Credits

Preface

The Seven Voyages of Sinbad,” “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves,” “Aladdin and His Magic Lamp”— these and other classics fill the pages of the Arabian Nights. Each story is told by a very wise and beautiful young woman called Scheherazade, who reveals them night after night to a king with a murderous heart. The first of the thousand-and-one tales is Scheherazade’s own . . .

In a time long ago, there lived a great king of the kings of the Banu Sasaan. This king had two sons, Shahryar and Shah Zaman. Shahryar, the eldest, ascended his father's throne. To his younger brother, Shah Zaman, he bestowed the throne of Samarkand. Twenty years passed, and King Shahryar longed to see his younger brother again. He sent word to Samarkand, asking Shah Zaman to come for a visit. Shah Zaman agreed. He had not traveled far when he remembered something that he had left behind in his palace, and slipped back into his chambers to retrieve it. There he discovered his wife, her arms wrapped round a kitchen slave, both sleeping peacefully upon his own bed-carpets. Shah Zaman drew his scimitar and cut them both into four pieces with a single blow. Then, deeply saddened and shocked, he resumed his journey.

By the time Shah Zaman reached his brother's palace, his body was weak and his color had changed to yellow. Shahryar could see that his brother was sick with grief, but Shah Zaman refused to explain the cause. King Shahryar arranged a hunt, hoping that such an outing would raise his brother's spirits. When the date arrived, however, Shah Zaman stayed behind at the palace, and his brother went off without him.

The next morning, as the melancholy Shah Zaman stared down into a garden court, he spied his brother's wife and her female slaves. They entered the court, completely unaware of his presence in the window above. As Shah Zaman watched, a group of male slaves entered the courtyard, and then all cavorted wildly until the day had nearly passed. Shah Zaman's health improved when he saw that his brother's plight was worse than his own.

When Shahryar returned, Shah Zaman told him what he had witnessed. At first Shahryar refused to believe the bawdy tale. But after Shahryar himself had witnessed a similar event, he ordered that every man and woman involved be slain to the last, including the queen.

Eventually, Shah Zaman returned to Samarkand. King Shahryar proclaimed that he would wed a different maiden each night. Each morning thereafter, he would have the girl slain, so that none could betray him again. This brutal practice continued for three years, until many of his subjects had fled, and no more brides could be found. Finally, only the daughters of his trusted vizier remained: Scheherazade and Dunyazade.

Scheherazade was the eldest, as clever and learned as she was beautiful. She vowed that she would wed the king and live to see his terror ended. With Dunyazade in agreement, she formed a plan.

That night, as Scheherazade lay with the king in his chambers, she began to weep. When the king inquired about the cause of her sorrow, she asked whether her younger sister might be allowed to visit on this, her final night. The king agreed.

Dunyazade appeared and asked Scheherazade to tell a story to entertain her and the king. In response, Scheherazade wove a tale more wondrous than any Shahryar had heard before. When the dawn came, Scheherazade left the end of the tale untold.

The king was so enrapt that he allowed her to live, in order that she might continue her tale the next night. Thus Scheherazade told one story after the other, night after night, until she had entertained her husband for three years. In that time she bore him three children. At last, the king declared that he would not kill her, for he loved her and knew that her devotion was real. The king's heart had mended, and he slew no bride again.

Cities of The Heart

By traveling from the northernmost waves of the Golden Gulf and heartland of Zakhara. This is more than a geographical center it is onward across Suq Bay, adventurers may begin to know the fabled also the land's soul. To the south, the region is anchored by magnificent Huzuz, home of the Loregiver and the Grand Caliph. No other city shines brighter than this golden homage to enlightenment and civilization. To the north, the region is anchored by another great city, smoky and mysterious Hiyal, a study in contrasts. Between them is Wasat, a sleepy oasis for the weary traveler. Finally, to the east lies the last city of the heartland: bustling Halwa. Perched near the fiery rim of the Great Anvil, this city still bears the traces of Zakhara's wilder, less civilized past.

Hiyal, City of Intrigue

At the northern rim of Suq Bay, lies the gray, industrious city of bout 360 miles northwest of golden Huzuz, at the Hiyal. Set in the low valley of the river Al-Wahl, Hiyal is cloaked in the smoky stench of its foundries and kilns. The shroud seems to nurture the clandestine, for in the city's dark alleys and back rooms the deals of smugglers, thieves, and unscrupulous power brokers are made.

The Ruler: Sultana Alurah bint Asrah established her rule five years ago, just after her husband died suddenly at a state dinner, collapsing unceremoniously upon a mound of mutton and rice. In the brief chaos that ensued, Alurah played one faction against another, while remaining in close communication with her allies in the Grand Caliph's court. (Prince Tannous, who prefers a quiet north, is one such ally.) Alurah convinced the Grand Caliphate that she alone could quell her city's rival factions, provide a sense of continuity to Hiyal's rulership, and ensure the continued enlightened rule of her people. She has accomplished all these things. Indeed, the sultana is a competent, industrious, and wise ruler. She is also a dark-hearted schemer, maintaining her family's power through stealth and guile.

The sultana is now 60 and reportedly in ill health. Some attribute her illness to her lavish lifestyle coupled with the city's pollution. Others claim this no more than a rumor-a subterfuge on her own part, designed to lure out those who covet her position.

The Court: The sultana's court consists primarily of her immediate family. Everyone else is a servant, pawn, or enemy (or quite possibly all three). The sultana's brood continually squabble among themselves,stopping only when some outside faction threatens them. Then they pull together to wipe out the threat after which they resume their internal warfare. The prize over which they fight is their mother's blessing and her throne (they hope to gain the latter after she passes on). Alurah has recognized three sons and two daughters. She has been careful to see that other claimants to the noble bloodline have been placated and (or) removed from the scene.

Prince Anjar bin Alurah is the eldest son and the apple of his mother's eye. Bright, strong, and respectful of his mother's wishes, his one great fault is that he lacks subtlety, being far too direct in his actions. A courtier argues with him and is found the next day face down in the harbor. A coffee house is said to be a haven for malcontents, and it burns down soon after a visit by the prince. A village that hides a fugitive is exterminated to the last being. At best, Anjar is heavy-handed; at worst, he is cruel and tyrannical.

However, his mother feels these rough edges can be smoothed and that he will eventually replace her. She has not yet declared Anjar her official heir, but she has appointed him Grand Commander of her armies.

Prince Omar bin Alurah is the second son, a sha'ir linked to the Brotherhood of the True Flame. Both the prince and the Brotherhood seek to use one another to further their own ends. When those ends have been achieved, each side intends to dispense with the other. Prince Omar is short, nearsighted, and exceedingly jealous of his elder brother. He regularly reports Prince Anjar's mistakes and overreactions to his mother, hoping to replace him. Since he has few accomplishments of his own to boast, she usually pays him no mind. Omar is aided by his personal servant, a female efreeti named Jalas.

Imam Raman bin Alurah min-Najm is the sultana's youngest son. He is also the religious leader of the faith of Najm, and the official keeper of its mosque in the city. A staunch moralist, he has connections within the Pantheist League, who hope to introduce their firm beliefs to Hiyal. Gaunt and calm, Raman is regarded as the most dangerous of the sultana's sons, a planner who launches byzantine plots.

Princess Hannah bint Alurah is the best of a bad lot, the white sheep of her family. There is no love lost between the princess and her siblings. In the past, Hannah's relatives and others have used her in petty court intrigues, attempting to dupe her with spies and plants. As a result, she has developed a suspicious, almost hostile nature toward strangers. She speaks when she must, acts when she can. Her greatest concern is that her mother will die (or be killed) without formally selecting an heir, and that the resulting bloodbath will spread into the city.

Hannah's current posting is Marshal of the City Guard, and she is dedicated to bringing a just rule to the people. The good citizens of Hiyal are devoted to Hannah, admiring her bravery and wisdom. The sultana knows that Hannah is an unofficial ambassador of good will from her court, helping to appease citizens who disapprove of the two princes.

Princess Alurah bint Alurah is the youngest of the ruling family, exemplifying its worst traits. Greedy, cruel, and conniving, she gets by on her family connections and her courtly graces. She is quick to turn one family member against another. Without hesitation, she will launch an attack on the innocent to cover her own wrongdoing and hide behind her mother's robes when she is in trouble. A sha'ir, Alurah is served by a mischievous djinnling (air gen) named Pin, who acts as her spy.

Tocka is the sultana's personal servant, confidant, and hatchet-gnome. He was once a member of the Gilded Palm, a defunct group of assassins dedicated to Jisan. The Gilded Palm sought to right economic wrongs (sometimes by eliminating merchants). The sultana's late husband wiped out the group, but the sultana managed to rescue Tocka.

Rumors abound that he was responsible for the sultan's death, but nothing has been proved. It is true that even the beggars of Hiyal know Tocka. The populace stands aside in fear as the gnome strides through the city, usually on some mission assigned by his mistress.

Population: 600,000 permanent residents. If beggars and transients are included, the number may swell to 900,000.

Features of the City: Hiyal's trademark is its smoky pallor and unpleasant odor, caused mainly by its foundries and kilns. Its valley setting creates a peculiar inversion, literally capping the city with pollution.

Huzuz, City of Delights

The City of Delights, nestled between the Golden Gulf and Suq Bay, is one of Zakhara's most spectacular cities. Its shimmering spires can be seen for miles across the water, inviting sailors to approach. Here the first Grand Caliph received the vision of the Loregiver, which contained Fate's wisdom and the Law. Today the city is still the seat of the Grand Caliph, the "heart of the heart" of the enlightened lands.

The Ruler: Grand Caliph Khalil al-Assad al-Zahir (Master of the Enlightened Throne, Most High Sovereign of the Land of Fate, the Worthy of the Gods, Scourge of the Unbeliever, Confidant of the Genies) is a middle-aged man whose hair is still black and whose body has not yet gone to fat. He is usually bored by matters or decisions that require more than a few moments of his wisdom, and he delegates much to his court. He focuses his attention on the health of his people, and upon producing an heir. (Fate has yet to grant him a son.)

The Court: The Grand Caliph hosts a mighty group of courtiers, retainers, servants, and sycophants, along with a harim comprising more than a hundred women of various races and nationalities. (No more than four of them are his favored wives at any one time, however.) There is a great deal of political infighting for the Grand Caliph's ear. Important personages include the following:

Grand Vizier Alyana al-Azzazi is a prim sorceress with strong moralistic beliefs. She councils the Grand Caliph in virtually all matters. Though her size is small, her demeanor suggests power. She always appears in court wearing rich robes and a veil. She does not dwell in Khalil's harim, but has quarters that are solely her own, overlooking the palace gardens. She is older than Khalil, and still treats him as if he were a young student. He listens faithfully to her advice, and in return she quietly accepts his rulings-even when they violate her wishes. That does not occur often, however, for Alyana's wisdom has often been proved, and the Grand Caliph usually concurs. She wishes that the Grand Caliph would be more diligent in matters of state.

Tanya bint Perijan is a native of Gana. She is the Grand Caliph's most valued wife (for the time being, anyway). She rules the harim. Tanya set out to reach the court of the Grand Caliph, and to secure her place in his heart through a combination of effort, favors, and a bit of blackmail. She is an opportunist, but she is also devoted to her husband. Her goals in life are to maintain her hold on the Grand Caliph's heart and to be the first to bear him a son. Her son would then be the recognized heir of the Enlightened Throne. Until she bears the first son, however, she is no different from any other wife, only one step above a courtesan. As of yet, she has only daughters.

Jiraad, a noble marid, serves as an ambassador to the genie races. By nature, marids are not interested in the affairs of men, yet the Grand Caliph specifically asked for a marid to fill this posting. After much grumbling (privately), Jiraad accepted the ambassadorship, and he enjoys the company of the Grand Caliph. He wishes Khalil would show more adventure and spine, however, and he often counsels for direct, heroic action. In Jiraad's humble opinion, His Enlightened Majesty should lead with his heart, not with his head. Jiraad's advice is usually balanced by that of the Grand Vizier, who recommends careful reflection and cautious delegation. The two do not get along.

In addition to his post as ambassador, Jiraad is in charge of maintaining jann military units. He also serves in the navy as an honorary admiral under Prince Cheddah's command.

Wasat, the Middle City

Located at the narrows of Suq Bay, Wasat lies on the major trade route linking Huzuz and Hiyal. Despite its key location, however, Wasat is a rather sleepy town, marked by none of the bustle of the great cities that flank it. The Middle City is but a quaint waystation for ships that travel along this golden trade route, and its residents are content with their position.

The Ruler: Caliph Haroun al-Raqqas, Blood of the First Caliph, is a bleary-eyed, bureaucratic courtier. He traded his independence for a soft, secure position, and has come to regret it. The blood of the First Caliph does run in his body, though it is very thin. That blood, coupled with Haroun's quick wit, garnered him a posting in Wasat following the untimely (and apparently accidental) death of the previous caliph and his family.

The Court: The caliph has a modest number of courtiers, some of whom are out of favor in Huzuz or on the run from Hiyal. The caliph also maintains a reasonable harim, with a number of possible young heirs (ages 5 and under).

An important member of the court is a newcomer, the great sorcerer Azuah al-Jawwaf. Al-Jawwaf arrived two years ago and took up residence in an abandoned monastery overlooking the town. He is a gaunt man with sharp features and fiery eyes. To pay fealty to the caliph, Azuah declared that he came to Wasak to retire from the hustle of the great cities. He also claimed that he wished only to conduct his research in peace. Azuah has given Caliph Haroun a magical ring, by which the caliph can summon him for magical advice. Haroun uses the ring sparingly, and usually sends written word to the old monastery of an upcoming appearance. Azuah, for his part, usually travels to the caliph's chambers using a teleport or dimension door spell, appearing in a puff of brilliant smoke.

Another frequent visitor to the palace is Prince Tannous, the uncle of the Grand Caliph. Tannous talks long into the night with Haroun. Of late, Azuah has joined them. The subjects of these discussions are not known, but the very fact that this most influential man regularly confers with the local caliph greatly enhances Haroun's prestige.

Population: 90,000.

Features of the City: Most of Wasat's money stems from its business as a waystation for merchants, who stop only briefly. The city produces little in its own right beyond what it needs to feed and clothe itself. A court rawun once called Wasat the Shining City because when the sun shines, the city's white-washed buildings reflect its light. Such days are rare, however. Usually, the city is shrouded in fog or a gray haze.

Cities of the North

In the northern reaches of Zakhara, where the Great Sea crashes against the shore, are Qudra, the Corsair Domains, and the Free Cities. The great city of Qudra is ruled by mamluks who are fiercely devoted to the Grand Caliph. Also dubbed the City of Power, Qudra is a model of duty and organization. The Corsair Domains, if they can be said to be ruled at all, are the holdings of Zakhara's northern pirates. Typically devoid of central government, the Corsair Domains are a political antithesis to the staunch rank and file of Qudra. Between them philosophically are the Free Cities, a collection of six independent city-states lining the coast, each located at the mouth of a river. These cities, Hafaya, Liham, Muluk,Qadib, Umara, and Utaqa, have come to operate more independently than others who swear fealty to the Grand Caliph. In fact, the loyalty of the Free Cities (and their rulers) to the Grand Caliph is directly proportional to their distance from the armies of Qudra. With savage tribes to the south, wild pirates to the north, and foreigners filling their streets, the somewhat uncivilized bent of the Free Cities is not surprising.

The independence of the Free Cities is heightened by their own standing armies, which fend off attacks by corsairs and savage tribesmen. The cities also use the armies against each other with great regularity. In accordance with a treaty written in Qudra, each Free City's caliph rules the river valley of his or her home. The caliphs, however, interpret this to mean from one river to the next, so the cities are continually raiding each other's outposts. Qudra allows this uncivilized behavior to a point, intervening only when trade is threatened. During the past 20 years, the emir of Qudra has launched four major armed incursions into territory of the Free Cities, as well as dozens of smaller operations.

The Corsair Domains are a collection of small islands connected by shallow coastal waters. They are riddled with hidden bays, small villages, and secret coves. They are also a hive of illegal activity. These domains have no caliph, nor do they recognize a formal hierarchy, though most of the inhabitants consider themselves loyal (in their own way) to the Grand Caliph in Huzuz. In fact, some corsairs have declared themselves true followers of the Grand Caliph and protectors of the Law of the Loregiver. They regard the natives of Qudra and the Free Cities as spiritually impoverished tyrants who are unfit for rulership.

Government, in corsair terms, is simply the rule of the strong over the weak.

In the absence of a greater ruler, anarchy reigns. Strong and self-reliant, each of the small villages dotting these islands is a power unto itself, usually headed by a retired captain who runs the village with the same resolute iron hand that one would expect from a captain of brigands on the high sea.

The corsairs' main sources of income are smuggling, ship-building, and piracy. The third activity primarily affects shipping along the coast of the Free Cities, but many corsairs also range northward into the barbarian seas, in search of adventure as well as plunder. The corsairs are nomads of the ocean, and they practice what they preach: independence, self-reliance, and willingness to fight. They find state-sanctioned slavery abhorrent, due perhaps in part to fact that their main foes at sea are mamluk patrol craft.

While most settlements in the Corsair Domains are too small to qualify as cities, there is one exception: Hawa, the City of Chaos. That city is described in this chapter.

Clothing of the North: Fashion in northern Zakhara differs slightly from that found elsewhere. In Qudra, where mamluks reign, padded armor is a common sight. In the Free Cities, the influence of foreign visitors is clear. Instead of ankle-length pantaloons, men in the Free Cities often wear pants cut at the knee to reveal tall, cream-colored stockings. Turbans and keffiyehs are rare. Instead, men prefer fezzes, worn in a distinctive color for each city. Men may also don sashes in the same color. While these city colors are not a uniform worn by all males in the Free Cities, in general a man with a white fez and sash hails from far-flung Utaqa, while a fellow wearing purple hails from regal Muluk.

