Ikhmindi

Ikhmindi is a frontier site where techniques and magics could be tested with little fear of interference or reprisal. Standing at the crossroads of trade routes going through Nobatia to the north, west and southeast, relatively easy access to the shore of the Nile means magi can travel back to civilization when they desire, but their position beyond the first cataract ensures that only the most intent visitors come calling. The site has an aura of 3.

Founded by Greek missionaries in the mid-sixth century, the straight lines and strong walls of Ikhmindi began as a fortification meant to foster conversion to Christianity in the area while providing protection to farmers who lived cultivating the slopes and bartering with the caravans on the trade route through Nobatia. The structures sheltered locals on many occasions, but Ikhmindi was normally unoccupied, serving effectively as an unattended caravanserai until escaped slaves repopulated it ten years ago, joined by nearby families eager to create a community.

This section contains story seeds for the process of establishing a covenant at Ikhmindi.

The covenant is described through the following Boons and Hooks, details of which can be found in the Covenants supplement.

Castle (Major Fortification Hook): Ikhmindi is by no means a European castle, but its walls and gates provide protection in a hard and dangerous region. While Ikhmindi is definitely a refuge against nomadic raiders, a large force with siege engines, or a flotilla of raiding fishing boats could overwhelm its

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

Size: 0

Age: 33 (33)

Decrepitude: 0

Warping Score: 0 (0)

Confidence: 1 (3)

Virtues and Flaws:Mercenary Captain: Enduring Constitution, Gossip, Improved Characteristics, Premonitions, Tough, Warrior, Well-Traveled; Ambitious, Enemies (Local Raiding Tribe); Fear (hyenas), Infamous.

Personality Traits: Ambitious +6, Pragmatic +3, Stoic +2

Reputations: Slaver 4 (Nubian freeholds), Capable Merchant 3 (Great Desert and Nubia), Good Provider 3 (Ikhmindi)

Combat:

Dodge: Init +1, Attack n/a, Defense +6, Damage n/a

Fist: Init +1, Attack +4, Defense +5, Damage +1

Kick: Init –2, Attack +4, Defense +4, Damage +4

Bludgeon: Init +1, Attack +6, Defense +5, Damage +3

Long sword: Init +3, Attack +9, Defense +6, Damage +8

Shortbow: Init 0, Attack +6, Defense +4, Damage +7

Soak: +6

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), Arabic 3 (slang), Area Lore: Egypt 3 (oases), Area Lore: Great Desert 2 (oases), Area Lore: Nubia 3 (oases), Athletics 2 (running), Awareness 2 (spotting ambushes), Bargain 3 (hard sell), Bows 3 (shortbow), Brawl 4 (dodging), Charm 2 (guards),Folk Ken 2 (customers),Guile 2 (lying about where he has been), Leadership 3 (organizing caravans), Nubian 5 (Mahasi Dialect), Premonitions 2 (sensing ambushes), Ride 4 (camels), Single Weapon 4 (long sword), Stealth 4 (in open desert), Survival 4 (finding water), Tamazight 2 (Siwan)

Equipment: Dagger, desert clothes, quilted armor, long sword, shortbow and 20 arrows; three camels, gear for camping and traveling in the desert

Encumbrance: 1 (3)

Appearance: Tapara wears the clothes appropriate to nomadic tribesman of the deserts. He always carries a scimitar and dagger.

defenses. It measures roughly 360 feet by 300 feet, with four defined quarters and a large church in the center. The eparch of Nobatia might grow concerned or hostile if the covenant becomes too important regionally.

Fragile Vis Sources (Major Resources Hook): Ikhmindi has two vis sources vulnerable to sabotage or vandalism. One of these, the abandoned copper mine, cannot be repaired if damaged.

Poverty (Minor Resources Hook): Ikhmindi is remote; even if it can host caravans, these really only come in the early spring and late autumn. The revenue from such camel-trains provides revenue to supplement local agriculture and maintain repairs. However, it does not cover more expensive aspects of a covenant, like quality laboratory equipment.

Ringworks (Free Fortification Choice): There is no central keep within Ikhmindi, making the defensive walls and gates a sort of ringworks.

Road (Minor Site Hook): Ikhmindi is on the route for caravans coming out of the Great Desert to the west or from along a splinter of the Darb al-Arba'in coming from the Slavelands to the south, and headed to the Red Sea to the east and Egypt to the north. These caravans stop at the wells and walls of the settlement to rest and perhaps resupply a bit before continuing onward.

Unsafe (Minor External Relations Hook):

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

Size: 0

Age: 23 (23)

Decrepitude: 0

Warping Score: 0 (0)

Virtues and Flaws: Covenfolk; Puissant Bow, Tough; Pessimistic, Social Handicap (Pagan)

Personality Traits: Hard-working +2, Steadfast +2

Combat:

Dodge: Init +0, Attack n/a, Defense +3, Damage n/a

Fist: Init +0, Attack +4, Defense +2, Damage +1

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

Bow: Init –1, Attack +13, Defense +8, Damage +7

Dagger: Init +0, Attack +6 Defense +2, Damage +7

Soak: +4

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: Arabic 3 (slang), Area Lore: Nubia 2 (springs), Athletics 2 (hiking), Awareness 2 (standing guard), Bargain 2 (bartering), Bow 5+2 (short bow), Brawl 2 (dodging), Carouse 2 (gambling), Folk Ken 2 (determining intent), Hunt 3 (small game), Nubian 5 (Mahasi Dialect), Profession: Farmer 3 (terrace farming), Stealth 2 (in the hills), Survival 3 (finding water)

Equipment: Dagger, peasant clothes, bow and 20 arrows; gear for camping and traveling in the hills

Encumbrance: 0 (2)

Appearance: Dressed in flowing, light trousers and a loose, smock-like cotton garment, Petros wears a half dozen copper bangles on each wrist and ankle. He prizes his necklace of cowrie shells and a diamond-shaped piece of green-brown glass. His horn bow is a family heirloom, his only real inheritance as he is the third of four boys.

