Dossier from the Desk of Eliezer-ben-Eliezer
Eastern Powers
Deesh.
Shinarites: alias Sumerians.
King: Amraphel: alias Hammurabi VI
Capital: Ur. Our place of origin.
Other major cities: Uruk, Lagash, Nippur, Eridu
Gods: Chaotic Neutral
An empire spanning Southern Mesopotamia, once the glory of the world in literature, culture, technology, finance and jurisprudence, Abram-bar-Terakh proved astonishingly prescient in leaving at what now appears to be a golden age for Sumeria, perhaps a dreadfully final golden age. Our ancestral homeland currently lies in a state of terrible decline thought unthinkable a mere generation ago, riven by fiscal debt and hyperpartisanship: the rural working class clash with urban middle class and poor, made more partisan because of urban aristocracy siding with rural farmers and craftsmen, for whose labor they underpay. In addition to getting caught in global warfare (war for which their hubris may be the cause) Sumeria is in grave danger of collapse, civil war, and financial meltdown. The famed Sumerian work ethic has deserted them, and in its place arrives a civilization decadent and declined, rulers corrupt, government hyperpartisan, work ethic subsumed by radical ideology extoling the demerits of hard labor. While the Sumerian government used to respond to floods and droughts with astonishing speed and efficacy, the government today is ruled by an ideology of non-interference, against which there is much clamor for revolution.
King Hamurrabi VI, formerly Amraphel, was once a friend of Abram's who worked in Terakh's idol store and told Terakh of Abram's consorting with the Habirus. Abram bore Amraphel a terrible grudge, but the former Amraphel has paid Abram's Elamite tribute for eleven of these last twelve years. The nature of current relations between Abram and King Hammurabi is a secret known only to our master and the homeland's king. We prevail, yet again, upon our master to tell us the standing of things between Abram-bar-Terakh and the Sumerian Emperor.
Alliance Reliability: Extraordinarily, low.
Min.
Elamites:
King: Khederla'omer
Capital: Shushan
Religion: Hermetic
A rising empire east of Mesopotamia, in the southwest of a region now called Persia. They speak an Indo-European language not unlike both Sumerian and Habiru. Even Sumeria views them as ferociously intelligent. But whereas Sumeria and Ur is cultured, profligate and individuated to point of decadence, Elam is utterly thrifty, industrious, community focused, and future minded. The Sumerians have spent the last generation in a delicate dance of diplomacy with Elam involving multiple treaties and massive financial involvement. So much so that Elam makes an enormous amount of the raw material consumed by Sumer. Elam can be said to be dependent on Sumerian purchasing power for the increase in its standard of living. Sumer can be said to be dependent on Sumer for manufacturing products that are too expensive to make amid Sumerian inflation.
The great danger is that this rising empire and falling empire may fall into what's commonly called the Enkidian Trap, in which a rising power unintentionally destabilizes a falling power, which results in the widespread destruction of both. There are many empires which would benefit from such an occurrence, just as many who may also be destroyed in the coming melee, but ultimately the effects of such a conflict are so chaotically destructive as to be entirely unpredictable.
King Khederla'omer is clearly a strategist of a brilliance not seen since Hammurabi I. He has extracted (some would say extorted) payment from Canaanite kings for twelve years, and in return he provides security. Surprisingly, he has kept his promise, and there has been no civil conflict for the entirety of his rule-by-proxy. However, many Canaanite kings are consulting with the Sumerian ambassador in what they think is secret. They currently negotiate a strategy to rid themselves of their dues to Elam while paying a one-time tribute to Sumeria in raw material as payment for their assistance.
It is the opinion of this analyst that this collusion is doomed from its outset, and any king who crosses Khederla'omer will quickly be deposed.
Alliance Reliability: Surprisingly High
Esh.
Amorites:
Habitats: Nomad
Conquests: Prolific
Settlements: Prolific
Government: Confederate Republic
Gods: Chaotic Good
A stunningly adaptable people: capable of farming, shepherding, soldiering and financial trading. They have a deceptively sophisticated form of government. For centuries other empires habitually dismiss them as of lower intelligence and lower sophistication, they were thought a parasite nation who occupy the houses and technologies of the conquered, yet they continually win whatever wars they elect to fight.
Rumors abound that the Amorites began as a Habiru splinter group, but there is no proof as such. Yet as they traversed the Levant they have proven astoundingly adaptive with achievements that at times dwarf their neighbors.
Alliance Reliability: Quixotic and Mercurial
Limmu.
Hurrians.
Habitats: Nomad
Linguistic Origin: Unknown
Ruling Class: Mitanni
Ruling Class Language: Indo-European
Primary Occupation: Warriors
Military Advantage: Horsing Skill
King: Ariokh
Gods: Lawful Neutral
A Turkic mercenary people said to inhabit a sometime empire in the corner border between Anatolia, Mesopotamia, Syria and Armenia. A race of cavalry soldiers, expert in riding, breeding, training and cavalry tactics. Occasionally seen in other parts as traders and guides, the Hurrain are said to hear of conflicts and immediately embark to participate. Upon arrival they immediately offer the losing side assistance for profit. If profit is not paid immediately, they offer assistance to the winning side.
