Son, I am a history major specializing in the Medieval Middle East and own a small library of books on myth and folklore.

Where would you like me to start?

BUMP

>>15254403
Man if you're the specialist then spin me a bunch of stories that you reckon are the most interesting / telling of the mindset.

Or even just some keywords to start looking this shit up

>>15254403
How about you stop being a faggot, calling me SON, and start with the ones that would make good monsters and shit.

>>15254408

Generally it's good form to wait about ten minutes before bumping.

This thread is relevant to my interests.

If wanted, I can dump my Desert image folder

>>15254403

I'm most curious about things like how the middle east perceive "magic" like in the west. What is their vampires and werewolves? Do they have undead and ghosts and what do they think about these things?

Do they have those ancient forgotten beasts that are buried underground like the West does?

I know there are the Egyptian Myths but i'm specifically interested in places like Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan and anywhere around the fertile crescent.

>>15254420

OP here, please don't be so rude to the first comment i really could use the help because no one ever taught me anything about persian myth at school...well there was the prince of persia game but i doubt it went any deep in persian myth.

and sorry about the bump.

Ghouls and djinn, basically.

Djinn, formless shapeshifters made from smokeless fire, of varying strength and powers and bound only by their own laws and rules. Can be anything you want them to be. They can love humans, but they can also hate humans. They are usually invisible, but are also everywhere at once. Usually ignored by humans, though it's considered a bad idea just to throw shit around or piss outside without warning in case you piss off one of these invisible dudes.

Ghouls hang around graveyards, eat corpses, generally undead-ish.

"Magic" is generally gained via deals with djinn, or just by forbidden knowledge of other realms. The strongest magicians bind djinn to their will.

Ancient creatures buried in the desert are common.

>>15254418

Well, monster-wise there/s a few options.

The Rukh/roc is a gigantic bird, so big its eggs can be mistaken for small buildings from a distance. It's big enough to carry off elephants. If you piss it off (especially by attacking the eggs) it'll pick up giant boulders in its claws and drop them on you from above.

The Ghul/Ghoul is a sort of hairy demon-ogre that eats people and raids graves.

The Karkadann is a strange blend of unicorn and wolf, ferociously territorial. It can be subdued by virgins, and its horn is a cure for poison, just like a standard unicorn.

Other creatures associated with the region are the basilisk, manticore, and especially the griffon.

If you're interested in non-humans that aren't really monsters there's also the divs, peri, and djinn.

Not quoted but:
(D)Jinns, Ghouls and many such creatures are from their myth.
You can pretty much carve the mythology up by ethnicity: Arabian, Persian, Armenian, Ancient Egyptian, Mesopotamian, Hittite, etc etc.

Djinns and ghouls come to my mind first. And now let that history major speak.

>>15254462

Magic is generally performed by a Kahin. A Kahin is a person who is either friends with djinn or has bound them to his service by force. They're often reputed for passing off the powers of a djinn as their own.

The most common example is a Kahin claiming he can fly under his own power, when in reality two invisible djinn are just lifting him into the air.

This thread is very relevant to my interests, my friends and I are working on a homebrew system and setting where one of the major factions is based on the middle east.

>>15254514
>>15254432

thanks, what about their wizards and magic users?

How do you think this will affect modern day Persia?

and please do image dump as much as you please.

For the record, belief in djinn is still common in the modern Middle East. It's slowing becoming regarded as more of a foolish superstition, but it still exists.

I recently read an ethnography about djinn belief in Cairo. There are still practicing Kahins, though they have a poor reputation as con men for the most part. People still believe in human-djinn love affairs.

Here's a couple of different pictures of Karkadann. they're native to Persia.

You can also add some Zoroastrianism up in this bitch.

>>15254593

And, if I may suggest music, Azam Ali, Niyaz, the soundtrack to Children of Dune, some of Dead Can Dance and their individual efforts (Lisa Gerard and Brendan Perry) and a few others I'd have to think about.

>>15254605

Indeed! If the game will be set in Iran, it would only be natural.

This: >>15254514 is actually a picture from a famous Zoroastrian myth, depicting the evil god Ahriman cursing the demon-king Zahhak.

>>15254607
Oh cool, Saluqis! The mum of my best friend has a kennel with these.

>>15254566
>How do you think this will affect modern day Persia?

That's a bit of a long question. Persia's original religion was Zoroastrianism, which was based around the concept that the entire universe was split between an evil god and a good god, who were locked in eternal stalemate. For the record, a Zoroastrian was referred to as a "magi" and is one of the earliest sources for our modern concept of magic. It's a Greek word, which they applied to these strange religious people who seemed to worship fire.