Hafayah, City of Secrets

This Free City draws its water from the river AlKufr, upon whose banks it is built. No tourist's paradise, Hafayah is a dark, somber place whose residents favor black in their dress and their architecture. A recent bloody coup and the ongoing machinations of rival factions have left Hafaya's citizens suspicious and seemingly joyless toward strangers.

The Ruler: Prince Saba is the legitimate ruler of Hafayah, soon to be its sultan. Since he is only 8, the gnome in power is the Most Holy Regent Uqban min Najm, who is the prince's advisor as well as his guardian and protector. Prince Saba's short life has been marked by tragedies in three's. Three years ago, the boy became the sole surviving son of the former sultan, who was poisoned. A bloody and futile coup erupted upon his father's death. The prince had three elder brothers and two elder sisters, all of whom perished during the factional bloodshed, which lasted three weeks. Fearing the worst, Father Uqban, a priest of Najm, had wisely spirited little Prince Saba away to safety. When the other heirs were dead, and word began circulating that a fleet from Qudra was approaching to restore order, the priest returned to Hafayah with his ward. Persuaded by the threat of a lopsided battle and a cry of public support for the prince, the surviving factional leaders recognized Prince Saba as heir to the throne, and recognized the gnomish priest as the boy's regent and vizier.

Uqban has proved a cagey and wise ruler, though he spends most of his time turning one potential group of troublemakers against another. His information gathering service is first class, aided by the churches, who prefer that their followers refrain from killing each other over temporal power. Uqban is also aided by wealth, for the upper regions of the terrible Al-Haul River have provided a wealth of agates and other semiprecious stones.

Prince Saba is just eight years away from his majority and the throne. At the moment, he does not want to be sultan. He wants to be a desert rider, a hero of the old tales who blazes a legend across the wastelands, freeing people from tyranny and defeating great monsters. His guardian is distressed by this, but none of the prince's tutors has been able to sway him from this idea. They have eight more years to work on it.

The Court: Favored members of the regent's court are few and far between. The turnover of courtiers, tutors, advisors, and others has almost become routine, for Uqban does not want anyone (aside from himself) to become firmly entrenched in the bureaucracy.

Usually, those working closely with the regent do so only until the first mistake, at which point they find themselves demoted, exiled, or in extreme cases, arrested.

The exception to this general rule is the regent's chief scribe, a female gnoll named Jamalia. A descendent of a tribe of desert gnolls, she has been loyal to Uqban since his days as a rector in the faith of Najm. Uqban grants her the run of the palace. Those seeking the ear of the regent or heir often try to cultivate Jamalia. While she appears simple, open, and honest, she is as cunning as her master, and often works with the gnome to set one party against another.

Population: 120,000.

Features of the City: Hafaya's official color is black, both in clothing, tilework, and architecture. The rich mud of the Al-Haul River bakes dark, and the granite stonework gives the city an oppressive, sinister feeling.

That sinister feeling extends to the people as well. Not enough time has passed since the internal combat following the old sultan's death, and all remember the Time when the Streets Bled. Intense loyalties are hidden beneath subterfuge, and no one is sure if a comrade would come to his or her aid in time of need.

Suspicious and somber, the citizens of Hafaya give out information sparingly. The proximity of the rival city Qadib stuffed with genies, sha'irs, and members of the Brotherhood of the True Flame makes the people of Hafaya even more suspicious.

Hafaya is known for its wealth of semiprecious stones, which are harvested from the riverbanks. Most are exported for sale elsewhere. Allegedly, precious stones have also been found, and are in the possession of Uqban min Najm.

Major Products: Clothing, rice, agates and other semiprecious stones.

Armed Forces: 5,000 infantry; 1,200 cavalry; three units of mercenary barbarians, totaling 1,800 men; two units of mamluks of the Youthful, totaling 1,200 men; fleet of ten ships, small but extremely fast.

Major Mosques: Hajama, Najm, Selan.

Rumors and Lore: The facts behind the poisoning of the Old Sultan, at a dinner entertaining a delegation of ajami wizards from parts north, have never been established. The ajamis were among the first to perish in the bloodshed as the elder children gathered their private factions and forces and turned against each other. The person responsible for the sultan's poisoning has never been identified.

Prince Saba is the surviving direct heir, but some of his brothers had children. Any of these cousins would be willing to take the reins should the prince perish as mysteriously as his father. Uqban is aware of this danger, and he has headed off a number of earlier attempts. In such matters, the priest prefers to work with adventurers who are not tied to the city, especially loners who have few loyalties. The priest can easily deny their actions, or, if need be, dispose of them.

Hawa, City of Chaos

Hawa is the only sizeable settlement among the Corsair Domains. Seamen who have never seen Hawa know its reputation for chaos, given the pirating bent of its inhabitants. The people of Hawa have also dubbed it the City of Stilts, for nearly half its buildings are built directly over the water.

The Ruler: Currently, no single man or woman rules Hawa. Occasionally, a self-proclaimed pirate king has achieved power, ruling for a handful of years-which is as long as he can bully or bribe the city's council, the city's only stable governing body.

Years ago, Hawa was ruled by a pirate queen, whose reign outlasted that of those who have succeeded her. According to rumor, the council arranged her unlikely death: she drowned.

The Court: Hawa is ruled by a council of the most powerful corsair leaders, some of whom have retired from life at sea. Active corsairs with a seat on the council aid in policy decisions only when they are in port, and their concerns are primarily along the lines of protection rackets and treasure splits. Retired corsairs (who have sprouted land legs) run bars and inns on Hawa, or own ship-building and repair facilities. Some also manage protection rackets. The concern of these retirees is keeping Hawa afloat both financially and militarily. They have been very successful against the slave-troops to the south, chiefly because the land-bound slaves have no love of water. Important members of the council include the following:

Jayani al-Jasir is one of the legendary figures of the islands. She controls much of the tavern trade in Hawa, and any shops which she herself does not own must pay a small gratuity for permission to exist. Jayani is allegedly in her nineties, though except for a graying at the temples, she does not show her age. Most people assume she guards her looks with some form of magical enhancement.

During her years at sea, Jayani raided up and down the Free Coast. For a decade she worked out of a pirate base on the back of a great zaratan (a sea- turtle as big as an island). Then an attack by Qudra's mamluks spooked the creature and dragged her base to the bottom. Her hatred for the slave-soldiers and their minions knows no bounds, and foes who seek to infiltrate Hawa had best know that every tavern has Jayani's spies.

Grima al-Auni minKor is a priest of Kor, trained in the City of Delights and dispatched to the city of Liham. He never reached that city, however, for corsairs under the command of Jayani captured the hill giant en route.

Grima soon found his true calling by bringing enlightenment to the corsair peoples. His main concern is protecting the children of the oft-violent corsair society. He hopes that these youngsters-the next generation of corsairs-will unite Hawa with the enlightened world, making it a respected city-state. (He encourages them to focus their efforts on the unenlightened.) Grima has been fairly successful and convincing in the past decade, owing primarily to his soft and resonant voice, calm and thoughtful manner, and a right hook that can smash through a ship's hull.

Akura al-Hiyali is an active corsair captain. His upbringing and abilities are not those of a warrior, yet he has become one of the most successful pirates on the coast by using his training as a sha'ir. A water gen serves as his familiar. He is said to have no genie under his control at present, but in his time, Akura has summoned more than a few of these elemental creatures to wreak havoc upon his enemies. He is aggressive and bold-as likely to attack another corsair as any merchant vessel. He fancies himself the next pirate king, and claims his legend will exceed that of Jayani. The illustrious Jayani, of course, disagrees, and the two battle constantly, both in council and through their followers on the streets of Hawa.

Population: 50,000 (?). Bad weather as well as drives by the mamluks cause wide swings in Hawa's population. Most inhabitants have outlying holdings to which they flee during emergencies.

Features of the City: Hawa is a sprawling city built out over small islets of Chaos Bay. Half the city is on stilts. The bay is littered with coral reefs, making navigation for outsiders nearly impossible. Even seasoned sailors have difficulty, for sea-elf magicians regularly move the razor-sharp tropical growths through their wizardry. The city proper is a hodgepodge of different buildings. Often one structure is built upon the rubble of the previous one, so rumors of sunken and flooded treasure chambers abound.

Beyond the city walls are the retreats of many retired corsair captains, each controlling a small, well-fortified (and often well-concealed) refuge. The people of Hawa are independent, self-reliant, and dangerous, much like those of the Free City of Utaqa, with whom they have good relations. In fact, many residents of Hawa have blood relatives in Utaqa, and vice versa.

The people of Hawa welcome newcomers, but they are not so foolish as‘to trust them: Strangers who cross a man or woman of Hawa have a price to pay, for once betrayed, Hawa's citizens are as savage as any native of the Crowded Sea, doggedly seeking revenge.

Major Products: Trade, smuggling, piracy.

Armed Forces: 2,000-man city guard; 15-ship navy, comprising ships of retired captains sold to the city. Those numbers are misleading, however. Every landholder has his or her own personal guard, ranging from a few leg-breakers to a small army. During an invasion, half the city of Hawa will be up in arms (while the other half heads for the hills with the valuables).

Further, each corsair crew is a fighting force unto itself, and nearly all would battle to protect the city. At any given time, 20 or more pirate and smuggling vessels lie in port. If a major armada is heading up from the south, that number doubles or triples.

Major Mosques: Hakiyah, Kor, Najm. Reportedly, there is a secret cult of Ishtishia in the city, venerating a living idol set in a flooded basement on the mainland. This has not been proved.

Liham, City of Soldiers

Located where the Al-Sari River spills into the Great Sea, Liham is the southernmost point in the lineup of Free Cities. Following the coast, a sailor would journey about 200 miles to the southwest to reach Qudra. The Free City of Umara lies about the same distance to the northeast. Though Liham's strong military forcewhich includes mamluks from Qudrahas earned it the title City of Soldiers, it is also called Liham the Red, because crimson is a prominent color in the clothing of its residents.

The Ruler: Caliph Harm al-Hayif is a timid soul who writes poetry of great quality. The caliph is rarely abroad, confined to his own court by his advisors.

The Court: The caliph's chief advisor is Marshal Imar Abd al-Amin, a mamluk of the Faithful. Al-Amin's orders come directly from Qudra.

Members of the Faithful serve as palace guards, insulating the caliph from external dangers.

Population: 120,000.

Features of the City: Red is the unofficial color of Liham. Fashionable men wear red fezzes and, to a lesser extent, red turbans. Many also wear red sashes at the waist. The women of Qudra don a riot of red shades in their gowns, shirts, and pants, accented with black and white. As the residents mill through Liham's Grand Bazaar, they form a wavering, flickering red mass, afterwhich the bazaar has been dubbed Al-Mauqida, "the Hearth."

Some folk have another name for this city: Liham the Lapdog. Because of its proximity to Qudra, Liham is closely scrutinized by the powerful mamluks. It is said that Liham's caliph won't even comment on the weather without first checking with Qudra's emir.

Qudra's mamluks maintain a strong presence in Liham; units of the Valiant, the Dutiful, and the Faithful regularly visit the city. While this adds to Liham's protection, it also severely limits its autonomy.

Major Products: Trade, pottery, coffee.

Armed Forces: 6,000 foot soldiers; 600 cavalry; detachments of mamluk units from Qudra, typically three units of 200 mamluks each, more in times of crisis; mamluk palace guard, representing the Dutiful. (The city has no native mamluk or mercenary organizations.) Seafaring forces include a three-ship coastal navy.

Major Mosques: Hajama, Kor, Najm, Vataqatal.

Rumors and Lore: Two rumors are regularly afloat in the City of Soldiers. Both concern its relationship with Qudra.

According to the first rumor, Qudra's mamluks will soon drop all pretense and take full control, deposing Liham's timid caliph and creating a rulership of slave-soldiers in his stead. Then Liham would serve as Qudra's forward base in dealing with other Free Cities and the hill tribes. Only the combined might of the Free Cities, and, surprisingly, the popularity of Al-Hayif's poetry in the court of the Grand Caliph, prevent this from occurring.

The second rumor that appears regularly is as follows: The people of Liham with the support of Umara, Utaqa, and factions from other cities-will rise up and overthrow the present government and cast out the mamluks. Such an uprising is not likely, considering the profitable trade that Liham has with its larger neighbor to the south. But the rumor has gained new life with talk of a leader who claims to be the unrecognized son of Liham's caliph. This mysterious son is allegedly hidden away, much as the father, waiting for the uprising. The mamluks in general, and Marshal al-Amin in particular, are interested in locating this missing prince before such an event might occur.

Muluk, City of Kings

This Free City takes its name from the long, unbroken line of rulers whose history predates the Enlightened Throne. It is also known for its unusually regal purple dyes, produced from local indigo plants. Centrally located at the mouth of the river AlZalim, Muluk is flanked by Umara to the south and Qadib to the north.

The Ruler: At the helm of this city is Caliph Aswiyah al-Muftahir, eldest daughter of her father, from whom she inherited her position. Her family has ruled Muluk for nearly a millennium, or so they claim. Aswiyah (who prefers the title caliph to the more traditional and feminine calipha) has all the craft and canniness of her predecessors, male and female. She is a consummate politician. During her reign she has successfully allied alongside and against each of the other Free Cities in turn, always for the good of Muluk.

The Court: The caliph is grooming her daughter, Princess Hadra bint Aswiyah, to ascend the throne in the event of her death. A sha'ir, the princess holds the rank of Sorcerer-General within Muluk's army, and she has led attacks against both Qadib and Umara. Hadra's generalship was in part the reason for the palace revolution in Umara.

Population: 90,000.

Features of the City: Indigo grows in abundance along the shores of the Zalim river. The purple dye produced by Muluk's craftsmen is unmatched throughout Zakhara as well as the barbarian nations of the North. By fiat of the Grand Caliph of Huzuz, all citizens of Muluk may wear this shade freely; as such, purple is the official color of the City of Kings The people of Muluk are proud of their city's history and noble tradition. They tend to look down their noses at the citizens of other cities, and always expect the finest wine, the best seats, and the most comfortable conveyance. To say that they are effete snobs would be an insult to their long tradition of civilization and enlightened rule, but it would not be far off the mark. Truly it may be said that Muluk has better leaders than it deserves.

Major Products: Trade, indigo dye, purple cloth and clothing.

Qadib, City of Wands

A visit to this northerly city on the river Al-Haul can be magical, for Qadib is home to more sorcerers, elementalists, and sha'irs than any other locale in northern Zakhara. In the entire Land of Fate, only Huzuz and Rog'osto boast more residents of a magical bent.

The Ruler: Sultan Kamal al-Hadi is an ancient, skeletal half-elf who has outlived several wives, his children and grandchildren, and is likely to outlive his great-grandchildren as well. His slowness in movement and speech conceals a mind that is still among the greatest in the Free Cities, and he is usually two steps ahead of everyone else as a master planner and conspirer. The Hand of Fate strikes all, he wrote in his biography, but most fortunate are those who can help direct its touch. He has shown a preference for human wives, and as a result all of his offspring have been human.

The Court: The sultan's court is expansive, comprising representatives of all the magical universities and colleges. Two individuals of importance are the leader of the University of Flame Mages, Badiyah al-Sa'id al-Sahim, who is reportedly a secret member of the Brotherhood of the True Flame, and Prince Anir al-Walad al-Hadi, the current heir apparent to the sultan's court. The prince is decidedly nonmagical in attitude, preferring to hunt and hawk rather than attending affairs of magic. The court believes that Sultan Kamal will (or must) live long enough to bring a more suitable heir into the picture. The sultan's court also hosts a large number of genies, in particular jann, who are owned or hired by the sultan's family. These jann often serve as the sultan's eyes and ears in the outside world.

Population: 50,000.

Features of the City: As noted, Qadib is a city of sorcerers, elementalists, and sha'irs. It is also a city known for its universities, for which it is often called the City of Sages. Qadib's universities are dedicated not only to each of the elemental-provinces but also to legends, alchemy, astrology, divination, optics, algebra, and all the arts of civilized people.

This city has a third distinction as well: its dyemakers produce and export a fiery yellow-orange pigment called Uther, which residents use to dye fabric, especially felt. In the city streets, natives can be identified by their yellow fezzes and golden robes.

In general, the natives of Qadib are intelligent, conversational, and well-informed, as one would expect in a center of learning. They may be too much so, however, for a Qadibi rarely uses one word when seven are possible. Quite often, even simple questions spur great debates in the streets. The people of Qadib are also noted for presenting their own opinions as stated facts. There is a saying on the northern coast: "If you want answers, seek them in Qadib. If you want truth, seek it elsewhere.

Major Products: Sages, information, scrolls, trade, magicians, dye (uther), fabric (especially yelloworange).

Armed Forces: 2,000-man city guard, 100-jann sultan's personal guard, 500 Human cavalry outriders under the command of Prince Anir, five-ship navy. 700 mamluks of the Studious military society. In addition, each university is expected to contribute about 100 members who become part of a defense force. While schools of optics and algebra might provide 100 pikemen, the magical schools will provide about 100 low-level mages led by a tutor of 5th to 9th level, making it a very potent force.

Major Mosques: Kor, Zann.

Rumors and Lore: Legends of forgotten magics and mysterious artifacts are common trade in the City of Wands. Reportedly, catacombs and caverns snake through the ground beneath the city, and it was in these passages that the first mages met to teach their students before the Enlightenment. The catacombs are said to run for miles, to connect with every major building (including the sultan's palace), to have gateways and wells leading to far places beyond the Land of Fate, and to be inhabited by savage monsters.

Qudra, City of Power

Overlooking the Great Sea about 300 miles northwest of Hiyal, Qudra is Zakhara's bastion against the uncivilized realms beyond. The city's defenses have been built over the course of the centuries in response to pirate raids and barbarian incursions. Today, Qudra is the best-fortified city in enlightened Zakhara, presenting its stern gray face to the North.

