Transoxiana

Beyond the great river known to the ancients as the Oxus lay the borderlands of Mawara'n-nahr, "the Lands Beyond the River." Known first as Turan to the Persians, then later as Transoxiana to the Greeks and Romans, these lands have always been at the edge of civilization. Nominally ruled by the Khwarazmshah, the region includes the ancient oases of Farghana, Sogdia and Bactria, the estuarine province of Khwarazm, and the jinn*-*infested desert of Kyzylkum ("red desert") — all bordered by the endless northeastern steppes and the harsh eastern mountain arc of the Pamir and Paromisidae.

Invaded by the triumphant Arabs under Qutayba in the seventh century, Transoxiana was washed over by the Islamic empire until its wave of conquest broke on the shores of the vast inland steppe. Islam itself changed and adapted as it flowed into the steppe — orthodox Sunni practices found little hold, but the ecstatic brand of Sufi mysticism, with similarities to the shamanism of the Turkish nomads and a focus on highly charismatic holy men, was more successful. Many of the inhabitants profess Islam but cling to many pagan beliefs and folk traditions linked to the local Faerie and Magic spirits.

The region has a history of loose pastoralist domination and local dynasties centered on riverine oases. No single authority has ruled the borderlands between the pastoralist nomads and the urban settlers since the ancient Turk Empire, although this is about to change as a new nomad empire descends from the east.

Transoxiana is bordered and defined by the two great rivers that flow through it — a liminal zone of cultural transition and trade, bordering the deserts

south of the Aral Sea and forming a bar-

rier between wild nomad steppes to the north beyond the Jaxartes and the urban settlements of the south across the Oxus. A third lesser river, the Zeravshan ("the golden"), courses past the great cities of Samarkand and Bukhara only to choke into dust in the deserts before reaching one of the inland seas.

The Oxus

Mistakenly associated with the Hebrew Gihon, one of the four rivers that flows into Eden, the great waterway known as the Jahyun to the Arabs, the Amu Darya to the Turks, and the Oxus to the classical Greeks has always been considered one of the frontiers of the classical world. Locals of the high Pamir village of Qarabolaq claim it is birthed from the eerie Lake Zorkul nearby, but the classic geographers claim it begins its journey as it melts from a great ice cave beneath a glacier high up in the fabled Wakhan corridor.

The original bed of the Oxus runs westward across the desert for six days march before reaching the shores of the distant Bahr Khazar (Caspian Sea) near the fishing town of Khalkhal. This former stretch of the river is devoid of magical spirits as they have all been bound into the structures and canals near Gurganj, but nevertheless retains a fading Magic aura of 2 along its dusty length. On cool nights, when the constellation of Aquarius is ascending, small clear pools of water can be found along the dry bed and can be harvested for Aquam vis.

The Jaxartes

Also known as the Sayhun or the Nahr-ash-Shash ("the river of Shash"), the Jaxartes forms from numerous mountain streams in the valley of Farghana, flowing through this province past the homeland deserts of the Ghuzz Turks via many channels into the northeastern part of the Buhayrah Khwarazm (Aral Sea). More so than its greater sibling to the south, the Jaxartes forms the true border between Iran and Turan, Persian and Turk, civilized agrarian and barbaric nomad.

A River Runs Through It

The Cradle & The Crescent

In winter, both the lower Oxus and the Jaxartes freeze over, allowing merchant caravans (and lately nomad armies) to cross with ease. The cause of this phenomenon is an ongoing struggle between the Faerie and Magic jinn that claim dominance of the lands on either side of the great rivers. In winter, the local Faerie spirits hold sway and the rivers freeze over, allowing nomads and their stories to cross between the steppe and settled lands, engendering conflict and vitality for the faeries to feed off. In summer, the ancient Magic spirits resume their dominance, allowing the waters to flow in their natural course and providing irrigation to the towns of their lower reaches.

