What makes the Arkab Legions different?

[Colt Ward]

Simple-

What makes the Arkab Legions different than the rest of the DCMS?

in 3050?

in 3070?

in 3130s?

[glitterboy2098]

DCMS = Space Samurai!
Arkab legions = Space Arabs!

it's a cultural thing.. the main DCMS is big on Ancient/"Modern" Japanese culture... the Arkabs are more Middle Eastern Islamic culture.

the Arkab's are Arabic peoples who settled various desert type worlds in (what would become) Combine space, and they raise and maintain their own military units under the DCMS because their cultural requirements make them hard to integrate directly into other DCMS units. the fact they operate these units though is, IIRC, one of the reasons they are allowed to retain their own faith and non-japanese culture within the combine.

you might want to look for Mohammed As`Zaman Bey here on the forums, he is one of the most knowledgeable people i know of about the Arkab worlds and Legions.

[foxbat]

Tactics; Unlike the DCMS that excels in pitched battles, the Arkhab Legions shine in rezzous, traditional raids hitting an ennemy's weak points and grabbing his ressources. Their machines reflect this doctrine, with a marked preference for fast light and medium units.

[Alan Grant]

I think the above two responses say it best. More than anything, they just have a unique cultural framework. I mean the FWL has several distinctly islamic worlds, such as Mosiro, and yet no culturally distinct units based around that. In fact that describes all the Great Houses except the Combine. In that the Arkab Legions are unique to BT lore.

[Nerroth]

I think the above two responses say it best. More than anything, they just have a unique cultural framework. I mean the FWL has several distinctly islamic worlds, such as Mosiro, and yet no culturally distinct units based around that. In fact that describes all the Great Houses except the Combine. In that the Arkab Legions are unique to BT lore.

There is also the Axumite Providence, a Deep Periphery realm detailed in ISP3 which despite the name primarily draws its Terran ancestry from the Maghreb.

I would also mention the Umayyads in Nueva Castile, but they seemed more to adopt the trappings of Al-Andalus after their initial wave of conquest in the region rather than bringing it with them. Depending on which version of events one chooses to believe regarding their origins, that is.

Plus, doesn't the Rim Commonality have a proportionally large Muslim population, not counting the locals on Astrokaszy who were absorbed into that (sub-)realm post-Jihad? (Although, I think most of the Muslims in the Commonality may be of Turkish drather than Arab descent.)

[glitterboy2098]

those are periphery realms, which generally don't get much attention. the Arkab's are not only part of a major successor state and have a unique part in that state.. but they've also gotten plenty of mention in novels since day one. that is part of it.. the Arkab's have had a lot more mention and involvement in the metaplot of Btech than any other Arabic based group in the game setting.

[Colt Ward]

I know they are an Arab culture, I was looking for more on their military practices.  The light/med raider/strike/cavalry did ring a bell.  I am also curious in how they would treat the opposition.

[Alan Grant]

Honestly I feel like not much has been written about them. To my knowledge they haven't been the centerpoint of any novel or fiction. What we know mostly comes from the Old Kurita Handbook, and FM: DC.

Paraphrasing FM: DC. The people of those worlds were renowned for their fierce resistance to invaders, even among citizens. A fair comparison might be made to Taurians in this regard. They fight with the passion of religious fervor. They were outfitted with light and medium machines which suited their lightning style of fighting. They are regarded as questionable loyal to the Dragon because while they serve the Combine they effectively stand alone. This means they aren't always treated well by the DC quartermasters and tend to be low on the priority list.

I read the above to mean, these are fierce and determined fighters, even more so when they are on the defensive.

As of FM: DC the makeup of the Arkab Legion was 30 percent light machines, 40 percent medium machines, and 30 percent heavy machines, with the heaviest using things like MASC. This was actually an uptick in weight percentages from previous eras. The increased speed potential of advanced technology brought the weight of the Arkab Legions up a bit since heavier machines were now capable of moving faster.

Most of the individual Arkab Legions emphasize raiding, recon, stealthy movement, fast strikes, and so forth. That kind of terminology pops up a lot.

That's really all there is, FM: Draconis Combine has some good info on these units but I think we've covered the major talking points. Anything not covered, I think you would have a lot of latitude to decide for some creative license. Hope that helps.

