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 “Extremism, under whatever guise, fanaticism of whatever kind, factionalism of whatever persuasion would be hateful poisonous plants in the soil of our country which will not be allowed to flourish.“ - Sultan Qaboos of Oman Intro With Crusader Kings 3 becoming a thing this year (2020) I wanted to get another good run through of CK2 under my belt and lately had a hankering to attempt another Paradox game Let’s Play. As with my previous two I want to focus on creating a fun narrative and getting up to crazy hi-jinks with our rulers and not really aiming to ‘win’. As such this LP won't be focusing heavily on the mechanics of the game or really providing a comprehensive guide on how to play, Check out the CK2 thread if that is what you're after Will this be a mega-campaign? I don’t plan for it to be, but who is to say how I’ll feel by end of CK2. But if I do progress to the next game(s), I’d ideally like each part to be self contained enough that you could read and enjoy each one without needing to read through a hundred preceding / proceeding parts. Who will I be playing as? Oman. Jewel of the Persian Gulf and gateway to the east for Arabia.  I’ve never really played much in the Near East / Indian Ocean area (at least in CK2) and I have always had an interest in the history of Oman, so it seemed like the perfect place to try out. What’s more, Oman is one of the only Ibadi regions on the map which should make things more interesting. I'll also be starting in the 936 / Iron Century start-date, which is relatively new to the game and one I've never tried before.  The Ibadi (or how I skimmed Wikipedia for five minutes) The history of Oman and the Ibadi faith are intrinsically linked. Ibadi is a branch of Islam older than both Sunni and Shiite that agrees and disagrees with elements of both. Originally a part of the Kharijites who opposed the Caliphs after the death of the Prophet Muhammad, and most notably Ali ( rightful successor in the eyes of the Shia). Abd-Allah ibn Ibadh (for which the faith is named) was an esteemed theologian who initially sided with the Kharijites but disagreed with their assassination of Ali and their view that all Muslims with differing beliefs were infidels. While the faith is named for ibn Ibadh it was in fact Jabir ibn Zayd (of Nizwa, Oman) who laid down the foundation for the denomination to come. The Ibadi attempted a rebellion against the Umayyads, after inital success in occupying Mecca & Medina they fought a losing war against the caliph across western and southern Arabia. It was only more pressing issues in Syria that called the Caliph and his army away and saved the Ibadi from eradication. The Ibadi were permitted to continue living and worshiping in peace in Yemen and Oman as long as they paid their taxes to the caliph where they persisted for the next two centuries. Ibadi is a more moderate and tolerant branch of Islam, both to other denominations of their faith and to non-Muslims. They are not inherently opposed to a Caliph leading the Muslim world, but at the same time believe the many communities that form the faith can rule themselves, but they certainly do not think it necessary that any potential leader be a descendant of the Prophet’s tribe. The relative isolation in the far south of Arabian Peninsula allowed Ibadi to develop along different lines from the more mainline Sunni and Shia. They prefer to solve differences through dignity and reason rather than with confrontation and adhere to political quietism (religiously motivated withdrawal from political affairs) and they are more than willing to tolerate Christians, Jews and other faith followers to live among them in their communities. Sometime in the mid 8th century Oman established itself as an Imamate, with it's ruler elected by the nation's religious leaders and jurists in stark contrast to the hereditary Sunni and Shia Caliphs. Those who were seen as the most pious and just were more likely to rule, in Oman justice is valued over everything else. While the real Imamate of Oman persisted for over a thousand years right up until 1970, often ruling in collaboration with the Sultanate of Muscat, our Oman will be going along a different route right from the onset as we will be playing a Merchant Republic. Setup and rules Oman does not start as a Merchant Republic, and the ways to go from Feudal / Iqta to Republic are a little gimmicky and would make little sense from the perspective of our rulers. The other way is start as a tribe and reform into a feudal or republic state, and it just so happens that Dhofar right beside Oman is the last tribal area in Arabia. But I couldn't justify a Shia tribe managing to conquer Oman only to immediately turn around and convert to the conquer Ibadi's faith and then themselves into a republic for some reason. So the reason for change comes from within. Oman founds itself surrounded by hostile and dangerous neighbors, it has historically been a maritime and mercantile nation, venturing to the shores of India and Africa and is a stopping point on the oversea Silk Road. Wealthy and powerful merchant families in Muscat sensing their demise may be at hand and losing faith in the imam have seized power in a (mostly) bloodless coup. It was trade with oversea foreigners that had allowed Oman to survive so far while it was relatively isolated from the rest of the Muslim world, and only through developing itself in to a maritime republic wholesome will it become great and prosperous. As with my previous LPs I'll be setting myself some rules, as it can be very easy to become overpowered and a runaway unstoppable conqueror. - As Ibadi are a far more tolerant branch of Islam no holy wars are allowed (typically when playing a Muslim nation holy wars are your greatest strength) - with one exception. The Khajirite must be opposed wherever they surface. - In fact wars of conquest at all should largely be avoided. Mercantile adventures that will greatly increase Oman's income or per-emptive wars against hostile neighbors are another matter. - Never allowed to exile, imprison or otherwise persecute people in our court or country on religious grounds. If they're just a regular old bad person otherwise then they'll still face justice. - Play characters according to their traits. So this may mean picking options in events that are actually detrimental. Circumstances in the coming century may greatly alter the geopolitical landscape of Arabia and how exactly Oman treats it's neighbors and a certain other faith, but that'll be a bridge we may or may not cross when we come to it. Mods being used - The Sufi Schools - Adds monastic societies to Muslims similar to the Benedictine and Dominican Orders. Nicknames+++ - Pretty self explanatory, more nicknames. Hopefully we won't see too many "X the Fart" this time University - Adds historical universities to the game (as well as being able to found your own) which your characters can attend, as well as a slew of other minor features and artifacts it adds. One element I'm not too fond of though is philosophical schools of thought, as they tend pop up in strange places and spread too fast, but they can be ignored easily enough. CPRplus - A pretty comprehensive overhaul of the appearance of everyone on the map, and just generally makes everything look nicer. Flogi's Buildings & Technology Mod - Probably the most substantial mod that greatly expands on what you can build in each holding as well as making often ignored technologies now necessary to continue developing your land. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Al-Hakm 'the Lion' 1 - Dawn of Gold (936 - 941) 2 - Lawgiver (941 - 952) 3 - Lion of Oman (952 - 972) Sa'daddin 'the Hammer' 4 - Duel in the Desert (972 - 975) 5 - Adept of Strategy (975 - 980) 6 - Chancellor, Merchant, Lover (980 - 995) 7 - The Hammer (995 - 1014) Ali 'the Philosopher' 8 - Kowtow (1014 - 1038) 9 - Philosopher (1038 - 1062) Beliarios 'the Twin' 10 - Omani Persia (1062 - 1072) 11 - Kerman (1072 - 1088) Kamran 'the Hospitable' 12 - Clash of Civilizations (1088 - 1109) Crisis Now fucked around with this message at 00:14 on May 7, 2020 |
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Jan 20, 2020 02:00
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1 - Dawn of Gold (936 - 941) It is the year 936. One year prior the Five-Families-Conspiracy was successful in ousting the Imam from power and we have seized control of Oman and formally established ourselves as a maritime merchant republic.  Thankfully a largely bloodless affair, with just a few of the Imam's personal guard slain. The Imamate had but a hundred or so soldiers to it's name, much of the nation's military comprised of tribal warriors from the outlying settlements called upon when times were exceedingly dire. The sailors and crews of the numerous vessels under the employ of the merchant families along with the mercenaries we had hired quickly took Muscat and the Imam had little choice but to concede his authority and the other four families deemed us the most worthy to lead in his stead. We are the Custodian-Prince of Oman, Al-Hakm Bahrid. Our father Al-Milaa was a great and shrewd diplomat who worked closely with the former Imam, under him we sailed the prized Bahrid dhow from Muscat to the Ganges bringing riches to our family and land. We have already led the Bahrid family and all it's enterprises for eleven years but now it falls on us to lead Oman and it's people to greatness.  We cling to the edge of the Arabian peninsular, just as we have existed at the periphery of the Muslim world. The sole Ibadi nation in this land, though others follow our branch of the faith they reside many hundred of miles away along the shores of the great inland sea and cannot boast the same freedom we do.    To our direct south lie the tribal lands of Dhofar. The last unsettled peoples of Arabia, they are Shia and their raiders have harassed our borders for some years. The region is also one of the only places to harvest the valuable resin from the olibanum-tree - frankincense. So it may be doubly advantageous to bring these tribals to heel.  To the north is a Sunni sheik holds Suhár, land that should rightfully be Omani but more importantly it is land incredibly significant to the Ibadi faith.  Beyond them occupying most of the interior of Arabia are the heretic marauders - the Qarmatians. Abu Tahir like his father before him is a vicious tyrant who from his illegitimate republic has sacked the holiest of cities and slaughtered brothers and sisters of the faith.   Immediately across the Gulf the once mighty lands of the Persians are fractured and tumultuous. The two most prominent contenders as of 936 being the Buyids of Fars and the Saffarids of Sistan who are Shia and Sunni respectively.   And finally at the far end of the Gulf is what remains of the once great and mighty Abbasids, reduced to a mere shadow of their former selves and holding onto just the core lands of Mesopotamia. Unironically enough we hear the Umayyads whom they ousted from Damascus now enjoy a renewed golden age somewhere off far in the west.  The four other families who joined with us in the conspiracy to seize power have been granted places in the ruling council of our new republic. Not merely as a sign of gratitude for appointing us as custodian but we do not intend to model ourselves another petty sheik exercising absolute authority despite how easy it would be given our current position. We pray the example we set today will be continued by future Custodians to come. Rasulid. Our Grand Vizier  Najadid. Our Marshal  Umarid. Our Steward  And Ahmadid. Our Spymaster  Our first order of business after calming the populace of Muscat and regaining order in the outlying settlements is to reestablish what limited communications Oman has with her neighbors. As much as it pains us to even consider we will attempt to befriend Abu Tahir, or at the very least convince (and or trick) him that Oman is no threat and equally no useful target for conquest. His fanatics number in the thousands and he controls almost a third of the peninsular, we would lose any fight against him.   With a week. One single week of arriving in the lands of the Qarmatians, Abdul-Wahab sends us a letter telling us he has converted to their heresy and that it would likely be easier for Oman to simply convert to this vile heresy than try to oppose it.  Our response is a polite but firm rebuttal, a little recounting of the Ibadi hadith, and a caution of what would happen to his family and their assets should he continue down this path. Thankfully Abdul-Wahab sees the light and returns to Ibadi and informs us he has even managed to sway Abu Tahir a little in our favor.   Outside of our grand vizier we now find ourselves the recipient of much foreign correspondence and news from the rare diplomat and envoy but much more likely from the merchants that stop in the port of Muscat. The mysterious far off lands of China that have been in turmoil since the demise of the Tang dynasty have seemingly found a new ruler in House Dai who have proclaimed themselves the Cheng Empire. Unfortunately The Cheng's rivals have not taken this lightly and now spread out from China to the great steppes somewhere far north from Arabia to sack and pillage.   Muscat is the first stop on the peninsular for merchant vessels crossing the Ocean, bringing all manner of spice, dye, cloths and silks. But unfortunately it is just that - a resting stop, it is not the destination. The peoples of the Levant and Egypt enjoy the most prosperity from the Silk Road as they trade with the Christians from their more developed ports. With hope in time Muscat will become a mighty hub of trade in it's own right.  In the immediate years following the ascension of the republic the Five Families have quickly set about numerous merchant enclaves along the Ocean shores in hope of funneling trade towards Oman.  The Dhofar tribe lands have been pacified jointly by the Nestorian Christians of the isle of Socotra and the sheikdom of Taizz. It is likely only a matter of time before the lands to our south along the Arabian coast consolidate in to a single great sheikdom or sultanate. Likewise the days of Sunni Suhár to our immediate north are probably numbered, and it may be prudent to begin preparing a war to take back Suhár lest they fall to a greater empire that may never be able to recover it from.  Our son Azam has come of age, he is thoroughly adequate, no more no less, as well as being rather uncouth and cruel at times. We love him dearly but our contemporaries in the other families will likely not vote him as our next leader when we pass and so we must strive to achieve all the Bahrids can in our own life for we cannot say when our family may lead Oman again.  At our son's birthday Zeyd of the Umarids attempts to introduce some fancy bard he had come across while trading along the shores of the Tigris. We hardly approved but accepted for the sake of keeping good relations with the other family but made it quite clear what we'd do should this poet step out of line, Zeyd was none too pleased to say the least.   After three years of visiting the Qarmatians Abdul-Wahab informs us that upon his next returning to Muscat he will be accompanied by Abu Tahir himself and all his retainers for he wishes to meet us in person. We have barely a fortnight to prepare for the arrival of the heretic warlord and the other three families are exasperated at the mere prospect of allowing him within the walls of our city. We assure them that should this meeting go without a hitch we may never have to worry about the Qarmatians again. We greet Abu Tahir as if he were a Caliph himself and lavish him with gifts and praise as we tour Muscat with him. Thankfully we bond over all manner of topic and it would seem the fact that we are neither Sunni nor Shia means he sees us as much less an issue than his other greater neighbors. He jokingly proclaims us a brother in heresy, and we begrudgingly grin and agree (making sure none of our advisors are withing earshot), before matters move on to the subject of Suhár.   Abu Tahir wishes to sack the Sunni lands and open a gateway to Persia for further conquest and exploitation and extortion. He concedes to our claim over eastern portion of the land where sacred Ibri sits and promises to turn a blind eye to us if we can crush the sheik's army. We agree and he even grants us the remainder of the funds we would need for such an endeavor.  With the war-fund fulfilled we vow to retake Suhár for the Ibadi faith and hire the Bedouin Company to assist us.    With a meager complimentary force of local fighters we send our mercenaries north across the border of the unsuspecting Wajihids.  The Bedouin Company ensure victory over the Sunni and we drive the army of Yusuf Wajihid away while we set about besieging the cities along the coast.  Closer to home our loyal Imam tells us of a religious artifact that is rumored to be located somewhere in the region and we authorize his search for it and set aside funds and personnel to assist him.   Our mercenaries patrol the northern expanses of Suhár and keep the Sunni at bay while our own soldiers gain access to the settlements uncontested, one by one we further our grip until Ibri is ours once more, the local Ibadi populace rejoicing at our arrival and overpowering the local militia to open the city gates for us.    With complete control of the area and no way for their army to retake it the Wajihids concede ownership of Suhár. And with their army and power weakened significantly they will now most likely be conquered by the Qarmatians in a matter of months or even weeks.  It would be a fool's dream to imagine the Ibadi could become custodians of Mecca and Medina, but at the very least we can once again claim to hold the city most revered by our people. 
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Jan 20, 2020 02:00
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Ground floor! This is an intriguing start.
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Jan 20, 2020 02:07
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Interesting start. You're definitely an author I enjoy reading.
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Jan 20, 2020 03:18
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This is amazing. I'm hooked.
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Jan 20, 2020 03:35
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How did you start as a Merchant Republic? I can't seem to find the method in the OP, sorry.
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Jan 20, 2020 03:37
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CommissarMega posted:How did you start as a Merchant Republic? I can't seem to find the method in the OP, sorry. Used console commands - Started as any other character on the map - charinfo - Al-Hakm's number + "set_government merchant_republic_government" - progress the game by one day then switched to Al-Hakm
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Jan 20, 2020 09:09
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Right, gotcha. I asked 'cos I kind of want to do something similar myself.
