Lands of the Nile Chapter Nine: Mythic Aithiopians

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• The Ars Magica Reference Document
• The Lands of the Nile Open Content page
• The Lands of the Nile product page on this wiki

Chapter Nine: Mythic Aithiopians

Although Nubians refer to the "Slavelands" as if it were a defined area, in reality the various people who make up the majority of the captives sold to Egypt are sourced from many separate localities. Some are taken from the east of the Nile and others from the wilderness between Alodian city states, but the majority come from west and southwest of Upper Nubia. Referring to the Slavelands as a single place makes it easier for Nubians to think of the inhabitants as born slaves, rather than free and independent people who are kidnapped from their homes and forced into hard labor. The Nubians forget that once upon a time, they themselves were just one of the tribes from the Slavelands.

The various peoples that make up the Mythic Aithiopians (or Aithiopes, meaning "burnt faces," singular Aithiops) were first described in travelogs like that of Diodorus Siculus. They share with the Nubians their black skin and hair. Each tribe has its own language, although as discussed earlier there is sufficient commonality between these languages for mutual comprehension. None of these people have received missionaries from any of the Divine faiths, and would typically be considered pagan. However, they all share a belief in a single Creator god, who made an initially perfect world that was later rendered imperfect by the actions of the first man and woman, a story that should sound familiar to any of the three dominant Divine religions. The Aithiopes have no organized religion or holy men; they are animists who either appease or avoid the natural spirits who were cast out of Eden with the first couple. At the option of the storyguide, their religious practices (such as they are) might be considered a Divine religion.

The names used for each of the tribes are those by which they were known to the Greeks, and still used by the Nubians. These tribes are not meant to represent the real inhabitants of East Africa; this region is very much the "Mythic" of "Mythic Africa."

The Icthyophagi

Found along the coast of the Red Sea, the Icthyophagi ("fish eaters") live deep in coastal ravines, in arched dwellings made from the ribs of immense sea creatures and woven with seaweed. When the coast is inundated by strong tides the Icthyophagi gather the amazing bounty of fish it brings. The women and children target the smaller creatures and throw them onto land, while the men band up to tackle the bigger fish with goat horns and jagged rocks. The fish are taken up to the cliff-tops, where the sun heats the rocks to red-hot temperatures; the fish is then pounded into bricks of dried meat. Icthyophagi drink only once every five days, trekking inland to find the watering holes of the Blemmyae; they bloat themselves with water and lie supine, barely able to breathe while their thirst is quenched.

Icthyophagi do not form families, instead they all live together and raise their children communally. They are famous for their resistance to pain.

Chelonophagi

Some Icthyophagi live on the coastal islands of the Red Sea, and these have learned instead to feed on turtles. The islands are low-lying and numerous; the outer islands break the waves leaving the inner ones calm and idyllic. None of the islands have any soil or fresh water. During the day, immense turtles — some the size of a boat — bask in the sun at the surface of the sea. The Chelonophagi ("turtle eaters") swim up to the sleeping giants and turn them onto their backs, then swim them back to shore. They are baked belly-upwards in the sun then eaten; the upper shells are used as skiffs for when the Chelonophagi make their trips to the mainland to find fresh water.

Mythic Aithiopians as Characters

The Aithiopes make interesting grog, companion, or even magus characters due to their exotic origins. They automatically receive the effects of the Outsider Social Status Flaw within Nubia, and are probably considered a runaway slave in any Arab-occupied lands. Aithiopes have intrinsic Virtues and Flaws, which are in addition to the normal allotment for characters. These are listed with each tribe's description.

If you prefer, you can play a Mythic Aithiopian as a Magic Human (Realms of Power: Magic, page 32). The extra Virtue and Flaw instead become the Minor Virtue Magic Quality and the Minor Flaw Magic Inferiority. Magic Humans are by default immune to aging and deprivation, and you may wish to consider taking Inferiorities to negate these benefits.

Rhizophagi

The Rhizophagi dwell in marshes around the White Nile River. They eat the roots of the abundant reeds (thus their name, "root eaters") which they excavate and pulp, then form into large balls which are dried in the sun. The Rhizophagi dwell in peace with one another, but are at war with the multitude of lions who come out of the desert seeking relief in the cool marshes. The Rhizophagi have no defenses against the lions, since they make no weapons. However, at the rising of Sirius, swarms of mosquitoes and biting flies descend upon the marshes. The Rhizophagi know how to use the plants of the marsh to repel these vermin, but the lions are driven away, hurt by the stings and terrified by the humming.

