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strike up my own shop on the coast of the Crowded Sea." | strike up my own shop on the coast of the Crowded Sea." | ||
- | ## The Tale of the Ancient Vestments | + | ### The Tale of the Ancient Vestments |
The Loregiver tells of an amira in the twelfth century. | The Loregiver tells of an amira in the twelfth century. | ||
Line 447: | Line 447: | ||
items. | items. | ||
- | ## The Tale of the Acolyte' | + | ### The Tale of the Acolyte' |
My compatriot is betrothed to Istishia | My compatriot is betrothed to Istishia | ||
Line 496: | Line 496: | ||
Who is the servant of freedom, | Who is the servant of freedom, | ||
Who is the slave of the blameless. | Who is the slave of the blameless. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ## Magarib 21 | ||
+ | |||
+ | ### The Tale of the Poisoned Water | ||
+ | |||
+ | From Jumlat, reports come of thousands dead by poisoned water. | ||
+ | Tourists, who did not realize that this haunted place was haunted by | ||
+ | demons, and by the ghost of the dead, who lived in the shadows before | ||
+ | the advent of the enchanted market. In the dark of the night, even the | ||
+ | noble. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The city is cloaked in grey and still, and the buildings are seen in | ||
+ | the distance. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The wind chirps in the trees and the gurgling water and the horse | ||
+ | galloping down the road. | ||
+ | |||
+ | It is only one of the many cities and towns where the dark magic of | ||
+ | the Brotherhood of the True Flame is kept in check. | ||
+ | |||
+ | And the corpses of the dead are kept in the hall of the palace. When | ||
+ | the palace guards see people' | ||
+ | if they can get them, they pack them into sacks and transport them to | ||
+ | the palace, where it is dressed and decorated with colorful horns and | ||
+ | other decorations. | ||
+ | |||
+ | There, the dead are kept in a large storage room, in the center of a | ||
+ | small courtyard. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The palace guards are constantly on guard to ensure the safety of the | ||
+ | palace, since the palace is guarded by a long wall of stone with large | ||
+ | iron gates. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Inside the palace gates, the dead are caged, nearly | ||
+ | up to a yard in the wall. | ||
+ | |||
+ | There are no people to see them, and the walls are covered with a | ||
+ | thick, impervious copper coating that prevents too much light entering | ||
+ | the palace. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ### The Tale of the Forced Surrender | ||
+ | |||
+ | They call her Silver Map. She carries on without one of her sisters. | ||
+ | |||
+ | She was a warrior, said to have fought the efreets and | ||
+ | sons of the great ones. A great sage was once her brother. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Her sister has abandoned her, and she has sworn to protect her | ||
+ | from the sun and the moon, from the light of the | ||
+ | long-dead gods, and from the heretics. She has sworn to | ||
+ | destroy all the heretics and never let them stay in the | ||
+ | sultan' | ||
+ | she has no other sisters, and her sister has married the | ||
+ | sultan' | ||
+ | proud of this, as is the sultan himself. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ### The Tale of the Burial Chambers | ||
+ | |||
+ | The burial chambers on abd-Yson island, where the dead are buried | ||
+ | like the animals. The island is inhabited by desert birds, and it provides | ||
+ | their nesting areas. There are caves and sandy beaches here, where | ||
+ | the birds can rest in peace and their eggs can be hatched. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The burial chambers on abd-Yson island, as well as the shrine to the | ||
+ | cold elements, terraced with white marble, was restored to its | ||
+ | original state. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The mass graves of the House of the White Mage are filled with | ||
+ | skeletons of their former homes. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The White Mage is the key to the archipelago' | ||
+ | bishop of the city, Ghedd, is a hulking brute with a scimitar in his hand. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The result is that he is always in the dark about the truth of the | ||
+ | matter, and always appears to be a student of the dark arts. He has | ||
+ | since grown distant from his former friends, and his reduced to bitter | ||
+ | bitterness and jealousy. He hates the White Mage and their dealings | ||
