Han

Affinity: Expansionist

Compared to their Zhou predecessors from the Ancient Era, the Han were considerably more intentional about expanding their territorial control and securing new trading contacts and resources abroad. At the height of the empire, the Han controlled the Tarim Basin to the west, the Four Commanderies in the east, and Jiaozhi in the south.

Legacy Trait: Splendor of the Silk Road: +2 Influence per Trade Route on Territory

In contrast to the militaristic vanilla "Asian" culture from this era, I chose to represent the Han's achievements through their establishment of the Silk Road, which extended Chinese influence and trade throughout Central Asia and the Middle East, reaching even as far as the Roman Empire. The influence gained from shrewd diplomatic maneuvering can help fuel territorial expansion and extend the Han's sphere of influence.

Emblematic Quarter: Imperial Mint: Requires access to 2 Copper, +1 Money per Copper; +2 Influence and +1 Money per Luxury Resource on Territory; Serves as a Money Quarter and a Makers Quarter

The minting of coinage was an integral part of the Han government in facilitating trade as well as taxation. The empire experimented with both private and government-controlled mints to help standardize the means of exchange for efficient commercial transactions, and during the early years of the dynasty, it is estimated that 220 million coins were being produced annually.

Emblematic Unit: Běijūn Nǔshǒu: Unlocks with Standing Army in the Classical Era and replaces Crossbowmen in the Medieval Era; 27 Combat Strength; +8 Combat Strength against Cavalry and Nomad Units, cannot use Indirect Fire

While there is no formal unit attested as having this name, the aim was to represent the importance of crossbowmen in the Han military. Inventory lists suggest that crossbows were produced and stockpiled in the hundreds of thousands, and they proved their effectiveness in the campaigns against the light cavalry of the Xiongnu and Qiang. However, after the disintegration of the empire and the Three Kingdoms period, the crossbow fell into disuse during the medieval period as heavy cavalry came into vogue and thereafter, save for a mild resurgence during the Tang period, crossbows were mostly limited to private use.

Normans

Affinity: Militarist

This was a little difficult to decide on with multiple militarist cultures already in this era and the Anglo-Normans being partially represented by the English, but the age was very much characterized by violence as a means to an end, and who better to capture that spirit than the Normans? These battle-hardened warriors were active everywhere from the British Isles to the Holy Land and even carved out states in Italy and Asia Minor. However short-lived they might have been, the impact they had on this history of the lands they trod cannot be understated.

Legacy Trait: Bras de Fer: +0.5 Combat Strength but +1 Unit Upkeep per enemy unit defeated on Cavalry units

Bras-de-fer was the nickname of William Ironarm, one of the first Norman conquerors to establish a state in Southern Italy. His family, the Hautevilles, would defy Imperial, Byzantine, Lombard, and Muslim forces in defense of their lands, which would later become the de jure Kingdom of Sicily. Norman adventurers elsewhere like Roussel de Bailleul also met with success even against unlikely odds, and Norman mercenaries often commanded high prices for their prowess in the field.

Emblematic Quarter: Donjon: +1 Influence per Osmotic Civic Event, Land Spawn Point, +30 Fortification; +5 Stability; +4 Combat Strength inside and adjacent to the district; Counts as Garrison; Exploits surrounding Food and Science yields; Can be freely placed

The relatively short-lived rule of the Normans in Southern Italy was preserved in the castles that they built, many of which survive into the modern day. Though distinctly Romanesque in style, they adopted much of the aesthetic and innovations of their subjugated peoples. This pragmatism also extended to administration and even to parts of the local language, as Greek and Arabic customs and laws were adopted to meet the needs of the state or otherwise largely left alone. This flexibility and willingness to assimilate was the inspiration for the influence bonus, which would allow a Norman player to lag in influence production and benefit from osmotic civic events. The Normans also welcomed men of learning such as al-Idrisi, who for 15 years labored to compile the Tabula Rogierana, a detailed atlas of every part of the known world, for King Roger II of Sicily.

