The Devil's in the Trees

A lesser false god demon has managed to either cultivate several stands of myrrh trees or transplant them near the covenant. It then proceeds to reveal the stands to multiple groups of villagers, merchants, local nobles, and covenfolk, hoping to incite not only greed, but possibly murder. If the magi become involved, the demon is sure to attempt to infiltrate the covenant's grogs or covenfolk, so that it can work itself closer to corrupting the more powerful magi.

If the matter does result in bloodshed, then mundane investigation might bring the covenant more attention than they're looking for, possibly drawing them into some very entangled relationships with local rulers. While a covenant in Ethiopia is quite distant from the more populated regions of the Order, isolation doesn't absolve them of the Oath. A visiting Quaesitor or neighboring covenant might still bring charges of interference, especially if the myrrh trade involves a covenant in the Levant.

cratic title, but is given to favored military commanders.

Kenyazmach is equivalent in rank to gerazmach. A powerful ras often appoints both a gerazmach and a kenyazmach to show equal favor to two of his powerful warriors.

Balambaras is equivalent to a local governor.

Ato means 'Sir' in the context of a knight or minor vassal. When granted to a woman, the title is woizero.

Noble children all use the title lij. A noble's wife is called emebet hoy.

Collectively, the nobility are called the mesafint.

In Ethiopia, noble titles are inherited first by any surviving brothers, then pass on to the sons of the previous ruler. For example, if the ras of Damot dies, his two brothers will both serve as the ras, and when they die, then the first-born son of the eldest previous ras takes the mantle. Some nobles dislike the tradition, and seek to subvert it by putting their children on the throne before their siblings.

Four provinces comprise the kingdom of Medri Bahri. Upper and Lower Bur stretch along the coast, Eritrea lies to the north, and Tigre occupies the central region. The population lives primarily as farmers and fishermen in a land covered in mangrove forests. Medri Bahri has a hot, humid climate, and occupies the majority of Ethiopia's lowlands. However, it also stretches up, into the highlands; the Takkaze River serves as its southern border. The bahri negus rules from Debarwa, on the highlands, and is considered the second most powerful man in Ethiopia, after the emperor.

Adulis

The Yemen sultanate sacked this port in the eighth century, when it occupied the Dahlak archipelago in response to pirate attacks. The once-rich trading center never really recovered. It is still the home of the

bishop and the governor, who maintains a standing military force there.

Bab-al-Mandab

This strait separates Medri Bahri and the rest of Ethiopia from Yemen. It is controlled by the Muslim navies of Yemen, who are friendly with the sultanate of Adal. Passing beyond it requires a story, the same as passing through the straits of Gibraltar.

Danakil Desert

Dividing Medri Bahri from Bet Amhara, this broken landscape of heat-scorched salt flats occupying southern side of the Bab-al-Mandab strait marks the southeastern boundary of the kingdom. Similar to salt mines in the Great Desert, far to the west, small communities subsist by hacking large slabs of salt from the ground. Long camel caravans carry this "white gold" to markets in Adulis, Debar-

The story of Saint Yared comes from the zenith of the Axum Empire. Born in the capital and raised by his uncle Gidewon, he invented the sacred music still practiced within the Ethiopian church. Yared learned to link the spiritual with the musical through the blending of zema chant music after being instructed by three divine birds and studying with Abuna Aragawi of Debre Damo. Using this divinely inspired knowledge, he composed and arranged hymns connected to religious celebrations and holidays. Debterah consider this music to be the basis of their expressions of faith.

Five volumes of chants are attributed to Yared. The Books of Digua and Tsome Digua details chants for church holidays and Sundays services. Chants for major holidays, daily prayers, and the month of fasting are recorded in The Book of Meraf. The Book of Mewasit provides chants to the dead. And finally, chants reserved for after Mass are discussed in The Book of Zimare. These books collectively act as a summa of Organization Lore: Ethiopian Church, Level 5, Quality 8.

The Axumite emperor was very fond of Yared. According to legend, on one occasion, Yared's singing mesmerized the emperor, and he dropped his spear on Yared's foot. The song completely engrossed them both, neither man noticed until the music ended and the emperor pulled his spear free. Mortified by his actions, the emperor offered to grant Yared any request within his power. The debtera asked to live the remainder of his life in solitude, so he could focus on meditation, musical composition, and prayer. Yared spent his final years in the Semien mountains, and the cave which served as his imperial hermitage remains undiscovered. His feast day is 11 Ganbot (May 8 or 9).