The Ruler: Emir Hatit Abd al-Wajid. Long ago, in the time of the eighth Grand Caliph, an evil and dissolute man was appointed emir of the City of Power. He oppressed his own people and overran Zakhara's northern cities, taxing them unjustly until they rebelled. He forwarded only a pittance of the moneys he gathered to the Grand Caliph, sending instead honeyed words of loyalty and trust. At last he planned to march south and take control of Huzuz and the entire Land of Fate.

It was at this time that the mamluks in his charge, who had sworn loyalty to the Grand Caliph, rebelled against the evil emir. Though they were outnumbered by the emir's troops

Umara, City of Knights

Situated on the mouth of the river Al-Yatir, about 170 miles northeast of Liham, Umara is a jewel of a coastal city, noted for its distinctive blue textiles and tilework. Though it appears peaceful today, its recent past is marked by the bloodshed of a barbarian incursion an incursion which still lingers on the minds of those who dream of revenge.

The Ruler: Caliph Ubar khel Muhif, Khan of the Astok people, is the former leader of a barbarian hill tribe. He was recently enlightened and recently enlisted in the service of Umara's former caliph. After a disastrous series of battles with the city of Muluk, Khel Muhif staged a palace revolution, deposed the old caliph, married the caliph's daughter, and re-established order before Qudra’s troops arrived. Faced with the choice between a long siege and recognizing the coup, the mamluks hailed Khel Muhif as the new leader of Umara.

To the surprise of many, Khel Muhif has proved himself a capable ruler, though his court is still stocked with other barbarians. His only wife, Princess Maran ber Ubar, is his confidant and advisor.

The Court: Khel Muhif relies heavily on the advice of his wife, Princess Maran ber Ubar, daughter of the former caliph. Though he married Maran to claim the throne, he has come to admire her wisdom, and considers her the beloved jewel of an enlightened land. She, in turn, uses her position of power to integrate the Astok people into the population and to preserve the rights of the former nobles and merchants in the city. She loves the Khan as he does her. Though her rights are in some ways diminished, she likes his people's customs of having a single wife and no permissible divorce.

Opposing the princess is ur-Khan Mostok, a faithful follower of Khan Ubar. (He never refers to his old friend as caliph.) Mostok feels his leader has become soft, decadent, and perhaps even bewitched by the love of his wife. When the revolution came, Mostok expected a quick bit of looting and debauchery before fleeing back to the hills. Instead, his leader remained in Umara, and, out of loyalty, he stayed too. Mostok is as uncomfortable with the city people as they are with him. He distrusts them, and awaits the day Umara's citizens will turn on his kind. He suspects that the princess is part of some larger plot along these lines. If Mostok is to save his friend, he may have to remove her from the scene.

Population: 100,000.

Features of the City: Umara is noted for its blue dyes. Distinctive shades of cobalt and turquoise have become the unofficial city colors, bedecking tilework, clothing, and particularly the city's world-renowned carpets and textiles.

The native people of Umara are fairly typical of the coastal regions. The men are clean-shaven but keep their moustaches. The women, while unveiled, are modest in their dress and wear their hair in long, single braids that hang down their backs.

Today, mingling among these natives are the newly enlightened people of Astok, for the tribesmen who successfully conquered the city later brought their families to the verdant coast. The barbarians are slightly larger and hairier than the coastal natives, and the men like to keep their full beards. Otherwise, it would be difficult to distinguish the Astoks by their appearance alone. The Astoks do have their own language, however, and speak Midani with a harsh, almost threatening accent. Most natives have grown accustomed to these invaders. But former political heavyweights - holy leaders, courtiers, wealthy merchants, and military personnel - are irritated that these sweating barbarians are not only among them, but are adapting quite well.

Major Products: Carpets, trade, clothing, tapestries, goats, goat cheese, dye.

Armed Forces: 3,000-man elite palace guard, all members of age of the Astok tribe; 2,000-man mercenary force, comprising other tribesmen, no unit larger than 400 men; four separate mamluk military societies of 500 men each; a 2,000-man local militia; a 600-man cavalry, officially disbanded; a six-ship navy, officially disbanded (formerly had ten ships, but four have been sold to the city of Muluk).

Utaqa, City of Free Men

Located at the mouth of the river Al-Zulma, Utaqa is the northernmost point in the line of Free Cities stretching along the coast of the Great Sea. Its closest neighbor, Hafayah, lies nearly 200 miles to the southwest. Every citizen feels Utaqa's distance from civilization, for the city has a decidedly independent spirit.

The Ruler: Caliph Agara al-Gandar was a merchant with a thriving business and diluted blood-ties to the throne of Utaqa. During the most recent insurrection in the city, the previous caliph and his family were put to the sword by Qudran mamluks. The people of Qudra installed Agara the Dandy as their puppet, exerting their influence in Huzuz to receive the Grand Caliph's confirmation of their choice. Qudra had one goal: to provide a safe and fully compliant fortification at the opposite end of the Free Coast, bracketing the cities.

It has not worked out exactly as they planned. al-Gandar quickly discovered that in order to get anything done in the city, he had to return to the citizens and merchants a measure of the autonomy they had previously known. As long as the people of Utaqa are allowed to do as they see fit, they are content. Huzuz has not interfered; as long as Utaqa continues to pay its respect and its taxes to the Grand Caliph, the Grand Caliphate is also content. Nor has Qudra interfered to date, for as long as Utaqa's caliph assures Qudra's emir that the northern tip of the empire is secure, the emir is also content. The only unhappy man in the entire situation seems to be Agara al-Gandar, who must balance the desires of these factions to retain his position. The lines on the caliph's face deepen with each passing month.

The Court: Caliph Agara al-Gandar is blessed with an overabundance of advisors and aides, most of whom have their own interests in keeping Agara on the throne. As a result, they will gladly bend the truth, lose paperwork, and deliver bribes and favors to keep the status quo. Here are three of those people:

• Chawus al-Rark is a prominent merchant. He made his fortune among the wilds of the north, and he maintains it by dealing with the Corsair Domains. His arrangement with the corsairs is as follows: he helps them smuggle goods, and in turn they leave the ships that fly Utaqa's colors alone... for the most part.

• On-Basi al-Garn is the court's chief scribe. He is responsible for the glowing descriptions of Caliph Agara that are sent to the courts of Qudra and Huzuz. His descriptions are often too glowing, however, because they result in additional demands being placed on Utaqa. On-Basi does try to control his tendency to embellish, but he is at heart a boaster and a tale-spinner. His most recent error: he reported Caliph Agara's victory over an incursion of yak-men.

  Eventually, this tale reached the ears of those evil creatures in the World Pillar Mountains. In response, the yak-men sent several angry dao to Agara's bedroom.

• Allena al-Ajami is the court's chief vizier. A foreigner from the distant North, she is apparently on the run from one or more powerful individuals in that region. Allena relates well to other outlanders, and problems concerning outsiders and mercenary barbarians usually fall into her lap. She supervises the coordination (and more importantly, the payment) of mercenary barbarians in Utaqa.

Population: 70,000.

Features of the City: More than any other city in the north, and perhaps even throughout the Land of Fate, Utaqa is a place on the edge of civilization. The combination of barbarian and enlightened views have produced a very independent attitude toward the world that is neither of Zakhara nor of the world outside. The city's people are basically honest and blunt, often to the point of seeming rude. They are pragmatic in that they recognize the need for some sort of government, so they feel they might as well make the most of it. All of the clergy in the major mosques are pragmatists, a rarity in the Land of Fate.

The Utaqans are also stridently opposed to slavery, in all its forms. In particular, they oppose the mamluks, whom Utaqans describe as the tattooed attack dogs of oppression. Slaves brought into the city will be rescued (whether they want to be or not). Mamluks are rarely found in the streets except as an occupying force. Visiting merchants who own slaves grant them temporary freedom while in Utaqa, paying them as employees until both leave the city, when they resume their relationship as master and slaves.

Utaqans see themselves as good and decent folk confronted with decadent authority and tyrannical rule. The city's official color is white, symbolizing their purity (to their detractors, it also symbolizes the color of surrender). Smuggling and similar acts are illegal only by declaration of a far-off power. A man should be ruled by his own internal Law is the unofficial Utaqan motto.

Major Products: Trade, smuggling, mercenaries.

Chapter 2 The People of Zakhara

The Land of Fate is a true melting pot, peopled by men in all shapes, sizes, and colors (and both genders, too). Here the generalized “men” refers not only to humans—the most common race—but also to elves, half-elves, dragonborn, dwarves, halflings, gnomes, orcs, and even ogres. For the most part, Zakhara lacks the racial prejudice and segregation of less civilized realms. For instance, the concept of a separate “elven” society is foreign here. While there are indeed a few areas where elves outnumber humans, the elves don’t consider themselves a separate nation or people. Nor do humans view the elves that way. Not even ogres are shunned in Zakhara. Although some ogres are brutes, as surly and crude as their foreign counterparts, Zakharans do not allow the rough-tempered minority to color their opinions of the entire group.

Lifestyle—not race—tends to separate Zakharans. In the Land of Fate, people fall into one of two broad groups: those who are nomads and those who are not. The nomads, or Al-Badia (ahl-BAH-dee-ya), dwell in the most hostile areas of Zakhara, where men are as near to the gods as they are to death. They are driven by the search for simple necessities: water, food, and grazing land to sustain their herds. As a result, the nomads are a sinewy breed with keen senses.

Sloth and obesity are virtually unknown to them; many subsist on a little more than few dates and a flask of sour milk each day. With so little food, and only a goat’s-hair tent to provide shelter, the Al-Badia are more impoverished than many can imagine. Yet they consider themselves to be the richest of all Zakharans. Their wealth lies not in possessions. Nomads do not value gaudy clothing, a warm house, or a mass of personal fortune. They value their independence.

Although nomadic life is fairly insular, the necessity of trade brings the Al-Badia into contact with the “other half”, of Zakhara’s culture: the Al-Hadhar (ahl- HAH-dar), whose lifestyles are stationary. Artisans, merchants, craftsmen—all are Al-Hadhar. Even the wandering tinker belongs to this group, because his life is inexorably linked to the village or city bazaar, and therefore to the trappings of settled men.

Virtually all Al-Hadhar know more creature comforts than the nomads. Only a few, however, are truly flush with silver, belonging to the Al-Hadhar’s upper class. Such wealthy men and women usually dwell in cities, though many own land in far-flung towns. The sweat and labor of the lower classes makes their existence possible.

Chapter 2 | The People of Zakhara

Honor

The Blood Feud

No discussion of honor would be complete without mention of the blood feud. To kill another person is not a crime if that killing is justified. What constitutes justification? Not even Zakharans can always agree. A blood feud is a battle between two groups that begins when one side believes a killing is justified, and the other, having lost one of its own, disagrees. Soon, they are both caught in a vicious cycle, exacting one vengeful killing after another, with each side attempting to balance the scales. The feud may not end until an objective third party arranges a monetary settlement between the two groups, allowing each group to feel that its honor has been properly restored. A blood feud usually erupts between two nomadic families or clans, but even entire villages have become embroiled in this deadly conflict.

Family

Piety

Religion is a way of life among people in the Land of Fate. If it seems that the codes of conduct described so far are pursued religiously, it’s because they are. Honor is also a matter of piety, of behaving in the manner deemed good and right by those who rule the heavens—those who will determine whether you are worthy of finding paradise in the afterlife. A dishonorable man, it is said, is never worthy of this great reward.

Zakharans accept people whose religions are different. In fact, there are a great variety of faiths throughout the Land of Fate. Yet Zakharans find it exceedingly difficult to accept anyone who does not believe in and pay homage to some higher power. To believe in other gods may seem strange, but it is not a sin. The sin is believing in nothing.

Major gods, recognized throughout Zakhara, include:

• Hajama the Courageous - "Bravery wins over opposition."
• Hakiyah of the Sea Breezes - "Truth will always win out".
• Haku of the Desert Winds - "A man and a woman must be free to be considered alive."
• Jauhar the Gemmed - "Money changes everything."
• Jisan of the Floods - "Hard work brings abundance."
• Kor the Venerable - "With age comes wisdom, and with wisdom comes strength."
• Najm the Adventurous - "Make the Unknown known."
• Selan the Beautiful Moon - "There is beauty in everything."
• Zann the Learned - "Understanding is the key to all doors."

None of these gods has a precise portfolio. Instead, each shows strength in a particular ideal or element—wisdom, knowledge, bravery, courage, beauty, bounty, freedom, and honesty.

Zakharan deities also include a plethora of lesser gods, local gods, and demigods. Such minor deities may be venerated in one small area, while they are unknown just ten miles away. All gods—major and minor— answer their worshippers’ needs with equal ability.

Regardless of the god or gods venerated by a given faith, all clerics within it belong to one of three philosophical groups: pragmatists, ethoists, and moralists.

Pragmatists are the most liberal of all priests, as well as the most common. While certain faiths have only a few pragmatists, as a whole most organized clerics in Zakhara take this liberal and tolerant approach to worship. Pragmatists believe that the ethos of the gods must be fitted to the problems of the contemporary world. In fact, most pragmatists believe in the validity of all gods, with none superior to another. The most popular faith in Zakhara, the Temple of Ten Thousand Gods, is composed primarily of pragmatists.

Ethoists are more conservative in their viewpoints. While each seeks to encourage others to follow in his or her own path, ethoists are still tolerant of those who choose to seek another.

Moralists are the most narrow-minded and intolerant of all organized clerics. Each believes in the ultimate truth of his or her god’s teachings over all others. Unless two moralists are of the same or a similar faith, they are bitter rivals. Normally, only one moralist faith prevails within a given area of Zakhara, though most seek to expand their realm of influence.

Beyond the Clerics of Order are the Free Priests. These clerics have been “touched” by the greater powers, yet do not belong to an organized faith. There are four kinds Free Priests:

Hakimas or wise women, are clerics who benefit from their own form of special sight. While there are technically no “specialty priests” in Zakhara, hakimas best fit that description.

Kahins or idol-priests, are similar to the northerly druids, but they are in tune with the varied and wondrous nature of Zakhara.

Mystics are recluses who live in isolation, journeying among men only to make great revelations and predictions.

Outland priests come from outside the Land of Fate and worship strange pantheons of cold gods. These characters are tolerated unless they pose a threat to the clerical hierarchy.

Hajama the Courageous

Also known as Brave Hajama, this Great God represents the ideal of courage in the face of opposition. In legend, he is described as a stocky man whose long beard is as black as ink, When telling tales of Hajama's adventure in the desert, Al-Badian priests describe a figure who wraps himself in a jellaba as dark as midnight. Al-Hadhar describe a god who comes to the cities wearing lamellar armor that is carved from the night sky itself.

Symbol: A featureless disk. (Bravery is worn in the heart, not on the sleeve.) High-ranking male priests of Hajama also wear long black beards.

Major Mosques: Gana, Hafiyah, Halwa, Hiyal, Huzuz, Kadarasto, Liham, Sikak, Utaqa.

Pantheon: Yes.

Ordered Priests: 20% P, 65% E, 15% M

Free Priests: Mystics

Ideal: Bravery.

Ethos: Bravery wins out over opposition.

Principles: Trust your feelings and follow your heart. Always dare to try; cowards fail because their great deeds are unattempted. Bravery takes many forms, the easiest of which is in battle (ethoists' principle). Living through a defeat strengthens the spirit more than dying for an ideal (pragmatists' principle).

The Faith: The faith of Brave Hajama is popular in rural areas, particularly those which border deserts, mountains, or other potentially hostile regions. If a man is said to have Hajama in his heart and Fate at his back, then he is both courageous and fortunate.

The faiths of Hajama and Najm are on friendly terms, and priests of one faith will attend each other's mosques. In the Pantheon, Hajama is portrayed as one of the sons of Kor, with Najm as his twin brother.

Hakiyah of the Sea Breezes

Also called Hakiyah the Honest, this Great Goddess symbolizes truth. In human form, she wears the trousers, blouse, and vest of a city-dweller. She is portrayed as the calm voice of reason, often correcting and guiding Haku (who is alternately her nephew, brother, and uncle) in his adventures.

Symbol: A cresting wave.

Major Mosques: Ajayib, Gana, Hawa, Huzuz, Jumlat, Muluk, Tajar, Utaqa.

Pantheon: No.

Ordered Priests: 10% P, 70% E, 20% M

Free Priests: Mystics and Hakimas.

Ideal: Honesty, truth.

Ethos: Truth will always win out.

Principles: Question and check, then check again. People see what they desire to see, not always what truly exists. All men and women may cast illusions even those who are not sorcerers, and even those who are ignorant of their actions. Danger lies in unquestioning belief.

The Faith: The nature of Hakiyah's worship is calm, meditative, and methodical. Better to take no action than to take one impulsively, it is said. As a result, Hakiyah is popular in the Pearl Cities, particularly among members of the merchant class.

Both Hakiyah and Haku have large mosques and universities in the Pearl Cities. In the Pantheist League, neither god is worshipped openly, and their followers are persecuted.

Haku, Master of the Desert Wind

Also called Free Haku, this god represents personal independence. In the old legends, he is always described as a desert nomad, wearing a flowing aba and keffiyeh, with a gleaming scimitar at his side. His words, when recorded by those who receive them, are always proud, self-assured, and even haughty. He implores his followers to apply themselves and to do nothing half-heartedly.

Symbol: A stylized gust of wind.

Major Mosques: Gana, Halwa, Huzuz, Jumlat, Muluk, Tajar, Utaqa, Wasat.

Pantheon: No.

Ordered Priests: 30% P, 40% E, 30% M.

Free Priests: Mystics

Ideal: Freedom, independence.

