"We're a sentimental people. We like a few kind words better than mountains of gold given in a humiliating way."

(Creditz to Gamal Abdel Nasser, former president of Egypt, and actual orriginator of this quote. I substituted "mountains of gold" for "millions of dollars" in his orriginal statement.)

"I'll be by your side, Sunshine. My word as your lover, if you stumble, the wind will catch you--or I will." (edited since the latest information on Martin)

Rasha's Prologue

Rasha's Theme

Age: 17

Prowess: 13 Reaction: 15

Strength: 11

Athletics: 14

Awareness: 15

Willpower: 16 Wind Faith: 13 (+1 Holy Symbol) Calming Hypnotism: 16

Rogue: 14

Gift Lore: 16

Echo Lore: 14

Morag Lore: 12

Desert Lore: 15

Languages: (What is appropriate, and at what level?) Will be filled in later

Riding: 16

Bow: 16

First aid: 16

Field cooking: 13

Dog-handling: 10

singing: 12

Guerilla tactics: 15

Foreign diplomatic etiquette: 15

Home turf: Desert +1

Equipment:

• Father's bow, arrows
• A travel pack (first aid equipment, bedroll, tent, rations, field cooking supplies, tools, and extra water)
• Utility dagger (I forget the bonuses to that)
• travel clothing
• two changes of formal-wear appropriate to her station, for diplomatic purposes (Two fine dresses tailored in the latest Galdunic fashion)
• Myjram's Scimitar (Ancient weapon of the unifier of the People of the Wind; enchantments filled in later)
• A good warhorse, "Haboob" (meaning "sandstorm," though it specifically refers to those really thick sandstorms where it looks like someone tilted the whole friggin' desert on its side). Among his other trainings, Rasha has a command where Haboob will lay down to make it easier for her to get someone wounded or unconscious onto his back).
• Afghan hound, "Opal." Afghan hounds are known for two things: hunting wolves and foxes, and having personalities more like cats than dogs. They make excellent friends, but terrible servants or pets.
• Falcon feather holy symbol
• Histories of the Seven Tribes by Haqim Windkin
• The Book of the Winds (holy book)
• Small pouch filled with sand from her home desert, given to all Windkin when they leave the tribe

Junaid Windkin, Rasha's father, was a friendly and hospitable sort, the kind who viewed it as his divine-given duty to watch over all that was in his terrain. He used to love riding free, or leading men into battle, and having an interesting guest in his tent. He taught Rasha to ride, to fight, and to command. Her mother was quieter, more observant and thoughtful, and taught Rasha the arts of diplomacy, reading, writing, and math.

Rasha's history with Martin is a long one, and even her earliest childhood memories have him in them. Some of the earliest include him living with her, times during which both of her parents seemed gravely nervous about something. Because his life was so chaotic, she taught him little games her mother taught her to ease his depression. She has also been present on one occasion to "rescue" him, having to travel to Talune with her father to do so. As a young child, she found these times--and his stories of them--terribly exciting, but the most frightening moment of her life was the day in her thirteenth year when she truly realized how utterly and deadly serious the situation with Martin was. The realization, in fact, made her physically ill for about two or three days. It was then, in a fit of anger with herself for not taking it seriously before, that she vowed to protect him. He was still far away in another land at the time, and she worried greatly until he was brought back to her after his trip to Srisia.

Adding to her worries, her father was slain by Srisian raiders. As soon as she was recovered from her wounds, she cut her grieving as short as she could, and helped her uncle and her mother tend to the tribe. Because of her previous travels and her mother's teachings, she was sometimes employed as an abassador.

Being that Martin is somewhat manic-depressive, Rasha keeps him on an even keel, and is seeking to teach him how to control his emotional surges, as well as to fight and defend himself. Being that she also loves him dearly, she would wrestle morags for him if it came to it, and has decided to function as his bodyguard when the need arises.

