Court of the Caliph: BC Hotseat Council Thread

**phonicsmonkey** · 02-27-2008, 04:53

The Abbasid Caliph's Palace, Baghdad

In times past when the Abbasid Caliphs ruled over the lands of the faithful, provincial governors and satraps would journey to the Court of the Caliph for the shura, or consultation, between the Defender of the Faith and the ummah.

Although those days are but a memory, and the Caliphate a shadow of its former self, the tradition of the Court at Baghdad acting as a focal point for negotiations and announcements between nations of the region has persisted, and emissaries of the disparate peoples of the ummah continue to gather there to do business, gossip and make threats and declarations.

The current Caliph, weary of strife and keen to restore the Caliphate's leading role among the nations of the Dar al-Islam through religious instruction, diplomacy and trade, has encouraged this practice - and to that end has even invited the Kings of the Christian nations of the West to send their representatives to Baghdad.

An uneasy truce is maintained at the Court between the rival factions and freedom of speech and open negotiation is encouraged.

**The Lemongate** · 02-27-2008, 05:52

The Caliph's Court, Baghdad

The Roman ambassador angrily storms in followed by a cohort of advisors, servants and bodyguards. Brazenly addressing the Caliph he exclaims:

"How dares the Arab Basileos send threats to the Roman People! Conflict with the Turkish invaders of Anatolikon is inevitable and entirely to blame on their illegitimate occupation of our ancestral land and holy cities! The Arabs should do well to remember that in the New Rome they deal with a people and a religion much older then their own and show us the respect that we are due."

Having shocked the court, the ambassador marches out amid the protests of various cheikhs and emirs.

**phonicsmonkey** · 02-27-2008, 06:34

The Caliph's Vizier rises to address the Court

The Caliph assumes the Roman is referring to a recent communication sent to all of the Kings of the West, in which it was stated:

"The Caliph warns the Christian Kings that no unprovoked attacks on Islamic nations or further incursions on Islamic territories will be tolerated."

The Caliph would remind the Roman King that in the same communication he clearly stated that the Caliphate does not intend to wage a war against the Christian kingdoms, and that he also offered to act as an objective mediator in any disputes between the peoples of the book.

There is no implied threat in the Caliph's words, only the assertion, which should be already evident to all, that the Defender of the Faith cannot in good conscience let nations of the ummah suffer unprovoked attack and invasion by aggressors of any faith without trying his utmost to prevent it.

The Caliph considers all nations of the faithful, even those unrepresented at this Court like the Turkish and Ayyubid Sultanates, to be under his spiritual protection.

The Caliph seeks to forestall the need for violence by offering the possibility of peaceful negotiation between the ummah and the Christian nations, and welcomes constructive proposals from their Kings.

Let the King of the Romans put forth a proposition for the Caliph and the other leaders of the Dar al-Islam to consider.

**Zim** · 02-27-2008, 06:44

The Ghaznavid ambassador stands. Although he has a *Turkish accent, his clothing seems more Persian.

Isn't this "Turkish Sultanate" some sort of splinter from the nation of the Great Seljuks? While I am all too happy to see the Seljuk oppressors lose territory to rebellion, I can't help but think this Sultanate is as voracious as the nation they split from, and not worth the Caliph's protection.

* The Ghaznavid ruling class was Turkish butheavily influenced by Persian culture. As for the accent, since this is Baghdad I figure Arabic is the lingua franca.

**phonicsmonkey** · 02-27-2008, 06:50

The thoughts of the Ghaznavids are noted. The Caliph would welcome input from the other leaders of the ummah, either in this forum or privately.

**rossahh** · 02-27-2008, 07:19

The ambassador from the Kingdom of Jerusalem rises from his position.

Jerusalem would like to announce to this court that we shall seize the rebellious settlements Baalbeck, Hama, Antioch, Aleppo and Edessa. We pray that no other ruler will contest these claims, but should that occur, we will negotiate with all to find a peaceful resolution.

However, we too note that the Abbasids have seemingly added to the tensions between the Christens and the Muslims, all-the-while under the guile of brokering peace between the two. Jerusalem will not tolerate Abbasid interference in matters not of their own. We suggest you look to your own borders and your own neighbors before you look outwards at others. War between Jerusalem and the Ayyubid Sultanate is inevitable and necessary, but it is our war, not the Abbasid's, so stay out.

You have been warned.