The Rhizophagi are excellent natural apothecaries and herb-doctors. Their vast knowledge of the natural world is learned at their mothers' knees, and it is said they never get sick and are exceptionally long-lived.

Rhizophagus Characters

A Rhizophagus is a prize item at an Egyptian slave market; not only are they famously docile, but they have useful skills that they can use at their owner's command. Let the buyer beware: a Rhizophagus is also an expert poisoner. Typically they have good scores in Profession: Apothecary and Chirurgy. Some Rhizophagi healers may have the Mythic Herbalism Virtue (Hedge Magic Revised Edition, page 81 or Houses of Hermes: Societates, page 125).

Intrinsic Virtue & Flaw: Herbalism (Art & Academe, page 55); Noncombatant. For those without Art & Academe, the Herbalism Virtue grants access to a special Ability called Herbalism. This Ability duplicates the uses of the Medicine Ability without requiring academic knowledge of anatomy and physiology but rather relying on erroneous yet effective folk beliefs about disease and their remedies.

Story Seed: Tribal Medicine

A king's daughter has fallen ill, victim to a disease that has proven resistant to all cures. The characters are tasked, either by request or in hope of claiming the offered reward, to find a cure. Rumors speak of a Rhizophagus healer with remarkable powers.

Hylophagi

Near to the Rhizophagi are the Hylophagi, who gather fruit in great abundance when it is available, but during the rest of the year climb trees and chew upon the tenderest shoots at the very tips of branches. The Hylophagi are small and exceptionally nimble, and can leap from tree to tree like birds; even when they fall they seem to never hurt themselves. They have tails and are covered in pale fur. They fight one another for possession of certain trees, using clubs fashioned from branches; they dismember their victims by pulling them apart. Hylophagi have never mastered the manufacture of tools. They wear clothing made of leaves or tree bark tied in place with vines, and even simple man-made objects seem to baffle them.

Some Hylophagi live in immense trees with hollow trunks big enough to hold an entire village. The leaves provide them with water, and the fruit attracts animals for them to eat to supplement their diet.

Icthyophagus Characters

Icthyophagi characters are suited to sagas set by the coast. They tend to have high scores in Survival and Swim. The bricks of dried fish paste made by the Icthyophagi are very light and highly nutritious: despite their unpalatable taste they are useful for long voyages since they don't spoil. A month's worth of this food weighs just one point of Load.

Intrinsic Virtue & Flaw: Enduring Constitution; Weakness (drinking water)

Story Seed: Coastal Raiders

A tribe of Icthyophagi have tamed one of the mighty sea-eels of the Red Sea, and are using it to raid merchant ships. This is unusual behavior for the peaceful Icthyophagi, and characters might be interested in who is really directing the tribe.

Hylophagus Characters

Hylophagi are not humans but a race of intelligent monkeys. Use the statistics for baboons in the Bestiary, but add the Perfect Balance Virtue and the Primitive Equipment Flaw (Grogs, page 83; for those without this book the Flaw restricts the character to using the simplest tools, and Inexpensive weapons and armor).

Hylophagi are in general considered not worth the effort of importing from the Slavelands, since they cannot learn to use tools. Some Nubian kings employ a Hylophagus gardener, who cares for the trees and plants with teeth and nails. In their homelands, Hylophagi are occasionally found living with Magical Humans such as the mouthless Astomi or the ear-winged Panotii (see Between Sand and Sea: Mythic Africa for more details).

Characters who hear about the immense village-trees of the Hylophagi may see an opportunity for an unusual covenant. They may travel into the Slavelands in search of a seed (which can be subjected to magically-accelerated growth), or else a fully-grown tree which can be moved with Free the Striding Tree (ArM5, page 139), or similar magic. A village tree has the approximate interior dimensions of a Mystic Tower. Employing Hylophagi as covenfolk is a good idea since they have expert knowledge of how to care for a village-tree.