I envision her being a fierce tigress in battle (by attitude if not by skill), and a stubborn and bull-headed diplomat, the kind other diplomats hate to have to contend with in state matters. As far as battle goes, she survives by her wits and her commanding presence rather than her actual skill, except where it concerns riding and archery, both of which are formidably represented in her. Besides her skill in guerilla tactics, I envision her doing things like riding in while praying a gust of gale-force wind ahead of her, or shooting an arrow that knocks everyone within ten feet of her target to the ground with a gust of wind, or projecting a wave of cutting wind out from her with a slice of her sword. Beccah and I are also envisioning that Martin just knows to stand still and hold out his hand when she rides for him, as she generally intends to pull him up onto Haboob and ride to safety.

After some cursory internet research on Bedouin and Egyptian customs, I have come up with the following:

--Hospitality is the first rule of the desert. A guest may impose up to three and a half days in the guest tent of his host, unless the guest is asking for special help or protection.

--A guest typically signals a request for urgent help by wearing his head-dress in a certain way (down around his neck, or tied up above his neck), or by clinging to the central pole of the guest tent when checked on.

--guests are well fed and made very comfortable, and are often occasions for a party including song, dance, and poetry.

--Unless observing the culture of her host country, Rasha stands closer than normal when speaking to another, and speaks in a fairly loud and sharp cadence that may be construed as rude and demanding by some not of the wind or sun. When being diplomatic, however, she observes the present cultural "personal space" and speaking volume.

--As a woman, she is unlikely to interfere in the business of men. As you can imagine, however, she is far more likely to do that as a matter of course than the other women of the wind tribes, as her father did teach her to command.

--Rasha does not sit or sleep in a way as to show the soles of her feet to anyone.

--Not so much when traveling, but in her own homelands, she refuses any offer made to her the first time out of politeness. If it is genuine, it will be offered again.

--Pretty much anywhere in the world, unless she knows better from the particular culture, if offered a drink as soft as coffee or softer, she will drink at least one cup.

--Rasha has an unconscious pre-disposition not to compliment others on their particular belongings, because the person might feel obliged to give it to her. Similarly, she does not allow her gaze to linger longingly on anyone else's belongings, for fear of cursing them with the evil eye. If someone of the wind or sun compliments her on a belonging, she will be inclined to offer it to them, but if a foreigner compliments her, she will be inclined simply to graciously accept the compliment.

Relocated here so as not to lose it, but also to get it out of the way a bit: The Lilac family has long, long been tied to the People of the Wind. Legend has it, they have been marrying princesses of the Wind since First Shem, & those highest ranked in the tribes know that this is because they are the true heirs of Tara'hin. Traditionally, a princess of the Wind marries the eldest Lilac son every generation, by a cycle that everyone in the tribes knows (& everyone in the Lilac family as well). For reasons largely due to an inability of the Lilac heirs to actualize & fulfill prophecy, they have never stepped into the light & taken the throne of Tara'hin, though every Age brings it closer to fruition. One of the known signs that an Heir is destined to return to the throne is that he will have no family.

At his seventh birthday party, Martin was first presented to the Order of the Chrysanthemum at large at a small, hidden party in Ienova, capital of Tara'hin. Amongts the guests were the Miracleman, the Master Sender, & several other representatives of the Order, including Junaid. One of the guests, a man named Caractus, revealed himself in that moment to be an agent of Srisia (though not a Spider faithful). He had tremendous power & killed Martin's parents & sister & many of the guests. Junaid & the Master Sender escaped with the help of a shadowy figure known only as "T." Junaid agreed to take Martin for the time being while the order reorganized.

Martin & Rasha met at that time, becoming fast friends, for she could pull him out of his dark depression at the loss of his family. They learned together & played together, & puppy love developed between the two of them. Junaid was pleased, for he knew they were betrothed since the dawn of time, but also worried, for he knew Martin could not stay--if he remained in one place for too long, Srisians might find him, or worse (in Junaid's mind), Rasha. Junaid contacted his old enemy & rival, respected nemesis, & fellow member of the Order, the Caliph of Afet. Using a tribe of wandering Cultists of the Mouth as intermediaries, he sent Martin to the Caliphate, where he would be raised in anonymity by an old imam.

