Ziegenkonig

The Hourglass Order

N A Z I H I Q B A L

Cold Comfort

Nazih started out into the city, bee-lining straight for the merchant district Chorily had pointed out to them earlier. He wasn't quite sure what he was looking for, fate would decide for him.

Surely enough, mere moments after entering the area, at waist height in front of him through a storefront window was the most magnificent enchanted item Nazih had ever beheld. Even his expertly crafted shield paled in comparison. He was tempted to wonder whether this was placed here specifically for him by the Dreamer themself. It was a simple scrubbing brush; of impeccable craftsmanship and fine material. A small wonder nobody had snatched it up yet. Nazih could sense the magic oozing from it through the glass, and could tell it was something truly special.

He walked out of the shop shortly after with a broad smile on his face. He had just finished witnessing an enlightening demonstration by the shop's clerk, and he was not disappointed. Brush in hand, going back to those dismal dorms wasn't an option. This needed further testing. Unfortunately, he had spent this morning rigorously cleaning his outfit and himself for the journey; so he couldn't test it on himself. However, he knew the perfect experiment to carry out.

He walked - if not ran - down the street towards his destination.

He pushed through the gate to the stables, so focused on his mission that the rush of dank air went unnoticed. His attention was focused on a singular task; the goats. So disgusting, standing amidst their own filth, he could only imagine what a miserable existence it must be. Not to mention, if he was expected to ride on one, the mess would need to go.

He approached one of the animals. Briefly attempting to gain its trust before starting to remove the outer crust of grime. Nazih placed a gloved hand on its horn and stared into the vacant face. Magnificent beasts, and the strangest eyes. Was there really intelligence behind those dead-panned thousand-yard stares? He shrugged the thought away, and carefully retrieved his new tool.

The first bit of moss had come loose to hit the floors when an ear-splitting shriek froze all other occupants in the stables. Nazih blinked, he’d been so single-minded on his task he’d failed to take in the others.

Esmii and Sven were strolling the far end, while directly outside his own stall stood Chorily, behind a small and hediously filthy boy. This proved the be the sources of the scream, as he continued howling:

“UCHA!” Only Chorily’s hand grasping the thin arm kept the enraged child from flying at Nazih. “Ucha sproch yit!” He spat at the Drahanic’s feet instead. “Jihul”

Chorily, face red behind the beard, scolded the boy harshly, but in a quiet tone compared to the former’s yelling.

The goat sneezed, then leaned forward to investigate Nazih’s shoulder with its muzzle.

Maybe the child thought he was trying to harm the creature? Regardless of the altercation, Nazih backed away from the goat with his hands raised up to signal his non-violent intentions.

It was enough to ease the boy-and in turn the restraining Chorily. “Apologies,” His host said, nodding to him and the pair further in the stables. “Ilvir had no right, but he’s a child, a half-mad and fully stupid one at that.” She finished, glaring down at her ward solemnly for a moment before dragging him out behind her. “He will bother you no more- Have a pleasant stay in Hoch Dorumvir!” The slamming door behind her punctuated the final goodbye.

The Hourglass Order

N A Z I H I Q B A L

Roses and Neskals

Nazih took the brief respite in-between the blocking the various balls being hurled towards Secto's roses. "If only I could do more to help, but it would take a miracle for my talents to assist here" he thought, "But still, worth a shot right?".

He motioned to Maura to get her attention, deftly slid over to her, and subtly communicated his intentions. With all of the ice escapades going on, it was easy to get a word in. The idea was to target as many of Afraval's roses as he could with his unique chemical decay. The aim was to weaken them, turning them as brittle as possible, while disguising the appearance of the wood to be perfectly healthy. It was going to take a lot of energy, the range alone daunting, and he had never attempted this magic from such a distance. Nazih had to do something though.

He gathered himself, took cover behind one of the titanic chunks of ice on the field, and begun spreading his energy out and rotting the enemy team's roses. Incredibly, whether it was due to the immense amount of magical energy being expelled on the field, or some other grace of luck, he found directing his magic much easier than anticipated. He managed to reach most of the enemy's roses, and spread his decay throughout their structures.