Zoroastrianism still exists, but it is a dwindling religion because you cannot convert to it--you must be born into the bloodline.

Instead, it has mostly been supplanted by Shia Islam. The current IRanian government is, as you might know, a semi-totalitarian theocracy. It's very intolerant of other religions.

As a result, in the sort of setting you're describing, the Zoroastrian beings (your karkadanns, your peri, your divs) would probably be forced to the periphery, along with the Zoroastrians themselves. Likewise, djinn and ghuls have probably moved in, and are more common in the cities than the old Zoroastrian creatures, who probably stick to the countryside and ruins. Though there might be some contested zones, where both are trying to exist at once.

do Persians have their own version of a dungeon to explore?

How dangerous are these creatures? do they have their own version of a demon? I am planning on having my players hunt down a sort of evil intelligent creature or spirit within the city. The climax would probably involve my players assaulting its lair with a team of wizards or even united states marines.

>>15254681
What about the various Sumerian/Babylonian/Mespotamian myths?
Aren't they all vaguely in the region known as the Middle East?
Like Gilgamesh, Tiamat, Marduk and all that?

>>15254683
If we get all Zoroastrian, make it not a dungeon, but one of these "grave towers" or whatever they are called. They are, well, towers, on tops of which the corpses are laid down so they down disturb earth or fire with their impurity.

>>15254681 It's very intolerant of other religions.
It could certainly be worse, the jews have a seat in the parliament (more than their percentage of the overall population would give them), and they don't seem to be rounding up zoroastrians for the pyre either.

>>15254668

y hullo thar Aldo

And now, for something completely different.

>>15254683

A div would be your best bet, they're the old Zoroastrian demons. This picture shows a hero disemboweling a lesser div. As you can see, they usually look like hairy demon-ogres with both human and animal traits.

Divs have many supernatural powers (especially shapeshifting) and unlike western demons are not often associated with fire. More often they are associated with things considered negative in Zoroastrianism: darkness, disease, filth, pestilence, drought. Likewise they prefer to take forms of "unclean" things like rats, dogs, pigs (dogs and pigs are considered particularly filth, unclean creatures in Middle eastern tradition), etc.

They often live deep underground in lightless caverns, and they like to torment and capture the Peri, who are the equivalent of Persian fairies.

>>15254764

Here's another, more impressive picture of a div. They're also sometimes called "daevas." Div is the more modern term from common folklore, daeva is the older Zoroastrian term.

Wouldn't Judaism be included also? Like King Solomon and his shitload of djinns, and the various pseudo-magic things like Kaballah?

>>15254386
>Read Dune
>Rip off everything you want
Easy mode.

>>15254821

I'd say so, there's a lot of shared influence and stories with Islam and Mesopotamian sources, nevermind the idea that the good/evil aspects of Judaism came from Zorostrianism.

>>15254719

Towers of Silence. Not exactly an appropriate place, I'm afraid. They're usually quite small, and are considered holy places, tended by priests.

See, Zoroastrians believe fire is "pure" and corpses are "impure." Thus, burning a corpse pollutes the flame. Likewise they believe the soil is pure, so they do not bury bodies.

In the old days, they would leave their dead on hill or mountain tops, exposed sot hat the birds and beasts will pick them clean. Then the bones would be collected and interred. As cities grew, though, this became impractical, so they built the Towers of Silence. The towers really aren't very tall, and simply mainly an elevated, open-roofed chamber. Priests deposit the dead in this chamber and leave them for the birds to feast upon.

It's actually gotten to be a problem for modern Zoroastrians. The big scavenger birds like vultures (also considered unclean, by the way) don't really thrive in cities anymore. As a result, the bodies aren't getting picked clean. There was a scandal a few years back when someone snuck into a Tower of Silence in northern India and took photos of all the corpses laid out, rotting or dessicated, just piling up.

Most Zoroastrians live in India now, though, so that wouldn't be as big an issue in Iran.

>>15254821
And one white jew, for some reason.

>>15254837

This is a tower of silence. Not much to look at, I'm afraid. Hardly a good dungeon replacement.

I think a really fun thing you could do would be to invite templars into the mix. Make them villians(which would fit an Arab campaign), and have them drop notes/discuss as guards est, to let your characters know about news going on in the rest of the world.

There's also the Nasnas. Half-human(literally) beings that are quick creatures, even though they have one leg. An infiltrating cult transforming humans into these half-demons in a town would be interesting.

Other than that:
>>15254772
Sand wyrms. Fucking do it.

>>15254717

Those religions were often concentrated in the north and west of the modern Middle East, in Iraq or bordering the Mediterranean.

