Book of Horn and Ivory

Introduction
Introduction
In the morning, my mother and father snuck
What’s in this book? away to live with relatives in the country;
Welcome to Akoma. You came at an interesting time. but I stayed to speak with the imam of this
Across the Shallow Sea dotted with the Angels’ mosque. He did not try to convert me or
Teeth Islands, lies the kite-shaped continent of Akoma. anyone else who sought asylum in his
At the point of the arrow which its jeweled coastline mosque, but he was happy to answer my
forms is Lygos, seat of the Anatolian Empire, the most questions and teach me more about Mala-
powerful state in the world; and in Lygos is the palace chism. I stayed to work at the temple, and
of the Caliph, emperor of Anatolia and leader of the soon converted to this religion.
fast-spreading religion of Malachism. The world’s most There was little left for me in Majing. My
disciplined army and most feared navy move at the schooling was finished, my family no longer
behest of the Caliph. Already Anatolia has conquered lived there, and my neighbors no longer
the ancient Deltan Kingdom and secured the vassalage welcomed me, I understood; so I sought
of the nation of Òyó, the pirate states of the Corsair passage on a ship bound for Akoma, thinking
Coast. Calabria and Zho-ngguo, accessible via a short to travel to the homeland of my faith and to
trip over the Shallow Sea via the Angels’ Teeth seek to understand the people and culture
Islands, are next. and territory which brought Malachism to
Your characters will be at the center of a conflict the world.
which will decide the fate of Zho-ngguo, Calabria, and
the known world, a conflict fought by pioneering
doctors, fearsome janissaries, daring pirates, skulking
necromancers, and vigilant witch hunters, a conflict in
Contents
which the stakes are nothing less than world domination. The page numbers of this book pick up where the
last book’s numbering left off.
By the Light of Ascension, which illuminates
Introduction ..........................................................................727
the page beneath my words and the mind
whence they spring. Characters ..............................................................................730
My name is 吳柃旼 Wu’ Li’ ngmi’ n. I am a scorpion New Careers ..........................................................................742
of seventeen years and I was hatched in Gifts...........................................................................................745
Majing, in the state of Zhou in Zhongguo.
Equipment .............................................................................751
Last year, after a failed attempt on the
Emperor’s life, there was a riot in Majing in
Gazeteer ..................................................................................757
which many scorpions, spiders, toads, centi- Life in Akoma ........................................................................796
pedes, and vipers were forced from their Bestiary ...................................................................................805
homes, injured, or slain on suspicion of
Interesting People ..............................................................808
commerce with unholy powers. My family,
who are no friends of the unholy, took
Adventure ..............................................................................811
refuge in a mosque built by followers of the Further Adventures ...........................................................815
religion called Malachism, which comes from Appendix: Warfare .............................................................817
Akoma. Despite all the death and destruction
Appendix: The X-card ........................................................820
which Majing suffered during the riots, the
Malachite mosque’s guards stood vigil all
Bibliography .........................................................................821
night, and the building and those within went Index ........................................................................................821
unharmed.
727
Characters
Characters
If you’re reading these words, you’ve probably
chosen to bring Akoma and its inhabitants into your
Ironclaw games. Excellent! You have a couple of
options here. The simplest way to adventure in Akoma
is to start a new campaign, with new characters from
Anatolia, Òyó, the Lower Sultanate, or the Angels’
Teeth Islands; but you may also have existing
Calabrese or Zhōnggese characters whom you want to
explore this new setting. That’s cool too!
There were foreigners in Majing, but not many; and
I spoke no language but Zhonggese, so I could not
determine whether a foreigner whom I met came
from Calabria, Govorya, or Zhongguo `´. At one point
I attempted to learn Calabrese, but I found it
extremely difficult. The language of Akoma, which is
called Deltan, was far easier for me to learn, because
the writing system resembles Zhonggese slightly
more than Calabrese does. There are two Deltan
writing systems, called high print and low script; I
endeavored to learn both, but I have written this
account using high print because I find high print
more aesthetically pleasing. The Angelic Codex, most
sacred book of Malachism, was written in high print.
Expatriate Characters
Intercontinental migration defines Akoman history.
The first settlers of what became the Anatolian Empire
were refugee “xī yěrén” (“Western barbarians”) from Story Hooks for
the region west of Chì in Zho-ngguo; and as the world’s Existing Campaigns
most active trade hub even during times of war, the
city of Lygos has always taken in immigrants from all
● Love: Intercontinental families are a thing—in
continents, and shipped emigrants back out to all fact, a rather common thing. It’s quite possible
continents. So, it’s perfectly reasonable to play an that your character’s spouse comes from another
Akoman character in a game set in Zho-ngguo or continent or another religion, and many
Calabria, especially in a bustling port town. This kind international moves in real life are the result of
of origin can be a fun seed for character motivations one person following a spouse who got a job in
and backstory. Did your character choose to come to some other country. The threat of international
Zho-ngguo to study philosophy or military science? To war just makes this option more attractive—a
join up with family? To discover new markets for forbidden romance between an Anatolian sailor
trade? Or are they fleeing a tragic past or a lost love?
and a Calabrese merchant prince? Awesome!
Don’t worry, we won’t make fun of your character for
a cliché backstory. But the other players might.
730
Characters
● Trade: Lygos is not the largest city in the Shamat, Souda, Soumra, Talawat, Tamra, Tehfat,
world—Majing is larger both population-wise Wardi, Yasmin, Zahrat, Zumurroda
and in land covered by the greater metropolitan Male: Amir, Ashqar, Aswad, Aziz, Azraff, Bashir,
area—but it rivals Rǔnán and Triskellian for Bazar, Bikr, Boulad, Boulboul, Bourkan, Dalil,
trade activity. Merchants from every continent Eman, Fadl, Falaki, Fanous, Faraj, Farhan, Fateh,
Ferhan, Jabal, Jabbar, Jalal, Jalil, Jamil, Jassur,
come to Lygos to do business. Perhaps you want
Jidar, Labib, Lahib, Lama’an, Laziz, Maher, Majid,
to acquire rare substances such as coffee, or
Marah, Nadim, Nasr, Nazim, Ra’ad, Rabbani,
animals like the legendary Akhal-Teke. Raja, Rakkas, Sadek, Sayad, Shaheen, Taher,
● War: It’s no secret that the Caliph of Anatolia Tawil, Wahed, Yakout, Zaim, Zulal
aims to bring all the nations of the world under
the standard of the Moonlight Brush, whether
those nations like it or not. Each country which
Anatolia targets must decide whether to offer the Species
Caliph subservience, defiance, or something Most species present in Calabria and Zho-ngguo are
more complex. A Zhōnggese or Calabrese also common in Akoma. The armadillo, bear, coyote,
diplomatic delegation might head to Anatolia to dhole, dragon, gray fox, giant panda, red panda, qílín,
raccoon, skunk, yak, and zhūquè are not native to
propose an alliance, negotiate terms of
Akoma; but even these are no outlandish sight in busy
surrender, or (good luck with this one) deter the
ports like Lygos, where Calabrese and Zhōnggese
invaders with threats. immigrants have settled for generations. New species
● Science: Anatolian natural philosophy and common in Akoma are in the following section.
medicine are renowned to be the best in all the
world. The Malachite religion’s ban on magic
I traveled from Mà´j -i ng to Runa’ n by caravan
and emphasis on understanding the Light of
with a Malachite trader from Akoma. Upon
Ascension through its expression in natural law hearing my past and my purpose, he offered
has led to Akoman universities attracting the best me free passage, and spent much time
scientific minds across all the continents. Perhaps correcting my halting Deltan. He was a cobra.
your character has come to Akoma to further In Zhōngguo, there are many snakes and
their scientific knowledge—or to get a job vipers, but cobras are relatively few; most
working for the Caliphate. There’s a lot of think they are a type of viper. I asked him
money to be made building death machines for what precautions I ought to take against the
oppression of vermin in Akoma. He laughed
the Anatolian Army ….
and shook his head, explaining that no such
prejudice exists. I did not realize the concept
Names of the “Poisonous Vermin” was unknown
outside Zhongguo and the influence of
In a similar custom to other lands, most peasants
Master Hán Fēi. I was excited, but also
won’t have a last name unless they have some title or
scared: I would shop in the same markets and
nobility. Often, people will be named after their
drink in the same tea houses as vertebrates!
profession (“Mustafa the Mason”) or their appearance
I had never done such a thing before.
(“Mustafa the Spotted”) their age (“Mustafa the
younger”) or their personality (“Mustafa the Kind”).
And in the Emriates, they might be known by their
tribe (“Mustafa of Khorsheed”)
Female: Adibe, Almase, Amineh, Arouss, Asile,
Barake, Bassira, Bayda, Bizra, Boushra, Dabab,
Dahiat, Daliat, Damasat, Dameer, Dirayat, Elfat,
Elham, Farah, Farasha, Faridat, Farwat, Faware,
Fayrouz, Fidilat, Fulful, Jadwa, Jamila, Jassarat,
Jawdat, Jawharat, Latifa, Leila, Majida, Nada,
Nashidat, Nashita, Rababa, Rashika, Shabha,
731
Characters
Antelope Cobra
While cobras are common throughout Akoma, as

well as foreign lands such as Yìndù, popular
Running free in the great plains of Akoma, the imagination identifies them especially with the
many antelopes value their freedom under the Lower Kingdom which preceded the Anatolian
great sky above all else. They tend to avoid the Lower Sultanate. Its last dynasty of increasingly
cities, either living in small communities or as flamboyant (and, some would say, incompetent)
nomadic tribes. Many antelopes take a vain pride pharaohs were all cobras. The cobras’ transition
of the appearance of their eyes, considering it to from living gods to regular folks has prompted
be their best feature. not a few cobra jokes (especially cobra jokes told
There are many species of antelopes, including by snakes and vipers) about individuals who
the gazelle, the duiker, the oryx, the ditibag, the slithered into a group of strangers and expected
gerenuk, and the rhebox, just to name a few. You everyone to bow down and defer.
can use the rules here for any of them. (For some In addition to the cobra detailed here, the
species, you should change Habitat to Forest, or forest cobra has a forest habitat and replaces
change Cycle to Dusk.) Swimming with Climbing.
Habitat: Plains Senses: Spot Habitat: Shore Senses: Listen, Smell

Diet: Herbivore Weapons: Hooves, Horns Diet: Carnivore Weapons: Teeth
Cycle: Day Cycle: Night
Include Antelope Dice with: Antelope‘s Species Gifts: Include Cobra Dice with: Cobra‘s Species Gifts:
Dodge Coward Dodge Contortionist
Endurance Fast Mover Presence Ophidian
Tactics Increased Speed Swimming Venom
732
Characters
Crocodile Falcon
“What do you mean, ‘what are crocodiles like’? Falcons trace their ancestry to Horus, the
I’ll have you know that very question is Deltan god of the sun. Horus is the sexy hotshot
essentializing and offensive. A civilized individual god of the pantheon, usually the first one anyone
would judge others on the content of their thinks of when they think of Deltan religion.
character, not the thickness of their scales or Wanderlust characterizes most falcons. Falcons
the force of their bite. If anything, crocodiles are on martial or religious pilgrimages wing their way
like the river itself: fluid, adaptable, changing. We across the world, meeting new people and
bask in the sun and splash in the water. We’ll fight learning new things, but rarely settling until it’s
bad guys to the death, or we’ll watch a play and time for marriage and eggs. The falcons’ capital is
chill. Whichever. Have you not heard of Sobek, our Honey Isle, a strategically significant island state
god? Sobek governs rulership, fertility, and amidst the Angels’ Teeth Islands. Its mountain
military might. What other god is so diverse in his citadel, the New Hospital of Saint John, boasts
purviews? Indeed, he is even god of the sun!” the most impressive fortifications in the world.
Habitat: Shore Senses: Listen, Smell Habitat: Mountains Senses: Spot

Diet: Carnivore Weapons: Teeth, Tail Diet: Carnivore Weapons: Beak, Claws
Cycle: Night Cycle: Day
Include Crocodile Dice with: Crocodile‘s Species Gifts: Include Falcon Dice with: Falcon‘s Species Gifts:
Deceit Deep Diving Observation Flight
Stealth Natural Armor Searching Keen Eyes
Swimming Strength Weather Sense Prehensile Feet
733
Characters
Giraffe Hedgehog
Hedgehogs are a hale, hearty, and industrious

breed, found all throughout Akoma. A hedgehog
takes pride in patience, hard work, and
determination. Any hedgehog will tell you that the
To hear some tell the tale, the Giraffes once best life is one that is enjoyed at a slow pace.
ruled the great plains of Akoma, in the days Superstituous and the ignorant believe that if
before the rise of Deltan hegemony. When they a hedgehog tenses their muscles, they can shoot
can, they avoid the city, mostly out of comfort, their spines at deadly velocity. Having heard this
since few buildings are designed to accommodate story many times, hedgehogs may be polite
their size. Some take great pride in the color and enough to correct people: “You’re thinking of
the variety of the pattersns, which may not be porcupines.”
obvious to casual onlookers. Hedgehogs are a significant population in the
(Technically, the knobs on the heads of Deltan Valley, Namat, and the Kingdom of Oyo.
Giraffes are ossified cartilage. In the interest of They mix freely with other species and work a
simplicity, we’re going to call them “Horns”.) variety of different, peaceful jobs.
Habitat: Forest Senses: Spot Habitat: Plains Senses: Listen, Smell

Diet: Herbivore Weapons: Horns Diet: Omnivore Weapons: Spines
Include Giraffe Dice with: Giraffe‘s Species Gifts: Include Hedgehog Dice with: Hedgehog‘s Species Gifts:
Dodge Counter-Tactics Digging Contortionist
Presence Fast Mover Searching Coward
Tactics Increased Body Stealth Spines
734
Characters
Hippopotamus Ibis
Ibes descend from Thoth, the god of magic.

Many ibes would rather you forget this fact,
because the “magic ibis” has become such a
Hippopotamoi claim descendance from common trope in fiction that everyone seems to
Taweret, the hippopotamus god of the Lower expect your average ibis on the street to be a
Sultanate who presides over childbirth and secret sorcerer or a mystical font of wisdom to
fertility. Her cult train as midwives and solve all their problems. But as stereotypes go,
broodmothers, experienced in caring for the that’s benign, right? Wrong, because just the
reproduction of not only hippopotamoi, but also other week there was a race riot in the streets
other species; the Sethid pharaohs employed of Heliopolis in which flocks of ibes were beaten
hippo midwives of Taweret to help care for their up or run out of town on suspicion of practicing
eggs. Hippos are slow to anger, but when they sorcery—a riot which most locals blame on Sulṭāna
lose their tempers, they are fearsome in battle, Yonca I. At any rate, ibes tend to live by the
and especially in defense of their families and water, mostly practicing trades such as
those they have sworn to protect. fisherman or sailor.
Habitat: Shore Senses: Listen, Smell Habitat: Shore Senses: Listen, Spot
Diet: Herbivore Weapons: Teeth, Tusks Diet: Carnivore Weapons: Beak, Claws
Cycle: Twilight Cycle: Day
Include Hippopotamus Dice with: Hippopotamus‘s Species Gifts: Include Ibis Dice with: Ibis‘s Species Gifts:
Endurance Deep Diving Supernatural Flight
Presence Natural Armor Swimming Prehensile Feet
Swimming Strength Weather Sense Team Player
735
Characters
Lemur Mongoose
One can trace the origin of lemurs to the

mountain region of Tendromaro. But today, many
of them have traveled far and wide. (Some
historians believe a war happened centuries ago Mongeese are famous for the Ichneumon
that dispsered their tribes.) The history of the Tales, a series of adventure stories written in
Lemurs has a great share of tragedy, where they Triskellian about the Ichneumon, a mysterious
have no firm status in any community. It’s not masked mongoose from the Delta who has
surprising that some Lemurs had a spiritual various adventures in Calabria, usually involving
calling, first as guardians of the dead, then later monster hunting. In the most famous of these
as skilled practitioners of magic. tales, the tiny mongoose dives down the throat
Among the ignorant and the hateful, a rumor of a rampaging uadh-chrith to slay it from inside.
circulates that Lemurs have a prehensile tail with It’s a positive stereotype, but it’s still a
a third eye on the tip, concealed by a fur-covered stereotype; and even the most bellicose
lid; when alone, a Lemur would reveal this eye and mongoose will tell you that it gets old to have
suck out your soul. None of this is remotely true, the drunkest bro in the bar get in your face and
it’s only used as an excuse for terrible violence challenge you to a fight to show off that he’s
against innocent people. tough and brave.
Habitat: Forest Senses: Smell, Spot Habitat: Plains Senses: Smell

Diet: Herbivore Weapons: Grab, Punch Diet: Omnivore Weapons: Claws, Teeth
Include Lemur Dice with: Lemur‘s Species Gifts: Include Mongoose Dice with: Mongoose‘s Species Gifts:
Brawling Fast Climber Digging Contortionist
Climbing Increased Mind Dodge Fast Jumper
Tactics Night Vision Jumping Springing Strike
736
Characters
Ostrich Owl
“Peace be upon you. You have come far with

very little, to ask so much about things so grand.
But there are no lines to enter the gates of
patience. You are wise to come to my kin, for we
are the nonpareil masters of the night. The wind
parts before us without a sound, and the stars
shine brighter for us, to guide our way. It is our
Ostriches are to the ground as falcons are to duty to learn the will of the divine so that we may
the air: meditative wanderers, always seeking new teach it to the mundane. The happiness we can
land and new people and new experiences. This is bring to you will not come from the clamor of
somewhat surprising because ostriches are also swords or the thunder of guns, but to a grip
not the most fearless of people. So maybe that’s that is measured and sure. Only after you learn
a good encapsulation of the ostrich experience: to cross the earth without a sound will you be
visit new places, meet new people, get terrified able to hear the chorus of miracles. Now, let us
and run away from them. sit and drink our tea.”
Habitat: Plains Senses: Listen, Spot Habitat: Forest Senses: Listen, Spot
Diet: Herbivore Weapons: Claws, Kick Diet: Carnivore Weapons: Beak, Claws
Include Ostrich Dice with: Ostrich‘s Species Gifts: Include Owl Dice with: Owl‘s Species Gifts:
Endurance Coward Searching Flight
Stealth Danger Sense Stealth Night Vision
Tactics Fast Mover Weather Sense Prehensile Feet
737
Characters
Pangolin Seal
Seals are mammals, but they still spend most

of their natural lives at sea. This liminal
existence, always half in and half out, makes them
the border guards and psychopomps of the
division between sea and sky. Religions and
philosophies have grown up around this idea, with
shoreline monasteries full of habited seals
In all of Akoma, no Species is quite like the contemplating their place in the world and their
fearsome Pangolin, with their golden hide of relationships to other species. Seals are
armored plates, their tail what is swift and frequently sailors, traders, or marines, but they
strong, and the glands that spray most foul. also have a mystic bent.
Habitat: Forest Senses: Smell Habitat: Shore Senses: Listen, Spot

Diet: Carnivore Weapons: Claws, Tail Diet: Carnivore Weapons: Teeth
Include Pangolin Dice with: Pangolin‘s Species Gifts: Include Seal Dice with: Seal‘s Species Gifts:
Climbing Natural Armor Endurance Deep Diver
Digging Prehensile Tail Searching Fast Swimmer
Presence Spray Swimming Keen Eyes
738
Characters
Secretary Bird Shrike
As a rule, shrikes want to know if you were

looking at them. Does it look like shrikes are
From the far coasts to the darkest interior, talking to someone else? So yeah, were you
the Secretary Birds can be found anywhere and looking at shrikes? Do you want a piece of
everywhere. They take on all jobs, and they serve shrikes? ‘Cuz we could do that, buddy. We could
in every position, from the lowliest farmer to the do it right now, just you and shrikes. Right here.
esteemed general. Many Birds travel abroad to Or out back. Or right in the damn street out
Calabria or Zhonguo, to learn the languages and front. When you are ready to throw yours down,
laws, and serve as advisors to travelers. Shirkes are ready to hand yours to you.
Habitat: Plains Senses: Spot Habitat: Plains Senses: Spot

Diet: Carnivore Weapons: Beak, Claws Diet: Carnivore Weapons: Beak, Claws
Cycle: Day Cycle: Day
Include Secretary Bird Dice with: Secretary Bird‘s Species Gifts: Include Shrike Dice with: Shrike‘s Species Gifts:
Endurance Flight Searching Flight
Presence Increased Body Throwing Performance:Singing
Weather Sense Prehensile Feet Weather Sense Prehensile Feet
739
Characters
Vulture Water Buffalo
“Don’t touch that. You don’t know where it’s

been. Me? Of course I know where it’s been, I’m a
vulture. It’s my job. Yes, I’m going to eat it, that’s
also my job. Yes, I know you think it’s barbaric,
but that’s just how it works over here. This
tower here, it’s for air burial. Families who follow
the old ways of the West bring their honored
dead and place them atop the tower, and we
vultures come and consume them. It’s a ritual. A
sacred one, representing the dead returning to
the cycle of life and death. And before you rush A significant population of the Deltan Valley are
off screaming and call for the inquisitors, let me Water Buffalos. In any sizeable operation where
remind you that I probably know your religion there are fields to be tilled, walls to be built, or
better even than you do, young lady. … I suppose positions to be defended, there is almost always
that now that I’ve given my flock time to cut off one Buffalo, and then several more. Most of them
your escape, I can tell you I was referring to your have a simple, practical outlook on life… and they
real religion. So when you get to where we send have little time for any foolishness.
Habitat: Plains Senses: Smell, Spot Habitat: Shore Senses: Spot

Diet: Carnivore Weapons: Beak, Claws Diet: Herbivore Weapons: Horns, Hooves
Include Vulture Dice with: Vulture‘s Species Gifts: Include Water Buffalo Dice with: Water Buffalo‘s Species Gifts:
Endurance Flight Endurance Increased Body
Searching Prehensile Feet Swimming Strength
Weather Sense Survival Tactics Team Player
740
Characters
Wildebeest Zebra
It’s all too easy to dismiss the Wildebeests as

just another inhabitant of Akoma. Their When visitors return from a trip to Akoma, they
appearance is hardly as exotic as some of the are eager to speak of the exotic striped
other folk to be found here. But just so many patterns of the Zebras that they had seen. A
others, the Wildebeests are a hard-working, breed apart from Horses and other ungulates,
resilent people, making up a large share of the Zebras are far more hot-tempered than their
population in all regions. hooved cousins, so it’s not wise to threaten or
Wildebeests abide by the customs of their to insult one.
place. In cities, they work as stevedores, and Another species is the Quagga, who have
builders. In the open lands, they are farmers and black and white stripes on their torso, but their
miners. They can grow restless when cooped on lower half is a plain color, usually brown. Quagga
on ships or in small places for too long. It’s are not actually Zebras, but they are often
always better to be out in the open air. confused for their more prolific cousins.
Habitat: Plains Senses: Listen, Spot Habitat: Plains Senses: Listen, Spot
Diet: Herbivore Weapons: Hooves, Horns Diet: Herbivore Weapons: Hooves
Include Wildebeest Dice with: Wildebeest‘s Species Gifts: Include Zebra Dice with: Zebra‘s Species Gifts:
Endurance Increased Body Dodge Counter-Tactics
Presence Strength Endurance Fast Mover
Tactics Team Player Tactics Increased Body
741
New Careers
New Careers
If you swap out such localisms as “Literacy:
Almaghnatisia
Zhōngwén” and “Piety of Purity” for “Literacy:
Deltan” and “Piety of Malachism” where appropriate, Since the Cognoscente books are
written anonymously, it’s not clear
you can apply most careers from elsewhere in
where their magical arts were
Ironclaw to Akoman characters. Careers from the created, though many claim that it Wizard
Wizard category are the exception, because began within Akoma.
Malachism, Akoma's dominant heterodoxy of Include Dice with: Career Gifts:
s'Allumer, strongly discourages magic of every kind. In
Inquiry Cognoscente Magic
Anatolian territory, where the state and Malachism are
synonymous under the Caliph's rule, a city watchman Leadership Cognoscente’s Trappings
who catches you practicing magic will nail you with a Negotiation Literacy
steep fine or a weekend in jail–and that's for a first
Trappings: Leather armor d6, Quicksilver Rod (Dmg +1 Critical)
offense. Non-Wizard careers which grant magical Gifts,
like Debo Shi and Immortal Sage (Jade 452-453), are
likewise uncommon. To be clear, playing a wizard in
Akoma is permitted in the game--and in fact certain Badjaduya
kinds of wizards, such as the Black Angels and the
Deltan necromantic revolutionaries, are particularly The celebrated “Wind Wizards” of
the Emirates. A Dunwasser alumnus
important to this setting--but will make your character might call their magic “primitive.”
an enemy of the state and a frequent target of fear and They prefer the term “traditional.” Wizard
social stigma.
Include Dice with: Career Gifts:
Alchemist Academics Elementalist’s Trappings (Air)
You make strange chemicals in your

Observation Elemental Apprentice
lab, both for harm and and for Supernatural Literacy
healing. Try not to identify too
many chemicals by tasting them. Academic Trappings: Yellow Robe, Oak Rod (Damage +1 Critical)

Academics Alchemy
Black Angel
Craft Literacy
One who studies forbidden arts in
Throwing Research order to hunt down evil necro-
mancers and the walking dead.
Trappings: Leather armor d6, 6 bottles of Aqua Fortis, 6 bottles of Academic
Aqua Vitae, 12 bottles of medicine (quack), 6 bottles of
medicine (good), acid-stained apron
Inquiry Low Profile
Searching Streetwise
Supernatural Survival
Trappings: Cloth armor d4, knife, battered notebook
742
New Careers
Dastani Hospitaller
A navigator of the great desert, These seafaring healer-knights are
using only the stars as their guide. based out of the Honey Isle
(Since, well, everything else is citadels.
pretty bleak.) Academic Warrior
Include Dice with: Career Gifts: Include Dice with: Career Gifts:
Academics Astrology Academics Medicine
Observation Navigation Melee Combat Piety: Penitence
Searching Survival Vehicles Veteran
Trappings: Cloth armor d4, Staff (Dmg +1), comfortable hat Trappings: Leather armor d6, Longsword (Dmg +2), wooden shield
(Cover d8)
Dervish Jannisary
These mystics bridge the gap Recruited from the Anatolians’
between the common man and the vassal states via the infamous
mysteries of Malachism. Tribute in Blood, these elites are
Academic among the world’s best infantry. Warrior
Endurance Performance: Dance Endurance Jezailer’s Trappings
Presence Piety: Malachism Ranged Combat Resolve
Supernatural Survival Tactics Veteran
Trappings: Cloth armor d4, Staff (Dmg +1), comfortable hat Trappings: Leather armor d6, Longsword (Dmg +2), Jezail
(Dmg +2 Slaying), uniform
Djed-hakim Medjey
Tolerated at best, those who would With their unusual weapons and
dare pursue necromancy should armor, these mercenaries for hire
know better than to speak of their are unique to Akoma. Most fre-
magic to the commoners. Wizard quently seen the the Deltan Valley. Warrior
Deceit Black Magic Dodge Medjey’s Trappings
Presence Literacy Melee Combat Resolve
Supernatural Necromancer’s Trappings Tactics Veteran
Trappings: Black Robes, Brass Staff (Dmg +1 Critical), change of clothes Trappings: Leather armor d6, Kopesh (Dmg +4 Weak Critical),
for going out in public society Metal Shield (Cover d8)
743
New Careers
Qanundari Tazekar
The soldiers and policemen of the A mystic of the Great Desert, who
Emirates, these warriors dispense can read the stars and knows how
quick justice and protect the oases to interpret what the divine wants.
and property of their tribes. Warrior (This career requires Book of Wizard
Mysteries to use.)
Include Dice with: Career Gifts: Include Munjam/Munajima Dice with: Munjam/Munajima Career Gifts:
Inquiry Jezailer’s Trappings Academics Blessed Ways
Ranged Combat Resolve Observation Pacifism
Searching Veteran Supernatural Tazekar’s Way
Trappings: Leather armor d6, Longsword (Dmg +2), Jezail Trappings: Leather armor d6, Staff (Dmg +1)
(Dmg +2 Slaying), uniform
Qäs Vizier
As part of the aggressive modernism A high-ranking advisor, usually for
of the Anatolians, these priests are matters of state or for war. Some
encouraged to spread the light of Wizard are to be trusted, others have
s’Allumer with the state-approved their own schemes. Academic
religion of Malachism.
Academics Cleric’s Trappings Academics Nobility
Leadership Literacy Observation Oratory
Supernatural White Magic Tactics True Leader
Trappings: White Robes, Electrum Rod (Dmg +1 Critical) Trappings: Leather armor d6, Dagger (Dmg +1), turban, detailed map
of their local area
Sportster Warlord
Subjects of the Anatolian Empire In the remote and provincial
enjoy their bread and circuses. corners of Akoma, some people are
Team sports and ball games are raised to be leaders of their tribe,
popular in the cities. Laborer town, or community. Academic
Brawling Carousing Dodge Nobility
Endurance Fast Mover Leadership Oratory
Throwing Team Player Presence True Leader
Trappings: Cloth armor d4, nice scarf Trappings: Leather armor d6, Longsword (Dmg +2), turban
744
Gifts
Gifts
Almost all the Gifts from the other Ironclaw imprison you. So, it’s actually easier to be a
sourcebooks are available to Akoman characters as necromancer in Akoma than it is in Calabria. The
well, though you'll want to swap out "Literacy: Caliphate would much rather you forget this fact.
Zhōngwén" and "Piety of Purity" for "Literacy: Deltan" All Gifts from the Book of Mysteries. (The Tezakar
and "Piety of Malachism" where appropriate, etc. The career uses the gift of Blessed Ways.)
Wilding Way is alive and well in Akoma, though it's Vermin of the State (Jade p. 438): While certain
more common outside heavily urbanized areas in species (otters in Anatolia, for example) occupy a
Anatolia and Òyó. The martial arts schools of position of some privilege, Akoman governments
Zho-ngguo have either official outposts or local have no particular systemic enmity against
equivalents (possibly renamed for flavor—the centipedes, scorpions, spiders, toads, or vipers. A
Assassins' Guild instead of the Forest Ghosts, for vermin in Akoma with this Gift probably hatched
example) in Akoma. in Zho-ngguo — or in a very strange ethnic exclave
indeed.
Superior Theory of Archery (Jade p. 473-474):
Gifts from Previous Books The Superior Theory of Archery is popular
These Gifts are uncommon or different in Akoma. amongst literate nobles in Akoma, although the
Language (Ironclaw p. 55): Just as a native of magical Gift The Moon Rising in One’s Breast is
Calabria probably speaks Calabrese and a native unknown … or, at least, no one will admit to
of Zho-ngguo probably speaks Zhōnggese, a knowing it in pious company. The popular play
character native to Akoma probably speaks Deltan. Shooting the Moon (it’s not a pun in Deltan)
This Akoman international language takes its name concerns a young nobleman who falls in love with
from the Lower Sultanate’s river delta, where it a “bad girl” who has learned that technique.
originated. It has two writing systems: a “high Volcano School (Jade p. 479-482): This magical
print” of stylized pictures which each have an martial art has failed to gain much traction in
associated sound, difficult but beautiful to write; Akoma. One venerable school exists in a Daoist
and a “low script” based on the high print’s temple in Òyó City's Zho-ngguotown, its
stylized pictures, but rendered into easy-to-learn headmaster an elderly toad of Akoman and
and easy-to-write cursive, now used as the writing Zhōnggese parentage; but few non-Zhōnggese
system for all Akoma’s languages. Modern have expressed interest in the Way–let alone
standard Deltan is heavy with loan words, mostly Volcano Fighting–for fear of the social stigma such
from Xīwén (the language of the original Anatolian "witchcraft" might bring.
immigrants) and from other Akoman languages. Immortal Magic (Jade p. 507-538)
Similarly, the gift of Literacy: Deltan (Ironclaw
p. 76) grants facility with both high print and low
script, though high print mostly just appears on
university diplomas and signs for fancy hotels these Physical Gifts
days.
Mystic (Ironclaw p. 55) Back in the Saddle
Cleric’s, Cognoscente’s, Elementalist’s, or (Battle, Combat)
Thaumaturge’s Trappings (Ironclaw p. 60-63)
Magic Save (Ironclaw p. 64) and any other Magic- Mount and Dismount with Ease
keyworded Gifts, besides Anonymous (Ironclaw When you mount or dismount, you’re not sent Reeling.
p. 84) Doubling Up on Reeling
… a word about Necromancy, though. If one of you or your mount is sent Reeling, the other
Necromancy is illegal in Anatolian Akoma, yes; but isn’t automatically. You still have to fight as if you’re
oddly enough, the legal penalties for the practice both Reeling, but maybe this edge case will help in
of necromancy are actually no more severe than case of spells that only hit people who are Reeling or
they are for the practice of any other form of something.
magic. In Calabria, the authorities will torture you
for practicing necromancy. In Akoma they’ll
745
Gifts
Steed
Mental Gifts Your character has an Akhal-Teke as a full-fledged
minor character. It now has a Mind Trait of d4 and
Artillerist may be designated as the beneficiary of the Improved
(Combat) Ally Gift. It can’t speak, but it can communicate with
you (and only you) in some idiosyncratic way. You
With long experience, keen senses, and just a and the Game Host should negotiate who is
little intuition, you can calculate the responsible for your mount’s actions. We assume that
trajectory of seige-scale powder weapons. you, the player, will decide what the mount does in
combat, but you may prefer to have the Game Host or
With artillery, claim Ranged Dice as bonus
another player decide what it does so that you don’t
attack dice
feel like you’re talking to yourself.
When you attack using an artillery weapon, you may
include the Range penalty dice as bonus attack dice.
(The target still gets their Ranged Dice as bonus Austringer
dodge dice, too. More dice all around!) (Chapter)
Artillery weapons are equipment that has the
“Artillery” descriptor. You have a small flying reptile, called a sahin,
as a pet and helper. It helps you to hunt or
Cannon Sweep fish for food.
(Combat) You have a cute little pet. Your pet is small enough
to ride in your pocket, or in a special pouch. Your pet
A skilled cannoneer can fire for the best can also fly.
effect, bouncing the cannonball in the most When your pet is Close to you, it grants you a
surprising ways. bonus d8 to initiative and to Observation.
You can use a Control action to order your pet to
Sweep with cannon fire take certain actions. Your pet can fetch items, pull
When you hit a target with a cannon, you might be levers, push buttons, or do other things a pet could do.
able to Sweep. The sweep distance varies on how far (Without any hands or a sentient Mind, the pet is
away the target is. somewhat limited. The host may call for rolls of your
If the target is at Medium range or less, you can’t Will & Tactics dice to order the pet to do things that
sweep at all. are more complex.)
If the target is at Long range, you may Sweep
Short. X (Chapter)
If the target is at Very Long range or more, you Trigger: your pet suffers a Dying or Dead result
may Sweep Medium. If your pet suffers a Dying or Dead result, you may
Cannons are weapons that have the “Cannon” exhaust this gift to reduce that result to Sick and
descriptor. Unconscious. If your pet suffers an Overkill result, you
may exhaust this gift to reduce that result to Dying & Sick.
Social Gifts
Akhal-Teke Wrangler
(Keystone, Plot)
This is the stuff of which epic poems are made. This

variant of the Ally Gift (Ironclaw p. 70) introduces a
special kind of companion. Octopodes who spend a
lot of time on dry land often invest in this Gift.
746
Gifts
The Band Plays On Then, tap this gift, spend an hour with your kit, and
roll your Mind, Academics, Craft vs. 3. (If you have
Chemistry, that’s another d12). For each success you
score, you may choose one:
Play, play, play the soundtrack of the
universe. The best Anatolian hospitals 1 bottle of Aqua Fortis
frequently hire musicians to help with the 1 bottle of Aqua Vitae
healing or therapeutic processes for exactly 2 bottles of Quack Medicine and 1 bottle of
this reason. Good Medicine.
Requires If you have multiple successes, you can mix and

Performance: [singing or some musical instrument] match. (For example, you could use 5 successes to
Team Player make 2 bottles of Aqua Vitae, 1 bottle of Aqua Fortis,
Inspirational Music 4 bottles of Quack Medicine and 2 bottles of Good
You can help someone just by playing music Medicine.)
appropriate to their actions. Playing music is a stunt,
every turn, and it’s a very loud noise. Jezailer’s Trappings
While playing the music, all friends within Medium (Plot, Trappings)
range enjoy the following advantages:
All friends who hear your music gain a d8 assist
Belongings
You begin the game with:
bonus to an appropriate task.
All allies in combat are flanking their opponents a jezail
(and may claim their tactics bonus). a bullet-mold making kit
a gun repair kit
a powder horn
six Steel Bullets
Trappings Gifts a long sword
Alchemy X (Special)
(Respite) Action “replace your missing trappings”
If you are parted from your items, ask the Game Host
Requires for a plot twist to return or to replace them.
Literacy Once exhausted, you cannot recover this Gift until
Research the next game session.
Belongings
You begin the game with: Medjey’s Trappings
(Plot, Trappings)
One alchemy kit
6 bottles of Aqua Fortis Belongings
6 bottles of Aqua Vitae You begin the game with:
12 bottles of medicine (quack)
a Kopesh Sword
6 bottles of medicine (good)
a Dagger
a Metal Shield (bronze)
X (Respite) a fancy hat (miter)
You may craft alchemy items faster
First, you must spend 12 denarii on “essential salts”, X (Special)
the materials known only to you. Ask the Game Host if Action “replace your missing trappings”
you’re able to buy these expensive materials in the If you are parted from your items, ask the Game Host
location that you’re at. (At the discretion of the game for a plot twist to return or to replace them.
host, you may be able to spend days foraging for these Once exhausted, you cannot recover this Gift until
in the appropriate places, rolling Mind & Searching vs. the next game session.
3. … but these materials are rare and obviously
valuable, so they’re not usually found lying around on
un-owned land.)
747
Gifts
Natural Gifts Clysmian Foul

