Barghouti Family
Contents
The Barghouti Family
The Barghouti family hails from Anost, a fairly large townsland region in the south of Eston, on the Atamara continent. Their ancestral history is shrouded in mystery. They share all the physical traits of the warrior nobles of Ibladesh, and they worship the same deities as the Ibladeshian Church does. The first written record of the Barghoutis dates from almost two centuries ago. Historians have discovered a book in which one tale tells of a young nobleman named Etci Hajaj, or 'Hajaj the Butcher', a wandering warrior, who roamed the entire world in search of combat. Whenever he found a realm at war, he would offer his sword to the ruler, and fought under him for as long as necessary. Should there be peace, Hajaj would simply move on to the next continent.
At the age of 32, Hajaj was murdered in his sleep by a rogue assassin. He left an infant son, who carried on his father's name, along with the surname of his mother, one of Etci Hajaj's mistresses. Hajaj Barghouti was raised as a warrior like his father, but his mother insisted that he was taught the arts of literacy as well. From the age of 7, Hajaj trained his fighting skills during daytime, and in the evenings, teachers from all around the world would educate him. From there on, all Barghouti men would receive similar training, so that they would excel both in the physical and mental arts.
The Barghouti's would continue offering their swords to whomever they deemed fit, until a young Barghouti named Redouane grew weary of combat, and settled down in Anford, a small town in the Estonite province of Anost. He lived a peaceful life, until the northern realm of Norland cowardly attacked Eston when the Estonites were waging war far away. Redouane did not hesiate one instant, and promptly called for the best instructors money could buy to educate his five sons, the twin brothers Marouane and Hassan, and Khaled, Najib and Tariq. While Marouane and Khaled stayed home, Tariq, Hassan and Najib were sent to other continents to train under local instructors. Hassan travelled to the South-East Island, Tariq was sent to the East Continent, and Najib went to train in the newly discovered Colonies.
Marouane
By far the most promising of the five brothers, Marouane learned quickly, and he was a skilled warrior at the age of 17. He enlisted in the Royal Army of Eston, and quickly gained much respect amongst his fellow Nobles. Marouane showed great courage and honour on the battlefield, and peasants and royals alike would hang on his every word as he told great tales of his adventures. He has a deep hatred for Vikings, and is one of the voices asking for the destruction of Brackhead and Icegate. In return, most Vikings hate his guts, something Marouane applauds.
Stubborn as he is, Marouane never fails to miss an opportunity to fight, whether it is alongside his fellow soldiers in battle, or just picking fights with enemy Nobles. He is cocky and brutal, and his tongue is as sharp as his sword. It was not surprising that he proclaimed himself a Hero of Eston shortly after his 18th birthday. Soon after, tales of his warrior ways spread throughout the realm, and those tales did not fall on deaf ears in the High Council.
At the age of 20, Marouane received the title of Count of Malor, and he became one of the youngest landed nobles on the continent. A few days after his 21st birthday, he was given command of the the Army of Massillion. In his first battle as Marshal, he faced overwhelming odds, yet refused to retreat. Many of his subordinates were trapped and could not escape in time, and rather than leaving them, he chose to stand by them, even though it meant disobeying a direct order from his General. Marouane was wounded, but not before wounding the enemy General himself.
High Marshal Andrew McKay himself has assumed the role of Marouane's mentor. The two warriors became good friends over time, and it was the High Marshal himself who nominated Marouane for the vacant position of Marshal of Massillion. It is said that High Marshal McKay is training Marouane to become his future successor.
On February 11th, Marouane was cowardly attacked in his sleep by an infiltrator working for Minas Ithil. He survived the assassination attempt, but was struck twice with a poisoned dagger while fighting off his attacker. Thanks to his excellent physique and the skilled hands of his personal healer, Marouane was up and running in no time, and is currently back in the ranks of the military.
"Al-Majid, the Noble"
- Eston
- Count of Malor.
- Marshal of the Army of Massillion.
- Founder and editor of the Eston Tribune.
Medals:
Eston 100 Days Service medal
Dueling History:
- Graybeard (Norland): victory by surrender
== Najib == (deceased)
Najib has always been a restless warrior. Upon completing his training in the Colonies, he went on to fight under the banner of Lukon, but soon found life in the Colonies too slow for his liking, and it was only after a few days that he boarded a ship to the Far East. Upon arriving there, he joined the Antoza Commonwealth, one of the largest and most powerful realms on the continent.
