The Banner Argument, or another reason why Arwa deserves the Sarranid throne

This is an argument regarding the symbolism of the banners of Arwa, Hakim, Arwa's late husband Baybak and the Sultan before Arwa and Hakim, Ayzar. Important points are highlighted in bold and there is a TL;DR at the end.

Now, to start off with, here's a reminder of who we are talking about exactly.

Meet Arwa the Pearled One, claimant to the throne of the Sarranid Sultanate, former slave, the adopted daughter of Sultan Ayzar, for a time the wife of Emir Baybak and the Mother of the Realm, and now an exile searching for ways to reclaim her former position - and the best waifu in warband.

Arwa was purchased as a slave by the Sultan, who was impressed by her intelligence and loved her like a daughter, eventually permitting her to manage his realm. Upon his death, she took the Sultan's position to prevent the Sultanate from devolving into civil war on the condition that she marry the country's Marshall, Baybak. Arwa was recognized as "Mother of the Realm" while Baybak became "Commander of the Armies", and they ruled as equals for around ten years before Baybak died in a skirmish against the Khergits.

And this is Hakim, Baybak's nephew who was at the capital at the time of his uncle's death. When Arwa's co-ruler perished, Hakim took matters into his own hands and staged a coup which ousted Arwa from power. Hakim has been Sultan ever since.

Now this is the emblem that represents the Sarranids as a whole, regardless of monarch. Besides the giant pile of armaments the big thing everyone notices is the Sarranid national animal - the eagle.

All other monarchs have their heraldic animal on their banner, flying the symbol of their nation proudly (with the exception of Sanjar, since the wolf isn't really the khergit one), with the exception of Hakim, whose banner is a flame and a crescent. However, the one Sarranid that does have an eagle on their banner is Arwa (and Emir Uqais, but that is almost definitely a case of asset reuse). And I believe I know why.

The eagle appears to be a symbol of the old dynasty - the one Sultan Ayzar belonged to. It has clearly been around for a long time, as it became the symbol for the whole Sarranid nation - and since Arwa's claim hinges on Ayzar's, she is connected to this ancient and well-respected dynasty. The logic of Hakim's claim, on the other hand, is deeply flawed - his claim hinges on Baybak's, and Baybak's depends on Arwa's. He thus wronged one of the pillars of his legitemacy, cutting the branch he sits on.

TL;DR:Through being a part of Sultan Ayzar's dynasty, Arwa is connected to the oldest rulers of the Sarranid Sultanate. Hakim's claim is illogical as it hinges on Arwa's, being his only connection to Ayzar.

Submitted March 17, 2019 at 11:45PM by Nico_Storch https://ift.tt/2TI35tj