(Magic, Water, Budjaduya)
Ophidian
Requires:
(Natural)
Elemental Apprentice
Insider with the Budjaduyi
You have the body of a snake.
X (Battle)
Requires Action “Aim to upgrade Create Water to
Must be a snake Clysmian Foul”
To use this ability, you must have a “Create Water”
No hands, only Prehensile Tail Magic weapon at the ready, and you must take the
You have only one hand – a prehensile tail. You may “Aim” action at a target.
use this tail as a good hand. Exhaust this Gift. Your “Create Water” weapon
You can use the “Wrestle” attack without any becomes a “Clysmian Foul”, a gurgling ball of water
hands, by coiling your body around a single target. and mud that you toss high in the air and then comes
down as a pounding deluge upon your targets.
+2 Stride, -2 Dash
Add two to your Stride, but subtract two from
Sand Geyser
your Dash.
(Magic, Earth, Budjaduya)
Extra action “stand up”
Requires:
You can take an extra action on your turn: the “stand
Elemental Apprentice
up” action. Yes, you can be knocked down, flipped,
Insider with the Budjaduyi
rolled over, etc, but at least you get up much faster.
X (Battle)
Action “Aim to upgrade Create Earth to
Magical Gifts Sand Geyser”
To use this ability, you must have a “Create Earth”
Blessed Ways Magic weapon at the ready, and you must take the
(Respite, Keystone, Plot, Blessed) “Aim” action at a target.
Exhaust this Gift. Your “Create Earth” weapon
You can talk to the spirits. becomes a “Sand Geyser”, a fuming spray of dust and
sand that you can then hurl at your targets.
Requires
Pacifist Scathefire
(Magic, Fire, Budjaduya)
Bonus d8 when working with animals
When working with animals (natural creatures with no Requires:
Mind Trait), you may claim a bonus d8 to all rolls. Elemental Apprentice
Bonus d8 when working with live plants Insider with the Budjaduyi
When identifying, growing, or nurturing live plants, X (Battle)
you may claim a bonus d8 to all rolls. It is considered Action “Aim to upgrade Ignite Fire to Scathefire”
good practice to ask permission before cutting or To use this ability, you must have a “Create Air”
reaping a live plant. Magic weapon at the ready, and you must take the
Bonus d8 to talk with supernatural creatures “Aim” action at a target.
Your communion with the other worlds grants you the Exhaust this Gift. Your “Ignite Fire” weapon
ability to talk to any supernatural creature: elemental, becomes a “Scathefire”, a glowing ball of sparks that
undead, shade, etc. When inquiring about their will spread into a long, blazing arc.
motives, negotiating their wants and desires, or
imposing your presence upon them, you may claim a
bonus d8.
However, not only is there no bonus to deceive a
supernatural creature, you also have a d12 penalty.
They know you.
748
Gifts
Sirocco Blast Three successes or more: Declare a target Near

(Magic, Air, Budjaduya) you. Before that target’s next Respite, the next
time they Fail or Botch a roll, they get one
Requires: chance to call upon spirits and immediately claim
Elemental Apprentice a bonus 2d6. (There’s a risk of unholy powers.)
Insider with the Budjaduyi Or, increase the winds in the desert.
Or, spread a blanket or other rectangular
X (Battle)
cloth before the wind while casting this spell. The
Action “Aim to upgrade Create Air to
cloth attaches to four points in the air, as if to an
Sirocco Blast”
imaginary mast, and catches its own the wind. Up
To use this ability, you must have a “Create Air”
to 12 people who walk behind this sail have their
Magic weapon at the ready, and you must take the
overland movement doubled for the next 24 hours.
“Aim” action at a target.
Four successes or more: Sets up a shimmering,
Exhaust this Gift. Your “Create Air” weapon
distracting mirage as of water or an oasis in the
becomes a “Sirocco Blast”, a whirling ball of air that
distance. When casting, you may declare certain
you unleash onto several targets.
individuals immune to this mirage. Until the next
day, when those who are not immune first set
Tazekar’s Path
eyes upon the mirage, they must roll Mind, Will,
(Battle, Plot, Blessed)
Inquiry, and Supernatural vs. 3. If they score 3
Requires or more successes, they see the mirage for what it
Blessed Ways is. If they score 2 successes, they are Confused for
Pacifist the rest of this scene. If they score 1 success, they
are Confused until their next respite. If they score
X (Battle)
no successes, they are Confused until cured.
Action “ready an Faint Mirage”
Confused characters will tend to wander toward
Exhaust this Gift, then use the Attack action to call
the mirage and to say all kinds of crazy things.
forth the standard attack of Tezekar Ways, the Faint
Or, summon an Air, Earth, or Fire Elemental
Mirage.
from the desert sand. (Sorry, no Water.) This
Once used, the spell is spent and you must Refresh
elemental is made of a dust devil (Air), sand (Earth),
the Gift before you may use the Attack again.
or brushfire (Fire) and cannot leave the desert. It
Using this ability is an attack. Your Gift of Pacifist
will disappear at the the start of the next chapter.
Exhausts immediately (if it’s not already Exhausted).
Or, summon an Water Elemental from a desert’s
X (Battle) oasis. This elemental cannot leave the oasis proper,
Stunt “call upon the Tazekar spirits” which is an area of such arbitrary shape and size
You may call upon the spirits of a desert for a specific that I would try to explain to you why it is, but since
blessing. Declare what it is you’re looking for. Roll this is magic, you wouldn’t understand me if I tried.
2d6 vs. 3, and count the successes. (There are It will disappear at the the start of the next chapter.
numerous Gifts that will grant you bonus dice.) Five successes or more: Open a bridge past this
The more successes you score, the greater the boon world and into the realm of spirits. Such a journey
you can request. Here are some suggestions: is dangerous and not without consequence.
No successes: Nothing.
One success or more: Dispel any Unreal effect Wrestling with Angels
on a target, up to Medium Range.
Or, grant a d8 assist bonus to a target’s
Deceit dice, up to Medium Range.
The Light’s clarity in your form and essence
Two successes or more: Remove the On Fire
forces spirits to take notice of you.
condition from up to five targets, up to Medium
Range. Requires
Or, ask that your dreams tonight be prophetic, Piety of Malachism
to give you some insight into your future. Absolutely no gifts that have the “Magic” descriptor
Or, call forth a date fruit, to appear in your
hand.
749
Gifts
X (Special) Bonus to Sense Undeath

Trigger: benefiting from magic You can also sense undeath. You can sense all lesser
If you receive any direct personal benefit from magic, undead within Medium range of you, and you can
exhaust this Gift for 24 hours. If your friend heals you sense all greater undead within Long range of you.
with White Magic, it counts; if your friend lightning- Undead cannot claim concealment bonuses
bolts the bad guy who was about to kick your ass, it against you.
doesn’t. You probably don’t want your enemies to find
out about this gift. Eater of the Dead
When unexhausted, benefits to deal with the (Atavism)
immaterial
You can speak to, and understand the speech of, spirits Cannibalism is taboo for most civilized persons;
such as elementals and shades. You can inflict Weak but corpses you taste don’t come back.
damage to them with melee or ranged weapons, and full
Requires
damage with unarmed attacks and natural weapons.
Species of d8 or better
Survival
Atavist Gifts Stunt “Silencing Bite”
You may take the Silencing Bite action, ritually eating
Death Watch part of a corpse to assist the associated spirit in shuffling
(Atavism) off this mortal coil. If a corpse has received the Silencing
Bite, it is considered consecrated and Overkilled.
Where death goes, you follow.
Requires Wilding Camouflage

Species Trait of d8 or better (Atavism)
Survival
You can change the pigmentation and texture
You Know Death
of your skin.
When someone or something within Medium range of
your senses dies, you know it at the exact moment that Requires
it happens. Species of d8 or better
Knack for Stealth
A successful roll of Speed & Stealth vs. 3 that scores
three successes or more
Stunt: change your pelt
As a stunt, you can change the surface texture and
color of your skin. Even complex patterns are possible,
as long as the pattern is somewhat regular—most
things less complicated than paisley. You get a d12 to
conceal yourself from sight in natural surroundings or
against any surface where your color change would
allow you to blend in.
750
Equipment
Equipment
All too often, someone will assume that a crocodile Some locals still use bronze arms and armor. Bronze
is some ungainly, lumbering beast. Then they’re can be worked in fires of much lower temperature than
surprised when the tail swipe knocks them off their steel, and it can be easier to maintain against the
feet. elements. Bronze is still used to make brass cannons,
There’s a long tradition of carving throwing sticks, which aren’t just less expensive than iron ones, but
weaponized wood that are hurled with practiced they’re also far less likely to explode without warning.
accuracy. They’re not much good against armored However, bronze weapons are heavier, and their edges
foes, but they’re better than nothing, and they’re quite will deform against even reasonable armor. For some
easy to use. (Quick-Draw helps.) Of course, slings are people, the bronze weapons are considered fashion-
very popular with the frugal fighters, too. able, as badges of honor or as furniture of office.
Foreigners are usually fascinated by the weapons The most well-remembered bronze weapon is the
provided by alchemical research. A secret batch of khopesh sword, a blade with a signature curved
chemicals are prepared in glass bottles. (The clay pots shape. Some claim the weapon is better at disarming
of ceramic grenades simply won’t work for this.) A wax your foe; others assert that the curve lets one strike
seal is dripped just inside the spout. The bottles are around a shield. Neither of these things are true —
then corked and scored on the outside. Finally, a string it’scurved to make the blade stronger.
is tied around the spout, to make it easier to hurl the Most people are far more likely to run afoul of the
bottle for great distance. The user hurls the bottle in a fan axe, a heavy bronze blade on the end of a stick,
high, lobbing arc, to break open on a target or near often decorated with jewels, hieroglyphs, and other
them. Aqua fortis is a powerful acid, with an acrid fancy stuff. No matter what the time and place, a big
scent more powerful that vinegar but not as terrible as heavy sharp thing coming down on your head is going
skunk spray; its effect on wood, flesh, and other to do some damage.
natural materials can be frightening to behold. Aqua Ranged weapons are even more important.
vitae is a distilled incendiary; a secret mix of powders Historically, the most important weapon on the
and salts is kept between the cork and the wax seal, so Akoman battlefield was the bow and arrow. Many
that when the bottle breaks open, a spark sets the variations on the weapon exist, but the most successful
whole thing alight, burning quickly and hotly. In archers used sophisticated composite designs such as
theory, it would be possible to put these mixtures into are popular in Hánguǒ, requiring three or four
siphons to spray on armies and fortifications… but in different construction materials and scrupulous
practice, the expense of making so much chemicals, maintenance. Even among peoples who have adopted
combined with the danger to the operator of such a firearms, archery training is an important athletic
device, has the practical soldier using these handy activity for all ages: an inattentive homemaker’s
grenades instead of giant siphons. neighbors often criticize her as “not even having
Small arms and hand-to-hand weapons in Akoma enough time to teach her child the bow.”
aren’t too different from those in Calabria or Armies across Akoma adopted firearms quickly and
_
Zhongguo. Local names and cosmetic details are enthusiastically. From the arrival of the first primitive
different sometimes: the heavy forward-curved muskets in Anatolia, commanders knew that so
yatağan instead of the badelaire, for example. Since complex and finicky a weapon would be an ideal
most of an Anatolian army is cavalry, melee loadouts armament for the janissary corps. Wealthy sipahi and
tend to favor one-handed weapons—axes, curved high-ranking janissaries often invest in breathtakingly
swords, spears, lances—and shields. Swords are detailed and ornate firearms as a status symbol, items
curved for easy ride-by use. Polearms are relatively which would become the treasure of the known
rare, the traditional weapon of janissaries. world’s museums four hundred years hence.
751
Equipment
Muskets are by far the most common firearm.

Blunderbusses are popular with gunmen used to closer
Artillery
quarters, such as the officers who lead marines on A relatively recent development in military science,
boarding actions or who seek to be the first through a a cannon is an enormous tube of iron or bronze which
breach in a castle wall. Pistols are growing in uses a gunpowder explosion to launch a stone or iron
popularity as a backup weapon for sipahi, especially ball. They come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes.
after a series of popular lithograph drawings of a wolf We’ll be using the term cannon when the which
(presumably a Bisclavret foreigner) leaping out of a fires forward on a relatively flat trajectory. There’s also
charging lancer’s path, while returning fire with a pistol the portable mortar, a tube at a 45-degree angle or
in each hand. more that lobs explosives in a high arc, over walls and
Jannisarries are known for carrying the jezail, a other cover. The Anatolians also have the abus, a
long-barreled gun with a unique curve to the stock. sophisticated howitzer that can fire explosives both
The jezail has a reputation for firing accurate over long directly and indirectly.
distances, moreso than any other gun… but like many Historically, in the known world’s military terminology,
reputations, it’s hearsay. The Jannisarries are well the term “artillery” referred not to cannon or ballistae,
trained shooters, and they commonly use expensive but to wizards. A single wizard could throw an entire
Steel Bullets which fly far and true. squad of troops into disarray in the span of a few
The stranger weapons in Ironclaw and the Book of heartbeats, just like a modern crew-served weapon.
Jade can be found in Akoma as they are elsewhere. But wizards are rare, expensive, and scary to their
Dropped or captured weapons from Calabrese or comrades-in-arms and commanders alike. They often
Zhōnggese foes are common in Akoman arsenals, as form their own war wizardry corps as a separate army-
are the results of intercontinental trade. Besides, it’s within-an-army, with its own rank structure and
not like flying guillotines are exactly normal in organization parallel to but separate from that of the
Zho-ngguo. You’d be as surprised to see one in Mǎjīng regular army.
as you would anywhere else, wouldn’t you? Wizards are powerful but rare, and they are no
more durable than any other soldier in an army. (And
very rare is the wizard trained both in the magic arts
and in the discipline of riding.) For most armies, the
optimal deployment situation has been to embed each
wizard in the middle ranks of an infantry formation,
disguised as just another infantryman so they don’t get
shot or beaten down first. Infantry tend to have mixed
feelings about this arrangement; on the one hand, it’s
nice to have someone around to knock your enemies
off their feet with a word and a gesture. On the other
hand, once the bad guys know you’re protecting the
wizard, you’re gonna have a lot of bullets flying your way.
The lack of spell support on the battlefield posed
serious problems for Malachite armies. An infantry
section without a war wizard might be in poor shape
indeed by the time it engages a section which has one;
troops without sufficient drill and morale tend to break
and scatter after the first spell goes off. Mounted
archers, who can engage wizards from beyond their
area of effect—and use their mobility to maintain that
range of engagement—are the most effective counter
to war wizards hidden in the enemy ranks. This is one
reason why the Anatolian army, even today, maintains
a two-to-one cavalry-to-infantry ratio.
752
Equipment
The Zhōnggese pioneered the use of cannon in caster’s deck at the bow of a galley at rival craft; or
warfare. The followers of the Tattooed Master, an ex- used to batter castle walls during a long siege. Anatolia
convict philosopher who preached a doctrine of also uses great cannon, staggeringly expensive and so
utilitarian, impartial care for all people, originally large they must be disassembled and transported in
developed the modern cannon as a defensive weapon. pieces on multiple vehicles. These take so long to
They expressed their love for others by travelling to reload that they are only ever assembled at the end of
underdog states and defending them against military a siege, to deliver the final blow to a rampart before
aggression. They were able to fire these giant weapons janissaries charge into the breach with axe and shield.
from their earthworks with ease. A light cannon takes a team of at least two gunners
Cannon weren’t a perfect solution to the lack of to aim and operate. Their primary use is to aid in
wizards, but they were much better than nothing. The warfare; if you have access to a battery of cannon, you
Anatolian army maintains cannon factories wherever it can make a roll of Mind and Ranged Combat to roll
is reasonably convenient, for use in siege warfare for an advantage in Disposition by firing at enemy
(offensive and defensive) and naval combat. Mounted fortifications, or Strength or Training by shooting at a
on rickety two-wheeled carts called limbers, sledges for formation of soldiers. Enemies might oppose you by
sand or snow travel, or (most commonly) using skirmishers or infiltrators to attack your battery
disassembled on carts pulled by large draft animals, with Stealth or Riding; or by shoring up their
light cannons make up most of an army’s artillery. fortifications with Craft or Digging.
These are fired in groups of one to five from the
Exotic Weapons
Name Equip Range Attack Dice Effect Descriptors
Fan Axe 2 hands Reach Body, Melee Combat vs. defense Damage +5 Weak Critical Expensive (32Đ), Rare, Bronze
Kopesh Sword Good hand Close Body, Melee Combat vs. defense Damage +4 Weak Critical Expensive (24Đ), Rare, Bronze
Tail None (Species Close Body, Species, Brawling vs. defense Damage flat 2, Knockdown Natural
only)
Throwing Stick Off hand Close Body, Melee Combat vs. defense Damage +1 Weak Cheap (1/4 Đ), Thrown
Spells as Weapons
Clysmian Foul Off hand Medium Mind, Swimming vs. defense Damage +0 Critical, Penetrating Magic, Water, Budjaduya, Loud
Sweep Short
Faint Mirage Off hand Short Species, Academics vs. Confused Magic, Tazekar, Unholy
Counters Magic target’s Will, Inquiry Sweep Short
Sand Geyser Off hand Medium Body, Digging vs. defense Damage +4 Weak Critical Magic, Earth, Budjaduya, Loud
Sweep Short
Scathefire Off hand Medium Will, Presence vs. defense Damage +1 Critical, On Fire Magic, Fire, Budjaduya, Loud
Sweep Short
Sirocco Blast Off hand Medium Speed, Weather Sense vs. defense Damage +2 Critical, Knockdown Magic, Air, Budjaduya, Loud
Sweep Short
753
Equipment
Firearms & Alchemy

Abus Emplaced Extreme Mind, Tactics vs. 3 Explosion: Short Extravagant (10,000Đ), Rare,
Resist with Mind, Speed, Dodge, Proscribed, Reload (crew of 2 × 10
Tactics vs. 3 turns), Rare, Extravagant,
Damage +5 Slaying, Weak Proscribed, Gun, Emplacement,
Artillery, Lobbed
Aqua Fortis Off hand Medium Body, Speed, Mind, Academics vs. 3 Explosion (Reach) Extravagant (225Đ), ¼ Stone,
Resist Speed, Dodge, Armor vs .3 Proscribed, Thrown, Consumed,
Damage +0, Penetrating Alchemy
Aqua Vitae Off hand Medium Body, Speed, Academics vs. 3 Explosion (Reach) Extravagant (225Đ), ¼ Stone,
Resist Speed, Dodge, vs .3 Proscribed, Thrown, Consumed,
Damage +1, On Fire Alchemy
Heavy Cannon Emplaced Horizon Mind, Tactics vs. 3 Explosion: Reach Extravagant (8,000Đ), Rare,
Resist with Speed, Dodge vs. 3 Proscribed, Reload (crew of 4 × 10
Damage +4 Slaying turns), Gun, Emplacement,
Artillery, Cannon
Jezail 2 hands Long Speed, Ranged Combat vs. defense Spark d12 Expensive (240Đ), Rare, Proscribed,
Damage +2 Slaying Gun, ½ Stone, Loud, Reload (10
turns)
Light Cannon Emplaced Extreme Mind, Tactics vs. 3 Explosion: Reach Extravagant (4,000Đ), Rare,
Resist with Speed, Dodge vs. 3 Proscribed, Reload (crew of 2 × 10
Damage +3 Slaying turns), Emplacement, Artillery,
Cannon
Mortar Emplaced Long to Far Mind, Tactics vs. 3 Spark d10 Extravagant (600Đ), Rare,
(cannot target Target rolls Mind, Speed, Dodge, Explosion: Short Proscribed, Reload (crew of 1 × 10
at Medium Tactics vs. 3 Target rolls Mind, Speed, Dodge, turns), Rare, Extravagant,
range or closer) Tactics vs. 3 Proscribed, Firearm,
Damage +3 Slaying, Weak Emplacement, Artillery, Lobbed
A galley’s movement primarily comes from oars.

The oars are arrayed in a single tier, extending from
Warships: Galleys of beneath the surface of the ship, where a number of
the Shallow Sea benches support three or more oarsmen each, each
The most important new piece of equipment is the oarsman pulling a single oar. Sails are used as
galley. The inhabitants of the Angels’ Teeth Islands “booster rockets” and are most useful when you’re
and the continents on either side accomplish travel, trying to escape a battle before the bad guys (or your
trade, and naval and amphibious warfare with an all- own commanding officer) catch you.
purpose kind of ship called a galley. A galley is a small Before the galley became popular on the Shallow
ship which moves under both oars and sail. The Sea, fleet tactics were based around ramming enemy
specifics may have changed, but the design of the ships. Galleys changed that. In battle, galleys rely on
galley in general terms has not changed in hundreds of two primary weapons: cannons and boarding. Galleys
years. It has two decks: a top deck, and an oar deck are cheap and fragile because in the race to make
(where other things such as berths and kitchens are scarier guns versus tougher ships, the guns are always
found. The top deck has a sheltered area at the front going to win. Also, because for the most part, these
called an artillery deck; historically, wizards would ships aren't fighting each other. A galley is primarily a
stand here to cast spells at enemy ships and crews, but means of moving your troops from place to place for
in the modern day, either a squad of musketeers or coastal raiding, or a source of water support for
between one and five cannon are more likely to be infantry on a coast
found there.
754
Equipment
Rowing a galley is one of the worst jobs you can get Item Cost Min. Successes Progress per Hour
(or more likely, be forced into). An oar deck is a Cheap 1 0.1 Đ × successes
breeding ground for disease and misery, and few Average 2 0.5 Đ × successes
things in all the world smell worse. It is the final Expensive 3 4 Đ × successes
destination of many unfortunate criminals in the Extravagant 4 15 Đ × successes
nations on the Shallow Sea. Still, paid oarsmen are Rare No change ×2 progress
preferable to oarslaves, as they’re a) better at their jobs Proscribed No change ×3 progress
and b) capable of picking up a weapon and swinging it
at boarders. Most Anatolian galleys have three The more expensive an item is, the more skilled of
oarsmen to a bench: one paid rower on the end a craftsman you need to be. You need to score the
yelling orders at the other two. minimum number of successes to make any progress
Despite their fragility, galleys are almost always at all towards crafting an item – if you don’t meet the
colorfully decorated; the decorations probably minimum, you just wasted an hour. For example, if you
originated as dazzle-camouflage to break up a galley’s want to make Expensive boots, you must roll 3 successes
silhouette, but they are just as likely to be lavish each time you roll, or you make no progress at all.
illustrations on flagships. On any roll, a Botch ruins the job.
Galleys don’t do something in sectional combat so The Gifts of Carpentry, Leatherworking, Mechanics,
much as allow you to participate in oceanic sectional Metalworking, and Painting each give a bonus d12 to
combat in the first place. Use the Strength assessment a specialty use of Craft. Consult the Gift’s description
to compare how many boarders each side can bring to for more details. A character with one of those Gifts
bear in a melee; use the Training assessment to will be able to score more successes, and thus they will
compare how many guns each side has. be able to craft fancier items.
The Gifts of Alchemy can be exhausted to provide
you with certain alchemical weapons. It’s assumed
Crafting that you recharge the gift back at your lab, where your
Characters may make their own items, or they may materials are bubbling and percolating away.
repair ones that break. For simplicity sake, use the item’s Why is it faster to make Rare and Proscribed items?
price as the base line for how long it takes to craft the item. Because the raised costs on those items have to do with
You will need 20% of the item’s price in raw the materials they use, the demand on the market to buy
materials to start with. Once you have the materials them, and the laws that make it difficult to obtain those
ready, the item is 20% of the way there. For example, items. Whether an item is rare or proscribed has nothing
if you need a nice pair of 3Đ boots made, then you’ll to do with how fast it takes someone to make the item.
need (3Đ × 20% =) 0.6Đ in raw materials. For example, a skilled laborer (Mind d6 and Craft
Work is measured in denarii’s worth completed. d6, Craft Specialty d12), working in a shop (shop
When you’ve completed the remaining 80% of the bonus d8) would roll four dice. If they took their rote,
item’s value, it’s ready to go. Better, more skilled they have four dice, halved for two successes an hour.
workers will be able to get an item built faster. At 2 successes an hour on an average cost item, that’s
It might be easier to list broken items by how good they 2Đ worth of progress every hour. Following the
are. For example, a carriage that’s only “60% quality” will previous example of the boots, if you started with the
need 40% more progress before it’s standard 100% quality. 0.6Đ in raw materials, you’d need 2.4Đ more, which
When you get the item 100% done or more, it’s means the boots would be made in three hours.
ready for use. When you get the item 50% done, it As a rule, a character can work up to 10 hours a
might be usable according to the defective rules. An day. More than that and the Host may raise the
item that’s less than 20% done is missing parts. At the difficulty target to 4, 5, or more, because exhaustion
discretion of the game host, multiple people might starts to make for mistakes.
work on a crafting job. A proper workshop, devoted to It’s beyond the scope of this book to provide precise
a single type of crafting, will also grant a bonus d8. crafting rules for every item in the game. These rules
Most crafting rolls use Mind & Craft vs. 3. don’t provide for rare materials, unusually difficult items,
Physically strenuous tasks might use Body & Craft. dangerous substances, and special orders. As always, the
Delicate handiwork might be Speed & Craft. Nasty, Game Host will have to make rulings on a case-by-case
unpleasant work might be Will & Craft. basis. If the crafting rules don’t make sense, don’t use them!
755
756
Gazeteer
Gazeteer
The history of the desert is not kept in books or
on tablets. It is kept in rhyming poems passed
down from each generation of tribesmen to the
next, and in the stories the Dastani learn about the
stars. Some of our people think that when they
look at the night sky they can read the future;
when the people of the nine tribes gaze into the
night sky, they can read the past.
— Marcus, Calabrese ambassador
to the tribe of Abi-Asman
The Almaghnatisia
The origins of the Cognoscente
Magic are shrouded in mystery.
When one has the power to cloud
minds, to compel the will of others, to
alter memories as easily as one
erases a page in a book, then one
has the power to keep secrets. In Akoma, the secret
masters of state-craft, the Almaghnatisia, sometimes
simply called the Magi, have been practicing their arts in
secret, perhaps for longer than anyone can ever guess.
The similarities between the Magi and the
Cognoscenti cannot be ignored: the association with
the colors green and purple; the study of advanced
magic that controls the mind.
The legends of the Magi’s influence may be the core
reason why the Anatolians ban the practice of spell-casting.
The Angels’ Teeth Islands and

the Pirate Coast
The Angels’ Teeth Islands are the countless rocky isles
scattered in the Shallow Sea which divides Akoma from
Calabria and Zho-ngguo. The Angels’ Teeth make the
Shallow Sea both easy and hard to navigate. On the one
hand, shore is rarely too far away. On the other hand,
dangerous reefs and rock-reefs surround many of the
islands, making them treacherous to navigate except for
seasoned sailors who know the terrain very, very well.
Many of these seasoned sailors are the pirates of the
Pirate States. The northeastern coast of Akoma is
sometimes called the Pirate Coast (a name which confu-
singly resembles that of an island south of Calabria) for the
savage crews which have established dominance over the
area. A constantly shifting patchwork of small states fighting
one another for territory, the Pirate States are among the
strongest powers amongst the Angels’ Teeth Islands.
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Gazeteer
The Honey Isle and the and bolted for the Angels’ Teeth, and the Caliph didn’t
New Hospital of Saint John bother following (he was in the process of conquering
the Delta at the time).
The best-known of the Angels’ Teeth Islands is the
Justly terrified of the privateer crews the Caliph had
Honey Isle, historically settled by the falcons of the
roaming the Shallow Sea, the Hospitallers converged
Knights Hospitaller. The Knights Hospitaller were
on the Honey Isle, so named for its meadows of
originally formed as a military order of brother-knights
wildflowers and bees. Soliciting donations from
who came to Akoma to protect Penitent missionaries
Penitent nobility and merchants in Calabria and even
in Anatolia. When the first Anatolian Caliph rose to
Zho-ngguo, the Hospitallers built a New Hospital of
power and began to restrict evangelism aggressively,
Saint John and hired a crew of Zhōnggese Tattooed
the Hospitaller fortress, the Hospital of Saint John,
engineers to build the most impressive fortifications in
took them in. Unfortunately, the Hospital was built
the known world. The Hospital of Saint John now
only a few leagues down the coast from Lygos itself, its
stands as a shining bastion of Penitent strength in the
largest target of evangelism; and so it was not long
Shallow Sea, the focus of much charity and
before the Caliphate threatened to wreck the Hospital
cheerleading from Calabria—and choler from the
if they didn’t keep sheltering outlaws. The Hospital
Caliphate.
refused, and the Caliph showed up outside with the
most impressive battery of cannons ever assembled
outside of Zho-ngguo. When they reduced the
Hospital’s outer wall to rubble over the course of a
day, the Hospitallers and their charges boarded galleys
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The Knights Hospitaller now deploy to various locations their own governing architecture was difficult, and not
in and around the Shallow Sea, mostly to defend Penitent a few advisors realized in hindsight that attempting to
interests who can’t defend themselves. Hospitaller intimidate and co-opt the Delta’s existing ruling
recruits come from many sources; most are Penitent structure would have put them in a much better place.
nobles from Calabria, though common-born brothers When Anatolia turned to the Corsair Coast, their
and sisters called sergeants can come from anywhere: attitude was different. The Corsair Coast was a fractious
Sister-Sergeant Handan, hero of the retreat from the series of sometime-fishing villages, sometime-pirate
Akoman Hospital, grew up in a Lygos orphanage. havens with an unruly populace used to self-government,
not state dominance. The Caliph at the time recognized
that to conquer the Corsair Coast and introduce a
Anatolia and the Anatolian Empire sulṭān or sulṭāns would only result in an even greater
The original Anatolians were a administrative headache than the Delta produced.
holt of otters seeking a haven from In a historic meeting, the Caliph traveled to the Corsair
Zhonggese expansion. Leaving from Coast against the advice of his grand vizier and every
Fayadeen, their flotilla migrated slowly advisor he had. Unarmed and unarmored, he went to visit
along the southern coast of the Pirate King Blackpaw and politely requested audience.
Zhongguo, finding no land in which Blackpaw made him wait for three days. The Caliph
they could settle until they crossed the waited politely. By the time Blackpaw met with him, the
sea and landed in Akoma. They settled in the fertile Caliph had befriended most of the pirate court; Blackpaw
lands surrounding the city of Lygos. found the Caliph pouring tea for his chief pirate captains
During the years that followed, they trained, raised and sharing folk songs. Historical records show that
armies, and forged alliances in anticipation of a the Caliph was out of tune but had all the lyrics right.
Zhonggese invasion that never came. But as long as Blackpaw and the Caliph spent the rest of the evening
they had such a well-calibrated military machine, they talking. By the time the Caliph boarded his galley to go
decided to put it to good use. They moved on the city- home, Blackpaw had agreed to convert to Malachism. The
state of Lygos, laying siege to its venerable walls. For a model the Caliph and Blackpaw created soon became
full month they bombarded its walls, until at last the standard for all the states throughout Akoma and the
defenders turned on their own incompetent leaders, Shallow Sea which the Anatolian Caliphate met: a state
threw them in jail, and invited the Anatolians in. could keep its existing ruling structure if they converted to
Lygos’s transition from independent city-state to Malachism, made a show of obeisance to the Caliph, paid
Anatolian capital was alarmingly fast, a surprise which taxes, and provided military support to Anatolia’s armies, a
may have left the Anatolian leaders too optimistic about practice that has the traditional name of the Tribute in
their later conquest of Heliopolis. But within a few short Blood. The name “Tribute in Blood” has led to a great
years, a great change came over Anatolia: the sulṭān deal of misunderstanding among Anatolia’s enemies, who
of Lygos and the noble families of Anatolian otters spread the story that Anatolians take a tithe of living beings
who supported him converted to the Lygosi religion of from their vassals and devour them in freakish Malachite
Malachism. The Sulṭān reestablished himself as not rituals. This is not the case. Rather, every year, agents of
only a temporal leader, but also a spiritual leader. He the Caliphate draft board go to every settlement in the
was no mere Sulṭān; he was a Caliph. And he vassal states and choose a number of youths to bring
intended to see the same happen to the entire world. to Lygos for special training as agents of the Caliphate.
Youths who come to Lygos as part of the Tribute enter
Anatolia’s Relationship with Vassal States one of four Corps Academies, where they learn to read
Anatolia’s army moved out from far-off Lygos, and write Deltan and are catechized as Malachites.
conquering several small emirates and kingdoms in the Youths from the Tribute make up the entirety of the
Lygos environs. The first major offensive that Anatolia Janissary Corps, the Anatolian elite infantry units.
launched, however, targeted the Delta. Its Sethid Janissaries are not segregated by ethnic origin or
pharaohs had fallen from favor, and though the Delta’s species—rather, the Anatolian army encourages diversity
population didn’t like Anatolia one bit, they weren’t able within a unit so that janissaries do not factionalize based
to circle their wagons around Heliopolis as effectively on their origins. However, carnivorous species tend to be
as the Sethids needed. Upon overwhelming the Delta, grouped with other carnivores, and herbivorous species
Anatolia installed its own Sulṭāna, Yonca I; but her with herbivores, for ease of provisioning in the field.
difficulties in ruling an unruly populace have not been As dedicated heavy infantry, Janissaries historically
good for Anatolian morale. It turned out that installing used heavy polearms in field engagements. The super-
heavy fighters dedicated to the closest-quarters
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Gazeteer
fighting, such as occurs when a castle wall is breached, take out the Anatolian officers first, the auxiliaries
favor large shields and axes, maces, or swords. are much more likely to flee than to stay and fight.
Extremism. They also have the reputation of being
The Strength of the Anatolian Army religious fanatics. This is not a great description of
Discipline. The Anatolian Empire pours exorbitant what is going on. The commander-in-chief, the
resources into training its soldiers. The greater part of caliph, is technically the religious leader of all
this training focuses not on martial arts or tactics or Anatolia (and the entire world, though they aren’t
leadership, but on the minutiae of military life: the always lucky getting converts), but the piety of each
soldier’s conduct when not on duty, the routines of individual caliph is a highly variable matter and it
making and breaking camp, the division of battlefield may or may not trickle down to his subordinates.
time between fighting and plunder. They’re quicker Military discipline often follows a religious model,
and quieter on the move than any other army—not so and military discipline is very good, but the actual
quiet you won’t hear them coming, but quiet enough religious feeling within the ranks is not particularly
that you’ll wonder what they’re putting in the food. more pronounced or exaggerated than in a
Combined Arms. The Anatolian army’s position Calabrese or Zhonggese army (and in fact, the
between many different cultures’ martial traditions mixed nature of the Anatolian army often means
has created a truly diverse fighting force. It is not soldiers from wildly different faiths have to get along
uncommon to see Calabrese slave-infantry, Tartar well enough to save each other’s lives). The small
horse-archers, and Zhonggese siege engineers all units of “deli”—actual literal religious fanatics, the
deploying from an Anatolian war barge. The guys who “wear the skins of their defeated
seamless coordination of their armies and navies is enemies,” deployed as shock troops—do, however,
particularly fearsome. make enough of an impression in combat that
Medicine. Anatolian doctors spend almost all Calabrese armies have often come home speaking
their lives in school to become healers; Anatolian of vast brigades of turbaned infantry chanting
combat medics are the most dedicated of those. prayers as they charge into cannon fire and rip their
They may not have the miraculous powers of a foes apart. Ironically, these people are frequently
Calabrese white mage, but they are many and they orthodox s’Allumer religious fanatics.
are reliable, which means that Anatolia loses far
fewer soldiers to infection, disease, and post- The Martial Arts
traumatic stress than comparable armies. In a time of widespread warfare, Anatolia has
Equipment. There are good and bad Anatolian developed various well-developed martial arts traditions,
weapons and good and bad Anatolian armor, same just like Calabria and Zhongguo; and what is more, the
as anywhere else. But the Anatolian military is Sublime Porte frequently contracts martial arts instructors
particularly well-known for three pieces of equipment: from Calabria and Zhongguo to advise Anatolian trainers.
ships, steeds, and siege machines. The latter in You can represent these martial arts, both native and
particular combine Zhonggese design with high- imported, with the martial arts traditions from the Book of
quality Calabrese materials, such that an Anatolian Jade. Because of the importance of the formal military,
army will show up to a siege with a battery of armed and armored fighting styles are a bit more common
smaller-weight, faster-loading cannon to wear down than unarmed, so a janissary might practice the equivalent
fortifications before a monstrous gun delivers the of Black Tortoise Style, an assassin or ranger might
final blows and janissaries charge into the breach. practice Forest Ghost Style, a noble officer might practice
Superior Theory of Archery, and soldiers of other origins
So, what are their weaknesses? might practice sword dancing, Vagrant Warrior Style, or
Obvious. They move fast, sure, but you’re gonna Earth-Sky Fighting or Vast-as-Heaven Weapon Fighting.
see these guys coming. Thunderous claws and
cannon the size of taverns don’t sneak. Anatolian Culture
Conscripts. With so much energy spent on training It’s hard to generalize about Anatolian culture because
a core of high-quality infantry and cavalry, Anatolia it has so many influences from across the world. The
relies heavily on auxiliaries levied from vassal states constant entrance of young persons from Anatolian vassal
to fill out its numbers. The auxillary troops have states into the Anatolian upper classes via the Tribute
inferior arms and armor, they are poorly trained and in Blood guarantees a constant influx of new culture.
harshly disciplined, and they have little or no loyalty
to their cruel and foreign masters. If an enemy can
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1. Small God City