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Jan 20, 2020 10:21
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CommissarMega posted:How did you start as a Merchant Republic? I can't seem to find the method in the OP, sorry. You can do something similar without use of the console (ie if you want to run an Ironman game) by picking one of the tribal nations, conquering Oman and then converting to Ibadi from the province interactions. Same thing works for Nestorianism and Socotra as well. Then you can just reform into a merchant republic the old fashioned way, which should also be instantaneous, since you already follow a reformed religion and hold city holdings.
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Jan 21, 2020 15:18
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2 - Lawbringer (941 - 952) With no immediate threats facing Oman we can now afford to spend a little of the republic's money on our own well-being, beginning some much needed expansion and renovation to the decades old house the Bahrid family has called home.  While overseeing the expansion of the Bahrid estate, our wife Souzan insists we have spent too much time focusing on this new republic of ours that we neglect the family. She is right and we try to make amends with a gift and spend the next few months leaving the administration of Oman to the other families. Thankfully we are present for the birth of our second daughter (regretfully missing the first, as it was mere weeks after the coup and we were quite preoccupied)   To the north Abu Tahir has indeed make good on his intentions to pillage Persia, though he fights a war on three fronts against the Shia Persians and their allies in Medina who raid the Qarmatian territory from the other direction and the Abbasid emir of Jibal, using his distant cousin's (the Caliph) gold to wage a war with mercenaries to oust the heretic. We can only pray Abu Tahir stays true to his word and ignores us, and smashes all his heretic armies against the Shia and Abbasid defenses.  As Oman continues to open itself further to the wider world, word begins to spread of the Ibadis and our more tolerant society. For some centuries we have already had a modest Nestorian Christian community here in Muscat but as of late many Jewish refugees exiled from other courts come to call Oman home. Further expansion of Muscat itself will be needed.   Returning to the Muscat council hall after a full year taking our hiatus, we find much work ahead of us. But we relish the chance to govern once more and develop Oman further and find ourselves working even harder than previous years.  The court Imam Uways at long last brings us the artifact rumored to be lost somewhere in the deserts around the city. It is a human skull. Supposedly that of a learned scholar who assisted Jabir ibn Zayd. We do not doubt him but at the same time we're a little unsure what to do with the thing. We hardly want to display it like some grotesque trophy and opt to keep it in an ornate box in the Muscat Mosque. Uways has our favor and we bestow upon him a nickname he had long sought for. The Dove.   Now that we're back to attending our council and matters of state Souzan begins to insist that we bring our son Azam along, that we should rightfully make him one of our councilors. Her happiness nor the pride of our family can come before the cohesive government we have managed to form. No, the five families must lead together with none taking preference over any other, even our own.  We decide to further expand the Bahrid estate and hand all decisions pertaining to whatever grand designs and expensive frivolities that may entail to our wife and son to keep them busy and out of our hair.  Khalil ibn Muzaffaraddin, fifth son of our Marshal, of the Najadid family is a deranged and sinful young man, with ambitions far beyond his station. Reliable word reaches us that he plots to have us assassinated and ensure the Najadid are next to rule Oman. We pay a visit to the Najadid household personally to meet with Muzaffaraddin who ensures us he had no knowledge of this and that his son is misguided and should be punished but beseeches us not to harm him. We cannot say what we intend to do, at least until we talk to his son, and that requires having him in our custody. We ride with a handful of Bahrid riders to the Najadid warehouses in the Muscat docks where the boy is rumored to be, but the workers say they saw him board a boat just an hour previously that was heading north to Bandar. No doubt he had been tipped off that we had visited his father and were en-route. Chances of catching him now are slim but we have our doubts that Khalil is resourceful enough to make many contacts in Persia and continue his plot against us. If he is wise he will live out the rest of his days on some Najadid merchant vessel sailing the Persian coast and we can pretend he doesn't exist. (note - Muzaffaraddin's second daughter, Semeah, is married to our son Azam. They have already had their first child Sa'daddin. Our blood is their blood, and we do not want to cause further tensions between our two families)   To make matters worse a week later we hear The Dove has been profiting from giving people around the city religious favors. He contributes none of the proceeds to the Five Families or even to the city Mosque instead choosing to keep it all for himself. We cannot allow this abuse of his power to continue and order his immediate arrest. Uways is not quite as connected as a merchant lord's son and he has no where to run to, quickly finding himself in a cell beneath the Muscat militia barracks where he will stay for the time being.   It is not merely enough to rule efficiently, we must ensure we rule by the law put forth in the Quran, which we regretfully are not as versed in as we should be. But thankfully there are so local jurists pleased that we removed the corrupt Dove from power and wish to help us better understand.  The Grand Vizier Abdul-Wahab has passed, a great statesman who brokered the peace between us the Qarmatians, he will be missed. His son and the new header of the Rasulid family - Mukhtar is appointed his successor on our council.   Our court physician thinks we are working ourselves to an early grave. He does not have to run a nation with no clear succession and no guarantee when his family may be in-charge again. No, we will gladly sacrifice a year or two if it means those years we do have are more productive.  It's been a month, it is time to let The Dove out. He is dragged by the Muscat militia to the square and held in stocks for the weekend, after he is free to go and do whatever he wishes but the man won't be on our council again.   Unfortunately while The Dove was corrupt and extorting money he was very good at soothing the people of Muscat and in his absence they grow restless. The poor of the city complain we tax them too much and they are left with little to purchase food and cloth their families. If that is the case then we must better the lives of the poor so they have both the gold for themselves and for us.   Speaking of gold, the Bahrid trade posts have been increasingly more profitable since our family took control of Oman and now we find ourselves with an exceptional amount to patron literature, art or have entirely new settlements founded. Our steward brings us a promising architectural graduate of the House of Wisdom from Baghdad who he promises can provide us the mightiest of buildings and fortifications for just a fraction of the cost. We decide to employ this young man and commission him to begin construction of a new castle in Suhár to better safeguard our holy land from future possible invasions.  There is no shortage of corruption, injustice and upstarts in Oman it seems, and the sheik we put in to power of the lands of Nizwa south of Muscat is unhappy ruling beneath a "band of merchants in princes' robes". Our spy in Nizwa castle informs us the sheik intends to gather enough money and men to overthrow us and install himself as Sultan of Oman. Unfortunately for him we have the spy pay off some of his own men who haul the would-be traitor Bahir to us in Muscat where he now resides in a cell. As a landed sheik, our options against Bahir are quite limited without some repercussions from within our own court and across the border, so in that cell is where he will remain for the time being.   News reaches us that the Qarmatians have been vanquished. They initially succeeded in their invasion of Perisa and the Sultan of Fars fell to the heretic onslaught. But Abu Tahir found himself over extended and his armies weary, making him the perfect target for invasion himself. The young Sultan of Egypt - Unujur Ikhshidid (Or simlpy Unujur the Rich) led a great coalition of Egyptian and Syrian mercenaries and holy warriors against the Qarmatians and drove the heretic warlords and their most loyal warriors out of the heart of Arabia. As a consequence of this Egypt's power has grown immensely and they now control a huge swathe of not only Arabia but Persia too.  The Egyptian sultan is a bright young man who should be commended for driving out the heretics, as well as his good business sense. It is of the utmost importance that Oman befriends this new ruler. Mukhtar Rasulid like his father before him is sent abroad to curry favor with the Sultan, though we are sure he will find Cario much more to his liking than his father did of the Qarmatian forts of Al Hasa.   Our new architect has completed the groundwork and foundations of our new castle in Suhár, which we have dubbed Jabrin, and begin at once with setting out our vision of the castle. While all the other settlements across Oman are ones we have merely adopted or expanded upon, this is the first completely new one and so is quite significant to the Bahrid family.  With the Qarmatians quelled and the roads across Arabia now safer once more we can attend to a pressing issue that has hung over our heads for most our lives. We must make the pilgrimage to Mecca. As we prepare with a modest entourage as not to draw attention of raiders and bandits on the road, Azam comes to us, expressing his desires to make the journey with us. We could think of nothing that would make us prouder and we shall make the journey together as father and son.  On the 17th December 949 we depart from Oman and begin the trek north. It would be trivial to simply take one of our own Bahrid trade vessels and sail around Arabia until we reach Jeddah and walk the short distance to the holy city. But it would not seem right for us to simply be able to cheat our way in to an easy journey when some many others of the faith must endure hardships on the road. We will endure just as they must and be better at the end for it.  As our small caravan skirts the edges of the Empty Quarter somewhere in Hajr we spy riders some miles behind us outlined on the horizon against the brilliant blue sky. With each passing day they draw curiously closer until we learn they almost certainly have malicious intent. On the fourteenth day when it becomes apparent we will not outrun them we stop the caravan and prepare for their attack. These raiders perhaps thought us some lowly group of theologians or peasant pilgrims because they seemed entirely surprised by our counter attack. We had a handful of our best Bahrid soldiers and they made short work of the brigands.  We reach Mecca safely and find ourselves among a plethora of peoples from far flung corners of the Earth all here to worship and visit the Kabah. We have a number of things we wish to do while we stay here, but none is more important than making the Tawaf.  A few days pass and we make a few new contacts with Levantine traders. One night while pondering the Prophet we think of the other prophets who came before - Jesus, David, Moses... The People of the Book and we have a shared heritage and it would be more beneficial to extend the olive branch than the sword to them.  On the last day before we are to depart back to Oman we finally have an audience with an envoy of Sultan Unujur. We discuss many things and express our desire to form a closer relationship between Egypt and Oman. The meeting goes well and we end agreeing to a number of marriages between Omani and Egyptian families and to send some of our children to Cairo to study under some of the prominent Sunni scholars there, and with any luck we can even help spread the ideals of the Ibadi.  A few months pass and we are close to home once again. Crossing the border from newly established Sultanate of Yemen we follow the coast until we stop in Duqm. One of our own trading posts has been established in this town though we have never visited, nor has anyone of significance by the looks of it. That a town in our nation can be allowed to exist in such a sorry state is a travesty, we give the towns people some of the money we have left from the pilgrimage and promise to ensure funds from Muscat come to Duqm to develop it further.  One of the nights in Duqm a mob forms outside the mayor's house that we are staying in. The marshal of Duqm brings a terrified farmer inside, covered in blood and convicted of butchering his family. The evidence is pretty damning and the marshal seems sure he is guilty. What's more the mob outside vies for this man's life and should we let him go he will not make it more than a hundred yards before he meets his demise. We order the man to hang.   Over a year has passed since we left for Mecca and we are finally home in Muscat.  Unfortunately while we were on the Pilgrimage Souzan died in her sleep. The imam tells us it was a peaceful death and she had already been buried in the cemetery adjacent to the Bahrid mansion. It dwells heavy on us for a few weeks before we see a silver lining in that we can cement a more permanent alliance between Oman and Egypt by offering to marry the sister of Sultan Unujur who is about to come of age.  In the correspondences with the Sultan we also part with some of our gained knowledge about leading a nation and dealing with foreign rulers. To our surprise the young Sultan is actually pleased for our help and sends a response of gratitude.  It is a few days after our fiftieth birthday. We have learnt and endured so much in our life from a simple trader to conspirator and over-thrower of nations to prince and one of the richest people in Arabia that now mingles with the most powerful of Sultans and learned of theologians. We choose to dedicate what remains of our time in this land to writing a book and after some consideration we can think of nothing better than a book that will help further the faith and our understanding of the world.  From the Bahrid mansion high in the hills above Muscat we watch the sun set over the gulf, proud of what we have achieved so far and feel assured the future of Oman can only get brighter. 
