[b]Nation Name[/b]: The Atli tribes Flag: [img=http://flag-designer.appspot.com/gwtflags/SvgFileService?d=0&c1=2&c2=3&c3=1&o=7&c4=0&s=3&c5=5] [b]Region on map:[/b] [IMG]http://i62.tinypic.com/30tjwbk.jpg[/IMG] Capital: They are nomadic Capital Population: - Other Major Settlements: - Population: 1.000.000 Racial demographics: Social dynamics: (What is respectable, how do people re-act to certain things, hierarchies, widespread beliefs, etc) Fashion: Calendar: (If applicable) Art: (If applicable) Law: (If applicable) Education: (If applicable) Lanuages: Religious beliefs: (If applicable) [b]Type of Government:[/b] Meritocratic confederation of tribes The Atli tribes are a loose confederation of 6 individual tribes. Every tribe has its own tribal council and chieftain but above them stands the Central Atli council and Atli Chieftain. The key element in the government is that the tribes need to be lead by the most competent person. Chieftans are selected by the council. Once a chieftain retires, every man or woman that is of adult age can apply for the job. They will have to convince the council that they are the right person to lead the tribe. The tribal council is made up entirely of elders. Most of them have hold a chieftain or other important leadership position. Once a person has reached the age of 50 he can choose to become part of the council. There is no fixed number of council members so the council is often very large. Sometimes the numbers are in the hundreds. In most occasion when there is a council meeting only a portion attends to make the decision. Only for the determination of the next chieftain the entire council meets to review the applicants. Other jobs of the council is to speak justice when disputes arise between tribe members and to advice the chieftain on internal and external affairs. Influence and relations: (If applicable) Important People: [b]Economy:[/b] The economy of the Atli Tribes is based upon the idea of self preservation and survival of the harsh conditions they life in. As nomands they don't have permanent settlements nor do they have knowledge of farming. The Atli work with a commune system where the entire commune is responsible for the wellbeing and production of goods their commune needs. Overproduction is often traded with other commune's within the tribes or with foreign nations in order to aquire items and resources the Atli don't produce themselves. The Atli produce their food mainly for their own survival and don't export much beyond their own tribe. The Atli herd various life stocks such as sheep and goats to provide them with dairy products in the summer and meat in the winter. Also they hunt on various animals on the steppes and are extensive trappers. The women folk often scavenges eatable plants but this is only a minor form of filling their food needs. Skins and wool from the animal is used to make clothing and leather products such as armor for their warriors and the tents they life in. The most important resource the Atli export are horses. The Atli's horses are famous for their speed and stamina which surpasses those bred in the neighboring countries. The most important resources the Atli import are without doubt steal and metal tools. Metals are used to produce tools and weaponry for the tribe. Metal is rare with the tribes and hardly never used to make body armor. The Atli does not have currency. They rely on barter to exchange goods and services. [hider=Military][b]Military[/b] The Atli tribe's warriors form a highly capable military force that is surprisingly well organized and lead for a barbaric tribe with relatively low technological standards. The Atli believe that discipline, loyalty and competent leadership are the key factors for creating and maintaining an effective fighting force. Just as in civilian life, unit leaders and generals are appointed based upon their skills and experience and not on birthright, wealth or nobility. This makes sure that every leadership position is filled by a competent person who possesses the skills and insights needed to achieve victory. Due to this system, unit leaders at the front can and are allowed to display a great deal of initiative during battles. The Atli tribe's military is a 100% pure cavalry force. Horseback riding is an important aspect of the everyday life in the tribe and for their military this is no difference. Warriors often posses up to 4 horses. This allows them to travel great distances in a short time due to the ability to switch horses. That way the Atli always arrive at the field of battle on a fresh horse. Training is a very important aspect of the Atli warriors life. Not only do they train in individual combat skills and horseback riding but also frequently train on large unit maneuvers. It is common practice to have over 10.000 warriors gather together during peacetime in order to practice large scale maneuvers. [u]Army organization[/u] The warriors are categorized based on their equipment and fighting style and