ıllıllı 𝕰𝖗𝖆 𝖔𝖋 𝕾𝖙𝖗𝖎𝖋𝖊 ıllıllı
"When great men and women put their heads together, they can achieve greatness unseen otherwise. But once they frown and turn upon each other, they wreak havoc like no other." -Inara, the Halconic Prophet
Please carefully read this segment, as it will greatly help you understand the rich lore of this region in the future
The Story
Imam VII is dead, and with him, the golden age of Saqquar has come to an end, and the empire of the shifting seasons is about to experience a war so bloody, so merciless, so long and so taxing on the people of the nation, that the people will come to refer to it as the Eternal War. A generation will succumb to the blazing heat of the desert sun under the banners of their legions, lost and wandering the desert in search for glory, spilling their blood and turning the dunes of Saqquar red as they give their life for a cause they all believe just, throwing away hundreds of years of tradition that once put an end to a war equally bloody and merciless.
But before we can come to ponder about the long lasting implications of the Eternal War, we must first know what it was, who turned the nation mad, and how the events played out.
It is an autumn day in the month of Niarve, and the year is 729 of the Imperial and Royal Calendar or 314 of the Halconic Dial, thought not many use that under the rule of the Imperial Sultans. For nearly two and a half centuries now, the sons of Imam have ruled over the land of Saqquar, guiding the country to prosperity and peace. Yet all is not well in the empire. Imam VII, the Crane is found dead in his bed, and the doctors examining his body claim he succumbed to his old age.
The people mourn. Talayet's people take to the streets with flags and flowers, El Shamul closes it's gates for a whole day to remember the king as it's ancient traditions dictate, and the 17 Merchant Princes of Markath open the gates of the Temple of the Halconics for the first time since the first anniversary of Inara's death. The empire mourns.
But amidst the mourning, two boys have their eyes set on the future, not the past. The twins sons of Imam VII, Ifrit and Granat both 22 years old this winter, waste little time to cry for their father. Their thoughts are occupied with the storm brewing over the horizon. Imam was elderly, following traditions older than any can remember, and he wished for them both to rule together. Ifrit, cunning and religious, embraces this idea and wastes no time to mourn his father and wants to continue in his footsteps as fast as possible. But Granat, steadfast and martial, wants nothing to do with his brother whom he considers too forgiving for a ruler and has been preparing his secession for months now.
The two brothers gaze at each other as they watch the mourning masses below the Imperial Palace who have come to pay respects for them. Granat sighs, and Ifrit lifts an eyebrow. He inquiries about his brother's problem, only to get the shake of his head as an answer. "So this is it." Ifrit mumbles, seeing his brother's eyes free of tears and burning with dreams of grandeur. He has watched his brother turn away from him for months now and made several attempts to sway him. Even now, he makes one final attempt to persuade his brother to think again and come to a compromise. "Brother, I ask of you to think this over. We must not succumb to the hate Inara has once quelled within our hearts." But this time again, standing on the precipice of a great disaster, Granat refuses he turns away from the crowd and is brother, retreating inside the palace as the evening wind flutters his cape. "So this is it." Ifrit mutters to himself.
The next day, Ifrit and a handful of his followers leave Talayet under the veil of dawn to meet with a party who has brought them Ixclicid mounts. They switch their thoroughbreds, and with his now armed escort, he races off towards El Shamul to make progress while the sun is down. For Ifrit wasn't idle as he watched his brother get overtaken by greed. He had his own plans, and if he must dethrone his brother do to that, then he will. He already has the blessing of the Halconic priests in Markath, and he has an army in disguise stationed in the Royal Capital to spring up and march on Tayalet to take on his brother in a swift and decisive victory.
Meanwhile, Granat mobilizes his troops. Even the scaleguards, the elite women who are sworn protectors of the Sultan are gathered under his banner, as he makes his speech at the Square of Emperors in Tayalet. He holds the Imperial Banner, and claims that his traitor brother has fled the city leaving him as the de facto Sultan. The guardsmen scramble, but none can find Ifrit or his closest accomplices. So it's true, he really has fled. By noon the garrison and the guards take up arms under the banner of Granat. They are preparing to march to war too: a war to end the rebellion of the traitor Ifrit who would rather flee and fight than to step aside for the firstborn twin.
Yet both struggle with one issue: Both are young and they have always lived in the shadows of their father. The great army of Saqquar mourns at Horquath under the leadership of the general Nadim the Dragon, the slayer of a dozen Skarrats. They have little in armed forces, and even less in men they can trust. Men who will guide their hand and their armies.
