Arabian League - Late 8th Century
Historical accounts of Caliph Al-Wāthiq bi-llāh are few and far between, leaving few nowadays with the knowledge of his true character. But unbeknownst to most modern day historians this wasn't an oversight of recordkeeping or an attempt by foreign powers to destroy his legacy: this act of archival vandalism was done by his very own people in pure and utter hatred. Caliph Vathek, as he was called at the time, was a horrifically wicked ruler who, while intellectually curious and a master of the sciences, was addicted to the pleasures of the flesh, relentlessly cruel, and had an undying hunger for power. This was obvious in his very visage itself as, while an admittedly handsome man, his eyes became so terrible upon his wrath that the wretch on whom they were fixed often instantly fell backwards and sometimes even expired. However, only those who directly interacted with him had even an inkling of this horrible truth, as despite his moral shortcomings, his reign was peaceful and lacked any famine or widespread abuse of power. The common folk therefore had no reason to suspect their esteemed Caliph was an utter monster who would slaughter any and all of them for even the slightest bit of power.
Power. That is what the Caliph coveted above all else, even more then the satisfaction of the senses or the knowledge of the wisest scholars. And while he had all the political power his land could grant him and all the intellectual might science could give a man at the time, there was one source of strength that always eluded him: magic. While he has had court mystics teach him all there was to know on the subject, the Caliph knew that there was so much more to uncover. After all, demons, monsters, and djinn roamed all throughout the land with arcane abilities that could literally reshape the world. He knew that if he were to study these beasts, surely he would eventually uncover an opportunity to gain some form of mystic might for himself. But he also knew that standard soldiers would be no match for such monstrosities, so he devised a plan: feign benevolence to a group of righteous but, most importantly, skilled heroes to form a league similar to the ones from Europe his predecessors allied with. Those he chose for this "honored" endeavor included
Shantae, the Half-Genie. Defender of the region of Arabia known as Sequin Land, this energetic and optimistic hero was the daughter of a Guardian Genie, powerful protectors of the realm who mysteriously disappeared back into the Blazing World eons ago. Born with relatively meager magic when compared to a full blooded djinn, Shantae makes due in combat via various mana based projectiles, impressive acrobatics, animal transformations, and her famous whip-like hair. Shantae spends her time not battling scheming pirates, rampaging monsters, and technologically advanced barons belly-dancing at a local parlor, sharing her love of the art with the adoring patrons. Her popularity among her audience has no doubt much to do with her legendary beauty, something she seems oblivious to. By far the most kind hearted and altruistic of the league, Shantae jumped at the opportunity to join as soon as the Caliph brought up it's supposed goal of protecting the innocent from threats local forces couldn't handle, especially as she had recently been, once again, unceremoniously relieved of her duties as guardian of her home of Scuttle Town by its petty and boneheaded mayor.
Morigana, the Slayer of the Forty Thieves. Once the property of the brother of merchant Ali Baba, this former slave-girl won her freedom by outwitting and killing the legendary Forty Thieves once they set their sight on killing Ali Baba and his entire household. Intensely clever and wise for her former standing, Morigana not only had all skills one would expect of a slave, but also had the uncanny ability to deceive and/or outsmart pretty much anyone with ease. She was also an excellent dancer and her proficiency in sword-dancing led her to be a quick learner with a blade, rhythmically sweeping across the battlefield with grace and precision. Having a somewhat solemn and withdrawn personality from her years of servitude, she was initially hesitant to leave her life of freedom behind to serve the beck and call of another powerful man, but her husband convinced her that not it would be for the greater good, it could lead more slaves to believe in their own potential.
Abu, the former Thief of Bagdad. Originally a streetwise urchin struggling to get by, he gained the opportunity to gain great power twice in immediate succession: first by accidentally freeing an ancient "Land of Legends" which immediately offered to grant their savior kingship, and second by helping the sultan of Bagdad return to his rightful throne. Both times he declined however, as his heart was always set on uncovering fun and adventure and embracing his freedom. Beyond his skills in stealing, he also owns a magic flying carpet and a mystically enhanced crossbow to aid in his nomadic lifestyle. While highly skeptical of partially submitting to another authority, not only was he intrigued by the offer of guaranteed excitement, but his ultimately kind heart was swayed by the Caliphs claim that his efforts would make the world a better place.
Sinbad the Sailor. The son of a wealthy merchant, Sinbad set off on a treasure hunting expedition after accidently wasting all of his inheritance. Despite succeeding in his quest for riches multiple times over, he was never satisfied with a life of pampering and lazy luxury. Thus, he continued going on extraordinary voyages across the known world, encountering all sorts of oddities and monsters and fueling his love for exploration and excitement. While not terribly streetwise or good at reading people due to his sheltered upbringing, he is intensely likable, with only the most vilest of beasts unable to resist his charms. He is also decent with a blade, quick-witted and, of course, well versed in all aspects of ocean navigation. Seeking him for his experience and reputation, the Caliph merely had to ask for Sinbad to once again answer the call to adventure.
