B Medieval [WB] Warband: Total Realism, 1148 A.D. - (MAPPER needed)

[Outlawed]

• Greetings fellow vWarband players, and welcome to:
  
  
  Warband: Total Realism, 1148 A.D.​
  Spoiler

  

  
  Image by Kamikazuh
  
  If I were to summarize the aims of this mod in one quick paragraph I'd say that while Mount & Blade certainly tries to simulate reality, and draws many of its faction ideas and micro systems from reality, it is quite far from that reality in terms of settings. We see that Mount & Blade is set in a fictional land of Calradia, with these interesting factions that mimic fusions between cultures like something out of a fiction novel. This is great. To have a fictional world based on reality is great. But in my opinion, the game would be as fun if it were to actually mimic reality and history. This mod aims to put you in an era of great misfortune that spans from Eastern Iraq, to the Iberian Peninsula. The Mod will try to bring to life most of the factions present at the time, and since 1148 is a date of great significance, everything can change and all factors are intertwined.
  
  More on features of the mod and what I will aim to create later, but for now it’s very important that you read this:
  
  Time and Settings:
  
  1148 A.D. ,
  The Second Crusade.
  Louis the VII of France, and Conrad the III of Germany march onto Damascus.
  Word around the Christian world is that the Byzantine emperor Manuel the I Comnenus was a traitor.
  
  17 years earlier (1131 A.D.):
  
  Spoiler

  Joscelin the II is now ruler of Edessa after the death of his father, Joscelin the I.
  Edessa is forced into an alliance with the Byzantine Empire under John the II Comnenus.
  
  8 years earlier (1140 A.D.):
  
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  Zengi an emerging Turkish Muslim leader and ruler of the newly found Zengid Dynasty, besieges Damascus for the second time. It is ruled by the Burids who go into an Alliance with King Fulk of Anjou, King of Jerusalem.
  Jerusalem is on good terms with the Byzantines.
  Damascus is a very important piece of the puzzle.
  
  5 years earlier (1143 A.D.):
  
  Spoiler

  King Fulk of Ajou, King of Jerusalem, and John the II, emperor of the Byzantine Empire both die.
  Edessa is on un-easy terms with Tripoli and Antioch, leaving it with no powerful allies.
  
  4 years earlier (1144 A.D.):
  
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  Muslims in Syria were divided.
  Christians in Syria were divided.
  The Artuqids ally with Edessa who marches on Aleppo.
  Zengi seizes his chance and captures Edessa, which is unprotected.
  Edessa's surrounding territory is lost to Muslims or sold to the Byzantians under Maneul the I.
  Maneul the I is clearly different from the last Emperor.
  Zengi returns to Mosul.
  Zengi is hailed as a unifier of Muslims.
  
  3 years earlier (1145 A.D.):
  
  Spoiler

  News of the fall of Edessa reach the Pope.
  Pope Eugene the III orders a Second Crusade.
  Second Crusade has a weak start but is supported, through Bernard of Clairvaux, by Louis the VII of France.
  
  2 years earlier (1146 A.D.):
  
  Spoiler

  Zengi sets his eyes on Damascus again but is assassinated under suspicious conditions.
  His son Noor Al-Din is now ruler of the Zengid presence in Greater Damascus.
  
  1 year earlier (1147 A.D.):
  
  Spoiler

  The Wendish Crusade caused many butcheries in Europe.
  The Pope signals expansion of Crusade into the Iberian Peninsula.
  The King of Portugal is offered help in attacking Lisbon under the condition that all loot would go to the Crusaders.
  Lisbon is taken from the Moors.
  Almeria, the richest port in the region was also won from the Moors.
  
  1148 A.D. :
  The Second Crusade.
  Damascus is about to undergo siege.
  Crusaders in the Iberian Peninsula making good progress in removing Moor control from the area.
  A new Muslim leader emerges.
  
  Will Noor Al-Din be like his father and hailed as a great savior?
  Will the Second Crusade bring better results than Urban's first?
  Will the Iberian Peninsula be taken by the new found Crusader/Spanish/Portugese Alliance? Can the Moors win Lisbon back?
  Will Manuel continue supporting the Turks, or does he have other plans to help his Empire's old allies?
  
  Salahudin? Will he emerge?
  The Abbasids, will they finally quell the Seljuks at Baghdad? Can they somehow reform their former glory?
  Will the Almohads take Iberian Peninsula and secure it?
  Or will the Andalusyians bring back their Golden days of Cordoba, the arts the sciences and equality?
  
  You decide.
  Change history.
  
  Faction List:
  • The Seljuk Sultanate of Rum - Research Done
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  • Kingdom of Jerusalem
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  • Principality of Antioch
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  • County of Tripoli
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  • Principality of Armenian Cilicia
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  • Byzantine Empire
  • The Fatimid Caliphate
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  • Kingdom of Aragon
  • Castille Kingdom
  • Kingdom of Portugal
  • Navarra Kingdom
  • Kingdom of Leon
  • Kingdom of England
  • Kingdom of France
  • The Holy Roman Empire
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  • Kingdom of Sicily
  • The Abbasid Caliphate (Baghdad)
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  • Almohads
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  • Zengid Dynasty
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  Features and Changes:
  
  • The Map
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  Detailed post here.
  • Horses
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  More horses including skins and models with longer caprions as well as making horses more expensive than Native.
  • Archery Tweak
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  Archery will now be harder in terms of accuracy, proficiency, and will also do more damage.
  • Animations
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  New animations will be implemented for Archery and some more animations for Ground Combat and Horse Combat. (More on this later)
  • Recruitment
  Recruitment system - I've been speaking to Caba`drin due to the fact that I am absolutely in love with his work (deployment kit and lance kit are truly works of genius), and he has made it clear that while he will not be joining us full time, he will help us 'here and there' when has time. I think currently he's trying to fiddle with the recruitment system which will work as follows:
  
  
  
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  We already stated before that WTR is going to have 'lines' of troops as opposed to a single base troops that branches out into everything. Which troops you get is now dependent on a new 'Race' or 'Culture' (culture is already used in game to represent factions, so it could very well be race). Depending on which Race you are (assuming you started as a Mercenary as in native, more on starting possibilities later) you will be able to recruit different units from different places.
  
