Khalid al-Zarzisi

Khalid al-Zarzisi
Fictional Character
Through Darkest Europe 1st POD: c. 1100 CE 2nd POD c. 1265 CE
Type of Appearance:	Direct POV
Nationality:	Republican Sultanate of the Maghrib
Religion:	Islam
Date of Birth:	c. 1975
Occupation:	Federal agent
Spouse:	Unnamed first wife (divorced); Annarita Pezzola (m. 2018)
Relatives:	Uncle Masud
Military Branch:	Italian Army (semi-formal deputization)

Khalid al-Zarzisi was an investigator for the government of the Republican Sultanate of the Maghrib. As a young man, Khalid attended the madrasa of Cairo. His Uncle Masud, an investigator for the city of Tunis, got Khalid started in government service. Al-Zarzisi was married, but the marriage ended in divorce.

In 2018, al-Zarzisi and his partner Dawud ibn Musa were sent to the Grand Duchy of Italy at the request of Cosimo III to help investigate the activities of the Aquinists.

Initial Arrival in Rome and Meeting with the Pope

Upon their arrival in Rome, al-Zarzisi and ibn Musa were met by Major Giacomo Badoglio of the Italian Ministry of Information, then escorted them to the Ministry, where they spent some time reviewing the intelligence the Grand Duchy had gathered on Aquinist groups in the country. Bagdolio then escorted the agents to Saint Peter's to meet with Pope Marcellus IX. The meeting was cordial, with some moments of tension. Both al-Zarzisi and ibn Musa were unaccustomed to the absolutism that marked Europe, and proved rather flip with their answers. Ibn Musa in particular conceded that they could easily fail to protect Marcellus, but, as a Jew, he preferred Marcellus to the Aquinists. In the end, the group agreed that the Aquinists were the main threat to the world order.

Later that day, al-Zarzisi and ibn Musa disguised themselves as tourists and wandered about Rome, ultimately arriving outside the Aquinas Seminary. They did not enter, but contemplated the heavily fortified building and what was likely taking place inside. They then went back to the Ministry of Information and met with Major Badoglio to discuss how the Maghribis might be of most help. Badoglio admitted he was unsure, himself, but would accept their help.

That night, after dinner at their hotel, al-Zarzisi and ibn Musa returned to their room in time to receive a call from a representative of the Aquinist Seminary, who confirmed that they'd been spotted earlier that day. The representative invited them to came back and enter.

Meeting with Corrector Pacelli

Despite their respective misgivings, they went over at the appointed time the next day. After moving through several layers of security, they were brought to the Corrector, Domenico Pacelli. To their surprise, he spoke classical Arabic. He explained that his purpose was to set the record straight, and that Aquinists were not killers. He claimed they wanted equality, and to not have the culture of the Muslim world "rammed down [their] throats." When the Maghribis pointed out that no one was forcing Europe to accept the parts of civilization to which Aquinists objected, Pacelli stated firmly that freedom was overrated, and that he sought to impose the will of God on the world. With that, the meeting ended, and the Maghribis left.

They returned to the Ministry of Information the next day to meet with Badoglio and discuss the meeting with Pacelli. When the Maghribis asked why Grand Duke Cosimo allowed the Aquinists what was essentially their own state, Badoglio noted that a crackdown on the Aquinists would lead to a civil war, and there were no guarantees Cosimo would win. He also opined that Pope Marcellus likely felt the same way. Then they requested an audience with Cosimo himself, which Badoglio agreed to try to arrange. After they played tourist for a few days, Cosimo's administrative assistant, Annarita Pezzola, invited the Maghribis to an entertainment hosted by the Grand Duke.

Assassination of Cosimo III

The two arrived and were immediately brought to Cosimo. They discussed the Maghribis' visit with Corrector Pacelli. While they quickly realized Cosimo fully understood the Aquinist threat, his ego and his barely concealed anti-Semitism grated on them. They mingled for a time. Al-Zarzisi ran into a woman he'd seen at the Roman Forum a few days before, who turned out to be Annarita Pezzola. They spoke briefly until they overheard Cosimo talking to a new serving girl. When Pezzola realized that they hadn't hired anyone new, they attempted to call out a warning to Cosimo, but the girl detonated a bomb, killing herself, Cosimo, and others nearby. Al-Zarzisi, ibn Musa, and Pezzola survived the attack. The Maghribis helped as much as possible in the aftermath. They confirmed that Cosimo's older son, Lorenzo.

Against the advice of his advisors and generals, Lorenzo ordered a state funeral for his father, which took place more than a week after Cosimo's death. The Maghribis sought an audience with Lorenzo during that period, but he refused to respond. Out of desperation, al-Zarzisi reached out to Annarita Pezzola, who confirmed Lorenzo's intransigence on the funeral. She also informed al-Zarzisi that Lorenzo ordered the arrest of Corrector Pacelli, and secured his cooperation by threatening to destroy every Aquinas Seminary in the Grand Duchy. Pezzola also told al-Zarzisi that she believed that Lorenzo was likely to terminate her employment.

