Lands of the Nile Chapter Six: Egypt

See Also

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

Chapter Six: Egypt

The most surprising feature of Egypt, for travelers from outside the region, is that its largest cities are so young. Three of the four largest cities, Cairo, Damietta, and Qus, have only had their current size and prominence for a handful of decades. Egypt may be an old land on an eternal river, but its society is in constant flux. This is reflected in cities that have ancient landmarks surrounded by new suburbs, and where the local nobleman may have spent his teenage years as a street thief or mercenary.

A Note on Auras in Egypt

The Dominion aura of the holiest places and pilgrimage sites might reach as high as 10, but generally places of worship have a Dominion aura of 4, the cemeteries and homes of the People of the Book have an aura of 3, the places of work of monotheists have an aura of 2, and land from which the call to prayer can be heard has an aura of 1.

Faerie auras are equal to (Might of the most powerful faerie in the area /5) unless two faeries are contesting control of an area, in which case the aura may be higher. The most powerful Faerie in an area is not necessarily the most powerful the characters engage in a given story.

Magic auras are found in awesome natural places, and tethered to human artifice. Many ancient tombs have an aura, the strength of which is determined using the rules found in the Tomb Creation section in chapter 4.

Infernal auras are found in places of great sin. These are usually small pockets, which are eventually worn away by the Dominion, but places dedicated to sin may have powerful, apparently permanent auras. The customs house where pilgrims were once routinely hung by their testicles is notoriously known as such a place, and most of the city of 'Aydhab seems to be falling under the sway of evil.

The Nile

The Nile is the greatest river on Mythic Earth. It rises in the Atlas Mountains, before sweeping south, through the desert and to the very edge of the habitable world. It turns east, through the countries of the Plinian races, until it nears the east coast of Africa. Then it turns north again, through the lands of gold and black men. It floods Egypt annually, leaving farming soil almost magical in its fertility, before disgorging into the Mediterranean. Even tiny creeks in Mythic Europe may have elementals: the Nile's Spirit is so vastly powerful it needs to create avatars or invest emissaries, simply so humans can comprehend it.

The great mystical presence which is embodied in these waters has had many names over the centuries. The Copts, who know its ancient Egyptian name, call it Kheme, which is also the word for the color black, and the land of Egypt itself. The Black is not the same as Isis, the Faerie goddess of the river, but she, perhaps, served the Black and was nurtured by its vitality. The Blemmyaes of Philae, who worshiped Isis in ancient times, are often agents of the Black. In the west of Africa the Black is served by a tribe of seven-headed rain serpents. Their physical form may mirror the river's, with its delta of seven mouths. Elsewhere in Egypt the Black calls up horusbeasts, the ascended dead, Coptic alchemists, jinn, and faeries for its ceaseless war with the Red.

The Red is a great force of desiccation and sterility, which is most powerful in the center of the Sahara. The Black encircles it with the Nile, and prevents its ravenous appetite from consuming Africa. Its servants are detailed in Between Sand and Sea, but include hedge magi who draw power from the decay of the natural environment, the set beasts, tribes of werehyenas, and great afrits of smokeless flame. Some say that every lie makes the Sahara a grain bigger, so every liar serves the Red. Others say that if you don't want the Black to notice you, you must never drink the water.

The Seven Heads of the Nile

Pliny listed seven heads for the Nile, but not all of these can be used in 1220. Some are silted up, and some are simply not where he implies them to be. The main distributary is the Phatmetic Mouth, which disgorges at Damietta, in the eastern Delta. This has been the main port in Egypt, used by merchants wishing to trade along the Nile, for decades. The Christian invasion of Damietta has diverted pilgrims and traders from North Africa and Iberia toward Alexandria. Alexandria is the main port on the western edge of the Delta. It does not link directly to the Nile, and so it is less convenient as a port, despite its excellent harbor.

Some of the silted, or missing, mouths of the Nile have been withdrawn from the mortal world by the Black. Some have been recoiled as reflections of injuries suffered in its skirmishes with the Red. One, the Pelusiac Mouth, has been hidden, to provide a secure base for the Servants of the Black.

Cairo

Cairo is the capital of Egypt, but has only had that role for just over 50 years. It is a new and wonderful city, praised by pilgrims from all over the world. Many locals call Cairo "Misr," which is the Arabic name for all of Egypt. It is believed to be the name of a son of Noah, who was the first king of the country after the Flood. Misr's sons went on to found many of the great cities of Egypt.

Coptic Cairo

Cairo retains a large and prosperous Coptic community. The Christian community in Egypt is treated better than in most other parts of the Muslim world. There are several reasons for this. Egypt surrendered to Islam rather than being taken by force, which made the Copts dhimmi, and gently restrains the legal options for exploitation available to the ruler. There are hadiths (sayings) from the Prophet granting Copts a special status as the "instruments and help" of the Muslims. Ismail ibn Ibrahim, the patriarch of the Arabs, had a Coptic mother, and the Prophet had a Coptic wife. The previous, Fatimid, period was largely one of tolerance for the Copts, and this has continued into the current dynasty.

Copts in Egypt have some advantages over dhimmis elsewhere. Those who live in Alexandria pay no taxes except a sort of compulsory charitable giving for the poor. In many other areas, new churches are forbidden, but in Egypt they are often built. Islamic legal scholars allow this on the basis that presumably little towns had churches before the Arabs took power, and so the new buildings are in some sense merely continuations and enlargements of old places of worship. Dhimmis are not permitted to ride horses, but in Egypt they often do, being careful to dismount when passing the houses of Islamic noblemen and legal officers when necessary.

Copts are still third class citizens (behind Muslims and new converts to Islam) and so are not permitted to carry weapons. This is important to the rulers, and is enforced stringently. In part this is because a hadith from the Prophet says that Egyptians are the finest soldiers in the world. If, as this seems to imply, Egyptians have an innate talent for war, this means that the average Egyptian peasant mob is far more dangerous than a group of rebellious farmers elsewhere. Coptic revolts have been put down, with some difficulty, in various places, and the sultans have countered by raising Egyptian children as Muslims, separate from their Christian parents, as slave soldiers. This cadre are called the mamluks.

The Coptic community is led, in a moral sense, by the Coptic Patriarch of Alexandria. Following the relocation of the capital, it has been more convenient for the patriarch to live in the older part of Cairo than in Alexandria, where his official see lies. He believes himself to be the spiritual custodian of all Christians in Africa, but travel is so difficult that many of the Churches in communion with him act with great independence, and there is a Greek claimant to the See of Mark who actually still lives in Alexandria. The Hanging Church, the patriarch's cathedral, is located above the gatehouse of Babylon Fortress. Babylon Fortress was a Roman strongpoint. It is from here, it can be argued, that the Empire withdrew from Egypt, passing the territory, and the Copts, into the keeping of Islam.

Delta?

Referring to the fertile headwaters of the Nile as a "delta" is one of Herodotus's ideas. It refers to the triangular shape of the land, on certain maps. A "delta" is a triangular Greek letter. The Egyptians in ancient times, and the Copts who speak the old language, called this region Ta-Mehu, which means "Land of the Papyrus." This is notably similar to the Field of Reeds in Duat, the ancient afterlife, which is described in more detail in Chapter 4: Tombs. There are many gates to Faerie and the Magic Realm hidden in Ta Mehu.

