The Al-Qadim Netbook

1.3 Hajama (The Courageous, Brave Hajama), Intermediate Power of Ysgard

From: Alex Roberts
This represents the very first taste of my big project to round up all the gods not covered by the F&A series. Hajama was a good choice, as the speciality priests are a special case, covered in Arabian Adventures and Land of Fate, and there's no avatar.
Portfolio: Bravery, heroism, daring, intuition, the night.

Aliases: None.

Domain Name: Ysgard/Wilderness of the Heart

Superior: None.

Allies: Najm, Kor, Selan.

Foes: None.

Symbol: None typically employed, but a plain disk, like the symbol of the Ajami goddess Tymora, is occasionally used.

Worshippers Alignment: Any, although there may be a predominance of CG, NG and CN outside the Pantheon, and LG and LN within.

Hajama (ha-JAH-ma) is a popular and potent god. Usually depicted as male, he wears armour or robes made from the very substance of the night sky, and is said to wander the deserts and towns of Zakhara at will, adventuring in the desert. Occasionally, especially in the usually-consistent Pantheist League, he is depicted instead as female. In any event, he is usually depicted as the son of Kor the Old and brother of Najm. The stories of the Al-Badia that imply (and more than imply) another relationship between Najm and Hajama (in which they are of opposite sexes, by the by) are frowned upon and suppressed, especially by moralists and within the League. Hajama is usually depicted as a stocky man with a long, dark beard (or as a short, swarthy woman with long, flowing hair), who goes where he will and does as he must, exploring the depths of the deserts and anvils of the Land of Fate. However, in keeping with Zakharan tradition, none of these images are ever actually reproduced, as that would be conducive to idolatry.

Hajama's worshippers look to him for guidance and strength when they are adventuring. For this reason he is especially popular amongst the Al-Badia (nomads), but the city-dwelling Al-Hadhar revere him too. Hajama is little known outside Zakhara, and there are no known links between him and the superficially similar Tymora. His realm in Ysgard typically lies close to that of Bast-Sharess, but there is no alliance between the two; quite the reverse in fact, as the moral and polite Hajama dislikes the lewd and promiscuous cat-goddess.

Other Manifestations

Hajama manifests in many ways, to worshippers, non-worshippers and the unenlightened alike. His favourite sign is an inspirational thought of courage and inspiration granted to an adventurer in dire straits. The nomad warrior Juleidah bint Zubeida al-Utaqi composed her famous poem 'The Lord of Midnight Courage' after escaping the Yak-Men at Al-Kharg by following the instructions she received in a trance, so she believes, from The Courageous One. Hajama also manifests himself in starlight reflected in pools of water where this would be impossible, and by blank coins found near secret passages or water sources. His most devoted servants are his asuras, whose wings are shaped like those of rocs, but which look like holes into a midnight sky.

The Church

Clergy: Pragmatists, Ethoists, Moralists, Mystics.

Clergy's Align.: Any.

Turn Undead: Prag: Yes, Etho: Yes, Moral: Yes, Mystic: Yes

Command Undead: Prag: Yes, Etho: No, Moral: Yes, Mystic: No

All ordered (non-mystic) priests of Hajama gain a permanent +1 to their Constitution (to a maximum of 18), as described in the Advenutrer's Guide to Zakhara. Mystics of Hajama instead are allowed to fight with short swords.

Hajama is widely worshipped in the Land of Fate, and is a member of the Pantheon, the established religion of the Pantheist League. Especially in rural areas, the priests of Hajama can be found encouraging the local people to stand firm in the face of adversity and to be unafraid to pursue the curiosity common to all people. His mosques are used by the followers of Najm, and vice versa. In smaller communities, one mosque may be dedicated to the two of them. The apparent overlap of portfolios between the sons of Kor is not real: they embody distinct aspects of the freedom of the spirit. Priests do not serve both equally unless they are Pantheists; but a priest of Hajama may offer the occasional prayer to Najm and to Kor. Hajama's clergy often wander the wilderness, either with a few companions or in company with a tribe of Al-Badia, but they visit cities now and then, and are not as isolationist as many of the Al-Badian tribes they associate with.

