Empires of Southern and Central Africa
Watu Himaya / Byn Tola
Bantu Empire / Empire of the Byn
Capital: Jijimikate
The Bantu Empire, in its own language of Kiswaili the Watu Himaya and known colloquially throughout all of Africa as the Byn Tola, is without a doubt the greatest military and political power in central Africa today, long-coveting the Swahili kingdoms and principalities in the United States of Africa and rivaling that same power with inherited enmity and territorial covetousness. Although not much greater in population than the USA, the Bantu Empire has a highly centralized political structure ruled by an absolute monarch known as the Mfalme Makuu - the Great King, or Emperor - who exercises his authority over an extensively large nobility class as well as rules with the blessing of the Kiongozi Makuu, the High Cleric of the Church of Kimbangu, whose clerical palace exists in the ancient city of Nkamba. The Kiongozi Makuu exercises his authority over the Kiongozi, a clerical sect that exercises the moral authority of the Church of Kimbangu, a Christian religion that observes a complex liturgy of beliefs. Although the Mfalme Makuu rules with complete authority in the Bantu Empire, the Kiongozi Makuu is expected to coronate him and confer blessings upon him; thus the two titles are inextricably linked in the political order of the Empire. The tithes collected by the Kiongozi constitute the greatest revenue source for the state. The nobility, clergy, and the imperial house together operate a massive apparatus of state that is capable of levying huge armies that it has a demonstrated ability of using to extract tribute and offerings from the Nigerian states in the northwest as well as the Namabe and the A'ma Xho to the south. The Bantu Emperors have long coveted lands which it calls "udongo wa-asili" (lit. native soil) controlled by the USA, constituting roughly all the territory south of the Bugandan lakes, but has hitherto been incapable of mounting the crusade necessary to conquer those lands. But as time goes on, the Bantu Empire seems to grow only stronger, as its state administration, finances, and military and political traditions improve from year to year.
The Watu peoples who founded the Bantu Empire conquered the territories west of Zimba and north through the Kongo over many generations, instituting strict legal and linguistic controls to proselytize a normalized linguistic form called Kiswaili - by its own reckoning a direct descendant of ancient Swahili, but much changed, vulgarized, and distinguished over time. Many elite nobility of the Watu and speak a form of Kiswaili that is somewhat unintelligible to the vast population called Kiswaili Makuu, or "King's Speech."
Fanjakh Malakh(assar) / Fanja Malaga
Kingdom of the Malakh / Malagasy Kingdom
Capital: Antana
Two ethno-linguistic groups of the Austronesian family persist in modern-day Madagaskar, almost totally mutually intelligible but held distinct due to strong regional identities that persist in the "coastal-dwellers" and the "highlanders". These groups are called, respectively, Malakh and Malagasy. These two ethnicities have a tumultuous history, but in the course of royal politics and political unions have been joined in a single political power that is, essentially, the modern iteration of the ancient Kingdom of Malagasy. Ruling in Antana, the King of the Malakh rules over an unruly congress of noble representatives, whose political preferences, particularist concerns, and local rudiments serve as the basis of the entire political discourse in Malakhassar. Interestingly, this has resulted in an extraordinarily vibrant civil society, with art, literature, and obscenely skilled craftsmen ruling the urban centers and creating a powerful burgher class (called, suspiciously enough, bourgeoisie after the ancient French term for these people, which has stood the test of time).
Malakhs and Malagasy are a type of Catholic Christian that distantly acknowledges the authority of the Imperial Church, but which is not particularly devout or concerned with those proclamations - instead assuming that the majority of the social order is as God wills it and thus being more concerned with the temporal affairs that dominate Malakh society.
Malakhassar is a rival of the Bantu, but of the kind that does what it wants without fear of repercussions. The Bantu have an exceptionally poor naval tradition that is no match for the seasoned sailors of the Malakh people. The Malakh, however, have no wherewithal to press their advantage against the Bantu, not wishing to run up against the sheer weight of the Bantu state. Their relations may thus be described as frosty, but mostly harmless.
Namaba Confederation
Princely Confederation
Capital: Prinza
The Namaba Confederation is the most multicultural state in southern Africa, comprising princes and dukes representing ethnicities descended from ancient Bots, Khoe, Namibia, Angola, Afrikaans, and more. As a political union, the confederation is constantly rife with infighting and the Arch-Prince has little real authority; the constituent members are constantly dividing and warring amongst themselves. However, the political predominance of union was a work of expert statescraft by the great leader Zimtao Hnchari, who organized the first coalition of states in the area to resist a Bantu invasion. Although that invasion was only partially repelled, with the Bantus exacting a massive payment of tributes, it did lay the foundations for the "princely confederation" as it is called internally. Called by outsiders as "Namaba" for the predominant role of the Namaba Principality, which is the most powerful member, in actuality there is no majority of power by any individual state and jockeying for internal politics regularly passes the lion's share of power outside of Namaba. Nevertheless, although politically weak, the confederation is far from dead meat and, when subjected to serious pressure, is capable of punching far above its own weight in military power.
A'ma Xho
Kingdom of the Xhosa / Ama Xhosa Kingdom
Capital: Shakarat
The A'ma Xho is the only other major Bantu ethnicity outside of the United States of Africa that does not bend the knee to the Bantu Emperor, and which has developed a significant and original ethno-religious identity that does not easily mesh with that same empire. As such, it has continually resisted efforts by the Bantu Empire to absorb it and has in fact on occasion sent Bantu armies packing. Descended from the Xhosa and the Zulu and the Afrikaans, and calling itself after the Xhosa and the Shona, the A'ma Xho is the self-name for the realm it rules which means, literally, "Xho people." A'ma Xho is ruled by a king who exercises a fairly unitary authority, ruling with the assistance of a warrior class of nobility whose strong traditions and political power make them the most influential lot in the realm. The A'ma Xho has produced some of the best generals and warriors in the history of southern Africa and yet still has not experienced a serious civil war in over one-hundred years.
The A'ma Xho are largely Christian but lacking any formal liturgy or denominational authority. Christianity is largely treated as a household religion with shaman clergy.
