Xhafer Shjenin

**Xhafer Gjan Shjenin** is a major Albanian Naftist, general, and politician in the Weltreich. He is noted for overcoming the racial restrictions placed upon him by the Reich government and becoming a successful general in the Reichsheer. He served in the African front of the Greater Decade's War, replacing Wolfgang Grutzberg as head of the occupation of the East African Lakes following his failure at the Battles of Zanzibar. In that war he also served in the Pacific Campaign, especially during the Australasian Civil War, in which he won several battles in the north and east, and he was particularly crucial to the (eventually failed) defense of New Zealand. Following the Grand Amnesty, he took up Naftism after Edward Humble published his Humble Manifesto. He has since become a major advocate for Naftism, supporting a strong central government and racial equality on the basis of loyalty. This has achieved him notoriety, particularly among the traditional National-Socialists under the leadership of Siegmann von Blitzmark, who have claimed he is a nationalist not to the Reich, but to Albania. Shjenin has refuted this claims, stating that valuing the glory of your own people is equally valuable to the very idea of fascism as supporting the glory of the state. This unique stance on nationalism has gained immense praise from noted Naftists, including Edward Humble himself. He has made himself a divisive figure in Reich politics, earning him several visits from the Teutonic Order. Regardless, he has no intent of stopping now. He intends to continue fighting for Natfism - for a new Reich, where his people don't have to overcome mountains to succeed in the state.

## Early Life

Xhafer was born in Tirana, Albania, on April 19th, 2960. Albania at that point was already a part of the Weltreich. His parents, father Daz Shjenin and mother Anji Kenz, were Albanian traditionalists. As such, they taught him the heroics of the Albanian people in ages past. He was well-versed in the life and legacy of Zog, the ancient King of Albania from 1928 to 1939. These early teachings got him interested in Albanian history, but as his studies continued, he found that Albania had ceased to exist by the Divided States Period. He was distraught to find that the Greek-controlled Byzantium had suppressed Albanian culture in order for Megalos to achieve his perfect Greek-Supremacist Byzantium.

His sorrow would be turned to anger as he encountered daily discrimination from the ethnic German minority living in Albania. Albanians, while certainly not bottom-tier in the traditional race scale used by the Weltreich, were lower-class Balkan trash, and especially more so due to their Muslim faith, which had become illegal to practice.

After his graduation from high school, he enrolled in the University of Tirana, which was - and still is - an Albanian-majority school. He studied history and law, earning his degrees with flying colours. The professors noted he always seemed angry - not at anyone in particular, but at the world itself. It was as if he was trying to prove himself the greatest Albanian who ever lived.

After finishing university, he briefly took a job as a lawyer, and in that time, he brags, he never lost a single case. However, he left the lawyer job in 2980 to study military theory in Rome. He had initially applied to the Germania Military Academy, but was denied on the basis he was Albanian. His studies in Rome, however, proved to be extremely fruitful. He excelled in strategy, being praised for his logical mind. The local Italian population came to like him, and he made a number of friends. Among these friends was a young Italian woman he casually spent time with name Celestina Notaro. Over the course of his stay in Rome, he would gradually fall in love with Celestina until their relationship began in April 2984.

## Greater Decade's War

After completing eight years of military study in 2988, he felt confident enough to apply to Germania Military Academy. Again, he was denied. This time, he was furious. He spent eight years getting top marks, only to be denied once more? However, later that year, the Greater Decade's War broke out, and the Reich government was desperate for new, intelligent generals. Shjenin applied to enlist as a low-ranking commander, and due to his extensive education, was accepted. Sjenin was limited by his position, but he worked with what he had. He was first sent to the Amerikan front, where it was presumed he would fail miserably. However, he shocked his superiors by doing what no other Reich general could do: he won a battle in Amerika. The victory, however minor, came as an enormous shock to the Reichsheer. Upon hearing this news, Wolfgang Grutzberg, a high-ranking general, would have Shjenin promoted to Captain, and was re-stationed to the Middle East to face off against the invading general Zhuldyz Gulnar. He would route around her troops to the east, flanking her in her preferred desert environment. This flanking move would force Gulnar to retreat to the west, and there she would supply the lines to hold the front until Shjenin's forces could be worn down. Unable to break through her lines, Shjenin would request air support from the Luftwaffe, but was denied due to the arrogant Air Marshal Josef Edelheimer. Unable to reach a compromise with Edelheimer, Shjenin was transferred to the African Front to see if he could break through the largely unmoving lines. He won several skirmishes along the Congo border, but the thick jungle made advancement by either side impossible. Thus, he took over for Wolfgang Grutzberg after the Battles of Zanzibar came to a close. Suddenly in charge of a large occupation in unfamiliar terrain, Shjenin took the disorganised and disillusioned armies and organised them into a serious competition for Nuuk attackers. The fighting in the front wasn't easy, as experienced generals fought threw their troops at Shjenin's occupation in several bloody battles. The exchange of territory was slow and went in both directions, but overall he successfully defended the major East African occupation. After it became clear the occupation was going nowhere, Grutzberg felt confident enough to rank him up to Major and ship him off to fight in the Australasian Civil War. His area of influence was mostly concentrated in the northeast, particularly Queensland and Northern Australia. Here he won the key First and Second Battles of Townsville, defending the major regional port city and preventing the Unionists from cutting of the northern end of his army. To the south, however, the war situation for the Bloc was growing panicked and disorganised. Shjenin became famous here for managing to keep calm and collected in seemingly hopeless situations. As the south fell, the days of Sjenin's northern resistance became numbered, and he was transferred to New Zealand, the last front of the civil war. He held up in the North Island for almost a year after the war in the mainland ended, before the major Nuuk force from the north eliminated most of his army and forced him to relocate back to the Reich. He was at last recalled to Europe, where the Reich needed every general they could get to participate in the defence of the Fatherland. Shjenin became crucial in the southwestern front, retaking Bordeaux and Vichy from Nuuk occupiers while the much larger Northern Forces stormed Paris. He was still on his way to Paris when he learned of the war's end, and reportedly said, "I hadn't even started yet!"

## Post-GDW

At the war's end, he returned to Rome to propose to his long-time lover, Celestina. After their wedding and honeymoon, he participated in the Commantor Uprising as a minor general; he is thought to have flippantly remarked how much Jungle Warfare annoyed him. When the uprising finally came to a close in 3002, he made what he called a "temporary retirement" to his home in Tirana. He remained inactive as a general and moderately active as a politician until 3008.

### Naftism

When Edward Humble published his *Humble Manifesto* in 3008, it immediately caught Shjenin's attention. He was elated at the prospect of a system based on loyalty rather than race, as under that system he would thrive due to his devout nationalism. He had been held back by the Reich's racial restricitions his entire career, and thus Humble provided him an avenue for success. He met with Humble in 3009, and Humble is thought to have said, "You are the greatest general of our time; you will be my Oberkimmander." He also promised to award Shjenin an Iron Cross, as he had not yet recieved one due to his racial status despite his repeated successes. He is a major supporter of Humble to this day, praising him for being a hero of the Reich with his ingenious system. Thus he has summoned even more controversy, and has become incredibly unpopular with the National-Socialist faction, led by Siegmann von Blitzmark.

### Modern Life

Shjenin resides in Tirana with his wife, Celestina, and his son, Pjeter. He occasionally practices his military skill via simulations to keep himself prepared. He is an incredibly popular figure in Albania, and has been given the nickname "Alban" to deitise his as a hero of all Albanians. He enjoys his popularity in peace, and believes that under his and Humble's leadership, Naftism will always propser - no matter the enemy.