Araby

Araby is a nation of humans south of the Old World, west of Nehekhara and northwest of the Southlands' rainforests.

Overview
South of Tilea. past the stormy seas of the Black Gulf, lies the kingdom of Araby. Here the decadent Caliphs and Sultans rule cities made of white stone, and their realms are the vast deserts, oases that glitter like jewels, and mountains inhabited by fierce nomad warriors. Several great cities form a loose coalition, though in effect they are all independent states with their own rulers, traditions and customs.

The Sheikhs, Emirs and Sultans of Gopher, Lashick and Martek live in unimaginable luxury, served by hundreds of slaves who will fulfil their every whim, their harems arc filled with voluptuous beauties from across the world and their treasure chambers with all the splendour and wealth of that distant land Some of these despots arc cruel by their nature, ordering beheadings and mutilation of even the pettiest criminals, while others arc great rulers and patrons of art and science.

Despite this, Arabians have some knowledge of gunpowder weapons, but their religious dogmas prevent them from developing socially and technologically. Arabians worship a single god, who is manifested on the world by his chosen prophets and share a common language - Arabic.

All Arabians speak and understand Arabic, although most of the merchant classes would be able to handle Old Worlder fairly easily. Most Arabians are shortish and swarthy, wi th hook noses, and dark hair and eyes. Some of the Arabian Kingdoms - or Caliphates - lie upon the northern borders of the Southlands and the people are negroid, although they share a common culture with other Arabians.

The toughest fighters come from the nomadic tribes of the deserts, who are greatly feared by the more civilised traders who ply their trade along the caravan routes through the great deserts. The most notable warriors of Araby are the Dervishers, fanatic religious warriors all too willing to die for their god. Another famous type are the Eunochs, individuals trained since birth to serve as warriors or guards.

Not much is known about the society of the people of Araby, but from the few merchants and explorers who made their way into the kingdoms and Empire of the Old World it can be assumed that commerce and trade are an extremely important part of their society. The Arabians were able to establish and monopolise the trade routes into the lucrative jade and spice lands of the Far East such as Cathay and Ind, as well as trading with the barbaric Norse tribes establishing the largest slave market in the city of Copher, all this is thanks to their unsurpassed mastery in their navigation of the seas. The economic growth of Araby has led their peoples to the pursue of the fine arts in poetry, alchemy, medicine and architecture thus producing some of the world's most notable poets, doctors, sorcerers and architects.

The Sultan of All Araby claims to rule the whole peninsula, but has little real power over the independent coastal city-states or over the fierce nomad tribes who wander the Great Desert of Araby.

Sorcerers in Araby are said to be able to capture genies in bottles who, upon uncorking, rise to immense size to do the bidding of their master, and these wizards are rumoured to fly upon carpets. Mystery shrouds the study of Necromancy. To learn the Dark Art, an aspirant must either seek a Necromancer and become an apprentice or acquire one of the Forbidden Tomes such as the Book of the Dead, written by the mad Arabian prince Abdul ben Raschid. He travelled to the Land of the Dead in the east of Araby, and driven mad by his experiences, he wrote his blasphemous masterpiece. He did not live to see the widespread public revulsion of his work, or the great pyre where the Caliph of Ka-Sabar burned all the copies he could find. Unfortunately, the Caliph did not find them all.

Cities
All of the Arabian city-states are nestled on the western coast of the continent, as the center is dominated by the nomad-infested Great Desert of Araby. Beyond the great desert lies the city of Bel Alaik, closer to the Land of the Dead than any other human settlement.


 * Bhagar - It is located in southeastern Araby and relatively close to Quatar and the legendary Dwarf fortress of Karak Zorn, in the World's Edge Mountains.


 * Bel-Aliad - It is an ancient Arabian city near Nehekhara. It is currently in ruins and devoured by the desert sand. It was once the capital of a proud civilization, until it was destroyed by the Undead forces of Arkhan the Black -1149 IC. It is said that within these ruins priceless treasures are hidden, although few adventurers return to verify the story.


 * Copher - The most independent Arabian city, famed for its spice trade and home to scholars and wizards as well as the feared pirates of Copher.


 * El-Haikk - City of thieves and the largest trading port of Araby.


 * El-Kalabad - It is located in the Gulf of Medes, south of Araby.


 * Elven ruins - The remains of a once great coastal city, in the southern tip of Araby, that existed when the entire coastal area of Araby was an Elven colony. It was abandoned by the -1500 IC.


 * Ka-Sabar - It is the southernmost city of Araby, located in the limits of the jungles of the Southlands.


 * Lashiek - Home to the Sultan and his mighty fleet, also feared as the centre of slave-trade through most of the known world.


 * Martek - A city rich from mining the Atalan Mountains and surrounding the bottomless lake of Fazoth-Ar, in which are said to dwell sinister forces.


 * Palace of the Wizard Caliph - Inside Araby, in the southern tip of the Arabian Mountains.


