Babylonia (Gods and Men Supplement)

About

Babylonia is a land of much wealth. They have extensive mines and lucrative trading deals with several other nations. The wealthy nobles enjoy a prosperous, fine existence, mostly due to their extensive use of slave labor. Even the poorest peasant in Babylonia is richer then the peasants of other lands. This wealth has caused the capital, Babylon, to become a cultural center where many wonders are created.

Despite all their scientific advances, Babylonia, like the other nations, does not know how to forge iron. It angers them that the Hittites, who they view as barbarians, know something that they, the cultured and civilized people, do not. Babylonia has a strong military prescence in all of its cities, because the border is not easily defensible (there are no natural borders like mountains).

History

Babylonia originated from the center of Babylon, which was a city during the reign of the Akkadian empire. After the Akkadian nation was dissolved, its land was divided up into territories ruled by various city-states. Babylon had itself a small amount of land, but was otherwise unremarkable.

But during the reign of its sixth king and current king, Hammurabi, Babylonia obtained domination over Mesopotamia. He is a very efficient ruler, and has established a bureaucracy, with taxation and centralized government, and gave the region stability in turbulent times. He also consolidated laws from several sources to form one of the longest set of laws. Many of them deal with how much you need to pay for services, laying down prices.

In Babylonia's ascension, Hammurabi drove out the Elamites, who had rushed in to fill the Akkadian Empire's void.

Army Tactics

The Babylonian army's main strength is its discipline. There is an obvious and enforced chain of command, and soldiers will unquestioningly follow their general's orders. Since Babylonia is a fairly wealthy nation, all of their soldiers are well equipped with the best armor and weapons. Hammurabi dislikes the use of conscripts, as they are untrained and easily broken, and also because using peasants detracts from their food supply. As such, conscripts are only used in times of desperation.

A Babylonian army begins battle with its archers in the front ranks, so that they are able to take shots earlier, and they often send small groups of chariots to accost the opposing force and find its weak points. As soon as the two armies begin to close, the archers are moved behind the warriors and shoot at the back rows of the opposing army. As the two armies collide, the heavily amored combatants take care of the front lines while archers take out the back rows and chariots harass the flanks and chas fleeing foes.

Conflicts

When the Babylonians took over Mesopotamia, the displaced the people that rooted there. This group moved farther east and became what is now known as the Persian Empire. Many Persians still have a hatred for Babylonia, and are waiting for an oppurtunity to take back their homeland. Recently, Babylonia has begun to infrige on Egypt's lands by the Mediteranean, which may result in a war. Hatti may also attack, since Babylonia constantly sends spies in an attempt to figure out how they forge iron.

Geography

Babylonia roughly occupies a region similar in size and geography to modern-day Iraq. Thus, it is mostly a desert country, but surrounding its two main rivers(the Tigris and Euphrates) are fertile plains ending in a large river delta. Here, life flourishes, and this is where most of the major cities are. In fact, half of Babylon is on either side of the Euphrates.

NPCs

Hammurabi

Headquarters and Locations

Babylon, the capital city, Ninevah, Carchemish, Ur, and Susa.

Adventure Hooks

• A high official of Babylon commisions the party to go undercover and steal a Hittite stone slab that is rumored to hold the secrets of forging iron.
• The Hittites, tired of being infriged upon, launch an offensive.
• The Persians, in an attempt to regain their homeland, send a massive army, intending on sacking the capital.

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