Ethos: A man and a woman must be free to be considered alive.

Principles: Do not burden others. Rely on your own talents. Trust the wisdom of your own experiences. Protect those you love and respect, but do not assume that they will be there to protect you.

The Faith: Haku is popular in regions lying in and near the open desert. In the Pearl Cities he is connected with Hakiyah, who is alternately described as a niece, sister, and aunt. Both Haku and Hakiyah's worshippers are persecuted in Pantheist lands.

Jauhar the Gemmed

Representing wealth, this goddess is sometimes called Jauhar the Gem Studded. She is technically a common deity, because her worship is confined to the Pantheist League and a few cities of the Ruined Kingdoms.

The heavily moralist League of the Pantheon considers her a Great God, however, taking the place of Bountiful Jisan (whom Pantheists view as common). Jauhar takes on a physical form only in rare portraits of old-those which Pantheists seek to eliminate. In such legends, Jauhar always appears as a comely maiden with straight black hair and luminous, kohl-rimmed eyes. She wears a dancer's brassiere and pantaloons. The brassiere is covered with coins allegedly given to her by admirers. The seams of her silken pantaloons are similarly adorned.

Old temples scattered throughout Zakhara once contained drawings of Jauhar in this garb. Nearly all of the drawings have been destroyed by Pantheists, leaving only a verbal portrait. Even that has been declared blasphemous by the Pantheists, who describe her as a more modest woman, fully cloaked in a chador, with only the gold dinar on her forehead serving to distinguish her from other moralist women.

Symbol: A gold dinar.

Major Mosques: Primarily Pantheist cities; Fahhas, Hilm, Hudid, I'tiraf, Mahabba, Talab.

Pantheon: Yes.

Ordered Priests: 5% P, 30% E, 65% M

Free Priests: Mystics

Ideal: Wealth.

Ethos: Money changes everything.

Principles: Work hard and you will be rewarded as you are due. A holy person is a wealthy person. Those who have no food cannot meditate; they think more about their empty stomachs than their empty souls. Wealth is the oil that greases the wheels of the civilized world. Fate gives to those who take.

The Faith: Jauhar represents the industriousness of the Pantheist cities, and she is venerated by merchants and craftsmen of that region. Her worship is tolerated in other areas, though not where Jisan prevails. Jauharites and Jisanites compete for followers, funds, and attention. At times, the competition is bloody.

In the Pantheon, Jauhar is regarded as the beautiful daughter of Kor. This explains a popular Pantheist saying: Wisdom comes from Strength, but Wealth comes from Wisdom.

Jisan of the Floods

Also called Jisan the Bountiful, this Great Goddess symbolizes fertility and productivity. She may have been a storm-goddess long ago, for she was linked to the monsoon rains and the yearly flooding of the great rivers. From that origin, she became identified with people who prepared for the rains and floods-people who therefore gained the most from the water's passing. In all the tales and legends, no physical description is provided for Jisan; she takes no human or demihuman form.

Symbol: A rain cloud.

Major Mosques: Ajayib, Halwa, Huzuz, Muluk, Sikak, Tajar, Umara, Wasat.

Pantheon: No.

Ordered Priests: 10% P, 50% E, 40% M

Free Priests: Mystics

Ideal: Fruitfulness.

Ethos: Hard work brings abundance.

Principles: Rewards of the spirit and the flesh may be harvested from the act of applying oneself to a noble task. The gold brought from honest labor is repaid a thousandfold in the good it brings to the spirit. A person who does not work, wastes. Fate brings all things to men and women, but only those who are prepared may take advantage of it. If the sky were raining catfish, would you rather have a net or a parasol?

The Faith: Jisan encourages the work ethic. She is venerated by merchants, and her word is carried throughout the Land of Fate to every port. Jisan's worship is nearly universal, though it is most popular in cities that boast thriving bazaars. Members of the League of the Pantheon consider Jisan a common god, unworthy of their worship. Instead, Pantheists worship their own local deity, Jauhar, who is similar (and allegedly superior) in nature.

Followers of Jisan are energetic, industrious, and diligent. They plan for the future and try to play all the angles, such that if one plan fails, an alternative may yet succeed.

Kor the Venerable

Also known as Old Kor, this Great God represents wisdom. He may err, it is said, but he learns from his mistakes and becomes greater still. In parables describing Kor, the other gods ask his advice, as befits his age and wisdom. Old Kor has been described in one tale as a strong, gray-haired man carrying a great hatchet, which he uses to attack the root of a problem.

Symbol: A sunburst. Mystics who venerate Kor may also carry a hatchet.

Major Mosques: Dihliz, Hawa, Huzuz, Jumlat, Liham, Muluk, Qadib, Rog'osto, Umara, Wasat.

Pantheon: Yes.

Ordered Priests: 10% P, 80% E, 10% M

Free Priests: Mystics

Ideal: Wisdom.

Ethos: With age comes wisdom and with wisdom comes strength.

Principles: Always seek out the wisdom of the elders, and heed their words even if you disagree with them. Learn from your mistakes.

The Faith: The church of Kor represents stability, order, and tradition. In making decisions, precedents are sought and elders are consulted. Among the ordered priests of Kor, moralists tend to be stiff-necked and unbending, while pragmatists tend to emphasize the principle of learning from one's mistakes. Pantheist priests view Kor as a father figure.

Najm the Adventurous

Adventure and curiosity are the ideals of this Great God and his-or her-followers. In some tales, Najm is female. In others, he is male. In any case, Najm is described as dashing, hot-tempered, fervent, and very much alive (as a mortal might be). Al-Badian tales of this god have common themes: Najm doing the impossible, Najm finding the unfindable, or Najm attaining the unattainable.

Symbol: A single arrow, pointed upward.

Major Mosques: Ajayib, Gana, Hafayah, Hawa, Halwa, Hiyal, Huzuz, Liham, Kadarasto, Utaqa.

Pantheon: Yes.

Hierarchy: 50% P, 40% E, 10% M.

Free Priests: Mystics.

Ideal: Adventure, curiosity.

Ethos: Make the unknown known.

Principles: Achieve, do, and experience. The journey is more important than the destination. Do not be afraid of new things until you learn more about them. Curiosity leavened with caution never hurt anyone.

The Faith: As might be guessed, Najm's church includes dynamic missionaries who seek to bring enlightenment to the heathen. It also includes explorers who journey into the hinterlands in Najm's name, returning to civilization with tales for the young as well as riches for the church coffers. A Zakharan Priest of Order who is found in a far, foreign land is usually a follower of Najm.

As noted above, only 10 percent of Najm's followers in the church hierarchy are moralists. These are found primarily in the cities of the Pantheon.

Pantheist priests of Najm unwaveringly portray their god as male. They acknowledge the god Hajama as Najm's brother.

Selan the Beautiful Moon

Also called Selan the Gracious, and Selan of the Garden, this Great Goddess represents divine pulchritude and heavenly grace. She is described as a flawless maiden cloaked in shimmering white, and in the oldest tales, she is said to be linked to the moon.

Such tales claim that the moon is her chariot. She rides it across the sky while pursued by ardent suitors, who appear as a cluster of smaller stars, following in her wake.

Symbol: The ringed moon.

Major Mosques: Afyal (Great Mosque of the Moon), Ajayib, Dihliz, Gana, Hafayah, Halwa, Huzuz, Jumlat, Kadarasto, Rog'osto, Sikak, Tajar, Umara, Wasat.

Pantheon: Yes.

Ordered Priests: 10% P, 70% E, 20% M.

Free Priests: Mystics and some Hakimas.

Ideal: Beauty.

Ethos: There is beauty in everything.

Principles: Reveal that which is pleasing. Accentuate the positive. Kind words can override angry curses. Beauty grows over time. Treat others with the sweetness and goodness they deserve.

The Faith: Selan's followers, like Kor's, tend to be traditional in their outlook, finding joy in what they know to be true rather than seeking out new ideas and new thinking. Deep philosophical thought has never been a strong point of Selanite philosophy. These priests place great stock in appearances, and they usually let initial reactions-which they call the sensation in the liver-guide them in their lives.

Selan is much beloved by gardeners and artisans. Her greatest mosque is not in Huzuz, but on the island of Afyal, where her followers make up most of the population.

Zann the Learned

Also called Zann the Marvelous, this Great God is a scholar's deity, for he epitomizes learning and intelligence. Zann has an amazing memory for details.

In legend, he is usually described as a man in city dress, carrying a writing tablet and a case of pens, recording all he sees. Study and research are necessary, but a true scholar knows it is just as important to record one's experiences so that others may also learn.

Symbol: A fountain's jet.

Major Mosques: Ajayib, Dihliz, Hiyal, Huzuz, Qadib, Rog'osto, Wasat.

Pantheon: No.

Ordered Priests: 20% P, 40% E, 40% M.

Free Priests: Mystics and Hakimas.

Ideal: Intelligence, learning.

Ethos: Understanding is the key to all doors.

Principles: Do not destroy what you do not understand. We stand on a mountain built by our fathers, and only a fool would step off that mountain. Learn from the mistakes of others. The written word is our gift to our grandchildren.

The Faith: The universities and libraries built by Zann's followers are the largest and most complete in all of Zakhara. Zannites classify the contents of these libraries using three labels: great texts, common texts, and heathen texts. Great texts are considered official documents and histories, regarded by members of the faith as true and wise. They cover all manner of subjects relating to Zakhara's enlightenment (not just the Great Gods). A scholar seeking answers will always consult these official texts first. Common texts are documents from an unofficial source or of questionable authenticity, including personal letters and diaries, and documents that challenge or disagree with the great texts. Zannites do not believe in denying information just because its veracity is uncertain. As learning progresses, common texts may become great, and vice versa. Heathen texts come from the world beyond the Land of Fate. Zannites treat such heathen documents with general suspicion. At best, they are considered to be legends or fairy tales.

Gods of the Pantheon

Hajama, Jauhar, Kor, Najm, Selan-these five enlightened gods make up the Pantheon. Priests of the Pantheon recognize only these gods, considering them to be the true Great Gods. Members of the Pantheist League do not tolerate the worship of any other deities. All but Jauhar are known and worshipped throughout the Land of Fate. Still, the bond between Pantheists and non-Pantheists of a given faith is tenuous as best. The god is the same, yet the beliefs and practices differ. Pantheists of a given faith have more in common with fellow Pantheists who worship other gods than they do with outsiders who belong to the same faith.

Symbol: Pentagon.

Major Mosques: Kadarasto, Pantheist cities; Fahhas, Hilm, Hudid, I'tiraf, Mahabba, Talab.

Ordered Priests: 2% P 18% E, 80% M.

Free Priests: None.

Ideal: Unity.

Ethos: Strength through unity.

Principles: Only by gathering together, and by combining the best talents of the group, can we succeed. Trust your foes to be jealous of your accomplishments. The gods of the Pantheon are the only true gods. All other so-called deities are common creations, and their followers must be enlightened. Excessive actions may be excused by excessive circumstances.

The Faith: Unlike worshippers elsewhere, Pantheists do not attend ceremonies tailored only to one god. Instead, Pantheist mosques are similar to open mosques found elsewhere; religious services reflect the variety among the worshippers who are welcomed. There is one key difference, however. Only the five deities of the Pantheon may be venerated in a Pantheist mosque. No other mosques are permitted within the cities of the League of the Pantheon; those which manage to exist are small as well as secret.

The Pantheist church is a united body, devoted to the well-being of all its worshippers. The church works closely with the local rulers of the Pantheist cities to ensure that the needy are cared for, the hungry are fed, and the sick are healed. Pantheist followers are loyal and enthusiastic about their combined faith.

Non-Pantheist priests who worship one of the deities of the Pantheon are regarded with tolerance and general interest. They are cousins hailing from outside the Pantheon, welcomed as members of related churches. Even a Pantheist believes that a priest of Kor is still a priest of Kor - even a somewhat misguided Korite from Afyal. Nonetheless, Pantheists would prefer to sway that cousin to a more like mind.

Ironically, a Pantheist may not receive the same welcome when traveling to a sister church outside the Pantheist cities. As a group, Pantheists are regarded with suspicion, particularly in the Pearl Cities. If the gods themselves have any precise opinion as to whose views are correct, they have kept it to themselves.

Fate and the Loregiver

Despite the variety of gods that are worshipped by Zakharans, one belief transcends all others: the belief in Fate. Every Zakharan knows her power. Who is this creature after which an entire land is named? Not even the genies can agree. A few Zakharans believe she is the mother of the gods, though she herself is not a goddess, for she grants no spells and calls for no one to worship her. To others she is simply a pervasive elemental force who can be as vast as the heavens, yet can assume a form as small as an ordinary woman or as insubstantial as a whisper.

It was as the shadow of a woman that Fate is said to have appeared in ancient times, to share her wisdom with the genies, gods, and men. When her visit was complete, she had left her teachings in the hands of a beautiful girl, over whom all the gods and genies had been fighting. The girl recorded Fate’s teachings upon a series of scrolls.

The story of this girl, who became the Loregiver, survived for centuries in legends told by the rawuns (desert bards). Then, just five hundred years ago, the scrolls were discovered. The customs that wise men had always espoused as good—the code of honorable behavior—were laid out in manner that was so clear, so complete, that all immediately knew its wisdom.

Soon all Zakharans embraced these ideals, and Zakhara became known as the Land of Fate.

Laws of The First Caliph

Laws in The Land of Fate are divided into five categories as set down by the hand of the Loregiver:

• Forbidden Acts
• Discouraged Acts
• Tolerated Acts
• Encouraged Acts
• Required Acts

Required Acts

Required Acts were necessary for maintaining Zakharan civilization. Directly opposing these actions was considered treason, heresy, and/or slander against the state. They included:

• Belief in a greater force (including both common and Enlightened gods)
• Obeying the proclamations of the Grand Caliph
• Pilgrimage to Huzuz and the Court of Enlightenment. Every Zakharan, no matter where they lived on the great continent, was expected to partake of a pilgrimage to Golden Huzuz at least once during their lifetime. This pilgrimage exposed Zakharans to great travel and allowed them to see how their brethren lived, helping to unify the population.

Appeals

Sentences or rulings received from a sheikh could not be appealed. However, sentences and rulings administered by a qadi could be appealed to the local ruler, or Caliph, or the Grand Caliph in the case of Huzuz. For a ruling to be overturned during an appeal, the friends and family of the accused needed to present convincing arguments for their case since most Caliphs did not enjoy having their time wasted by worthless pursuits.

Genies

Genies followed an entirely separate set of rules complete with their own courts and magistrates. These courts were usually much more strict compared to mortal courts. A genie could never be called to testify as a witness in any mortal court. Furthermore, any crime committed by a genie against an ins, or vice versa, was judged within a genie court.

Magical Evidence

Magical evidence could be used to prove or disprove the accused's innocence or guilt, but the qadi needed to be able to validate the evidence. This could be accomplished either by the magistrate himself should he possess skill in magic, or through a trusted adviser or expert on the subject matter.

Matters Involving Slaves

Since slaves were considered the property of their master, a master was directly responsible for the actions of his or her slaves. Debts incurred as punishment for crimes committed by slaves were paid by their master. In these cases, the master could even use the value of the slave as partial or full payment. Any slave convicted of committing a Forbidden Act was destroyed. Needless to say, wise masters kept a watchful eye on their slaves.

Languages

While there is one “common” tongue in the Land of Fate– Midani – there are a number of other languages spoken in the region, as shown on the table below.

Chapter 3 Characters in Zakhara

Characters in the Land of Fate are simple to devise yet rewarding to play. Their foundation is the familiar set of rules found in Chapter 1 of the Player's Handbook. A few changes have been made, however. In addition, the Al-Qadim campaign expands upon those rules—lending details that shape warriors, wizards, priests, and rogues into the mold of Arabian adventures. This chapter explains how characters in the Al-Qadim campaign differ from those in other worlds, and how they remain the same.

Whats in a Name?

Names in Zakharan culture tend to have deep religious, familial, or natural associations. As a player, a good solid name can help tie the character into the setting and make them feel more natural when role playing. Additionally, names can be a fun way to allude to a dark and mysterious secret or potentially an alter ego of the character that is hidden from the party.

Some areas of Zakhara may favor specific names over others but the variation across the entire penninsula is minimal. Everyone loves a good name.

Chapter 3 | Characters in Zakhara

Constructing a Surname

One of the most popular forms of Zakharan surnames combines the name of a place or location with the suffix -i. For example, Al-Kharji means “the person from Kharj.” Al means “the,” and may also be followed by a descriptive name, as in AL-Nisr (“the eagle”). In addition, al may mean “the house of” or “the tribe of.”

Other Zakharan names are formed with a prefix, such as ibn, bin, bint, beni, abd, min, abu, umm, or sitt. Each has a different meaning.

As prefixes, ibn and bin mean “son of.” Bint means “daughter of.” Beni (BEN-ee) means “the family.” So, Hatim Ibn Abbas is literally Hatim, the son of Abbas. When someone refers to Hatim’s family, the proper title is Beni Abbas (as in “the Abbas”).

Abd* means “slave.” As a prefix, it means “slave of.” A mamluk, or Zakharan slave-warrior, commonly takes a name beginning with abd, followed by the name of his or her organization. Abdul is a variant of ubd al (or abd ul), meaning "slave of the."" It is nonsensical alone and is never a proper name.

Min means “from.” Zakharan priests favor this prefix, often linking it to the name of a venerated god or hallowed site, or simply to the name of a place.

Abu, umm, and sitt are relatively uncommon prefixes. Abu means “father of” and is often followed by the name of the person’s first child or, more commonly, the first male child. Umm means “mother of” and often precedes the name of the first child or, more commonly, the first female child. Roughly translated, sitt means “lady,” and is appropriate only for powerful or highly respected women.