Spirits of the Oxus Delta

Once a single mighty Magic Spirit, the clash of cultures along its lower banks has split the great spirit into a multitude of lesser entities as the river splits into numerous waterways and canals as it approaches the Aral Sea. Just short of this lake, the river is prevented from following its natural course by the great dykes of Gurganj, solid structures magically reinforced with captive jinn enslaved by the ancient sahirs of pre-Islamic times. The sequence of dams that disrupt the natural course of the river allow irrigation of the rich province via many canals.

Faerie, Infernal, and Magic (perhaps even Divine) lesser river spirits can be found along the river's fragmented lower course, bound to its network of canals. Each spirit has its own unique name and cultural allegiance, although shifting alliances and swirling courts appear to collect from time to time.

One such lesser captive Magic spirit, Ahurani or Anahit, represents the vestige of a pre-Zoroastrian fertility spirit, or yazata, adopted by the Sogdians, now yoked to supply the harvests of the Khwarazmshah. The greater Faerie nobles known locally as Old Jahyun and the Son of the Oxus are known to be the most capricious and most powerful, although a clever magus or sahir may be able to bargain with one at the expense of the other.

The Jaxartes River Spirit

Unlike the Oxus, the Jaxartes is dominated by a single Faerie entity that involves itself in stories of nomad incursions. The ancient Jaxartes spirit feeds on the fear of the urban oasis dwellers of the rapacious barbarians of the steppes, orchestrating an invasion every few centuries by summoning a Faerie host with a new name through the gateway to Arcadia that lies just outside of Talas. See "The Endless Nomad Cycle" Story Seed later.

The Sea of Khazar

The Bahr Khazar (Khazar or Caspian Sea) forms the northwestern boundary of Transoxiana. Beyond its expanse to the northwest once ruled the mythical Khazars, a powerful kingdom of nomads that converted to Judaism in the ninth and tenth centuries. This lost kingdom held back the Islamic expansion in the ninth century, only to fade back into the steppes from where it arose. Stories about their far realm continue filter all the way back into Mythic Europe, even to the court of the popes.

Although the Khazars have long since dispersed, the stories they engendered have spawned Faerie jinn that imitate their culture and kingdom. Those seeking the far northwestern shores of the sea past the Caucasus range, either by land or by water may encounter the secret isle of the Amazons (see Rival Magic for details). Brave travelers that push further find themselves in the magical lands of the jinn and beyond, having delved into those outer parts of Jinnistan that lie in either the Faerie or Magic Realms.

"O people, know that you have committed great sins, and that the great ones among you have committed these sins. If you ask me what proof I have of these words, I say it is because I am the punishment of God. If you had not committed great sins, God would not have sent a punishment like me upon you."

— Temujin (Genghis Khan), as reported by Juvaini in History of the World Conqueror

At the beginning of a canonical Ars Magica saga set at the start of 1220, Genghis Khan and a large detachment of his horde are encamped outside the besieged town of Bukhara. If history follows its course, the town will have fallen within two weeks, the surviving defenders put to death without exception. All the civilians are ordered from the town; artisans are sent as slaves to Mongolia, young men forced to follow the army, and the women suffered far worse fates. A great fire breaks out and almost entirely destroys the mostly wooden buildings and by the end of winter, there is little but smoking ruins left standing. Due to the atrocities committed in Bukhara, the whole area becomes overlaid by a Malevolent Infernal aura of strength 3 (see Realms of Power: The Infernal, page 15) apart from the small area surrounding the Kalyan minaret. Many of the slain are not given proper burial, allowing their anguished ghosts to roam free throughout the ruins or vulnerable to summoning by necromantic magic.