Crisis Now fucked around with this message at 21:44 on Jan 21, 2020 |
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Jan 21, 2020 21:29
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3 - Lion of Oman (952 - 972) In 952 remnants of the old Qarmatian regime in central Arabia that were thought scattered and gone had managed to recoup their losses, overthrowing the Egyptian-appointed sheik of Al-Bahrain and installing the infant son of the late Abu Tahir. They raised their banners against Cairo and the borders of this rebellion now reach Oman threatening our trade caravans inland.  Our friendship with Sultan Unujur is firmly secured as we propose a formal alliance with Egypt and raise the warriors of Oman to march north and assist led by Azam and mayor Halil of Ibra.    Saaba, our first daughter who has been studying in Cairo has come of age and Sultan Unujur proposes. She is a bright young thing well versed in the scriptures and with any luck being so close to the Sultan she may be able to spread the ideals of Ibadi to high society of Egypt.  For a year the Egyptian army pursues the Qarmatian rebels across Arabia, during the entirety of which our own forces are stationed around Al Hasa. Our slow but steady siege is choking the Qarmatian capital and stopping the roaming rebel army from receiving any reinforcements. With little hope of facing the Sultan's army on the mainland the rebels fall back to the island of al-Awal to make their last stand. Despite their hasty defenses and fighting an army that must make a sea crossing to reach them, the exhausted and ill-experienced Qarmatians quickly fall to the Sultan's soldiers. A week later Al Hasa surrenders to the Oman siege.   With the rebellion over the Egyptian army marches back to join with our forces that now occupy Al Hasa, where the boy of Abu Tahir - Murad resides under our custody. Murad is handed to the Sultan and most of the Qarmatian insurrectionists are put to the sword. The late Abu Tahir's other son Isa is as far from the rest of the Jannabid family as one can be, having spent most his life in Cairo and is a devout Sunni. He is made the new Emir of Bahrein as well as the steward of Egypt, to ensure he will be spending most of his time in Cairo under watchful eyes of the Sultan's most loyal.  The Omani army returns to Muscat with gifts of gratitude from the Sultan as well as his daughter who has come of age and ready to take her place as our wife.  Halil returned from commanding the armies of our nation to victory against the Qarmatian heretics only to discover he had lost his city. In the year just passed a Jewish merchant by the name of Yosi Ben David whose skill and business sense was like none we had ever encountered proposed to establish an office of the Radhanites. It would give us access to a vast network of merchants and markets that stretches from China all the way to the Christian kingdoms in the west, giving them a simple office would not be enough and we offer this representative of theirs to become the new steward of Ibra. Halil was outraged that he should lose his city in what he saw as a great injustice, we tried to reason this was for the betterment of Oman and could ensure riches for centuries but he would not be placated so easily. As some sort of consolation we made him the permanent commander of Oman's army and all the gold and glory such a rank would permit.   As the years pile on we find all the work of managing our fledgling nation, maintaining diplomatic relations with foreign rulers and keeping our family's trade flowing all a little too overwhelming and we begin to slacken. It dawns on us we have given so many of our years to this republic but have left so few for us to enjoy and decide to find some kind of hobby to occupy ourselves with more in our final years. We settle for hunting.   Much to our surprise some months later a caravan from Cairo arrives (that in itself is not the surprising part as trade has been intensifying between our two nations) and with it a personal gift for us from the Sultan in the form of a small puppy of an Egyptian hunting hound, which the Sultan pertains to be the very breed used by the Pharaohs of old. We had not informed the Sultan that we were taking up hunting and surmised that it must have been his daughter and our new wife Sadiya that told him in her correspondences back to Cairo. We accept it most graciously and bestow upon it the name Siad - Hunter.   Sadiya had not taken too well to life down here in the more secluded and dare I say more lacking environs of Oman compared to her upbringing on the vibrant and lush banks of the Nile. What's more her pregnancy with our first child is proving to be more difficult than anticipated but we try to ensure she is as happy as can be. Our first son is Khaireddin is born healthy and fit in late 958.   An envoy from the Shah of Sistan from across the Gulf arrives and informs us Shah Ahmad wishes to have our children marry and help in the closer cooperation of our two nations. The Shah is currently embroiled in a significant conflict with the Hindus who march west across the Indus in ever greater number. Shah Ahmad however is a rich man with a large army and we are sure he can withstand the Hindu incursion, having him as an ally would be beneficial and we agree to marry Yasmin and Shahzada once they are of age.  With the increase in traffic to and from the north the ancient roads that have sustained Oman for many centuries are in dire need of upgrading. Many of the caravans and diplomatic envoys have members of their family or their entourage settle here near Muscat and it would be more beneficial to not only upgrade but to add new roads and under the supervision of the Umarid family work begins.  News reaches us that Sistan has all but fallen, the heartlands of the shahdom have been completely occupied by the armies of Maharaja Bhilpala 'the Suicidal'. A number of Sunni refugees find their way across the gulf and try to find sanctuary in Muscat while messengers from Shah Ahmad urge the intervention of Oman, for now all we can do is send gold however.  Our free time when outside of the palace of Muscat is now spent with our faithful dog Siad, running, training and tracking along the rugged cliffs around the city. it has helped us to gain a second wind on life and we strive to work just as hard as years gone by. As word of our new pastime spreads a rumor reaches us of great and ferocious Lion stalking the deserts somewhere to the south. These beasts have become increasingly rare in our lands this past century to the point many doubt this lion even exists at all. If it should indeed prowl the foothills of the Hajar Mountains it would make a most noble quarry for our hunting efforts and we order further investigation.   While the Hindus across the Gulf have began to invade and settle west across the Indus valley, no Muslim has yet to make a prominent presence east of the Indus, there have been scant few traders and missionaries that have ventured in to India and the number of mosques on the subcontinent can be counted on your hands alone. The Bahrid family will take charge of increasing the influence of Islam in India - and specifically that of Ibadi, not through the sword but through gold. For a number of months we instruct our traders and ship captains to present reports on all the ports they frequent along the coasts of India until we find a suitable first location for a major merchant outpost in Mahoyadapuram at the southern tip of the continent where many vessels from China and the Spice Islands stop. It is our hope that not only will this new venture bring us wealth but will increase our influence with the locals and perhaps curry the favor of the nearby rajas if we can be of service to them.   With the establishment of our first trade post far beyond the shores of Oman it becomes imperative that the Bahrid mansion has the facilities to track our vessels chart the coasts of the Hindu lands and we commission a large map room to be extended from the main building, all manner of maps from Cairo, Baghdad and from merchants from Deccan are purchased to fill it.  While Sheik Ahram of Nizwa languishes in a cell in Muscat, those still loyal to him have worked tirelessly against us. Desire to see the new republic topple trumps their devotion to the Ibadi cause and they incite religious dissent across Nizwa. Before our marshal can even be sent in to the region to assess whether intervention may be necessary our hand is forced when a large coalition of Nizwai tribes easily swayed to the Kharjitie heresy rise up and occupy the region.   With the large rebellion so close to the city and the roads both to the north and south out of the country blocked any chance of getting messengers out is futile. Instead we send send Zeyd Umarid with a large bounty of gold aboard a ship across the Gulf where he returns a week later with two dozen ships entow, aboard the finest Hindu mercenaries he could find.  The mercenaries arrive just in time as the mob descends on the city. 800 horsemen and 40 terrifying elephants surge ahead to meet the heretics head on and ensure they do not reach the walls of Muscat while the combined mercenary elites, Muscat militia and various professional soldiers of the Five Families close to draw the rabble into a melee where they are quickly defeated.  The rebel leader is captured and the undisciplined mob is shattered and scatters in all directions for the Hindu cavalry to hunt them down. The leader is beheaded in the Muscat town square and we hold a feast for our saviors from beyond the Gulf and repay their commander Vajredeva handsomely.   Before they departed back across the sea a few of the Rajput Company's horsemen claim they saw the great White Lion atop a ridge far to the south of the city while they were tracking members of the defeated rebellion. We saddle our horse with marshal Najadid and ride off south at once.   A week scouring the mountain ridges and dusty valleys prove fruitless and though we find evidence the beast has been here, the lion itself is sadly absent. While on our hunt we happen across a goat farmer's hut, absent one goat farmer but occupied but his fair wife. We do not think she quite knew who we were and seemed to proposition us, while it would have been easy to take advantage of the situation we declined and trekked back to Muscat empty handed.   The rebellion showed that the Omani military was sorely in need of updating from it's days of the Imamate. Each of the Five Families is allocated funds from the Omani treasury and each given the responsibility of raising and maintaining an army to protect both Omani trading ventures but more importantly Muscat and the republic itself from any threats from within or out. Seeing how effective the Rajput Company's cavalry were we opt to make a force of horse and camel riders, 1000 strong, and appoint Azam head of recruitment, supplying and training and he takes to it well.   In the summer of 964, the bi-annual trade caravan from Cairo arrives and with it grave news. Our daughter, Sabba, has been slain. Murdered by an envious second wife of the Sultan, Mina, for the influence our daughter commanded over him. She did not even attempt to hide it, proclaiming Sabba a foreigner and a heretic, that Mina should be his favorite.  The Sultan has her locked away, he dares not spill the blood of a sheik's daughter without due process and his jurists in Cairo deliberate over what just punishment should await her. We however do not hold such qualms, justice for our daughter is as simple and clear for us as the rising sun over Muscat - Mina must die. While the Sultan hesitates we will not.   It is not an eloquent or elaborate plan, it needn't be when our target already sits locked away in a jail cell. With the caravan back to Cairo we send a letter to Farrin, third wife of the Sultan and a close friend and confidant of Sabba if her letters were to be believed. Farrin simply pays off one of the jail guards to "accidentally" leave Mina's door unlocked and as she attempts to escape the guards cuts her down.   Thankfully the White Lion is sighted once again outside the city and provides ample distraction from dwelling on our daughter's fate and the woman we condemned to die.  The king of the animals continues to elude us despite weeks upon weeks of tracking it across mountain and valley. This new life of tracking, trekking and hunting suites us quite nicely and we've mastered riding our horse across treacherous terrain and commanding men, perhaps in another life we would have made a mighty warlord rather than a prince of merchants. On the last day before we are set to head back to Muscat as our advisors implore us to return to the city we at last sight the lion. Glimpsed on the other side of a gorge, far beyond what any arrow could accurately hit and to pursue it would require half an hours ride around the ridges of the gorge by which time it'll be long gone. We are certain the creature stares back at us as we watch it, it is an old thing, though still so full of power and pride. It disappears into unseen ravines as the rest of our hunting party finds us and we ride back to Muscat in quiet contemplation. The last few years of life have been so preoccupied by tracking and hunting this animal, really we have much to owe it. The days and weeks spent in it's domain have made us stronger and allowed us to clear our head from all the hassles of running the republic. We will continue to hunt, but not the White Lion, he shall live out his last days in lonely dignity and not have his corpse desecrated and be used as some trophy.   With the vigor from the hunts we manage to complete the book we have worked on for the better part of a decade and a half - The Kitab al-Shifa or 'Book of Healing'   Shah Ahmad of Sistan is dead and his son Morteza now rules. He has attempted to consolidate his power and inspire the nobles and peasantry of east Persia alike in a war against Jibal to recoup after the catastrophic lose his father experienced against the Hindus. Unfortunately for Morteza, Rajputana has decided now is the perfect time to continue their invasion of Persia with the Shah's army preoccupied. On New Year's day 967 a diplomat arrives at the Muscat docks beseeching Oman to join the Shah in defending the Muslim faithful against these invaders.  We agree to assist the Persians, but will not jeopardize the safety of the republic, only the Bahrid Riders will cross the gulf commanded by Azam, and for the first time ourselves. All our lives we have cowered in Muscat, behind mercenaries and hired thugs, it is high time we stop sending men to die and take up the sword for ourselves if only for a brief time.  The professionals of the Bahrid estate make their way through Jibal, skirting around the towns and castles and heading straight for Satrap Kharmandar's army. We had been assured the Shah would be here to meet us but they are still a few hours out. The Jibali spot us and begin to break off their siege of Jabal Qufs, most likely to fall back to a more advantageous position from which to defend. We continue to watch them for the next few hours until they are moving south to some highlands and with almost suicidal zeal we order a charge in to their flanks. They outnumber us two to one and for a moment it almost looks like we'll be surrounded before the Shah at last arrives from the north and smashes Kharmandar's army.    With the Satrap's army disposed of, Oman and Sistan troops lay siege to the entirety of Jibal. Without an army to come to their aid, the towns know their days are numbered and rather than face starvation they surrender to Shah Morteza, only a few hundred are lost in the ensuing chaos of occupation.    By the end of summer of that same year Jibal has capitulated and is now ruled by the Shah. The very soldiers that were just days ago trying to kill us are ordered to join our ranks as we march east to halt the Hindu invasion. On the long march east we are spending most of our time with Azam, it is in fact probably the most time we have spent with our son, or indeed any member of our family. His own son and our grandchild Sa'dddin has just the few years past come of age and traveled north to study in the House of Wisdom in Baghdad where we are sure he will make us proud. We regret having neglected our family for so much of our life, so focused on our new republic were we.   Maharaja Abdurrashid of the Habbari dynasty who ruled Sindh since the days when the Abbasids were vast and powerful finds himself surrounded by the encroaching Hindus and asks to marry one of our granddaughters to strengthen ties between our two nations, and most likely to call on us when Rajputana marches on his land.  Meanwhile another ruler who has wed in to our family calls for our help. Emir Kamran of Cilicia in the far north of the Levant is trying to strengthen his hold on the borderlands between Byzantium and Egypt. We agree to assist him, but frankly reports from nearby merchants tell us he hardly needs it.   For half a year we march through the desert and mountain until we reach the divided northern half of Sistan which is now under heavy Rajputanan occupation. The Hindu army is split in two and the Shah opts to take out the smaller portion first lest we take on a combined force of superior numbers.  We win an initial victory against the smaller Rajputanan army but unfortunately our forces are too disorganized and exhausted to properly fend of the counterattack by the Maharaja's main force. Despite us putting up a good fight and both sides losing almost equal numbers both sides are forced to split and fall back, ultimately we have suffered a loss.     With the Shah beside us we fall back in to friendly Sindh, where the receptive Abdurrashid welcomes us and gives our armies sanctuary for the next few months while we recover.  With renewed vigor the armies of the Shah and Bahrid's riders march back across the Kirthar Mountains into Persia.   Over the next year we win a number of significant victories and even manage what looks like the beginning of undoing Rajputan's occupation. But by now they are too entrenched, and the Shah's soldiers weary and no longer have the fight in them and despite our contributions, the Sistan treasury is empty.    In the last month of 969 the Shah is forced to surrender on humiliating and devastating terms just as he father before him and a vast area of Persia is now ruled by Rajputan.   Upon returning to Muscat we learn the Najadid family has fallen on hard times, as illness and accidents have taken all but one of their family - Khalil who fled Oman many decades ago when we discovered his plot to kill us. While we were fighting in Persia he had returned to Muscat to take up the mantle of his family's estate though even after all these years he still bore a grudge against us and even now continued to plot our death.  A detachment of Bahrid Riders surround the Najadid house and demand the guards hand over Khalil, they refuse and a fight breaks out across the grounds. Unfortunately Khalil was slain by the overzealous soldiers under our employ and the Najadid family is extinguished for good, a new family of merchants elevated to their position in Muscat. We are the last living member of the Five Family conspiracy that saw this country become a republic, now the children or even grandchildren of our conspirators sit on our council and run their merchant enterprises.   The war we have been dragged in to on the Levantine coast continues and it seems due to the entangling nature of alliances and marriages our good friend Sultan Unujur of Egypt has had to side with the Sultan of Syria. We can trust the Sultan not to march on Muscat while we rule over it and we certainly have no intention of raising arms against Cairo.  The number of boats now coming in to Muscat is more than our docks can handle, we can continue to try and expand and improve them, or instead we can opt to invest a great amount of our own gold to begin the construction of a great dockyard that we hope in time can service a thousand vessels and become the main entryway for merchants from the east in to Arabia. The Al-Hakm Harbor will not be finished in our lifetime, that much we know for sure, it'll likely take decades, perhaps even centuries to be fully complete.  On the 22nd November, 971, Azam has died in his sleep. At a mere 48 years old, far too young an age to pass from this Earth. His death weighs on us unlike any before and we confine ourselves to the Bahrid mansion. We had only just began to bond with him during our time leading the Bahrid Riders in Persia, truthfully we barely knew him, our own son.  For a year we do not leave the mansion, barely uttering a word to the servants and delegating the running of Oman almost entirely to the council. We gave our life to Oman and for what? Will they sing songs of Al-Hakm Bahrid in a thousand years time? What comfort will that bring us in the world beyond this. Will this republic even last after our passing? We should have listened to that blasted court physician all those years ago. We should HAVE been there for our family. It is the 22nd November 972. One year since Azam died and we are walking to his grave at the far end of the Bahrid mansion gardens, old but forever faithful Siad at our side. He is buried beside his mother and our first much-neglected wife Souzan. An hour passes, maybe two as we sit before them with Siad in our lap but when we go to stand and return to the mansion we suddenly find ourselves short of breath, a terrible pain in our chest and we begin to seize up. Siad is barking, unsure what is happening as we double over and breathe our last breath, the world around us fading and the last thing we saw are their graves. We can only hope they will forgive us and that we can finally have time for them in the afterlife.  
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Jan 27, 2020 18:48
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What a full life this man lived. Have to wonder how Sa'daddin will fare.
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Jan 27, 2020 20:18
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drat, I forgot how good you could write. If I was the Sultan of Sindh, I would be slightly nervous.
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Jan 27, 2020 23:03
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Many of Oman's neighbors would be nervous.