New Skills

The harsh climate and dangerous lifestyles of those who reside in Zakhara have hone their skills to a razors edge. Likewise, adventurers who travel the Land of Fate finding themselves exposed to new arts and skills previously unheard of to them.

Adventurers in the Land of Fate all have one additional skill proficiency at first level.

Rumormongering (CHA)

Rumormongering is the art of turning coin into information, a simple and straightforward prospect in large bustling cities but more difficult in sleepy burgs.

Players go about rumor mongering by telling the DM that they would like to gather information about rumors in their area. A successful check means that they artfully plied the gold used to make the check and gives them some basic information about potential quest hooks, interesting areas, or important people. A failed check means that they have failed to impress the locals with their display of wealth and charm. As such, a player may attempt only one rumormongering check per city, town or village in a month for general information gathering purposes. If they fail, they suffer a disadvantage with Charisma checks with the general local populace for 1d4 days.

Classes in Zakhara

Zakhara is a immensely diverse continent with visitors from the far flung reaches of the world. The sub-classes presented below are the iconic representations of their kind on the continent and are the sort of adventurers visitors tell stories of when they return home.

As such there are no limitations to what sub-class you may select as a native Zakharan.

Barbarian Path: Path of the Sword Dancer

In the deep deserts of Zakhara, it is said that there are mad men who spend the days worshiping the Loregiver in a twisting, frantic dance. You know the truth of the matter, you are a Dervish Dancer, a master of the secret art of your people that mimics the zephyrs of the wind and emulates the ever moving sands.

Some dervishs uses the dance as a profession of faith and love to which ever god they worship, but that need not be the case. The motions of the dance allow you to dominate the battlefield by confusing your enemies and aiding your allies.

Most Dervish Dancers go lightly armored or not at all. They rarely use shields, favoring an off hand weapon instead.

Sword Dance

You gain proficiency in the Performance skill.

You may go into a Sword Dance instead of a Rage. In battle, you fight with in a twisting winding dance that confuses your enemies and slips through their defenses. On your turn, you can enter a dervish dance as a bonus action.

While dancing, you gain the following benefits if you aren't wearing heavy armor:

• You have advantage on Dexterity checks and Dexterity saving throws.
• When you take the Attack action using a light weapon, you may make one additional attack with that weapon.

If you are able to cast spells, you can't cast them or concentrate on tbem while dancing.

Your dance lasts for 1 minute. It ends early if you are knocked unconscious or if your turn ends and you haven't moved at least 15 ft voluntarily. You can also end your dance on your turn as a bonus action.

Once you have danced the number of times shown for your barbarian level in the Rages column of the Barbarian table, you must finish a long rest before you can begin another dervish dance.

Storm of Steel

Starting at 3rd level, you become a twisting storm of steel and flesh. You gain a bonus to your Initiative equal to your Charisma modifier. You also do not provoke an attack of opportunity the first time you leave someones threatened range in a turn.

Sword Trance

Beginning at 6th level, you can't be charmed or frightened while in a dance. lf you are charmed or frightened when you enter your dance. the effect is suspended for the duration of the dance.

Hypnotic Motion

At 10th level, you can use an Action to ensnare the wits of one hapless creature. You may choose one creature that you can see within 30 ft of you. That creature must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw (DC = to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier) or be moved in a direction of your choice at half of their speed.

Allies can accept this movement without failing the save.

Turning the Blow

At 14th level, whenever a creature targets you with a melee attack, you may use your reaction to change the target to any other valid target within that creatures reach. You must decide to use this feature when the attack is announced but before the result of the attack is revealed.

Chapter 3 | Characters in Zakhara

Druid Archetype: Kahin

Monk Tradition: Way of the Antlion

Monks of the Zakhara spend their days in observation of the various fauna of the desert. Of particular importance and prominence, is the antlion, a large insect that hunts prey by digging itself into the loose sands of the wastes.

Your order in particular has taken the Way of the Antlion and have turned it into a combat style that focuses on ambush and grappling in order to supress your foes.

Buried Hunter

At level 17, you can instantly subdue an creature by pulling it into the sand. If you are buried beneath a creature, you may expend 3 ki points and initiate a grapple with a Medium or smaller creature as an action. On a successful grapple, you pull the target underground and they gain the Buried condition.

Buried

Characters take 3d6 points of bludgeoning damage per round while buried. If such a character falls unconscious, he dies immediately.

Characters who aren’t buried can dig out their friends. In 1 round, using only her hands, a character can clear rocks and debris equal to her heavy load limit. Armed with an appropriate tool, such as a pick, crowbar, or shovel, a digger can clear loose stone twice as quickly as by hand. A buried character can attempt to free himself with a DC 20 Strength check.

Chapter 3 | Characters in Zakhara

Rogue Archetype: Sal'juk

Sorcerous Origin: Ghul Lord

Warlock Archetype: Sha'ir

Sha'ir take a Noble Genie as their patron at 1st level, and furthermore must take Pact of the Chain at 3rd level to appease their gen familiar.

Elementalist

A flame elementalist magician puts on a fire show in the streets of Huzuz. Flaming bats swarm over the crowd in a display of finess and control. No one noticed the lack of alcohol for the flames

A sea elementalist rogue uses the power of water to mirage her body out of sight as she runs from the royal guard. She takes on the form of a merchant as she takes an apple from his cart.

A sand elementalist warrior pulls the surrounding sand of the desert to his body and sets his feet for a last stand against a small group of bandits

Magicians in Zakhara shape their world in ways that are unknown to their cousins in the West. Many Zakharan spellcasters find ways to connect with their surroundings and shape the raw elements of their home. Those who harness this power call themselves Elementalists.

Class Features

As an Elementalist, you gain the following class features.

Spellcasting

You have become attuned to the natural forces of the world and they have vested you with a portion of their raw power. This power, called Chaos, fuels your spells.

Cantrips

At 1st level, you know three cantrips of your choice from the elementalist spell list. You learn additional elementalist cantrips of your choice at higher levels, as shown in the Cantrips Known column of the Elementalist table.

Chaos Points

The Elementalist table shows how many chaos points you have to cast your elementalist spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these elementalist spells, you must expend a number of chaos points equal to the spells cost or higher.

You regain all expended chaos points when you finish a long rest.

For example, if you know the 1st-level spell brand and have 6 chaos points available, you can cast it as a 1st or 2nd spell.

Chapter 3 | Characters in Zakhara

Spells Known of 1st Level or Higher

The Spells you are able to learn are dictated by your choice of Elemental Province (See Below).

You know three 1st-level spells of your choice from the elementalist spell list.

The Spells Known column of the Elementalist table shows when you learn more elementalist spells of your choice. Each of these spells must not be greater than the Max Spell Known for your level, as indicated on the Elementalist table. For instance, when you reach 3rd level in this class, you can learn one new spell of 1st or 2nd level.

Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the elementalist spells you know and replace it with another spell from the elementalist spell list, which also must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

Spellcasting Ability

Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for your elementalist spells, since the power of your magic relies on your ability to the minutia of the elemental forces around you. You use your Wisdom whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Wisdom modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a elementalist spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

Multiclassing as an Elementalist

Multiclassing as an Elementalist requires that you have a Wisdom score of at least 13 and a Constitution score of 13.

If you have the Spellcasting class feature, you can use the spell slots you gain from that feature to cast spells you know or have prepared from classes with the Spellcasting class feature, and you can use the spell slots you gain from the Spellcasting class feature to cast elementalist spells you know.

Additionally you may use spell points to cast spells you know from classes with the Spellcasting class feature, so long as the spell is not in any province besides the one you took at 1st level. You may only use spell slots to cast spells outside of your province and the universal province.

Chapter 3 | Characters in Zakhara

Races of Zakhara

Zakhara is home to many races who live, for all intents and purposes, in harmony with one another. The old racial prejudices of Faerun simply do not have a place in the desert and why fight a creature when you could simply profit from him. Thus the sentient peoples of Zakhara have welcome races of all kinds into their fold. Visitors from far off lands may be surprised to find an ogre haggling with a halfling over the price of saffron on a market corner.

With that said, by population, Zakhara is still predominantly human (roughly 60%), and roughly equal parts dwarfish and elfish as a secondary race (15% each). The remaining races make up the last 10 % of the populous. But all are accepted equally, so long as they obey the Laws of the Loregiver and the Laws of the Grand Caliph.

Yikaria and Yuan-ti are the only exception to this general egalitarianism, primarily because these races are openly hostile to the Enlightened peoples of Zakhara.

Enlightened Elves

Also called Myri’Tel’Quessir, or fated elves, and the ‘Ubdi, or the everlasting elves in the Zakharan tongue, the enlightened elves are some of the oldest and most powerful members of society.

In the new, enlightened Zakhara, the elves have changed. Their lifespans have allowed them to turn their culture from a thing of fairy tale and myth into great houses and enterprises built on honor and faith. Many elves join the Panthiest League, where they become timeless defenders of scripture. Others flock to the Heartlands, where their reputations for being honored hosts, built over generations, has made them vital parts of the capital cities. And still more go to the Pearl Cities, gaining great riches overtime and joining the noble courts of the caliphs.

Enlightened elves are a hardy people who have not forgotten their ancestor’s slavery and their nomadic lives in the desert. While their Al-Badia cousins still think them weaker, those that live among civilization have long lives not only because of their fey blood, but because of the strength of their bodies. Assassination attempts are often ill-fated against the ‘Ubdi, and disasters, plagues, famines, and wars do nothing to effectively cull their numbers. It is often said that if elves were more like rabbits, they’d conquer the world in ten years’ time.

Though they hold few ruling positions in Zakhara, and racial divides are near non-existent, none can deny that even caliphs find themselves humbled in the presence of the ‘Ubdi. Their confidence, built by centuries of honorable practice, has given them incredible social sway. Even the Al-Badia members of this race, who roam the dunes and the forgotten places, are not often trifled with by others. To do so, many commoners whisper, is to affront Fate herself.

Fated Aasimar

The Laws of the Loregiver affected not only the people of Zakhara, but its gods and angels as well. When the celestials of the Land of Fate were enlightened, their servants, the aasimar, were created for different purposes. No longer were they just scourges against darkness or protectors of the light. Now, they were charged to ensure the fates of others.

Fated aasimar travel the lands of Zakhara to spread enlightenment. They are the instruments of Fate herself. Asuras, who imbue them with radiant energy that swings fate in the favor of the enlightened, guide them on their missions.

Though aasimar are rare, fated aasimar are by far the most common type in Al-Qadim. These heroes seek out others with great destinies to ensure that they are not hindered or stopped from achieving them. Many see them as spreaders of enlightenment, leading to their desired service as mamluks or noble warriors. On the flip side, many fated aasimar are targeted by holy slayers, who see them as meddlers in affairs greater than they can understand. Some even join these brotherhoods, seeking to destroy those of their kind that they believe have been led astray.

Asura often have a single sentence directive they give to their aasimar. Create one, or choose from/roll on the table below.

Affan

Resembling large humanoids with elephant heads, the Affan are a peaceful people who reside on Afyal, the Isle of the Elephant.

The Affan have mostly hidden themselves from the rest of Zakhara, as they do not worship the gods of the Enlightened peoples and are therefore not subject to all of the protections provided by the Laws of the Loregiver.

Affan boast long memories and have fearful tempers. They make steadfast allies and implacable foes.

Hanu

The Hanu are a mischievous race of monkey-like beings that live chaotic lives free of worry in the upper canopies of The Salt Jungle.

The Hanu are the masters of their domain and rarely suffer a slight against them.

The Jann

The lesser cousins to the mighty genie, jann are born not of Elemental Planes but of the Prime Material itself. For most of their lives, they wander the wilderness and waste of Zakhara, often slipping into and out of different worlds. The jann keep to themselves, participating in the world’s politics only when their enlightenment is questioned or their lives threatened. While most jann live nomadic, though splendid, lives, many still step down from their perch on high to experience the strange world of mortals. The plural of jann is janni.

Backgrounds

Backgrounds that impacted gameplay were a concept that was introduced in AD&D, at the time they were called kits. And some slight advantage over backgrounds today as they were interchangable. Even so, they effectively changed gameplay in the same way. So Al-Qadim has a rich history of working with backgrounds and has a number that easily convert to 5th edition D&D.

New Backgrounds

Barber Surgeon • Beggar (variant) • Bureaucrat (variant) • Caravan Driver • Desert Rider • Fortune Seeker (variant) • Pearl Diver • Tale-spinner (variant) • Zakharan Merchant (variant)

Caravan Driver

Windswept deserts and foreboding mountains separate merchants from the goods they will trade in the gilded cities of Zakhara. You, a master of the caravans and trade routes, are responsible for planning expeditions, caring for the pack animals, and avoiding the perils of the desert.

Skill Proficiencies: Animal Handling, Survival Tool Proficiencies: Vehicles (land) Languages: One of your choice Equipment: Camel grooming kit, leather bag full of dates, switch, waterskin, map of a trade route, aba (robe) and turban, belt pouch with 10 gp

Genie-Touched

You have been marked by your experiences with the djinni. Perhaps you have a peri relative, or were abducted by the djinni as a youth. Whichever, you have not been left unchanged by the experience.

Skill Proficiencies: Arcana, Persuasion

Languages: Two, one of which must be a dialect of Primordial.

Equipment: A scroll case with scrolls of genie teachings and wisdom, small token of your time in the Inner Planes (like a crystalline sphere holding elemental wind or flame), fine clothes, belt pouch with 10 gp

Variant Backgrounds

Charlatan Variant: Noble Pauper

A consistent theme in Arabian Adventures is that of a noble who travels among his or her people disguised as a beggar or other poor person. Such characters may be exiles of their own kingdom, ousted from power and forced to hide among the common folk. They may be benevolent if naive rulers who genuinely wish to understand the state of the kingdom thru the eyes of the people. They may have assumed the guise of a beggar for a specific reason, to investigate a mystery or save someone they couldn't from the throne. Noble Paupers may draw on the Noble and Urchin backgrounds to swap out proficiencies and features to suit the type of character you have in mind.

Criminal

You can roll on this table of Bonds which better fit the criminals found in Arabian Adventures.

Guild Artisan Variant: Guild Merchant

Merchants in Zakhara trade in ambergris, silks, spices, camels, and more, learning what different regions need and how to fill that need. You may select the following background feature instead of "Guild Membership."

Feature - Business Venture: You have business contacts in major cities, ports, and desert tribes which can give you updates on trade route conditions, unusual items passing through the bazaar, advice about which merchants to avoid or do business with, and fluctuations in the price or availability of trade goods. So long as you actively broker merchant deals, you can maintain a Wealthy lifestyle.

Hermit Variant

You can roll on the following table to determine the nature of your Discovery.

Noble Variant

Nobilty in Zakhara is presented as the primary land holders on the continent. With the majority of land unusable for any sort of agriculture or industry, merely owning a well could make one an important person in an area parched for water.

You may roll on the table below for various Arabian nobility titles.

Outlander Variant: Al-Badia

The al-Badia are the desert nomads of Zakhara, coming from a diversity of tribes. Modify the Outlander background according to the tribe you belong to.

Sage

You can roll on a table of lore specialties suited to Zakhara, making the listed adjustments to the Sage background.

Soldier Variant: Mamluk

Mamluks are the slave-soldiers of Zakharans society, either brought into the fold as orphans of war or abducted from foreign lands and impressed into service to the Grand Caliph. As a mamluk you bear the facial markings of your mamluk society. Roll on the table below to determine which mamluk society you belong to, making the listed adjustments to the Soldier background

Feats

Chapter 4 Perils of Adventure

Zakhara is a land of unrivaled wonder and riches, but it is also fraught with danger. This chapter describes some of the perils that await adventurers, from nature’s wrath to the mysterious evil eye.

Though her land can be harsh, Fate often smiles upon those in need. This chapter also describes how characters can call upon Fate at the moment when all hope seems lost. If she responds, this all-powerful force may provide a means of escape just when no escape seems possible, a way to survive just as death seems imminent and the buzzards have begun to circle in the sky above.

Dehydration

Constitution losses are cumulative over consecutive days of dehydration. Qualities linked to Constitution drop accordingly: Maximum Hit Points and Constitution Save Bonus. Each time a character’s Maximum Hit Points drops, his or her hit points also drop by the same amount and cannot be healed until the character's Constitution is returned to normal by resting. A character whose Constitution is reduced to 0 dies immediately.

Dehydrated characters regain 1d8 points of Constitution for each day in which they receive their full requirement of water, until they attain their usual maximum. Hit points which have been lost due to dehydration are regained normally.

Characters who move at night must find shelter during the day to rest (tents or rocky outcroppings will suffice). Those without shelter must make a successful Constitution saving throw versus against the effect of dehydration as having taken Light Daytime Activity in order to rest well. Characters denied sound rest may not memorize spells or recover hit points.

Sandstorms

Severe and stronger winds pose a far graver danger than winds of equal velocity within landscapes that support a ground covering of grasses, sedges, and other terrain features that preclude instantaneous erosion. In waste areas covered by sand, loose earth, or grit, high winds are always accompanied by duststorms or sandstorms. The stronger the wind is in such regions, the more severe the effect.

Contrary to popular belief, nonmagic duststorms and sandstorms do not bury people alive. The accumulation does not occur so quickly as to prevent escape or digging, but a sandstorm can suffocate and kill victims if no effort is made to escape the accumulation. The heaps of debris left behind might be deep enough to cover small buildings, though, and the landscape is drastically reshaped after a major storm, which could remove landmarks and cause a party to become lost.

Duststorm: Duststorms arise in waste areas when the wind speed rises above 30 miles per hour. A duststorm blows fine grains of sand that reduce visibility, smother unprotected flames, and even choke protected flames, such as a lantern’s light (50% chance). A duststorm leaves behind a deposit of 1d6 inches of sand.

Visibility in a duststorm is reduced, so all creatures within a duststorm are at a disadvantage for Wisdom (Perception) checks.