+ | with the marid, who are a constant and very near companion. | ||
+ | |||
+ | He has settled on abd-Yson island, where the nobility worship the cold | ||
+ | of ocean. The dao kingdom is also not far from here, but this island | ||
+ | is surrounded by the waves of the Crowded Sea. Though the palace is | ||
+ | sepuchral, transformed to a place of burial. Sometimes the propaganda | ||
+ | of the city is carried by the acolytes themselves, who are too lazy to | ||
+ | keep track of the marids and the waves. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ## Magarib 22 | ||
+ | |||
+ | ### The Tale of the Entombed Saint | ||
+ | |||
+ | Saint Sheeda min-Hakiyah lead the ships to port. This is well known to | ||
+ | Gavlan and the queen, for the two of them have tended their lives to | ||
+ | be close friends. Gavlan is a great merchant, and purveyor of the | ||
+ | queen' | ||
+ | routine call made by the Ramelan merchant. The queen had come to the | ||
+ | city to see her children, with the goal of seeing the children' | ||
+ | gardens and the royal palaces. She had been told by her father that | ||
+ | she should go to watch the children' | ||
+ | said: "The queen is coming." | ||
+ | |||
+ | "The next morning, the ship was turned back, and when the sailing | ||
+ | vessel had been brought up, I told the captain that I wanted to free | ||
+ | him from the hold." | ||
+ | |||
+ | I laid hold on him, and when the ship was about to be set on its way, | ||
+ | I said: "Why don't you go off with the captain and tell him that, when | ||
+ | he was off, I was going to get him killed." | ||
+ | going," | ||
+ | |||
+ | He then drew his sword and attacked me, and when he had cut off my | ||
+ | head with a knife, I threw him on to the mast where he cut off his | ||
+ | head. Then, as I was lying on top of him, I jumped off from him and | ||
+ | ran off, with the flags of all the Pearl Cities flying above me. Then, | ||
+ | when I had gone, I walked up to the captain and said: "I am Sheeda." | ||
+ | "Tell me," he said. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "I have been told," said Sheeda, "that the Zakharans are our friends | ||
+ | and that you have brought us here." "By God," said the captain, "I | ||
+ | have nothing to do with that. I am a stranger, but I have heard from | ||
+ | you that it is the Zakharans who brought us here." "Where are the | ||
+ | boatmen," | ||
+ | have they come," he answered, and when she asked where they were to be | ||
+ | found, he said: "The great city of Huzuz." | ||
+ | |||
+ | Saint Sheeda min-Hakiyah lead the ships to port, and then, when the | ||
+ | ship is the color of the sun, they sail by the shore. | ||
+ | |||
+ | When the ships are out of the harbor, she is seated on the | ||
+ | teak-throne, | ||
+ | procession with a cup of wild figs in her hand. | ||
+ | |||
+ | She walks next to the shore, where she stops and is joined by the | ||
+ | princess, who sits down by her bed, as does Sheeda " | ||
+ | caliph." | ||
+ | talk to her like a spokesman for his father. When he has finished, he | ||
+ | is joined by the caliph. His father is sitting on the throne, and | ||
+ | Heidar is standing beside him, while the princess sits beside him. She | ||
+ | doesn' | ||
+ | so as well. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ### The Tale of the Wave Axe | ||
+ | |||
+ | A weapon of fey. The name speaks for the specific unit of those who | ||
+ | lost it; for example, it is called the Wave Axe, or a name in the old | ||
+ | tongue that meant " | ||
+ | |||
+ | The Wave Axe in the hands of a master, when in the spite of the fact | ||
+ | that a servant of the god of the sea is not a wizard, the god of the | ||
+ | sea is more powerful. | ||
+ | |||
+ | In the wildlands, occasionally, | ||
+ | imprisoned nocturnal monstrous creature that may be a djinni, a | ||
+ | madman, a savage sailor, or a vile halfling, depending on the type of | ||
+ | terrain. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ### The Tale of the Demon' | ||
+ | |||
+ | Acererak' | ||
+ | enchanted to resist pain; transferring the pain to the armor, which | ||
+ | screams for every hit. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The armor is the only thing that the kahina wears that is more stylish | ||
+ | than an armored figure-head, | ||
+ | traveller wears that is more sophisticated than a rutted dress. The | ||
+ | armor is also made by the efreet Gullog. The armor is said to have | ||
+ | been made long after the reign of the great Queen, and this is | ||
+ | truthfully so, for the armor was made very long ago by the old abbot | ||