For a fortnight, Martin traveled with the cult, his dark mood at leaving Rasha & losing his second family in two months. The cult was bizarre & soon pulledhim out of his mood, only to turn him over to Imam Mehar, an eighty year old with a sharp & stern nature. For almost a year, Martin learned the faith of his father, sun faith, from this stodgy old man, but he learned that this hard exterior hid a fascinating mind & a loving if hard heart. Honor, he learned, was the root of the sun faith, second only to obedience to the Goddess.

One night, Martin was awakened by the baying of hounds. When he looked out his window, he found not hounds, but Cultists of the Mouth, who called him down out of the house for a midnight run. Not knowing why, he followed, only to find a sack over his head & his arms & legs bound. They smuggled him out of the city, & took him back to Junaid.

Before Martin arrived in a sack at his feet, Junaid received word that Imam Mehar had been found "with his heart cut out." The coded message was true at face value, but also conveyed that the murder had a more sinister purpose: Srisians had turned him into a heartless, an abominable undead. He was relieved when the mad cultists dropped Martin at his feet. He also knew Martin wouldn't be safe no matter where he put him, so long as he stayed any significant time. He made the decision to put Martin into a constant state of movement--the boy would have no family.

So Martin, at the age of 8, spent another month with Rasha before being sent off again. This time, a strange man from Tara'hin took him on a ship to another continent all by himself. They arrived in the nation of Dhun, where Martin became a squire amongst squires, another face in a crowd of mixed orphans. He was trained in the duties of a servant of the court for a few months, until one night, he was called to the master of the Squire's Keep's chambers. There, Sir Rickard told him he was to be sent to Galdun, to a fencing school. He was to pack that very night.

But before Martin finished packing, a stranger appeared & whispered two words in his ear. The next thing he knew, he was in a strange street in a strange city. He soon learned he was on Merukis, a street urchin & a truant, lost & seemingly alone. Total bewilderment kept him from sinking into despair this time, as in Dhun he had spent several weeks moping & brooding. The shock made him fight to survive, & soon, by using his skill with people, he made himself a place amongst the urchins. Then, one morning, as he snuck with a few boys along the docks, he saw a familiar face talking with a known thief--Caractus was cutting a deal with someone.

Martin ran for it, trying to find a place to hide on the island, when he came to the place he had awakened first. There, he noticed an old beggar woman that had been almost everywhere he'd been during his brief stay. He, running on pure instinct, told her who he was & what he had seen. She nodded & sent him inside an abandoned building. He spent the day hidden there, noting that outside, it sounded like the island had gone to war. A battle spilled into the warehouse, & a strange man with a Gifted Sword grabbed him, only to be shot dead by a grim looking minotaur. The minotaur told Martin he was Haur'jamaurd, prince of Haur'kizadh. He told Martin he had been sent by Junaid to take him somewhere safe, & gave Martin a letter, written by Rasha, to prove it.

He took Martin across the world, to the far minotaur khanate, hiding Martin amongst the palace slaves, secretly teaching Martin the work of a sailor & a warrior, the latter of which the boy did not excell at. 'Jamaurd soon learned that Srisian agents had been spotted on the island of Haur'kizadh, & thus arranged to send the boy to Zul'Bradr, amongst the Drekh trollish tribes. These tribes were dragon-faithful trolls, trusted by the order, & they kept him safe for a time. However, tribal tensions became too high, & the boy was sent to Malhuin, the largets port in the world, where he was to meet Captain Trask, a reever of some renown who was a member of the Order. Trask took on Martin as a cabinboy for a single voyage, depositing him in the centaur held plains of Vanui. There, Martin rode for two weeks across the plains on the back of a centaur, spent an odd month with an old gnomish couple (the Bumfuzzles) & their grandson, worked as a straight man in a revel circus for a short while, spent weeks amongst nightingales, nymphs, muses, & dryads, then a few months in the elven lands as a ward of various houses. Then, he was taken underground, to the dwarven cities. There, he was ushered from house to house until a train ride was provided, through the tunnels, that would bring him to the continent of Ranu.

