Ghur

The people of Ghur are more closely related to the Baluchi and the people of Bactria and Badakhshan than they are to Persians. When the Shansabani (see insert) were driven from Ghur by the Khwarazm-shah, they unfortunately left their familiar demons and evil spirits behind. As

This famous astronomer, poet, and sahir lived and taught in Nishapur until his death in 1123. He was trained in the Solomonic Arts at Nishapur's House of Wisdom — a House he later went on to lead — and was an apprentice with both Hasan-i Sabbah and Nizam al-Mulk (see The Nizari Isma'ilis State, later). Nizam al-Mulk later provided him with a yearly pension to continue his studies. 'Umar Khayyam wrote several influential books on mathematics, astronomy, and philosophy, but he is best known for his poetry.

Treatise on Demonstration of Problems of Algebra; written in Arabic; Summa on Artes Liberales (Level 5, Quality 9) Explanations of the Difficulties in the Postulates of Euclid; written in Arabic; Tractatus on Artes Liberales (Quality 10)

Map of the Stars; written in Arabic; a Tractatus on Artes Liberales and a Tractatus on Solomonic Astrology (both Quality 11; includes a +1 from the beautiful illustrations of the original)

Rubaiyat (collection of poems); written in Parsi; Summa on Philosophiae (Level 4, Quality 9)

In Kishmar near Turshiz, Zoroaster planted a cypress tree that had sprung from a branch he had brought from Paradise. It grew taller than any cypress ever had, a monument to the conversion of King Goshtasp to Zoroastrianism. It was uprooted in 861 by Caliph Mutawakkil and transported across Persia to be used for beams in his new palace, although the caliph was killed on the very day it reached its destination.

There are several cypresses in

Quhistan that people claim have grown from seeds of the Kishmar tree, and in some cases, this is even true. The trees themselves radiate a Divine aura of 1 within five paces, and this aura is automatically tempered with the Calm virtue (see Realms of Power: The Divine, pages 38–39). Wood from the fallen branches of these trees fed into the sacred fire of a Zoroastrian temple increases the Divine aura of the temple by 1 point until the wood has been burnt. Wood chopped from the trees lack this property.

The ruling family of Ghur have long been the Shansabani family, who claim Zahhak (see earlier) as their first ancestor. Sultan Ala'uddin Hussain, known as Jahansoz ("World Burner"), took Ghur from the Ghaznavids with the help of his demonic patrons, and he and his kin ruled over Ghur (and later Khurasan) with an iron fist. The Shansabani brooked no dissent or disaffection, and any political troublemakers simply disappeared mysteriously. The sultans of Ghur pursued an aggressive policy with their neighbors, but fortunately for Persia, their attentions were drawn to the fabled east rather than

west or south. They were divided into three branches: one ruled Bactria and Badakhshan from Bamiyan, another ruled Khurasan from Ghazni, and the main branch ruled Ghur from Firuzkuh.

The last Shansabani sultan was Mohammed al-Ghuri, and he was a host to Zahhak. The Shansabani never conceded the province and have not been officially replaced, but they have all vanished. Some claim they have left Persia for Mythic Hind; others claim they have gone into hiding. One persistent rumor places the Shansabani heir at the court of Genghis Khan.

a consequence, Ghur is a dangerous land, and many of its roads are haunted by malicious jinn. The towns are home to demons that walk in human form, and the Ghurs live in permanent suspicion of their neighbors, and even members of their own family should they start to act in an unusual manner. In some towns, the demons have

taken over and rule openly, and the hu-

mans are powerless to stop them.

A rich yet unfortified city in the east of the Ghur district, Bamiyan was recently one of the three capitals of the Shansabani. Its people are infidels and pay respect to two great idols high up on the mountainside. In a chamber supported on columns are two statues cut into the living rock; the locals call these Surkh and Khing ("Red" and "Gray," respectively) and in the convoluted religion of Bamiyan they are twin aspects of a single god. The chamber in which these idols are found is richly decorated with carvings of birds, which have been covered in beaten gold. The two idols wander occasionally from their mountainside nook, bringing a Faerie aura with them as they come. When Khing walks, the people of Bamiyan hold feasts in its honor and bedeck it with flowers, but when Surkh fares abroad they hide within their houses and tremble.

The summer capital of the Ghurids, Firuzkuh means "turquoise mountain" in the local dialect due to the preponderance of that mineral, along with silver, in the surrounding hills. Firuzkuh was a retreat used by the Shansabani to keep their wicked activities hidden. Many of their political enemies were brought in secret to Firuzkuh, and drowned in the Hari river. Some claim that Firuzkuh was the center of devil-worship by the Shansabani. The palace is now empty, although the ghosts of the family's victims still stalk its halls.

The Minaret

Located on a bend in the Hari River, the Minaret of Firuzkuh stands over 200 feet high, and is made of baked bricks. It is intricately decorated with glazed tiles bearing alternating bands of Qur'anic verses, geometric patterns, and calligraphy in multiple scripts. The verses from the Qur'an are taken from the surat Maryam, which relate to Mary, the mother of Jesus. The minaret has been under assault from the jinn of the Hari, and just recently the mosque to which the minaret was attached was destroyed in a flash flood. The minaret stands firm against their attacks, for it is powerfully warded against supernatural creatures. Sahirs have spend long years trying to figure out the means by which it is protected, but the minaret's secrets have so far eluded them, other than to determine it is of Divine origin.

Formerly the capital of the mamluk of Ghur, but now abandoned by the Shansabani, Ghazni is famous for the Bahramshah mosque, which has minarets with a star-shaped cross-section, covered in geometric patterns. It is also well-known as a fabulously rich city, with ornate decorations on the lowliest of buildings, and ostentatious displays of gold and jewels from its inhabitants. Even the lowliest peasant has a gold necklace or bracelet, and higher status individuals drip with precious gems. These riches derive from the Wealth of Nations power of a False God (Realms of Power: The Infernal, page 37) worshiped in secret by the Ghaznians.

A city greatly frequented by merchants, who travel up the single fortified road to the market to trade with the exotic merchants who also come here from Mythic Hind. Of most interest to the Persians is indigo, which can command a rich price further west. However, a more sinister substance is also sought out: a substance called myrobalan, a greasy speckled powder with a spicy nature akin to pepper or cardamom. Myrobalan is of great interest to physicians, since when properly prepared it can have potent curative properties. However, it can induce hallucinations that can be pleasurable (if the myrobalan is prepared with wine) or horrific (if prepared with water). Either sensation proves devastatingly addictive, and the markets of Kabul are littered by myrobalan addicts with their distinctive vacant expressions and dark-stained teeth. Kabul is ruled by a demon known only as "The Shadowed One," who is somehow connected to the trade in myrobalan. None have seen him in person; his four lieutenants control the people on his behalf with their demongranted powers.