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Black Sands

NOTE: You will need a separate mod to unlock these factions. I suggest this one... https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=187373962

This is a massive compilation of campaign changes and roster overhauls for the Aethiopian (Meroe/Axum) and African (Garamantia/Nasamones/Blemmyes) factions. This mod builds upon and improves my Blameless Aethiopians series and includes even more units and tweaks toward balance and historical accuracy.

Campaign Features...
African Champions (taken from the Ptolemy faction) for all Desert Nomad factions
Universal Diplomacy for all Eastern factions (Occupy/Sack/Loot/Liberate/Subjugate/Raze)
Desert Nomad Confederations (forms Desert Alliance)
Eastern State Temples (chain of temples that give Desert Nomad religious bonuses)
Desert Nomad Capitals (desert nomad factions can build capitals that give them their own cultural bonuses)
Aethiopian Nubians (Nubian units can be recruited by any faction occupying Aethiopia as regular or auxiliary units)
All vanilla auxiliary units can be recruited by Aethiopian and African factions.
All Aethiopian and African auxiliary units can be recruited by all factions once they occupy those regions.

Faction Features...
The Blemmyes, Meroe and Axum get 6 unique units, two of which can be recruited as auxiliaries by anyone but them
Garamantia and the Nasamones get 5 shared units and three of their old units can be recruited as auxiliaries by all



Black Sands Sabean Auxiliary: all units can be recruited from barracks level 2; factions can't recruit their own auxiliaries! Auxiliaries cost more in upkeep than their regular counterparts but the same in initial purchase. I did this, because native troops would be cheaper to keep on the payroll out of loyalty. Foreign troops have to be persuaded a little more with extra coin. Infantry units cost 10 more in upkeep and Cavalry units cost 20 more in upkeep.)
-Auxiliary Nubian Spearmen
-Auxiliary Blemmye Camel Archers
-Auxiliary Axumite Sarawit
-Auxiliary Axumite Ihzab
-Auxiliary Nubian Bowmen
-Auxiliary Nubian Cavalry Lancers

Blemmyes (emi=eastern military infantry; emsl=eastern military stables light; emsa=eastern military stables animal)
emi-1) Blemmye Trogolodytes (back from the grave, club and all)
emi-2) Blemmye Warriors
emi-2) Medjay Nubian Spearmen (new unit, basically the vanilla Nubian Spearmen with extra strength and ability)
emsl-3) Blemmye Cavalry
emsa-2) Blemmye Camel Spearmen (now a medium melee cavalry unit)
emsa-2) Blemmye Camel Archers

Meroe (emi=eastern military infantry; emsl=eastern military stables light; emsh=eastern military stables heavy; emsa=eastern military stables animal)
emi-2) Nubian Axemen
emi-2) Meroite Pikemen (now a heavy pike unit!)
emi-3) Meroite Nubian Bowmen (new unit, basically the vanilla Nubian Spearmen with extra strength and ability)
emsh-2) Nubian Lance Cavalry
emsh-3) Nubian Chariot Archers
emsa-2) Nubian Elephants

Axum (emi=eastern military infantry; emsl=eastern military stables light; emsa=eastern military stables animal)
emi-1) Axumite Ihzab
emi-2) Axumite Sarawit
emi-3) Axumite Negus Guard
emsl-3) Axumite Skirmish Cavalry
emsa-2) Axumite Camel Lances (now a shock lance unit!)
emsa-3) Axumite War Elephants


Black Sands Phazania and Libya Auxiliary (all units can be recruited from barracks level 2; factions can't recruit own auxiliaries! And auxiliaries cost 10 more in upkeep as infantry, 20 more in upkeep as cavalry and 30 more in upkeep as chariots.)
Auxiliary Skirmish Cavalry (new unit, same stats as African Skirmish Cavalry, now available to all!)
Auxiliary Large Shield Warriors (new unit, same stats as African Large Shield Warriors, now available to all!)
Auxiliary Chariot Raiders (new unit, same stats as African Chariot Raiders, now available to all!)

Garamantia/Nasamone Units
emi-1) African Desert Bandits (new unit, modeled after my old Blemmye Bandits unit)
emi-3) Saharan Javelinmen (new unit, garbed helm, fierce infantry skirmisher)
emi-4) Saharan Pikemen (new unit, garbed helm, poor but historical pike unit)
emsl-3) African Desert Cavalry (new unit, modeled after my old Blemmye Cavalry Sword unit)
emsh-3) African Desert Spear Cavalry (new unit, garbed helm, semi-heavy melee cavalry)



Like I said, this started out as Blameless Aethiopians 5, but I wanted to show some love to the African factions in North Africa as well. You'll notice I spaced out the units so you'll have more of a reason to upgrade your buildings. This mod is a culmination of all the suggestions I received since BA3. No more recruiting your own auxiliaries. Give Meroe pole-arm infantry. Dial back the abilities of some of the units.

I'll leave you with a little poem that illustrates what I was trying to do with this mod and how it got its name.
ENJOY :)




A foreigner - a conqueror - a champion to be feared looked out across the hot land.
His slave walked beside him, dutifully, carrying spears and shield in hand.
The conqueror asked his slave, "How many warriors reside in the desert that lies to the south?
How many arrows and lances are found there? How many swords and axes come out?"
The slave reached down to the sand below and presented it to the conqueror then speaking:
"The tribes of the south are many, my lord, and the clans within each are legion.
"How many grains of sand reside, my lord, in the desert beneath your feet?
For that is the number that awaits you where the bones of old have bleached."
-Black Sands by S.L. Roberson