On Ranu, he was brought to the Galdunic fencing school he was promised to so many months ago. For six months, he studied in the Galdunic school, until a fire in the kitchens spread through the whole compound. He was then sent to Talune, where he was put to work in a kitchen in the manor of a minor lord. There, at the age of 10, martin learned what politics really were. While the courts of the world are a complex political structure to make any man balk, a Talunic kitchen with four chefs makes them look like a hermit's bedroom. For five months, Martin worked hard as a busboy & prepboy. Then, Junaid came to visit him, with Rasha at his side. Ostensibly, they were looking to meet with a Talunic businessman about selling special horses, but truly, they were there to take Martin away.

For two months, Juanid, Martin, & Rasha traveled, first by ship, then by horse, then by train, then by horse again, to the nation of Vimala. There, Martin was put into the care of a wakinyan (thunderbirdman) whose territory spanned a sizable chunk of the Vimalan mountains. Rasha & Junaid said their goodbyes, & Kakaya, the wakinyan, took Martin to a strange valley where no mortal had set foot in ten thousand years. He taught Martin there about the prophecies, about the struggle of the Order, about the corruption of the world, about the gods, about everything, until one night a wandering stranger came to them.

This stranger was named Bohoniv, a shemir of some importance (as Martin gathered), who took Martin magically to Madziar, the city of the shemir. There, for three months, Martin was let loose in the largets library on Shem & told to read what he wanted. After three months, he was taken on a pilgrimage to the World Tree, where he was to spend another few months living under its immense shade. Then, he was told to climb.

Which he did.

For the next year, he climbed.

At the age of 13, he met a tsukikuma, who took him for a ride. A year later, he returned to Shem, & was let off in Keary, on Fasune, where he was sent to live with a wild bunch of families, all of whom had a friendly vendetta against the one next door. For three months, he went from family to family, each one claiming they could raise him better, each one telling him a different version of the same story of who wronged who first. Then, he was sent away again, this time for Tenzanai on Ranu, where he was sent to live in a house of ill repute as a servant. Though he saw many things, he was generally left alone, & soon after, he was sent away again, this time to a nation in central Taggarus, a strong nation of felinians, who kept him safe for a few months before sending him on again. He reached Tzuk, the goblin nation, & fell in with a large clan of mountain goblins, who were seeking peace with their neighbours, a clan of greater goblins. Here, for the first time, Martin truly pushed himself forward, seeing instantly how to resolve the conflict & bring about the peace they sought. When he did this, the mountain goblin chief brought him far up into the mountains, where he took him to the Master Sender.

The Master Sender took Martin, then, into the heart of Srisia. On this journey, hardly a word was spoken, each covered in a cloak that made them move like shadows. They came to the dark continent of Ansulym for one reason--to see if Martin could reclaim his father's sword. At the age of 15, the boy & the Master Sender went into the dark underbelly of Srisian society & found a man who called himself Sather, who wielded a Gifted Sword like the one the man on Merukis had. With his help, they broke into the vaults of the Srisian Emperor & retrieved the golden Sunblade of Tara'hin.

Upon their return to the holier side of the world, Martin was brought back to the People of the Wind, to Rasha... but not Junaid, for he had been killed two weeks previous by Caractus. The dark man on the black horse had ridden into the deserts with a force of Srisian assassins, traveling by night to the encampment of Junaid's tribe, they had massacred many of them before anyone could react. Rasha, wanting to fight alongside her father, was stunned by a blow from an assassin's dagger, & in that moment, she watched as Caractus stabbed Junaid through the heart. Only a chance arrow from her father's most trusted warrior saved her from certain death. Caractus vanished in the cloud of blood that rocketed from Junaid's chest.

In the ensuing chaos, Bilal Windkin, Junaid's second-in-command, took over the reigns of the tribe, while Rasha prepared for the journey she knew was before her--the quest for Martin to reclaim his throne.