Mythic Mesopotamia

This chapter covers the political center and northwest provinces of the Sunni Muslim world, most of the rulers of which proclaim at least nominal allegiance to the 'Abbasid caliph in Baghdad. However, in most areas provincial governors reign as independent rulers, only seeking approval from the caliph when it helps to bolster their claims to legitimacy.

The terrain of this region is divided broadly into three zones. In Iraq and much of the Jazira, especially between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, are fertile plains where agriculture flourishes; in Iraq, in particular, many of these plains benefit from being irrigated by a network of canals thousands of years old, though recent geological changes, combined with the little effort made by the government to address the effects of these or maintain the existing network, have sharply reduced their productivity. To the north, east, and northwest of these plains, the terrain becomes more mountainous, making cultivation more

Faerie Might: 30 (Animal)

Characteristics: Int +1, Per +1, Pre +1, Com +1, Str +8, Sta +2, Dex +2, Qik –2

Size: +4

Confidence Score: 1 (3)

Virtues and Flaws: Huge x3, Greater Power (Repel the Nightstalking Spirit), Increased Might, Major Virtue (Greater Immunity to Disease), Ritual Power (Restoration of the Defiled Body); Faerie Speech, Improved Characteristics x2, Improved Damage, Improved Soak x3, Increased Might x2, Hybrid Form, Lesser Power (Burn the Filthy Spirit), Positive Folk Tales, Second Sight; Compassionate, Sovereign Ward (special amulet, see later), Supernatural Nuisance (disease demons); Incognizant

Personality Traits: Hatred for demons* +3, Helpful +2

Reputations: Foe of Demons 2 (Local) Combat:

Trample: Init 0, Attack +12, Defense +8, Damage +14

Soak: +8

Wound Penalties: –1 (1–9), –3 (10–18), –5 (19–27), Incapacitated (28–36), Dead (37+)

Pretenses: Awareness 3 (alertness), Brawl 7 (hooves), Chirurgy 2 (heatstroke), Folk Ken 4 (spotting the possessed), Infernal Lore 4 (disease spirits), Second Sight 5 (demons)

Powers:

Burn The Filthy Spirit, 0 points, Init –5, Vim: By making eye contact with a demon (whether through normal sight or Second Sight), the aladlammu can strip it of 15 Might. PeVi 10 (Base 5, +1 Eye) Lesser Power (10 levels, –2 Might cost, +1 Init)

Repel the Nightstalking Spirit, 1 point, Init –4, Vim: The aladlammu can designate a room or area of clear ground to be safe from demons. If there are no clear pre-existing boundaries, the creature must mark the protected area somehow to create an unbroken line, although this need not be a circle. If the power has a sufficient Penetration Total, no demon with an Infernal Might of 25 or less may enter this designated area. ReVi 30 (Base 25, +1 unusual Target) Greater Power (30 levels, –2 Might cost, +10 experience points in Penetration)

Restoration of the Defiled Body, 3 points, Init –11, Corpus: as per the spell of the same name (ArM5, page 129). As a ritual power, this power requires a permanent reduction in Might Score as well as Might points. CrCo 25 (Base 20, +1 Touch) Ritual Power (25 levels, –2 Might cost, +15 experience points in Penetration)

Vis: 6 pawns of Animal, in hooves

Appearance: The aladlammu has the body of a mighty bull, an immense pair of wings, and a bearded human head. The apsasu have a similar appearance, but their heads are female. When they strike with their hooves against an opponent, sparks fly.

The aladlammu and apsasu are guardian creatures created by the gods of old, male and female respectively. Creatures with the same characteristics, but with winged human bodies to match their heads are called shedu if male, or lamassu if female. Colossal effigies of these beasts can be found among many major ruins of the ancient Middle East. They are fierce opponents of harmful spirits, and a region lucky enough to have an effigy can evoke the faerie to assist them if plagued by disease or demons. A character with an appropriate Area Lore and Faerie Lore can construct an amulet that constitutes an aladlammu's Sovereign Ward (Realms of Power: Faerie, page 52).