[Tai Dai Cultist]

The different cultures and tactics were touched on above..

I'll also add that they're a privileged subset of not just the Combine as a whole, but also the Pillar of Steel (including the DCMS).  They are a 'foreign state' that is allowed to exist within the Combine in exchange for tribute in the form of troops.  Those troops ultimately take their orders from High Command but are  recruited, trained, equipped, and manned by the Azami themselves.  An interesting piece of fluff that illustrates this distinction rather well is that the Arkab Legions are not permitted to display the Kurita Dragon on their hardware.

One of the reasons that 'absorbing' the Nova Cats appeared to make sense (for a while) was that the xenophobic Combine already had succesfully integrated an alien warrior culture: the Azami.

[Taurevanime]

Didn't the Word of Blake try to get the Arkab worlds to rebel during the Jihad by dropping an asteroid on them. When the Azami (This little group of Arab worlds in the Combine) requested aid, the Combine was too busy to respond. So the worlds tried to rebel.

[Mohammed As`Zaman Bey]

  Canon information on the Azami faction is spotty and sometimes contradictory. One reference says that the Arkab was a corruption of the word Arab but that isn't true -The Azami settled in the Arkab system, a star named by Arabs thousands of years ago.

  The Azami are not Arabs. They are North Africans; Riffian, Tuaregs, Berbers (A European name, they actually refer to themselves as Amazigen, based on their ancient language), Hausa (Black Africans) and Fulbe (North African/Black mix). While many North Africans may have Arabic blood, due to the Islamic invasion of the region but they have a distinctly different culture and language base. They would have their own native languages but may be united in speaking Arabic as a liturgical language.

  Canon Arkab Legion tactics are envisioned as fast, hit-and-run operations using energy weapons for long-term missions. By coincidence the Azami settled on several desert worlds so they also specialize in desert combat.

  FM: DC (FASA1698) Comes out and says that the Azami and the Combine are "separate realms" and operate as allies instead of subjects (pg100). When the DCMS is late in fulfilling their supply obligations, the Arkab Legions remove their DCMS insignia in protest. The 6th Arkab Legion does not display DCMS insignia.

  Early Arkab Legion TOE used 60% light, 30% medium and 10% heavy 'Mechs including Star League 'Mechs secretly preserved for centuries. Later, post-invasion TOE is 30%/40%/30% with heavier units modified with MASC and TSM. They have also embraced Omnimechs.

  The Azami people are united by their religion, based upon Messianic Shia sect; Azami = "The Illuminated or Enlightened"

  As of AToW, the Azami are an independent faction.

This list of Azami Confederation worlds and possible Azami enclaves:
From some research, these are Azami worlds:

Arkab (DC)
Albalii (DC)
Algedi (DC)
Al Hillah (FRR)
Al Na'ir (DC)
Dabih (DC)
Deneb Algedi
Camlann (DC/GB)
Markab (FS)
Tukayyid (FRR)

Possible:
Al Jubaylah (FWL)
Sadalbari (DC)

  In my research on the Azami I have had the pleasure of corresponding with North Africans and use the information I have gleaned in my fanfic, which I use as a vehicle to add details to an often glossed over faction.

Edit: In case you are interested, these are on the Heavy Metal Pro site:
Young Mohammed stories:

Travels With Uncle Ahmed

Travels With Uncle Ahmed 2

Travels With Uncle Ahmed 3

Travels With Uncle Ahmed -The Road to Graduation

8th Arkab Legion:

Footnote

Footnote 2, The 8th Arkab Legion on Luthien

Forging the Sword

Related short story:

…The Compassionate, the Merciful…

I hope this helps.

MB

[Top Sergeant]

With the advent of even more technological advancements in the current era, have TPTB assigned any Assault class 'mechs to the Arkab Legions (provided that they have a high enough movement profile, of course)?

[Mohammed As`Zaman Bey]

With the advent of even more technological advancements in the current era, have TPTB assigned any Assault class 'mechs to the Arkab Legions (provided that they have a high enough movement profile, of course)?

  I haven't seen any canon sources yet, although the Azami would have no qualms about using captured Clan machines.