Throughout 1220, the Mongol armies, reinforced by Turkish recruits and deserters, ravage along the Jaxartes all the way to Khojend in Farghana, destroying the oasis towns of Signak, Jand, Yanikent and Banakat. By the end of autumn 1220, when the horde settles down along the Vaksh River, the Khan's armies have captured the twin capitals of the shah's realm, Samarkand and Gurganj, and chased the Sultan himself across Khurasan to his death on the shore of the Caspian Sea. Within another year, the Mongol juggernaut has penetrated into Persia, sacked Balkh, Merv, Nishapur, and Herat, and routed the Sultan's son Jalal al-Din across the Indus, while the two great generals, Jebe and Subadei, have commenced their great raid into Russia. Abandoned and never resettled, the original sites of the sacked cities may become home to similar Infernal auras, tarnished with the Personality Trait of Wrath. Such places attract lesser demons of destruction, dark faeries, ghul, and malevolent jinn to the Mongol wake and add to the human misery.

Exactly how these events affect your Saga depends on the role the main characters intend to play within the region. For natives of Transoxiana, the Mongol invasion is devastating, resulting in a large loss of life and culture, but it can be used as a stimulus for introducing existing Hermetic characters to the Mythic Middle East. The massive tumult in the area may provide rich backgrounds for the introduction of wandering Mythic Middle Eastern companion characters into Western-based Sagas, similar to the diaspora following the fall of Constantinople to the Latins in 1204. Conventional Hermetic characters or their companions traveling in the area may become caught up in one of the sieges or escape from the sacking of a town and be forced to cooperate with native characters in order to escape back to Christendom, bearing news of the "hurricane from the east" to the disbelieving Order. Trianoma magi seeking to assess the Order of Suleiman may become embroiled in the fight against the Mongol juggernaut. Tytalan magi may be attracted to the conflict engendered, whereas House Tremere's reconnaissance may lead them to become involved in assessing the degree of threat posed by the invaders. Both Jerbiton magi and Redcaps may have links through trade or travel and be drawn into stories involving their mundane connections or family. Necromancers within the Order may be attracted to the sites of the massacres at Otrar, Bukhara, and other Transoxanian cities and be willing to risk their souls amidst the Infernal ruins.

A saga set primarily in the Mythic Middle East could be focused on rebuilding amidst the ruins of Khwarazmshah's state under the foreign yoke of the Mongol Empire. The breakdown of mundane power structures and the scattering of local wizards could tempt Seekers and young Hermetic magi to mount expeditions to explore and perhaps settle in covenants within the fractured polities of the former lands of Alexander's great empire. Stories may run with the usual Spring covenant founding aim but could involve the complexities of dealing with both the foreign mundane civilians and unusual magical natives of the area while interacting with the Mongol aristocracy and the accompanying bureaucracy.

The Aral Sea

Also known as the Lake of Khwarazm, this shallow and reedy lake is known for its excellent fishing in the southern part, although it is not considered navigable.

In the southeastern corner of the sea lies a small island, called Jabal Jaghrahaz, that has a Magic Aura of 4. The water surrounding the island is perpetually frozen — local folk swear it must be the dwelling of powerful water jinn, the marid Jaghrahaz, but none are brave enough to venture across the frozen water to investigate the small hill that the island contains.

Kyzylkum Desert

The "red sands" lie between the two great rivers, forming the southeastern border of the estuarine province of Khwarazm and the northwestern border of Sogdiana. Despite tracts of crescent-shaped dunes, much wildlife can be found at its less arid

eastern edge: gazelles, golden eagles, deer and koulan (onagers or wild asses).

The northern reaches are the domain of giant lizards known as waral or the varanus —remarkably intelligent, their leaders are able to walk on their hind legs and converse in the local language but appear to have only rudimentary magic.

Once known as Bactriana and more recently referred to as Tokharistan, the lands cradled by the Oxus and the Caucasus Indicus have long been a melting pot of culture and a cauldron of rebellion. Although annexed as a satrapy by Cyrus the Great, the region resisted the attempts of Alexander to incorporate it into his empire, only to form the center of first the Seleucid Empire and then an independent Greco-Bactrian kingdom.