These creatures are not suitable as player characters.

Mythic Mesopotamia throngs with demons, some of whom have been active since ancient times. The uttuku are a local form of Mazzikim (Realms of Power: The Infernal, page 73), and are Infernal jinn (see Chapter 4: The Jinn). The galla-demons are powerful disease spirits similar to the Decani (Realms of Power: The Infernal, page 52), and are specifically opposed by the Aladlammu (see later). The lilu are a form of ghul who haunt the wastes of Mythic Mesopotamia, and are especially dangerous to children and pregnant women. Their female counterparts are the lilitu, who are succubi (Realms of Power: The Infer- nal, page 55). Finally, the gidim are Infernal ghosts, specifically Reveners (Realms of Power: The Infernal, page 75) who return to torment bereaved families.

The Cradle & The Crescent

Among those who still worship the old gods (such as in Harran or Mardin) there is a class of priest-magicians called the ashipu, or exorcists. The practices of most ashipu consist of knowledge of the weaknesses of demons (through the Infernal Lore Ability), and how to construct protective amulets that counteract them. Some ashipu may have more active powers against demons, and may be members of the Suhhar Sulayman.

difficult, although valleys provide areas where crops may be grown. Meanwhile, to the west lies the great Syrian desert that divides Mesopotamia from Syria and the Holy Land; this desert also merges to the south with the Nefud of Arabia.

Most of the inhabitants of these regions are Muslims, although there are also significant populations of Christians and Jews. The majority of people live in the cities, towns, and villages that cover the area, but the desert areas are home to a mix of wandering nomads and settled communities at oases.

The Starving Gods

The great gods, the Anunna, Stayed parched and famished.[…] But, like sheep, could only fill their windpipes (with bleating). Thirsty as they were, their lips Discharged only the rime of famine.[…] (Atrahasis) put down… Provided food… The gods smelt the fragrance, Gathered like flies over the offering. — Atrahasis, Tablet 3

The gods of ancient Mesopotamia, as ancient Faerie creatures, offer interesting possibilities as antagonists in sagas and stories. Faeries ultimately depend on human involvement with them to gain vitality, especially through the retelling of stories in which they are characters. However, the gods of ancient Mesopotamia have been largely abandoned by their worshipers. Nevertheless, the religion persists in scattered cult centers throughout Iraq and the Jazira, notably Harran, Mardin, Ashshur, and Mosul. Although not sanctioned by Islam, the priests (many of them yatus — see Mythic Persia) walk without fear through the streets in their distinctive tall conical hats and tunics. These pitifully few worshipers are woefully insufficient to sate the gods, who have been forced to remain in hidden regiones for centuries. Literally starved of human interaction, they are desperate for attention and may by now not be too discriminating about how this attention is gained. Some may have grand ambitions of having their cults resurrected. Others may simply seek to make friends with player characters, though their means of doing so may at times demonstrate a lack of understanding of human emotions, perhaps becoming aggressive or worse if their initial overtures are rebuffed.

The following represents a selection of the deities worshiped in ancient Mesopotamia:

Ea: God of subterranean freshwater ocean; god of arts, crafts, magic, and wisdom; cult center at Eridu.

Ellil: God of the earth; head of the younger gods (Igigi), and keeper of an object of supreme power known as the Tablet of Destinies; cult center at Nippur.

Ishtar: Goddess of fertility, sexual love, and war; cult centers at Uruk, Nineveh, and Erbil.

Dumuzi: God of flocks and agriculture; lover of Ishtar, for whom he spends six months every year in the Underworld.

Adad: Storm god and canal controller; lord of omens and divination using animal livers; cult center at Aleppo.

Mami: Great mother goddess; cult center at Kesh (unknown site in central Mesopotamia).

Nergal: God of war, plague, and forest fires; king of the Underworld; cult center at Kutha.

Ereshkigal: Weeping queen of the Underworld; wife of Nergal; cult center at Kutha.

Sin: Moon god; god of wisdom; cult centers at Ur and Harran.

Shamash: Sun god; god of justice; cult centers at Sippar and Larsa.

