Auras

To take on an explanation of the supernatural beings and auras of the Arab world in the time of Ars Magica is a difficult task. For the Judaic and Islamic "Dominions", one must confront the fact that much that was thought about them in the 12^th and 13^th century is more from the polemic charges of their opponents than from the teachings of the faith. Add to this the difficulty of writing them into the Christian-centered context of Mythic Europe.

Before speaking of the auras in mechanistic terms, it should be noted that we assume the basis of a world where God stands roughly neutral in his dealing with the Religions of the Book (Christian, Judaic and Islam).

Finally, it is a reasonable position that areas of common importance to all three monotheistic religions would have an aura in common. For simplicity sake we will call this an 'Old Testament Aura'. Thus a place like Abraham's Tomb or Mt. Ararat would have an aura pertinent to all three faiths. While the Ka'ba or the Hagia Sophia would have an aura only for their religion. The assigning of auras is best left to the storyguide's discretion. Those who enter an 'Old Testament' Aura feel the weight of great age and sanctity, the power of God.

Islam

This seems to work best if we look at Magi as visitors or outsiders to the Islamic world. If seen from an insiders perspective, we would need to decide upon how to deal with the Muslim Heretics of great power (such as the Nizari Ismailis), their interaction with the "standard" Sunni Muslim dominion, and which, if any, are actually guilty of libertinism, diabolism and various other charges that the Sunnis were just as happy to heap upon their heretics as the Christians were to heap upon theirs.

The word Muslim (fem. Mislima) means 'submitter' or one who has submitted to the Will of God'. The Muslim faith follows the five Pillars of Islam: Shahada (declaration of faith), Salat (prayer), Zakat (almsgiving), Sawm (fasting), and Hajj (pilgrimage). Beyond the five basic tenets, they follow the word of God as revealed to Mohammed, which is recorded in the Qur'an and stores of Mohammed's life and actions that are recorded as Hadith. For the sake of brevity, I will not discuss the faith in great detail. Suffice it to say that Islam is more focused on orthopraxy (right-practice) than orthodoxy (right-thinking), unlike traditional Christianity. People from foreign Auras entering a powerful Muslim Domain tend to feel the huge mass around them, all acting as a single community in its faith.

Muslim dominions wax during the day with peaks at each of the five daily prayers. They wane very low indeed at night and often unveil underlying auras totally. They are at their height in the Mosques and the aura there never really disappears, except in the most exceptional cases. The Muslim willingness to accept differing interpretations of holy works as at least partially legitimate should cause most Islamic Dominions to "join" smoothly and get along well. Islamic Dominions tend to mesh cleanly with Christian and Jewish auras as well with little area poaching or overlap, mostly due to the habit of each group living in its quarter of the city. Unlike the subdivided Christian aura, wherein each church radiates its Dominion, Muslim and Judaic Auras are a single uniform level (With an increase in the Mosque proper) derived from the piety and devotion (on average) of the worshippers. This marks one of the major differences between the orthodox (right-believing) Christian religion, wherein one person can corrupt or nullify an aura, and the orthoprax (right-practicing) Muslim and Jewish religions, where each person is dependent heavily upon their adherence to the strictures. Persons who are "in poor standing" should consider the aura to be one (or even more) lower for the purposes of the protection it provides. Of course, those who would be hampered by the aura should consider it to be of full strength.

It is quite possible for a Muslim to possess True Faith, though it is neither more nor less common than in the Christian world. As a rule, God does not grant miracles to Peoples of the Book who fight one another (though no doubt the Devil offers Marvels) as they are all followers of His Word. If we decide to use the tempers from Pax Dei, the Muslim dominion should not possess them, and, while a Muslim might feel uncomfortable in, say, a Wrathful Dominion, they would not suffer any actual mechanical penalties.

The "Night of Power" is the night when the Umm al-Kitab ("The Mother of the Book") the copy of the perfect Qu-ran kept in heaven descended to the lowest heaven, that it could begin to be revealed to Mohammed. Also, Islamic dominions do not decrease during the night on the month of Ramadan. It is said that the Jinn and Sheytans (demons) are chained away from the earth on that month.

Islamic Dominions, like all auras, do not climb higher than +10, but if the chart indicates that it should be higher, it's probably a good chance to use "special" story effects: only a fool would attempt to cast a Perdo Corpus spell at someone praying at the Ka'ba during the Night of Power.

Areas of Islamic Power:

Judaism

While the Jews, like the Muslims, do not have a centrally organized religion like Catholic (or Orthodox) Christianity, they do have an aura that has been granted to them by the Covenant with God as a protection. It is similar to the Christian Dominion and often pervades Jewish Quarters. People who enter the Jewish Dominion tend to feel very unsettled and alone, pressed down by the weight of centuries of tradition. As with the Islamic Dominion, True Faith is possible, though it is often found in the form of the Kabbahlah, which combines holy and arcane knowledge to understand the world and become closer to God (As well as create cool stuff like the golem). Perhaps the Kabbahlah could be considered to be attuned to the magical realm, but which takes a bonus when in Judaic Auras.

Since the destruction of the Second Temple, this aura tends to be somewhat muffled due to lack of central focus. As a result, this aura rarely exceeds +6 except on holidays.

Areas of Jewish Power:

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Last modified: Wed Nov 11, 1998