[hider=Anabinpāl][center][h2][color=6ecff6]Siddayumi Anabinpāl, Head of Sidda, Chief of Mikanna[/color][/h2][/center][table][row][/row][row][cell]Certain things in life are chosen for people far before they get to have a say in it; some find themselves lucky and are born into comfort, while most are merely scattered all over the average. Then there’s the truly godsforsaken sort. Current head of the House of Sidda, Siddayumi Anabinpāl, seems to be part of the lattermost group.

The story does not begin with Anabinpāl, but with the founder of the House of Sidda, Ban-Giru-Ganesh. The family’s telling is that it all began when ‘Ur-Ednirun fell to Nhirian blade, and Sidda Ban-Giru-Ganesh first received Favor from the Gods’. Favor allowed Ban-Giru-Ganesh to bring prosperity with his touch, and justice with his insight. Thus, he was set on the way of power, and the House of Sidda was set on earning great fame. A valued ally to Hezeret, and a man who knew how to expand his influence, Ban-Giru-Ganesh expanded the wealth of Sidda to great extents; such that the family Elders claim that their slaves in Urrûm-erzu numbered more than its freemen and peasantry by the time of Ban-Giru-Ganesh’s death, and that their gardens in Limtuk numbered so many that the city had turned a vibrant green.

Of course, such power is bound to beget envy, and envious were the curl-bearded nobles of Nhir. Whispers spread falsehood, say the Elders of Sidda, and in darkness, shrines to the city-demons were teeming with forbidden offerings, so that they would place curses on the line of Ban-Giru-Ganesh. And they grew so numerous that, in the end, even on the Favored line of Sidda was cast a shadow. Their bloodline, once a matter of pride for the Sidda in bearing no outsider family’s taint, began producing unsightly offspring. The blossoming flowers of their gardens withered, and their fields fell victim to a plague of locust. With the tide having turned against their foe, the perfumed nobles and the fickle priests began speaking, and rumors abound; of how the house of Sidda had turned to the Old Ways, of how they planned to usurp the throne and cast away the glorious name of Ārtammat.  

And thus, there was war. Elders say how even with cursed blood flowing through their veins, the men of Sidda took up the razor and the cuirass with honor. Although each of them was strong as ten of the Ardent Host in combat, the armies of Nhir soon realized how Sidda would not be bested by blade, and began wielding more insidious weapons; bribes, poison, hunger. Strong as they were, not even the blood of Sidda could stave away starvation, and soon they fell, one by one. When the men fell, the Nhir came, and took what they could not by men’s means. The women were defiled and sold to slavery, and the children were bashed against riverbed rocks until the waters ran red.

Obviously, despite the massacre implied in the narrative, some survived. The Elders say that they went north and north, until the hands of Nhir could reach them no more. By the time they reached the mountains of Thraxia, the soles of their feet were scarred by the march, and their tongues by cruel thirst. Nonetheless, they were Sidda. When the red-haired Angaturiz approached them, with sword in hand and curse in mouth, they proved they would not be rid of easily, and persevered against them and the elements of the wild until they were seen as, maybe not equals, but a fellow inhabitant of the mountains.

Or so the tales say, and the tales end here. 

Few are old enough to remember what truly happened, and the said few amongst the Elders of the Sidda know well that their power comes from their tales, and would not give away their power so easily. However, one can speculate. While the family tales speak of warfare and glory, few of their artifacts and ventures imply such a predisposition. It seems more likely that the Sidda earned their place in the Thraxian mountains through trade and craftsmanship, considering how the family’s fame in the region comes from their skillfully made tongs and scissors, and their prominence as dyers. 

By the time Anabinpāl was born, while the house of Sidda had not yet risen to the prominence that they would reach during his life, their monopoly on how to produce sky-blue dyes allowed them to hold a certain degree of affluence and wealth. He was born to the head of the family, Siddayumi Nantunipāl; who was famous amongst the Sidda for his reputed skill in combat (so skilled was he that none amongst the living had seen him unsheathe his sword, let alone use it), and amongst the Angaturiz for his dwarfish stature. The birth is said to have been a commotion in itself – as the story goes, upon seeing the child come out of the womb six fingered, red faced and as hairy as an ape, the midwife came down with illness and could not speak for the rest of her years.