Marduk: Patron deity of Babylonia; king of the gods; cult center at Babylon

Ashshur: Patron deity of Assyria; king of the gods; cult center at Ashshur.

In the Babylonian Epic of Creation, the primordial Tiamat engendered the line of gods with her consort Apsu, but later grew distressed by the tumult of the younger gods, and produced 11 races of monsters to exterminate them. Eventually she was killed by Marduk the champion-god, and the world was made from her corpse. Those who have studied the Magic Realm might recognize this myth as a version of the Titanomachia (Realms of Power: Magic, page 108), where a race of faerie gods wrests power from primordial Magic beings.

Following the demise of their mother, the eleven types of monsters were pressed into the service of the gods. Those gods may now be fading in power, but their servants can still be found performing their ancient duties. These monsters are: the mushmahhu (a seven-headed dragon), the ushumgallu (a lion-dragon), the bashmu (a horned snake 60 leagues in length), the mushhushshu (a snake-dragon; see later), the lahamu (a giant covered in long curly hair), the ugallu (a man-like creature with a lion's head and tail, and bird's feet), the uridimmu (a man with the hindquarters of a lion), the girtablulla (scorpion-man; see later), the umu dabrutu (a fierce storm), the kulullu (a merman, half man, half fish), and the kusarikka (a man with the hindquarters of a bull, and bull horns).

Magic Might: 17 (Animal)

Season: Summer

Characteristics: Int –1, Per +1, Pre 0, Com –2, Str +3, Sta +2, Dex +3, Qik +4

Size: +1

Confidence Score: 1 (3)

Virtues and Flaws: Magic Human; Ways of the Desert; Great Quickness; Greater Malediction (inhibited at night, see later); Dutybound

Magical Qualities and Inferiorities: Improved Abilities, Improved Attack (bow) x2, Improved Characteristics x4, Improved Damage (sting), Improved Might x2, Improved Powers, Improved Soak x2, Lesser Power (Venom), Minor Virtue (Large)

Personality Traits: Fiercely Protective* +3 Combat:

Bow: Init +5*, Attack +20*, Defense +13*, Damage +11

Sting: Init +9*, Attack +15*, Defense +15*, Damage +9 and venom (see Powers)

* Includes +3 for Ways of the Desert Soak: +12

Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, –1, –3, –5, Unconscious

Wound Penalties: –1 (1–6), –3 (7–12), –5 (13–18), Incapacitated (19–24), Dead (25+)

Abilities: Arabic 1 (Maslawi), Athletics 4 (over sand), Awareness 3 (interlopers), Babylonian 5 (orders), Brawl 5 (sting), Bows 5 (longbow), Hunt 2 (thieves), Leadership 3 (scorpionmen), Local Area Lore 1 (hiding places), Penetration 3 (Venom power), Stealth 3 (ruins)

Powers:

Venom, 0 points, Init n/a, Corpus: the sting of the scorpion-man's tail contains a potent venom. Characters struck must make a Stamina roll against an Ease Factor of 9 or take a Heavy Wound. The sting is treated as a weapon, so this power has no Initiative score. PeCo 20 (base 15, +1 Touch) Lesser Power (20 levels, –4 Might cost, +10 experience in Penetration)

Equipment: bow, quiver of 11 arrows, lamellar armor (equivalent to full metal-reinforced leather)

Encumbrance: 0 (3)

Vis: 3 pawns of Perdo, in sting

Appearance: From the waist up, appears as a human warrior, with long hair and a braided beard. From the waist down, the girtablullu has the shiny black carapace of a scorpion, including its long tail equipped with a stinger. It stands on two clawed legs like those of a bird, and carries a bow. Some scorpion-men have birdlike wings.

The gods appropriated the girtablullu as guardians of monuments and sacred places, and they are particularly associated with the sun god Shamash. Consequently, these scorpion-men are encountered by those who investigate the ruins left behind by cultures past. Girtablullu are usually found in small groups, which constitute a Trained Group. They are most powerful during the day, suffering from the Poor Eyesight, No Sense of Direction, and Clumsy Flaws when encountered at night.

