Ich stell's mal rein. Work in progress, sind teilweise nur Stichworte, ich muss mich noch etwas sortieren. Und - ja, is Englisch.
Ich hab natürlich nicht alle meine Bücher mit in Deutschland (mehr ne Gewichtsbeschränkung beim Gepäck). Aber morgen bin ich ja wieder in England...
Und ich kriege nicht raus, wie ich eine Datei anhängen kann:
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Shadows of Aghanistan
By alex.wichert@gmx.de
<<Hoi chummers, this file is for you. As always, you’re free to annotate and contradict what’s written. It is presented to Shadowland by Golden Eagle – who is clearly an insider to the region and politics, but a recent face in the shadows. >> Data Whore
Bismillah - in the name of Allah, the all merciful.
I undertake to tell you about a country that is very different to what te usual Westerner knows. Or what the usual Easterner knows. Afghanistan lies in the middle of conflicting interests, and that has always been its fate. If Allah wills it, I shall convey to you information you will find profitable, useful, and maybe even enlightening.
You may have heard about Afghanistan; recently, Asia and especially central Asia have become more visible to the world of shadows, and you may know about the Kabul _maffiya_, and the highway running from Pakistan right through Afghanistan to the northern neighbours. You may know that Afghanistan is a generally restless and dangerous place. You may believe there is nothing of interest, no sprawls, no corporate powerplay, no ork gang neighbours.
Afghanistan is one of the countries that only becomes visible in times of crisis; currently, it is a rather stable mess. There were rumours about a planned invasion, and all its neighbours have been pointing fingers. The truth is thatr this country is even a challenge when it is at relative calm and ease, and not for the faint-hearted. It is a proving ground above all else, and if you plan to go there, remember that its peoples have spent much more time there than you. You will find it a humbling experience, as did I. Probably more so.
Timeline: (to be done)
Regional History: (to be done)
Past: (to be done)
Awakenened Afghanistan: (keywords, still gathering)
Pull out of Westerners
Afghan Pashtun leader tries to unite with Afghani in Pakistan, wiping out the Durant line
Night of long knives, Pashtun elite murdered in Kabul
Fatima’s Tears reemerge
Buddhas regenerate (earth golems)
Islamists factions founded, fighting each other
Drought
Awakened Poppies emerge?
Mystics / Holy Men
Sites become “holy”
Angel Gibrail delivers message – founding of a mystic order
Islam:
As you may have guessed, I am Muslim myself. I was not born to the faith, I converted. “Islam” means submission under the will of Allah, a name that simply means “God”. We aknowledge that the Christian and Jewish god is Allah, and we aknowledge the existence of djinns, and angels and demons, but there is no god but Allah, and Mohammad is his prophet.
Being a westerner by birth, and an outsider to the faith, I understand, other than my Muslim brethren, why Westerners and Easterners find it hard to comprehend the faith. While I am not an imam, and I have not studied the shari’a, the Islamic Law, I have studied the Qu’ran, the word of God, which is more important than the hadiths (sayings) and commentaries by learned men which came later. I, for once, would call myself a fundamentalist, as I do not accept anything but the Qu’ran to guide me. I am, truly, at the base of the faith. It is between me and Allah how I live my life, and to him I owe answers for my deeds.
Many things attracted me to the faith, but above all, the purity of it. Christians haggle with God, and have strayed from the path by corrupting the words of the prophets until it suited their petty politics. Atheists are filled with fear, making them cowards in their deeds, or they have become nihilists, negating everything beautiful and eternal. Having seen the world beyond the world, this was never an option for me. I know purity, and I know how rare it is. I found it in the hearts and minds of Muslims, and I used to regret that while I could understand and honor them, I could not attain their level of comittment. I have been taught, however, and I am grateful that they accepted me into community of believers.
I know that others have written about Islam in these troubled and exciting times; and I have received requests to put my own view into words. First: Islam is such a complex faith and, lacking a central authority like the Christian pope, there are millions of faiths, millions of perspectives and teachings. There are power-hungry imams, corrupted “wise men”, and lies, but there are, and most fall into that category, truly humble and seeking minds and hearts that submit to Allah in the truest sense of the word. Therefore, my view is that of a convert Westerner who has been taught by specific men in a specific place and time. There will be Muslims that disagree with me. The ultimate truth is, after all, neither mortal, nor known to anybody but Allah. We have to accept that we will never see the whole picture.
Islam and Technology:
According to what I was taught, and to what I believe, Islam has no religious problems with metahumans, or even SURGE victims. Allah has created all creatures, and he appears to alter them according to his will and plan. Nothing keeps metas or Surgelings out. They are welcome, just as other ethnic groups have always been welcome to the community.
Traditionally, cyberware and bioware have been acceptable, especially for medical reasons such as limb replacement. Excessive cyberware, however, is seen as the attempt to change Allah’s creation, which is one of the main sins in Muslim eyes, and therefor enters a gray area.
In the same vein, the use of genetic engineering is considered trying to change Allah’s creation. As genetic engineering is tampering permanently with the very code of creation, this is seen as forbidden, and, in fact, inspired by the devil.
