19-02-2014, 01:41 AM
(This post was last modified: 20-03-2014, 08:33 PM by SentaiPink.)
Basic info and Appearance:
Name: Rafiq al-Hazmi
Age: 23
Race: Mesalian
Height: 6’1’’
Build: He has a rather light build, overall. However, he has more than a fair amount of lean muscle that doesn’t show all too well under clothing.
Skin Color: Rafiq has a tan complexion, but with clearly Causcoid facial features.
Eye Color: Very dark brown. It can be hard to tell his iris from his pupil in low light or from a distance.
Hair: Black, with short hair. He is clean shaven.
Personality: Having been born poor in the crime-ridden city of Saleph, Rafiq grew up with a different set of morals than most other children in the world. Rather than learning not to take from others, he simply learned to be careful while doing it. Rather than to respect every elder that came along, he learned that the only people he need listen to were those who had earned his respect, or those in an advantageous position. Rather than to be honest to all who asked, he learned to tell the truth only to those who deserved or needed to hear it. It was little things like these that his parents hoped would give him a slight edge in violent Saleph, and oftentimes, these little nuances helped him out a lot.
This isn’t to say Rafiq is a completely bad person, he just knows what he wants and how to get it, usually at the expense of others. He usually won’t resort to violence unless a situation is truly desperate. He’s usually friendly and outgoing when in conversation. Though, when he’s not particularly relevant to the situation, he’d rather just listen than contribute nonsense. He is also quite flirtatious with women, when they catch his eye. He could accurtely be described as a smartass extraordinaire, and is always looking for an opportunity to slip in an innuendo.
When without a plan in a tense situation, Rafiq acts impulsively, and generally isn’t afraid to take large risks. Of course, if he has some sort of plan, he’d sooner use that than wing it. Rafiq is very, very, very good at improvising. He can make up complex lies on the spot, and isn’t bothered at all when plans go awry, he almost expects them to, at this point.
Rafiq also has a softer side to him, under the rugged outer shell of his personality. He absolutely loves children, for one thing. And, though he’d never tell anyone, not much would make him happier than to start a family with a woman he loves. He’s surprisingly caring, and if something, be it human, animal, or something else, is depending on him, he will put the whole of his energy into protecting and caring for that thing, just as his brother did for him.
Backstory:
Saleph lies on a wide peninsula surrounded by a very salty inland sea, with an eventual opening to the ocean. Due to the desertification caused by overuse of the land, the southern half of the peninsula has become a large near-uninhabitable desert.This cuts off the peninsula's habitable areas from the rest of the continent. The people on the northern part of the peninsula have a culture that has branched off from the norm of the Mesalians, and has become extremely distinct. On the border of the desert and the habitable areas lies a city called Saleph. Saleph is an important trading city, and most people who wish to get to the hospitable parts of the peninsula have to pass through it. These people include merchants, criminals, and Xitians attempting to escape punishment fro war crimes. It became something of a Xitian bottleneck during the purges, as the red-eyed men and women all fled to the isolated lands to the north of Saleph. Most didn't stay in Saleph, though, being as it is the closest to the rest of the continent. Because of the constant movement of people in and out of Saleph, crime is very hard to keep track of. The government does its best to crack down on crime, but if one goes into the streets at night, they should expect to have some sort of confrontation with the city's more lawless inhabitants. Crime becomes almost unmanageable during times when many immigrants pass through the city at once, as there are simply too many illegal acts happening, and not enough guards. At this point, the government has started to ignore some of the larger crime rings in exchange for a hefty amount of wealth each month. The government willingly accepts bribes from rich criminals, but doesn't hesitate to send the poor ones to prison. For this reason, many common criminals have begun to join up with the larger groups to have immunity from most of the law.
The city is a hostile one, it has been since the river it’s built on started flowing. Those with a choice get in, sell their goods, and get right back out. But for many, there is no choice to be had. Those without the money for a horse or camel can’t possibly get to the nearest city safely, so they adapt. They become craftier, faster, and stronger. Every improvement of their selves gives them an edge, the chance to fight through another day. Rafiq was born as one of these survivors, and was born in the same year the Civil Wars started. By the time wind of the wars reached Saleph, he was only a year old. The city began to assemble as izeable force in case Saleph was attacked, and Rafiq's father Abrar was selected, along with many of the impoverished men of the city. The force never experienced any fighting, but they journeyed across the desert to create alliances with nations to the south. Many men were lost in the crossing, including Abrar. No official notification was ever given of his death, but the family figured out he was not coming back. He left Rafiq, his brother Ahmad, and his mother Isar. Isar soon slipped into depression and became a drunk because of her mourning and fear of the future. She thought she could take care of one child, but not two. However, the boys took care of her and loved her, if sometimes only because she was family. Taught to be extremely wary of strangers, the boys grew up with usually only each other for company, and were the best of friends. Ahmad was three years Rafiq’s senior, but he never seemed to mind being with his brother instead of his peers. They spent their very young years simply playing together, making up games involving the refuse that littered the sides of the streets
The siblings worked as an efficient team to take care of themselves and their mother. Rafiq started learning to play the rebab when he was six, when his brother acquired one through means unknown to Rafiq, though almost certainly illegally. With little else to do when his brother went on his little thieving runs, the boy picked it up quickly, and soon learned to play simple tunes. By the time he was nine, he could play at an acceptable level, but not especially well. However, he could get along with the simple tunes which were popular on the streets, and his brother decided it was time Rafiq was allowed to help him provide for their family of three. Their procedure was simple, Rafiq would play the rebab, and onlookers would gather around and maybe toss a few coins in. Meanwhile, Ahmad went around the outside of the circle, pickpocketing people after they’d thrown in a coin or two. This was surprisingly lucrative, and they often got many times as much as Rafiq would've made alone. The boys faced several close calls doing this, but the city was large, and they moved around a lot. Being as there were avast number of unskilled young musicians throughout Saleph, the boys were hardly recognizable if they didn't stay in one place for to long. Though he would often ask Ahmad if he could help with the actual stealing, the older brother always denied his request, refusing to put his younger sibling at risk.
