Ridwan,
Emir of Aleppo

A grandson of the great Alp Arslan, Ridwan came to the throne of Aleppo with the
stench of fratricide on his hands; to insure his inheritance he had two of his younger brothers put
to death. His remaining brother, Duqaq, fled to Damascus, where he became Emir of the same.
Relations between the two brothers were strained, to say the least; they endlessly plotted and
schemed against each other, and in all his rather devious dealings with other states around him,
Ridwan could never wholly divert his attention away from Damascus. Along with Damascus, he
was at times engaged in hostilities with Mosul, Diyarbekir, Mardin, Harran, and particularily
Antioch and Edessa. He also was at times allied to most of these states, even Christian Edessa,
though he particularily hated Antioch, whose leader Tancred at one point virtually reduced
Aleppo to vassalage. Ridwan was generally thought of as a slippery and shifty character, and
was universally hated, even by his own subjects. They feared the Assassins, whom Ridwan
favoured; It was rumored that an astrologer of the Assassins had cast an evil spell over Ridwan,
who used them to do away with his opponents. The Emir himself was thought to practice
witchcraft, and was somewhat fearsome in appearance; though of slight build, he had a dark
and evil countenace. When he died in 1113, the populace rose up and massacred most of
Ridwan's Assassin supporters. His final legacy to Aleppo was his son, another Alp Arslan,
who succeeded him and was soon discovered to be violently insane; he was soon killed in
his sleep by his favourite eunuch, Lu'Lu' (Pearls).

Strategy-The Aleppans are separated from any potential allies by ntheir enemies,
Antioch and Edessa. Trade would be difficult, were it not for the single port in Aleppan domains.
With a strong army and healthy finances, one of the crusader states may be fought with a chance
of victory. The two together will prove impossible to defeat. If Antioch can be diverted west, or
Edessa north, time might be gained to build up finances required for a major effort. Assassination
and skullduggery along with raiding may bring destabilization to your enemies better than early
military intervention. Look to Byzantium as a potential ally against the crusaders.

Territory at start, Trade Items, and Special Rules
Towns at Start
Aleppo (Capitol)
Menbij
Azaz
Harenc
Zerdana
Apamea
Jabala
Trade Items
Silk: 7/3 - Aleppo
Cotton: 4/2 - Zerdana
 Special Rules
Populace Level=6
Treasury at Start=19 besants
"Assassins:"
subtract 1 from all Assassination rolls
"Jihad:"
+2 besants per turn when at war with Christians
Forces at start- (from Force Pool)
Cv (2), Lh (6), Ax (2), Ps (2)
Generals and Advisors [Note- No advisors if Non-player Nation]
Generals at Start
Ridwan- Ruler;
Initiative: 4, Loyalty: N/A
(3) other Generals chosen randomly 		Advisors at Start
Select all (4) Advisors randomly
Victory Conditions:
Control a total of 38 Town Tax Value Points in the winter turn of any year