He followed the Commonwealth forces as they rushed to help their ally, a small realm called Grand Lodge of Lunaria. After seeing the struggle the Lunarians were engaged in, battling the neighboring realm of Soliferum, he switched loyalty and went on to fight for the Grand Lodge. In a series of battles in between the capitals of the warring realms, Najib gained a lot of combat experience.
When the Grand Lodge and Soliferum signed a peace treaty, Najib followed the Barghouti tradition and left the continent. He boarded a ship to the South East Island and joined Sandalak, the realm where his younger brother Hassan had once fought. There, he established himself as a noble and trustworthy soldier.
Najib was killed in battle on December 7th 2005, when he was struck by an arrow whilst defending the occupied region of Korlok against and assault by Ikalak. His body lies buried in the Hall of Heroes in Sandalak City. His legacy will be honoured forever, as the Sandalak Council renamed one of the recruitment centers in the region where Najib fought to the death. From now on the Korlok infantry will be known as Najib's Honor Guard.
"Al-Muqqadim, the Traveler"
- Lukon
- Antoza Commonwealth
- Grand Lodge of Lunaria
- Sandalak (SEI)
- Killed in battle at age 22 (Korlok, 2005-12-07).
Medals:
Distinguished Service Medal
Hero of Sandalak
Dueling History:
no duels fought
Tariq
Calm and reserved, Tariq Barghouti, the oldest of the Barghouti brothers, has never been one to seek battle wherever he can find it. He is more disciplined than his brothers, and is more than happy with a role a lieutenant in the army. In battle, Tariq tends to act on his instinct rather than his emotions, and he will be rarely seen charging the enemy in a berserker rage. He is a well-oiled fighting machine whose only intent is to follow orders.
Tariq started his military career in Ibladesh, a realm he will forever carry in his heart. He was immediately called to arms, as Ibladesh was fighting a much larger enemy, the realm of Perdan. Although he never made his feelings public, deep down, he did not feel that this war was a righteous one. Ibladesh was constantly on the defensive, and the few times they tried to mount an offensive, it was quickly dealt with by the powerful Perdanite army. Ibladesh was betrayed by their ally Ubent, which put them even deeper in trouble.
More and more Ibladeshians started having doubts about whether the war should continue, but the Pontifex Maximus, Lady Sorcha, did not pay attention, and she stubbornly insisted on waging war against Perdan. With a heavy heart, Tariq said farewell and boarded a ship to Atamara. He became impressed with the might of the Kingdom of Abington, the most powerful army on Atamara, and one of the most powerful in the world. He joined Abington, and has since found the joy of being a soldier once more.
But the call of the East Continent was always strong, and Tariq decided it was time to move back. He emigrated to the East Continent and joined Sirion, but after a short stay, he found that the atmosphere on the East Continent had deteriorated greatly, and for the second time, Tariq moved away from the Islands, towards Beluaterra. He joined Enweil, and is currently helping them to rebuild their lands after the last undead invasion.
"Al-Haqim, the Wise"
Medals:
none so far
Dueling History:
no duels fought
Hassan
Hassan started his career in Sandalak where he fought for two years before retiring after he got married and became a father. He lived a quiet life in Sandalak City, until his brother was killed by the enemies of Ikalak during the battle of Korlok. Infuriated by the death of Najib, Hassan picked up his bow again and started a new career in the ranks of Sandalak, as a Knight of Korlok, so he could continue his brother's work: keeping Korlok out of Ikalak's grasp for good.
He has quickly established his name and has grown to become and even more dedicated soldier than his late brother, and has consequently been awarded the First Battle of Ikalak medal and the Conqueror of Ikalak medal for his efforts in liberating the Ikalakian capital and putting it under Sandalakian control. He is a master in archery, and favours archer units over other types. He expects his soldiers to be every bit as good with a bow as he is, which makes his archers amongst the best in the world. They can easily compete in terms of strength with units much larger than themselves.
"Al-Muntaqim, The Avenger"
Medals:
First Battle of Ikalak Medal
Conqueror of Ikalak Medal
Dueling History:
Argos (Ikalak): defeat by surrender