Despite being conquered by successive waves of nomads — the Sakas, the Kushans, the Sassanids, the Hepthaelites, and most recently the Arab forces — the hinterland of the region retains many of its classical monuments and links to the Faerie powers of Greek myth. Outside of the Theban Tribunal, it contains more classical Greek structures than anywhere else in the Mythic Middle East.

Balkh

For a long time, the large and ancient city of Balkh was the home of Zoroastrianism, since Zoroaster was born here and is buried within its walls. At the time of the Islamic invasion of Persia, Balkh provided a refuge to the Persian emperor Yezdgird, but in the current era it has thoroughly embraced Islam. The Greek name for Balkh was Bactra, and gave its name to the whole region of Bactria.

The Ruins at Ai Khanoum

Once an important center for Hellenism in the centuries before Christ, these eastern ruins lie at the confluence of the Jahyun and its tributary, the Nahr Dirgham. Originally founded by Alexander the Great as Alexandria on the Oxus, it was later developed into the important Seleucid city of Eucratidia.

Partial remains of several structures, including a gymnasium, a theater almost the size of the great structure at Epidauros, and several temples to pagan Greek gods, most notably Zeus and Dionysius, give the area an overall Magic aura of 4. The gymnasium is the best preserved building and lies within a level 7 Magic aura, centered upon a pillar engraved with a dedication to both Hermes and Hercules.

Sogdian Rock

This landmark marks the site of an ancient battle between the forces of Alexander and the rebellious satrap of Sogdia, Oxyartes of Balkh, father of the legendary beauty Roxane. It can only be accessed by little-known mountain paths and its exact location is known to only a handful of local tribesmen. The ancient spirits of the 30 men who fell during the ascent continue to haunt the site but bear no love for the successors of their Persian adversaries.

Since ancient times a land of merchants and middlemen, Sogdiana remains a place of crossroads and caravans. The major trails from Baghdad cut through the province, passing through Samarkand and on to the Turkish lands beyond. Once

Naw Bahar

A fire temple by the name of Naw Bahar in one of Balkh's suburbs was built in the Sassanian days as a rival to the Ka'ba of Mecca. Its walls are adorned with precious stones, and brocaded curtains are hung everywhere. The walls and floor emit a sweet smell of perfume from centuries of application of unguents. The main building is surmounted by a great cupola 375 feet high, and around this central building there are 360 chambers to host the mobeds.

Although no longer active as a temple it retains a Divine aura of 5. Naw Bahar remains unmolested by time or treasure seekers, and its floors are clean of detritus and vermin. Those intrepid enough to go inside — and few are — report that a fire burns at the center of the temple, although no one is ever seen within. The inside of the temple leads to a Terrestrial Divine regio that shelters a small Zoroastrian community within the higher levels.

Altars of Alexander

Of further interest to Hermetic Seekers, an altar of Alexander is hidden within one of the temples at the outskirts of the city. As detailed in Ancient Magic, page 125, the altars of Alexander have powerful mystical connections to each other, and link to over 70 different sites. A magus, casting a spell using the Arcane Connection Range while touching such an altar, is considered to have an Arcane Connection with a +4 Penetration multiplier to the other shrines, cities, or temples so connected. This site may either provide an entry point into the Mythic Middle East for Seekers investigating other sites or a potential lifeline back to Europe for Hermetic colonists deep within enemy territory.

A Covenant on the Rock?

Sogdian Rock is a superb natural fortress, riddled with natural caves and carved cisterns capable of holding large reserves of food and water in case of siege. The site is enveloped by a Magic aura of strength 3, although higher auras may exist within the deeper caves. Although isolated, it is a potential base for Hermetic magi wishing to explore the mysteries of the Mythic Middle East.

The two-humped Bactrian camel predominates throughout the wider Mythic Middle East and differs slightly from its cousin, the single humped dromedary, which is more common in North Africa, Egypt, Arabia and the Levant (see Chapter 6: Mythic Arabia for details on dromedaries). Wild camels are rare, although wild Bactrian camels can be found in the far eastern reaches.