Badsavar Plains On the north bank of the eastern oasis sits the
Claimed and held primarily by cluster of temples known as Small God City. There is
the magical might of the tribe’s one temple here to each of the six Jan, and one large
Badjaduyi, the plains inhabited by the open-air temple dedicated to Heaven and Earth. Two
Badsavar are the lushest lands, other long barracks-halls house the priests and acolytes, one
than the banks of the Abrud, in the for women, one for men, who sleep and eat together
desert. That is not to say there are regardless of which deity they serve. These temples are
great forests or farmlands here. To the exclusive territory of the priests; others who wish to
anyone from ‘civilized’ lands these plains are nearly show their respect to the gods must either go through
barren, hardly even worth the trouble of irrigation. the priests or visit Little Anchor Temple in the main city.
The soil is very sandy and only capable of supporting Little Anchor Temple
sparse, dry grasses. However, the Badsavar have By the prescription of Suskin the architect god, the very
made do with this land for over a thousand years, center of Bazargani is occupied by a temple, this one for
through a combination of measured irrigation, careful public use. Called Mazgat Andak Langar, or Little Anchor
cultivation of the proper plants, and controlled grazing. Temple, it is supposed to have been designed to duplicate
the temple at the center of the City of Stars in Heaven.
It is a very ornate six-walled temple, decorated on the
Bazargani outside with gold and tiles of mica and cobalt blue, topped
Bazargani is the largest city with a dome of copper. On the inside, each wall holds
controlled by the Abi-Asman, and a statue of one of the six good Jan. The ceiling is tiled
one of the biggest cities in the to represent Heaven, and the floor to represent Earth.
desert. Located on the Abrud River, Around each of the Jan, in modern Emirate lettering, are
it takes advantage of a quirk in the tiled many of their most famous teachings. Since normal
river’s floodplain to span the river. citizens are not allowed into Small God City, this is
Where the fresh river water meets the brackish estuary, where children come to be taught reading and writing.
the river narrows a little and speeds up, carving itself a
Heaven’s Gift to Earth
channel that never quite overflows, even in the flood
Surrounding Little Anchor Temple is a garden that
season, so the city was built right up to the channel
has been praised by tribesmen and foreigners alike.
bank. A series of natural wells have been dug
Planted with beautiful flowers and luscious fruit trees,
underneath the ground, to create lakes and canals.
it is named Heaven’s Gift to Earth, and few have
While relations with the Emirates are peaceful at
found tongue to dispute the name once they see the
present, lessons from the past cause the walls of the
place. Most magnificent of all, at least to eyes so used
city to be manned all of the day and night by the
to the desert, are three fountains placed throughout
governor’s elite qanundari. Guards by the great gate
the garden to fill it with the pleasing sounds and sights
and the two docks are responsible for collecting trading
of playing water. All three have statues of frolicking
fees and import taxes, as well as ensuring that no one
hippopotamuses, representations of Asbabi and her
without a permit, or a Qanundari armband, enters the
attendants. The statues are intended to be a little
city with a firearm. Permits can be purchased at the
comical, and to bring a smile to the faces onlookers.
gate; those unable to pay for a permit have their
weapons confiscated for use by the city’s Qanundari. 2. Ibis Fields
Bazargani is used to hosting foreign merchants, and Just north of Small God City, a patch of land shaped
for this purpose, three large hostels are available, one for like an ibis has been irrigated and cultivated, and is
people from the Emirates, one for Calabreses, and one tended by priests of Parandari. The priests grow herbs,
for Zhonggese. The hostels act as consulates as well as flowers, and decorative plants there, many of which
inns, and each is staffed by an ambassador and guarded get transplanted to the governor’s gardens or Heaven’s
by a handful of qanundari. Merchants from elsewhere Gift to Earth in the city when they are large enough.
who do not belong to the Libertalian Lodge can find Beside the ibis field is a pasture where the priests of
hospitality at the Palms By Moonlight, the city’s only inn. Cabok keep sotor, asbal, and sags for their own use.
The pastures run all the way down to the riverbank,
and the animals can drink directly from the river.
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3. Governor’s Pastures gate is a vast caravan staging area where wagons are
Though called the Governor’s Pastures, the sotor loaded and prepared for travel through the Emirates.
and asbal here might belong to anyone. Many of the Once a week, this area becomes an auction block.
city’s lizards are kept here, including animals brought Slaves, mounts, beasts of burden, and other expensive
in by foreigners who wish to stay for more than a few goods are auctioned off one by one to the highest bidder.
days. They are tended by herdsmen employed by the
governor, and watched over by a few qanundari. 8. Gate of the River’s Tail
Animals here are personal property and are not available The city of Bazargani is surrounded on the eastern side
for sale. People wishing to purchase lizards must go to by a strong wall guarded day and night by fifty qanundari
the marketplace auctions or visit the Herdsmen’s Quarter. employed by the governor. The main entrance to the
city is a large building with a huge arched gateway in the
4. Freshwater Dock middle of it called the Gate of the River’s Tail. It acts as the
Boats traveling downriver from the rest of Abi-Asman barracks and headquarters for the city’s qanundari as well
dock at a stone jetty that stretches halfway into the river. as the entry point for everyone coming by land into the
Porters and stevedores load and unload boats that stop city. Along the arch is a painted bas-relief depicting the
here, and carry the goods up and down the seventeen journey of the Farramad from the lands of the east to their
stone steps that lead from the main streets down to the jetty. eventual transformation into the Abi-Asman at the Abrud.
Most importantly, many people of the city must come
down to this jetty to get their fresh water. (Most people
can’t afford to live near the auquifers and pay the taxes for
the water rights.) Here they can be watched by the guards,
and acts that might defile the river can be prevented.
5. Zhonggese Consulate and Guardhouse

Since most travelers from Zhongguo come into the
city by the river route, the hostel catering to Zhonggese
tastes has set up here by the freshwater dock. It shares
its building with the guardhouse for the dock, making
it a very safe place for merchants to stay. The
ambassador is a morose Chicken named Fa the Thin.
He dislikes the desert, and keeps to the Zhonggese
quarter as much as he can. He is careful not to show
his dislike too strongly to his visitors, however, and does
his best to make their stays comfortable and profitable.
6. Zhonggese Quarter
Decades of hosting Zhonggese traders and diplomats
have turned this quarter into a little slice of Zhongguo. A
few Zhonggese merchants that frequent Bazargani have
homes here, and most of the quarter is taken up with their
estates and gardens. Weary travelers can find Zhonggese-
style tea houses and restaurants here, and there is even a
small Daoist temple. The buildings here are made mostly
of wood imported at great expense from Zhongguo.
7. Marketplace
The most famous feature of Bazargani, the marketplace
is enormous and packed from end to end with stalls.
Goods from literally all over the world are traded here. The
smell is one of the most distinctive features of the place; on
every corner are merchants selling exotic food and drink
for the hungry traveler. Nuts roasted in honey are a local
favorite, accompanied by drinks made from watermelons
and coconuts. Near the center and leading out to the
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9. Emirate Road 10. Oleander Roads (West and East)

Past the Gate of the River’s Tail, the jurisdiction of These roads are not nearly as well maintained. They
the Abi-Asman ends and the land officially belongs to are marked by tall posts, because in the windy season, the
the Emirates. So important is this road to the two cities desert sands evitably blow over them. Travellers are often
it connects, however, that both Bazargani and Bandar E confused because despite the name, no flowers grow here.
Lengeh, the Emirate city at the northeast end of the road, A popular myth is that the roads rae closed when the
send regular patrols to keep it free of bandits and thieves. oleander flowers are in bloom, and toxic clouds of poison
Officials of the Emirates and Abi-Asman both have learned make these roads unsafe for travel. The truth is that the
that business conducted on the road is safe and profitable. gates are just closed during the summer, and travelers
Now, inns, small villages, and peddlers line the road nearly are forced to use the western and eastern gates, instead.
from one end to the other, serving caravans passing
between the two cities as well as the patrolling guards.
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11. Emirate Consulate 13. Barandaz Island and the Estuary Dock
In the middle of the great marketplace sits the A small island called Barandaz is connected to the
Emirate hostel and consulate. The Emirate main city by one of the only bridges in Abi-Asman.
ambassador, a Jackal named Andustan, is a keen Projecting out from the eastern side of the island is a
collector of exotic objects, and can often be found network of floating piers where ships coming to Bazargani
walking through the marketplace looking for new items from the sea can dock and unload their cargo. Space
for his collection. He is very friendly with the other along the piers is limited, and ships must sometimes
ambassadors in the city and often invites them to his spend several days anchored in the estuary waiting for
own home, which sits at the edge of the marketplace. a space. The governor of Bazargani is considering
The consulate is also home to the city’s library. adding piers somewhere else along the shoreline,
Andustan requests that visitors with books lend them to him because too many ships leave before they dock and go
for a short time, and employs a full-time scribe to copy the around the coast to Bandar E Lengeh instead, losing
books for him. The library is housed in the basement of the the city valuable docking fees and import taxes.
consulate and currently contains some two thousand books.
Most of the books are in the language of the Emirates, 14. Calabrese Quarter
but there are a few in just about every known language. Three small manor houses, belonging in name to three
Calabrese houses, but rentable by anyone with enough
12. Wall of Lovely Women money, mark the corners of the triangular Calabrese
The builders of Bazargani intended the marketplace Quarter. Within this triangle a few businesses have been set
and the gardens to abut one another so that merchants up to cater to Calabreses who come to visit. A few shops
coming in from the Emirate Road could be awed by belong to craftsmen with uniquely Calabrese skills; there is
the gardens’ beauty, but city officials soon found that a Calabrese armorer here, a draper who weaves cotton,
the gardens became too noisy. Services held in Little and several restaurants. The buildings here are Calabrese
Anchor Temple even became difficult to hear over the in architecture, but made with local materials; all are made
din of the marketplace. To alleviate the noise problem, of stone, since wood is considered far too expensive.
a wall was erected between the gardens and the
marketplace. As an afterthought, the city hired muralists
15. Libertalian Lodge
This compound and observatory is home to the
to tile the wall on both sides, and the result was so
Compact of Libertalia, an organization of wealthy and
impressive that many of the muralists were hired by the
influential individuals, mostly from Calabria, that
Shah to tile his new palace. The wall depicts various
maintain relations with foreign powers.
scenes of women contemplating gardens, eating
During the height of the Rinaldi, it was their proper
delicacies, and drinking from goblets made of gems.
consulate. But years of neglect led to burglary and
The women on the wall are notoriously lovely. A
vandalism. Calabrese merchant companies pooled
famous story involves a foreigner, variously from
their resources
Zhongguo, Calabria, the Emirates, and even other
lands, who came to the wall and became so enamored
of one of the women that he set up a house on the edge 16. Governor’s Palace
of the marketplace, and came to gaze at her image Restricted to the Governor’s family, staff, and
every day. When he died, his final request was to be personal guests, the palace is covered in palm trees and
buried beneath the wall, and so he was. Some dismiss lush greenery. Though not as breathtaking as Heaven’s
the story as mere fantasy; others insist it was true. Gift to Earth, the garden around the Governor’s palace
is still something to see. The Governor’s Palace rises
from among the leaves, an elegant construction of pale
stone decorated with broad spirals of blue paint. Inside,
the walls, floors, and ceilings are covered in tiles.
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17. Laborers’ Quarters

These sections of town are inhabited by porters,
The Corsair States
stevedores, stonemasons, carpenters, and the other Where there is shipping, there are
laborers whose work is so little valued, yet so important pirates. But where there are pirates,
to the smooth running of the town. The construction there are not necessarily pirate kings
here is mostly un-mortared stone with roofs of cloth or and queens. The Akoman coast is
leather. The roofs exist only to shade out the sun, densely populated by fishermen;
since it has not rained in Bazargani in living memory. and in years when the fishing isn’t
so good, many of these fishermen take to the high seas
18. Fishermen’s Quarter to become pirates, attacking Calabrese, Zhōnggese,
This quarter is inhabited mostly by fishermen who and Akoman shipping.
work the Abrud. These fishers do not usually bring Watching the Anatolian army at drill, you’d think the
their catches directly to the marketplace; rather, Caliph would smolder with rage at the presence of such
fishmongers buy direct from the fishermen at their disorderly hives of scum and villainy as the Corsair
docks, and then clean and prepare the fish at their States which dot the coastline. You’d be wrong. Lygos’s
stalls in the marketplace. Owners of meyxans often attitude towards the Corsair States is surprisingly
come here to buy directly from the fishermen as well, permissive. If the pirate king or queen converts to
since the prices are lower, but they have to do their Malachism and agrees not to attack Anatolian shipping,
own preparation. The buildings here are like those in they don’t even need to pretend to be Anatolian vassals.
the laborers’ quarters, stone with cloth or leather roofs.
Tearspring (The Floating City)
19. Herdsmen’s Quarter The “floating city” of Tearspring is at the mouth of
This vast quarter is inhabited mostly by sotor, asbal,
a minor tributary of the Longest River. Tearspring was,
sags, and even more exotic beasts like destriers, drays,
unsurprisingly, originally a secluded cove where pirates
and cao xi-yi. The herdsmen here are far outnumbered
would hide from Lygos’s privateers. A town sprung up, and
by their lizard charges. Most of the animals here are not
as the Angels’ Teeth Islands and the Corsair States became
for sale; animals ready to be sold are brought to the daily
a bigger and bigger deal, the town grew in tandem.
auction in the center of the marketplace. Customers
Modern Tearspring is a city of boats and barges,
with special needs and a little extra money may speak
platforms built on piles sunk into the bed of the Shallow
to the auctioneers to get a look at the full herds.
Sea. Bridges made of boats, planks, or pontoons
connect platform to platform, structure to structure.
20. Palms By Moonlight
Tearspring is constantly collapsing and being rebuilt.
Near the northeast entrance to the city sits Palms By
It is in Tearspring that the Pirate Queen Khadīja al-Dalāl
Moonlight, Bazargani’s only public inn. It is run by an
makes her home. Her great galleass, the Moon Reflected, is
Emirate Hyena called Laughing Farhan, who built it with
harbored here, and even though she has a castle of stone
a combination of Emirate and Calabrese styles. Laughing
built on the shore, she prefers to sleep in her stateroom on
Farhan is, as his name suggests, a jolly host. He has
board ship. Rumor has it that the Queen is constructing
traveled widely – he has even seen Triskellian on the shores
a superweapon in Tearspring: a customized war galleon
of Calabria – and he has a wealth of anecdotes to share.
with cannon on all sides, larger than the largest galley,
Farhan employs seven cooks, each of whom is an expert
an innovation which will revolutionize naval warfare ….
in a different style of cookery, and his prices reflect this.
However, he also offers cheap bread, beer, wine, and fruit,
so even those with little money can enjoy his hospitality.
Cursed Lands
Where the Kohani tribe once lived, the sands are
Broken Lands said to be grey and black, and the waters tainted and
undrinkable. Ancient ruins mingle with dunes and
Most of the open desert is made up of rolling sand
broken lands until it is difficult to tell the difference
dunes pushed by the wind, but here and there the
between architecture and landscape.
dunes open up to reveal the jagged bare rocks that lie
beneath them. These areas are riddled with holes and
pitfalls. Some of them lead to caves like those in the
mountain regions. The ground in this area is uneven
and rough; vehicles are very likely to get stuck or break
an axle, and the area is usually considered bad footing.
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Few people have entered these lands and returned. The To protect their crops and homes from raiders
Peyravi, who make a habit of it, continue to debate whether from elsewhere in Akoma, the early Deltans looked to a
or not the lands are haunted by the spirits of dead warriors, god-king called a pharaoh. According to legend, the first
as so many people like to claim. Certainly the old ruins pharaoh reportedly descended from the sun itself on a
are rife with danger; the floors are hardly stable, and in beam of light, a scene frequently depicted in Akoman
some places ancient booby traps still function, with deadly artwork. (The parallel between Deltan divine right and
effect. Also undeniable are the herds of wild omnivorous Malachism sun-beams has been the subject of commentary
lizards called badkar. While content to live off the sparse by more than one scholar.) He reported that many gods
vegetation that grows around the tainted wells, these beasts lived in the sun, but that they had deigned to lend him, the
are often happy for a meal of fresh adventurer-meat. The pharaoh, to the people of the Delta for their protection. The
badkar are sometimes exterminated by the Peyravi, but pharaoh rode on a device no human had ever seen before:
never eaten, for it is believed that their meat is tainted. a chariot, a two-wheeled platform towed by two horses.
The chariot allowed the pharaoh to move quickly along
a road or battlefield. The chariot’s adoption allowed the
The Deltan Sultanate Deltan civilization to expand up and down the Longest
The Deltan Sultanate is an River. Other tribes and civilizations quickly adopted
acrimonious place. Once the the chariot, but none so enthusiastically as the Deltans.
proudest civilization in all of Seth the First was the first pharaoh to convert from
Akoma—okay, possibly still the the polytheistic Old Faith of the Delta to the Malachite
proudest civilization in all of Akoma religion which was spreading like wildfire across Akoma.
despite things—the Delta was the Originally, his motives may have been mercenary
first major casualty. The Sethids ruled for five more monarchs until the
Anatolian Empire crushed them, the first casualty in
History their war of conquest. The pharaoh and most of his
The Delta’s civilization is one of the oldest civilizations in family were captured and killed in the Battle of
the known world. Before recorded history, the first settlers Heliopolis. The only survivor was a single egg, spirited
of the Delta began to farm the flood plains on either side away by the pharaoh’s most loyal servants.
of the Longest River, raising a god-king called a pharaoh
to power and building imposing monuments to their Sultana Yonca the First
gods and their dead. Many dynasties and rules followed, (Yonca the Usurper)
with the last being the cobra dynasty called the Sethids. When the last of the Deltan Army had surrendered,
The Longest River flows from the central Akoman the Anatolian Empire installed Yonca, a young political
mountains down through the foothill forests and north, hotshot from a prominent Lygos family. Yonca received
winding through the flood plains before opening like a the unenviable job of pacifying a nation which Anatolia
fan into the river delta which gives the Deltan Kingdom had very successfully convinced to despise her. Yonca is
its name. The Delta’s farmlands are exceedingly fertile, very good at her job; she’s a strong public speaker, can
the source of much of the wheat grown and eaten in listen to her critics and integrate their advice without
Akoma, Calabria, Govorya, and even Zho-ngguo. Other seeming either yielding or bitter about it, has extensive
crops grown there include cotton, rice, wheat, corn, administrative skills, is good at delegating, and has
sugarcane, sugar beets, onions, tobacco, and beans. The extensive connections amongst the otter noble families
high yield of Deltan agriculture led to the foundation of of Lygos. If Yonca has a weakness, it’s her temper and
the Deltan civilization early in the known world’s history. tendency to say exactly what she’s thinking instead of
what the public ear thinks that a proper Sulṭāna should
say. This would probably be a strength if it weren’t for
the particularly adversarial circumstances of her rule.
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The Princess of the Delta The ancient priests of the Delta, especially the
(The True Queen in Exile) priesthood of the jackal-god Anubis, practiced
necromancy. Since the Death of Death (the first Sethid
The Last Pharaoh’s egg hatched
pharaoh’s purge of old Deltan religion in general and
into the beautiful Princess Mariam.
necromancy in particular), records have been sketchy on
Mariam and her guardians sought
what exactly necromancers did and what their function
asylum on, of all places, the Honey
was in the religion and the society in general, but the
Isle. It’s hard to say what Mariam is
Deltan Revival movement is working hard to scrounge
like, aside from pretty—but then again,
together what information they can find on Deltan
she’s like ten years old. Most of
necromancy, once rumored to be the most advanced in all
Mariam’s public persona is the result of a vast
of the known world … and recreate it, with Calabrese help.
propaganda campaign that’s gotten extensive traction
in both Calabria and Zho-ngguo. Little girls who are the
Heliopolis
face of opposition to a giant evil empire are apparently a
cool and popular thing. If t-shirts existed, they’d be The bustling port of Heliopolis is the capital of the
printing t-shirts with stylized images of Mariam on them. Delta. It isn’t as convenient for Zho-ngguo and Calabria
as Lygos is, but it is far more defensible.
The Deltan Revivalists Right now, Heliopolis is under martial law, by the
order of Sulṭāna Yonca I. Her unit of Janissaries patrols
The Anatolian conquest was welcomed by some
the streets of Heliopolis, maintaining law and order and
Deltans, but certainly not by all. Sure, the Sethids
keeping a vigilant eye out for terrorists. The Janissaries
weren’t exactly the resplendent god-kings of the
hate this job. Janissary police are seen throughout
ancient Delta, but…
Anatolia, but police detail in Heliopolis is miserable.
The Deltan Revival is an anti-royalist political
The common people hate you and won’t help with
faction. They are armed and dangerous. Their
inquiries unless their tails are directly on the line.
organization is divided into many smaller cells, so that
no one person knows everyone in the organization; 1. Monument Valley
this way, they can avoid giving each other up, even Heliopolis is particularly famous for Monument Valley.
under powerful sorcery or under torture. Monument Valley is the home of the many splendid
As the lowest-commitment opposition to the tombs of the Deltan pharaohs. Almost every pharaoh,
Anatolian Empire, the Deltan Revival is getting a good and every dynasty of pharaohs, has a tomb complex
deal of support from both the Calabrese and Zho-nggese. here. The belief in an afterlife into which you can, in fact,
Some support is from merchants, who operate a black take things with you led the ancient Deltans to build
market in stolen goods and weapons. But rumors tombs according to ritual strictures and fill them not only
abound that some nobles seek to gain advantage. with the dead, but also with valuables and statuary and
The Revival has revived a great deal of classical magical artifacts meant to cross the veil with the dead.
Deltan concepts. One of these is necromancy.
Necromancy was a relatively widespread practice in the 2. Entrances to the Cisterns
pre-Sethid Delta, before Seth the First exterminated every Like Lygos, Heliopolis has a coastal city underneath
necromancer he could find and destroyed every copy its harbors. This city was built originally by various
of the Necronomicon and other traditional necromantic aquatic species working together. The undercity is known
texts. The “Death of Death,” as this extermination was by the locals as the Cisterns, because (in theory) it’s to
called, destroyed most of the necromantic tradition store fresh-water in times of drought. In practice, people
that existed in the pagan Delta; but certain texts live down here. They’re not supposed to, but they do.
survived, and necromancy and necromancers have
this weird way of coming back from certain death.
The Old Faith of the Delta

The Delta has not always been Malachite. In the old
days, the Delta worshipped a pantheon of local gods.
Chief among these was their sun god. The old Deltan
pantheon had many gods, but the most popular ones
are the patron or mythic origin of a certain species:
Taweret for the hippos, Sobek for the crocodiles, and
Thoth for the ibes, for example.
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3. Badjaduyan Library 4. The Palace of Sultana Yonca the First

The official religion of Yonca the Usurper has made (aka Yonca the Usurper)
the use of magic illegal within the city… but even the When the last of the Deltan Army had surrendered,
Anatolians recognize that not all situations can be dealt the Anatolian Empire installed Yonca, a young political
with by material means. What once was a sprawling hotshot from a prominent Lygos family. Yonca received
campus of higher learning, the Badjaduyan Library is the unenviable job of pacifying a nation which Anatolia
now under lock and key. The few wizards to be found had very successfully convinced to despise her. Yonca is
there are prisoners awaiting trial. very good at her job; she’s a strong public speaker, can
Rumors abound, about what is beneath the listen to her critics and integrate their advice without
complex. Some suggest that the library has a dungeon seeming either yielding or bitter about it, has extensive
of exotic monsters, possibly the result of vile administrative skills, is good at delegating, and has
experiments by the Anatolian occupationalists. Others extensive connections amongst the otter noble families
believe there are secret tunnels, bored by elemental of Lygos. If Yonca has a weakness, it’s her temper and
magic, and that the Badjaduyans still practice their tendency to say exactly what she’s thinking instead of
teachings in secret, waiting for their inevitable rise. what the public ear thinks that a proper Sulṭāna should
And, of course, it could be the headquarters for the say. This would probably be a strength if it weren’t for
Almaghnatisia, the original practitioners of the green & the particularly adversarial circumstances of her rule.
purple magic that controls minds.
Whatever the truth is, the building is banned to
outsiders.
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Mugar, believing that his wife was not safe among such
Dunelands treacherous people, declared his intentions to leave, and
The clear majority of the desert is covered in dunes began preparing to do so. His wife Bezira was then faced
that shift with the wind. In particularly fast, steady with a choice, for she was the adulterer, and was secretly
winds, dunes can move many feet in just a few hours. in love with the Crocodile Zar. After much agonized
Tents pitched on the leeward side of dunes for a day thought, she decided that her heart lay with her lover, and
may be entirely covered by the next night. Travel begged her maid Abar to come with her. Abar refused.
over dunes is difficult, and counts as swamp for the After Bezira and Zar had left together on Zar’s
purposes of Travel Tests. Dunes are often quite sotor, Abar broke the news to her master. Impressed
steep; their slopes are considered bad footing. by her loyalty, Mugar gave Abar her freedom, and
three of the four sotor he owned. Then, consumed
with despair, he left alone, going north. Abar was well
The Great Desert and its People pleased with her gift, and left, going east.
Long ago, before the desert people Then Idaniz, the younger brother and the thief,
divided themselves into tribes as they convinced Nazar, his elder brother and the fool, to stay
do today, there were ten com- at the oasis one more day and rest a bit more. Idaniz
panions who had pooled their ran to his hiding spot, thinking to put all his treasure into
resources and were looking for a his packs. Zar, however, had not gone far. He had seen
place to settle. There was a sand on Idaniz’s claws and seen him looking furtively
husband, Mugar, his wife, Bezira, towards a spot at the edge of the oasis, and so he returned
and her maid, Abar. There was a wealthy merchant, just in time to catch Idaniz digging up his treasure. He
Baha, and his bodyguard Mehr. There were two stopped him and exposed his treachery to Nazar.
brothers, the elder called Nazar and the younger Nazar was furious, and disowned Idaniz, stripping
Idaniz. There were two astronomers, both friends, Zirak his family name from him and sending him out alone
and Kavos. Lastly, there was a crafty Crocodile named into the desert. Then, taking responsibility for Idaniz’s
Zar. Between them they had eleven desert pack crime as an elder brother must, Nazar got on his sotor
lizards called sotor that carried all their belongings. and set off alone into the desert to wander, and to find
Now, while most of these people were trustworthy a way to atone for his brother’s crime. Zar took the
and intelligent, one of them was an adulterer, one a treasure Idaniz had stolen for himself.
thief, one a fool, and one was filled with arrogance.
To begin with, the adulterer and the thief remained The First Settling
hidden, and the fool and the arrogant one were After the companions parted, they each went off and
tolerated, but the harmony was not destined to last. had their own adventures, which eventually led to the
Once, when the companions had stopped at an founding of the tribes. Zirak and Kavos, the astronomers,
oasis to rest for a few nights, the thief decided his big stayed together, and became the leaders of a tribe of
chance had come. He snuck out to the sotor while the scholars who called themselves the Jostani, or Seekers.
others were asleep and removed the most valuable Mugar, the betrayed husband, settled in the north under
items he could find from every pack, including his the star Sorkhaziana, the spirit of a famous warrior, and
own. Then he buried the treasure in the sand at the dedicated himself to learning the art of war. He drew
edge of the oasis, and returned to his tent. many students, who became a tribe they named the
The next day when the theft was discovered, the first Sorkhareh. Abar, the maidservant, traveled for many
thing the companions did was accuse each other. Baha the years, looking for people who would help her realize her
merchant, who had perhaps lost the most, was the arrogant dream of owning a vast herd of sotor. In this way, she
one, and he accused everyone else of being envious of became the founder of the tribe called the Badsavar.
his wealth. He mounted his sotor, commanded his Nazar, the elder brother, wandered for four years,
bodyguard Mehr to follow him, and rode off to the south. once going all the way to the ocean, searching for a way
Zirak and Kavos, being scholars, tried to reason out to atone for his brother’s misdeeds. Along the way he
who had done the theft, but during their investi- picked up followers with similar desires, who banded with
gations, managed to insult every single one of their him for a modicum of comfort. This group of people
companions. Frustrated at the misunderstandings and eventually found solace in the harshest, hottest part of the
at the way their attempts to help were received, they desert, and called themselves the Khorsheed. Idaniz, the
mounted their sotor and rode off to the west. thief, in his wanderings, gained the friendship of many
people who, through treachery, thievery, or bad luck had
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angered their nomadic families. His tribe lived, and still It was some time during these centuries that the
lives, mostly by stealing from other tribes. They came Kohani created the first writing to be found in the
to be called the Damesab, which means Night Vapors. desert. Most likely the writing was started by architects
Baha, the merchant, and Mehr, his bodyguard, who wanted some way to measure and record the
followed the Crocodile Zar for a time, for both of them dimensions of their creations, for the oldest writings are
believed Zar to have been the true thief. When at last they mostly numbers, given by arranged dots, which were
confronted him, Zar told them the truth. Mehr believed later simplified into line symbols. From there Dastani
Zar but Baha did not; because of this Baha dismissed Mehr and advisors to the Shah began to create writing with
from his service. Mehr left, but settled nearby, determined word meanings, in an attempt to record their history.
to keep an eye on Zar and his movements. He started In the meantime, the Mahsimi were suffering, as slaves
a family and taught them the qualities of loyalty and who did most of the work from zealous Shahs often placed
teamwork that he thought most important, and in this high demands on their builders. The Mahsimi came to
way founded the tribe called the Derpasdari, the Guard. measure larger buildings by the number of tribesmen who
Baha challenged Zar to a duel, which he quickly had died in their construction. At last, a benevolent Shah
lost. Frustrated, but spared his life, he ventured north. named Hamdardi saw the cruelty and wastefulness of this,
With surprising cunning and humility, he saved a and declared that no more buildings should be built at the
harem of women from an evil Hyena, and with their cost of any lives. For the rest of Hamdardi’s dynasty,
help began a tribe called the Farramad, the Fortunate. the Mahsimi received very good treatment, for slaves.
Using the treasure taken from Idaniz, Zar claimed a
great river that he named the Seyl, gathered twelve families The War of Revenge
of nomads together in his new kingdom, and began to (Kinejuyi Jang)
build an empire. Each family took on a different job for When Hamdardi’s great-great grandson died
the new empire: advisors, architects, warriors, priests, without heirs, and the throne of the Shahs changed
farmers, and so on. One family became Zar’s servants, hands to another dynasty, it was only a matter of time
and was led by Bezira, his mistress. As the generations before the tradition of moderation in building was
passed, however, this family became the slaves of all the forgotten. By the third generation of the new dynasty,
rest, and even came to be considered a different tribe. The building efforts were back in full swing, and seditious
tribe of slaves called themselves the Mahsimi, after the words began to filter through the Mahsimi. For many
moon-spirit. The tribe of masters is known now as the years they were still too afraid of the power of the
Kohani, the Old Ones. Their true name is lost to history. Kohani Shahs to attempt revolt, but there came a time
when they could no longer be cautious.
The Land of the First River Kasdim was the fourth Shah of his dynasty, and had
After the death of Zar, the Kohani had seven generations seen enough of his father’s sins to know that being Shah
of adequate Shahs who increased their coffers and pleased and remaining sinless enough to enter Heaven upon death
their people and in general terms had a pretty prosperous was a near-impossible task. Rather than attempt it, he
time as Shah, but few of them did anything worth noting. determined to find another way into Heaven. He knew
Then came Tamaddon Shah. Legend has it that he that entrance by the Three Heavenly Rivers was impossible,
received a visit from the architect-god Suskin the day after since the Crocodile god Marmulak watched over those
his 16th birthday, and ever afterwards was obsessed with gateways, but he believed that there must be another way.
architecture and city design. Blessed with a prosperous One day, the story goes, he was surveying his kingdom
and growing kingdom, Tamaddon Shah directed the under the blaze of the sun, and saw how some of the
building of three new cities and innumerable huge tallest buildings seemed to reach up towards Heaven itself.
buildings: some of them temples, others palaces, and one Suddenly the knowledge of how to get into Heaven came
constructed around an oasis as part of its defense. With to him. He would build a structure that he could climb
this zeal for building, Tamaddon Shah established a new all the way into Heaven. He discussed the project with
tradition among the rulers of the Kohani, and after his his architects, who came up with the plan for a stepped
reign, Shahs tried to outdo their predecessors by building ziggurat so large that they said it would take nearly 100
greater and more wonderful structures and cities. years to finish, under traditional rules. Kasdim, anxious
to be alive when the building was complete, asked
how long it would take if he made the builders work as
fast as they could, without regard for casualties among
the slaves. The architects recalculated, and said, with
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some apprehension, 30 years. Elated, Kasdim a broader and far more hurtful mission: to poison
immediately gave orders for the building to begin. every oasis and waterway not under Kohani control.
Conditions among the Mahsimi were ripe for a revolt. Other than the Mahsimi, the tribe hurt most by this
All they needed was a leader, and they found her in a unforgivable series of attacks was the Farramad, who
young Dastani named Hlavar. Led, she said, by a at the time controlled a few oases to the north of the
mystical vision, she gathered her people together carefully Kohani territory. The Shah of the Farramad, an
and secretly. Her fear was that, if the ziggurat were to intelligent but cowardly Jerboa named Agahn, took in
be completed, not only would many Mahsimi have died many of the refugee Mahsimi after their revolt. When
from exhaustion and starvation, but also the gods would the poisoning campaign began, and his people began
be angered, and rain vengeance upon the Kohani, to suffer, he immediately broke his people up into four
probably killing the entire Mahsimi tribe in the process. groups. One was to go west, one northwest, and one
The word of Hlavar’s vision spread quickly, and it north, looking for a new place for the tribe to settle,
only increased the Mahsimi’s desire to free themselves. and on the way, they were to warn the other tribes of
Hlavar went about the preparations carefully, and they Kasdim’s intentions. The fourth group was made up
took many years, because as well as arming and training of the best warriors of the tribe, who stayed to find a
her people, she wanted some of them to learn magic, way to bring retribution upon the Kohani for their act.
and that took time. By the time she declared her people The Derpasdari were not without their casualties.
ready to revolt, the base of the great ziggurat was Their oases were hit soon after those of the Farramad,
complete, and the building was already 10 stories tall. but they had the benefit of a few days of warning from
On a night when the moon was full, and Mah at her their neighbors. They were also abler defenders. They
height of power, the Mahsimi hid from their masters and caught the assassins sent to attack them, but instead of
gathered together for a short prayer. Thus steeled, they killing them all, they sent one with each group of traveling
took up their hoarded weapons just as their overseers Farramad, as proof of the Kohani’s crime. Then they
arrived. The overseers were far outnumbered, had far turned towards the gates of the Kohani lands, and with the
less training, and were easily overcome. The Mahsimi few defenders from the Farramad began to plot revenge.
marched onwards towards the palace of the Shah. They were not to be alone. The Farramad
The lower ranks of the Kohani armies had been ordered warning, and many Kohani assassins, reached the ears
to work on the ziggurat, while higher ranking soldiers and oases of every other tribe in turn, and each tribe
acted as overseers. As a result, very few soldiers were dispatched a force of their greatest warriors. The
sent to quell the occasional riots in the months preceding Sorkhareh, still harboring an ancient grudge against
the full-scale revolt, and the army was totally unprepared. the Kohani, were well equipped and trained for war
The early battles were quick and devastating. On the third and sent nearly half their numbers. The conflict that
day of battle, the Mahsimi had reached the building site of followed became known as the War of Revenge.
the great ziggurat, and unleashed a torrent of magic. The Together, the forces of all the tribes combined were
sand beneath the ziggurat became as soft as quicksand, enough to subdue the Kohani within a month. Simple
and the monstrous building sank beneath the dunes. victory was not the goal of the tribes, however, and after
The Kohani fought back as well as they could, and defeating the Kohani army, they set about killing the entire
after a few weeks of fighting their superior equipment and royal family and reducing not just the capital city but all
supplies allowed them to take the upper hand. By that the Kohani cities to rubble. Anyone they found who had
time, however, the greatest victory had been won. Kasdim, anything to do with protecting Kohani water sources was
furious at the destruction of his ziggurat, changed his army’s killed, as were all the Kohani architects and overseers.
strategy. Rather than try to subdue and re-enslave the Lastly, as the few remaining Kohani watched in terror,
Mahsimi, Kasdim ordered his army to guard all the Kohani the other tribes carefully and methodically defiled every
water sources. The great river and all the oases in Kohani Kohani water source. The river ran with blood and
territory were surrounded. The Mahsimi attempted a few waste; as far as anyone knows, its waters are still black.
raids, but they were all complete failures. Hlavar stopped Most of the remaining Kohani nobles died ignominiously
these attempts quickly, and instead brought her people in the desert in the years to follow. No tribe would take
outside Kohani lands and into the vast desert beyond. them in, no matter how repentant they appeared. Innocent
Kasdim, however, was not content with simply Kohani citizens had only slightly better luck; the Damesab
driving out the Mahsimi. After he was sure the Mahsimi occasionally took those who swore allegiance to the tribe,
had left his lands, he shut his gates to all outsiders, and and the Khorsheed accepted a small group who wished to
then began sending out assassins posing as refugees. seek repentance for the sins of their tribe. Needless to say,
One of them was sent to kill Hlavar, but the others had any Kohani that ran into the Mahsimi was slaughtered.
The Mahsimi were avenging centuries of slavery.
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The Second Settling

