Ihsan - Out of Character

[Juicesir]

In love, nothing exists between heart and heart.
Speech is born out of longing,
True description from the real taste.
The one who tastes, knows;
the one who explains, lies.
How can you describe the true form of Something
In whose presence you are blotted out?
And in whose being you still exist?
And who lives as a sign for your journey?

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The Story
"As-salāmu `alaykum. Peace be upon you, my friends. Come now. Sit! Sit! And let me tell you of a tale."

"This is no story of jinn or magic horses. The thieves I will speak of number greater than forty and did more horrible things than any bedtime story may speak of. I shall not tell you of any secret word which will open to a cave of wonders. For this story is real!"

"Which makes it all the more entrancing..."

"Our story begins some time ago. Four hundred and twenty three years after our Prophet Muhammad - peace be upon him - migrated to the radiant city of Medina to Mecca, there lived a raider who had wandered both far from home and God. This is a story of a father's pride, his son's anger, and the journey and friends which brought redemption to both of them..."

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The Rules

1. All RPA rules apply.
2. Obey the GM.
3. No swearing.
4. No in character descriptions or depictions of anything that would earn a PG-13 rating or above.
5. Literacy required.
6. Be kind, be respectful, and do not be rude or intolerant.
7. No white/Caucasian characters may be created.
8. If you wish to create a non-religious character or a character who is not Muslim, please contact the GM first.
9. Appearances may be either pictures or descriptions. Both are preferred. Anime is not allowed.

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The Premise
Ihsan, in Arabic, means "to do beautiful things." It is a core concept of Islam, and one of the three dimensions of that religion. In essence, it means to show one's inner faith through action and deed, and not only word.

This roleplay will be an exploration in more than one sense. In the first regard, it is a story about a journey, specifically the Hajj. This Hajj will begin in Morocco, go to Mecca, and extend thereafter wherever we desire to. The other players who are in the caravan are others on their way to the east: fellow Muslims on their own Hajjs, traders, explorers, or travellers. In creating your character, you should find some reason that your character would wish to make this journey. Are they journeying for spiritual enlightenment? Economic hope? Simple pleasure? Give them a goal they can attain on this journey. Whether noble or ignoble is up to you.

In another respect, this is an exploration of religion, and many ideas contained within it. Sinfulness, redemption, forgiveness, the living of a good life, and God's love are all ideas which will be explored. It is at this point that I should state that I myself do not hold any religious affiliations, and undertake this roleplay as more a philosophical journey than a means to proselytize my own beliefs. I again state that I am non-religious. Thus, this roleplay is open and welcoming to people of all faiths.

With that in mind, this roleplay will take somewhat of an investment on the part of all players, and will be somewhat challenging. This is a realistic roleplay and will require realistic portrayals which are not simply caricatures. I have listed some resources which will be of use.

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The Resources

Spoiler: Map of the Middle East, circa 1032 CE 

A summary on Islam: link
Arab naming conventions: link
The Five Pillars of Islam: link
The Islamic Golden Age: link

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The Sheets
Feel free to shoot me any questions you may have when creating your character.

[B]Name:[/B] (consult the Arabic naming conventions)
[B]Age:[/B] (no younger than 10, no older than 40)
[B]Gender:[/B] (male or female)
[B]Faith:[/B] (ask first if you wish to make a character who is not Muslim)
[B]Appearance:[/B] (picture and/or short description, but no anime)
[B]Short Bio:[/B] (no more than 3 paragraphs)
[B]Reason for Journey:[/B] (why your character joined the caravan and is traveling to Mecca) 

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The Pilgrims

Spoiler: The Betrothed 

Name: Zahra bint Asad al-Samara
Age: 17
Gender: Female
Faith: Muslim of course
Appearance: Apologies for the poor quality. Zahra is a tall slender young woman, standing at about 5' 9". She also possesses long dark hair that extends past her breasts, although it's always worn up and covered while within the public eye. Occasionally she will also don the niqab(the face veil for those who are unaware), although this is not a constant thing for her.
Short Bio: Zahra was born into a noble family of Damascus so from an early age became well accustomed to privilege. Being the only daughter among four sons, she also tended to receive special treatment from her father on that accord, only further cementing her background. However, despite this, the man was often busy and left the young Zahra in the care of her mother. This allowed the two to form a close relationship which tragically came to an end with the death of her mother due to sickness.

