House Sulaimani

The Foundations of the Jihad by Ibrahim Fayemi ibn Sulaimani
Bold foundations, strong and true, come tumbling down before the sword.

House Kuniatra, under its Siridar, Lord Sulaiman al-Hajj Kunaitra, was one of the strongest Houses in the pre-Corrino Landsraad. House Kunaitra was reknowned for its bold and brash military men, and the uncomprimising stances these men took in the Congress and harsher forms of debate on behalf of honor, etiquette and personal integrity. While this tended to make them no new friends in the Landsraad, it did make them respected among the Great Houses.

It is hardly suprising then, that on the fateful day when the forces of the anti-Corrino forces were marshalled, that Sulaiman al-Hajj Kunaitra was chosen as one of its leaders, or that he moved boldly to engage the barbaric Sardukar in the voids of space.

Lord Kunaitra knew well his advantage, and kept at long range from the clumsy thrusts of the Corrino forces, dealing devastating damage. In fact, it looked like the anti-Corrino forces might carry the day, as their sleek ships darted about the much bulkier Corrino ships which had been designed with a duel purpose, both that of troop transport and star fighter, and thus suffered in compairison at the one.

But all was not as it appeared this day, for the Atreides had a treacherous plan. Through use of turncoats and dastardly forbidden technology, an Atreides force was able to move unseen into a position flanking the Landsraad forces. Their suprise assault was short but deadly, crippling the majority of the resistance, and allowed the Corrinos to board their enemies ships one by one, and with the aid of their efficiently murderous Sardukar, slaughter the defenders of each ship.

The defeat was crushing and total, those that could flee did and the cries of the wounded was nothing to the wail of a thousand worlds as families and friends grieved the loss of loved ones. Lord Kuniatra died valiantly that day, his sword in hand, and the corpses of his enemies at his feet ignoring many chances to flee with the rest of the beaten fleet. By giving his blood freely in the protection of that which he loved and honored he washed his House clean and breathed into it new life and a higher purpose. The sacrifice of the martyr has as much meaning now as it did then -- all respect due.

Cast to the winds of fate, the harrowing begins.

That this was the beginning of something new, was not immediately obvious to those who belonged to what was left of House Kuniatra. Forced to flee to the outskirts of known space as the pogroms of the victorious Corrinos swept over the Imperium, House Kunaitra, under the leadership of Aren al-Hajj Kuniatra, slowly gathered what resources they could, ceding most of the spoils to the victors, and looked to the future. The new Lord Kuniatra addressed his people, and swore to them that day that his father's death would not go unavenged were it to take a millenia. He bound all of his progeny to this oath, and to ensure it, renounced the name of a noble House and took instead the name of his father, his his becoming "The Progeny of Sulaiman" or more commonly the "Sulaimani". For as he said that day, that the old names and meanings had passed away in a flood of blood, and as the Corrinos arrogantly took the name of their decisive battle as their own to remind all of their power, so too would they take definition from the event, and name themselves after the man who gave his life for his beliefs and who stood more than any other in opposition to the new order.

The years that followed were not easy ones for the Sulaimani as they wandered homeless from place to place, never finding a place they could call home and forever harried by their past, by who they were. These times known as "The Harrowing", brought the Sulaimani closer together, forging stronger bonds, forging a higher purpose.

They were divided into two, their forces marshalled like the tide.

The planet we now call Anatolus had had a long and varied history prior to any arrival of the Sulaimani and, in fact, was already a refuge for many of the noble Houses that had lost standing in the wake of the Battle of Corrin. These new houses that settled on Anatolus came to be called the Janziheri, which roughly translates to "Those that Dwell in Marbled Caves", by the native inhabitants, or Mamalukas(which of course translates to "People of the Steppes"), and had set about at once in claiming this rich planet as their own.

The original inhabitants of Anatolus, the Mamalukas, had functioned for millenia based upon a loose tribal, semi-nomadic society which, placed a great degree of imnportance on familial ties, and individual conduct. Though, the various tribes were prone to considerable conflict, it was of a semi-ritualized nature, and vital to the continuation of the society. Conflict was a social occasions, and this was a society which thrived on social ties. Leaders were democratically elected, and on special occassions, many tribes would get together and elect honorary or actual temporary leaders who then had juridiction over more than one tribe. The tribal life was relativly easy as they journeyed from place to place because both organic and inorganic resources were plentiful and easy to extract from the earth.