Sandstorm: Sandstorms arise in waste areas when the wind speed rises above 50 miles per hour. Sandstorms reduce visibility to brownout conditions (see below), smother unprotected flames, and choke protected flames, such as a lantern’s light (75% chance). Moreover, sandstorms deal 1d3 points of nonlethal damage each round to anyone caught out in the open without shelter and pose a suffocation hazard (see the Suffocation in a Sandstorm sidebar). A sandstorm leaves 2d3–1 feet of fine sand in its wake.

Brownout: Sandstorms create brownout conditions. Swirling grit obscures the horizon and makes it nearly impossible to get one’s bearings. Any character in brownout conditions caused by a sandstorm is at disadvantage on Dexterity-based skill checks, as well as Wisdom (Perception) checks, and any other checks that rely on vision.

These effects end when the character leaves the brownout area or enters a protected shelter.

Sandstorm, Flensing: Flensing sandstorms arise in waste areas when the wind speed rises above 74 miles per hour (flensing sandstorm conditions can also occur during a tornado in a waste setting). Flensing sandstorms reduce visibility to brownout conditions (see above), smother unprotected flames, and choke protected flames (100 % chance). Moreover, flensing sandstorms deal 1d3 points of lethal damage each round to anyone caught out in the open without shelter and pose a suffocation hazard (see the Suffocation in a Sandstorm sidebar). A flensing sandstorm leaves 4d6 feet of sand in its wake.

Suffocation in a Sandstorm

Exposed characters might begin to choke if their noses and mouths are not covered. A sufficiently large cloth expertly worn Wisdom (Survival) check, DC 15, negates the effects of suffocation from dust and sand.

An inexpertly worn cloth across the nose and mouth protects a character from the potential of suffocation for a number of rounds equal to 10 × her Constitution score.

An unprotected character faces potential suffocation after a number rounds equal to twice her Constitution score. Once the grace period ends, the character must make a successful Constitution check (DC 10, +1 per previous check) each round or begin suffocating on the encroaching sand.

If the character fails, she falls unconscious and must begin making death saving throws until she is moved to an area in which she can breathe normally.

Whirlwinds

The baking ground of the waste heats air above it very quickly, producing spinning winds of varying intensity.

When the weather is clear, the rapidly rising hot air forms a dust devil. This resembles a tornado but is smaller and relatively weak, with winds rarely exceeding 60 miles per hour. Still, winds that reach severe or windstorm speed are strong enough to deal damage. At ground level, visibility is reduced to practically nothing, granting total concealment to creatures within.

A tornado is the most violent kind of mundane whirlwind, with winds that can exceed 200 miles per hour. It is very localized, though—the widest tornado is less than a mile across, and most have a diameter of only a few hundred feet. Tornadoes move relatively slowly across the landscape but can make sudden, erratic turns that are impossible to predict. They occur most often at the boundaries between waste environments and more temperate areas. A whirlwind spawned at the edge of a desert can move into the temperate region, or into the deep waste.

The most severe thunderstorms (roughly one in ten) also generate tornadoes. Even so, fewer than half of those whirlwinds pack winds above hurricane strength (75 to 174 miles per hour). For game purposes, assume one storm in twenty generates a tornado-force wind. In the heart of such a violent storm, visibility is reduced to zero (total concealment), and Wisdom (Perception) checks are impossible, as are ranged weapon attacks. Unprotected flames are automatically extinguished and protected flame has a 75% chance of being put out.

Sand Dunes

Most people immediately think of sand dunes when they imagine a desert, but in fact many kinds of waste have no dunes at all. Winds carry away soil, sand, and even light pebbles, leaving behind a thin “pavement” of larger stones. Dried lake beds are plains of cracked mud crusted with salt. Lava flows cover the land with humped, rough stone. Still, hardy grasses and undergrowth do exist in some parts of the waste, catching grains of sand and holding them in place long enough for immense “waves” to grow.

Sand dunes are wandering things, although the mundane variety travels no more than a couple of hundred feet in a year. This is enough to eventually overrun farmland and choke out forests, but it is not an immediate hazard to most creatures. However, the constant action of wind on sand produces potentially hazardous situations.

Collapse: A sand dune has a long, shallow back slope shaped by the wind and a sharp leading edge with a steep drop on the lee side. This edge is precarious, with the pull of gravity just balanced by the tendency of sand grains to stick together. Coarser sand produces higher and steeper dunes, while fine grains produces low dunes with gentler slopes.

However, the wind can swiftly shift the balance, blowing sand off the edge and triggering a sudden collapse. A character standing in the vicinity of the dune while this happens must make a Dexterity saving throw (DC 15). On a success they jump to safety. On a failure they are Buried.

Blowout: A change in wind direction can produce a blowout, hollowing out the center of a dune and leaving a large cavity. This cavity is not always visible, and a thin layer of safe-looking sand might cover a vast tomb that swallows people and animals without a trace. The crust covering a blowout is too weak to support any creature larger than Tiny.

Noticing a blowout requires a successful DC 13 Wisdom (Survival) check; however, charging or running characters are not entitled to a check. A character standing in the vicinity of the dune while this happens must make a Dexterity saving throw (DC 15). On a success they jump to safety. On a failure they are Buried.

Sand dunes that have been stabilized by grasses or shrubby trees are much less likely to collapse. Still, even such a place can hide a blowout if the undergrowth in the area is thin.A blowout hides in one out of every one hundred sand dunes (1% chance).

Terrain of Zakhara

The aforementioned various dangers are common to all areas of Zakhara, but the geography of the continent is more varied than a simple "desert."

Barren Wastes

Barren wastes are the most desertlike of all waste terrains. They exist in any warm climate where the evaporation is extraordinarily fast and the rainfall virtually nonexistent. Water is even more scarce here than in ordinary deserts. Barren waste comes in two categories: sandy and gravelly.

The table below describes terrain elements found in both of the two barren waste categories. As with badlands terrain, you needn’t roll for each square; the percentages are intended as a general guide for mapping.

Evaporated Sea

As a sea dries up in the extreme heat of the waste, it leaves behind a vast stretch of dry land that was once a sea floor. These types of terrain come in three categories: silt seas, dry seas, and salt flats. Inland seas evaporate to leave fields of moist silt or dry sand, while salt seas leave behind salt flats dotted with occasional high-saline lakes.

The table below describes terrain features found in each of the evaporated sea categories. Drawing maps for evaporated sea terrain is essentially the same as drawing hill maps. Define the peaks and valleys, with an eye toward the direction of slopes, then indicate which valley portions, if any, are actually lakes rather than dry land.

Gradual slopes, steep slopes, cliffs, and chasms are mutually exclusive. Gradual and steep slopes might include undergrowth or dense rubble, however.

Glass Sea Terrain

Where the desert heat is great enough—whether by scorching sun or boiling subsurface magma—sand bakes to glass. In such places, the desert can have a layer of glass, ranging in thickness from 10 feet down to as little as an inch. The glass can splinter and break, resulting in terrain covered with dangerous, jagged shards.

Glass seas come in two varieties: solid and shattered. The table below describes terrain features found in both of the two glass sea categories.

Petrified Forest Terrain

The result of millennia-long processes involving sediment, mineral deposits, and erosion, a petrified forest consists of a great barren field of colorfully banded stone logs. This jumble of rocks makes for difficult traveling, though the view is often spectacular. Petrified forests come in two categories, rugged and forbidding.

The table below describes terrain elements found in both of the two petrified forest categories.

Calling Upon Fate

There is no Fate but the Fate which we are given.

—Zakharan proverb

In Zakhara, Fate is the force which guides and shapes the lives of everyone, and all Zakharans know her power. Is she a god? The god of gods? Powerful ruler of the genies? Or simply a pervasive force beyond true comprehension? The answers are for the sha’irs and priests to debate. For others, it matters not who Fate is, but what she does. She is the weaver of Time, supplying threads of the future and mixing them with threads of the past. She graciously provides the basis for all victories, and she is the justification for all defeats. She does not excuse characters who do not do their best, however; their future is in their own hands as well as in the hand of Fate. Win or lose, she is always there, the supreme mediator and guardian of the future.

Dehydration, blinding storms, sandslides that bury characters alive—these are but a few of the perils faced by characters in Fate’s burning land. She is not without mercy, however. Characters who find themselves in dire and deadly straits can call upon Fate for aid. She may smile upon those who call her, but she also may turn her hand against them. Most Zakharans try to avoid placing themselves in need of such divine intervention.

How to Call Upon Fate

To call upon Fate, a character must be in a position where survival is doubtful at best. For example, a character without a weapon, surrounded by a pride of hungry panthers, would be in a sufficiently desperate situation. So, too, would a character falling from a flying carpet half a mile above the ground. Life-and-death situations are preferred, as Fate only turns her hand so often.

A character can call upon Fate once per game session. Calling upon Fate requires a Wisdom check against a DC of 10. On a roll of 1, Fate’s hand turns against the caller, who is instantly afflicted with the evil eye. On a successful Wisdom check, the character can improve the results of a d20 roll by adding the result of a 1d6 roll to the result. You can declare that you are calling upon Fate after the d20 roll is made, but only before the DM reveals the result of that roll.

Depending on your character level, you might be able to roll more than one d6 when calling upon Fate. If so, choose the highest d6 roll and disregard the other rolls.

Character Level	Fate Dice Rolled
1st – 7th	1d6
8th – 14th	2d6
15th – 20th	3d6

Chapter 4 | Perils of Adventure

Fate's Response

If Fate intervenes on a character’s behalf, the DM is responsible for coming up with some good fortune that gives the individual at least a fighting chance. For example, in the case of the panthers, the moonlight might suddenly glint upon the blade of an old weapon, fortuitously buried in the nearby sand. In the case of the city guard, a higher-up might suddenly shout, “You fools! Take the prisoner alive!” For the character about to be incinerated in a well, a scattering of rocks might break loose, revealing a small passage in the side of the well. And for the plummeting character, a large eagle might fly nearby, allowing the character to grab hold and slow his fall. Alternately, a passing djinni might take an interest in the plummeting mortal, and begin negotiating terms of a rescue. Should the mortal hesitate, the djinni might even save the character just as the ground loomed up from below.

Whatever happens, the DM should not provide the character with an automatic rescue—only with the raw material with which he or she can survive. For example, if the panthers were to suddenly fall to the ground, dead, that would be going too far. The hand of Fate works a bit like the old serial plots from the 1920s and beyond; the hero seems doomed and hopeless, but when a new reel begins, some means of escape miraculously appears, allowing his saga of perils to continue.

The Evil Eye

Pride and success can be dangerous in the AL-QADIM setting, especially for a character who boasts aloud. When Zakharans receive a compliment, they often protest and belittle their skills, lest a jealous genie overhear and bedevil them with the evil eye. The evil eye is the ability to bring misfortune upon another—from an annoyance to a tragedy—with no more than a glance. Nearly all native Zakharans are thought to have this power. They need not stand before a character to use it, but can spy upon him or her from afar. In game terms, only Zakharan casters have access to the evil eye.

If player characters are praised and fail to respond with humility and modesty, they must make a Wisdom check. A character who fails has made some Zakharan jealous, and becomes afflicted with the evil eye.

As an action, a native Zakharan spellcaster can target a creature within 10 feet that she can see. The Evil Eye creates one of the following effects:

• Choose one ability score. While cursed, the target has disadvantage on ability checks and saving throws made with that ability score.
• While cursed, the target has disadvantage on attack rolls against the caster.
• While cursed, the target must make a Wisdom saving throw at the start of each of its turns. If it fails, it wastes its action that turn doing nothing.
• While the target is cursed, the caster's attacks and spells deal an extra 1d8 necrotic damage to the target.

Neither Fate nor Fortune can be said to smile upon characters afflicted with the evil eye. They become hapless and unlucky. All new encounters are indifferent at best, never friendly. Strangers can sense that something is wrong with the “sufferers,” but rather than sympathy, they feel distrust.

Local governments view anyone afflicted with the evil eye as shifty; a sufferer’s business may be audited for fraud. Local clergymen view sufferers as potentially dangerous, and may search their belongings or even refuse to offer hospitality.

A character afflicted with the evil eye only can be cured by the Remove Curse spell. The Avert Evil Eye spell can protect a character from this plight (even a pompous braggart), but the spell is of no help after the fact.

Chapter 5 In the Bazaar

This chapter details the useful and interesting equipment available common in other lands are rarities here, while items that are for purchase at most bazaars in Zakhara. Many items that are curiosities elsewhere are often commonplace in the Land of Fate.

Each item listed in this chapter has three prices, although only one is shown. There is the asking price, where negotiations begin. The normal price which is the actual worth of an item, And finally, the bargain price. Only characters with the haggling proficiency can obtain equipment at bargain rates.

The asking price is typically 50% higher than the normal price, and the bargain price is typically 25% lower.

Armor

Armor is an interesting puzzle in Zakhara. If you wear armor that is too heavy, the heat and sand will surely kill you. If you wear armor that is too light, the beast and raiders of the deserts will slay you as quickly as the unforgiving sun.

Wise adventurers balance these two conflicting situations by avoiding armors that are too restrictive ( or metallic) in favor of armors that are more forgiving in the desert heat, even if they do sacrifice some protection. Thusly, they stick with armors in the Medium Armor category. Those who do not simply rely on an excess of water to keep them hydrated, or elsewise utilize magics to protect them or keep them cool.

All armors available elswhere in Aber-Toril are availble in Zakhara; although Heavy Armor and armor that imposes disadvantage on stealth are sold merely as curiosities and are thus sold with a Normal value at 75% of the price provided in the Players Handbook. If a character is seen in such armor, they become the subject of conversation, speculation and most intriguing rumor.

Daraq: This small buckler fits in the hand in such a way that its wielder can hold both it and a simple light weapon in the same hand.

Armor

Armor	Cost	Armor Class	Stealth	Weight
Medium Armor
Lamellar	900 gp	15 + Dex modifier (max 2)	-	20 lbs.
Shield
Daraq	1 gp	+1	-	2 lbs

Weapons

Zakhara features many weapons common in other places in Aber-Toril; however, weapons with the Heavy property are uncommon, although not entirely unheard of. Many additions here are weapons of ambush and assassination, both favored tactics of the otherwise honorable combatants of Zakhara. These weapons are often used in conjunction with the poisons found later in the chapter to better maximize their chance at eliminating the intended target.

Adventuring Gear

Poisons

Given their insidious and deadly nature, poisons are illegal in most cities but are a favorite tool among assassins.

Poisons come in the following four types.

Contact. A creature that touches contact poison with exposed skin suffers its effects.

Ingested. A creature must swallow an entire dose of ingested poison to suffer its effects. You might decide that a partial dose has a reduced effect, such as allowing advantage on the saving throw or dealing only half damage on a failed save.

Inhaled. These poisons are powders or gases that take effect when they are inhaled. A single dose fills a 5-foot cube.

Injury. A creature that takes slashing or piercing damage from a weapon or piece of ammunition coated with injury poison is exposed to its effects.

Each type of poison has its own debilitating effects.

Afflux Elixir(Injury). A favorite of torturers. Whenever the creature is subjected to this poison, it must make a DC 14 Constitution saving throwor it becomes frightened of any source that damages it for 1 minute. If the initial saving throw is failed, the creature makes a new saving throw every 6 hours. The poison ends on a successful save.

Assassin’s Blood (Ingested). A creature subjected to this poison must make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, it takes 6 (1d12) poison damage and is poisoned for 24 hours. On a successful save, the creature takes half damage and isn’t poisoned.

Black Pine Oil (Injury). A creature subjected to this poison must make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the target is poisoned for 1 minute and has their movement speed reduced to 0. The creature’s movement speed returns at a rate of 5 ft. per round until it is fully restored. The creature’s movement is initially only reduced by 10 if they succeed at their saving throw. Their movement speed recovers as normal.

Clothing

The clothing of Zakharan natives is widely different from the thick wool and furs of their Northern cousins. The most notable difference is the cut of the cloth; the high heat of day in Zakhara necessitates a very loose flowing cut of cloth to allow for unrestricted air flow underneath. Additionally Zakharans tend to favor cotton and silks over wool as these material tend to breath better than the heavy materials of other cultures' clothing options.

In most situations, almost every bit of skin is covered by cloth (in both men and women), to prevent the blazing heat of the midday sun from scorching the delicate, undarkened skin of the wearers. The notable exceptions are the face and hands, but even these too are subject to being covered by veils and gloves depending on regional styles and the needs of the wearer.

As a rule the Al-Badia tend to dress more simply than the Al-Hadhar, due to a limitation on the availability of various materials.

Clothing Sets

Aba: The traditional desert robe, simple and flowing in design.

Agal: A cord or group of cords designed to hold a keffiyeh snugly to the head.

Anklet: A bracelet worn loosely above the feet, usually made of silver.

Caftan: A flowing ankle-length overgarment, cinched at the waist with a sash. The caftan is typically more closely cut than the aba.

Chador: A full-body robe for women, complete with a hood and face-covering that may conceal even the wearer’s eyes.

Dishdashah: A simple tunic, usually worn by farmers and poor merchants. Typically knee height in length but may go down to the ankles.

Dolman: A loose, floor-length robe with sleeves, similar to the aba but preferred in more urban areas as a common form of dress

Fez: A round felt hat for men that looks like a short cone with a flat top.

Jellaba: A heavy “winter aba,” worn over the traditional aba, and usually made of wool or felt.

Keffiyeh: The traditional headcloth worn by most men and women of Zakhara.

Turban Wrap: A long strip of fabric wrapped around the head to produce the turban common in many cities in the Land of Fate. If wrapped around a skull cap, the turban is a flattened sphere. If wrapped around a fez or other support, the turban is taller, rounder, and more impressive.

