Your Nickname: Melissa
Have you read and do you agree to the Code of Conduct?: Yes
Are you over thirteen? Yes
How did you find us and decide to write with us? Friend
If you have written other characters here: Yes
If Yes, list them all: Dreogan Eleor
Adon Eleor
Colette Wheaton (inactive)
Alberic Grimm (inactive)
Florian Wiesniski (inactive)
Is this a Primary or Secondary Character?: Secondary

Full Character Name: Adnan Musallam
Character Birthday & Age: June 27, age 59
City & Country of Birth: Al Karak, Jordan
Blood Purity: Pureblood
Alma Mater: Durmstrang
Job/Position: Head Auror, Near Eastern Ministry of Magic

Wand: Cedar, chimera scale, undecorated shaft, rigid

Physical Description:
Adnan is one of those men who has greyed with dignity.  His hair began to change from an early age--only 30--but he has kept it closely cropped, and keeps his face relatively clean-shaven, with the hint of a mustache from time to time, which stands out in contrast from his olive skin. 

Hair aside, Adnan is beginning to show his age in other ways: The stern lines around his mouth are growing firmer, and his eyes a bit more sunken in.  While appearing continually resolute and absolutely stubborn, their is an air of tiredness that is difficult to pinpoint, and even more impossible to dismiss.

In bearing, Adnan is an imposing figure.  Tall and rather in-shape, Adnan has the appearance of one who could, quite literally, throw his weight around, if he needed.

Personality Description:
On the exterior, Adnan conveys a sense of self-assurance, rigidity, and absolute sincerity.  There is no going beyond this exterior.  Adnan's thoughts--unless conveyed to you directly--are impenetrable, and, shrewd as he is, these thoughts may not even be what they are said to be.

Adnan is not known to emote.  That being said, he is not, altogether, a cold figure.  In the Auror Office, he teaches compassion and, above all, restraint in dealing with those they apprehend.  He focuses on making sure that individual Aurors are aware of their standing, what their weaknesses are, and his appreciation for their strengths.  Doing so, he believes, improves morale, and makes them quite aware of the fact that he knows about their doings--which, he in turn will reason, makes them less likely to be foolish.  They know they are being surveilled.

Adnan is an involved man.  He is an observant man.  And he is a man likely to put his knowledge and his relationships to others to good use.  This said, his conduct is not likely to lean towards arbitrary manipulations or selfish or hostile displays of power.  Adnan is not particularly loyal to people, but rather to ideals. Adnan is quiet--and is interested in keeping the quiet, and preserving the order he has struggled to maintain since coming to lead the Aurors, despite several upsets within and without the Office, and in the Ministry as a whole.

History:
Adnan was born in a small town in Jordan, into a family of Palestinian refugees who had, prior to 1947, called the section of Jerusalem now named the Jewish Quarter their home.

Adnan grew up with a large extended family nearby. Despite the overabundant network, as well as his notoriety in the small Arab community, Adnan was always a solitary figure, determined to do right by his family, but also get out of Karak--and back to Jerusalem. 

Driven by a desire for self-improvement, as well as to bring his family out of what he perceived to be a miserable poverty, Adnan chose an education abroad, going to Durmstrang.  Being born to a poor family would have worked against Adnan, had the largely Germanic and Nordic school been aware of it.  Adnan was quiet about his past, and quiet about his culture, and they did not, for the most part, become a topic of conversation or controversy.  In his school years, he worked fiercely to establish himself, make the necessary allies, win the good graces of those with influence and, above all, to have the best defensive skills and wickedest curses in the school--and to not be afraid to utilize them, with the appropriate discretion.

To this day, Adnan still prides himself on those hard-earned skills: the ability to navigate complex politics, and to stand fiercely against adversaries, and capitulate and make truces when absolutely necessary.  A cunning man, Adnan is known to be a sound rhetorician, a shrewd logician, and a strong humanitarian.  While several acquaintances have lamented his decision to not go into politics and run for Minister of the Near East Ministry of Magic, Adnan has stated, quite definitively, that he is a politician, and must exercise every inch of his mental flexibility in political acrobats daily.

