Suleiman is a former colonel in the military tasked with maintaining order within the quarantine as acting governor for the city of Harran. According to Karim, Rais is the most feared man in Harran. He makes a request to the Global Relief Effort to extract his paraplegic younger brother, Hassan, from the city. According to the GRE, the local Ministry of Defense refused to allow an extraction, and Hassan was soon killed by infected. A disillusioned Kadir reinvents himself as the powerful warlord Rais, and forms a violent gang responsible for numerous robberies and murders throughout the city. Many of his former soldiers deserted the military as well to join his gang. Early in the epidemic, Suleiman was responsible for protecting Doctors Allen Camden and Imran Zere while they researched a potential cure. However, Suleiman later abandoned this post following the death of his brother.
Rais is assisted by his right-hand man and chief enforcer Tahir, responsible for keeping the thugs in line and following orders. His quartermaster, Karim, maintains radio contact with teams of bandits out in the city, looting buildings or extorting other survivors. He directs the thugs to newly arrived airdrops' Disaster Relief On-site Packages, which Rais collects in an effort to gain leverage over others trapped by the quarantine. He and his men are based out of an apartment building in the slums known as The Garrison.
The GRE sends in their agent Kyle Crane with the sole purpose of tracking down Suleiman and retrieving a file he has stolen, containing evidence that the GRE plans to weaponize the Harran Virus. Crane is accosted by Tahir and some bandits, but attracts virals by using his handgun and must be rescued by Jade Aldemir and Amir Ghoreyshi, survivors from The Tower. When Crane learns of the warlord Rais, he informs his handler that he believes the gang leader may be Suleiman. Crane is ordered to force a confrontation with Rais, and so destroys a shipment of Antizin. The desperate survivors at The Tower agree to send Crane to meet with Rais in the hopes of bartering for medicine.
When Crane meets with Rais during the main story questPact with Rais, he witnesses a brutal exchange between the warlord and Osman, a survivor who worked for the gang until he was caught skimming raided supplies for himself. Rais allows Osman to choose which hand he cuts off, but removes the opposite hand. He then directs Crane to report to Karim, his quartermaster, for tasks to complete in return for medicine. Kyle is sent to restore the radio connection for the district, a task which benefits many others in the city. However, Rais refuses payments and instead sends Crane to collect tributes from survivors located at Jaffar's Wheelstation, Fisherman's Village and the Ferry Harbor. When this is also completed, Rais once again reneges on his offer of two crates of Antizin and offers Crane merely five vials. A begrudging Crane is forced to accept and return to the Tower almost empty-handed.
Later, after Aldemir and Crane disrupt Rais's operations at the Harran Public School, he attacks the courtyard near the Tower and kidnaps Dr. Imran Zere, a scientist researching a possible cure for the virus. Crane infiltrates Rais's headquarters in an attempt to rescue him, but is captured and forced to battle in Rais's arena against waves of infected during The Pit. After winning, Rais orders his men to execute Crane, but he kills them, severs Rais's right hand with a machete and barely escapes with his life. Crane witnesses Rais cauterize his wound on the spot before vowing revenge.
Not long after Crane enters the Old Town district, Rais manages to capture Jade and holds her at the city's museum, hoping to lure Crane into a trap and kill them both. Crane battles his way through the museum and finds Jade to be bitten and minutes away from turning. Knowing that Crane is infected too, Rais appears and throws them only one shot of Antizin, making them choose over each other. Ultimately, Jade gives Crane the shot, and he is forced to kill her after she turns. Crane swears revenge on Rais from this moment on.
In the game's finale, Rais announces to Crane that he made a deal with the GRE. He plans to give them the file in return for an evacuation, and will watch as they weaponize the virus and profit from people's suffering. Crane hastily travels to Rais's tower to stop him. After evading numerous virals and volatiles, Crane comes face to face with Rais (armed with an engraved machete) on the rooftop. Rais's tosses a throwing knife into Crane's collarbone and the two brawl as the GRE evacuation helicopter hovers overhead. After being stabbed with his own machete, he tackles Crane and falling onto a shipping crate, where Crane dangles on the edge with the research as Rais approaches him. Crane eventually tricks Rais into letting down his guard, and he stabs him in the throat with a knife. Crane then pulls the knife out, only for it to get lodged in Rais' throat and thus pulling him from the tower, sending him tumbling to his death.
Suleiman appears as a sadistic, violent individual. He takes pleasure in using aggressive measures to obtain what he wants, and he doesn't hesitate in using lethal force to take down any complications. He is extremely manipulative and often forces others to bend to his will. It is known that the death of Hassan caused him to lose his moral compass, as learned from one of the random encounters.
Rais constantly hoards Antizin from air drops, then sells it to other parties for an extreme price. This exposes his hunger for power and greed for wealth. He also fools desperate survivors into running errands for him in exchange for goods, ultimately denying them what was promised.
