|
Written by Duncan Day
|
|
Thursday, 10 November 2005 |
 Nureddin was spared the destruction of the War of Dissolution, but was gutted shortly afterward by the treaty reparation costs and exodus of its population. It was abandoned by the Sultanate in its time of crisis, causing discontent in the population remaining behind. Caliph Yezhid of Nureddin saw this as an act of betrayal and cowardice, and he vowed to make his system independent and prosperous again. Caliph Yezhid and his successors kept the system functioning despite the losses, and maintained successful trading posts, refineries and manufacturing facilities in the dark years after the war. The current Caliph, Al Hazen, is the grandson of Yezhid, and idolizes his grandfather. He has renamed, and dedicated his entire Caliphate to the memory of his grandfather, Caliph Yezhid. He vigorously pursues his grandfather's dream of wealth, power and independence. An ambitious man, he intends to eventually take the throne of the Sultan and establish himself and his line as the rulers of a new empire, which will include all the former Sultanate systems. Religious, Deeply moral, and ardently anticorruption, Al Hazen is loved by his subjects, and hated by the powerful underworld. Successful gas mines have been the staple of the Caliphate’s economy. Though it is off the main trade route, Nureddin is often visited by trade convoys for re-fueling and re-supply. The Mesa Corporation has established a manufacturing and trading station in Nureddin, which has helped the Caliph in his rebuilding efforts. He is also building a state-of-the-art shipyard in this system to strengthen his fleet. He has grown tired of losing vast amounts of shipping and trade to pirates and Takanan Raiders. Shipping in this region has diminished over the last century as a result of relentless piracy, most notorious of these being the feared remnants of the 14th Cruisers (Takanan Raiders).
 The Caliphate of Yezhid also includes the Saladdin system, which was essentially wiped out during the War. It has taken over 70 years to rebuild its stations and industry base to a point where it could be considered viable again. This was another system from which the Sultanate withdrew during its time of crisis, leaving the wreckage of Saladdin vulnerable for raiders to plunder. The Caliphate of Yezhid paid for rebuilding the stations and infrastructure in this system. As such, Al Hazen is unlikely to relinquish control of it, despite the Sultan’s designs on it. The few surviving families of Saladdin have not forgotten the support of Al Hazen, and the betrayal of the Sultanate. They are very loyal to Caliph Al Hazen. Saladdin has always been seen as being of strategic value for its place along the trade route, as well as for its valuable water resources in this water-impoverished region of space. The population has been slow to rebuild since the slaughter during the war and the exodus that followed. Most of the current settlers have come from the Nureddin system, enticed by the strong incentive programs initiated by Caliph Al Hazen. The Sultan continues to assert that this system and its much-needed water resources is part of the Sultanate, since it never formally seceded. This claim adds fuel to the historical feud between the Caliph’s family and the Sultan’s. Caliph Al Hazen’s ambitions irk the new Sultan, who wishes to restore the Sultanate to its former glory, and control Saladdin's water resource. The Sultan has repeatedly sent ships into this system, testing Caliph Al Hazen’s willingness to go to war, but has not yet successfully declared ownership, nor demonstrated control.
The Caliphate of Yezhid is primarily focused on the neighbouring Sultanate, but they is also aware of the importance of their relationship with the Corliss Conglomerate, despite the distance and Barren system of Hant separating them. Their fates are intertwined by the construction of the new Jump Gate. Al Hazen is essentially neutral toward the Conglomerate, but would become hostile if he learned of the relationship developing between the Conglomerate and the Takanan Raiders. Al Hazen views the CMC with much more disdain, having learned how poorly the CMC performed in previous efforts to rid them of the Takanan Raiders. He sees the CMC as greedy, self-serving and inept. He will not seek further dealings with them. (0) |