Story Seed: No Papa

The position of Patriarch of Alexandria has been vacant since 1216. There is a particular priest, Cyril ibn Laqlaq, who has such wealth and political influence that it is impossible to elect anyone else, but whom a core group oppose. If your version of Mythic Europe echoes real life, Cyril III will be ordained in 1235, and will be a notorious simoniac: possibly the reason the opposition to him was so zealous. The lack of a formal leader weakens Coptic influence, and player characters able to break the deadlock might gain the gratitude of the successful side.

What is a Naphtha Pot? What is a Lighting Bomb?

A naphtha pot is a ceramic hand grenade, in which white water naphtha (petroleum) is held in a gel. The simplest are incendiaries, and catch fire when the ceramic casing cracks and the contents are exposed to air. A more complex version is explosive, and these are often made in an aerodynamic shape, so that they travel greater distances when launched by siege engines. A lighting bomb is a naphtha pot used as a fuse for other bombs, for example if they are set as a demolition charge. They can also be used to set fire to flammable objects, like thatch, crops, and furniture.

An incendiary naphtha pot is a thrown weapon. The damage it does depends on the viscosity of the fuel within it. Most pots contain a thick gel that burns for several minutes, doing +10 damage each turn to whatever the fuel touches. The fuel can instead be runnier, so that after it lands it spreads in a pool of flame that does +5 damage to every flammable thing it touches. The fuel can also be left as liquid petroleum, so that it becomes a brief ball of fire when the ceramic case cracks. This does (+5 – 1 per pace from the pot) Damage, for one round, but may start other fires.

An explosive naphtha pot does +10 Damage if it strikes a target, diminishing by 1 per foot. This damage is caused primarily by the fuel of the pot igniting. Naphtha pots are relatively weak explosives, and shrapnel from the ceramic jacket of the grenade may cause minor injuries, but high velocity explosions or metal jackets are beyond the usual level of skill found in bazaar-trading Egyptian alchemist. They are only encountered as special items in stories, or if made by player characters.

A poison pot releases toxic smoke. As poison is expensive, these grenades do not burst until they hit something, and as it is difficult to disperse a toxin in sufficient concentration over a large enough area, they are rarely preferable as an armament to an explosive grenade. They are, however, useful for sabotage, assassination, and perhaps, in large enough numbers, for dictating the movement of enemy forces on the battlefield. Player characters may also find them handy when confronting tomb spirits repelled by various types of incense.

Most professional Egyptian soldiers have seen naphtha bombs, and so do not panic when they are deployed. Untrained troops, mercenaries from other parts of the world, and horses, often break formation, and may flee, if attacked with explosives or incendiaries. Characters may face the naphtha with a Brave Personality trait roll against an Ease Factor of 5.

Rare specialists can create more potent effects than those listed above. The finest alchemists in Egypt, excepting perhaps those who serve the household of the sultan, are, however, Christian monks. They have little interest in experimenting with better grenade designs.

Making Naphtha With Magic

Naphtha can be created with Creo Aquam spells, and is a processed natural liquid. This gives Creo Aquam spells a Base level of 3, and the Base Individual target is a pool one foot across and six inches deep, regardless of the viscosity of the naphtha. This is about one and a half gallons. Naphtha created outside a container ignites immediately, due to contact with air.

Fustat

Fustat was the capital of Egypt until its destruction in 1168. Prior to 1168, Shawar, the vizier of Egypt, had kept the country's Syrian and Christian neighbors at bay by playing them against each other. In 1168 Amalric of Jerusalem invaded. Shawar ordered Fustat to be abandoned and burned, so that it could not be used as a base by the invaders. His forces used 20,000 naphtha pots and 10,000 lighting bombs to destroy the city. The Christian invasion was halted, and the Syrians then invaded, sweeping away the Christian forces and claiming Egypt for themselves.

The people of Fustat, one of the largest and most prosperous cities in Mythic Africa, were not permitted to take their property or riches with them as they fled. Many of the nobles of Fustat buried their wealth, or stayed to chance the Christian invasion, dying in the vizier's inferno. These treasures are still often found by treasure hunters, but they are also used by faeries and demons to tempt and reward humans caught up in their schemes.

Under the reign of Saladin and his immediate successors Fustat and Cairo were encircled by a single defensive wall. This is still under construction by innumerable Christian slaves, preferably from the Eastern Empire, because Byzantines are attributed with unparalleled skill as builders by the Egyptians. Although the single wall has made Fustat part of the capital, the ruined city has never been systematically rebuilt. It is a part of town where noxious trades are carried on, and waste is dumped.

Plot Hook: Ancient Works Of Magic or Trickery?

This mosque was built on the site of the magical duel between Moses and the magicians of pharaoh. Player characters can call up the ghosts of these magicians, with the right assistance or Hermetic Virtues. Lacking any relic of the magicians, the characters must make an Arcane Connection to the spirits of the dead. Fortunately, the names of the two magicians are recorded, and one died during the Plague of the Death of the First Born Sons. Leadworkers (see Houses of Hermes: True Lineages) or those who practice defixiones (Ancient Magic) can use names to create Arcane Connections to the dead, and so can summon a pharaonic wizard here. Sadly, some of their magic was performed by trickery.

The Maristans

The Cairo Hospital, supported by the Sultan, is one of the finest in the world. It is a center not only for medical treatment, but for research and teaching. Students travel from across the world to serve in the hospital. The building itself was originally a royal palace, and was given to the sick as an act of charity. The palace opposite was then turned into a women's hospital. Finally, a third building was constructed, for the treatment of the insane.

Mosque of Ibn Tulun

This is the oldest mosque in Cairo, and one of the finest. It was originally built as a personal mosque by Ibn Tulun, the governor of Egypt, and adjoined his palace. His capital city, called Al-Qatta'i, has been completely demolished, with only this building left standing as successive capitals have grown about the site. It was constructed with treasure found by Ibn Tulun, reported to be over four tons of gold, on a single excavation. This mosque is reserved for the free use of students and travelers from the Maghreb, and supported by a subsidy from the sultan.

The Nilometer

A nilometer is a device to measure the height of the floodwaters of the Nile. The nilometer at Cairo is, in a legal sense, the official one, but many people keep their own nilometers as well. A suspiciously large number of old Coptic monks keep nilometers, and those who believe they retain some of the magic of the Ancient Egyptians consider these ritual objects. The monks gently mock this superstition.

The Cairo nilometer is a white, octagonal marble column kept in a square well near the city. It is divided into 22 cubits, called "fingers." When the annual flood reaches 16 cubits, this is called "full water." A festival begins immediately, and carries on for several days. The sultan is legally entitled to his land taxes and tributes in any year that full water is reached, and the average height is 17 cubits. The festival involves dousing people with Nile water for luck, and dates back to pharaonic times. It's strikingly similar, in some ways, to the European feast of fools, where social conventions are turned on their head.

If full water is not reached, the sultan's almost-magical ability to pay for things begins to fail. This is rare: it happens perhaps every twenty years. Sometimes, perhaps to express the displeasure of the Divine, the flood fails for several years in a row. During these times famine is rife and, in the words of ibn-Jabyr, the only hope is God. Some theorize that the Sultan's almost-magical ability to pay for things is somehow based on ancient Nile magic. Coptic monks insist that this is not the case, and that crop failure due to lack of water is a far better explanation for the severity of famine when full water is not reached.

Story Seeds For the Maristans

As one of the most effective hospitals in the world, these buildings are a great place for player characters to recuperate after traumatic events. The hospitals cure the sick, but also have bath-houses, an excellent library, and free lectures where the interested, including recuperating patients, can develop their Medicine skill. Alchemists, paid for by the sultan, dispense basic cures, and can refer patients to more specialized care.