Rais will punish his soldiers for mishaps, and usually murders, injures or dismembers them for small failures. In one instance, he shoots a soldier in the arm for drinking alcohol. Later, Crane manages to punch Rais; instead of punishing Crane himself, he takes a police rifle and kills the two soldiers who were supposed to restrain Crane.
Rais starts out as a philosophical villain who is cold and ruthless to everyone, even his own men. By the end of the game, he becomes a mocking taunter, constantly taunting Crane. In the finale, Crane becomes so irritated by Rais, he is willing to forget about getting revenge. It's Rais' actions that force the final battle between them.
Rais:"How long have we been friends, Osman? We have been friends for a very long time. That is why I am so surprised that you would steal from me. Now I give you a choice. Very simple. Your right hand? Or your left?" Osman:"L-L-L-Left!..." Rais:"(Cuts off hand) Hmmm... was that MY left, or YOUR left? (Turn to Crane) You have the look of the Tower about you. What do you want?" Crane:"I'm here to make a deal." Rais:"A deal... for Antizin, no doubt. Desperate times. And what do you offer in return? Your services? Your loyalty? ... Perhaps I shall take both." Tahir:"Talk to Karim. He's one of ours. Do what he asks of you, and Rais will consider giving your people some Antizin. Understood?" Crane:"I don't seem to have a choice." Rais:"Perceptive."
—
After restoring communications:
— Rais:"Well! You not only did the job Karim asked of you, but you made it back in one piece. Bravo." Crane:"Can I get some Antizin now?" Rais:"Did you think I would be satisfied so easily? You still have plenty to prove." Crane:"Look... we really need the drugs. Let me have them now, and then I'll come back and do whatever." Rais:"You'll get Antizin when I SAY you get it. Not one second before. But as I have established, I am not unreasonable. Do all that I ask of you, and I will give you not one... but two crates of Antizin." Crane:"All right. Fine. What do you want me to do?" Rais:"This will be different from your exploits on the antennas. It will require a bit more... persuasion. The imposing of one's will. The creation of one's own rules. That is what makes a man. Do you live by your own rules, Crane? Or are you merely someone else's puppet? I believe I know the answer. Talk to Karim before I decide you are no longer worth the trouble."
—
After completing Karim's task:
— Rais:"If you show them compassion, they will see it as weakness. Give them a hand and they will take your whole arm. Understand? I give you shelter, I give you bread, women, bullets... and you cannot even complete a simple task. I should send every one of you to the pit. (Turns to Crane) Ah. The Tower lackey returns. Do you have something for me, "friend"?" Crane:"Yes I do. (The money is taken away) Now it's time for you to give me what you promised. Two crates of Antizin." Rais:"I think not... Your loyalty to the Tower is nothing but blind obedience, Crane. A coward's submission to false hierarchies. You follow their rules as thoughtlessly as you follow mine. Like a good little dog." Crane:"Look, we had a deal!" Rais:"Your people need that Antizin. Now more than ever, I would surmise. But any man who follows someone else's rules is no man at all. Here... I will allow you this much. (Tosses five vials of Antizin)" Crane:"You promised me two crates of it. This is only five vials!" Rais:"If you want more... I present you with an opportunity. The athlete. "The Scorpion". Jade Aldemir. She is one of your number... Bring her to me. I have an arena, where men fight for our amusement. I would have the Scorpion fight for us. I am curious how long it will take for someone of her caliber to... break." Crane:"What? ... no. No! Forget it. I'm not doing it." Rais:"I hear no true conviction in your voice, Crane. You have not yet made your choice, I can tell. Will you be a dog, and save the dwellers of the Tower? Or will you be a man, and save the maiden? Go. And think about it."
Crane:"You're not gonna die, Doc! But right now we have to get out of here, so please, lower your voice." Zere:"Oh! Oh. Yes. All right. But understand-my research. It must reach Dr. Camden! That's why I gave the packages to Jade. I know you said you would deliver them, but she was there, and time being of the essence- (The lights go out)" Crane:"Doc? (The lights go on)" Rais:"So. It takes no more than the false hope of rescue to loosen the good doctor's lips. Hunt the Scorpion down. Spare no resource." Tahir:"With pleasure. And these two? What should we do with them?" Zere:"You'll never find her! Never! And I'll never talk! You'll get nothing from me!" Rais:"I am less concerned with making you talk now, Doctor, than I am in preventing your escape. (Stabs Zere in the leg)" Crane:"You sadistic fuck. He's an old man!" Rais:"Give the doctor some first aid. And take Crane to the pit."
