Xiphos

Xiphos was a historical figure in the Great Red Sand, Sumeru.

The crown prince of a long-lost kingdom, Xiphos was saved from his kingdom's destruction by being disguised as a servant. He grew in power and stature, eventually becoming the hero of Tulaytullah, one of the myriad city-states that arose after the fall of King Deshret's kingdom. Due to his reputation, Xiphos was eventually slain by another fallen prince hired by city-states opposed to Tulaytullah.

He was the wielder of Xiphos' Moonlight and the Key of Khaj-Nisut.

Story

Xiphos was born to a queen of one of the myriad kingdoms that were established in the Great Red Sand after King Deshret's kingdom fell. To protect him from their kingdom's destruction, the queen dressed him as a servant and burned his crown and royal clothes, leaving him only with the Key of Khaj-Nisut, one of the scepters which serves as proof that its owner has the right to rule the desert, as proof of his heritage. Before their separation, she told him to "Use this sword as the key to the paradise's gate, and rebuild the kingdom amidst emeralds and pomegranates."^[1]

After several years of living as a wanderer, Xiphos became apprenticed to the Old Blind Poet who had formerly been a retainer for the desert vassal-kings.^[2][3] Xiphos eventually divulged his story to his master, who realized that Xiphos possessed one of the keys to the Eternal Oasis and encouraged him to embark on a journey across the city-states in the desert and reach his destiny of reuniting the desert peoples.^[1]

Xiphos, wielding a blade indwelt by a bloodthirsty Jinni, eventually developed a reputation as the hero of Tulaytullah, the city of sapphire and home of the Tighnarians. He saved many maidens from monsters and, in the process, snatched a large amount of treasure from them.^[4] In some accounts, he was also Makhaira's lover before she was sent as tribute to become a court dancer for Badanah.^[5] Eventually, city-states resentful of Tulaytullah's continued prosperity decided to target Xiphos and hired a wandering foreign mercenary, who himself had fallen from the throne of his homeland, to eliminate Tulaytullah's hero.^[4] Some legends claim that the "foreign mercenary" was actually Faramarz, Badanah's son and Makhaira's second lover, who lost his kingdom after it was destabilized by Makhaira's machinations and culminated in his exile by his people.^{[5][6][7][8][Note 1]}

In the ensuing duel, Xiphos was slain, cutting his journey short while his killer left the desert for the rainforest.^[4][6] The Key of Khaj-Nisut was lost amidst the desert and in the span of a few years, Tulaytullah fell,^[1][4] with only its garden remaining as the domain Garden of Endless Pillars.^[9]

Trivia

• Xiphos' story bears some resemblance to that of the Carthaginian general Hannibal Barca. Just as Carthage prospered due to Hannibal's military achievements against Rome, Tulaytullah prospered thanks to Xiphos' protection; while Carthage's decline began with Hannibal's defeat at Zama, Tulaytullah declined after Xiphos' death.
  • When Rome attempted to take advantage of Hannibal's growing unpopularity within Carthage, he went on a self-imposed exile, eventually committing suicide to avoid capture by the Romans. While Xiphos was never left Tulaytullah, he is implied to have been feared by its nobility and the city's enemies eventually hired the exiled-prince-turned-mercenary Faramarz to assassinate him.^[5]

Etymology

• A xiphos (Ancient Greek: ξίφος) is a type of doubled-edged, one-handed straight sword used by the ancient Greeks.
  • In a similar vein, a makhaira is a two-handed sword also used by the ancient Greeks.

Notes

Other Languages

Language	Official Name
English	Xiphos
Chinese (Simplified)	西福斯 Xīfúsī
Chinese (Traditional)	西福斯 Xīfúsī
Japanese	サイフォス Saifosu
Korean	크시포스 Keusiposeu
Spanish	Xifos
French	Xiphos
Russian	Ксифос Ksifos
Thai	Xiphos
Vietnamese	Xiphos
German	Xiphos
Indonesian	Xiphos
Portuguese	Xiphos
Turkish	Xiphos
Italian	Xiphos

Change History

References