"THE LONE AND LEVEL SANDS"
- A Morrocan After Action Report [AAR]
PART I: Chaos and Consent (1399 - 1465)
Chapter I - Brittle Amity (1399 - 1430)
Chapter II - The Berber Strife (1430 - 1433)
Chapter III - The Eastern Mare (1433 - 1450)
Chapter IV - Jahannam (1450 - 1465)
PART II: An Empire in the Desert (1465 - 1520)
Chapter I - The Winds of Tumult (1465 - 1475)
Chapter II - Saga of the Three Sultans (1475 - 1495)
Chapter III - Blood and Plenty (1495 - 1510)
Chapter IV - Ahmad's Empire (1510 - 1520)
CREATED BY: Char1es - DIFFICULTY: Normal - GOALS: [Freeform]
PART I: Chaos and Consent (1399 - 1460)
Chapter I - Brittle Amity
Sultan Abu-Sa'id Uthman III, All-Powerful Sovereign of the Western Berbers, gazed out over the unending barrens of Fez, lands granted to him by the will of Allah. He stared eastwards, into Algiers, where Berbers of another name made home and settlement beneath the blessed sun, and saw lands vested to his iron grip from time immemorial. That noon, as darkness set, he called for an assembly of his generals at the Shining Palace. They arrived at Fez from lands afar - from the rolling sands of Sus and Ifni, from the glimmering coast of Toubkhal, from the fabulous cities of Ceuta and Melilla, and from the stretching plains of Atlas and Figuig.
And Abu-Sa'id Uthman III, of the House Marinid, conferred to his subordinates: "Good men of glorious Morocco, I have seen treasures aplenty to the east, in Algiers, for it is in that hallowed land that our national destiny lies. Our fate as Moslems is entwined with Tlemcen and Aures, places sought after, but never before conquered, by sultans and emirs of old.
"And so it is, from this day forward, that we seek providence in the plains and cities to the east. Our armies, one-million men strong, shall march upon sacred sands, ever-victorious, and Moroccans shall sing our names in hymns of triumph for generations to come. We shall unite as Berbers and Moslems, and ride free over Algiers and beyond!"
The minions and acolytes of Abu-Sa'id Uthman III, ever-loyal to their mighty Sultan, united beneath the holy banner of the Dynasty Marinid, and fashioned from immaterial an army of such size and ferocity that the hooves of its mounts could be heard echoing across the Saharan soils.
Word reached the Sultan's court in 1401 of tribes to the far east, beyond Algiers - Tunisians and Tripolitanians - whom were sympathetic to the Moroccans' God-given cause. The Sultan sent for seven of his daughters, the most beautiful and pure of Berber maidens, to be wedded to the hardy princes of these fine nations. These royal marriages were fruitful, sealing political allegiance between the states, and ensuring a united front against Algerian supremacy.
In 1405, the infidel scourge, foes of House Marinid, rose up in an attempt most pitiful to unseat the Sultan. To Toubkhal they went, armed with sword, spear and the will of a pretender, burning every serf-hut and commiting outrages unspeakable as they descended through the villages. Abu-Sa'id Uthman III, hearing of the atrocities, sent for his armies, and they rode gallantly, against the setting sun, to Toubkhal. The usupers were crushed.
In the immediate aftermath of the infidels' suppression, word reached the Sultan from his allies in Tunisia. A demagogue there challenged the primacy of the Tunisian throne, posing a credible threat to the Marinid's newfound influence in that sacred land. The 1st Army, stationed in Atlas, was sent to quell the uprising, bolstering the hearts and minds of the battle-worn Tunisian legions. Once again, they proved competent.
With the revolts in Tunis and Toubkhal suppressed, a long peace descended, known as the Twenty-Five Winter Concord. During this period of civil stability in Northern Africa, Abu-Sa'id Uthman III remained a fair and cunning ruler, continuing to oversee military reform and political furtherance - he was not tainted by age, or misled by the prevailing stillness, as so many have before him.
In 1411, a disease was discovered amongst the peasants of Melilla, a pestilence which manifested itself through symptoms unspeakable - vomitting, swelling, and eventual death. The Sultan called for doctors from far afield, although it was Christian surgeon who identified the illness as the "Black Death", which had so ravaged Europe over the previous two decades. Seeking to end the suffering of his people, Abu-Sa'id called specialist doctors to the bestricken city, and the outbreak was contained before it could spread elsewhere.
