This nation sounds fun and i agree that there is a great deal of mythology and legend from the Middle East to be drawn upon.
I'm not too certain of the courtesan unit; maybe better would be some kind of 'Harem' unit. Some names of ranks of Ottoman harem women are the "Kadin", whom had born royal children, and the "Odalesques", whom were the more common type.
Harem girls should act as some kind of support unit similar but not the same as the Communicant. They should be something you would want to give several of to every important commander (part of this nation's theme). I'm not certain what they should buff or affect. Maybe +willpower, maybe act as invigoration/take away fatigue.
You could have the harem act act as a kind of 'stable' of diverse cultural origin by giving each girl a small random 'gift' or slightly different attributes (from her native race/disposition), so building a good Harem would be an important part of the theme (something many rulers doted on in RL). Or maybe they could arive as 'presents' from foreign rules, each bearing a small number of gems from their native lands.
And almost forgot; they should be expensive to maintain. Maybe use 4 or 5 supplies, maybe have double maintenance costs, maybe have some province wide effect. Oh, and another idea
, is that instead of buying them or having them arive randomly, you could capture them like slaves, although they should be pretty hard to find and rare if they act as a complementary unit - although personally id prefer to purchase them as it seems less libidinous.
Also mirages are often an important element of Arabian legends and environment. Illusion/mirage should be incorperated in some way.
This sounds like it could be fun to play.
[ March 22, 2004, 06:56: Message edited by: SelfishGene ]