When the destruction of the Kohani lands was complete,
the Sorkhareh were the first to leave. Of all the tribes that
were left, they had the most cities, and were the farthest
from home. In addition, they had let their own defense
lapse too long, and one of their key forts had been captured
by riders from the northern steppes. They marched,
therefore, from one war to another across many leagues of
unforgiving desert. A number of Khorsheed accompanied
them, giving them free and safe passage through their
part of the desert. That act shortened the Sorkhareh’s
return journey by several weeks, and the Sorkhareh
have never forgotten it. In return, the Sorkhareh allow
the Khorsheed free and safe passage through their
lands on their pilgrimages to the northern sea.
The Derpasdari, in contrast, no longer had a home
to return to. The few oases they controlled that had not
been poisoned before the war were destroyed or defiled
during the war. They began a nomadic existence that
lasted several generations. The Damesab did not take
long in returning to a nomadic existence either. The other
tribes still distrusted them, and knowing this, the Damesab
vanished into the desert soon after the end of the war.
The Badsavar involvement in the war was limited in
terms of actual numbers. Most of their assistance was
magical in nature, and while they played a large part in
the outcome of the war, by the time it was over there
were only nine Badsavar anywhere near the war zone.
They delivered a gift of herd lizards and good wishes to
the Mahsimi, and disappeared back to their pastures.
Hlavar gathered the Mahsimi together and started
them heading west to find a new homeland. Inflated with
their victory over their masters, and intoxicated by their
new freedom, they traveled carelessly, wasting water come up with. After all, a civilization that had lasted so
and food. Many Mahsimi died in the desert, including long must have discovered a few things worth knowing.
Hlavar. Leaderless and disorganized, they lurched west This disagreement became so heated that at last,
until they came up against the Emirates, where they the two groups split into two different tribes. The ones
could go no further, and there they made their home. that stayed called themselves the Peyravi, the
The aftermath of the War of Revenge had a dramatic Followers, intending to follow the path to the truth no
effect on the Jostani tribe. Most of the tribe was convinced matter the cost. Those that left called themselves the
that the very presence of the old Kohani buildings and Dastan-Dastar, the Preservers of Knowledge.
artifacts tainted the land itself and made remaining in those In resettling, the Farramad had the greatest fortune,
lands dangerous. A few, however, had seen wonders of for in their travels they came across the great,
intellect and technology in the Kohani lands that they had uninhabited Abrud, a river near the west edge of the
never seen or dreamed of before. Perhaps the thing that desert. They learned to grow crops in the fertile
impressed them most, other than the architecture, was floodplains, and began to build permanent villages, then
the writing. None of the nomadic tribes had the secret of towns, then huge cities made from stone and brick.
writing. Those Jostani that were fascinated by this new They expanded all the way up and down the river, and
discovery made the argument that now that the Kohani became the most populous and richest tribe in the desert.
themselves were gone, the strong of mind and spirit
should be able to withstand the evil influences pervading
the land and learn the good things the Kohani had
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Contact with Other Nations The Abi-Asman also came in contact with the Emirates
at the southern edge of their range. It was a good thing
There had always been legends of great glittering cities
for the Abi-Asman that they had already settled the
and lands where rivers ran and rain fell, but hemmed in as
majority of their river when they met the Emirates at
they were by mountains on one side and craggy hills and
the southern city of Bazargani, or the Emirates might
cliffs upon the other, the desert tribes had little contact
have tried to take it over. In any case, what was then
with the peoples living in the Emirates and Zhongguo
the small settlement of Bazargani was perfectly situated
before the War of Revenge. After the war, as tribes
to engage in trade with both the Emirates and the sea
began to resettle, they began to reach out exploratory
traders who came to the Emirate ports. Bazargani
fingers to the eastern and western edges of the desert.
quickly grew into the Abi-Asman’s largest city.
One group of Farramad, in their search for a new
home, bumped up against the Zhonggese in the province
of Chi. While their contact was unpleasant and brief, it
The Nine Tribes
triggered Zhonggese interest in the desert nomads. The
story goes that a Zhonggese potter found a ceramic dish The Nine Tribes are a widespread, nomadic society
dropped by one of the tribesmen. It was painted blue, with ties to all of Akoma. Their authority is unchallenged
using a dye made from cobalt found only in certain parts on the west coast, and the familes and clades of their
of the desert. The color was unlike any the potter had lineages can be found all about the deserts.
ever seen in ceramics before, and the potter showed it
to the governor of Chi, who also became fascinated by The Abi-Asman
it, and sent out a group of diplomats to the desert “We have grown beyond the need for the nomadic
people to negotiate trade for the new dye. Slowly, ways of the other tribes. We do not need to trudge
trade between the Zhonggese and the nomads grew. endlessly from oasis to oasis because we control the
It was the Mahsimi who first came in contact with the Blue River, the Abrud, the only river left in the desert.
Emirates. After they lost their leader Hlavar in their trek Strength comes not from starvation and thirst, but
westward, they lost organization and continued aimlessly, from plenty. Our people are strong because they have
searching for any place they could settle. When they enough to eat and plenty to drink. For as the Blue
reached the Emirates they had no food, no water, and River runs true, we shall thrive.”
ragged clothing. The only thing they had to trade with the
Emirates were the asbal the Badsavar had given them.
Baha and the Hyena’s Harem
The founder of Abi-Asman was Baha al Geran, a
As it turned out, the Emirate people put a high
Hyena merchant. When the ten companions parted
value on asbal, not having seen any before. The
ways, Baha had lost the most financially. He was eager
Mahsimi got an excellent deal for their seven asbal,
just to move on and chalk it up to experience, but his
including rights to settle a patch of land with a spring
bodyguard Mehr al Bani had another idea. Convinced
in it. Realizing what a good situation they were in,
that the Crocodile Zar was the thief, Mehr convinced
they ran back to the Badsavar to get more asbal. The
Baha to follow him. Baha and Mehr followed about a
Emirate demand for asbal has only gone up, and the
day behind Zar until the Crocodile had reached the Seyl
Mahsimi are very nearly the Emirs’ only suppliers.
River. Baha circled around him and stopped about a
The Emirates later struck up negotiations with the
day downriver from Zar, hoping to keep an eye on him.
Sorkhareh as their defended borders extended to the
When Zar began to build himself a magnificent
edge of Emirate lands. The Sorkhareh, whose borders
palace with wealth he never seemed to have before,
also touched Zhongguo on the other side, were
Baha and Mehr were convinced of his guilt, and went
perfectly placed to start trade between Zhongguo and
together to confront him. He admitted that he was using
the Emirates. At first they were reluctant, but after the
the treasure that was stolen, but said that he had earned
first few caravans came through, and both sides began
it by catching the real culprit and taking it from him. He
offering huge rewards for desert guides, the Sorkhareh
said the true thief was the Jackal Idaniz. Mehr seemed
relented. Since then, their trade route has become so
to believe him, but Baha refused. Baha dismissed Mehr
important to them that they have trained entire
for disagreeing with him, and challenged Zar to a fight.
generations for nothing but escorting caravans.
Zar defeated him soundly, being the far better warrior,
but spared Baha’s life, telling him only that if he was
seen in the area of the river again, he would be killed.
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Baha left alone, going north, not wasting much time in Then Baha said, “I know, Hyena, that you wish to
self-pity but looking for a place to live. After some time he kill and devour me, but I am willing to tell you where
came to a small but very beautiful oasis, full of fruit trees. my money is kept and how to get it if you will swear by
The only inhabitants were a Hyena and a harem of twenty Heaven that you will not kill me.” The Hyena, completely
women of many races. The Hyena was fat and ugly, but taken in by Baha’s story, agreed, and swore by Heaven
he wore rich robes and a turban studded with gems such not to kill him if he told him where his treasure was. Baha
as might be worthy of a prince. Baha saw the Hyena from thanked the Hyena and bowed before him. “Take my
afar before the Hyena could see him, and judged him clothes,” he said, “and disguise yourself as me. We are
rightly to be full of his own importance. Baha therefore the same race and much the same size, and Zar’s sight is
greeted the man as a prince should be greeted, bowing not excellent. Follow a path to the star Nafarxonde in the
low before him. The Hyena was much gratified by this, southeast, and you will come upon Zar’s city. Ask to see
and was agreeable to Baha’s request to stay at the oasis him, and tell the people you meet that you are an old
and drink from it for three days, to rest from his travels. friend of his, but do not mention your name. Some of
The following day, Baha was awoken by a young the citizens of Zar’s city are jealous of my favor with him
concubine from the harem. “Good sir, I do not know and might carry designs upon my life, so be careful not to
who you are, but you must leave this place at once. If mention your name until you meet Zar. When you meet
you stay any longer the Hyena will surely kill you as he him at last, say your name is Baha al Geran and that you
has killed so many others.” Baha was much surprised have come for your money, and he will give it to you.”
at this statement, and asked the girl to explain. “He The Hyena took Baha’s clothes, and gave Baha a
has three vicious sag lizards that will kill anyone he tells simple robe. Then the Hyena gave Baha one last order.
them to. They kill male travelers and then the Hyena “Now, if no one stays here, my harem will all run
eats them, and takes their women for himself! I lost away, so you must stay here until I come back. If you
my brother not three weeks ago in that awful way.” are not here when I return, I will hunt you down and
“What a horrible man!” said Baha. “Let me but stop kill you wherever you may be, and you can be sure I
here tonight and the following night and see if I cannot will not kill you quickly.” Baha swore upon Heaven
figure out a way to free you all and end his tyranny.” The that he would not leave the harem until the Hyena
Camel girl pleaded with Baha to get him to leave, but Baha returned. Satisfied, the Hyena left upon his errand.
was adamant. He said, “I am not a warrior, but I think I Baha said to the concubines, “Do not fear; I have sent
know what kind of man this Hyena is, and I have an idea.” the Hyena to his death. If he follows my instructions,
The following evening, the Hyena invited Baha to he will not live much longer. However, I should like to
dinner. Baha accepted graciously, and during the be sure of his demise, but I have sworn upon Heaven
course of the evening, told the Hyena a slightly altered not to leave this oasis, so one of you must follow him
version of his history. He said he had been a rich and tell me what happens to him.” The young girl
merchant who had seen half of his treasure stolen. He who warned Baha the first day volunteered, wrapped
said that he had then entrusted the other half to a herself up for travel, and left to follow the Hyena.
strong friend, a Crocodile named Zar, who lived in a While he waited for the girl to return with her report,
place that only Baha knew about. Baha made himself acquainted with all the concubines,
and they all came to like him very much. Those that were
widows, he promised to set free when he was sure the
Hyena was dead. The others he promised to give good
homes and find good husbands for. “In any case, even if
the Hyena returns, these evil sags shall be gotten rid of; they
will eat no more visitors.” Then he had the harem girls hold
the Hyena’s three sags down while he slit their throats.
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At length the girl returned, saying that she had seen “Now,” he said, “I will stay here, with anyone
the Hyena die a most satisfyingly bloody death. The strong and brave enough to stay, for there is one other
concubines rejoiced, and began to treat Baha as their king. thing we must do. The death of our people, and the
The young girl who had warned him, and who had gone destruction of our oases, must be avenged. I intend to
to watch the Hyena die, offered herself to Baha for a wife, lead a group of warriors into the Kohani lands to kill as
as did two others, and Baha married them and treated many of those infidels as we can. I do not expect that
them very well. Baha settled in the oasis, and he was not any of us will live, but before I breathe my last, the
jealous of the other concubines nor was he stingy with his Kohani will pay tenfold for the deaths of our tribesmen.”
newfound wealth and water. His generosity earned him the Agahn’s newfound bravery, and that of his warriors,
friendship of many travelers, and those that stayed came was well repaid, because they were not alone in the fight
to regard him as their king. In this way, Baha started a for long. The Derpasdari sent many of their own, and the
tribe, which he named the Farramad, meaning Fortunate. warnings carried by the Somal, Baxtar, and Darunmarzi
groups brought help of some form or another from every
The War of Revenge and the Great Search other tribe in the desert. Today, the descendents of the
Relations between the Farramad and the Kohani were Farramad credit their ancestors with saving the desert
never friendly, but they were mostly peaceful. The Kohani from the evil of the Kohani because of those warnings.
never bothered the Farramad unless the nomads bothered Other than spreading this warning, however, the
them, and the Farramad learned quickly not to enter Darunmarzi had no luck. All the oases they
Kohani lands. Also, the Kohani never traded with any of encountered were occupied or defended by other
their neighbors, leaving the nomadic tribes no caravans to tribes. Less than a year after they had set out, they
plunder, and until Hlavar’s revolution, the Kohani kept returned to their homelands to wait.
a close enough hold on their Mahsimi slaves that the The Somal also found no suitable place to live to
Farramad knew as little of them as they did of the Kohani. the north, but instead a long mountain chain. While
As the revolution geared up, however, small conflicts the mountains were not impassable, beyond them lay
started breaking out all up and down the Seyl River, the carefully defended land Zhongguo. After a short
and some slaves escaped. Many of them came to the initial conflict which the better-equipped and prepared
Farramad. The first group, led by a powerful Badjaduyi, Zhonggese won hands down, this group spent two
convinced the Farramad Shah of the time, a Jerboa named years on the edges of Zhongguo’s Chi province,
Agahn, to shelter the Mahsimi until the revolution occurred. searching in vain for a place to settle.
As a result, Agahn had some warning that the The Baxtal had the hardest time of it. The land
Kohani might turn their anger upon his tribe. He they traveled was inhospitable and uninhabited, and
prepared a plan to move the tribe, if doing so turned they encountered extremes of thirst, heat, cold, and
out to be necessary, and he told his warriors to prepare exhaustion. They were unwilling to let their tribe down,
a defense against the Kohani armies. He expected the however, and pressed on in spite of the hardships. At last
Kohani army to come marching out of the gates and it seemed that the gods were to reward their perseverance,
demand that the Farramad turn over the escaped for after a year of endless travel, they came to the valley
slaves. He had no idea what they were really planning. of a huge, wonderful, and miraculously uninhabited
The three assassins sent from the Kohani to the river. Rejoicing at this wonderful blessing, they
Farramad lands poisoned the three oases in common immediately began to claim the river by settling there.
use in one night. The Farramad suffered greatly, and When the time came to return to the east to meet
many people died before they realized what was going their fellow tribesmen, the Baxtal sent only three, their
on. Agahn took immediate action. He sent runners to bravest and best, one Dastani, one Scarab Keeper,
the nearest tribe, the Derpasdari, hoping to warn them. and one Qanundari, to meet the others. They listened
Then he divided his people into three groups, the patiently while the other two groups told their stories.
Somal, who would go north, the Baxtar, who would go Then the Dastani, a Camel named Rahbar, said, “My
west, and the Darunmarzi, who would go northwest. brothers, our group, who went west, has had good
He instructed them each to travel as fast as they could fortune beyond what you could possibly imagine.
for one month, spreading the word of the Kohani’s Follow me west, and you will see our new home. It
treachery, and warning other tribes to be on their guard. will not be a pleasant journey, but it will be worth it.”
Then, he said, they should spend three years searching The others pressed him for more information, but he
for a place for the Farramad to settle, and after that, meet refused to give it, saying that the land his group had
back as close to their original homeland as possible. found was secret, and he wished it to remain so.
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For four months they traveled through the harsh Most of the tribesmen of the Abi-Asman are
desert, following a complicated path that Rahbar had concerned with irrigating, planting, harvesting, and
devised. None of the others, even other Dastani, could regulating the land around the Abrud, and so Farmers,
quite figure out what star paths he was following, nor Laborers, and Scarab Keepers are common. Some
was he eager to elaborate. He had set the path such are priests, scribes, or advisors, and there are
that they traveled nonstop almost to exhaustion point, Badjaduyi and Qanundari who help to protect the
and just when the tribesmen could go no further, they kingdom. The Abi-Asman cultivate very few Dastani,
would come upon an oasis. At last, he brought the as they see little use for traveling in the desert when all
tribe over a series of increasingly tall dunes, and when they need is easily available by the riverside. Also, in
they reached the top of the last, the tribesmen looked the kingdom of the Abi-Asman, landmarks are
down upon the wonderful blue river that stretched permanent and can be trusted for navigation, whereas in
from one horizon to the other. So struck by this sight the open desert a hill you see one day may be twenty feet
were they that they immediately changed the name of away the next morning, and gone altogether next month.
their tribe to Abi-Asman, which means Blue Paradise. Abi-Asman is the one of the few tribes in which writing
is common. The Abi-Asman, in building their civilization,
Life on the Banks of the Blue River found it necessary to use some system of symbols to
The Abi-Asman are by far the most diverse and most mark and measure things. They use the elegant phonetic
comfortable tribe in the desert. Also, more Crocodiles live letters developed by the Emirates, but the language is
here than with any other tribe. They are the most civilized their own Zabani. The Abi-Asman are very proud of the
tribe, in the sense of having permanent homes and civilization they have built. Architects and engineers are
cities, and they have the best-developed agriculture and highly prized, and prominent scholars are often treated as
government. The Abrud, and therefore the kingdom, is minor nobility. There is no organized school system but
divided into twenty-five Abbaxes, or water-districts, each in some Abbaxes various temples take children in one
ruled by its own governor, and each governor is responsible day a week to teach them reading, writing, and theology.
to the Shah. Each governor also leads an army of A Player Character from Abi-Asman may be of almost
Qanundari, who are responsible for keeping the river and any Career or Race; even some of the more exotic races
the kingdom safe, both from internal and external dangers. from Zhongguo and the Emirates are not unknown here.
They spend most of their time patrolling and maintaining Merchants are uncommon in most of Abi-Asman, but trade
the large intermittent wall that extends the length of the river with other cultures is gaining more attention as the Abi-
along the east side of the kingdom. Because of their reliable Asman realize how much richer it could make them. Most
sources of food and water, the Abi-Asman is both the people are happy to live by the Abrud, but some may be
most numerous and the most besieged tribe in the desert. touched by Wanderlust, the ancient calling of the blood that
The plentitude of water in the lands of the Abi-Asman draws them to a more nomadic life. This is one of the few
has forced them to slightly relax the normal laws about places in the desert where Swimming is an appropriate skill.
water distribution. Normally, only Scarab Keepers can
draw water from an oasis, but in Abi-Asman anyone is Relations with Outsiders
allowed to fill their jugs in the river. Swimming, bathing, The Abi-Asman trade a fair bit with the Emirates. The
washing clothes, or allowing waste into the river is still city of Bazargani on the mouth of the Abrud is practically
prohibited, but families may draw as much water from the within bowshot of the southernmost Emirate fort of
river as they like. As a result, the Abi-Asman have gained Bandar eh Lengeh. While the Abrud is hardly the only
a reputation the best-smelling tribe in the desert, because passage to the Emirates – and indeed most trade from
they can actually take real baths as often as they like. Zhongguo comes through the Sorkhareh far to the north
– it is the easiest and the safest, if you can get to the river.
Because of the location of Bazargani so close to the
trade routes used by sea traders, the Abi-Asman have
more direct trade with Calabria of any of the other
tribes. While most trade from Calabria still comes
through the Emirates, some intrepid merchants do
enter the lands of the Abi-Asman to trade guns, metal,
wood, and meat-lizards for spices, dyes, and linen.
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The Abi-Asman have a dim view of the other desert When Abar finally reached the fertile land she had
tribes. Enemies who are captured when their raids fail been searching for, she had no fewer than thirteen
are usually enslaved. The Abi-Asman are the only desert people with her. There they settled, and began
tribesmen to keep slaves on a regular basis. In most of the breeding a herd of sotor. To this day the Badsavar are
desert, a slave simply cannot work hard enough to support known as accomplished herders.
himself and a master, but on the banks of the Abrud slavery
can be quite profitable. However, the Abi-Asman have The Children of Badsorud
learned from the example of the Kohani, and are careful By the time Abar and her companions found their
not to keep too many slaves of one tribe in one area. home, Abar was too old to have any children.
There is one tribe the Abi-Asman do get along with: Badsorud was some twenty years younger, and
the Derpasdari. The Derpasdari were the first to arrive already had three. They were adopted by Abar as
to assist the ancestors of the Abi-Asman in bringing grandchildren, and became her heirs. Badsorud taught
down the Kohani, and as a result the Abi-Asman are them her magical techniques, and Abar encouraged
tolerant of them. The Derpasdari are currently trying to them to apply themselves to other practical pursuits.
negotiate a treaty of sorts that will allow them to lead Badsorud’s elder daughter, Shaba, learned techniques
travelers from Zhongguo to the gates of Abisahr near of breeding and herding. She got quite good at it, and as
the head of the Abrud. The current Shah of the Abi- an adult took it upon herself to direct the activity of all the
Asman, a descendent of Agahn named Manesi, sees herders in the tribe. Herders among the Badsavar are
the potential value of such a treaty, and is trying to get called saban, and are led by a Badjaduyi called the Shaba.
his governors to agree on a way to make it binding. Badsorud’s son, Barzi, learned how to cultivate
plants on which the herds could graze. In later life, he
The Badsavar united the Badsavar’s farmers and became their leader.
“The strongest forces in the desert are the evil sun, Farmers among the Badsavar are called barzegar, and
the endless sand, and the swift wind. Of these the are always led by a Badjaduyi called the Barzi.
only one that mortals can hope to tame is the wind. Badsorud’s younger daughter, Baran, learned by
We have not only tamed but mastered it, and because experiment a number of tricks to irrigate land without
of this, we are the strongest tribe in the desert. With spoiling the water. She taught all the Badsavar’s Scarab
the speed and power of the wind we will conquer the Keepers her techniques, and became their leader.
desert, and like a sandstorm bury our enemies.” They are still led by a Badjaduyi called the Baran.
Badsorud’s three children together started the
Abar’s Journey Council of Badsorud, and began calling their tribe the
The founder of the Badsavar was a Vulture named Badsavar, in honor of their mother. Led by the Shaba,
Abar az Tani. She had been maid to the unfaithful the Barzi, and the Baran, and advised by the nine most
lady Bezira. In return for her faithfulness to her master powerful Badjaduyi in the tribe, the Council of Badsorud
Mugar, Abar was given her freedom, and three sotor, makes all governmental decisions for the Badsavar.
one male and two females. With them she traveled for
many years, searching the desert for the perfect place Assisting the Rebels
to begin her new life. She had a plan to find a spot Between the founding of the Badsavar and the War of
where plants grew and could be cultivated, and where Revenge, the Badsavar had little contact with other tribes.
she could use her three sotor to start a herd. There were occasional raids by other tribes, mostly the
Abar met many people on her travels. One day, she Damesab, but the magical might of the Badsavar made
was stopping at an oasis, and there was a man there with such raids particularly dangerous, and rival tribes have
three sotor. Abar knew from experience how hard it was learned to be careful about attacking the herdsmen.
for one person to control three stubborn sotor, and she was It was ironic, then, that they were the first tribesmen
impressed with the way he managed it. She invited him to outside the Mahsimi to know of the revolt. Hlavar, the
follow her and add his sotor to her herd, and he agreed. leader of the Mahsimi resistance, was a Dastani, a Starteller,
At another oasis, she met a man skilled in the cultivation of and knew many stories of the mystic skills of the Badsavar.
desert plants; at another, a Scarab Keeper knowledgeable Early in her efforts, she arranged for three young Mahsimi
in the ways of water. In the middle of a stretch of dunes to escape Kohani lands and seek out the Badsavar to enlist
she came across a female mystic named Badsorud who their help. After many trials, these Mahsimi managed to
had power over the wind, one of the very first Badjaduyi. find the Badsavar, and because they were children, they
were not killed outright, and had time to tell their story.
They were taken to see the Council of Badsorud.
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Gazeteer
The Council listened very carefully to the story, Relations with Outsiders
declared that the children were telling the truth, and agreed The Badsavar sell many sotor and asbal to other
to send one Badjaduyi master back to the Mahsimi with nations, especially the Emirates, where asbal-racing is a
the children. This master was to tell the Mahsimi to expect popular sport. They maintain good relations with the
help from the Badsavar when they needed it, and he was Mahsimi, who act as middlemen for sales to the Emirates.
allowed to choose promising Mahsimi and teach them the They also sell to the Sorkhareh and the Derpasdari,
spells and magical techniques used to control the wind and although less frequently. Those tribes then pass the
other powers of the desert. When the revolt was ready, animals on to buyers from Zhongguo. Asbal that show
the Badsavar sent eight more Badjaduyi, and it was their up in Calabria usually come through the Emirates.
power, combined with the power of the Mahsimi wizards, The Badsavar do sometimes lead caravans through the
that sank the great ziggurat. These same wizards desert. Their mastery of wind magic makes the trip quick
returned after they heard of the treachery of the Kohani, and comfortable compared with traveling with most others,
and helped to lay low the rest of the kingdom. When but the Badsavar have developed a bad reputation among
the battles were over, the Council of Badsorud gave the Zhonggese. Stories persist of Badsavar who abduct
the newly-freed Mahsimi seven asbal and seven sotor. entire caravans and molest Zhonggese wizards, looking
for the secret of making water appear out of nothing.
Riding the Pasture Winds
The Badsavar are the best-known herders in the The Damesab
desert. With relatively fertile land and careful crop
cultivation, they keep herds of many kinds of lizards. Most “Our people are the strongest in the desert. We
famously, they tend the herds of elegant asbal, proud, go where we like and do as we wish. We control
swift, graceful beasts bred for speed. They make spirited every oasis in the desert, though we sometimes
but loyal mounts, and while they need daily supplies of let the other tribes drink from them. After all,
water, they fare better in the desert than drays or cao xi-yi. when you have so much, there is no reason not
The Badsavar also keep herds of sotor, desert-adapted to share. Do not let the other tribes mislead you
lizards with pale, shiny scales and large sail-like projections into thinking we are thieves; we take only what is
on their head and tail. Sotor can last many weeks in the rightfully ours, and what others are too weak to
desert without water, as long as they have leafy food. protect.”
While hardier than asbal, sotor are not nearly so swift.
The Badsavar retain the nomadic existence of their Idaniz and Irana
ancestors . Their herds are too large to leave on one After being discovered by Zar retrieving the ten
grazing land for long, so they move them to a new pasture companions’ stolen goods, the Jackal Idaniz ran into the
about once every three months. Herdsmen and their desert as fast as his sotor could carry him. He traveled
families are careful to keep their herds a few pastures apart the desert aimlessly for some time, getting food and
from those of their nearest neighbors, so that pastures have water wherever he could, even stealing it. Wherever
a chance to regrow. Just about everything the Badsavar he went he encountered rich people unwilling to share
make is made from leather. They live in tents made from much of their wealth with him. He would take what
the tanned hides of their lizards, and decorations are he thought he deserved and what he thought he could
made of strips of brightly-dyed leather woven or braided get away with, and while he was sometimes caught, he
together. Families too poor to buy imported linen will always managed to get away before he was executed.
even dress in leather robes. They scrape the leather One night, while trying to sneak some riches out of the
thin and then pierce holes in it to allow air to circulate. tent of a wealthy mine owner, Idaniz bumped up against
The Badsavar are people of strong will and as such are a young Jerboa named Irana, who was trying to do the
likely to favor magic, Resolve, and other skills of willpower same thing. Idaniz suggested they join forces and share
and strength of spirit. In addition they prize those with swift the profit, and Irana agreed. Idaniz and Irana got a haul
legs and wings. Vultures are especially welcome, as they worth over forty jugs of water. Very pleased by their
have a certain amount of natural mastery over the wind. success, they decided to work together from then on.
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Gazeteer
This kind of coincidence happened several more The Damesab knew, however, that their welcome
times, and each time Idaniz and Irana gained a new was to be short-lived. Within a week of the last battle,
companion. Idaniz began calling the growing group the hojri were gone, vanished back into the desert as
the Damesab, or Night Vapors, intending to strike fear fast as they had come, not daring to stay for fear the
into the hearts of the people who they might raid. The other tribes would turn on them with their new weapons
name did spread, as did the Damesab. Other tribes and battle-tested tactics and steal their riches away.
began to talk about the Damesab as a full-fledged
tribe, and members of other tribes with a thiefly bent, Drifting with the Vapors
or who hoped to disperse the Damesab and gain The Damesab are the most nomadic of the tribes,
acclaim at home, began seeking the Damesab out. having no oases that are totally their own. They organize
Then, one company of glory seekers managed to themselves into small groups called hojri whose individuals
deal a fair bit of damage to the Damesab, mostly work together to sustain themselves in any way they can.
because there were too many Damesab to maneuver Members of a hojri treat each other like a family, and often
and escape quickly. Idaniz split the group into three take the same last name, even if they are not actually
smaller companies, saying that to survive they must related. The Damesab believe that wealth and power
stay small, and that any time a group rose above 20 belong to those who can take and make use of it. They
people, it must split up. He called the small groups are a terror to caravans; more often than not, if a caravan
hojri, and thus set up the structure the tribe uses today. is attacked, Damesab are the raiders. The Damesab
usually do their raiding, not at night as their name suggests,
Greed and Righteous Anger but at dawn and dusk, when their targets are getting
It didn’t take the Damesab long to hear about the ready to sleep or waking up, and watches are relaxed.
treachery of the Kohani. The group of Farramad who The Damesab have no central governing body;
headed northwest ran into a Damesab hojri within a week disputes between hojri are settled in a ritualized, non-
of setting out. The Damesab attacked the group, hoping fatal duel between two champions from each hojri. The
to steal some food, water, and valuables; then they found winning hojri then has a recognized claim to all the wealth
the jug of poisoned water the Farramad had brought with possessed by the losing hojri, and may take anything
them as part of their proof to the other tribes. The jug except the clothing they are wearing and two jugs of water.
had been painted black as a warning, so the Damesab The Damesab prize endurance and stealth in their
concluded the Farramad had not poisoned their own members. Roguish careers are good choices for
water. The question remained, who did. Alarmed, the Damesab, as are skills like camouflage, stealth, holdout,
Damesab roused some of the Farramad and demanded hiking, and resolve. Crocodiles are good for this tribe
to know the meaning of the jug. After hearing the because of their excellent ability to remain motionless,
explanation, and that the Farramad were trying to get and Jerboas are welcomed for their quickness and
help from the other tribes to make war against the stealth. Jackals make good Damesab as well.
Kohani, the Damesab immediately saw the possibilities.
The wealth of the Kohani was well known among the Relations with Outsiders
Damesab, and if all the other tribes were going to be The Damesab raid other tribes indiscriminately,
there attacking them, the Kohani wealth should make attacking whoever they can whenever they think they
easy pickings. The hojri sent one of its own with the can get away with it. As a result, Damesab are
Farramad to spread the word among the Damesab, and mistrusted by all the other tribes. Damesab captured by
then flew towards the Kohani lands to join in the fight. other tribes are typically killed immediately, even by the
The word spread quickly, as it does among the Abi-Asman, who normally enslave their captives. The
Damesab, and within four months nearly half the hojri Damesab are understandably wary, therefore, of doing
in the desert were at the Kohani lands, killing Kohani anything dangerous without the protection of their hojri.
refugees and pillaging cities already besieged by warriors People from other tribes who have committed crimes
from the other tribes. Faced with more wealth and or caused their tribes to turn against them will sometimes
supplies than they could carry, even with all the sotor seek out the Damesab, asking to join. Ironically,
they could steal, the Damesab started giving water, considering how the other tribes treat them, the Damesab
food, and weapons away to other tribes engaged in are surprisingly tolerant of these people. They will first
serious battles. This flood of generosity kept the other carefully test the newcomer to make sure he is not a spy,
tribes from accusing the Damesab of being at the war but if he passes that test, he is welcomed as a member of
only for material gain, at least until the war was over. the tribe. As a result the Damesab are very diverse; a
single hojri with three or more races is not uncommon.
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Gazeteer
The Damesab reaction to someone from outside

the desert is typically, “Hand over your money and no
one gets hurt.” It is very rare for a caravan to get
through the desert without being challenged by at least
one hojri. Hojri living near the edges of the desert will
often try to raid foreign settlements.
The Dastan-Dastar
“When strength is measured in its truest sense,
ability not only to adapt but to excel and
advance, it becomes clear that we are the
strongest tribe in the desert. While other tribes
overcome the hardships of the desert by
strength of will, of body, or of spirit, or by acts
of a criminal nature, we overcome them through
strength of mind, using our natural talents,
taking what little the desert gives us and turning
it around to use against that very desert. Our
knowledge and ingenuity allows us to defeat the
desert.”
Study Beneath the Stars