Story Seed: The Far-Away Tree

A tribe of Hylophagi dwell within a magically-awakened village-tree. Initially content with wandering through the Hylophagi territory, the tribe has now set its eyes on the lush Nile Valley. The juggernaut of living wood is virtually unstoppable by mundane means: its rubbery bark and fibrous wood makes it immune to most weapons, and it can stomp flat houses and armies with equal ease. Add to this a village of Hylophagi living among its branches armed with clubs and thrown rocks, and it is no wonder that the locals turn to the player magi for help. If they lack the capacity for direct assault, the characters should determine why the village has suddenly set its eyes northward — could it have something to do with the tribe's new witch-doctor?

Cynegi

The Hunters or Cynegi occupy the inland region, which is not suitable for agriculture. They sleep in trees to avoid the wild beasts that infest this land, and during the day they approach watering holes as suitable places to bring down game. They use clubs hardened by fire, as well as bows and arrows, and spears with bone blades. They make leather from the hides of the beasts they kill, which they form into the minimal clothing they wear; leather is also used as their currency, with hides from more dangerous animals accorded a higher value.

The Elephant Hunters are a western group of the Cynegi, who specialize in bringing down the great beasts of their homeland. These they hunt in a remarkable manner: grabbing the creature by its tail and planting their feet on its thighs, they hack away at its hind legs with an axe. Once the beast is hamstrung it collapses to the ground, whereupon the other hunters rush forward to start removing chunks of meat, often before the creature is dead.

Cynegus Characters

The Cynegi trade skins with the Rhizophagi in return for the manufacture of a substance called kombè. This sticky black venom attacks the vital spirit, causing breathlessness, chest pains, and paralysis. Anyone struck with an arrow laced with kombè must make a Stamina roll against an Ease Factor of 12, or be rendered immobile within five minutes. After ten minutes the victim cannot breathe, and must make Deprivation rolls until he eventually suffocates (ArM5, page 180). Cynegi have the Profession: Prepare Kombè Ability which allows them to safely and correctly charge an arrow with kombè; characters should roll Dexterity + Profession: Prepare Kombè against an Ease Factor of (usually) 6 after shooting each arrow. Failure means that no toxin is administered to the victim; a botch means that the poisoner accidentally envenoms himself. Characters without this Ability cannot succeed, but must still roll to check for a botch (and have the usual three extra botch dice for an untrained Ability). The Rhizophagi also manufacture an antidote to kombè poisoning, but this antidote requires copious amounts of water, and most Cynegi carry only a few doses to cut down on encumbrance.

Intrinsic Virtue & Flaw: Puissant Hunt; Reckless

Struthophagi

South and west of the Cynegi are a people called the Struthophagi ("bird eaters"). They are a small-bodied people, and very hard working. Every Struthophagus home is filled with evidence of their industry: carefully woven baskets; ingenious furniture made without sawing or jointing the wood; delicately-painted pottery; extensive vegetable gardens; and so forth. They regret sleeping, since it wastes time they could be spending making, building, and improving their homes. The Struthophagi raise the immense birds called ostriches, and use them for meat, leather, and as mounts. A common legend among the Struthophagi is that the ostrich was first entrusted with fire, which it hid beneath its wing. The first Struthophagus convinced the ostrich it could fly, and when it stretched out its wings, he stole the fire. He later felt guilty for the despondent bird, and vowed to care for it, as his descendants still do. The feathers of these birds are highly prized, and are one of Nubia's principal exports to Egypt. The Struthophagi are a peaceful race, and suffer greatly at the hands of the slavers.

Struthophagus Characters

Struthophagi are highly prized as light cavalry. Not only are their ostriches swift and hardy, but they can also hurl stones at the opponents while their riders fling spears.

Intrinsic Virtue & Flaw: Puissant Ride; Small Frame

Acridophagi

A short distance from the Struthophagi, on the very edge of the desert dwell the Acridophagi, or "locust-eaters," who are leaner than other humans, and very dark in color. During the spring, the deserts generate winged vermin called locusts, which descend upon the lands of the Acridophagi in dense swarms. The tribesmen drive them into ravines with fire, and kill them in vast numbers using smoke; the locusts are then salted and provide them with food for the rest of the year. Accordingly, the Acridophagi grow no crops and raise no livestock. The Acridophagi have short lives, where forty years is considered venerable. As they age, loathsome winged lice infest their bodies. The infection begins with a terrible itching and progresses to a discharge of an acrid thin humor. The vermin soon burrow their way to the surface and pour forth from wounds, each taking away a portion of the person's flesh until there is nothing left. The lice spontaneously generate within the flesh of the Acridophagi, and cannot be cured or excluded, even with magic. The lice do not seem to have a taste for the flesh of other races.