This was the way they spent much of their childhood time, and it was a rare occasion when they’d made enough money to have free time off. On such an occasion, they’d often go to the river, one of the only sources of life in Saleph. The river didn’t have a formal name, and it seemed like everyone you asked called it a different thing. Whatever you chose to call it, the river was brown with silt, and at any given time there were boats all over it. They ranged from small fast skiffs racing across the surface, to large cargo ships cutting through the waves. One day the boys were able to salvage an old broken skiff from the muddy bank of the river. A recent storm had blown it off its poorly made dock, and floated it a ways down river. The boys were able to make the small craft semi-seaworthy over the course of a few months, and they loved it. Though clearly meant for one person, the boys were able to fit into it, and almost all of their free time was spent on it. Ahmad worked the rudder and steered, while Rafiq worked the ropes. It was during this stage of his life that he began to be entrapped by the simple usefulness of ropes. You could use them for sailing, climbing, and just for games, and there was a knot to fit any circumstance. A monkey’s fist for a weapon, a bimini twist to catch you dinner, a square lash to put things together, or a noose to kill. Ropework fascinated young Rafiq, and his interest in them would pay off, eventually.
When Rafiq was twelve, and Ahmad fifteen, the older sibling decided that Rafiq was now allowed to help in the actual theft of items. Ahmad taught him the skills he had picked up, like lockpicking, pickpocketing, stealth, and lying convincingly. Rafiq learned them over the course of a few years, and by the time he was fourteen, he and Ahmed stated housebreaking. It was a dangerous game, but Ahmed had learned to be quite deadly with a sword, and Rafiq never felt in danger next to his older brother. He had full confidence in Ahmad, as he was the only one the younger sibling ever really trusted. He would sacrifice his life for Ahmad, and he knew Ahmad would do the same. The older brother always took the more dangerous position during a robbery, even though the poor houses they were robbing didn’t have much invested in the manner of defense. He took every measure to make sure his younger brother was always safe, and he always was.
When Rafiq was sixteen, his mother died of illness, and the boys were devastated. The funeral was a lonely service, with only four other people there, one of them being a religious official that was conducting the service. Rafiq and Ahmad found solace only in each other’s arms, and it was like that for some time. After that, the two grew increasingly more reckless. They broke into bigger and wealthier houses, almost hoping to be caught. As they took bigger and bigger risks, they improved significantly in their trade. They learned how to drop into a house silently with a rope, and get out in the same manner. They learned how to create diversions, and they even pooled together enough money for some small but extremely loud cherry bombs.
It came to be that the boys grew mildly wealthy off their risks. Taking risks became less about not caring about life, and more about arrogance. They finally met their match when they tried to break into the house of an aristocrat. The man was obscenely wealthy, so much so that he hired guards to protect all the goods stored in his basement. Rafiq and Ahmad weren’t nearly stupid enough to go after that stash, but they thought they might be able to get some of the wealth in the upper floors of the home. So the thieves entered through an open window with a rope, and gauged their surroundings. The house was quiet, and they intended to keep it that way. Immediately they saw a few coin purses on the tables, and they quickly pocketed them, moving on to the next areas of interest. Rafiq went down a flight of stairs, and Ahmad went up. Seemingly alone in the house, Rafiq tensed up. He never liked being alone. He felt vulnerable without his brother by his side, like a fish being silently surrounded with a net. Nevertheless, he pushed on, and began to look through the drawers, He didn’t find much of note other than a coin purse. As he stood up and turned around, he knew something was very wrong. There were footsteps coming from below, near the flight of stairs that would lead to his floor. As the stairs began to creak, a gruff voice came from the flight of stairs.
“I know you’re up there you fucking vermin!”
Rafiq had never run so fast in his life. He pounded up the stairs, and found his brother waiting at the window with the rope. The guard turned the corner as the boys made their way down the rope and out the window. The other guards around the house began to come out of the house, and the brother sprinted towards the river. They immediately pushed their skiff into the water, and they were off. Guards watched as the boys were swept downstream, and after thirty minutes of sailing, they took cover behind a bush on the opposite shore. In the morning, they snuck back into their hideout in an abandoned building in the city and gathered their things. They quickly made their way to the city’s gates, purchased two fresh camels, and they were off.
The two made very little progress for about a week, as they tried to lead their camels. The first few days were disastrous, and the boys were thrown off the beasts several times. Eventually they gave up on riding, instead walking alongside the camels. They ended up bruised and beaten, but not seriously inured.They decided that their next journey would lie with a trading caravan, as it was clear they were going to get nowhere quickly on their own, so they traveled until they found one. It only took a few days, because the traders were a common sight in the region. There were about ten merchants travelling together, and they openly welcomed the idea of two more camels and two more people to take care of them. The brothers, being scrawny teenagers at this point, certainly didn't look threatening, and they managed to tag along in exchange for letting the caravan have full control over the two camels. The boys accepted graciously, and began to plot.