  Local Troops:
  
  Local troops can only be recruited if you have the right 'Race'. Each faction will have several base recruits that are available to recruit from towns/castle OR villages based on the nature of the troops and their historical context. For example, if you were playing as a German Mercenary and was wandering about the HRE, you would be able to recruit the Flogepflicht Horer(call to arms volunteers) units from Villages only; at Towns and Castles you will be able to recruit from the Stadter (town levies). However, if you go to say, Al-Qahira (Cairo), you will not be able to recruit any Local Fatimid units at all.
  
  Special Troops:
  
  Special Troops are special =D
  You can only recruit them if you are a lord/leader of the faction to which they belong. There will be an NPC at the Lord Halls of castles/towns from whom you will be able to recruit these special units. Someone could ask, what if I started as an 'Italian' and then became a lord of any other faction. What happens to my 'culture' or 'race'? Answer: It will change to the faction you have joined assuming a conversion to that 'culture'. (More on this later, but its important to have some understanding of this system)
  
  Mercenaries Troops:
  
  (This is still being decided on, but so far this is what's in place)
  Mercenaries will now spawn in Town/Castle scenes as well as Taverns. So you might walk into the streets of Jerusalem and spot a random Turkoman mercenary captain. You then recruit just like in native. But here's the cool part; each village/town/castle on the map will have a list of Mercenaries associated with it. Based on your 'culture', you would be able to get certain Mercenaries to spawn for you. Most of the time (towards the East), all factions will have pretty much the same access to troops, but what happens when you, playing as the Turks, beat the Byzantines and push into Germany? What sort of Mercenaries can you recruit then? (no historical context), in this case, we will create a template for Mercenary troops for such situations(purely imaginative). We might have Peasant Crossbowmen for example, or Polish Sergeants...etc (just random examples)
  
  
  So as you can guess, the basic idea is having recruitment linked to a new aspect that you get to choose on character creation or assigned to when you become/start as a lord/leader of a faction. Why would a local levy, paid by the Sultan himself and sometimes even given land be recruitable to an English mercenary who came to the land to purify his soul and redeem his sins? Why would a German town levy serve under an Italian? The answer is, they wouldn't, and they will not =)
  
  A quick example would be this,
  If you were the Byzantines, and you would pass through Armenia, you would be able to recruit a unit that eventually would become an Armenian Cataphract.
  If you were Kingdom of Jerusalem, you would not be able to recruit that same base unit, but might be able to recruit Armenian Archers.[/spoiler]
  
  • Weapons and items
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  More weapons from the respective Era including shields and more. Almost all of the inventory will be redone/changed.
  • Diplomacy
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  More on this later.
  • Sea Travel
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  More on this later.
  • Random Features
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  Will add horse whistle.
  Will add spear bracing.
  Will add shield bash.
  Will add horse rear kick and frontal kick.
  When you order your troops, your character will actually shout the orders.
  Permanent death for human and NPCs.
  Do it yourself assassination feature.
  • Siege features
  
  
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  The 'Peaceful' Way
  
  (Without battle)
  
  No Lord in the Castle/Town
  
  
  

  • Bribe

  Based on your persuasion skill and the number of troops at the target.
  - The logic behind this is that you would be able to bribe the commander and his troops to leave the target and disband. This feature will remove said units from the game.
  

  • Maintain Siege/Force Surrender

  Based on your tactics, engineer and the population of the target.
  - Forcing a surrender depends on the size of the city mainly. The bigger the city the longer it can last and the higher a chance an enemy army will raid/stop you from taking the target.
  
  
  Lord(s) in the Castle/Town
  
  

  Spoiler: features

  • Bribe

  Based on your persuasion skill, the number of troops at the target and the honor ratings of the lord(s) at the Target.
  - The extra honor rating makes it more difficult to take a target that has more than 1 lord present. This is because lords are less likely to sell out if there are other lords present there, unless of course, you can pay them all.
  

  • Maintain Siege/Force Surrender

  Based on your tactics, engineer and the population of the target.
  

  • Peaceful Surrender

  - This is currently in the game already, but it will be vamped to include the troop difference between you and the target as well as your honor rating and persuasion skill.
  
  
  Using Force
  
  These features will be based on your Engineer and Tactics skills. They will be sort of like a lottery and will not actually be seen. Perhaps cut scenes could be added, I'm not sure if that is doable though.
  
  

  • Bombard the Walls

  Bombardment could leave a hole in the enemy's walls which will allow your forces to rush through the gap.
  
  

  • Batter the Gates

  Battering the gates will allow you to start the siege with an open gate and an easy passage around the troops stationed on the walls. Command your men well for they will need a leader to lead them into the breach.
  
  Note: Battering the Gates will cause you to lose some men, however, it is a more certain way of getting an easier entry in the castle. Bombardment will require a very high skill set as well as a good amount of luck. I do not have stats worked out yet, but I will talk with our coder once we are done with the population models.

  
  

  • Population

  Spoiler

  Population will follow an exponential model that differs slightly for villages/towns/castles.
  It will have three main related attributes:
  
  1. Income
  The more people you have the more income you will be able to obtain from a fief.
  
  2. Public Order
  Population will be allowed to increase up to a certain limit before it starts to disrupt trade/commerce through theft and crimes.
  If the population exceeds the capacity limit, the income will decrease substantially. However, this can be quelled through building upgrades and a larger garisson.
  
  3. Health
  Similar to the Public Order system, Health will decrease the speed of population growth and eventually cause it to decrease over time. To combat this, you must upgrade/build sewers and sanitary buildings such as a bathhouse.