Bactrian Camel

Characteristics: Cun –2, Per –1, Pre –4, Com –5, Str +3, Sta +4, Dex –1, Qik –2

Size: +2

Confidence Score: 0 (0)

Virtues and Flaws: Long-Winded; Feral

Scent

Qualities: Hardy, Herd Animal

Reputations: Ill-tempered beast +3 (throughout Mythic Middle East)

Combat:

Kick (hooves): Init +0, Attack +3, Defense +2, Damage +4

Soak: +4

Fatigue Levels: OK, 0/0, –1/–1, –3/–3,

–5, Unconscious

Wound Penalties: –1 (1**–7), –3 (8–14), –5 (15–21), Incapacitated (22–**28), Dead (29+)

Abilities: Athletics 4 (running), Awareness 3 (predators), Brawl 2 (dodging), Survival 5 (home terrain).

Powers:

Smell Water, 0 points, Init 0: All camels can smell drinkable water for a distance up to two miles.

Survive Without Water, 0 points, Init 0: All camels can survive without water for up to two weeks.

Appearance: These statistics are for a typical Bactrian riding camel. Known for their stubbornness, resilience and pungent odor, these otherwise docile animals can become very aggressive during mating season. Their ability to last without water for weeks on end and locate buried water makes them the preferred beast of burden for desert crossings.

Camels have been bred, like horses, to have differing traits:

Bactrian Pack Camel: Add the Domesticated Quality and gain the Great Bearer Minor Heroic Virtue (Houses of Hermes: True Lineages, page 105), which allows the camel to carry twice as much on its back before becoming weighed down and to travel twice as far before becoming fatigued by a journey. Drop the Survival Ability. Most Bactrian camels found in the great caravans are pack camels.

Wild Bactrian Camel: Add the Wilderness Sense Virtue and the Greater Immunity: Thirst Virtue. Reduce Communication to –6. Add Defensive Fighter (and therefore an extra Fatigue level), Fast Runner and Herd Animal Qualities. Increase Brawl (dodging) to 4 and add Wilderness Sense (sense sandstorms) 3. A wild Bactrian camel's kick has the following statistics: Init +0 Attack +5 Defense +3 Damage +4.

War Camel (variant): Add the Aggressive and Pack Animal Qualities and the Ferocity (when ridden in battle) Virtue. Increase Brawl (hooves) to 5. A war camel's kick has the following modifications to the basic combat statistics given for either the Bactrian camel or a dromedary camel: Init +0 Attack +4 Defense +3 Damage +0. It can be trained to attack as part of a Trained Group with its rider.

Rare Bjornaer magi who are born in the southeastern peripheries of Mythic Europe have been noted with a dromedary or even wild Bactrian camel Heartbeast. Camels are considered to have a melancholic humor with a choleric aspect.

the heartland of the Manichean heresy, it remains a mixture of mercantile religious communities, counting Sunni Muslims, Nestorian Christians, and Jews among its transient population.

Samarkand

"Everything I have heard about Marakanda is true, except that it is more beautiful than I ever imagined."

— Alexander the Great

Known as Marakanda to the Greeks, the ancient capital of Sogdia on the upper Zeravshan River has been conquered by various conquerors throughout history but remains one of the most populous and cosmopolitan cities of the region. It is the eastern capital of the Khwarazmshah's empire.

To the east of the old city of Marakanda lies Shahr-i-Zindah ("tomb of the living king"), a street of tombs named after the central shrine, the grave of Qusam ibn-Abbas. The remainder of the tombs are entrances to a city of dark Faerie jinn and ghul, giving the street a malevolent Faerie aura of 5 during the day alternating with an equivalent Infernal aura during the night. The shrine forms a forlorn sanctuary amid the darkness, retaining a small Divine aura of strength 2.