Most members of the league got along exceedingly well. All four recruits had kind hearts of varying degrees and had experience with the common folk, therefore they liked the fact that their efforts together were making Arabia safer for the average citizen. All but Morigana also had a lust for adventure, and bonded greatly over the joys of travel, the thrill of combat, and the wonder of discovering something new and grand. That's not to say Morigana didn't bond with the others however: she connected with Shantae over their love of dance and was attracted to her positive yet grounded attitude, and she also related to Abu's harsh background. She was initially skeptical of Sinbad due to his wealthy upbringing, but was inevitably overtaken by his good natured charms. While Sinbad, Abu, and Shantae were initially put off by Moriganas somber and quiet personality, they greatly admired her cleverness and cunning. The threes friendly efforts were soon successful in getting Morigana to come out of her shell and enjoy her time with the others, with her and Shantae often performing alongside each other in impromptu dance shows for their male companions.
Sinbad and Abu enjoyed trading tips for surviving in the harsh wilderness, which Abu greatly appreciated as he was attempting to put his past of stealing to get by behind him. Both men also became enamored with Shantae's alluring beauty, sensual dancing, and cheerful disposition, but individually decided to keep things professional both for the sake of group effectiveness and all the growing friendships involved. Sinbad especially became quickly attached to all of his new compatriots, delighting in their presence and forgetting all his troubles once with them, a sentiment shared by the whole group.
Well, all except one. Despite the powerful connection felt by the rest of the league, the one social weak point was its leader, the Caliph. Nearly all other members knew something was off with him, the only exception being Sinbad, who was often too trusting for his own good and susceptible to manipulation if put under a friendly guise. Admittedly, the distrust of authority present in Shantae, Morigana, and Abu made them predisposed to being suspicious of the Caliph, but despite purposefully attempting to hide the more vile aspects of his personality to keep his more noble recruits on his side, his true self slipped through the cracks often, as if he couldn't help but submit to his wicked nature. He made it clear to the group that he merely considered them his tools, ordering them around like dogs and getting cross when they argued back, even when they were in the right to do so. Despite their effectiveness, he looked down upon Shantae for her profession, Morigana for being a former slave, and Abu for being a "street rat." He was especially bitter with Abu as he was not his first choice for his position: the Caliph originally wanted the legendary thief turned adventurer prince Aladdin to fill his role, but Aladdin declined due to his commitment both to his family and protecting his kingdom. Thus, through no fault of Abu, the Caliph always considered him a sloppy second replacement no matter how much he contributed to the group. Only Sinbad seemed to have his majesty's favor, due to his reputation, nearly supernatural likability, and of course, being born of a much higher standing than any other member of the league except himself.
There was also the matter of the Caliph's blatantly obvious desire for his two female recruits, particularly the voluptuous and scantily dressed Shantae. He constantly subjecting them to his lecherous stares, "subtly" felt up their bodies, and attempted to seduce them in an often aggressive manner. These attempts were always met with rejection and disgust due to the two's disdain for the man, not to mention Moriganas marital status. The reason the Caliph never gave into his ravenous lust and attempted to force himself upon them is often speculated by knowledgeable historians, with theories ranging from not wishing to upset the rest of the group to the fear of a murderous response from his potential victim.
Despite the tension between the group and its leader, this league still had a very successful run and completed various missions which, while all were ultimately done in the pursuit of the Caliph's personal interests, also benefited the region as a whole. Those missions include
Despite the tension between the group and its leader, this league still had a very successful run and completed various missions which, while all were ultimately done in the pursuit of the Caliph's personal interests, also benefited the region as a whole. Those missions include
Capturing many malevolent djinn who roamed the land, manipulating, tricking, and tormenting innocent humans for their own sick amusement. The detaining process was often done either by Shantae's magics, who were similar to her foes by blood, or via Morigana outsmarting the fiends, with the others providing assistance and backup for the battle plans of the two women. Once the djinn were caught, they were imprisoned permanently using the Seal of Solomon, which was uncovered by Merlins League with the help of Arabian scholar's centuries ago. These foul djinn included a sadistic Wishmaster who seeked to unleashed an army of his brethren to overrun the earth, a disgusting giant released by Abu himself years earlier not knowing the horrific consequences, and a beast with enormous earlobes that the Caliph was able to convince to protect his riches back at his palace. While the Caliph initially sought out these creatures to use to grant himself wishes, Morigana pointed out that these genies wicked nature and anger at being forcibly imprisoned would cause them to not only twist their masters words as cruelly as possible when granting their requests, but seek revenge upon them as soon as they are freed upon fulfilling their end of the bargain. Immediately changing his tune and declaring that the power of the genies too much for any one man to wield, he had all their containers hidden in remote and undisclosed locations, often guarded by mystical barriers and complex traps to discourage thieves, but accidentally further enticing brave adventurers to explore these structures a millennia later.