  
  
  Team:
  

  Spoiler

  Outlawed - Mod Leader
  Sahran - Researcher
  Hulksmash - Scene editor
  wanderer949 -Textures/Horses
  Overlord- - Coder (part-time)
  NordArcher- Stat Edit
  Kamikazuh - Concept and 2d Art
  Al-Mansur - Modeler/Scene Props
  Nodscouter - Modeler
  Thrak - Modeler
  Caba'drin - Coder
  Madoc - Coder (part time)

  
  
  

  Spoiler: Sigs

  

Spoiler

Spoiler: Sigs

[url=http://forums.taleworlds.com/index.php/topic,133403.0.html][IMG]http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l84/arwud/WTRsig1.png[/IMG][/url]

And here thanks to Belendor!
http://forums.taleworlds.com/index.php/topic,133403.msg3718469/topicseen.html#msg3718469

If you would like to help us out, shoot me a pm, we always are on the look out for more talent to help us out!

Also everything here might be subject to change and I will keep adding features as they come to me. So please post some suggestions, even that can help.

 

[Outlawed]

This is where all the faction informations goes.




The Seljuk Sultanate of Rûm

General Information

Spoiler

Faction Leaders:
Mesud the First; was called "The Pillar of Faith", this man took the role of Sultan after the death of his father. With the Byzantine Empire at peak strength, he allied with the Danishmends and regained control of Anatolia and his father's former Sultanate. He later turned against the Danishmends in a nominal alliance with the Byzantines, but ended up controlling all of their area while the Byzantines were left with nothing.

Faction Capital and area of dominance:
Konya (Capital)

Faction diplomatic status with other factions:
Enemies to:
France
Germany
Danishmends

Allies to:
The Zengid Sultanate

Nuetral to:
Rest.

Faction colors and banners:
Sky Blue

Faction Troop Trees

Local Units

Spoiler: large images

Mercenary Units

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Special Units

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Faction Town/Village/Castle information:

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Konya-Alaeddin Mosque is what its known most for therefore a must have (http://www.vintagemalaya.com/Jugra.html)
I think we should simply give them 11 towns or so because in the end thats what he did he split his empire to 11 provinces which would give a logical thought of 11 command centers and some numerous bands of castles to support it.

The towns all had many Ribat-style caravansarais (where the caverns take rest stops),builders, were developers of caravansarai architecture of and colossal dimensions.  They built some ten hans, which served as the prototype for the later Anatolian hans. The plans included open courtyards, iwans and covered sections. Notable is the celebrated Ribat-i Malik of 1078 on the Bukhara-Samarkand road, with its monumental, highly-decorated pistaq portal and fluted adobe walls.  They also seem to have more Hans (rest stops) then towns and etc towns are usualy built after the Hans get to big and when it is it ususlay looks bulky/militarilistic fortress.

Leader's note: We will probably not have all the 11 towns for the Seljuks,6-7 is the range I'm looking at otherwise it would be a game of Byzantine vs Seljuks with all the other factions being fodder.

More scenic information:

Spoiler

Like an oasis in the wilderness, the fortress-like solidity of Anatolian hans beckoned caravans from a great distance with their promise of security and comfort. One can imagine the joy felt by the travelers when they saw its massive door looming ahead across the plain after a strenuous day of travel in the heat and dust of the Anatolian plain.

Hans were run like mini-cities, and they tried to anticipate every service a traveler could need. It was here that merchants organized their goods, repaired their vehicles, tended their animals, ate and bathed. It was here, too, that commerce was carried out, as merchants bought and sold among themselves along the way.  If we try to imagine a modern day comparison, hans were a combination of a roadside truck stop, a motel, and a trucking depot.

Researchers are still undecided as to exactly how the internal space of a han was organized to accommodate humans and animals.  Some believe they were kept separately, with the animals in the courtyard and the travelers in the side cells or in the covered hall.  Others believe it was a free-for-all, with the merchants sleeping with their animals wherever they could find a space.  The covered hall was probably extensively used in the cold winter months for sheltering both animals, goods, and travelers, and the open court was used in the summer.

ANIMALS
The number of animals in the hans was probably double the amount of humans, and represented a considerable concern for the organization of the life inside the han. The beast of burden of choice was the camel, as they could carry the heaviest loads and were well-suited to long journeys across dry plains. The camels used were a breed created by the crossing of the Bactrian camel (two-humped) and the dromedary camel (one hump). The ensuing one-humped camel was sturdy, well-suited to the varied climate and could travel far distances, but was nervous, difficult to handle and could not carry loads of more that 200-300 pounds (a Bactrian can carry some 500 pounds). Camels usually traveled in groups of seven (called a "katar") and were led by a pack donkey or a mule. Other animals used for transport and travel were horses and mules. It can also be assumed that a number of dogs accompanied the caravans: one need only to witness the vigilance of the Turkish breed of the Kangal shepherd dog to appreciate the security they would have provided a traveling caravan.

Some researchers have suggested that the animals were tethered outside the han and tended to by grooms and guards.  In view of modern sanitary principles, this hypothesis is tempting to accept, as the noise, smell and waste of animals would have been unbearable at such close quarters.  However, the animals represented a serious investment and were capital to the success of a merchant, so it is very doubtful that he would have let them out of his sight and left in a potentially dangerous situation, prey to midnight rustlers.

A full staff tended to the needs of the animals, and included veterinarians, grooms, saddle makers, blacksmiths, stable hands for mucking the courtyard.

Large spaces were needed to stable the animals, which probably numbered several hundred per night in the larger hans. The considerable size of the courtyard of certain hans, such as Karatay and Incir, are well-suited to handle large numbers of animals. As mentioned above, one can imagine the strong odor and considerable din that such a large group of animals would have made inside the han.