Acridophagus Characters

Intrinsic Virtue & Flaw: Greater Immunity to Thirst; Greater Malediction*

\*The Acridophagus curse causes them to start making Aging rolls at 15, when the louse infestation begins.

Story Seed: Famine of Ages

A group of Acridophagi travel into the Nile Valley to try to find someone who can help them, but are treated with contempt. Maybe the characters will help them instead? Many years ago, a sorcerer bound a famine demon into an Acridophagus child, inking spells of binding onto his skin. In return for this terrible fate, he was treated like a king and kept safe from harm. When he eventually was to die of old age, the winged lice would each take a piece of the demon away with it, destroying it forever. However, the tribe now believe that the sorcerer they employed may have been corrupt, and harbor the terrible suspicion that upon the man's imminent death, the demon will be multiplied and carried to the ends of the earth. Undoing this evil might involve finding the original sorcerer (undoubtedly now very powerful), or it could be as simple as killing the demonic vessel.

Cynamolgi

To the south of Ethiopia stretches a great country rich in pastures, but it is without inhabitants due to the abundance of venomous scorpions and spiders whose bite brings swift death to their victims. Beyond this land of venom is the pasturage of the Cynamolgi. These tall men wear great beards and maintain packs of savage dogs which are used to drive off the lions, leopards, hyenas, and other fearsome predators that would feast on their cattle if they could. These cattle are highly prized by all, and are the target of Nubian slavers; the Cynamolgi are themselves rarely taken as slaves since they are too troublesome to capture.

A Cynamolgus's bond with his dog pack is a strong one. A Cynamolgus man is suckled on a bitch, and his teat-mates become the foundation of his pack. No one can approach the dogs save the man who raised and trained them, for fear of serious injury. When a Cynamolgus dies, his dogs must be killed and buried with him, or else they run wild and become the very ravening cattle predators from which they used to guard.

Cynamolgi have a reputation for being a solemn race who weigh every matter with great deliberation, but are decisive when they act, and fierce in war.

Cynamolgus Characters

A Cynamolgus has a strong connection to his pack of dogs, who treat him as their leader. Since they train together to defeat predators, a Cynamolgus can act as the leader of a trained group of dogs, using his Animal Handling in place of Leadership. These tribesmen rarely have the Animal Companion or Magical Animal Companion Flaws, since they are equally bonded to all animals in their pack.

Intrinsic Virtue & Flaw: Puissant Animal Handling; Compulsion (protect his pack)

Story Seed: The Gamekeeper Turned Poacher

The district around a covenant is sorely troubled by a bouda, and it is suggested that a Cynamolgus might be the best solution to this elusive creature - even a magus cannot kill what he cannot find. The characters are asked to track one down; there are rumors of a wanderer divorced from his homeland nearby. The price he asks is steep, and once he has completed his task, the characters may discover that he is more trouble than the bouda ever was.

Megabari

The land of the Cynamolgi is west of that of the Megabari or Trogodytes, who are themselves south of the Ethiopians. Like their neighbors, the Megabari are pastoralists, although they herd sheep and goats as well as cattle. The Megabari go naked except for their loins, which they cover with skins. They carry round shields covered with stretched oxhide and fight with spears and arrows, but their champions carry massive clubs with iron knobs.

The Megabari are nomadic, following pasture and the rains. Each band has a tyrant to rule them; the tyrant is the owner of the two pairs of animals whom the band consider to be their parents — a bull and cow, and a ram and sheep. Once one of these animals dies, its mate is killed and another pair of the same species is chosen to be the new Father and Mother of the band. The owner of this pair becomes the tyrant-in-waiting. Once the old tyrant loses one of the other parents, the tyrant-in-waiting assumes full authority, and he is "adopted" by a second pair of parents.

The women hold power in the bands, and are afforded great respect, and no man will ever dare strike a woman. Only the tyrant has a wife; the other women choose with whom they will lie. If the tyrant's wife should choose a partner, then he is bound to pay the tyrant a specified number of sheep.