Battling various giant monsters that would terrorize certain portions of the population, from giant Roc birds who dropped boulders upon passing ships to tribes of savage monkey warriors that cooked and devoured any humans that dared pass through their territory. Despite the Caliph's disposition towards slaying any beast they came across without consideration, the group did manage to deal with two populations of creatures peacefully.
First was an island Sinbad had come across in an earlier adventure that had a population of giant cyclops. While the Caliph initially wanted to wipe them all out, Shantae pointed out that they were essentially just animals only acting out of instinct, and since they were isolated on an out of the way island, they didn't hurt anyone who didn't accidentally stumble upon them. Thus the league protected a construction crew as they created towers to warn passing ships not to dock on the island and impenetrable panic shelters in case they had no choice. The Caliph was highly opposed to this idea at first, as it would be much more cost effective to simply kill all of the beasts, but Shantae threatened to quit the league if they went through with the slaughter. This caused the Caliph to relent, not just because of the huge morale hit it would cause to the other members, but also because he was still hoping to one day bed the half-genie.
The second peaceful resolution was, funnily enough, caused by the Caliph himself. The league was called by a group of hunters in northern Africa to defend them from the Elephant King, a mighty and honorable warrior who was tired of his people being hunted and killed for their tusks. As the rest of the league reluctantly fought the noble ruler of the savanna, the Caliph was hard at work with his science trying to find a way to slow down this particularly hardy foe. Using various local ingredients in his experiments, he found that a certain palm tree seed could be used to craft a material almost exactly identical to animal ivory. Realizing he could have a monopoly on an endless supply of valuable materials, he quickly had his league withdraw from the conflict and made quick peace with the Elephant King, much to the confusion of absolutely everyone. He then secretly had his men transport as many of these palm trees to his personal gardens as possible to grow and produce vegetable ivory enmasse.
Combatting the more human villains of Arabia that threatened both the rich and poor, such as roaming bands of bandits, dark sorcerers, and scheming inventors. One example of the latter was a Bengali sage who made a name for himself crafting the most wondrous toys and entertainment contraptions ever seen at the time, bringing untold delight to whoever engaged with them. However, when a sultan refused to trade his daughter's hand in marriage for the sage's devices, the sage set his mystic machines upon the palace to take what he pleased. Abu was the hero of that adventure, as it was thanks to him swiping the plans for the machines from the sage that the league was able to find their weakness and end the battle without any casualties. Pirates were another great source of trouble in this time, from a dashing rogue who took Sinbad's name to Shantae's nefarious nemesis Risky Boots, they plundered passing merchant ships and ravaged Mediterranean ports. Finally, the league assisted the legendary Aladdin and his family in dealing with various threats to their homeland, such as the Greek genius Mechanicles, ruler of the Land of Black Sand Mozenrath, and the Egyptian goddess of evil Mirage. The Caliph didn't want to help the "worthless peasant who dared reject his superior," but he was convinced when everyone else pointed out how the villains Aladdin fought would immediately seek to conquer the Caliph's kingdom next if they won, as it was the biggest and wealthiest one nearby.
The end of this league's union began with a raid upon the royal treasury, in which the perpetrators escaped with nearly every single treasure within. Normally, the guardian genie assigned to the chamber could easily deal with any intruder, his phenomenal power making any call for backup unnecessary. However, these weren't just any ordinary burglars, but the legendary forty thieves, somehow resurrected as spirits! Being able to fly, phase through nearly any material, and can even make other objects intangible in turn, they were able to quickly avoid every guard and took the various great treasures the League helped add to the Caliphs collection, such as diamonds taken from a valley of giant serpents and barrels of ambrosia from a glowing river from the gods. The giant guardian was also powerless against them, as he felt within them the magic power of an even greater djinn then himself.
Infuriated at the loss of his wealth, the Caliph gathered his league and ventured into his armory to gather weapons forged with the one element known to man that can harm spirits without any sorcery involved: Nth Metal. This rare material was said to be gifted to the Egyptians thousands of years ago by beings from beyond the stars, and can not only disturb mystic energies, but also affect apparitions as if they were physical beings. The Caliph, of course, had to have some, not just to make sure his power was secure from all potential usurpers, but also to satisfy his own curiosity and vanity. Fully armed, the league then used Moriganas connection to Ali Baba to get information regarding the thieves from him, as he was their last major target. Terrified at the thought of these sinister specters seeking vengeance upon him for getting them killed and stealing their wealth, Ali Baba informed the league of the magical hidden cave the thieves used as their hideout, as well as the magical words necessary for opening it.