He gave Maura a signal from his location, and she understood the assignment. He would point out weakened roses, and whenever she had the ammo for it, she would rocket thumpers and clangers into the dead wood. Not having to worry about precise aim here, as even a glancing hit would completely splinter the rose, she made quick work of several roses. Afroval and Secto were tied for roses in play.

The rest of Secto's team had been busy at work sabotaging the Ice King's massive dome. They had chosen key points around the dome to sneakily spot-heat, weakening the overall structure through careful attrition. The grouped together, and let loose as much energy as they could in a final blast to bring down the whole dome, hoping to damage as many roses as possible in the cave-in. The entire arena shook, referees sharing apprehensive looks that the strong wires wouldn't hold, as the dome's roof started sloping downwards. Much like an avalanche, mist and snow spread out over the field.

After the dust settled, both teams realized that no roses remained on either side. Sectoxomactex, a team of underdog newbies, had managed to hold their own against the team of RAS monsters and come out alive.

A Game of Strength and Wit

Moli's carnival, a chaotic mass of loud noises and louder smells. Loudest yet was the dirt and grime that persisted throughout the establishment. The figurative walls Nazih built every morning to deal with the natural foulness that seemed to ooze from this planet's surface were usually enough. They might as well have been made out of sawdust now. Sometimes he wished he could sear all the germs away.

Nazih stood at his post, perfectly focused and alert; for the first few minutes anyways. You could say that guard duty was not Nazih's forte, and standing in one place this long, he started to feel his atoms begin to vibrate with pent up energy. The constant reminder of germs laying siege to him from every direction only hastened the impatience. His eyes started to wander, no longer searching for apparent threats, when they landed on a very welcome distraction: a carnival game. Not just any carnival game either, but a test of strength no less?

The premise was simple. Take a hammer, and slam it down. "Consider it done." Nazih thought confidently.

He strode up to the game, and got the operator's attention. The game's charge carried out an almost comical double-take; not only was this unit of a man towering over him like a monolith, but he was also a foreigner; with the looks of nobility at that. The surprise was only noticeable for a second. This operator was a seasoned employee of Moli's, and humiliating a noble was always a rare treat. He wasn't about to let this opportunity slip through his fingers.

"Looks like you know how this game works sonny, why don't you give 'er a try?" The carnie said with a wink, his demeanor slowly taking on that of a cat who had finally found his prey.

Nodding, Nazih thanked the Dreamer for his gloves as he grasped the hammer's hilt and took stance for a swing; and swing he did. A clang as the hammer hit it's mark, loud enough to draw the attention of the surrounding patrons. The marker flew with ease up the meter, but started drastically losing steam the higher it climbed. Too drastically, thought Nazih. He smelled something fishy, and this time it wasn't his close proximity to a fish market.

"That's a 78!" shouted the carnie loud enough to play the crowd, "not bad at all! Almost a prize level!" He hooks his thumbs into his belt. "I'll tell yah what! That earns you a half-off on your next swing!"

Nazih raised one eyebrow, giving the him a look. He stepped a bit closer, a little close for comfort for Nazih, hopefully moreso for the operator. Leaning further in still, Nazih whispered into the his ear, "Pretty ballsy to try conning a Firrazene, but I'm willing to let it slide. How about I take the prize for 90, and we'll forget this ever happened. Otherwise, we'll both get to see how your little toy fares against my shiny friend here." Nazih accented the threat with a subtle gesture towards the hulking shield strapped to his back.

"You callin' me a liar, boy?" the carnie demanded, quietly. "Can't bear it that you don't quite have the muscles you thought you did?" He shook his head and stepped forward again. "I'll tell you what," he announced, turning on the spot to address the growing crowd of passersby, "We'll appoint a neutral arbiter and then you get another swing. You hit an eighty, I'll give you the prize for ninety, just to show I'm an honest merchant, 'spite your accusations. You miss it, then you kindly bugger off." He crossed his arms. "What say you? Or you worried you can't repeat what you're claiming?"

