Quarmezin / Sultan arrives at the Festival of the Phoenix Unexpectedly

This past spring the Kalifa Sina At Askanna welcomed guests to the yearly Festival of the Phoenix. The festival saw notable guests and their retinues in attendance such as; Prince Abbas ibn Turgut bin Ilay al'Emán the Crown Prince of the Golden Nights and Emir of the Akşam Festival, Arne the Founder Halvarson of Bracke the Jarl of Ronland, Saint of the Flounder Clan, Jarla Thora of Birkheim, Sir Bodvar "Beerhunter" Tock of East Blackwood and Margraves Waldi Waldemar and Renya von Waldungen. What was not expected was the arrival of the Sultan of Quarmezin, Azim ibn Fathme bint Yara.

The Festival of the Phoenix

The Oasis of Al Askara welcomes guests from within the Quarmezin Sultanate and beyond ever year to bring their wares, talents, pavilions and shops. The outskirts of the city at Al Askara play host to many guests and the occasional tavern or two. Guests such as Jar Arne, Jarla Thora and Sir Bodvar Tock of east Blackwood make their camps there.

Part of the city itself is open to other guests, notably among them this year were Prince Abbas ibn Turgut bin Ilay al'Emán, his sister, retinue, pavilion, and the tea shop "Der Blaue Punsch;" and Margraves Waldi Waldemar and Renya von Waldungen with the Kamafe mocha pavilion. Other shops and venues were present at Al Askara such as the Tabul Al Rasa which served drinks and medicine and the Nascharei which sold a large variety of sweets.

Let us not forget the Al Askara baths which are also available to paying customers of the festival. Near the baths was also a pillow room for relaxation. In one of the guest pavilions one of the evenings presented a shadow puppet show which was beloved by all who witnessed it. And of course, let us not forget various shows that were performed in the city center such as the fire show and the skald's tale of Loki and his mischief. The festival boasts both a relaxed and eventful atmosphere. For those interested, one can find their way to next year's festivities by receiving the official invite.

The Official Invite Bureau

The Deepest of Friendships

For many years now the Kalifa Sina At Askana and Prince Abbas ibn Turgut bin Ilay al'Emán the Crown Prince of the Golden Nights have built a friendship. By the time of the writing of this article, one could consider the Kalifa and the crown prince as good friends. Indeed the best location of a pavilion had been given to the crown prince by the Kalifa for at least two years now. This festial was no exception as the Golden Nights found themselves at the city squire with their pavilion and the Blue Punch Tea House.  That same team house will be making an appearance at Bad Holzbrück, Mitraspera for the Convent of the Elements this year. 

Sultan Azim ibn Fathme bint Yara, of the House of the Falcon, Guardian of Balance, Lord of the Paths and Winds, Sultan of Quarmezin

The morning of the Festival of the Phoenix started like any other, quite and only the early bids moved about. The city watch made their way about their patrols of the festival grounds and the lower camps on the out skirts of the city. Shops began to open one by one as the bath master prepared the water for that days customers. As the festival woke up the oasis of Al Askara came to live with activity. Then came the runner...

"Sultan Azim is coming! The Sultan is coming?!"

The procession of Sultan Azim ibn Fathme bint Yara, of the House of the Falcon, Guardian of Balance, Lord of the Paths and Winds, made its way past the lower camps as they approached the city. There was little time to prepare a proper welcome so, the Kalifa made herself presentable and awaited his arrival in front of her palace pavilion. When the sultan entered the city, his procession made its way around the squire. Kalifa Sina At Askana, with her Haremsdame, waited expectantly.

Azim ibn Fathme bint Yara, the Sultan of Quarmezin, stopped in front of the palace pavilion for a long moment. The sultan then nodded to his soldiers and they continued past Kalifa Sina, never once looking her way. Sultan Azim went instead to Prince Abbas of the Golden Nights. For the eagle eyed witnesses, the kalifa seemed shurprised by this occurrence but maintained her composure as she waited for further instruction.

  Sultan Azim ibn Fathme bint Yara stayed at Al Askara for the duration of the festival. During this time, the Kalifa and her servants saw to his every need. Sultan Azim inspected Al Askara and every service the oasis had to offer as well as its people and troubles. The City Watch did their best to keep the peace and to handle matters that would have otherwise reached the ears of the Sultan such as when a man named Jafar, an Advocate, was accused of trying to coarse the bath master into either stealing from or providing him access to the Library of Al Askara so that he could "acquire" various items from it.

Jafar, outraged by the accusation of the City Watch, decided to escalate the matter. The city watch brought the matter to the Kalifa's heremsdame who organized the means by which Jafar could have a private audience with the Kalifa. By the next day, Jafar met with the Kalifa and instead of receiving punishment for the accused crime, Jafar was given a formal apology, a payment of silver and access to the library whenever desired.

Sultan Azim ibn Fathme bint Yara's stayed in the Oasis of Al Askara for the greater part of the Festival of the Peonix. He even joined Kalifa Sina At Askana during her phoenix ceremony in the town squire. Sultan Azim also invited Prince Abbas to his home as an honored guest in the future before he left. The festival itself continued with few major troubles.