Al-Sherar
This page details people, events, and organisations from the /tg/ Heresy, a fan re-working of the Warhammer 40,000 Universe. See the /tg/ Heresy Timeline and Galaxy pages for more information on the Alternate Universe.
| Al-Sherar | |
|---|---|
| |
| Segmentum |
Pacificus |
| Sector | |
| Sub Sector |
Al-Sherar |
| Population |
422,000,000,000 |
| Planetary Governor |
The Kabeer Al-Mufteen |
The Forge World Al-Sherar was one of the mightiest of the Mechanicum's outposts. It developed strong ties to the Fifth Legion, but differences in faith led to a rocky relationship with Mars.
Doctrine and faith
Al-Sherar develops quite a distinct interpretation of the Cult Mechanicum, sufficient to have them dubbed Schismatics.
- The Forge World's high priest is titled, Kabeer Al-Mufteen. At the time of the Heresy, the incumbent is "Ibn al-Haytham", who arose to this exalted position through the ranks of the Logis (that position might need an Arabic equivalent). The senior priesthood are referred to as the Kazi (with their chiefs being the Kazi-alkudar who meet in the Diyanet to offer advice and dissenting opinions to the Kabeer Al-Mufteen), while the ordinary techpriests take the title Alim.
- The Alim of Al-Sherar venerate the Machine God, who they know as Makinallah. However, their understanding of Machine Spirits - the al-gine - differs markedly from that of Mars. According to the Alim, the al-gine inhabit all machines, human and xenos alike, but those in human machines are subservient to Makinallah while xenos technology is animated by impious al-gine. For this reason, the tech-priests of Al-Sherar do not make offerings to the al-gine themselves, seeing this as a route to developing the ego of the al-gine and risking the creation of Abominable Intelligence. Instead, their prayers of maintenance are directed to the Makinallah in order to remind the al-gine of its rightful duties.
- The doctrine of the Teknabiyyun (sing. Teknabiyy) allowed the Forge World to easily accept the Emperor of Mankind. In contrast to the Martian orthodoxy, the Alim expected no avatar of the Machine God, but rather a succession of prophets and messengers, each of whom would unfold a new revelation to mankind. It seemed clear to the techpriests of Al-Sherar that the Emperor and his Great Crusade for human unity were divinely-inspired, and this temperate position allowed for dissent to be openly expressed in the governing council of the Diyanet - and even in its subordinate Mahalla - rather than simmering under the surface.
- In light of these differences, the Kabeer Al-Mufteen refused to recognize the Fabricator-General as his spiritual superior. Under a subtle threat of war, Al-Sherar made two ambiguous concessions to Mars; that the eldest Forge World was primus inter pares, and had the right to speak on behalf of the techpriests as a whole. This position persists long into the Reformation, with Al-Sherar enjoying a certain ascendancy in the wake of the Martian Civil War. However, after the disappearance of Gaspard Lumey, the Kabeer Al-Mufteen's position became much less secure. A series of theological debates were carried out, and though Al-Sherar's spokesmen were often eloquent they were gradually forced to retreat from their positions under the threat that the doctrine of the al-gine implied that humans could "convert" xenos technology. (Perversely, while the political battle was won by Mars and Al-Sherar brought to heel, the use of certain alien technologies in the Imperium suggests that the Pacificus Forge World's al-gine doctrine may have been quietly accepted.)
Domain - the Dar al-Amn
- The vagaries of the Al-Sherar Sector tempered the Forge World's military without bloating it. The dominant Xenos of the Sector, the Amatteir, preferred raiding to conquest and set the Legio Antsar and Taghmata Omnissiah the task of a long vigil rather than centuries of peace or war.
- Al-Sherar's Knight Households were based on Iteru. The thrall-knight Order of Bahri is the largest and best-known, but they shared Iteru with the dashing "Mahars" of the Maryannu Brotherhood.
- The doctrine of the Teknabiyyun spiritually fortified Al-Sherar's armies for a long campaign of conquest. Unlike on other Forge Worlds, where the Emperor's divinity was assumed and his judgment later questioned, the Alim always believed that a higher message would supersede that of the Emperor. Therefore, they set out to conquer as part of the Great Crusade, making their pacts and alliances with an eye to establishing new satellites and spreading their doctrine to the lesser Forges of the Segmentum Pacificus. The Industrial Worlds that owed direct allegiance to Al-Sherar and were protected by its forces were collectively known as the Dar al-Amn - the House of Safety.
- Especially in the Al-Sherar sector, but to some extent in other nearby Sectors, the worlds of the Dar al-Amn were organized as producers of semi-finished goods. Raw materials - typically from Al-Sherar's allies, such as Ciban IV and her colonies - would be shipped to Industrial Worlds and converted into parts. Al-Sherar itself served as a gigantic assembly platform, bringing parts manufactured across hundreds of lightyears together into a torrent of finished goods. Although vastly inferior to ancient Mars as a standalone entity, Al-Sherar's highly-efficient outsourcing of production made the Kabeer Al-Mufteen one of the most powerful Imperial Leaders in the Segmentum Pacificus.
- Although they would enjoy great success for a time, in the Heresy Al-Sherar would face uprisings from the Forge Worlds it had once mastered.