das
Regeneration In Process
Yeshua's empire was built, consolidated and reinforced by and with the sword and the charisma of its ruler. As soon as much of the army was sent to Phoenicia, conspiracies appeared or re-commenced. Yet ever since the last rebellion and its ignominious defeat, the local Bedouin tribal leaders and Hebrew-Hejazi urban nobles were too afraid to act. The maximum that they did was send a messanger to try and warn the Phoenicians (hoping to make Yeshua bog down there); after that, especially as rumours of a grand victory spread, aforementioned leaders begun bickering, prepared to turn each other in and were generally demoralized, as they waited for news of Yeshua's return to his "capital" (or, at least, favourite) city - Yathrib.
All but one. That one man was a local clan leader, Hashim ha-Mekki, whose tribal - the Kuraish - had once dominated the Yeshuan Empire's second greatest and first richest city, Mecca.
By the time Yeshua, having been expelled from his native Yathrib, has returned with a mighty host of frenzied Bedouins, the Kuraish have long since fallen from their throne, displaced by the lesser tribes and the local merchants, so they hadn't much to lose. Hashim's father, Musa, who then took the name Moses, adopted Judaism immediately after Yeshua's return, and allied with him... only to get the dubious honour of participating in the looting of his city. At least he got to execute some of his political enemies, but as Mecca and the surrounding area were partitioned between him, Yeshuan warriors and Yeshua's urbanite allies, his position only barely improved. After all, he still had to consult those of the local merchants and urban leaders who allied with Yeshua (and those were pretty much all of them) in the everyday matters of running the city, and also had to obey Yeshua's orders. Meh.
Hashim ha-Mekki's situation was different, and unlike his father, Hashim's ambitions were much greater than this. He didn't just want to restore the Kuraish tribe's old glory and honour; he wanted to get new glory and honour, and that, for himself more than for his rather annoying relatives. And though he wasn't the one to lead the largest anti-Yeshua conspiracy (that would be the former head-priest of al-Elah, Hammad al-Makkah), he was by far the most vocal of Yeshua's enemies, demanding immediate rebellion. Naturally, when the tide has turned and the sentiments in Yathrib changed from those of rebelliousness to those of fear, Hashim felt himself to be in a most precarious situation. Yet unlike the others, he refused to submit and to once more wait for Yeshua to make a wrong step, all while licking his sandals; no, instead he prepared those men of his tribe whose loyalty he didn't doubt for a last stand.
Then he was told by an odd, sleek, bald (while still young) man who seemed to have come from Misr (Egypt) that he needn't worry. The man confessed to be, indeed, an Egyptian merchant - he travelled here after visiting Phoenicia. The Yeshuans have won, won completely... but Yeshua himself was dead and situation uncertain. Who was in charge of the empire now? Nobody, really.
That happened in the evening; the merchant has taken Hashim's advice without arguing and quickly headed further south, to Saba. As sun rose on the next day, the rumours of Yeshua's death have already filled the city. Hammad al-Makkah, sensing his chance, invited a few nobles and leaders whom he believed to be his puppets, including Hashim, to Yeshua's old, partially-luxurious and partially-ascetic palace in Yathrib. They all came, apart from Hashim, bewildered, confused and excited. Hashim was, for his part, calm and confident. Hashim rather rudely interrupted Hammad who asked them all to praise al-Elah for this day, and explained that they could get to that later. For now, he suggested that they all pledge their fealty to him - the (self-declared; but as back in the evening, he took over the city and killed off all the opponents, this might as well be his formal title) Maluk of Mecca - taking into account the fifty well-built slave guards, the pride of House Kuraish, that have by then surrounded the conspirators.
Hammad refused. Ah well, he was a head-priest anyway, a title whose holders almost always were anti-Kuraish. Hammad was impaled on a pole and later beheaded as well. The others agreed to submit.
It took a few months, but when it was over, Hashim wasn't the Maluk of Mecca anymore. He was the Maluk of Hejaz. And also, after those few months, he was pondering whether it was all worth it or whether he should've just submitted to Hammad, or fled somewhere far away, rather than face almost certain death at the hands of the various enemies that were attacking his land and howling for his blood.
All but one. That one man was a local clan leader, Hashim ha-Mekki, whose tribal - the Kuraish - had once dominated the Yeshuan Empire's second greatest and first richest city, Mecca.
By the time Yeshua, having been expelled from his native Yathrib, has returned with a mighty host of frenzied Bedouins, the Kuraish have long since fallen from their throne, displaced by the lesser tribes and the local merchants, so they hadn't much to lose. Hashim's father, Musa, who then took the name Moses, adopted Judaism immediately after Yeshua's return, and allied with him... only to get the dubious honour of participating in the looting of his city. At least he got to execute some of his political enemies, but as Mecca and the surrounding area were partitioned between him, Yeshuan warriors and Yeshua's urbanite allies, his position only barely improved. After all, he still had to consult those of the local merchants and urban leaders who allied with Yeshua (and those were pretty much all of them) in the everyday matters of running the city, and also had to obey Yeshua's orders. Meh.
Hashim ha-Mekki's situation was different, and unlike his father, Hashim's ambitions were much greater than this. He didn't just want to restore the Kuraish tribe's old glory and honour; he wanted to get new glory and honour, and that, for himself more than for his rather annoying relatives. And though he wasn't the one to lead the largest anti-Yeshua conspiracy (that would be the former head-priest of al-Elah, Hammad al-Makkah), he was by far the most vocal of Yeshua's enemies, demanding immediate rebellion. Naturally, when the tide has turned and the sentiments in Yathrib changed from those of rebelliousness to those of fear, Hashim felt himself to be in a most precarious situation. Yet unlike the others, he refused to submit and to once more wait for Yeshua to make a wrong step, all while licking his sandals; no, instead he prepared those men of his tribe whose loyalty he didn't doubt for a last stand.
Then he was told by an odd, sleek, bald (while still young) man who seemed to have come from Misr (Egypt) that he needn't worry. The man confessed to be, indeed, an Egyptian merchant - he travelled here after visiting Phoenicia. The Yeshuans have won, won completely... but Yeshua himself was dead and situation uncertain. Who was in charge of the empire now? Nobody, really.
That happened in the evening; the merchant has taken Hashim's advice without arguing and quickly headed further south, to Saba. As sun rose on the next day, the rumours of Yeshua's death have already filled the city. Hammad al-Makkah, sensing his chance, invited a few nobles and leaders whom he believed to be his puppets, including Hashim, to Yeshua's old, partially-luxurious and partially-ascetic palace in Yathrib. They all came, apart from Hashim, bewildered, confused and excited. Hashim was, for his part, calm and confident. Hashim rather rudely interrupted Hammad who asked them all to praise al-Elah for this day, and explained that they could get to that later. For now, he suggested that they all pledge their fealty to him - the (self-declared; but as back in the evening, he took over the city and killed off all the opponents, this might as well be his formal title) Maluk of Mecca - taking into account the fifty well-built slave guards, the pride of House Kuraish, that have by then surrounded the conspirators.
Hammad refused. Ah well, he was a head-priest anyway, a title whose holders almost always were anti-Kuraish. Hammad was impaled on a pole and later beheaded as well. The others agreed to submit.
It took a few months, but when it was over, Hashim wasn't the Maluk of Mecca anymore. He was the Maluk of Hejaz. And also, after those few months, he was pondering whether it was all worth it or whether he should've just submitted to Hammad, or fled somewhere far away, rather than face almost certain death at the hands of the various enemies that were attacking his land and howling for his blood.