Despite Anabinpāl’s horrifying appearance, it was not received with surprise by the line of Sidda, having been long accustomed to their ‘cursed blood’. Albeit his mother, Selig, a Vedatanni woman from the tribe of Mikanna married to Nantunipāl in exchange for teaching the tribe how to produce the coarser blue dyes, took some time to adjust to her wild child, and through his early childhood Anabinpāl was raised by Iniminnu, his aunt and Nantunipāl’s first wife. Despite the rough start, over time, the bond between Selig and Anabinpāl grew stronger than the boy’s bond with Iniminnu, to an extent that Selig would defiantly bring the child with him whenever she were to visit her family, and encourage him to play with the boys of the Mikanna as if he were one of them proper. 

For the Sidda, the child spending time with the Mikanna was a good thing; although his polydactyly was considered a boon for a craftsman, his late birth, mixed blood and pugnacious behavior made him an unpopular candidate at inheriting anything of importance from his father’s wealth. Amongst the Mikanna he was at first a subject of curiosity and humiliation for his beastly appearance, but as he quickly grew to a prodigious size, respect took the place of mockery. Thanks to his gangly, muscular arms, he proved an expert climber and spear thrower at a very young age, and eventually made a name for himself amongst the tribe’s hunters, both for his skill and for his voracious appetite. His growing reputation amongst the Mikanna made the Sidda quickly see the boy in a new light; as opposed to the best-forgotten brute they’d first seen in him, he was now groomed as a warrior, a profession that had mostly been on its way out amongst family members until then.

Unexpectedly, it was Siddayumi Nantunipāl who declared that he would be training Anabinpāl in the ways of combat. While the women of the Sidda began preparing dirges for him in advance, and his wives began practicing how to present themselves as proper widows, it turned out that the Elders’ tales about Nantunipal’s skill in the ways of the warrior were true. The elderly dwarf made such a mockery of Anabinpāl, in fact, that it is said to this day that the Sidda do not show their warrior side for it is beaten into their very muscles with cudgels. It took two years for Anabinpāl to land even the weakest hit on his father, although said hit was enough to shatter four fingers on the man’s left hand, which would lead to their amputation some years later. 

So, the House of Sidda earned its next warrior. And when the Mikanna raised their arms against the neighboring tribe of Awaddil, when the latter claimed ownership over their cattle, the Sidda went to war alongside them. Father and son fought side by side, and fought well. Anabinpāl brought so many heads and prisoners to the Chief of the Mikanna, Briseric, that the man was oath bound to give to the young Sidda whatever he’d wished. Anabinpāl proved once more why he was known for his voracious appetite, and asked for Elenig, his daughter and only child, to be his wife. While it was unthinkable for the elderly Briseric to give his only daughter to a foreigner (especially a foreigner like Anabinpāl, for it was practically giving his daughter to an ape that spoke), it was also unthinkable for him to go back on his word, and begrudgingly, they were wed. It was a silent marriage.

Anabinpāl was now on the dangerous path of greatness. Having built a strong bond between him and his father on the field of battle, and having wed his way to being a future contender as chief (even though he’d married Elenig for she had the thickest thighs and tallest height amongst the women of the tribe, and not for her status), he was now a most prominent figure amongst both the Sidda and the Mikanna, yet also one full of controversy. Like an interloper, he had come and taken Nantunipal’s favor and fingers, despite having no skill in the family professions – not only that, but he’d also taken Briseric’s daughter from him and tainted his line. For all his fame, many showed him respect, but few showed him love. He had no proper friends or allies in either family, merely those that feared him. Only his father, mother and wife showed any sort of compassion to him. For one leading a simple life, that might have been enough. But despite his monstrous exterior, he was able to feel the hatred of many within himself like any other man. Anabinpāl found himself feeling surprisingly alone.

