Civ design challenge

Hoop Thrower said:

INB4 Civ Fanatics modder reunion in Denmark.

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The Kingdom of Aksum ​

100 - 940 AD​

Subsaharan Africa holds a somewhat unique and unenviable place in the traditional historical narrative. The civilisations and empires of the land beyond that mighty barrier, the great desert, are often considered to be operating in a vacuum - a bubble from within which they struggle to influence the world outside to no avail. Occasionally however, great and powerful peoples, ideas and empires rise up on this 'Dark Continent' and challenge that traditional narrative. Aksum is one of these empires.

Aksum clawed its way out of the dying D'mt kingdom sometime around the first century AD and from there expanded southwards, towards the now burgeoning trade links between the Western and Eastern worlds. Uniting the disaparate peoples of the Red Sea coast, Aksum began to send out her own tendrils and became an important player in the trade of goods from both the South - deep in the African heartland, such as Ivory - and also the East, where silks and jewels travelled from India and China. Both routes fed the growing Roman Empire and by acting as a middleman, the Aksumites became quite rich. This wealth fed the growing trend of erecting fantastic Stelae, which are represented in the vanilla Ethiopia civ. Indeed, the Askumites became so powerful that Mani, a 3rd century Persian prophet, named Askum as one of the four 'Superpowers' of the earth, alongside China, Rome and Persia!

In 324, the Askumites made history by becoming the second nation to adopt Christianity as their official religion, following the Armenians and predating the Romans. Newly galvanised by this faith the Askumites were propelled forward into greatness, and perhaps more importantly, were drawn east to the unchristian hordes of the Arabian peninsula, which would become their fascination and, eventually, their downfall. In 520 the Askumites invaded and occupied Jewish Yemen, sending forces as far into Arabia as Mecca, where their troops attempted to sack the holy Kaaba around 570.

Ultimately, however, the Askumites were expelled from Yemen - first by their own governor of the conquered territories, and later by the Persians, and began to decline. By the time of the rise of Islam the Askumites were in serious decline and by the 10th century the new 'Ethiopian' empire rebelled out of its ashes and asserted control in Eastern Africa.

A trading power with the wealth and might to stand shoulder to shoulder with China, Persia and Rome. One of the earliest and strongest proponents of classical Christianity and the scourge of southern Arabia. I can't wait to see what you can come up with for them!

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Kingdom of Aksum

Kaleb

Facilitator of Empires
Whenever a Religion is founded or a City is converted receive a free Artifact which yields +2 Faith. Trade Route Range is increased by +5% for every worked Luxury Resource.

Stelae
+2 Faith. Units may be disbanded in this City for a Faith boost unlike the Monument it replaces.

Miaphysite Church
+1 Faith for every 4 followers of your Religion in this City. Has a small chance to grant a free Missionary upon completion unlike the Temple it replaces.

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[Aksum]
Leader: Ezana
Capital: Aksum
Religion: Orthodoxy
Culture: Semitic

Unique Ability: Periplus of the Red Sea
Receives a Trade Route slot for every civilization sending one to you, but this cannot exceed half of your original slots. Trade Routes sent to City-States increase the Gold from Trade Routes with major civilizations for each luxury they produce.

Unique Unit: Sewn Boat
Replaces the Trireme. While adjacent to a City-State that you can bully you'll receive half of the Gold yield of any trade route involving it, and the City-State gets a Cargo Ship for as long as the Sewn Boat remains there.

Unique Building: Stele
Replaces the Monument. +2 Culture and +2 Faith. +15% Production towards religious buildings after you adopt a religion.

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