[Colt Ward]

Someone said they stepped up to more heavies, so having a Gargoyle or two would make sense as time goes on.

Interestingly, some of the 'newer' Drac heavy designs could work well for the Arkab.

[Klat]

I wonder if the Legions got any of the Nova Cat remains...

Give them a Sphinx and watch what happens  >:D

[Mohammed As`Zaman Bey]

I wonder if the Legions got any of the Nova Cat remains...

Give them a Sphinx and watch what happens  >:D

  I do recall a good relationship between the Azami and Nova Cats, built up during the Jihad. Anything is possible.

[Klat]

Sphinx does appear possible, Legion tech ratings are all over the place. This thread has again piqued my interest; thank you, Mohammed As`Zaman Bey for providing info on the Arkab background.

EDIT: I wonder, is there any chance one might find people of Druze descent among the Azami?

[Tai Dai Cultist]

The Arkab Legions would be a prime destination for Chargers and Charger refits.

[Colt Ward]

Chargers, Gargoyles, 3050 Clan heavy/med/light Omni, Ninja-To, salvaged Thanatos & Rakshasa, the new Avalanche Omni, Black Hawk Ku, standard Black Hawks . . .

Lots of fun for them as the time line advances.

[Klat]

Rokurokubi with caligraphy on the Nobori  ^-^

EDIT: Reference

[ipopal]

They are Arab and the xenophobic Combine hasn't exterminated them yet?

[Top Sergeant]

They are Arab and the xenophobic Combine hasn't exterminated them yet?

They're actually more Taureg and Berber.

[Tai Dai Cultist]

They are Arab and the xenophobic Combine hasn't exterminated them yet?

Short answer: Because the Combine is more pragmatic than xenophobic.

Longer answer:  They DID try to assimilate them.  But due to diseases native to their world(s), foreign (Combine) troops would keep getting decimated whenever they invaded.  Once medical technology solved that problem, the Combine was so impressed by the fighting spirit of the Azami they allowed them semi-autonomy in exchange for tribute in the form of the troops they so admired.

Some more background info: The Azami are a fictional sect of Islam, separate from the real-world Shia and Sunni.  Part of the general backstory of the universe is that Islamic colonization is under-represented among the Inner Sphere directly because those two sects (in the fictional setting) both disapproved of living off-world.  (Difficulties in accomplishing the Hajj and all.. not to mention figuring out which way Mecca is for prayer)  The Azami is a fictional splinter sect that had no such compunctions about living away from Terra, and so many (if not most) Islamic colonies in the BTU are neither Sunni nor Shia but Azami.    While those worlds across the Inner Sphere have much in common culturally with Arkab, politically speaking they have little or nothing in common with the semi-autonomous region in that part of the Combine.

[Mohammed As`Zaman Bey]

They are Arab and the xenophobic Combine hasn't exterminated them yet?

  The Combine tried and failed miserably, losing two regiments' worth of 'Mechs to them. I find the "latent blood disease" excuse rather weak. If the Azami still carried a Terran plague in their blood they'd be quarantined from travel and definitely not welcome on a battlefield.

  The Azami ran a war of insurgency against the superior, modern equipment fielded by the Combine and fought them to a standstill, with the Combine units holing up in the defendable cities and towns while the tribesmen ruled everywhere else -A scenario that's played out several times throughout history.

  Eventually the Combine gave up and the Azami took the first steps in forming an alliance after the Kurita family deposed the von Rohr usurpers. I'd imagine the Kuritas would welcome people who gave the von Rohrs a bloody nose.

[Tai Dai Cultist]

I find the "latent blood disease" excuse rather weak.

Granted, the Kuritan propagandists likely inflated the role the disease had in their defeats.  Until the cure, it did have an impact, but I'd agree with you that the larger impact was the military proficiency of the Azami.

[DoctorMonkey]

  The Combine tried and failed miserably, losing a regiment worth of 'Mechs to them. I find the "latent blood disease" excuse rather weak. If the Azami still carried a Terran plague in their blood they'd be quarantined from travel and definitely not welcome on a battlefield.

  The Azami ran a war of insurgency against the superior, modern equipment fielded by the Combine and fought them to a standstill, with the Combine units holing up in the defendable cities and towns while the tribesmen ruled everywhere else -A scenario that's played out several times throughout history.