Yared cemented the role of debterah within the Ethiopian church. While they serve alongside mundane lay deacons and cantors, debterah also act as community educators and defenders who instruct the children of the nobility, craft protective amulets, calculate astrological horoscopes, and exorcise evil spirits from individuals using a text passed from teacher to student called The Magic Star Book. They formed a holy societas with members in the Christian and Jewish Falasha communities. Even Falasha priests, or kahens, become a debtera before being confirmed as a rabbi, although not all fulfill this requirement. Those who fully embrace this role become something more, learning the secrets of a full-fledged debtera.

Holy Societas: Debterah (singular: Debtera)

Favored Abilities: Adjuration, Blessing, Craft Amulets, Invocation.

See Realms of Power: the Divine Revised, page 137 for details on Craft Amulets. Adjuration, Blessing, and Invocation are described in Realms of Power: the Divine Revised, pages 34, 37, and 48–50. For those who wish to use debterah without this text, they should have the following Virtues: Clerk or Educated, Enchanting Music, and either Sense Holiness/ Unholiness or Wise One. Suggested abilities include Artes Liberales (astronomy), Chirurgy, Organization Lore: Ethiopian Church, Medicine, Music, Teaching, and Theology. If they have taken Wise One, they should have some skill in Divine and Infernal Lore. In this case, the character does not have any immediate means to perform exorcisms, other than through leading ceremonies and utilizing the Divine auras generated by an Ethiopian church's tabot and forest.

Depending on their other capabilities, a debtera may make an interesting grog or companion character.

wa, and Zeila. A fiery and capricious ifrit jinn occupies an active volcano in a depression within the desert. This cone of black basalt is known as Erta Ale, or "Smoking Mountain." A lake of molten rock bubbles within its deep, pit-like caldera, periodically spitting a clump of burning debris or overflowing the volcano's rim. The mountain sports a bare, shallow slope, and almost nothing grows nearby. However, for magi considering a location to pursue the volcano magic suggested in Hermetic Projects, this is an ideal site.

Debarwa

Home of the bahri negus, Debarwa lies about twenty miles from the edge of the plateau dividing the highlands and lowlands, nestled along the banks of the Mereb river. As the capital of both Tigre and all of the Medri Bahri, it controls rich mines of copper, gold, and iron all along the escarpment. Boasting a population of 6,000, many of the trade routes from the coast to the highlands pass through Debarwa and it holds a large market every Saturday. All of this combines to make the bahri negus very rich, and able to maintain a strong army of very well-equipped soldiers. Bouda faeries prowl its roads and wild forests, urging anyone they find to lustful or murderous excess. This activity makes hyenas particularly feared and hated. The bahri negus places a bounty on live hyenas, trying to capture the faeries, but he fails to realize this will likely be ineffective.

Story Seed: On a Wing

Covenants which become more involved in mundane elements of Ethiopia might find great profits to be made either by building bridges or providing magical ways to circumvent the natural obstacles of travel, such as items which allow short periods of flight. However, both have the potential to draw in jealous rivals either attempting to take over a bridge and charge a toll, or ambush a covenant's agent to steal an enchanted device. In both cases, the magi must decide what sort of response and involvement is best not only to resolve the situation, but to maintain the status of the covenant in the local area as word of their expeditious construction or travel methods becomes better known.

Massawa

After an expedition from Yemen sacked Adulis in the eighth century, Massawa grew important as a trade port. Fifteen leagues northwest of Adulis, Massawa is built across two islands and along the shore. The Muslim Sheikh Hanafi rules here, swearing allegiance to the bahri negus. The influx of merchants makes the sheikh rich, wealth he has used to build a mosque on the larger island out of carved white coral blocks, and to sponsor Muslim missionaries to travel into the heart of Ethiopia.Sheikh Hanafi invited numerous shipbuilders from Yemen and Hijaz, who now help expand his merchant fleet. All of the sheikh's captains have instructions to carry any pilgrims bound for Mecca for free.

