Abna Suhq Rebellion

"The Abna Suhq rebellion marks the most succesful attempt by anyone to break away from the Malikate. It lasted three days and all the rebels were slaughtered."

— Lykomedes of Thalessos

When the Kingdom of Suhq was conquered by the Malika of Saba, the ruling Suhqatri were decimated and lost all of their power and wealth. But they never forgot that they once ruled the lands where they now served, and many harbored hopes that they would rise again.

On the island of Zuhkar, these hopefuls formed the Abna Suhq, or Sons of Suhq. This was an underground organization dedicated to the eventual restoration of the Kingdom of Suhq. Nearly eighty percent of the population of Zuhkar was associated with the Abna Suhq in some way, and in 3723 they attempted to oust the officials of the Malikate and re-establish their Kingdom.

The Conflict

Prelude

When the Malikate of Saba instituted the Muhafazah system of organization, the island of Zuhkar was assigned to the Aatma Muhafazah, over the objections of the Taniyn Muhafiz of the Qutra Muhafazah. As a former part of the Kingdom of Suhq, Zuhkar had a large population of Suhqatri, who would go on to form the core of the Abna Suhq. While there were far more Suhqatri on the larger island of Qutra, the population there was much more restricted in their activities by the Qutra Muhafazah, and the Abna Suhq was not able to organize effectively there.

In 3723, the White Comet passed over the Great Ring, which the Abna Suhq took as a sign that their time had come. They planned to take over the island during the Lumoshra celebrations that year, while the Candles shone overhead. In the months leading up to the actual rebellion, the Muhafiz of Qutra Muhafazah repeatedly warned both the Muhafiz of Aatma Muhafazah and the Grand Vizier of the possibility. They dismissed this as anti-Suhqatri sentiment, and did not take measures to prevent the uprising.

The Engagement

During the first several hours after the Candles appeared over Zuhkar, the Abna Suhq attacked and seized control of the city of Hanish, quickly subduing the Malikate forces stationed there. Their actions were quick and decisive, and they managed to prevent any messages from leaving the island to inform the rest of the Malikate. Over the next day, the population at large rose up against any who supported the Malika. The priesthood of Kaba, deva of Zuhkar, was particularly active during the rebellion, providing spiritual and material support in any way they could.

To this day, it is not known how the word of the uprising reached Tarshish. Most historians believe that there must have been an agent of the Glass Shadows embedded in the Abna Suhq who managed to get the word out. Others think the Malika of Saba used magic to surveil the island. Either way, three days after the initial rebellion, the Malikate responded.

The first sign of their response was when the deva Kaba was suddenly confined beneath their temple. The Malika had used the god's True Name to bind their power, and caged them in a prison of stone and dreams.

Before the majority of the population knew that their god had been imprisoned, one of the Glass Needles appeared in the harbor at Hanish and opened wide. From within came thousands of glass bugs, who quickly filled the city. A sting from one of the Malika's glass insects would cause shards of glass to grow within the victim's body, before shattering inside their flesh. The fragments left behind were as dangerous as the bugs, restarting the process in anyone who cut themselves.

The creatures of the glass needle rampaged through Hanish for hours, leaving shredded bodies on every street and driving the population out into the surrounding area. There they were met by the army of the Malikate, who had been brought there by the mages of the Burj Alhikma, and who had been instructed to take no prisoners. Bleeding and terrified, the rebels still put up a valiant struggle but the conclusion was never in doubt. Before the sun set on the third day of the uprising, the Abna Suhq rebellion was over.

Aftermath

After the rebellion, the island was reassigned from the Aatma Muhafazah to the Qutra Muhafazah in the aftermath, a decision that remains a source of conflict to this day. The Muhafiz of Qutra Muhafazah has ruled the island with an iron fist since then, and has taken every opportunity to break the will of the populace.

Kaba was never released from their prison. The Deva remains trapped below the ruin of their temple, and their priesthood is gone. This has created additional hardships for the people of Zuhkar, since the priests of Kaba would regularly provide miracles of healing and abundance, making Zuhkar an easy place to thrive. Their loss was most keenly felt a generation later when a plague ravaged the island and killed a third of the population. Even during this tragedy, there was no movement by the Malika of Saba to release their god to aid them.

The Abna Suhq were exterminated on Zuhkar, and became hunted elsewhere in the Malikate. In the centuries since the rebellion, the organization has frequently been the target of purges, but has continued to emerge wherever they could. They still hope for the restoration of Suhq, but have never managed an action as significant as the Zuhkar rebellion again.

Conflict Type

Rebellion

Battlefield Type

Land

Start Date

3723

Ending Date

3723

Conflict Result

The rebels were crushed by the Malikate

Location

Zuhkar

Personal Consequences

After the conflict, the Muhafiz of Aatma Muhafazah was not pardoned for his failure to prevent it. The Malika had him seized by the Burj Alhikma and used for certain experiments of her design. According to rumors, there is a silver statue somewhere in her palace that contains the Eidolon of the Muhafiz, and is still serving out their punishment.

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