So, my Character-Editor-Molded-Cretan-Sephardic-Jew game is going pretty well.
I started in the first bookmark, the year is now 1025. I spent the first hundred years or so messing around with the Abbasids while they were busy with other things. I netted Galilee and Jerusalem proper before having it wretched from my hands. Figuring they were still too strong even with wars ongoing I turned my eyes to the Egyptian Caliph.
I had quite an easy time against the Nassibid leader who suddenly decided to become
Kemetic, tearing the usually-impossibly-strong Egypt to shreds.
Abbasids/Almohads tried to take advantage of this, but I declared the first war for Damietta as soon as it split from the newly-crowned Pharaoh, securing me a relatively easy win for the mouth of the Nile which has never been retaken by any attacker.
I cannot describe how incredibly difficult it really was to realize this amount of success as a freshly-made hated Religion/Culture having man who began in an originally Muslim Island. I've had a blast though and I'm looking forward to Israel being my next step.
Oh, and there's pretty much every religion you can find in this area, besides the flavors of Christianity. [There was a Miaphysite and an Orthodox heresy there not too long ago as well. I like to call the Nile in this game the 'River of hated neighbors']
And yes, as soon as I converted that northern strip completely, Karaite heresy pops up and stays in just two provinces. Truly an odd area of the world this game. Just need some Norse/Slavic and Catholics and I shall call myself the best most loving ruler of diversity!
And I've had to inbreed a majority of my 130-strong dynasty, as no one but Tengris, Zoroastrians and Jews like Jews, and my dynasty are invariably the strongest perks-wise. Living up to ancient tradition.
My last two holy wars have been to slowly chip away at the Abbasids. I retook Jerusalem and will not surrender it back, ever again. Come at me Christians/Muslims.