The Kingdom of Kashfa
Overview:
Kashfa is a desert kingdom, spotted with patches of life. Water is scarce in most places, but plentiful in the cities. It is said that God (or the gods, depending on your religious background) shed four tears when the people of the land were dying of the first. Each drop hit a different part of the mountains that weave through the kingdom, producing four mighty rivers that somehow thrive amidst the desert wastes. Along those rivers are the towns and cities of Kashfa.
Jidrash:
Jidrash is the oldest city of Kashfa, a vast sprawling mecca that is a cross between ancient Arabian-style construction and 'modern' medieval archetecture (picture the city of Agrabah in Disney's Aladdin, with a castle instead of a palace, and a mix of Arabian and medieval buildings). There are so many side streets and back alleys that even the mapmakers despair of cataloguing them all. New construction is slowly altering the look of Jidrash, though remnants of the original city survive. The poor areas are almost entirely Arabian in nature, due to the lack of incentive for rebuilding. Many buildings have remained standing simply due to tradition, with it being unthinkable to demolish such sites. Only in the past hundred years was the palace remodeled, and the ruler who instigated such an unpopular action didn't survive to see it finished. Thus, the new castle is actually a mix of the old palace and new medieval construction.
Because the city has existed as long as the Kingdom of Kashfa, many natives consider it to be Kashfa's heart and soul. Indeed, if you ask a native the name of the city, most likely the answer will simply be 'Kashfa'. However, this tradition is fading (like so many others) in the face of influence from other Golden Circle kingdoms, and especially Amber.
Though the weather in Kashfa is normally hot and dry, Jidrash's coastal location and seaborne breezes do much to alleviate the harsh conditions. There is a price...storm season in Jidrash can cause flooding in the outlying areas (slums).
The Broken Pattern:
Kashfa's Broken Pattern is located near Kashfa's border with Eregnor, in a secluded valley amidst the mountains. Tradition and vigilant protection have kept it secret all these years, though slowly secrecy is being replaced by an active guard. The Kashfan Sorceror's Guild has known about the Broken Pattern for several centuries, though no structures were built in the valley until Vance's cold war with Jasra. The Guild tried to take a neutral stance in that war, with limited success. About half of the Guild chose to take sides, tempted by promises of power from either Vance or Jasra. Many paid for their greed with their lives.
Initiate of the Kashfa Broken Pattern (20 points):
Walking the Endless Desert
Kashfa's Broken Pattern retains a strong connection to the Pattern of Amber. At the same time, the influence of the Flaw allows for a version of ShadowWalking that is both like and unlike that practiced by the Amberites. Rather than traversing normal Shadow, the initiate walks along a featureless plain, that manifests mirages during the trip. The initiate slowly alters those mirages until they match the desired location, at which point the mirage solidifies, and the destination is reached.
Along the journey, limited resources can be found on this normally featureless plain. They appear like an oasis in the desert, where water, food, and occasionally useful items can be found.
Gamemaster's Note: The BP user is actually walking along a border between Shadow and UnderShadow.
Talismans
Kashfa's Broken Pattern gives no innate power of protection for its user. However, one versed in arcane lore can garner talismans (while Walking the Endless Desert) that will protect them against specific mystical phenemenon. The more effort placed into collecting and preparing the talismans, the more protection they give. No knowledge of Conjuration is necessary to prepare such items, though this power will enhance the defensive capability of items that the initiate creates with Conjuration.
Though specific in nature, weaker than a true power defense, and item-based, this defense is considered constant as long as the items are worn by the initiate. With enough talismans, a considerable variety of effects can be defended against.
Naming the Body
Much of ancient Kashfan magic is based upon true names, and the essence of this magic is part of the very land. The Kashfan BP offers a version of this magic to its initiates. By speaking the true name of a type of object, the initiate gains a knowledge of a specific object of that type that is in view, as if it was being examined with magical intutition. The more specific the name, the more information is gained. For example, if a pine tree is being examined, using the true name for 'tree' will give general information, while using the true name for 'pine tree' would give more specific information. Obviously, the better the vocabulary of the initiate, the more effective this power is. All generic names are in the ancient Kashfan tongue.