If your Saga follows history, in spring of 1220 the armies of Genghis Khan besiege the town. Despite recent fortification, the city falls to the nomad hordes after only five days. The surrendering garrison is executed in batches with ruthless efficiency. The population are moved out of the city to facilitate the sacking and divided up like the unfortunates of Bukhara (see the insert "Genghis Khan and the Fall of Transoxiana" earlier).

Bukhara

A trading center since ancient times, Bukhara lies on the Zeravshan River downstream of Samarkand in the middle of the Kyzylkum Desert. In the ninth and tenth centuries it was the center of

the Samanid state and was considered the heart of Islamic culture and religious thought, producing such notables from its hinterland as the Persian poets Firdausi and Ridauki. Ibn Sina used the famous library here and the book bazaars were said by al-Biruni to be beyond compare. In the 13th century, Bukhara is home to a large Jewish community — one of the largest non-Hebrew speaking branches of the Diaspora.

The half-buried tomb of Isma'il Samanid (r. 893-907), the founder of the Samanid dynasty, lies just outside the town. Long forgotten by the debauched inhabitants, if your saga follows history, this building will escape the Mongol devastation as the dust of disuse hides it from the horde. A circle in nested squares, a Zoroastrian symbol, is carved above the main door. The building retains a Magic aura of 3 during the night that alternates with a similar strength Divine aura during the day, due to its former use by Zoroastrian mobeds.

The Mongols sack Bukhara at the beginning of 1220 but several sites survive. (See the earlier sidebar on "Genghis Khan and the Fall of Transoxiana" for further details.) The Kalyan minaret is one of the few structures of Bukhara still standing after the Mongol invasion of Transoxiana, being spared by Genghis Khan himself. A folk story tells of how the great nomad stopped to look at the minaret and a gust of wind knocked his hat from his head. He stooped to pick up his hat and then said: "This minaret is the first thing I have ever bowed to." He spared the minaret but not the sheikhs, slaying 200 holy men and having their heads thrown down the nearby well before rising to the pulpit and uttering his famous speech.

From the top minaret's rotunda with 16 arched fenestrations, the muezzin summoned the city's faithful to prayer or warriors kept lookout for enemies. An ornamental frieze of diagonal brickwork covered with Arabic inscriptions encircles the tower's base.

The minaret was once part of the larger Po-i-Kalyan mosque complex — the immediate ruins retain a Divine aura of 5 amid the Infernal aura that comes to cover most of the city ruins after the sacking.

An immense variety of goods passes through Transoxiana in the 13th century laden on the packs of asses, camels, horses, or mules, depending on the terrain. Huge caravans return from the northern lands, carrying goods from the steppes of the Volga Bulghars or the northern forests, pass through the towns of Merv, Baghdad, Samarkand, or Khojend, and thence further west to Europe via Venetian merchants or east via Sogdian merchants to fabled Serica. Caravanserais, stone staging posts with water supplies and a small garrison, were

maintained by local rulers at intervals of a day's journey (10 to 15 miles) to supply the merchant trains. Some caravans resembled miniature towns on the move, one of the largest ones being noted by the geographer Ibn-Fadlan consisted of up to 3000 pack animals and 5000 men.

Such a caravan may become an interesting cover for a covenant of peregrinatory Hermetic magi or provide protection for a group of native Mythic Middle Eastern characters. Either scenario may be a source of varied stories based around trade and exploration.

The Sheikhs Beneath the Well

The Po-i-Kalyan mosque's well lies beneath an octagonal platform nearby. If uncovered, explorers can climb down the dry shaft to the base, which contains a pile of loosely stacked skulls within a small Magic aura of strength 3. Each skull acts as an Arcane Connection to the sheikh it once belonged to and can be used to summon the restless spirit of that particular holy man. Beneath the base of the minaret itself lies the grave of an imam ritually slain by the tower's builder, Arslan Khan.