Magic Might: 25 (Animal)

Season: Summer

Characteristics: Int +2, Per 0, Pre +2, Com 0, Str +6, Sta +2, Dex +1, Qik –1

Size: +3

Confidence Score: 1 (3)

Virtues and Flaws: Magic Animal; Arcane Lore, Clear Thinker, Keen Vision, Lightning Reflexes, Piercing Gaze, Strong Willed, Tough; Proud, Wanderlust; Infamous

Magical Qualities and Inferiorities: Gigantic, Major Virtue (Greater Immunity to Poison), Greater Power (Voice of Regal Authority); Gift of Speech, Improved Abilities x2, Improved Attack (bite) x2, Improved Powers x2, Improved Soak x2, Lesser Power (Assessing Gaze), Lesser Power (Eye of the Serpent), Minor Virtue (Desert Regio Network*), Minor Virtue (Large), Minor Virtue (Lesser Immunity to Arrows), Minor Virtue (Puissant Brawl), Minor Virtue (Second Sight)

* See Realms of Power: Magic, page 45.

Personality Traits: Vain +6, Aloof +2, Thirst for Knowledge +2

Reputations: Violent against Foreigners 2 (Local)

Combat:

Bite*: Init –1, Attack +18, Defense +9, Damage +9

Claws*: Init –1, Attack +14, Defense +10, Damage +10

* Because of the sinuous body of the mushhushshu, it can attack with both claws and bite in the same round.

Soak: +15

Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, –1, –3, –5, Unconscious

Wound Penalties: –1 (1–8), –3 (9–16), –5 (17–24), Incapacitated (25–32), Dead (33+)

Abilities: Arabic 4 (Maslawi), Assyria Lore 4 (magical places), Awareness 3 (invaders), Babylonian 5 (Assyrian), Brawl 6+2 (bite), Concentration 3 (Eye of the Serpent), Hunt 4 (interlopers), Infernal Lore 3 (local demons), Intrigue 3 (politics), Faerie Lore 2 (servants of deities), Magic Lore 4 (local spirits), Mesopotamia Lore 4 (Old Babylonia), Penetration 4 (Voice of Regal Authority), Second Sight 4 (spirits)

Powers:

Assessing Gaze, 1 point, Init –10, Corpus: The mushhushshu can determine which of a group of humans poses it the greatest threat. This usually reveals who is the most competent warrior, but can also detect the presence (although not strength) of magic. InCo(Vi) 25 (Base 5, +1 Eye, +2 Group, +1 requisite) Lesser Power (25 levels, –4 Might cost and +1 Init from Improved Powers)

Voice of Regal Authority, 1 point, constant, Mentem: Anyone hearing the voice of the mushhushshu is strongly inclined to obey its commands. ReMe 35 (Base 5, +2 Sun, +3 Sound, +1 constant effect) Greater Power (35 levels, –3 Might cost)

Eye of the Serpent, 1 point, Init –6, Corpus: The mushhushshu can transfix a person with a glance, leaving him incapable of movement. ReCo 15 (Base 5, +1 Eye, +1 Conc) Lesser Power (15 levels, –2 Might cost, +5 Init from Improved Powers)

Vis: 5 pawns of Vim, in horns

Appearance: The mushhushshu has the sinuous body of a snake, although it has four legs like a dragon; the forelegs are like those of a lion, and the hindlegs like those of an eagle. Its head has both horns and a splendid crest.

After the death of their mother Tiamat, the mushhushshu (moosh-chooshshoo, where the "ch" is pronounced as in "loch") were assigned to Ashshur, the patron of Assyria. His priesthood were capable of summoning and controlling the mushhushshu, and there may be yatus in Harran (see later) who are still able to do so. Unless summoned, the mushhushshu roam through the hills and desert fringes of old Assyria, traveling between Magic auras and regiones. They are prone to attack any armed foreigners within the borders of Assyria, but can be forestalled from attacking by offering interesting information or important news. Before battle, if possible, the creature uses its Assessing Gaze power to determine the target for its Eye of the Serpent power.