The caravan would stop in many different cities an villages, and there, the merchants would get tidbits of news from the outside world. Trey heard about the civil wars, killing Xitians, things a bout the portals, and whatever else happened a few months ago. They would always get the news very late, and it would usually be altered. Many stories conflicted, but Rafiq was able to build a general knowledge of what was happening. He felt very detached from it all, but he could give you a general summary of the on-goings south of the desert.
During their stay with the first caravan, the boys made sure not to get too attached to the merchants, it was all part of the plan. Opportunists at heart, they weren’t about to forfeit all the money they could make off these people in exchange for playing fair. While they plotted, they got the merchants to trust them quite a bit. The merchants taught them how to ride their camels when the beasts weren't carrying anything particularly heavy. Rafiq became particularly close with an older man named Haussam, who would often play the rebab around the fire at night. Rafiq was able to strike up conversation with him rather easily and they began to talk about music. Haussam showed Rafiq a few other instruments similar to the rebab that he had collected in his travels. There was the morin khuur, the ehru, the violin, the masenqo, and many others. He tried may times to play many of these instruments, but only progressed significantly with the morin khuur. He and Haussam grew close through music, and he was the first person Rafiq truly trusted that he was not related to.
The group was several weeks into their journey when they stopped at the next city. Upon entering the gates, Rafiq was dumbfounded to find that he didn’t understand much of the people were saying. Saleph was positioned near the edge of a region where a very distinctive and heavy accent was the norm, with few speaking common as it was meant to be spoken. They had grown up on this bastardized version of common, and it was a very hard habit to break. For the visits to the first few cities, the boys simply remained quiet and did as instructed, bit they soon began to pick up on the common dialect. Their voices grew more normal as the journey wore on, and the other merchants helped them quite a bit. Some of the merchants refused to answer the boys if they used their native accent, and it proved very effective. By the time they were nearing Saleph once again, they spoke clearly in the normal Mesalian way.
However, nearing Saleph was the point at which the siblings put their plan into action. It was three nights before they were set to enter Saleph, and everyone was tired from a long day of walking. Most people weren't riding their camels anymore, because of the weight of the goods the animals were already carrying. The camels could still carry people, but not for three days. Everyone was fast asleep except Ahmad. It was his shift for night watch. Normally a few people would still be awake in these wee hours of the morning, but not tonight. Everyone was too exhausted. At around 3 in the morning, Ahmad woke up his brother and they set to work. They went around to different bags, taking the most valuable items from each. They took anything that shone or glittered, as well as silk fabrics and spices. With these lightweight materials, they had taken almost twice what they would've gotten out of the trip had they don this by the rules. Intead of a twelfth of the wealth, they were able to acquire almost a sixth. It was all light enough that it could fit on two camels with room for a rider on each. They stole away into the night silently, and Rafiq looked back. He saw a figure rise from a bedroll, and the younger brother recognized him immediately. It was Haussam. Haussam yelled at the others to wake up, but they couldn't do anything. They had taken the two freshest camels, and were carrying very little weight. It would take a good long while before the merchants had distributed the heavy items, mounted the camels, and were ready to give chase. By then, Ahmad and Rafiq would be long gone.
Adrenaline rushed through Rafiq’s body. They were free and rich. His mind soared, but it was brought down not moments later. What had he done? He had betrayed the trust of Haussam, and he felt terrible. He was silent for the rest of the rip, while his brother laughed with glee. One thing made it worse, he was riding on Haussam’s camel, and the instruments weighed hardly anything, so he hadn’t bothered taking them off. He was now in possession of what he believed to be Haussam’s only items, and he had never felt like a worse person in his life. It took them several days of constant moving before finding a small town to stop in. They stayed there for a few days, selling the silk and spices for coin. They ended up becoming quite wealthy, but Ahmad had become greedy, and he needed to do it again. He was addicted to high-risk high-reward theft like the one they had just pulled off. They boys had been with the first caravan since the time Rafiq was seventeen up until a few months after his eighteenth birthday, a little over a year.
It was about a month before they met up with another caravan, and this time, they all used the common accent, meaning they were foreigners to these lands. It wasn’t really a problem at this point, and the brothers both had a good grasp on the dialect. In contrast to the first caravan, which was somewhat of a democracy, this one was clearly lead by a burly man named George. The name tasted bitter in Rafiq’s mouth. George commanded the group with an iron fist, and if you weren’t on his good side, he made sure you had one hell of a time. George treated the brothers as a bit less than human, seeing as they were newcomers and foreigners. However, they didn’t fell he posed any danger to him until the incident with Boma.
Boma was a very dark skinned man who met the group at their third stop. He asked to join the group in much the same way the brothers had, but he looked jumpy and desperate. Largely because of this, George refused the man’s request, and ordered the caravan to keep moving. Boma was a persistent one, though, and he showed up the next day, begging to join once again. George firmly denied him with a venomous tone, and Boma simply stood there. He whispered something inaudible under his breath and left, hopefully for the final time. Nevertheless, he showed up the next day, but this time he didn’t get a chance to say something. An arrow went straight for the man’s chest, and Boma died. George lowered his bow, and ordered the end to loot his body, and to give their leader all the valuables. It was later discovered that someone had kept a few valuables for themselves, and he was quickly terminated by George. It was at this point the boys realized there was very real danger here, and they had to accelerate their plan. They had expected to be with the second caravan for about a year and a half before they had the perfect opportunity to escape with the goods. However, this incident made them anxious, so they sought to leave as soon as possible.
