Arwa the Pearled One

Arwa the Pearled One
Official information
Kingdom	Sarranid Sultanate
Monarch	Sultan Hakim
Title	Claimant
Personal details
Gender	Female

Arwa The Pearled One is the claimant to the throne of the Sarranid Sultanate.

She says that she was purchased as a slave by the former Sultan, Ayzar, who was impressed by her intelligence and loved her like a daughter, eventually permitting her to manage his realm. Upon his death, she was made ruler to prevent civil war with the requirement that she marry the general, Emir Baybak. Arwa was recognized as the "Mother of the Realm", while Baybak as "Commander of the Armies". After Baybak was slain in a battle against the Khergit, his nephew Hakim drove her out of the palace at sword point and proclaimed himself Sultan. She now seeks an army with which to overthrow her husband's nephew and retake the throne.

Hakim, however, defends his actions, saying that her power was completely derived from her ability to manipulate men like Ayzar and Baybak with her wit and beauty. He argues that a woman alone could not rule the throne, and claims he prevented tyranny and civil war by forcing himself into power. Hakim served her loyally while her royal husband was alive, and now he expects her to return the favor.

According to a rumor, Emir Uqais and Sultan Baybak are brothers, but Uqais was exiled by Baybak and he escaped from exile during the reign of Sultan Hakim, later becoming Emir.

Stats and Equipment

Arwa the Pearled One - Default Stats and Equipment

Attributes Stat Points Level 38 Strength 20 Agility 20 Intelligence 20 Charisma 20 Health 67 Armor Helmets None Body Armor Sarranid Mail Shirt Boots Plated Boots Gloves None Skills Skill Points Ironflesh 6 Power Strike 0 Power Throw 0 Power Draw 0 Weapon Master 0 Shield 0 Athletics 5 Riding 7 Horse Archery 0 Looting 0 Trainer 0 Tracking 0 Tactics 6 Path-finding 0 Spotting 0 Inventory Management 0 Wound Treatment 0 Surgery 0 First Aid 0 Engineer 0 Persuasion 0 Prisoner Management 0 Leadership 9 Trade 0 Proficiencies Weapon Type Points One Handed Weapons ? Two Handed Weapons ? Polearms 220 Archery 220 Crossbows 220 Throwing 220 Weapons Melee Weapons Sarranid Cavalry Sword Ranged Weapons None Shields Elite Cavalry Shield Mount Sarranid Horse

Trivia

• Arwa's name (أروى) means "beautiful" in Arabic and could be a reference to Arwa al-Sulayhi, an early medieval queen of Yemen also of common descent and known for her beauty and cunning. However she could also be a reference to Shajar al-Durr, a real female monarch who had a similar origin story.
• Arwa shares her banner with Emir Uqais, the initial lord of Durquba. In the banner selection screen, both come up as if they are different banners, but this is simply a coding issue.
  • Their banner is a desert or steppe eagle, a prominent Sarranid symbol also used as the emblem for the faction. This is in stark contrast to Hakim's banner, which is the only one of all the lords not to bear a heraldic animal. The eagle could be the sigil of Sultan Ayzar, Hakim's predecessor, and since Hakim is only connected to him through Baybak (who in turn is connected to the sultan through Arwa), it would make sense for the banner to be different from the Sultan's. Hakim's claim thus hinges on Baybak, who was never officially Sultan, while Arwa traces herself back to the old dynasty, granting her an extra bit of legitimacy.
    • The shared banner can lead players to believe that Uqais and Arwa may be indirectly related. Since Arwa gained her status as a noble from her marriage to Emir Baybak, it could be the origin of the eagle banner. What is more likely, though, is that the banner comes from the time of the old Sultanate - under Ayzar, the eagle was the primary symbol of the Sarranids. And since the banner is completely identical to Arwa's, it could even come from the Ayzar's dynasty itself - perhaps the lords of Durquba were a cadet branch, or Uqais is a disinherited brother.

Gallery

Arwa the Pearled One's starting equipment