Cosimo's Funeral

On the day of Cosimo's funeral, the Maghribis rode in a limousine next to the one carrying their country's underwaizr for foreign affairs (Major Badoglio had arranged it) To everyone's dismay, Lorenzo had ordered that dignitaries march behind Cosimo's coffin to the Pantheon. In addition to a number of foreigners, Pope Marcellus and Corrector Pacelli also participated in the march, the latter as a hostage for the Aquinists good behavior. While the march was uneventful, when guards began to move the coffin into the Pantheon, Aquinists who'd infiltrated the crowd began shooting.

A brief but explosive gun battle followed that killed a number of mourners, Aquinists, and even a few dignitaries. Lorenzo survived, and was able to take charge of the situation. Pope Marcellus also survived without injury. Corrector Pacelli, who'd been brought along as a hostage, had been gunned down by his guards. Annarita Pezzola had also survived the shooting, and was horrified by the fact that Lorenzo simply didn't listen to her.

Crackdown

Lorenzo launched a crackdown on the Aquinists. The day after the funeral, Italian media reported on the destruction of the Aquinas Seminary in Rome. The Maghribis noticed that the media reported nothing on how the crackdown was going elsewhere in Italy. They also quickly realized that official denials by the Ministry of Information of fighting in Bari, Naples, and Bologna meant that there was indeed fighting in those places. During this report, a time bomb the Aquinists had planted in the Pantheon detonated, badly damaging it. In response, Lorenzo immediately declared martial law, and had Annarita Pezzola arrange a meeting with the Maghribis.

Lorenzo was quite forthcoming. He admitted that his military was effectively sitting on Rome, but that things outside of Rome were terrible, particularly in the north, where the Aquinists had the most sway. He was also firm that he wanted take the fight to the Aquinists, though the Maghribis and Pezzola counseled caution. Lorenzo was not receptive to their advice.

The next day, the agents met with Umar ibn Abd-al-Aziz, the Maghribi envoy to the Grand Duchy. The agents confirmed the ambassador's suspicion that Lorenzo had no qualms about triggering a civil war in Italy. He also shared his worry that such a conflict might draw Aquinists from all over Europe as part of a "Crusade". Ibn Abd-al-Aziz also confirmed that there could be a doctrinal basis for this. He suggested that Pope Marcellus IX could condemn the Crusade. Ibn Abd-al-Aziz pointed out that the Aquinists had made Faruq al-Ghaznavi into a hero. While al-Zarzisi initially had doubts about backing strongmen like Cosimo and Lorenzo, the fact that the Aquinists lionized one of history's greatest killers removed those doubts. Even as they spoke, an explosion nearby rattled the embassy's windows. The three also realized that even if Lorenzo won this particular war, the Aquinists would be a threat for years to come. The two agents made their way back to their hotel, where they found Annarita Pezzola in the lobby. She told him that she'd offered her resignation and Lorenzo had accepted, though al-Zarsisi could see that she was choosing her words carefully. She also admitted she came to the two Maghribis because she knew she could still indirectly advise Lorenzo.

After the government seized the Aquinas Seminary, Major Badoglio gave a tour of the Maghribis a tour. He explained that, after the military used rockets on the higher levels, Lorenzo's men had to move floor to floor to clear out the Aquinists, who generally fought to the death. They also disabled two timebombs. Most of the files had been damaged, either destroyed directly by Aquinists, or as a consequence of combat. However, their tour was cut short when the bomb squad found a third bomb in the cellar. Badoglio, the Maghribis, and most of the people in the building got out, but the sapper crew was killed when the bomb went off, collapsing the building.

Later, al-Zarzisi and ibn Musa joined Badoglio and Captain Paolo Salgari in the interrogation of Martino of Padua. Martino defiantly refused to acknowledge the authority of the Grand Duchy, only that of his monastic superiors and God. When ibn Musa pointed out that state was now cracking down on the Aquinists, and that Martino's superiors had no power over anyone, Martino retorted that he didn't have to listen to the lies of a Jew. Everyone was intrigued by the fact that Martino knew ibn Musa was a Jew, as he didn't look much different from al-Zarzisi, or Salgari, for that matter. Badoglio changed topics slightly, presenting an edict from Pope Marcellus IX ordering Catholics to cooperate with the Grand Duchy. Badoglio also confirmed that Grand Duchy know that Martino was part of the operation to have Maria Conti assassinate Cosimo III. Martino remained defiant, condemning Pope Marcellus as a heretic and refusing to give answers voluntarily. At this point, Badoglio began beating Martino, and continued to beat him until Martino finally supplied names. For their part, the Maghbribis were sickened by the brutality of Italian methods. After it was over, they went to their hotel and got drunk.