Around six months before they planned to leave, they neared a city that would allow them to get to other smaller cities and towns extremely quickly and efficiently. By this time, the Boma incident ha dulled considerably inn their minds, and they regraded Boma's death as his own fault. Surely, they would be more prepared. As they grew closer to the date of their planned departure, they grew even more confident in themselves. This hub city would allow the two to escape with relative ease. They had been traveling on foot for two days straight by the time night fell, and Rafiq was on guard duty. A few hours into his shift, he woke up his brother, and they set to work. They tried to do the same thing as they had done with the previous caravan, but had less success. There were not a many small objects of great value, but they did the best they could. The mounted their camels with an acceptable amount of the total wealth. It wasn't as much as they had gotten from Hassaum, but it was considerably more than they would've gotten had they stuck the journey out. As they began to ride away, Ahmad looked over his shoulder with a smile that immediately disappeared. He cut directly behind Rafiq’s camel and stayed there for a few seconds. Confused, Rafiq looked back to his brother, and his heart nearly stopped. An arrow protruded from his chest. It seemed as though he tried to say one last thing, but his mouth simply dropped open and he fell off the camel. Rafiq’s eyes went wide with terror, and he could see a figure with a bow standing in the inky darkness of their camp. George. With his last moments, Ahmad had done all he could to keep his brother safe, just as he always had. Weeping as the camel ran forward, Rafiq found himself with no family to speak of at the age of nineteen.
It was almost noon by the time he reached the gates of the hub-like city. He hid in different places for about a week before he felt it was safe to go out again. He looked at the camel carrying all his supplies. He was rich, and had access to everything he ever wanted, but he had no purpose. He had no one to call family or even friend, and had no idea what to do. The situation overwhelmed him, so he sold his goods quickly, and looked for ways to drown out his sorrow. He snuffed out his grief with drink and prostitutes, but he could feel no pleasure or happiness that these things would give to any other person. He felt nothing but emptiness and depression, and this went on for almost a year before he realized he needed to change something.
It was at this time that Rafiq’s money began to run out, and he began to search for a job. He found work at an inn in a shadier part of the city, and played music near the bar. It was bad pay and in a rather dangerous area, but it started to give him a sense of purpose. It was here in this dingy inn that he started to recover. He started to learn to make friends other than his brother, starting with a young man who frequently sat at the bar. Once he passed the first hurdle of getting up the courage to speak with people, he found it came naturally, and he was generally well liked. During this stretch of time, he grew more confident and outgoing, and was truly happy for the first time in a long while. He talked to everyone who seemed even mildly interesting, never afraid of rejection or failure. He liked to listen, too, but mostly when others weren’t aware of it. When he was playing the rebab or the morin khuur up on the mini-stage, he could hear lots of conversations, especially from those who sat close to him. He also found out when some of the wealthier bar patrons wouldn’t be home.
Now equipped with a good set of friends and some sort of sustenance in his job, he found life to grow boring once more, and he used the information he learned to his advantage. He bought himself some rope and a short-sword, immediately getting back into the swing of things. He wasn’t even thieving for money at this point. He did it for the adrenaline rush and the memories. He was rusty at first, but he quickly relearned all that he had known.
This was his life for two years. It was a good life, full of excitement and laughter, but it was not to last. One day, riding his loaded camel on his way to work on the other side of the city, he saw a man. A large muscular man. It was George, Rafiq instantly recognized the foul man’s face, and set off in the other direction. He thought he heard the man yell something, but he couldn’t be sure as he rode away.
He continued riding until he hit a coastal town the hub city had a road to. It had been a two day ride, and he calculated that George couldn't be more than a day behind him. When he got to the shipyard, he looked for ships to other cities, but there were no ships to big towns, and there wouldn't be for nearly three days. So, Rafiq sold his camel, and most of his wealth. He took one sack off the camel, and headed on the first ship he could find. It was headed to a town in the Forbidden Lands. Alroc.
Skills:
Novice - Basic - Competent - Advanced - Expert – Master
Lockpicking: Competent. He can pick more basic locks easily, and given enough time, he can get through an advanced one.
Stealth and Evasion: Competent. He can escape from a crime scene with efficiency and speed, thanks to his athletic build. He can be very stealthy to evade attention, but should he be seen, it is a very difficult to catch him. He can run fast, jump high, and is overall a very agile person, and uses everything his environment gives him as an obstacle to gain distance from a pursuer.
Pickpocketing: Basic. This is Rafiq's least developed thieving skill. He can do it just fine while in a crowd, or when there's a proper distraction.
Rebab: Basic. Rafiq can play lots of songs on the rebab, and has been playing it on and off since he was just six.
Morin Khuur Basic. This is Rafiq's favorite of the instruments he acquired from Haussam. He can play many of the simpler songs on this, and a few harder ones.
Ropework and Knots: Basic. He knows how to tie many different knots and lashes. He’s nowhere near professional at it, though.
