Bahrayn

The region of Bahrayn, consisting of both the eastern coastal territories of Arabia and islands off the east coast, has had a checkered past. Perhaps its most notorious rulers were an Isma'ili (is-ma-'EE-lee) Shi'i group known as the Qarmatians (qar-MAW-tee-anz), who reigned in the region from 899 to 1076. In 930 the Qarmatians sacked the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, stealing the Black Stone from the Ka'ba. It was returned under mysterious circumstances in 951, left wrapped in a sack in the major mosque in Kufa with a note saying, "By command we took it, and by command we have brought it back." The Fatimids (FAW-ti-midz), an Isma'ili Shi'i dynasty who ruled in North Africa at the time, are generally credited with having persuaded the Qarmatians to

The Jews of Tayma' and Khaybar

Fierce and cunning fighters, the Jews of Tayma' and Khaybar are able rapidly to muster armies at times of need. Anyone who could harness their strength would hence be able to assemble a formidable fighting force at very short notice. They could therefore be useful allies if the characters suddenly find themselves facing an enemy army (such as the classic necromancer with his undead horde). However, traditional Judaism takes a dim view of magic and its practitioners, so the characters may have to go to considerable lengths to convince the Jewish elders of the region that their cause is just.

The Fate of the Black Stone

What did happen to the Black Stone during its sojourn in Bahrayn? Why was it broken? The characters find information (perhaps revealed by a Qarmatian) indicating that during its absence the stone was stolen from the Qarmatians by a renegade sahirs who wished to use it to power a ritual of unknown nature. Eventually, at considerable cost in lives, the Qarmatians were able to slay the sorcerer and recover the stone, but by the time that they did, it had been broken into seven pieces. Now the supposedly dead sorcerer has been seen abroad once more, and the descendants of the survivors of the original battle against him are gradually being murdered. The characters may be asked to protect one of the descendants, to hunt down the sorcerer, or to discover the purpose of the ritual.

The Ghosts of Hajar

A mother in Hajar misplaces her child, who becomes lost outside at night in the city. The local community of sahirs suspect the ghosts are responsible but, being unable to control the spirits of the dead, directly seek outside assistance. Can the characters find the child before the ghostly soldiers do? This story could also become the basis for a longer saga arc involving laying the ghosts to rest and freeing Hajar and the surrounding regions from their curse.

The Valuable Quarter

Due to the ease in which travelers can seemingly enter the Twilight Void and the Magic Realm, this area is sometimes known as Rub' al-Ghali, the Valuable Quarter, among local sahirs and the few Hermetic magi who have learned of its existence. Potentially vast resources of vis and magic from the Magic Realm are within the grasp of even the most inexperienced wizard, but unfortunately for the hopeful, returning to the mundane world does not appear to be as easy as leaving. Would-be explorers would be advised to secure some sure means of return or risk becoming lost in the eerie landscape for many lifetimes, perhaps even forever. Those who return often come back irrevocably changed and Warped — instances of mundane characters returning initiated into Sihr and one or more of the Solomonic Arts are not unheard of, but these unconventionally initiated sahirs are never fully trusted by their fellows.

Criamon magi speculate that the Empty Quarter may contain a means to pass between this world and the Counter-Cyclical Alam. Merinita contend instead that the provinces of the Empty Quarter encircle a hidden entrance to Arcadia where reflections of the ancient deities of Arabia lie trapped — whether by God, Iblis, or some Magic entity. Perhaps both or neither are correct, but the joint sponsorship of a Hermetic expedition to investigate the Empty Quarter has recently been agreed on and the two Primi are looking for young magi willing to investigate the rival claims. Some sahirs speculate that al-Hajjar and al-Zill, two of the early contributors to Solomonic Magic, may have disappeared into myth in this manner, and will one day return from their extensive wanderings like King Baluqiya of old, confirming the speculations of Islamic theology on magical kingdoms beyond the known world.

return the stone, but no-one knows for sure. Whatever the truth of this, the Black Stone was broken into seven pieces as a result of its travails, and it is now held together with a silver band. The Qarmatians' reign ended when they were ousted by the Sunni Arab Uyunid dynasty, who rule the region in 1220, but some Qarmatians still live in the area.

Hajar is the most important city in Bahrayn, being its major port and a link between Bahrayn and the coast of Persia on the opposite side of the gulf. However, its inhabitants do not go outside at night, for it bears the marks of a past trauma. In 350 the Persian emperor Shapur II (r. 309– 379) ordered his forces to attack the Arab tribes on both sides of the gulf, slaughtering, plundering, and abducting thousands of people in Hajar, the surrounding area, and the Persian coast opposite.

Now these regions are haunted by the ghosts of the dead, who come out at night and beseech anyone they meet to help them against their persecutors, at least until they are slain by weapons wielded by invisible soldiers. It is said that these weapons can slay the living too, so the local people remain indoors after dark, stopping their ears against the screams and the sounds of desperate hands pounding on their doors.