| “ | He was just a boy from Nagwa. It is said that before killing his commanding officer, he declared that it was his Dharma to resist the British. He was a sepoy, like me. He worked for the Company, like me. He was also a hero, but I'm not a hero. It would do me good to stop listening to rumors. | ” |
| —Nanib Sahir, about a rebel Sepoy who killed his commanding officer | ||
Nanib Sahir is a lieutenant of the British Sepoy regiments. He works for the East Empire Trading Company and for Colonel Edwardson. He is the main protagonist of the Act III: India campaign in Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties.
Biography
| “ | Nanib’s story is like those of most of his sepoy comrades. He was born into a high caste always knowing a world where the British East India Company held influence over the kingdoms of India and surrounding nations. What sets Nanib apart from the other soldiers in his brigade is that he is the only man who chooses to act out against his superiors, taking up arms against Colonel George Edwardson, under whom he has served for more than two years. By making this decision, Nanib finds himself the reluctant commander of an army of traitorous Company soldiers bent on revenge against their British officers. Of course, the soft-spoken and patient Nanib does not have the warlike instincts expected of a general, and thus he questions his right to lead. Luckily for him, there is a man who perfectly embodies all of Nanib’s resentment towards the Company and its oppression: Colonel George Edwardson. When Nanib recalls the colonel’s many acts of ruthlessness and racism, he finds a purpose for what he is doing. The shy, cautious soldier takes on the role of sepoy general in order to rid India of all the Edwardsons that have plagued it for more than two centuries. | ” |
Nanib grows tired of the company's cruel ways and abuses to the Indian citizens. Despite this, he continues to help his superior in battles against Indian rebels, to the point of unintentionally being used as a trap by the colonel to ambush the rebels.
Eventually, Nanib indeed joins the rebellion after he sees some Muslim Sepoys refusing to use Enfield rifles because their cartridges, which must be bitten open before use, are covered with pork fat, which the men's Muslim beliefs do not allow them to consume. Though Nanib says he cannot consume pork fat either, remarking "But sir, it is also against my beliefs!", he uses one of the rifles to fire a near-miss at Edwardson and then quickly escapes to safety, where he soon gains the help of Pravar Patel, another Sepoy hero.
They raze the local fort where Edwardson's troops are, and lead several raids on British forts. Later Nanib and Pravar decided their next major battle would be to rescue Bahadur Shah, the Emperor of India. They sneak into Delhi in the dead of night and destroy weapon caches to cause elephant stampedes, which destroy gates. He then rallies soldiers and battles through Delhi, freeing the Emperor. Finally, after failed negotiation, Nanib leads an assault to Colonel Edwardson's base, destroying it and killing Edwardson in the process.
In-game unit
| “ | Sepoy lieutenant of the British East India Company. | ” |
| —In-game description | ||
Nanib uses a musket to fight from a long range. He can use Eye of the Assassin which is similar to Crackshot Attack used by Explorers, but does less damage and has shorter cooldown, and Fire Command to temporarily increase the damage of nearby friendly units.
Like other heroes, Nanib has many hit points, but if he falls, he will collapse instead of dying and need to regenerate enough hit points to be rescued by allies. Similar to Explorers, he can collect treasures and build Trading Posts, but cannot build Town Centers.
Abilities
| Ability | Use |
|---|---|
| File:Sharpshooter attack.png Eye of the Assassin | Nanib fires a single shot that does 750 ranged damage to the target enemy infantry or cavalry. 30 seconds cooldown. |
 Fire Command
|
For the next 10 seconds the attacks of friendly units in a radius of 12 around Nanib does three times more damage. 90 seconds cooldown. |
Trivia
- Nanib's appearance is modeled after the depiction of the historical character Mangal Pandey in the film Mangal Pandey: The Rising. The boy Nanib referred to was most likely Mangal Pandey.
- Unlike Chayton Black, Nanib still dons his company uniform and his dialogue is still English when joining the rebellion.
- When Nanib collapses, a text box appears next to him that says: "I can pass peacefully now... and proud..."
Gallery
