|
The second half of this week's matched pair is the Colonel's
rough-and-tumble associate, Abdallah - more commonly known
as "Sergeant Jimmy".
Hajji Abdallah Ibn Musalma Al-Ghazi; tall, savage-looking
Askari
(c) copyright 2000 Volker Bach
Total Points: 98 Points
Age about 45; 5'11"; 155 pounds; a rangy black African with
filed teeth, tribal scars and a gold earring.
ST 11 [10] - thrust 1d-1, swing 1d+1
DX 12 [20] - basic speed 5.75, move 5, dodge 5
parry
(broadsword) 7*
IQ 12 [20]
HT 11 [10]
WL 12 [-]
*includes +1 from basket hilt PD
ADVANTAGES: Fit [5]; Literate [5]; Patron
('Colonel' Reginald Smith, 9-) [5]; Status 1
[5]; Wealth (Comfortable) [10].
DISADVANTAGES: Bully [-10]; Code of Honor
(Mercenary's) [-5]; Greed [-15]; Secret
(former slave hunter) [-5].
QUIRKS: Wears a British cavalry sword; Disdainful of
non-Muslim Africans - whom he calls "niggers", oblivious to
how strange this sounds to whites; Chews qat or betel nuts
whenever he can get them; Likes to show off his filed teeth.
[-4]
SKILLS: Area Knowledge (Central East Africa)-14 [4];
Black Powder Weapons/TL5 (Flintlock Musket)-14* [1];
Boating-11 [1]; Brawling-13 [2];
Broadsword-13 [2]; Camouflage-12 [1];
Cooking-11 [.5]; Gesture-14 [4]; Guns/TL5
(Rifle)-15* [2]; Guns/TL5 (Pistol)-13* [.5];
Hiking-12 [4]; Intimidation-15 [6];
Leadership-12 [2]; Merchant-14 [4];
Packing-11 [1]; Riding (Horse)-10 [.5];
Riding (Camel)-10 [.5]; Savoir-Faire-13 [2];
Survival (Steppes)-12 [2]; Tactics-11
[2].
*includes +2 for IQ
LANGUAGES: Arabic (native)-12 [0]; Swahili-12
[2]; Makua-10 [.5]; Dinka-10 [.5];
Somali-10 [.5]; Galla-10 [.5]; Portuguese-11
[1]; English-10 [.5]; French-10
[.5].
EQUIPMENT
Abdallah usually wears traditional Arab garments made of
native-produced cloth and leather sandals. He has developed
a fondness for the fez (tarboosh) and in town will always
wear a dark red one (though he considers it impractical in
the field). Although he likes weapons, in cities he carries
only his finely decorated '53 pattern cavalry sword on a
strictly non-regulation hip belt. Out in the field he will
have an Adams .54 revolver (p.HT124) and an Enfield
(p.HT125) or (if the game is set after c.1875) a
Martini-Henry rifle (p.HT125) within reach. Whenever
possible he also takes a prayer rug and a cheap printed copy
of the Qu'ran.
BIOGRAPHY
Born as the youngest son of a moderately successful coastal
trader based in Dar es-Salaam, Abdallah had the superiority
of the Faithful over the savages of Africa ingrained into
him from his earliest years; he still looks down upon them.
(Note that he is not a racist. His criterion is faith, not
skin color. As a Muslim he can accept Christians and Jews of
whatever color, but any pagan is utterly beyond the pale.)
Lacking rosy prospects for his future with his father's
business, Abdallah decided he should strike out on his own
and joined a slave caravan to the interior. It was in the
company of these Arab traders he acquired his martial skill,
his impressive command of native languages, and his
knowledge of the interior of the continent. He became a
successful and well-to-do slaver, moving to a town house in
Zanzibar and even performing the Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca)
in style and comfort.
He could have lived out his life in moderate wealth and
domestic bliss in the company of his wife and several
concubines, had it not been for the accident of history.
Just as he began doing business on a greater scale, the
Royal Navy began making its presence felt locally in the bid
to suppress the slave trade in East Africa. The
effectiveness of these measures, in terms of numbers, was
not such that it could have put him out of business, but
Abdallah was impressed by these Inglis with their
steamships, long-range guns and technological gadgets and -
with ever unerring political instinct - decided that their
time had come. He brought his business over to trade in the
goods they wanted and soon prospered as more and more
European ships made port looking for coffee, cotton, timber
and ivory.
It worked. Abdallah was wealthy, respected and popular with
European traders, developing an especially close friendship
with 'Colonel Smith'. However, he was also bored. To remedy
this he turned to advising, accompanying, and eventually
organising caravans for European traders and explorers like
he had for himself in his slaving days, leaving the business
of coastal trading to his partner and adolescent sons. He is
one of the best men for this kind of work, good at trading,
familiar with the land, respected, and an experienced leader
of fighting men with the ruthlessness required to keep a
large party together in hostile territory.
ENCOUNTERED
To whites travelling to Africa, Abdallah is a bit of a comic
figure. They will most likely be introduced to him as
'Sergeant Jimmy' and assume he is from some Egyptian
Regiment or other, one of Emin Pasha's men. He speaks
English with a heavy accent and patchy grammar, but well
enough to communicate, and smiles and gestures a lot when
talking to them. Nonetheless, GMs should strongly resist the
temptation to play him in minstrel-show style. He is no
buffoon - PCs who know Arabic will recognise his name as
both bombastic (he gave himself the sobriquet 'al-Ghazi' and
insists on the 'Hajji') and reflecting real standing in the
community (people use it in full). If they are good enough
to speak to him in that language they will find him more
dignified and articulate, though a certain restless energy
remains with him. He drives a hard bargain, but does so in a
friendly manner and never outright deceives anyone he hopes
to do business with again.
Standing on the other side of Abdallah Ibn Musalma
al-Ghazi's gun is not a pleasant experience. His habits of
the slaving days are hard to shake off, and he still does
business with Africans from an unequivocal position of
strength. He cajoles, bullies and bribes quite effectively,
but failing that is quite capable of outright robbery. He
sees nothing immoral in taking what he needs from obstinate
unbelievers refusing to sell at a reasonable price. His
subordinates know him as demanding and frequently
ill-tempered, but capable and experienced.
CANONICALITY
It's debatable whether "Colonel" Smith (and his
organisation) qualify as a Patron based solely on his value
in point. Even so, the Colonel's relationship with Abdallah
fits the definition of a Patron better than it does an Ally.
If need be, it can be changed.
WHAT IF?
Abdallah is very specific to his time and place, and though
a similar figure could exist in almost any kind of colonial
frontier setting - an Indian or half-breed coureur des bois
west of the Mississippi, a Mongol fur trader in 17th-century
Siberia or a Martian Anglican in a Space 1889 game - it is
best to develop these separately, with attention to the
specifics.
ADVENTURE SEEDS
Any party of European PCs getting involved with one of
'Colonel' Smith's schemes, or planning a journey to the
interior for reasons of their own, will be well-served by
hiring 'Sergeant Jimmy'. If they don't, he could turn up in
a rival party, bedevilling them by spreading rumors about
them, sabotaging their supplies and simply scaring the
native population in their path with his rude and violent
methods. Keep in mind that he will avoid a direct fight if
at all possible - he dislikes fighting people who are evenly
matched.
- written by Volker Bach
(volker_bach@public.uni-hamburg.de)
- editted and formatted by andi jones
(andi@angelwerks.com)
|