  Eventually the Combine gave up and the Azami took the first steps in forming an alliance after the Kurita family deposed the von Rohr usurpers. I'd imagine the Kuritas would welcome people who gave the von Rohrs a bloody nose.

Malaria puts a lie to that - it isn't just where/how it is endemic but the mode of infection and an evolved survival trait might be like thalassaemia or sickle cell traits


But it could well be that they decided not to try again after the combination of malaria and getting their asses handed to them when they first tried to conquer them in a manner similar to the British with the Gurkhas

[Klat]

FR:DCMS 2765 seems to indicate that both factors contributed to the Dragon making peace with the Azami. I love what the RATs have as available for the Legion on boxcars BTW  [drool]

Slightly off topic would an Arkab Legion Mechwarrior be allowed to carry a Daisho if he went through a DCMS academy? While most of the Legion seems to be locally trained the above source made reference to a few attending DCMS schools.

[Mohammed As`Zaman Bey]

Malaria puts a lie to that - it isn't just where/how it is endemic but the mode of infection and an evolved survival trait might be like thalassaemia or sickle cell traits

  Malaria doesn't have a 100% mortality rate in a matter of hours after exposure as presented in Azami fluff.

[Tai Dai Cultist]

Slightly off topic would an Arkab Legion Mechwarrior be allowed to carry a Daisho if he went through a DCMS academy? While most of the Legion seems to be locally trained the above source made reference to a few attending DCMS schools.

I'd think so, yes.   No reason to deny permission to the individual an honor earned.

[Klat]

I'd think so, yes.   No reason to deny permission to the individual an honor earned.

That's my line of thinking too  O0

I would think the Azami would adapt well to DCMS academies; in the small amount of reading I've done I found intriguing parallels between Islam and bushido.

[epic]

  An interesting piece of fluff that illustrates this distinction rather well is that the Arkab Legions are not permitted to display the Kurita Dragon on their hardware.

As a small correction; is it not that they are not REQUIRED to display the Kurita Dragon?  I believe they have the equivalent of a religious dispensation from the Coordinator... or is my memory failing me?

[Tai Dai Cultist]

As a small correction; is it not that they are not REQUIRED to display the Kurita Dragon?  I believe they have the equivalent of a religious dispensation from the Coordinator... or is my memory failing me?

You're right.

[Top Sergeant]

IIRC the mechs do not have the Dragon emblem, except for the Regimental Commander? For some reason I am thinking he has one on his mech, but its the only one in the whole regiment that does.

[Tai Dai Cultist]

IIRC the mechs do not have the Dragon emblem, except for the Regimental Commander? For some reason I am thinking he has one on his mech, but its the only one in the whole regiment that does.

Yeah, that's the fluff I was misremembering.  Typically they don't wear the Kurita dragon; only the commander does to show solidarity and support.  And when the Azami are torqued by bad treatment, even he removes it.

[Nodachi]

They would fit in pretty well. One thing I noticed from the Jihad books, it seems there was some culture from the DC that made it's way in, after proper filtering. The newscast of the meteor strike just seemed to have the right level of Combine influence the Azami let in. That may just be me though.

[Kotetsu]

About the Azami and possible assault 'Mechs... Isn't Al-Nair one of the Atlas production plants?

[Tai Dai Cultist]

About the Azami and possible assault 'Mechs... Isn't Al-Nair one of the Atlas production plants?

Just because a planet has an Arabic name it doesn't mean it's an Azami planet.  This one happens to be, but allowing the Azami limited sovereignty and taking control of the armaments industry there are two different things.  Up until the 1st SW, it was a Terran Hegemony planet and when it was conquered in the 1st SW it wasn't affored all the same privileges that the 'Kuritan' Azami planets have.

[Mohammed As`Zaman Bey]

About the Azami and possible assault 'Mechs... Isn't Al-Nair one of the Atlas production plants?

  The Azami worlds were established in Kurita space long before the Succession Wars, so Al-Na'ir wasn't a part of that confederation, as the system was still under the Terran Hegemony. After the system was liberated by the Draconis Combine, the Azami were treated with respect but not given full sovereignty as the other enclaves, although a major intercultural studies college exists in the system.