**00jebus** · 05-27-2008, 19:54

gentlemen, we've managed to repulse a ghanzivid army, now can we have peace?

or are the ghanzivids so obsessed by conquest they cannot see that any advance towards samarquand will be met with extreme predudice.

**Askthepizzaguy** · 05-27-2008, 21:22

The Turk cannot help but be amused by the Shah's army and their never-say-die attitude. While the Turks official position in the North is for the Shah's unconditional surrender to the Persian Shah of Ghazni and the Turkish Seljuk Sultanate, he finds the Shah to be a worthy opponent.

A messenger arrives from the Turkish front and whispers something into the ear of the Turkish ambassador. The expression of amusement on his face turns to shock; he rises.

I have just been informed that the Latins have... met the conditions of surrender and peace with the Turks by withdrawing to their newly defined borders. Our armies now occupy the lands they left in peace.

The Turk is puzzled, however, why the Latins did not simply hand the provinces to us via diplomacy... why they rejected the alliance we offered them? Nevertheless, the offer still stands. We have offered them the cease-fire, and trade rights, and map information, and should they accept, we will offer them the alliance as promised.

The Turk wishes to inform the Roman delegate that he is now in possession of parts of Cilicia which he may be interested in. He urges the Roman ambassador to meet with him in the private antechamber to discuss the transfer of sovereignty.

We also wish to inform those assembled here that large parts of our army have been disbanded, specifically most of the ghazis gained during the transfer of ownership of Sis and Vahka. Our budget is nowhere near balanced, but this helps us enormously. The path towards peace is upon us.

We are also pleased to announce that our royal family has doubled in size during the past several years, and we are no longer in danger of meeting the same fate as our Armenian brethren, whose citizens now enjoy our protection. Soon, they will be under the enlightened leadership of their Orthodox brothers the Romans.

We must adopt a defensive posture and focus on rebuilding. I am afraid I cannot offer any support at present to the Eastern Coalition, until our finances are in order. Let's see... there was one other small bit of business...

I am aware that the Latins are about to receive reinforcements from their Pope, who should be violating Roman territory any day now. I would ask the Latin delegate to either disband these armies (not a chance, right?) or please send a ship to carry them to your homelands safely whist not disturbing the sovereignty of their neighbors. I cannot speak for the Roman ambassador, but he's assured me that although you are now allied with the Romans, large armed forces still have no business in the core provinces of the Roman empire at this time, unless you have both resolved that matter privately.

That is all...

The Turk sits down, thankful that business has been resolved to his satisfaction with his neighbors. He looks over at the Armenian chair, now vacant, and his face darkens...

**Banzai Kamikaze** · 05-27-2008, 22:21

The Ayyubid ambassador frowns. A slave brings him new letters from the Ethiopia, where the great Salahuddin fights the hordes of black soldiers threatening the Middle East.

I... Hmf.... We congratulate our Turkish brothers for disbanding part of their army, and wish them all the best for their reconstruction efforts.

As for the Romans, we maintain our condemnation of their occupation: the Holy Sites are no place to keep large standing armies and should have been spared from the horrors of war.

We ask the Romans to allow an Ayyubid delegation to observe the status of Muslim holy sites. We pray that they have not been damaged.

We also ask the Romans to protect the Muslims who now live under their occupation. Do not invoke the anger of Allah by denying them their rights.

The recent events in the Levant are of a great concern to the Ayyubids. We maintain our condemnation of the Coalition and of the Romans for their invasion of our neighbor.

We...must also condemn the Caliph's involvment in these matters. While our Sultan keeps the utmost respect for the Peacemaker, he fails to see how invading Syria would help promote peace.

So many aggressions have been made in the name of peace and freedom...In the face of so much unjustified aggression, the Ayyubids have decided to slightly raise the size of their standing army. We hope our neighbors will not feel threatened by this decision and will understand our position.

**phonicsmonkey** · 05-27-2008, 23:56

The Vizier stands and addresses the Ayyubid ambassador.

Noble emissary of Salahuddin, the Caliph's actions in invading Syria have brought the very peace that you sought - ensuring that the Turks, Romans and Latins come to an agreement and cease their fighting.

Is it any co-incidence that immediately after the Caliph's intervention, the Crusaders agreed to the terms of peace offered by their adversaries?

In any event, the Caliph has demonstrated his desire for an end to violence by withdrawing his forces from the region and back to their bases across the Euphrates, leaving only those men required to keep the peace in the occupied territories.

Rest assured, Ambassador, that the Caliph's desire for peace is undiminished.