Other Items and Services

Services

The cities of Zakhara have a wide diversity of services for adventurers willing to lighten their purses. Below is a list of services available in any city across the continent.

Barber: Zakharan barbers are reknowned across all of Toril for their skill and speed. As such hiring one has become a status symbol for anyone looking to stay up to date with current fashion. A good barber can cut and shave well over 100 men a day.

Clerk: Clerks will draft paperwork for anyone who has coin. They are knowledgable about the local beauracracies and how to avoid the pitfalls of the local laws. Additionally, many clerks serve as moneychangers with a charge of 3% on top of any coins they exhcange. They charge a minimum of 1 days work.

Criminal: Criminals are available for hire to anyone who knows where to look. Even those who live upon the heights will stoop to the seedy slums to hire a criminal for some misdeed. Criminals always try to maximize their profits, so they take the greater of the two arrangements set forth in the table.

Dungeoneer: Experienced dungeoneers are always available to help break into forgotten ruins and crypts. They will aid employers in bypassing traps for a fee, but will not participate in combat.

Expert Laborer: Expert laborers are extremely competent hirlings that have expertise in at least one skill.

Fence: A criminal fence is a safe place to offload stolen goods.

Lawyer: The laws of Zakhara are complex and dense, only someone who has spent a lifetime studying the law can navigate its dangerous waters safely. Lawyers are generally difficult to hire and are picky about who they take on as clients, lest they hurt their reputation. However, if the client offers enough money, any issues can be overlooked.

Magic-Trained Laborer: These laborers know some minor spells to ensure quality products at timely speed. They produce expert level products in half the time.

Messengers: Urban bound messemgers will act as a courier for general parcels for 2 cp/ mile. They can cover almost 50 miles a day, and often loaded with dozens of parcels. Wilderness messengers often do not have the same level of business as their urban compatriots and general face significantly more dangers; as such, they tend to charge 2 gp/ mile for their services.

Mourner: Well loved people often have the wailing and cries of family members escorting their funeral. However, not everyone has the luxury of family or the luxury of being well loved. Professional mourners ensure that the body's soul is guided into the afterlife with ulalating cries.

Navigator: The waters of the Golden Gulf are not a simple thing to be trifled with. Trained navigators should be hired for every voyage in the waters around Zakhara, no matter how short the trip.

Physician: The Al-Hadar of Zakhara have a noble tradition of practicing medicine outside of the confines of magic. If someone needs the skills of a medical proffesional, they should look to the various physicians schools throughout the continent.

Rawun: Rawuns are the bards of Zakhara. Unlike their noble cousins, Rawuns are not just entertainers, they are teachers and philosophers who hold to an oral history of the world. They often perforn through storytelling accompanied with music.

Sage: A sage is a master of learning. She has studied musty books of lore and memorized rhymes, sagas, and histories. Different sages specialize in different fields. Given time, a sage can puzzle out the answer to almost any question or riddle relating to her area of expertise.

Surveyor: A surveyor is responsible for determining the boundaries of land holdings in civilized areas.

Wilderness Guide: Wilderness guides can guide an employer to anywhere in Zakhara via a land route. Additionally they can provide advantage to survival checks to find food when not on one of the Anvils.

Slaves

Slaves are not an uncommon sight in Zakhara; most well off families will own at least one, wealthy families or business will have many.

Legality of Slavery: The owning of slaves is not banned by the Laws of the Loregiver, but cruel ownership is. Many individuals in the Land of Fate object to slavery and refuse to own slaves; slavery is not legal in all cities or regions. As such slaves are generally well treated, earning respect as befits their ability and occasionally pay.

In addition, slavery is most often the result of the inability to pay off a debt. As a result, chatel slavery is atypical and highly looked down upon by Zakharans.

Trade Goods

Zakhara is well known for its unique fabrics and exotic spice. Traders come from Calimshan, Chult and Kar-Tur to obtain shiploads of rare goods from the jewels of the desert.

Magic Items

Antikythera Mechanism

Wonderous item, very rare

This large, compass like object will direct you to the nearest instance of anything requested of it. To employ this effect, the user must hold the compass and concentrate on a specific creature or object of her choice. The mechanism will thereafter point to the subject that most closely matches the holder’s visualization or to the highest concentration of subjects within 1 mile.

The more specific the subject is, the more accurate the direction will be; if the subject is too general, the device won’t provide a meaningful reading.

Blade of Forgetfulness

Weapon (Scimitar), rare (requires attunement)

This scimitar is a favorite of assassins. By moving the blade in a figure eight pattern, you can cast Modify Memory on another creature, DC 13, except you can only make the target forget the last 10 minutes.

Once used in this way, the sword becomes inert until you take a long rest.

Book of Omens

Wonderous item, uncommon (requires attunement)

This book of prayers allows you some insight into the days future.

Each morning, at dawn, you may read from this prayer book and gain two Portent dice.

Boots of Jaunting

Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement)

These dark leather boots help you move unhindered in the battlefield. While attuned to these boots, you can teleport 10-ft as a bonus action.

Bracers of The Iron Mind

Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement)

These bracers are made of a soft and malleable metal, perfect for an intelligent mind to work with. While attuned to these bracers, you may use your intelligence modifier instead of your dexterity modifier for calculating your AC.

Carpet of Flying

Wonderous item, very rare

You can speak the carpets command word as an action to cause it to start flying. It moves according to your commands, provided that you are within 30 ft of it.

There are four types of carpet, the one given to the players is decided by the DM.

A carpet can carry up to twice the weight shown on the table, but it flies at half speed if it carries more than its normal capacity.

Cutlass of the Golden Gulf

Weapon (cutlass), rare (requires attunement)

This cutlass is a magical weapon favored by corsairs and other sailors.

The Cutlass of the Golden Gulf is a +1 cutlass. While attuned to this cutlass, you are able to breath underwater and have a swim speed equal to your movement speed.

Dagger of Fiery Demise

Weapon (jambiya), very rare (requires attunement)

This jambiya is ornamented with blue and silver fixtures, when drawn it wreathes itself in a ghostly blue flame.

The Dagger of Fiery Demise is a +1 jambiya.

Creatures damaged by this jambiya must make a Constitution saving throw, DC 15. On a failure, the creature is engulfed in blue flame taking an additional 1d8 necrotic damage each turn. It may repeat its saving throw each turn.

Dimensional Anchor

Wondrous item, very rare

This statue comes in many forms but each one binds nearby creatures to their locations in the world. Creatures within 50 feet of this statue cannot teleport. Creatures can, however, teleport into the range of the statue.

Chapter 5| In the Bazaar

Genie Prisons

Wondrous item, varies

These magical devices come in a variety of forms in the Land of Fate: bottles for djinn and efreet, stoppered ewers for marids, and geodes or crystal decanters for dao. They are used by sha’irs to capture and discipline genies. Some genies so captured deserve their fate; they are mischievous, dangerous, or hateful. Some are innocent of any crimes, but were imprisoned by evil or misguided sha’irs. All will claim innocence in such matters. Roll on (or choose from) the following table to determine the type of genie imprisoned, and therefore the type of genie prison (bottle, ewer, geode or decanter):

A genie so imprisoned may be charged by its imprisoner to perform certain actions upon release. The DM may choose or roll randomly from the following table:

Golden Water

Wonderous item, very rare

This small crystalline vial allows its user to make a never ending source of water.

It contains five distinct golden droplets. When a droplet is poured onto any substance other than crystal or precious metal, a tiny portal to the demi-plane of water is opened causing a small fountain to bubble into the air, forever.

If a drop is put into a mundane waterskin or canteen, it transforms it into a Decanter of Endless Water.

Hamsa Amulet

Wonderous item, rare

This ornate hand shaped amulet protects from the envy and jealousy of others.

While wearing this amulet, you automatically succeed on saving throws against the evil eye.

Jambiya of Fate

Weapon (jambiya), rare (requires attunement)

Fate smiles on the wielder of this dagger.

While attuned to this dagger, you can call on Fate with a -5% to the percentile role.

Jewel of Seven Colors

Wonderous item, rare (requires attunement)

This seven sided gem gleams with an inner light, shifting from color to color.

While attuned to this item, you may use a bonus action to change the damage type of your next spell to one of the following: Acid, Cold, Fire, Lightning, Necrotic, Radiant, or Thunder.

This item may be used as a spellcasting focus.

Mages Manacles

Wonderous item, rare

These bulky brass manacles are held together by sturdy brass bar inscribed with abjuration runes. Any spellcaster who is held by both manacles loses all spell slots.

Potion of Dreaming

Wonderous item, uncommon

The imbiber of this potion experienced a vision of something that they desired. After consuming the potion, the imbiber named something that they wished to learn more about. When they went to sleep, they had a dream that revealed one fact about the named object, including the object's location, dangers regarding the object, etc.

Each potion allowed for one dream. Upon waking, the imbiber vividly remembered the information garnered from the dream.

Paradise Cloak

Wonderous item, uncommon (requires attunement)

This long cloak is made with the captivating feathers of a bird of paradise.

While attuned to this item, you may use a bonus action to gain the effects of the spell Sanctuary (DC 15). Once the cloak is used in this way, it cannot be used again until you have taken a long rest.

The Saber of Sultan Suliman I

Weapon (scimitar), very rare (requires attunement)

While attuned to this saber, you Intelligence becomes 19, if your score is already 19 this has no effect. Additionally attacks made with this saber use your Intelligence modifier instead of your Strength modifier.

Also, while attuned to this saber, you are considered proficient in all Intelligence based skill checks.

Saddle of the Sands

Wonderous item, uncommon

This well made camel saddle is adorned in turquoise and silver, and comes with a bridle and reigns.

When placed on sandy terrain, this saddle will cause a magical camel, made entirely of sand, to rise up and carry the owner. It obeys whoever holds its reins, but if the saddle is removed it immediately disintegrates back into sand.

The camel has all of the stats of a typical camel except that it's Intelligence is 16 and it has Resistance to slashing and piercing damage from non-magical weapons.

Seal of Solomon

Weapon (scimitar), legendary (requires attunement)

An simple scimitar with a complex circle etched into the blade.

The Seal of Solomon is a +3 scimitar. On a critical hit against a demon, devil, or genie, you can make an opposed Charisma check to seal the target in a pocket dimension. If a being already occupies the pocket dimension while this happens, it is unceremoniously ejected.

While attuned to this weapon, you may speak to its inhabitant. Any deal struck between the wielder and the genie is enforced by magic, breaking the deal makes the infringing party take 20d10 psychic damage.

There is a 25% chance that the sword is occupied when found.

Talismanic Tunic of Ninety-Nine Names

Wonderous item, very rare (requires attunement)

A silk tunic with the Ninety-Nine Names of Creation written on it.

While attuned to this cloth shirt your AC is 13 + your Dexterity Modifier. As an action you may gain resistance to one of the following types of damage for 1 min: Bludgeoning, Piercing, Slashing, Cold, Fire, Force, or Lightning.

Once you use this ability, you cannot use it again until you take a short or long rest.

Turban of Unwinding

Wonderous item, uncommon

If unwound clockwise then it unwinds normally, but if unwound counter-clockwise then it just keeps unwinding, unfolding into up to 500' of cloth strong enough to act as climbing rope. Cut sections turn to dust.

Chapter 6 Foes of Zakhara

Afanc

The afanc is a humongous fish greatly feared in Zakhara for its ability to create whirlpools. It is also known as the gawwar samakat. The afanc has a long and sleek body covered in grey or blue scales. Due to its size, it is often confused for a whale when sighted first. Afanc move with uncanny speed and swim fast enough to create whirlpools. These whirlpools can sink entire ships. Once capsized, the afanc devours the helpless crew. Young afanc can sometimes be found in rivers, either in small groups or as individuals. It is rumoured that a group of young afanc can create a whirlpool just like and adult.

Adult Afanc

Gargantuan monstrosity, neutral evil

---

• Armour Class 16 (natural armour)
• Hit Points 217 (14d20+70)
• Speed 0 ft., swim 90 ft.

---

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
22 (+6)	16 (+3)	20 (+5)	6 (-2)	15 (+2)	9 (-1)

---

• Saving Throws Dex +7, Int +2, Wis +6
• Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 16
• Languages —
• Challenge 12 (8,400 XP)

---

Siege Monster. The afanc deals double damage to objects and structures.

Water Breathing. The afanc can breathe only underwater.

Actions

Multiattack. The afanc makes one attack with its bite and one with its tail slap.

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 24 (4d8+6) piercing damage. If the target is a Large or smaller creature, it must succeed on a DC 16 Dexterity saving throw or be swallowed by the worm. While swallowed, the target is blinded and restrained, it has total cover against attacks and other effects outside the afanc, and it takes 14 (4d6) acid damage at the start of each of the afanc's turns. An afanc can have only one creature swallowed at a time.

If the afanc takes 20 damage or more on a single turn from the swallowed creature, the afanc must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw at the end of that turn or regurgitate the creature, which falls prone in a space within 10 feet of the afanc. If the afanc dies, a swallowed creature is no longer restrained by it and can escape from the corpse by using 10 feet of movement, exiting prone.

Tail Slap. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 34 (6d8+6) bludgeoning damage.

Whirlpool (Recharge 5-6). If in water, the afanc forms a whirlpool that is 15 feet wide at the base, up to 30 feet tall and 30 feet wide. Any creature within a range of 30 feet is drawn 5 feet towards the whirlpool. A creature can swim away from the whirlpool with a successful DC 16 Strength check. A creature that enters the whirlpool must succeed on a DC 16 Strength saving throw or takes 14 (4d6) bludgeoning damage and be caught in the whirlpool.

A creature caught in the whirlpool can use its action to swim away from the whirlpool with a successful DC 16 Strength check. An object in the whirlpool takes 14 (4d6) bludgeoning damage at the beginning of each of its turn in the whirlpool. The whirlpools lasts 10 minutes or until the afanc's concentration ends (as if concentrating on a spell).

Al-Jahar

The al-jahar, also known as the dazzle, appears to be a beautiful and charming humanoid - most often a human - but is actually an evil and manipulative being. In its true form, the al-jahar appears to be a genderless winged humanoid comprised of sparkling white motes and waves of almost invisible desert heat. An al-jahar will reveal this form only when alone or if it is absolutely necessary. Al-jahar are rumoured to come from the Haunted Lands or the Ruined Kingdoms.

Pride and Sorcery. An al-jahar is almost always encountered in disguise. It feeds on strong emotions, preferably anger, greed, and lust. In small villages and towns, an al-jahar risks being unmasked and driven away. Thus, most al-jahar are found in big cities filled with people to feed on. An al-jahar's victim feels exhausted and emotionally drained after some hours in its presence, but is otherwise unaffected. Occasionally, al-jahar use their innate magical powers to ignite a fight and feed on the emotions of the participants.

Amiq Rasol

Amiq rasol, also known as deep men or dark men, are undead corsairs that died at sea or were marooned. Corsairs who refuse to acknowledge or reject the Enlightened gods may also become amiq rasol. Amiq rasol look like rotten corpses, but disguise their true form with innate illusionary abilities.

Undead Corsairs. Amiq rasol haunt the coasts and islands close to their place of death. Evil amiq rasol kill those unlucky enough to stumble upon them, whereas the less malevolent ones merely scare them. Amiq rasol will find no rest until they are properly buried or resurrected, and reform even when their physical form is destroyed.

Ammut

The ammut are a monstrous race that consumes the damned and witnesses their final judgement. Horrific in apperance, ammut have the scaly legs and tail of a crocodile, the body and neck of a hippopotamus, and the sleek arms and head of a humanoid lioness. Gluttonous and bloated, the ammut are nevertheless powerful creatures.

Last Witnesses. The ammut are a reclusive race that avoids sunlight and contact with other races. Ammut clans dwell in caverns, preferably under and oasis or near an underground river, and are governed by hereditary female leaders. Ammut eat common creatures, and also consume the souls of the damned. They sometimes leave their caves at night, killing the evil and wicked to provide themselves with food.

El Amlakkar

The amlakkar (singular amlak) were the police force in Calishite cities, composed of indentured servants. Every drudach was assigned at least a dozen amlakkar, residing in the amlakkhan (barracks). The amlakkar report to the yuzas (captain), who reports to the Sultan of the ward or his vizar (adviser), as well as the druzir of the drudach.

The amlakkar had the lowest status among the armed forces of Calimshan. Their duties were to see to the peace and protection of the drudach to which they were assigned.

Amlak Yuzas

Medium humanoid (human), lawful neutral

---

• Armour Class 15 (studded leather)
• Hit Points 65 (10d8 + 20)
• Speed 30ft.

---

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
15 (+2)	16 (+3)	14 (+2)	14 (+2)	14 (+2)	11 (+0)

---

• Saving Throws Str +4, Dex +5, Wis +2
• Skills Athletics +4, Investigation +4
• Senses passive Perception 12
• Languages Common, Alzhedo
• Challenge 2 (450 XP)

---

Actions

Multiattack. The amlak makes three melee attacks: two with its scimitar and one with its dagger. Or the amlak makes two ranged attacks with its daggers.

Scimitar. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit 6 (1d6 + 3) slashing damage.

Dagger. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5ft., or range 20/60ft., one target. Hit 5 (1d4 + 3) piercing damage.

Reactions

Parry. The amlak adds 2 to its AC against one melee attack that would hit it. To do so, the amlak must see the attacker and be wielding a melee weapon.

Brotherhood of The True Flame

Brothers of The Flame believe that Fire Magic is the purest form of magic and that practitioners of other magics are inferior.

Thunderwalkers

Elementals

Lesser Fire Elemental

Small elemental, neutral

---

• Armor Class 13
• Hit Points 13 (3d6)
• Speed 40 ft.