PEOPLE
Travelers
It is estimated that the larger hans could house up to 200 travelers, but this number was probably more modest in the majority of the hans. The possibility of staying overnight in a han allowed merchants to dispense with carrying the extra burden of tents, equipment, and food supplies along the way, leaving them more space for their commercial goods. Travelers were mostly men, and of all nationalities: Armenians, Greeks, Turks, Caucasians, Europeans (Venetians, Florentines, Spaniards, Frenchmen, Maltese), Syrians, Egyptians, Persians and Jews.

Cooking was probably carried out in the courtyard, and meals were taken in a communal "around the campfire" style.  Several hans have remains of tandir clay ovens in the raised platform sections.  These ovens were used essentially for cooking and baking.  Bread dough is pressed against the preheated surface, and pots are placed at its mouth for cooking.  The French naturalist Pierre Belon, traveling in Turkey in 1553, describes the meals served in hans at this time in his work Les observations de plusieurz singularitez et choses mémorables trouvées en Grece.  He describes a simple and uniform menu for everyone, both sultans and servants.  It consisted generally of a stew or a bulgar pilav, some tarana (a sort of flour mixed with soured milk, and dried after fermentation) and rice.  He says the stew and pilav were eaten all across Turkey, and that rice was imported from Egypt via Istanbul. He relates that meat was cooked differently than in Europe: "When they are finished roasting the meat, they remove it from the pot and then put in the pot that which they wish to thicken the stew." He also relates the Turkish custom of eating raw cucumbers and onions. Another Frenchman, Jean Thévenot, writes in 1665 (Relation d'un voyage fait au Levant) about Turkish food, stating that is is very simple, and that Turks are moderate in drink and food.  He describes the pilav: "They put some rice in a pot with a chicken, or some lamb, and when the rice is slightly cooked, they add butter and serve it on a big platter with pepper and some saffron". These two Frenchmen, ever attentive to food, have thus left us valuable information on the food habits of the Turks of the Middle Ages. Both writers were impressed by the simplicity of the food, and how it was eaten in a communal fashion sitting on the floor around a large platter.  Although they wrote after the Seljuk era, we can easily imagine the big cauldrons of pilav cooking in the courtyards of the Seljuk hans.

Despite the efforts made to provide every sort of service to travelers, the comfort provided was rudimentary, and the proximity of humans and animals must have been trying.  The latrines were probably located near the stable area, and had wooden or curtain partitions.

Villagers
The inhabitants of the surrounding villages and the local peasants would have been involved as well in the life of the han, supplying food, animals for slaughter and other services. There were probably few women in the hans, save for women who could have come to work in the han or to entertain the travelers as dancers or musicians.

Personnel
The administrative staff of the hans consisted of an administrator and a head "innkeeper" (hanci in Turkish), who acted much like a concierge in a modern hotel, directing new arrivals to the various areas and services of the hans. Other personnel included housekeepers and cleaners, cooks, a physician, an imam (religious official), a wainwright, money changer, tailor, cobbler, laundry workers, a superintendent of provisions, guards and police, messengers, and a score of gofers, probably small boys, who carried out chores and ran errands.  Like in a modern hotel, there must have been a large service staff: one can imagine a staff of at least 20 people per han.

SECURITY
Considerable importance was given to security issues inside and outside the han. The architecture of the han itself was the primary security measure. With their fortified walls, single opening and iron doors, hans were impenetrable to attack. Entrance via the main door was administered by the head doorkeeper ("kapici" in Turkish) who was seconded by several guards posted in the entry vestibule. Inside the han there were security guards to ensure that there was no theft of goods or property during the night. The doors of the han were locked at night and watchmen took their posts on the flat roofs to supervise the surrounding area.  There were probably internal security guards as well, for in order for this entire system to work, merchants had to feel entirely secure from robbery even when inside the han.

ACTIVITIES IN THE HAN
It is interesting to imagine life in the han during a normal day. Tired and dusty, the caravaneers would arrive at the door, enter the han, and would be taken in charge by the head attendant.  Bellowing out his orders, the attendant would direct the porters to unload the bundles stacked high upon the backs of the animals.  Grooms would then lead away the animals, group them according to merchant, and water and feed them. The merchants would meet with the other travelers in the han to discuss business and carry on commerce, spreading out their goods and negotiating prices, in a myriad of languages. Commercial alliances and new friendships were formed, with merchants often making plans to form groups to travel together.

At the end of the day, the travelers were refreshed after bathing and dining.  All activity would cease at the moment of the evening prayer. Afterwards, the han would come to life.  The courtyards and halls no doubt became the setting for a beehive buzz of activity. Story telling, sharing of news, animated conversations, debates, reciting of love poetry by "aşik" dervish troubadours, laughter and arguing carried on late into the night in a Babel of languages.  Entertainment probably included games, gambling and performances by musicians, acrobats and bear trainers. Indeed, these hans also served another important, non-commercial feature: they helped to spread news and information throughout the empire. People from all areas and countries came together and related events, shared situations they had experienced, and told of news from their home regions. This news was then passed on to the local villages and towns.  In this sense, the hans served as an information hub, local news center and a sort of oral public library.

At dawn, visitors to the han would wake at the morning call for prayer. A scurry of activity would follow as the caravans prepared to depart. Once the caravans were ready and assembled, the doors would open, and the merchants would set out together down the road once more. Those who chose to stay could rest for another two days and reorganize their goods. With its guests now on their way, the han would once again busy itself with the cycle of daily activities needed to prepare for the next night’s arrivals.

The Fatimid Caliphate

Spoiler

Faction Leaders: Al-Hafiz
Cousin to the last Calipha, Al-Amir, Al-Hafiz took control of the Caliphate of opposition all around. He was even captured and jailed once by one of his contenders, who was latter assassinated by followers of Al-Hafiz, and he later took control. He was a prominent Ismail'i Imam, which was a relatively new sect of Islam that the other Muslims disputed.

Faction known Lords:

Faction Capital and area of dominance:
Capital Cairo,


Faction diplomatic status with other factions:
Allies to:
None.

