Gwafa

Characteristics: Int 0, Per +1, Pre 0, Com –1, Str +2, Sta +2, Dex +1, Qik 0

Size: 0

Age: 23 (23)

Decrepitude: 0

Warping Score: 0 (0)

Virtues and Flaws: Covenfolk; Tough, Warrior, Well-Traveled; Ability Block (Languages), Reckless, Social Handicap (Inconsiderate of language difficulties)

Personality Traits: Brave +3, Reckless +3, Loyal +2, Subtle –2

Combat:

Dodge: Init 0, Attack n/a, Defense +4, Damage n/a

Fist: Init 0, Attack +5, Defense +4, Damage +2

Kick: Init –1, Attack +6, Defense +4, Damage +5

Sling: Init –3, Attack +5, Defense +3, Damage +6

Long sword: Init +2, Attack +12, Defense +6, Damage +8

Soak: +3

Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, –1, –3, –5, Unconscious

Wound Penalties: –1 (1–5), –3 (6–10), –5 (11–15), Incapacitated (16–20), Dead (21+)

Abilities: Animal Handling 2 (camels),

Area Lore: Egypt 3 (oases), Area Lore: North Africa 3 (trade routes), Athletics 2 (running), Awareness 3 (standing on guard), Brawl 4 (kicking), Carouse 2 (remaining sober), Ride 4 (camels), Single Weapon 4 (long sword), Stealth 4 (in open desert), Survival 4 (finding water), Tamazight 5 (Tarifit dialect), Thrown Weapon 3 (sling)

Equipment: Dagger, desert clothes, quilted armor, long sword, sling and stones; three camels, gear for camping and traveling in the desert

Encumbrance: 0 (3)

Appearance: Dressed in the flowing clothes appropriate to one familiar with journeys into desert, he presents an imposing figure upon his camel. Up close and in a peaceable setting, Gwafa's youth and ready smile shows. Unable to pick up other languages,

Gwafa's interactions with those unable to speak Tamazight are difficult. He thinks he's quite funny, however, and just because someone doesn't speak his language doesn't mean they won't appreciate his sense of humor. He still tells jokes when assisting as a guide, even if no one else understands them, and finds other people's frustration entertaining.

Vis Sources

There are four vis sites immediately available to Siwa Oasis:

Alexander's Camp

4 Herbam per year 20 points

Alexander's Stele

6 Vim per year 30 points

Crypts of Jabal al-Mawta

5 Corpus per year 25 points

Spring of the Sun

Either 6 Aquam or 6 Ignem 30 points

Alexander's Camp

4 pawns of Herbam per year

This small, yet lush and verdant spring, is surrounded by tall, fruitful date palms. The vis from this site can be collected by cutting the first fronds to sway in the breeze on the Ides of February, the anniversary of Alexander's arrival at the campsite. A pair of crows are often seen at this location; legend says that they are the same crows which led the ancient emperor to Siwa across the desert. There is a Magic aura of 2 here.

This source costs 20 Build Points.

At first, recruiting grogs for Ikhmindi's covenant may seem like a very simple process of purchasing them from slavery. However, this has the result of making the covenant appear very rich. Such a site then seems ripe for plundering by raiders, extortion by bandits, or even worse, pressure from local lords for additional tax revenue. Magi might find conducting their own liberation raids to be more productive, though more dangerous, as they hunt and then strike out against groups of Nubian, Berber, or Bedouin slavers. Many slaves might simply use the opportunity of such raids to make their escape, while some might be willing to repay the covenant with a term of service. Should the magi make such attacks too frequently, then the slave expeditions are likely to send more heavily armed expeditions, possibly with supernatural support.

6 pawns of Vim per year

Raised by Ptolemy as compensation for preventing Alexander's body from being interred at Siwa, this tall standing stone pierces the sky next to the main temple of Ammon, in the old village now called Aghurmi. The vis is collected by placing a prism, gemstone, or piece of glass atop the stele, to be hit with the light of the rising sun on the Ides of February. There is a Magic aura of 3 here.

This source costs 30 Build Points.

Crypts of Jabal al-Mawta

5 pawns of Corpus per year Carved into the rocky hillside, "The Hill

The eparch of Nobatia has obligations to the sultan of Egypt based on the terms of the Baqt. To help offset these needs, he might be willing to grant the magi rulership of Ikhmindi in exchange for regular payments of either gold or slaves. Such an arrangement requires negotiating with the eparch, the spiritual and temporal ruler of the area, considered the equivalent of a metropolitan bishop within the Coptic church. This position means the eparch is likely protected by strong Magic Resistance from either Commanding Presence (See Realms of Power: Divine Revised, page 42) or a relic, as well as Divine agents, and able to negotiate with the magi from a position of some strength.