They certainly have an interesting pantheon, but I'm afraid they're a bit short of very well described monsters or non-human races.

What about Islamic Mythology? do they have such a thing as that?

>>15254880

Sandworms would have trouble working in an Urban Fantasy setting.

Even more so in Persia, which is more arid and rocky than it is sandy.

>>15254893

Quite a bit, as I understand it, the same way Christianity does. Stories of saints and how they conquered the old religion; namely how Allah gave the Djinn a choice: fall into rank or become demons under Him.

There's a lot, honestly.

>>15254893

Well, they'd call it their religion, not mythology, but yes, sort of. It's mostly the same as Christianity and Judaism.

One important thing to note is the origins of the non-human beings. In traditional Islamic lore, there are three: humans, angels, and djinn.

The angels were made from light, and were the purest of God's creations, made to serve him. Angels do not have free will. Humans were made from clay, and do have free will. Djinn were made from smokeless fire, and also have free will.

Most of the different variants of Islam all have this backstory, but things get more variable as you go on. The Sunni and Shiite Muslims, for example, have different views on how the world will end, and there are different sects of Shiite Muslims who disagree amongst each other. This is to say nothing of the Sufis, who really don't care one way or the other on that front.

>>15254900
Didn't realize it was Persia, thought it was just "Arab". If it is Persia, disregard this, but single Sand Wyrm reeking havoc by bursting up in town square/at the gate looking for stolen eggs could work. Avoid the unstoppable giant while discovering/tracking down the stolen eggs and sending them on the fastest horse out of there.

>>15254967

If nothing else, sandworms could be a major symbol of the desert and how oases work. Not sure if in Arabic mythology there is anything remotely like a sandworm, but you might try the Mongolian Death Worm.

Out of character portraits, going to go through my environment folder to find something.

Where is DLFG actually? Haven't see her for a while, and this thread could use her help.

>>15254880

Templar are not a bad idea.

Other secret societies could include the Hassassins--the original assassins, a sect of Ismaili Shiite fanatics who were supposedly wiped out by the mongols but may have survived in secret. They're a nasty bunch, and I can talk more about them if anyone is interested.

There's also always the option of having an underground group of Ghazis; Sufi warrior-monks.

I'll end on a cyberpunk note. I'm out. Good thread, hope it keeps going.

>>15254386

One thing that might be interesting for you to do is create a conflict between the old middle east gods and Islam. Ancient desert gods/goddesses like Alilat trying to take back their land from YHWH.

>>15255089

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabian_mythology

should be of use for you OP. The ancient mother goddesses rising up and trying to overthrow Yahweh/Allah.

>>15254683

No offense OP, but US marines? In modern Iran? Having a firefight with a giant monster. US marines in Iran alone would be a shitstorm of international incident proportions, to say nothing of them engaging in combat in the middle of a large city.

No, a better choice would be to use some of the options here: >>15255083

Your other idea of a team of wizards is fine too. Maybe the heroes team up with some evil Templars out of necessity to defeat a bigger threat. Maybe they team up with a group of Kahins, or a secret monster-hunting sect of Ghazis.

As for a dungeon, Peri, Divs, and Djinn often lived in vast underground caverns, sometimes even underground cities, bordering on extra-dimensional, like European concepts of fairyland. It's easy to imagine the heroes searching a major city's sewers, only to find a tunnel that wasn't their the last time they checked this area. The tunnel leads to a vast iron door, intricately carved... Who knows what lies on the other side?

A dwelling place of divs would probably be dark and foreboding, possibly filthy and crawling with vermin, or grand and horrible. A djinn dwelling place would probably have lots of burnished gold and brass, glittering gemstones, generally lots of bright and fiery collors. A peri dwelling place would be beautiful, with lots of fountains and running water, perfume wafting on the air, lots of soft blue light.

how will the technology and culture of modern earth affect this setting though? firearms would have made the templars and hasashins evolve and innovate or made them obsolete.

unsure but it seemslike this setting would be much easier to do in a medieval era however i will see if i can stick with modern instead.

>>15255089
>>15255111

If he is gonna set it in modern Persia/Iran, it'd make more sense to have Islam vs Zoroastrianism.

Perhaps Zahhak the Demon-King, or Azi Dahaka the verminous dragon, or even great Ahriman himself are trying to rise to power. Alternatively, maybe Ahura Mazda, the god of light, still exists, wandering Iran, greatly depowered by the usurpation of Allah.

>>15255133
You realize there are Marines in Iran right now, right?