Enemies to:
Crusader States

Neutral to:
Rest.

Faction colors and banners:
Forest Green

Faction Units and Weapons:
   

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This

Faction Town/Village/Castle information:

Main Cities:

Al-Qahira (Cairo)
Alexandria
Siwa
Asyut
Aqaba
Al-Mahidiya
(More cities when my book "Cities of the Middle East and North Africa" arrives.)

Spoiler

"The Fatimid dynasty (297-567 AH / 909-1171 AD) were the most successful political manifestation of the medieval Shi'ite movmements. Establishing themselves in North Africa, where they founded the cities of al-Mahidiya in Tunisia and al-Qahira in Egypt, the Fatimids rivaled the Abbasid claim to the caliphal title.
The designs of Fatimid congregational mosques like that of al-Mahdiya, and al-Azhar or al-Hakim in Cairo, elaborated upon the basic hypostyle plan by emphasizing the axis of the qibla with carved stucco ornament (as at al-Azhar), by punctuating the mihrab aisle or the corners of the qibla wall with domes (as at al-Hakim and al-Azhar respectively), and by frequently using doubled columns as supports. The composition of mosque façades becomes an important design concern in the architecture of the Fatimids, and is manifested in the symmetrical arrangement of portals and towers (as at the Mosque of al-Hakim), and in the incorporation of a systematic program of ornament, as at the twelfth-century mosque of al-Aqmar. This mosque's important façade, with its ornamental program of keel-shaped niches, muqarnas, bands of inscription, and roundels alluding to Fatimid theological concepts, is also an early example of the shifting of a mosque plan behind the façade in order to accommodate the pre-existing street arrangement.

Domestic architecture dating from the eleventh and twelfth-centuries was characterized by irregular plans of long rooms arranged around central courtyards, as at the houses excavated in Fustat, or by the qa'a plan consisting of tall iwans facing each other across a sunken section (durka).

Like the Umayyad architecture of Syria and Spain, Fatimid buildings were characterized by their precise masonry work, exemplified by fortifications like the Bab al-Futuh of Cairo and the ornament of the façade of the Mosque of al-Aqmar. Epigraphy, usually in the foliated kufic script, keel-shaped arches and fluted niches, and the use of muqarnas appear often in Fatimid decorative programs."

Source.

The Abbasid Caliphate

Spoiler

Faction Leaders: Al-Muqtafi
His name means "The one who submits to the will of God", this Caliph defended Baghdad many times against Seljuk attacks and was smart enough to ally himself with a Seljuk Sultan's son, which was almost a mistake. He later received favor of the son, and wed him to his daughter. He is considered as the single Caliph to have brought back the Abbasid military presence in the area.

Faction known Lords:

Faction Capital and area of dominance:
Capital: Baghdad

Faction diplomatic status with other factions:
Allies to:
None.

Enemies to:
Crusader States

Neutral to:
Rest.

Faction colors and banners:
Charcoal Black

Faction Units and Weapons:
   

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This

The Byzantine Empire

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Faction Leaders: Manuel I Komnenos
This Byzantine Emperor clearly was intent on restoring the greatness of the once all mighty Empire. He was creating new systems and calling on old policies (such as heavy reliance on mercenaries) to regain military might in the area. He allied with the Crusader states and secured another alliance with the pope. According to Wikipedia: "He reshaped the political maps of the Balkans". Echoing after the era of an emperor who seemed an under achiever in Manuel's eyes, he was very keen on expanding the Empire, and he did. 

Faction known Lords:

Faction Capital and area of dominance:
Capital: Constantinople

Faction diplomatic status with other factions:
Allies to:
Crusader States
England
France

Enemies to:
The Seljuks Sultante of Rum
The Fatimid Caliphate

Neutral to:
Rest.

Faction colors and banners:
Purple
Flag N/A yet.

Faction Units and Weapons:
   

Spoiler

Local Units:



Special Units:



Mercenary Units:

Extra Information:

Spoiler

The Byzantine heavy reliance on Mercenary troops meant that their armies would be ridiculously expensive to have year round. Some billeting strategies were used in the Winter with local troops to help ease the strain on the treasury of the Empire. These mercenary troops were also not very reliable when it came to orders and morale. It was ridiculed later that any Byzantine army would as soon enter the battle as they would turn and flee. While Manuel the First realized this, he also realized that he needed military power to assert control over the area and still pose as a strong power at the time.

The Byzantines did however have an excellent assortment of local units, however, due to the diversity of the peoples of the Empire, due to its size, it was very difficult to field men to fight. This was especially enforced by the idea of Pronoiai, where lords wouldn't control the people on the land, or the actual production steps, but would instead just receive income in place of the state for their service in the army with their retainers from said pronoiai.

Ironically, even the most important Byzantine officer position, the Akolonthos, was a leader of a mercenary group (The Varangian Guard) made localized. He only had to know how to speak the language spoken by the Emperor before he would be assigned that position.

The Holy Roman Empire

Spoiler: General Information

Faction Leaders: Conrad III was a fine German noble of a very elite lineage. His uncle was Henry V, King of the Romans as well as Holy Roman Emperor. Conrad was a fine soldier and had answered the call for the Crusade with some 20, 000 one year before the mod starts. He suffered a great defeat against the Seljuks and was left with no more than 2000 men. He had to be escorted to Constantinople. One of his Hohenstaufen family members was the famed Frederick Barbarossa. This man had fought the King of Germany before him, Lothair II and had won his respect after submitting to him and eventually replacing him as the new King.
During the start of the mod, Conrad will be far from Germany, with a force getting ready to besiege Damascus. He had strengthened relations with the Byzantine Emperor, Manuel. He was a hardened warrior and a brave man and king. Will you lead his men and the Crusaders into capturing Damascus?