Negash

This modest hamlet of Christians and Muslims lies on the trade road from Axum to Zeila. About thirty leagues east southeast of the former imperial capital, the village

Story Seed: Serpents of Unknown Provenance

The symbol of the Order of Hermes includes snakes, and an ambitious magus might seek out an elephant-eating serpent to bind as a familiar, believing it the embodiment of magic. These great creatures may possess a more ancient legacy, as the degenerate sacred snakes of the pharaohs, corrupted since their escape from the Muslim purge of the old faith of Egypt. More fantastic sagas might make the elephant-eating serpents the spawn of Jormungandr, spreading its influence to distant shores as prelude to something terrible. Or are the enormous beasts descendants of the serpent of the Bible, revealing the potential proximity of the Garden of Eden?

These animals are found nowhere else in the Mythic World, and their depredations are not limited to elephants. What began as an investigation into the disappearance of vital livestock or even patrolling grogs might reveal an unsuspected resource or potential story lying in wait for the characters.

hosts a small stone mosque and the tomb of the ancient Axumite Emperor Armah, known for sheltering the Prophet Mohammed's daughter. Locally, the emperor is called by his Arabic name, Aṣḥama ibn Abjar al-Najashi. Many devout Muslims make a pilgrimage to this place, wanting to see the grave of the emperor who saved a companion and helped preserve an early part of Islam. The Islamic community is an accepted part of the countryside, as residents now consider the emperor's directive to be tradition and leave the Muslims to live in peace. A Divine aura of 4 exists around the tomb.

Rich and fertile, the highlands of the kingdom of Bet Amhara serve as the breadbasket of the empire. Several smaller kingdoms compose it, with the kingdom of Wag guarding the frontier to the north against Blemmyae incursions, stretching down into Begemder and Falasha and reaching into the very heart of Ethiopia and the lands of Amhara. The Jamma river serves as its boundary with Shewa, while the Abbay River separates it from Agaw. To the northeast, the Takkaze river marks the border with Medri Bahri.

This region is the very heartland of Ethiopia, the core of the lost Axum Empire, a bastion of the Christian faith beyond the Mediterranean.

Amba Geshen

Difficult access, wild cedars, and a natural spring pool make this roughly cross-shaped hilltop an obvious choice for fortifications. Amba Geshen served as fortress and treasury during the Axumite Empire, and as the prison-in-exile for imperial heirs after the third Zagwe emperor. However, Emperor Lalibela has abolished this practice and consecrated a church with the promise that no more sons of Zagwe would be sent to wait for the emperor's death. Named Egzyabeher Ab, or "God the Father," the church stands on the southern edge of the summit. Once again made into a fortified treasury, Amba Geshen's numerous long, narrow halls act as housing for the guards and storage.

A precarious foot trail, called "Macaraquer," allows for only single-file entry to the gatehouse at the top. This solitary route means the residents must pull anything oversized, such as cattle or large building supplies, to the gate platform using ropes. However, this doesn't prevent the community from keeping animals; escaped populations of monkeys and rabbits interfere with the gardens until captured for the stew pot, and a small herd of goats and several oxen provide some nourishment.

A religious center and the traditional imperial coronation site, Axum serves as a monument to the former glory and heritage of Ethiopia. The three massive stelae of its ancient graveyard are taller than any Egyptian obelisk and the Ark of the Covenant purportedly lies within the sanctuary of the Church of Maryam Tsion.Built in the fifth century, the church has a thick, lush forest; the Divine aura here depends on whether or not Axum is the true resting place of the Ark of the Covenant. Nearby, a short wall separates the necropolis' thirteen monoliths from the town and includes "Ezana's Stone," a pillar with the same message engraved in

Ge'ez, Classical Greek, and Ancient Sabaean languages. (Ancient Sabaean is found on ruins in Petra, Yeha, or locations in Yemen and 'Asir.) Knowing one of these languages allows the engraving to be studied for a season as a tractatus on one of the other languages or for Area Lore: Ethiopia, with a Quality 5. The stone tells the accomplishments of King Ezana's reign and his conversion to Christianity by Saint Frumentius.

Axum stands as one of the larger Ethiopian cities, boasting a population of almost 4,000 people. Its legacy and relics remain a great source of pride for the citizens. When he visits, the emperor and his retinue stay in two stone Axumite-era palaces, rather than their usual tent encampment. The larger of the two is 120 meters by 80 meters; known as Ta'akha Maryam, it has 50 rooms. The smaller palace is called Dungur, and said to be the former residence of Queen Makkeda. A pasture, north of town, holds many ancient tombs and a cluster of stelae, none much taller than a man, called "Gudit's Field." A large reservoir carved out of the rock lies a short distance away, which the locals call "Sheba's Bath." Nearly 750 years old, an ancient pagan temple converted into a monastery by Abba Pantelewon and Abba Liqanos continues to operate atop a small hill.