>>15255154

The Hassassins never really cared much about what weapon they used. Their tactic was to infiltrate your inner circle, become one of your most trusted friends or advisers, somebody you saw every day. Then, when the timing was right, they murdered you. It was often a suicide mission, and they were fanatical enough that they didn't care. So long as they got close enough to you to perform the deed without interference, they were happy. Poison, a knife, a gun? It wouldn't matter to a Hassassin, so long as you were dead. Even today being a good actor can get you very far.

Templar, of course, were always a bit more about brute strength. In their own way, they were just as fanatical as the Hassassin, but they were also heavily armed and armored knights. I imagine a modern secret society of Templars would be like a black ops squad, with heavy machine guns loaded with bullets blessed by the pope and heavy tactical gear inscribed with crosses.

>>15255133

your advice sounds good, but the talk of templars and assassins did give off that assassin's creed vibe though.
I can imagine Vatican wanting to keep tabs on what is going on but would they still bother to have agents in there until the modern day? What would their reason be to still have templars in the middle east?

>>15255198

Not the last time I checked. If there are, then I would imagine their movement is extremely confined and limited.

I mean, we don't even have an embassy in Iran.

>>15255251

Maybe they went rogue? Alternatively, there is the Ghazi option.

>>15255214
templars were quite scary during the crusades though

They never broke rank, they did not retreat and there are various (though probably half of it is myth due to how long ago it happened) reports of them entering some kind of religious trance in which they didn't feel pain and didn't even care about major, life threatening wounds

>>15255345

Oh no, they were scary dudes alright. Must suck to be a soldier bound by vows of celibacy, I'd be frustrated too. Sexual frustration = DIVINE WRATH.

Point is, it is a little hard to think up a good reason they'd be in Persia, or most of the Islamic Middle East. I mean, the Holy Land, sure, but the rest of it?

>>15255382
they got lost during the crusades and have long since given up hope of ever returning home so they go around converting who they can convert and smiting the rest?

Sufi Ghazi orders were pretty neat. They'd preach the word and kick your ass.

The extra nice thing about them is that Sufi orders are very decentralized, each one based around a particularly charismatic founder who had his own vision for how to get closer to God. It'd be easy to have a secret group whose founder said that the way to get closer to God was to protect his children from the forces of darkness.

The Hassassins, a group of Kahin sorcerers, and a secret society of Sufi Van Helsings? That's more than enough to base a campaign around, Templars or not.

>>15255404

Dude, we're describing a modern Urban Fantasy setting. they could catch a PLANE home.

>>15255425
't was just a joke you know

and still they could have gotten lost ages ago, decided that to spread their mission they would need offspring and were allowed to break their vows 1 time a year for the purpose of reproduction starting a sort of secluded order

OP: Anything else you want to know more about?

Looking back at your original question, djinn are probably the best equivalent to vampires or werewolves.

Persian myth does have a couple of legendary monsters buried under things. The most famous is the three-headed dragon-beast Azi Dahaka, who was imprisoned under Mt. Damāvand until the end of the world. Azi Dahaka was particularly dangerous as his body was full of vermin (snakes, scorpions, rats, etc) and if he was wounded they would spill out. In fact, there are so many in him that if he were killed they would carpet the earth and destroy all life.

Alternatively, somebody could always dig up an ancient artifact to which a powerful and malevolent djinn is bound. Very powerful djinn are called Marids, and they can move mountains, build palaces overnight, and so forth and so on.

Ghosts aren't as common in Islamic cultures because according to traditional Islamic teachings the human soul is immediately judge upon death; it goes straight to heaven or hell, with no delay. There are beliefs in ghosts, but they are considered heretical. For example, in Egypt people use the term "afrit" to refer to the ghost of a person who died violently or who was evil in life and causes harm after death. Afrit also means a djinn that is malevolent towards mankind. Some linguists theorize that the "ghost" definition is the older one, however, and that people started using it to refer to djinn only after believing in ghosts became taboo. That way, you could still MEAN a ghost, but the local Imam couldn't call you on it because CLEARLY you must have meant a sort of evil djinn.

Even apart from Arab myths, from the Pathfinder series.. blue dragons are desert-based.
You could probably put a Rakshasa in there, too.
As well the the djinns like someone before mentioned.

Take a glance at the Pathfinder bestiaries. They're delightful.

>>15254772

scary as balls. D:

You know, I do recall one Middle Eastern myth about a dragon, though it seemed more like just a big snake in the story.

A prince commissioned a carriage covered in spikes and blades, impales hunks of meat on it, then climbed inside, dressed for battle. When the huge dragon-serpent came along, lured by the meat, it tried to swallow the carriage whole. The blades and spikes made the carriage stick in its throat and then the prince opened the door and started chopping and stabbing at the creature from the inside until it died.

Anyway, you could probably make a sandworm like creature the equivalent of the dragon in the story, and just say that Western translators misinterpreted "giant" worm" as "giant snake."

Bump for an interesting thread

I'm actually writing a D&D adventure based in the desert. This thread is invaluable, thanks /tg/

Some information on Djinn in Arabic folklore:

Djinn are passionate and mercurial. They have a firey spirit and an unpredictable nature. They can be as dangerous as they can be helpful, often one right after the other. All the same, djinn are not considered evil. Like humans they have free will, and can choose to be bad or good. There are even some Muslim djinn.

Djinn powers are not infinite. They can be great, but they are generally limited to shapeshifting, sizeschanging, invisibility, and possession, all to varying degrees. The most powerful of Marids can even change into inorganic or abstract ideas, like mountain ranges of storms or fires. Most djinn, however, are just a nuisance.

Djinn are everywhere. Islamic lore says they live in the world of the unseen, a place unknowable and mysterious, sometimes called Jinnistan. It may simply refer to the spirit world; the djinn may live all around us all the time, watching us, invisibly. It may also mean that they hail from an extradimensional region in a way similar to European faeries. This region is usually placed deep under the Earth. you never know when an invisible djinn is watching, if he lives down in that hole, or if she is that dog giving you a funny look, or if you just stepped on one who is now very angry.

Another Persian creature I forgot.

The Simurgh is a magical bird in Persian legend. The name means "thirty birds" and refers to the fact that the Simurgh is created periodically when all the birds in a given area flock together, coalesce, and form a single being, the perfect bird.

The Simurgh is wise, intelligent, and merciful, and usually only appears in times of great importance. It nests on Hom, the world tree of Zoroastrian myth and it sometimes interferes in human affairs, helping noble heroes or causes. If it favors someone it will give them a gift of its feathers, which can be used to summon the Simurgh or can be consumed to provide a magical effect.

The Simurgh's ties with Hom gives it great power over fertility and the living world, bringing verdant growth wherever it goes.

Peri are an all female race of faerie like beings in Persian folklore, sometimes described as being descended from fallen angels who have been denied paradise until they have done penance. They have a strong affinity with water, springs, and fountains. Peri are extremely beautiful, and according to some versions the 52 Virgins awaiting martyrs in Paradise are in fact Peri.

They are distantly related to djinn and divs. Like both they often live in mysterious extra-dimensional underground realms of staggering beauty. They sometimes call the djinn their "brothers" and the two beings are on good terms. Divs, on the other hand, covet the Peris' beauty, capturing and locking the faeries in iron cages for their own amusement.

Peris sometimes visit the world of mortals, sometimes because they just want to explore, sometimes because they have fallen in love with a handsome human, and sometimes to bestow their favors upon the worthy.

Setting it in modern day but with magic and what not? Sounds very interesting.

The current president Amnidiacrap (yes I spelled it like this on purpose) is a Theocratic dictator along side like Iran's pope-like figure (can't remember his name and don't wanna bother looking it up). They're not nice people, perhaps in a final push to erase their pre-islamic history, he starts a genocide on the remaining Zoroastrians. For what ever reason (let's just chalk it up, a wizard did it) magic appears and myth become real. Suddenly all heat deserts around the world spread 500%. This pretty much means that Africa, most of Europe and parts of Asia are under sand. The entire west coast is also under sand.

Myth becomes real, but only those related to the middle east and that region. Abrahamic religions are also included, but it doesn't really mean much.

>>15257277

I hate to say it, but there really AREN'T many Zoroastrians left in Iran. They were almost all driven into India centuries ago. It'd be like if we announced a genocide against Wiccans; they're such a small minority of the population that it'd make little sense.

Also, Ahmadinejad and Ali Khamenei are not on good terns with each other. They've got too many internal disputes and problems to do anything as organized as a genocide. Iran is a powder keg, bound to one day explode much like the rest of the Middle East has lately. That's the plot you should go with, have the supernatural forces trying to manipulate a potential civil war.

I want to hate myself for not realizing the potential of how awesome a middle eastern setting would be until just now.

This shit is just awesome.

>>15257343

Building off this, here are a few potential groups for a modern Urban Fantasy Iran:

The Ghazi: A secret society dedicated to protecting the people of Iran from supernatural danger. They are mortal enemies of the Hassassins.

The Hassassins: A secret society of trained killers, the Hassassins take jobs from around the world. Unbeknownst to most of the society, their leadership has been co-opted by the awakened demon-king Zahhak, who seeks to return dominion of the earth to the dark god Ahriman and his legions of divs.

Kahin: Nobody really believes in the Kahin anymore in Iran, outside of a few very rural areas. But they still exist, though most are independent. A small cabal exists within the major cities, pursuing their own mysterious goals. This cabal is a neutral party, selling their powers to the highest bidder.

>>15257701

The Djinn: The djinn are the supernatural elite of modern Iran, going where they will, doing what they want. Only the Kahin can restrain them in any way. There is a minority of Muslim djinn who try to be less disruptive to human society, but most do not care about the consequences of their actions. The Kahins will often get paid to bind the most troublesome. The djinn are on good terms with the peri, but consider them inferior. They are not on good terms with the divs.

The Ghouls: A race of cannibalistic hairy ape-ogres living under the cities and in the wilderness. They eat people when they can, steal remains from graveyards and morgues when they cannot. They sometimes use mirage like illusion powers to lure victims closer. Frequently a target of the Ghazi. All the other supernaturals look down on them.

The Peri: The Peri seek to do good deeds in order to eventually be allowed to transcend the Earthly realms. As such, they aid the Ghazi, and even normal humans. They get along with the djinn, though there is a certain amount of distrust. They hate the divs.

The Divs: Secretly in league with the Hassassins, seek to usurp the other supernatural beings, driving out the djinn and enslaving the peri.

The Simurgh: A force on its own, the Simurgh is allied with the Ghazi and peri, but only interferes directly in human affairs in truly crucial situations.

bump

I like it.

>>15257701
>>15257776

Oh god I just had an idea for a character. A young Kahin on the streets of Iran acting as a policeman, keeping the dangerous and hedonistic djinn in check.

Oh God it's film noir Iranian Harry Dresden!

>>15258765

>The Taklamakan Desert is one of the most hostile places on Earth. Numerous cities, even entire civilizations lie beneath its dunes. Legends abound about it being haunted by evil spirits that mislead travelers. The Silk Road split in two and went around it, to the North and South, rather than dare go through it; there are caravan routes through the Sahara, but not the Taklamakan. Its very name means “that which goes in does not come out.”

>Almost as common are legends of cities consumed for their sins, Sodom and Gomorrah style. One of my favorites talks about the Rain of Earth. The sky darkened, and it began to rain dirt. Each raindrop was a single grain of soil, and it poured from the heavens, filling the streets, burying the city so fast not a soul could escape. When the storm abated, there was just a great hill where there had once been a city.

>There are plenty of spells detailing rains of fire, or meteors, or blood, but dirt? It could make a great custom mage, druid, or cleric spell, or perhaps the doomed city is the setting of your campaign. Maybe your party is seeking it, hoping to dig into the buried streets and searching for lost valuables, risking the anger of the same forces that doomed the decadent city.

>>15254408
>>15254420

OP confirmed for useless spastic fuckwad

>>15254514

quick, someone summon a drawfag to draw Kim Karkadann!

>>15259418

I think the rude guy was just a troll and that this was the OP: >>15254418

>>15259467

Here you go!

I thought you might find this interesting OP.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303657404576357323069853958.html

>Since late April, more than two dozen officials in the president's inner circle have been arrested on charges of practicing sorcery and black magic. The accusations are part of a larger struggle for power by conservative clerics and rival political factions.

There's a graphic novel, Cairo. Might be relevant to OP's interests - mythic beings in a contemporary setting.

Zahhak got mentioned a few times, but I thought I'd share this copypasta about him:

>In Persian folklore/mythology, Zahhak was an evil alchemist king who murdered his own father to take power, and conquered many lands that he dominated with his tyrannical rule which lasted thousands of years. He commanded armies of evil sorcerers and demons.

>Zahhak was cursed by the evil god Ahriman with a pair of black snakes that grew from his shoulders, and had to be fed human brains. A constant flow of captives went to Zahhak's palace, where they were killed and their brains removed in the palace kitchens, to be served to the king's shoulder snakes.

>Zahhak couldn't cut the snakes off; they just grew back. If they weren't fed brains regularly, they would turn on him, threatening to constrict his neck and bite his face with their poison fangs.

>Ultimately he was beaten but not killed, and was imprisoned by divine command. Somewhere he still lurks, waiting to be released.

has OP considered reading up on 1001 Arabian Nights, it has quite a bit of middle-eastern mythology in it.

>>15260062

You don't say

I know a lot of influential alchemists were Arabic, does that mean the same five elements, Fire, Water, Earth, Air, & Spirit, would apply to a Middle Eastern DFRPG?

>>15260393

They'd certainly be familiar with them. The Four Elements (Earth Air, Fire and Water) are originally from Greek teachings. Virtually all the Greek and Latin copies were destroyed during the fall of the Roman Empire, but while the West fell into the dark ages the Middle East rose into its glory days, and they still had all the old Greek classics written in Arabic. It was Arabic translations that eventually brought that knowledge back to Europe.

