Report #5193

The Malika of Saba

"Several of the Lorekeepers have asked that you compile a report on all we know or suspect about the Malika of Saba. I believe they want to test you; some of them are convinced that the Sleepwalkers' Tale is a confabulation, and want something they can verify as a proof that you can do what we claim. I don't think this topic will give them much that they can verify, but feel free to show off you abilities." - excerpt from a note from Princess Cyneburh, Provost of Foxbridge College to the Librarian

The Malika of Saba has been a figure of speculation and mystery ever since she appeared nearly five centuries ago. This document will provide a brief summary of her activites since then, and address many of the theories about her.

Summary of Activities

The first records of her are from the Telmun Islands, where she joined the court of Kīnum-šar-uṣur, the last Emperor of Telmun. She was already calling herself "The Malika" at this point.

She dominated the court with promises that she would restore the Empire's glory. While most records of her were destroyed after she became Empress, the journals of several nobles depict her using magic to remove any obstacles. She co-opted the military forces of Telmun, and convinced Kīnum-šar-uṣur to name her as his heir.

Over the next few years, she built the largest army in the Great Ring. She recruited from the Kaphtor Islands, Dzarbah, and those regions of the Nagarajya such as Qutra where she could leverage local discontent. She then launched an invasion of Saba, supporting her forces with magical constructs like the Glass Needles and personally hunting down and executing King Wainaba.

The Founding of the Malikate

Once in control of the Sabaen Archipelago she established the Malikate of Saba, which has governed the region for 461 years. She has ruled throughout that period, although most of the day to day operations have been delegated to the Vizier. She founded the Burj Alhikma and the Glass Shadows to carry out her plans. She has not gone beyond the Sabaen Archipelago, although it seems likely that with the forces at her command she could expand to include the rest of the Southeastern Region easily. She has ruthlessly put down rebellions within the Malikate, but has never sought to expand their territory beyond its original boundaries.

Who is the Malika of Saba?

Many people believe that the Malika must be someone from history. Her appearance with developed and earth-shaking magical abilities fuels speculation about who she was before appearing in the Telmun Islands. Here are the most common guesses.

Empress Illuminata

Once Empress of the Clarati, Illuminata hasn't been seen in the islands since the fall of Muria. She was the most powerful of the Clarati, and some people think this makes her a good candidate. The loudest proponents of this theory are members of the Cult of the Clarati, but so far the Malika has declined to be their goddess.

Celestina or Solis

After Illuminata, the other female-presenting Clarati are mentioned. This is mostly because the nobody else has shown the magical abilities that the Clarati and the Malika share. As Archon Eudoxia has repeatedly pointed out, limiting the speculation to only female-presenting Clarati is dumb.

Wuffa

She killed Fulmen, founded the Kingdom of Wuffa, and then disappeared after passing the throne to her children, all while never appearing to age. I understand the appeal, and the timing does match - roughly. It assumes that she was secretly a True Mage, and that her agelessness persisted for centuries rather than decades. I have my doubts.

Something Else

There is no clear fourth theory. Some people think she is a goddess with a region-wide anchor. Others think she is from another world. Other ideas include an unknown Clarati, a Nakaal sorcerer, a nine-tailed Kitsunejin, the living Avatar of the Sun, a demon inhabiting an automaton, an illusion created by the Burj Alhikma, or a series of women dressed up and pretending to be her.

What are her Plans?

Nobody thinks that setting up the Malikate was the end of the Malika's plans - and nobody really has a clear idea of what she is planning. Here's what we do know.

She has the largest group of True Mages in the world working for her - the Burj Alhikma.

She has been collecting vast amounts of silver. She rigged the exchange rates for precious metals in the Malikate so that merchants could make a profit by buying silver elsewhere and selling it in the Malikate. The government has been collecting all the excess silver, and nobody knows why or what they are doing with it.

She has tightly controlled access to the Al-Kubra. This is supposedly for people's protection, but the Burj Alhikma sends expeditions in and takes great care to make sure that nobody knows what they carry out.

Her Glass Shadows have carried out assassinations against targets selected by soothsaying, which the Lorekeepers have confirmed. There is no obvious link between the victims, who range from high-ranking officials in Wamato to a butcher in Kendari.

She has forbidden the construction of lighthouses upon the island of Saba.

I could go on, but there is no pattern that indicates what precisely she is planning. The silver indicates that it may be magic on a massive scale. It is my recommendation that we continue to watch her carefully, and be prepared to counter whatever she attempts - it is unlikely that magic on that scale will leave our world recongnizable in the aftermath.

This document has been prepared by the Librarian of Foxbridge, for use by the Lorekeepers of Foxbridge and those approved by the King of Bernicia or the Provost of Foxbridge College. If you are reading this without permission, I will know, and I will make sure you are dealt with.

The Librarian

The Malika of Saba

by Nicola Grossman

Librarian's Note - The Last of the Clarati?

Many people have claimed the Malika of Saba is of the Clarati, the mages who once ruled over Ynys and Sange. This is so often asserted that it is accepted as fact, but I cannot find any record of the Malika claiming to be Clarati. It is possible that this label has been assigned to her because she is a True Mage of immense power, but this does not mean she is one of them. It doesn't mean she isn't, either.

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