- A Morrocan After Action Report [AAR]
PART I: Chaos and Consent (1399 - 1465)
Chapter I - Brittle Amity (1399 - 1430)
Chapter II - The Berber Strife (1430 - 1433)
Chapter III - The Eastern Mare (1433 - 1450)
Chapter IV - Jahannam (1450 - 1465)
PART II: An Empire in the Desert (1465 - 1520)
Chapter I - The Winds of Tumult (1465 - 1475)
Chapter II - Saga of the Three Sultans (1475 - 1495)
Chapter III - Blood and Plenty (1495 - 1510)
Chapter IV - Ahmad's Empire (1510 - 1520)
CREATED BY: Char1es - DIFFICULTY: Normal - GOALS: [Freeform]
PART I: Chaos and Consent (1399 - 1460)
Chapter I - Brittle Amity
Sultan Abu-Sa'id Uthman III, All-Powerful Sovereign of the Western Berbers, gazed out over the unending barrens of Fez, lands granted to him by the will of Allah. He stared eastwards, into Algiers, where Berbers of another name made home and settlement beneath the blessed sun, and saw lands vested to his iron grip from time immemorial. That noon, as darkness set, he called for an assembly of his generals at the Shining Palace. They arrived at Fez from lands afar - from the rolling sands of Sus and Ifni, from the glimmering coast of Toubkhal, from the fabulous cities of Ceuta and Melilla, and from the stretching plains of Atlas and Figuig.
And Abu-Sa'id Uthman III, of the House Marinid, conferred to his subordinates: "Good men of glorious Morocco, I have seen treasures aplenty to the east, in Algiers, for it is in that hallowed land that our national destiny lies. Our fate as Moslems is entwined with Tlemcen and Aures, places sought after, but never before conquered, by sultans and emirs of old.
"And so it is, from this day forward, that we seek providence in the plains and cities to the east. Our armies, one-million men strong, shall march upon sacred sands, ever-victorious, and Moroccans shall sing our names in hymns of triumph for generations to come. We shall unite as Berbers and Moslems, and ride free over Algiers and beyond!"
The minions and acolytes of Abu-Sa'id Uthman III, ever-loyal to their mighty Sultan, united beneath the holy banner of the Dynasty Marinid, and fashioned from immaterial an army of such size and ferocity that the hooves of its mounts could be heard echoing across the Saharan soils.
Word reached the Sultan's court in 1401 of tribes to the far east, beyond Algiers - Tunisians and Tripolitanians - whom were sympathetic to the Moroccans' God-given cause. The Sultan sent for seven of his daughters, the most beautiful and pure of Berber maidens, to be wedded to the hardy princes of these fine nations. These royal marriages were fruitful, sealing political allegiance between the states, and ensuring a united front against Algerian supremacy.
In 1405, the infidel scourge, foes of House Marinid, rose up in an attempt most pitiful to unseat the Sultan. To Toubkhal they went, armed with sword, spear and the will of a pretender, burning every serf-hut and commiting outrages unspeakable as they descended through the villages. Abu-Sa'id Uthman III, hearing of the atrocities, sent for his armies, and they rode gallantly, against the setting sun, to Toubkhal. The usupers were crushed.
In the immediate aftermath of the infidels' suppression, word reached the Sultan from his allies in Tunisia. A demagogue there challenged the primacy of the Tunisian throne, posing a credible threat to the Marinid's newfound influence in that sacred land. The 1st Army, stationed in Atlas, was sent to quell the uprising, bolstering the hearts and minds of the battle-worn Tunisian legions. Once again, they proved competent.
With the revolts in Tunis and Toubkhal suppressed, a long peace descended, known as the Twenty-Five Winter Concord. During this period of civil stability in Northern Africa, Abu-Sa'id Uthman III remained a fair and cunning ruler, continuing to oversee military reform and political furtherance - he was not tainted by age, or misled by the prevailing stillness, as so many have before him.
In 1411, a disease was discovered amongst the peasants of Melilla, a pestilence which manifested itself through symptoms unspeakable - vomitting, swelling, and eventual death. The Sultan called for doctors from far afield, although it was Christian surgeon who identified the illness as the "Black Death", which had so ravaged Europe over the previous two decades. Seeking to end the suffering of his people, Abu-Sa'id called specialist doctors to the bestricken city, and the outbreak was contained before it could spread elsewhere.
Last edited: