Post
Region: Monbalaur
In recent times, the Duristani have been in around a century or more of near constant war with the Vedigothic Empire and Nizkhian Empire who have jostled for control over the country and have both been raided deep into their countries by Duristani outriders. The wars are bloody and deprave, as neither side had gained a substanial edge in twenty years. This changed with Shamkhal Iijnatius V, "the Ruddy" who modernized the army and led brutal campaigns in the Seventh Nizh-Duristani War and Fifth Scanso-Duristani War. Although not able to seize Beláfidar, the "lost city" to the Duristani, heavy damage was done to the Nizhkians and Vedigoths whose borders with Duristan were depopulated and scorched.
During the War of the First Containment Coalition and the War of the Second Containment Coalition, Al-Duristan served a minor role in the conflicts by supplying mercenaries and harrying Coalition members at its borders. It also provided diplomatic support to the Revolution. The rise of Nabil, is looked upon greatly by the mountaineers of Al-Duristan.
The Shamkhalate has felt two years of peace, the longest in decades. In this time, the army continues to modernize and prepare for both an offensive and defense war against its neighbors.
The Shamkhalate supports itself economically with burgeoning a mining industry, weapons manufactoring and the trade it receives from traders in the south and occassionally north.
Foreign Relations:
Nizhkian Empire: Hostile, violently Nizhkophobic (-100)
Jaffaristan: Hostile, violently Jaffarphobic (-100)
Holy Vedigothic Empire: Hostile, violently Vedigothphobic (-100)
Duchy of Prujenia: Slightly negative. Limited interaction. Vedigoth. Warmonger. (-10)
Herzogtum Hohnwechsen: Negative. Vedigoth. (-50)
Fürstentum Weißpferdburg: Slightly negative. Vedigoth. Fought glorious battles against one another.
Vinfallo et Meyru no Repulike: Neutral. Previously hostile as longstanding rivalry, but recently conquered. (0)
Sartrvatarurizan Kvandaruri: Positive. mountain brothers with longstanding history. Small respectable squabbles. (+40)
Eyranistan Empire: Positive. Admired for warmongering and effective goverment. "Enemy of my Enemies". (+30)
Meygeria : Slightly negative. Ancient wars and raids dictate some level of mutual aggression however memories have faded. General lack of respect between two. (-10)
Past Wars:
First Cherry War
Second Cherry War
- Battle of the Orchards
War of Spezian Succession
Duristani Civil War
First Scanso-Duristan War
- First Fall of Belafidar
- Battle of Laurenburg
- First Battle of Tamburrah Al-Mujahid
- Second Battle of Tamburrah Al-Mujahid
- First Battle of Fushilbahti
- Third Battle of Tamburrah Al-Mujahid
- First Battle of ahmætfidar
Second Scanso-Duristan War
-Reconquest of Belafidar
- Second Battle of ahmætfidar
Fifth Nizh-Duristani War
- First Sack of Lovertur
-First Battle of Horodka
Sixth Nizh-Duristani War
War of the Scansinian Succession
Third Scanso-Duristani War
- Second Battle of Laurenberg
- Third Battle of Belafidar
- Battle of Fort Whitehorse
- Second Fall of Belafidar
- Second Battle of Fushilbahti
- Third Battle of ahmætfidar
Fourth Scanso-Duristani War
- Second Battle of Fort Whitehorse
- Third Battle of Fort Whitehorse
- Third Battle of Fushilbahti
- Seige of Fushilbahti
- Battle of Zærondsahar
- The Five Year Seige of Tamburrah Al-Mujahid
- Burning of Laurenburg
Seventh Nizh-Duristani War
- Second Sack of Lovertur
- Third Battle of Lovertur
- First Battle of Turowgrad
- Seige of Elizabetsk
- Battle of Mujahid-Qala
- Second Battle of Elizabetsk
- Defenestrations of Rogsahar
- Second Battle of Horodka
- Second Battle of Turowgrad
Fifth Scanso-Duristani War
- Sack of Laurenberg
- Battle of Oberwaltz
- Sack of Medwezig
- Battle of Kresenburg Un Vaal
- Battle of Dorenfurt
- Fourth Battle of Fushilbahti
- Sixth Battle of Belafidar
- Sack of Marbach
War of the First Containment Coalition
War of the Second Containment Coalition
Current Wars:
[This article is incomplete, you can help by expanding it.]
Government type: Elective Federal Monarchy
Capital: Tamburrah Al-Mujahid
Population: 489,753
Major Ethnic Groups: 70% Duristani, 10% Seltzer, 5% Pahonian, 5% Kvandari and 5% Cöömin, and 5% Afruikans.