Items:
1 Rebab.
1 Morin Khuur.
1 Ehru.
1 Coil of rope.
1 lock-picking set
Name: Rafiq al-Hazmi
Age: 23
Race: Mesalian
Height: 6’1’’
Build: He has a rather light build, overall. However, he has more than a fair amount of lean muscle that doesn’t show all too well under clothing.
Skin Color: Rafiq has a tan complexion, but with clearly Causcoid facial features.
Eye Color: Very dark brown. It can be hard to tell his iris from his pupil in low light or from a distance.
Hair: Black, with short hair. He is clean shaven.
Personality: Having been born poor in the crime-ridden city of Saleph, Rafiq grew up with a different set of morals than most other children in the world. Rather than learning not to take from others, he simply learned to be careful while doing it. Rather than to respect every elder that came along, he learned that the only people he need listen to were those who had earned his respect, or those in an advantageous position. Rather than to be honest to all who asked, he learned to tell the truth only to those who deserved or needed to hear it. It was little things like these that his parents hoped would give him a slight edge in violent Saleph, and oftentimes, these little nuances helped him out a lot.
This isn’t to say Rafiq is a completely bad person, he just knows what he wants and how to get it, usually at the expense of others. He usually won’t resort to violence unless a situation is truly desperate. He’s usually friendly and outgoing when in conversation. Though, when he’s not particularly relevant to the situation, he’d rather just listen than contribute nonsense. He is also quite flirtatious with women, when they catch his eye. He could accurtely be described as a smartass extraordinaire, and is always looking for an opportunity to slip in an innuendo.
When without a plan in a tense situation, Rafiq acts impulsively, and generally isn’t afraid to take large risks. Of course, if he has some sort of plan, he’d sooner use that than wing it. Rafiq is very, very, very good at improvising. He can make up complex lies on the spot, and isn’t bothered at all when plans go awry, he almost expects them to, at this point.
Rafiq also has a softer side to him, under the rugged outer shell of his personality. He absolutely loves children, for one thing. And, though he’d never tell anyone, not much would make him happier than to start a family with a woman he loves. He’s surprisingly caring, and if something, be it human, animal, or something else, is depending on him, he will put the whole of his energy into protecting and caring for that thing, just as his brother did for him.
Backstory:
Saleph lies on a wide peninsula surrounded by a very salty inland sea, with an eventual opening to the ocean. Due to the desertification caused by overuse of the land, the southern half of the peninsula has become a large near-uninhabitable desert.This cuts off the peninsula's habitable areas from the rest of the continent. The people on the northern part of the peninsula have a culture that has branched off from the norm of the Mesalians, and has become extremely distinct. On the border of the desert and the habitable areas lies a city called Saleph. Saleph is an important trading city, and most people who wish to get to the hospitable parts of the peninsula have to pass through it. These people include merchants, criminals, and Xitians attempting to escape punishment fro war crimes. It became something of a Xitian bottleneck during the purges, as the red-eyed men and women all fled to the isolated lands to the north of Saleph. Most didn't stay in Saleph, though, being as it is the closest to the rest of the continent. Because of the constant movement of people in and out of Saleph, crime is very hard to keep track of. The government does its best to crack down on crime, but if one goes into the streets at night, they should expect to have some sort of confrontation with the city's more lawless inhabitants. Crime becomes almost unmanageable during times when many immigrants pass through the city at once, as there are simply too many illegal acts happening, and not enough guards. At this point, the government has started to ignore some of the larger crime rings in exchange for a hefty amount of wealth each month. The government willingly accepts bribes from rich criminals, but doesn't hesitate to send the poor ones to prison. For this reason, many common criminals have begun to join up with the larger groups to have immunity from most of the law.
The city is a hostile one, it has been since the river it’s built on started flowing. Those with a choice get in, sell their goods, and get right back out. But for many, there is no choice to be had. Those without the money for a horse or camel can’t possibly get to the nearest city safely, so they adapt. They become craftier, faster, and stronger. Every improvement of their selves gives them an edge, the chance to fight through another day. Rafiq was born as one of these survivors, and was born in the same year the Civil Wars started. By the time wind of the wars reached Saleph, he was only a year old. The city began to assemble as izeable force in case Saleph was attacked, and Rafiq's father Abrar was selected, along with many of the impoverished men of the city. The force never experienced any fighting, but they journeyed across the desert to create alliances with nations to the south. Many men were lost in the crossing, including Abrar. No official notification was ever given of his death, but the family figured out he was not coming back. He left Rafiq, his brother Ahmad, and his mother Isar. Isar soon slipped into depression and became a drunk because of her mourning and fear of the future. She thought she could take care of one child, but not two. However, the boys took care of her and loved her, if sometimes only because she was family. Taught to be extremely wary of strangers, the boys grew up with usually only each other for company, and were the best of friends. Ahmad was three years Rafiq’s senior, but he never seemed to mind being with his brother instead of his peers. They spent their very young years simply playing together, making up games involving the refuse that littered the sides of the streets
The siblings worked as an efficient team to take care of themselves and their mother. Rafiq started learning to play the rebab when he was six, when his brother acquired one through means unknown to Rafiq, though almost certainly illegally. With little else to do when his brother went on his little thieving runs, the boy picked it up quickly, and soon learned to play simple tunes. By the time he was nine, he could play at an acceptable level, but not especially well. However, he could get along with the simple tunes which were popular on the streets, and his brother decided it was time Rafiq was allowed to help him provide for their family of three. Their procedure was simple, Rafiq would play the rebab, and onlookers would gather around and maybe toss a few coins in. Meanwhile, Ahmad went around the outside of the circle, pickpocketing people after they’d thrown in a coin or two. This was surprisingly lucrative, and they often got many times as much as Rafiq would've made alone. The boys faced several close calls doing this, but the city was large, and they moved around a lot. Being as there were avast number of unskilled young musicians throughout Saleph, the boys were hardly recognizable if they didn't stay in one place for to long. Though he would often ask Ahmad if he could help with the actual stealing, the older brother always denied his request, refusing to put his younger sibling at risk.