+ | of Al-Kulmoth, an efreet. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The armor was made in tribute to Acererak from the skin of a leprous | ||
+ | demon. The armor is studded with pale slivers of demon horn. | ||
+ | |||
+ | An ancient, but well-honed, device. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ## Magarib 23 | ||
+ | |||
+ | ### The Tale of the Blinding Tomb | ||
+ | |||
+ | The tomb of blinding light, | ||
+ | meeting with the two eyes of the dark stone. | ||
+ | |||
+ | My heart is full of sorrow; | ||
+ | My eye is quick at its light | ||
+ | while my eye is jealously guarded. | ||
+ | |||
+ | My eyes are shut, but the darkness is there; | ||
+ | I do not see, but my heart is on fire. | ||
+ | |||
+ | My heart is heavy, and my mouth is dry. | ||
+ | My eyes are heavy, and my mouth is dry. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Behold, my heart is heavy; | ||
+ | My heart is on fire. | ||
+ | |||
+ | My eyes are closed, but my heart is not. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The tomb of blinding light | ||
+ | that is all around us. | ||
+ | |||
+ | We see the white sea; | ||
+ | and we know neither of the land nor of the sea. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The land is in the daytime, | ||
+ | and the sea is at night. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The amorous glance is the most fortunate glance; | ||
+ | it is the tear of the eye that is most delightful. | ||
+ | |||
+ | When night cuts in, the moon shines. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The moon is the only thing that has not been dyed, | ||
+ | and it is the only thing that has not been guarded. | ||
+ | |||
+ | If anything is to be had, | ||
+ | it is in the moon that is to be had. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The moon shines, but it is not moved; | ||
+ | The sun, however, is moved. | ||
+ | |||
+ | If we meet a lover through the moonlight, | ||
+ | |||
+ | We find that we have been met by one of the sweetest of souls. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The door of the tomb of bright in the dark. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The masked woman was a tall, fair, | ||
+ | obedient and self-possessed woman. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Yoking the veil of the night to her brow. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The house was a small palace, set on a plateau, the door of which was | ||
+ | carved with a single word: " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Don't doubt it, O caliph. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Houses of the dead are not built and their foundations do not hold | ||
+ | water. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ### The Tale of the Membrane Slivers | ||
+ | |||
+ | The coins of the old ones are lost. These are the coins of the old | ||
+ | rulers: | ||
+ | |||
+ | The finest of them are the twenty-five of a knife' | ||
+ | were given to the royal family by the dweller in the dark. | ||
+ | |||
+ | A great number of these coins have the face of Umar the Wise with two | ||
+ | white wings; on the left wing is a stand of heavy gold; on the right | ||
+ | is a stand of silver. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The coins of the old ones are in perfect condition. They are thin and | ||
+ | dry membranes, and the edges are sharp and hard. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The name is like a rooster' | ||
+ | letterforms of a bee's wing. It is one of the names of the dawning. It | ||
+ | is a true name, for it means: "No shadow of the great one is left on | ||
+ | the eve of the great night." | ||
+ | |||
+ | "By my liver," | ||
+ | It is a story of the noble and the wicked, of the law and the infidel. | ||
+ | It is a tale of the desert and the cities. It is a tale of evil and | ||
+ | good fortune." | ||
+ | |||
+ | He then asked me to go on my way, and I agreed, and after that I | ||
+ | stayed in the city for five months. I was in great advantage of the | ||
+ | knowledge I gained in that period. I was in a study, which was built | ||
+ | of stone and marble, and there was a handful of coins of the old ones, | ||
+ | |||
+ | And those of the new ones, have been been given to the fisherman, who | ||
+ | has been brought up in the way of the Islands of the Utter South, is a | ||
+ | proverb. | ||
+ | |||
+ | If you are a blacksmith, your coins are placed on the mantle of the | ||
+ | father of the blacksmith, and set on the mantle of the master of the | ||
+ | blacksmith. | ||
+ | |||
+ | If you are a merchant, your coins are placed on the plate of the | ||