  Tactics-wise, the Azami wouldn't be interested in slow 'Mechs like the Atlas. It would be contrary the hit-and-run nature of their military doctrine.

  FYI: Most stars have Arabic names since the Arabs used them for navigation before stellar navigation was used at sea. Even Rasalhague is actually Ras al-Hawwa (the head of the snake-man constellation). Al-Na'ir (bright star of the Yoke constellation).

[Shiro15]

Short answer: Because the Combine is more pragmatic than xenophobic.

Longer answer:  They DID try to assimilate them.  But due to diseases native to their world(s), foreign (Combine) troops would keep getting decimated whenever they invaded.  Once medical technology solved that problem, the Combine was so impressed by the fighting spirit of the Azami they allowed them semi-autonomy in exchange for tribute in the form of the troops they so admired.

Some more background info: The Azami are a fictional sect of Islam, separate from the real-world Shia and Sunni.  Part of the general backstory of the universe is that Islamic colonization is under-represented among the Inner Sphere directly because those two sects (in the fictional setting) both disapproved of living off-world.  (Difficulties in accomplishing the Hajj and all.. not to mention figuring out which way Mecca is for prayer)  The Azami is a fictional splinter sect that had no such compunctions about living away from Terra, and so many (if not most) Islamic colonies in the BTU are neither Sunni nor Shia but Azami.    While those worlds across the Inner Sphere have much in common culturally with Arkab, politically speaking they have little or nothing in common with the semi-autonomous region in that part of the Combine.

It took some years until I found this topic :) But nevertheless...

According to the old Kurita-Housebook (FASA-1620) the Azami are staunch followers of the Shi'ite section of Islam.
On the pages 117 ff. it is mentioned that in the fictional terran history of the Battletech universe the "wave of Shi'ite Moslem evangelism from Iran." reached North Africa and influenced especially the Touaregs, Hausas and Fulanis.
Also it is mentioned that one of the central mythological figures is the so called "Imam as Zaman", who is worshipped by the Shi'ites as the Mahdi while the Sunnis reject the Mahdi-concept.
Finally it is also mentioned that the Azami used the concept of taqiyya when officially accepting the Dictum Honorium of the Draconis Combine. The Taqiyya allows Shi' ites to pass themself off as mainline Sunni Moslems if it meant saving their life.

So according to this source I think that the Azamis are indeed the Shi' ites in Space :)

They are mentioned in some novels and source books like in the Heir for the dragon or in the Sourcebook "Invading clans" when they surprised the clans by fielding a complete batallion of Star League Mechs in the fight against them. I assume that the DCMS was also astonished about this fact ;)

Also interesting is the story of the 1st Arkab Legion : https://www.sarna.net/wiki/1st_Arkab_Legion

[Frabby]

Fwiw, one of Randall Bills's tie-in stories for MW 5 has a MechWarrior from the early 31st century as protagonist. It's not canon for boardgame BT, but still...

[Top Sergeant]

I have an Arkab Legion company because, using the regimental rules, they halve the movement to-hit modifier.

[Shiro15]

We still play the classic tabletop (3025) here in Wiesbaden/Germany.

Some weeks ago I encountered contrast colors.
I never have used them before - so I painted around 60 of my miniatures as Mechs/ASF of the Arkab Legion.

Here a link of the result:
https://www.draconiscombine.de/fliegerbases-holz/2nd-arkab-legion

:)

[truetanker]

I like the blue bases...

TT

[Mohammed As`Zaman Bey]

Also it is mentioned that one of the central mythological figures is the so called "Imam as Zaman", who is worshipped by the Shi'ites as the Mahdi while the Sunnis reject the Mahdi-concept.

  The problem with many of the early FASA books is that the research was poorly done. The Sunni/Shia split was political. The Sunni believed in the nobility maintaining control of government and religion while the Shiat Ali (followers of Ali, the Prophet's son in law) believe in a theocracy, where the direct descendents of Mohammed (peace be upon him!) would rule.
  Sunni Muslims believe that the Mahdi will be an ordinary man while the Shia quote the Prophet: "The Mahdi is of my lineage."