Nazih grinned, a plan slowly forming, and responded while facing the crowd, "Why, these are fair terms that only a fair man could offer. Of course, I can only accept!"

He wasn't going to ignore the carnival's invisible hand though. If one side was cheating, it's only fair that he got to join in. He snatched the hammer from the carnie and stepped up to the plate, taking care to face his back away from the watchful eye of the game's manager.

He raised the hammer high, higher over his head, so high in fact that it just barely came into contact with the shield on his back. Nazih held this position for a moment, putting on a show for the crowd of hyping himself up for the swing. In reality, he was carefully drawing as much of the heavy shield into the hammer as he could using binding. Once he was satisfied with the weight, Nazih swung the hammer down with as much force as he could muster.

Nazih struck hard, much harder than the previous attempt. His strike rang out like a seasoned blacksmith's final blow on his latest masterpiece. However, the little bauble seemed to be moving up no faster and no more forcefully than it had before.

The carnie was beaming, no longer the picture of a cat with it's prey but of a dog salivating at the presence of a perfectly rare steak. He had his cake, and was eating it too.

Nazih knew he wasn't smart enough to decipher the inner mechanisms of the game; he might as well have been attempting to dismantle a Sirrahi device. He knew what would work though. Always the ace up his sleeve, his specialty composting magic.

Still holding the hammer down on the plate, the meter starting to slow just as before, Nazih channeled a bit of his rot magic into the joints of the game. Creaks and groans echoed through the seasoned structure, sounds the operator was not familiar or comfortable with hearing. He was about to shove Nazih away when it all came splintering down. His plans and the game, both in shambles.

Nazih spun and egged the crowd on while flexing, "Looks like the game truly can't handle my strength, surely this warrants some sort of reward?" Glancing towards the carnie, mirroring the initial wink. He also placed the hammer over his shoulder, binding the metal he siphoned back into the shield. He hoped he wouldn't need the shield for anything too important before repairs could be made.

A handful of people in the crowd cheered and Nazih felt emboldened. Covered by the noise, the hammer game's operator addressed him. "Don't think I didn't feel you use magic." Publicly, he feigned a good-natured reaction, though. "Wow! You're gonna make me fix the whole thing!" He made a show of theatrically wiping his brow. "Guess that earns you a hundred!" People cheered louder. He lowered his voice and addressed the youth again. "You take your prize and get the fuck out of here. You stick around and it won't be good for you."

Nazih quickly grabbed a nice looking shirt; it might have been his imagination, but he sensed a trace amount of magic woven into the needlework. With that, he made his exit. He knew the risk he took there and was quick to get out of the public eye, as well as away from the daggers being thrown at him from the eyes of the carnie.

The Hourglass Order

[+]

N A Z I H I Q B A L

"Life will always seek renewal through decay"

17 | Male | Firrazene | Noble | 7.18

P E R S O N A L I T Y

❖ [Abrupt]
❖ [Honest]
❖ [Stubborn]
❖ [Prudent]
❖ [Unostentatious]

C H A R A C T E R A P P E A R A N C E

The first thing most notice of Nazih is his statuesque physique, sculpted from many sweltering days laboring under the hot Firrazene sun. The second would be his towering height at 6ft, his face more often than not angled downwards. Short black hair, clean shaven, tired eyes framed with thick brows and a wide jaw. Despite living in the driest (and dustiest) region of the desert, he is always impeccably clean. For formal events Nazih dons clothes typical of FiRrazene nobility, but for everything else comfort and function take priority.

L A N G U A G E S

Zaqhory - Native Tongue
Inipori - Mostly fluent, semi-literate
Torragonese - Fluent & Literate
Avincian - Mostly fluent, semi-literate
Belzaggic - Basic knowledge and understanding, not quite fluent.

