Kingdoms of Ethiopia

towns and markets.

At its core, Ethiopia is a feudal state, one held together by the personality and might of its emperor, Gabril Mesqa Lalibela, the negusa negast, the negus of Bet Amhara, the ras of Lasta, and bitwoded of Axum. He rules over the kingdoms of Agaw,

Menelik hid the Ark after his rule, entrusting it to the care of the Kahens, the priests among the firstborn sons who accompanied him. The Ark was later moved to the Church of Maryam Tsion in Axum. Menelik's ring, once a ring of Solomon and bearing one of his seals, is said to be in their care. Unfortunately, its hiding place was lost among the many islands and monasteries of Lake Tana in the centuries following Menelik's reign. Exploring the many sites and locating such a potent item might easily occupy any magus with an interest in Theurgy or Ars Notoria. If the ring is discovered with the remains of a Kahen not offered a proper burial, the resulting ghost could provide insights regarding the powers of the Ark when used against the nonbeliever, as well as ancient sites throughout Ethiopia. Any magus hoping to interrogate a ghost of one of

these long dead priests must speak Ge'ez or Hebrew with an Ability of 4.

The Ark of the Covenant has a Faith Score of 10, giving it 10 Faith points and a Divine Might of 100 for any Ethiopian, Falasha or Christian, while for non-Ethiopian Christians and all Muslims it has a Faith Score of 7, as described in Realms of Power: Divine Revised, page 44. The Ring of Solomon is a relic with a Faith Score of 7 for Jews, Falasha, and Ethiopian Christians, but non-Ethiopian Christians treat it as having a Faith Score of 5. It adds its Faith Score to any casting total of a Solomonic art practitioner (see The Cradle & The Crescent, pages 33–37), or any recitation made by a practitioner of Ars Notoria (see Realms of Power: Divine Revised, page 98) and it may be studied by a Gifted individual as a tractatus in Ars Notoria with a Quality of 5. The current location of the ring is unknown.

Behri Madri, Bet Amhara, and Shewa. He claims suzerainty over and tribute from the Muslim sultanate of Dahlak in the Red Sea, and the sultanates of Adal, Ifat, Dewaro, and Hadiya along the southern border. The vassal kingdoms possess borders following geographic boundaries. Along the northern shore, Medri Bahri encompasses the lowlands of the Red Sea coast to the Da-

Ruqayyah took refuge in the court of Emperor Armah, and the agents of Quresh, led by 'Amr ibn al'As, pursued her. He brought rich gifts for the negus and the courtiers, seeking to convince the Axumite lord to turn over the refugees. The negus called the leader of the Muslims, Jafar, to his presence, and demanded an explanation of the situation. Jafar explained the virtue and peace the Prophet brought to his people, and read a series of verses from the Qur'an. His reading moved the negus to tears, and Armah declared not only his belief in the Islamic truth, but declared that Jafar and the members of his group could live in Axum as long as they wished.

The next day, 'Amr ibn al'As attempted to show that the Muslims denied the divinity of Christ. When the negus asked Jafar for a response, he said, "Our judgment of Jesus is the same as that of Allah and His Messenger. Jesus is God's servant, His Prophet, His Spirit, and His command given unto Mary, the innocent virgin." The negus replied, "Jesus is just what you have stated him to be, and is nothing more than that." To Jafar, he said, "Go to your homes and live in peace. I shall never give you up to your enemies." He returned the gifts to 'Amr ibn al'As and sent the embassy of Quresh from Axum.

When the negus died, the Prophet uttered a prayer for him, and said to his people, "Leave the Abyssinians in peace, as long as they do not take the offensive." Based on this, the sultanates of the southern border have maintained their tributary relationship. A cabal of demons could work to erode the sultans' respect for the Prophet's request while inciting aggression among the Ethiopian lords.

nakil desert and includes part of the highland plateau to the Takkaze River. In the northwest, Bet Amhara includes the Semien mountains, through the highland plateau, and into the Great Rift valley. Agaw claims the southern foothills of the Semiens, all of Lake Tana, and the portion of the highland plateau bounded by the Blue Nile. Finally, the kingdom of Shewa commands the southern highlands, with the Wabe Shebile River demarcating the border with the autonomous, but tribute-paying, Muslim sultanates.

Few large, permanent settlements exist in Ethiopia in the thirteenth century. The average community consists of a local church and a couple of dozen families occupying a fortified hilltop or surrounded by a protective wall. Almos all settlements of significant size are a noble's seat of power. Notable sites are discussed below. In each, the church is the core of the community, be it a carved stone hypogeum, a standing cutstone construction, or a round timber building. The homes of the populace surround the church. When raiders breach a town's defenses, the citizens take shelter inside.

The titles of Ethiopia are slightly different than those of Europe, but with a few exceptions, they follow similar rules. In decreasing importance, these are:

A negus is a high king, like the bahri negus, or the negus of Shewa. Several ras swear fealty to a negus. No one but the emperor may bestow the rank of negus.

The highest noble rank is a ras. Minor princes occasionally use this title, and the rulers of lesser kingdoms use it. One example is the emperor's cousin Na'akueto La'ab, the ras of Gojjam.

Bitwoded is similar to a duke.

Dejazmach is analogous to "count," but the literal translation means "gatekeeper." This honorific can also be granted as a military title.

Fitawrari is equivalent to "baron." This is also occasionally given as a military rank, and has a literal translation of "leader of the vanguard."

Gerazmach is an older, lower aristo-

The rare spices of both frankincense and myrrh are collected in small quantities along the Red Sea coast of Ethiopia. Much as in Yemen and Asir, people harvest these substances by carving long, deep wounds in the trunks of special, thorny trees, and then gathering the bits of dried resin that the trees extrude. Stands of these trees are rare and jealously guarded by those who know the secrets of bleeding the plants, in order to keep the sources safe.

The flying serpents, or jaculi, that live in these trees in Mythic Arabia (See The Cradle and the Crescent, pages 116–118) are not found in Ethiopia, leading some to believe the trees there might be the result of direct cultivation. However, if someone brought the trees from Yemen or even the isle of Soqotra (See Rival Magic, page 110) to Ethiopia, why don't they or their descendants tend them now? Is there a difference in the potency, and is it possible that Yemeni merchants might sabotage Ethiopian sources to secure their own?