Only sentient beings and certain rare objects have unique true names. Naming the Body can use such names to get very detailed information, but Naming the Soul (see below) is required to get the best results. Generic true names such as 'human' or 'Kashfan' can be used with Naming the Body to get more general information about the individual.
Adept of the Kashfan Broken Pattern (40 points):
All of the advanced powers of the Kashfan Broken Pattern revolve around the use of true names. Every sentient being has a true name, which is the name that defines them. In ancient times, many Kashfans would give their child a secret name, that they would never reveal to others. A Kashfan would never speak that name aloud, but instead would ponder it in meditation, and use it in morning and evening prayers, so that it would become part of their inner being. This practice has fallen into disuse in recent times.
This does not mean that outsiders and unbelievers have no separate true name. For example, a woman named Vela may have always been called 'Little Daughter' by her birth parents. Even though she has another name, she may still consider herself 'Little Daughter' at heart. If someone with the power of naming knows multiple names for a person, and isn't sure which is the true name, they can use both to ensure that their magics will work. Thus, the woman above can be addressed as "Vela, Little Daughter..." and the magic will still take hold.
These names must be spoken in the same language used by the target, in order to activate the sympathetic link to the target's soul.
Naming the Soul
The initate can gain a measure of power over an individual by speaking the person's true name. It used to be common practice for Kashfan sorcerors to take an assumed name when they took up the art (and meditate with it to build up the necessary link to the soul), though this custom has fallen into disuse over the years.
If the adept says the complete true name of the individual, defined as that which the person considers to be their true identity, they can do the following. First, they automatically get an understanding of the individual as if they had scrutinized the target in detail with a Power Lens. Second, the adept can, with a Psychic advantage, prevent the target from directly harming them (treat as a brief Psychic combat, which only tires the one named, when such an attempt occurs). The target simply can not bring themselves to harm the one who holds a part of their soul - it would be like chopping off an arm. Third, this power enhances any magics that rely on a true name, including bindings and certain Power Words. Such an enhancement gives the magics a measure of true power, making it possible to overcome even a power defense. The latter requires a Psychic advantage against a basic initiate of a power, and will not work against an advanced initiate of a true power such as Pattern or Logrus.
The Bottled Djinn
Ancient Kashfan sorcery is quite different from Sorcery as it is practiced today. It involved the binding of minor djinn (which are invisible and intangible to mundane sight and touch) to achieve specific effects. For example, to 'rack' a spell creating a gust of wind, a wind djinn would be summoned through the use of its true name, and bound until the spell was needed. The best Kashfan sorcerors are old men, for it can take a lifetime to discover enough true names to be a formidable spellcaster.
An adept of the Kashfan BP has a considerable advantage over other Kashfan sorcerors. He can hear the whispers of the land, and discover a true name of a djinn through meditation alone. Furthermore, the bindings will remain strong no matter how far from Kashfa the adept goes. Once a spell is used, the djinn will usually remain with an adept if outside of Kashfa, for their shadow travel capabilities are limited. In essence, the adept holds the djinn hostage, and can rebind the djinn to use the spell again. This is similar in effect (if not in practice) to how a normal spellcaster reracks spells.
The cautious among Kashfan sorcerors rarely call upon the same djinn more than once in a year's time. Though vulnerable to bindings, and warded off by the appropriate talismans, djinn can injure or kill a spellcaster who drops his guard. Those that abuse their relationship to the land by keeping djinn in a continue state of slavery do not last long. It is even said that there are djinn lords who will rise up against those who violate the sacred pact that allows their brethren to be summoned. For this reason, it used to be common to sacrifice items of value to djinn that were summoned often, to remain in their good graces.
Thief of Fate
The adept of Kashfa's Broken Pattern can tamper with one of the most sacred concepts of Kashfan society - Fate. Those of Kashfa believe that good or bad luck shows no respect for persons. All is in the hands of a higher power. With time and effort, an adept of this Pattern can alter probability to assist them or hinder others, though there are restrictions. The initiate cannot choose the form that such aid or hinderance will take. Furthermore, they may not affect another unless they remain in the victim's presence for the time it takes to invoke the power. Finally, the initiate must speak aloud the victim's true name. The speed of this power depends on the adept's Psyche. An initiate of the true Pattern is immune to this effect.