The player magi could learn of this possibility if they arrive at Ikhmindi at the same time as the eparch's tax collectors, watching as the residents of the fortressvillage explain their current dire circumstances and inability to pay the required taxes. By accepting responsibility for this obligation, and delivering it personally to the eparch, they might convince him to invest them as governors of the town, and more or less turn a blind eye to what else occurs there. Depending on the arrangements, a visiting quaesitor who begins investigating the covenant's circumstances may be less forgiving, however.

of the Dead" is a series of ancient tombs cut into the side of a tall, conical hill. The tombs consist of one or two chambers, dating back to the ancient dynasties of Egypt. On the winter solstice, the vis collects in a lone skull left in a tomb faced with two pillars with cobra-headed cornices. Should the tombs ever be emptied of mummies and human remains,

this source ceases to exist. The Berber tribesmen like to look here for undiscovered tombs

to loot. There is a Magic aura of 2 here. This source costs 25 Build Points.

Spring of the Sun

6 pawns of either Aquam or Ignem per year

This deep and clean spring lies very near the temple at Aghurmi. It is called the Spring of theSun due to its curious behavior. The waters of this spring grow cooler and more pleasant as the day progresses, such that at the hottest point of the noon day sun, the pool is crisp and refreshing. Then, as the day ends, it grows more tepid and warmer, until it fairly boils at midnight. On the full moon between the end of October and the beginning of November (corresponding to the ancient festival of Thesmophoria), the vis of this site can be gathered by collecting the water in an amphora at either noon or midnight. Vis must be gathered at one time; vis gathered at noon is Aquam, while vis gathered at midnight is Ignem. There is a Magic aura of 2 here.

This source costs 30 Build Points.

Fragile Vis Sources (Major/Minor Resources Hook):

One of the covenant's vis sources that creates four or more pawns of vis has an aspect which makes it vulnerable to degradation. Should something damage a specific feature of the site, the vandalism causes the vis source to stop generating. If the damage can be reversed, the site resumes production normally.

For the major form of this Hook, there are three or more vis sites which are fragile. If a site cannot be repaired once it is damaged, it counts as two sites.

This Hook might be unknown to the members of the covenant.

Siwa Oasis lends itself naturally to several kinds of story.

Covenant Themes

Siwa Oasis provides an excellent location to pursue stories of exploration, delving into the secrets of the deserts, the native traditions, and the lost ruins. Its remote location reduces its exposure to the mundane aspects of the region, allowing stories to easily focus on fantastic elements, or to provide a distant safe haven, where the magi can regroup and plan when political interaction with the caliphate and the crusaders interferes with their machinations. However, this remote location also allows for themes of scarcity and survival; what initially felt like comfortable solitude can quickly become dangerous isolation as human opportunists or supernatural predators decide the covenant looks like easy prey.

The Crusaders Come Calling

In your saga, the Fifth Crusade may not be willing to remain ensconced in Damietta until 1221. To open an additional front against Sultan Al-Kamil and to better reinforce their power base, they send a contingent to Siwa Oasis in order to gain another local source of supplies.

The size, strength, resourcefulness, and Divine protection of this contingent help determine if this is a simple story of routing a

Additionally, defeated armies were often sold en masse into slavery; the lot the magi recently purchased contains a general or tribal prince concealed among their ranks. This mundane leader could attempt a rebellion or coup from within, or offer a wide-ranging adventure for the magi, if they're willing to escort him home. In a similar vein, lords sold criminals into slavery as often as they executed them, and the magi may have bought cutthroats just waiting to open the gates to confederates after leaving a subtle signal.

mundane army, and dealing with the consequences, or a greater arc as the magi struggle to defend the covenant and secure its future against a pious and dedicated force.

Trade Routes

Siwa Oasis lies on the borders of two ancient regions likely to be rich in adventure potential. To the west stretches the Great Desert and the remnants of the Garamantians and the ruins of Libya. These sites are discussed in Between Sand and Sea. Additionally, caravans from the Great Desert pass through Siwa on their way to Cairo, bringing the slave and salt trade to the magi's very doorstep. In a sense, the adventure comes to the covenant on the backs of camels.