#levent

Another commission for Cmguiyyt! This time with his OC, Oliver, getting an autograph from the mysterious Air Ride racer, Stag (my OC, Levent's alter ego).

Cumamız mübarek olsun 🤲

This is the flag of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.  It comes from a world where the Crusades were a success.  The Holy Land was placed under Christian control, as were Egypt and North Africa.  The Kingdom of Jerusalem frequently changed hands between various Christian kingdoms, but eventually it was established as an independent kingdom in the same manner as the Papal States.  There was a movement to have the Pope and College of Cardinals to move to Jerusalem, and for a few years they did, but it was ultimately decided that Jerusalem wasn't safe enough.  Rome remained the heart of Catholicism, but the church still has several important institutions in Jerusalem.  Similarly, the Orthodox Church has a Patriarch of Jerusalem who lives in the kingdom.

As a result of the successful Crusades many Muslims fled to West Africa.  By the present day West Africa, and Timbuktu in particular, have become the heart of Islam.  The Christian kingdoms of North Africa tend to have Christian coasts and Muslim interiors.  Jerusalem and its fellow Christian Levant kingdoms are...well, predominantly Christian.  Jerusalem comprises most of the territory that modern day Israel and Palestine consist of.

For many years Jews and Muslims have faced discrimination in Jerusalem.  Today, however, people of all religions enjoy equal protection under the law.  Jerusalem has increasingly placed effort into making amends for the past. For example, the Dome of the Rock for many years had been converted into a church, but in recent times it was converted into a secular museum where everyone is allowed to pray.  

This is reflected by the symbolism of the flag.  Christian elements are still dominate, purple and gold represent both royalty and Jesus Christ, and a cross dominates the center.  However, the cross is an equal armed Templar cross the represent the equality of all, and the Stars of David and crescent moons represent the importance of Jerusalem to Jews and Muslims as well as Christians.   

There had been hellhounds in the city for the better part of the last year but too few people ventured down into the catacombs to notice. Yavie whistled as he tried to get one to come out, for research purposes. He was studying the Otherbeasts in conjunction with the bomb fragments he’d recovered from Theneras’ devices - desperate to understand what the tinkerer had used to power them. Yavie whistled again as he tried to get one of the creature’s attention, adding some song magic to it to draw the beasts out like had done in the forest so many times before. Instead, he saw Levent. “Oh, hey you-” Levent the exile, Levent the criminal, Levent the asphodel fey. Levent the handsome. “have you seen any hellhounds around?” Yavie asked, sidestepping any animosity that he was meant to harbor for the asphodel. Grudges didn’t really serve him anymore, they were boring and hate gave you wrinkles.