A Turb From Without

If the magi wish to avoid dealing with the repercussions associated with the inevitable deaths of the Zaggalah while serving as grogs, then the wizards may seek to recruit from the Zenata Berber tribesmen who range around the oasis. These rough men desire goods, wives, and excitement, and they are very familiar with the kind of grim and dangerous lifestyle which is associated with living by the sword. Securing the services of their host means keeping them paid, but also occupied. If left bored and underutilized, they are likely to take to raiding passing caravans or travelers, which could very quickly draw unwanted attention from the sultan in Cairo. Stories associated with turb are more probably associated with the consequences of their more reckless members getting into trouble due to inactivity.

Story Seed: Filling the Coffers

Fortunately, identifying and harvesting several of the Siwa Oasis vis sources only requires interacting with the town elders, to learn the folkloric traditions and legends of the different places associated with strange happenings. Unfortunately, magi tend to have problems interacting with people socially, and even those who enjoy the Gentle Gift must earn the stories from the town sheikhs through magical interrogation, social interaction, or good-natured bartering. This process might involve acquiring luxury goods from Cairo and Alexandria, proving the magi have truly accepted the Siwan customs and culture, or resorting to Mentem trickery. Alternatively, the wizards may choose to discover these sites on their own, spending seasons traveling from place to place and experimenting with each one, or interrogating local spirits and ghosts to uncover the methods associated with collecting the specific pawns of vis. This process has the added benefit of making the magi more familiar with the oasis, but doesn't have the same potential to strengthen their relationship with the Siwan elders.

The grogs for Siwa Oasis can be drawn from two groups, either from the thirty young men who comprise the zaggalah within Siwa village, or the Berber tribesmen of the Zenata confederation who live in the local area. It's important to note that "Berber" is a term used by outsiders; they call themselves Imazighen, or singular Amazigh, which means "Free People" in their native language of Tamazight, using the Tarifit dialect.

Utilizing the zaggalah keeps the number of agreements maintained by the covenant to a minimum, but means weakening the defending force and reducing the number of available field hands when taking grogs on adventures. Additionally, these are the unmarried sons of Siwa village. Their deaths abroad will not be viewed favorably.

Striking a deal with the more martial and capable tribesmen gives the covenant a force of fifty-five warriors, each with two to three camels. They know the local region and make their living by raiding caravans, attacking pilgrims, and selling loot and slaves in the markets when they need something. They camp among the springs which feed into the large salt lake of Al-Zaytun. Any bargain with

Multiple Sites (Major/Minor Resources Hook):

With important facilities established at several different sites, the covenant must decide whether they wish to allow certain areas to operate without the protections of the Aegis, enact the ritual either individually and exchange tokens, or perform the ritual several times on the same day. Leaving portions of the covenant outside an Aegis means they might be harassed by supernatural elements seeking to oppose the covenant. Multiple instances of the Aegis require more vis and mean either someone's sanctum remains unprotected longer while the other rituals are being performed, or there are a larger number of tokens in circulation, which increases the opportunities for theft.

For the major form of this Hook, there are five or more sites requiring protection.

the Berbers requires an initial show of force, a promise of regular spoils, and delivery of that promise. A careless covenant might find themselves with a reputation as the kept wizards of a bloodthirsty tribe, rather than the allies of capable desert nomads.

Specialists and Other Covenfolk

Siwa Oasis operates as a sort of cross between a Manor and Farm, and a Grand Castle (see Covenants, pages 45–46), in that it maintains many date palm orchards throughout the oasis but the village itself is a fortified structure capable of withstanding serious onslaughts. However, the nature of the community means there are few craftsmen available, and its close-knit culture means outsiders remain generally unwelcome. When a need arises for hard goods the people cannot make themselves or barter for with passing caravans, they send a merchant to Cairo or Alexandria to acquire the item.

Specialists

While there are craftsmen in the village, the magi would need to recruit true specialists from elsewhere. The community's herdsmen maintain several flocks of 20 to 30 goats and modest stables of camels. Feel free to adjust these numbers as desired by the troupe.

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

Size: 0

Age: 32 (32)

Decrepitude: 0

Warping Score: 0 (0)

Confidence: 1 (3)

Virtues and Flaws: Mercenary Captain; Clear Thinker, Improved Characteristics, Intuition, Luck, Tough, Warrior, Well-Traveled; Enemies (Rival Tribe), Greedy (Major); Infamous, Missing Ear.

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

Reputations: Merciless Warrior 4 (Deserts of Egypt and Libya), Finder of Lost Treasures 3 (Berber Tribes), Hard but Fair 3 (Siwa Oasis)

Combat:

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

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

Kick: Init 0, Attack +4, Defense +4, Damage +4

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

Sling: Init –2, Attack +5, Defense +5, Damage +5

Long sword: Init +3, Attack +9, Defense +6, 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 (ruins), Area Lore: North Africa 3 (ruins), Athletics 2 (running), Awareness 3 (spotting ambushes), Bargain 3 (hard sell), Brawl 4 (dodging), Carouse 2 (gambling), Charm 2 (guards),Folk Ken 2 (customers),Guile 2 (lying about where he has been), Leadership 3 (organizing attacks), 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, digging implements, gear for camping and traveling in the desert

Encumbrance: 1 (3)

Appearance: Aznag wears the flowing clothes appropriate to a traveler of the deserts. He is never without his sword and dagger.

Aznag likes eating well, riding hard, and living well, and he's realized the best way to enjoy that lifestyle is to take it from others with the least amount of danger to himself. This usually means looting old ruins and graves, acting as a guide, or the occasional spot of banditry. He has a group of seven cousins who look to him as a leader, and he acts as a captain to their group.

Servants

The rest of the Siwan villagers maintain the fields and the daily operations of the village. Even children as young as seven help with gardens and date palm orchards.

The zaggalah commonly maintained same-sex partnerships among their number. This behavior did not prevent them from marrying wives and the Siwa community openly accepted their relationships as unremarkable. This greater level of intimacy adds complications when using the zaggalah as grogs. This is not simply because the wider world usually reacts poorly to such devotion between men, but because casualties gain significant poignancy, potentially driving a zaggal to despondent, self-destructive behavior; dangerous attempts to rescue or aid others in combat against impossible odds or in acts of great bravery; or simply result in horrible depression, as they grieve their fallen love.