Auran Tome 1: Recordings of Kazim the Abjurer
The first tome is a record of
Kazim the Abjurer’s time in the city of the wind-djinn, under the rule of the
Djinni lord, Al‘Ŝafan Anil, the Sky Caliph. This kingdom was ruled in a vibrant
city that floated about a mile above the dunes called The Citadel of the Winds.
Its ruins are now shrouded in sandstorms and clouds, rechristened the Hanging
Gardens in the Astara Desert near Majirah.
Most of Kazim’s entries record
the lives of the djinn, and how they felt the Majirahans were spoiling the
lands of the desert since they’d driven out the Nagas. Indeed, he remarks how
the vegetation had been “creeping more and more toward the mountains and coasts
since the Shah came into power.”
“The djinn of the winds are kind, if not mercurial, proud of
their heritage and nomadic lifestyle. Indeed, like the wind, they are quick to
change their dreams and whims, but are still fond of the characteristic
nobility and honor-bound oaths that all djinn are known for. They quite lament
the loss of the Naga Kingdom, having been burned down by the Majirahan armies
to drive them westward, and ever since the verdant hills have become more and
more bare for the sake of a human empire.”
Of note are several entries he
makes years later.
“The djinn are being courted by powers greater than I. Indeed,
even the Naga King Vasuki has hinted that if he could harness the djinn’s power
he could exact revenge on all mortals. My time in the Citadel is becoming more
fearsome, while I watch my back from supernatural predators in the hopes of
making sure no one can use the djinn’s powers for ill will. Friendships may be
made of strong bonds, but none is stronger than the will of the Creator to
prevent the destructive desires of Evil.”
And later:
“It is with a heavy heart I return to the Citadel of the
Winds. My intentions are not as honorable as the Sky Caliph believes, and it is
after I have done my duty and sealed him away that I can rest easy. Indeed,
after what the Radiant Lord took as his penance for being sealed, I can sleep
easier knowing—or rather, not knowing—what I have given up. Each djinn-vessel
requires a price, and Al‘Ŝafan Anil’s vessel is that of air. Memories are ethereal,
floating in an invisible tether between sensation and consciousness, and these
I happily give up if it means I do not have to relive the knowledge I gave my
wife and son to the Efreet.”
Auran Tome
2: The Djinn of the Sands
The second tome is (part of) an
account of the history of what is now the Astara Desert. It is written by a
djinn scholar named Al’Aziran, who says in the introduction, “much of what I write is the truth, although
mortals would have you believe we were to blame for the calamities. In
actuality, it is the existence of Free Will among both djinn and mortals that
conquers.”
Al’Aziran explains that the
Creator fashioned three beasts on the Middle World: Leviathan, the serpent of
Water that guards the Eastern Oceans; Ziz, the bird of the Air, who perches
upon the tower of Zenith and hunts the Great Wasteland Desert of Falak; and the
Behemoth, the beast of Earth.
While Ziz and Leviathan have survived, the
Behemoth was slain in a joint hunt by djinn, Nagas, and Men (who would later
found Majirah). This massive battle created the Scar, the massive crevasse that
runs between the two deserts. It is said Behemoth’s remains sit at the bottom
of the scar, waiting to be picked by vulturous wizards and treasure hunters.
The tome also explains that the
djinn, when driven out by Majirahans and Elder Elves of the Mountains, went
into the desert and hid in the city of Ubar, whose presence is hidden by the
raging sandstorms and heat of the Wasteland.
“Indeed, the
greatest threat of the desert was the union of the Majirahans and the Elder
Elves of AdanÍr, who under the protection of Annayur, created an army of
flying-carpet cavalry and sand-storm rangers. Until the alliance broke down,
this Empire of the Suns proved troublesome, until Kazim the Abjurer quieted the
power of the djinn inside his brass vessels.”
The final chapters begin to
explain the history of the Djinn of Ubar, saying that “the realm is lost to
mortals with whom the djinn wish no contact, but those who can find the dragon
of the sands, Shabnan, may ply him for the city’s whereabouts.
“For the acolytes
of Ŝirahz have proven friendly to the djinn, devoted to the power of their
dragon and not Celestial manifest destiny. Understanding the clues to a
dragon’s whereabouts (such as Majirahan scholars can attest) can bring fortune
to travelers looking for the hospitality of the acolytes or the djinn.”
Lastly, the tome also explains
the djinn crafted many items that could be unlocked only by djinn blood, that
these relics—often weapons and the like—were designed so that the djinn could
be protected from their enemies. The djinn of Ubar can recraft these tools if
need be, allowing another to harness their power. Such items were lost when
many djinn settlements failed, like those of Al-Duram and Kinshala in Lost
Khandar.
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