  Shia Muslims make up of just over 10% of the world's Muslims today. Shia are primarily centered in Iran, where many families can trace their lineages to the Prophet and his companions. I consider the idea of North Africans adopting the Shia sect kind of far fetched, unless you had an enclave of people who claimed succession to the Prophet, as in Iran. All I could do is accept the fiction at face value and not to apply too much real world rationality to it...

They are mentioned in some novels and source books like in the Heir for the dragon or in the Sourcebook "Invading clans" when they surprised the clans by fielding a complete batallion of Star League Mechs in the fight against them. I assume that the DCMS was also astonished about this fact ;)

  Considering the DCMS couldn't possibly supply replacement parts for Star League Mechs in Arkab inventory, I have to assume that the Azami had their own, discrete production...and I'm certain Comstar would be even more shocked that ROM never caught on over the centuries...That being said, the DCMS were not in "need to know" position, they'd just be a security risk.

[truetanker]

Unless they didn't make them themselves... in that case maybe they had whole battalions any only swapped parts that needed repairs. Kinda like if a certain rank, whither religious or status,  needed a part, one was provided unless a loss of face resulted in replacing the Warrior with another. Just reuse the Mech, which the Star League was elite status.

TT

[Mohammed As`Zaman Bey]

Unless they didn't make them themselves... in that case maybe they had whole battalions any only swapped parts that needed repairs. Kinda like if a certain rank, whither religious or status,  needed a part, one was provided unless a loss of face resulted in replacing the Warrior with another. Just reuse the Mech, which the Star League was elite status.

TT

  I agree. There are ways of refurbishing components without having a manufacturing base. I have an Afghan musket in my collection that has a lock taken from a British Army Brown Bess, with a Tower of London Armory stamp dating from George III. The lock still works but the inner sear was replaced with one molded out of bronze. I took that concept and applied it to the Azami. Primitive people rarely develop a "use and discard" culture, anything that can be reused is valued. In my "Travels with Uncle Ahmed" stories, Azami merchants hunt through heaps of discarded salvage for circuit boards, just to glean them for components to refurbish Star League circuit boards and parts. In order to conceal their purchases, they also bought heaps of nearby useless components, but they kept comprehensive lists of what they were looking for. In 3025, most people wouldn't recognize Star League equipment in a pile of salvage, so the Azami had an advantage there. While they may not have had the means for full factory production, limited cottage industry would still have been possible and very discrete, with various clans specializing in particular components, enough to allow the operation of formations of Star League Battlemechs in pristine condition, as encountered by Clan Smoke Jaguar.

  Cray told me to figure it out...

[Frabby]

Wish there was a way to republish the Uncle Ahmet stories and make them canon...

[Mohammed As`Zaman Bey]

Wish there was a way to republish the Uncle Ahmet stories and make them canon...

  Now that I'm retired, I'm working on a full rewrite of my fiction, mostly to fill gaps of continuity, correct grammar and return a lot of the paragraphs that had to be edited out, due to length restrictions on these websites (Installments are limited to about 8 pages, which makes for short chapters).
   As far as canon...I won't hold my breath...Maybe I'll win the lottery and buy the rights...

[truetanker]

What about PoD?

TT

[Shiro15]

I like the blue bases...

TT

I recently started to use flexible bases with a neodyn-magnet on their top (like shown in the pictures here: https://www.draconiscombine.de/12-02-2020-neodym-magnetbases ). So I can use my fighters with blue bases when we simulate fights in the atmosphere and black ones when in space.

[Daryk]

That's a great idea!  :thumbsup:

[Shiro15]

(...)
  Shia Muslims make up of just over 10% of the world's Muslims today. Shia are primarily centered in Iran, where many families can trace their lineages to the Prophet and his companions. I consider the idea of North Africans adopting the Shia sect kind of far fetched, unless you had an enclave of people who claimed succession to the Prophet, as in Iran. All I could do is accept the fiction at face value and not to apply too much real world rationality to it...
  Considering the DCMS couldn't possibly supply replacement parts for Star League Mechs in Arkab inventory, I have to assume that the Azami had their own, discrete production...and I'm certain Comstar would be even more shocked that ROM never caught on over the centuries...That being said, the DCMS were not in "need to know" position, they'd just be a security risk.

