Great Confederacy of Commonwealth States wrote:Character Name: Shadhaa Samita (The Silent)
Character Race: Human
Character Description/Image: Character Personality: Shadhaa is someone who is almost entirely unreserved. She speaks her mind and she speaks the truth, unless pure necessity dictates otherwise. As a Qadi, or Justice, her task is to bring a truth to the world, no matter how large or small this truth may be. However, as much as she will know and speak the truth, it is not her position to alter the truth. She isn't even in a position to judge. Her duty is to know and to explain, rather than to decide and alter. At least, this is the tradition in which she was raised. Meeting Shadhaa can be uncomfortable to those who are not familiar with a person speaking truthfully, and especially for those in traditions that do not allow women to be so bold and forward. However, the wisest men of the Sultanate have found that it is always good to have a Qadi nearby, if only for truth in moments of desparation, where no-one else can be trusted.
Shadhaa is a naturally curious individual, and she is known to ask too many questions for comfort. Nothing lies particularly outside her intrests, although she focuses on matters of law and sociology, as well as what we today would call political sciences. This interest is not merely secular, but religious, and Shadhaa is a very religious and observant woman indeed. The existence of the divine is presupposed and clear through all the beauty in the world, and it is understanding the will of the divine that gives Shadhaa her natural curiosity.
Character Flaws: Shadhaa fears that being too much of a presence will somehow disturb the world she wants to observe. She enjoys company, but cannot allow herself to rely too much on others. She has to rely on herself, in fear of being intelelctually 'infected' by those she wishes to observe. As such, while she has no trouble making superificial friendships for a time, she shuns close bonds with people that might be beneficial to her. Likewise, she is unable to use her knowledge to actually affect the world, because that is not her purpose, and she might actually befoul her subject matter by interfering. She gathers wisdom for the sake of wisdom, and to help others make decisions, but even then she is reserved. She makes a good councillor, but a terrible leader.
Character Bio/Backstory: Shadhaa was born into a farmer's household of median wealth, owning land surrounding a small oasis in northern Makhalga. Although generally unsuited for growing crop, it provided a good base of operations for their sheep and goat herds. Because she was of median wealth, Shadhaa had to suffer the worst of both worlds: not being extraordinarily wealth, the family could not afford to live their lives in a city like Almaqa, but still being rich enough that she was kept inside, not being required to help with the running of the farm. She got to play with the sheep every once in a while, but generally, she was expected to learn the ancient stories of her people by heart, and to sing the songs of her ancestors. Simple, boring work.
When she was eleven, the oasis of her family hosted peace talks between two neighbouring clans, who laid claim to land whose ownership was in dispute. For seven days, the chieftains negotiated, under the watchful eye of a visitor: a woman, a Qadi, from the Mardiyya el-Amen school of jurisprudence in Almaqa. The ancient tribal traditions in the region, still from before the Sultan's conquest, held the wisdom and neutrality of women in high regard, and seeking a final outcome to their dispute, the two clans had spared no expense. The woman was a true matriarch, keeping order and granting wisdom when asked. When she told a story, everyone was at her lips, and when she decided in the small disputes that made up the final dispute, some might grumble, but all accepted her wisdom.
The dispute was settled peacefully and the clans returned to their home, and so did Tulaiha, the female Qadi. However, not before Shadhaa's father had extracted from her a payment for his hospitality: that his daughter be allowed to study at Mardiyya el-Amen. Now, Tulaiha had grumbled, but the ancient ways would not allow her to deny such a gracious host, and soon they received word that Shadhaa could come and study at Mardiyya el-Amen. Now, these studies were not the light reading she had received back at home, where books and scrolls were scarce. In her first five years, until she was seventeen, she only read the stories, and multiple versions, being taught how to distinguish between the versions and the reason for their differences. Until she was twenty, she was taught the various different schools of taught, with the Mardiyya el-Amen school providing her with a particularly liberal methodology, based on the ancient tribal laws of yore. The final four years of study were spent actually applying these rules, and reading the various tomes of legal scholars to that effect.
