Table of Contents:
Introduction: Part One - The Voice of Hassan
Introduction: Part Two - The Voice of Omar
Introduction: Part Three - The Voice of Ismael
Introduction: Part Four - Three Voices
Introduction: Part Five – The Voice of the Narrator
Part 1: The Rising Storm
Two voices discuss the value of prophecy
Hassan prepares a lesson for the Franks
Omar finds no consolation either in the stars or in poetry
Murder in Antioch
A pact is sealed with grief and blood
The Storm breaks
Omar forgets to deny his past
The Narrator speaks
Part 2: War
A negotiation conducted with blood
In which the terms are settled
In which a friendship is strained
In which a Prince is ambitious
In which Hassan feeds the ambition of men
In which a great battle is won
In which fate is revealed in the dice
In which a friendship is repaired
In which there is dissent in Alamut
In which Hassan reveals some of his plans
In which Hassan's will is defied
In which Ibrahim has a moment of painful reflection
Part 3: The Year of Victories
In which Ismail tries to save Omar from himself
In which Omar achieves a moment of peace
In which the Sultan savours his moment of glory
In which Hassan reflects on events in Esfahan
In which Hassan plots revolution
In which Omar finds himself alone
In which a plot is set in motion
A frozen grave
An ill-advised act of revenge
Hassan seeks to undo an old mistake
Part 4 - Hubris
An unforeseen child
A long preparead plot
A domestic dispute
Introduction: Part One - the voice of Hassan
Slowly they filed into the throne room of Alamut.
Novices, scared, but excited at this, their first public reception with the leader, Hassan Sabbah. Those with established roles, worried at the novelty of such an event. The few, the trained assassins, those who held senior positions were simply too scared to even think.
This was unheard of. And the original at Alamut was rarely to be welcomed.
Each, as they entered, stumbled as their eyes adjusted to the gloom. Each then gasped in shock, openly or privately according to temperament or training.
Hassan sat on his usual simple chair with a plain table to the side. As usual none of the trappings of a court at the time were on display. All knew there were scribes, and guards, but these sat to the side hidden in the shadows of the hall.
This then was not the cause of the shock.
In front of Hassan appeared to sit his old confident, Ibrahim. This might have been a small shock. He had left Alamut two years past on a mission, rumoured to be to secure Egyptian gold.
No, the shock lay in a sudden realisation. As eyes adjusted to the gloom, it was clear that it was not Ibrahim sat before Hassan. Well at least not all of him.
A head with no body was no shock at Alamut. Even the head of one who was high in the ranks of the Assassiyun[1]. The shock was seeing Ibrahim's eyes. A head with, and without eyes, both dead and still alive, this was not unusual. Even the sight of the dead with open eyes was not unusual. Eyes in a head with no body that were still filled with intelligence, wracked with pain, this was unusual. Even in Alamut, the sight of a still living head, divorced from its body was a shock.
Worse was to come.
Once all had entered, once all had, at least publicly, mastered their fear. Hassan spoke.
"Today is to be a lesson for you. You know what waits for those who betray?"
The assembled responded with a resounding 'yes'.
"I am not sure you do. Not really. Well our trusted emissary Ibrahim will complete your education.
Speak dog"
As if a spell was lifted, Ibrahim's mouth opened, at first it seemed he was gasping for air for no sound emerged (for who would expect a sound from a bodyless head). Then came the scream. Far beyond simple pain and terror, it spoke of uncontained suffering that had no prospect of end.
Hassan, alone, was unmoved.
"Silence, if all you do is to whine I will remove the power of speech. Tell them what happens to traitors"
Ibrahim's mouth closed, his face showed the tension of restraint. And then, and this was perhaps the real shock, he spoke
"pain, endless pain, no light .... heat without light .... cold without respite"
Hassan dropped his hand as if conducting an orchestra.
"silence ... enough .... I have heard enough".
The eyes closed, but the face remained contorted in pain.
"so now ... yes now, just maybe .... you may start to understand the fate of traitors. Vengence in this life is easy for us to arrange. Torment for eternity is the gift of god. And, I ... bestow that gift.
Go now, back to your duties, to your training, to your preparation. A great time is upon as. An Empire is to fall and we will ensure that what replaces it reflects the will of God".
In silence, the hall emptied. Once they were all gone, even the scribes and the guards. Hassan made as if to kick the head.
[1] derived from the Arabic root – Assass, ie foundation. In this case those who had accepted the foundations of the faith as taught by Hassan, at that time a minor branch within Shia Islam.