When Siddayumi Nantunipāl passed away suddenly, without naming an heir to the House of Sidda, Anabinpāl ended up being granted his position, for despite being the least popular candidate, he was also the most feared. Nonetheless, this fear was not enough to stop one of his uncles from insulting him openly amongst members of the House, mocking him, his life, his appearance and the circumstances of his birth, claiming that it’d have been better if he’d never been born and how he was Cursed Blood of Sidda personified. Anabinpāl was so insulted, that he began weeping loudly, and bashed his uncle’s head in with his fists until there was naught but his lower jaw left attached to the man’s body. He then fell sick with headache and spent up to a week in seclusion, attended only by his wife Elenig. The weeping and random garbling that could be heard from his quarters led the family to think that the Gods of Nhir had caught up with them and were tormenting the Sidda once more.

He eventually recovered and found that the gory display he’d made of his uncle had silenced all the sounds of dissent within the family. Perhaps it was not only dissent that he had shut down, for in general, the House of Sidda felt joyless. The head of family was a brute with no understanding of leadership, one that was not above shedding the blood of his elders upon compulsion. Wishing things differently, he went to his mother, Selig, and asked for her counsel. She was a woman wise beyond her years and told him that families stood together through two things – the power of love and the feeling of security. Anabinpāl did not believe that he could win his family’s love, for in the end, he was not where they wanted him to be. So, he tried to buy their hearts through offerings of the family income. His uncle’s widow was given one-in-forty of the Siddayumi’s wealth, while members of the House were allowed to keep to themselves twice what they would normally keep. He was warned by his wife, Elenig, on how this could lead to them merely speaking their thoughts away from his presence and plot against him from such safety, but perhaps even this was enough for Anabinpāl.

Unexpectedly, despite the resentment that the Elders of Sidda held against him, his decrees allowed his distant cousins to grow wealthier, and over time, he found some allies amongst them. Unlike his siblings and his uncles, they had no chance of inheriting the position of Siddayumi, and thanks to him, they now had a greater degree of independence and wealth. Anabinpāl’s status amongst the Mikanna also meant that they were able to move through the Angaturiz with less harassment and more respect as well. While Anabinpāl understood that his cousins’ allegiance to him would lead to an increase in his responsibilities, he did not want to disappoint those who appreciated his actions. At their behest, he began taking a more vocal role in the tribe politics of the Mikanna, something that his mother and pregnant wife also appreciated. 

All this meant more stress on the Siddayumi, however, and the headaches came again, with greater intensity. With them, he also found his words slurring and outright changing at times, barely able to keep himself from spouting random profanity and losing physical control. When the two came together, he would lock himself to his quarters, alone, and unable to do any further harm to the family. The Elders of Sidda were not surprised – the Cursed Blood, they said once more. An act of Gods at behest of the Nhir. They were, however, surprised when Anabinpāl dared to curse said Gods out loud and removed all idols and offerings to them from his household. He would not obey those who had spited them and forgotten them in their time of need, he claimed. Sidda had shown its power even without favor. The only God from Nhir worthy of worship was Ban-Giru-Ganesh. 

Surprisingly, this decree of Anabinpāl found supporters amongst the Elders, the ones who still remembered some of the Old Ways. While most of them were not pleased with this development, those ones had realized by now that Anabinpāl did not seem to care about their heeds, and thus accepted the new narrative out of necessity and began making the best of it. Remains of the Old Ways and borrowed practices from the Angaturiz filled in the gaps left by the removal of the Gods of Nhir, and the True Way of Sidda was (re)found – much of it without Anabinpāl’s knowing. He claimed he had better things to do than to meddle with the way of priests and Elders. 