When the Jerboa Zirak al Zir and the Camel Kavos
al Jostu learned that there was a thief among the ten
companions, they realized that most of the companions
slept in double-tents and began to ask people whether
they had noticed their tent-mates getting up during the
day when they should have been sleeping.
Mugar’s reply was, “My wife is pure and has a good
heart! She would never steal.”
Bezira’s reply was, “My maid is faithful and
trustworthy. She would never steal!”
Abar’s reply was, “My master is a good man, and
would never think of stealing from his friends.”
Mehr’s reply was, “My master is greedy, but he is
trustworthy, and would never steal what he could buy.”
Baha’s reply was, “My bodyguard is well-trained
and never leaves his post; besides I don’t think he’d
have the intelligence to pull it off.”
Nazar’s reply was, “My brother is as innocent as a
baby, and would never do anything of importance
without consulting me.”
Idaniz’s reply was, “My brother is a kind soul,
although to be honest I slept too well to notice anything.”
Unable to question Zar, and having gotten no real
answers from the others, Zirak and Kavos began to look
for other clues, but by that time they had angered most
of the other companions with their questions. Soon the
companions began to accuse Zirak and Kavos of the theft.
Indignant and hurt, they mounted their sotor and rode off.
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Gazeteer
From then on, they traveled. They were truly Sure that some of their number must have been tainted
nomadic, and spent their time studying the stars. In by the presence of Kohani spirits, the rest of the Jostani
time, they both took wives and had children, and their tried everything – cleansing rituals, coaxing, cajoling,
children had children, and so their two families grew threatening, even bodily force – to bring the tainted
into a tribe. Continuing the nomadic ways of their ones to their senses. Some seemed to see the truth but
founders, the tribe, who called themselves the Jostani, others, those more deeply tainted, refused to budge.
studied the stars, and every time they would find out “Leave us behind,” they said, “leave us behind if
something new, they would trade knowledge of it to you will. We will not lose the chance to learn from the
the other tribes for water and goods. As the tribe wealth of knowledge heaped about us. If you will,
grew, it split up into kardaste. The kardaste would then leave us behind.”
meet up under certain stars after certain astronomical So they did. The Jostani left about one in ten of
events, such as eclipses, and exchange knowledge. their number behind, and changed their name to the
This was the life that they led when the appearance Dastan-Dastar, the keepers of knowledge, and
of a new comet in the southeastern part of the sky mourned their brothers who had fallen to temptation.
brought them together a little earlier than they expected,
and it was while they were contemplating the meaning New Knowledge
of this comet that a group of Farramad arrived, bringing After the leaving-behind, the Dastan-Dastar sought
news of the crimes of the Kohani from the southeast. to distance themselves as much as they could from the
In a way, it was lucky for the Jostani that they were old Kohani lands, and traveled northwest. They kept
gathered together, and in a way, it was unlucky. If going until they reached the edge of the desert, where
only a few kardaste had gone, they might not have they found a pair of oases in a valley naturally
survived, but then the rest of the Jostani would defended by rocky walls, and accessible only through
probably not have been split apart. a small pass. There they settled.
Even combined, the might of the Jostani lay in their As it happened, their neighbors to the west were the
minds and not their bodies. They were not trained for people of the Emirates. The Dastan-Dastar saw that the
war, but they knew enough of engineering and people of the Emirates had much knowledge that they did
mathematics to help the other tribes build catapults not, and agreed that a system of knowledge trading should
and rams and giant ballistae and other engines of war. be set up. The Dastan-Dastar shunned the old knowledge
Some of them also knew a little of the magic that the of the Kohani, but the new knowledge from the Emirates
Badsavar were so famous for. The Jostani were good was untainted, and they sought it eagerly. The Emirates
with mechanical bows and slings, and used those to seemed happy to exchange it for the Dastan-Dastar
back up the forces of the other tribes. None of the knowledge of astronomy – they said that it would help them
Jostani fought in hand-to-hand combat, but the other navigate the seas as the Dastan-Dastar navigated the sands.
tribes do not dispute that their help was invaluable.
Truth through Innovation
The Leaving-Behind The Dastan-Dastar live by innovation. They believe that
During the war, the Jostani saw many amazing while old knowledge is important because it can lead you in
things the Kohani had invented. Their architecture the right direction, the really important truths are those that
impressed them, even as they searched for ways to you discover for yourself. Experimentation and observation
destroy it. They had war machines that the Jostani are key; the truth must be verifiable. The Dastan-Dastar
admired, studied, copied, and improved to use against have taken up Emirate writing, and are one of the few tribes
their designers. Above all, perhaps, the Jostani saw that where books are relatively common. They are building
the Kohani had covered their walls and banners with up quite a library of their own works, and they take
patterns of lines that seemed to hold some meaning. the works of others if they think there is value in them.
After the war, most of the tribe hastily abandoned
their war machines and performed cleansing rituals to
purge themselves of the evil influence of using the
Kohani’s tools. Then they prepared to leave; even the air
was tainted, said the wise men. While some might have
been skeptical of that, since they breathed the air and felt
no ill effects, they received their proof when some of their
brothers declared that they wanted to stay long enough
to study the artifacts the Kohani had left behind.
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Gazeteer
They also trade by innovation. With barely any fertile Loyalty Until Death
land, and only enough water to support themselves, and When the thefts occurred in the camp of the ten
no connection to any of the major trade routes, they companions, the Camel bodyguard Mehr al Bani
have few natural products they can trade. Instead they immediately suspected the Crocodile Zar. After the
have turned to the fruits of their intellect. The Emirates companions parted ways, he told his master Baha of his
trade for copies of their books, but most of all for their suspicions, and suggested that they follow Zar to see if
inventions. The Dastan-Dastar are credited with creation they could not prove it. Eventually they caught up with
of the first astrolabe and the first telescope, among Zar and saw that he was indeed using the treasure
other things. To keep trade alive, they have to keep gained from the theft, but he told Mehr and Baha that he
coming up with new inventions and new knowledge, had gotten it by catching the real thief, the Jackal Idaniz.
making the Dastan-Dastar settlement one of the most Mehr believed Zar’s story, and said that if it was
intellectually competitive communities anywhere. true, then Zar had an honest claim to the treasure.
Among the most scholarly of the tribes, the Dastan- Baha claimed that it was still his, no matter whose
Dastar rely on their intelligence and communication skills hands it had passed through or how. When Baha tried
to protect them. When battle is required, the Dastan- to challenge Zar, Mehr stopped him, wishing to protect
Dastar prefer to use quick, effective magic to end the battle him. Baha turned to Mehr and said, “I do not need a
as soon as possible. Magic, lore, research, and other such bodyguard who cannot agree with me. Begone from
skills are very appropriate for a member of this tribe. my sight, al-Bani, and let me never see you again.”
Distraught, Mehr backed off, but he stayed nearby,
Relations with Outsiders and while Baha and Zar fought, he kept a bow nocked
The Dastan-Dastar are peaceful, for the most part, and aimed at Zar, as a warning not to kill his master.
and can afford to be so for two reasons. First, they When he became Baha’s bodyguard, Mehr had sworn
live quite near the western Emirates and trade with by Heaven to protect him until he or his master died.
them. Second, passage into their land is possible only If Baha died before him, he was sworn to follow him
by three routes: from the western Emirates who guard into the grave as punishment for his failure to protect
their side, through a narrow eastern corridor only the him. Mehr had no intention of breaking that oath.
Sorkhareh really know about, and from the south, over When Baha lost the duel, Mehr followed him from
a very long stretch of waterless desert. The Sorkhareh a distance, following his tracks and keeping far enough
and the Dastan-Dastar both are on good terms with the behind that Baha would not see him. Thus, Mehr was
western Emirates and neither wishes to anger the Emirs there when Baha entered the oasis of the evil Hyena,
by fighting with their allies. Also, the passage from the and after becoming friendly with some of the
Sorkhareh side is easily guarded; the few times the concubines, learned the whole story of Baha’s triumph
Sorkhareh have made an attempt at invasion, they over him. Knowing that Baha would be more or less
were easily blocked, despite their strength. safe in the oasis with the Hyena gone, Mehr went to
seek out another oasis, nearby, so that he could have
The Derpasdari food and water but still keep an eye on his master.
“Our people are the strongest in the desert. We He found one and settled there, and as Baha’s wealth
are all brothers and sisters, act and think as one and family grew, Mehr found himself getting lonely. The
herd, all is disciplined and ordered. We may not girls of Baha’s oasis, who had once been concubines of the
control the largest number of oases in the evil Hyena, were his only visitors, and at last he asked one
desert, but our oases stretch from one end of of them to become his wife and stay with him so that he
the sands to the other, from the borders of might have company and raise a family of his own. She
Zhongguo to the doors of Abisahr on the Abrud. happily agreed, and every now and then another member
We can survive any hardship as long as we can of Baha’s quickly growing tribe went to join Mehr.
rely on each other.” Mehr called his tribe the Derpasdari, which means
Guards or Watchers, and while he was alive he
demanded that they devote themselves to protecting Baha
and his people, the Farramad, though from afar. He
trained them like an army, and they were disciplined and
battle-ready. When Baha died, Mehr gathered the tribe
together and said, “I have used you for my own purposes
long enough. You are now free to do as you wish.”
Then he solemnly cut his wrists, fulfilling his ancient vow.
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Gazeteer
The Contributions of General Ostovan Running with the Herd

While the War of Revenge did not take the Derpasdari Many of the principles Mehr instilled in the tribe
entirely by surprise, since they received a few days warning remained after his death. His people still begin training,
from the Farramad, still they were not really prepared for it. as if in an army, at age 11, and discipline and teamwork
The Farramad warning had been brief and mysterious, are the most important parts of the training. When
and many Derpasdari viewed it with suspicion. The training ends at age 15 the youngster is initiated into the
general in charge at the time, a Hyena named Agahi, rank structure of the tribe. The tribe is set up like one
felt it better to err on the side of caution. As a result the great army; once you complete your training you become
Derpasdari managed to catch all three of the assassins sent a Sarbaz under the command of Goruhban, a sergeant
by the Kohani, but they were not fast enough to save from another family in the same kardaste. Each kardaste
all their oases. Only three, the oases of Abuda Quasar, is led by a Naxodan, or captain, who commands the
Abuda Mirhan, and Abuda Aftal, remained pure. Of Goruhbans. The whole tribe is led four Sepahbad, or
these, only Abuda Quasar was to survive the whole war. generals, who rotate duties every five years.
The Derpasdari turned upon the Kohani with real Despite this structure, the Derpasdari are not all fighters.
fury, and with their entry into the fighting, the Mahsimi Every kardaste must have its Dastani and its Scarab Keeper
revolt turned into a true war. They could hardly have and members of other normal careers, but they fall into
won the war on their own, so well equipped were the the structure of discipline just like everyone else. Usually
Kohani, but by the time the other tribes joined in, the the head Dastani and Scarab Keeper are Goruhbans,
Derpasdari were armed with valuable knowledge and the Sarbaz under their command are apprentices in
about the Kohani fighting tactics and their weaknesses. their craft. Crimes among the Derpasdari can still only
After the war, the Derpasdari were forced to move. be punished by Qanundari, but they cannot punish
They could not stay in their own lands; one oasis was people of higher rank. If a Sarbaz Qanundari catches a
not enough to sustain them. They became nomads, Goruhban committing a crime, for example, she must
and wandered the desert finding food and water bring him before a Goruhban Qanundari for punishment.
wherever they could. The Derpasdari prize camaraderie and skilled
When the war ended, the leadership of the leadership. Camels and Jackals are common among them,
Derpasdari passed to the Camel Ostovan. He saw the for they tend to have an instinct for working as a team.
psychological effect living a nomad life was having on Hiking, tactics, and leadership are good skills for members
his people, and he knew they could not last without a of the Derpasdari tribe. Characters who are members
home. Their discipline was faltering and their battle of this tribe are assumed to hold the rank of Sarbaz.
skills were waning, because it is not possible to train for Higher rank requires the Gift of Rank (p. soandso).
war if you must spend all your time foraging for food.
He consulted with the Dastani of the tribe, and Relations with Outsiders
turned their path northward. Under his guidance they The Derpasdari have very specific views of the other
came to a small oasis that, while well-traveled, was not tribes. The Damesab, for example, are considered the
claimed or settled. He divided his people into four lowest of the low, and are to be destroyed wherever
groups, one under the guidance of each of the generals. they are found. The Khorsheed are accorded a certain
One group stayed at the oasis, two others set out to amount of respect because of their strong faith, but like
forage for food to keep the whole tribe going, and the other tribes they must stay where they are; everyone
fourth group, led by Ostovan, went east, looking for has their place and the place of the Khorsheed is under
oases to conquer. Ostovan’s plan was to carve a new the Tarik Cargus in the barren center of the desert.
homeland for the Dastani out of the center of the desert. The Badsavar are rarely tolerated, and skirmishes
Ostovan’s efforts as leader gained the Derpasdari between them and the Derpasdari are common when
two new oases and spotted out two more for later the Badsavar decide to escort caravans from Zhongguo,
conquering, but his biggest contribution was to give the as the Badsavar must cross Derpasdari territory. The
Derpasdari a direction. The generals that came after him Derpasdari often try to drive the Badsavar off and take
extended the Derpasdari territory west to the borders of over escorting the caravan in order to show the
Abi-Asman and east to the edge of the desert. With little merchants that they are better escorts than the Badsavar.
expanding left to do, the Derpasdari have had to find
a new direction. Their current goal is to monopolize
the escort of caravans across the desert. If only they
could get the Abi-Asman to agree to allow caravans to
take the second leg of the trip on their river…
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Gazeteer
The Derpasdari put the Abi-Asman on the ‘good’ He had traveled north for a long time, through cold,
list; they are trying to negotiate a treaty with them grassy lands. He said later that those lands were also part of
where they will bring caravans to the doors of the Abi- his proof; lush as they were, they were almost unbearably
Asman’s northernmost city, and the caravans can then cold, especially at night. Then, he came to the sea.
travel down the Abrud on boats, making the trip much In all his wildest dreams, he had never imagined so
faster and more comfortable than the trip overland with much water could be in one place. Despite the cold
the Sorkhareh. The Derpasdari resent the Sorkhareh wind blowing off it, it was the most beautiful thing he
very much, and work hard to show Zhonggese traders had ever seen. Nearly forgetting all that he had learned,
how much better they are than the Sorkhareh. he ran down to the water’s edge, leaned down, and
The Derpasdari treat foreigners very well. Their escort began cupping water into his mouth as fast as his hands
prices are reasonable, their oases are comfortable, and would move. Then he gagged; the water was terrible,
they try very hard to be polite the way the Zhonggese are saltier than blood, so salty it actually made him thirstier.
used to. Politeness among the Zhonggese and politeness He got back on his feet and backed away from the water
among the tribes are so different that this effort is often in fear. Then he remembered all that he had learned.
comical, but Zhonggese who know the difference do “This proves it,” he said. “What at first looks like
say the Derpasdari are the most polite of the tribes. Paradise on Earth is as hollow and joyless as the rest
The Derpasdari are attempting to specialize in of it. Now I know what I must do.”
bringing caravans through the desert, because they What he did was to spend one more year traveling
control a relatively straight line of oases running and spreading his message to others, trying to get as
northeast to southwest. Their routes also bring them many of them as he could to see the truth. When the
close to the lands of the Abi-Asman. Realizing that trade year was up, he had gathered many followers, and he
with Zhongguo and the western Emirates is the surest led them to what was to be their final home. He brought
way to ensure their continued livelihood, they are trying them to the most barren, desolate part of the desert,
to work out ways to keep caravans safe from marauders where, he said, a life of hardship would cleanse them
and get a monopoly on caravans coming into the desert. from sin, just as a life of luxury had drowned them in it.
The Khorsheed Teaching the Kohani a Lesson

When the Khorsheed heard, from the traveling
“We are the strongest people in the desert. Our Farramad, of the treachery of the Kohani and the long
hardship under the sun has made us so. We slavery of the Mahsimi, they decided that the usual
spend our lives struggling beneath and appeasing punishment for a sinful life – reliving it – hadn’t worked
the bitter sun. Upon this Earth there is no properly there. Too many of the Kohani were being
perfection; water in abundance is as deadly as reborn as Kohani, they said, and so living an unfairly
water in scarcity, and never a peaceful middle comfortable life despite their past sins, or they would have
ground will you find in this life. When the spirits started to change their ways. It was time to drive the
mercifully allow our lives to end we are rewarded lesson home a different way; they sent the few warriors
for our patience by an eternal life in the City of they had to help the other tribes bring the Kohani down.
Stars.”
Living in Hell
Nazar’s Four Year Pilgrimage The Khorsheed wander nomadically in an
After renouncing his thieving brother Idaniz, Nazar exceptionally barren part of the desert, where hot, flat salt
al Kamzur walked out into the desert, alone and plains are dotted with water-holes that are tiny, seasonal,
distraught. He felt his brother’s fault to be his own, and unpredictable. When the Khorsheed first heard of
and in an attempt to absolve himself of it, he the concept of Hell as a place of suffering and torment in
wandered the desert for four years, seeking out wise eternal waste and fire, which was an idea that filtered to
men and women and asking their aid and advice. them from the west, they decided that they knew exactly
His wanderings took him to settlements of all kinds, where Hell was, because they lived there. According to
large and small. It is said he visited the lands beyond the Khorsheed, if you live a good life, when you die your
the desert to the east, to the north, and to the west. spirit rises to Heaven and you live in paradise surrounded
He saw many wonders and riches, which made him by trees and water. If you live a sinful life, when you
envious at first, but then he saw that their owners were die, your spirit is reborn on Earth to atone with another
neither wise nor happy. He began to believe that all the life. Thus, all those people living now are paying for
pleasures of the Earthly life are false and hollow, and sins of their past lives by suffering in the desert.
his belief was solidified in the third year of his journey.
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Daily life among the Khorsheed is dedicated to The Mahsimi

survival and personal salvation. What time they do not
spend keeping themselves alive, they spend cleansing “We are the strongest people in the desert, for we
themselves of sin, and trying to appease the torturing have come out of the greatest adversity and are
sun, whom they see as the biggest barrier to their making our way to the greatest prosperity.
ascent into Heaven. At dawn and dusk, Khorsheed Throwing off the bonds of slavery has freed us
must kneel before the sun and offer up apologies for to obtain riches beyond the dreams of Peyravi,
all the sins of this life…and all their past lives. The and power beyond the dreams of Badsavar. We
Khorsheed believe that in doing this, they will atone have overthrown our masters; now that we have
for all that sinfulness and ensure a place in paradise. mastery over ourselves we may prove ourselves
The most important event in Khorsheed life occurs the strongest tribe.”
once every four years, and is intended to commemorate
the four-year journey of atonement undertaken by Nazar, Pride in the Name of the Moon
the founder of the tribe. Every four years they make a When the Crocodile Zar gathered the twelve nomad
pilgrimage north to Binghe Bay, where they may swim families together under his rule at the founding of the
and feel the cool water around them, but before they Kohani nation, each family was given a distinct job.
leave, every member of the tribe must take a drink of the Zar probably did not intend for some of these jobs to
water. The ritual reminds them that joys of Earthly life be looked at as more lowly than others. There was no
are shallow and false, that nothing on Earth is perfect. It doubt, however, that even at the beginning, the family
is supposed to encourage virtuous living, in preparation that became his servants was treated badly by the
for ascent into Heaven, where things are perfect. other families. While Bezira az Sari, Zar’s new Jackal
This is a tribe full of misery, and only those with wife, was alive, she managed to keep this treatment
tolerance for heat and dryness are likely to live long. under control, but when she died it went unchecked.
Camels and Jerboas make excellent choices; Crocodiles What began as simple jeering grew, over several
are very rare in this tribe. Resolve, a high Will, and Gifts generations, into a class separation so large that cultural
like Toughness, Robust, or Extra Hit Point work very differences started to appear. By this time they were
well with this tribe. Frailty, lowered hit points, and flaws slave-laborers as well as servants. They wore worse
like Failing Health are rarely appropriate, for such a clothing than their masters, ate in different rooms,
person would quickly succumb to the terrible conditions. slept in different buildings, and even went to different
temples led by the servants and slaves of ‘real’ priests.
Relations with Outsiders One of these, an animal-keeper belonging to a priest of
The Khorsheed have little contact with other tribes. Cabok, who was called Al-Mobad, was the first to call the
For the most part they remain in their own territory, and class of servants and slaves the Mahsimi. He did so to draw
other tribes have little desire to enter their lands. Even a connection to Mah, the spirit of the moon who was the
the Damesab usually leave them alone; they know that slave to the spirit of the sun. He wanted to suggest that all
the Khorsheed very rarely have anything worth stealing. people had their place in Heaven, and that therefore there
The Khorsheed do not like the Sorkhareh, whom they was some divine spark within everyone. He wished to give
see as far too violent, and the Sorkhareh do not particularly the people he called the Mahsimi a little pride in themselves.
like them, but the two tribes remain peaceful. The As the word spread, the Mahsimi eagerly began using it.
Khorsheed must pass through Sorkhareh lands on their In one generation, every slave and servant in the
pilgrimage to the northern sea, and while the passing is kingdom was using it. In another generation, the
sometimes tense, it has never yet led to actual conflict. The Kohani were using it too. A third generation after the
Khorsheed give the Sorkhareh offerings of minerals, such as word had become common, both sides took it to mean
cobalt and paxun powder, found more plentifully in their that the Kohani and the Mahsimi were different tribes.
part of the desert than in any other, and the Sorkhareh,
in return, guarantee their safety in Sorkhareh lands.
The next step in their journey brings them through the
lands of the riders of the northern steppes. The Khorsheed
trade the barbarians salt for safe passage, and both
sides agree to be non-aggressive during the pilgrimage.
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Gazeteer
Hlavar’s Crusade the Badsavar would be likely to kill any adult Mahsimi who
As slavery grew more and more common, paid dared enter their lands, but she felt the children might be
Mahsimi became rarer and rarer, and eventually every spared long enough to tell their story. Indeed they were,
Mahsimi was a slave. Even then, storytellers still told of and they returned with a Badsavar wizard who agreed
a time when the Mahsimi were free and equal with their to teach promising Mahsimi the techniques of his magic.
masters. These stories occasionally stirred up enough Even with the help of the Badsavar, Hlavar was not
resentment to push the Mahsimi to revolt. Such revolts satisfied with the state of Mahsimi preparations for
recurred on an average of two or three times a century, but years – long enough, indeed, for the great ziggurat to
they were rarely well-organized and never well-equipped, reach enormous size, although it was still nowhere
and the Kohani always crushed them within a year. near completion. At last Hlavar felt the Mahsimi were
The coming of the Kohani shah Kasdim was to ready, and she gave the word for the revolt to begin.
change everything. On the night of his birth, it is said, all The Kohani were taken completely by surprise, and
the Mahsimi cooking fires went out all at once. When the Mahsimi were so well prepared, that the revolt
Kasdim ascended to the throne, the Mahsimi were struck itself took a very short time. While the Mahsimi didn’t
with a strange disease that caused temporary blindness exactly win, neither did they lose, for they did at least
and insanity. The disease swept through the Mahsimi win the freedom for which they had fought so hard.
in a month, affecting all of them without actually killing By this time, the Mahsimi had not known freedom in
anyone, but it barely affected the Kohani at all. many centuries, and while Hlavar had prepared them
At last, when Kasdim announced his plans to build his well for the revolt, she had not even thought to prepare
great ziggurat, the Dastani Hlavar was visited by a terrible them for victory. The Mahsimi hardly knew what to do
vision. One night, she had been gazing at the moon and with themselves. At first they lost themselves in revels,
praying. Suddenly she had seen the ziggurat full-built, with living off the food and wine scattered among the remains
Kasdim beginning to climb it to Heaven. She saw the gods, of the civilization they helped to build. When that ran
one by one, coming down to meet him, Marmulak the out, Hlavar knew they needed some direction, and led
Crocodile god in front, with fury in their eyes. Marmulak them west, knowing that the north was mostly inhabited.
struck Kasdim down and began to hew the ziggurat apart, The Mahsimi were too unaccustomed to travel in
flinging bricks and stone in all directions. Hlavar saw the the desert, and were ill-prepared for it. They had no
Mahsimi slaves buried under the debris, and somehow food, and no source of fresh water now that the Kohani
knew that all the Mahsimi were being killed, almost by oases were all destroyed. They were used to working
accident, as Marmulak’s wrath spread over the Kohani. during the day and sleeping at night, so at first that was
The next night she gave a vivid account of this vision how they traveled. Many thirsted to death, or starved.
to her friends, and word of the vision began to spread Some fell victim to mirages; others simply got lost.
through the tribe. Many people came to her asking what Even Hlavar succumbed, at last, to the terrible desert.
should be done. For a month, all she would reply is,
“I’m thinking. When I know, I will tell everyone.” Then, Becoming Middlemen
at last, she called together all the elders of the Mahsimi. After the death of Hlavar, the Mahsimi lost what
“My kinsmen, it is time for a revolt. Not a feeble organization they had and continued westward aimlessly,
cry of rage and frustration, as all Mahsimi revolts have searching for any place they could settle. At last they
been in the past, but a true escape from this terrible found themselves at the edge of the desert, looking down
prison. We must prepare, and we must equip steep cliffs at a large city, with architecture very unlike that
ourselves, and we must train…but above all we must of the Kohani lands, their original homeland. Exhausted
be patient. We cannot strike until the moment is right, and desperate, they stumbled on into the city, determined
and it will take many years for us to prepare properly.” to get food and water, even if they had to beg.
Hlavar then began her preparations. Her first task was They were challenged by two Emirate street-guards
to find the best warriors among the Mahsimi and get them in a language they could not quite understand, but one
to begin teaching all Mahsimi in the ways of war. The that was still similar to their own. Using hand motions,
Mahsimi worked exhaustingly during the day, and Hlavar they managed to convey that they were hungry and
was asking them to work even harder after they were done, desired food. The guards motioned for them to return
but they did it, and slowly, their skills grew. Hlavar’s second to the hills outside the city and wait. At first, the
task was to send three children out to seek the lands of the Mahsimi refused, until some of the city folk brought out
Badsavar. She told them that the Badsavar had wizards a basket of bread and a large roasted lizard for them.
who could control the winds with waves of their hands and
magic words, and that what the Mahsimi needed was for
the Badsavar to teach them their magic. Hlavar knew that
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Gazeteer
The guards must have gone to the Emir and told Life on the edge of the desert is typified by long periods
their story, for a few days later the Mahsimi were visited of hardship punctuated, at the coming of the Badsavar
by the Emir and his entourage. At first they were afraid caravans, by brief periods of overwhelming plenty. For
the Emir had come to drive them off, for the entourage most of the year the Mahsimi struggle to feed themselves.
was well armed, but they also carried large dishes of Then, twice a year for about a week each time, they hold
food, piles of clothes, jugs of water, and other goods. a great festival, where the Badsavar caravans and the
A long negotiation in hand signals ensued. It soon Emirate merchants meet in their lands and trade, and
became apparent to the Mahsimi that the Emir was very when they are suddenly inundated with fresh food, new
impressed with the asbal the Mahsimi had with them, clothes, tools, and weapons, and other wonderful goods.
that were given to them by the Badsavar, and that they As a result of this cycle, the Mahsimi have become
were what he wanted above all. The Mahsimi managed masters of food preservation. Scarab Keepers are the
to trade one asbal for a month’s supply of food, another life-blood of any Mahsimi village, because they must
for rights to a patch of land with a spring, another for find a way to preserve as much of the food that
enough cloth to make each Mahsimi a new robe, and a reaches them during the festivals as they possibly can,
fourth for stoneworking tools that they could use to build for as long as they can. The very best Mahsimi Scarab
themselves shelter. The remaining three were each Keepers can preserve some of the food well enough
traded for one musket, which the Mahsimi had never that it lasts until the next caravan arrives.
seen before. Lastly, one member of the Mahsimi went Many young Mahsimi grow tired of the endless
with the Emir’s people to teach them Zabani, the desert boredom between festivals. Enticed by the stories travelers
language, and one of the Emir’s scholars stayed among bring of the wide world, they pack up their possessions
the Mahsimi to teach them the Emirate language. and set out seeking adventure. Nomads and other
The Mahsimi mostly responsible for the negotiations adventuresome Careers are appropriate for Mahsimi,
had been a Scarab Keeper named Bahu. Knowing a and flaws such as Curious, Envious, and Wanderlust
good deal when she saw one, she sent several Mahsimi are appropriate. Mahsimi that stay in the tribal lands
back into the desert on sotor to trade surplus cloth tend to be Traders or Scarab Keepers, or take up art or
and, after some thought, one of the muskets, for more a craft, to give them something to do between festivals.
asbal. Regular trading began that continues to this
day. The Badsavar seem reluctant to sell their asbal to Relations with Outsiders
anyone but the Mahsimi and occasional Zhongguo The Mahsimi maintain good relations with the
caravans, and as a result the high Emirate demand for Badsavar and the Emirates because of the asbal trade.
asbal is supplied almost entirely by the Mahsimi. Indeed, it is probably the only thing that keeps the
Mahsimi alive, for while they have learned from their
On the Edge of the Sands mistakes, they do not have enough fertile land to support
The Mahsimi are used to being led by women. The themselves without help. On the whole, the Mahsimi
tribe was founded by a woman, and saved twice by are quite lucky that the people of the Emirates cannot
women, once by Hlavar and once by Bahu. As a result, breed enough asbal to supply their own demands.
they always have female shahs that they call the Amira, The Mahsimi know of the Abi-Asman, but are wary of
after the leaders in the Emirates, the Emirs. However, them; now and then, a small group of Mahsimi will venture
they have a strange superstition that demands that the towards Abi-Asman to steal a few supplies, but they never
Amira never marry. Bezira, the founder of the tribe, led stay long, even if they get lucky. The architecture and
the tribe into slavery when she married the Crocodile Zar; culture, and especially the slaves, of the Abi-Asman bring
Hlavar’s death was shortly preceded by her marriage to unpleasant thoughts about the Kohani. The Mahsimi are,
one of the Mahsimi’s bravest warriors. Even Bahu was for the moment, trying to stay out of the eyes of the Abi-
apparently ruined by marriage; she died giving birth to Asman, for fear that they may be pressed back into slavery.
her second child. So the Amira must appoint her female Other than that, the Mahsimi have little contact with
heir, since if she has any children they will be illegitimate. other tribes. They are separated from the Sorkhareh and
the Dastan-Dastar by a stretch of especially rocky, rough
desert that has no oases. The Damesab do sometimes raid
the Badsavar caravans that bring asbal to the Mahsimi, but
the Mahsimi are rarely involved. The Mahsimi themselves
rarely venture outside their small area; any news they get
of other tribes comes mostly through the Badsavar, and
adventurous members of their tribe who have come home.
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Gazeteer
The Peyravi The Cursed Lands hold real danger. Sightings of

ghosts and stories of the dead coming to life were once
“Our people may not be the best warriors in the dismissed as superstition but have now been accepted
desert, but we sit on the edge of a land full of as a common occurrence. The spirits of those who
riches. Through careful study, thorough died in the War of Revenge are restless, and many are
research, and cautious exploration we shall dangerous. The spirits of Kohani people especially are
discover them all, and with them, win the often hostile to the Peyravi because they see them as part
allegiance of all the other tribes. After all, is it of the reason for their demise. The Cursed Lands are
not the natural order for the wise to rule while also home to large omnivorous lizards, the badkar, which
the strong protect them?” normally live off whatever they can find but are happy to
make a meal of explorers. The badkar themselves are
The Staying-Behind never eaten by the Peyravi; like all living things from the
Originally part of the Jostani tribe, and retaining pride Cursed Lands, the badkar are tainted by the undrinkable
in their origins, the Peyravi were left behind by their water. The Peyravi believe that the tainted water and
brethren after the War of Revenge. Most of the Jostani vegetation, combined with the presence of malevolent
were afraid of the Kohani lands. Old superstitions led them ghosts, have caused the badkar to become killers.
to believe that the land and air were tainted, and that The Peyravi value quickness, diligence of mind,
remaining in these lands would be dangerous for the soul. and bravery. The scholarly find themselves quite at
Those who would become the Peyravi said that the home here but there is as much need for those of
only thing that could be proved to be tainted was the strong arm and quick foot in the explorations into the
water, which the tribes had poisoned with their own Cursed Lands. They have had to become experts at
hands. There was one oasis left untouched, and the discovering and avoiding dangerous ghosts and undead
people who wanted to stay said it could be used while horrors. Good Skills for Peyravi include Observation,
the tribe delved the secrets of the Kohani ruins. Sixth Sense, and Traps for avoiding the traps and
The Jostani tried everything to get their brothers to pitfalls so common in the Cursed Lands. Also helpful
leave, but a few flatly refused. They said, “Leave us is the Skill of Resolve, for standing face to face with
behind! Leave us behind, if you will. We will not lose ghosts and mummies. Jerboas make excellent Peyravi.
the chance to learn from the wealth of knowledge
heaped about us; if you will, then leave us behind.” And Relations with Outsiders
so they did, and the Jostani tribe left, going northwest. Of all the Nine Tribes, the Peyravi are probably the
Those who remained renamed themselves the Peyravi, most isolated. The other tribes rarely dare to go near the
which means Followers, declaring that they intended Cursed Lands, and the Peyravi rarely travel outside them.
to follow the path to truth no matter where it led. Occasionally, brave Damesab will come to raid Peyravi
settlements, knowing that riches are likely to be found there,
Truth through Courage but unless they know the value of books filled with symbols
A small tribe full of scholars, the Peyravi live as close they do not understand, they usually leave disappointed.
as they dare to the Cursed Lands, where the Kohani
once dwelled. Their only oasis is Abuda Quasar, The Sorkhareh
which originally belonged to the Derpasdari; it was the
“Our people are the strongest in the desert. We
only one left untouched after the War of Revenge.
control the largest number of oases, and we
The Peyravi exist to learn from the knowledge in
guide the largest number of caravans through
the Cursed Lands. They have already deciphered its
the desert. We have withstood the attacks of
writing, and so they are one of the few tribes where
savage steppe riders, deceitful Damesab,
literacy is common. The Peyravi send out small groups
arrogant Derpasdari, and miserable Khorsheed.
of explorers into the Cursed Lands every few weeks,
Guided by Sorkhaziana, the Red Star, we will never
and if they come back, the artifacts they bring with
be lost, no matter how far we travel.”
them are studied and interpreted by expert scholars.
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Gazeteer
Mugar the Teacher Then Piruzi, having gotten old and pushed his
After being betrayed by his wife, the Jackal Mugar al- aging body too far, died, leaving the Sorkhareh in the
Seta was overcome with despair. The stories say he dug hands of his brother Durandisi, the next eldest student
his claws into his hands until they bled, and held his of Mugar. Durandisi was already quite old when he
hands up towards Heaven, crying aloud. Then, it is said, took power, and had no heirs, and so he realized that
he saw in the north the red star Sorkhaziana, and he took the succession could not continue like this forever. He
her color, the same as the color of his blood, as a sign. set up the rules of succession the Sorkhareh still use,
He wiped his hands and cleaned them on the sand, and and asked anyone who wished to try for the throne to
then he mounted his sotor and rode towards the star. come to Abuda Dhabi and participate in a great battle.
Led by her light, Mugar found a rich and beautiful He wanted the first succession to be free to all, to
oasis near the northern edge of the desert. He ensure that someone worthy would take the throne.
determined to settle there and take Sorkhaziana as his The winner was the Sorkhareh’s first female Shah, the
role model. She had been a strong and powerful Camel Dorosti, who was a fierce fighter and a demanding
warrior, and from the day he settled at the oasis, leader. Her first act as Shah was to travel from one end of
Mugar began to train himself as a warrior in her style. her territory to the other, and what she saw did not please
Mugar was alone for the first three years. Then his her. In conquering so many people, she said, Piruzi
home was attacked by a group of twenty warriors bent certainly increased the Sorkhareh’s land, but he also
on plundering his estate. Mugar swiftly defeated allowed in the unworthy and the weak. She organized
thirteen of them. Impressed to the point of awe, the the land into five sections, gave four of them princes to
other seven surrendered, and begged Mugar to teach rule them, and instituted mandatory military training for
them his techniques. At first he refused, but they all Sorkhareh. She also ended the military conquests.
stayed at the oasis, helping him by fetching water,
growing a garden, and repairing his house. He found, The Two Wars of Revenge
also, that they were learning little by little just by A long succession of Shahs all trained for battle, and
watching him train. At last, he agreed to teach them. holding their seats through might and skill in battle, made
After learning all Mugar said he could teach them, the Sorkhareh a very battle-ready people. This has
three of the warriors remained to continue to train with turned out to be a good thing for the Sorkhareh. Their
Mugar, and the other four ventured out into the desert. main city, Abuda Dhabi, has been attacked more times
Each of them met other warriors, and defeated them, than anyone can count. Very rarely has a year gone
and word of the battle prowess of Mugar’s students by in which the Sorkhareh have not had to defend it.
spread. Mugar began to get more students. Eventually When news of the Mahsimi revolt and the Kohani
there were so many that he let his original seven students treachery reached the Sorkhareh, things had been quiet
teach some of them. Some warriors began bringing their at Abuda Dhabi for nearly three years. The Shah, a
spouses and children, and began to build new buildings. Hyena named Arzumand, foolishly took this to mean that
The oasis of Abuda Dhabi was becoming a town. the northern barbarians had given up for the moment.
Mugar’s dying words declared that his people had He led nearly half the Sorkhareh, almost anyone fit
become the Sorkhareh, a tribe that followed enough to go, across miles and miles of desert towards
Sorkhaziana. He said he was very pleased with his the southeast and the Kohani lands. The Sorkhareh
tribe, and hoped that they would stay together and formed the bulk of the forces there, did most of the
continue the traditions he had begun. hardest fighting, and lost the most members in battle.
By the time the first War of Revenge was nearing its end,
Mugar’s Successors desperate runners from the Sorkhareh homelands were
Mugar never remarried. He was succeeded by the arriving with news that the Sorkhareh had actually been
oldest of his students, a Hyena named Piruzi. Piruzi forced out of Abuda Dhabi by riders from the northern
declared that to keep the traditions alive, the Sorkhareh steppes. Furious at himself, Arzumand led his warriors
had to continue to grow. To do this, he said, they must in one last devastating charge against the Kohani, ended
put their battle-prowess to the test and take over more the war, committed suicide, and sent his troops back
oases. Piruzi began a campaign to conquer other oases. home with a message that a new dynasty should begin.
He spread the tribe’s influence east and west, absorbing
nomad families into the tribe or killing them if they got
in his way. In fifteen years the Sorkhareh had extended
their borders to the edges of the desert in both directions.
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When the Sorkhareh warriors reached home, the first The Warrior’s Life
thing they did was to have the most ceremonial succession The biggest Sorkhareh settlement, Abuda Dhabi,
battle ever. They dared not lose any of their best fighters marks the center of their lands and lies between the forts
right before another difficult war. The winner was the of Al-Shaqri and Al-Wajbah. To reach it, they follow a
Jerboa Tiqtiq, who successfully led the Sorkhareh to line drawn in the sky from Mazgat Langar, the anchor star,
victory, though it took two years. Once they had their city to the red star Sorkhaziana. Their city is probably the
back, he began the construction of the wall that surrounds easiest in the desert to find, and as a result the Sorkhareh
it now, and he sent detachments to check on the other have had to defend it and themselves vigorously. It has
four principalities and inform them of the victory. been attacked at least once by every other tribe, and it is
almost continually besieged by people from the northern
The Beginnings of Trade steppes. The city is walled on all sides and defended
The Sorkhareh met people from the Emirates first, some by Qanundari at all times, day, night, and twilight.
time near the beginning of the Al-Shanjar dynasty that rules The Sorkhareh as a whole live by escorting caravans.
the Sorkhareh now. A detachment from the Emirates had Preferring payment in the form of steel and guns, the
gotten caught in a sandstorm on their way to Mahsimi lands Sorkhareh would weaken and be overrun without
and gone way off course. Their navigator, a foolish, but in trade with the east and west. As a result they take
many ways fortunate, man, led them in totally the wrong protecting caravans very seriously. Qanundari and
direction and bumped them up against the Sorkhareh. other guards that escort caravans are sworn to protect
The Sorkhareh greeted them like enemies, since they the caravan all costs, even the cost of their own lives.
were so used to discovering enemies, but their defense The Sorkhareh are led by a warrior-shah whose palace
force was scared out of its mind by the long exploding is in Abuda Dhabi. When the Shah dies, any of his
sticks the Emirate people carried. The Sorkhareh very children who wish to take the throne gather in the great
quickly realized that the Emirate people were friendly, square in front of the palace, and battle each other until
since they only fired warning shots and did not try to kill only one is left standing. The winner takes the throne; the
anyone. They were surprised to find that some, but not losers, if they live, become advisors to the new Shah. Each
all, of the emissaries spoke their language, and were city has its own prince who is answerable only to the Shah.
hungry, thirsty, and tired. The Sorkhareh brought the The title of prince passes to the eldest child of the current
Emirate people into the nearest Sorkhareh oasis and prince when that prince dies; if there is no heir, the Shah
gave them food and water, a place to rest, and an escort appoints one. The Shah may also depose a prince at any
home, in return for a few of those exploding sticks. time, and it is this power that keeps the princes in line.
Thus the Sorkhareh found the gun. The defenders who The Sorkhareh prize individual fortitude and battle skill.
had encountered it learned to use it and then went to the Many Sorkhareh are fighters, and almost all have some
palace of the Crocodile Shah Labxand al-Shanjar in Abuda skill with the curved Dasan or Samsir. Most will have the
Dhabi to show him the wonder of the new weapon. The Resolve skill. The Sorkhareh are not without their scholars
Shah immediately gave orders that a group of Sorkhareh and their Badjaduyi, but Sorkhareh are required to spend
should find the Emirate lands and set up permanent trade. four years between the ages of 14 and 18 training for battle
Shortly afterwards the Sorkhareh were visited by in one of the schools in the big cities, so even scholars and
emissaries from Zhongguo, who were looking for the wizards will have some fighting skills. All the desert races
Farramad. The Sorkhareh brought them to Labxand, exist within the Sorkhareh, but some Jerboas and Camels
who swiftly negotiated a trade deal that not only find the Sorkhareh ways too fierce for their liking.
allowed free trade between the Sorkhareh and
Zhongguo, but also opened the doors to trade between Relations with Outsiders
Zhongguo and the Emirates, through the Sorkhareh. The Sorkhareh have little regard for people of the other
These efforts made the Sorkhareh a trade-driven tribe tribes. They kill them when they trespass and ignore them
almost overnight, and if anyone needed proof of the otherwise. They will not make treaties or agreements
value of the trade, they got it a few months later. Then, with them, but expect the other tribes to respect their
a tiny Sorkhareh force armed with guns routed a huge boundaries or pay the consequences. The one exception
invasion from the northern steppes, in just two hours. is the Khorsheed: in return for rare minerals from the
barren salt flats at the center of the desert, the Sorkhareh
allow the Khorsheed to pass through their lands once
every four years on their pilgrimage to the sea.
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Of all the tribes, the Sorkhareh have by far the most

contact with people of the civilized east, and their position
Katikati Jungle
in the desert practically assures that they are the only It’s said that no place on earth is more dangerous
tribe who come in contact with the people of the north. or more beautiful than the jungles of Katikati. (The full
The Sorkhareh have three forts that are hubs of name is Misitu Katikati ya Giza, but most people just call
contact. Al-Shaqri in the east connects the Sorkhareh it the Katikati.) Massive trees five stories tall or more
to Zhongguo. The Sorkhareh control the fort but have blot out the sun on the lush flora below. Vines cling to
agreed to allow a small detachment of troops from great cliffs, next to pouring waterfalls. Mysterious
Zhongguo to be stationed there. Al-Shaqri is the often monsters and undiscovered tribes live and die as they
the first place where people from Zhongguo see any of did centuries before, shrouded in eternal mystery.
the desert peoples, but they are given little time to Yes, every now and then someone claims to have some
become accustomed to them. Caravans typically enter map to the “Lost Mine of King Mtu-wa Umoja” or the
Al-Shaqri from the east during the day, are given one “Singularity of Gemmajacula” or some other nonsense
night and day of rest, and leave the following night. that can only be in the darkest center of the Katitaki
The caravans are led through the desert by skilled jungles. Such people are dishonest, or mad, or both.
Sorkhareh Dastani and accompanied by many guards, Mostly what’s to be found in the Kitakita are new diseases
a few of which will be full-fledged Qanundari. Caravans spread by tiny insects. If one does meet any of the local
are allowed to stop in Abuda Dhabi and trade with the tribes, they won’t speak any of the common languages,
inhabitants. Then, after many long nights of traveling and they aren’t much interested in money they can’t use.
the caravans reach a break in the desert where sits the
fort of Al-Wajbah. This fort acts as a trading post with
the barbarians of the northern steppes, and as a place Kuhestan Mountains
where culture-shocked Zhonggese can rest, eat, trade, Rising from the desert in scattered strings, Kuhestan
and have a real bath (for a high price). Caravans may is the name for any mountain in the desert. For the
stay here as long as they can afford to, but most stay most part they are sharp, craggy, windblown affairs with
only a few days. The Sorkhareh have complete control no vegetation and no inhabitants. They are extremely
over this fort, for they have little trust for the people of difficult to climb, but for weary travelers, or those escaping
the steppes. More than once this fort has changed retribution or capture for crimes, the trek may be worth it.
hands, but in the end the Sorkhareh always reclaim it, They are often riddled with twisting caves carved by the
usually with the help of Zhonggese rockets and relentless wind. They make excellent hiding places, as
Emirate guns, for both the Emirates and Zhongguo they are usually easy to defend and surrounded by good
have a vested interest in keeping the trade route open. ambush spots. A few of the older, deeper caves lead to
Upon leaving Al-Wajbah, the caravans traverse a underground reservoirs of water; these are highly prized
stretch of more hospitable but far more dangerous by the Damesab as hiding places, and fiercely guarded.
land. Here, especially along the Zekas River, caravans
are often besieged by raiders from all sides: northern
steppe riders, sorties of tribes from the desert, and
bandits from the Emirates. Many Zhonggese are quite
relieved when they catch sight of the fort of Al-
Thughb, for it marks the end of their journey with the
Sorkhareh. Al-Thughb is held jointly by Sorkhareh
and people of the Western Emirates. Caravans are
handed over to escorts from the Emirates here.
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Things changed about a thousand years ago, when

