Despotic Sultanate
Religion: Sunni Islam
Sultan: Rabat I
Ethiopia - Shaky Relations
Government: Feudal Empire
Religion: Coptic Christianity
Emperor: Fasiledes "Alam Sagad" (throne name)
Diplomats didn't reach the other states yet.
- The people following the traditional religion are unhappy with the Muslim coup-- they need to be converted or pacified somehow. Killing them is a bad idea considering how many there are.
- Control over our fringe lands is very loose-- warlordism reigns in those regions and hurts our treasury and military.
- While our two immediate neighbors, Kanem-Bornu and Darfur, share our religion are are mostly-friendly, that might change as we grow richer. The sultan of Darfur in particular is warlike right now.
- Kono separatists pose a threat to a strategic neighbor-- the Kanem-Bornu Empire.
- The firearms recovered from the battle practically beg to be researched further...
- There is an active separatist plot which poses an immense danger and needs to be quashed-- but in a way that minimize the risk of a coup.
Standing Army
Around 750-970 horsemen.
Equipment: bows, spears, and light armor.
Experience: professional.
Levies
Around 1500-2000 peasants able to be levied into infantry.
Equipment: spears, farming equipment, and civilian clothes.
Experience: little to none.
Around 550-950 desert nomads able to be levied into light cavalry.
Equipment: bows, swords, and civilian clothes.
Experience: medium (inter-tribal warfare).
Total size: ~3200-4000
Author
Topic: [SG] Heirs of the Abbasids (Read 2461 times)