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The Sultanate of Aserai is a kingdom in Mount&Blade II: Bannerlord ruled by Sultan Unqid, and occupies the shores and the desert beyond the Perassic Sea, to the south below the continent of Calradia.


The Banu Asera, also known as Aserai, is a civilization that is comprised of numerous clans who all claim their descent from the legendary patriarch Asera. The clans have occupied the springs, oases and coastline settlements of the Nahasa desert and its surrounding areas since ancient times. The Empire becoming weaker has shown an opportunity to the clans, who have formed a confederation in the interests of conquest.

The Aserai pride themselves on flexibility and their armies are the closest thing to a generalized faction within Bannerlord, with a reasonably balanced mix of archers, infantry, and medium spear cavalry, although the focus is greatest on cavalry. With a strong merchant tradition, their caravans are 30% cheaper to build, with a 10% reduction to trade penalties.

The Aserai are the ancestors of the Sarranid Sultanate from Mount&Blade: Warband. Over 200 years, the Banu Sarran has supplanted the Aserai from within to become the Sarranid Sultanate.

Official Description[]

"The Empire even at its heights preferred not to send its legions into the army-devouring wastes. Instead, it projected its power into the Nahasa by cultivating clients and allies among the clans, who competed in an endless dance of power. Those clans that could secure a hold on the oases won an imperial subsidy to protect passing caravans and grew rich. Those who could not were pushed into the desert, left to raise goats and camels and raid caravans until they could plot a comeback. Today, with the waning of the empire offering new opportunities and new risks, the Aserai have agreed to form a confederacy under a sultan chosen from richest of the clans, the Banu Hulyan. But everyone knows that the dance has only temporarily been stopped, and at the right moment it will begin again. "

Lore[]

To the south of the imperial heartland lies the Nahasa, the Bronze Desert, ringed by mountains, hammered by the sun. A traveler coming over the passes from greener lands would first see fields of dunes broken by gravel plains and volcanic outcrops, shimmering under the heat haze. But there is water to be found underground, trapped in depressions or beneath the wadis where the occasional flash flood rumbles by. It is in these oases that people have settled. They are divided into dozens of clans and sub-clans, each with its elaborate genealogy, but are collectively known as the Banu Asera or the Aserai after the legendary patriarch Asera, whom they all claim as an ancestor.

Tactics[]

The Aserai usually depend on their archers and they try to swarm you with their infantry.

Strengths[]

  • Versatile troops: Infantry and lancers use throwing weapons, horse archers carry shields
  • Low tier troops possess polearms, making them more effective when fending against cavalry
  • Powerful archery units with top-tier weapons and arrows
  • All tiers of noble troops possess horses, reducing their cost

Weaknesses[]

  • Situationally outmatched by more specialized units
  • Poor quality of shields across all branches
  • Lack of reliable heavy infantry to hold the line; soldiers tend to have poor helmets
  • Mounted units require war horses to be made worthwhile; riding and war horses of Aserai territory are expensive


Economy:[]

  • High.

8 cities, 9 castles, 40 villages. Main products: dates (the only manufacturer), horses, and salt.


Summary[]

Aserai recruits and tribesmen are more fragile than low tier infantry of other cultures, but once upgraded they become more flexible and solid all-rounders. Most Aserai units take full advantage of their loadout slots, carrying polearm, blade, shield and a throwing weapon. This allows them to pepper advancing enemy infantry with projectiles before engaging in close combat and to defend themselves against enemy cavalry at close range. Aserai forces are much weaker on defense, as their unreliable shields and outright terrible head protection of most troops makes defending against ranged attacks or enemy shock infantry very difficult.

Aserai cavalry is well-rounded and balanced, but the player should take into account that access to war horses is essentially required to make best use of them. Mameluke Regulars and Aserai Youths can be considered light cavalry at best and until they can be trained and equipped with war horses, they are ill prepared against most mid tier threats. Eventually Mameluke Regulars transform completely when upgraded to Mameluke Cavalry as they equip bows and arrows and their default troop formation changes to horse archer. Once the Aserai Youths and Horsemen are upgraded to Aserai Faris, the player has access to a cavalry-exclusive playstyle if they wish so, similar to if not outmatching the Khuzait mounted forces.