Emblematic Unit: Chivalers: Unlocks with Chivalry in the Medieval Era; +38 Combat Strength; +4 Combat Strength against weaker units

The Normans fielded professional heavy cavalry with lances longer than that of many of their opponents and peers, which made short work of enemies unable to withstand the momentum of their famed cavalry charges. While far from invincible, their bellicosity and equestrian skill made them fearsome opponents, though their reputation for recklessness and unscrupulousness often made them untrustworthy allies.

Bagratid Armenians

Affinity: Militarist

Though not as offensively-minded as their predecessors, the Armenians under the Bagratuni were renowned for their martial prowess and were often embroiled in bitter conflicts with their Byzantine and Muslim neighbors. Not only was the king responsible for the defense of the nation, but also the various great noble houses, who were military powers in their own right and would often assert their authority by a show of force.

Legacy Trait: Bounty of Ararat: +1 Food on Rocky Field and Stony Field adjacent to a Farmer's Quarter

The fertile Ararat plain makes up only a small part of Armenia proper, but has supplied its people with food and grazing since time immemorial and even today accounts for two-fifths of the nation's agricultural production. Generally speaking, sustaining a large and prosperous state in otherwise very difficult terrain would have been impossible without extensive irrigation systems and resourceful use of scarce water resources, which Armenian polities were quick to master.

Emblematic Quarter: Vank': +1 Unit Experience on Unit Creation per Faith produced on District, +3 Faith, +5 Public Order, +2 Faith per adjacent District, +5 Faith per adjacent Holy Site

Carrying the legacy of being the first Christian kingdom, the Armenians constructed numerous churches and monasteries both in their cities and in the countryside. Ani, the royal capital, was once known as the City of a Thousand Churches. Many remains of those churches survive even to this day even long after they have been abandoned or fallen into disrepair and stand as a testament to the skill of their builders.

Emblematic Unit: Azatk'

Militia unit automatically created on sieges and via the Militarist Affinity Action; +32 Combat Strength; +4 Combat Strength when on friendly District

Special Ability: Naxararean Host: +2 Combat Strength per Veterancy Level when Empire Stability is Very High, +1 Combat Strength per Veterancy Level when Empire Stability is High, -5 Combat Strength when Empire Stability is Low; -2 Stability per Unit on all Cities

The nakharars were noble princes whose domains were administered by their houses and were otherwise impartible and irrevocable. They would field their own private armies and were more than able to ignore royal prerogative within their domains and, should they decide to, become independent altogether. Armenian kings could only rest easy when the nakharars were placated and content, and the eventual collapse of the kingdom in the face of foreign invasion was largely due to its inability to rally forces to mount a sufficient defense.

Beneath the princely nakharars were the azatani who made up the lower nobility. They retained their autonomy much in the same way as the higher nobles and were only compelled by vassalage to serve as duty would demand, rather than being in the direct employ of the royal house. In many ways, they were roughly analogous to the Western knightly class with whom they would fight under the banner of Cilician Armenia and other Crusader states.

Chola

Affinity: Merchant

The Chola, though very warlike and locked in bitter struggles with their northern neighbors the Western and Eastern Chalukya for a significant part of their history, left their greatest mark through the reach of their merchants and cultural influence in Indonesia and Southeast Asia. There are records even of Chola traders in Song records, and many goods, trade contacts, and naval innovations, such as independent watertight compartments within the hull and the use of flamethrowers, were exchanged.

Legacy Trait: Lords of the Eastern Sea: +3 Influence per Naval Trade Route, +2 Influence per Naval Unit, -33% Buyout Cost on Naval Units

Under the rule of Rajaraja Chola I and his son Rajendra Chola I, the Chola navy was reformed and expanded significantly to secure trade routes to distant lands, curtail piracy, and project power and influence far beyond Tamil lands. Records of a major military expedition to Srivijaya as well as the ability to supply campaigns as far north as the Gangetic plain indicate that the Cholas had the capability to sustain a coordinated military response to protect their interests far across land and sea.

