Qorë Partridge (Inktober Day 26)

The Qorë Partridge sends maps and coded bird calls.

The Qorë Partridge, aka the chukah or the desert partridge, is one of Em Qeriah’s helpers in the Arqah Archives. These birds are responsible for delivering maps to the spies, troops and agents who are fighting Bavel on the battlefield. They’re also good at sending coded bird call messages, since Bavel doesn’t know how to monitor or censor them.

The Qorë wears a pumpkin headscarf, a microphone headset, antiglare glasses and a shoulder case for maps. For navigation purposes, it also wears a pendant that resembles a map compass rose.

Expect this bird to appear in “Milhamah: Fighting Words” soon!

Shelomoh Mashlim (Inktober Day 25)

Shelomoh Mashlim is the complementizer.

Shelomoh Mashlim is the complementizer part of speech in “Milhamah: Fighting Words.” He is a low-level bureaucrat who works for the provincial government in ‘Ir Risshum (formerly Yerushalayim).

When Mashlim is not at his depressing pay clerk office, he is at peace and glows with an iridescent halo. He tries to be perfect employee, diving into work wholeheartedly to complete it on time.

But the Bavel Macrostructure breed corruption. And as Mashlim’s work culture grows more corrupt, so do the policies. Local suppliers get ripped off in a sea of bribes. Managers scoff at even the concept of counting numbers. Embezzlement, graft and grifting overflow.

Amid all this, Mashlim tries to be sincere and diplomatic. But even his repository of folk wisdom, parables and fables leave him empty for answers. So he keeps his head down and tries to escape attention. His glow dims. And he waits patiently.

Though this crisis threatens his serenity, he hears rumors about this Holy Tongue Society. And suddenly, a new future is possible: one where he rules instead of taking orders, and metes out some payback of his own.

Mashlim’s powers are based off the שלם shoresh root and its family. He is good at tuning into his teammates to  complement and synergize their attack. His Opal Glow dazzles opponents, and his ability to meditate on wisdom gives him high willpower against mental and spiritual attacks. His demeanor can also calm and pacify enemy aggression, especially when amplified by his bardic poetry.

 

Beli Ya’al (Inktober Day 24)

Beli Ya'al leads the Bavel Macrostructure.

Beli Ya’al is the decadent leader of the Bavel Macrostructure. From his low-level office in Bavel’s Migdal Tower, he deconstructs the world’s nations and strangles speech through a censorship regime.

(In many ways, he just *might* have a passing resemblance to certain modern-day tech titans.)

Beli sees himself as a socially conscious dictator. He promises humanity a global jubilee from the burdens of inquiry, debate and truth under the inclusive mission of “one language, few words.” However, his leadership style is lazy, and he often spends his time having trivial fun rather than doing hard work. It’s no secret that his enemies call him the Worthless One.

His typical powers are based on the בלי shoresh root and family. He emits radiation that ages his targets. He corrodes equipment to make it useless. And he can stir up necrotic debris, set his enemies on fire, or cause waters to flood. Rumor says he can transform too, but no witnesses have ever seen it.

Beli is an aging hipster at heart who longs to embody the spirit of the age. He shows symptoms of male menopause. He is negative, cynical and against all ideologies except his own. While he holds the brainwashed masses in contempt, he ironically wears shabby vintage clothing to signal his connection to the common man.

In his free time, Beli is an avid pilot. He owns a wealthy cottage by the watercourse of Yaval, near the mighty Perat River. He plans to make his own Hanging Gardens like the Garden of ‘Eden, where he can put the Syntax Tree in its “rightful” place. But for now, all that grows is devil’s grass.

Alp (Inktober Day 23)

Alp represents the letter Alef.

Alp, the guardian representative of the letter alef (א), is an ox whom Adam named and befriended in the beginning. As one of the 22 Otiyot, he broke his yoke to become a miraculous champion, a military general and a coach.

Alp’s abilities are based on the אלף shoresh root and family. He can easily learn his enemies’ skills and how to counter them. He also can shroud himself in darkness and can astonish the masses with God-given miracles.

Today Alp’s whereabouts are unknown, but rumor has it that his ancient teachings were preserved and passed down. Look forward to seeing more of Alp when the “Milhamah: Fighting Words” comic resumes!

Fattened drunkard (Inktober Day 22)

The fattened drunkard is a fan of the Granary's Trough.

The fattened drunkard is a background character who spends all day swallowing pig slop and chugging booze. He’s a regular at the Granary’s Trough, a tavern located in the Maäbbus sector of ‘Ir Risshum. He’ll always recommend the Working Man’s Bowl to newcomers. Otherwise, there’s not much to say about him, besides his slovenly appearance and his defiled manners.