T H E G I F T

_{7.18 | Blueblood}

❖ Chemistry ~ Adept

❖ Binding ~ Novice

❖ Atomic ~ Novice

For much of his life, Nazih's intended path was that of a warrior; one to reign destruction on his family's enemies as the first to have a capacity greater than seven in three generations. His elders sought to teach him destruction; corrosives and explosions. Form him into a weapon to be directed at their enemies. But Nazih's interest and talents lay elsewhere. Knowing his RAS not enough to reach his family's goals or give his people justice he focused on the intricacies of chemical magic; the strange forces keeping molecules in place and how re-arranging them could create something else entirely.

In the desert, the cheetah lives for three years, and the camel lives for nine. When it comes to plant life, even less so. Farming in the deep desert is near impossible without magical intervention. Foreseeing the stagnation of his people through their inability to produce enough food to grow, Nazih begun seeking other solutions. While working towards developing a water retention method for the dry soil and analyzing his inability to grow things, he discovered that one could vastly accelerate the decomposition process of any organic material. Using a careful mix of chemistry magic and binding, Nazih managed to increase the nitrogen-generation of composting materials to incredible levels, fast-forwarding a process that would normally take months to only a few days.

B A C K G R O U N D

Born to the Iqbal house of Firraz, in the desolate lands they still called Zaqhorya, to a lineage still burdened by the consequences of the crusades of Torragon. Most Zaqhory had been slaughtered, and the lucky ones; a sizeable chunk of the Iqbal included, survives long enough to see the forming Firraz after the desecration of their homeland. Nazih is no exception to his people's pride, taking solace in his noble duties to revitalize the vast inhospitable deserts his family had been given domain over. Included in these duties were the harvest tours; during the planting and harvest seasons, anyone capable of assisting by magical means would travel the deserts and aid each settlement. This of course meant anyone of noble blood and able body would tour as well, as very few magical bloodlines remained after their homeland was violently ripped from their family.

It was long, grueling work that aided in Nazih developing an impressive physique. Recognizing the desert's inability to sustain long term human settlements, he realized something needed to change. It didn't help that he seemed to have an aversion to green; any plant he sought to nurture would quickly wilt and die. So he was instead delegated to other manual labor among the stall and cattle far from any planted crops. Frustrated and confused with his inability to help his people the way they needed, he begun experimenting to find the root cause of the phenomenon. Many late nights lit by the desert moon and lantern-light were spent analyzing the sparse remains of his family's magical equipment and records. Over time he developed a unique respect for his handicap, beginning to understand the practical and philosophical importance of decay in the circle of life.

This eventually resulted in Nazih developing rudimentary decomposition magic, a vitally important asset to his people's farms. Where a normal supply of compost would normally rot for six weeks to a year, his techniques cut the time to mere days. But, teaching the few other Zaqhory mages how to use his method magic proved to be an uphill battle for Nazih. For so long, the Iqbal people had been harboring a deep anxiety around keeping things alive in their harsh environment. Now they had to be taught that to bring life into their home, they must master life's eternal enemy: decay. It didn't help that such magic was a cultural taboo, as many saw the forced decomposition as a blight against nature, and therefore a threat to the dreamer's sleep. Regardless of their deeply rooted beliefs and traditions though, as the crops grew back stronger and stronger each year it became impossible to argue against him.

Despite the short-sighted nature of some of the family members and population, the head of the Iqbal chose to recognize the unique potential before her. Wishing to further develop Nazih, she ordered him to travel to Ersand'Enise and study within the Academy of Thaumaturgy. In-between his protests, as Nazih would rather stay and have a more active hand in developing his people's land, she pushed for him to acknowledge the potential benefits. Having a powerful Alta at their disposal would be well worth the substantial damage to the Iqbal's coffers, and further serve their overall plans. In the end, Nazih could find no flaw in her reasoning, and reluctantly agreed.

The Iqbal's overall goal has always been to retake their birthright that was wrenched from their hands so many years ago. Until Nazih improved their harvests, this was merely a dream; but now, with population growth in sight and a promising loyal mage training to become an even greater asset, they could finally plan for the vengeance they deserved. Particularly in Nazih's case, his mission was to develop and discover magic that could further strengthen his family beyond simply increased harvests. Similarly holding the steadfast determination the of his people, he already possessed a host of ideas; but lacked the necessary knowledge to act on them.

