Brainstorm: EA/MA/LA Arabian/Islamic themed nation

[Lurker_at_Threshold]

I think its way past due for an Arabic nation mod; especially considering the breadth of history and mythology that has thus far, gone untapped.

Thematically I think you are spot on for the EA. Human chaff, with strong sacred Jinn available to provide your magical and physical heft. I think structurally the nation should be quite smiler to Kailasa, in that there will be a rising tier of summons. Lesser Jinn/Efreet can be massed by summonings, jinn nobles could be summon able caster/thugs, the upper tier would be occupied by Marids possessing awesome powers in astral, water, and air and the more conventional Jinn and Efreet sultans. I especially like your idea of including Iblis as a hero, as I could see him both as an impressive Air/blood/death mage with his pitfall being a high level of heresy.

Middle era should definitely be the high water point of the Caliphate and the land of 1001 nights. Holy magic should be emphasized, with viable bless strategies on the part of dervishes and Jinn summons. The army would be generally light/ with most of the heavy infantry/cavalry stemming from costly Turkic mercenaries. It would be cool to have sufi mystics, as spies/stealthy preachers. I think it would be interesting, but unnecessary for the nation to be able to summon chaff, flambeau wielding angels with holy/fire casters. I also like the suggestion of Abdul Alhazard as a hero. Particularly one with an impressive array of Blood, Astral, and Death balanced out with a terminal case of insanity.

I know a lot of people have been suggesting the Ottomans as being the driving force behind the late era, it just doesn't seem ideal to me. Too much of the Ottomans revolves thematically around gunpowder and cannons. An alternative replacement could be the Mamelukes. The nation could center around elite slave soldiers that successfully defended the nation from outside enemies only to eventually take power for themselves. Once again it would be holy magic centric, but as fitting for the LA, possessing much less magical diversity.