Islam and Magic:
Islam has always considered djinns to be a similar race to humanity; djinns have their own culture, their own character and agenda, and therefore, are treated as a race unto itself, which has been created by Allah. Enslaving djinns is frowned upon, and there is a strong respect for the powers of these spirits.
Magic is limited by two rules, the gravest sins that any Muslim can commit: It is forbidden to make images of living things (which means animals and people, but not plants), and it is forbidden to revere any god but Allah.
This means that no Muslim mage will use spells to create anything that is alive, or the illusion of it. The most pious don’t even learn illusion spells, as that would be to use the tools of the devil, and it might compromise their purity. Allah is the sole creator, and man believing he can create living things is the gravest insult – and something that the devil tries to tempt him into. This rule runs so deep that there are no animal or human shapes in the Muslim matrix. I have been told that programms and routines take the shape of sigils, abstract patterns that are every bit as beautiful as traditional Muslim art. And much more difficult for Western minds to decypher and unravel.
The traditional Muslim mage will be pious, and ask for Allah’s grace and goodwill with every spell. Many incorporate the words “Inshallah” – if God wills it, and “Bismillah” – in the name of Allah. This is to express that magic is granted by Allah. Most summon in Arabic, the traditional language of Islam, much like many Westerners use Latin, or Greek. The Arabic script is used to bind and create, many precious talismans and foci are inscribed with Arabic phrases, which come straight from the Qu’ran. This is done because everything reflects the beauty and grace of Allah, and spells and foci are no exceptions.
There are many folk tales of powerful mages, especially in the “Arabian Nights”. Afghanistan has been influenced strongly by Persian culture, which is centered in Iran and Iraq, as well as Mongolian influences, not to forget Turk influences. A comprehensive history of Arabian magic remains to be written – but runners should expect elementalists who work with elemental djinns, shapechanging mages that take different forms to comprehend as much of creation as they can, and are usually very adept at switching forms and using a wide variety of forms, which they can and will use in combat.
The shamanic tradition is a completely different matter. As many shamans revere their totem or patron in much the same way as gods or angel or demons, this kind of worship is completely unacceptable in Islam. Shamans are often seen as “kufr”, idolators, and if they are caught, are customarily stoned or killed. There is no sin greater than idolatry; it is impossible to be a Muslim and follow a totem as it is done in Western or Eastern societies. There are a few shamans that follow animal totems or idols, and call themselves Muslims, but this is completely against the most basic rules of the faith. There is no God but Allah.
If the shamanic way manifests itself, however, and it does, much as it does outside of Islam, this is usually a reason to be ashamed, and shunned, and some young shamans are either killed (killing is considered more merciful than exile), or run away from home, and leave the Muslim community. This is a painful, usually traumatic step, and binds the young shaman to his totem even stronger, as they gain the totem, but lose everything else – their community, their faith, their families, everything but their life. Those that don’t learn how to deal with it very often become enemies of the faith, in essence turning into what we call “toxic” shamans. Some wounds do not heal, and much like rabid dogs, they are hunted down and killed.
Many youths that display a magical ability and are at risk to become shamans in their instinctual and irrational ways, are brought to a mystic or a monastry. Wandering wise men are part of every day culture, and often magically gifted – they are wandering healers, following their own hearts and nothing else, and deeply comitted to Allah and the brotherhood of the faith.
There, the connection to the totem is weakened, and the would-be shaman is taught mental and emotional discipline above all else. That can take the form of gruelling tests of endurance, fasting to the brink of death, and the combined effort and magic of experienced mystics, who, in the truest sense of the word, wage a holy war for the young shaman’s soul, and are usually able to sever the ties to the totem – which deeply affects the shaman and can drive them to suicide. Those that survive this ordeal, however, become mystics.
Mystics are a special form of magician, as they use the names of Allah to tune into one of the aspects of his creation. To explain, it is said that Mohammad said in one of the Hadiths: “Verily, there are ninety-nine names of God, one hundred minus one. He who enumerates them would get into Paradise.” These ninety-nine names are used for meditation, and each of the names describes a quality attributed to Allah – the devout Muslim will strive to incorporate these qualities into his daily life and actions. The mystic takes this one step further, and attunes himself to one of the names.
I have to admit that my knowledge of this practice is not complete, but after talking to one of the mystics, and him indulging my curiousity, he gave me a few examples. If the mystic is attuned to the divine name Al Rahim (الرحيم), which means “The Most Merciful”, this may enable him to heal, in the truest sense of the word, “in the name of Allah”. Al Malik (الملك) “The King, The Sovereign” can be used to command the minds and hearts of people, Al Salam (السلام) “Peace and Blessing” may calm a fight and bring peace of mind and soul. Al Muhaymin (المهيمن), “The Guardian, the Preserver” has been used to protect the body from harm. To comprehend the full scale and scope of Allah’s magnificence, the mystic will strive to attune himself to all the names, but this takes a lifetime of devotion and discipline.
Locations
Conflicts
Corporations
Organised Crime
Drugs (conflicts with chip producers)
Smuggling routes
Kidnapping
Faith
Myths / Legends
Shedim
Critter
NPCs
Adventure Hooks
Culture
Appendix: The 99 Names of Allah
Thema: E-Book Afghanistan/Pakistan (Gelesen 3665 mal)