+ | merchant, who has been brought up in the way of the Crowded Sea. | ||
+ | |||
+ | If you are a dweller, your coins are placed on the plate of the | ||
+ | dweller, who has been brought up in the maggot-ridden stone of the | ||
+ | Underdark. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The coins of the old ones were of four colors: fuligin, gloxyn, grue | ||
+ | and hooloovoo: the fifth was called "the ulfire coin," the sixth, "the | ||
+ | jale crown;" | ||
+ | octarine crown" | ||
+ | |||
+ | The coins of the old ones have been worn and worn now, their colors no | ||
+ | longer visible to hedge mages and their detect rituals, and are only | ||
+ | within the power of the one who worshipped them. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ### The Tale of the Spined Lions | ||
+ | |||
+ | The pair of masticores in the dark are both related to the | ||
+ | old-fashioned guards of the palace. The masticore is the quartermaster | ||
+ | of the guard. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The masticore before he found the way of the quill was a handsome man. | ||
+ | He appeared to be in his forties or fifties, and wore a clean white | ||
+ | shirt, and a cloak and a hood. His dark blue eyes were luminous, but | ||
+ | he doesn' | ||
+ | |||
+ | He is a masticore, a merchant of great ability, wealth, and skill. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The sages, however, say that there is no reward beyond the reward | ||
+ | given to the sorcerer for his magic. | ||
+ | |||
+ | They also say that the sorcerer' | ||
+ | operation but rather a payment for the masterwork. They seek to clear | ||
+ | away the characters who wish to see the mage. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The pair of masticores are doing their best to hide their true nature. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The masticore' | ||
+ | bite is a venomous, eight-pointed white. The shell is a mixture of | ||
+ | water, sand, and dust, encased in a soft, fibrous shell. The shell is | ||
+ | also covered with a small, soft, metal mesh which keeps the | ||
+ | masticore' | ||
+ | |||
+ | ## Magarib 24–25 | ||
+ | |||
+ | ### The Tale of the Crimson Blasphemy | ||
+ | |||
+ | The unspeakable rites of blood are that of the Chant and the Unholy. | ||
+ | The ritual requires a gleaming black and white stone, the same that is | ||
+ | used to mark the entrance to the palace. It is used to draw the arcane | ||
+ | ward of the abjurer, and the ritual results in the scorching of the | ||
+ | skin and the burning of the eyes of the victim. The skin burns for an | ||
+ | indefinite period of time, and then both the victim and the ward are | ||
+ | consumed. The dead are visited by the spirit of the victim as a | ||
+ | servant. The ward immediately kills the victim, which leaves the | ||
+ | waiting for the ritual to complete. The victim is usually a man or a | ||
+ | woman. | ||
+ | |||
+ | A man in a dark blue satin robe, with a sturdy head and a broad | ||
+ | forehead, and a pair of wavy black eyes. Large are the ears and large | ||
+ | the ears of the man. His head is of an elephant' | ||
+ | is like a lion' | ||
+ | |||
+ | The unspeakable rites of blood may be performed the lives of the | ||
+ | monstrosity are a dark and terrible to the end. The vampires are free | ||
+ | to roam and hunt of their own volition. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The unspeakable rites of blood outdo the sacred silence. “We are your | ||
+ | family. We are your friends. We are your concubines. We are your | ||
+ | children. We are your children, your servants. We are your servants.” | ||
+ | |||
+ | The moth's voice was deep and clear, a voice that had no echo in the | ||
+ | land beyond its borders. | ||
+ | |||
+ | “Speak again.” | ||
+ | |||
+ | The moth spoke again, and his voice was more clear than the voice of a | ||
+ | man who has long ago been heard. | ||
+ | |||
+ | “Speak again, when I have healed you.” | ||
+ | |||
+ | The moth didn't move. He seemed to be fixed in the middle of his air, | ||
+ | his wings flapping cast strobing shadows. | ||
+ | |||
+ | “Speak again, that you may heal me.” | ||
+ | |||
+ | The moth spoke, and his voice was more clear and awe-inspiring. | ||
+ | |||
+ | “Speak again.” | ||
+ | |||
+ | The month spoke again, and his voice was more clear and tense than the | ||
+ | voice of a woman. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ### The Tale of the Gelatinous Cube | ||
+ | |||
+ | The gelatinous cube is a perfect example of this platonic solid. It is | ||