Shadhaa was 25 by the time she was finished with her studies, and her hard work had paid off. She was offered a position at the school itself, to teach the younglings. However, the teaching life did not suit her. She wanted to write a legal tome of her own, based on the various local laws that already existed from before the Sultan's conquest. Thus, supplying herself with a donkey, some writing gear, and an iron staff, she headed out on her own, doing the work of a traveling Qadi. When in cities and towns, she was paid in gold and silver, and when in the countryside, she was paid in meat and foodstuffs, as well as clothing. She appreciated the countryside more for its similarities to home, and because of their peace and quiet. Yet, in the towns and cities there were large cases stretching back hundreds of years, as well as rulers who needed advice.
Her travels took her east, until she arrived at the mouth of the Qaara river, which she followed northwards through the river valley. Here, she had her first experiences with Horned Folk and Hooved Folk, and though she was afraid of them at first, through her natural-born curiosity she also learnt a lot about their customs. From this sprouted the idea of an entirely separate tome, on the nature of Dzho'Drakt. Their love for balance was one that really stuck with her, as a lover of peace and justice, and many of the Dzho'Drakt teachings made their way into her notes.
Now, she has arrived at Alkhafat by river barge. She is in need of hospitality, money to pay for her trip, and stories to fill her ever-growing piles of notes. In short, she seeks a case to crack. With the ever-encroaching Living Wase advancing towards the city, she hopes to make it her home, to see the reaction of humanity, and to bear witness to a monumental, historical event that would surely change the world for generations to come. Such wisdom, from such a special event, could only be gained once. So, she seeks to settle, and to take the last possible barge out of the city when the Waste finally arrives, or until she grows bored. In the meantime, she will seek the wisdom of the Horned and Hooved folk, for as long as their civilisations still exist, and her great wish is to visit an Alrifaq mountainside village.
Character Skills and profession: Shadhaa is a Qadi, a master of Tabala jurisprudence and learned, not just in its religious texts, but specifically knowledgeable about the sources of law within the religion. The study of Fiqh Tabala is almost as old as the worship of the stars itself, when the Magi of old tried to divine the way society should be organised from the stars. This study was soon separated into its own field of study. Fiqh Tabala does not follow a single methodology. Rather, the methodology has regional differences as well as philosophical differences, depending on the context of the age and the demands of a given time. Generally, however, most Qadi study the life of the Lunar Mantle and the many stories told since the foundation of Tabala, as well as the ancient legends from before that time. Qadi try to interpret these stories to find hidden meanings and truths that are applicable to the modern day. These rules are then extrapolated into laws by which all followers of Tabala should conduct themselves. Fiqh Tabala holds rules about property, family, criminal justice, and all other kinds of law.
In court, the Qadi is generally does not determine outcome of a case, or sentence. While some Qadi are judges, they generally tend to advise sheiks and sultans in their law-giving, and in lower courts they simply law down the matter before a local jury or a village elder, depending on local customs. Qadi are frequent travellers, since there aren't enough of them to provide every town and village with legal advice. As such, they travel from location to location, and with their arrival all court cases that have come up since the last Qadi left are settled. Qadi of the court are paid handsomely for their services, while travelling Qadi are often paid in food or other items. Being frequent travellers, Qadi often use their time to collect stories and legends of their own, which in turn can be adopted into great legal tomes. The tomes of the most prolific and wisest authors are often themselves seen as law, and reference to these writers is enough to sway most judges.
Shadhaa is a part of the Qadi tradition that looks mostly to nature to find the true meanings of right and wrong, as an addition to the sacred texts. More specifically, she adheres to the school of thought that sees humanity as part of nature, and thus, through watching humans at their most natural can you find out the true nature of the universe. This school is among the more liberal of the Qadi jurisprudences, since it seeks to respect human nature above some laws, and puts emphasis on the idea that human desires are not necessarily the work of evil. This puts them at odds with Qariqism, which they in turn percieve as the chief heresy.
Additional information: Carries an inscribed iron staff for protection, which she would never use to kill. Only to incapacitate.