Building Sagas

The Mythic Middle East is a settting that's ripe for long-running Ars Magica sagas. Encourage your player characters to build a new Hermetic covenant in these lands, explore conflict and alliances between the wizards in a mixed group of Hermetic magi and sahirs, or make all your characters members of the Order of Suleiman and their servants. The Mythic Middle East awaits you!

Founding a Hermetic covenant in the potentially hostile lands of the Mythic Middle East creates a challenging starting scenario. While perhaps better suited for more experienced troupes, this option adds the elements of direct potential magical confrontation, isolation from the wider Order, and the tantalizing option of non-Hermetic integration and discovery into a conventional beginning. Combining great freedom with great danger, such Sagas would rely heavily on cooperation among individual magi to survive and prosper. A group of Seeker magi from various backgrounds looking to delve into the ancient non-Hermetic mysteries of the cradle of civilization would be an example of this. An isolated area, such as the deeper deserts (see Chapter 6: Mythic Arabia and Chapter 7: Mythic Mesopotamia) or the less-settled eastern provinces (see Chapter 9: On the Silk Road), may be the most suitable location for a Hermetic colony.

Similar to founding a new covenant, but relying on the tradition begun in the Greater Alps and prevalent in the Rhine, this option is perhaps more attainable for a starting troupe. Sponsorship by one of the established Greater Alps covenants, one of the domus magna, or perhaps the highly resourced and expansionistic Fengheld covenant of the Rhine would be a prerequisite. This scenario trades off some of the danger and isolation by sacrificing freedom — having the young magi beholden to the politics and agendas of senior magi and the wider Order in what is an unstable and charged region. The chapter house may act as an offensive bridgehead, an embassy to the Order of Suleiman, a trading post, an original research base, a translation school or a combination of these ideas. For an existing European saga, this option provides an introduction to the Mythic Middle East and the potential for long-term play without requiring too much initial commitment or research on the part of the storyguide or players. This scenario is dependent on some form of constant link between the Hermetic colony and the motherhouse such as a Mercere Portal, although such a gateway creates a large security liability should the covenant's defenses be breached.

Itinerant Covenants

This choice reflects a group of mobile magi and provides almost unlimited choice of adventures and the opportunity to fully explore the material contained in this book. The lack of a permanent settlement may create issues for Hermetic magi heavily interested in laboratory work, and both mundane and supernatural security issues come to the fore. This scenario may work best for a more low-magic style saga where the stories are predominantly companion-based or require magi with more diplomacy than magical firepower. The covenant may be posing as simple merchants, acting as an advanced reconnaissance party for the Order, or pursuing another explicit magical goal that requires travel through the Mythic Middle East. The Itineris Serica covenant (see sidebar in Chapter 9: On the Silk Road) details a suggestion for a Seeker covenant dedicated to discovering the mythical land of Serica, at the end of the fabled Silk Route.

Joining a House of Wisdom

Perhaps the most complex and provocative of Hermetic-based scenarios, in this option a small group of magi join an existing bayt al-hikma ("House of Wisdom," pl. buyut) of agreeable sahirs. As the Houses of Wisdom are places of teaching as well as gathering places for unGifted sahirs, Gifted magi may be welcome as fellow scholars if they agree to respect their culture and laws of their hosts. Such an inter-Order community creates numerous tensions and conflicts, although it is possible that the group may be able to cooperate and prosper despite the considerable external pressures and initial differences. Magical techniques may be compared and traded, although teaching the Parma Magica to an outsider would spark a violent Wizard's War and March against the traitors unless the sahirs agreed to join one of the Societates or Mystery Cults of the Order first.

There are several scenarios that could potentially involve Hermetic magi with their Order of Suleiman counterparts in the Mythic Middle East, ranging from overt conflict or guerilla warfare, to uneasy standoff, through to diplomatic overtures and peaceful cooperation and alliance. See Chapter 3: The Order of Suleiman for further details on sahirs and their culture.

The Thousand and One Nights tells of Baluqiya, son of the once-Jewish king of Cairo, who traveled far beyond the mortal world. Led by the mythical jinniyya known as the Queen of Serpents, the prince walked across seas, over mountains, and through deserts to magical lands and kingdoms ruled by giants and jinn alike. Criamon magi believe that this oral legend, like their own Travels of Fedoso, is an allegorical description of a journey into the Magic Realm to outside the Circle of Time. Merinita magi of the Keepers of Tales cult disagree, claiming that the White Lands, Mountains of Qaf, and other countries alluded to in the myth lie within the Faerie realm, bordering on or being part of Jinnistan. Jinn of all Realms act as guardians, guides, and sponsors of such stories and are integral to journeys into these mystical locales.

Whatever the truth behind such tales, the Mythic Middle East abounds with portals both physical and metaphorical into the supernatural Realms of Faerie and Magic. Golden Baghdad lies as a Faerie reflection of the mundane city, swarming with characters from the tales and folklore of the region. Merchants ply trade routes that cross supernatural borders and return with fabulous treasures from fantastic and mysterious lands.

Rumors abound of portals into Faerie or the Magic Realm contained within the books containing the various tales — whether this represents a non-Hermetic ritual effect instilled by the sorcerers among the jinn or if the books are actually an unusual form of faery acting as Threshold Guardians is unclear.

In the Mythic Middle East, the characters of the Arabian Nights are not just stories — they are woven into the everyday landscape. The player characters in turn are the threads that weave themselves into the fabric of the existing tales adding highlights and accents. This book is the loom on which you, the storyguide, can create a tapestry of adventure to rival the greatest adventures of Haroun al-Raschid, Sinbad and Mar'auf the Cobbler.

See Chapter 4: The Jinn for more details on the jinn and their lands.