Legislature: Jirga al-Tieps
Justice System: The Sharia Court and the Sanhedrin
Shamkhal Iijnatius V, "the Ruddy"
Portrait of the Shamkhal Iijnatius V, "the Ruddy" commissioned shortly after his crushing victory in the Sixth Battle of Belafidar, age 22.
Primary Exports/Top Industries: Iron, Steel, Beef, Lamb, Gunpowder, Bronze, Hashish, Mead, Cider, Pottery, Carpets, Cotton, Horses and Tobacco.
The Shamkhal's Royal Army
Regulars: 20,000
Known as the "Shamkhal's Chosen", the regular infantry of the Shamkhalate are instructed in typical line formations. Drilled in Fushilbahti, Tamburrah Al-Mujahid and ahmætfidar, they are well provisioned and trained. Typically tasked with occupying and fortifying major cities, they accompany the Shamkhal on offensive campaigns and only utilized in-case a pitch battle must be formed. The regulars are seperated into 1,000 man Mingghan and further into 500 man Kandaks. Each Kandak has a personal color that was woven Tamburrah Al-Mujahid. Kandaks are subdivided in toli, in which there are five to each Kandak.
Ranks of Officers
Amir al-Umara - Highest rank, leader of all armies and forces or the Shamkhalate. Held by the Shamkhal.
Amir al-Tumetu- Highest obtainable rank of the army. Leads 10,000 men.
Amir al-Mingghan - Leader of 1,000 men or a Mingghan
Naib al-Kandak - Leader of 500 men or a Kandak
Abrek al-Toli - Leader of a 100 men or a toli
Ranks of Enlisted
Sarkar al-Sarkar - Highest ranked NCO who advises the Naib al-Kandak
Sarkar - A NCO rank denoting soldier who has achieved spiritual enlightenment on the warrior path of Syzgurat Cambalc. Advises and leads 1/4 of a toli.
Shāgirdūn- A soldier who follows the warrior path of the Syzgurat Cambalc.
Jundi - A regular soldier, of any faith*
(Note: Any Jundi can advance to Shāgirdūn and Sarkar, and even Sarkar al-Sarkar but it is rare. In ethnic units, the ranking system still applied regardless of faith.)
Irregulars
15,000
Made up of the many teips of vary ethnics and faiths, the irregular army are known for their ferocity aswell as irregularity. They are swift, brave, and resilient militias formed by a teip who gathers itself. All vary and size but abhere to the Shamkhal, his laws, and his systems. Each officer is a nobleman of the teip, and each leads their unit with a rank. The irregulars are despoilers and disperse into the countryside both in offensive and defensive capacities. As experts of geurilla warfare, they rarely abhere to line formations, and instead are untilized best in skirmishing, flanking maneauvers and screening the army.
Artillery:
250 - Zamburak camel artillery
43- 4-lb field guns
28- 8 lbs field guns
12 - 12-lbs
Cavalry: 12,000
- 7,000 Duristanis
- 1,000 Seltzers
- 1,000 Cöömin Lancers
- 1,000 Pahonian Lancers
- 1,000 Kvandari
- 1,000 Afruicans
Major Fortifications
Zærondsahar (Walled city with a star fort citadel)
Fushilbahti (Bastion fort complex, 10 defendable towers surround the pass leading up the city)
Mujahid-Qala (Alpine fortress and walled city. Modernized with two artillery forts guarding the mountain passes)
Tamburrah Al-Mujahid (Walled city with star fort citadel. Large fortified palace overlooks city from rocky outcropping. 30 defendable towers dot the lands along the pass, as do two artillery forts)
Rogsahar (Walled city)
ahmætfidar (Star fort complex. 10 defendable towers surround the pass leading up the city)
Naval Forces
The Shamkhalate is landlocked but has many rivers. A small fleet of skiffs and gunboats, numbering in total 50 crafts roam the waters and protect river crossings, ferry soldiers and supplies, and help maintan trade along the river. It also maintains bridges. The fleet supplements the army with fish that it catches.
Military Equipment
Musket / Musketoon / Carbine / Pistols: With a hyperactivity in war, the people have requisitioned many standard and mass-produced guns for Al-Duristan. Gunsmiths throughout the Shamkhalate rip apart, refit, and reproduce various models of guns found in enemy armies. Parts of a standard musket might be sold to repair a jezzail or improve one. Fidar Pass in the south and north of Tamburrah Al-Mujahid, is known producing copies of captured muskets. Tamburrah Al-Mujahid and the Seltzer Department in its whole, is also known for its many gunsmiths, with two state musket factories.
