Fanonical? What?
Fanonical posts are a new thing here at Untoldthegame.com, and as far as we know, something new to RPG's in general. We've talked about our Open Campaign Setting from "Day 1" around here, but we've not made much fuss of it so far. Well, that's about to end...
Basically, "fanonical" is a word we've coined based on the term canonical. Something that is canonical, or canon, is something that is accepted as being the truth or the "way that it is". In RPG's, something that is "canon" is something that has been "blessed and sanctioned" by whomever owns the IP. For instance, if you know anything about the Dresden Files RPG, you know that Dresden is a guy, not a girl - stuff like that is "canon".
Well, "fanonical" is like one mini-step below that. Fanonical posts are those submitted by fans that have become accepted as part of Splintered Serenity. They are now an official part of our shared game world and may even become part of the cards themselves! If you're interested in joining up with us and growing this world (and those to come), simply leave a comment below, or drop Ashy and email: ashy [at symbol] untoldthegame [dot symbol] com!
Keep and eye peeled for even more Fanoical posts to come!
Abdullah Al-Bahir joined the IDF at the young age of fourteen, joining the garrison at Jerusalem and served for years, defending the city from one attack after another. At the age of twenty, he was promoted to the Archangel Corps, the youngest member of the IDF to receive a promotion into this elite unit. After two years defending the Dome of the Rock, where Abdullah and the few men under his command successfully defended the Dome from an attack from Flux horrors and then immediately quelled the riot that followed, Abdullah was promoted to the rank of Captain and given command of the Archangels in District 1, which guarded the Dome of the Rock, as well as the Archangel command headquarters. It would seem Abdullah indeed had an angel on his shoulder, as he gained fame and prestige as a superb combatant and elite commander. Abdullah was an exemplary soldier, never questioning the orders he received from the brass, and demanding the same respect from his subordinates.
All of this changed one day when Abdullah received an order from the Archangel Corps Commander, General Pashta. The order was simple, investigate a number of disappearances that were occurring in the back alleys and cramped streets in one of the lower districts. Pashta was clear, Abdullah was to handle this investigation alone. While the orders seemed odd, Abdullah complied, and began his investigation of the lower districts, questioning not only local patrolmen but the local merchants and citizens as well. Every lead was a dead end, and Abdullah was becoming increasingly frustrated. And finally, one day, as Abdullah was walking through a market, preparing to head to the barracks, a hand grabbed him and pulled him into an alleyway. Abdullah found himself in the iron grip of an old hag, her crone features hidden behind a thin veil. Her dark clothing jingled with dozens of tiny, silver talismans and Abdullah recognized her as a local soothsayer. She told Abdullah of a shrine, a few blocks away from this very market, hidden in a small neighborhood. This shrine, she said, was responsible for the disappearances. Abdullah wasn’t sure whether to trust the crone, but this shrine was not to far out of the way, and with plenty of day light left, Abdullah decided to investigate it.
The shrine was indeed hidden, tucked away into a back alley deep in a residential district. None of the locals seemed willing to talk about the location, and finally an old man relented and was willing to at least show Abdullah the alley where it was hidden. The old man would go no further, and proceeded to mumble a prayer of protection before fleeing. By this point, the Sun had begun its descent, casting long shadows into the cramped alleyway. Checking his weapon and pulling out a flashlight, Abdullah began to make his way to the shrine. He found the alleyway completely abandoned and devoid of life, no drunks or vagabonds digging through trash, not that there was much debris in the small alley. No stray cats or even rats scurrying about, Abdullah doubted there was even a flea or mite hiding in this place. And then he found it.
The entrance was small, and unassuming; barely six feet in height and a few feet wide. The entrance was covered by a thin black veil, and Abdullah could see a faint light and hear a distant noise inside. Pulling his side arm and turning on his flashlight, Abdullah stepped through the curtain. He found himself in a small dusty antechamber. The floor was littered with debris and bits of bones. Directly in front of him was another passage way, covered by a thick black curtain. There was faint chanting coming from the next room, accompanied by the lingering smell of death and rotting flesh. Abdullah muttered the same prayer the old man had earlier and then burst through the doorway. He found a small figure, clad in black robes, chanting at some strange altar. It turned its face to him, and Abdullah saw that its face was a skull with bits of rotting flesh dangling from it. Abdullah didn’t hesitate and fired two rounds into the skull. The creature spat a curse in a language that Abdullah thought he recognized and fled through yet another passage way to the right. Abdullah stood shocked for a moment, surprised his shots hadn’t worked, but then gathered himself and pursued the creature. The demon disappeared in a shadowy haze, and as Abdullah followed, the haze disappeared, leaving only a dry brick wall where once a door had stood.
Abdullah took only a few moments to investigate. The altar was an odd mixture of dried blood, bones, and runes in some unknown language. With the light of his flashlight, Abdullah saw the outline of a door where the creature had fled was drawn onto the wall, surrounded by more runes. With the stench of rotting flesh and the fear and confusion of his encounter, Abdullah left and headed for the street. When he emerged from the alleyway, Abdullah was lost. He was not in the residential area where he had found the shrine, but in a market in the Southern District. He looked around, and saw the Temple Mount looming in the North. Even more confused, but slightly less frightened and resolved to figure things out, Abdullah went back to headquarters to report.
Tactics: As a Captain in the Archangels, Abdullah does not specialize in any one particular weapon or tactic. Instead, he is skilled in all forms of IDF combat. Like other Archangels, Abdullah does prefer the "Angel Fire" flash napalm grenades his unit employs. In combat situations, Abdullah tends to take a patient and methodical approach to fighting. He will observe for a few moments, watching his opponent and looking for a weakness. When a weakness is found, Abdullah strikes with all his might, hoping to end the fight quickly.
Art: "Dark Alley" by Kenneth Fairclough; please visit his deviantart gallery!
