Observations on Folklore of the Erg Desert Peoples
This item appears to be part travelogue, part treatise and part history text, delving into some of the mythos and folklore of the desert peoples of the Great Erg, or Desert of the Sultans.
This text, written by someone from the far west, seems to be responses and reactions to things he noticed while traveling in the area, perhaps 100 years ago. The author, a bard calling himself Hektoven is particularly interested in the various folk heroes that are treated as patron saints. For wards against evil, invoke the name of Kareem, Tamer of Djinn. For luck with money, invoke the name of the wealthy sultan, Achmidhotep. For sexual prowess, invoke the sultry adventurer Mahala. Hektoven sees this as very close to a kind of worship, as these were real people who have left behind great acts, unlike the gods, which at times seem distant to the plight of men.
The very human antics of these living folk heroes is a sharp contrast of stern, judgmental gods like J’Al’Ardin, the father of justice and balance. And the author sees great excitement at these folk heroes being talked about as valuable in these societies that want to see very mortal interactions. Their flaws and their might deeds make them seem relatable in some sense.
On the other end of the spectrum is the god, Hashut, the god of pure evil. No sane entity would worship this god of chaos, fire and depravity, but aside from the insane humans that find solace in this god's embrace, it is the black dwarves of Gar-Zharr-Kelik who pay him the most zealous tribute.
There are countless stories in different cities and nomadic groups. Some are no doubt the same person but with different names and heritages. Among some of the more notable characters that are reviewed:
Malktar: A former soldier in the Sultan’s army who led a life of violence but then went through a conversion and became a man of peace, poetry and enlightenment, living the rest of his life as a hermit and fakir. He represents restraint and peace.
Jainin, the Just: A proud warrior who traveled the land, slaying monsters, defeating demons and saving people from evil rulers and beasts. He represents a kind of ‘man of the people’ who righted wrongs.
Zar-Salem: Someone similar to Janin, the Just, but slightly more mercenary, a little more possessive, and someone who bedded many women, drank much wine, and amassed a great fortune and followers. He represents unbridled action with no responsibility.
Mahala: The female version of Zar-Salem. She began life as a princess and became a mighty adventurer, using magic, swords, sneaking through shadows and bedding anyone who she fancied and making deals with demons and other arcane creatures, usually tricking them. However, there never seemed to be any consequences for her actions. Due to her beautify, promiscuity, noble heritage and intelligence, she remains one of the more popular folk heroes. Various items and weapons she used are described, including the Scourge of the Desert, Armor of the Maiden and the Heart of Desire. She represents free, liberated spirits in all things.
Ali-Kazam: A hot-tempered sorceress (or wizard or warlock) who enjoyed blowing things up with fire. While somewhat more comical than her counterparts, she is depicted as somewhat rude, sarcastic and exceedingly arrogant (even more so than the others). Her lust, greed and ego were legendary but so was her generosity, ingenuity and talent. She represents impulsiveness, inventiveness and rage.
Kareem, Tamer of Djinn: An all around hero of action. Kareem went on many adventures, seeking trouble, seeking treasure, seeking magic, etc. His adventures are the subjects of many fireside tales, songs, and stories told to children. He represents adventure, wanderlust, puzzle solving and dungeon delving.
Meiguld: No collection of stories about great heroes would be complete without a loveable, rotten scoundrel. Meiguld is a tiefling, a troublemaker, and a wastrel. The trouble he finds himself in is often of his own making, due to lies, schemes, being in caught in bed with the wrong person (or people) and bargains he has made with the wrong people and entities. Meiguld often does the right thing in the end and is someone who throws much of his wealth to the people as he realizes over time, he is more interested in finding the wealth than keeping it. He represents the darker side each person feels when they give into temptation.
In addition, there are many stories about the true evil and depravity of The Sightless One, also known as El-Waifta. (El-Waifta being his true name that people do not utter.) Whereas the heroes of the land are charming in their own way, stories around The Sightless One take a decidedly darker tone. This is a true evil force that is responsible for plagues, locusts, famine, the death of children and the madness of from some place beyond the realm of man’s understanding. This evil is an eldritch evil, unknowable, not understood and cosmic.
Desert Witches are a common theme. Troublemakers and evil women who prey on the foolish, eating them, casting curses and sacrificing people to strange gods, including the Sightless One or whatever fell force they are in league with.
Hidden tombs are another common theme. To believe the folk stories, there is a desert full of hidden tombs, burial sites, lost dungeons and buried loot. The idea that people can just go out and face danger and come away with fortunes, is a loved thought. One such theory is Lost Sphinx Tomb. Every generation has such a tale, and every generation thinks they have the best Lost Sphinx Tomb story, but in truth, these have been around for centuries.
Treasure – specifically treasure with named stories attached with them - is critical. Nobody wants to hear a story about ‘a magic sword.’ They want to hear about a specific magic sword that was owned by a hero, that did a wonderous thing. This extends to providing names to specific rubies, diamonds, etc. Stories surrounding the fabled Eye of the Favored Concubine, a legendary flawless ruby, is one such example.
Great beasts make a number of appearances. Named Djinns, sinister scorpion creatures and undead kings that roam the desert are rife in these tales. One such legend which seems to have specific facts associated with them are the tales about Malefort, the Blue Dragon and Tef-Naju, a sphinx. People see these creatures to this day and may know someone who has actually been eaten by one of them.
Exotic locations also round out the text. Places such as Atuk-Al-Ghul, the City of the Dead, is a lost city, buried in the sands, due to their wickedness and evil necromancy are part of the stories. The excitement (and fear) that centers around a buried city and what horrors lie beneath, endures for popularity. Then there are very real cities, that can be traveled to, if one were so foolish. Gar-Zharr-Kelik, the giant ziggurat of the Dawi-Zharr (black dwarves or fire dwarves) juts up out of the sand like a blight on the world. The ziggurat, they say, lies dormant, daring anyone to approach it and venture into it, making their way to the doomed halls beneath, the insane and depraved dwarves, waiting. It is said they wait to rage war on man when the time is right, bringing with them their engines of destruction, beasts of terror and their armies of hobgoblins, minotaur and other beasts against nature. These Dawi-Zharr are the demonsmiths of hell, slavers and brutal killers and wish to bring their vision of a dark and brutal landscape to the surface world. But for now their giant ziggurat, stands silent, waiting for these dwarves to come up from their hellish caverns and bring death with them.
Finally, there is a section on poems and riddles and puzzles. Obviously, these play great parts in the legends of beasts like sphinxes who love to challenge people to riddles for some secret or not to be eaten, but the author comments how many poems and songs, have riddles or answers to riddles woven in them. Perhaps the color of items mentioned has a deeper meaning, or the amount of times something is mentioned is directly associated with some specific series of actions or is the code to locks. The scholars are certainly in agreement on this, even though they may differ on the specifics.
By reading this text, the individual becomes something of a scholar. By spending some time researching the text, you can add three interesting facts (at GM discretion) that you learned in the book. They need not be added now, but instead can be added in as it comes up and as the reader needs them. Perhaps they are references to an ancient city, perhaps they are hints to a riddle, or perhaps they are stories of a folk hero the reader needs to reference.
In addition, the book comes with certain spells written by a bard, as if they are scrolls. These can be used as a one time use for someone who has the ability to cast the spell in the first place. The spells are as follows:
Friends (C)
Mage Hand (C)
Message (C)
Bane (1st)
Detect Magic (1st)
Heroism (1st)
Animal Messenger (2nd)
Enthrall (2nd)