After the Iranian Sassanid Empire had fallen in the 7th century, the islamic arab conquerors tried to assimilate Iran. The dominating religion in the conquered and occupied iranian lands was first the sunni islam. Nevertheless the assimilation-attempt of the islamic arabs failed. The Iranians (who are not the same race as arabs) were finally successful in keeping their own identity. Two major points helped them to keep a distance to the arabs:
1. Unlike the other nations who were conquered by the islamic conquest the iranians did not replaced their language with the arabic language. The iranian poet Ferdowsi wrote the "Book of the Kings", an epic poem consisting of 50000 (!) double line verses, in iranian language. He specificly tried to avoid any arab word in his poem and created the key element to keep the iranian language alive until finally iranian rulers regained power in iranian territory.
2. In the 16th century - the ruling iranian Shah (King) wanted to devide his people from the dominating sunni empire: The turkish Ottomans had replaced the arabs as the leading sunnis. So the Shah proclaimed that Iran becomes a Shi'ite nation. To perform this religious change he requested the help from shiite clerics from the region but also from the area of today-lebanon.

But these are only some facts of the real history of our world.

In the BattleTech-universe it is described that a great and deadly plague hit North Africa. The same plague which saved btw centuries later the Azamis against the Kurita-invaders.
The north africans suffered because of this plague and for some reasons they adopted the shi' ite religion of Islam from Iran and became the "Azami". Maybe in this alternative universe the iranians sent medical help to North Africa combined with religious indoctrination.

Regarding the Star League equipment I totally agree that ComStar must have been also very surprised when the Azami used Star League Equipment against the Clans.
I dont think that the DCMS gave them these equipment (House Kurita got from ComStar some downgraded Star League Mechs and ASF for releasing Rasalhague in the independance). According to the 3039-war-book Theodore Kurita equipped only units which were absolutely loyal to him with these hardware: The Genyosha, the Ryuken and the Ghost regiments.
So I personally think that the Azami got their Star-League-equipment when they were part of the SLDF. During the SLDF-wars against the periphery states there was a Draconis-Auxiliary-Corps, consisting of 2 Sword-regiments, one Proserpina regiment and the 1st Arkab Legion. According to the source books the Arkab Legion fought in a honorable and human way - so while the enemies ordered to kill all Kuritans when they were taken prisoners the Arkab-Legion-warriors were specificly excluded from this kill-order.
Maybe not only the enemies but also the supply-officers of the SLDF were so impressed that they gave the Arkab Legion SLDF-hardware.
Still there is the question how the Azami managed to get these highend-equipment to one of their planets and how they managed to keep them operational after the fall of the Star League and the technological decline.
But it is a fascinating element of the BattleTech storyline :)

[truetanker]

I smell a Blaine Pardoe story...

TT

[Mohammed As`Zaman Bey]

Regarding the Star League equipment I totally agree that ComStar must have been also very surprised when the Azami used Star League Equipment against the Clans.

  While the anecdote takes up a few lines of of FM: Draconis Combine (FASA1698) It was written as an in-House document after the ComStar/WoB split. That being said, who would tell ComStar? Not Clan Smoke Jaguar and certainly not the Arkab Legions.
I doubt the Arkab would even tell the DCMS, for security reasons.
Since ComStar opened up access to SL tech, I could see the Azami inquiring about obtaining blueprints and other schematics, with the cover of restoring old, downgraded machines to SL standards.

[truetanker]

Azami in Nighthawks anybody?

TT

[Daryk]

Not all of them... just the Assassins...  ^-^

[Mohammed As`Zaman Bey]

  As per the OP, the Arkab Legions are different because they are not DCMS units. They do not train along DCMS lines, nor do they use standard DCMS doctrine. They are trained in combined arms, which is reflected in their TOE, as well as the main academy which they attend, Sun Tzu School of Combat.

  According to FM: Draconis Combine (FASA1698), which is written from the DCMS standpoint, the Azami are allies of the Draconis Combine, not subjects, although they pay symbolic lip service in the form of certain commanders displaying Dragon insignia, on a conditional basis.

  Some of the Azami worlds are exclusive Azami enclaves, while a couple are under dual administration, a practice that dates back to the Star League.