The Janziheri, as they began to arrive in greater and greater numbers, saw the Mamalukas as uncivilized -- at best country yokels, at worst terrifying echoes of the barbarous Sardukar from whom they were fleeing. Huddled together at their meager cities which were often built wherever they landed, the Janziheri began at once to attempt to rebuild what they had lost. They too found Anatolus a forgiving and nurturing envirnment, and before long, their cities gained levels of sophistication that dimmed for some, the memories of places they had once called home. All over the planet, small city-states developed, each existing more or less independantly from the other.

The Mamalukas found the isolationist attitudes of the newcomers strange and insulting and contacts between the two cultures was often rife with misunderstandings. The Janziheri did not understand that the aggressive behavior of the Mamaluka tribes were merely attempts to determine status and make contact, and the Mamaluka became more insulted when the Janziheri became more, instead of less insular as time went on.

So from the onset, relations between the two groups were deeply strained and acrimonious, but the Janziheri, by dint of their superior equipment and depth of purpose slowly pushed the Mamalukas to the high steppes, were life was more harsh. Slowly, the Mamalukas began to realize that at some point, the rules had changed, and that these were a distinctly different people -- a decision the Janziheri had made when they had seen the first Mamaluka kriva on his steppe horse.

A flame is at home in a fire; a sword at home in battle -- to each their own; to each their home.

It was to a world in conflict that the Sulaimani arrived upon, a world in which both sides believed they were fighting for survival, in which both sides fought for the highest stakes. The Mamalukas had been pushed back to the outlaying areas, and forced to lick their wounds, smitten hard by the Janziheri offensives. The Janziheri for their part, could no longer press the conflict, as they were quickly spreading themselves too thin. Marshalling their resources, the Janziheri began to interact with one another, no longer buffered or threatened by the everpresent mamalukas menace.

The journey had been long for the Sulaimani, but despite the conflict and the danger on this world, they also saw the opportunity gleaming brightly before them. The Sultan of the Sulaimani, Tariq Ibriham al' Sulaimani announced to the people that this would indeed be their home, and that the Harrowing was ended -- their time in the forge done. This world would be the anvil upon which their future would be shaped.

The Sulaimani were hardly welcomed by the existant Janziheri families, who saw in them both a reminder of the past, and a possible competitor for wealth. The Sulaimani were relegated to the high passes, close to the Mamalukas on the steppes, and the foundation of their first settlement, Khoraz, was indeed a grim undertaking. But again, these were a people that had been hardened and tested, their mettle had been proven firm, and they were further strengthened by the power of their convictions.

Quickly, the Sulaimani realized that they could not survive as those before them had, and so, taking advantage of their proximity, they began to have quiet relations with the Mamalukas. At first, the Janziheri smirked knowingly as the two forces conflicted, but whereas the Janziheri families had not understood the ritualized social value of conflict to the Mamalukas, the Sulaimani did, and within a space of mere decades were able to establish amicable if still tenuous ties to many of the Mamaluka tribes.

These early conflicts with the Mamalukas and the resolute manner in which they were conducted, aided in relations with the Janziheri families as well. Many were the times, when the Sulaimani Sultan was drawn aside by an understanding noble of the Janziheri and offered either vocal support, or something of a more tangible nature. More and more often, the Sulaimani were seen as the people most able to deal with the Mamalukas -- a claim that was based upon considerable fact. And, as over time, internal power struggles began to draw the attention of the burgeoning Janziheri, the Sulaimani found themselves suprisingly free of the whole morass. They cultivated their aloofness, and maintained it with strict discipline. Perhaps most characteristic of these times for the Sulaimani is that this is when the infamous Hounds, the silent and stark guardians of the Sulaimani nobles, were founded.

All land might one day bear fruit -- what is needed is the patience, the knowldge and the proper tools.

Gradually, the struggle for power among the Janziheri families grew more and more violent as the various families vied for who would rule this planet. Still the Sulaimani stayed aloof in their mountain passes, always begging of requests for aid or arms due to the omnipresent Mamaluka threat, while all the while secretly strengthening the Mamalukas, and feeding them pieces of information.

