The Calm Before the Storm: 1155-1185
Finally the anarchy was over and after 10 hard years of fighting, everything was calm, for now. Many disgruntled Christians took to their underground lairs to plot. The Caliph didn't think too much of it but he was wary. He also continued the construction of horse archers in the capital in the case of an Arabian collapse. Ethiopia's army grew every larger.
To quicken the construction of a task force to invade Arabia, original soldiers were sent in from the frontier city of Meroe to the capital. This was a highly controversial move which sparked quite a few angry comments but the Caliph responded by funding for a new archery division. This appeased the locals and would hopefully protect them against any impi attacks.
The soldiers in the North had no more options. They had been waiting at the border of Kyiv for ages. Finally, they just entered the territory. They fully realized it's illegality but they did it any ways. It was absolutely necessary for the furthering trade negotiations with the European continent. Soon Ethiopia would come back into talks with it's partner in the North, Poland.
The first people to cross Ethiopian paths though was the Holy Roman Empire. Being that they are Orthodox Christians they did not particularly like the Ethiopian Empire. Negotiations were short. Nevertheless there was good coming out of this already. As soon as the soldiers met with Polish authorities gestures of kindness were given and received and the two nations began to talk. Soon enough they both agreed on a phenomenal deal. It may have been a bit lopsided but it was exactly what Ethiopia needed to become a world power. One of the largest exchanges of knowledge occurred that day. The African nation rocketed to become one of the most advanced in the world in a span of less than a year. As the Caliph said, "By the grace of Allah we have been allowed to meet such kind individuals. We are lucky to have such great friends around the world. This meeting will truly define an era."
The most important trade to come from this was the knowledge of the feudal system. Although the system itself entirely disinterested the Muslim nation, the soldiers that Europeans had thought up because of this system did. These horsemen clad in shining metal seemed impervious to damage. Ethiopian warriors stared in amazement at the sight of these wonderful things. Soon Ethiopia would have them too, soon.
Because of Ethiopia's long-standing open borders with the Polish nation, Ethiopian warriors began to travel through the farmlands of the country. They needed to go to other nations of Europe, to at least attempt to increase the exchange of knowledge.
Finally a massive army had been built near the capital. This army could devastate anything in its path and take out any amount of enemy. With the fleet at the ready Ethiopia was ready to strike like thunder. But the military tacticians stopped for a moment and thought. What if they clad their own horsemen in this armor? They would be unstoppable! This was an expensive undertaking though and would require massive amounts of money to fund. This is when the military budget went up by approximately 400%.
There had been rumors circulating throughout the empire of an impending rebellion. One especially large part of the rumor was that one of the leaders of the rebellion was attempting to make talks with Christian Europe, particularly the Holy Roman Empire because of their well-trained troops. Then, though, something happened that stopped this plan dead in the water. There had been much turmoil occurring in this part of Europe at the moment, religious turmoil. Throughout the centuries, Muslims had lived in peace in the German states. Treatment of them from the government grew harsher and harsher though as the years wore on. It all broke loose in 1185 when the infamous Muslim Revolution swept through the empire. Lead by Yazmine al-Atassi, a refugee from Syria during the Seljuk takeover, the Muslims turned the original ruling system to rubble. Orthodox and Catholic officials ran for cover as their Islamic neighbors swept across the lands, rising up against their harsh authority figures. Christian buildings were ransacked and the priests ran out of town. The Holy Roman Empire was now Muslim. With no more support possible, the Ethiopian rebels instead focused their attempts at convincing a European nation to France, a harder task to take on.
To help increase relations between Ethiopia and the Holy Roman Empire, the Caliph sold the impis they had managed to capture for a meager price. This was to help nurture the new alliance that would hopefully take hold. For this the Holy Roman Empire promised Ethiopia it would refuse to aid any rebel groups no matter what they say. This was music to the Caliph's ears.
In a small village outside of Yeha there was a tribe. The people working the iron mines accidentally stumbled upon the village and they were in for a serious surprise. In this small village there were people making the most beautiful sounds. They used instruments of ivory and wood but made melodies of gold and silver. The buttery tunes fell upon the Ethiopians and they immediately grabbed onto this and did not let go. Soon, this South African form of music became popular throughout the whole empire, and the creation of a very distinct culture was on the rise.
By this time Ethiopia had not grown at all geographically but had boomed internally. With new technologies and new forms of culture, Ethiopia was a nation to watch out for. They had to be wary though, as Christian insurrectionists were waiting for a moment to strike, and it was expected to be soon.