The RP
Where the story of these two young men is left off, the story of those who fight and serve for them arise. Great men of military might, cunning and brave, possessing the traits to wage war on an unprecedented scale. Honorbound warriors of a strict dogma who protect the lives of the late sultan’s offsprings and do their dirty deeds when needed. Snake tongued and charming gentleman with no limits and an affinity for people like no other. Men, who will lead the armies of these two historical figures who will undoubtedly plunge their beloved country into a bloody civil war. These men are you.
Saqquar is a pet peeve of mine. So vast it’s lore as the sand dunes of it’s land, and so lengthy it’s history like the Granat river. So if you are confused and have many questions, that is understandable. Just take my hand and I will guide you through this step by step.
What is the Era of Strife you ask? It’s a relatively recent era of the country’s long history, that stretch and rotate however I might, I simply couldn’t come to properly explore. It is no one man’s task to do so, a singular mind cannot possibly be so cunning as to speak for a million people at once. So I need your aid.
You will play as generals and the trustees of Ifrit and Granat, the malevolent twins who will later sede their bodies and names to the two great rivers of Saqquar and etch their stories into the history books. You will help them make their decisions, guide their military conquest, and fight vast battles and sieges to be ultimately the ones who conquer the capitals of Southern or Nothern Saqquar.
Naturally, generals are always welcome, for this is mostly an RP about a long and bloody war, but we all know that the pen is mightier than the sword, so spymasters/assassins or diplomats are always welcome. Wars don’t always NEED to be bloody. Just think of the great battles of Belisarius where he routed a larger force without a single drop of blood using only his cunning.
But before you quickly start thinking of what kind of a general, or perhaps other trustee you will be, I must press the importance of alignment. Not only is it as fluid for some as the very rivers their leiges are named after, but they carry a burden. Neither Granat nor Ifrit were right. By the end of the Eternal War, both have become mad in a struggle for power, and resorted to whatever they can get their hands on. I wish you will see them both as equal candidates for your liege.
And once you are done, work may begin. From there on, whether your characters on either sides of the conflict will decide the fate of history for a nation that outlives all. I hope to see many on both sides of the conflict, so that this may become one for the epics.
The “Rules”
Just before I get the sheet out for you, I do want to ask one thing: dedication. Sure, I can write this story myself if I want to, but I wish to travel this journey with companions who have equal love for history, military and intrigue as me, who will come to embrace Saqquar as their own after this journey is over. But if you are forming history in such a way, please only apply if you are sure you can follow through.
There won’t be any strict timetable, that we will establish once we have all the players set. I just want people who won’t disappear without any sign. It always pains me to not be able to tell my stories as such. Aside from that...well, just don’t be an ass. I welcome every and all.
Oh, and as I have said before, there is some worldbuilding involved as well. Once I catch you up on lore, feel free to pitch ideas for pretty much anything: places, people, events. So don’t be afraid to go wild with your imagination. But for now with your sheet, just stick to general Middles East-African style if you want to create names and places.
The Sheet
Wow, we finally got here! Did you cheat any of the text? No worries, I do all the time!
This is just a simple sheet layout, feel free to make all the super fancy sheets that you want. I will certainly do so.
NAME: What shall the soldiers call you sire?
AGE: Does the strength of the young still burn withing your veins, or are you known for the wisdom of those who have survived many summers?
APPEARANCE: When you look in the mirror, what is it that you see. (Or just use a picture.)
PERSONALITY: When you look in the mirror, what it is that you can't see. (Please don't use a picture)
BIOGRAPHY: What have you done up until this moment in your life, when you are staring at the mirror for far too long.
SKILLS: Are you a brilliant strategist? Perhaps a clever tricks is better than the sword? Do you know what the other thinks just by looknig at them?
FLAWS: Are you a heavy drinker? Perhaps quick to anger and throw a tantrum? Do the pleasures of the flesh prove irresistable for you?
OTHER: If you have a motto, personal possessions dear to you, a favourite song to be your anthem of war or the flag/sigil of your lineage, these things come here, but make sure to mark them, and not just drop them here as a bunch if you do so.
Here is a ctrl-v ready format for the sheet
[b]NAME:[/b]
[b]AGE:[/b]
[b]APPEARANCE:[/b]
[b]PERSONALITY:[/b]
[b]BIOGRAPHY[/b]
[b]SKILLS:[/b]
[b]FLAWS:[/b]With that said, I doubt there is much left...it has been far too lnog since I started an RP. I have been disheartened for far too long as I watched players dwindle, hype fail and RPs die. Still, I am not known to give up easily. I hope to see you lovely people interested! If we get people together then we'll move onto a comfier Discord server as well! Until then, take care and have a great day.
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