Ro-Malakai family history

Below is the final version of the Ro-Malakai family history for anyone interested in the role Ro-Koran's ancestors played in the liberation of the West from the Dramojh. Most of my gaming time has been taken up by putting together background for an Ars Magica game that we will be replacing the Arcana Evolved game with when it goes into temporary hiatus. Once a player background is written and sent to everyone I will post that here too.

Ro-Malakai family history

Arrival in the West

The Ro-Malakai landed at Khorl in 6439 (common year 1228) as part of the force of Giants and Sibeccai who had come West.

Ro-Aayaat’Muhkamaat Malaki, then head of the Ro-Malakai family, led the vanguard of Giants and Sibecai into Khorl. Facing stiff resistance from only a thin line of Khorl defenders the Giants and Sibeccai quickly broke through and entered the city. When the defenders realised that the host of Giants and Sibeccai that had cut through their line so quickly was only the initial probe they promptly surrendered to Ro-Aayaat. He accepted not wanting further bloodshed.

Accompanying Ro-Aayaat into Khorl was the third borne of Sibeccai Matriarch Domitilla – one Metellus. Metellus was an oddity amongst his family – some of whom would eventually become the Ro-Sibeccai – his family generally engaged in the Liberal or Magical Arts and considered him an outsider. Metellus took part in the initial assault on Khorl and would go on to fight at Ro-Aayaat’s side through much of the early Giant efforts to liberate the lands from the Dramojh. Leading a contingent of Giants and Sibeccai as Ro-Aayaat’s most trusted lieutenant and confident – the like of Metellus has not been seen amongst the Sibeccai since. In fact, Metellus – and the magical Great Sword he carried - figures prominently in the Ro-Aayaat’Muhkamaat Malakai and Ro- Shahaadah Malakai Books of Lives, though he has vanished from the history of his own family.

The Battle for Johar Valley

On the dawn of the 11^th day of Ko-Fenas, 6441, Metellus and Ro-Aayaat found themselves and their cohort deep within the Johar Valley following a massive river, now known as the Ghost Wash.

Ro-Aayaat and Metellus travelled into the Valley of Johar two days ahead of the main army of Giants, Sibeccai and their newly liberated allies. Scouts brought news to Metellus and Ro-Aayaat of a large contingent of Dramojh and their minions forming a battleline in a bottleneck of the valley. Ro-Aayat knew that if the enemy had the time to fortify they would be immovable without a great sacrifice of life. Ro-Aayat and Metellus met with their captains to discuss their choices. Both Ro-Aayat and Metellus knew that they would have to attack the massive Dramojh force if the army – two days march behind them - was to be able to pass through the mountains and continue the war. They put this to their soldiers: that they would need to sacrifice themselves to win the safe passage of the army that followed them.

At dawn on the 12^th day of Ko-Fenas, Ro-Aayaat’Muhkamaat, Metellus and their soldiers threw themselves into the first fight of the battle for Johar Valley. The plan, to disrupt the enemy lines long enough to prevent the preparation of fortifications.

Ro-Aayat and Metellus fought with their small contingent for two-days without rest. During this time the Chi-Julud irrevocably engulfed the Giants while, by the hour, Metellus and the Sibeccai devolved into their ancestral heritage.

The carnage wrought on the Dramojh army was immense the strikes of the Giants literally exploding their enemies, or opening the earth to engulf them, while the Sibeccai ferocity led them to tear their enemies limb from limb – all this washing the field of battle in blood, flesh and entrails.

But the small force was not an army and for every one of the Dramojh army brought down or torn asunder more stepped into the breach and step by step, they overwhelmed the Giants and Sibeccai. Weight of numbers gradually consumed the vanguard until midday on the second day when the badly wounded Ro-Aayat fell at the feet of Metellus, only Metellus still stood, continuing to lash at the swarms around them until both where engulfed under a rising tide of enemies.

But the Giants and Sibeccai had won the pass for the force behind them; the Dramojh had been unable to prepare for the army that attacked at dusk on the same day that Ro-Aayat and Metellus fell in the Johar Valley and the army of Giants continued into the central Plains.

The Plains

Having no heir the death of Ro-Aayaat’Muhkamaat Malaki meant his young brother, Ro‑Shahaadah, became head of the Ro-Malakai household and would step forward to fight to liberate the lands from the demon Dramojh.

Ro-Shahaadah rode fast to follow the Giant army through the Johar Valley but after leaving the valley he did not follow the main army towards the Rosewood Hills, instead he passed into the open plains then south towards the city of Ghanis. He was looking for tribes of Litorians.

Ro-Shahaadah knew that the Litorian tribes would understand the lands between the Bitter Peaks and the Elder Mountains better than any other race as it was here that they had fought a guerrilla war against the Dramojh for centuries. To him they represented an opportunity to gain allies for the ongoing war, if he could convince them that the Giants had not come to conquer as the Dramojh had.

It took some months but with diplomacy, he convinced the elders of two tribes – the Winter Eagles and the Plains Bears - to come together with him to discuss the ongoing war. He found amongst the Tribes an unexpected ally, a Tribe member named Rann. Rann, a Totem Warrior and Witch, was the daughter of a Plains Bear Totem Warrior and Winter Eagle Witch. She with Ro-Shahaadah convinced the two tribes to form a war band and head north to join with the Giant army.

As they travelled north more tribes were convinced to join by the combination of Ro‑Shahaadah and Rann. The Litorian War band arrived at the second battle of the Rosewood Hills in time to add their weight and turn it to the Giants favour much quicker than would otherwise have been the case.