Getting the jump on the thieves, the league is easily able to rout them with their new weapons, which their foes were completely unprepared to face. Half of their wicked assembly was reslain and sent to the underworld, while the other half fled wildly into the night, including their leader, the wicked and vile Sa'Luk. The league managed to recover most of the Caliph's treasures, with one crucial and worrisome exception: the White World Ring of Desire. Previously found by Merlin's League alongside the Seal of Solomon centuries ago, the ring was one of the seven sacred talismans that controlled the land and stories of Arabia. Rationalizing that some powerful magical being must have resurrected the thieves in order to have them help collect the rings, the league decides to gather them first to prevent an unknown malevolent entity from controlling their entire land unabated. Thus began an arduous yet epic quest, which took the league from dinosaur infested jungles to lava drenched factories, facing everything from massive scorpions to fiery infrits to impenetrable golems. Eventually, the group discovered that all the monsters they'd been facing originated from one location: the floating night palace of Istakhar.
After using Abu's magic carpet to enter the palace, all but the Caliph were immediately bound by mystic chains conjured by the being responsible for all of their recent troubles: Erazor Djinn, Genie of 1000 Sorrows. As the league struggled against their bounds, the Caliph began laughing maniacally and proclaimed himself the architect of their doom! He explained that towards the beginning of their quest for the rings that Erazor appeared before him in private to strike a bargain. You see, the djinn desired the power of the rings to reshape all of the Arabian Nights as he saw fit, but such power would only activate if those who gathered the sacred talisman were sacrificed to Eblis, one of the most powerful Lord of Demons. Erazor offered that, in exchange for the rings and his league, the djinn would grant the Caliph all the treasures of hell, which were of such power and beauty that only the greatest of all mankind could even comprehend their wonder. The Caliph easily accepted this demonic deal, due to his greed, ego, and growing hatred for his disobedient minions.
As he was explaining his betrayal however, the chains the league were ensnared by dissipated into nothing. The team quickly got to action battling both their new foe and their old boss. When he furiously demanded to know how they destroyed their chains, the league happily explained that they knew of the Caliph's treachery from nearly the beginning. Morigana realized early on that the beasts they were facing never seeked to harm them too severely or go for the killing blow, and they were especially careful not to harm the Caliph. Suspicious, she asked Shantae to spy on their leader using her small and stealthy monkey form, and through this investigation they discovered his deal with Erazor. Gathering the rest of the league, sans the Caliph of course, they all used Abu's magic carpet to journey to the Night Palace early to learn more about the dastardly djinn. There they found Shahra, Erazor's lover who was having massive misgivings about her significant others' vile deeds. Using his impeccable people skills, Sinbad was able to convince her to turn against Erazor and assist the league, giving them a totem that would release them from any magic bondage.
Back in the present, the league soon realized that they could not contend with the phenomenal raw might at Erazors command, so instead they each grabbed a world ring and used their power to seal him within Hell itself. Furious at this defeat, on his way down Erazor grabbed the Caliph to drag him down with him. As both their hearts erupted in unholy flames, Erazor snarked that the Caliph could marvel at all the treasures Hell had to offer, as he suffered for all eternity!
After explaining everything that happened to the next in line, minus the part about their part in facilitating the former Caliph's demise, the group decided that now that the reason for their gathering was dead, it was the perfect time to go their separate ways. Abu and Sinbad merely went back to adventuring, though Sinbad would every so often claim his latest adventure was his last and that he was finally ready to settle down, only for the call to seize him once again. Morigana went on a journey on her own across the land, using the skills she's learned from her time with the league as well as the Nth metal weapons from the late Caliph to hunt down the remaining spectral members of the Forty Thieves. After a climatic battle with Sa'Luk, in which he nearly killed her beloved husband in vengeance, Morigana finally settled down for the quiet life she had been desperate for. Shantae sadly had the most tragic fate. After returning to Scuttle Town to continue her work as its guardian, she eventually realized that her djinn heritage made her immortal, and watched helplessly as everyone she knew and loved grew old and perished while she stayed young as ever. After burying her last mortal friend, she decided to forgo the human world and journey into the Blazing one to hopefully find her lost people and especially her mother. Thankfully she's not completely alone, as she's accompanied by fellow immortal Rottytops. While formed for ill intentions, the Arabian League was a massive success in protecting the people from Arabia from all manner of monsters and villainy.