The Lost Books of Bukhara

After the Mongols raze Bukhara in early 1220, several rumors circulate as to the fate of the various book collections and libraries. Much poetry is written lamenting the loss of this great collection of scholarly works, comparing it to the burning of the Great Library of Alexandria. Such tales, woven over the years by gifted poets and the Merinita magi of the Keepers of Tales Mystery Cult, attract faeries to the story. Eventually, the collective lamentation may provide enough vitality to reproduce a Faerie replica of the library. Access to such a place would be greatly sought after by mundane, Hermetic and sahir scholars searching for lost secrets and classical knowledge.

The faeries associated with the library take the form of rare books, appearing unexpectedly in market stalls run by eccentric merchants or being found serendipitously in the disused sections of old mundane libraries. The books themselves are Faerie creatures and act as Threshold Guardians — by reading the Faerie text and wishing to rediscover the lost library, the readers find themselves in Arcadia. Such stories are always tinged with tragedy and sadness, for a reader may visit the library but once and leave with only a small token of his travel and memories to spread the legend of the Lost Library further within the hearts of scholars throughout Mythic Europe. Such loss and longing provides further vitality to the faeries of the library, as its story weaves into similar tales and creates a lasting motif through the centuries.

Job's Spring

At the edge of Bukhara's farmers' market lies a small mausoleum, the Chashma-Ayyub, recently built over a small strength 3 Faerie aura containing a small spring. Unlike other mausoleums, no one is buried within its walls. Local folklore describes it as the place where Job struck his staff to the ground and called forth water, but perhaps the legend just represents the adoption of an older pagan tradition. Visited annually by one of the sahirs of the local bayt al-hikma who sponsored the recent construction, the resident Faerie jinn can be bargained with for the faerie-tainted Terram and Aquam vis produced by re-enacting the ancient story within its walls. When the local sahir goes missing, who is to blame — angered jinn or a jealous rival seeking to usurp the vis source?

Uqana, the Ghostly Ambassador

The ambassador of the first embassy to the Khwarazmshah was Uqana, a Muslim merchant trusted with a personal message of friendship from the great Khan. His execution at the hands of a fellow Muslim has resulted in a restless spirit, trapped as an apparition after death (see Realms of Power: Magic, page 115, for details of this class of ghost). Although the great Khan has avenged his murder, Uqana is unable to rest, as his spirit feels he failed in his duty to deliver his message. Convincing the traumatized ghost to depart to his proper rest will be difficult, given the wake of destruction that the Mongols have left since their affront at Otrar. If compelled by magical means, Uqana may provide valuable information about the intentions and plans of the Mongol leaders. Attempting such magical coercion or lying convincingly to gain the former ambassador's trust may have grave consequences within the Infernal aura that encompasses his haunt.

The minaret itself contains a Divine aura of 7. By climbing the spiral staircase just prior to dawn, a devout Muslim can access a small Terrestrial divine regio of strength 8 that appears as a round chamber above the rotunda section.

Kasri Orifon

A small village just east of Bukhara, this site is known for the "wishing tree." The dead trunk of an ancient mulberry tree forms a twisted arch in the main square. Barren women crawl beneath its trunk in the hope of becoming with child. The tree is home to a Faerie jinn with powers over fertility passing beneath the wood of the arch leads to a small strength 2 Faerie regio just large enough for an adult human to enter.

Otrar

In 1218, a Mongol ambassador arrived at the head of a richly laden caravan in this town on the eastern bank of the Jaxartes, carrying a message to the Khwarazmshah. Governor Inalchuq, a cousin of the Khwarazmshah, imprisoned and executed the entire caravan of 450 men, including the ambassador, on the basis that he believed they were spies or perhaps merely out of greed for their valuable wares. The execution of ambassadors was considered a grave insult to the Mongol leader — one underlined by the subsequent humiliation of the Mongols sent in a second embassy. Through this gross insult from a minor official, the Mongol horde descended with devastating effect on the Mawara'n-Nahr.