---

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
4 (-3)	16 (+3)	10 (+0)	6 (-2)	10 (+0)	7 (-2)

---

• **Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical weapons
• Damage Immunities fire, poison
• Condition Immunities exhaustion, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restained, unconscious
• Senses darkvision 60 ft, passive Perception 10
• Languages Ignan
• Challenge 1 (200 XP)

---

• Fire Form. The elemental can move through a space as narrow as 1/8-inch wide without squeezing. When a creature touches the elemental or hits it with a melee attack while within 5 feet of it, the elemental can use its reaction to cause the creature to take 2 (1d4) fire damage. Additionally, the elemental can choose to ignite flammable objects its body touches that aren’t being worn or carried.
• Fire Sight. The elemental can see normally through any fire and cannot be blinded due to bright light, whether magical or nonmagical fire or light. For example, the elemental can see normally through a wall of fire as though it were not opaque.
• Illumination. The elemental sheds bright light in a 20-foot radius and dim light for an additional 20 feet.
• Invisible in Fire. The elemental is invisible while fully within flames.
• Water Susceptibility. For every 5 feet the elemental moves in water, or for every gallon of water splashed on it, it takes 1 cold damage.

Actions

• Touch. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d4+3) fire damage. If the target is a creature it is now burning, and if a flammable object it instantaneously ignites. Until a creature takes an action to douse a burning target, the target takes 2 (1d4) fire damage at the start of each of its turns.

Lesser Water Elemental

Small elemental, neutral

---

• Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
• Hit Points 19 (3d6+6)
• Speed 30 ft., swim 40 ft.

---

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
10 (+0)	14 (+2)	14 (+2)	5 (-3)	10 (+0)	8 (-1)

---

• Damage Resistances acid; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical weapons
• Damage Immunities poison
• Condition Immunities exhaustion, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restained, unconscious
• Senses darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 30 ft., passive Perception 10
• Languages Aquan
• Challenge 1 (200 XP)

---

• Water Form. The elemental can enter a hostile creature's space and stop there. It can move through a space as narrow as 1/8-inch wide without squeezing.
• Water Sense* The elemental’s tremorsense only works to perceive things within a liquid it is currently in contact with.
• Freeze. If the elemental takes cold damage, it partially freezes; its speed is reduced by 20 feet until the end of its next turn.
• Invisible in Water. Any part of the elemental that is immersed in water is invisible.

Actions

• Pseudopod. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4+2) bludgeoning damage, and if the target is size Medium or smaller, it must succeed on a DC 10 Strength saving throw or fall prone.

Sandmen

Medium elemental, neutral evil

---

• Armor Class 16 (natural armor)
• Hit Points 48 (6d8+18)
• Speed 30 ft.

---

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
16 (+3)	10 (+0)	16 (+3)	5 (-3)	10 (+0)	8 (-1)

---

• Damage Vulnerabilities thunder
• Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical weapons
• Damage Immunities poison
• Condition Immunities exhaustion, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, unconscious
• Senses darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 30 ft., passive Perception 10
• Languages Terran
• Challenge 3 (700 XP)

---

• Sand Form. The elemental can enter a hostile creature's space and stop there. It can move through a space as narrow as 1/8-inch wide without squeezing.
• False Appearance. While the elemental remains motionless, it can become indistinguishable from a normal patch of sand.

Actions

Multiattack. The elemental makes two slam attacks. Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6+3) bludgeoning damage. Dessicating Touch (1/day) The elemental makes a Slam attack against a creature. On a hit, the target makes a Constitution saving throw. On a fail, the target loses 1d4 Constitution until its next long rest.

Fire Beetles

A fire beetle is a nocturnal creature that takes its name from a pair of glowing glands that give off light. Miners and adventurers prize these creatures, for a fire beetle's glands continue to shed light for several days after the beetle dies. Fire beetles are most commonly found underground, in dark forests, or in dry arid climates.

Genies

The genies found in the Land of Fate and originally from the Elemental Planes are more common and diverse than anywhere else on Toril. They are rulers, agents, servants, slaves, politicians, warriors, and sometimes found in the service of a genie-binding sha'ir.

Janni Sheikh

Medium elemental (genie), neutral good

---

• Armour Class 16 (ring mail)
• Hit Points 127 (15d8+60)
• Speed 30 ft., fly 40 ft.

---

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
21 (+5)	14 (+2)	18 (+4)	16 (+3)	10 (+0)	15 (+2)

---

• Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10
• Languages Genie, Midani
• Challenge 6 (2,300 XP)

---

Innate Spellcasting. The genie's innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 13). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:

3/day: invisibility

1/day each: create food and water, enlarge/reduce, etherealness

Amphibious. The genie can breathe air and water.

Magic Resistance. While in the desert, the genie has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Actions

Multiattack. The genie makes two attacks with its great scimitar or longbow.

Great Scimitar. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (2d6+5) slashing damage.

Longbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, range 150/600 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d8+2) piercing damage.

Janni Vizier

Medium elemental (genie), neutral good

---

Armour Class 13 (natural armour) Hit Points 105 (14d8+42) Speed 30 ft., fly 40 ft.

---

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
18 (+4)	16 (+3)	16 (+3)	20 (+5)	16 (+3)	16 (+3)

---

• Skills Arcana +8, History +8, Perception +6
• Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 16
• Languages Genie, Midani
• Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)

---

Innate Spellcasting. The genie's innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 16). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:

3/day each: augury, detect magic, divination, greater invisibility

1/day each: create food and water, enlarge/reduce, etherealness

Amphibious. The genie can breathe air and water.

Magic Resistance. While in the desert, the genie has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Actions

Multiattack. The genie makes two attacks with its quarterstaff.

Quarterstaff. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d6+4) bludgeoning damage, or 8 (1d8+4) bludgeoning damage if wielded with two hands.

Janni Amir

Medium elemental (genie), neutral good

---

• Armour Class 16 (ring mail)
• Hit Points 153 (18d8+72)
• Speed 30 ft., fly 40 ft.

---

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
22 (+6)	14 (+2)	18 (+4)	17 (+3)	14 (+2)	17 (+3)

---

• Skills Insight +5, Persuasion +6
• Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10
• Languages Genie, Midani
• Challenge 7 (2,900 XP)

---

Innate Spellcasting. The genie's innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 14). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:

3/day: greater invisibility

1/day each: create food and water, enlarge/reduce, etherealness

Amphibious. The genie can breathe air and water.

Magic Resistance. While in the desert, the genie has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Actions

Multiattack. The genie makes three attacks with its great scimitar.

Great Scimitar. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d6+6) slashing damage.

Reactions

Parry. The genie adds 3 to its AC against one melee attack that would hit it. To do so, the genie must see the attacker and be wielding a melee weapon.

Khayal

The khayal are a race of genies from the Shadowfell. Like the jann, the khayal are tied equally strong to all four Elemental Planes, but originally lacked a form. They gained their shape - grey skin, a muscular build, inherent swiftness - on the Plane of Shadow, where they now dwell. Most khayal can be found in the City of Onyx, a place of twisted spires and high minarets that pays no heed to the laws of architecture or physics. The Malik al-Khayal, the King of Shadows, rules the khayal from the Grand Palace of Endings. Other khayal communities are ruled by emirs.

Honest and Deceptive. Khayal mistrust most other races, including other genies. When khayal and jann meet, conflict is likely, for the two races have had many feuds over the centuries. Khayal respect humans and members of other races that defeat them in combat or outsmart them. Lying to another khayal is considered a great sin in khayal society, though deceiving other creatures is no taboo at all and almost a compulsion. In combat, khayal rely on their agility and do everything to win; they consider the concept of a fair fight to be utterly ludicrous.

Noble Dao

Noble dao are the rulers of the genies from the Elemental Plane of Earth. Both male and female noble dao are powerful individuals. Their skin can have any colour of earth and ranges from black over tan and yellow to white. Male noble dao often sport moustaches styled in an almost ridiculous fashion, and both genders like turbans, rings, and heavy necklaces.

Master Slavers. Noble dao are just as greedy as their common kin and enjoy stealing treasure or being bribed. Though physically tough and equipped with retractable metal fingernails, noble dao fight only when the odds are good or they have no other option. They prefer to send mercenaries or slaves into combat instead. Some noble dao are local rulers, whereas other spend their time at the court of the Great Khan of the Dao.

Noble Djinni

Noble djinn are master of the province of wind, and rulers of all genies from the Elemental Plane of Air. Noble Djinn pride themselves to be the tallest and fairest of all geniekind and like to wear jewellery and pompous clothing to distinguish themselves from their common kin.

Masters of Wind. When noble djinn leave their home plane, they will either ride an animal - usually an elephant or a splendid camel - or be carried in a palanquin by djinni servants. Under no circumstances will they allow their feet to touch the ground - something which noble djinn consider to be dishonourable. Noble djinn either serve as leaders for small groups of djinn or reside at the court of the Great Caliph of the Djinn.

Noble Efreeti

Massive and muscular, noble efreeti are the ruler of all genies from the Elemental Plane of Fire. Formally, all noble efreeti are obedient to the Sultan of the City of Brass. However, only some of them reside in the fabled City of Brass whereas other noble efreeti are essentially warlords that rule their own domains.

Burning Evil. Noble efreeti are even more arrogant and cruel than their common kin. They have few allies and fewer friends anywhere, even on their home plane. A noble efreeti's skin has the colour of basalt, its eyes are burning and its hair looks like woven brass. Noble efreeti wear little clothing so their muscles are visible, and they chose their jewellery and weapons not only to adorn themselves, but also to intimidate their opponents.

Noble Marid

Noble marids are the rulers of all genie from the Elemental Plane of Water. Unlike their fishlike lesser kin, noble marids resemble humanoids, though some claim that this is merely an illusion, and that the marids' true form is terrible to behold. Marid only wear the finest clothes, and enjoy displaying their physique to intimidate lesser creatures.

Aquatic Rulers. All marids claim to be of noble of even royal descent, but the truly noble marids are those who serve the Great Padisha of the Marids residing in the Citadel of Ten Thousand Pearls. Nevertheless, even noble marids like to bestow themselves with additional fancy titles and require their servants to address them using all of them. Noble marids are excellent storytellers - telling stories that generally glorify marids and belittle their enemies.

Large elemental (genie), neutral evil Armour Class 17 (natural armour) Hit Points 270 (20d10+160) Speed 30 ft., fly 60 ft., swim 90 ft. STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 24 (+7) 12 (+1) 28 (+9) 20 (+5) 18 (+4) 19 (+4) Saving Throws Dex +5, Wis +7, Cha +8 Skills Perception +9, Performance +13 Damage Resistances acid, cold, lightning Senses blindsight 30 ft., darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 19 Languages Aquan, Genie Challenge 15 (13,000 XP) Amphibious. The marid can breathe air and water. Innate Spellcasting. The marid's innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 16, +8 to hit with spell attacks). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components: At will: create or destroy water, detect evil and good, detect magic, fog cloud, purify food and drink 3/day each: control water, counterspell, haste, tongues, water breathing, water walk 1/day each: conjure elemental (water elemental only), gaseous form, ice storm, invisibility, plane shift Magic Resistance. The marid has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects. Actions Multiattack. The marid makes three trident attacks. Great Trident. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +12 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 30/80 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (3d6+7) piercing damage, or 20 (3d8+7) piercing damage if used with two hands to make a melee attack. Water Jet. The marid magically shoots water in a 60-foot line that is 10 feet wide. Each creature in that line must make a DC 18 Dexterity saving throw. On a failure, a target takes 42 (12d6) bludgeoning damage and, if it is Huge or smaller, is pushed up to 20 feet away from the marid and knocked prone. On a success, a target takes half the bludgeoning damage, but is neither pushed nor knocked prone. Qorrashi Distant relatives of the djinn, qorrash are elemental spirits of cold and ice. A qorrashi appears as a blue-skinned humanoid with sharp features and a body covered in a fine layer of frost. They are surrounded by an aura of frigid cold noticeable even in the coldest of climates. Cold Recluses. Most other genies never meet a qorrashi, but those who do consider them to be strange and alien. In the Land of fate, qorrash will only be found in the service of another creature, or maybe in a cold region such as the World Pillar Mountains. Qorrashi Large elemental (genie), lawful neutral Armour Class 16 (natural armour) Hit Points 110 (13d10+39) Speed 30 ft., fly 60 ft. STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 20 (+5) 17 (+3) 16 (+3) 14 (+2) 15 (+2) 15 (+2) Saving Throws Dex +6, Con +6, Cha +5 Damage Immunities cold Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12 Languages Auran, Celestial, Genie, Ignan, telepathy 120 ft. Challenge 5 (1,800 XP) Ice Walk. The genie can move across and climb icy surfaces without needing to make an ability check. Additionally, difficult terrain composed of ice or snow doesn't cost it extra moment. Innate Spellcasting. The genie's innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 13, +5 to hit with spell attacks). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components: At will: absorb elements, invisibility (self only) 3/day each: cone of cold, ice storm 1/day each: create food and water, gaseous form, plane shift, wind walk Actions Multiattack. The genie makes two slam attacks. Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (2d6+5) bludgeoning damage plus 7 (2d6) cold damage.

Qorrashi

Distant relatives of the djinn, qorrash are elemental spirits of cold and ice. A qorrashi appears as a blue-skinned humanoid with sharp features and a body covered in a fine layer of frost. They are surrounded by an aura of frigid cold noticeable even in the coldest of climates.

Cold Recluses. Most other genies never meet a qorrashi, but those who do consider them to be strange and alien. In the Land of fate, qorrash will only be found in the service of another creature, or maybe in a cold region such as the World Pillar Mountains.

Large elemental (genie), lawful neutral Armour Class 16 (natural armour) Hit Points 110 (13d10+39) Speed 30 ft., fly 60 ft. STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 20 (+5) 17 (+3) 16 (+3) 14 (+2) 15 (+2) 15 (+2) Saving Throws Dex +6, Con +6, Cha +5 Damage Immunities cold Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12 Languages Auran, Celestial, Genie, Ignan, telepathy 120 ft. Challenge 5 (1,800 XP) Ice Walk. The genie can move across and climb icy surfaces without needing to make an ability check. Additionally, difficult terrain composed of ice or snow doesn't cost it extra moment. Innate Spellcasting. The genie's innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 13, +5 to hit with spell attacks). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components: At will: absorb elements, invisibility (self only) 3/day each: cone of cold, ice storm 1/day each: create food and water, gaseous form, plane shift, wind walk Actions Multiattack. The genie makes two slam attacks. Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (2d6+5) bludgeoning damage plus 7 (2d6) cold damage.

Kaburya

Crab Swarm

Medium swarm of Tiny beasts, unaligned

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• Armour Class: 16(natural armour)
• Hit Points 110 (13d10+39)
• Speed 30 ft., swim 60 ft.

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STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
4 (-3)	16 (+3)	16 (+3)	1 (-5)	8 (-2)	1 (-5)

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• Damage Resistances: Bludgeoning, Piercing, Slashing
• Condition Immunities: Charmed, Frightened, Grappled, Paralyzed, Petrified, Prone, Restrained, Stunned
• Senses: Blindsight 10 Ft., passive Perception 8
• Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)

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Swarm. The swarm can occupy another creature's space and vice versa, and the swarm can move through any opening large enough for a Tiny crab. The swarm can't regain hit points or gain temporary hit points.

Actions

Bites (swarm has more than half HP). Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 0 ft., one target in the swarm's space. Hit: (6d8) piercing damage.

Bites (swarm has half HP or less). Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 0 ft., one target in the swarm's space. Hit: (4d8) piercing damage.

Chapter 7 Magic in Zakhara

The magic of Zakhara is primordial compared to the magic of the Sword Coast. The wizards of Al-Qadim tend to focus on only one or two of the major elemental forces. Those who do not focus on the elemental magics are often regarded with some small degree of suspicion. As charming sentient creatures or creating illusions are the work of demons and genies.

Sorcerers, on the other hand, are another breed entirely. While not distrusted, they are not as well regarded as their more erudite cousins.

To highlight the Province associated with a spell, some spells will have that Province after their name, in parentheses, indicating their source of power. This is primarily for the Zakharan wizard sub-classes, who cannot take spells marked in this way from any province but their own.

Blister (Sand)

1st-level evocation

• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: 60 feet
• Components: V, S
• Duration: Instantaneous
• Class: Elementalist, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard

You pull salt from the air around you, solidify it into tiny granuals and propelling them in a 60-foot cone originating from your position.

Creatures caught in this cone must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or take 2d8 piercing damage and suffer disadvantage on all Charisma checks. The disadvantage ends when the creature is healed or finishes a long rest.

Bodylink

5th-level necromancy

• Casting Time: 1 action or 1 reaction when you would be decapitated or dismembered
• Range: Self
• Components: V, S
• Duration: 1 hour
• Class: Warlock, Wizard

This spell links the parts of your body so their separation doesn't affect you. You can lose your head or limbs without taking damage, though you must reattach any missing parts before the spell ends or you will take any damage you ignored from the initial cut and possibly die (surely die if your head is not at tached). If your detached body part is simple pressed in place (likely requiring an action from you or someone else) it automatically reattaches.

While your parts are detached you still control them normally, and they function at any distance so long as they are not taken to another plane of existence. A detached eye still sees, and a detached head can still eat and speak. Detached hands, fingers, or arms are not likely to be able preform the somatic components for spells.

If you cast this as an action on your turn you can sever your own body part, assuming you have suitable tools.

Boiling Blood (Flame)

3rd-level enchanment

• Casting Time: 1 Bonus Action
• Range: 30 feet
• Components: V, S, M (A small blue stone)
• Duration: 1 minute
• Class: Bard, Elementalist, Sorcerer, Warlock

You attempt to enrage a target creature. The target must succeed a Wisdom saving throw or gain the effects of a barbarians rage. The rage ends early if the target makes no attacks and suffers no damage for 1 round; otherwise it lasts for the entirety of the duration.

Brand (Flame)

1st-level evocation (ritual)