Troop tree[]

Aserai icon Aserai Troops
Chevron-1 Icon troop type infantryRecruit
Chevron-2 Icon troop type infantryTribesman Icon troop type infantryMameluke Soldier Icon troop type cavalry bigYouth
Chevron-3 Icon troop type infantrySkirmisher Icon troop type infantryFootman Icon troop type cavalry bigMameluke Regular Icon troop type infantryMameluke Axeman Icon troop type cavalry bigTribal Horseman
Chevron-4 Icon troop type bowArcher Icon troop type infantryInfantry Icon troop type horse archer bigMameluke Cavalry Icon troop type infantryMameluke Guard Icon troop type cavalry bigFaris
Chevron-5 Icon troop type bowMaster Archer Icon troop type infantryVeteran Infantry Icon troop type horse archer bigMameluke Heavy Cavalry Icon troop type infantryMameluke Palace Guard Icon troop type cavalry bigVeteran Faris
Chevron-6 Icon troop type cavalry bigVanguard Faris

Clans[]

Clans of Aserai
Banu HulyanBanu SarranBanu QildBanu QarazBanu Arbas
Banu AtjiBanu SarmalBanu HabbabBanu Ruwaid

Territory[]

Territory of Aserai
Towns
AskarHubyarHusn FulqIyakisQasiraQuyazRazihSanala
Castles
Ain Baliq CastleBarihal CastleJamayeh CastleMedeni CastleSahel Castle
Shibal Zumr CastleTamnuh CastleTubilis CastleUqba Castle
Villages
AbbaAbghanAbou KhihAin BaliqAsmaitBaqBarihalBir SeifBunqaz
Deir HawaDoqaEzbet NahulFanabHamoshawatHibletHoqqaHunab
JahasimJamayehKafr HatifKuqaLamesaLiwasMabwazMahloulMedeni
MijayitMussumNahlanQablabQidnarSahelShibal ZumrTamnuhTasheba
TubilisUqbaWadarWaltasZalm

Trivia[]

  • Aserai are based on the real life Arab tribes that existed before the Islamic conquests in the seventh century. [1][2]
    • The Aserai clans all claim relation to Asera, a legendary patriarch. Similarly, early Arab tribes and families claimed a relation to Qahtan, a patriarch whose 24 sons would go on to begin many of the important Arab tribes
  • One of the clans, Banu Sarran, will eventually supplant the Banu Hulyan ruling clan and form the Sarranid Sultanate 200 years later in Warband.
  • The chiefs of the Aserai clans bear the title of emir, a title of nobility commonly used in Muslim countries.

Gallery[]

External links[]

Bannerlord Dev Blog introducing the Aserai in depth

References[]

Classic/Warband Factions
KhergitsNordsRhodoksSarranidsSwadiansVaegirs
With Fire & Sword Nations
CossacksCrimeansMuscovitesPolishSwedes
Napoleonic Wars Nations
AustriaFrancePrussiaRheinbundRussiaUnited Kingdom
Viking Conquest Factions
Cultures
AnglesBritonsFrieseGaelsNorsemenPictsSaxons
Factions
AileachAlbanAlt ClutBrycheiniogConnachtaCornubiaDanmarkEast EngleFriese
GlywyssingGwyneddLaiginLaithlindMideMierceMumainNorthhymbreNorthvegr
OsraigeUladhWest Seaxe
Bannerlord Factions
Kingdoms
AseraiBattaniansEmpire (NorthernSouthernWestern) • KhuzaitsSturgiansVlandians
Minor Factions
Minor ClanBeni ZilalBrotherhood of the WoodsCompany of the Golden BoarEleftheroi
Embers of the FlameForest PeopleGhilmanHidden HandJawwalKarakhergit
Lake RatsLegion of the BetrayedSkolderbrodaWolfskins
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