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Jan 27, 2020 23:39
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Freudian posted:If I was the Sultan of Sindh, I would be slightly nervous. Egypt has been steadily encroaching further into Persia since taking over the Qarmatian's land, so maybe they'll stop the advance of Rajputan. I do love that its the Hindus making a major push into the Muslim world and not vice-versa. Crisis Now fucked around with this message at 23:50 on Jan 27, 2020 |
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Jan 27, 2020 23:41
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4 - A Duel in the Desert (972 - 975) We are Sa'daddin Bahrid. A student of the House of Wisdom.    But we are not just any student. We are the best. Anything we set our mind to we can accomplish, any book or text we can master, any field of expertise we can conquer.  We follow in the footsteps of The First Teacher, the great Aristotle, of whom we are probably better versed in than any of those barbarians that currently preside over Byzantium.  At the same time, we have not neglected our duties as a faithful follower of Allah and have retained every word of every page of the Qur'an in our mind. Along with many of the hadith and any number of scripture of scholar and theologian that have since put quill to parchment since the passing of the Prophet Muhammad.   There is just one little problem.  A disagreement with one of the tutors and a long-standing academic rival of ours got a little heated and in the throes of anger we may have paid a thug to slit his throat outside his home.  The brigand was caught by the Baghdad city watch and he confessed under torture, and our complicity became public knowledge which has strained our relationship with the House of Wisdom some what.        But fret not, we are not without loyal friends. How convienant that we had befriended not only the professor of law, but the head of security of the House of Wisdom.   Oh, and our best friend is the Caliph. Most powerful man in the Islamic world (at least the Sunni half) Can't forget that now.  For months we sulked in our lavish apartment on the banks of the Tigris with magnificent views of Baghdad and the Caliph's palace. Behind bolted doors and handsomely paid Bahrid soldiers for their continued loyalty and discretion, wondering when the city watch would come kicking the door in or an assassin's blade would find our back.  One of the guard slips us a letter one day, it was from Muscat, from our dearest little brother Jalil whom we had not seen since father's passing last year. Grandfather has died, on the very anniversary of Azam's death no less. What more we have been named the new head of the Bahrid family and all it's ventures.  Well this could not have come at a better time.  Unfortunately we will likely never finish our education at the House of Wisdom and thus never receive the full recognition of the other alumnus. But who needs that, our tutors (the ones not incensed at our murder) have never known a harder worker.  We arrive back at the Bahrid mansion to find it a rather gloomy and dreary place, the old man had not kept it in the best condition the past year and we order the servants to clean the place up. And after inspecting the facilities we order an upgrade to the mansion's hidden chambers and secret tunnels, just in case.  Jalil who has been regent of the Bahrid estate in our stead tries to get us to the offices down at the dockyard so he can start going over all the necessary business we need to attend to. We tell him that's great and all, but isn't Oman at war? He has things under control, we can go fight for a while. Besides, no assassins can find us in the middle of the desert.  And luck would have it the marshal finds a local soldier of great ability who fought with our father and grandfather in Persia and wishes to serve us personally as a commander. Gladly.  With Abdul-Razzaq we take the Bahrid Riders and cross over into Egyptian Arabia, sword in hand and all the glory for us to take.  One night while we camp enroute to battlefields beyond we read over journals left by our father of his exploits in Persia and hear tell of the Sunni Raja of Sindh. We think one of his daughters would make a fine wife, and one that could certainly have the skills to aid in our business ventures. (What's more this'll make it more like for Sindh to call for our aid should the Hindu attack, and fun t hat will be)   Over the next three months we raid and attack the tribal villages and rabbles that call themselves armies across the interior of Arabia.     So far these have all been paltry engagements, over in less than an hour, with little glory to gain or battlefield experience to glean. What luck then that scouts report the Sultan of Egypt himself is riding towards us, no doubt angered at our raids in to his land. The men say the Egyptians approach with an army thousands strong and we should prepare to flee. We tell them they should draw their swords and prepare for a real fight.   In the chaos of the battle as the elite Egyptian cavalry completely surround our forces we spy Sultan Unujur himself and charge forth to engage him.  The Sultan might be a fine commander of soldiers but he is a terrible fighter himself and we make laughable work of him and cut him down right there in the middle of the battle.  The sudden death of the Egyptian Sultan is sure to send the huge Ikhshidid empire into disarray, unfortunately it does not dissuade his army who seem to only been emboldened by the death of their leader and show no signs of taking any prisoners. We break off from the fight with as many of the Bahrid Riders we can muster and flee south back to Muscat, gleefully shouting back that there will be much celebration and merriment for any who can make it back alive.  We arrive back at the Bahrid Mansion, two and a half years since departing for war and Jalil is none to please with us to say the least. He demands we begin taking the running of our family more seriously, but unfortunately for him the neighboring sultanate of Yemen has just declared war on the republic, it looks like there'll be more fighting yet. 
Crisis Now fucked around with this message at 09:19 on Jan 28, 2020 |
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Jan 28, 2020 09:12
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Smart man. Dumb Decisions
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Jan 28, 2020 17:10
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This guy
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Jan 29, 2020 16:43
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5 - Adept of Strategy (975 - 980) Upon arriving back in Muscat, little brother Jalil is none too pleased to hear we have cut down the biggest ally the Bahrid family had. He does not seem so impressed at our lofty boasts of cutting down arguably the most powerful ruler in the Muslim world in fair and justice combat. He is further annoyed to learn the war is over a week later and Cilicia gained it's measly one or two new provinces. Had they won the war a month sooner then Sultan Unujur may still live, but what's done is done.  In the week or two we have to rest in Muscat while the forces of Sultan Abdallah 'the Bear' of Yemen make ready for war on us we impart some of what we have learnt in our time in the House of Wisdom and approve improvemnets to the Bahrid family's holding of Suhár.   Before his demise Sultan Urujur had been working tirelessly to establish a new center of learning in Cairo modeled after the House of Wisdom, he was likely preparing for it's grand opening before he sallied out to end our raiding of central Arabia. Given our history with the House of Wisdom it may be more prudent to send any of our children to this new Cairo Madrasa. Thanks Urujur!  Now the Bahrid family no longer holds control of all of Oman the number of soldiers we can personally command is woefully small, and we can hardly trust Jibril 'the Hallow' to defend the republic. We make this opinion quite known and we send forth a messenger north to Al-Bahrein to return with a large mercenary band.  Jibril in return publicly chastises us, calling us an ego-driven braggart putting personal glory and gold ahead of the needs of the republic and the Bahrid family. We fume quietly and allow the Wali-Emir to keep running his mouth. How inconvenient for him that the following night after council sessions finish, one of the head of the other families comes forth and reveals a plot to kill Jibril. The Wali-Emir is old and sad and without children, the last of the Ahmadid family. His holdings will be distributed between the other four families and a new Wali-Emir will rule. Yes, Jibril must die.   As the Bahrid and Suhár soldiers march south and the Arab Band arrives in Muscat we were correct in not trusting Jibril to defend us, as an advance raiding party from Yemen approaches to sack Muscat. They were not expecting four thousand mercenaries to be waiting them however. Once dispatched of, we march with the Arab Band to join up with our own forces on the borderlands with Yemen, our wife Premala and entourage entow so they may witness our battlefield prowess.  The next few weeks are spent subduing the tribes on the border of Oman - Yemen, the evenings are spent pouring over books we carried off with us from the House of Wisdom, and in the company of our lovely wife. It does not too long before she is with child.  The Yemeni army has finally amassed and marches to do battle with us, with numbers slightly greater than our own. A shame for them we are a far greater commander than what they can scrounge up. We see them off, dealing twice the deaths they could claim from us and they fall back further in to Yemen just in time for Wali-Emir Jibril's army to join with us and pursue over the next months.   Word reaches us that Jibril has lost his life long battle with depression and taken his own life. It would seem our plot to have him removed is no longer necessary.  Idris Umarid, who marches with us against Yemen has been promoted to lead the republic. He is no better a diplomat nor strategist than the late Jibril but hopefully his cunning will see us through for the time being.  He is dead. A week later and Idris Umarid has died in his sleep in the commander's tent as we prepared to move in to the Yemen heartlands.  When we inquire as to who leads the Republic now we learn it is Muktar Rasulid back in Muscat. Last we heard the man was a bed-bound gout ridden raving lunatic with some Shaytan's curse over him. Ah, what a healthy vibrant nation grandfather fostered.  We will take charge of Oman's forces and drive them straight for the Yemen capital of Taizz  Our first child, Akab is born on the eve of our assault on the The Bear's primary castle of Ibb, it is a good omen and our victory is assured.  And a few hundred of Oman's soldiers are lost in the assault while Ibb's opposition is vanquished entirely. As we raid the Sultan's vaults we come across a wealth of books and tomes and requisition them, they will be far safer in Muscat and provide ample reading material in the coming nights as we continue the war.   Over the next year we take control of more and more of the core of Yemen until at last we capture the capital of Taizz itself.    All the while we are trying to find anything of academic value in the cities and castles to ship back to Oman, keeping those that are of particular interest to us and even beginning to translate them in the camp between battles.  With the capital fully under our control we move out to engage The Bear in battle once more. With the combined armies of the Bahrid family, the Arab band and various militia from Muscat we deliver a crushing blow to the Yemen army and they are left significantly outnumbered.   Muktar (or more likely one of his more lucid advisors) sends us a message that he wishes to make us the chancellor of Oman, which we gladly accept. And our first job? Negotiate peace with the Bear. His capital and all his major holdings lie under the flag of Oman, his army is shattered and disorganized. We meet with the Sultan personally and managed to force his surrender and a hefty monetary sum for the safe hand-over of his occupied settlements.   Unfortunately as we march back to Muscat another messenger meets us on the road somewhere in Dhofar. We are at war once more. With the Jannabid dynasty of Al-Bahrein once again no less. Emir Isa 'The Preacher' who was installed by the late Sultan Urujur to replace his heretical brother and father it would seem has been as fanatical in his adherence to the Sunni faith as his family was to the Qarmatian cause. The Preacher now wages a holy war against "Ibadi" false believers, almost certainly with tacit support from the boy-Sultan in Cairo for our killing of his father.   We were to celebrate the victory over Yemen in Muscat and donate some of our spoils of war to the other families and to the Arab Band that almost certainly brought us our victory. Instead we have just a few days rest and another large gold payment to the Arab Band captain to keep him in our employ as we march north back in to central Arabia once again.  Khatira, our second child is born in the Bahrid war camp in Julfar, meanwhile Akab is now walking and saying his first words, having grown up in the camps, and only seen our home in Muscat no longer than a week.  We secure the border and push deeper in to the lands of Al-Bahrein. News reaches us of raiding parties attacking the countryside around Muscat, but they will have to be left to whatever defenders sit on the walls of the city as we progress further inland.  Over the next year we slowly press in to Al-Bahrein with far more care and precision than the raiding excursion some years back. We besiege and sack every Bahreinian settlement we encounter to ensure the border with Oman will remain safe for the foreseeable future.  One evening in our tranquil camp overlooking the Persian gulf, far away from the fighting, it dawns on us as we finish reading Histories by Herodotus for what must be the sixth or seventh time that we have spent so much of our time preoccupied with the books of great western leaders- Alexander, Hannibal, Attila, even the more recent Sharlman of Francia. But have given no heed to the leaders of the east, where a wealth of knowledge has yet to be shared here in Arabia. We recall a book a merchant in Muscat presented us in our brief stop in the city after Yemen, The Art of War by reputably the greatest military thinker in all of China. Perhaps when we rule Oman we will further expand the outpost Al-Hakm established in India and open up new roads to the east, but for the time being, the teachers of Sun Tzu shall tide us over while we ponder what lies beyond India.  Our third child / second son is born - Ali. The burden for having to care for all of our children, wife and non-combatant retainers in the war is becoming tiresome. Truth be told, war itself is becoming rather tiresome for us now. We can be putting our superior intellect to a better use.  The Al-Bahrein army is located on the border and we march south to meet them, back through lands completely depopulated and stripped bare of anything valuable by our advance.  The battle goes in our favour, as it rightfully should and we half the numbers of the Al-Bahrein army in a matter of minutes. Those that are not killed outright or manage to flee are captured, including a number of noblemen. With half it's forces gone and it's eastern region and capital ruined Emir Isa is forced to surrender. (The Preacher would later be imprisoned by the Sultan in Cairo for possibly unrelated reasons, where he succumbs to injuries sustained during the previous battle.)  We arrive back in Muscat after departing five years ago to subdue our neighbors to learn the presiding Wali-Emir has died. His son, Isa Rasulid, who is only twenty years of age is named the new ruler of the republic. No doubt his father poured a lot of gold in to the pockets of the other three families to vote for such a young unproved boy fresh out of the House of Wisdom   Considering Isa is almost half our age it is unlikely we will get to rule the republic unless something unfortunate should happen to the boy. But the endless war with our neighbors has sated our desire to see others crushed beneath our heel some what, it may just be better to befriend and guide the young Wali-Emir. Besides it always seemed more fun to rule from the shadows than be in the spotlight. 
