#o:char

[foundersathighcliffe]

Tariq al-Ajam | 26 | Performer under the service of the Peverell family | Wizard (Blood Status Unknown) | FC: Elyes Gabel 

Formerly a member of a travelling band of performers, alongside Genevieve la Gras. 

Right-hand man of Tristan Peverell. 

Employed by the Peverells to entertain the family and their guests at feasts and banquets.

Tariq Al-Ajam, the foreigner. It’s a name Tariq acquired at the age of fourteen when he left the city in which he was born and raised, never to look back. No one but Tariq knows where his story began or the circumstances of his departure and Tariq likes to keep it that way. There are some who fancy him a prince of the Arab world, chased from his lands in some kind of feud. There are others who believe he is a hunted criminal. Tariq’s strong build and handsome features, coupled with his charm, mean he is both admired and held in contempt in equal measure. However, one thing remains constant. Ever since he turned his back on his home, Tariq has been regarded as an outsider. But he has adapted to life on the road and quickly learned he enjoyed being the elusive Tariq al-Ajam. No one knows of his past, which means only he gets to decide his future.

For almost a decade, Tariq travelled from city to city. At first, he survived by picking the pockets of wealthier men. However, after some time on the streets, he was recruited by a band of entertainers – actors, jugglers, men who ate blades for show, walked on stilts, conversed with snakes and, in Tariq’s case, magicians. After seeing what he could do, they accepted Tariq into their family and if ever they suspected him of practising sorcery they turned a blind eye to it. He was welcome amongst their numbers on the condition that he earned his keep. It was with this new family that he travelled west. As Tariq grew older, he became one of the group’s star performers. Not only does he have a knack for charming the crowd, but his performances are often more elaborate than what muggles are accustomed to. He can conjure objects out of thin air and, at his most reckless, he shapes fire into great beasts that do his bidding. Tariq has come under suspicion of witchcraft once or twice in the past, but the band of entertainers never stays in one place long enough for him to be a risk.

Tariq was twenty-three when they travelled across the waters to England, arriving at the docks of Highcliffe. The city served them well, however after only three weeks, the band grew restless and decided to head north towards London. Except on this occasion Tariq was no longer welcome. Word quickly reached them of the King’s intolerance of magic. Tariq was somewhat embittered when he woke after several hours of being unconscious to find they had packed up their caravans and left the city. However, ever one to adapt to the situation, Tariq took his talents to the streets. It was there that he was spotted by Tristan Peverell, the first-born son and heir of his house. Lord Tristan hired him to entertain at the tenth anniversary of his son’s birth. He has been in Lord Tristan’s service ever since. Tariq is Tristan’s right hand man and is often entrusted with tasks of far greater importance than the entertainment of the Peverell family and their guests.