Al Qadim
A Little Background
Your group is known as a "cohort," which is to say, a set of people who entered the jannissaries at about the same time and have lived together ever since, experiencing the same training, problems, failures and successes. Among the jannissaries in Huzuz, cohorts are usually gathered in groups of 10; children are brought in at different ages, so sometimes a child may be with the jannissaries for several years before a "cohort" is established, and members may be different ages.
Your cohort's immediate overseer and trainer is Bashshar Hadi abd al-Jasir. Ultimately, of course, the Dauntless' superior is Preani Quin and then the Grand Caliph, but you never really see either of those two - day to day, Bashshar has been there since you were children first beginning your real training.
Bashshar is a wiry, scarred human mamluk of ninth level, according to his facial markings. He has shortish grey hair and usually dresses in simple garments of dark blue or maroon, although he also seems at home in the more formal garments of court. Bashshar retired from active duty in his mid-thirties due to a near-fatal sword wound taken in a fight with corsairs, and took up the role of cohort trainer. His first cohort is about seven years older than you, a group of six jannissaries currently on active duty. Your cohort saw them once in a while, but never got to know them well, since they were well ahead of you in training. Bashshar sometimes refers to their failures or triumphs as examples during training. You are in his second cohort, and he just took his third cohort a year or two ago, a group of children ranging in age from 7 to 11 who are just beginning their formal training as jannissaries.
Bashshar is something of a father figure, a calm, no-nonsense man who has worked closely with the eunuchs who trained you, making sure that your training fit his idea of "proper" training, and who keeps in touch with the cohort's current set of mentors, watching and evaluating your progress. While not cold or heartless, Bashshar doesn't offer much sympathy for failure - in general he believes that people learn from their mistakes, and eventually they'll either stop making them, or die. He usually advises you to follow your heart, your Fate, and the Law of the Loregiver when making a difficult decision, rather than give you any personal advice.
When your cohort is ready to begin active duty - something you expect to occur very soon - Bashshar will be your liaison, arranging your jobs and travel arrangements, briefing you whenever possible, and - should the worst happen - seeing that any family you leave behind is well cared for by the Dauntless. However, he clearly has a deep personal investment in your cohort, and hopes to see you succeed to the honor of the Dauntless, the Caliph, and the Law.