Perfect Ingredient

A plague has broken out in Egypt. The characters discover that it was last seen three hundred years ago, and that a particular scholar cured it somehow. An account by one of his students is found in the library of the Maristan. It says that a peculiar talisman was used to seal the illness into the pit where the final victims were laid. It also gives accidental clues to the location of the pit. The head of the Maristan, on becoming aware of this, sends an expedition.

The pit has been opened by grave robbers, who have carried off the talismans as spoils. While they own the distinctive talismans, they will not become ill, but can carry the sickness to others. The Maristan and the Guild of Seekers combine to track down these men, examine the talismans and find a way of replicating them. Each requires a rare ingredient, which the player characters are encouraged to fetch. A rival group has discovered the Maristan's plan, and wishes to harvest as much of the ingredient as they can, then destroy the source, so that their stores are of incalculable value.

The Magical Air

In Barcelona, previously normal people have begun developing the Magical Air Flaw. This is causing great strife, and some churchmen who have noticed the similarity between this affliction and the Gifted are blaming the Order. A local member of House Criamon has suggested that the Air is caused by an environmental contaminant, but how to find or treat it is beyond his knowledge. The Tribunal decides to try as many strategies as possible, and sends a delegation to the Maristan, to see if a similar problem occurs in their records.

The Returnee

A young woman in the Maristan for the mentally unwell has begun making ridiculous claims, which would be ignored if they were not in an archaic form of Latin. A Coptic monk suggests that the only time he has heard similar phrases was from a particular scholar, who is a member of the Order of Hermes. The girl claims to be Lucia of the line of Trianoma, returned from Twilight. The girl's parents swear this is not true, that she is the daughter of their bodies and they have raised her since her birth. How then does she know the Parma Magica?

New Virtues: Child of the House and Teacher of the House

The House is a school, said to be in the grounds of the citadel, that prepares agents for the sultan's service. The House does not appear to take many students, perhaps as few as twelve at a time, and it is unclear what its students learn. It is known that the finest smith in Egypt is trained in the House, then retained as a teacher for his successor. An alchemist seems to be trained similarly, although his claim to being the greatest might be contested by some of the Coptic monks. Various diplomats and, if rumors are true, assassins have been trained by the House. Some have theorized that the curriculum of the House changes, depending on the problems the sultan's advisers can foresee, and the skill of the agents who have already been trained.

Teacher of the House (Mystery Initiation Path)

The House is, effectively, a machine to allow intense teaching. It houses excellent teachers, but more than this, it trains specialists in other skills how to teach them. It even provides Initiations that grant Virtues to aid teaching. The Initiation Scripts for teachers of the House require a mystagogue who has a new Ability called Lore of the House, which is an Organization Lore for the Cult. Beyond its ritual use, the Lore of the House includes information about its history, students, missions, and resources.

Mystery Initiations are simply easier for Gifted People than unGifted ones (compare The Mysteries: Revised Edition page 14 for Gifted and Hedge Magic: Revised Edition page 14 for unGifted initiates). The House may have faster paths of Initiation for the Gifted, but most students use those below.

Good Teacher (Minor Virtue): The mystagogue must have a (Presence + Lore of the House) total of at least 6. The candidate undergoes a ritual Ordeal, using magical items taken from the ancient House, and gains a Major Personality Flaw that makes the character loyal to the goals of the House (Vow or Code of Honor, as examples). Note that this is not the same thing as loyalty either to the sultan or the current leader of the House. This provides a script bonus of 9, for the required total of 15.

Affinity with Teaching: The mystagogue must have a (Presence + Lore of the House) total of at least 8. The character must make a pilgrimage, and find a great and charismatic teacher. She must then perform a difficult task that aids that teacher to spread his message. Script bonus (Special place and time (+3), Quest (+3), Loss of Time (+1)), for the required total of 15.

Improved or Great Communication: The mystagogue must have a (Presence + Lore of the House) total of at least 8. The character and mystagogue travel to the site of an ancient library and perform a ritual, which seems to invoke the Goddess Seshat. The character debates with Seshat, and if the character successfully persuades her to grant the character influence to teach, he is allowed to leave. (This requires a Communication + Charm roll against an Ease Factor of 12). A character who argues with Seshat and fails to convince her is Spirited Away to her realm in Faerie, and forced to maintain her library until the next solar eclipse in Egypt (which happens at the discretion of the troupe, but is predictable by characters with astrological skills). Some humans who are Spirited Away age and develop new skills while in Faerie: others do not. Troupes should use whichever best suits their saga. A character who successfully persuades Seshat, or escapes her realm, is granted 3 Characteristic points which must be spent on Communication. If the character already has a score of 3, she gains the Great Characteristic Virtue. If she already has this Virtue, discuss alternatives with the Troupe.

This ritual has a script bonus of +7 (Special place and Time (+3), Quest (+3), Loss of Time (+1)) for the required total of 15.

Some suggest that leaders of the House have undergone, or at least know scripts for, further Initiations, designed for the priesthood from which they descend.

Child of the House (Major General Virtue)

A child raised by the House is able to study four seasons a year, under some of the finest teachers in Europe, until becoming an active agent. During advanced character creation, in the Later Life stage, the character may spend 30 experience points per year, and may spend these points on any Ability that does not require a Supernatural Virtue.

Children of the House are fanatically loyal to the sultan, although they are able to hide this when necessary. Some suggest that this is because they are not loyal to the sultan, but merely to the House itself. To represent this, Children of the House are required to take the Code of Honor Major Flaw.

Agent of the Sultan (Major General Virtue)

An Agent of the Sultan has whatever resources the Sultan's advisors deem necessary. Provided work is not necessary to maintain a cover identity, this allows them to train constantly between assignments, for a total of three seasons per year. Agents in Cairo may continue to access the facilities at the House, if the sultan's advisors consider this the best use of the House's resources. This Virtue is, in a sense, an equivalent of the Wealthy Virtue.

An Agent of the Sultan may not leave the sultan's service. A character who has, for example, successfully faked his own death has the Dark Secret Flaw.

Story Seeds for the Gizeh Plateau

The mastabas and pyramids of the Gizeh plateau are of little interest to most Egyptians, because it is thought particularly dangerous, even for a necropolis. It is rumored haunted, particularly at night. Its greatest guardian is the Lady of the Tombs. This seems, on the basis of limited accounts collected by Alexander of Jerbiton, to be a potent faerie once worshipped as Isis, that has slowly changed its role as its story has evolved. She seems to be able to call all of the other faeries in the area, and, most terribly, to rouse a faerie variant of the Father of Dread.

Pyramidions

Of the three main pyramids here, only one has its capstone (called a pyramidion). The other two have, with great difficulty, been stolen and hidden. Pyramidions are powerful tethers, so they create Magical auras, but they are small enough that a spell or a cart can carry them. Who needs a mobile aura, and what have they been using it for over the last few hundred years?

Aristotle

The tomb of Aristotle is a pilgrimage site for scholars from across the remnants of Alexander's Empire. His philosophy lies at the root of much of Western philosophy, theology and magic theory. The strange thing is that only about one third of Aristotle's known works are available in Mythic Europe. Aristotle divided his writings into the exoteric, which were meant for publication, and the esoteric, which were personal musings, lecture notes and private correspondence. The third available seem to be mostly esoterica.

There's a chance that copies of the missing books, particularly those polished for publication, were buried with Aristotle. If a complete set is recovered these books provide a better understanding of how the world works, and provide a great deal of Insight over a wide range of projects. They also revolutionize many Abilities, rescaling them. All readers gain a +3 bonus on all Artes Liberales rolls, and others depending on what Aristotle wrote about. Incomplete sets also provide Insight, and act as books of very high level in their appropriate Abilities. The temptation to dig into the side of his pyramid is strong. Fear of the defenses has, however, proven stronger.

Where is Alexander?

The biggest pyramid in Egypt, according to most of the guides talking to those seeing the ruins, was designed for Alexander the Great, but he was never placed inside. According to ancient Egyptian custom, whoever buried pharaoh was the next pharaoh, so Ptolemy stole Alexander's corpse, and buried it in secret. For a long time, people though he was in a particular sarcophagus, but this was a diversion, and really belonged to the final king of the dynasty before the Ptolemies. Hermetic magi actually know Alexander was buried in Memphis, and then Alexandria, and even have some idea of where. None of the local faeries care, and so treasure hunters keep coming back to Cairo with coins, amulets and papyri that hint they come from Alexander's tomb.

Herodotus: Three Pyramids

Herodotus and Manetho, two historians widely read in Egypt, have a different set of inhabitants for each of the pyramids. The large pyramid belonged to King Cheops, who closed the temples, and forced everyone in Egypt to aid in its building for ten years, and when he ran short of money prostituted his daughter to finish the project. His brother, Chephren, likewise kept the temples closed and oppressed the people. The third king, Cheops's son Mykerinos, gave just rulings, reopened the temples, and allowed the people to go back to their professions. Since Egypt had been cursed to 150 years of suffering, he was opposing the will of the gods, who killed his only child and cut his life short. He responded to the message he had only six years to live with a concerted attempt to develop magical items which slowed time. Some suggest he was successful, and his magical lamps create a room-sized Faerie regio in which time travels more slowly. The location of his lamps is, however, unknown.

The Isle of Gold at Gizeh

The throne of the pharaoh who abused Moses was sunk deep into the Nile by God. It is still there, and becomes visible in famine years when the Nile is low. Strangely, no one has ever attempted to recover it.

Sand of Hermes

It is widely reported by pilgrims that the sand of the plateau, if carried as a talisman, increases Intelligence. This effect may be due to the presence of faeries which use the Grant Virtue Power to grant Improved Characteristics to some of the scholars who come to the tombs. These faeries withdraw their gift if the characters cease to study the ruins. Characters with unfortunate personal weaknesses can be manipulated by this into spending their lives looking at one confected tomb after another, discovering ultimately meaningless things while feeding the faeries' need for attention.

The Crocodiles of Gizeh

At the highest point of Gizeh are statues of marble crocodiles. These keep real crocodiles out of their line of sight, protecting the river for three miles in each direction. Some say they were created by the Third Hermes himself. They have never been assessed in a laboratory by Hermetic magi, so their exact function is unknown.

There are many stories about Abu 'l-Ahwa, "the Father of Dread." The Greeks call it "the strangler" or sphinx due to a vague similarity to a female, winged monster which used to strangle people in the Theban Tribunal if they couldn't answer a riddle. It is considered, by some, to represent a solar god. He appeared to Menkheperure (Thutmose IV), to ask that his statue be excavated from the desert sands which had almost buried it, according to a stela said to be between its paws. Mary laid the Christ child between its paws while resting on her flight into Egypt. It is said by some to be the grave of Prophet Idris, or the God Thoth, or both. Perhaps if it were excavated, so that one could again perform rituals between its paws, answers might be found.

Story Seeds for Alexandria

The city of Alexander has fallen far from its days as the center of learning for Mythic Africa, and yet some fragments of its time of prominence remain.

Foreign People

If the player characters want to mount an expedition into the east, Alexandria may be a convenient starting point. Alexandria is still relatively open to outsiders, not merely pilgrims from Iberia and North Africa, but also traders from France and Italy. This means it is one of the easier places to reach where magi may hire servants who speak eastern languages, and can give information about traveling there.

Library

The Library of Alexander has been burned by so many people that the stories conflict, but many local stories agree on one point: part of the library has survived. Local Egyptians remember Queen Cleopatra not, in the Roman tradition, as a seductress who used her wealth and body to enslave men, but as a scholar and alchemist who, when the kingdom was threatened, took wise precautions. Many think that her grave, which has never been found, may give clues to the location of a secret repository of books from the Library of Alexandria.

Others say that the land the library was founded upon slid into the sea. The Egyptian habit of writing by carving in stone means that if any of the walls remain intact, magi with suitable spells might salvage their teachings from the depths.

Lighthouse Mirror

The Lighthouse (or Pharos) is one of the remaining wonders of the world. It has suffered repeated damage and reconstruction, so its tower is now abbreviated, and capped with a mosque. Some magi claim that there is a powerful aura on the whole island on which the Lighthouse rests, while others say that they have tested this claim, and no aura was discernible.

The mirror that was once found at the apex of the Lighthouse is an extraordinary object. It is made of Serican iron, and so cunningly crafted that a man staring into it, when it was still in place, could identify ships many hours before the unaided eye could discern them. At night the fire of the Lighthouse could be seen for many miles. During war, the mirror could be used to incinerate enemy ships in the harbor.

The mirror went missing some time ago. A Byzantine spy spread rumors of treasure within the Pharos, which led to a sort of riot. During the disturbance he stole the mirror and, unable to destroy it, had it cast into the sea. Why he was unable to destroy the mirror is unclear: some magi hypothesize that it embodies a potent spirit of artifice which defends it from harm.

• A sedentary Verditius magus offers to pay the player characters to locate the mirror. Can the player characters find a way to search the seabed? Can they find ghosts who recall the casting of the mirror into the sea? Can an Arcane Connection to the mirror be procured?
• A powerful magus in the early stages of planning an Alexandrian covenant has been distracted by the Christians feuding in Damietta, and wants to remain there for the time being. He pays the player characters to live on the island for a year, and discover the reason for the inconsistent reports concerning its aura.
• The side of the Lighthouse has an inscription to the memory of the architect, which only became visible centuries after his death. The inscription originally flattered the king who sponsored the Lighthouse's construction, but the masons carved this into a thin layer of lime plaster, which in time cracked away, revealing the final inscription underneath. Another sheet of lime plaster has fallen away, and was concealing a detailed prediction concerning future events in the Order. Is it a hoax? If it is genuine, are there any other messages hidden on the building? Can whoever wrote them be trusted?

The Mystery of the Oil

Pilgrims who visit Alexandria often remark on a strange habit of the people of this city: they are as active at night as during the day. This perhaps stems from the port: cargoes are unloaded unceasingly, night and day. Workers need food and other supplies at night, so traders seeking their custom stay open very late. Their suppliers in turn stay open late, until the whole city has a vibrant culture which never stops, and indeed barely slows down. No one has noticed that this doesn't make economic sense.

The reason other ports don't operate around the clock is that oil, for lamps, is expensive. No one knows where the tremendous amount of oil used to light the city every night comes from. Pilgrims imagine it is one of the bounties of the sultan, and the sultan's servants assume that oil is just produced cheaply on surrounding farms. They don't investigate because Alexandrians, by ancient right, pay no taxes beyond a minor poll tax, so it wouldn't matter, legally, if the Alexandrian people were growing diamonds on trees.

There is no satisfactory explanation for the cheap oil in Alexandria. If Alexandria was on the other side of the Mediterranean, the Quaesitores would be checking for Hermetic magi making oil using Creo magic. If Alexandria is settled by a covenant, the Quaesitores ask for this matter to be thoroughly investigated, and if unsatisfied with the answers, send a team of Quaesitores and hoplites, as a clear message that the remit of Hermetic law now extends to North Africa.

Tourism

Wealthy people of classical education come from across the world to wander the ruins of Alexandria, a copy of Diodorus or Arrian in one hand and a helpful guide tugging the other. The Jerbiton rite of passage known as the Itinerarium, which is a form of extended holiday to places of great artistic significance, does not generally come this far south, but a suitably skilled Jerbiton might lead a band of apprentices here. The players can either act as guards for the apprentices, or rescuers when unexpected obstacles arise.

Saladin's Citadel

As part of his project to encircle Old and New Cairo in a defensive wall, Saladin created a central strong point, the citadel. The citadel is incomplete in 1220, but it has been the center of government for decades, and as construction continues the bureaucracy of Egypt keeps centralizing in this complex.

The citadel contains the sultan's living quarters. Among his innumerable treasures is the library. The last great census of the library occurred in the time of the previous, Fatimid, dynasty. It contained 600,000 books, 18,000 specifically on magic, astrology and alchemy.

Tombs of Qarafah

This cemetery is filled with the tombs of relatives of the Prophet, and his companions. It fills a large area, and includes four great congregational mosques, with many smaller mosques and theological colleges. The poor, scholars and travelers are welcome to stay in the smaller mosques. The sultan pays for the upkeep of these places, and the living costs of many of the inhabitants. This costs him a couple of thousand dinars a month, and is considered a marvel by pilgrims. Magi might be either scholars, if they are staying here, or travelers if they are passing through, and so can live here, supported by the generosity of the sultan, if they wish.

The Gizeh Necropolis

The Gizeh Necropolis lies about a day's travel south of Cairo and contains three great pyramids, and a colossal statue of a lion with the head of a man. The contents of these structures has been the matter of some debate. Travelers report many strange local beliefs. Some say that Aristotle is under one of the Pyramids, and that the largest was prepared for Alexander, but that he was buried in secret instead. Some say they were built by a pharaoh to save the wisdom of his people from the Flood of Noah. Others say that, much like the impossible number of tombs found elsewhere, the buildings were miraculously created by Allah, or a false god, like Hermes. Saladin's son attempted to demolish the pyramid closest to the great statue, and it shows damage to this day. He was following the most widely held of beliefs: that there is treasure everywhere, even in those places where other people have already removed the treasure.

The Hirranian Sabeans also have stories about the statue. These Sabeans are treated as People of the Book by the sultan, possibly because they have been confused with the Sabians. The Hirranian Sabeans say the statue represents the god Horon. It is, according to them, the tomb of one of the three great scholars named Hermes, whom they conflate with the Prophet Idris (Enoch). The Sabeans practice urn burial around the statue, and sacrifice white roosters to it.

Why All of the History?

The battles and personalities involved in the Fifth Crusade are presented here in rather more detail than is usual. This is to assist troupes who start their saga a few years earlier than the usual 1220 starting date, so as to play the crusade through. It also aids players whose characters are veterans of the war, displaced into Hermetic service.

Bezant?

This is an Italian term for the gold coins of Constantinople (Byzantium). Venetians, particularly, also used the term for other gold coins, so the coins on offer were probably gold dinars. By Islamic law, a dinar weighs the same as 72 average grains of barley, but their weight in practice varies. That the sultan has 30,000 of them readily to hand demonstrates his wealth, and the lucrativeness of a raid on his treasury. Characters who favor the crusade could aid it immensely by discovering where these bezants are, and making off with them.

Alexandria

Alexandria is an ancient city, much faded with time, but recently resurgent. Since the end of Roman rule in Egypt, Alexandria has been dwindling, its prestige and wealth stolen by Fustat, then Cairo. In the ninth century the city's walls were rebuilt, and they surrounded about half of the ancient city. The city continued to shrink until 1181, when Saladin refortified Alexandria, and founded new suburbs to the east and south of the walls. The city is currently enjoying a period of comparative prosperity.

The loss of Damietta to the Fifth Crusade, just last year, has made this the prime port for the court in Cairo. Pilgrims wishing to avoid pillage by the Christians land at Alexandria, and then cross the land to the Nile, before continuing south. Alexandria is now also the main fleet base for the sultan, which has bought work and money to the city. The sultan's largesse, always tremendous in this city, flows in at an unprecedented rate. There's money to be made, and the city is full of the sharp, the ambitious, and the connected.

Almost Magic

Although Alexandria's people pay no taxes save the awqaf (a small poll tax), the sultan pours out riches through the town. The sultan's benefactions to this city are too great to count. They are so numerous that, if a storyguide ever needs to come up with a justification for virtually any practice, she can just say "The sultan pays for it." As examples, Alexandria has more mosques than any other city in the world. There are estimated to be between 8,000 and 12,000 mosques in the city, each with an imam who is paid a stipend of 5 dinars by the sultan. The sultan gives away 2,000 loaves of bread each day in Alexandria. This custom was set up by Saladin, who said that people who crossed the desert should have this bread, even if they were carrying their own weight in gold and silver. The loaves of bread must be taken, even if travelers neither need nor want them, and many are passed on to the less fortunate of the city. So long as the Nile is high and he is rich, the sultan has so much money that highly unlikely things happen in his name.

Damietta

The city of Damietta was a port in ancient times, but lost its importance when Alexandria was constructed, stealing much of its trade. In Arabic times, Damietta retained some importance as a naval base, but did not grow to prominence again until Fustat, the capital of Egypt before Cairo, became a large city. This was a gradual process, but by the 13th century Damietta had grown to become the most important port on the Nile. The leaders of the Fifth Crusade decided to seize it, and return it in exchange for Jerusalem. That, upon its loss in 1219, the sultan offered to trade away Jerusalem, before the Christians even asked for it, demonstrates Damietta's strategic and economic value.

The Fifth Crusade

After the disaster of the Fourth Crusade, Pope Innocent III attempted to preach a new armed pilgrimage to Jerusalem, led not by kings but by the Church itself. This was met with little enthusiasm from the kings, who were still asked to attend, just not control anything. It was also in part sabotaged by Innocent's success in inspiring crusades in southern France, against the Cathars, and in Iberia, against the Moors. These conflicts were closer and seemed more lucrative to nobles in Western courts.

Innocent's successor, Honorius III, did eventually muster an army, mostly from lesser nobles, and a fleet from Frisia to carry them. In 1217 the army gathered in Italy, but the Frisian fleet was delayed, so in 1218 part of the army landed in Acre. After some discussion with the leaders of the various states in Outremer, it was decided that Jerusalem, even if taken, could not be kept while Egypt remained a power. The crusaders re-embarked, and landed near Damietta. Their plan was to take this city, and use it as a base to prepare an attack on Cairo.

A relief force, led by Al-Kamil, the vizier of Egypt, was able to keep the Christians on the defensive for six months, until February 1219. Shortly after the Christians landed, the old sultan had died, and this vizier took his place. The Christians were only able to defeat the relief force in odd circumstances (see Story Seeds, later). The camp of the Egyptian army was sacked and Cardinal Pelagius, the Pope's representative, was able to take credit. He became the de facto leader of the crusaders.