In order to ensure the loyalty of his nobility, the emperor's court constantly travels throughout the kingdoms, engaging in political maneuvering, and using the military force of his retinue to deter invasion or rebellion. The mobile tent compound of the negus and his courtiers is the true center of his power, able to respond quickly when the situation demands. The town of Roha, in the kingdom of Lasta, remains the official capital, as both the emperor's birthplace and spiritual center.

The complete, official title of the current emperor, Lalibela, is:

Moa Anbessa Ze Imnegede Yehuda, Atse Lalibela, Negusa Negast, Seyoume Igziabeher

The first phrase, Moa Anbessa Ze Imnegede Yehuda, means "conquering lion of the tribe of Judah," and always precedes the emperor's titles at events or in correspondence. This is not a personal title, but refers to Christ and demonstrates the emperor's submission to the will of God.Atse means "emperor," and Negusa Negast means "king of kings." This is the common short form of his title, signifying his position as king over all the other kings within Ethiopia. Finally, Seyoume Igziabeher means "elect of God" and represents the Divine selection the emperor claims as part of his office. When dealing with the southern sultanates, the emperor also uses the title Negus Tsion, or "king of Zion."

Honorifics used to address the emperor include Girmawi, which means "His (or Your) Imperial Majesty," and Janhoy which is equivalent to "Sire." The imperial household and family is called Getochu, which is the plural for "our master." The empress uses the title Nigeste Negast, and while they have little true power, consorts are respectfully given the title of Itege.

The Imperial court is called the makwanet. It includes:

Afe Negus — "Mouth of the King." Because the emperor himself never speaks in public, the two heralds granted this position speak as if they are the Emperor.

Blattengeta — "Lord of the Pages." Equivalent to a major domo or castellan, this individual administrates the daily operation of the imperial retinue.

Blatta — "Page." Similar to personal valets or ladies-in-waiting, these officials ensure proper protocol is observed, and the personal needs of the imperial family are met.

Enderase — "Regent of the Empire." The emperor's representatives also use this title when visiting fiefs and vassals.

Lique Mekwas — This position belongs to two extremely loyal and welltrusted individuals who follow the emperor at all times, wearing the same clothes. They even go into battle with him, and serve as decoys, meant to distract assassins.

**Tsehafi Tezaz — "**Minister of the Pen." This official guards the emperor's great seal, records the details of all important appointments, and publishes all laws and treaties.

Debre Damo

Founded by Abuna Aragawi, one of the legendary Nine Saints, the monastery of Debre Damo stands atop a mountain plateau once claimed by a serpent cult. Its cut-stone church holds a large collection of illuminated manuscripts, and intricate carvings on the beams and ceiling tell the story of the abuna's miraculous ascent to site. Tradition holds that the Archangel Gabriel watched over Aragawi, fiery sword at the ready, as a giant serpent looped its coils around the abuna and carried him up the sheer cliff.Paintings in the church record how it deposited the Saint upon a large stone and departed, never seen again. Its cult converted to Christianity under the abuna's tutelage. Anyone entering the monastery now kisses the stone in gratitude for a safe arrival.

Visitors must climb a thick rope of braided leather nearly 80 feet long to reach the complex, occasionally combined with a basket for older or infirm pilgrims. This method of entry has kept the monastery and its ap-

proximately 100 monks safe from attackers for over 700 years. The broad, flat summit contains an Axumite style church that curiously lacks a forest, nearly two dozen shared homes and their gardens, a pen for several cattle and rabbits, and a half-dozen carved stone cisterns. The whole community enjoys a Dominion aura of 3.

Istifanos Monastery

Built along the western shore of Lake Hayq in southeastern Amhara, generations of Emperors used this monastery as an archive of their correspondence, documents, and land grants. Tradition states that the large, deep body of water is the result of an encounter between a haughty young princess and a pregnant woman she wronged. This terrible insult so angered God that his wrath caused the lake to rise up from nothing, drowning the princess and her retinue. Where the pregnant woman was sitting and the village behind her became an island, now marked with a small shrine and a Divine aura of 4. The lake itself hosts large, bony catfish and hippopotamuses. The surrounding shoreline supports citrus fruits, like lemons and oranges. A large, empty stone palace overlooks the lake on the shore opposite the monastery. Built by a forgotten Axumite Emperor, the structure remains unoccupied and its stones unscavenged. It has a Magic aura of 3 and the ghost of a melancholy Axumite princess haunts it. Nearby, a small Muslim village lives off the bounty of the lake.

