I am thinking I will join the Battanians first. They get longbowmen, and I reckon they will be deadly and awesome. And good for both sieges and pitched battles.
(Description of each faction if you don't know them) ---> http://nichegamer.com/2014/09/01/mou...ions-and-lore/
"There’s the Vlandians, a tribe whose chieftains have become feudal lords and are renowned for their skills as heavy cavalry. There’s the Sturgians, who colonized the forests of the north and specialize in axe- and sword-armed footmen. The Aserai live in the scrubland and desert oases of the south and fight on both horseback and foot. The Khuzaits, a steppe tribe that conquered the trading cities of the east, make heavy use of horse archers. The Battanians meanwhile are skilled in exploiting their native woodlands, and are deadly in ambushes, be it a shower of arrows or a screaming charge out of the trees. The Empire has spent generations honing the arts of combined-arms warfare, with cataphracts, spear formations, and archers all doing their part on the battlefield."