Lullubum

### GDP

• Total: 15.4 million Egyptian shematy (77 AEE)• Per capita: 23.4 Egyptian shematy (77 AEE)

**Spoiler warning: this page contains heavy spoilers for the novel The March of Deshret.**

The Kingdom of Lullubi is the newest member of the Eastern Coalition, being founded in 76 AEE by the Lullubi chieftain Zubani. Prior to this, the Lullubi tribes acted independently, but over the course of the Great Powers' War and the OFK-EC War the tribes were consolidated into a confederation under Zubani's leadership.

## Consolidation of the Lullubi

Already in 67 AEE the first Lullubi mercenaries were recruited by the Elamites, and once the Great Powers' War began in 71 AEE the Lullubi soldiers marched along the Elamites in their conquest of Karduniash. Of all the Lullubi leaders, Zubani proved to be the most capable and the most ruthless, eventually eliminating other chieftains and assuming command of the entire Lullubi force. In 72 - 73 AEE most Lullubi temporarily returned home as no there were no ongoing Elamite campaigns, and Zubani used this time to recruit more soldiers and expand his realm by defeating opposing chiefs. When the Lullubi returned to the front during the conquest of Assyria, most of them, at home and at the front, were behind Zubani, who was recognized by Shilhak-Inshushinak as the factual leader of Lullubum.

Zubani returned home again in 74 AEE, after the frontline in the Levant stagnated. While some of his soldiers stayed behind in the Levant, he took a portion of his army to expand his realm further and conquer the lands of Azzi, formerly belonging to Hayasa-Azzi, but after the Assyrian invasion in 73 AEE descending into anarchy. Zubani managed to easily conquer these lands and so get even more support. After stabilizing the situation in Lullubum, Zubani planned to return to the Levant in 75 AEE, but turned back once he heard news of Shilhak's death.

However, his death and the perceived weakened state of Elam allowed Zubani to secure some more critical support from Elam, as he now became the sole recognized ruler of Lullubum and was established as a king and a full member of the Eastern Coalition. This was good for Zubani, as he was now recognized by much of international community (later receiving recognition from the OFK members as well during the Damascus Peace Conference), and could get access to the coalition's funds and soldiers if needed, while he in turn pledged to stand with the EC and defend them from any hostile forces, now effectively being the first line of defense for Elam, Babylonia, and much of Assyria. In 76 - 77 AEE the remaining opponents of Zubani were defeated and executed, leaving him the uncontested king of the Lullubi, though local chiefs still had significant power as the region was sparsely populated and in rough terrain and so it was difficult to account for all of it directly.

## Part of the Eastern Coalition

Despite now being a full member of the EC, Lullubum is still far behind every other member in most matters. Its GDP is by far the lowest in the coalition, as is the GDP per capita, being more than four times less than the EC average. The country also still has no official currency, relying mostly on bartering and resource based wealth, despite the Coalition having adopted the sitan as the faction's official currency.

The country's literacy and urbanization rates are also very low, at only 4.3% and 5.4% respectively, due to most inhabitants being rural farmers, miners, or raiders. The country's economy mostly relies on mineral exports, with Elam, Babylonia, and Assyria being the main importers of resources such as copper, tin, and silver. The country also has the largest percentage of slaves within the Coalition, as they acquired many during their campaigns and wars with surrounding tribes.

The country has a pretty small population of only around 660 000 inhabitants, but can still field a considerable army of up to around 60 000 soldiers during war time, as the mountainous Lullubi culture is highly militaristic and most males are expected to participate in a war at some point. Most are also mounted soldiers, which the EC uses during wars as flank units, as the horsemen are much faster than the EC infantrymen. However, the army is not very well equipped and has rather rudimentary tactics, thus in most cases not being able to fight against more powerful and organized OFK armies without the leadership of Elamite or Babylonian generals and the core army parts consisting of chariots and heavy infantry.