This was the way they spent much of their childhood time, and it was a rare occasion when they’d made enough money to have free time off. On such an occasion, they’d often go to the river, one of the only sources of life in Saleph. The river didn’t have a formal name, and it seemed like everyone you asked called it a different thing. Whatever you chose to call it, the river was brown with silt, and at any given time there were boats all over it. They ranged from small fast skiffs racing across the surface, to large cargo ships cutting through the waves. One day the boys were able to salvage an old broken skiff from the muddy bank of the river. A recent storm had blown it off its poorly made dock, and floated it a ways down river. The boys were able to make the small craft semi-seaworthy over the course of a few months, and they loved it. Though clearly meant for one person, the boys were able to fit into it, and almost all of their free time was spent on it. Ahmad worked the rudder and steered, while Rafiq worked the ropes. It was during this stage of his life that he began to be entrapped by the simple usefulness of ropes. You could use them for sailing, climbing, and just for games, and there was a knot to fit any circumstance. A monkey’s fist for a weapon, a bimini twist to catch you dinner, a square lash to put things together, or a noose to kill. Ropework fascinated young Rafiq, and his interest in them would pay off, eventually.
When Rafiq was twelve, and Ahmad fifteen, the older sibling decided that Rafiq was now allowed to help in the actual theft of items. Ahmad taught him the skills he had picked up, like lockpicking, pickpocketing, stealth, and lying convincingly. Rafiq learned them over the course of a few years, and by the time he was fourteen, he and Ahmed stated housebreaking. It was a dangerous game, but Ahmed had learned to be quite deadly with a sword, and Rafiq never felt in danger next to his older brother. He had full confidence in Ahmad, as he was the only one the younger sibling ever really trusted. He would sacrifice his life for Ahmad, and he knew Ahmad would do the same. The older brother always took the more dangerous position during a robbery, even though the poor houses they were robbing didn’t have much invested in the manner of defense. He took every measure to make sure his younger brother was always safe, and he always was.
When Rafiq was sixteen, his mother died of illness, and the boys were devastated. The funeral was a lonely service, with only four other people there, one of them being a religious official that was conducting the service. Rafiq and Ahmad found solace only in each other’s arms, and it was like that for some time. After that, the two grew increasingly more reckless. They broke into bigger and wealthier houses, almost hoping to be caught. As they took bigger and bigger risks, they improved significantly in their trade. They learned how to drop into a house silently with a rope, and get out in the same manner. They learned how to create diversions, and they even pooled together enough money for some small but extremely loud cherry bombs.
It came to be that the boys grew mildly wealthy off their risks. Taking risks became less about not caring about life, and more about arrogance. They finally met their match when they tried to break into the house of an aristocrat. The man was obscenely wealthy, so much so that he hired guards to protect all the goods stored in his basement. Rafiq and Ahmad weren’t nearly stupid enough to go after that stash, but they thought they might be able to get some of the wealth in the upper floors of the home. So the thieves entered through an open window with a rope, and gauged their surroundings. The house was quiet, and they intended to keep it that way. Immediately they saw a few coin purses on the tables, and they quickly pocketed them, moving on to the next areas of interest. Rafiq went down a flight of stairs, and Ahmad went up. Seemingly alone in the house, Rafiq tensed up. He never liked being alone. He felt vulnerable without his brother by his side, like a fish being silently surrounded with a net. Nevertheless, he pushed on, and began to look through the drawers, He didn’t find much of note other than a coin purse. As he stood up and turned around, he knew something was very wrong. There were footsteps coming from below, near the flight of stairs that would lead to his floor. As the stairs began to creak, a gruff voice came from the flight of stairs.
“I know you’re up there you fucking vermin!”
Rafiq had never run so fast in his life. He pounded up the stairs, and found his brother waiting at the window with the rope. The guard turned the corner as the boys made their way down the rope and out the window. The other guards around the house began to come out of the house, and the brother sprinted towards the river. They immediately pushed their skiff into the water, and they were off. Guards watched as the boys were swept downstream, and after thirty minutes of sailing, they took cover behind a bush on the opposite shore. In the morning, they snuck back into their hideout in an abandoned building in the city and gathered their things. They quickly made their way to the city’s gates, purchased two fresh camels, and they were off.
The two made very little progress for about a week, as they tried to lead their camels. The first few days were disastrous, and the boys were thrown off the beasts several times. Eventually they gave up on riding, instead walking alongside the camels. They ended up bruised and beaten, but not seriously inured.They decided that their next journey would lie with a trading caravan, as it was clear they were going to get nowhere quickly on their own, so they traveled until they found one. It only took a few days, because the traders were a common sight in the region. There were about ten merchants travelling together, and they openly welcomed the idea of two more camels and two more people to take care of them. The brothers, being scrawny teenagers at this point, certainly didn't look threatening, and they managed to tag along in exchange for letting the caravan have full control over the two camels. The boys accepted graciously, and began to plot.