Emblematic District: Nagaram: Exploits Food and Industry; Converts Industry from terrain features to Money at a 1:2 ratio; +2 Money per adjacent Market Quarter; +4 Money per adjacent Luxury Resource; +2 Traders on City; Counts as Market Quarter and Hamlet

Chola administration was unique in that it allowed most of its rural inhabitants to remain self-governing as long as they paid land taxes. Most of these taxes were collected in gold or other currencies rather than in kind or in labor, which facilitated the collection of state revenues and respected the autonomy of the local villages. Nagarams were often autonomous merchant communities springing up around production centers that served as commercial hubs within each administrative district and were convenient centers for taxation.

Emblematic Unit: Taraṇi Pōrkkappal: 30 Combat Strength; -35 Health per consecutive turn spent in deep water; +1 Money per Trader on all Cities

The Chola navy was reported to have had a complex organizational system, some of which survives through passing mention in classical Tamil poetry. The Taraṇi class ship was said to be able to survive months on the open sea and able to engage in fighting, though often in coordinated groups. An extensive navy was needed to combat the ever-present threat of piracy, and many of the military encounters that the Chola had in Southeast Asia and Indonesia were against pirates or their supporters.

Tibetans

Affinity: Builder

The mountainous terrain of the Tibetan highlands make large constructions very difficult, and even in modern times, there are very few densely populated settlements. However, Tibet is dotted with many monasteries and temples built with a distinctive architectural style adapted for the cold, arid climate and boast impressive sizes given the relative scarcity of construction materials. One famous example is the Potala Palace, continually worked on over the course of 45 years and still stands as a reminder of the devotion of its builders.

Legacy Trait: Ganden Phodrang: +3 Influence per State Religion Follower worldwide; +3 Unit Combat Strength on District and all adjacent Districts in Capital

The Ganden Phodrang is the name of a bedroom in Drepung Monastery and served as the living quarters of the Fifth Dalai Lama, the founder of the Lhasa state. It has since become a way to metonymically refer to the Tibetan state under the rule of the Dalai Lama as a whole. Exerting religious and political influence, Tibet first enjoyed the protection of Mongol khanates and even while under the nominal suzerainty of the Qing were granted a degree of political and cultural autonomy that other minority peoples did not enjoy. Qing bannermen on several occasions were even dispatched to secure Tibetan borders against encroaching foreign elements.

Emblematic Quarter: Dzong: Exploits Industry; +7 Faith per adjacent Mountain; +3 Faith per adjacent District; +1 Industry per Faith produced on all adjacent Districts

Dzongs are large fortified monastery complexes that also doubled as administrative centers. Distinctive elements found in most dzongs are massive inward-sloping walls of brick and stone painted white with few or no windows in the lower sections of the wall and a unique style of flared roofs atop the interior temples. They were primarily constructed using corvée labor under the supervision of a lama who traditionally determined the dimensions by spiritual inspiration. Many of these impressive complexes survive in Tibet and Bhutan today.

Emblematic Unit: Yul Dmag: 33 Combat Strength; Requires 1 Saltpeter; Militia unit created automatically on sieges; May only perform one move or one attack per turn; +6 Combat Combat Strength when fighting religious enemies; +3 Combat Strength when fighting on Friendly District

The yul dmag were local militias that would form the bulk of the Tibetan military. Though a token standing army did exist, the Lhasa state relied primarily on local conscript forces working in coordination with foreign expeditionary forces. Interestingly, monastic officials would often lead or play a major part in planning military expeditions, and there are several attested examples of high-ranking officials within the clerical hierarchy taking part in or supporting armed violence against those perceived to be enemies of the faith, and by extension, the state.