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DerynifanK

March 17, 2024, 03:48:44 PM
Happy St Patrick's Day. Enjoy the one day of the year when the whole world is Irish.

Adhan

Started by MerchantDeryni, August 10, 2018, 10:31:24 PM

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MerchantDeryni

Time: Modern day, alternate Kingdom.

Adhan



The Eternal Caliphate was announced to the world five years ago. A fundamentalist sect took power and followed a strict interpretation of the Koran. The rest of the Moorish world took note and a wave of fundamentalism spread across The Forcinn and The Anvil of the Lord. The strict interpretation of the book of the words of the Prophet and the enforcement of the Sharia
   Any territory not submitting to the Caliphate was declared to be decadent. There was a demand for the Christian population to submit as dhimmi and pay the jizya if the population was not Moorish. In lands that were already Muslim the mosques were taken over by fundamentalist imams preaching a strict adherence to the teachings.

   In the beginning the neighboring countries ignored the rhetoric as idle boasting. While the Caliphate did have some industrial production and raw materials to bring in foreign currency they did not have a strong military. Their ability to impose their will on anyone was seen to be minimal.

   Then the bombings and assassinations began. A wave of radicalization spread before the Caliphate.  Town after town was struck by attacks from their own citizens becoming radicalized in the name of the Caliphate. No leader was beyond the reach of the assassins. Wives killed husbands, politicians brought weapons and explosives into council chambers, made impassioned declarations about the Caliphate and then detonated suicide vests. Disturbingly very prominent security specialists would suddenly turn on their clients and gun them down in the name of the Caliphate. At key times the leader of a town, or the leader of the military would announce their support for the spreading Caliphate and tip the balance of power.


   Town by town the power of the Caliphate spread. Each month there would be a wave of attacks and then the leaders would announce they would meet with and discuss terms. Any delay meant an escalation of destruction. In a very short time the Caliphate had a power base that was of increasingly alarming power.
The success bred success. Immigrant communities would suddenly demand that Caliphate policies be put in place. If the calls were ignored attacks would begin. These attacks were frequently unsuccessful at first, but if they continued for a time there would be a tipping point and conversion of key figures would take place.

   Within a few years the Caliphate was no longer a group of desert dwelling malcontents denouncing the world as lost to Sin and in need of redemption. The Caliphate had a power base, infrastructure, access to the latest technology and a growing voice in the world. They controlled a large territory and were working on exploiting their natural resources.

   Securing its base the Caliphate looked north to the lands of the 11 Kingdoms. Here were people of the Book to bring under their control and the tax. A land long resistant to the call of the Prophet. Decrees were issued, demands were made. The response from the lands of the North was deemed insufficient.

A final announcement was made.

"We are coming for you."




DesertRose

Ooh, suspenseful!

And welcome back!  I was wondering if/when you'd post again!  :D
"If having a soul means being able to feel love, loyalty, and gratitude, then animals are better off than a lot of humans."

James Herriot (James Alfred "Alfie" Wight), when a human client asked him if animals have souls.  (I don't remember in which book the story originally appeared.)

MerchantDeryni

Thanks: Yes I've been away for a long time.  Still noodling around with the Deryni ideas though.


Jerusha

Welcome back!  And wow, what a start to a story!
From ghoulies and ghosties and long-leggity beasties and things that go bump in the night...good Lord deliver us!

 -- Old English Litany

MerchantDeryni


Are there particular rules about things best left unexplored in fanfic? This story is going to touch a few spots that might be offensive to some.

We have an islamic caliphate, islam as a religion, extremism and jihad for political issues

Terrorist attacks, suicide bombing and assassination.

And add in Deryni aspects of unethical mind probing, ripping and control.  Not exactly a cuddly story, although in my defense one of my first stories on here ended with the death/murder of the main character, so cuddly I am not......  :(

DesertRose

Quote from: MerchantDeryni on August 11, 2018, 08:13:09 PM

Are there particular rules about things best left unexplored in fanfic? This story is going to touch a few spots that might be offensive to some.

We have an islamic caliphate, islam as a religion, extremism and jihad for political issues

Terrorist attacks, suicide bombing and assassination.

And add in Deryni aspects of unethical mind probing, ripping and control.  Not exactly a cuddly story, although in my defense one of my first stories on here ended with the death/murder of the main character, so cuddly I am not......  :(

There are plenty of stories in the Fanfic section that are not warm and fuzzy.  I think if you make it clear that the extremism is just that, extremism and not consistent with the beliefs of all Muslims (or all adherents of any other religion*, but Islam is the subject at hand), that some of the people who have gone along with the extremists have done so out of mortal fear, you're probably okay.

However, it might be a good idea to post a note at the top of each chapter mentioning the potentially disturbing topics so that forum members can choose to read or not to read, as they wish.

*The canonical events around the Council of Ramos are a good example of extremism in the name of Christianity, and I see echoes of the real-world Inquisition in those parts of canon.
"If having a soul means being able to feel love, loyalty, and gratitude, then animals are better off than a lot of humans."

James Herriot (James Alfred "Alfie" Wight), when a human client asked him if animals have souls.  (I don't remember in which book the story originally appeared.)

revanne

Unlike DR I am not an admin and am therefore not speaking as to forum rules, but simply my own feelings.

As Tolkien pointed out long ago,  there is a vital difference between allegory, with its direct relation to real world events, and applicability, where the connection lies in the mind of the reader.

Asking "what would it look like in such a world - here the world of the Deryni-  if such and such were the case?" is surely the pivotal question behind all good fantasy.

Our own sensitivities and "no- go" areas will all be different.
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
(Psalm 46 v1)

Evie

Quote from: MerchantDeryni on August 11, 2018, 08:13:09 PM

And add in Deryni aspects of unethical mind probing, ripping and control.  Not exactly a cuddly story, although in my defense one of my first stories on here ended with the death/murder of the main character, so cuddly I am not......  :(

LOL!  Checked out "Possessed" and "Balance of Power" in my fanfic section for examples of some previous non-cuddly stories on this forum.  "Possessed" in particular is far too dark to be everyone's cup of tea, being psychological horror, but even "Balance of Power," which is more of a dramatic thriller than outright horror, has its dark moments, as does "Visionaries."  I would steer clear of writing anything more grimdark than would be found in KK's actual novels, but then again, that offers a LOT of leeway!  I mean, have you seen that woman's body count, not to mention the physical and mental torments she has inflicted on some of our favorite characters? Geez Louise, I would not want to be a character in one of Katherine's books!  ;D
"In necessariis unitas, in non-necessariis libertas, in utrisque caritas."

--WARNING!!!--
I have a vocabulary in excess of 75,000 words, and I'm not afraid to use it!

MerchantDeryni

The elements of what a Deryni could do in a modern setting have been discussed in a couple of threads for my other fanfic. The mind control and compulsion elements make for the driving plot point in my adhan story. 

The Deryni Magic grimoire has some good examples of the nastiness a Deryni could get up to "for the greater good."

So I am happily playing around with variations on that idea.