What is Siwa Oasis?

 Sitting deep in the western desert of Egypt in the area called Matruh, Siwa Oasis is a stretch of verdant beauty in an inhospitable wasteland. Approximately 120 miles east-west and 60 miles at its widest point north-south, the oasis was once the home of the Oracle of Ammon, a Garamantian and Carthaginian god. Alexander the Great made a storied pilgrimage to the oasis, where, according to legend, the great god decreed that he was the rightful ruler of Egypt. 

However, in the last thousand and some years, the oasis has fallen on harder times. The rise of first Christianity and then Islam led to the death of the faith of Ammon, and the three great temples of Siwa fell into disrepair and ruin. While it has remained an important stop on the caravan road from the west, this decline has also led to a depopulation of the verdant area. Where there were once three villages in the area—Abu Sharef in the east, Khamisah in the west, and Aghurmi lying between them—there is now only one, the fortified town of Siwa, populated by Muslim date farmers originally from Aghurmi. The rest of the oasis is ruins and crypts, picked over by the Berber—particularly the Zenata, who irregularly camp along the shores of the salt lake Al-Zaytun, east of Siwa. 

Despite its poverty and danger, Siwa Oasis presents a great deal of benefits to a magus. Firstly, there are several sources of vis of diverse types—although as our saga begins, Jabril is only aware of the 6 annual pawns of Vim produced at the Stele of Alexander in Aghurmi. Secondly, there are magical auras scattered across the oasis, most of them around large abandoned buildings made of well-dressed stone. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, Siwa is isolated and ignored by both mundanes and the Order of Solomon—perfect for the reclusive Jabril.

Vis Sources:

6 pawns/Vim in the Ides of February, collected via a crystal placed atop the Stele of Alexander.

At saga start, Jabril knows of this source, as well as the magic aura of Aghurmi, but has not yet discovered the other three vis sources that lie within the Oasis itself. Build points from adventures will need to be spent to unlock them.

Boons:

Difficult Access—the closest inhabited place to Siwa is Alexandria, eight days of travel away along the caravan route. Others are much further, and require travel through the Great Sand Sea.

Edifices—Siwa village is three stories above the desert, cutting an imposing figure over the oasis.

Important Building—the great temple-fort of Ammon still stands atop a large rock in the center of Aghurmi, and is mostly still in good condition, with a brick watchtower, a wall, a deep well, Alexander’s Stele, and a Magic aura of 3.

Strong Community—Siwa is very insular, but also strongly united against outsiders.

Ungoverned—the oasis is technically ruled by the Sultan in Cairo, but no attempts have ever been made to exert authority over it.

Peasants—the people of Siwa are hardworking peasant folk.

Exceptional Book—Jabril took an incredible summa on the art of Rego from Rolf’s possessions: “On the Subtle Art of Command”, quality 15, level 20.

Two boons undiscovered

Hooks:

Poverty—Siwa relies on date farming and trading with passing caravans. Enough for repairs and supplies, not enough for the necessities of laboratory work.

Road—A well-trodden caravan road leads from the the west to Alexandria, and passes through Siwa.

Tribunal Border—Siwa sits on the edge of Egypt, and on the edge of the Levant as well. Indeed, it’s debatable whether or not it even sits within the Levant. Regardless, being isolated and distant, the Order of Solomon, as well as Berber mages, may take an interest.

Unsafe—The desert is full of dangers, and the oasis is nigh-impossible to defend completely, especially with only one magus.

Multiple Sites—There are numerous potentially useful sites within the vast oasis, and to protect them all will be quite difficult. 

One hook unknown

Covenant Resources:

Jabril arrived with the following summae, besides the exceptional book from the boon: one level 15 quality 12 Creo summa, one level 12 quality 12 Intellego summa, one level 6 quality 21 Perdo summa, and one level 4 quality 10 Penetration summa. He also has a quality 11 tractatus on Finesse, 2 quality 10 tractati on Magic Theory and Leadership, and a quality 9 tractatus on Muto. Finally, he has 200 levels of spells in lab texts, which I won’t reproduce here for brevity. Including the 30 build points spent on the Vim vis source, this leaves us with a total of 210 build points spent: just above what the core rulebook suggests for a young Spring covenant. 

He also has one shield grog in tow, a hardened Berber warrior by the name of Ahmad, as well as a cook, Umar, who knows how to prepare the bland yet filling meals Jabril requires, and a servant, Jamil, to take care of his other basic needs. These three are paid well enough to know that their work is to be attended to without bothering their master overmuch. Jabril prizes quiet competence, while loud fecklessness drives him to rage.