—
In the pit:
— Rais:"(To his men) Stand him up." Crane:"(Sees Zere) Oh shit... Doc!" Rais:"You come to us like a snake in the grass. Here, in a city of lies, you are the biggest liar of all." Crane:"What're you talking about? ... Answer me, motherfucker!" Rais:"Yes, lose control. That is what you Americans are so good at, after all. If I- (Gets hit by Crane) Not bad. (Kicks Crane down, shoots two of his men) Clear out the corpses. Leave Crane." Rais's Bandit:"Yes sir!"
—
After picking up the medkit:
— Rais:"Your skills no longer come as a surprise, Crane. The GRE selects its operatives well." Crane:"Oooohh shit." Rais:"(To his men) Lower the platform! (To Crane) Drop the weapon. Chaos, Crane. Chaos is the one true order of things. To pretend otherwise is the sheerest folly. Allow me to demonstrate. Basaam. Can you hear me?" Basaam:"Loud and clear." Rais:"Publish the file." Basaam:"Right away, sir... Annnd... there. It is sent." Crane:"You maniac! You've just doomed thousands of innocent people! That's what you get with your fucking chaos!" Rais:"You don't know what was in that file, do you, Crane? You only prove my point for me. The GRE plans to weaponize the virus, not cure it. They're only interested in profit. Not saving lives... and by following their rules, you have become their trained monkey... Pathetic! (To his men) All right. Kill him."
—
After clearing the pit:
— Crane:"Doc - come on, let's get you out of here." Zere:"Crane. Save these people... They don't deserve all this." Rais:"(To his men) You, give me that torch! ... CRANE! (To his men) What are you swin waiting for? SHOOT HIM!" Crane:"I'm sorry, Doc!"
Rais:"We meet again. The last time we met you took something of mine, now I took something of yours. (Shows images of Jade)" Crane:"I don't negotiate with assholes, Rais. I get out of here with Jade or I take your other hand too. Your choice." Rais:"You cannot simply DEMAND to have her, Crane. You must make a showing of EFFORT first." Tahir:"ATTACK! (Rais's men show up)"
—
Upon finding Jade:
— Crane:"JADE! Oh shit... oh shit, what have they done to you..." Jade:"I'm... fine, Crane. Tahir knocked me over the head before he dumped me in here. Just... give me a minute, I'll be right as rain." Rais:"You do not have the luxury of a minute, "Scorpion". In fact, what little time you have, you owe to me. Thanks to your repair of my antennas, Crane, I have listened to every word any of you have said. How do you suppose I found you, Ms. Aldemir? Or the good Dr. Camden? How do you think I broke the connection between the sectors? I am the director of this film. And now that I have Zere's research... the GRE will do as I COMMAND them. Which renders the two of you useless. Tahir! (Releases numerous virals and infected) You took offense, Crane, as I recall, at being referred to as a trained monkey. But look at you now. Dancing. For our amusement. You are strong enough to have joined me. But you lack the proper... character. Consider this a character-strengthening exercise."
—
Upon trying to leave the museum:
— Crane:"Oh, Jade, are... Jade! Are you hurt? They didn't bite you, did they?" Jade:"I'm fine! I'm fine. Just... give me a second." Rais:"Sweet little Jade is far from "fine", Crane. She was bitten and infected hours ago. How noble of her to try and hide it from you." Jade:"Biter got me on the leg. You didn't need to know." Rais:"Once again you find yourself with a choice, Crane. Your precious Scorpion is about to turn... but so are you. Who will receive the Antizin? Who has a hope of living through this encounter? It's up to you now." Crane:"Jade... here, you take this." Jade:"No." Crane:"No, come on! Listen! I've still got some in my system - you need this worse than I do!" Jade:"Crane... I just want you to promise me one thing. When the time comes, you're the one who takes me out." Crane:"What?! No... I..." Jade:"PROMISE ME!" Crane:"Jade, I can't- (Gets a seizure and starts hallucinating)" Jade:"Crane! Crane, can you hear me?" Crane:"Jade, where are you? Jade!" Jade:"I need you to hear me, Crane! Crane! Crane, can you hear me?" Crane:"Jade where are you? Jade!" Jade:"I know you wanted to try and save me. Not everybody woiuld've offered that vial the way you did. But it's too late for that now. It's too late for me. For a while I blamed you for Amir's death. I wanted to kill you. But I realized... it was time for Amir. It was time for him to go. Everybody's life is finite, Crane. You can't deny it. It's pointless. We get here, and eventually we die, and there's nothing we can do to change that. The only thing we can do is make what happens in between COUNT. " Zere:"Crane. Save these people... They don't deserve all this." Jade:"Amir's life counted. And now he's gone. Rahim's life counted. And now HE'S gone. If sacrificing my life means saving everyone in Harran... then that's what I want to do." Rais:"You are strong enough to have joined me. But you lack the proper... character. Consider this a character-strengthening exercise." Jade:"I became a champion. I became the Scorpion. I left my mark on the world. It's my time now, Crane. You can't save me. You've got to let me save you. Let me save you." Crane:"No... God damn it, NO... don't make me do this! (Gets injected with the Antizin) Oh no-oh God, Jade, what was I... I'm so sorry, I-I didn't mean to..." Jade:"One of us has to live, Kyle... You just remember what you promised me." Rais:"All of this, and still you had your choice made for you. Disappointing, Crane. (To his men) You, you, you, and you. Get in there and kill them."