Namat the City-State the sages of the Phylactorium engineered the Twin
(al-Madinat ‘aella Namat) Roads of Namat.
Sometimes called the “City on Centuries later, Anatolia would attempt to annex
the Hill”, “The Great Roost”, and Namat. Attacking by force was suicide, with only two
(sometimes) “The Screws”, Namat is avenues of approach. And a siege was next-to-useless:
a large city located on a large stone the city had large warehouses, its own water supply,
butte. Centuries ago, the first king and a support network from the air.
(Namat al-Qunas the First, of Today, Namat is a popular stop among traders
course) had the city built by many moving over-land. Licenses, duties, and other costs
workers. For centuries, it was a notorious affair of are high, but corruption among officials is also
slums and dark alleys, home only to temporary rampant, not to mention the gangs and pirates who
nomads passing through, to the desperate who couldn’t look to profit from the unwary. Namat is a place to get
leave, and to birds of all kinds (who had no trouble with rich quick or to die even more quickly.
the difficult climbs.) All building materials, goods, and
services were limited to what could be carried by a single
avian at a time, or by using elaborate pulley systems.
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The Twin Roads of Namat The Kingdom of Òyó

(Soter’s Screws)
Òyó lies southwest of Anatolia. It
An impressive feat of engineering are the two corkscrew
is the northernmost of the city-states
approaches to reach the city. Rather than building one long
in southern Akoma, the largest of
ramp, there are two that wind around the city, never rising
them due to the warlike expansion
higher than a 5-degree angle. Built out of thick stone and
of the Nameless King. While its
rigorously maintained by the ruling class, the Twin Roads
military technology lags Anatolia’s, it
have stood for centuries and will stand for centuries more.
rivals the Delta in agricultural
Many businesses have set up along the road, hawking
production, and exceeds the Delta in diversity of
all kinds of wares. Most of these places are illegitimate, to
mineral and agricultural resources.
avoid the expensive license fees, but the watch is often too
A hereditary monarch called an oba rules Òyó from
busy taking bribes to keep track of who should be there
the eponymous Òyó City. Òyó’s military is strong and
and who shouldn’t. Caravans who stop in Namat bring
excellent at improvising solutions to the problem of
extra body-guards and minders to keep their wares safe.
lower steel availability and relatively few firearms, but
Òyó’s citizens would blanch at the thought of military
The Namat Phylactorium spending like Anatolia’s.
Founded by someone history only knows as There’s nothing on the coast of Òyó except for
“Soter”, the Phylactorium is one of the largest libraries fishing villages, whose inhabitants mostly shrug and go
in the world. Only the Royal Libraries of Majing in far about their business when Anatolian armies land. The
Zhongguo is older… and the Phylactorium is larger shallow-keeled galleys popular on the Shallow Sea are
than Majing’s and Dunwasser’s together. Books, scrolls, too cumbersome to make it up Òyó’s navigable rivers—
and even tablets in clay are contained within its walls. and when they’ve tried, the defenders have made the
By tradition, the head librarian of the Phylactorium is attackers’ lives hell by stretching iron chains across the
addressed only as Soter. This practice was established river or lobbing explosives from forested riverbanks.
by the first head librarian and continues to this day. Second, the terrain of Òyó isn’t flat grasslands and desert,
The property of the king, the Phylactorium is closed to like much of Anatolia – it’s dense hills and thick jungles.
outsiders, but licenses can be easily obtained (or forged). The disciplined formations and lines of gunmen which
Different parts of library have different rules. Many scholars make Anatolian janissaries so deadly in open terrain and
speculate that it was the first Soter who discovered the boarding actions are less effective in the misty, forested
methods of Cognoscente Magic, and that somewhere deep areas of the interior. Such surroundings favor the shorter
within those sub-basements and scroll tubes is the source effective range of the light bows and javelins which Òyó’s
of all sorcery. Whether it’s true or not, what we do know skirmishers prefer; even the fastest-reloading janissary can’t
is that many an Almaghnatisia will take a journey to this outshoot an archer at these ranges. Combined with the
place to further their craft, to make contact with other pirates from the Corsair Islands and the war in nearby
Cognoscenti to give them the insider knowledge they seek. Sagat, the Anatolians are unable to maintain supply lines
for an invasion. But things might change, any day now….
The Wells of Namat
Namat was built on a large aquifer, but the water
needs of the local population quickly out-grew what the
springs could provide. Again, the Phylactorium engineers
devised a solution: enormous water-screws that descend
deep into the earth. During the drier times, these screws
are turned by beasts-of-burden and by indentured
slaves. “Going to the screws” means getting sent deep
within the tunnels, where you might be turning these
pipes until your last days, never again to see the sun.
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Sagat
The western-most city of Yindu,
Sagat is but a former shadow of itself.
A bloody civil war has left many dead
and even more starving. Many of the
survivors from these battles found
themselves on the losing side, with
their lords gone and their lands
destroyed or stolen. The fall of the city presents a problem
to Zhongguo’s southern trade routes. Not only is Sagat
no longer a safe port, but the southern coast of Akoma
is now infestest with pirates. For now, the more
expensive Silk Road is safer, but much slower.
Many would want to be the new king of this city…
but armies cost money, and weapons need skilled
hands to fire them. With the city’s wealth exhausted
and stolen, it’s anyone guess when Sagat will recover.
A generation ago, the Anatolian Empire sought to
take this city the same way they would take the Deltan
Empire… but their invasion only made things worse. The
resistance of the Òyó did not help matters, and without
a beach-head or a base of operations, the Anatolian
ministers of war are waiting now, to see what develops.
Silk Road
The longest over-land trade route in all the known
world, the Silk Road extends all the way from
Zhongguo’s western border to the far edge of Akoma,
and then down along the entire coast to the southern tip.
Many merchants, mercenaries, and other adventurers
have joined up with one caravan or another, attempting
the dangerous route through empty plains, mysterious
jungles, unknown hills, and the occasional oasis.
Despite the name, there is no “road” itself, just paths
of least resistance, which change with the weather. Sand
storms can bury landmarks. The rainy season can bring
flash floods. And sometimes the easiest path is also a
dangerous place to be ambushed by bandits. The Silk
Road isn’t entirely barren. New towns pop up, too small for
any census and gone in the blink of an eye when the wells
dry up and the trade isn’t coming. The many nomadic
tribes of the savannah are aware of the caravans, and they
will often camp out on the major routes. (Whether it’s for
friendly trade or for extortive tribute is always a gamble.)
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Gazeteer
People can be greedy and superstitious, and more

Tradewinds than one mad foreigner has led some expedition to
There are two favorable over-seas routes to Akoma. this place, usually with some dubious map or diary in
The northern tradewinds go over the great ocean to hand. They always come home disappointed… if they
Calabria. There’s a lot of blue water on this route and come home at all. Anything that could be looted has
nothing else. The southern tradewinds pass from the been, and all that remains are curiosities of a long-
southern cape to Zhongguo… but unfortunately, that dead civilization, with no monetary value.
region is now rife with piracy from the Corsair states, and
the “safe” port of Sagat has fallen into war. As international ‘Djed Nakrubulis
trade grows, it’s the northern parts of Akoma, such as One rumor that refuses to go away quietly is that
the Deltan Valley, that are reaping the greatest rewards. somewhere deep under these ruins is a great
subterrean complex to house the dead: vast halls of
graves, sepulchers, catacombs and sarcophagi in a
Turt mauseoleum larger than any other in the world.
A southern city of the Hanguo On the surface, the story sounds ridiculous: who
Empire, not much is known about would have built all of this, if everyone was dead? The
this place. Citing the corrupting more elaborate versions of this story tell of how this city
influence of foreigners, the city limits was once ruled by a necromancer whose name is either
are closed to foreigners. There lost to time, or it might be “Ouai”. (Or it might be “Djed”,
doesn’t seem to be one reason why or “Perphredo”, or something else, depending on which
the city is closed. Some think it might version of this story that you find). Ouai set himself up
be because of a recent influx of Zhonggese as the king of this vast empire of the dead, using his
philospohers. Others believe it’s because the Hanguo necromancy to command them. Why he wouldn’t use
Emperor has signed a non-aggressive treaty with the this unstoppable, untiring force as an army to conquer
Anatolians, to avoid getting tangled up in the complex the world isn’t always clear. But most of the accounts
Anatolian-Calabrese-Zhongguo politics. Whatever the agree that Djed did not die in the conventional sense,
case, as long as the borders remain closed, Turt is not but passed on to another state of being. One can still
part of the lucrative trading that drives the imperial commune with him by way of a giant golden pillar, the
economies of this modern age. ‘Djed Nakrubulis. One must prostrate before the pillar
and open their mind to the secrets fo the universe, the
power that is beyond life and death, beyond time itself.
Waliopotea (The Forsaken City) While this story is almost certainly without foundation,
All are equal before the passage it hasn’t stopped some rare individuals from claiming that
of time. Empires rise and fall, they walk in the footsteps of the great necromancers of
families grow and then die out, and the past. The mystics known as the Djed-hukama’
event he greatest mountains can practice their secret and forbidden art, the magic that has
grind away to dust. dominion over death. More than one Djed-hakim has
Waliopotea must have been a city claimed to have made the pilgrimage to this mythical
at one time. There’s quarried stone, empty canals, and place to learn the insider secrets of necromancy. Unlike
the fossilized remains of garbage to be found in great pits. the necromancers of far Calabria, a Djed-hakim takes
The city was abandoned generations ago, though it’s their craft very seriously, aware of the risks that drawing
not clear why. There are as many theories as there are power from beyond the veil can create. (And, of course,
scholars, it seems, and what’s probably correct is the there’s the ire of the Black Angels to worry about, too.)
combination of all of them. A famine of the crops, a
war with the neighbors, a plague that took too many
lives, a drought that dried up the water … something
caused everyone who stayed here to perish and
everyone else to leave in a great hurry.
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Life in Akoma
Life in Akoma
whatever they put their hands to, instead of cultivating
plants. She vowed to teach people the value of plants and
Din Altse grains, and how to take care of them. She showed people
(The Religious Beliefs of the principles of the hoe and the plow, of irrigation,
the Desert Tribes) cultivation, and harvest, and in this way gave them plenty
to eat. Parandari’s image often appears in the layout of
The myths of the nine tribes are farms and fields, where they exist. Statues of her often
remembered in stories. Until very stand guard over herbal and pleasure gardens as well.
recently all these stories were kept Cabok was a Cheetah, and loved people and animals.
only in the oral traditions of Dastani She saw that some people, those of races, while they
and tribal storytellers, and many could eat what Parandari’s crops provided for them, did
different versions of these stories not like it, and seemed less healthy than others. She
exist among the tribes. With the went among them and asked them what they thought,
discovery of writing from the Emirates, the Dastan- and everywhere she received the same answer, that these
Dastar began recording their stories in written form. people hungered for animal flesh, but knew not how to
What follows is a description of some of the most go about getting it. Cabok went among the animals and
important stories, and their effect upon the philosophy learned their behavior. She noted particularly that some
of the desert peoples. animals used teeth and claws to kill and eat the others,
and that many others always gathered where certain
Heaven, Earth, and the Seven Jan
kinds of plants grew. Working with Parandari, she
In the beginning there was Heaven and Earth, and
developed the techniques of herding and slaughtering
Heaven fell in love with Earth and brought rain to
animals for food, and then she set about teaching them
nourish her. Earth was awakened by the rain, saw
to the people. Herders still carve images of Cabok into
Heaven, and fell in love with him. Nourished by his rain,
their fences, or wear spotted robes or masks while they
Earth brought forth the plants, the animals, and the
herd. The staves they use are painted like Cheetah tails.
people. Earth and Heaven admired each other from afar
Mar was a Cobra, and loved order and organization.
for a long time, but they could not keep apart forever.
He always asked the permission of his older sisters before
They came together in a close embrace, and Earth was
doing anything of importance. Mar looked upon the
covered over with water from Heaven’s happy tears.
people, and saw that they had no leaders, and no order,
Before long they had six children, all wise jan, or spirits,
and this pained him. He asked his sisters for permission
named Asbabi, Parandari, Cabok, Mar, Suskin, and
to teach the people about law and order, and to
Marmulak. While theologians dispute the order in which
appoint shahs, or kings, to oversee them. The sisters
they were born, their stories are always the same.
agreed, and Mar set about writing a code of laws for
Asbabi was a Hippopotamus, and loved Heaven and
the people to follow. He then appointed a shah to lead
rain and rivers. She looked around her and saw that
each tribe, and created an order of guards to enforce
people knew not the value of Heaven’s blessing. They
the law. Tribe leaders still wear crowns made like a
were wasting water, and defiling it, and letting it spoil.
cobra encircling the head, and Qanundari often wear
She took it upon herself to teach people the true value of
armbands made like a cobra twirling around their arm.
water, and they learned well. However, their waters were
Suskin was a Scarab, and loved clouds and light and
still defiled, and they knew not how to cleanse them.
life. He desired to build a great city in Heaven where he
They wailed in despair and begged Asbabi to help. She
and his brothers and sisters could live. So he set about
agreed, and with Heaven’s assistance dug up a holy
building Setaresahr, the City of Stars on the cloudy banks
spring called Zamzam, that would always be pure and
of Daryaxosi, the Sea of Delight and Se Marud, the Three
cool and would never run out. The people dug channels
Heavenly Rivers. When he was done, he was well pleased
and canals to mix the flow from Zamzam with the defiled
with his work, and settled down to live in Setaresahr.
rivers and oases, and slowly its power and purity
When he occasionally visited Earth, he taught people he
cleansed the other waters. Asbabi’s image often graces
met along the way many of his architectural techniques.
the pillars of bridges, and the walls of canals and oases.
Today, Suskin’s image is the symbol of Heaven and of
Parandari was an Ibis, and loved Earth and plants and
Setaresahr, and the paradise good people go to when they
grain. She looked around her and saw that people knew
not the value of Earth’s blessings, that they were eating
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Life in Akoma
die. It is also placed over the entrances to buildings, that Daryaxosi is connected to three wondrous rivers, the
Suskin’s good will may help to keep them standing strong. Se Marud, which are divine and play a part in the lives of
Marmulak was a Crocodile, and he loved his elder all mortals. The first of these is Sirahi Marud, the River
brother’s creation, the City of Stars. He saw that there of Warm Milk, which carries spirits to life. The second
were three ways into Setaresahr from Earth by Three is Abeya Marud, the River of Pure Water, which carries
Heavenly Rivers. Worried that these waterways might us through life. The third is Asal Marud, the River of
be used by enemies or thieves as entrances to the city, Sweet Honey, which carries us from life into Heaven.
Marmulak took his samsir and cut himself into three parts Buildings in Setaresahr are made of glass and clear
– head, torso, and legs – and one part of him went to crystal, which is why you can see the stars through
guard each of the three rivers. Today Marmulak’s image them. Most stars are the spirits of dead people, but
is used on doors and gates everywhere to show that they some of them are fires or magic lights, such as the one
are guarded both by Earthly and by Heavenly might. that shows where Mazgat Langar, the temple of the
Heaven and Earth were pleased with their children, gods, stands, at the center of Setaresahr.
and desired to have more. Before long, Earth’s belly To begin with, Heaven was meant as an abode for
began to swell up with the coming of a new child. gods, and Earth as a home for mortals. When mortals
Alas, the heart of this child was evil, and her intentions died, their bodies were absorbed into the Earth and their
hateful. She was born with a poisonous barb on her spirits were absorbed into the firmament of Heaven. Not
tail, which she used to cut and poison her mother’s every mortal was satisfied with this arrangement. Living
womb as she was born. So deeply did she wound her on Earth, while not as hard as it is now, was hardly easy,
mother that Earth became unable to have any more and many mortals longed to live in Heaven among the
children. Heaven and Earth named their Scorpion beautiful buildings and gardens of Setaresahr.
child Kazdom, and drew apart in sorrow. To this day, Now there was one humble young maid named
it is considered unlucky to have seven children. Anahita, whose nature concealed great bravery. She
Kazdom desired nothing but to bring disease, pain, devotedly served the great princess of the time, a
and sorrow to the people. While her brothers and sisters beautiful woman named Sahbanu. One morning,
spend much of their time trying to hunt Kazdom down Anahita found Sahbanu undressed and unwashed,
and imprison her, she always manages to evade them, looking disconsolate, and asked her what was the matter.
for she is crafty and cunning. Meanwhile, she spreads “I am worried, Anahita, about what will happen
disease and sorrow wherever she goes. She is powerful, when I die. I enjoy living so much; I do not want to
and some desperate people turn to her as a last resort, for simply cease to exist.” She sighed. “But not even if I
she is willing to make deals and use her power to help were princess of the entire world could I live forever,
one person, especially when it involves hurting many for that is a privilege reserved for the gods.”
others. Her image is often shattered, destroyed, or Anahita frowned. “True, my lady, you cannot live
blotted out in ceremonies involving the curing of disease. forever, but when your spirit rises to Heaven, you will
be among the gods. Will that not please you?”
Anahita, the First Star “When I die, my body will be absorbed into the ground,
There is no question that Heaven is a beautiful and it will no longer exist. So it will be with my spirit; I will
place. Even when the sun is in the sky and obscures not be pleased when my spirit joins the clouds, because
the silky blackness and bright stars, it is pleasing to I won’t know it. My spirit might as well be absorbed
look at. At night, however, the true nature of Heaven into the fire or the river for all that I will be able to tell.”
is revealed, and by gazing at it, theologians have been Anahita was troubled by this, because she very much
able to describe it in detail. admired her mistress. “My lady, if anyone upon Earth
In Heaven, the soil is so rich that it is deep black, and the deserves to have their spirit reside in Heaven after they
water so clear you can hardly see it. It is lush and full of die, instead of being simply absorbed into the clouds, it is
plants that bear succulent fruit, and animals run all around you. Surely the gods will see this if we were only to ask?”
Heaven, and their meat is sweet and filling, and you only Sahbanu laughed. “You flatter me, Anahita, but
have to reach out your hand and they will come to you. thank you.” Sahbanu then rose to bathe.
As much of Heaven as we can see, for Heaven is Anahita was not satisfied, however. “If I can convince
boundless, is covered by Setaresahr, the City of Stars, the gods to take my mistress into Heaven,” she thought,
and through the center runs Daryaxosi, the Sea of “I will be honored, and Sahbanu will get the reward
Delight. Because the waters of Heaven are always she deserves.” She began going to the temple every
pure, spirits that live there may swim in the Sea of day to pray, to ask the gods to allow her mistress’s
Delight, and so it is always filled with stars. spirit to live in Heaven. She asked that the gods give
her a sign when they had reached their decision.
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After she had prayed every day for three years and By this time, Anahita was sobbing, not only at the beauty
received no sign, she decided they could not be hearing of Heaven but for the failure of her mission. “However,
her. Not to be deterred, she decided to bring her case I do think there are mortals who deserve to live here.”
to the gods personally. To this end she obtained leave At this, Anahita looked up in surprise. Suskin grinned
from work for a year, bought a small boat, and hired a again. “I think, Anahita, that you are worthy of this
guide to show her the way to Abeya Marud, knowing place. When you die, you shall come to Heaven, and
that it led to Daryaxosi and the City of Stars. After a you shall open the gates of Setaresahr for the sun each
search of many months, she found it, and set sail. dawn, and close them again after the sun has set.”
The river took her to strange places and past strange Anahita stared for a moment, open-mouthed. At last,
cities. She spoke with giants and demons, was captured by she said, “What about my mistress?” Suskin smiled. “She
and escaped the clutches of a terrible scorpion, and lived off too will come to Heaven, for I think she is good enough.
whatever fruits and nuts she could find on her way. At last In Heaven she will be your maid, and follow you. You
her journey brought her to a huge wall of stone. The river will have served her long enough by then.” Anahita’s
passed through the wall under an enormous archway, and eyes widened further, but she could find no speech.
standing in the river beneath it was the torso of a crocodile “But that is all far away, by your mortal reckoning.
nearly ten stories tall. That is, all she could see was his torso For now, you must return to Earth and live out the rest of
and his arms; he did not appear to have legs, tail, or head. your life. Rather than have you go back through all those
Recognizing this astonishing thing as the middle half of the perils you faced to come here, I will give you an easier
god Marmulak, Anahita kneeled in her boat, suddenly very way back.” Suskin extended his wings and ran one long
afraid of what the gods might do to her for coming this far. antenna down each of Anahita’s arms. At his touch, they
Marmulak reached out his great arm and lifted the grew long black feathers, turning them into wings, and
boat from the water and placed it gently on the shore. Anahita became the first Vulture. “Now fly back to Earth,
He then removed Anahita from the boat and and when you die, your spirit shall live in Heaven and
motioned to her to sit and wait. This Anahita did, shine as an example to the people of Earth. Those who
filled more and more with apprehension. live their lives as well as yours will follow you and live
After a few minutes, Anahita was conscious of a with you among the gods and the riches of Heaven.”
presence behind her, and she turned to see a Scarab, Anahita, when she died, became the very first star, and
not taller than her, grinning at her and twitching his she is the last star seen every morning when she opens the
antennae. She leapt up in fear, yelped in surprise, and gates for the sun to leave, and she is the first star seen
knelt before the god Suskin, thinking that meeting two every night, when she opens the gates for it to return. Her
gods in one day was perhaps a bit much for one mistress Sahbanu also became a star, and can sometimes
mortal, even one who had spoken to giants and be seen, faint but just visible below Anahita in the sky.
demons and escaped the clutches of a terrible scorpion.
“Get up, Anahita, and don’t be afraid,” said Suskin, Aftab and Nafarxonde
in a voice oddly clicky. “I know why you’re here. There is a tradition among the desert peoples that
And it is an admirable mission, to be sure…you must when a woman becomes pregnant, she must find an
have much bravery to come this far for your mistress’s oasis with a good water supply, food, and housing for
sake.” Anahita felt heat rise in her cheeks, and her tail herself and her child. She must stay there during her
twitched in embarrassment, but she remained silent. pregnancy and while she is nursing her child, so these
“Yet you must see that it is impossible. We cannot temporary settlings, called biarams. The duration of the
allow one single person to be allowed into Heaven biaram depends on what tribe the mother is in and how
while all the others languish on Earth.” soon her kardaste is likely to return to her settling place.
“But,” Anahita began, and Suskin held up a hand A typical biaram lasts two or three years. The underlying
to silence her. reason for this tradition is practical; a pregnant or
“You think that she deserves it. Who are you to nursing woman requires more water and food than
judge who is worthy to live in Heaven? Turn and look others, and it would be dangerous for her or her child
through the gate over the river. Turn and see the to travel far from a water source. The biaram has been
beauties of Heaven for yourself and tell me you are fit a practical necessity for so long that it has turned into
to decide who is worthy to live there.” Anahita did as a tradition, one that no one would think to disobey.
she was told, and was the first mortal to see Setaresahr However, as the tribes say, “It does sometimes rain
so close. She was overcome by the beauty of the sight in the desert.”
and fell upon her knees, crying. There once was a woman named Nafarxonde, who
“You see,” said Suskin, “only we, who know lived in Saramad, and who was wed to a wealthy
Heaven’s beauties, can judge who is worthy of them.” merchant. The way some storytellers tell it, the merchant
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Life in Akoma
was a manifestation of Kazdom, or her son; others say Mah

he was her servant or traded his heart to her for wealth. Aftab is known to visit Earth sometimes, and walk
Whether divine or simply greedy, the merchant offered upon her face. Often it is to sow terror and hatred, or
Nafarxonde’s family a considerable marriage present, and to view terrible battles or plagues. Once, when he was
Nafarxonde agreed to marry him for her family’s sake. the only spirit running through the sky instead of living
She endured him quietly and without complaint, even peacefully in the City of Stars, he visited Earth on
though he was crude and unpleasant. When she became some other business, and saw that the moon ran
pregnant with his child, however, she said to herself, “I live erratically through the sky, just as his own sun had
in this house of my own will, but this child is not being done before he came to be guardian of it.
given a choice. I swear before Heaven that when I give Now, Aftab hates disorder that he has no hand in
birth I will not be in his household.” So saying, she left the creating, for it makes him jealous. So after looking at the
house with a few provisions and began to wander the city. moon for some time, he said, “I must acquire a slave to
For several months she depended upon strangers run the moon. It must not run around so erratically like
for hospitality and protection from her husband, who that.” To this end he went to a slave market in Saramad,
sent out increasingly large groups of men to bring her but all the people ran at his approach, for even then they
back. Eventually, dread of her pursuers led her to run feared him. The only person who did not get away was a
into the desert, badly clothed and provisioned. Her female slave whose name was Mah; she broke her leg on
husband’s men were unwilling to follow her there, and her chain trying to run, and became lame. Aftab snatched
for a time she was safe. her up and took her to heaven, chained her to the moon,
Then came the day of the birth. This was at a time gave her a stick made of bronze, and bade her use it to
when the moon and sun were only balls of light, rolling push the moon around the world. Because she is lame,
uncontrolled around Heaven, and day came upon she lags behind Aftab, rising a little later every night.
Nafarxonde suddenly when she was in labor, so her son Mah hates her position, but she is a compassionate
was born into the hot dry sands under the unforgiving light spirit, and while she is out of Aftab’s view, at night, she
of the sun. The sands in that part of the desert were very will listen to people’s prayers and tell the helpful star
sharp, and cut the child’s skin as he was born, covering spirits about them. During the day, however, she is
him in blood that dyed his skin and coat a deep red. completely under Aftab’s power, and can do nothing.
The heat of the sun deformed him, giving him twisted
horns, long wicked claws, and a tail like a scorpion’s. Mazgat Langar, Sorkhaziana, and the Tarik Cargus
She took up her child intending to take him back into “The center of any great city should be its temple,”
town to be washed and dried, but as she carried him, he said Suskin to the architect-king Tamaddon. “In
stung her arm, and she dropped him. He stood up where Heaven there is the perfect city, Setaresahr, the City of
he was and looked up at the sun, which was just rolling Stars, and in following its form you will create near-
towards the edge of the world. Then he ran towards it perfect cities on Earth. At its center lies Mazgat Langar,
with open arms, crying out for it. Nafarxonde stared in the Anchor Temple, which holds the city in place amidst
amazement, and then understood. Her son had seen the tides and winds of Heaven. Look to it in the night
the sun after he was born and thought it was his mother. sky, and you will see that while all the rest of the city
The child chased the sun all the way around the world turns around it, Mazgat Langar remains permanently
for days, until at last he caught it, and taking possession still. All the rest of Heaven is measured from it.”
of it, he became the spirit of the sun. To this day, he “The temple should lie to the northeast of the oasis,
guides the sun around the world, pushing it along with a and the oasis should be surrounded by trees and
staff made of obsidian, and his name is Aftab. He takes foliage, and not crowded around with buildings. People
great pleasure in the pain and suffering his sun brings must not be allowed to go there without good reason,
with it, and he travels around the world every day to see and must not linger long, and then only the man
as much of it as possible. His name is rarely spoken appointed to do so must do the drawing of the water,
except with great fear and a kind of horrified reverence. to assure it remains pure and clean. In Setaresahr, the
Nafarxonde returned to Saramad, and lived a oasis is surrounded by a vast and lush garden, the Tarik
melancholy life, never having any more children. When Cargus, through which no one but the gods may tread.”
she died she rose to Heaven to become the star in the Mazgat Langar, the Anchor Temple in the City of Stars,
southeastern sky that leads travelers to ancient Saramad can be seen from Earth as that star that traces no path
and the surrounding lands of the Kohani. She is the during the course of a night, but remains in one place.
spirit that watches over births; pregnant mothers and As a result, the navigators of the tribes use it as a fixed
midwives often invoke her name for luck at births. point of reference by which to measure the movements
of all the other stars. The easiest navigational method
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they use is to measure an imaginary line between The Three Blue Stars of the East, and the
Mazgat Langar and another star at a certain time of Five Orange Stars of the West
night; the line then points the way to a certain landmark. Almost all the stars visible from the desert are spirits of
For example, a line drawn from Mazgat Langar to desert people, but some of them are thought to be spirits
the red star Sorkhaziana, who lives low above the of others, from other lands. There are the three blue stars
horizon, points the way directly to Abuda Dhabi, the of the east – Razda, Barutda, and Dozodrazi – and the
largest oasis-city under the control of the Sorkhareh five orange stars of the west – Dozid, Al-Dozid, Tupda,
tribe. Sorkhaziana herself was a warrior of some skill Uskari, and Eskenas. As stars, they are markers for cities
and incredible fierceness. She is said to have torn a and entry points into the lands they come from; as spirits
sotor apart with her claws alone. Her determination they each had something to give or take from the desert.
and valor are idolized by the tribe that took her name. Razda was a Crane from the land of Zhongguo, a simple
Most of the night sky is filled with stars from end to painter with an adventurous spirit, who wanted to discover
end, but there is a patch of sky where no stars live, called the colors of the desert. She was one of the first foreigners
the Tarik Cargus. This is said to be the garden and oasis to venture into the desert lands, and she had the good
in the City of Stars, and therefore represents the lushest fortune to be taken up by members of the Dastan-Dastar
part of Heaven. Ironically, it represents the barest, most tribe. They were fascinated by the thin, crisp, white sheets
barren part of Earth, for it shows the way to the lands she painted her pictures on; they were portable, yet held
controlled by the Khorsheed, near the very center of the images as well as stone. She traded the secret of making
desert, where the oases are seasonal and unpredictable. them for certain native dyes that let her paint in whole new
The Khorsheed say that it means that when they rise to colors. Thus the desert people learned to make paper.
Heaven, they will be given homes by the Tarik Cargus Barutda was a Monkey, also from Zhongguo, an
where they will be able to drink all the water they desire. imperial alchemist working to perfect the formula for
making gunpowder. Through much research he
determined that desert sands were good places to find
saltpeter, one of the key ingredients. He ventured into the
desert with a small but well-equipped retinue of guards,
and met up with the Sorkhareh, who agreed to help him
find the mineral if he would teach them the formula for
gunpowder. He agreed, seeing no danger in it, and that
is how the desert people learned to make gunpowder.
Dozodrazi was a Rabbit, and a lowly thief. She had
heard of the treasures of the Peyravi tribe, and her
heart filled with desire for them. She managed to
sneak into one of their libraries and steal a number of
things, mostly candleholders and other trivial objects,
but she also knew the value of books, and seeing
several that looked particularly valuable, snatched
them away and returned with them to Zhongguo. One
of them contained a powerful spell capable of creating
water out of nothing; the book was the only record of
the spell, which is why no magician in the desert can
cast it, and why the Zhonggese never want for water.
Dozid was also a thief, but he was a Jackal from the
lands to the west of the desert. He had seen desert people
keeping their records on the miraculous paper they had
acquired from Zhongguo, and at once saw its usefulness.
He disguised himself as a member of the Abi-Asman, and
traveled among them, all the while professing an interest in
paper and a desire to apprentice himself to a paper-maker.
Eventually he got his wish, and spent three months learning
the secrets of making paper. Once he had learned the
trick and proved to himself he could replicate it, he threw
off his desert robe and killed his master, and ran back to
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Life in Akoma
the west. Thus the people of the western Emirates learned people and their customs. It was only natural that he
the secrets of making paper by subterfuge and murder. should be interested in the customs of the desert people,
Now, Dozid had a son, Al-Dozid, who learned well his neighbors to the east, and so he ventured into the
from his father, but was possessed of an even greater desert and made a deal with a group of Damesab, who
vision. He had been born in the desert while his father agreed to escort him around the desert for a price. One
was investigating the secrets of paper, and had been of the first things Eskenas noticed in his travels was that
fascinated by the wondrous gunpowder the tribe used only one of the desert tribes, the Peyravi, knew how to
to celebrate victories, marriages, and births. His father write. The more he studied the tribes, the more he
allowed him to become an alchemist’s apprentice, and became convinced that they would benefit from the
while Dozid studied paper, Al-Dozid studied knowledge of writing, and so he began to teach them.
gunpowder. It did not take Al-Dozid long to discover Writing was taken up most fervently by the Mahsimi, who
the dangerous potential of gunpowder, and when his had seen it in the lands of their neighbors and wondered
father killed the paper-maker and came to fetch him, he what it was, and by the Abi-Asman, who were looking
brought with him a jar of gunpowder. Thus the people for a way to keep records of their growing civilization.
of the west obtained the secrets of making gunpowder. The knowledge is slowly spreading to the other tribes.
Dozid traded the secret of paper for an official pardon
of his crimes, but Al-Dozid was more ambitious. He Core Tenets of Din Altse
gathered together a number of learned people and military Heterodoxy. Not only can the tribes not agree on
men, and demonstrated the power of gunpowder, and what is canon and what isn’t, but sometimes even
then began the bidding. The highest bidder was the different families can’t agree, either!
Crocodile Tupda, an inventor and son of a rich merchant. Polytheism. If you want the right answer, you
Tupda determined, with Al-Dozid’s help, the proper must consult with the correct divinity.
formula for gunpowder. Then, after working for several Astrology. The future is written in the stars. To
years, he invented a machine that could be held by a follow their patterns is to know the future.
normal person, that used the power of gunpowder to
propel a small bullet, as from a sling, but with much more
force, to much greater effect. After a few trials of the Djed (The Pillar of the Universe)
machine, which he named a musket, Tupda found himself In long ages past, there was some
running out of saltpeter. He knew that saltpeter could be great civilization who called their
found in the desert, and decided to trade the design of this rules “gods”. These long-lost
musket to the desert people, in return for enough saltpeter empires may have been the
to make twenty more, so that he could sell the idea to the Autarchs of Calabrese legend… or
Emir’s army. He ventured into the desert and discovered they might just have been mortals
the Derpasdari. Through Tupda, they learned about with delusions of grandeur. Most of
muskets and other guns, and how to make them. their civilization has been lost to time. Quarried stone
Other tribes later stole guns from the Derpasdari, or is valuable building material, easily repurposed. And a
captured their warriors, and so the knowledge spread. tomb can only be guarded for so long before they’re
Uskari was one of that group of short, stocky Horses forgotten, or looted, or both.
that originated in the northern steppes, but her family Many scholars agree that whoever these rulers were,
had long ago settled in the Emirates. However, they they commanded powerful magic that gave them
kept the family tradition of keeping riding lizards, and dominion over the living and the dead. These were the
they became famous breeders. When Uskari’s father first necromancers, and their magical traditions persist
died without sons, Uskari took over the family business. today, in bowdlerized forms such as and their magical
Sadly, she made some unwise business decisions, and traditions persist today, in bowdlerized forms such as Ye
was soon unable to continue keeping the lizards. She Book of Black Magic known to the Calabrese. But were
took her last herd, a small group of five beautiful animals, there even greater spells, waiting to be re-discovered?
and released them at the edge of the desert. They And what did lay these civilizations low? Were they
were discovered by a group of Badsavar, who already just lost to time, or did their rulers call up a power that
knew how to herd sotor. They took the five animals they could not put down? Some cite the Forsaken City
into their herds, and they became the ancestors of the of Walipotoea as an example, evidence that some
swift, proud asbal the Badsavar are so famous for. dread power swept through its streets and removed all
Legend says that the last of these, Eskenas, is a the people. Was it fear? Plague? Or something worse?
relatively new spirit in the sky. Eskenas the Ibis was a
scholar and a scribe, and his chief fascination lay in
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But with any promise of knowledge comes the hint

