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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Celebrim" data-source="post: 6985169" data-attributes="member: 4937">Ghazi Abdul Bitar (“Beater Batter”) – Ghazi Abdul Bitar is the current President of The Chimeras, a club or organization that is part informal militia, part secret society, and part street gang.  The Chimeras are the largest such organization in the city, loosely numbering nearly a hundred members and having several hundred former members.  Anyone who is of the lower classes who works in a trade, and who knows a member of the Chimeras, is eligible to join.  Entry in to the Chimera’s is supposed to occur shortly after the person is recognized as an adult in the city (13 for humans, 24 for Jann) and entered into an apprenticeship.  Induction is by invitation and made by way of a secret ceremony, fashioned loosely after the initiation ceremonies of the guild, but conducted by older members of the gang but with less ceremony and more of what might be rightly described as hazing.  Members are to remain in the guild until they have completed their apprenticeship and entered into full standing with their respective guild, at which point they are expected to put down their more childish loyalties.  However, former members still often retain fondness for their time in the Chimeras, and often work to see that membership is passed down along familial lines, and former colleagues in the Chimeras are often as not colleagues in the guilds, political parties, secret societies and adult militias that make up Qaybar’s social life.  Members of the Chimera’s are most drawn the teamsters, porters, stokers, fullers, beast tamers, wheel and cart wrights, drovers, knackers, brewers, ashers, rope makers, and to a lesser extent from the masons and smiths.  Membership and loyalty to the organization is most often found amongst those of the lowest classes having less esteemed professions in their various guilds, so that if for an example an apprentice alchemist is in the Chimeras, likely he is apprenticed to low end maker of lacquer, paste, glue, varnish and paint, rather than a more esteemed trade like distiller of dreams, perfumer, or potion brewer.  Some talking beasts are also granted membership in the Chimeras by special dispensation of the members, if the beast comes to their attention and is well liked by all.Leadership of the Chimeras is by election, and Ghazi Abdul Bitar has held the office now for five years – a considerable period by the measure of the office.  He is a well liked wrangler of dire camels and teamster of dire oxen, with broad shoulders and exceptional strength, as well as dashing smile, square jar and cleft chin that make him handsome and even charming if one is able to ignore the musky reek of beast that comes from his frequently unwashed body.  Despite his fairly young age, Ghazi Abdul Bitar is an accomplished brawler (Jann, Ftr2) both with his fists and the heavy truncheon he carries with him.  He is known on the streets by an endless variety of sing-song plays upon his family name, such as “Bitter Biter”, “Bitar the Biter”, “Bitar the Batter”, “Beater Bitter”, and most often “Beater Batter”.  These nicknames however he tolerates only from his friends and acquaintances, and such familiarity offered to him by someone he knows not is likely to earn a beating if possible and at least enmity if that seems unwise at the moment.  Although he is well liked, there is growing discontent in some portions of the Chimeras that Ghazi does not voluntarily step down from his position and leave the Chimeras, seeing has he has been a member 11 years now and has by all rights completed his apprenticeship.   Ghazi Abdul Bitar for his part, is not anxious to ‘grow up’ nor to change his circumstances.  He sees no clear future ahead of him, has no special love of his trade, and no girl has yet won his heart.  He has not yet a desire for any family other than his brothers and sisters in arms.  Indeed, as the son of an abusive father and mother of often dissolute habits, his time in the chimeras has been one of singular happiness in his otherwise unpleasant and unhappy life.  As such he is dithering and waiting, hoping for some sign that will point him toward a happier future.   In the mean time, rivals in the gang plot to hold a special election to ought him, or wonder if not someone should challenge him to his position by way of a duel of some sort.  So far fear and respect of their leader is keeping such options off the table.The Chimeras size and esteem in the community is balanced by the fact that they are mostly easy going and unfanatical in their character.  While the Chimeras band together for mutual protection from the dangers of the streets, most members think of the Chimeras as being a last sort of great game before entering into adulthood, and so do not take it completely seriously and do not seek out trouble.  Only the hardened core of their membership regularly brawls.  Compared to similar organizations, the Chimeras are largely apolitical though owing to the classes and castes they draw from and their diverse racial make up, their members are most commonly associated with the Neutrality party, and to a lesser extent with the Transcendence and Equality parties.  This divergence of opinion within the ranks is also a reason why the Chimeras lack the fanatical character of some of their rivals.  Still, the Chimeras have such sheer numbers, and such strong ties to outside organizations by way of numerous former members, that they are when their tempers come up, a force to be reckoned with.  If united in purpose they can cause such a riot that even the city guard would give way and the streets would be unsafe until the Emir intervened to bring about order.The symbol of the Chimeras is (obviously) the Chimera, whose multiple heads symbolize to the club unity despite diversity of background.  Many members have tattoos secreted on their person and some even have chimeras embroidered into their clothing.  Former members often commission chimeras to be incorporated into the artwork of their establishments, or painted on the outside of their buildings, as a way of signaling to current members that the establishment is a welcoming and safe space for them.  The gang traditionally meets in the loft of a stable in the beast towers, but they have numerous bolt holes and gathering places.</blockquote>

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