From what I recall, however, alchemy often had a shady reputation in the Middle East. I don't know if they went with the Greek division of the elements or if that was more something the Europeans did, though. Personally, I'm inclined to think that was more a product of Paracelsus, the European alchemist who came up with the concept of elementals.

>>15260533
So there aren't elements at all? Damn, I'll just have to use the Greeks' anyway.

>>15259470
>>15259418

No the two comments were not me, i guess they wanted to hear about the idea so much they decided to pretend to be me.
I was the guy below asking the rather rude commenter to stop.

Anyway I just woke up (different time zones) and found this, thank you so much /tg/!

Can't understand why there aren't that many modern fantasy settings though, the Dresden Files and World of Darkness are my favorite for source of fluff.

But i digress, how do you think the fantastic creatures in Iran and Iraq would respond to the political climate though?

I have also being reading the Weird Wars setting and i want the atmosphere and setting to be along that line just much less grimdark and more pulp action.

This thread inspired me. Can I ask your guy's opinion on what I created from this inspiration?

Magic in my campaign is naturally occurring. One Elvish nation believes that magic isn't meant to be used be people (it makes you physically weak and consistent, prolonged use damages your mind, and it's addictive like a drug) and part of their religion is that they believe people shouldn't use magic, only higher entities.

Fey in this world are "spirits" made of magic, and a particular group that takes residence near these desert dwelling Elves believe themselves to be the souls of humans who need to repent for their sins. The Elves make "contracts" with these Fey; the Fey then work for the elf until their debt is repaid (basically, until they feel at peace, and their “soul” rejoins the world).

What else could I weasel out of Middle Eastern religion for this?

>>15261168

What kind of setting is it? medieval? renaissance? modern day? Is it in alternate earth or some place like faerun? How will you introduce your players to this world?

more background please but i sorta like the twist on it.

>>15261290

I'm not sure of the era yet, but I'm thinking right before the industrial revolution. It's a huge world though, I've already got the blueprints for tons of other places ready, but I really liked this idea. I could weave them in as a representation of the Middle Eastern conflict.

"You shouldn't use magic, it's power is not for mortals!"

That would be a really easy way to start a few wars.

>>15261483

You could have legal wizards who say (whether they believe it or not) that their power over djinn comes from Allah.

That's how Islam legitimized sorcerers in its mythology.

>>15261697
Given the fact (from my sect,at least) that djinn are given a choice to be a muslim or not, that can be the stage for conflict. Although gaining power from djinns (like in a contract) means breaking the core tenets of islam and they have veeery high chance of sticking to your offspring.
Also,this far and no one mentions bedouins.

Just remember that there is a pre-Islam and Post-Islam phase in Arab mythology.

>>15262706
But they should both include Crazy Hassan.

>>15262738
Crazy Hassan is so dedicated to providing excellent, gently used camels for everyone, he exists in every possible game setting. He will let no universe full of valued customers go unsatisfied!

>>15263035
Are the camels immune to Jarmen Kell hijack?

>>15263169
Snipe. He can snipe any vehicle empty.

His horrible posture makes it impossible for him to ride anything but a midget.

I just want to say I love this thread. But while we're on the subject why not broaden it to the whole region instead of just Persia. I mean that may be the focus but who knows what has come wandering over the borders.

All this earlier talk of Templars made me think.

Templars are the Delta-Green of the catholic church. Secretly founded to combat supernatural threats against Christianity, they grew in size and appeared in the public eye when the organisation was remade into a military force for the crusades.

Only god, and sealed vatican records know what war they really waged down there.

Later on they were however disbanded dude to political dickery, bad publicity and budget cuts. However the now outlawed/excomunicated organisation still exists, still fighting underground wars against the supernatural. And with the globalization of the modern world, small cells have spread almost world wide.

And screw ass-creed's Templars.

Soon to come: some scattered second hand Chechen lore.

Chechens (unsurprisingly) used to believe in spirits too. Before Islam and all that. And while they are a little far north for this thread's Persian focus I'll put some out anyway.

There is a guardian of the Chechen people who lives atop a mountain, she protects them, especially in times of war.

The desert wolves are her messengers, and in the night they seek out camp fires in order to pass on her words to the travellers around them. These can be warnings, advice, or just about anything. Weather they are meant for the people there or not, or if they are to be passed on further I cant remember.

So if you camp out in the desert, light a fire, and welcome any wolves that seek out the light.


On a related note, this protector is part of a spirit race. While she is probably the most well-meaning of these she's far from the last one.