Petros is always on the lookout for a potential wife. He thinks Ikhmindi is an excellent site to start a family and while he is very dedicated to its survival, he is convinced Egyptian slavers will destroy it. Unfortunately, he doesn't always consider the consequences of his actions, and his desire for a wife often leads him to poach or commit petty theft from visiting caravans.

Residents of Ikhmindi must deal with raiding nomadic tribesmen from the desert, slavers, and bandits out of Egypt. This deep into the countryside, the law extends as far as your bowshot and endures as long as your sword arm.

Edifices (Minor Fortification Boon): Any structure along the outer wall is aligned with its entrance facing inward, and all are at least two stories. The outer-most street of the town is actually more of an alley covered by a barrel-vaulted ceiling, connecting to the next ring of houses. This creates a very impressive, casement-like structure with over 100 smaller, internal buildings.

Difficult Access (Minor Site Boon): It is a twelve day journey to the northwest across the desert to reach the inhabited oasis of Bahriyah. Seven leagues to the north, further if following along the winding path of the Nile river, is the first Cataract of the Nile and the religious settlements surrounding the island of Philae. Ikhmindi is built on a peninsular sort of hill bordered on the east and west by steep ravines, which limits easy access to a trail leading down from the pass through the hills to the north. However, this pass is the route used by caravans, which reconciles this Boon with the Road Hook. A very rough footpath leads down the south-east ravine wall to some fishing huts near the river shore.

Healthy Feature (Minor Site Boon): The well in the center of town always contains fresh, cool water, and seems to invigorate the townsfolk who drink from it. The aura of the site emanates from this well, and it provides all residents who drink from it for a majority of the year with a +1 bonus to Aging Rolls.

Missile Weapons (Minor Residents Boon): Nearly all the native, male members of Ikhmindi are either capable with a bow or possess the Puissant Bow Virtue. There's a reason Nubian archers are known as "Archers of the Eye."

Important Building (Minor Fortifications Boon): Fashioned from cut stone, unlike the other freestanding brick buildings of Ikhmindi, the central church has a high ceiling, four distinct chambers and a small catacombs, making it large enough to act as sanctum and laboratory for two magi. There is no Dominion aura here, as there has been no sustained worship for centuries. This has allowed the natural Magic aura of 3 to reemerge.

Important Building (Minor Fortifications Boon): The southern church of Ikhmindi is incorporated into the external wall, and is constructed from well-dressed stone. There is no Divine aura here either, as there has been no sustained worship for centuries. This has allowed the natural Magic aura of 3 to reemerge. There are enough chambers to act as both sanctum and laboratory, but no catacombs underneath.

Peasants (Free Residents Boon): The villagers of Ikhmindi are men and women who know what hardship means. Many are former slaves, others have lived this sort of subsistence lifestyle for generations. All men and women are proficient with simple weapons, but certainly are not disciplined warriors.

There are six Boons and eight Hooks selected for Ikhmindi, allowing for some customization by magi establishing a covenant. Troupes looking for additional Hooks might consider the Minor version of Contested Resources, where nomads or other settlements conflict with the covenfolk, or the Minor Surroundings Hook: Hermit, representing a Sufi or Gnostic mystic who lives nearby and disagrees with the covenant's use of the churches, or even the Major version of the External Relations Hook: Beholden, representing the greater demand regional inspectors have on the site to produce excess food and goods proportional to the population. A constantly raiding Bedouin tribe might be a Minor External Relations Hook: Rival.

Additional Boons might include the Minor Resources Boon, Hidden Resources, representing unknown materiel in the ruins of a lost Nubian tomb of antiquity such as gold or non-Hermetic items and texts, or from the ruins of the former walled community of Sabagura (which lies 5 leagues to the north ),like tools, forgotten supply caches, possibly accidentally abandoned livestock, or even lost goods hidden inside the covenant. The Major External Relations Boon, Autocephelous, would be fitting for this covenant, and eliminate the need to deal with regional inspectors, but might indicate that the raiders are much worse in this area.

The inhabitants of Ikhmindi are an eclectic mix of people from all over Africa, the Slavelands, and even some poor souls from Europe.

Potential companions for Ikhmindi include nomadic tribal leaders, local folk witches, regional inspectors (the equivalent of minor nobility or senior bureaucrats), or even a caravan leader. Those seeking more fantastic companions might find a local Jinn, or Beast of Virtue. Such a creature might find living inside Ikhmindi difficult, however.

Tapara is an enterprising Nobatian man who alternates between leading and guiding caravans, making a decent living for his family, which lives safely within Ikhmindi. He's avoided becoming a slaver directly, but has trafficked in slaves before. He runs caravan ventures that tend to keep him from Ikhmindi in spring and autumn, and often spends the hot summer planning and preparing. He relishes the cooler winter months, which he prefers to spend with his wife and children, doing as little preparation for the spring as possible.

The potential grogs of Ikhmindi are much like the covenfolk, eclectic and diverse, as they are also drawn from some liberated slaves and many locals. However, they all share a common desire to keep Ikhmindi secure.