As Nazih began traveling towards the Academy, leaving his homeland behind for the first time, he was filled with contradicting feelings. Intensely worried about the state of his hid people, but excited for the vast knowledge he would soon have at his fingertips. Overall he knew that this was one of the only paths that could result in the Zaqhory retaking their birthright, and with that thought at the forefront, he strode on with purpose.

M O T I V A T I O N

The quest to revitalize the Firrazene lands, and in turn the Zaqhory people. Beyond that, his natural yearning to comprehensively understand what makes things tick is more than enough to keep him on track. And yet, despite the amazing opportunity, he still harbors a sense of guilt for what his family and people will have to sacrifice to have him enrolled; which while anxiety inducing does serve as a strong motivator.

I N V E N T O R Y

❖ Brass Knuckles
❖ Exceptionally maintained Noble garbs
❖ Loose comfortable clothes
❖ Large bag full of cleaning supplies, along with a collection of chemical components
❖ A jar of dirt

S T R E N G T H S & S K I L L S

❖ Physical prowess
❖ Inquisitive
❖ Well-educated and well-spoken
❖ Highly Motivated

W E A K N E S S E S & F L A W S

❖ Compulsively Clean
❖ Prejudiced
❖ Tunnel Vision
❖ Very bad with plants

M I S C E L L A N E O U S

BB Colour code = D2691E

The Hourglass Order

[+]

N A Z I H I Q B A L

"Life will always seek renewal through decay"

17 | Male | Firrazene | Noble | 7.18

P E R S O N A L I T Y

❖ [Abrupt]
❖ [Honest]
❖ [Stubborn]
❖ [Prudent]
❖ [Unostentatious]

C H A R A C T E R A P P E A R A N C E

The first thing most notice of Nazih is his statuesque physique, sculpted from many sweltering days laboring under the hot Firrazene sun. The second would be his towering height at 6ft, his face more often than not angled downwards. Short black hair, clean shaven, tired eyes framed with thick brows and a wide jaw. Despite living in the driest (and dustiest) region of the desert, he is always impeccably clean. For formal events Nazih dons clothes typical of FiRrazene nobility, but for everything else comfort and function take priority.

L A N G U A G E S

Zaqhory - Native Tongue
Inipori - Mostly fluent, semi-literate
Torragonese - Fluent & Literate
Avincian - Mostly fluent, semi-literate
Belzaggic - Basic knowledge and understanding, not quite fluent.

T H E G I F T

_{7.18 | Blueblood}

❖ Chemistry ~ Adept

❖ Binding ~ Novice

❖ Atomic ~ Novice

For much of his life, Nazih's intended path was that of a warrior; one to reign destruction on his family's enemies as the first to have a capacity greater than seven in three generations. His elders sought to teach him destruction; corrosives and explosions. Form him into a weapon to be directed at their enemies. But Nazih's interest and talents lay elsewhere. Knowing his RAS not enough to reach his family's goals or give his people justice he focused on the intricacies of chemical magic; the strange forces keeping molecules in place and how re-arranging them could create something else entirely.

In the desert, the cheetah lives for three years, and the camel lives for nine. When it comes to plant life, even less so. Farming in the deep desert is near impossible without magical intervention. Foreseeing the stagnation of his people through their inability to produce enough food to grow, Nazih begun seeking other solutions. While working towards developing a water retention method for the dry soil and analyzing his inability to grow things, he discovered that one could vastly accelerate the decomposition process of any organic material. Using a careful mix of chemistry magic and binding, Nazih managed to increase the nitrogen-generation of composting materials to incredible levels, fast-forwarding a process that would normally take months to only a few days.

B A C K G R O U N D

Born to the Iqbal house of Firraz, in the desolate lands they still called Zaqhorya, to a lineage still burdened by the consequences of the crusades of Torragon. Most Zaqhory had been slaughtered, and the lucky ones; a sizeable chunk of the Iqbal included, survives long enough to see the forming Firraz after the desecration of their homeland. Nazih is no exception to his people's pride, taking solace in his noble duties to revitalize the vast inhospitable deserts his family had been given domain over. Included in these duties were the harvest tours; during the planting and harvest seasons, anyone capable of assisting by magical means would travel the deserts and aid each settlement. This of course meant anyone of noble blood and able body would tour as well, as very few magical bloodlines remained after their homeland was violently ripped from their family.