The requirements on a member of the Order of Suleiman are less strict than those of the Order of Hermes, requiring only the demonstration of some form of summoning power. However, although the Code may permit joining the Order of Suleiman, any Hermetic magi undertaking a second oath may be viewed with extreme suspicion. Likewise, although non-Hermetic sahirs may find sponsorship into House Ex Miscellanea, they will face opposition from hostile Hermetic elements such as House Flambeau and even their lost cousins, the Hermetic sahirs of Iberia. Thus despite being able to achieve internal harmony, such a group of mixed magi may find itself ostracized by both Orders, facing powerful enemies on two separate fronts.

The Hermetic Crusades

The conflict between medieval Christendom and Islam is not completely confined to the Levant and Egypt. Hermetic magi have become aware of the Order of Suleiman through the supernatural actions of individual Syrian sahirs in battles between the invading Franks and the local forces of Salah al-Din. Seeking to trace back this threat to its source, more aggressive Hermetic magi may seek to penetrate behind the battle lines to combat their perceived enemies on their home turf. Others may seek out the legendary armies of Prester John said to dwell far to the east, or search for allies among the encroaching Mongol horde. Even now, a major war against the Order of Hermes may be brewing.

The Followers of the Circle Return

Although isolated from their eastern brethren since the early tenth century, the Hermetic sahirs of Iberia have not forgotten their origins, even if their knowledge of Solomonic Magic has long since faded beneath the protection of the Code of Hermes. Younger Iberian sahirs opposed to the reconquest of their lands by the northern Christian principalities may seek out their lost eastern brethren for support or magical weapons to use in the war to defend Andalusia from the vengeful scions of Alfonso the Battler and Flambeau the Founder. The successful involvement of the Order of Suleiman in the Iberian conflict would have wide-reaching consequences for the relationship between the two Orders, potentially precluding any attempts at peace for decades to come.

An Hermetic Embassy?

In 1220, a new danger breaks in the east — the latest in a wave of nomadic hordes from the mysterious steppes. Led by the mysterious figure known as Genghis Khan, the Mongols first begin their assault on eastern Islam but reports of their savagery begin to filter back to western Mythic Europe. Despite their differences, the Order of Hermes and the Solomonic magi may see the threat of the encroaching Mongols as great enough to force an alliance, at least temporarily. Such enforced cooperation and intermingling may have profound effects on the culture, magic and future of the two great supernatural organizations of Mythic Europe. Will such an uneasy truce last long enough to stave off the nomad threat?

Although the majority of material in this book is designed for use with Hermetic magi as the protagonists, the various resources can all be used to support a saga where the magi are sahirs of the Order of Suleiman detailed in Chapter 3. The default option for this is a group of sahirs using a common bayt al-hikma as the equivalent of a "covenant" and meeting place, although Gifted sahirs may live apart from their fellows in a separate location that forms the equivalent of a chapter house. Baghdad alone has several hundred sahirs who congregate and meet in at least half a dozen buyut*,* although only a few hundred live within the actual city limits*.* The "covenfolk" can include both the mundane and magical servants of the sahirs, as well as associated Middle Eastern hedge magicians visiting or studying at the site, adapting the rules in Covenants. As a collective of powerful individual wizards with different magic and personalities, the members of a bayt al-hikma can engage in all the potential activities, challenges, squabbles, and adventures that would be encountered in a conventional Hermetic saga.

As the majority of sahirs lack The Gift and are less interested in laboratory activities, such a saga might involve a greater degree of interaction with the mundane world and more high fantasy, adventurebased story arcs. Opponents and challenges to such a group of non-Hermetic magi could be based around local threats, including the splinter Nizari assassins, devious jinn, the Mongol hordes, or the political machinations of the feuding dynasties of the region. Alternatively, the sahirs may venture further afield into western Mythic Europe and participate in stories where they interact with Hermetic magi, European Faeries, and the Christian church.

See "The Middle East in Ars Magica" insert later and Chapter 3: The Order of Suleiman for further resources for playing a fully non-Hermetic Saga.

Thus spoke Zarathustra ...

The descendants of the Zoroastrian priests that once dominated Persian politics and magic are now a scattered handful of wizards in danger of extinction. Zoroastrian magi form a small mystery cult of holy magi within the Order of Hermes and a handful of sahirs still quietly follow the ancient Mazdean faith. Isolated villages of faithful cling to their customs amidst persecution and distrust within the wider medieval Caliphate. A disparate collective of Zoroastrian wizards from different backgrounds and across Mythic Europe may attempt to unite their shattered faith by establishing a community under their combined protective magic (see Chapter

5: Mythic Zoroastrianism for details on non-Hermetic mobed wizards and their faith). Will they establish a new homeland for their people to shelter from the forces of Ahriman or be tempted to establish a base from which to re-carve the former greatness of their pre-Islamic empire?

Holy Knives of Alamut

The Nizari sect of assassins has one goal in mind: the institution of an Isma'ili state through the elimination of the Shi'a and Sunni rulers. They show remarkable adaptability in the pursuit of this goal, employing whatever tools come to hand: religious zealots willing to die for their masters, their own peculiar brand of magic, diplomacy at the point of a knife, and perhaps even the Order of Hermes. To the Nizaris, the Order of Suleiman is part of the problem and, much as they have helped the Crusaders against the occupying forces of Jerusalem, they might be prepared to help Hermetic magi against their sahir enemies. If this means that the Nizaris first have to convince the Order that it has sahir enemies, the sect is not beyond manufacturing situations to persuade them of this. If the Order still seems reluctant, the Nizaris might attempt to directly coerce individuals by kidnapping and extortion; of course, this might drive the Order towards allying with the sahirs against a Nizari threat. One thing is sure: with the Nizaris involved, blood will be spilled (see Chapter 8: Mythic Persia for more details on the medieval Nizari assassins).