—
After Jade kills Rais's men:
— Rais:"THAT is the natural order of things, Crane. Kill or be killed. Eat or be eaten." Crane:"(Kills Jade) Goodbye Jade." Rais:"Tahir! Kill that son of a bitch!"
Crane:"This is Crane. Do you copy?" Rais:"Kyle Crane. You can hear me, can you not?" Crane:"Rais! Where are you?" Rais:"Exactly where I should be - atop my own Tower. Of course, mine is not quite complete... ...but it still stands as a monument to chaos... to entropy. To what it means to be ruled only by oneself." Crane:"I'll kill you. For what you did to Jade... for EVERYTHING. I'll fucking KILL YOU." Rais:"I had hoped that would be your attitude. You see, we are at war, you and I. A war of opposing philosophies. A war to see whose vision of the world proves true. Come, Crane. Come and challenge me. What is it you Americans are so fond of saying... ? "I dare you."" Crane:"You know what? ... Forget it. There's no "war". There's only your fucked-up outlook. Go to hell." Rais:"Oh, no, I won't be going to hell. I will be leaving Harran, though. You see, I have made a deal with our GRE brothers. Using your very own communicator, no less. They know I have all of Dr. Zere's research data. They called it "the keys to the kingdom". Very shortly a helicopter will come and take me away. Imagine the damage I shall be able to do, outside the confines of these walls! Of course, if you think you can stop me..." Crane:"You crazy son of a BITCH." Rais:"THAT is what I had hoped to hear. Come and find me, Crane. Let us finish what we began."
Crane:"Oh shit... what the hell... ?" Rais:"I knew you could not resist, Crane." Crane:"Would you just shut up? You're the last thing I want to hear." Rais:"What? HEAR me? What a brilliant idea! (Turns on speakers) There... much better. It is fitting that an orchestra plays when kings clash. THERE... the agents of my will! Run, Crane, run. It's what you slaves are good at, right? Run or die!"
—
Atop Rais's Tower:
— Rais:"So... face to face again. I guess that means I don't need this anymore... (Dangles Zere's research over the edge)" Crane:"With or without it, Suleiman, you're dead." Rais:"Come now, Crane. Do not pretend you don't care. How many lives depend on this disc? Hundreds? Thousands? ... Perhaps BILLIONS? (Tosses the disc and throws a knife) You are right about one thing, Crane... ... Suleiman is dead! (Charges with machete) He died with his brother. In this city. (Slices again) You don't even belong here. You don't know what suffering is. (Slices again) I will teach you, Crane... you will suffer alongside me! (Gets stabbed and the machete is received by Crane) Yes... Go on... You cannot resist... Do it. I won't fight you. Just as you killed Tahir - DO IT." Crane:"Fuck you, asshole. You want me to make my own rules? Here's rule #1: you're gonna spend the rest of your goddamn life in fucking agony." Rais:"Do not... leave me like this, Crane. Prove you are a man. Take your vengeance!" Crane:"God, will you just SHUT THE FUCK UP! (Gets tackled by Suleiman when a GRE helicopter arrives)" Rais:"How the tables have turned... in the blink of an eye. If I were trapped in Harran, this wound would have killed me. But now YOU dangle on the edge of life and death, while the GRE wait to take ME to a hospital. I give you... the HONOR... of deciding your own fate. Hand me the disc... so that there is at least a CHANCE that Harran might live... and I will make your death painless. Or resist, and doom the city along with you. You have until the count of five. One... two..." Crane:"All right! All right! Here! (Tosses disc and takes out the throwing knife to stab Rais) How's THAT for a decision? Asshole."
Trivia[]
According to a survivor, Rais' sadism involves him experimenting amputations on survivors by testing out variety of weapons such as machetes, axes, shotguns, etc. At one point, he amputated a survivor's leg at the knee and Tahir timed how long the hostage bled out.
Ironically, in Pact with Rais, Rais severs Osman's right hand. This foreshadows the event where Crane severs Rais' right hand with a machete in The Pit.
Quotes[]
"The imposing of one's will. The creation of one's own rules, THAT is what makes a man. Do you live by your own rules, Crane? Or are you merely someone else's puppet? I believe I know the answer."
Rais to Crane
Gallery[]
Concept variations of Rais.
Rais attacks Kyle Crane with his engraved machete.
A QTE, with Rais trying to kill Crane.
During the struggle, Crane successfully kills Rais by stabbing his neck and overthrowing him to his demise.