14th Africa south of the Zambezi River and a new breed of immigrants from the north, the Zenj, are flooding in and causing major problems for the Sabaean gold miners who have till then been using them as slaves. They now far outnumber the Sabaeans and a new leader emerges among them who starts to drive them out. The Sabaeans are forced into a tactical retreat but plan to return with a massive army to turn the tide. Intrigue and avarice makes this a slow process so the military leader of the Sabaeans breaks away and sets about raising an army of his own supported by mercanaries. They launch a massive campaign financed by diamonds from the Namib Desert and ultimately succeed - or so they think.