Emotionally broken and distressed over her mother, a teenaged Zahra often experienced withdrawals from society and even from her own family. Instead of being a regular girl of her age she instead found herself indulging in long prayer and meditation sessions instead as she began to believe her mother's death was punishment of some sort. This was something that left her father rather impressed, having noted a lack of religious development in his daughter previously. Of course, among nobles private lives never stayed private for long and soon word got out to other powerful families in the region.

Religiously devout noblemen in particular were impressed with Zahra's devotion so soon decided she was a possible candidate for marriage to their sons of the same age. They were deals quickly struck up, although soon Zahra found herself having to prove her devotion yet again, but this time through a pilgrimage to the Holy City. Zahra found herself both ambitious and reluctant about the idea, although once opportunity arose she announced to her father she was ready and he made all the travel arrangements with a Moroccan caravan that was preparing for the same journey.
Reason for Journey: Proof of devotion and also her own spiritual development.

Spoiler: The Prophetess 

Name: Hana bint Irfan ibn Iqbal al-Awan

Age: 22

Gender: female

Faith: Muslim

Appearance:

Spoiler:  

Short Bio: When Hana was small, her parents did not think it so odd, the way she carried out long conversations with herself. Even when her father finally pointed out that no one was there to converse with, and she innocently responded that angels spoke to her, and would it not be rude to ignore them, they told themselves that there was nothing wrong. It was just the vivid imagination held by any normal child... but as she grew older, and the conversations did not stop, they could no longer ignore the truth. Their daughter was majnoon, insane.

Hana has always been a light-hearted and happy person, for why wouldn't she be? Allah's angels travel with her always. But she is not detached enough from reality to be unaware of the burden she places on her family.

Reason for Journey: - hopes that through this journey she might understand why she was made the way she is, and through this knowledge understand her purpose. Her family accepted this decision, sharing her hope; though perhaps there was a part of them that was relieved to be free of the burden of her, too.

Spoiler: The Son 

Name: Faruq ibn Ghalib ibn Salah Al-Din El Djezairi
Age: 27
Gender: Male
Faith: Muslim
Appearance: Of Tuareg descent, Faruq is typical of his people. A dark-skinned man who stands slightly taller than average, he keeps a short goatee that is as sparse as the desert. He has several scars, the most predominant of which is upon his right cheek.
Short Bio: Born somewhere in Libya and/or Algeria, Faruq's upbringing was not like many others in so far in that his father was a wealthy trader. Forsaking the nomadic lifestyle of his ancestors, Faruq's father made quite a killing as a ruthless lender of money. Often, he harped on the importance of faith, but his actions often spoke to the contrary.

Left with a muddled upbringing, Faruq went East and eventually joined a group of bedouin raiders. Tormenting caravans from Cairo to Sana'a, he made a tidy profit. He justified his actions by the Quran; after all, the Prophet himself was a raider for a time. Recently, however, he received word of his father's ailing health and was also told of another disturbing fact: his father had never completed a Hajj in his life. It is this fact which has caused him to return again to the west, and hopefully help his father do the right thing.
Reason for Journey: To make sure his father, Ghalib, completes at least one Hajj in his life.

[Elizabeth16]

I am of course totally in on whatever magic this will become.
There will, of course, be Arabian horses should I be involved. Just saying.

[Froggy]

Hello there, it looks like you’re off to an amazing start! Here are a few links that will help you get your game noticed! Have fun and happy RPing!

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The Roleplay of the Week thread is a great place to get others to advertise your RP for you!

The Banner shop is a great place to ask someone to make a graphic for your RPotW submission!

The Roleplaying Games Directory is full of interesting roleplays, why not put yours there too!

Wanna know what's up with all the Staff Siggies?

The RPA Tribune is full of entertainment, why not submit your roleplay to be featured?
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Good luck!!!

[G]

Subscribed and considering. If I feel satisfied with the char. in my head when she's written out I'll be back.

[Juicesir]

Thanks Eli, and I look forward to seeing your character G.

[Kris]

Ihsan also means "charity". And I'm considering.

[Woz]

Definitely considering this one; it's very different from what I usually see.

It may be a nice change of pace.

We'll see what happens.

[Nachthexe]

I have a huge interest in this subject matter so I do want to join this. Mind if I create a noblewoman character? She's my first idea, although if not I have others I could use.

[Juicesir]

I'm open to any characters at this point, lol.

[Nachthexe]

I'm open to any characters at this point, lol.

Awesome. I'll start on a CS right away then. I'll probably also have her travelling with a servant, although I won't bother on a CS for him since he'll likely just be a NPC.