of power, and the promise of power stirs the
Malachism
beginnings of belief. Today, the Djed-Hakim seek to (s’Allumer Heterodxy, and
unravel these secrets of the past. the State-Approved Religion
With irregular pilgrimages to the Forsaken City as of Anatolian Occupation)
their only unifying ritual, the Sages of the Pillars instruct
one another in the arts of necromancy and the scraps of The spider Nur was the adopted
lost history. Many sages believe it is their duty to learn child of an Akoman hippopotamus
these dark arts so that they can used in the service of father named Muṣṭafā and a
the living. But one or two might have greater amibtions. Calabrese falcon mother named
When the layfolk must deal with hauntings, or Ester. Due to discrimination they
monsters, or other things beyond the pale, they may experienced for their miscegenation,
seek out a Djed-Hakim to put the problem to rest. There the family left their home in Port
has been strong evidence that the Deltan Revivalists Spar and traveled to pre-Anatolian Lygos to start
are working with the Djed in hopes to thrust out the anew. Muṣṭafā was a calligrapher and Ester was a
occupational government of the Anatolian Empire. poet. Nur learned both crafts well, but the family still
The Djed-Hakim have an ongoing rivalry with the struggled with poverty. Muṣṭafā and Ester encouraged
Black Angels, a cabal of witch-hunters devoted to Nur to study hard, but frequently had to call them away
destroying all necromancers. from their schoolwork to help practice the family’s trade
so they could afford food. The family rationed their food,
Core Tenets of Djed but could not stave off malnutrition. The family practiced
Autarchy. Those with the greatest power should devout Penitence, but Lygos’s many churches could offer
hold the greatest authority over the people. Djed- little in a city full of the impoverished. One night, hungry
Hakim will seek positions of power or to be and tired after a long day of work with little to show for
advisors to those in power. it, Nur went beneath the light of the moon and angrily
Theophany. All matter and spirits are expressions demanded that the Light of Ascension explain to them
of the divine. There are no “gods”, only magicians, why good people like her family continued to suffer.
spirits, and what is acted upon by magic. To master To their amazement, a glowing being descended from
the power of wizardry is to be a god unto yourself. the sky on a moonbeam. This being was a spider like
Temperance. The power of necromancy is nearly Nur, similar to them in its features, but luminous and
infinite… which means the risks are without limit, perfect. It enfolded Nur in its arms and began to sing.
too. A proper Djed-Hakim knows that to cast a Nur personally transcribed the angel’s songs, with their
Black Magic spell is to risk untold wickedness, so own commentary in verse, in a beautifully illuminated
they will not use magic if they don’t have to. manuscript called the Angelic Codex, now Malachism’s
Prudence. A Sage of the Pillar is aware that their foundational text. Then they went from church to church
religion isn’t very popular. They will freely make in Lygos and imparted the Codex’s core teaching: that
gestures, sacrifices, and prayers to other religions, in the material world and its natural laws, the followers
lying about their true faith. of the Light of Ascension have the perfection of
Astrology. All things are expressions of the Ascension already, and it is their task to learn the
material and the spiritual, and the stars are no details of its manifestations in the natural world.
exception. To understand the macrocosm is to
know our own microcosm.
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Core Beliefs of Malachism The Black Angels

● Divine beings. At its purest and most focused, the
One important group bears
Light of Ascension forms entities called angels,
mentioning here: the Black Angels.
who carry the truth to all creatures endowed with
As the specter of necromancy
reason. These angels sang to the nurse Helloise just threatens to spread from the Delta
before she saved Don Constantin di Rinaldi’s life. across all of Akoma, the Black
● Materalism. The material world is composed of the Angels stand against them.
Light of Ascension—filtered, reflected, and refracted Originally an order of vultures from the Western
into obscurity, but the Light nonetheless. deserts, the Black Angels are now a potent but
Somewhere within every material object and controversial entity.
being is a kernel of perfect light, which may be
refined into an angelic state which that object or Origin
being may achieve upon death. To clarify and refine The first Black Angels evolved from vultures in the
the light, the faithful must practice correct thought Western Emirates. An ancient tradition of burial there
and correct action, caring not only for their souls, requires individuals to build “Towers of Silence” and place
the corpses of the dead atop these towers. Vultures come
but also for the Light in its material incarnations.
from far away to consume the corpses, ritually returning
● Charity. Correct actions include caring for the them to the cycle of life and death. This tradition marks
sick or impoverished, defending the weak vultures as the single exception to the “don’t eat other
against those who would take advantage of sentient creatures, even if they’re dead” rule which governs
them, and obeying righteous and faithful rulers. most creatures. At some point, someone noticed that
● Mundanity. Magic is the province of angels, not creatures whose corpses the vultures consume don’t come
of mortals. The practice of magic is hubristic and back from the dead, even if a necromancer goes at them.
should be avoided and discouraged as an affront The opposition between vultures and necromancers
to correct thought. led to the formation of the Black Angels, a secret
● Tolerance. Other forms of religion are also
society trying to end evil necromancy. The Black
Angels try to bring necromancers back into the fold;
valid, except where they directly contradict
notably, though, they’re not trying to exterminate
Malachism’s teachings; but they are lesser necromancy. They themselves study necromancy, they
reflections of the truth, just as angelic light is just study it toward what they consider civilized ends.
expressed in lesser form the material world. In modern days, the Black Angels are active all across
the planet, though more in some places than in others.
Nur’s Gender Calabria finds the desert tradition of corpse-eating mostly
The Deltan language has a gender-neutral singular repulsive, and religious leaders from various traditions
pronoun, a borrowing from Xīwén like much of modern have come out in opposition. Moreover, more than one
Deltan grammar and vocabulary. Canonical references Black Angel has been arrested and tortured in Triskellian.
to Nur’s gender use this pronoun exclusively; we have
chosen the English pronoun “they,” commonly used as a Organization
third-person singular pronoun since Shakespearean times, Traditionally, the Black Angels are organized into
as an equivalent. The Biography of Nur, a contemporary “choruses” of three to twelve individuals who report to a
account of Nur’s life written by their younger cousin, commander called an “archangel.” Archangels coordinate
records that Nur never identified themself as male or chorus activity and report information to the Seraph,
female in their adulthood, and any records of Nur’s high commander of the Black Angels. The Seraph is
childhood which say otherwise are apocryphal at best. based out of the Whispering Library, a stronghold
Certain scholars have proposed theories as to Nur’s hidden somewhere in the deserts of Akoma. The current
biological sex, but mainstream Malachism considers Whispering Library is actually the second iteration of the
such discussions impolite and disrespectful in the building; the original was in the western deserts, but was
extreme to Nur’s identity, memory, and wishes. Artistic attacked by the Black Angels’ enemies and destroyed.
depictions of Nur tend to minimize gender signifiers—
not a difficult task considering that they were a spider.
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Methodology Fun and Games in Akoma

The Black Angels’ mission is to bring the practice of
The average Akoman has a good deal of free time
necromancy into civilization’s service—not to eliminate
outside of work; and the fact that the Prophet Nur was
necromancy or necromancers. To this end, they employ:
an artist means that little Sarah’s mother is less likely to
● Surveillance: The principal duty of Black Angels complain than yours when she decides to become a poet.
at all levels of the organization is surveillance. ● Athletic Competitions: Various sports are
Where possible, they maintain good relationships popular in Akoma.
with communities and municipal authorities. ○ The oldest and most venerable sport in the
● Negotiation: If the Black Angels identify a region is wrestling. Particularly popular as a
necromancer, their first move is to reason with spectator sport is Anatolian oil wrestling, in
them. Most necromancers are rich and well- which two competitors cover one another
educated, but take up necromancy in response with olive oil and then try to shove their
to some trauma or disenfranchisement: the loss hands down each others’ trousers. Come
of a loved one, for example, or a bad marriage. on, you’d watch that.
● Exposure: If a necromancer proves resistant to ○ A team variant of this game, influenced by the
negotiation, the Black Angels go to the omega Yìndian game of kabaddi, is gaining traction as a
protocol. In communities hostile to necromancy, spectator sport. Come on, you’d watch that too.
this usually means informing the civil authorities ○ There’s also polo, a team game where
of the necromancer’s existence. cavalrymen use sticks to knock a ball into a
● Attack: If the Black Angels judge the local authorities goal, a key element of every sipahi’s training.
incompetent to capture the necromancer, they’ll ○ Various pedestrian and aquatic variants of
take matters into their own claws. polo (usually called “football” and “water
polo”), physically strenuous in the extreme,
Enemies of the Black Angels have evolved for the masses of Akomans
It’s tough to be a Black Angel almost anywhere. who can’t afford to ride dinosaurs around.
In Anatolia, the Black Angels are jockeying with the ○ There are also track and field competitions, often
Caliphate, trying to prove that they’re useful enough in
highlighting military skills such as the javelin.
hunting down evil necromancers that the cops should
look the other way—but the Caliphate wants
● Coffee: Akoma is the sole source of the plant
necromancy exterminated, not redeemed. called coffee, a miraculous substance which
The Black Angels’ single most ardent enemy is Lady makes you awake and lively.
Amalsand Jakoba, who is single-handedly responsible ● Poetry Circles: The griots of Òyó, traveling bards
for the expulsion of the Black Angels from Calabria. who maintain elaborate oral histories, represent
She exposed the identities of every Black Angel in Akoma’s oldest unbroken formal poetic tradition; but
Triskellian and motivated local authorities to arrest even amongst the least-educated commoner, poetry
them as necromancers; her son Vaslov led the charge is an important part of Akoman life. The prophet
against them, personally killing the Archangel of Nur and their mother Ester were both poets, and the
Triskellian in battle as the police stormed their tower. Angelic Codex is recorded in verse (and frequently
The Black Angels found an unlikely ally in Count
set to music). Poetry is also important in the military,
Miroslav of Crosswood. As every Black Angel still active
with battle orders commonly delivered in verse form
in Calabria scrambled for safety, Miroslav extended an
open invitation for the Black Angels to take refuge at to increase their memorability. Poetry forms the
Shadow Castle. No one actually knows what happened core of humanities education, whether through
at Shadow Castle, but the next few years saw the formal training in imperial schools for janissaries
Black Angels of Calabria congregating in Shadow and nobles, or via the village bard in rural areas.
Castle before departing for Akoma en masse. Adults from all walks of life participate in poetry
circles, whose social and psychological function
ranges from group therapy to speed dating.
804
Bestiary
Bestiary
Akhal-Teke Asbal
The now-extinct Tenth Tribe of Camels in Xī Asbal are sleek, swift two-legged lizards, famed for
Shāmò domesticated the ancestors of today’s Akhal- their speed. When carefully trained, they can be
Teke mounts some millennia ago. When the Nine ridden, but they are notoriously strong-willed and
Tribes exterminated the Tenth, the secrets of Akhal- typically respond only to two or three masters. They
Teke husbandry almost died as well; but Bahargül, the are herbivorous, and built for speed rather than
Tenth Tribe’s most expert Akhal-Teke wrangler, traded fighting. They can be trained to fight and to carry a
her knowledge for her family’s lives. Since then, warrior into battle, but they are not as dangerous as
camels have bred Akhal-Tekes for long-distance travel, destriers. Asbal are usually green with bright patterns
courier work, and raiding. Akhal-Tekes are considered of red and yellow. They can live in arid conditions but
too light and fragile to mount sipahi, but Anatolia require a daily supply of water and fresh food.
deploys wings of raiders on Akhal-Tekes for
reconnaissance, harassment, and other light-cavalry Asbal Special Mount
duties. With a preferred diet of seafood, an Akhal-Teke Traits Body 2d12, Speed d8, no Mind, Will d8
takes surprisingly well to shipboard life on the Shallow Asbal d8 (Plains, Carnivore, Day)
Sea. Queen Khadīja al-Dalāl’s heaviest and best- Skills Brawling d8
equipped galleys have “Akhal-Teke decks” from which Endurance d8
one or two beasts and their riders will fly forth to drop Observation d8
heavy and/or flammable objects on enemy craft— Gifts Brawling Fighter (can counter with unarmed attacks)
leading to some memorable jousting between Akhal- Coward (bonus d12 dodge when Afraid)
Tekes and Knights Hospitaller. Improved Strength (bonus d12 for Melee)
Akhal-Tekes are very difficult to acquire. Prices start Giant (extra reach)
at 120Ð, and that’s if you’re local to Xī Shāmò. Initiative d8
Movement Stride 2, Dash 7, Sprint d8, Run 45
Akhal-Teke Mount Mounted: Stride 2, Dash zero, Sprint d8, Run 24
Traits Body d12, d8, Speed 2d12, d8, no Mind, Will d8 Attack Talons@Reach 2d12, 2d8, Dmg +1 Impale
Akhal-Teke d10 (Mountains, Carnivore, Day) Counter Talons@Close 2d12, 2d8, Dmg +1 Impale
Skills Endurance d10 Dodge d8
Observation d10 Soak 2d12
Weather Sense d10 Loot Nice feathers × d8
Gifts Brawling Fighter Giant
Fast Mover High-Altitude Flyer
Flight Improved Strength
Flying Fighter Mad Sprint
Full-Tilt Movement Strength
Initiative 2d12, d8
Movement Flying Stride 5, Dash 10, Sprint 2d12, d10, d8, Run 60
With rider: Stride 5, Dash zero, Sprint 4d8, Run 42
Attack Beak @ Reach d12, d10, d8, Damage +1 Impale
Counter Beak @ Close d12, d10, d8, Damage +1 Impale
Dodge 2d12, d8
Soak d12, d8
Loot Saddle
805
Bestiary
Leviathan Avenger Sea Monster (Supernaut)

Badkar Goals 1. Survive.
Badkar are tall, omnivorous lizards that inhabit the Traits Body d12, Speed d12, Mind d12, Will d12
Cursed Lands. They usually forage alone, but have Leviathan d12 (Sea, Omnivore, Night)
been known to cooperate to bring down large animal Avenger d12
prey, such as adventurers foolish enough to wander Skills Brawling 2d12
into their territory alone. Their eggs are somewhat Dodge 2d12
prized as delicacies but they defend their nests Endurance d12
ferociously, so obtaining the eggs can be an Leadership d12
adventure. Their meat is considered tainted, however, Swimming d12
and is never eaten. Stealth d12
Tactics 2d12
Badkar Typical Creature Gifts Counter-Tactics (2d12 bonus vs. flanking Tactics)
Traits Body d6, Speed d6, no Mind, Will d6 Improved Strength (bonus d12 for Melee)
Badkar d6 (Plains, Omnivore, Twilight) Brawling Fighter (can counter with Brawling)
Skills Observation d6 Charging Strike (move d12m closer as part of any melee)
Stealth d6 Fast Jumper (jump is action, not stunt)
Tactics d6 Fast Swimmer (swim is action, not stunt)
Gifts Brawling Fighter (can counter with unarmed attacks) Frenzy (X to become Enraged)
Coward (bonus d12 dodge when Afraid) Giant (extra reach)
Quadraped (bonus movement) Language: Whalesong
Initiative d6 Pack Tactics (+d12 attack when Guarding ally flanks)
Movement Stride 1, Dash 7, Sprint d6, Run 29 Unshakeable Fighter
Attack Bite@Close 2d6, Dmg +1 Critical, Grapple Local Area Knowledge: the Shallow Sea
Counter Bite@Close 2d6, Dmg +1 Critical, Grapple Toughness ×3*
Dodge d6 Diehard (+d6 Soak when Hurt, +d6 Soak when Injured)
Soak d6 Luck (X to re-roll one die two times)
Loot At the nest: Badkar Eggs ×d6 Deep Diving (stay underwater for a long time)
Eternal Breath (stay underwater even longer)
Echolocation (make supersonic noise to see)
Leviathan Guard Breaker (Target guarding? X for 2d12, Weak Dmg)
“I’ve hunted these waters for fifty years, and I’ve never Mob Fighter (Cause Dying or worse? Sweep Near)
seen anything like it. Two years ago, we had a record haul. Resolve (add Will to Soak)
We don’t usually hunt the black-and-white ones, but they Invulnerable Hide† (X for -1 Dmg, 1/recover action)
were moving slow—illness, maybe—and we got lucky. True Leader (can add Focus when rallying)
must have taken an entire pod, all except for an ancient Militia Leader (remove Afraid from d12 allies)
female, oldest in the pod, who got away. She must have Veteran (Aim and Guard bonus is d12)
had two harpoons and two lances stuck in her, but she Bravery (X to negate Afraid)
broke away, dove too deep. We assumed, bleeding that Initiative d8, d10
much, she must have died … but then, a year later, we Movement Stride 2, Dash 8, Sprint d12, Run 38
returned to the same waters, and she was waiting for us. Attack Bite@ Near, 4d12, Damage +1 Grapple
“She knew our pathways. She knew our patterns. Counter Bite @ Close, 4d12, Damage +1 Grapple
She knew which ways the ships were going to go, Counter Tactics – bonus 2d12 vs. flankers
which ways we were going to go if we got caught. And Dodge 3d12
it wasn’t just the black-and-white ones, either; there Soak 3d12
were monsters of all kinds. †Invunlerable Hide – X for -1 Damage
“Now there’s a bounty on her fin. She’s no whale, *Toughness × 3 – X to make Damage Weak
not anymore. She’s a leviathan. Loot Precious Ambergris ×d12
“It’s almost as if they’re sentient.”
806
Bestiary
Sagg Sahin
Saggs are slim, athletic, medium-sized carnivorous Sahin are small feathered flying lizards, rarely larger
lizards usually trained to herd animals. They are fast than half a stone in weight. In the wild, they hunt
on their feet, however, and there is a breed called a insects and small lizards, but they have been trained
badsag bred and trained for racing. They are common by some tribes to hunt on command or carry
companion animals even in tribes that keep no herds. messages. They are favorite companions of Damesab
One breed, the xunsag, is stronger and bulkier than its Hojri, who use them to send messages to their friends.
cousins, and makes an excellent guard lizard. Saggs,
badsaggs, and xunsaggs all have tube-like bones on Sahin Typical Creature
the sides of their heads that act as flutes or horns, and Traits Body d4, Speed d12, no Mind, Will d4
when excited these animals can emit loud, echoing Sahin d6 (Plains, Carnivore, Day)
horn-like calls. Skills Dodge d6
Observation d6
Sagg Typical Creature Weather Sense d6
Traits Body d6, Speed d10, no Mind, Will d6 Gifts Coward (bonus d12 dodge when afraid)
Sag d6 (Plains, Carnivore, Day) Dead Reckoning (bonus d12 to find their way)
Skills Digging d6 Flight (can fly)
Searching d6 Initiative d6
Tactics d6 Movement Flying Stride 4, Dash 12, Sprint d12, d6, Run 34
Gifts Brawling Fighter (can counter with unarmed attacks) Attack Claws@Close d6, d4, Dmg +1 Critical
Quadraped (bonus movement) Teeth@Close d6, d4, Dmg +1 Grapple
Tracking (bonus d12 to follow trails) Dodge d6
Initiative d6 Coward — bonus d12 when Afraid
Movement Stride 1, Dash 9, Sprint d10, Run 33 Soak d6
Attack Claws@Close 2d6, Dmg +1 Critical Loot Tiny Message
Counter Claws@Close 2d6, Dmg +1 Critical
Dodge d6
Soak d6
Loot Sagg Horns ×2
807
interesting people
interesting people
The Knights Hospitaller The Janissaries
Elite warriors of the divine who answer only to the Many Jannisaries are Hyenas, but they can be of any
pontiff, these Knights are usually only found on the species. Giraffes, Elephants, and Rhinos are also
Honey Isle, though they sometimes make crusades common. A captain will have Leadership d8 and
into other regions. True Leader.
Knight Hospitaller Falcon Hospitaller Jannisary Patrol Hyena Jannisary

(Elite Horde) (Elite Horde)
Traits Body d8, Speed d8, Mind d8, Will d8 Traits Body d8, Speed d8, Mind d8, Will d8
Species d8 (Mountains, Carnivore, Day) Hyena d8 (Plains, Omnivore, Night)
Career d8 Jannisary d8
Skills Academics d8 Skills Endurance 2d8
Melee Combat d8 Ranged Combat d8
Observation d8 Searching 2d8
Searching d8 Tactics 2d8
Vehicles d8 Gifts Coward
Weather Sense d8 Hiking
Gifts Armored Fighter Pack Tactics
Flight* Resolve
Keen Eyes Survival
Medicine Veteran
Pack Tactics† Initiative 2d8
Piety of Penitence Movement Stride 1, Dash 4, Sprint d8, Run 20
Prehensile Feet Attack Jezail @ Long, Spark d12, 2d12, Damage +2 Slaying
Shield Fighter Longsword @ Close, 2d8, Damage +2
Unshakeable Fighter Veteran — Aim action for d12 bonus
Veteran Counter Longsword @ Close, 2d8, Damage +2
Initiative 2d8 Veteran — Guard action for d12 bonus
Movement *Flying: Stride 1, Dash 5, Sprint 2d8, Run 33 Dodge d8
Attack Calendar Sword @ Close, 2d8, Damage +2 Critical, Holy Coward — bonus d12 dodge when Afraid
†Pack Tactics: Bonus d12 if friend is flanking & Guarding Soak 2d8
Counter Calendar Sword @ Close, 2d8, Damage +2 Critical, Holy Loot Jezail ×1, Longsword ×1, Dinar × d8
Dodge d8 and Shield d12
Soak d8 and Armor d8
Loot Calendar Sword ×1, Dinar ×d8
808
interesting people
Queen Khadı̄ja al-Dalāl, Caliph Ghanon of Anatolia

Otter Warlord Thereare moments when Ghanon pauses and
The pirate kings and queens of the Corsair Coast wonders about the circumstances that led him to his
are equals. Khadı̄ja al-Dalāl l is the first among equals. position as master of this great empire. Could fate
The most successful pirate in all of the known world’s have put someone else in the spot? Then he thinks, if
history, Khadı̄ja al-Dalāl’s fleet of galleys and galleons he wasn’t in this spot, he’d have no cause to think
is the terror of the Shallow Sea. She commands a full such thoughts.
third of the Anatolian Empire’s sea power. For now
she has sworn fealty to the Anatolian Caliph, but Caliph Ghanon of Anatolia Otter Minister
who’s really calling the shots here …? (Elite)
Traits Body d8, Speed d8, Mind d8, Will d8
Queen Khadīja al-Dalāl Otter Warlord Otter d8 (Shore, Carnivore, Twilight)
(Supernaut) Minister d8
Traits Body d12, Speed d12, Mind d12, Will d12 Skills Academics d8
Otter d12 (Shore, Carnivore, Twilight) Dodge d8
Warlord d12 Negotiation d8
Skills Dodge 2d12 Stealth d12 Presence d8
Leadership d12 Swimming d12 Stealth d8
Presence d12 Tactics d12 Swimming d8
Gifts Administration Militia Leader
Gifts Administration Local Area Knowledge: Combat Save Luck
Armored Fighter Corsair Coast Contortionist Nobility
Bravery Luck Deep Diving Pack Tactics
Charging Strike Militia Leader Fast Swimming Personality: Ambitious
Combat Edge Mob Fighter Language: Xīwén Toughness
Combat Save Nobility Literacy: Xīwén True Leader
Commanding Leader Oratory Local Area Knowledge:
Contortionist Pack Tactics Lygos
Counter-Tactics Personality: Staunch Initiative 2d8
Deep Diving Resolve Movement Stride 1, Dash 4, Sprint d8, Run 20
Diehard *Shield Fighter Attack Pistol @ Short, 2d8, Damage +2 Slaying
Dramatic Disheveling Toughness ×3 Saber @ Close, 2d8, Damage +2 Critical
Fast Swimming Troop Leader Counter Saber @ Close, 2d8, Damage +2 Critical
Guard Breaker True Leader Dodge 2d8
Improved Armor Unshakeable Fighter Soak d8 and Alumen Armor 2d8
Language: Deltan Veteran Loot Alumen Armor ×1, Saber ×1, Pistol ×1, Dinar ×96
Literacy: Deltan
Initiative 2d12
Movement Stride 1, Dash 6, Sprint d12, Run 30
Attack Pistol @ Short, Spark d10, 2d12, Damage +2 Slaying
Ambrascura Dagger @ Close 2d12, Damage +1 Critical
Veteran — Aim action for d12 bonus
Counter Saber @ Close 2d12, Damage +2 Critical
Counter Tactics — Flanked? d12 bonus!
Veteran — Guard action for d12 bonus
Dodge 2d12 and Metal Shield d12*
Soak 2d12 and Eryth Armor 2d12
Toughness ×3 — X to make Damage Weak
Loot Pistol ×2, Ambrascura Dagger ×1, Eryth Armor ×1,
Metal Shield ×1
809
Count Miroslav Vampire Bat Immortal Sage
Count Miroslav of Crosswood (Supernaut)
Calabria’s most passionate and dedicated defender Traits Body d12, Speed d12, Mind d12, Will d12
against the threat of Anatolian expansion is Count Vampire Bat d12 (Forest, Carnivore, Night)
Miroslav of Crosswood. From his ancient castle high Immortal Sage d12
atop the Shadow Mountain, Count Miroslav rules over Undead d12
a highland realm of staggering beauty, diverse in its Skills Academics d12 Searching d12
animal and plant life and renowned for its majestic Brawling d12 Stealth 2d12
peaks, mineral springs, and strategic position. Leadership d12 Supernatural 2d12, d4
Numerous Anatolian Caliphs have attempted to Observation 2d12 Weather Sense d12
conquer Crosswood, and each time they have failed: Presence d12
mountain castles are a hell of a drug. Since then they
have figured out it’s much easier just to sail around
Gifts *Armored Fighter ×3 Magic Save
Crosswood and land someplace else; but the Count is
Bravery Militia Leader
nevertheless there to contribute advice and aid
Brawling Fighter Mob Fighter
anywhere Malachites attack Penitents. He’s a
Charging Fighter Mystic: Necromancy
significant contributor to various religious causes, and
Combat Save Nobility
he’s never missed a Mass in his life, not even while on
Diehard Pack Tactics
campaign. He is also, like his father and his father’s
Echolocation Personality: Megalomaniac
father before him, a member of the Order of the
Flight Piety of Penitence
Wyrm, a semi-secret society (think Freemasons)
Guard Breaker Prehensile Feet
dedicated to defending Penitence against its detractors
Insider with the Order of Replay for Destiny
in general, Malachism and Heliodromency in
the Wyrm Resolve
particular.
Language: Deltan Shield Fighter
He’s also an oupire, which is confusing.
Language: Calabrese Toughness ×3
Everyone knows he exsanguinates his victims.
Literacy: Calabrese True Leader
The story about him devouring the Anatolian
Local Area Knowledge: Unshakeable Fighter
diplomats is untrue, although he did torture and drain
Crosswood Veteran
the one who turned out to be an assassin in disguise.
Luck
But it’s no secret that the guy is undead. How Initiative 2d12
everyone reacts to this fact varies from person to Movement Flying Stride 4, Dash 10, Sprint 2d12, Run 46
person. The Avoirdupois are his most vocal enemies, Attack Teeth 3d12 @ Close, Damage +1 Grapple
teaming up with him only when the fate of Calabria is Counter Claw 3d12 @ Close, Damage +1 Critical
obviously at stake. The Bisclavret have been pro- Dodge d12
Miroslav for the most part. The Doloreaux are Soak 2d12 and Leather Armor d12*
extremely polite and diplomatic but tend to avoid the Loot Writing Kit ×1
topic, and the Rinaldi are extremely polite and
diplomatic but it’s not clear whether they’re doing that
because they like the guy or because they’re planning
to stab him in the … well, probably the heart, with a
wooden stake, but I guess you could stake someone in
the back.
Miroslav personifies the question of whether the
ends justify the means.
810
The spawn of Kazdom
The spawn of Kazdom

Attention! The text that follows explains in detail an adventure involving mystery, deceit, and even
violence. This section is for the purview of the Game Host only. Those players planning to experience
the adventure must avert their eyes and must not read this section, lest they spoil their own
enjoyment.
The action starts immediately. If it is day, all the PCs

What Has Gone Before will notice the horizon darken, and the darkness begin to
Millennia ago, even before the time of the Kohani, a get larger distressingly fast; in just twenty rounds (two
small civilization existed in what is now uninhabited desert. minutes) it will be upon them. Allow the PCs to roll Mind,
The kingdom thrived; its traditions were rich and its religion Spot, Observation, and Weather Sense vs. 2d8 each round
strong. Its people believed, and in the midst of their land to figure out what the darkness means. If their racial
they built a temple, the Temple of the Nine Steps. Upon habitat is Desert, they may include their Race as well.
one side were the four gods who guide bodies along the If it is nighttime, you may require Spot checks to
path to Purity; upon the other, the four gods who guide see the sandstorm: 2d12 for moonless nights, 2d10 for
souls along the path to Virtue. At the end stood the king of nights with appreciable moonlight. On a tie or worse,
the gods. Those who became Pure and Virtuous would the PCs see the storm with only one round to react
join the king of the gods and have Everlasting Life. before it is upon them. On a success, the PCs get three
Nothing lasts forever. Corruption set in; the priests had rounds to react; on an overwhelming success, the PCs
been in power too long. Hiding places were constructed get seven rounds to react. Keen Sight will affect these
beneath the floors of the temple, used to hide bribes and rolls; if one of the PCs has Keen Sight and gets an
secret heretical texts. Eventually, the church degraded overwhelm on their Spot Check, give the party ten
into nothing more than a society of assassins bent on rounds to react before the sandstorm reaches them.
using their skills and their status for personal gain. When No matter how much time the PCs have to react,
at last the temple devoted to purity and virtue was being they have four basic options.
used to hide depravity and sin, a disaster struck. Some Running Away: The storm moves at 50kph – that’s
say the gods became angry, and punished the kingdom. over 100 paces each round! It will become clear
Whatever the cause, drought set in. The deserts that even the fastest flyer can’t out-run such a
crept northward, engulfing the once rich lands. storm. If any of the PCs suggest running away
Monsters of the desert – huge insects, spiders, scorpions, from the storm, impress upon them its incredible
and centipedes – devoured the people and destroyed speed. If that does not deter them, allow them to
the buildings. The kingdom was lost beneath the sands. try running away; they can Run three times their
Erosion has slowly been working on the sands that Dash, or fly three times their Flying Dash, each
once covered the ruins of that civilization, and now the round. If the storm catches up to them, it will likely
ruins are almost at the surface once more. All it would cause them some serious trouble. See Staying Put
take is one strong windstorm… for damage, blindness, and penalties.
Running for Cover: Perhaps the wisest thing the
PCs can do is look for cover. If anyone decides to
The Sandstorm look for cover, have them roll Mind, Observation,
This adventure works best in the deep, uninhabited Spot vs. 3. (Among other things). There is a wall
desert, days from help, but anywhere at least an hour sticking up out of the sand about 50 paces away;
or so from the nearest settlement will do. How you get it’s dun-colored so it’s a little difficult to see, but
the heroes to the desert is your own decision. Most during the day its shadow will be visible. Increase
likely they are here as part of a caravan, or on a the difficulty to 2d10 at night. The wall is big
mission someone from their home country gave them. enough to shelter eight or nine average-size people
This adventure works equally well with desert natives, huddling close together.
foreigners, or a mix of the two. The PCs can make for the wall as fast as they can
Run – three times their Dash each round. If they
get caught in the storm, they may suffer damage or
blindness. See Staying Put. Once behind the wall,
811
The spawn of Kazdom
the PCs are safe; they can huddle there until the PCs who saw the available cover before the storm
storm passes, which takes about five minutes. hit may roll Mind vs. 2d10 to find their way back to it.
Staying Put The PCs may try to weather the PCs who did not see the cover before the storm hit
storm. They will probably have a few rounds of must roll Mind, Observation, and Spot vs. 5d12 every
preparation time. Tying on a ruband (any version) round; if they succeed they’ve seen the nearby wall
takes one round; pulling blankets out of through a temporary break in the swirling sand.
saddlebags to cover themselves or their mounts
might take the PCs one or two rounds. Casting Spells
The storm is about as powerful as a Fury of the The Calm Wind spell cannot be cast on the sandstorm
Desert spell, doing 2d10 damage per round. until it is in range – 72 paces – at which point the caster
Normal desert clothing (long robes) counts as has only one free round in which to affect the storm.
padded armor for the purposes of soaking this As the storm is not magical in nature, Calm Wind
damage. Other armor also helps, but the Host may automatically takes effect. One casting reduces its effects
rule that sand gets into the breaks in less continuous to those of a Sandstorm spell – 1d10 damage per round
armor and causes itching and chafing until the PC and 4d10 blinding – but it slows the storm down, causing
removes and cleans her armor and combs her fur. it to take 7 minutes (70 rounds) to pass instead of 5.
The PCs must also roll Body, Speed, Will, Dodge, The spellcaster can attempt to cast the spell again
Contortionist, and anything else you deem fair vs. after the first round, but may suffer from the effects of
5d12 every round to avoid being blinded by the the storm. The caster cannot cast the spell at the
storm. A normal ruband or scarf tied around the storm with her head completely covered, so she can
eyes gives the PC a +1 bonus to this roll; a full- claim no more than a +2 bonus against the storm’s
face ruband gives the PC a +2 bonus. If they blinding effects, and if blinded, cannot attempt to cast
completely cover their head (with a blanket or sack, the spell again until the blindness wears off.
for example), they get a +3 bonus and only have A second successful casting of the spell reduces the
to roll every five rounds, as they are only in danger storm’s effect to that of a Duststorm which will last 10
when the wind gusts in an unexpected direction. minutes; PCs no longer take damage, and the
The storm takes five minutes to pass – the length blindness roll is only 3d10. A third successful casting
of an entire Scene. PCs who are blinded by the of the spell reduces the storm’s effect to that of a
storm, but who did not botch, recover their sight a Windstorm, which, while gusty, will not cause damage
few minutes after the storm passes. PCs who or blindness, and lasts 15 minutes. A fourth successful
botched on their blindness roll have had their casting of the spell dissipates the storm altogether.
eyesight permanently damaged, and gain the Poor Windbreak and Windshield completely shield those
Vision flaw. It is the Host’s discretion whether such in their areas of effect against the storm. The caster of
an affliction can be cured by magic or medicine. a Windbreak is fully protected from the storm and can
PCs in the grip of the storm may still attempt to run then cast Calm Wind upon it with no penalties. The
for cover (see Running for Cover, above), and will not caster of a Windshield cannot concentrate on
suffer any penalties for trying to run, although they Windshield and cast Calm Wind at the same time, but
may have trouble seeing where they are going. If they a second Badjaduyi in the party can be protected from
wish to fly, they will have to make flight checks vs. the effects of the storm and suffer no penalties for
5d12 to avoid losing control of themselves in the air, casting Calm Wind while in the Windshield.
and those checks are at a –1 penalty.
812
The spawn of Kazdom
The Unearthed Temple 3: Virility

