Name: The Empire of Qardashatim
Capital City: Carthago
Ruler: Hasdrubal, the Fair
Form of government:
I don't know how this is called, so I will describe it instead: Each region has a governor who has full and limitless authority on their lands. They all; however, are subordinate to the governor of the capital, Carthago. This governor has a different name, which is qardanor, and he can issue actions that affect the entire faction: declarations of alliance, war, treaties and edicts.
Orders performed by the qardanor or requested by the governors first pass through a council known as the Hundred and Four Truffets of Baal Hammon, or Truffetian Council for short. Even if they deny the qardanor's order, he might issue it nonetheless, but causes large disapproval from the population. The Truffets must firstly make a promise that their evaluations are always made for the good of their people rather than personal greatness, they swear in the name of Baal Hammon they shall never be corrupted nor corruptive, though the aforementioned traits are quite common.
While most of the Truffetian Council is composed by intellectual and highly praised thinkers, the governors are mostly of familiar heritage - if a general has captured a region, it's not much difficult for that region be forever linked to his family. These regions, however, do not have autonomy. The governors do not actually govern there, they simply administrate it. If it lacks something, it asks the Truffetian Council for assistance, and if their wisdom is not enough to remedy the problem, they ask the qardanor to issue an order of assistance.
Traits:
Commercial: A good that have never passed through the Carthaginian harbor is no worth of passing through anywhere at all.
Seafaring: Nothing can defeat the quinqueremes. Maybe submarines, or cruisers. But quinqueremes are terrifying, relentless warships.
Brief history:
The Phoenician Empire once ruled all of North Africa, but it's exorbitant size and precarious regulation and control led it to succumb and fall for several enemies. Few settlements managed to survive the ultimate subjugation, unluckily very few of them were populous enough to subsist their needs. Carthage; however, had grown largely, as it was commercial settlement in a fortunate position. The different goods that constantly arrived and left the city allowed it to become culturally diversified, which included on technology, both infrastructural than militaristic. Their technological, tactical and logistical superiority allowed them to reclaim land stolen by the Numidians.
After Carthage conquered their enemy's territories, the local culture, blended with the Carthaginian's Phoenician heritage, became what would be known as Punic faith. An amazing example of how important this mixture was is the example of their main god. Previously known singularly as Ba'al the Fertile, god of the cultivation, as he merged with Hammonnad, god of the Good Fortune, he became mighty Baal-Hammon - The Fertile, Fair and Blessed. Their new religion brought hopes not that they could establish a second Phoenician Empire, but instead make every perished Phoenician proud of their legacy.
Name: Hasdrubal Barca, The Fair of Carthago
Title(s): Governor of Carthago / Qardanor
Age: 34
Brief backstory:
Son of the legendary qardanor and general Hamilcar Barca, the Last Phoenician; Hasdrubal decided to follow politics rather than military career. With much effort and hard training, his rhetoric and intellectual wisdom granted him a place in the Truffetian Council, but his popularity - for he was fair and pious - granted him the title of qardanor. As he became it, he named his brother, Hannibal, as the State General, his another brother, Mago, as the State Admiral. After the conquests at Qartadinia (how they named Iberia), his another brother, Honiclad, as the governor of Qart-Hadast Colony.
Appearance (image or description):
Personality and interests (what do they want?): Hasdrubal is wise, fair, pious (too much, by the way) and has a truly magnificent rhetoric. He desires to maintain his father's legacy, naming the Barcid family as a heritage of fair and great rulers who always bring prosperity and greatness for Carthage.
((I'll quickly steal your nation Zambza, please don't mind))
Name: Hannibal Barca, the First Great Punic
Title(s): State General / General of the Royal Carthaginian Army/Royal Barcid Army the "Alep of Carthago" (First of Carthage, First Carthaginian Army)
Age: 41
Brief backstory:
Hannibal had always shown he could be a superb general. He began his military career, eager to become a tactician. His abilities were outstanding, and he showed his amazing abilities as a general when he fought out rebellions throughout the empire with a detachment of the Royal Barcid Army, the Alep of Carthago. It took not much more than three decades to become a State General. Along his brother, Mago, Hannibal took 10.000 soldiers to sail what would be 10 miles north to fight against a transport of rebellious Numidians, but rather than finding a hostile campment he ended on what he called "eccentric" city of Palma.
He didn't stood there for a long time, but hired skillful slingers and sailed abroad a few more days, until he found unconquered lands. He was met with hostility and fought back, for three days, in the shores of a region he called Qartadinia. His brilliant tactics were shown as, with his very few 500 slingers and 250 horsemen, drove off 3.900 spearmen who attempted to ambush him. With the very few 10.500 soldiers, he fought what could be approximately 55.000 local tribesmen, and successfully claimed their lands in the name of Carthage.
Proceeding to expand his new territory, on one of his campaigns against a local tribe by the name of Edetonia, he was hit in the head by one slingshot. The hit, though not fatal, apparently striked a certain region of his brain which disabled his outwordly general skills. After the hit, the mighty general Hannibal Barca was not anymore the inexorable conqueror, quite instead, an ordinary general. He had great tactician skills, yes, but nothing a few decades of training couldn't attain.
He managed to win the battle and the Edetonians were defeated, forever. Ever. Ever. But the battle wasn't a heroic victory, something he was used to.
http://s201.photobucket.com/user/Morgaia/media/Sid/Hannibal%20Sid/Hannibal-4.png.html
Personality and interests (what do they want?): Hannibal isn't much of an ambitious man. On his battles, most of time he freed the captured soldiers because he didn't want to bother with prisoners and because his brother Mago always advised him doing so, for mercy was a thing the people of Carthage loved. These continuous merciful actions granted him simplistic and friendly traits. He is, however, extremely proud of his previous skills, and of being a Carthaginian. Offend Carthage, or his family, or himself, and you may be sure the Alep of Carthago will march over your lands.
His main objective is to expand the empire as much as he can, so it can grow strong, and not suffer the same ruthless destiny of Phoenicia. On these early days, almost all Carthaginians desired peace and prosperity, and safety mostly, so they weren't much of warmongers.