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Feb 2, 2020 15:57
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6 - Chancellor, Merchant, Lover (980 - 995) Our courtiers and the local nobles demand we stop risking our life on such frivolous pursuits of glory. We dismiss them whole-heartily, but we will concede to staying in Muscat for the time being, someone's gotta keep the Bahrid money boat afloat after all.  The Indian trade post established by our grandfather Al-Hakm has grown considerably in the few short years since his passing. It is already one of our most lucrative ventures so we will continue to develop it further.  With all the gold coming in from India we greatly expand the personal army of the Bahrid family. Four new defense-orientated battalions and one ranged, bringing the total number of soldiers under the direct control of our family to four thousand - no small feat for a family with little more than some trade boats and a castle at it's disposal. Speaking of the castle we ensure Suhár's defences are up to standard while we're at it.   We still have many enemies we made in our time at the House of Wisdom and as chancellor of Oman we are frequently sent to Baghdad with meet with the Caliph. There are always rumors of plots and schemes against us but we will not shirk our duties and cower away, let their assassins come.  At the very least they are almost all old and decrepit. Seyfullah who was tutor of administration and stewardship and became the new head of the House of Wisdom after our swift departure has died. We celebrate his passing by getting in contact with another of the students we remember serving with who was also a constant thorn in the old man's side.  One night while we are staying in Baghdad performing our diplomatic duties with the Abbasid Caliphate we try to sneak a little food from the well-furnished kitchens of the Caliph's palace but happen upon Caliph Abdul-Qadir himself. We have been close friends ever since we first attended the House of Wisdom all those years ago and we have conversed many times, but tonight, tonight was different. After speaking for what must have been hours it became obvious the conversation was becoming more intimate, amorous even, and when we attempted to go back to our room Adul-Qadir instead offered to let us stay in his, with him.  We were a little taken off guard, but had had always suspected the caliph may be hiding this secret, he was always awfully close with that bodyguard of this.  After the initial shock fades away we think, well if it was good enough for our beloved Greeks of old, and quite frankly who wouldn't want a piece of us?  Our constant engagements to Baghdad on behalf of the Wali-Emir ensure we have a good excuse to see the Caliph regularly.  But we shan't let the pursuits of passion stand in the way of hard work, despite our physician in Muscat warning us to take it easy. Our grandfather died from working too hard he is always quick to remind us, Al-Hakm lived for the republic and little else. We at the very least have a wealth of distractions when laboring away in the city becomes too much and we need a break.  With the wars against our jealous neighbors over we can now focus on the business at hand, which is business.  And while we're at it we begin composing a new book. Since leaving the battlefields we have become restless and find we are constantly shifting and swapping between activities and pass times. Working on this book, about the history of our great family no less has helped us to stay focused.   On 3rd March 982, our third son, Muhammad is born.  Hindu merchants from the east bring us news of the Great Cheng Empire exerting it's influence far beyond it's borders. Chinese diplomats and soldiers are becoming a more frequent sight in the north of India along the foothills of the vast Himalayan mountains and in the settlements that straddle the Ganges. In recent months the Raja of Kuru who rules from the rich and prosperous city of Delhi has bowed to the might of Emperor Dai Gaozu, giving him great caravans of wealthy goods in exchange for Chinese soldiers protecting Delhi from the neighboring kingdoms of Bengal and more prominently Rajputana.  Rajputana has grown immensely powerful, having just won a swift war against Sindh and reducing them to a single castle and the land around it in Vijnot. We would have gladly marched to protect the homeland of our dearest wife, but when her uncle seized the throne he cut diplomatic ties to Oman.  Our own uncle meanwhile has been doing very well for himself, some years back he sailed to the Horn of Africa with his share of the gold he made on a profitable merchant venture to The Sultanate of Mogadishu. For all this gold he managed to secure a marrage with the Queen of the Ethiopians - Tsage the Avenger. After The Bear of Yemen failed to make us bend the knee to Yemeni rule he instead turned his focus on Abyssinia. The two nations have clashed for almost a decade now with Yemen managing to gain a foothold on the African side of the strait until Uncle Nasr arrived with all his gold to afford Queen Tsage many mercenaries. Assuming Abyssinia does not succumb to the Yemen waves that crash upon their shores then within our lifetime we may see a Bahrid King on an African throne. (Unknown to us Tsage the Avenger would have dear old Uncle Nasr killed in an "accident" a short few years after his arrival once all his gold had been spent and her new husband, a local Ethopian duke would begin having the "Bahrid bastard children" killed)  Since Isa Rasulid ascended to rule the republic Oman has faced no war or internal struggles, and not to boast, but we think we may have had a good hand in assuring that. We have given a lot of our time to training the young ruler to add to what he learnt in his own time at the House of Wisdom. But more than just matters of state we have been more than willing to listen and help with more personal matters, involving himself and the Rasulid family for which he has been very grateful.   3rd June, 985. Our fifth child and second daughter. Little Mahsa.  Trade from India and the shores of Persia have become so heavy that it is becoming neccassary to further develop our own merchant offices and ports at home here in Oman, lest traders have nowhere to offload and sell their wares.  On the 14th November, 985 Muscat receives a most unusual visitor in the form of a Christian knight and his entourage. He goes by Doux Phokas of Edessa, and he is the Magistros to Basileus Belisarios Argyros of the Byzantine Empire. He is here to see the head of the Bahrid family, us, the Bahrid name precedes us and tales of our wealth and prowess have spread to the west. The Basileus wishes to marry his daughter to our other uncle - Khaireddin, in hope of linking our families and perhaps opening the way for Bahrid involvement in Byzantine mercantile affairs. It should be noted Basileus Belisarios is a supremely unpopular figure in his realm, having fought and closely won a number of civil wars and put many a Greek lord to the sword to keep others in line, his decision to come to us is almost certainly because anyone else he could turn to for finance is linked in some way to the doux and strategos of Byzantium and could compromise him. Unfortunately we are too caught up in the moment and the fact the emperor knows us of personally that we of course agree.  Three months later and Garyphallia Argyros arrives in Muscat, an actual Byzantine princess now resides in the Bahrid mansion. It'll not do to have her simply married to a courtier and we appoint uncle Khaireddin our new steward.  Khaireddin takes to his new role with ease and within weeks he is suggesting a major new venture. A grand trade expedition to India to establish a new direct trade route in to Muscat rather than relying on traders traveling along the Silk Road. It is an expensive endeavour with a great deal of Bahrid funds and our own personal gold surplus invested towards it. Thankfully a number of Ibadi imams wish to join us, as we still know very little about the Hindus or their land and they wish to see the feasibility of proselytizing the faith in India. On top of all that recent Bahrid trade ships arriving back in Muscat have been supplying us with ever more up to date and accurate maps of the Indian shoreline, making it much safer, easier and quicker (and therefore cheaper) to sail to and from the Indian ports.    In the third month of 986 we arrive in Kanyakubja on the southern shore of the great Ganges river, welcomed with a lavish ceremony and feast hosted by Maharaja Kanhad where we exchange gifts  The next week is spent in the company of the maharaja as we try out best to offset any embarrassment at the hand of the Omanis and try our best to explain the case for a trade route to Muscat.   Thankfully at week's end Kanhad was pleased with our visit and more than happy to facilitate trade between Kosala and Muscat. Almost immediately with the first successful merchant vessel arriving back in the Muscat harbor we see a huge influx of goods and gold. Of course we reward our uncle handsomely for organizing the whole thing.   Next month during our next visit to Baghdad on behave of the Wali-Emir, and our own personal visit to the caliph , Abdul-Qadir is dismayed that we are simply wasting away before his eyes. We tell him we have just been on a long boat journey back from India but assure him we dined like princes in the company of maharaja. The caliph has none of it and implores we eat more. We think perhaps it is because he has let himself go a little since our last rendezvous and he doesn't quite appreciate how we shape up together now.   But if it will make dearest Abdul-Qadir happy than we shall oblige him.   We have already committed a number of sins, what's one more to the list? I hear wine is particularly divine and have a secret cellar built beneath the Bahrid mansion to house a vast store of the stuff shipped in from our new Byzantine connection.  With the new trade route to Kosala our office at the southern tip of India has become ever more important and we must develop it further, plus it wouldn't help to have them import all sorts of exotic treats to Muscat.  And with increased trade comes more news. The Cheng Empire furthers it's influence and gains another Indian kingdom under it's protection, Punjab. The growing Chinese influence in India is becoming quite alarming and may yet prompt the Rajputana to move ever further westward in to Persia to escape them, it seems unlucky they would submit to the Emperor's will.  Rajputana has come to dominate western India but now it finds itself at war with the Persians of Transoxiana. Should they best the Persians here then this Hindu empire may truly become unstoppable.  Our son Akab has come of age and he is.. well, at least he has a good sense of justice (but then again all in Oman should do). We begin to sense a little how Al-Hakm felt about how our father turned out for him. Perhaps some time at the House of Wisdom will do him good. All the old tutors and faculty that we angered have long ago died and there should be no reason for our son's entry to be barred.   With Akab out of the house, the Kosala trade route bringing in such wealth we have little to concern ourselves when it comes to business and Wali-Emir Isa is running the republic effectively under our guiding hand we focus on finishing the last chapter of our book. At last it is complete, a grand and mostly true retelling of our lives up to this point, and the lives of our father and grandfather, the old Lion of Oman.   The following summer while we are walking with Isa a little distance outside the Rasulid Mansion and we discuss matters of Oman's future we are set upon by masked bandits intending to kidnap the Wali-Emir. We managed to fend off the attackers long enough for Rasulid soldiers to hear the commotion and come to our aid.  The days of our supreme military prowess are far behind us and we barely save the Wali-Emir, he is badly wounded in the brawl but at the very least he is alive and the bandits captured.  The bandits are tortured for answers but die before they divulge any information, what's worse Isa succumbs to his wounds.  Rather suspect, but probably not connected - Isa's uncle Aram Rasulid had injected increasing amounts of gold in to the Rasulid's campaign funds prior to the kidnapping attempt. So much so that the other three families have chosen to elect him the new Wali-Emir.  Less than a week later and all of Oman's most prominent and wealthy is in Muscat attending the inauguration of Aram Rasulid as the new Prince-Custodian of the republic. He falls asleep during the ceremony and we all think it terribly funny - only when the proceedings are over and we try to wake him again do we discover he in fact just went and died.  All eyes are suddenly on us, there are no other suitable candidates from the other four families ready to take up the mantle of Wali-Emir. And everyone is already convened here and we did just hold a big ceremony. We are declared new ruler of Oman effective immediately with all the powers and responsibilities that entails. Wonderful. 
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Feb 5, 2020 21:23
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Feb 5, 2020 22:06
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Well that worked out well for all involved
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Feb 6, 2020 01:04
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The Caliph is so considerate. He only wants him to stay nice and healthy!
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Feb 6, 2020 02:54
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What a lovely fellow.
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Feb 6, 2020 16:06
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7 - The Hammer (995 - 1014) Oman finds itself a small fish in an ocean of increasingly expanding monsters. Egypt to our north continues to consolidate it's power over central Arabia and courts the Emir of Hijaz to begin their integration in to the realm, no doubt so the Ikhshidid dynasty can proclaim themselves Custodians of Mecca & Medina. Across the Gulf the Hindus of Rajputana under the command of Mahendrapala 'The Butcher' continue to advance in to Persia, waging war on Sistan and Kerman whose days are quickly coming to an end. Yemen and Abyssinia have been at each other's throats for decades, though cancer racks Is'mail 'the Misbegotten' he fights to his last breath with The Avenger of Ethiopia, whoever comes out on top will come to dominate the Strait of Aden and the Lower Red Sea. The Abbasids, finding themselves wedged three powerful nations have no where to go but north - and that's just what they've done, having recently conquered Georgia and now crossed the Caucasus mountains and now find themselves coming in to conflict with the steppe lords beyond. The Byzantines when not at war with their Bulgarian neighbors have been slowly trying to claw back land they have lost over the decades and centuries, securing a foothold in southern Italy and clashing with the Shia of Tunsia. While the Umayyads of Cordoba have seized upon the chaos inflicted by the Byzantines in the Mediterranean and captured much of the North African coast, cutting the Idrisids and Fatimids off from the sea and are making headway in to Africa via Libya.  There is only so long the Republic can avoid the ireful gaze of these beasts. Eventually we will have to face a choice - submit to the whims of foreign power, and almost certainly face persecution for our Ibadi faith, or we can fight, and endure or at the very least die with dignity. But to even fight we will need more men, more land, more gold. All around Oman the past century all the sheiks and emirs of comparable power have subdued one by one and swallowed by a greater power. We look across the waters of the Persian Gulf where we know soon the Gulf's Shahs will be overcome by the Hindu invasion. We cannot fight them, we certainly cannot fight the Egyptians whose power dwarfs any of the fabled Egyptian empires of old. There can really only be one place Oman can expand to secure it's position in the world - Yemen.  Unfortunately we cannot just invade them without finding a way to justify our actions to the other four families and to the people of Oman. In the eyes of the Ibadi faithful we must be just and pious in our cause, and not a mindless warmonger like the petty iqta and feudal lords that surround us.  And if that is what it will take then we shall become the very paragon of virtue and piety.   At least for the time being we can use the contacts we've established through our trade routes to secure ourselves some alliances. There is however no assurance of these alliances holding once the Bahrid's lose the ruling seat though.  The night before departing for Mecca we consult the other members of the Bahrid family at the mansion decide the family coat of arms is in need of updating. The Bahrid family have truly proven themselves the lords of Suhár it's time we adopt the castle's emblem as our own.   We departed from Muscat with just three bodyguards on horseback so we could race along the coast of southern and western Arabia in short time to the Holy City. But by time we had reached Duqm at the border with Yemen the heat had become unbearable. Upon seeing a ship docked in the Duqm harbor we managed to secure safe passage through the strait of Aden. We thought the vessel a Somali trade ship but it turns out to be an Ethiopian warship, lightly outfitted for raiding the Yemen coast. The crew believe us to be just some trader the Persian Gulf - and not Prince of all the merchants in Oman. Had they really known we doubt they would have let us go so easily, before the next dock we and the bodyguards manage to slip off the side of the boat and swim to the safety of the shore, thankfully not far from Sunni town.  After another week's journey on the road filled with pilgrims we arrive in the holy city. Unfortunately after a tiring journey we struggle to find any good accommodation or clean water to prepare for the first evening's prayer, we eventually find a group of other scholars who attended the House of Wisdom to fall in with, making sure to tell them not to use the poor well nearby.  The pilgrim camps around Mecca are abuzz with news - the Caliphs have gone to war. Our lover, Abdul-Qadir, Badshah of Arabia, Abbasid Caliph has prepared an invasion of the Umayyad Caliphate with intention of reuniting the Islamic world. We had known for a long time this had been a desire of his, but we never actually thought he would go through with it, he has become bold these past few years.   But right now we cannot concern ourselves with such matters, we are here to pray and perform the Tawaf. Our time in the holiest city, spent with other faithfuls from across the world has rejuvenated us and given us a new lease on life.  On the last day in Mecca before we are to depart back for Muscat there is yet more news stirring the pilgrim camps, causing more unrest even than the news of Umayyad and Abbasid going to war. The King-Bishop of Romagna Pope Callistus II intends to unite the Franks and Latins of Christendom with his calls to drive back Muslim incursions in to the heart of their land. In the decade past the Umayyad had succeeded where they failed two centuries ago and conquered the southern Frankish coast, the great Sharlman's child descendant unable to halt the invasion. Some are seeing this as toothless posturing, but others fear the Christians may be spurred in to action and in fact try to reclaim all the lands where Christ's followers once ruled.  Two months later and we are back in Muscat a changed man,  Our second son, Ali, has come of age. Already he is a brilliant scholar, but he could be even better, so it is off to the House of Wisdom with him.   