The caravan would stop in many different cities an villages, and there, the merchants would get tidbits of news from the outside world. Trey heard about the civil wars, killing Xitians, things a bout the portals, and whatever else happened a few months ago. They would always get the news very late, and it would usually be altered. Many stories conflicted, but Rafiq was able to build a general knowledge of what was happening. He felt very detached from it all, but he could give you a general summary of the on-goings south of the desert.
During their stay with the first caravan, the boys made sure not to get too attached to the merchants, it was all part of the plan. Opportunists at heart, they weren’t about to forfeit all the money they could make off these people in exchange for playing fair. While they plotted, they got the merchants to trust them quite a bit. The merchants taught them how to ride their camels when the beasts weren't carrying anything particularly heavy. Rafiq became particularly close with an older man named Haussam, who would often play the rebab around the fire at night. Rafiq was able to strike up conversation with him rather easily and they began to talk about music. Haussam showed Rafiq a few other instruments similar to the rebab that he had collected in his travels. There was the morin khuur, the ehru, the violin, the masenqo, and many others. He tried may times to play many of these instruments, but only progressed significantly with the morin khuur. He and Haussam grew close through music, and he was the first person Rafiq truly trusted that he was not related to.
The group was several weeks into their journey when they stopped at the next city. Upon entering the gates, Rafiq was dumbfounded to find that he didn’t understand much of the people were saying. Saleph was positioned near the edge of a region where a very distinctive and heavy accent was the norm, with few speaking common as it was meant to be spoken. They had grown up on this bastardized version of common, and it was a very hard habit to break. For the visits to the first few cities, the boys simply remained quiet and did as instructed, bit they soon began to pick up on the common dialect. Their voices grew more normal as the journey wore on, and the other merchants helped them quite a bit. Some of the merchants refused to answer the boys if they used their native accent, and it proved very effective. By the time they were nearing Saleph once again, they spoke clearly in the normal Mesalian way.
However, nearing Saleph was the point at which the siblings put their plan into action. It was three nights before they were set to enter Saleph, and everyone was tired from a long day of walking. Most people weren't riding their camels anymore, because of the weight of the goods the animals were already carrying. The camels could still carry people, but not for three days. Everyone was fast asleep except Ahmad. It was his shift for night watch. Normally a few people would still be awake in these wee hours of the morning, but not tonight. Everyone was too exhausted. At around 3 in the morning, Ahmad woke up his brother and they set to work. They went around to different bags, taking the most valuable items from each. They took anything that shone or glittered, as well as silk fabrics and spices. With these lightweight materials, they had taken almost twice what they would've gotten out of the trip had they don this by the rules. Intead of a twelfth of the wealth, they were able to acquire almost a sixth. It was all light enough that it could fit on two camels with room for a rider on each. They stole away into the night silently, and Rafiq looked back. He saw a figure rise from a bedroll, and the younger brother recognized him immediately. It was Haussam. Haussam yelled at the others to wake up, but they couldn't do anything. They had taken the two freshest camels, and were carrying very little weight. It would take a good long while before the merchants had distributed the heavy items, mounted the camels, and were ready to give chase. By then, Ahmad and Rafiq would be long gone.
Adrenaline rushed through Rafiq’s body. They were free and rich. His mind soared, but it was brought down not moments later. What had he done? He had betrayed the trust of Haussam, and he felt terrible. He was silent for the rest of the rip, while his brother laughed with glee. One thing made it worse, he was riding on Haussam’s camel, and the instruments weighed hardly anything, so he hadn’t bothered taking them off. He was now in possession of what he believed to be Haussam’s only items, and he had never felt like a worse person in his life. It took them several days of constant moving before finding a small town to stop in. They stayed there for a few days, selling the silk and spices for coin. They ended up becoming quite wealthy, but Ahmad had become greedy, and he needed to do it again. He was addicted to high-risk high-reward theft like the one they had just pulled off. They boys had been with the first caravan since the time Rafiq was seventeen up until a few months after his eighteenth birthday, a little over a year.
It was about a month before they met up with another caravan, and this time, they all used the common accent, meaning they were foreigners to these lands. It wasn’t really a problem at this point, and the brothers both had a good grasp on the dialect. In contrast to the first caravan, which was somewhat of a democracy, this one was clearly lead by a burly man named George. The name tasted bitter in Rafiq’s mouth. George commanded the group with an iron fist, and if you weren’t on his good side, he made sure you had one hell of a time. George treated the brothers as a bit less than human, seeing as they were newcomers and foreigners. However, they didn’t fell he posed any danger to him until the incident with Boma.
Boma was a very dark skinned man who met the group at their third stop. He asked to join the group in much the same way the brothers had, but he looked jumpy and desperate. Largely because of this, George refused the man’s request, and ordered the caravan to keep moving. Boma was a persistent one, though, and he showed up the next day, begging to join once again. George firmly denied him with a venomous tone, and Boma simply stood there. He whispered something inaudible under his breath and left, hopefully for the final time. Nevertheless, he showed up the next day, but this time he didn’t get a chance to say something. An arrow went straight for the man’s chest, and Boma died. George lowered his bow, and ordered the end to loot his body, and to give their leader all the valuables. It was later discovered that someone had kept a few valuables for themselves, and he was quickly terminated by George. It was at this point the boys realized there was very real danger here, and they had to accelerate their plan. They had expected to be with the second caravan for about a year and a half before they had the perfect opportunity to escape with the goods. However, this incident made them anxious, so they sought to leave as soon as possible.