As the Sidda reformed itself around the new dogma, Elenig gave birth. The child, named Ban-Giru Iannan (Glory to Ban-Giru), was the first Sidda born in a long time without any seeming defects. Anabinpāl was happy to see his wife Elenig relieved to see a healthy child, while the Elders saw this as an auspicious sign of Ban-Giru-Ganesh rewarding them for them rising up against the destiny written for them by the Gods of Nhir. However, when the Mikanna and the Sidda gathered together to celebrate the birth of Anabinpāl’s child, he was beset by the Cursed Blood once more, and in an episode, insulted a prominent retainer of Chief Briseric. While most were amused by Anabinpāl’s words, the man was not, and challenged Anabinpāl to a duel. With his reputation at stake, Anabinpāl accepted. Three days later, the duel commenced. While Anabinpāl tried to go easy on him, he was stabbed in the foot by his efforts, and promptly ripped the man’s face off. Anabinpāl’s wound had to be cauterized, while Briseric's retainer spent a week in agonizing pain before finally expiring. 

Albeit his injury was expected to humble him, Anabinpāl turned even more aggressive after the incident. Fearing for his and his family’s future after the event of hostility, he decided to take matters into his own hands and consolidate a future for the Sidda before he expired or lost his sanity. When Briseric finally passed away, he was quick to claim himself chieftain of the Mikanna, and declare that any who disagreed with the notion were free to leave the tribe with all their belongings, or challenge him for the title. While none dared challenge him, some prominent retainers of Briseric indeed left for other tribes. Most of the dissatisfied seemed to find the thought of having to start a new life far too difficult and begrudgingly accepted Anabinpāl’s rule.

Yet it seems for Anabinpāl that the more he’s risen, the more he’s lost. He knows well that he is not the popular ruler, despite his attempts to appeal to the love of his people. Even his advisors and his allies seem to have preferred an alternative. While he has secured a possible fortune for his family, he is aware of the risks awaiting them should he stumble, and the constant need to be cautious eats away at him and makes him more fallible to the so-called Cursed Blood. He has compromised some of the trade secrets of the Sidda to appeal to the Mikanna, and compromised the cultural integrity of the Mikanna ruling class to appeal to the Sidda. In return, he’s gained allies and enemies in both. He trods the path of greatness with a limp, and is all too aware that wolves are guiding him there, wolves ready to lunge at his throat should he fall. 

And so, he loses himself in food and drink to forget the sword hanging above his head by a thread. For all the comforts allowed to a chief, he finds it harder and harder to enjoy any of them with what’s at stake.
[/cell][cell][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/TuThqsm.png[/img]
[sup]One look at this famed warrior of old, and one can see that the tales are, or at least, some were, true. While no longer the red-furred beast that he was rumored to be by the tribes of the region, this pudgy, apelike brute of a man certainly bears enough hair on his body to be mistaken as such. His hairs have greyed, and his brow has furrowed, and despite the air of majesty brought to him by his age and regal clothes, the savagery that constitutes his physical being still shows its prominence through his snout-like nose, sunken, predatory eyes, and the simply monstrous amount of mass on his body. One of his eyes has long gone lazy, and he often makes an effort to not let his eyes wander. 
[b][color=6ecff6]Age:[/color][/b] 53
[b][color=6ecff6]Skills & Talents:[/color][/b] A prodigious warrior even at his advanced age, what he lacks in education of strategy, he makes up for through personal experience and a sharp mind. Despite his tendency to downplay his physical strength, he is still a brute more ape than man, more than capable to lead and humble the best of men in combat. 
Anabinpāl lacks in mercantile and diplomatic etiquette, but is willing to learn and is not above asking for advice from those close to him, well aware of his limits. He speaks with candor and clarity.
While illiterate, he has spent a good portion of his youth listening and observing. It is hard for him to explain his reasoning through words, but it has served him well so far. 
His sheer mass hinders his ability to wear the heavy armor of his bloodline, although it also hinders poison should it enter his bloodstream. 
[b][color=6ecff6]Traits:[/color][/b] Cautious; Observant; Patient; Hedonistic; Unstable; Paranoid
[b][color=6ecff6]Allegiances:[/color][/b] His children; his wife, Elenig; the Sidda family; the Mikanna tribe 
[b][color=6ecff6]Rank & Role:[/color][/b] CHIEF.[/sup][/center][/cell][/row][row][/row][/table][/hider]