Saladar al Kushan-Taif-Ibn-Basalom

[Saladar Ibn Basalom]

Physical Description Name: Saladar al Kushan-Taif-Ibn-Basalom "Saladar of (the tents of) Kushan-Taif, son of Basalom" Race: Human-Benshira Age: 20 Birthday: 57th Day of Summer, 492 AV Character Concept The son of a famous preaching nomad who used to wander the deserts around Yahebah, he renounced the world and all worldly matters and possessions at age fifteen, and has since then been living the life of an ascetic monk. He is a quiet, soft-spoken youth with a quick wit for words and the pen, but due to his reserved and near-outcast lifestyle, his people skills are not that good. Still, he does not let this hinder him from trying to be of service to other desert-dwellers or take up the occasional assignment to make what meager income he can to fund his lifestyle. Character History Having grown up in a purely nomadic clan of herders and traders, Kushan spent his youth acquainting himself with the harsh lifestyle of the desert people of the region. In this earlier part of his life, his father would read to him the Penita Scrolls on an almost daily basis, and the boy would go on to remember this as the single most important legacy left to him after Kushan-Taif would pass away due to sickness. The loss left him heartbroken, and in the seasons that followed Kushan would come to ask four fundamental questions that would govern the rest of his life: a. What is the origin and source of suffering? b. What is the modern role of Yahal in the Benshira people's culture? c. Does Yahal wish for submission or for independent thinking with Him at its core? How may one gain His favor and attain blessings that will improve the Benshira lifestyle? d. What is the proverbial elephant's foot of a philosophy that will encompass all these elements of life? How does one become Master of "Life" itself? Only a year later, he would leave the cluster of family tents and the business of continuing the family business of herding and farming to his mother, and leave with nothing but a single set of clothes, a wooden pole used to herd cattle and a handwritten copy of the Penita Scrolls he had written himself and recounted completely from memory. With a hunger for knowledge and a thirst for Yahal's approval and the opportunity to quench his now boundless intellect, he vowed never to return home or rest until he realized the enlightenment he would need to impart a knowledge, human or divine, that would benefit all of the Benshira in Yahal's name. A life of celibacy, poverty and meditation was undertaken, to attain the ultimate ideals of compassion, loving-kindness, faith in God, understanding and a universal wisdom to conquer all ignorance, desire and ill-will. Possessions 1 Set of Clothing -Ascetic's Basic Robes & Cloak -Simple Undergarments -Leather Penitentiary/Celibacy Mask (Desert Tan) (Old & Rugged) -Buckled Leather Gauntlets (Simple) -Leather Sandals 1 Waterskin 1 Backpack which contains: -Razor -1 Writing Quill -1 Vial of Black Ink -Balanced Rations (1 Week’s Worth) - 1 Alms Bowl -Long Wooden Staff Heirloom: Handwritten Compilation of the Penita Scrolls (Book Form) 100 Gold Mizas Housing: N/A (Ascetic Monk) Ledger Purchase Cost Total Starting +100 GM 100 GM Skills, Lores, Magics, Gnosis, Languages Skill EXP Total Proficiency Begging 5 SP 5 Novice Rhetoric 8 SP 8 Novice Singing 26 SP 26 Competent Meditation 15 RB, 11 SP 26 Competent Practiced Languages: Shiber Common Arumenic Fluent Language: Shiber Basic Language: Common Poor Language: Arumenic Helpful Lores: Lore of Yahebah Culture Lore of Religion: Yahal Thread List

[Saladar Ibn Basalom]

"By His Holy Name
Yahal the Almighty, the All-Pure & the All-Knowing"

Most acquaintances and people who have encountered Saladar would have noticed an old leather-bounded book he seems to always have close to him. While some have dismissed it as a journal and others have theorized from his rantings and rituals on the streets of Yahebah that it can only be the Penita Scrolls, it is in fact, both. The Penitentiaries, as the ascetic refers to it, is a tedious handwritten copy of the Penita Scrolls, a set of holy texts associated with Yahal, the deity of the Benshira. Written completely from memory and complete with an exhaustive commentary from Saladar, it was his family's personal copy of the divine scriptures, the main text of it being written by his own father and his grandfather over the course of half a century.