Around six months before they planned to leave, they neared a city that would allow them to get to other smaller cities and towns extremely quickly and efficiently. By this time, the Boma incident ha dulled considerably inn their minds, and they regraded Boma's death as his own fault. Surely, they would be more prepared. As they grew closer to the date of their planned departure, they grew even more confident in themselves. This hub city would allow the two to escape with relative ease. They had been traveling on foot for two days straight by the time night fell, and Rafiq was on guard duty. A few hours into his shift, he woke up his brother, and they set to work. They tried to do the same thing as they had done with the previous caravan, but had less success. There were not a many small objects of great value, but they did the best they could. The mounted their camels with an acceptable amount of the total wealth. It wasn't as much as they had gotten from Hassaum, but it was considerably more than they would've gotten had they stuck the journey out. As they began to ride away, Ahmad looked over his shoulder with a smile that immediately disappeared. He cut directly behind Rafiq’s camel and stayed there for a few seconds. Confused, Rafiq looked back to his brother, and his heart nearly stopped. An arrow protruded from his chest. It seemed as though he tried to say one last thing, but his mouth simply dropped open and he fell off the camel. Rafiq’s eyes went wide with terror, and he could see a figure with a bow standing in the inky darkness of their camp. George. With his last moments, Ahmad had done all he could to keep his brother safe, just as he always had. Weeping as the camel ran forward, Rafiq found himself with no family to speak of at the age of nineteen.
It was almost noon by the time he reached the gates of the hub-like city. He hid in different places for about a week before he felt it was safe to go out again. He looked at the camel carrying all his supplies. He was rich, and had access to everything he ever wanted, but he had no purpose. He had no one to call family or even friend, and had no idea what to do. The situation overwhelmed him, so he sold his goods quickly, and looked for ways to drown out his sorrow. He snuffed out his grief with drink and prostitutes, but he could feel no pleasure or happiness that these things would give to any other person. He felt nothing but emptiness and depression, and this went on for almost a year before he realized he needed to change something.
It was at this time that Rafiq’s money began to run out, and he began to search for a job. He found work at an inn in a shadier part of the city, and played music near the bar. It was bad pay and in a rather dangerous area, but it started to give him a sense of purpose. It was here in this dingy inn that he started to recover. He started to learn to make friends other than his brother, starting with a young man who frequently sat at the bar. Once he passed the first hurdle of getting up the courage to speak with people, he found it came naturally, and he was generally well liked. During this stretch of time, he grew more confident and outgoing, and was truly happy for the first time in a long while. He talked to everyone who seemed even mildly interesting, never afraid of rejection or failure. He liked to listen, too, but mostly when others weren’t aware of it. When he was playing the rebab or the morin khuur up on the mini-stage, he could hear lots of conversations, especially from those who sat close to him. He also found out when some of the wealthier bar patrons wouldn’t be home.
Now equipped with a good set of friends and some sort of sustenance in his job, he found life to grow boring once more, and he used the information he learned to his advantage. He bought himself some rope and a short-sword, immediately getting back into the swing of things. He wasn’t even thieving for money at this point. He did it for the adrenaline rush and the memories. He was rusty at first, but he quickly relearned all that he had known.
This was his life for two years. It was a good life, full of excitement and laughter, but it was not to last. One day, riding his loaded camel on his way to work on the other side of the city, he saw a man. A large muscular man. It was George, Rafiq instantly recognized the foul man’s face, and set off in the other direction. He thought he heard the man yell something, but he couldn’t be sure as he rode away.
He continued riding until he hit a coastal town the hub city had a road to. It had been a two day ride, and he calculated that George couldn't be more than a day behind him. When he got to the shipyard, he looked for ships to other cities, but there were no ships to big towns, and there wouldn't be for nearly three days. So, Rafiq sold his camel, and most of his wealth. He took one sack off the camel, and headed on the first ship he could find. It was headed to a town in the Forbidden Lands. Alroc.
Skills:
Novice - Basic - Competent - Advanced - Expert – Master
Lockpicking: Competent. He can pick more basic locks easily, and given enough time, he can get through an advanced one.
Stealth and Evasion: Competent. He can escape from a crime scene with efficiency and speed, thanks to his athletic build. He can be very stealthy to evade attention, but should he be seen, it is a very difficult to catch him. He can run fast, jump high, and is overall a very agile person, and uses everything his environment gives him as an obstacle to gain distance from a pursuer.
Pickpocketing: Basic. This is Rafiq's least developed thieving skill. He can do it just fine while in a crowd, or when there's a proper distraction.
Rebab: Basic. Rafiq can play lots of songs on the rebab, and has been playing it on and off since he was just six.
Morin Khuur Basic. This is Rafiq's favorite of the instruments he acquired from Haussam. He can play many of the simpler songs on this, and a few harder ones.
Ropework and Knots: Basic. He knows how to tie many different knots and lashes. He’s nowhere near professional at it, though.
Items:
1 Rebab.
1 Morin Khuur.
1 Ehru.
1 Coil of rope.
1 lock-picking set