The Basileus has died and with it our short-lived alliance with the Byzantines has ended. What is worse the new Basileus has closed his borders to us and cut the trade routes we had established with his predecessor. Despite this, Muscat has become a curiosity for Greeks and a number of their traders still find their way to out city, and it has also become the fashion for Omani high society to try and secure a marriage with Greek women.  With the Abbasid-Umayyad war raging we have not been able to visit Abdul-Qadir and instead have been spending time in the company of our wife.  Akab has returned from Baghdad, with an expert knowledge in law and state. We make him the grand-vizier of Oman at once.  Akab also brings alarming news he overheard while at the House of Wisdom that the Christians do indeed seem serious about waging all out war across the Mediterranean against us, a number of holy military orders have been established, highly organized and trained and well-equipped to lend their support to any Christian ruler that fights us.  The next Greek merchant that arrives in Muscat confirms it - the Pope has declared a grand holy war against the Umayyads.  The Umayyad caliph boy finds himself at war with Arabia, a furious "reconquista" rebellion by the local Christians populace - and now: Practically the entire (non-Greek) Christian world.    But that is a world away from us. No Christian ever ruled Muscat, the Empire of the Romans never reached Oman, surely we have no reason to fear these "Crusades" as this is land they never held. We try not to let such matters concern us and instead focus on the city, which is seeing unprecedented growth and wealth.   With such chaos to the west and an uncertain future for the Republic we decide to seclude ourselves away from the bustle of the Bahrid mansion in a sparse quiet apartment in the city where we will consult the Quran and muse on the road that lays ahead.    We interact little with others, except to acquire food and water. We overhear the people at the market talking of the recent conquests and might of Sultan Idris.  It is perhaps becoming clearer why Abdul-Qadir had suddenly sought war with the Umayyads. Though he is Caliph, though he rule the Abbasid Empire he is little more than a figurehead. The true power in the Abbasids lie with Idris, who controls almost all the land, and all the armies. Whatever his whims, the Caliph almost certainly has to oblige. But should the Caliph succeed against the Umayyads then his realm will more than double, triple even, the number of soldiers at his disposal will grow expediently and the number of emirs, sheiks and sultans at his command will offset the sway Idris has acquired.   Our third son, Muhammad has come of age though he does not seek an education at the House of Wisdom. He instead desires to travel to the land of the Greeks, where his wife to be lives so he may learn from the Greeks and hopefully depart some of our own faith and learning on them and we allow him to go.  We end our seclusion, our mind unshrouded by doubt and our knowledge of the Greatest fortified. The next course of action is now clear.  We will march with Caliph Abdul-Qadir. We will aid him in his quest to reunite the Ummah. And not because of our own personal feelings with him. If there is to be a Caliph, there is no (living) man more just and pure in this cause than Abdul-Qadir, the Islamic world must be united and strong if these Christians mean to bring war to our shores. We are now at war with the Umayyads.   It was unthinkable to the to the other four families and to our council that we would enter a war with the second largest Sunni power and they have not the means nor the desire to send their soldiers across the world. But that is fine, the Bahrid army is more than enough. Our sailors, soldiers and mercenaries have spent a lifetime venturing Arabia, the Persian Gulf and shores of India, they are eager to head west for the first time, to see the Mediterranean Sea and what lies beyond.  Ali returns from the House of Wisdom just before our departure, now a renown theologian and we appoint him the lead tutor of Oman so he may impart what he has learnt on others.  After a month at sea we arrive on the shores of Egypt. The Sultan has given his support to the Umayyads against the Christian crusade and thinks us mad for siding with the Abbasids at such a crucial time. He does not attack us, but at the same time refuses our soldiers access to Cairo and the other cities. We march as quickly as we can westward while burning through what supplies we brought with us.  By late spring we have arrived on the border of Libya and immediately assault the first holding we come across so we can plunder their stores for supplies.   Our scouts inform us that the Caliph himself is in fact only just a relatively short distance away further along the Libyan coast.  We race westward to catch up with him but he is also moving at a quick pace to reach Cordoba where the first Abbasid army has depleted it's ranks sieging the Umayyad castles and finds itself vulnerable.  On New Year's Eve of the year 1000 we step foot on European soil for the first time as we cross the Gibraltar strait. The Abbasid armies have regrouped and we meet up with them, and a joyful reunion with Abdul-Qadir after missing his presence for half a decade.  With the month we have captured the prominent fortress of Qādis and the southern coast of Al-Andalus is now firmly in Abbasid control. And one cannot forget that while all this is happening there are 10,000 Christian warriors storming across the Pyrenees mountains to the north.  By mid-way of February we cross the Al-wadi Al-kabir river in to the heartlands of Iberia and surround the great city of Cordoba.  By mid March the outlying regions of Cordoba are under our control.  On the 1st of April as we are due to advance on the city itself a number of local emirs try desperately to raise local forces to oppose us. But it is already too late, knowing that the city cannot withstand an Abbasid seige (and even if it did it would be too weak to then withstand the eventual Christian siege, an even worse fate) the young Umayyad Caliph has capitulated.   After 339 years of rule the Umayyads are vanquished. There is but one Caliph, and his name is Abdul-Qadir Abbasid!  15,000 Umayyad soldiers has now become 50,000 Abbasid soldiers with support from across the Mediterranean. The Crusade is brought to an immediate halt as the Christian lords have to reassess the situation. A greater victory than just the conquest of Cordoba has been achieved this day and the reeling Christians will hopefully think twice about future Crusades against an increasingly united Muslim world.  The next month is spent in Cordoba where a triumph is held in honor of Abdul-Qadir's victory and repelling of the Crusade. We spend scarce few days in the Caliph's company as he is now busier than he has ever been. But his gratitude for us is eternal, we marched the lengths of the known world so that we could fight at his side in the greatest victory the Abbasids have ever achieved. He will remain in Cordoba for some time, administering his vast new empire. We unfortunately do not have an empire's worth of stewards and governors at our disposal and must return to the republic at once. For we have a war of our own to wage.  A year later and we have arrived back in Egypt, this time the cities are open to us. Sultan al-Ikhshid (Grandson of Unujur who we slayed in battle) can barely believe the events that have transpired, the men he had pledged to defend against the crusade had just reached the Strait of Gibraltar when the crusade was announced a failure and they once again had to march home. These are strange times we have found ourselves in and the Sultan inquires if we intend to join the Abbasids after we just devoted so much to see their victory in Cordoba, and for that we do not have an answer. Abdul-Qadir will not be the Caliph forever, his sons and grandsons may not be so kind to the Ibadi. If we were to allow ourselves to rejoin the Caliphate than we must have enough strength to withstand the whims of the Caliph or our "brother" sultans and emirs inside such a realm. Our goals have not changed, Oman must be stronger. We ask the Sultan the same in return and he only laughs and says Egypt bows to no one but Allah.  It is now 1002 and we are home. We spend a week getting Muscat's and the Bahrid family's business back in order when even stranger news reaches us. Abdul-Qadir has seized upon the chaos the abrupt end of the Crusade brought and now wishes to drive the tens of thousands of Sunni faithful he gathered in Cordoba north and weaken the Franks for good.  We can only pray he does not fail or meet his demise on some Frankish field, but we have our own pressing matters to attend. The ongoing Yemen - Abyssinia conflict has taken a sharp turn in favor of the Ethiopians who have now conquered the Aden and exert control over the Strait. Yemen has been weakened immensely and will almost certainly not survive their next war with the Ethiopians. At which point we will have Abyssinia at our door, and with control of a huge swath of Eastern Africa we cannot hope to stand up to them in our current state. The time to strike Yemen is now. For them this is a mercy more than anything, life under Ibadi Omani rule would be so much more preferable than under The Avenger of Abyssinia.  Every soldier Oman can muster is fielded and we begin the march south.  By October we are at the Yemen capital and move in at once to begin the siege.  The Sultan's army meets ours at the gates of Dhamar in hope of driving off the Bahrid army that has arrived before the rest of the Omani forces, but the experienced Bahrid soldiers from the Cordoba-Expedition are more than a match for the Yemeni.   By March of the following year the Yemen capital and all the outlying settlements are under Omani control  By autumn the core of Yemen has fallen to our forces and we begin to seek out the remaining Yemen army to cement our control of the region.  The Yemen forces are controlled by a Bulgarian, brother of the Bulgarian Emperor no less, who has become a mercenary, hired long ago by the Sultan to assist against the Ethiopians. In their last war he was captured and barely escaped alive, his personal run-in with The Avenger is said to have driven the man insane. We face him in single combat amidst the final battle for Yemen, we gain the upper hand and thankfully he is still lucid enough to know when he has lost and orders the immediate surrender of the remaining Yemen soldiers.  He is an honorable man and we allow him to live, along with all the Yemeni who are free to return to their homes after being relinquished of their weapons. The Sultan is no where to be find, fled to some far off land and now Yemen is without a ruler and we control her lands.   They call us The Hammer now. And we are no longer just Wali-Emir, but Wali-Malik.   Oman is a republic to rival even the likes of the much vaunted Venice or Genoa.  In time we will have to drive the Ethiopians out of Arabia, but that day is probably a long way off yet.  The Avenger is less a queen and more a force of evil, an avatar of Iblis sent to torment the faithful and the innocent.  She has had both her husbands killed.  Her own son, with Bahrid blood running through his veins was left to die without treatment, she had two of other children killed.  She has killed her brother in-law, another Bahrid.  In in favor of having her sister (almost certainly another servant of Shaytan) take the throne when her own time comes. We have no doubt The Avenger would burn Muscat to the ground and put every Ibadi to the sword.  Due to our connections with The Rifa'i we are able to send skilled missionaries to the newly liberated lands of Yemen. These lands were once Ibadi two centuries ago and now they can be again.   Given the tenuous position the Most Serene Republic finds itself in we cannot afford the upheaval a new family taking control entails. We begin to inject massive amounts of Bahrid gold into the republic funds to ensure a member of our family remains in charge. The other four families have been doing this for decades, they would rather throw away all the money they have gained from trade on vainly trying to make themselves ruler rather than invest in the republic as the Bahrids have done.  The next few months as we try our best to secure our new position and create new pacts for the Most Serene Republic we notice our courtiers, advisors and even family members beginning to treat us differently. Hushed whispers and glances out the corner of their eyes when we are near. It is only when we are meeting with a Greek merchant who just passed through Baghdad that we learn from him our deepest secret has been revealed. That we and the Caliph are lovers.  It has caused a scandal across the Muslim world, and what's more the Caliph's failure to invade the Franks has severely shaken his authority.  A distant member of the Abbasid dynasty has seized upon this and risen up, decrying Abdul-Qadir and insisting he should be the new Caliph. The man is an imbecile, but unfortunately he little more than a pawn being used by Sultan Idris who has given him full support.  And to add to the dark cloud that hangs over us, Akab, our firstborn has just died.  We need to leave Muscat for a while, we need to be away from the cursing, accusing gazes of the other four families and everyone in the city. And Abdul-Qadir needs our help more than ever.  One night as we camp in Kuwait we are suddenly taken ill, worse than we have ever been in our lives. The march to Mesopotamia is halted for a week while we are bedridden in camp, the Bahrid army physician sees to us and tells us quite bluntly we have cancer. He does not need to tell us more but we know from the way he looks to us that he thinks this is justice for our indecent actions with the Caliph.   In the summer of 1008 we march along the Tigris, narrowly avoiding the Iraqi capital of Al Amarah as we race for Baghdad, thankfully the majority of the Iraqi army is in the north where opportunistic Greek mercenaries fighting their own civil war against the Basilieus have crossed the border to raid Mosul of it's riches. Baghdad is entirely occupied, supporters of the rebellion rampage through the streets, sacking libraries and mosques established by the Caliph who chose to remain loyal to him.  Within a matter of days we smash the occupation, storming through every rebellion garrison in and around the city and leaving none alive.  Until finally we push into the center of the city itself and liberate the Caliph's Palace.  With Baghdad free again we move to capture the capital of the rebellion in the mountains on the Persian border, while the Caliph's army, moving down from the Caucuses intercepts the traitor Abbasid's dwindling army.  Before we can even reach the mountains however the loyalist army has captured Aarif Abbasid, they do not bother to imprison him and have him executed on the spot. The rebellion is over and Idris cowers in his castle with his army withdrawn to protect himself from the Caliph's fury, fortunately for him the Caliph has taken ill and is secluded to Baghdad where he tries to repair the damage done to the city. We seem him one last time before departing back to Muscat.  The experiences of the past year, how everyone is begun treating us and the things we've witnessed in Baghdad have hardened our soul. We fear all we have achieved will be overshadowed by our relationship with Abdul-Qadir. A prominent Greek writer and poet staying in Muscat visits us and we pay an extravagant sum to have him chronicle our life in hope we can offset people's opinions.   At least some good news comes in the form of the Hindu invasion of Persia finally coming to an end after half a century. Kosala with assistance from a Chinese army has attacked Rajputana and stripped them of the title and taken all their eastern land for themselves, it'll likely take some time for the Pratihara dynasty to recover.  The illness that had taken Abdul-Qadir has we put down the rebellion has consumed him. Despite the tarnish of our relationship he is still revered for reuniting a large part of the Muslim world, putting down the rebellion and funding an immeasurable amount of architectural and infrastructure wonders across Arabia and now Al-Andalus. We are beside ourselves and must travel to Baghdad to attend the funeral.  The Caliph's wife Neelab is enraged to the point of hysterical screaming at seeing us enter the Baghdad Mosque where Abdul-Qadir's body has been laid to rest. Nothing we can possibly say can make the situation better and she has the new Caliph, Khalid, brother of Abdul-Qadir bar us from ever entering the city again.  We return to Muscat, not a word spoken to our guards or retinues with our caravan. Our own illness consuming us by the day, until when we reach Muscat where we are barely lucid.  The court physician sees to us, but he can barely dare to touch us and seems to show nothing but contempt on his face. In our feverish, dazed state he has us walk to the edge of the Bahrid estate and has the soldiers strip us naked. He tells us only a midnight run through the desert will cure us of our ills. We can barely think nor see and just agree to whatever he is saying, barely able to comprehend where we even are. Run? We have to run? Okay.  The sun is rising over the sea in front of us, we are slumped against a date palm miles from anywhere. Our breathing labored, legs burning and feet shredded from running across rock and sand. We have just enough clarity to know these are our final moments, this certainly isn't how we expected to die but at least we had a good run. Bested a sultan in combat, marched across the world to fight with our lover, fended off a crusade and crushed a rebellion, forged a kingdom of merchants and made us all unfathomably rich. Well, better use the last of our energy to position ourselves in a dignified pose, it'll be some weeks before anyone discovers our old fat naked body. 
Crisis Now fucked around with this message at 16:23 on Feb 9, 2020 |
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Feb 9, 2020 16:17
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Allah is All-Gracious and All-Merciful, surely He will have a place for Wali-Malik Sa'daddin in Jannah! In more earthly matters, just how rich is Oman at the moment? IIRC one of the ways a merchant republic can throw its weight around is by hiring vast amounts of mercs and just going ham on their neighbours. You can even declare wars and immediately invade, since mercs don't count for the rule that says you can't have levies raised when going to war, giving you an immediate tactical advantage.
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Feb 9, 2020 16:48
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CommissarMega posted:In more earthly matters, just how rich is Oman at the moment? Here's how Muscat compares to other major cities in the world as of 1014  It probably helps that Oman is the lone republic in the Indian Ocean (for now) and has no competition, while the Mediterranean is republic thunderdome  Income is pretty much evenly split between tax (which is mostly from Muscat) and trade (which is mostly from the lone Indian trade post as that's been developed that most, though the Muscat trade post gets a big bonus for being on the capital)  When not at war and replenishing retinues Oman's average income is about 80 money-units per month.
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Feb 9, 2020 17:13
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Eh, it's a good start, but hey, early days. At the very least we're not having to compete in the Mediterranean trade war.
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Feb 9, 2020 18:34
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RIP to God's own gays
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Feb 9, 2020 18:53
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That's more income than I'd guessed. Hopefully, Oman can take advantage of all this. Good luck to the next generation of leadership!
