The Book of the Fallen - Chapter 6 - The Players in our Drama

[Kane]

To understand how the events unfolded, you need to know the character of the major actors. Each person I will relate played a role in what would occur and could, I believe, have impacted the outcome. The most powerful player was the Abbot who controlled the school’s resources and could influence the city’s leaders. In that fateful year, the Abbot focused his attention on maintaining the perceived sanctity and power of the Sorshef. Most of his time was spent dealing with the great families, merchants, and city functionaries. He allowed the school and temple to run itself and intervened only if there were disputes amongst the Sahi. The Abbot was keenly aware that some of the Sahi questioned both his appointment and moral authority; and he reacted quickly and harshly against those who spoke openly. I believe his loose control over the school ultimately damned us all.

The person, who had the greatest influence on me, was my mentor Tariq’s friend and head of the school, Sahi Hamad. He and Tariq were so similar, they could have been brothers. Sahi Hamad brought the school to life through his faith, his commitment to learning, and his genuine concern for each and every student. He took me under his wing and treated me as if I were his old friend Tariq’s son. He never questioned the Abbot’s authority and I believe the two shared a common goal of protecting the school and the faith. Sahi Hamad was the heart of the school; everyone would look to and rely on him as the school began to collapse.

The man I would come to hate was the leader of the Keepers of the Book of Sahi.  Referred to only by his title, the Keeper, he led a group of just over twenty priests and acolytes who took daily readings of the stars and sought to interpret the messages from the Riding Host. The Keeper may have been the oldest of the Sahi at the school.  From what little I could determine he was born at or near the turn of the century and had been a priest for over sixty years. He and the Abbot hated each other and he took every opportunity to belittle the Abbot’s authority and faith. The Keeper was an old fanatic who felt that the Sorshef had strayed from the true faith and only through unquestioning devotion to the Book of Sahi could the faith be saved. Either hated or revered, the Keeper would play the critical role in the events that occurred.

The face of the school was Sahi Amahd, who led public prayers and ran a number of small charities throughout the city. Sahi Amahd was a small, quiet man, who tried to lead by example. He refused to partake in what he saw as the sordid politics of the school and backed away from any confrontation. When the school began to descend into chaos, Sahi Amahd was an island of stability and at the end my refuge. I wish to this day that he had been stronger, but I will not speak ill of the man to which I owe my life.

The last major player was the leader of the laity, Bashir, a shrewd and calculating man, who I was sure was corrupt. Bashir both dressed and lived well while other areas of the school went wanting. His power came from running the school’s accounts and his tight control of the servants and a small force of guards. We had a little more then a dozen guards; far too few to effectively secure the compound, but all were veterans of the High King’s service. While I believe the guards were honorable, Bashir was a weathervane supporting whoever he perceived had power or money. How he continued to hold his position is still a mystery to me.