This room was the altar to the snake-god of virility
The storm uncovers, in its passing, the ruins of an
and health. Most of the statue’s seven coils remain,
ancient temple. Even if the PCs used Calm Wind to
but the head is broken off, as is the tip of the tail.
reduce the storm to nothing, a wall and a portion of
The secret panel in this room contained a jar with
floor will still have been uncovered – enough to
the blood of disease victims, which was used to cause
awaken the beast that sleeps beneath the floor.
disease in others. The jar has cracked, and the blood is
The temple consisted of nine large alcoves surrounding
quite dry, not much more now than a crust on the clay.
a central hall. Each alcove contained a statue of a god,
and on the floor, a large ankh in small blue tiles. In the
loop of each ankh, a secret panel was installed that opened
4: Purity
up to 1-foot cubical holes, used to hold the illicit items the This room was devoted to the lion-god of purity,
corrupt priests and their cronies needed to hide. There but all that remains of his statue is four toes on a
were also two secret rooms on either side of the alcove at plinth. The walls around him are mostly gone, no
the head of the hall; now, with the walls struck down and higher now than half a foot.
the ceilings long gone, those rooms are hardly secret. Seven small jars were stored beneath the panel in
Items remain in some of the floor holes, although few of this room, each containing a different herb which was
them are usable for their original purpose. What remains known to cause internal distress, such as indigestion,
of the walls are covered in pictograms that could be internal bleeding, or ulcers. The herbs were devoured
writing, but writing unlike any the PCs have seen before. long ago by insects, but five of the jars are still intact.
Give the PCs 10 rounds, or a minute, to check out
the temple before the scorpion awakes. PCs looking at 5: Willpower
the floor may roll a Spot Test vs. 2d10; allow them to This room was the altar to the donkey-god of willpower.
include other appropriate Skills or Careers, such as The statue, its wall, and a bit of the floor beneath it are
Engineer or Lore: Architecture. Success means the PC gone, destroyed millennia ago, and the ankh is faded.
has spotted a panel in the floor. Once they’ve seen a Stowed beneath the secret panel here is a pile of
secret panel once, they should have no trouble spotting ancient gold coins. It’s nearly impossible to tell how
the others; make the difficulty for spotting other panels much they were worth when they were made, but they
2d6 or allow the PCs to find them automatically. The represent nearly a pound of pure gold, probably worth
contents of each panel are listed in the map key. a fair bit by weight today. A reputable merchant or
goldsmith will pay around 100 Bu-Qian, or Puls, for it,
1: Strength or seven 2-gallon jugs of water.
This room was the altar to the bull-god of strength. The
statue is long gone, and this room is completely wall-less, 6: Wisdom
but the blue tiles of the ankh on the floor retain their color. This room was devoted to the tortoise-god of
The secret panel in this room once contained a jar wisdom. Part of the southern wall remains here, and
of weakening poison. The jar remains intact, but the about half the tortoise-god’s statue.
liquid has long lost its potency. It gives off a slightly Beneath the panel here, the corrupt priests stored
musty scent but is safe to drink. dried shavings of hallucinogenic cacti. Stored in a
metal box that hasn’t even begun to rust, the shavings
2: Swiftness are still here, though they are so desiccated that they
This room was the altar to the eagle-god of can no longer be used for their original purpose.
swiftness. One toe of the statue remains, and the
room retains its eastern wall. 7: Tranquility
The secret panel in this room contains six sets of This room was the altar to the swan-god of tranquility.
shackles of various sizes, designed to fit creatures with Of all the rooms, this one is the most intact; its south wall is
Bodies up to d12, d4. They are iron, and a little rusty, the one the PCs see when the sandstorm appears, and is
but the dryness of the desert has preserved them the only one big enough to offer appreciable shelter. The
surprisingly well considering their age. statue of the swan-god has not fared as well, but its legs
and tail are still recognizable as being from a water-bird.
813
The spawn of Kazdom
Beneath the panel here lies a cache of ancient

weapons – daggers, spearheads, and arrows. They
The Spawn of Kazdom
are all in relatively good condition, as good as the After the PCs have been stomping around the ruined
shackles in room 2. temple for a minute or so, have them roll a Listen Test
vs. 2d8. Success means they hear a quiet rumbling
8: Virtue beneath the floor in the northeast corner; overwhelming
This room was the altar of the horse-god of virtue. His success means they also hear something chittering. A
image is gone – not even his once-proud hooves remain. moment later, the tiles around the panel in room 10
Beneath the panel in this room lies an ancient book explode upwards and four massive, chitinous legs
containing a terribly heretical text. In fact, anyone dotted with hair extend upward from the hole.
with Lore: Religion that applies to the desert peoples It takes the enormous scorpion a full round to extricate
might (if they succeed on a roll vs. 2d12) recognize itself from the hole, during which time it cannot dodge.
some of the symbols as early versions of symbols used Once it has done so, it goes on the attack, going first
in worship of the Seven Jan today. The language is after any PCs near room 9, where its eggs are stored. Its
ancient, but someone familiar with Kohani writings primary tactic is to grab enemies in its pincers and then
might be able to decipher some of it, over time. sting them until they stop moving. An enemy grappled by
the scorpion’s pincers cannot dodge, but can attack the
9: Everlasting Life scorpion with one-handed or natural weapons, and the
scorpion cannot dodge his attacks. Grappled enemies can
This altar, placed at the end of the hall, was devoted to
attempt to parry the scorpion’s stinger, or block it with a
the chimeric god of everlasting life. The walls surrounding
shield (but not a cloak); such attempts are at a –2 penalty.
his statue, and the statue itself, were comprehensively
All it really wants is to protect its eggs; if the PCs run
destroyed when the temple was attacked all those
more than 100 paces or so away, the scorpion will stop
millennia ago. All that remains are the cracked tiles.
following them, and return to sit guard over its eggs.
Beneath the panel of this floor, the PCs find a pile of
The scorpion has Natural Armor of d6, but it is
glistening, sticky white balls about the size of marbles,
fragile. Any weapon that overwhelms on a damage die,
in what seems to be a webbing of sticky strands. They
or does Slaying damage, causes the scorpion’s Natural
are the scorpion’s eggs, and PCs that examine them
Armor die to drop to d4. If such a thing happens again,
closely will see dark hints of the curled embryos inside.
the scorpion looses its Natural Armor until it sheds.
10: Lair of Kazdom’s Child

This room was used to store the less controversial Denouement
items belonging to the corrupt priests – orthodox If the PCs defeated the scorpion, they may wish to
robes, holy symbols, and so on. There is a panel here, butcher it for meat and useful parts. Its meat can be fed
but it leads directly to the scorpion’s tunnel, and more to scarab beetles or cooked and eaten as is. Its taste is
than likely the panel will have given way to a ten-foot not spectacular, but it is palatable. The carapace can be
hole caused by the scorpion coming up out of the dismantled and brought along. At the outset it is quite
ground before the PCs reach this area. heavy, but as it dries it loses weight. Even dry, pieces of
the carapace will make acceptable shields, though they
11: Lair of Kazdom’s Cult have the same problem with fragility as the scorpion itself.
This room was the main headquarters of the The scorpion weighs 40 stone dead; 20 stone of
assassin’s guild which represented the height of that is carapace, 20 stone is meat and organs. The
corruption in this ancient temple. Beneath the panel carapace will dry to 10 stone over a period of twelve
in this room is one large clay tablet inscribed with a daylight hours if left in the sun. The scorpion contains
stylized scorpion, the symbol of the evil Kazdom, and 10 person-days worth of edible meat.
long ago, the symbol of that feared group of assassins. The PCs may harvest the scorpion’s sting and
poison sac if they so desire, but you may wish to
remind them that in most areas, possession of poison
is considered a crime punishable by death.
The PCs may also wish to sell or use the items they
retrieved from the panels in the temple. Each room
contains a description of the items it contains and how
they might be used.
814
Further Adventures
Further Adventures
These are set-ups for other adventures. As the Game Host, you should feel free to add, subtract, or change details to
suit the needs and wants of your gaming group.
who can make sense of the book’s strange ramblings

Expedition to the Jungle Peaks in ancient Magniloquentia.
Alcuina the Believer has come from far off Calabria Getting to this mysterious location can be as simple
with a book that she calls “The Monita Codex”. She as a single line of description, or it can be a
claims that this book has been suppressed by the complicated enterprise of budgeting for food, bearers,
Church of Penitence because it details the location of mercenaries, and other supplies. Some groups enjoy
“Mendax”, the city where Helloise the Prophet the challenge of an expedition. Others, not so much.
declared would be her final resting place… and that The jungle itself can be rife with encounters both
happens to be deep in the Katikati Jungle. magical and mundane. The natives of the jungle
Alcuina may be a crazy heretic back in her home- could be a help or a hindrance. And rival treasure-
land… but Feng Xian, a rich Zhonngese noble with an seekers could attempt to steal the map and/or to
interest in antiquities, has done his own research and kidnap Alucina or Feng Xian.
he thinks her manuscript might have some legitimacy. What’s at the end of the journey? Is it a ruined
It might not be a map to the holy city, but some other city? Or a thriving, lost civilization, far removed from
lost ruin filled with treasures, secrets of the Autarch the rest of the world… and now in terrible danger if
Age of magic, or something else. anyone discovers all the gold and jewels that they
The players are recruited to employ their unusual have? Maybe it’s a ruin infested with strange
skills and abilities … and to protect both Alcuina and monsters. Or a land that time forgot, full of monsters
Feng Xian, who may be the only two people alive from a bygone age. And heck, maybe Alcuina’s
theory is true, and there are artifacts here from
another world.
The Secret of the Templars

Rajul al-Sadiq approaches our heroes. He claims to
be a member of the order of the Black Angels, a society
devoted to destroying evil magic and necromancy
throughout the world. He has the funds to start an
expedition to the Honey Isle, where he believes that the
Order of St. John is hiding a secret: a few years ago, a
tomb in Heliopolis’ Monument Valley was robbed, and
Rajul believes an item of dark power was taken to the
Order for some unknown and dark purpose.
How to get into the order? Can the players make
up a good cover story? Can they disguise themselves?
Do they have nobility, wealth, or ordainment that
would give them legitimate cause to go there?
This story could play out many ways. It could be just a
big misunderstanding – that the real thieves just wanted to
frame the “Calabrese infidels”. Or the theft was to hide the
real artifact: a mummified, undead corpse of a Barrow
Wight, who is kept inside a sepulcher while an Apostate
priest attempts to figure out how to control it for their own
ends. Maybe Rajul isn’t exactly what he seems to be, and is
a Djed-Hakim, a necromancer in disguise, and he wants to
control the Wight, using the players as his unwitting dupes.
815
Further Adventures
Red Skies at Night Undermining

Rumors are coming in that the Khad ı̄ ja al-Dalāl, Our players get involved in a money-making
the self-proclaimed Queen of Pirates, has mastered schemet that can’t fail: a secret passage into Namat,
some kind of new magic. Survivors of the latest the city of trade. Normally, only two gates lead in, but
attacks speak of lightning bolts that light up the sky, our players have been recruited to help build and
burning so hot that they can even set water on fire. maintain a secret tunnel on the north face. Issues
In truth, Queen Khad ı̄ ja has a new ally: Kalpana include using digging and engineering to keep the
Baaba, master alchemist and ex-patriate from Sagat. tunnel safe and secret… and stealth and skullduggery
Before being fleeing her home-land to escape the to avoid beign detected, as untaxed goods and
ravages of war, Kalpana was working on a new contraband are smuggled in and out of the city.
weapon: a synthesis of Zhonggese firework and More complications can arise. A rival gang may
Akoman alchemy, a rocket that carries a napalm discover the tunnel, and they want to use it for their
mixture of chemicals that still burns after it lands with a own profiteering, so first they try to scare our heroes
sticky mixture. (Both the nature of the rockets, and their off, then later they try to muscle them out.
manufacture, should be kept secret from the players Abolitionists want to use the tunnels to smuggle the
until they have a chance to discover it through play.) indentured slaves of the city out to freedom. The
Naturally, everyone wants to get their hands on Anatolian Empire, learning of this secret way past the
this super-weapon. And no one knows that better defenses, send an elite force to stage an assassination
than Queen Khad ı̄ ja. But the rockets can be made of Namat’s king, sowing chaos and disorder before
only under Kalpana’s strict direction. Any attempt to their army can arrive.
copy the results, so far, has resulted in duds or in a
dangerous malfunction.
What’s Kalpana’s motivation in all this? Maybe the
Pirate Queen is holding Kalpana’s husband and son as
hostages to ensure her cooperation. Or Kalpana is
hoping her invention is a weapon so terrible that she
may finally be able to restore law and order to Sagat.
She could also be jaded or amoral, reveling in her
genius as it brings havok to a world that turned its
back on her people and their plight.
Will the players be able to find out the secret of the
manufacture of Kalpana’s rockets? Will they be able to
get her away from the Pirate Queen? Will agents from
a rival power kidnap her first? Or will someone try to
kill her? Will the power go to Khadı̄ja’s head and she’ll
over-reach herself, as the navies of the world unite
against her? As the Game Host, you can add
complications to this story to make it last for several
sessions, or maybe you can just play out an action-
adventure tale with big explosions in a session or two.
816
Appendix: Warfare
Appendix: Warfare
A lot of the themes of Akoma have to do with advantages It’s fast. If you agree, you agree.
international politics and military life, the business of Great. The resolution is also guaranteed to fit with
armies and navies in the “continuation of politics by other your mental picture of the fiction because, well, it’s just
means.” Ironclaw already contains many systems for the your mental picture of the fiction.
subsystems of war, most notably combat and diplomacy. disadvantages Resolving a situation solely
When your campaign decides to zoom out and look at an through talking is an ideal for many role-players; but
entire battlefield or larger, you can use the warfare system. you may have noticed that more verbally or socially
confident players sometimes dominate the narrative
under these circumstances.
How to Resolve a War
When we play a role-playing game, we spend a lot of The Most Complex Option: Close-
time making our focus large or small, general or specific. Quarters Combat
We might talk about the passage of a week or a month or a Ironclaw already has a full-featured system for
year in a few breaths; or we might speak every word of a playing out a fight between two small groups pace by
conversation in-character or follow every cut and thrust of a pace and blow by blow.
fencing match. We might discuss and describe the situation
Game Host: By the time your characters ride up
until we’ve narrated a resolution which satisfies the players
from behind, both armies are dug in on either side
at the table, or we might go straight to the dice to outline
of the river, keeping their heads down and trading
our process. Just so, when you look at the clash of armies,
ineffective potshots. The terrain is too muddy to get
you have options as to how to figure out who wins.
any big guns in place. On the Calabrese side, you see
the ranks part to let the Duchess and her bodyguard
The Simplest Option: Talk It Over
marching across the bridge themselves. She looks
You don’t need us to tell you this, but: sometimes angry and the moonlight is glinting off her eryth
the description of a situation will tell you how it’s going armor. Her troops are cheering, but they aren’t
to resolve. following her onto the bridge—at least, not yet.
Player: As dawn is breaking, I fly up as high as I can Player: Did you set up this entire battlefield to
and survey the battlefield from above. What do I see? make sure that it would come down to a three-on-
Game Host: The Knights Hospitaller have hastily three between us and their commander’s people?
constructed earthworks on the hillside south of Game Host: Aren’t you proud of me?
the town. They’re dragging cannons into place. Your
Close combat is fun and your characters are probably
vision is good enough that you see they have a lot
pretty decent at it. If you’re excited to see a battle decided
of heavily armed and armored knights, but most
through skill at arms, the game already has you covered.
of them are moving slowly with heavy steps. It
advantages You probably already know and love the
looks like many of them have been awake all night.
Ironclaw combat system, and it ensures that your characters
Player: All night? Damn. The Anatolian janissaries stay in the spotlight. Your characters were probably built
have equal numbers, and they’re well-rested. with this system in mind. It also gives you a detailed and
Other Player: It’ll probably be a hard fight, but it immersive picture of what actually happens in combat.
looks like if we don’t do anything, they’ll overrun disadvantages Close-quarters combat takes a good
those makeshift defenses. deal of time out-of-character; and sometimes it’s hard to
Game Host: It does seem that way, doesn’t it? believe that an entire field engagement went one way or
Would it make sense to everyone to go forward another because your PCs set a dozen bad guys on fire.
with that assumption—the janissaries will overrun Also, sometimes it’s cool to play a character who can
the position and take control of the town? turn the tide of a battle even though they’re no good at
martial arts or marksmanship, like many generals of note.
… and if that satisfies everyone at the table, it’s fine
to go ahead with that description of what happened.
In this particular case, the fiction indicated to you how
a battle was going to end, and everyone was cool with
running with that idea.
817
Appendix: Warfare
A Middle Way: The Sectional Combat to bust one of the characters out of jail, the jailed
Rules. character might not realistically be able to get involved
in the fight; the Game Host might offer that character’s
The warfare system presented here attempts to give
player control of a tough villain during the fight.
you a middle ground: a system where your characters’
actions are in the spotlight, heavily informed by the
theater of the mind. This system models clashes It All Comes Down to This
between sections—groups of people working together
to achieve a military objective. Based on your needs, The outcome of a clash between sections is decided
you could resolve a clash between two great armies by a single assisted roll, with a great deal of lead-up.
with each army represented as a single giant section. Each section assembles a pool of dice and rolls them
in contest with the other. The winning roll wins the
engagement; the enemy; extra successes can be spent
Sectional Combat Time to choose certain effects of victory.
Battle time is more like narrative time than combat
Choose Extra Effects
time. In close-quarters combat between two rival gangs
on a city street, one round might take thirty to sixty When you win, your section has proved dominance
seconds. In a grand campaign or castle siege, one over the enemy section. Your opponents have to choose
round might take hours. between retreat, surrender, and casualties; sometimes the
circumstances (like having your back to a river) will choose
for them. Major characters in the enemy section must soak
The Set-Up: damage as if wounded by the most common weapon
Make Maps Like Crazy in the section. If you achieve extra successes in battle,
you can inflict various extra effects on the other section.
When we think of Renaissance warfare, we imagine ● Cut off their escape: they may not choose to retreat
hard-eyed generals crouching over weathered maps in
drafty tents, or else of noblemen and their aides pushing
● Inflict grievous harm: make an extra damage roll
against a specific character
miniatures around on table-maps in a war room. You
could run sectional combat without a map, but even if ● Take control of an objective which they
you don’t normally use maps for combat, this is a great controlled: a battery of cannon, a fortification
opportunity to get into the spirit of the moment and do the ● Intimidate nearby enemies: nearby enemy
same. Get some scrap paper or a shared document and sections must resist becoming Afraid
make a map of the battlefield! Construction paper and ● … or anything else you and your fellow players
colorful crayons or pencils are ideal for this task, getting may think of.
everyone to let their inner child out a little (and let’s face it, The enemy section may elect to keep fighting; but if
no one gets as excited about a big fight as little kids do). they do, they fight at reduced effectiveness. Their
Start out by collaborating to draw the features of the assessment dice (see below) start at d4 instead of d6;
map which you’ve agreed on ahead of time in the fiction. If advantage increases their dice to d6 or d10. Another
the whole point of the battle is to get control of three bridges loss gives them no dice at all; they are in no condition to
over the Longest River, draw your stretch of river and your fight unless advantage increases their dice to d4 or d8.
three bridges. If one side is in a fort on a hill, draw the hill
and the fort. Afterwards, split into sides. Take turns having
someone from either side add a feature to the map. Section Statistics: The Seven
Assessments
I Have a Cunning Plan… When two armies meet in battle, we assemble their basic
dice pools based on these seven assessments (cribbed from
The most important job the players have during
the first chapter of the Sǔnzǐ). Sections are complicated
sectional combat is to come up with a plan. This plan can
creatures, and people in Ironclaw already have lots and lots
be as simple or as convoluted as the players want, but
of statistics describing them; you can look at the statistics
it has to involve everyone. There are some exceptions
to inform each of these assessments. Sections do not have
to the “everyone plays” rule: if the battle is a diversion
hard and fast statistics, though their hard and fast statistics
while the bat ninja sneaks into the castle to propose to
from elsewhere in the game may affect the assessments;
her secret lover, then the bat ninja doesn’t have to get
they only have statistics in comparison to one another.
involved in the battle. If the whole point of the battle is
818
Appendix: Warfare
If the two sections are evenly matched in an Disposition

assessment, they both roll a d6 for that category. If one
Whichever side has better positioning and is better
side exceeds the other in a certain assessment, the d6
suited to the weather and terrain gets the advantage die.
becomes a d8. If the advantage is overwhelming, the
A large number of factors can affect the disposition roll.
d6 becomes a d12.
Disposition is a complicated matter. You can get a much
If the players look at the dice and decide they’d
better idea of what’s going on with Disposition if you draw
like to improve one side’s odds (and they will), they can
a map of the battlefield as outlined above; it seems like it’ll
get with a skill roll—one success pushes the dice in their
take a little time, but just like giving someone directions,
direction, with extra successes tipping it further that way.
sometimes the tools actually make the whole process faster.
If someone on the other side is trying to stop them, the
You can affect disposition directly by forecasting
roll becomes a contest, with failure standing to make the
the weather using Weather Sense and preparing for it
situation worse—or hitting them with some personal
appropriately; altering the terrain using Craft, Digging,
inconvenience. Generally we can resolve this kind of
or Supernatural; or suggesting maneuvers using
interference with a single roll or contest, though you can
Academics or Tactics.
“zoom in” and structure a whole adventure around the
action if you have the time and everyone’s on board.
Logistics
Under the description of each of the assessments is a list
of ways the player characters can affect the outcome. Whichever side has better logistical support gets the
advantage die. Logistics is a complicated and diverse
The Way subject which we do ill justice by reducing it to a few
rolls; but it’s one of the most important topics that
Ironclaw is a world in which having the political leader
even an armchair general can study. You can improve
of your nation personally lead your troops matters, a lot.
your side’s logistical support using Academics to keep
Whichever side has a higher-ranking political figure—
books, Negotiation to acquire supplies, or Craft to
or failing that, more high-ranking political figures—
make and cook things your own damn self.
personally involved in combat gets the advantage die.
The most direct way for a player character to get
Strength
involved in the Way aspect is to be a high-ranking political
figure and get in there; but it’s tough to be king. Player Whichever side has more troops (that they can get
characters who want to push for this advantage might into battle with the other guy’s forces) gets the
consider intimidating or injuring an enemy noble so they advantage die. Having double the other side’s
can’t participate directly in combat. This is a difficult task, numbers gets you a d12 bonus. Having triple the other
but a wide variety of skills could affect it, everything from side’s number gets you a d12 bonus.
using Gossip to blackmail your target to using Ranged You can bid for a Strength advantage using Academics
Combat to put an arrow in their knee. If you have five to heal the sick; or Vehicles, Riding, Stealth, or Climbing
dukes to their king and earl and you can take the king out to lead a wing of troops into battle yourself, bringing them
of the fight, suddenly your side is a lot more impressive. to bear on the enemy from an unexpected avenue. You
might also recruit troops ahead of time using Negotiation,
The General Leadership, or Presence to gain their trust and allegiance.
Whichever side has a more skilled commanding
Training
officer (doesn't have to be the political figure, but
that'd be nice, wouldn't it) gets the advantage die. Whichever side has better-trained troops gets the
Again, the easiest way for the character to get advantage die. Characters can get involved in the
involved in this assessment is to offer their services as a training process directly ahead of time. Training troops
commanding officer. If you command the troops yourself, is a Leadership roll limited by Endurance. You can
roll a contest of Will and Leadership with your opposite also affect the outcome by getting involved yourself. If
number. One success gets you the d8 advantage; more you actually fight in the battle yourself, you can roll
gets you the d12. As in the Way, above, you can also the appropriate combat skill (Brawling, Melee Combat,
impact the general dice by intimidating or injuring the Ranged Combat, Throwing, or Supernatural—Dodge
enemy general (good luck with that) or supporting your doesn’t work here) to lend your own strength to the
own commander’s leadership roll with an inspiring action. combat. You yourself get a bonus d12 to this roll if
you wield a weapon or spell with the Explosion,
Sweep Short (or longer), or group-affecting properties.
819
Appendix: the x-card
Morale If a player can give a rousing speech, using

Oratory and other gifts, then with enough
Whichever side has higher morale gets the
successes they can give their side better morale.
advantage die. Which side is that?
If one side lost 25% or more of their resources in the
The Role of Endurance
previous battle, the other side has better morale.
If one side is outnumbered 2 to 1 or more, the Battle is tiring. Endurance dice can be added to any
other side has better morale. battlefield action, limited by whatever primary skill is
If one side is deprived of food, water, or other being used.
other resources, the other side has better morale.
Appendix: the x-card

We respect the cultures who inspired the people, places, fiction. After an X-Card is dropped, the Director
and things you see in our Horn & Ivory book. We want should consider declaring a 5-minute break before
Ironclaw to be a game everyone feels comfortable playing. play resumes.
The historical and cultural inspirations are never to be So: short answer: if you feel it’s getting too personal
an excuse for behavior that makes your fellow players or too hurtful, throw the X-Card.
uncomfortable, nor is it an excuse to keep someone
from expressing themselves through their character. After using your X-card to stop the game,
If you’re not sure what your group will be comfortable pick it back up
with, discuss it openly and honestly. Establish an
There’s no limit to the number of times you can use
understanding, and everything will be gravy.
it. If you’re using your X-Card more than once per
In a role-playing game, sometimes players will use
game, though, you should really be talking about that
their role “in character” to say things that someone
in the debriefing, because you’re not having fun.
might find hurtful. Role-playing games can create a
Some groups may find that the X-Card can serve as
dissociative effect, where what someone is saying “in
a quick and easy reminder of the boundaries of what
game” is not considered to have any real-world
can and cannot go on during your game. The safety net
consequences… while other players may not share the
of the X-Card can empower a player to push the
same sense of immersion.
emotions a bit further than they normally would,
It’s never fun when someone’s feelings get hurt. You
because they trust their fellow players to let them know
and your fellow players may consider using the X-Card.
immediately if they’ve gone too far.
Each Player gets a card with a big X on it. A stan-
Other groups may find the X-Card to be too simplistic
dard 3x5 or A7 index card with a big “X” drawn it
or formalized. The X-Card is to prevent feelings being
works great, but any card will do: a playing card, a
hurt – it’s not supposed to be used because you don’t
common trading card, a coaster, etc.
like how a die roll came up. If you use the X-Card
variant, remember that it’s about keeping the game
If something happens that makes you
fun and exciting as you push the limits of your
uncomfortable, throw your X-card onto the
imagination.
table. whatever is going on stops now.
The player who threw the card doesn’t have to
explain why they threw the card.
The game immediately pauses, while the players
and the Director edit the last event in the game’s
820
Bibliography
Bibliography
Cook, Glen. The Tower of Fear. Tor: 1989. Fiction about Shefer-Mossensohn, Miri. Ottoman Medicine: Healing
an occupied city, terrible wizardry, and the and Medical Institutions, 1500-1700. Albany:
various politics surrounding these issues. State University of New York Press, 2009.
Nicolle, Cavid, and Christa Hook, illustrator. Osprey Elite Turnbull, Stephen. Osprey Essential Histories 062: The
58: The Janissaries. Can’t go wrong Ottoman Empire 1326-1699.
with Osprey books.
Abar, 769 Barandaz Island, 764 Eater of the Dead (Gift), 750
Index
Career, 743
Abar’s Journey, 777 Barutda, 800 Emirate Consulate, 764 Ibis, 735
Abi-Asman, 773, 776 Bazargani, 761 Emirate Road, 763 Ibis Fields of Bazargani, 761
Abus, 754 Bezira, 769 Eskenas, 800, 801 Idaniz, 769, 778
Adventures, 815 Black Angel (Career), 742 Estuary Dock of Bazargani, 764 Irana, 778
Aftab, 798 Black Angels, 803 Faint Miragel Jannisary, 808
Akhal-Teke, 805 Blessed Ways (Gift), 748 Spell as Weapon, 753 Career, 743
Akhal-Teke Wrangler (Gift), 746 Blue Paradise (Abi-Asman), 776 Falcon, 733 Jezail
Alchemist (Career), 742 Blue River, 776 Fan Axe, 753 Description, 752
Alchemy Blue Stars of the East, 800 Description, 751 Jezail (Weapon), 754
Gift, 747 Broken Lands, 765 Farramad, 775 Jezailer’s Trappings (Gift), 747
Al-Dozid, 800, 801 Calabrese Quarter of Bazargani, 764 First Star, 797 Kasdim, 770
Al-Madinat ‘aella Namat, 792 Cannon Sweep (Gift), 746 Fishermen’s Quarter of Bazargani, Katikati Jungle, 791
Almaghnatisia Cisterns of Heliopolis, 767 765 Kavos, 769
Description, 757 Clysmian Foul Floating City, 765 Khadīja al-Dalāl, 809
Almaghnatisia (Career), 742 Gift, 748 Forsaken City of Waliopotea, 795 Khopesh Sword
Anahita the First Star, 797 Spell as Weapon, 753 Four Year Pilgrimage of Nazar, 784 Description, 751
Anatolia, 759 Cobra, 732 Freshwater Dock of Bazargani, 762 Khorsheed, 769, 784
Angels’ Teeth Islands, 757 Coffee, 804 Gate of the River’s Tail (Bazargani), Kinejuyi Jang, 770
Antelope, 732 Corsair States, 765 762 Knights Hospitaller, 808
Aqua Fortis Crafting, 755 Ghanon of Anatolia, 809 Kopesh Sword, 753
Description, 751 Crocodile, 733 Gifts Kuhestan Mountains, 791
Weapon, 754 Cursed Lands, 765 Musketeer’s Trappings, 747 Laborers’ Quarters of Bazargani, 765
Aqua Vitae Damesab, 778 Giraffe, 734 Lemur, 736
Description, 751 Dastan-Dastar, 780 Governor’s Palace of Bazargani, 764 Leviathan, 806
Weapon, 754 Dastani (Career), 743 Governor’s Pastures of Bazargani, Libertalian Lodge, 764
Artillerist (Gift), 746 Death Watch (Gift), 750 762 Light Cannon, 754
Artillery, 752 Deltan Sultanate, 766 Great Desert, 769 Little Anchor Temple, 761
Asbal, 805 Derpasdari, 782 Great Search, 775 Mah, 799
Austringer (Gift), 746 Dervish (Career), 743 Heaven’s Gift to Earth, 761 Mahsimi, 785
Back in the Saddle (Gift), 745 Din Altse, 796 Heavy Cannon, 754 Malachism, 802, 803
Badjaduya (Career), 742 Djed, 801 Hedgehog, 734 Mariam, 767
Badjaduyan Library, 768 Djed Nakrubulis, 795 Heliopolis, 767 Marketplace of Bazargani, 762
Badkar, 806 Djed-hakim Herdsmen’s Quarter of Bazargani, Mazgat Langar, 799
Badsavar, 777 Description, 795 765 Medjey (Career), 743
Badsavar Plains, 761 Djed-hakim (Career), 743 Hippopotamus, 735 Medjey’s Trappings, 747
Badsorud, 777 Dorosti, 789 Hlavar’s Crusade, 786 Mehr, 769
Baha, 769 Dozid, 800 Honey Isle, 758 Miroslav of Crosswood, 810
Baha and the Hyena’s Harem, 773 Dozodrazi, 800 Hospital of Saint John, 758 Misitu Katikati ya Giza, 791
Band Plays On (Gift), 747 Dunelands, 769 Hospitaller Mongoose, 736
821
Index
Monument Valley, 767 Sagg, 807 Throwing Stick, 753

Mortar (Weapon), 754 Sahin, 807 Throwing Sticks
Mugar, 769 Sand Geyser Description, 751
Mugar al-Seta, 789 Gift, 748 Tradewinds, 795
Nafarxonde, 798 Spell as Weapon, 753 Tribute in Blood, 759
Namat Phylactorium, 793 Scathefire True Queen in Exile, 767
Namat the City-State, 792 Gift, 748 Tupda, 800, 801
Nazar, 769 Spell as Weapon, 753 Turt, 795
Nine Tribes, 773 Seal, 738 Twin Roads of Namat, 793
Nur, 803 Second Settling, 772 Uskari, 800, 801
Old Faith of the Delta, 767 Secretary Bird, 739 Vassal States, 759
Oleander Roads, 763 Sethids, 766 Vizier (Career), 744
Ophidian (Gift), 748 Seven Jan, 796 Vulture, 740
Orange Stars of the West, 800 Shrike, 739 Waliopotea, 795
Ostovan, 783 Silk Road, 794 Wall of Lovely Women, 764
Ostrich, 737 Sirocco Blast War of Revenge, 770, 775
Ouai, 795 Gift, 749 Warfare, 817
Owl, 737 Spell as Weapon, 753 Warlord (Career), 744
Òyó, 793 Small God City, 761 Warships, 754
Palms By Moonlight Inn, 765 Snake Form (as Ophidian), 748 Water Buffalo, 740
Pangolin, 738 Sorkhareh, 788 Wells of Namat, 793
Peyravi, 788 Sorkhaziana, 799 Wildebeest, 741
Phylactorium of Namat, 793 Soter’s Screws, 793 Wilding Camouflage (Gift), 750
Pillar of the Universe, 801 Sportster (Career), 744 Wrestling with Angels (Gift), 749
Pirate Coast, 757 Sultana Yonca the First, 766, 768 Yonca the First, 766, 768
Piruzi, 789 Tail, 753 Yonca the Usurper, 766, 768
Poetry Circles, 804 Description, 751 Zar, 769
Princess of the Delta, 767 Tamaddon Shah, 770 Zebra, 741
Qanundari (Career), 744 Tarik Cargus, 799 Zhonggese Consulate and Guardhouse of
Qäs (Career), 744 Tazekar Bazargani, 762
Razda, 800 Career, 744 Zhonggese Quarter of Bazargani, 762
Revivalists, 767 Path (Gift), 749 Zirak, 769
Sagat, 794 Tearspring, 765
822

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What are some of the major locations described in the document?

What are some of the major locations described in the document?

What are some of the careers mentioned?

What are some of the careers mentioned?

Introduction

While cobras are common throughout Akoma, as

Habitat: Plains Senses: Spot Habitat: Shore Senses: Listen, Smell

Habitat: Shore Senses: Listen, Smell Habitat: Mountains Senses: Spot

Hedgehogs are a hale, hearty, and industrious

Habitat: Forest Senses: Spot Habitat: Plains Senses: Listen, Smell

Ibes descend from Thoth, the god of magic.

One can trace the origin of lemurs to the

Habitat: Forest Senses: Smell, Spot Habitat: Plains Senses: Smell

“Peace be upon you. You have come far with

Seals are mammals, but they still spend most

Habitat: Forest Senses: Smell Habitat: Shore Senses: Listen, Spot

Secretary Bird Shrike

As a rule, shrikes want to know if you were

Habitat: Plains Senses: Spot Habitat: Plains Senses: Spot

Vulture Water Buffalo

“Don’t touch that. You don’t know where it’s

Habitat: Plains Senses: Smell, Spot Habitat: Shore Senses: Spot

It’s all too easy to dismiss the Wildebeests as

You make strange chemicals in your

Include Dice with: Career Gifts:

This is the stuff of which epic poems are made. This

Requires If you have multiple successes, you can mix and

Natural Gifts Clysmian Foul

Sirocco Blast Three successes or more: Declare a target Near

X (Special) Bonus to Sense Undeath

Requires Wilding Camouflage

Muskets are by far the most common firearm.

Firearms & Alchemy

A galley’s movement primarily comes from oars.

The Angels’ Teeth Islands and

1. Small God City

5. Zhonggese Consulate and Guardhouse

9. Emirate Road 10. Oleander Roads (West and East)

17. Laborers’ Quarters

The Old Faith of the Delta

3. Badjaduyan Library 4. The Palace of Sultana Yonca the First

The Second Settling

The Damesab reaction to someone from outside

Study Beneath the Stars

The Contributions of General Ostovan Running with the Herd

The Khorsheed Teaching the Kohani a Lesson

Daily life among the Khorsheed is dedicated to The Mahsimi

The Peyravi The Cursed Lands hold real danger. Sightings of

Of all the tribes, the Sorkhareh have by far the most

Things changed about a thousand years ago, when

The Twin Roads of Namat The Kingdom of Òyó

People can be greedy and superstitious, and more

was a manifestation of Kazdom, or her son; others say Mah

But with any promise of knowledge comes the hint

Core Beliefs of Malachism The Black Angels

Methodology Fun and Games in Akoma

Leviathan Avenger Sea Monster (Supernaut)

Knight Hospitaller Falcon Hospitaller Jannisary Patrol Hyena Jannisary

Queen Khadı̄ja al-Dalāl, Caliph Ghanon of Anatolia

The spawn of Kazdom