 * Sudenburg - It is not an Arabian city but Imperial, and was founded during the time of the Crusades against Araby. Because it is inside the Gulf of Medes, it makes it a very important enclave for businesses dealing with the Old World.

Flora and fauna
Some isolated Giants bands live amongst the Worlds ' Edge Mountains, even so far south as Araby. Mummies are corpses, carefully preserved against the ravages of time by secret and magical arts. These rites were practiced in many ancient civilisations, including that of the Slann and the predecessors of the Arabians. They are relatively rare and solitary creatures. They can be see in tombs of Araby and Lustria. Lions are mainly from the Southlands and parts of Araby. The Pack Wolf is a smaller relative of the Known World Wolf, being the same size as the animals we have in our own world. They live in ever decreasing numbers in the Old World and Araby.

The Dragons were masters of forests and mountain tops. There were very few Men at all in those days, and all of the Old World was one huge, wild forest from the Worlds Edge Mountains to the sea. Today they are a legend in the Old World. What few Dragons exist li'o1e in almost perpetual slumber within deep caverns amongst their ancestral nesting site, the Worlds Edge Mountains and Mountains of Mourn. Dragons probably exist now only in handfuls scattered throughout the world. The Worlds Edge Mountains and Mountains of Mourn must house some, but who knows how many. Probably there are several dozen scattered throughout the Old World, and as many again in Araby and western Cathay.

History
The early years of Araby's history are not well-documented by the scholars of the Old World, but it is known that Araby suffered invasions from the Tomb Kings of the Land of the Dead after the fall of the Khemri civilization at the hands of the First Necromancer Nagash. Later Arkhan the Black invaded Araby with his Undead army and sacked the city of Bel-Aliad in the year -1149 IC, precipitating what would be known as the "War of the Death", a 1000 year-long war in which Arkhan reduced a once mighty and wealthy Arabian civilisation to a few weak city-states and a handful of fiercely independent desert tribes. It was only when Nagash called Arkhan back to the Land of the Dead that the wars ended.

It was in 1150 IC that Ibn Jellaba, a famous explorer of Araby, discovered the lost Lizardmen city of Zlatlan. There he was welcomed (since the Slann predicted his arrival) and was able to barter with the peaceful Lizardmen and exchange the pearls and spices of Araby for gold, which the Lizardmen had in abundance and were quite willing to part with, since it was considered worthless. Jellaba returned to Araby a very rich man after establishing the first trade agreement between Lizardmen and humans.

Circa 1430 IC Jaffar, a powerful Arabian sorcerer, welded a coalition of several desert tribes and expanded his city state to a small empire with the capture of Al-Haikk, Copher, Martek, and Lashiek. Legends speak of him summoning Daemons and conversing with spirits. The Skaven in Araby secretly ally with Sultan Jaffar, spying for him and murdering his rivals in exchange for warpstone. In 1448 IC. Jaffar, convinced by the nefarious Skaven that the Estalian Kingdoms were planning an invasion against his rule, gathered a vast army and prepared his fleet for war. In response, large contingents of knights from Bretonnia and the Empire drove the Arabian forces back to their homeland. The war was eventually brought by the knights of the Old World to Araby itself, precipitating the conflicts known as the Crusades, which created many orders of Imperial and Bretonnian chivalry, including the Empire's Knights of the Blazing Sun or the Knights of Magritta.

Around the year 1500 IC, Sultan Daryus-e Qabir launched a series of religious wars against the Old World, without any lasting successes. Legends dating from this time have coloured Old World attitudes to inhabitants of Araby, although there is a fair amount of trade between the two areas.

Military
The Sultans are proud of their troops and especially of their cavalry so that no expense is spared either on their equipment or maintenance. It is popularly supposed that the horses of Araby are descended from Elven horses brought over from the west many centuries ago. They are graceful and swift creatures and very highly valued. The very best of the Arabian foot-solders are also well equipped, with steel armour, keen tulwars, gleaming helmets, and fine silk clothing. These household troops or guards accompany the Sultans when they travel beyond the grounds of their magnificent palaces. The loyalty of these troops is famous. They are amply rewarded with riches, luxuries, and prestige as a result. The ordinary foot soldiers are more plainly equipped and usually carry simple iron-hafted spears or bows. As well as these regular and garrison troops there are the irregular fighters from the desert tribes, including camel mounted warriors from the lands to the south and east.

Units

 * Arabian Spearmen.


 * Arabian Bowmen.


 * Arabian Guards.


 * Arabian Knights.


 * Arabian Desert Riders.


 * Arabian Camel Riders.


 * Arabian Flying Carpets.


 * Elephants.


 * Arabian Magicians.


 * Arabian Commanders.
 * Eunochs - Eunochs are only rarely slaves, more often they are individuals brought up and trained as warriors or guards. They are unusually steadfast and loyal.

Trivia

 * Araby is based on Medieval European ideas about the Islamic world and Middle Eastern mythology and fiction.