An elf in the Order of the Eagle — quartermaster, forty-something, reads like a clerk — and the other man who squired for Naqi al-Akram. He gave Haroun the story of Naqi’s death, and he is holding something back.
What We Know (all S6)
- Elven quartermaster for the Order of the Eagle. An elf inside an Order Militant is worth noting on its own — see Elves.
- In his forties. Comes across as a clerk, not a soldier.
- Has a minor gift that “boils down to small lights.”
- He also squired for Naqi al-Akram — which makes him and Haroun something like foster-brothers, and explains why he agreed to meet a stranger’s note.
- Met Haroun at a winehouse and wore his Order of the Eagle tabard deliberately, to reduce the trouble of being an elf in the capital right now. See The Elf Scapegoating.
- His family is pushing him to marry a young elven lady.
- Haroun expects to be in the city several times over the next month; they agreed to meet again.
What he said about Naqi
- Naqi was supposed to accompany Prince Awad to the dwarfhold — and begged off, because his sister had died.
- He went to his family’s estate for her, took ill there, and passed.
What he didn’t say
- Haroun read him as holding back, pushed gently, and got nowhere. See The Death of Naqi al-Akram.
Why He Matters
He just answered, in one sentence, the question that has topped Haroun’s personal list since Session 2: Naqi was not in the ruins. He was supposed to be, and something took him out of the party first, and then he died anyway. That is either the saddest coincidence in the campaign or the shape of a very careful piece of work — and Sadiq, who volunteered all of it, is visibly not saying everything.
He is also an elf with a tabard, in a summer when the capital is burning elves. Whatever else he is, he is exposed.
Speculation
He wore the tabard to a private meeting in a winehouse. That is a man who has calculated what it costs to be an elf in Isbi’liyyah this month, and decided the Order’s badge is worth more than anonymity. Compare Ari, who the party is now buying a separate house for.
Speculation
What is he protecting? Options, none excluded: he thinks Naqi’s death was not natural and won’t say so to a near-stranger; he knows why Naqi was pulled off the detail; he knows something about the trip itself; or it is simply grief and none of the party’s business. Haroun is the one person who can keep asking without a cover story.
Speculation
An elven quartermaster sees every requisition an order makes. If Awad’s expedition to the dwarfhold was outfitted through the Eagle, Sadiq’s ledgers know who went. Nobody has asked him for a roster. See The Death of Crown Prince Awad.
Relationships
- Naqi al-Akram — the knight he squired for
- Haroun al-Affan — his fellow squire under Naqi; new contact
- Order of the Eagle — his order
Appearances
- Session 6 — met Haroun at a winehouse in Isbi’liyyah.