Most Duristani prefer the utility of the musketoon and carbine which are especially sought after, after a battle as are pistols. A typical cavalryman of the Duristani tries to carry several pistols on their person.
Qama - Short dagger/sword used for close quarters combat. Given to both boys and girls as a rite of passage and is commonly the blade of choice for duels.
Sashko - The blade of the Duristani, it is a long slender blade with a slight curve. It has a hook pommel and no guard. Very common among the middle class and nobility.
Peshkabz - An increasingly rare, slender blade used to penetrate chainmail in an armored opponent.
Xencer- Ceremonial blade that forms a "J" shape. Rarely used in combat, it is worn on the belt as at festivities and social gatherings but can be used for practical use at those.
Pulwar- A domestic variant of scimitar-type swords, these swords are favored by the prestigious cavalry units of the Shamkhal's units.
Shield - Seldom seen on the battlefield now except by traditionalist tieps, shields of Al-Duristan are small roughly comparable to targes and bucklers. Usually made out of bronze, steel, wood wrapped in leather, or iron.
Armor- Still worn by nobility, the warrior of Al-Duristan wear chainmail under or over their uniforms and clothes. This usuage, dwindles by the year, however still provides many soldiers adequate protection once locked in melee. Some soldier still wear in addition conical helms and bracers. Its utility in close quarters keeps it on the battlefield.
Bow and Arrow - Used recreationally by peasants and nobles, the composite bow is still in use as a hunting tool and ocassionally during uprisings and geurilla raids to save on gunpowder.
Lance - Used by Cöömin and Pahonian cavalry units, who traditionally use the weapon.
Cannon- Due to rugged terrain, the Duristani army utilized swivel guns mounted to camels to manuever cannons into position. In addition, Tamburrah Al-Mujahid casts 4-lb, 8-lb and 12-lb bronze cannons. Due to terrain, field guns are relegated to 4-lb and 8-lb on thw field while 12-lb pieces are mainly emplaced in qalats and major walled cities.
Cannons are notoriously always spiked by Duristani units, especially cavalry. Cannons are high value, and a major scavange find for the Duristani as the army set bounties for their aquisition.
Uniforms
The cavalry was a brilliant admixture of Al-Duristan's diverse peoples. The cavalry was mix of the old and new, a clash of styles. The standard Duristani wore yellow beshmets, dark green woolen chohkla with yellow facings overtop faced lined with yellow gazyr. They wore tight green trousers were reinforced by leather on the inside and a stripe of yellow ran down the length of the trousers. The trousers were pulled tight at the knees with a band of leather and the high leather boots had spurs clasped to them. Over their uniform many wore green burkhas, many lined with furs at the collar. Bronze symbols clasped plumes to their black busbys and indicating their unit. They wore a sabretache, with the personal arms of the Shamkhal displayed: three snow leopards on crimson red. Many wore their hair in the cadenette, halfshaven, flowing wild and free, or cut Kvandari style and all had drooping and thick mustaches or thick bushy beards.Each had a scimitar and kindjal hanging from hardy leather belts clasped with bronze. Sets of pistols joined them at the belt with carbines or jezzails wrapped in leather, cloth or pelts was on their backs or tied to their saddle.
The heavy cavalry units, were mostly brazen traditionalist Duristanis who kept to the old way of wearing chainmail, conical helmets, bracers, and bucklers. However the Cöömins and Pahonians went further, the former wearing lamellar plates and some wearing conical helmets with facemasks of mustached demonic faces, while the latter wore cuirasses and open faced helmets with wooden arches lined with feathers attached to their saddle. These armored riders forgoed the musket and kindjal for the lance and carried maces and axes.
The lightest of the cavalry would be the Afruicans who forgoed the chohkla for a tight waistcoat and wore turbans.
The infantry, were similar to the cavalry in uniform but different in coloration. Their chohkla and trousers were a maroon, with brilliant blue beshmets A line of blue ran the length of the trousers. Overtop they wore a green burkas and on their head they wore black bashlyks or papakhas. Most held jezzails and muskets with long bayonets. Kindjals were uniform as a sidearm.
Irregular infantry, the gazavat or tiep militiamen formed a motley screening force with varying colors, equipment and uniforms. Plenty wore buckskin. Many carried axes and acted as foragers and scouts when not on the march. Their jezzails were long, even by jezzail standards and were rifled.
The artillery were a uniform group, wearing brilliant blue chohkla and trousers with white beshmets and parpakhas.Their heavy bronze cast guns were formitable as any army's but lighter and maneuverable. The zamburak artillery prodded forth with their wooly twin-humped camels, their riders gently rubbing their big brutes.
A start