The Heirs of Osman...

[Owned-You]

National Standard of The Ottoman Empire

 

In the 14th century a young emirate from Ghaza rose to unite the Turkish peoples from the plains of Anatolia into one of the worlds most preeminent Empires in the world. His name was Osman I, the fabled founder of the Great Turkish state. Yet, this new found empire had not yet established it's complete dominance in the world just yet... instead, it stood beneath the shadow of the Byzantine Romans and their vast walled city of Constantinople. For hundreds of years, attacks would be mounted against their arch rivals; all of which would falter or fail against the seemingly impenetrable walls of this vast capital city... until the wise military rule of Mehmed II's advent of gunpowder and cannons were adopted into the Imperial Jannisary forces. The fall of Constantinople was fast and brutal and the conquest of the Byzantines all but complete. The vast amount of treasures found in the city were unlike anything ever seen in the Turkish lands, a vast array of knowledge, art, linguistics, books, and other technological innovations were housed in the city and with it's conquest the transformation of the Turkish state seemed to take place over night. From this position the city was renamed into Istanbul, and from it the great seat of Ottoman governance was seated upon it to reign for eternity...

 

Or so was the hope of the Ottomans when they took the City... and for a time, that hope was a reality. The Ottoman Empire had threatened to bust into the very walls of Europe itself; standing at the doorstep of greater riches and plunder. However, that is neither here nor there anymore... the books of history are simply pages of a long forgotten past, the triumphs of the Ottoman Empire now long forgotten. No longer did the Ottoman Empire threaten to plunge a knife into the heart of Europe, no longer did the Empire hold Greece, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean in it's hands. After decades of decadent Sultans mismanaging the Empire on pointless luxuries, wars, and cronyism, the once former Great Power had receded from nearly all of their expanded holdings...and worse yet, had lost the fabled capital city to Western powers.

 

The Empire was reeling as Behzid Osman I rose onto the throne... a young Sultan at the ripe age of 20 years old. Yet, unlike his cousins and uncles he was a man who found the comforts of rule in the palace as disdainful. His rise to power was among one of the few things the late Sultan Murad III had accomplished in his tenuous role of 16 years... the old Sultan had been plagued with a number of misfortunes and among them was the painful reality of sterility. As a boy the Sultan had a tragic accident in a grand camel race that left him crippled and for many years; unable to reproduce. For years the old Sultan drove himself mad trying to produce an heir to the throne... his personal harem numbering in the hundreds. Yet, it was not until some divine miracle that Allah himself gifted the mad sultan with a son. Murad II threw a lavish celebration across the Empire to celebrate the birthing of Behzid; even as the thousands of commoners starved in the streets... the feast was lavish and the splendor of it unrivaled in Turkey. Yet Murad in his joy, drunk himself so much that he later slipped off a balcony, breaking his neck and ending his reign.

 

Thus began a long rule by the Regency of Osmali, Murads most trusted adviser... a eunuch of unremarkable talent of stature. Indeed, he was a dwarf of a man and badly maimed... yet for whatever reason he managed to find himself in the good graces of Murad. Osmali however while a capable adviser to the old Sultan; proved to be an incapable steward of the Empire...it was under Osmali's regency that the fabled capital itself was lost. Behzid had been born in Istanbul; yet he had no memory of the city... as his mother has him stewed away in Ancara to undergo education in secret. It was here, behind the walls of Ancara that Behzid was groomed into becoming a great Sultan... unlike his father and uncles before him. It was here, that Behzid took to power, and it was in Ancara were his government would begin it's reign.

 

As the coronation of Behzid Osman I was undertaken from the Regency of Osmali; riders were sent to every province indicating the peaceful transition of power from the decrepit old regent. Furthermore, a message was sent to the world at large.

 

"People of the world, I am Behzid Osman I, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, Khan of Khans, Sultan of Sultans, Commander of the Faithful and Successor of the Prophet of the Lord of the Universe, and rightful Custodian of the Holy Sanctiaries (the Holy Cities of Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem), and Emperor of Rome. I stand before you to relay a simple message... We, the Turkish peoples are the heirs of Osman the Great, and it is through the divine grace of Allah that I stand before you today to deliver a simple message...that we, the heirs of Osman, shall rise to greatness once more."

[Vidarr the Terrible]

The news of the recent Ottoman Emperor's speech reached Alexandria quickly. Patriarch Zaman was visibly disturbed by the news, but acknowledged that the rise of the Ottomans was inevitable. He ordered one of their best diplomats to Ancara in order to open up dialogue with who Zaman hoped would be their greatest ally.

[Owned-You]

OOC: Vidarr, I've taken the liberty of introducing your diplomat to the throne via hitchhiking alongside a local traders caravan. Feel free to continue the encounter.

 

It was a chill spring morning and the farms of Ancara were buzzing as laborers began their morning toils. The locusts would often times accumulate at nights and begin their daily devouring of the local agriculture... it was not an uncommon sight. Yet this morning an unfamiliar sight dotted the landscape; a caravan of traders from the east had arrived to peddle their wares. Yet the most valuable item was not gold, or gems, or silks, but instead, a diplomat from the Southern Distopian Kingdom. He would be greeted by the Steward of Ancara Muhammad Suleiman, the Uncle of Sultan Behzid and his caretaker for many years.

 

"Salaam and welcome to the land of milk and honey. I am Muhammad Suleiman, Steward of Ancara and Uncle to the Sultan himself."

[Vidarr the Terrible]

Mas'ud Alfarsi wore the green robes and keffiyeh of a diplomat, choosing to show his status for political protection for both himself and the caravan, in case the Islamic States, what Distopya considered their rival, wished to launch an attack. The journey to Ancara was the better part of a month, as Alexandria currently had no ships to sail to Asia Minor.

 

Luckily, when he arrived he was treated finely. He was given a bath, a feast, pleasurable company, and finally was greeted by the Steward.

 

"Alaikum. I'm grateful for your hospitality. The Patriarch of Alexandria, Qasim Zaman has sent with me gifts from our fine city." From his bag he produces some hempen textiles, pottery, and Shisha mixed with their finest cannabis. "We lament the loss of your family's rightful empire. Most sorrowful is the loss of Egypt, although Zaman and the rest of the electors unanimously blame the vile religion that has risen within the walls of Cairo." Mas'ud refused to call the city by its new name, although the rest of the government had no problems with it. "Nevertheless, Zaman hopes that our two realms can co-exist in friendship, and he also wishes to say that he recognizes your nephew's claims to Jerusalem, Mecca, and Medina."