Faction Capital: Nuremberg
Area of dominance:

Faction diplomatic status with other factions:
Allied to:
France
The Byzantine Empire
The Crusader States

Enemies to:
The Seljuk Sultanate of Rum
Italian Factions, excluding the Papal States
The Zengids
The Fatimid Caliphate

Neutral to:
Rest.

Faction colors and banners:
Yellow,

Faction Units and Weapons:

Spoiler

Local Units:



Mercenary Units:



Special Units:

The Principality of Armenian Cilicia

Spoiler: General Information

Faction Leaders: Toros II The Great, or the 'Lord of the Mountains' was pretty much THE king who saved the principality and allowed it to have some sort of existence in the turbulent times of our mod. Having been captured by Manuel I of Byzantium, he manages to escape, return to Armenia, rally a potent force and push out the Greek garrisons who were there at the time. Eventually, Manuel I started to think of ways to win Toros over peacefully, but he failed misserably as Toros continued to recapture land form the Byzantines and start establishing a presence in the area for himself and his countrymen. What made it simpler for Toros was that the Muslims didn't particularly attack Armenia during this period and were more busy with events in Greater Syria, south of Armenia.

This is a point of great importance for this man, in 1150, 4 years after our mod, he wins decisive sieges against Byzantine forts that substantially weaken their dominance in the area. Will you help him reach such a goal? Or will you perhaps ally with the Byzantines and help rid the world of the infidels who have been attacking your Christian brethren not too far from you?


Faction Capital: Sis (modern day Kozan)
Area of dominance:

Faction diplomatic status with other factions:
Allied to:
France
The Crusader States

Enemies to:
The Seljuk Sultanate of Rum
The Zengids
The Fatimid Caliphate
The Byzantine Empire

Neutral to:
Rest.

Faction colors and banners:
Orange/Brown,

Faction Units and Weapons:

Spoiler

This.

Al-Mwahhidun

Spoiler: General Information

Faction Leaders: Abd al-Mu'min, having being exiled by the Al-Murabittun (Almoravids), this man quickly started turning towards laxity arguments that explained why the Muslims were loosing land in Al-Andalus. He because a follower of Ibn Tumart; a man who felt very radically about the loss of religious motive that the Muslims had in Iberia and North Africa. Upon Ibn Tumart's death, Abd al-Mu'min took his place. With the Almoravids losing more and more land, he was able to gain support and appealed to the public. He went on to destroy the Moravids in 1147 through sheer military force.

For you the player, this could be another transformative moment in history. In reality, Abd al-Mu'min grew a faction that was based on radical beliefs and cruelty. He believed that radicalism would carry the Muslims back to their glory in Al-Andalus. in 1151, Tunisia was now under Almohad control and the Jews and Christians were given an offer of conversion or death on the spot. Ironically, that belief and hostility caused the Mohads to lose Iberia. Their radicalism wasn't an answer to laxity. Will you be moderate? Or will you forge a radical empire?

Faction Capital: Marrakech
Area of dominance:

Faction diplomatic status with other factions:
Allied to:
None

Enemies to:
Iberian Factions

Faction colors and banners:
Bright Red,

Faction Units and Weapons:

Spoiler

This.

The Crusader States; The Kingdom of Jerusalem, the Principality of Antioch and the County of Tripoli.

Spoiler: General Information, The Kingdom of Jerusalem

Faction Leaders: Baldwin III of Jerusalem, crowned king only 5 years earlier, Baldwin III is at a stage of his life where he can literally determine the future of the Kingdom and the other Latin states. When his father died, Baldwin III was too young to rule, and had his power pretty much taken from him by Fulk of Jerusalem, who had married his mother. Baldwin walked into a world that he probably did not understand too well. He made a mistake when he betrayed the alliance between the Crusaders and Jerusalem.

With the fresh new arrivals from Europe, Baldwin sought to attack Damascus in order to show his glory to the European Crusade kings...
But will you do the same? Will you shun the Crusader attackers away? Or will you actually push forth and try to capture what the real figures failed to capture? Will you avoid a crushing 4 day defeat at Damascus?

Faction Capital: Jerusalem
Area of dominance: (seen in off white)

Faction diplomatic status with other factions:
Allied to:
The Crusader States
France
The Holy Roman Empire
England

Enemies to:
The Zengid Dynasty
The Seljuks of Rum
The Fatimid Caliphate

Faction colors and banners:
Off White,

Spoiler: General Information, The Principality of Antioch

Faction Leaders: Raymond of Poitiers, having held two regencies before, this man was no new comer to the Holy War stage. He married the daughter of Bohemund II of Antioch, who was at the time 10 years of age to secure his position. Her mother was not too fond of that decision seeing as she wanted to be married to Raymond. Oh, the Medieval Ages.

Raymond had much to deal with on his hands. With the immediate threat of the Zengids from North, and Edessa falling only 4 years ago, he has to be quick and swift in securing Antioch from any further invasions from the North.

Faction Capital: Antioch
Area of dominance: (seen in light shade of navy blue)

Faction diplomatic status with other factions:
Allied to:
The Crusader States
France
The Holy Roman Empire
England

Enemies to:
The Zengid Dynasty
The Seljuks of Rum
The Fatimid Caliphate

Faction colors and banners:
Light Navy Blue/Teal ,

Spoiler: General Information, The County of Tripoli

Faction Leaders: ,

Faction Capital: Tripoli
Area of dominance: (seen in crimson red)

Faction diplomatic status with other factions:
Allied to:
The Crusader States
France
The Holy Roman Empire
England

Enemies to:
The Zengid Dynasty
The Seljuks of Rum
The Fatimid Caliphate

Faction colors and banners:
Crimson Red,

Crusader Troops and Weaponry, By: Sahran

========================================
Crusader States Local/Feudal Units
========================================

Spoiler

========================================
Crusader States Mercenary Units
========================================

Spoiler

Turcopoles - true blue turcopoles, armed with bow (maybe guarantee either a bow or a javelin, but allow variation?), light lance, sword, mace, sometimes a shield.

