The Golden Empire. Part 1 The Disaster Years

After what was to be known as the Age of Oppression, the Mali Empire had greatly expanded its borders through warfare, the Samo dynasty had began the effort of restoring the empire to the golden days of Mansa Musa

However everything was not well. The centralization and wars were founded and comitted heavily by the use of slave labour from the conquered tribes and unrest had been sturring for far to long in the Samo dynasty's realm.

The Civil war, the beginning of the war of sorrows broke out when the Bozos rebbelled against the musa.

The army was mustered and set out to put out the rebellion quickly under the command of General Banka.

What first seemed like a minor nuisance turned out to be just a stepping stone for the troubles to come as the iberian kingdoms saw their oppurtunity and declared war on the empire.

Mali put the trading stations to good use and studied the western arts although they were not on the same level yet. The distance between the kingdoom was assumed to be too far to travel with armies however. The Mansa was not threatened.

As the first spanish forces arrived Banka quickly set out to destroy them before they could get a foothold outside their trade stations.

The cowardly tribe of Dahomey acted just like the iberian dogs and attacked the empire when the truce ran out.

The malian elite forces quickly turned the iberian soldiers inte minced meat . With their self esteems on top the armies moved inland to face the african tribes.

Many of the slaves in the legion left the army to support another man. A man that promised them freedom.

The light tribal armies from the west quickly spread into the eastern part of the empire and besieged our ally Zazzou.

The man called the breaker of chains had made his entance on the battlegrounds. He had gathered large swaths of slaves from Bambouk and the sourrounding area. Every man in his army was thirsty for freedom and would put their lives at stake to achieve it.

Banka could see the smoke pillars of the east as he approached the tribal lands in the east. His gut was telling him that he wasn't in for a joyride.

As slaves from all over the empire heard the news more and more started making resistance against the goverment.

As more slave armies rose up Banka decided to eliminate them before they sieged down the grand capital of Mali.

The Mansa begged the noble tribes to support the war effort. Afriad of losing their land and power they quickly agreed.

The imperial army and the slave masses clashed together outside the capital. Mansa Kassa joined his armies and led them to great succes.

But with his absence in the court opportunistic forces began to conspire against him.

The slave revolt was crushed but Mahmud Keita maneged to escape. Scouts saw him escaping on an eliphant dressed in a green suit.

As more people rose up Mansa KAssa had to lower the funding of the army to be able to supply the rest of the realm and have money to oppress the slaves. He had started growing a fiery hatred for the slaves and would show them no mercy.

The waist cloths are apparently in perfect condition.

Mansa Kassa hoped to defeat the iberian armies once and for all in the tribal lands of Boke with the help of the nearby tribes. But to his suprise, many of the soldiers deserted into the mountains after months with no pay and tiny food rations.

Mansa Kassa and his armies were soundly defeated. The white men had started carrying some sort of magic stick that seemed to attack the souls from far away distances.

HE mustered his troops and headed for the capital knowing if it fell all hope was lost.

Keita was already there. Leading the slave masses riding on his well dressed pet elefant named Babar. The imperial army was terrified. How could an elefant be so well dressed

Witnes' description of how the elephant would smile as he slaughtered his enemies

The clouds started to set on the Samo dynasty and Mansa Kassa.

More slaves joined the cause.

The armies managed to crush some tribals but as the armies grew fatigued Mansa Kassa knew the end drew near

More tribals where put down but so were the imperial army. They were driven into exhaustion, near to the brink of death

Mansa Kassa briefly returned to the court to put down rebel activieties all over the country at the expence of their military research. This seemed very strange to the Mansa but he didnt have the energy left to argue

Öur allies are getting drawn into the sub-contintental hostilities.

To focus on the iberians from the north a peace is made with Dahomey. In exchange for releasing the vassal tribe of Gonja and a large pile of money from our goldmines they will leave our lands alone.

To the relief of the army Banka orders his men to retreat to Bure and avoid further conflicts.

Mansa Kassa has lost all control over the empire. Slaves now roam freely in all provinces looting and burning everything they can get their hands on. He promises they will all be severly punished once he regains control over his country.

Portugese messengers enter Mansa Kassas court and offer him a peace deal. In exchange for signing the humiliating treaty the iberians will help him against the slaves. Mansa Kassa gladly signs

As the last great city of Mali gets besieged Kassa finally realises he has been tricked. He now has nothing more to lose. He has no way of winning.

The country finally breaks. The rebel agitator enters the throneroom and sees a corpse with a grand crown on the ground beside the throne. He takes the crown and walks out on the balcony and exclaims to the thousands of people beneath him cheering:
Mansa Musa has returned!

Mali is damaged by the civil war and is far from the golden empire it once was. Northeners have stolen the malian ports and shoresand humiliated the "primitive" empire. Does the Keitas have what it takes to restore the empire to its former prosperous days? The days of old. The days of gold.