Introduction: Part One - The Voice of Hassan
Introduction: Part Two - The Voice of Omar
Introduction: Part Three - The Voice of Ismael
Introduction: Part Four - Three Voices
Introduction: Part Five – The Voice of the Narrator
Part 1: The Rising Storm
Two voices discuss the value of prophecy
Hassan prepares a lesson for the Franks
Omar finds no consolation either in the stars or in poetry
Murder in Antioch
A pact is sealed with grief and blood
The Storm breaks
Omar forgets to deny his past
The Narrator speaks
Part 2: War
A negotiation conducted with blood
In which the terms are settled
In which a friendship is strained
In which a Prince is ambitious
In which Hassan feeds the ambition of men
In which a great battle is won
In which fate is revealed in the dice
In which a friendship is repaired
In which there is dissent in Alamut
In which Hassan reveals some of his plans
In which Hassan's will is defied
In which Ibrahim has a moment of painful reflection
Part 3: The Year of Victories
In which Ismail tries to save Omar from himself
In which Omar achieves a moment of peace
In which the Sultan savours his moment of glory
In which Hassan reflects on events in Esfahan
In which Hassan plots revolution
In which Omar finds himself alone
In which a plot is set in motion
A frozen grave
An ill-advised act of revenge
Hassan seeks to undo an old mistake
Part 4 - Hubris
An unforeseen child
A long preparead plot
A domestic dispute
Introduction: Part One - the voice of Hassan
Slowly they filed into the throne room of Alamut.
Novices, scared, but excited at this, their first public reception with the leader, Hassan Sabbah. Those with established roles, worried at the novelty of such an event. The few, the trained assassins, those who held senior positions were simply too scared to even think.
This was unheard of. And the original at Alamut was rarely to be welcomed.
Each, as they entered, stumbled as their eyes adjusted to the gloom. Each then gasped in shock, openly or privately according to temperament or training.
Hassan sat on his usual simple chair with a plain table to the side. As usual none of the trappings of a court at the time were on display. All knew there were scribes, and guards, but these sat to the side hidden in the shadows of the hall.
This then was not the cause of the shock.
In front of Hassan appeared to sit his old confident, Ibrahim. This might have been a small shock. He had left Alamut two years past on a mission, rumoured to be to secure Egyptian gold.
No, the shock lay in a sudden realisation. As eyes adjusted to the gloom, it was clear that it was not Ibrahim sat before Hassan. Well at least not all of him.
A head with no body was no shock at Alamut. Even the head of one who was high in the ranks of the Assassiyun[1]. The shock was seeing Ibrahim's eyes. A head with, and without eyes, both dead and still alive, this was not unusual. Even the sight of the dead with open eyes was not unusual. Eyes in a head with no body that were still filled with intelligence, wracked with pain, this was unusual. Even in Alamut, the sight of a still living head, divorced from its body was a shock.
Worse was to come.
Once all had entered, once all had, at least publicly, mastered their fear. Hassan spoke.
"Today is to be a lesson for you. You know what waits for those who betray?"
The assembled responded with a resounding 'yes'.
"I am not sure you do. Not really. Well our trusted emissary Ibrahim will complete your education.
Speak dog"
As if a spell was lifted, Ibrahim's mouth opened, at first it seemed he was gasping for air for no sound emerged (for who would expect a sound from a bodyless head). Then came the scream. Far beyond simple pain and terror, it spoke of uncontained suffering that had no prospect of end.
Hassan, alone, was unmoved.
"Silence, if all you do is to whine I will remove the power of speech. Tell them what happens to traitors"
Ibrahim's mouth closed, his face showed the tension of restraint. And then, and this was perhaps the real shock, he spoke
"pain, endless pain, no light .... heat without light .... cold without respite"
Hassan dropped his hand as if conducting an orchestra.
"silence ... enough .... I have heard enough".
The eyes closed, but the face remained contorted in pain.
"so now ... yes now, just maybe .... you may start to understand the fate of traitors. Vengence in this life is easy for us to arrange. Torment for eternity is the gift of god. And, I ... bestow that gift.
Go now, back to your duties, to your training, to your preparation. A great time is upon as. An Empire is to fall and we will ensure that what replaces it reflects the will of God".
In silence, the hall emptied. Once they were all gone, even the scribes and the guards. Hassan made as if to kick the head.
[1] derived from the Arabic root – Assass, ie foundation. In this case those who had accepted the foundations of the faith as taught by Hassan, at that time a minor branch within Shia Islam.
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