Solidarius / Stipendarii Crossbowmen - soft armored crossbowmen

Solidarius / Stipendarii Footmen - medium armored (mail, possibly other stuff) melee infantry

"Italian Marines" - medium armored crossbowmen with sidearm and occassional shields

Solidarius / Stipendarii Serjens a Cheval - Mercenary Mounted Sergeants. Mixture of thick soft armor and light mail, much more plentiful and much cheaper than the mercenary knights. Sergeants + mercenary sergeants should make up the mainstay of your cavalry.

Solidarius / Stipendarii Miles (pl. Milites) - Mercenary Knights. Solidarius from 'man serving for pay', and Stipendarii from 'paid man' or 'man with a stipend'. These are the generic knightly mercenaries available to everyone - Byzantines, Turks, Franks, Christians and Muslims alike. The other mercenary milites are only available to the Crusaders.

Francia/Francorum Miles (pl. Milites) - French Knights, hired as mercenaries or given a temporary fief in exchange for service while they are on pilgrimage/crusade or just being mercenaries. Superior with the lance to their fellow "Ethnic Knights"

Germania/Germanicus Miles (pl. Milites) - German Knights, hired as mercenaries or given a temporary fief in exchange for service while on pilgrimage/crusade or just being mercenaries. Famed for their skill as infantrymen and valued as such by the Byzantines (who held their knights on foot with swords to be premiere), they are greatly superior to their fellow "Ethnic Knights" when on foot. Probably spawn them with horses, though.

Normannorum/Nortmanni Miles (pl. Milites) - Norman Knights from Normandy, England, or Sicily, hired as mercenaries or given a temporary fief in exchange for service while on pilgrimage/crusade or just being mercenaries. Probably the best knightly mercenaries available, but as a result much more expensive.

Ramik Archers - same as in Armenia. Unarmored, but with shield and some with helmets archers.

Azatagund Horsemen - same as in Armenia.

Jabaliya Hillmen - largely Shi'ite hillmen of Lebanon/Syria, unarmored and armed with javelins

========================================
Crusader States Special Units
========================================

Spoiler

TRIPOLI:
Maronite Archer - light, high quality foot archers

Maronite Horsemen - light horsemen, perhaps lighter than Turcopoles, armed with mix of javelins and bows


ANTIOCH:

Ramik(spas) archers, infantry, and cavalry from Armenia
Anazat archers, infantry, and cavalry from Armenia

JERUSALEM:

Miles de Familia Regis - knights of the king's household

Miles de Familia Constabularius - knights of the constable's (The commander of the army) household

UNIVERSAL:

Templier Frère-Chevalier / Frère-Miles (pl. Milites) - Templar Brother-Knight

Templier Frère-Serjen a Cheval - Templar Mounted Brother-Sergeant
Apparently wore black surcoat/cappa(?) with red cross on front/back

Templier Frère-Serjen Spearman - Templar Brother-Sergeant
Apparently wore black surcoat/cappa(?) with red cross on front/back

Templier Frère-Serjen Crossbowman - Templar Brother-Sergeant
Apparently wore black surcoat/cappa(?) with red cross on front/back

Hospitalier Frère d'armes: Hospitaller Brother-in-Arms.
Given they didn't differenciate between knight and sergeant at this point, perhaps a bit less armored than the Templars.

Pilgrims
Unarmored troops armed with a hodgepodge of weaponry

Continuation here.

 

[Kazzan]

Total realism? Will we get diseases? Will we be able to get limbs hacked off? Will we be able to kill the kings and lords? Will there be the black plauge as a event and your troops just start to die off like flies? That last one is a bit later... 

Anyways, enough bull****. I bid you good luck with the mod. Don't be discouraged by me.

 

[Outlawed]

Total realism? Will we get diseases*? Will we be able to get limbs hacked off? Will we be able to kill the kings** and lords? Will there be the black plauge*** as a event and your troops just start to die off like flies? That last one is a bit later... 

Anyways, enough bull****. I bid you good luck with the mod. Don't be discouraged by me.

* I don't know about Disease. I did want to implement a population system for Towns and Villages though. Maybe I could factor in disease but I wouldn't know what it would depend on. Unfortunately, unlike the Total War games M&B doesn't have things like Public Order and Health.

** Yes you will actually. At least that's what I have written down. The only way you would be able to assassinate a King would be something similar to how you would disguise yourself into a city. If you succeed you will be in the King's Hall and be outnumbered by several other Guards. If you get caught, you get into a fight with some Guards outside, if you win, the King becomes aware of you, if you fail you get captured as a prisoner.

*** As you said the Black Plague is sometime after the setting of this game and since its a day by day system it will be silly to add that.
Your post actually gave me an idea of adding public order as something that would be related to Garrison number and what extra buildings you have in your towns/villages/castles.

Perhaps I could even add Health as something that relates to Population size and buildings as well. Say if your town/village/castle population would grow over a certain number, the population speed would start to decrease until reaching one point where it will decrease. You'd have to build sanitation buildings and sewers to fix that.

Your post was actually more helpful to me than anything =p

But as I said, right now I'm on my own. I need a team to help me out.

Also, limbs, sounds hard but maybe lol.

 

[King Ragnarok]

spear bracing, horse whistles, horse kicking, nice

 

[Outlawed]

omg spear bracing, horse whistles, horse kicking, nice

You simply cannot be a Crusader Knight if your horse cannot kick someone in the Jaw lol

 

[Kazzan]

Well, glad you found some feedback in my random gibberish.

Will we be able to go hunt jews? Will there be a jew money lender in each city? Will we gain renown from killing jews? 

Jew racism was happening alot during the medieval era.

 

[Outlawed]

Well, glad you found some feedback in my random gibberish.

Will we be able to go hunt jews? Will there be a jew money lender in each city? Will we gain renown from killing jews? 