When the rains come, the Megabari graze their stock and feed on their blood and milk, which they allow to seethe together for a while. However, as the pasture withers, the Megabari retreat into the marshy places and fight with one another for the scant grassland. Such wars begin with the throwing of stones; once injuries ensue they continue with bows and arrows, which leads to many casualties in mere moments, so good archers are they. The fighting is usually terminated by the women, who rush into the fray to protect their sons.

Megabarus Characters

Intrinsic Virtue & Flaw (Men): Puissant Bows; Prohibition (harming women)

Intrinsic Virtue & Flaw (Women): Temporal Influence; Sensitive (to disrespect)

Story Seed: The Man-Eating Cow

All through Nubia cattle are dying mysteriously. Often they simply disappear, but occasionally skin or bloodless bodies are discovered; magic is suspected, and the characters may come under suspicion. All these cows have their origin in Megabari lands; stolen spoils that contain carnivorous bulls that now infest Makurian herds.

The Carnivorous Bull

The carnivorous bull originates in the land of the Megabari, but is occasionally brought back by Nubians who capture a Megabari tribe as slaves and take their livestock as spoils. Some believe that Megabari magicians are able to create these creatures as revenge against those who enslave them.

The carnivorous bull appears much like a normal bull, although it is larger in bulk, and its mouth opens all the way back to the ears; with its mouth closed this feature is hard to see. It is red in color, although this is not an unusual color for cattle. Its head is armed with a pair of formidable horns, which it can swivel like ears, or hold rigid. The only diagnostic feature is that its eyes glow at night. These animals have the prowess of a lion, the swiftness of a horse, and the might of a bull.

The carnivorous bull is a cunning creature. It insinuates itself into a large herd of cows, and then picks them off one by one, eating all evidence including the bones, hide, horns, and hooves. It may also pick off dogs and herdsmen who get too close to uncovering its nature. The creature is driven by its essential nature to kill and eat, although as a magical creature it has no real need to do so.

Carnivorous Bull

Magic Might: 10 (Animal)

Season: Summer

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

Size: +2

Confidence Score: 1 (3)

Virtues and Flaws: Ferocity (charging), Puissant Brawl, Tough; Gluttonous

Magic Qualities and Inferiorities: Greater Power; Improved Attack (horns), Improved Damage (horns), Improved Powers, Improved Soak x2, Minor Virtue (Improved Abilities) x2, Minor Virtue (Lesser Immunity to piercing weapons)

Mundane Qualities: Aggressive, Ambush Predator, Fast Runner, Large Horns, Tough Hide

Personality Traits: Hungry +5, Bull* +3, Sly +2

\*Essential Trait

Combat:

Horns: Init +2, Attack +13, Defense +8, Damage +11

Teeth: Init 0, Attack +11, Defense +8, Damage +8

Soak: +12

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

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

Abilities: Athletics 4 (charging), Awareness 3 (prey), Brawl 5+2 (horns), Guile 4 (pretending to be a normal cow), Hunt 4 (cows), Stealth 5 (stalking prey), Survival 3 (plains)

Natural Weapons: The creature's weapons have the following combat characteristics: Large Horns: Init +2, Attack +3, Defense +2, Damage +3. Large Teeth: Init 0, Attack +4, Defense +1, Damage +3.

Powers:

Calm the Lowing Herd, 2 points, Init –2, Animal: This power keeps all animals in the vicinity of the carnivorous bull calm and quiet, allowing it to attack and eat its prey without arousing suspicion. It can affect up to 50 cows, or similar sized creatures. ReAn 45 (Base 10, +2 Voice, +2 Sun, +2 Group, +1 Size) Greater Power (45 levels, –3 Might cost, +3 Init with Improved Powers)

Appearance: A massive, red-colored bull. It can open its mouth over 100 degrees, enough to swallow a cow's head whole. If watched carefully, its nature can be divined by the occasional twitch of one of its horns, or the fact that it is not eating grass.

If the bull's true nature has not been spotted, then it automatically wins initiative on the first round of combat, and receives a +3 bonus to Attack Totals for the first round only. Carnivorous bulls have a +3 bonus to all rolls involving running.

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