It was long, grueling work that aided in Nazih developing an impressive physique. Recognizing the desert's inability to sustain long term human settlements, he realized something needed to change. It didn't help that he seemed to have an aversion to green; any plant he sought to nurture would quickly wilt and die. So he was instead delegated to other manual labor among the stall and cattle far from any planted crops. Frustrated and confused with his inability to help his people the way they needed, he begun experimenting to find the root cause of the phenomenon. Many late nights lit by the desert moon and lantern-light were spent analyzing the sparse remains of his family's magical equipment and records. Over time he developed a unique respect for his handicap, beginning to understand the practical and philosophical importance of decay in the circle of life.

This eventually resulted in Nazih developing rudimentary decomposition magic, a vitally important asset to his people's farms. Where a normal supply of compost would normally rot for six weeks to a year, his techniques cut the time to mere days. But, teaching the few other Zaqhory mages how to use his method magic proved to be an uphill battle for Nazih. For so long, the Iqbal people had been harboring a deep anxiety around keeping things alive in their harsh environment. Now they had to be taught that to bring life into their home, they must master life's eternal enemy: decay. It didn't help that such magic was a cultural taboo, as many saw the forced decomposition as a blight against nature, and therefore a threat to the dreamer's sleep. Regardless of their deeply rooted beliefs and traditions though, as the crops grew back stronger and stronger each year it became impossible to argue against him.

Despite the short-sighted nature of some of the family members and population, the head of the Iqbal chose to recognize the unique potential before her. Wishing to further develop Nazih, she ordered him to travel to Ersand'Enise and study within the Academy of Thaumaturgy. In-between his protests, as Nazih would rather stay and have a more active hand in developing his people's land, she pushed for him to acknowledge the potential benefits. Having a powerful Alta at their disposal would be well worth the substantial damage to the Iqbal's coffers, and further serve their overall plans. In the end, Nazih could find no flaw in her reasoning, and reluctantly agreed.

The Iqbal's overall goal has always been to retake their birthright that was wrenched from their hands so many years ago. Until Nazih improved their harvests, this was merely a dream; but now, with population growth in sight and a promising loyal mage training to become an even greater asset, they could finally plan for the vengeance they deserved. Particularly in Nazih's case, his mission was to develop and discover magic that could further strengthen his family beyond simply increased harvests. Similarly holding the steadfast determination the of his people, he already possessed a host of ideas; but lacked the necessary knowledge to act on them.

As Nazih began traveling towards the Academy, leaving his homeland behind for the first time, he was filled with contradicting feelings. Intensely worried about the state of his hid people, but excited for the vast knowledge he would soon have at his fingertips. Overall he knew that this was one of the only paths that could result in the Zaqhory retaking their birthright, and with that thought at the forefront, he strode on with purpose.

M O T I V A T I O N

The quest to revitalize the Firrazene lands, and in turn the Zaqhory people. Beyond that, his natural yearning to comprehensively understand what makes things tick is more than enough to keep him on track. And yet, despite the amazing opportunity, he still harbors a sense of guilt for what his family and people will have to sacrifice to have him enrolled; which while anxiety inducing does serve as a strong motivator.

I N V E N T O R Y

❖ Brass Knuckles
❖ Exceptionally maintained Noble garbs
❖ Loose comfortable clothes
❖ Large bag full of cleaning supplies, along with a collection of chemical components
❖ A jar of dirt

S T R E N G T H S & S K I L L S

❖ Physical prowess
❖ Inquisitive
❖ Well-educated and well-spoken
❖ Highly Motivated

W E A K N E S S E S & F L A W S

❖ Compulsively Clean
❖ Prejudiced
❖ Tunnel Vision
❖ Very bad with plants

M I S C E L L A N E O U S

BB Colour code = D2691E