Jew racism was happening alot during the medieval era.

Jews were indeed persued during that Era. If you read my timeline the Wendish Crusade was a very bad/sad thing.
However, Jews were having a rather good time in Arabic/Muslim lands at the time. Before Lisbon was taken, Jews lived a very good life relative to any 'outsiders' if that's politically correct in Andalusia. They had to pay a certain amount of tax though. Muslims payed 'Zakat' which is sort of like an Annual tax that goes to the state and is, theoretically, spent on the wellfare of the state. Since outsiders lived in Andalusia, they were made to pay this Annual tax, but with a name change.

 

[Rorky]

Great idea for the mod! Ive always loved that period and ive always sympathised the Byzantines...they were the bulkwark of Christendom but they were engaged in constant rivalry with the West which only weakened them =/

About the xenophobia and anti-semitism, i agree it happened but in that regard, youd have to decide whether this mod would be a darker mod with xenophobia, anti-semitism and etc or ignore it. I would be happy with either, maybe try and script pogroms against Jews and maybe the peasant crusaders every once in a while?

One awesome idea/feature, which would tie in pretty nicely, would be money lending. Many kings would often need to borrow money to pay for their campaigns and Jews were kind of well off in that they were allowed by their religion to engage in usury or charging interest on loans. As a result, this added to the hostility towards the Jews and it would add an interesting dimension, you can decide whether to borrow money from them or join in the pogroms and rob/steal!

Also, another cool dimension to be added in would be the rivalry between the Italian merchant cities, most notable of which were Genoa, Pisa and Venice. No Crusading expedition could be successful without the sea power and also the transport ships afforded by these cities and the Outremer also relied on them for trade and income and as such, they were given VAST concessions in commerce and each had their own enclave in the big cities. However, they were intensely jealous of each other which led to many a conflict between Genoa, Pisa and Venice, each trying to vie for supremacy at the expense of the others. On various occasions, open fighting and naval warfare emerged between these cities to the detriment of the Outremer They also engaged in trade and intrigue with the Egyptians most notably as well as the Caliphs of Damascus and their subjects. You could say that they couldnt really look beyond their own coffers and purses which is a very sad thing indeed.

The rivalry between the Knightly orders would also be pretty neat.

I have a lot more ideas but i think id need more time to make them coherent XD Im an avid student of history, like i live on this stuff and its what im studying at uni as well so ill try to come up with more ideas and advice and if you want, i could offer some historical info and etc should you wish it!

Im hopeless at coding and modding though! Sorry! >.<

 

[Outlawed]

You have many interesting ideas.
Would you like to be on the research team and help us come up with realistic features?
I could really use some team members about now =p

EDIT: I especially like the idea about Money Lending.
About persecution, maybe we could replace the peasants in Europe with something like, Refugee Jews or Persecuted Jews.

I also very much like the idea of the orders, maybe I'll add some orders as seperate factions.
About the Genoa/Venice point, I do realize they were very important, but I do not know enough about them, and do not think the game can support Navy combat that well. We might add them as one faction.

 

[Rorky]

You have many interesting ideas.
Would you like to be on the research team and help us come up with realistic features?
I could really use some team members about now =p

Hahaha i wouldnt mind, id love to play this mod so i guess i should 

Ill dig up all my books on the Crusades now haha! If only my room was less of a mess *sigh*

 

[Outlawed]

You have many interesting ideas.
Would you like to be on the research team and help us come up with realistic features?
I could really use some team members about now =p

Hahaha i wouldnt mind, id love to play this mod so i guess i should 

Ill dig up all my books on the Crusades now haha! If only my room was less of a mess *sigh*

Awesome. Added. Welcome to the team!

 

[killerrabbit]

Good luck on that!

 

[Temuzu]

Sounds like the next Second Age. Good luck on it, certainly hope this succeeds.

 

[Sahran]

Word around the Christian world is that the Byzantine emperor Manuel the I Comnenus was a traitor.

My new favorite mod.  Like the chosen period, escapes the usual fair of the Ayyubids and the like. If you need any help with regards to researching the armies of the Saracens, I'd be happy to help

 

[Rorky]

Word around the Christian world is that the Byzantine emperor Manuel the I Comnenus was a traitor.

My new favorite mod.  Like the chosen period, escapes the usual fair of the Ayyubids and the like. If you need any help with regards to researching the armies of the Saracens, I'd be happy to help

Cant speak for Outlawed since hes the mod leader but i guess the more researchers the merrier? I prefer the Latins and the Byzantines anyway 

Always loved the Byzantines, pity they couldnt find a strong leader more often to keep the Latins and the Turks at bay

 

[Gothic Knight]

Word around the Christian world is that the Byzantine emperor Manuel the I Comnenus was a traitor.

My new favorite mod.  Like the chosen period, escapes the usual fair of the Ayyubids and the like. If you need any help with regards to researching the armies of the Saracens, I'd be happy to help

Cant speak for Outlawed since hes the mod leader but i guess the more researchers the merrier? I prefer the Latins and the Byzantines anyway 

Always loved the Byzantines, pity they couldnt find a strong leader more often to keep the Latins and the Turks at bay

Well they had John II, but when he gave the Turks a run for the money and proceeded to go to Jerusalem, the King of Jerusalem panicked for reasons beyond retarded(he asked the man to bring only 20,000 men) and John II died from unnatural causes in the field.

 

[Outlawed]

John the II was decent. He was smart to ally with the Crusader Kingdoms because at that time no one would have known how things might have turned out. I guess he bet his money on Christianity in the Holy Land =p

@Sahran: Thanks! I'll ago ahead and add you as a researcher for this project! I'll specify roles on the 5th when I get back to my desktop computer. Thats when the planning will start =)

 

[Seal_1]

"Total Realism"... I like that.
Unfortunately, I don't have the modding skills to help.

 

[HULKSMASH]

This is a win. Also, sala, add me to the team under scene editing, please.