Al-Kamil wanted to clear Egypt of the crusaders, so that he would be free to consolidate his rulership of his own territories. He offered the crusaders a deal: in exchange for their immediate departure and thirty years of truce, he would give them Jerusalem and all surrounding territory, save two castles. This fractured the leadership of the Crusaders. John of Brienne, the titular King of Jerusalem, and the barons of Outremer, wanted to accept the deal. Cardinal Pelagius put John in his place and turned it down, with the support of the Italian nobles. Pelagius also had the support of the masters of the Templars and Hospitallers, who were the de facto leaders of the French nobles. Al-Kamil sweetened the deal by offering an extra 30,000 bezants paid immediately in coin. Pelagius once again refused.

Pelagius ordered a series of attacks on Damietta, and had to counter sorties from within the city. Al-Kamil returned with a fresh army, to harass the Christians. Hoping for a decisive blow, the Christians massed against the sultan's fortified position in August 1219. Al-Kamil retreated, and then the Christian forces lost cohesion as various leaders ordered pursuit, looting, or returning to their positions surrounding Damietta in case of a sortie. Al-Kamil noticed this, and attacked. The professional core of the Christian army, led by John of Brienne and the military orders, prevented complete rout, but the defeat was heavy.

Al-Kamil, still wanting the Christians gone, offered them a fresh deal. The offer was: thirty years truce, all of the land except the two castles, 30,000 bezants, the True Cross, money to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem (which his brother had pulled down in January) and all of the prisoners he'd just taken in the battle. Again, John of Jerusalem was strongly in favor, but the Italians and French were against. The Italians believed the Holy Roman Emperor was about to arrive, and that this would tip the strategic balance. Al-Kamil continued raiding, hoping to resupply and re-garrison Damietta, but the Christians repelled his attacks.

In November 1219, some crusaders noticed one of the towers of the town was not garrisoned. A small group climbed over an unguarded wall, opened an undefended gate, and the city fell. Of the 80,000 inhabitants when the siege began in February, only 3,000 were still alive, and of these, only 100 were healthy. The rest had died of starvation and disease. The city was looted, against the orders of the leaders of the Crusade, but the remaining defenders were so few that they could be defended by the personal retinues of the leadership group, and so they were kept from harm.

Al-Kamil could see no way to retake Damietta. The city had fallen without damage to its defenses, and the crusaders controlled the sea approaches, so it could be resupplied. As he had the option of neither assault nor siege, he retired twenty miles south, to Mansourah. Al-Kamil knew his army was demoralized and that the crusaders had the momentum of the war on their side. The Nile inundation failed in 1219, so his almost-magical ability to pay for things could not be used. Al-Kamil waited out the winter, expecting an immediate assault. He hastily threw together defensive fortifications, and braced himself for a final battle. Loss of Mansourah, and his army there, would leave nothing between the crusaders and Cairo.

Story Seeds from the Fifth Crusade

There are many little side stories from the history of the Fifth Crusade that offer story seeds for troupes.

Breaking the Chain

The approaches to Damietta are protected by water, and a stout chain, strung across the Nile, prevented troops landing on the firmer ground behind the city. The chain ran from the city walls, across the navigable channel of the river, to a small tower on an island. Destroying this chain took a month. Two groups of people are absolutely certain that they destroyed the chain.

A group of French soldiers are perfectly certain they laid siege to the small tower on the island. They attacked it from boats until they wore down the defenders, then they rushed the tower with scaling ladders, many of their comrades dying in the process. Many carry small pieces of the chain, as mementoes of the battle.

A group of Dutch soldiers are equally certain they created a ship with a massive saw beneath it, like the ram of a galley. They rammed the saw against the chain, then backed water and rammed again, eventually cutting the chain in half. They have commissioned church bells, which will be rung annually in celebration of their victory. The Dutch warriors also often carry bits of the chain, drawn from the water by the fixed ends once the city had fallen.

The odd thing is that some of the leaders of the crusade believe that both stories are true, without noticing that this isn't possible. It's not that they have thought the matter through and attributed a share of the victory to each group: when talking to the Dutch they absolutely believe the Dutch story, and when talking to the French they completely believe the French story. If they are ever confronted with the incompatibility of the stories, they can't see what the problem is, and soon after forget the conversation.

Is this a miracle, hidden by Divine power, or the machinations of two powerful faeries, contesting for the vitality of the crusaders?

The Defeat of the Kurds

The Christians were able to destroy the first Egyptian army due to infighting. The Sultan heard rumors that the general of his largest contingent of warriors, the Kurds, was preparing a coup against him. With a great deal of dramatic flair, the sultan burst into the tent where the conspirators were meeting, and at the precise moment they all had their hands on a copy of the Qur'an making oaths to depose him. Taking them all prisoner, he returned to Cairo, to consolidate his position, in case conspirators were also active there. His army scattered when they woke, as their leader was gone and his general was a prisoner.

Is the conspiracy to overthrow the sultan a mundane plot? It might have been generated within the army, or by Christian agents. Alternatively, is it a form of contagious madness caused by a demon, the result of a faerie whispering promises of rule to the general, or a battle between the puppets of the Order of Sulemain?

Story Seeds from the Fifth Crusade (Cont'd)

Pulling it All Down

In real world history, the Egyptians decided that the loss of Damietta could never again be permitted. To prevent this they pulled Damietta down, and replaced it with a new city, also called Damietta. The new site, a mile and a half away, was better defended by both by expensive fortifications and by its geography. As Damietta's buildings are pulled down, to provide building material for the new city, treasures and secrets are revealed. Ghosts are disturbed, and the hidden cesspits of the servants of the Infernal are exposed.

The selection of the new site, if carefully manipulated by magi, might include ancient tombs, with Magic auras, creating lacunae in the city's Dominion.

Pelagius's Destiny

Pelagius was lifted to the leadership in part because, in Damietta, a prophecy was found which predicted his victory. The prophecy is written in an ancient book, in Arabic, but no one is sure who wrote it, or how it came to be found by a crusader. If the characters can find a clearer version of Pelagius's Destiny, as the book has come to be called, they can trade it to either side for valuable concessions. Alternatively, they can use the material it contains to manipulate events themselves.

What Happens Next?

In the real world, the Fifth Crusade failed. This might not happen in Mythic Africa, so here are some key events to hang stories on. The player characters may alter the flow of these events at any time, sometimes with quite subtle manipulation.

In February 1220, the various factions agree to redivide the spoils from the sack of Damietta. This brings peace between the warriors, although their leaders still can't stand each other. John of Brienne is given permission by the Pope to leave the crusade, to attempt to claim the throne of Armenia. This leaves Pelagius in sole charge of the Crusade, but he's not a noble and so has little practical experience commanding on the battlefield. He decides to wait for Frederick II, the Holy Roman Emperor, to arrive. This will give him both reinforcements and a skilled general. Frederick II never arrives, although in May 1221, 25,000 of his soldiers do, commanded by Louis of Bavaria. Louis strongly suggests an immediate attack and preparations begin. John of Brienne returns in July, and counsels against an immediate attack, but is, again, unable to affect Pelagius's policies.