Adnan is married, but has no surviving children; his wife miscarried several times, and their one son died at the age of eleven of leukemia.  Adnan will not talk on these matters, but has instead always been focused upon his works, advancing through the ranks rather quickly, and holding to his current position with the fierceness of a dragon--not an easy task, as the Near East Ministry has not been stable, and ever-changing leaderships have sought to exert their own influences upon his control of the Ministry's law enforcement branch.

From the time he was a trainee until he was a Senior Auror, Adnan specialised in international trade violations: chief among them smuggling, and human (and elfin and goblin) trafficking.  Adnan's direct nature, as well as his confidence garnered in an international education, and a mult-national heritage gave him the edge needed to garner the respect and cooperation and--when needed--fear of those in foreign ministries with whom he needed to work.

In 1993, Adnan gave up the bulk of his field work when he accepted the suddenly vacant position of Head Auror.  It was only a year later when Adnan's attention was drawn to a magically gifted, but rather volatile young man who had killed several assailants of a known gang in a street-fight in the Old City of Jerusalem.  The man in question, by the name of Adon Eleor, had formerly applied to be an Auror and been rejected due to a psychological evaluation that had assessed him as being "volatile" and "prone to violent outbursts and quick remorse."  Adnan was faced with a choice--to put the young man who had served his country  valiantly into prison for his crimes, to place him into protective custody, or to keep him under his watchful eye. 

Choosing the latter, Adnan began what would become a dynamically fraught relationship with the young Auror, taking him under his wing and, rather unconventionally, making him his partner--becoming the first Head Auror of the Near Eastern Ministry to take a partner.  Many saw it as Adnan's excuse to engage in more fieldwork and thus more closely monitor choice cases--for Adnan seldom did things without multiple motivation.  Either way, the two became close until, rather suddenly, Adon was sent to London to continue a case and never returned.

Since that year, Adnan has continued--quite unsurprisingly--to take on a fair bit of fieldwork, despite his lack of partner.  Since Adon's departure, Adnan has been actively investigating the Group's movements.

Describe your job duties and how you go about them:
Typically, the Head Auror's chief responsibility is ensuring that the actions of field personnel and research and support staff of the Auror Office--Aurors and Lucients, respectively--are in line with the Office's objectives, and to administer its workings, be it in resource acquisition, testifying to the Near Eastern Wizengamot on internal matters, or briefing the Minister.  With all this comes the daily accumulation of paperwork from signing arrest warrants and subpoenas to meeting key individuals in what can often feel like a never-ending parade of dignitaries and bureaucrats. 

Adnan is not entirely typical--as he manages to do this, but also seems unable to let go of his former positions.  As such, Adnan also is known to conduct the occasional interrogation of high-ranking individuals, conduct internal investigations, and, from time to time, spend face-to-face time with trainees to mentor, counsel, and even spar.

Elaborate on your expertise in your field:
Adnan is able to stand rigidly against opposition.  In gaining his position, that meant several key forces within the Auror Corps, and several within the Ministry.  In his day-to-day dealings, he defends the causes of the Office against foreign governments, criminals, and even the media who may seek to undercut, critique, or slight their efforts.

He is shrewd and able to achieve results, first attempting cunning and then, when necessary, force. 

He shows a great interest in Auror's personal progress, and is actively involved in leading the Aurors in even their day-to-day dealings in fieldwork, holding frequent staff meetings to discuss lessons learned.

As an Auror, Adnan has a great deal of skill in charms, dark arts, and defensive magic.  Few see him resort to using magic, however, as he historically has been able to get what he wants through mortal means alone.

Writing Sample:


Sum up your character in one paragraph:
Shrewd, observant, and skilled social navigator, Adnan Musallam uses the influence of his position to guide his Aurors, to squash his opponents, and to--if needed--manipulate in order to persuade would-be converts to his cause.  A guarded and quiet man, Musallam stands as a bastion of power, and is a silent force in the Auror Office, to be feared and revered, but never befriended.