Alliance Reliability: Medium Low
Western Powers
Ia.
Canaanite City States
Government: Confederation
Languages: Varied
Gods: Lawful Good
Kings: Bera and Bisha are the ones we negotiate with
Capital: Sodom
The independent city states of Canaan are in danger of falling into the Elamite empire. Contrary to Yahweh's divine information to Abram, the Canaanites are surprisingly wealthy, or at least they were until the Elamites extracted tribute. Yet they themselves can be said to extract tribute because all goods that move from continent to continent are taxed by moving through Canaanite land. Egypt must pay to do business in in Sumeria, Sumeria must pay to do business in Arabia, Arabia must pay to do business in Anatolia, all must pay merely to do business in Canaan, and the best ports are Canaanite so in order to move goods to Yevan and Italia, many choose to leave from Jaffa, Akko, Ashkelon and Gaza. Elsewhere Canaanites can inevitably be seen as merchants and traders, or driving caravans from empire to empire. Canaan has no wish to conquer, merely to extract tribute, and that is precisely the nature of their conflict with Elam. Elam wishes to be the sole beneficiary of Canaanite remuneration, and consequently the Canaanites have little money left to fund their own pursuits, which indulge in all the sophisticated pursuits of elsewhere, brought to Canaan and some would say refined (others would say vulgarized).
Ur may be the world's capital, boasting a culture all too worthy of a capital, but Sodom (and its suburb Gemorah) is the world's cultural capital, where passes through all things literate, artistic, musical and gastronomic (and erotic). It is a city of the ultimate liberality, where all lifestyles are welcome, all progress celebrated, and all sentiments of conservation and reaction unwelcomely viewed as backward. Yet it is so expensive that only the wealthy and upper middle class may dwell within it. It sits upon a quaternary fault near the Dead Sea that gives it an utterly unique topography and climate. Its appearance is astonishingly well maintained, seemingly every building painted a hundred colors, and while there is much talk of homeless within it, one could be forgiven for thinking it the wealthiest, most prosperous city in the world.
In the event of a military strike, Sodom will be the first site in Canaan to reap the whirlwind.
Alliance Reliability: Immaterial, we are bound together.
Ash.
Habirus: (alias: Apiru, Hyksos, Shepherd Kings)
Homeland: Stateless
Orientation: Bedouin
Religion: Borderline Monotheist
King: Abram?
God: Chaotic Evil
Referred to derogatorily as 'the shepherd kings' because they cross the world with nothing but their cattle, they are often thought the dregs of the earth: hated by every major civilization as mercenaries, thieves, peasants and rebels. Habirus seem to turn up in every state's record as fugitive convicts, army deserters, escaped slaves, political agitators, yet our master saw fit to consort with them, to break bread with them, to fornicate with them, to promote a few from slave to servant, to even adopt three Habirus into the household.
However unacceptable the rest of the household finds the generosity of his treatment, Abram has been rewarded by Habirus with unconditional loyalty. They have no god but Set, yet Abram seems to be worshipped by them as something akin to a god. In return for settlement upon Abram's land, they have bound all their possessions into Abram's keeping. This race of thieves has only committed only four recorded acts of theft upon anyone on our land. They have worked as shepherds, farmers, craftsmen and soldiers with the ultimate industry.
Alliance Reliability: Stunningly, Absolute.
Umun.
Philistines: (alias: 'The Sea Peoples')
Cities: Ashdod, Ekron, Gat, Ashkelon and Gaza are mixed Philistine and Canaanite
King: Tidal
The Philistines are European outliers, some would say 'occupiers' of this Canaanite land. They claim they are originally from Canaan, but they carry with them the art, architecture and linguistic structure of Europe. They are a mix of Greek, Turkic, Anatolian, and no doubt there is some Canaanite in there too somewhere. They are called people of the sea because they arrived from the sea, but it is to the sea they must be tossed back. They arrived just one century ago as refugees from the Trojan War. They may well be the descendants of the remaining Trojans, though they could just as easily be Mycenean. Who knows with those people? All we know is that they must be eliminated. Their numbers grow and grow, and they are an ongoing threat we must deal unless we want our land to be permanently occupied by the West.
Usu.
Egypt:
No descriptor needed.
Illimu.
Desert Tribal Alliance:
Orientation: Bedouin
Ethnicities: Midianite, Edomite, Moabite, Ammonite, other tribes unknown as they are Arabian
Religion: Monotheist
God: Lawful Good
King: Zo'ar
For the moment, a closed society. The Midianites, Edomites, Moabites and Ammonites have continued presence in Canaan, but many of them simply wander the Arabian desert, setting up camp in indeterminate locations. Nobody knows anything of their whereabouts until they appear in the Negev en masse like a mass vacation during which they trade and party, perhaps reuniting with relatives, perhaps worshipping a god that only can be properly worshipped here, and then they go home and we don't hear from them for another seven or ten years. There are many records of these tribes committing acts of thievery and raids, yet in times of drought they have always been extremely forthcoming and generous with other tribes.
Alliance Reliability: Utterly Unknown
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