Roha

At first glance, only a modest village occupies this rocky, dry area; nothing seems to distinguish it as the birthplace of the current emperor, Lalibela. However, sunken beneath the surface lies the spiritual jewel of the Ethiopian empire and the legacy of its ruler, the eleven hypogeum churches of Roha. Small clusters of mud-brick and red stone homes, belonging to the town's residents, surround the tunnels leading down to these absolutely gorgeous houses of worship. Each building is carved from a single piece of stone, and this religious complex represents a symbolic pilgrimage to Jerusalem and the River Jordan.

The churches occupy three sites. To the north of the channel named the river Jordan stand Bet Denagel (House of Virgins), Bet Golgotha Mikael (House of Golgotha Mikael), Bet Maryam (House of Mary), Bet Maskal (House of the Cross), and Bet Medhani Alem(House of the Savior of the World). South of the river lie Bet Abba Libanos (House of Abbot Libanos), Bet Amanuel (House of Emmanuel), Bet Gabriel Raphael (House of Gabriel Raphael), Bet Lehem (House of Holy Bread), and Bet Qeddus Mercoreus (House of St. Mercoreos). The eleventh church, Bet Giorgys (House of St. George), is isolated from the others, but connected by a system of trenches. The whole complex has a Dominion aura of 7.

Yeha

Considered a sacred site even before the arrival of the Nine Saints, Yeha occupies the fertile and lush plain of an easily defended mountain vale. The only remaining testament to its former glory is a crumbling temple on a high outcropping. Fading graffiti indicate that the structure may have been used as a church or monastery before the roof collapsed, and a few of the internal walls as well as several large, square pillars bear Sabatean engravings. A ruined shrine sits at the base of a natural stone staircase and three rock-cut tombs sink into a bare slope south of the main structure. This temple is a third of a mile from any other

When the waters of the Blue Nile first begin their flood, their magic is evident at the falls of Tis Abbay. The misting water can be captured at sunrise, yielding 3 pawns each of Aquam, Creo, Imaginem, and Perdo vis. This is the point of greatest potential, the origin of a journey which will feed a nation, carve away at the very bones of the mountains, and yet reveal the absolute beauty of a rainbow hidden with the first beams of light. Unharvested, this vis feeds the rich flora growing around the falls. Plants and Beasts of Virtue are common here.

structure, at the heart of a Magic aura of 3.

About two hundred people live in the nearby village, including a Falasha blacksmith, a potter, and a weaver.

Zeila

Built from carved blocks of polished, white coral, the walled port of Zeila serves as a rich and bustling hub of trade between Ethiopia, Yemen, and the world beyond the Red Sea. The governor maintains a strong and well-equipped army, while entertaining shifting alliances with the sultan of Adal to the south and the ras of Amhara to the east. A growing Muslim population calls Zeila home, and its mosque was built by companions of the Prophet, and has a Divine aura of 5. Wealthy merchants urge the governor to favor the sultan over the emperor, in order to ease travel through the Bab-al-Mandab strait and increase their own power.

About a league west of Axum, in the dry scrub near the quarries where masons cut the Great Stelae from the earth, a large rock outcropping bears the life-sized etching of a lioness with jaws open, frozen in mid-stride. According to legend, the Archangel Gabriel fought the lion here, and threw her with such force against the rock that only the etching remained. If an animal corpse is laid at its feet on night before the first day of spring, and the corpse is protected from scavengers throughout the night, some part of the corpse will contain 5 pawns of Animal vis.

At the nearby quarry, long and wide trenches lay in the raw rock face, as if someone simply cut the stelae from the earth like butchers at work on a carcass. However, three partial stelae lie half in the earth- long, partially worked bones of ragged stone. If chips from these stones are gathered at noon on Ethiopian Epiphany, they contain 5 pawns of Rego and 5 pawns of Vim vis. The local inhabitants carefully monitor these sites, responding aggressively if they see someone defacing the stones.

place to set stories.