The rest are as far as i can remember somewhat similar to Djinn in how they behave, though usually more short tempered and spiteful. Looks wise they were more or less men, though large, beefy, almost fat. And hairy, very hairy. Though from what I understand they remained unseen most of the time.

Picture relate? Zoroastrian Magi?

OP if you're still reading. As for Dungeons, this is one of the places where civilisation has existed and ceased to exist the longest and most times i can think off.

Apart from the buried cities, ruined temples and tomb complexes that may be there under sand, stone or city, you also have the Urban dungeons.

Strange neighbourhoods, huge underground tunnels linked to both cellars and sewers, the sewers. Buildings, mansions, palaces, temples. Grand estates outside of town. Industry, warehouses and factories, long abandoned

>>15260826
>But i digress, how do you think the fantastic creatures in Iran and Iraq would respond to the political climate though?

Well, Iran would have all the Persian creatures like divs and peri, but Iraq would probably just have djinn and ghouls. Iraq might also have some of the old, old Mesopotamian gods and spirits still kicking around, but they'd be the exception to the rule.

In Iran, daevas would probably be taking great pleasure in the brutality of the police state, encouraging it and the general suffering of people. It wouldn't surprise me if a few have infiltrated the Revolutionary Guards or the police, encouraging brutality and torture. Some of the more subtle ones might use their shapeshfiting powers to try and manipulate the pro-democracy movement, undermining it and dooming it to fail.

The djinn probably wouldn't care for the most part. They've seen countless nations and empires rise and fall. A small minority might take an interest in human political affairs, but for most of them it just wouldn't hold their interest for long. That said, Kahin would probably be more common in the elderly clerical elite that runs Iran, so there might be a few powerful governmental Kahin who command djinn to enforce their will.

The peri and the Simurgh would probably be on the side of whoever they thought was trying to do genuine good. Whether it's the pro-democracy protestors or politicians trying to reform things for the better, they may pay them a dream-like visit one night to bestow their blessings. The Simurgh's presence, of course, would be very rare, probably limited to true historical turning points.

The ghouls wouldn't care at all about human politics, though they'd be delighted at any conflict that provides them with fresh bodies to scavenge.

Thanks for the advice guys, keep going you are doing great. Just to get some things straight, i recently just watched my cousin replaying diablo 2 and he is in the part where the setting is sorta arabic, the question is: is Islamic Zoroastrian(?) mythology sort of similar to how blizzard portrays it or they took a lot of liberties with the artistic license?

>>15263819

I never played Diablo 2, but I do know this: Blizzard takes liberties with EVERYTHING. Usually quite extensive liberties.

A few thoughts on the monsters:

Griffons probably stick to the mountains. Depending on whether magic is underground or not in this setting, they may be the source of the mysterious disappearance of livestock, or they may be a well known pest.

Basilisks would probably be of the older, snake like variety, with the death gaze. Despite being about three feet long they'd still be very dangerous You'd likely only find them deep in desert areas where nobody lives. Occasionally they might slither into town, and people would know one was coming because all the local snakes would be high tailing it for the hills. Also, if one got into a river upstream of a town, or into a well it could be the reason for a sudden rash of poisonings.

Karkadanns would be similar to the griffons, a rural predator. They'd probably attack in small groups, and would be more than willing to eat humans. They were supposedly ferocious enough to scare off elephants. I'd make them about the size of tigers. They'd be a logical foe for young members of the Ghazi monster-slaying society to cut their teeth on, and there's probably a small rotating outpost of them stationed in the boonies for just such a purpose.

Rukhs would be very rare, nesting high in the mountains or on small, uninhabited islands far out on the sea, not on any maps. People wouldn't encounter them very often, but when they do they'd better be ready for hell.

"Dragons," whether you want to go the sandworm route or not, would likewise be very rare, and confined to lonely places humans rarely travel.

Manticores would lurk in the wilderness on the periphery of rural areas in the Eastern parts of the Middle East and Central Asia. They would probably actively hunt human beings.

>>15263986

I know this pushes the fantasy a lot, but what sort of ecosystem would crop up with these sort of creatures running amok? The world needs prey and predator and something as big as a sandworm would need a LOT of food and likewise with Griffons and Rukhs.

A side question, do you think that Griffons and Rukhs would make good territorial enemies? I was thinking that would be a valid excuse for either of them attacking people or livestock, being pushed out of their own territory by the other.

And lastly, do you know how intelligent the myths say any of these creatures are? Mindless beasts or sentient creatures?

I love this thread.

Has this been archived yet? Not OP, but I'm seriously considering running a DFRPG in Iran or Jerusalem.

bump

Don't let this die before being archived!

>>15267163
>>15267579
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/15254386/