  Not all the Azami worlds were under DCMS control. Camlann and Tukayyid were Lyran systems while Al Na'ir was a Hegemony system. Markab was taken by the Fed Suns in the War of 3039. Since the writers never indicated a mass evacuation of Azami from these worlds, the original settlers remain there. While Tukayyid may have been evacuated for the Clan/ComStar showdown, the battle there wasn't large enough to cover the entire globe. WW2 was a much larger conflict with far more soldiers and greater tonnages of equipment yet the actual fighting was limited to parts of Asia and Europe, for the most part, so even a global war had little impact on most of the planet.

  While Azami enclaves inhabit worlds held by other factions, would the Azami be free to communicate and travel between those worlds? That question has yet to be answered.

[greatsarcasmo]

This has been a great thread as I build my Arkab company. Aside from the 'usual' mechs, I've also thrown in a couple of Hermes IIIs. They seem to  fit the Arkab combat style perfectly, and as a weird, out-of-state design as part of the Concord, I could see the DCMS Quartermaster throwing these at the Arkab with a "don't say we never give you anything" mentality.

[fallen]

Interesting thread.   Several of the Azami worlds ended up in the Republic of the Sphere.  I wonder if the Dark Age would provide an avenue for a RoTS Arkab Legion?

[Elmoth]

I doubt the DCMS would deny it. However, it might be frowned upon inside the Arkab legions, and substituted by some local sign, like a curved dagger or a samarkand sword or some other anachronystic and false-origin ymbol.

[Mohammed As`Zaman Bey]

Interesting thread.   Several of the Azami worlds ended up in the Republic of the Sphere.  I wonder if the Dark Age would provide an avenue for a RoTS Arkab Legion?

  When I visited a WK site and read the info on the RoTS worlds, they simply cut and paste earlier, published data on the Arkab Worlds. This was prior to the post-Jihad Azami Brotherhood timeline, so nobody bothered to take any steps to flesh out that sub-faction. Later information says at least four major Azami worlds joined the RoTS while Arkab and Algedi remained allies to the DC, the four Azami Legions made it clear that they would independently respond to any persecution of Azami people, within  DC or RoTS borders.

  It would make sense for the RoTS to raise planetary militia defense units for the Azami Worlds within their borders, and this was RoTS policy, although battlemechs were limited to one or two per planet. Stone seemed to make it policy to prevent ethnic strife by reducing the emphasis on cultures, although the Northwind Highlanders makes a significant exception to that policy, being one of the few independent, culture/region based units fielded, outside of RoTS regulars.

  Post-RoTS would open up more freedom for the Arkab to expand, but that is to be seen. When I first generated my Azami character, I would never have guessed that a barely-mentioned group would eventually become its own faction in the game.

[Colt Ward]

Interesting thread.   Several of the Azami worlds ended up in the Republic of the Sphere.  I wonder if the Dark Age would provide an avenue for a RoTS Arkab Legion?

Not Stone's organizational method- they would at best have been treated like the Highlanders.

[truetanker]

Do we have a TO&E of the Azami from SL to now,  3150?

Cause it might be nice to see what each era contains and how integrated they are. Anyone up to the challenge?

TT

[Mohammed As`Zaman Bey]

Do we have a TO&E of the Azami from SL to now,  3150?

  In short, no. My copy of NAIS The Fourth Succession War Vol I (FASA 1634), has a scenario where the 6th Arkab Legion is defeated by three Fortress dropships that landed in the middle of their formation (their descent wasn't noticed...) and the Legion forced to retreat. No TOE but the map showed three Heavy lances, four Mediums and two Lights, which are typical IS strengths, not Arkab. Three other Fortress DS were used to cripple the 2nd Sword of Light...who had air assets available... *headdesk*

[truetanker]

Hmm...

Going by the 'old' Citytech scenario creater, atypical Heavy lance is usually a Light, a Medium and twin Heavy. Or three Mediums and a Heavy and at the extreme end, three lights and a Heavy. But since tanks are usually grouped to gather in same weight class,  I'd think more mediums with a heavier throw.

Sand Devils? Plainsman and Pegi? Some Drillson? What about standard APC of the ever popular, Heavy APC?

TT