The Egyptians, who had spent the last year wondering why the Christians were giving them so much time to rearm, march out to meet the invaders. Shocked by the size of the enemy host they retreat to the military city which had grown up at Mansourah, behind a tributary of the Nile. The Christians pursue them and fortify a position opposite the city, at Sharimshah. In August, the Nile floods, and a dry canal the Christians had crossed in pursuit of the Egyptians begins to fill. The Egyptians get ships into the canal, cutting off the army's path of retreat and resupply. Pelagius orders a retreat back to Damietta.

This goes spectacularly wrong. The Teutonic Knights set fire to most of the supplies, to deny them to the Egyptians. They are unable to burn the wine, so to keep it from Muslim hands, many crusaders get drunk. The Egyptians, watching the Christians burn their camp, are forewarned that a retreat is imminent. As the Christians begin to flee, Al-Kamil orders the wall lining the canal smashed open. This transforms the land through which the Christian army is marching into thick mud. The Egyptians wait for nightfall, then attack from firm ground. The Christians rally about John of Brienne and the masters of the crusading orders and retreat to their camp, but as there are no supplies there, they are forced to surrender or starve. Pelagius finds his way onto a boat and runs the Egyptian blockade of the canal, but even he sees that all is lost. He accepts an offer from the sultan in which Damietta is handed back and the Christians leave Egypt for at least eight years. In return, all prisoners from either side are freed, and the return of the True Cross is promised. Oddly, the Sultan's servants cannot find the True Cross; it has been stolen. On 8 September 1221, the Egyptians re-enter Damietta.

Damietta in January 1220

The Christians were able to keep their rivalries in check while there were no spoils from the war. Now that Damietta and much of the surrounding land has been conquered, the leaders have fallen out completely. John of Brienne assumed that Damietta was to be part of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, but Pelagius has said this is not the case, although he has not said to whom it should belong. Somehow, Pelagius has also offended both crusading orders, so they now support John of Brienne.

Soldiers partisan to various lords have fought minor skirmishes, so for their own protection crusaders now keep together in squads of countrymen. In the last month, some of these squads have fought fatal battles in the streets, and the Italians have made a concerted push to force all Frenchmen from the city. The crusading orders, who had stayed serenely above what they see as little more than an argument over booty, have in turn routed the Italians. All the while Pelagius keeps waiting for the Holy Roman Emperor, and he continues not to arrive.

Qus and Southern Egypt

Qus is an ancient city, called Apollonopolis Parva by the Greek historians, which fell from prominence but has risen in the last century to be the second largest city in Egypt. Its rise is due to three main factors. The Fifth Crusade has blocked traditional pilgrimage routes, diverting them across the Red Sea; Qus is considered the last civilized place in Egypt on the new route. The city of Qift, which used to serve as the gateway for foreign merchants into southern Egypt, was the site of a Christian uprising, and the sultan's brother put 3,000 of the inhabitants to the sword, allowing Qus to steal Qift's role as a market. Finally, there is a gold rush at nearby Wadi Allaqi, and Qus serves as the main center for the production of mining supplies. Many new families have risen to power in Qus, propelled by trade and mining.

Merchants from Egypt meet their equivalents from Yemen, Ethiopia, and beyond in Qus. Many complain that in Qus the taxes are levied unfairly. Common complaints are: that goods are assessed for annual taxes, even if they have not been owned for a year; that the assessors do not take into account the minimum possessions and tools of trade which should be exempt; and that the assessors check for smuggling by piercing the bags of goods with sharpened sticks. On the other hand, merchants in this area feel extremely safe: a merchant whose camels become ill will often drop loads of pepper, cinnamon or other spices on the roadside, and return in the expectation that these riches will have been left untouched by other passersby.

Story Seeds From Qus

As it is the second city of Egypt, there are many stories which may begin in Qus.

Akhmim

Pilgrims traveling south to Qus usually pass through a city called Akhmim, which is likely to be of interest to Hermetic magi. Arabic writers say that wizards live in a temple there, and are served by moving statues, or perhaps moving reliefs on the walls. The travelers' reports say that the statues fulfill the desires of the magicians, and yet these magicians have no political power. They do not, for example, politically dominate the town surrounding their temple.

There are many theories as to why these wizards have not taken control of the surrounding area. Some magi, who note that the town is named for a god who in classical times was seen as equivalent to Pan, suggest their magic is weak outside the Faerie aura of the temple. Some Christians call them worshippers of Asmodeus, and say they are kept down by the imminent wrath of God. Some Muslims counter that they serve a Divine being, and avoid contact with the outside world for pious reasons.

Escort

A redcap or magus wanting to explore Ethiopia or Arabia asks for an escort to Qus. The character wants to contact the merchants who come here. She hopes to learn the language of the distant country in which she is interested, and learn the dangers on the route she must travel.

Keepers of the Roads

In emergencies merchants leave their goods by the sides of the road. These are guarded by faeries, who enforce the boundaries of the road, and the moral boundary concerning theft. These creatures do not need to attack their victims; they can simply disorientate them and hide the road, so that the thief dies of exposure or thirst. Characters may be asked to find the bodies of lost merchants, for burial, or to save a merchant who has angered a keeper by theft, but had the good fortune not to die of thirst.

Luxor

Qus is the closest large settlement to the ancient capital at Thebes, its necropolis, and the temples of Luxor and Karnak. The tombs near Thebes are rock-cut, and likely include those for rulers directly following the odd period under the heretical, monotheistic Pharaohs of the lost city of Amarna.

Qift

The town of Qift is full of Coptic Christians who have been impoverished by the failure of their rebellion. Magi seeking grogs, companions who speak Coptic, and people influential with the Coptic clergy may seek hirelings in Qift.

Smuggling

The Qusian authorities stringently enforce taxes on merchants, but smuggling is difficult because the narrowness of the Nile Valley acts as a choke point for travel. Magi or their servants, able to travel through the desert, can make a great deal of money smuggling. Shipping goods to the gold miners at Wadi Allaq, and carrying away untaxed gold in return, might be particularly lucrative.

Story Seeds Near 'Aydhab

Infernal Site?

Sultans no longer charge pilgrims to cross Egypt, but the previous dynasty, the Fatimids did. Everyone entering Egypt via 'Aydhab owed a fine of seven and a half dinars. Those who did not pay were hung by the testicles. The names of offenders were then sent on to Qus, and some other places, where, if they were found without proof of payment, the tax agents would do something which medieval travelers refer only to as "worse." The House of Torturers retains an Infernal aura, and minor demons, which encourage locals to rob or murder pilgrims, dwell there.

Pearls

Characters wanting to make money in this region in an entirely legal way might seek out the nearby islands. Surrounding them are seabeds which teem with a silver bivalve. Its flesh tastes like sea turtle, its shells are mother of pearl, and pearls are often found in the brief pearling season, in June each year. Pearls are recovered by divers, but every ton of shellfish gives only approximately four pearls. Some divers pass out as they surface, and these seem to sate the creatures who guard the pearls. If magi make diving safer, these creatures may cease slumbering.

Bujat

Sailing from Jiddah back to 'Aydhab is dangerous, as winds blow people south into the lands of the Bujat, called the Blemmyae by the Romans. According to some travelers, the Bujat rent camels to people and lead them north, but under-supply each caravan. The Bujat then claim the goods and possessions of the people who die of hunger and thirst on the trip.

The al-Bujat originally lived around Philae, and were Isis worshippers. They fought the Romans, forcing them to move Egypt's border north and garrison it. Their sultan lives in the mountains near Philae. Some travelers report the family are morally corrupt and nudists, who never wear more than a loincloth, and often less. It is not clear if these are the Bujat, or acephalous faeries who have adopted their name and story.