The crackdown continued, as did the Aquinists violent responses. The Ministry of Information received reports of Aquinist police officers and soldiers. Aquinist broadsheets calling for crusades appeared in the northern cities of Florence and Turin, two cities Lorenzo had believed supported him. They also issued broadsheets in multiple languages throughout Europe in order recruit Aquinists to fight in Italy. While meeting with Lorenzo, al-Zarzisi shared Annarita Pezzola's suggestion that the Grand Duchy emphasize the fact that the Aquinists were recruiting foreigners to kill Italians, a suggestion Lorenzo enthusiastically embraced. He also expressed concern about how porous Italy's borders remained. Al-Zarzisi attempted to convince Lorenzo to rehire Pezzola, but Lorenzo dismissed the suggestion for purely sexist reasons. Two days later, Badoglio invited the Maghribis to the interrogation of Gottlieb Schrempf, a "Crusader" from the small southern German state of Archbishopric of Ochsenhausen, who'd slipped through the Swiss cantons with the help of local Aquinas Seminaries, and then over the border into the Grand Duchy. Schrempf was captured during a firefight.

Florence

In light of this information, the Maghribis headed to Florence. The met with Ministry Captain Enrico Pavarotti, who explained that about half the people of the city believed Lorenzo was not a proper Christian, and that at least quarter had the same view of Pope Marcellus. They then asked for a tour of the streets, which Pavarotti obliged after kitting them with helmets, bulletproof vests, and assault rifles. They'd just exited the ministry when an Aquinist fired a rocket-propelled grenade into the front of the Ministry. Another soon followed, and the building caught fire as a gun battle broke out. The Maghribis and the Ministry men were able to fight off the attacking Crusaders, though the Ministry building was essentially destroyed.

They returned to Rome and consulted with Major Badoglio, who expressed relief that they were alive. They discussed options, and realized that fanatics like the Aquinists always overreached and alienated people. To underscore the point, the Maghribis narrowly avoided an Aquinist on a scooter blowing himself up as they walked back to their hotel. One of the men on the streets cursed the Aquinists for the attack.

Naples

In light of the uprising, the Maghribis decided to head south to Naples for two separate missions. First, they contacted Maghribi archeologist named Lisarh ibn Yahsub was overseeing a dig of the Roman city of Pompeii. The dig was well-fortified. Ibn Yashub credited the madrasa at Tuskalusa for the initial discovery 20 years before. He was also quite frustrated by how incurious the Italians were in general, and how aggressively ignorant the Aquinists were.

The Maghribis then went to Naples proper for their more important and more dangerous mission: securing the aid of local crime boss Dino Crocetti against the Aquinists. After setting up in their hotel, the Maghribis skipped the local Ministry of Intelligence office and went to the central police station, where they browbeat the prefect Pietro Vaccaro into arranging a meeting with Crocetti. Vaccaro initially denied any ties, but relented, warning them that their bodies could easily be fished out of the harbor six weeks later. After waiting at their hotel for a few hours, a man came and drove them to Crocetti at an eatery called Ciro a Santa Brigida.

Over a fine meal, the Maghribis proposed that Crocetti align himself with the Grand Duke. Crocetti initially was dubious, as he believed that even with the Aquinists in power, people would indulge the sort of vices he could provide. Both Maghribis attempted to make points to change Crocetti's mind. For his part, al-Zarzisi found Crocetti rather likeable as the meal continued. After they finished, Crocetti had them returned to their hotel without committing to anything.

Back to Rome

When the two returned to Rome, ibn Musa met with Major Badoglio while al-Zarzisi met with Annarita Pezzola. While she broadly understood the pragmatic value of the Grand Duchy aligning with crime bosses, she also admitted she found them as detestable as the Aquinists, and one more thing keeping Italy from progressing. Al-Zarzisi again suggested that Pezzola migrate to the Maghrib. She demurred, asserting again that she saw herself as Italian first. As they were winding up their meeting, they learned that Aquinists had detonated a suicide bomb near the Vatican, killing several civilians, but coming nowhere near the Pope. After taking his leave, he returned to his room, where ibn Musa told him that Aquinists had attempted to assassinate Jean XXIII of France. In the wake of this escalation, the Maghribis met with Pope Marcellus again, and convinced him to issue a bull condemning violence. After a brief period of consideration, Pope Marcellus issued a bull entitled De necessitate pacis (On the need for peace). While Lorenzo was quite strident in his support of Marcellus, the Aquinists were unmoved. Father Adolphus, the Corrector of the Aquinas Seminary in München, issued a message to Aquinists that emphasized Jesus' statement in Matthew 10:34: "I came to bring not peace, but a sword." In the meantime, al-Zarzisi continued his relationship with Pezzola.