Ammar, the Cunning

Lore
Ammar was born the first son of the Wizard Azimuth, the legendary labyrinth builder whose vaults and mazes are considered marvels of the Seven Cities. Constantly in search of architectural inspiration, Azimuth took his son on expeditions to visit ancient ruins of the Shantiris during the boy’s childhood. Ammar cared little for the ruins, but he fell in love with the spooky statues scattered within them. The scattered remains of stone Golems and Gargoyles would send his head and dreams spinning. As he grew up he sought every story there was concerning the Shantiri magical Constructs: animated creatures fashioned with stone, starsilver and precious Dragonblood crystals.

Ammar went on to study in the new Construct wing of House Materia. Materia had for centuries been the school that brought the Seven Cities architectural wonders and walled protection. They were specialized in building invisible gates and floating arches, impenetrable towers and misty cool amphitheaters that were every bit as wondrous as the plays performed there. Though they did build fortresses, catapults, walls and castles, assuring the Seven Cities’ protection, they were never concerned with the building of their own army.

Ammar learned the basics of manipulating stone in architecture, mastering the Elemental Magic of Earth and Water. He would certainly have followed in the footsteps of his father Azimuth had he not been visiting Al-Yaqut the day of the great fire. He witnessed the deaths of several young students at the blistering hands of a ravaging Fire Elemental. He suddenly had a revelation. An army of Constructs was the only reliable guarantee for Seven Cities independence. The Shantiris must have learned this for themselves long ago. Ammar began promoting the idea that the Wizards of the Seven Cities and their four Houses were powerful because of their diversity, and that no one House was superior to the others. He proclaimed each House one of four legs of the same table, one of four pillars of the same tower, and if one were to become bigger than the others all of them would fall. No House should ever be allowed to become completely dominant or the beauty and wonder in the diversity of the Seven Cities would either be burned to the ground or rot in decay.

Ammar first set out to convince House Materia to accept its responsibility on the battlefield alongside the other Houses, and then worked diligently to create armies of Golems, Gargoyles and eventually Titans that would stand their ground alongside the army creatures from the other houses. They would have their purpose in maintaining a balance of power, but the Constructs could become the bulwark of the forces of the Seven Cities, guaranteeing its protection.

The Orcs and Beastmen created by the Wizards of House Chimera had once revolted, nearly burning the Seven Cities to the ground. The Djinns and Elementals of House Anima required exceptional and often over-ambitious Wizards to summon and control them, while the Skeletons and Zombies, along with their Dark Necromancers, Liches and Vampires of House Eterna were simply… inhuman. A properly crafted Construct would be loyal until its destruction. It had no choice. It was made that way.

Ammar’s sound politics and diplomatic temperament eventually lead him to become head of House Materia, and he was invited to become one of the Council of Nine. His future exploits would earn him other titles, notably Lord General of the Construct Armies.