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Feb 9, 2020 18:56
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8 - Kowtow (1014 - 1038) They found father's body last night, three miles outside of the city. There was no sign of foul-play and what the desert beasts hadn't picked away from him has now been buried here on the Bahrid Estate. The past three weeks we had assumed the mantle of leading the Republic in his stead but now with an official confirmation of his passing we are named the Wali-Malik proper and begin our rule of Oman. We are not the impulsive thrill-seeker our father was and we do not intend to throw the republic in to numerous wars as he did, nor do we quite condone the lifestyle he chose to lead with the Caliph. The Caliphate is still reeling from the revelation and the Abbasids try desperately to keep stable their engorged empire that straddles both sides of the Mediterranean. Caliph Khalid died from illness just one year after his father and now his brother Ali II devises to rule over the Unmah. But the man (more boy) is a far cry from his namesake.  The designs of the Caliph should matter to us little, a stance that it would seem the Egyptians have now taken up too. Even before Sa'daddin and Abdul-Qadir's scandal, the sudden invasion of al-Andalus by the Abbasids and the fall of Cordoba was a shock to the Muslim world as much to the Christian. And the repulsion of the Christian's so called Crusade has only emboldened the Abbasids further. The Ikhshidids must only have summated that it was now a matter of time until Baghdad trains its sword on Cairo and demand subjugation. With the Abbasid's hold on their empire tumultuous at best then a great war to unite themselves with the other major Muslim power (outside of the scorching dunes of Africa or endless steppe) would give the people a cause to rally around, and if just for a few years - a foe to despise and fight that isn't the Caliph. The young Hakam of Egypt, already a brilliant administrator at just 16 is no longer just a sultan. In the ultimate defiance to the Abbasids and a sign Cairo shall never submit to Bahgdad he has crowned himself Emperor of the Egyptians. Or 'Badshah' - like the great Padishah of old Persia, perhaps in reverence or a sign of solidarity to the Persian people for whom the Ikhshidid dynasty have been fighting decades to save from the Hindu invasions and migrations west from India.  The newly crowned emperor is already in marching on Gujarat to return the light of Allah to the Baloch and Afghan peoples.  But the plight of Sunni shouldn't concern us when we have our own land to tend to first.  The harbour our great-great-grandfather, founder of the republic Al-Hakm started work on is already drawing in new traders even in it's infancy and expansion will already be needed in the form of more piers for the increased traffic.  As well as the commissioning of more stone pits and quarries outside of the city to further facilitate new constructions.   Much of our rule will be dominated by the construction and expansion of the towns and forts around Muscat, if we were to go in to detail about each and everyone then our memoirs would be nothing but what was built where and when.   In the summer of 1016 the Kingdom of the Ethiopians is fractured by civil war as three dukes attempt to finally oust the wicked Avenger from her throne. Unfortunately by year's end they have failed and a terrible fate awaits them in the dungeons of Gondar.  Come August and our wife Anthousa has given birth to two healthy twin boys, they are named for their grandfathers, Sa'daddin and Belisarios.   A Radhanite merchant camel caravan stopped in Muscat over the winter and one of it's members requested a personal audience with us, the man by the name of Paltoi claimed to once be a great spy who had been in the employ of various city-states in Italia before becoming a trader. We hire the spy and tell him to return to his caravan so that he may bring back reports wherever his fellow merchants may roam, most prominently Constantinople.   It is 1017, Abyssinia is whole again and Egyptians slowly approaching the Indus valley year by year.  When we are not overseeing the now-hundreds of construction projects ongoing across east Oman our head is stuck in our many books we receive from passing traders. So much so that we convince ourselves that we can surely muster up a great work of literature as good as any we've read.    While we send many ships to trade with the Chinese it is rare for one to ever come to us and the ship they call a junk appearing in the Muscat Harbor was indeed a peculiar sight. While this junk is a merchant vessel it has little to no goods to actually trade as it was a cover for a Chinese nobleman to enter Muscat unnoticed. He meets with us and informs us he is fleeing the Emperor for a perceived slight against him. Given the previously mentioned rarity of the Chinese in our lands it seems unlikely anyone would know this man is here and we decide to allow him to stay.  The month that our guest from the East is staying in the Bahrid Estate has indeed been a fascinating one as he regales us with tales and myths of his land. We would gladly host Shi Hun for a year but he says while Oman is a gracious land it would still be the first stop for any emissaries coming from the East once they pass India. He departs for Cairo but not before leaving in our care a number of manuscripts written in his native tongue and an incredible amulet crafted with much skill. We dream of the misty mountains and great cities with their towering 'pagoda' for many a night after.   Shi Hun's suspicious were soon proven right as a merchant fleet of Chinese vessels appeared in Muscat some short months later, though they flew banners our traders had no seen before and that was because a new emperor now sits on the throne. The Cheng dynasty has been conquered and supplanted by the Jin, a vast khaganate that rebelled against the former emperor.   A year after starting our great philosophical magnum opus we send our first draft with a merchant caravan to Baghdad so we may have scholars in the House of Wisdom review it. Their blunt response dismays us at first but we strive to prove them wrong eventually.  As well as the unflattering correspondence from the House of Wisdom the merchants bring back news of the internal upheaval within Mesopotamia. The great Sultanate of Iraq which dominated almost all of the eastern-half of the Abbasdid's empire has been fractured in a civil war and divided between two rulers. An outcome the Caliph probably finds most agreeable.   Whats more the next caravan from Cairo brings news even more shocking. Within the year it took for the camel train to cross the Arabian desert and back the Greeks had waged and won an immense war against the Egyptians, who being so overextended in to Persia could not withstand the onslaught.  Jerusalem and all the lands around it now fall within the realm of Byzantium.  Fate it seems continues to favour Caliph Ali II as all the Sunni community is incensed and he can direct all their grievances at one insidious infidel power instead of himself (not to mention his rivals in Cairo have been taken down a peg or two by the war). Just as the Pope in Rome called for his Crusade so too does the Caliph now call for a renewed Jihad, to continue the great conquests of Prophet and his successors.  It seems the Jurchen emperor has taken a far keener interested in the goings-on of the Indian Ocean than his predecessors and fleets of Chinese merchant vessels are becoming an increasingly common sight. This is not exactly welcome news for us as it's hardly no secret that Oman can be quite... unscrupulous when it comes to our merchant adventurism, it does not take long for an envoy to arrive in Muscat and inform us that if Oman does not start playing by the emperor's rules there may be dire consequences for our republic. We dare not draw the ire of the dragon and concede to curtail our merchants and those of the other four families. At least we have something of a welcome distraction from all this in the form of our third son Yasar being born, setting aside time from ruling the republic to be with him and Anthousa.   Across the gulf of Aden and another civil war besets the Ethiopians. Only this time the Egyptians have seized upon the opportunity to mend their tarnished image since the great loss with the Greeks and began a holy war for the border regions.  Our spy Paltoi has been sending us regular reports from Constantinople, which have only intensified since the war against the Egyptians. The Greeks have been pushing outwards in many directions, conquering not just Jerusalem but Tunisia and even wage war against their fellow Christians, the Latins in Italia. What's more they have been heavily proselytizing to the mighty Varagnian vikings who seek adventure under the Basileus' employ and now they return to their ill-known lands in the far north and spread the word of Christ by way of the Orthodox faith to their brethren who have begun embracing it whole-heartily much to Rome's chagrin. Unfortunately just one week after receiving our latest report from Paltoi we receive another letter from Constantinople - it is from the Basileus himself informing us he discovered Paltoi's treachery and has him in chains.   At the very least we shall see no Greek troops march on Oman any time soon, as they must now contend to the ire of the Sunni and Shia who both declare Jihads on Byzantium, to liberate Africa and Jerusalem.  All the stresses of running the republic, the pressures from China and the constant news of turmoil beyond our borders all becomes a little too much to bear and we decide to lessen our workload and spend a little more time with the other members of the Bahrid family, lest we die clutching at our chest like Al-Hakm.   In 1025 we are graced with our forth son Adil. The time spend with our family has seemed to make all the worries of the world fade away and we feel invigorated and emboldened upon our return to the palace in Muscat.    What started life as a single small manor house on the outskirts of Muscat two centuries ago has grown in to a town in it's own right, with numerous buildings, monuments and barracks across the compound with over a hundred workers scurrying to-and-fro and a garrison loyal to our family alone whose number dwarf armies at the disposal of even kings or sultans.  Though impressive the Bahrid Estate may be, it's grandeur is just slightly overshadowed by news that the Ikhshidids have expended a great fortune to restore ancient monuments of the Egyptians of old. It they continue to be so haughty we may see a new pyramid with an Ikshidid emperor buried beneath it in our lifetime.  But first they will need to contend with Ethopian rivals to the south.  Queen Tsage 'the Avenger' is now known as 'The Griffin', one of the most terrible and formidable rulers Africa will likely see for a long while.  In the spring of 1035 our third daughter Kamala is born, and our twin boys have come of age and marry a Hindu and Greek princess respectively.    What's more come the summer and our sister-in-law Alexandra Argyros has seized power in Byzantium and is now Basilissa. Byzantium fended off both Jihads but was set back a great deal, our empress-in-law will spend the next ten years doing nothing but fight civil war and rebellion before succumbing to a heart attack.  Chinese presence is now significant in the Indian Ocean. At best the merchant vessels of the Jin Empire and their heavily armed escorts tolerate the ships of the republic which outnumber theirs a great deal, but a number of repeated close calls means should a skirmish occur between the two sides ours would meet a swift demise. We must do everything to improve our standing with the Jurchen, and there is no better way than to travel and meet the emperor in person to convince him that we can be a better ally than adversary.  All our lives we have never left Muscat, never dared to stray more than two or three leagues from the city and all it's tall walls and many guards. But now, in the dwindling months of 1035 we prepare for our journey to lands few from Arabia have made, least of all from little Oman. On a cool October morning we depart from Muscat in the flagship of the Bahrid's mercantile fleet. We do not take easily to the sea and our first few nights we are racked with a terrible aliment so severe we almost consider turning back so soon from leaving. But come the morn of the seventh day, the seas and skies are calm and so are we. Mahoyadapuram is our first stop, in the merchant enclave on the west Indian coast belonging to our dynasty. There are merchants and tradesmen there who have been born and lived in this land all their lives and served our family most loyally but never set eyes upon the sands of Arabia nor even met a member of the Bahrid family themselves, despite all the wealth they have brought us and the republic. We play host to all the members of the enclave and the local Hindu dignitaries, showering them with praise for all they have done. By following fortnight we find ourselves moored at the mouth of the great Ganges river in a delta to rival that of the Nile, our ship's hold already teaming with all manner of exotic finery purchased from the shores of India. On the next leg of the journey we circle around the great peninsular of the Khmer and Dai Viet, oh how we wish we could visit them all, but the ship's captain reminds us the waters near the many island chains off the mainland are rife with pirates and the sooner we clear these waters the better.  We make final land fall, not in Peking but in Guang, one of the most southerly Chinese cities nestled on the banks of the Peal River whose loveliness matches it's name. This is as far as any Bahrid or Omani ship has ever ventured for the waters beyond are roamed only by the ships of the emperor, lest we were to hold a special contract. Guang surpasses any description we have read of even the greatest cities back in the west. And all the manner of goods, treasures and peoples, sights, smells and foods never before experienced that are all so bewildering to almost overwhelm all senses. So taken are we by the city that we all forget all good business sense and are easily swayed by the honeyed words of local merchants (who speak impeccable Arabic) looking to offload their wares to gullible tourists.  We pay an exorbitant rate for figurine, and while it is indeed a very nice specimen it is perhaps not quite as valuable as the equivalent buildings we could have spent the gold on back home. The merchants begin offloading the goods we had purchased along the Indian coast and with us all way from Oman and we depart with our small entourage north, across the Middle Kingdom.  From Guang we skirt along the edge of the Bei River, which is fed in to from the Wujiang River and then many others whose names we do not know, staying in quaint villages with their many courtyard houses with pitched terracotta roofs. We always manage to find a local merchant, or wealthy landowner with whom we pay to enjoy their hospitality. We make rest on the banks of Lake Dongting surrounded by mountains whose beauty escape words and blanketed with more greenery than our eyes have ever seen. For a week or two we remain by the lake and we find our thoughts drifting back to Oman, back to our home, our satchels and bags are already filled to the brim with journals and books of notes and thoughts but we ensure to set aside time to send letters back home to our trusted council, dearest Anthousa and the other four families.   We are nearing the province of Hebei, within which the imperial city sits. Though the nights draw long and we are weary from a full year of journey. The past weeks we have been more withdrawn and contemplative, our time in this mystical land has given us time to reflect. We think back to our father, who worked tirelessly to provide for the republic, for all of us despite his extravagant temperament. He never received the respect he was due and his memory has been tarnished since his passing, but we vow to right that when we return to Muscat. The rest of the night is spent out in the rain, lest the soldiers see us crying.  Hebei and the Imperial City of Peking lie before us, a magnificent land of splendour.  We visit the Niujie Mosque, built just a century earlier and the sight of one of our temples built in the local style but it's interior still remarkably familiar is an odd and wondrous thing to behold. Days are spent partaking in any and all activity we come across, any food offered to us, it is not all to our liking, but we are guests and it would be rude to refuse. In the large park before one of the palaces we come across noble and commoner alike huddled around an ongoing board game of sorts. At first we thought it was our own Qirkat played back in Arabia, but no, this was far more complex, the locals called it 'Weiqi' or 'Go' and we spent much of the day learning it's ins and outs.  After some weeks in the city we are finally permitted within the palace of Emperor Sagai Chengzu, though still not for a personal audience. The palace's archives and libraries practically become our new home as we take in everything we can from books and manuscripts older than any in the House of Wisdom, perhaps dating back even as far as the time of Rome. A number of the Emperor's ministers and scholars take an interest in us and thankfully, due to the scripts Shi Hun had left in our care all those years ago when he fled from this place to Muscat then Cairo we had something to talk to them about, and the fact that we were already familiar with some of their texts, and could even read just a little of their language astounded them.  At last we meet the Emperor of China. Meet might not be the most accurate description of our encounter, we may have been a little naive about what we thought this journey would entail, we would certainly not be having any conversation with Sagai Chengzu. We would later learn that it was through his ministers and almost certainly his spies and informers across Peking (and likely the roads to the city) that he had already formed his opinion of us. His stoic face betrayed no feeling for us one way or the other however and he watched in silence as we performed the kowtow and bowed our head to the ground before him.  To be before what is now undoubtedly in our eyes the most powerful man in the world was a humbling encounter, and all the experiences we had the great fortune of seeing, hearing, reading and tasting here in the Middle Kingdom will stay with us for the rest of our days. But now, we just want nothing more than to return home, home to Muscat. 
Crisis Now fucked around with this message at 20:40 on Apr 25, 2020 |
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Apr 23, 2020 20:53
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Very interesting, looking forward to where this leads. Also I selfishly hope there's never any regular thread votes.
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Apr 24, 2020 16:47
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Hell yes, it's back.