Hajama's mosques are simply adorned, and like all mosques bear no representative artwork of any kind. They usually do have friezes depicting stars, however, and/or skylights revealing the stars overhead at night, which are covered by blinds during the day. Otherwise, they are typical mosques: square or rectangular, with domed rooves, pointing to Huzuz. Night-blue, black and silver are usually prominent colours in the decorations. The faith of Hajama is not hierarchical, and beyond the universal use of 'imam' to denote a particularly honoured and important priest, no special titles attach to the practitioners of the faith of Brave Hajama.

Dogma: Hajama's teachings, simply put, are that cowardice is failure and bravery and strength of will success, but that self-sacrifice can easily be a needless waste. The clergy tell the faithful 'The voice of the Brave One speaks in the hearts of all the truly courageous. Honour is to be gained through determination and perseverance in the face of things daunting and disheartening.' and 'It is not brave to go to the bosom of the gods by throwing down your life without cause, any more than a man who walks into the desert night in only his keffiyeh is a hero.' They celebrate acts of particular bravery, especially so when the hand of Hajama is to be seen in the deed, as with Juleidah al-Utaqi's escape described above.
Day-to-Day Activities: Hajama's priests, like all Enlightened people, pray three times a day to their god, turning to face Huzuz. However, unlike other faiths, the devotees of Hajama prostrate themselves only in the evening, at the coming on of the night, the time most sacred to the Courageous One.. In the morning, they pray at length, but standing, to symbolise the necessity, rather than joy, of their regular daytime lives. A principal service of the Hajaman faith is the offering of healing and other assistance to adventurers and others who travel in the wilderness. In frontier towns like Utaqa and Dihliz, those travelling beyond the bounds of civilisation seek the blessing of the followers of Hajama before setting out. And in the high deserts, when adverse conditions threaten, a priest of Hajama will offer her benediction upon Al-Badia who fear for themselves, that they may take courage in the protection of their god. Like most Zakharan faiths, the Hajamans hold their principal services weekly, specifically at dusk, immediately after evening prayers.
Important Ceremonies/Holy Days: On the five holy days each year up to and including Yasad, the Feast of the Ascension, it is traditional for Hajamite mosques to hold all-night vigils, at which the faithful pray quietly for grace and protection upon themselves and upon the Grand Caliph (may the gods protect him!) for the coming year. In the far North of Zakhara, where the days in the months Saris and Taraq are noticeably shorter than those in Qawafil and Safa, the period from 20 Saris to 10 Taraq is observed as a time of special thoughtfulness, known as Hajama's Watch, when prayers are said for any heroes and merchants lately missing in pursuit of adventure or advancement. Similarly, in the extreme South, the period from 5 to 25 Safa is kept for the same reason, but slightly offset from the Southern midwinter to avoid clashes with the High Holy Days.
Major Centers of Worship: A number of large mosques dedicated to Hajama dot the Land of Fate, but perhaps the greatest is that at Hiyal, the City of Intrigue, on Suq Bay. Further details are in the Adventurer's Guide to Zakhara. As a Great God, Hajama also has a mosque close by the Golden Mosque in Huzuz, and as a Pantheist deity, is worshipped devoutly in the various mosques in the cities of the League of the Pantheon.
Affiliated Orders: The Everlasting, ruled over by the sinister Caliph of Shadows, are a group of holy slayers (assassins) based out of the Haunted Lands and devoted to Hajama. Their purposes are unknown, but they frequently defend the followers of Hajama against violence and intrigue, acting swiftly from the shadows. The Court of Rhythm is a mystic organisation prominent in the South and East of Zakhara, where the sight, and especially the sound, of their drumming adepts is well known. A number of small dancing sects are allied to them, and share their devotions. In Medina Al-Afyal, the Court is assisted by the Feet of Night; in Dihliz, by the Wanderers; and on Bariya, by Those Who Listen.
Priestly Vestments: There are no official vestments for Hajaman clergy, although a keffiyeh with a dark blue stripe dyed into it, and an aba or jellaba with a blue hem, are commonly worn by male clergy, while female priests don trousers, smocks and opaque veils in the same colour scheme. High-ranking priests of Hajama grow long beards, and similarly-ranked priestesses wear their hair long whenever possible. And of course, Pantheist priests wear severe, all-enveloping black robes.
Adventuring Garb: No specific adventuring garb is endorsed by the Hajaman faith: the priests would rather be well-prepared than well-dressed. Nevertheless, blue or black lamellar armour has a certain appeal due to its association in legend with Hajama himself.