know roughly two different unit types. Light and heavy cavalry. The light cavalry are equipped with composite re-curve bows and slightly curved scimitar like swords. They carry a quiver of 60 arrows on their back and an additional quiver on their saddle. They fight as cavalry archers and can fire accurate shots while galloping. The Atli know that they can fire with the highest accuracy when all legs of the horse are in the air and regularly practice the timing. The warriors often wear light leather armor for protection. The light cavalry is known for their high mobility and hit and run tactics. They wear the enemy down with arrows while denying them the close quarters/melee fight. When the enemy routs or there is a need to the light cavalry can and will draw their swords and charge. Roughly 75% of the Atli warriors fight as light cavalry. The Atli heavy cavalry is the melee component of their army. These horsemen wear heavier armor and use wooden shields as protection. Mostly their armor is made out of strong laminated leather and occasionally chain-mail when available. Also their horses wear protective leather armor. The heavy cavalry carries long lances and the cavalry sword into battle. With their long lances and fast horses, the heavy cavalry can deliver devastating charges at the enemy units. Unit Number of men Arban: 10 Zuun: 100 10 arbans Migghan: 1.000 10 Zuuns Tumen: 10.000 10 Migghans The smallest unit is the Arban and consists of 10 warriors and their horses. Arbans are always made up of either light cavalry or heavy cavalry. Scouting missions and patrols are always done by single Arbans. The Zuun is the main battlefield maneuver unit. Often they move around on their own or in a group depending on the situation. This unit also consists of either light or heavy cavalry. Heavy cavalry Zuuns are often grouped together to provide a massive charge. Migghan and Tumen are more of an administrative unit rather than a unit that moves around on the battlefield as one. These units are mostly combined arms units with a mixture of both heavy and light cavalry. [u]Strengths and weaknesses[/u] The strengths of the Atli tribe's military lies on the combat in the open fields. With their 100% pure cavalry army and competent leaderships they are masters of open ground warfare. With their extremely high mobility the Atli are a difficult force to catch, especially for armies who's main force is made up out of infantry. The weaknesses of the Atli are obvious. Any terrain that is ill suited for cavalry and archery is not in favor of the Atli. Dense forests or crowded cities with small streets does not suit cavalry maneuvers at all. Also the Atli have currently no knowledge on siege warfare and do not possess the skills and technology to make complex siege weapons. Furthermore, the Atli have no knowledge of shipbuilding or seafaring. [/hider] [b]Landscape:[/b] The land of the Atli consists of the endless steppes. A giant area of grasslands and small plants. Trees are really uncommon due to the low amount of rain that falls on the steppes. The steppes are mostly flat with some hills. A few shallow rivers run across the land, beginning in the Atli Highlands and moving all the way beyond the steppes into the sea. The Atli highlands are a mountain range in the south of the land with the highst peak being about 3.000 meters above sealevel. The steppes are around 1.000 meters above sea level. [b]Wildlife:[/b] For A desolate and cold place the Atli life in it has a rather varied wildlife. On the great steppes lots of mamels can be found such as Wolfs, Corsac foxes, Snow Leopards but also herbivores such as Gazelles, Deers, Antilopes, rabbits, Wild horses and bizons. On the Atli mountain range animals such as Serbian Ibex, lynxes and Argali (mountain sheep) can be found. The rivers of the Atli area are clean and full of fresh water fish and crabs. Also during the summer season aquatic birds such as ducks and Geese can be found near the rivers. Furthermore the Atli hold a number of domesticated animals including goats, sheep and horses. Also the Atli Shamans often hold wild animals suchs as wolfs or snow leopards as pets. Notable places: (If applicable) [b]Climate:[/b] The land of the Atli consists of the endless steppes. A giant area of grasslands and small plants. Trees are really uncommon due to the low amount of rain that falls on the steppes. The steppes are mostly flat with some hills. A few shallow rivers run across the land, beginning in the Atli Highlands and moving all the way beyond the steppes into the sea. The Atli highlands are a mountain range in the south of the land with the highst peak being about 3.000 meters above sealevel. The steppes are around 1.000 meters above sea level. History: (Optional) Strengths: Weaknesses: Name: Classification: (NPC or Player-Controlled?) Appearance: Shared traits: Natural abilities: Lifespan: Relations with other races: History: (Optional) Preferred occupations: Famous people: Strengths: Weaknesses: ------