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Apr 24, 2020 16:50
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9 - Philosopher (1038 - 1062) In the final month of 1038 we arrive back home at last, three years since we departed for the Middle Kingdom. No ill fate has befallen the republic in our absence and we are delighted to hear they are holding a grand competition and other festivities in honour of our returning.  Of course we are no warrior so we shall not be participating, just keenly watching from viewing stands hastily built outside the city. Where soldiers of the five Houses, Muscat citywatch and any brave enough guard from the trade caravans currently staying in the city have gathered to show off their prowess with horses, bows and lances.  Our new spymaster thought himself a better horseman than spy but reality had a cruel way of correcting him, thankfully he is the only fatality suffered.  For the rest glory and fame awaited, a fine commander from the Emirate of Socotra by name of Ismat being named first champion.  On our return from China we couldn't help but notice the mustering of forces outside the city of Guang when we re-boarded one of our trade vessels though we knew not where this army was heading. Today we learnt from a Hindu merchant that the Jin had attempted and failed to invade Orissa on the eastern coast. Unfortunately for Emperor Sagai Chengzu Orissa was entangled in a web of tributaries and confederations and the Chinese troops ended up stumbling in to a much larger war than they anticipated.  With this blow to their prestige it seems the Emperor is quick to try and save face by initiating a new campaign in the north against the scattered nomad tribes.  Having traveled to China and back we are no longer so inclined to seclude ourselves to just the confines of Muscat and have set out on the Hajj to Mecca.  Our experiences in the Middle Kingdom have humbled us greatly and we are not so quick to assume ourselves better than others purely because of the great wealth we've acquired.   The Hajj is without incident and we return to Muscat safe, invigorated yet again by the people we met in the holy city and feel compelled to put all of our energy in to a new tome. Much of our life has been preoccupied by overseeing the great construction projects across eastern Oman, there is much we could teach others.   The next traveler from China brings news of their successes in the far north but also the passing of the Emperor, his son Sagai Pingzong. Thankfully this new emperor is still receptive to trade and members of his administration still speak of us fondly.   The Gujarat on the shores of the Persian Gulf have been conquered by their eastern neighbors the Rajputan and now they find themselves butting up against the borders of the tenacious Egyptians. The young Maharaja would rather not have an enemy across the waters and purely focus on the Muslims inland so seeks a non-aggression pact with us. He may be known as 'the unreliable' but the man rumoured to be quite cowardly, we doubt he would turn on us and agree to his terms.  We decide it best seize upon the new emperor and try to strike a trade deal with him while he is still getting settled in to his new rule.  Remarkably he accepts and a new world of commerce has opened up for Oman. Our trade vessels can now sail all the way to the Imperial City itself and great treasure fleets regularly make stops in the Muscat Habour, the amount of gold flowing in to Oman grows exponentially.   With all the new goods and wares flowing through Muscat, traders and travelers - Hindus from the East and Greeks from the West flock to Muscat bringing all manner of custom and fashion some of which take hold in the city. Anthousa has been smitten some of the new fashions and beseeches us to introduce them in the Muscat court and among the other Four Families - if perhaps so she can have easier access to it all, but of course we agree.  Caliph Ali II passed some decade or more ago and now a distant cousin with the blood of one of the Prophet's uncles running through his veins has been named the new Caliph, Fath 'the wicked'. Only he is Persian, and the capital of the empire and the caliphate has been moved out from Baghdad in to Daylam, in the mountains near the Caspian Sea. He is also an imbecile. The Christians have jumped at the opportunity to strike this weakened Caliph and renewed their efforts to drive the Umayyad-cum-Abbasids out of southern Europe.  But the Caliph will find no friend in the Egyptians in these trying times as they would rather silence their southern rivals as the great and terrible Griffin of Gondar has passed at last and now her weak great nephew rules the Ethopians.  But while Frank and Arab, Egyptian and Ethopian are at each other's throats the Ibadi of Oman have never prospered so well. Ours has been a rule of peace and stability and unparalleled growth, we wish for the other Four Families, our descendants to follow in the path we have blazed and set about trying to immortalize our rule and what it meant.  Thanks to the influx of gold from Chinese trade we can immediately order the founding of seven new towns across the republic by names of Al Jazir, Sa'da, Jabal an Nabi Shuayb, Hisn al-'Abr, Seiyun, Nishtun and Raysut. We heavily incentivize the traders and travelers that frequent Muscat to settle in these new settlements.  And coincidentally we have finished our book on construction techniques, 'How to build a well', vital knowledge for a new town in the dusty hills of Yemen and south Oman.  New trade posts are established by all the families, some along the coast of Ethiopia where the new King is at least willing to trade for now, but some new ones are being set up on the Indian coast by all the families as well.  Caliph Fath has been ousted from power and now his son Dariush made the new Caliph, but by some cruel twist of fate he is somehow an ever greater imbecile than his father. The second crusade still rages on and it is only the competency of the many sultans of al-Andalus that is holding back the Franks.  On the subject of how we wish to be remembered, it was prosperity and our patronage of the now great many buildings and proliferation of Eastern cultures that have dominated our rule, so it is right that be our legacy.   Our people rarely travel beyond Cairo or Damascus so we have limited knowledge of the Christian cities beyond the Mediterranean but traders say the opulence they now witness here in Muscat is greater that witnessed in Venice or Genoa. People from along the coast of Arabia have now been flocking to Muscat and it's people number more than 20,000. Clearing land beyond the city limits so further expansion of buildings has become vital.   We personally ensure no zealots or factionists can persist within the republican court of Oman. While the Ibadi jurists still have a significant role in overseeing the city of Muscat and greater Oman we have a multitude of different peoples, cultures and faiths all intertwined in our society from the lowest peasant to our most esteemed advisors. Freethinkers, philosophers, artists of any creed are permitted in the city and we extensively fund many minor libraries, academies and workshops across the city.   And with the land around the city now free we incentivize more settlers and expand both our poor and citizen districts, as well as renovating the great arsenal in the Muscat Harbour.  By 1050, we, Wali-Malik Ali have become renown across all of Arabia and indeed anywhere our vessels can reach as a great patron of the arts and a great boon to all in the creative fields. Our legacy is secured.   We decide to commission two immense new projects in the republic to employ the great many carpenters, architects and artists that now fill the city. In Suhar, the home of our family outside of Muscat the Grand Bahrid Palace will be constructed and in Nizwa, nestled in the desert we shall create a verdant oasis, a great garden dedicated to Jabir ibn Zayd, but still a solace for all who can reach it and rest in the shade of the many date palms.  Somewhere far north of us in the land of the Christians, the 'German' Franks reportedly enjoy victory after victory, bloating their borders significantly, they are supposedly one of the larger contributors to the crusades against Abbasid al-Andalus and ships funded by gold from the Geronen Kings constantly harass Muslim vessels in the Mediterranean. It would seem that for these reasons the Shia Caliph, far away in the Maghreb has called for all the Shia faithful to take up arms against the Germans. A rather large feat as these two peoples have the great inland sea separating them.  Meanwhile in the East, Chinese traders bring news of the empire's continued campaigns against the steppe nomads, the empire's armies pushing ever further westward on to the great plateau of Tibet.  Of all the peoples that frequent Muscat we have found Greeks to be the most pernicious. They are always quick to remind others of just how great, Constantinople is, or the Basileus, and wealth and great military feats the Byzantines have achieved the past century. Most sources of tensions in the city between peoples and faiths almost always turns out to be from the Orthodox Greeks, they are boldly trying to spread their faith as of late and there are even calls within the inner circles of the Republic to outright ban Greek traders and travelers from the city. But we must learn to endure braggarts for there are good among them and we will not condemn all their people for a few uppity nobles.  By 1058 the Muscat Harbour has become an immense institution central to the city. For a mile along the coast it's many piers and jetties service dozens -if not sometimes upward of a hundred- ships a day, wares coming ashore to either be sold here in Muscat or loaded on to camel caravans for the long trek north to Baghdad, Mecca, Cairo or even Constantinople and beyond. The many workers of the warehouses, cranes and administration offices of the harbor have begun to build their own houses nearer to the coast, bringing with them their families and all their worldly possessions. The grand harbour that our great-great grandfather started has now become a town in it's own right.    The second crusade has ended, with victory for the Abbasids. Another set back for the Christians and a great boon for the Sunni Abbasids, and no doubt the Greeks too who can reaffirm that Orthodoxy is the superior branch.  In 1060 a great illness has come to the shores of Oman. At first we did not notice it, either through ignorance or refusal to believe the mounting number of deaths, but when our own son, Yasar was stricken by the disease we knew it was all too real, and too late. Yasar studied at the House of Wisdom in Baghdad, he is one of the most accomplished physicians in all of Oman and had reportedly been working very closely with those afflicted to try and aid them however he could. But with himself taken ill our best doctor has been made unable to assist us any further.  The massive influx of people into Muscat and our relatively open borders has allowed the smallpox disease to spread incredibly fast and far across the republic.  Despite some calls of protest from the other families and the more prominent merchant companies that frequent Muscat we decide we must shut the city off, for what little good it may do at this point. Traders still in the city leave their food to rot in the hot desert sun until we order the citywatch of Muscat to confiscate and distribute them to the people, making sure to compensate the traders where we can. And out in the gulf a great many ship now steer clear of our shores.  A year has passed and despite all our best efforts we too have contracted the illness, most likely from some servant who lives out in the more afflicted districts of the city.  Our court physician comes to us with this-and-that treatment and elixir to try and save us, but we decline it all. If this is our time, then so be it. Though we feel a great pain throughout our body, our soul and mind could not be clearer and more resolute. We have presided over the greatest period of growth and peace Oman and the Ibadi people have seen and we are not afraid to pass in to Jannah.  Even on our final day, bed-bound in the Bahrid estate, we ensure aid gets to those who need it most and expend great wealth from our personal treasury to help the hospitals of Muscat, Suhar and Nizwa. We expire 25th January 1062. 
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Apr 26, 2020 15:41
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Nice bloodline, hope the smallpox doesn't cut too hard into Oman's golden age
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Apr 26, 2020 18:33
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Uh-oh. That's not a Bahrid inheritor.
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Apr 27, 2020 11:24
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10 - Omani Persia (1062 - 1072) The state of the world in mid-11th century.   Two of the most significant developments of recent years must be said to be the Jurchen Chinese Empire's alarming expansionism that has claimed the eastern steppes, the mountains of Tibet and is now pushing through the Indian rajas. And one the other hand the great spread of the Orthodox branch of Christianity, which has now seeped in to the very heart of the Catholic world, as the Bosonid kings of Italy have been swayed by the Byzantines to adhere to the Ecumenical Patriarch in Constantinople over the Pope in Rome. Hindus have found a new home on the steppe, as the nomadic warriors of Cumania have heeded missionaries from Rajaputana and Gujarat. All the while the Buddhist Bengali dominate the east and the huge Karnata confederation controls the south. And one cannot ignore the Chinese and Egyptians seeming pincer movement on the Indus valley. The Abbasids under new Persian caliphs continue to progress further along the Black Sea coast, converting or conquering the steppe as they go and their most-northern emirs fight constant wars against so called barbarians in the dense forested river lands of Rus. The Shia Muslims have all but been relegated to the history books, as the Fatimid Caliph holds out in the last stronghold in the city of Tunis with just a few thousand still loyal Shia followers. But outside of Sunni it seems the Ibadi are now the largest branch of Islam and thankfully we remain on good terms with the Abbasid and the Ikhshidid. The Germans have thoroughly seated themselves as the bulwark of the Catholic faithful, as largest and most secure of all the Christian realms. Most of the recent Popes have been German and their missionaries strike out in to the lands of the Slavic pagans. The former viking lands have been tamed not by their hand but by the returning Varangian Guard adventurers who bring Orthodoxy back with them. While the strange and distant isle of 'Britannia' has spent much of the past centuries in relative isolation with it's king's content to conquer and unify their own lands and interact little with the mainland (we have certainly never seen one of these 'Anglo-Saxons'). Religions by size.  Characters by their realm size.  Nations by the size of their army.  We are Belisarios Bahrid, named for our grandfather, the last emperor of a stable prosperous Byzantium. This plague that racks the city has claimed not just our father but our first born son, also Ali. For one thing we are glad that with our father's passing rulership of the republic has passed to another of the Four Families, for at this point there is little that can be done, and resentment will surely level at those at the very top.  Before all this nasty disease business came about we had already been planning for a little adventure on the west Indian coast, and now that we can take charge of the immense army of Bahrid mercenaries this will only be that much easier. Father had no knowledge of this plan of ours and we had been scheming and scrounging funds in secret for a few years now. This no longer has to be the case and we publicly announce our intention to take control of the city of Mahoyadapuram. In the past century the city has become exceedingly wealthy, thanks almost entirely to the Bahrid trade enclave there, it is high time the city accepts this and pays it's due.  With all trade in and out of Muscat currently halted all the many ships of the Bahrid enterprises are free at our disposal, but both the Bahrid army and the levies raised from our sheikhdom of Suhar are more than the ships can transport. The Bahrid army remains in Oman while the warriors of Suhar cross the ocean to India.  The west coast of India is also afflicted with some terrible illness, whether it be the same smallpox that has stricken our home or something entirely different is not none. This coupled with the maharaja fighting a war against Karnata means our army can land and capture the city with relative ease.  Back home and another Wali-Malik has succumbed to the pox, now Muzaffaradin Usfarid rules. The first member of the Usfarid family to take the mantle of leading the republic in it's 132 years of being.  And the new dynasty at top immediately breaks convention to much alarm, declaring his intention to push the Hindus out of Persia and expand the Republic's reach beyond Arabia.  Indian mercenaries hired by Maharaja Jianzhi land on the shores of Oman late in 1063, unfortunately for them they probably suspected our invasion force in Mahoyadapuram was all at our disposal, but 9000 of the Bahrid's personal soldiers await them and fend them off in the bloodiest battle the region has seen in a century.   The new Wali-Malik's ambitions are great indeed and he has been increasingly overstepping his bounds as ruler, recently attempting to seize trade posts that have belong to the Bahrid for generations. Thankfully we have an ample supply of blackmail material that could destroy his legitimacy and he withholds.  It is mid 1064 and the army of Suhar continues sieging and capturing vital port cities along the Indian coast. Meanwhile along the Persian coast the army of Muscat and the Usfarid retinues fight running skirmishes with the Gujarat defenders who had for generations likely been preparing for war with Egypt and the last thing they expected was the republic across the gulf to suddenly invade.   A year after his first attempt and Muzaffaradin once again attempts to take our rightful trade posts from us, this time under the guise of giving them to the other families, and it is only our diplomatic tact that keeps them within our fold.  The disease has lifted from Muscat and life is returning to normal. Before we rose to helm the Bahrid family we had been an avid adherent of a religious order of the Ibadi faithful in the city, with them we have traveled to Mecca for the Hajj. We have stopped to pray at a mosque on the last leg of the journey and found within what is purported to be the sandals worn by the Prophet himself.  The others in the group are content to merely appreciate them from a distance, but we need more, we need those sandals. And so upon reaching the holy city and completing the Tawaf at the Kaaba we then set out finding us a carpenter who can recreate the sandals as close as our memory can recall them.  As we depart back for Muscat we sneak off from our encampment outside the small town with the mosque we had visited previously. In the dead of night we managed to gain entrance to the temple and swap out the holy sandals for the ones we had made. The sandals will make a fine treasure of the Bahrid family's personal temple on the manor grounds.   We arrive back in Muscat to good news as our war to take the city of Mahoyadapuram has been a success after nine long years. Eight of those years had been de-facto rulers of the city but Maharaja Jianzhi refused to accept that fact and continued constant raids on the city and Bahrid vessels sailing the coast. But war with Bengal (and alarming skirmishes with the Chinese) have drawn all their forces away and they are forced at last to concede.  At once we commission the construction of vast number of public works and a new trade hub in the city for goods our traders will bring in from China.  In the opposite direction and the Egyptians have been making great gains against the Ethiopians of Africa, or rather their Coptic tributary in the form of Aswan have with great support from Cairo. The descendants of the great Griffin fight themselves as much as they fight the encroaching Sunni armies, and perhaps the days of Abyssinia's control of the Aden are coming to an end.  The legacy our father left and the open society he strived for here in Muscat draws in many free-thinkers, poets and artists to the city. Recently one came to us in particular seeking money to paint an immense portrait of the late Ali The Philosopher. We are more than happy to oblige them and the painting now overlooks the entrance hall of the Bahrid estate.  In 1072 the Wali-Malik finally secures victory over the Hindus on the Persian coast. The republic has almost doubled in size and the largest shift in Oman's politics and her place in the world since even becoming a republic has now occurred. We have gone from a city-state perched precariously at the edge of Arabia surrounded by those who would see us destroyed in to an expansionist power no different than the Egyptians or Abbasids. While we are pleased that we may be able to see the spread of Ibadi in Persia we have severe reservations about doing via the sword, and waging costly wars of conquest that would disrupt our trade routes and tarnish our image.  Somewhere in the west the Abbasids march on Christian land once more. The Persian caliphs determined to succeed where Arab has failed and the sultans of al-Andalus rally around Caliph Dariush with their sights set on Paris where the young Karling Queen resides. 
Crisis Now fucked around with this message at 10:22 on May 6, 2020 |
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May 5, 2020 21:40
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Oman remains a little power among so many big ones. I'm interested to see how you maneuver your way through all this.
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May 6, 2020 00:06
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Wouldn't wanna be France right now...
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May 6, 2020 01:01
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| # ? Apr 27, 2024 12:33 |
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Seems like you could probably kick Abyssinia off Arabia now. E: actually we probably don't have the CB for that as a vassal that doesn't touch them, but we COULD have our own war with Gujrat for a personal Bahrid chunk of Persia. Rody One Half fucked around with this message at 05:44 on May 6, 2020 |
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May 6, 2020 05:42
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