After the second battle of the Rosewood Hills Ro-Shahaada returned southwards with the Litorians, along with a number of Clansmen and their Sibeccai allies, and fought to free the lands around Ghanis. The Ro-Malakai eventually received lands under the Steward at Ghanis and they turned their attention to developing and protecting these.

On the 1^st Day of Te-Karob (Gift in the Litorian) Ro-Shahaada died fighting near Ghanis leaving no Giant heir. The mantle of head of the Ro-Malakai household then passed to his sister Ro-Zaahir Malakai and subsequently her daughter Ro-Taqwaa Malakai. Both of whom concentrated on protecting and developing the lands of their stewardship.

It was rumoured that Ro-Shahaada left no Giant heir as he had partnered with the Totem Warrior Witch Rann the Winter Wolf. After his death, she returned to her tribe of the Plains Bears. To this day, her Tribe remains, amongst the nearby Litorian tribes, particularly close to the Ro-Malakai and members of her bloodline are particularly large and wise by Litorian standards, often rising to lead the Winter Wolves and Plains Bears some speculate that Rann bore a child to Ro-Shahaada and that this blood still mingles with Litorians of the Plains Bears and Winter Wolves.

The disappearance of Ro-Jaa’iz and the Dragon’s Bane

The majority of the Ro-Malakai turned their attention to the stewardship of the land as the war continued towards what appeared to be its inevitable conclusion. But Ro‑Jaa’iz, head of the Ro-Malakai family, along with several clansmen and Sibeccai left the Stewardship to take part. With him, Ro-Jaa’iz carried a Giant Greatsword created by a Ro-Sibeccai armourer of renowned. It was rumoured that this sword was anathema to Dragons and the creations of Dragons and he sort to test this in the Bitter Peaks.

Having headed into the mountains, the last the Malakai family heard of their clansmen was that he was exploring a Dramojh fortress and endeavouring to clear it of the remnants of their forces. Rumour reached the Ro-Malakai that Ro-Jaa’iz had tested the blade against a Dragon and that it had worked. But the parties that scoured the Bitter Peaks in the months after his disappearance found nothing. Further rumours came down from the mountains that a Dragon captured and used Ro-Jaa’iz in experiments, or that he accidentally opened a portal to another dimension and disappeared into it. Nothing more was heard from him and no trace was found; shortly afterwards the last Dramojh was exterminated. This left Ro-Ashurah to take up leadership of the family; he would eventually marry Aoe-Ansar who would give birth to Ro-Koran.

Ro-Koran Malakai

Ro-Koran is the son of Ro-Ashurah and the Grandson of Ro‑Jaa’iz Malaki, who was the son of Ro-Taqwaa and Grandson of Ro-Zaahir. Ro-Zaahir was the younger sister of both Ro‑Aayaat’Muhkamaat and Ro-Shahaadah.

			The Ro‑Malakai in the West
First Generation to the West	Ro-Aayaat	Ro-Shahaadah	Ro-Zaahir
First Generation of the West			Ro-Taqwaa
Second Generation of the West			Ro-Jaa’iz
Third Generation of the West			Ro-Ashurah
Fourth Generation of the West	Ro-Ayah	Ro-Koran	Ro-Yaqin	Ro-Bakhti	Ro-Akham	Ro-Salat

Ro-Koran considers himself of the West, there is no return to the lands of his ancestors, his life is steward and protector of the lands his forebears fought and died to liberate and he will stop at nothing to achieve this. Overlaying this role is his belief in his family and their role in bringing safety and order to the lands; he looks to the role his ancestors have fulfilled, those of Warrior, such as Ro-Aayaat, Diplomat such as Ro-Shahaadah and protector or explorer like Ro-Zaahir and Ro-Jaa’iz respectively.

Ro-Koran stands at seven feet tall, cleanly shaven and heavily armoured, wearing the insignia of his house on his right shoulder he is the stereotypical Giant. He takes his role as a steward of the land seriously and looks to his seniors for guidance while offering protection and guidance to the younger members of his family, clan and the other races of the Diamond Throne.

Ro-Koran is sincere and serious in his actions and holds his first reactions in check to be sure that anything he does is measured and appropriate – in respect to this he has found his recent experiences when in the Chi-Julud particularly disturbing.

He respects the elder members of his family, brother Ro-Yaqin and father Ro-Ashura as well as sister Ro-Bakhti and mother Ro-Ansar above all others. And while never acting without his own reasons, he will always take to heart the comments of his elders and seniors and moderate his decisions accordingly.

He respects the abilities of his friend Claudia Ro’Sibeccaai and values highly the gifts her family has provided to his through their history together. He respects the role she is to play in her family and knows that she will serve his and her family well and he is always willing to ask her advice and knows that she values his. Though he is continually baffled by the disdain many in her family show her, he would never acknowledge or comment on this in front of her; not wanting unnecessarily to hurt her.

Sasha’s advice he also finds valuable. The farsighted thoughtfulness of the Verrik is something that Ro-Koran finds interesting and useful, if sometimes too abstract for him to understand.

The Ro-Malakai family is well respected amongst other Giants for the role they played in liberating the Diamond Throne from the Dramojh, then securing, developing and protecting the lands around Ghanis. They have a solid and dependable reputation. Other races also tend to know something of the Ro-Malakai, particularly the Litorians of Tribes who had fought the Dramojh even before the arrival of the Giants. Ro-Koran always does his best to live up to and maintain this reputation.

On a personal level, Ro-Koran always looks forward to the annual Clan gatherings that his family travels to when their duties permit. Such gatherings are occasions for great festivities, as well as solemn rituals and ceremonies between the Giant families.