Aydhab

'Aydhab, on the Red Sea, has existed as a seedy port for pirates and smugglers for centuries. It has recently become very wealthy, because it is the port by which pilgrims leave Egypt for Jiddah. Travel narratives advise pilgrims to stay in trusted groups here, perhaps with others from the same town or region, for the locals are more like beasts than men, and will rob and murder pilgrims if there is money in it.

There are no natural resources in the desert around 'Aydhab. No crops are harvested by locals. Even drinking water needs to be imported. Most of the older buildings are made of woven reeds, every reed shipped in from the Nile. A few of the newer and fancier buildings are made of plaster. The town's wealth comes, officially, from merchants, pilgrims and fishing. The merchants are pirates, the pilgrims are victims, the fishing is poor.

The merchants of the town deliberately pander to the vices of the pilgrims. Some, believing that the pilgrimage in some way washes out their sins, take the opportunity of the journey to enjoy forbidden acts. Most of these experiences can be had, at exorbitant prices, in Aydhab.

Pilgrims passing through the town are fleeced in three legal ways. The prices for necessities are notorious, even given the shortages in the town. Pilgrims are forced to pay a portion of their food as a tax. This is a relatively light imposition. Finally pilgrims must rent jilabs, the local variety of ship, if they wish to continue their journey.

A jilab is a rickety wooden boat. Its planks are sewn together with coconut fibre, caulked with palm tree shavings, rigged with sails made of Theban palm leaves, and the hull is greased with castor or shark oil. There are so many reefs in the Red Sea that these boats, which flex when they strike submerged obstacles, are considered far safer than boats nailed into a rigid shape. The cost of renting the boat is extremely high, so that if it sinks and the pilgrims die, the owner is not out of pocket. There is a local saying "Ours to produce the ships: the pilgrims to protect their lives." Boats are often lost: they are packed full of pilgrims, and the Red Sea is notorious for shipwrecks and sharks. Every person from the town who is not poor has at least two boats.

Story Seeds: Sugar Cane

Cane sugar is a new crop in Egypt, still found in relatively few areas. If Mythic history follows actual history, it will rapidly expand to be one of the main crops in certain areas of southern Egypt. The rulers of Egypt like growing sugar because, although it needs land which has long been fallow, requires tremendous amounts of water, and is a pain to press for its juice, it is avidly sought by European merchants. Europeans are strangely addicted to sugar, and treat it like a spice. They pay enormous amounts of money for what is, when you have the finances to overcome the setup costs, a relatively easy crop to grow.

Peasant Revolt

Sugar requires far fewer workers to maintain than wheat or barley. In some areas, nobles who are residents of the capital and have no emotional connection to their territories have demanded the people grow as much sugar as is possible, at the expense of other crops. This creates widespread unemployment, and may even create famine if several nobles in a region all try this simultaneously, counting on their profits to buy wheat from their neighbors. When a horde of starving peasants threaten the interests of the magi, can they deflect their ire?

A Wheel for the Verditius

Sugar cane is crushed with waterwheels, and a Verditius magus has become interested in their mechanisms. He lives in the Greater Alps, and has sent a messenger by redcap, asking the player characters to carefully disassemble the most efficient wheel they can find, and ship it to him. Can the player characters procure such a wheel without disturbing the mundanes, pull it apart without breaking it, and ship it away? Would it be easier just to find the finest maker of waterwheels in Egypt, and send him to the Alps? Do the player characters accompany the shipment through Italy? How do they cope with the nobles attracted by the rumors of a Saracen siege engine?

The Source of the Cane

Sugar cane appears very suddenly in Egypt, and there are rumors it was given to the first farmers by supernatural powers. Did a demon of gluttony first offer the canes to humans? Are there really faeries that can possess the bodies of children who eat sugar, and make them run madcap?

Rural Life: The Iqta' System

Most Egyptians live along the length of the Nile, and depend for their livelihood on agriculture. In the Iqta' system, the sultan divides his land between his powerful supporters, through a series of contracts. In these contracts the right to the produce of particular territories is exchanged for military service and taxes. The Egyptian system differs from the European in that these lands are deliberately not hereditary, to prevent nobles developing regional bases of power. Once the sultans used to order the entire class of landholders (called mutqa's) to move domains, on a regular timetable, but this has ceased because the last time it was tried the wealthy nobles threatened to revolt. Now each family moves when its leader dies, and his heir is sent to some other place.

After the land floods, a servant of the muqta arrives in each village to assess how high the flood water has risen. He classifies land by how well irrigated and fertile it is. He then assigns different fields to different cultivators, through a series of written contracts. These contracts usually include a loan of seed, tools, or money, and they state a required return at harvest, specifying the crops to be grown, and also regular, small, payments in money. Most contracts go to settled farmers, but may include itinerant farmers. These are particularly common if land that is generally unflooded has been inundated this year, if a lot of inundated land is to be farmed, or if they are skilled in tending a new and desired crop, like sugar cane. All of these contracts are witnessed, and the head men of villages are given responsibility for making sure that the agreed things are done.

Note that in this system, the nobles move and the farmers have no legal connection with a specific piece of land. Magi from Europe, where many covenants are agrarian, may find it difficult to maintain their power using familiar tricks, like a tame nobleman.

The Farming Year

The calendar of Egypt differs from that of Europe, but for convenience, modern months are used here as approximations:

September

• Quince, winter grapes and dates are picked. Citrus begins to be harvested.
• Balsam is teared out.
• Irrigation canals opened. Loan seed is distributed.

October

• Rice harvested.
• Trefoil and turnips are planted.
• Myrtle and nenuphar pressed for oil.
• The Nile reaches its height.

November

• Wallflower, violet, narcissus and horseradish are harvested.
• Water is drained from flax fields, seeds are sown.

December

• Sugar cane in its second year is harvested and pressed. Other crops harvested include narcissus, carrots, citrus, green broad beans, and white leeks.
• Trefoil is sown.

January

• Young sugar cane is harvested.
• Trees are transplanted.
• Waterwheels for pressing cane are set up.
• Fields are weeded and plowed. Irrigation dykes are breached.

February

• Almonds, grapes, lotus fruit, and turnips are harvested.
• Fields are plowed again, twice more by preference.
• Summer crops are planted.

March

• Broad beans, lentils and flax are purchased.
• Ships from Africa sail to Mediterranean ports.
• Summer crops cultivated.
• Sugar cane is planted in a field that has been left fallow for years.

April

• Broad beans, barley, cereals, cucumbers and roses are harvested.
• Flax seeds threshed.

May

• Balsam, sesame and rice sown. Crops threshed.

June

• Figs, peaches, pears, prunes, mulberries, dates and sour grapes harvested.
• 18th: Festival of Saint Michael, when the Nile begins to rise.
• Flax is soaked. Indigo is planted, and harvested after one hundred days.
• Honey is gathered.

July

• Flax is drained and dried.

August

• Unripe dates are harvested.

Summary: Common Crops Along the Nile

Agriculture along the Nile benefits from Egypt's role as a nexus of trade. Crops from all corners of the globe travel here, and are rapidly adopted.

Summer Crops

• Cabbage, caraway, cotton, cumin, eggplant, green beans, indigo, lettuce, melons, Nile sesame, onion, radishes, sesame, sugar cane, taro, and turnips.

Winter Crops

• Barley, broad beans, chickpeas, flax, garlic, grass peas, lentils, lupine, onions, trefoil, and wheat.

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