Hakbar ibn Fatima “Al-Khabith” (The Viper)

“The Mamluk are not men. Death means nothing to us.” Not much is known about the life of Hakbar ibn Fatima prior to becoming Al-Khabith, or the Viper, as he is also known. As a child, it is suspected he grew up under the Rule of the Cat-Sheiks in the mountains of Sheikdom of Akatar . As is tradition in all slave families, the first born son is taken into service at the age of 5 to become Mamluk, warrior-eunuch slaves trained into absolute obedience and to do the bidding of their Masters. For over a decade they are trained to be elite warriors, famed for their skills in battle and fearlessness. It is known that Hakbar quickly gathered a reputation of fearing nothing, and quickly rose to the head of the Mamluk as their leader. For years, he fought with instant willingness and obedience for his Masters, showing a sharp mind and an almost natural talent in battle. In 1667, at the age of 20, he led a small force of 2,000 Mamluk to defend the Free City of Qohor from destruction at the hands of barbaric hordes of 10,000 riders. Locking shields outside the city, the Mamluk held their lines wave after wave. At the end, only 500 Mamluk remained, but 7,000 barbarians lay dead and the survivors surrendered. For many years after, Hakbar ibn Fatima continued to lead the Mamluk with a ruthless disdain for his Masters enemies. However, in 1671 a slave uprising took place in Akatar. Fearing that they would lose control over their slaves, the Catfolk ordered the Mamluk to raze any slave settlements to the ground and to murder all men, women, and children to quell the uprising. Seeing these as his own people, some of which he had grown to know over his years of service, he made a decision that forever altered the course of his life. He betrayed his Masters and murdered them, taking the side of the slaves and fled into the mountains with 300 of his Mamluk warriors and thousands of other slaves. For many years, he has led the Mamluk people as their de-facto leader and carries out an insurgency in the mountains of the Sheikdom of Akatar . Striking quickly and without mercy, he quickly gathered the name “The Viper”. Now, in an effort to gain support for his people and their independence, he has headed south to help The Rabbits in their current quest for the throne, hoping to ensure the creation of a Mamluk state when the War is over. Bringing 12 of his best warriors with him to help better train and lead the troops under the Rabbits, he bent the knee to serve King Alexander Hollyroot as his Horn, or master of battle.