Hamza ibn Shams was born roughly forty-one years before the establishment of the Caliphate in Al-Kharid. Hamza's father, Husayn ibn Shams, was the brother of Uthman, the sheikh of the Bani Shams before Hamza, and the tribe's ''shaa'ir'' (a mystical poet who maintains the tribe's oral history and performs certain religious functions). His mother Aminah, the daughter of a prominent trader from Pollinveach, was carriedoff by Husayn in a raidandtakenashisthirdwife.
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Hamza ibn Shams was born forty-one years before the establishment of the Caliphate in Al-Kharid. Hamza's father, Husayn ibn Shams, was the brother of Uthman, the sheikh of the Bani Shams before Hamza, and the tribe's ''shaa'ir'' (a mystical poet who maintains the tribe's oral history and performs certain religious functions). His mother Aminah, the daughter of a prominent trader from Pollinveach, was given to Husayn in a marriage alliance between the Bani Shams and Pollinveach.
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Raised in the ways of the nomadic Bedabin, Hamza's childhood education mostly consisted of the practical skills necessary to survive in the harsh Kharidian Desert, like archery, hunting, and riding. Academically, he was limited to the solid instruction in Bedabin lore, customs, and poetry he received as the son of a ''shaa'''''ir''. '''''Subjects like magic and runecrafting were little more than stories for him and, as such, he has no discernible magical ability. Despite his mother's urgings for him to learn more, he did not and has not learned how to read and write and is only functionally fluent in the common tongue.
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Raised in the ways of the nomadic Bedabin, Hamza's childhood education mostly consisted of the practical skills necessary to survive in the harsh Kharidian Desert, like archery, hunting, and riding. Academically, he was limited to the solid instruction in Bedabin lore, customs, and poetry he received as the son of a ''shaa''''<span id="cke_bm_48S" style="display: none;"> </span>'''''<span id="cke_bm_44S" style="display: none;"> </span><span style="display: none;"> </span>''ir'''<span style="display: none;"> </span><span id="cke_bm_48E" style="display: none;"> </span><span style="display: none;"> </span>''<span id="cke_bm_44E" style="display: none;"> </span>''. '''''Subjects like magic and runecrafting were little more than stories for him and, as such, he has no discernible magical ability. Despite his mother's urgings for him to learn more, he did not and has not learned how to read and write and is only functionally fluent in the common tongue.
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Although never looked down upon or excluded due to his non-Bedabin mother, Hamza was not his father's favored child. Despite this (or perhaps because of it), he excelled at the Bedabin lifestyle from an early age, devoting himself to embodying the virtues of the desert. As he aged, he became known as a capable warrior, an unmatched marksman, and a calm and just leader. This exceptionalism to his uncle Uthman, the then-''sheikh'' of the Bani Shams whose only son had died in battle, to take a keen interest in Hamza, eventually grooming him as his successor. Uthman arranged for Hamza to sit in on war councils, to lead raids, and arranged for him a marriage to the daughter of the ''sheikh ''of the prominent Sahra tribe. Upon Uthman's death, Hamza was elected ''sheikh'' by the Bani Shams ''shura'' (a council composed of the tribes elders and leading men) without dispute.
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Hamza led the Bani Shams for twenty years before the establishment of the Kharidian Caliphate, proving to be a capable, if somewhat cautious, ''sheikh''. Beloved among the Bani Shams, he was known for his firm sense of traditional Bedabin justice (i.e. 'an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth') and personal virtue (although he smoked, he did not drink alcohol and took only one wife, Maryam bint Hassan Sahra, an irregularity for a wealthy sheikh which earned him the nickname 'Al-Taahir' or 'the Saintly'). He launched several wars against rival Bedabin tribes and conducted countless raids against desert villages and caravans.
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Although never looked down upon, as Husayn's son by a non-Bedabin, Hamza was not his favorite child and was not seen as a 'true' Bedabin. Despite this, he excelled at the Bedabin lifestyle from an early age, taking part in his first raid at age 12 and becoming known as an matchless marksman. He also distinguished himself as an honorable and just man who kept his vows and paid his debts. This led to his uncle Uthman, then-sheikh of the Bani Shams, to take a keen interest in Hamza, who he adopted as a protege.
===[[File:Hamza_ibn_Shams-3.png|thumb|200px|Hamza in camp at Sahel Al-Haiya]]===
===[[File:Hamza_ibn_Shams-3.png|thumb|200px|Hamza in camp at Sahel Al-Haiya]]===
Hamza Husayn ibn Shams(a.k.a. Abu Khader) is a character roleplayed by Trotsky22. Hamza is the Sheikh of the Bani Shams, a tribe of Bedabin nomads currently camped south of Al-Kharid. With the already-dry Kharidian Desert experiencing a severe drought, Hamza has been forced to abandon his tribe's traditional self-imposed isolation in order to provide for his people.
Hamza ibn Shams was born forty-one years before the establishment of the Caliphate in Al-Kharid. Hamza's father, Husayn ibn Shams, was the brother of Uthman, the sheikh of the Bani Shams before Hamza, and the tribe's shaa'ir (a mystical poet who maintains the tribe's oral history and performs certain religious functions). His mother Aminah, the daughter of a prominent trader from Pollinveach, was given to Husayn in a marriage alliance between the Bani Shams and Pollinveach.
Raised in the ways of the nomadic Bedabin, Hamza's childhood education mostly consisted of the practical skills necessary to survive in the harsh Kharidian Desert, like archery, hunting, and riding. Academically, he was limited to the solid instruction in Bedabin lore, customs, and poetry he received as the son of a shaa'ir. Subjects like magic and runecrafting were little more than stories for him and, as such, he has no discernible magical ability. Despite his mother's urgings for him to learn more, he did not and has not learned how to read and write and is only functionally fluent in the common tongue.
Although never looked down upon or excluded due to his non-Bedabin mother, Hamza was not his father's favored child. Despite this (or perhaps because of it), he excelled at the Bedabin lifestyle from an early age, devoting himself to embodying the virtues of the desert. As he aged, he became known as a capable warrior, an unmatched marksman, and a calm and just leader. This exceptionalism to his uncle Uthman, the then-sheikh of the Bani Shams whose only son had died in battle, to take a keen interest in Hamza, eventually grooming him as his successor. Uthman arranged for Hamza to sit in on war councils, to lead raids, and arranged for him a marriage to the daughter of the sheikh of the prominent Sahra tribe. Upon Uthman's death, Hamza was elected sheikh by the Bani Shams shura (a council composed of the tribes elders and leading men) without dispute.
Hamza led the Bani Shams for twenty years before the establishment of the Kharidian Caliphate, proving to be a capable, if somewhat cautious, sheikh. Beloved among the Bani Shams, he was known for his firm sense of traditional Bedabin justice (i.e. 'an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth') and personal virtue (although he smoked, he did not drink alcohol and took only one wife, Maryam bint Hassan Sahra, an irregularity for a wealthy sheikh which earned him the nickname 'Al-Taahir' or 'the Saintly'). He launched several wars against rival Bedabin tribes and conducted countless raids against desert villages and caravans.