+ | a highly prized item, which is used to create the finest and | ||
+ | best-preserved beads of nourishment and refreshment. They are the most | ||
+ | expensive materials in the land of Zakhara. The monks of the Grand | ||
+ | Caliph are comprised of al-Badia, a genie of the Great Sea, and the | ||
+ | holy slayers of the Golden Horde. The slayers have potions of farmyr, | ||
+ | a potent herb that cures disease. The Shard of the Crowded Sea is a | ||
+ | great jewel, used to create the finest and best-preserved jewelry. It | ||
+ | is often referred to as the jewel of civilization. The Shard of the | ||
+ | Crowded Sea is a powerful weapon; its enchantment allows it to create | ||
+ | a permanent ring of protection from magical attacks. It is also the | ||
+ | only weapon that can repel a spell, and the only weapon able to | ||
+ | |||
+ | The gelatinous cube was part of a tutor' | ||
+ | project on materials. The gelatinous cube, also known as the Shaping | ||
+ | Cube, is a diabolical artifact that was stolen from The Shaping Cube | ||
+ | is a cube of the shade-dappled metal known as the Shard. It is used to | ||
+ | conjure spells from the djinni-possessed sha' | ||
+ | |||
+ | As a focus of true, worshipping magic, the Shaping Cube is a powerful, | ||
+ | albeit cumbersome, device. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The gelatinous cube has three faces, one small, the second large, and | ||
+ | the third is the same. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ### The Tale of the Anguish Staff | ||
+ | |||
+ | A kahina staff of healing, and the wood to make it can only be cut | ||
+ | with a jade knife. The staff of healing is called the staff of anguish | ||
+ | because it takes on the anguish and pain of the people it heals. It | ||
+ | bears the suffering in their place. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Recovering from a sword strike or dagger blow, the staff is struck by | ||
+ | a weapon as though with a quiver. The staff then fills with a liquid, | ||
+ | creating a pool of it that allows the staff to attack with greater | ||
+ | force. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The staff is not honed by the weapon' | ||
+ | allow it to convert the magical energies into physical components. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The blood splatters are mildly nauseating, but they are not lethal. | ||
+ | |||
+ | A kahina staff of healing and protection helps protect against disease | ||
+ | and healing, resisting the influence of the Evil Eye. The sickness is | ||
+ | brought upon the staff instead. The staff takes the sickness from the | ||
+ | patients upon itself to carry it. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ## Magarib 25 | ||
+ | |||
+ | ### The Tale of the Unforgettable Eye | ||
+ | |||
+ | The unforgettable eye of Xorn has become a great thing. The eye is the | ||
+ | only eye that has never been seen before. It has no name, or any | ||
+ | description that it has spoken. It is not a living being, but forms an | ||
+ | intelligent being. The eye is a power of the living. It is the only | ||
+ | power that can help the party. It is a powerful spell, used to itself | ||
+ | to create a living eye. There is no known example of a creature that | ||
+ | is immune to the eye's effects, and, if the creature is the eye's | ||
+ | host, it will still be affected by the eye's spell power. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The eye can create a single eye, or a series | ||
+ | of eyes. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The unforgettable eye of Xorn is my eye; | ||
+ | I see neither matter nor form. | ||
+ | I see only the sight of the beloved, | ||
+ | And the heart of the heart. | ||
+ | I am the light into which | ||
+ | the heart is drawn. | ||
+ | I am the sun which is opened; | ||
+ | The moon which is opened through the web. | ||
+ | I am the moon which is the bride of the dove. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The unforgettable eye of Xorn is the ancient marble that bakes each | ||
+ | night. A caliph once told the sages that this stone is the source of | ||
+ | God's power, and the next day the Caliph ordered the stone to be | ||
+ | quarried. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Xorn's name was a matter of conjecture, until a halfling emir showed | ||
+ | him the stone and fancied that it was a powerful spell working in the | ||
+ | direction of the Veins of the Earth. The emir used the item to hope to | ||
+ | find a way to open a gate and get the items he sought, but he | ||
+ | discovered that the wall around the tower was too thick and had no | ||
