The Al-Qadim Netbook

4.6 Mutami's Zakharan setting

From: [e-mail]
Let's start big with the description, then work down to the details. The name of my crystal sphere is Netherspace. There are three planets: Arcanis, Draconis, and Lavanis. Arcanis, as its name implies, is high on magic; Draconis, named for the dragons that once ruled the planet, is a medium level of magic; and lavanis, my planet of lava core and floating continents, is low on the magic scale.

Zakhara is on the planet Arcanis. (I took it out of FR because I'm sick of all these great ideas just getting stuck in FR, especailly since AQ can stand alone quite well. Also, I removed Kara-tur and Netheril.) In the center of the main continent is Netheril, the empire of magic, then to the southwest is Zakhara, the Land of Fate, and to the east is Kara-tur.

My Zakhara is slightly different. Sha'irs are on the rare end of magic (even in such a magic-rich world), so are more feared. They rank side-by-side with the elementalists for mystery. Recent times of war and hardship have stirred up instinctive racial hatreds, and even though the Land of Fate is a tolerant one, elves and orcs are at best unfriendly with eachother, and recent events has stirred hostility. Dwarves seem to be siding with the orcs, and the kobolds are all moving to the ruins of Nog, in an attempt to become adept at magic and establish themselves as a free nation.

That's all for now, if you want descriptions of the other two planets or the wildspace surrounding, I'll provide it.

4.7 Sha'ir societies and adventure ideas

From: Michael Croft 05/04/98
While there are two societies for Sha'ir listed in The Complete Sha'ir's Handbook_ (the "Chums of the Genies Society" and the "Sha'ir's Womens Coffee and World Conquering Society"), neither has much to do with how Sha'irs use or get their magic. Here are a few I've thought of.
The Nine Masters of Knowledge

Once a year, nine powerful sha'ir meet in Huzuz to swap spells. The price of admission is one new spell to be performed in front of the group.

Adventure seed #1: One of the PCs has been offered a slot, if he can come up with a spell!

Adventure seed #2: The patron of the PCs has always been one of the masters, but this year he has no new spell. He sends the players to fetch one. Perhaps from the Drow of Undermountain. This is a good way to use an existing adventure which otherwise does not fit in your Al-Qadim campaign.
The Fellowship of Magi

These outgoing Sha'ir will perform magic for other mages, free. All they ask is a spell demonstration.

Adventure Seed: The players must have a particular spell cast (such as restore, heal, or remove curse), and they've crossed the local cleric. Abdallah the Mad will cast this cleric spell for them, but they all get the attention of the deity--and the Quest that goes with it...
The Travelling Brotherhood

These Sha'ir spend years abroad, trying to learn esoteric magics to bring back to their brethren. The most advanced are planar travellers, although voyagers to any realm are possible.

Adventure Seed #1: A Travelling Brother has just returned from an extensive stint off-plane gathering spells and he has incurred the wrath of a collection of extra-planar beings. The PCs get mixed up, either through blood ties or obligations or perhaps sheer mistaken identity.

Adventure Seed#2: This is an ideal way to use a Sha'ir in a setting other than Al-Qadim. Sent by her brethren to gather spells in a far-off land, she has no way home and is adventuring to learn a spell which gives her the ability to return.
The Holy Sha'ir

These Sha'ir and their gen have made a pact with a particular temple to serve only their god. In exchange, they get no chance of intervention[1]/same % chance to cast for cleric spells available to a priest of their god. The down side of this is that they cannot cast Mage spells above their level at all.[2]

[1] Intervention would take place if the spell cast was to the disadvantage of the god, like a direct attack on a temple/priest...

[2] I am not sure if this in unbalancing, it may be. I'd use it for NPCs only for a while.

4.8 Adventure Ideas

From: [e-mail]

Unfortunately, there is not much known about the realm of the Yakmen. Still, if it helps, here is an out-of-the-way site in this area...

In *my* world, high in the western World Pillar mountains, is a secluded monestary of free men. Many human slaves have died trying to escape to this haven so near the dreaded land of the Yikara.

Long ago, a traveler from the north, with strange ways and magicks, built this sanctuary with his own hands. He also had a "way" with the stone mountain: the magicks wielded by the Yakmen do not work here; the vishaps fear the mountain; and the dao respect the monks' oneness with the stone. Thus, the monks and any who would escape the Yakmen may find quarter here.

Because of the scarce resources of the terrain, the monestary can only support 30 people on a permanent basis (and up to ten times that number for a few months). Also, it snows heavily here during the winter months. Yeti are unaffected by the monestary and can be a danger to the monks who dwell here as well as travelers.

Those brought up within the monestary are sent away upon adulthood. If they should survive and prosper, they may return to the monestary to spend the rest of their lives as teachers. Only the exceptional ones ever are allowed to return.

There is no "safe" route off the mountain, but those headed west generally escape the realm of the Yakmen (but enter the Burning Lands). Those who head another direction are generally captured by the Yikara and enslaved. The lucky ones who encounter the civilization of Zakhara are typically unprepared for the experience.

Not *all* magic is squelched by the monestary's presence. Mental spells and disciplines are, if anything, enhanced by the area's aura.

From: [e-mail] (Bernard Delhausse / CREPP)

* mysterious disparitions of food and drink: a clandestine voyager is hidden somewhere or comes at night in the camp, might be a beautiful woman thief with a romance with a PC, might have a hand cut by the captain of the guard and the PCs would have to respond of her deeds, but she is quite insensitive to the responsibility of the PCs, so she continues to con and trap everybody,
* some holy slayers (low level) have a contract upon a PC or a NPC,
* wells may be polluted along the way and PCs find recent tracks indicating that the spoilers are near the caravan,
* PCs may have to keep an eye on future husband and wife as they make their way to the Pantheist League to purify their souls and get the blessing of the Imam. The future couple happens to be high (5-8) level mages (wild mage is best) or priest of CN or CG alignment wanting to fool the PCs (for any reason you want), so things happen at night, or during the day, disappear, reappear, ... and the PCs might well get accused of the troubles. I played this plot line for high (10th) level PCs and it worked so well that they never realized the future couple was making fool out of them (?!). If you choose correctly the spell book of the wild mage, and the spheres of the priest you might have lots of fun.