A bloody civil war erupted between the Jaziheri families, and the slaughter was horrific. Entire noble lines were wiped out, as the conflict at times took on near genocidal proportions. Oft times, the Sulaimani were asked to mediate between two families; a request which was never refused. The impartiality they imposed was scrupulous and earned them the grudging respect and trust of the warring families.

At last, the remnants of House Foscari seized the upperhand, and began consolidating their position as the preeminent house on Anatolus. The war weary Janziheri sighed with relief, and looked forward to many years of quiet rebuilding...and then the Mamalukas swept off of the steppes.

The slaughter again was immense, the streets of the marble cities ran red with the blood of the fallen Janziheri. Not suprisingly, House Foscari was one of the first to fall; its entire line put to the sword. The Mamalukas were better armed this time, and fought together, side by side under a single Orkhan. Eventually, the Janziheri were pushed back to a few scattered enclaves, which though isolated, were secure. The battle stalemated. The only newcomer family that had not fallen victim to this slaughter was the Sulaimani, and to them, eventually all eyes turned.

A moment in time has a value entirely dependant upon the action taken therein: as a stumble often prefaces a fall, so does a moment of thought usually preface a successful action.

Under the careful hand of Hasan Olioute al' Sulaimani, the Sulaimani stepped in as a unifying force and slowly ended the conflict using their prestige as brokers, and the respect both sides gave them to full advantage. The years of planning paid off, when by the consent of both of the the factions, Hasan was named Siridar of the planet. Hasan further solidified his position thru careful use of highly trained assassins, and the might of the Hounds -- always making sure that the conflict between the two factions neither disapeared nor overflowed.

Many years passed, and eventually Anatolus was pulled back into the Imperial sphere. When the first Guild navigators made contact, the Sulaimani quickly and expertly negotiated favorable terms, embracing the change rather than opposing it. They lost little time in inserting themselves in the Imperial hierarchy, and shortly after re-establishment of ties, the Sulaimani were granted Imperial Siridar status as a Barony. It is not clear whether the past of the Sulaimani was known to the Imperium at this time.

As time went on, House Sulaimani ascended the Imperial ladder, the Jihad becoming less and less vivid to the Houses members, who now contented themselves with attempting to garner more and more power. Some among them even reasoned that perhaps the Jihad could become accomplished with peaceful means -- that House Corrino was either so weak, or perhaps reformed.

Men and plants are alike in that if either loses it roots, they die.

Years passed, and the Sulaimani were mere shadows of what they once were. Though they had climbed high in the faufreluches, ascending to the rank of Viscount, they had become like that which the abhorred, they were like all of the other great houses, their past grievances cast to the side, unheeded.

Unheeded because it was believed they were no longer needed, for at this time, Sulaimani offered one of her noble daughters to the Emperor Akbar in marriage. In return, the Viscount Casagui Alios al'Sulamani received the assurances that the child of this union would be heir, and that the twin brother to the proposed bride, would be titled a full count, as befitted the brother of the Emperess. The girl was named Raquelle Malia, her brother was Darius Abdul, and their bond was the bond of all those who had shared a womb.

The wedding was performed without a hitch, and the hearts of the Sulaimani burst wide with pride. With loving eyes, Darius said farewell to his sister, and returned to Anatolus to tend to his sick father. Within six months, after a never ending string of guildmail in complaint of her position, and of the abuse she took, Raquelle was found dead, her corpse found battered and bleeding in the serglio.

The new Count Sulaimani, his father having passed(some say from a broken heart), was enraged, and demanded an immediate inquiry into his suster's death. The Emperor rebuffed his demands at every turn, even going so far as to comment at an Imperial Court that Raquelle had met an end that was in line with who and what she was. At this it is said that the Count Sulaimani merely smiled and said cryptically, "We were wrong."

The Sulaimani entourage, in a move that was to be repeated many times, left Kaitain, and withdrew to Anatolus in secrecy. Naught was heard from them for 10 years, though there was a persistant rumor of Sulaimani involvement in the chaumarky of Emperor Akbar, until Darius and House Sulaimani emerged once more from Anatolus, the lessons of the Jihad relearned, their purpose clear.