Aesthetically speaking, there is hardly anything to appreciate about the book. It's a ragged old thing, with pages made from skinned animal hides written on with ink and left to dry before being inserted. The pages themselves are loosely bound and are held together only by course thread, the purpose of which is being convenient, particularly because Saladar would often go over the texts each night and/or following intensive meditation and rearrange it as he saw fit. This reflects a sort of higher purpose in his journey, as many believed that his sudden decision to live a monastic lifestyle was a publicity stunt. In truth, he longed to make some sense of the relationship between the Benshira and the God Yahal, to seek a wisdom that surpassed that of the shamans, or the priests and maybe even challenge the city prophet himself. It was a gamble, but the risks were worth the wisdom he perceived he could attain if he pulled it off.

It is only when one examines the contents of the Penitentiaries that the truly remarkable qualities of this heirloom begin to show. The text of the Penita Scrolls stands out against an ocean of commentary and annotations personally added by Saladar. He desired understanding, something deeper than mere faith that, as he claimed, was so easy to manipulate and had the peculiar nature of blinding people from true faith. This true faith, he then continued, was not total submission and reliance on trust alone, but consisted of reason, sound logic and knowledge that would allow a healthy relationship to exist between the Benshira, their world and their god.

What he sought, in essence, was an all-encompassing understanding of what he called "The Way", and total refuge in Yahal for the purposes of gaining his favor, which, as he theorized, would being about immeasurable merit not only for him, but for the Benshira in general. For Saladar, the status of "prophet" wasn't enough. He wasn't content with just being a messenger. He wanted intercession, direct channeling, to be an avatar of Yahal Himself. It was the ultimate sacrifice - the renunciation of all worldly things in exchange for the opportunity to bring salvation and glory to the desert people.

For now however, it remains a largely unfinished work. Pantheons of text wait to be added, and many more revisions are likely to be made, mainly due to the owner's own youth and inexperience. Saladar can only hope that through this spiritual journey he has undertaken, can attain enlightenment on the matter and hopefully someday, complete his life's work for the benefit of many generations to come. To reach a state of supreme bliss and unity with the ethereal, the celestial, the divine, the hellish, the skyward and the worldly and gain infinite wisdom, and the infinite capacity to better oneself and others.

"All Praise be to Yahal, Lord of Lords and Master of the Deserts.

Pay Homage to the Lord of the Realms,
For His Purity Cleanses the Sands of all Blemish!
Seek Refuge in His Domain,
For His Mercy defies all Evil and Desecration!
Cry Faithfulness in His Name,
For His Love, a Tent of Shelter Amidst Deserts!
May the Fire in Thy Heart always burn bright,
and carry the Torch of the Master into the Darkness."

[Kraken]

Hi there!

I'm Kraken, your friendly neighbourhood Character Sheet Liaison! I'm here to help make your experience on Mizahar go as smoothly as possible. Now, there are just a few quick points we need to sort out in order for your character to move forward. If you have any questions whatsoever, please don't hesitate to ask!

Great job. Saladar is such a unique and interesting character, and it was a pleasure to read through your character sheet. I have only a few short notes for you.

• Possessions: You'll need to account for the following items in your ledger: 1 Writing Quill, 1 Vial of Black Ink, 1 Alms Bowl, and Long Wooden Staff.
• Thread Title: Please adjust your thread title to match your account name. Feel free to continue to include the full name in your CS, however.
• Gender: Please explicitly state your PC's gender.
• Housing: If you are choosing not to take a housing package, feel free to take the extra 500GM. You'll also need to specifically state where your PC is living.

And that's it! Once you address these notes and make the proper changes, please send me a private message and I'll gladly remove this post.

Thanks, and happy writing!

Kraken