+ | further use, save as a conduit by which to dispose of the stone. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ### The Tale of the Larval Innkeep | ||
+ | |||
+ | Hanna' | ||
+ | she took over the family inn. | ||
+ | |||
+ | She has a large following among the sailors of Safaq, and her inn has | ||
+ | been associated with them for many years. She has a reputation for her | ||
+ | wit and intelligence. She has an excellent relationship with the | ||
+ | villagers. | ||
+ | |||
+ | She was still under the spell of her mother' | ||
+ | |||
+ | She was the younger daughter of a merchant who was a trusted adviser | ||
+ | to her father. This merchant, Hanna' | ||
+ | a proud and powerful woman of the royal court. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Mutated beyond recognition she was torn to shreds by her fellow moths. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ### The Tale of the Blood Moth | ||
+ | |||
+ | To call the Blood Moth unnatural would be a misconception. The Blood | ||
+ | Moth is as natural as death itself. It is cruel, it is remorseless, | ||
+ | and it is brutally destructive. These things are in its nature. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Its life cycle occurs over the course of many eons and across | ||
+ | interstellar distances: | ||
+ | |||
+ | 1. The first stage is the death of a planet. An Egg is planted within | ||
+ | the dying world, and becomes a portal to the next planet to be | ||
+ | | ||
+ | |||
+ | 2. The Larva emerges on the next planet and feasts upon its | ||
+ | | ||
+ | | ||
+ | |||
+ | 3. Once the metamorphosis is complete, the Moth emerges and finds a | ||
+ | new world to devour somewhere else in the cosmos. A psychic tether | ||
+ | is established between the two planets and a new Egg is planted | ||
+ | | ||
+ | | ||
+ | |||
+ | How long this abberant cycle of rebirth has been happening, is | ||
+ | unknowable, as is the number of worlds that the Blood Moth has | ||
+ | destroyed this way. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | ## Magarib 26 to Gammam 1 | ||
+ | |||
+ | ### The Tale of the Best Friends | ||
+ | |||
+ | Hidi, the desert rider, is a kind-hearted man of understanding and | ||
+ | daring. He is Aman's most devoted friend. The sha'ir is a substitute | ||
+ | for the desert rider. She and Hidi have a mutual friendship. They are | ||
+ | not related by blood. The sha'ir is a member of the court of Efreets. | ||
+ | The desert rider is an ordinary Son of the Wolf. He is a warrior and a | ||
+ | descendant of the legendary hero Tarkash. The sha'ir is a master of | ||
+ | the magical arts. | ||
+ | |||
+ | A desert rider and a sha'ir who are best friends. Their relationship | ||
+ | is so close that they are even sometimes called " | ||
+ | " | ||
+ | that is a secret. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The desert has a reputation for being a magical place. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ### The Tale of the Four Tables | ||
+ | |||
+ | The House of Dhi'b had been pitched near the shore of a great sea, and | ||
+ | the Sheikh' | ||
+ | |||
+ | The House of Dhi'b, a traveller years ago, in a land far beyond the | ||
+ | Mountains of the Loregiver. The House has long been a home of the | ||
+ | monk. The monks are considered a leading force in the civilization of | ||
+ | the High Desert, and when the dao Ajayib in 1054, they captured the | ||
+ | citadel and brought the monastics to the palace, where they were held | ||
+ | prisoner for nearly a decade. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The House of Dhi'b has four tables, different in size. The table for | ||
+ | the food, for the drink, for the ceremony, and for the unspeakable | ||
+ | power. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ### The Tale of the Rival Clan | ||
+ | |||
+ | Rival clans of al-Badia are always welcome guests, as long as the | ||
+ | guest is serious. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The guest is asked to stand in a circle at a small table between two | ||
+ | heaps of stones. The guest is then given a cloak so that he can see | ||
+ | the wooden table. The guest stands up and the guest is asked to raise | ||
+ | his hand to the table. The guest must be a member of the opposite clan | ||
+ | to win the favor of al-Badia. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Rival clans of al-Badia run the houses of the temples, each strong | ||
+ | enough to fight its own kindred. | ||
+ | |||
+ | It is said that only the strong, the brave, and the strong-hearted are | ||
+ | chosen to manage the temples. | ||
+ | |||