If your saga follows history, Otrar lasts for five months under siege in the first half of 1220 before succumbing to Mongol

forces. Inalchuq is captured alive but executed by having molten silver poured into his eyes and ears. The town is reduced to rubble and its population slain or enslaved, a prelude to the fate of the other towns in the region. Its ruins contain a Perfidious Infernal aura of strength 6, tarnished with the sin of Deceit. Lies told within the ruins seem more believable — attempts to spot a lie have their Ease Factor increased by the aura strength.

A province of canals and gardens, Khwarazm is the agricultural heart of Transoxiana and the home to the bellicose Khwarazmshah whose actions brought down the wrath of the Mongol hordes, Sultan Mohammed II Iskander. It produces large crops of cotton, sustains large flocks of sheep for wool, and pastures great herds of cattle in the marshlands among its multitude of canals. Its main industry is trade, including expensive

The elephant was considered a prize war animal by the Persian armies of antiquity. Small numbers are still found throughout the eastern reaches in the possession of nobles or the Khwarazm military, the former as curiosities and the latter as part of shock troops. Elephants are legendary opponents of dragons and fearlessly attack serpents at any opportunity, but are deathly afraid of the squeal of a sow or boar and will flee this sound unless restrained.

Asian Elephant

Characteristics: Cun 0, Per +1, Pre –4, Com –5, Str +10, Sta +3, Dex 0, Qik –2

Size: +4

Confidence Score: 0 (0)

Virtues and Flaws: Improved Characteristics x3*, Tough; Fear (the squeal of a pig).

* As a Size +4 creature, an elephant gains 12 Characteristic points per Improved Characteristic Virtue**.**

Qualities: Amphibious, Crafty, Defensive Fighter, Grapple, Herd Animal, Sharp Ears, Thick Skin, Tough Hide.

Personality Traits: Lustful –3, Wise +2 Combat:

Stomp: Init –2, Attack +4, Defense +2, Damage +13

Trunk (grapple): Init –1, Attack +4, Defense +2, Damage n/a

Soak: +9

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

Wound Penalties: –1 (1**–10), –3 (11–20), –5 (21–30), Incapacitated (31–**40), Dead (41+)

Abilities: Athletics 3 (running), Awareness 3 (food), Brawl 4 (dodge), Survival 3 (forests or plains), Swimming 4 (rivers).

Powers:

Trunk, 0 points, constant, Animal: the elephant's trunk can be used to manipulate objects like a human hand, although tasks requiring two hands suffer a –3 penalty.

Natural Weapons: an elephant's stomp has the following combat characteristics: Init –1, Attack 0, Defense –1, Damage +3. Their trunk is only effective as a grapple.

Appearance: The elephant found throughout the Mythic Middle East is the Asian variety. It stands up to 10 feet tall, measures 20 feet long and weighs up to 8,000 pounds. These statistics represent the more commonly domesticated female — only the male elephant has significantly sized tusks to use in combat.

Elephants have excellent hearing and vibration sense through the trunk, gaining a +3 on all rolls involving hearing. An average elephant inflicts +15 damage when dropped onto a human-sized character from on high.

Male Elephant: Add Aggressive and change to Brawl 5 (tusks). Add the Extra Natural Weapons, Imposing Appearance x2, Large Horns (Tusks), and Herd Leader Qualities and the Ferocity (defending herd) Virtue. Increase Presence to +1 and Communication to –4. Add Leadership 5 (elephants). A male elephant's Tusk attack has the following combat statistics: Init +1, Attack +9, Defense +5, Damage +13.

War Elephant: Add the Aggressive and Pack Animal Qualities. Change to Brawl 5 (stomp) and improve the elephant's Stomp attack: Init –2, Attack +6, Defense +3, Damage +13. Persian war elephants are usually clad in the equivalent of leather or metal scale (add Protection of 3 or more to Soak) and carry a platform known as a howdah which can accommodate up to six soldiers armed with javelins, polearms or bows. They can be trained to fight as part of a Trained Group with their squad of accompanying soldiers under the direction of their mahout or driver.