Majira

Player Guide #

• Entering Majira

  Approaching the edge of the Majiran desert the first thing you notice is the sudden rise in temperature. With the grass and low brush slowly giving way to rock and sand, there’s nothing left to stiffle the heat. Across the dunes of the Silhol Valley you can see that heat shimmer and bend the horizon. You realize that forging ahead into that wide expanse of golden sands would be a death trap for anyone foolish enough to do so without a guide.

  Making it through scorching days and cold nights to arrive at one of the settlements at the heart of Majira, you find cream-colored buildings rising from the desert floor. Towers with tall openings at the top jut skyward from every building and broad fabric shades stretched between them billow softly in the breeze. Suddenly you notice the scent of the air change, the dusty void is replaced by a sweet floral fragrence mixed with the deep pungent smell of incense. As you approach, you can hear the sounds emanating from the busy marketplaces and feel the hot arid air begin to feel more tolerable.

• Border Crossing

  Long before you’ve entered the Silhol Valley you will have to secure a Wayfinder, your guide through the desert. This is the first part of the vetting process. The Tabaxi don’t concern themselves with a secure border like other nations because without someone willing to take you to your destination, you will die long before you got there. Your guide will shepard you into Jandar’s Fall where you will be offered cool mint-infused water. By accepting their hospitality you are agreeing to abide by their laws and as such will be treated as a guest. As you drink a scribe will ask for some details about your visit and, since you aren’t a merchant with a pre-existing arrangement, you will be required to pay an entry tax. From here your business is your own and you are welcomed to the city.

• The Laws, Customs and Taboos

  Speaking with your Wayfinder you learn a number of useful things that might help you in your travels.

  • The tall Windcatcher towers that rise from every building and the vast water filled cisterns below the city are considered sacred. Tampering with them will be met with heavy consequences.
  • Intentionally wasting water or using it for vanity, such as decorative fountains, will result in the offenders right to water being restricted. Repeated infractions are punishable by execution.
  • During the hottest part of the day, the outdoor markets close so that citizens may retreat into the cooler interiors. During this time the streets become much quieter and you will only see those with necessary business out and about.
  • When a traveler successfully completes a journey led by a Wayfinder, it is customary to give the guide a remarkable stone that was found along the way. While they have no trade value, they represent the path safely walked and are used to decorate the Wayfinder’s dwelling.
  • Anyone who is suffering from the heat of the day must be allowed to take shelter in the shade so long as they are peaceful and denying someone sanctuary or charging coin for taking refuge in the shade would be considered the gravest of social transgressions.
  • It is a tradition to carry a small pouch of sand from their place of origin and it’s a terrible omen to lose it, as it’s believed that your life’s path is within those grains of sand.

• Currency and Commerce

  The currency is minted as precisely cut shapes so that any shopkeeper can verify the coins authenticity by inserting them into calibrated slots on a shop counter. Coins have various shaped central cutouts that allow them to be secured on a cord of leather to help avoid loss or theft. The major banks of Kemet have joined together to standardize coinage to simplify trade across the world. While the face and shape can be designed freely, the coin must meet a standard weight and purity in Copper, Silver, Gold and Platinum to be accepted as currency outside its minting nation.

  • Silt (Copper): A small, square coin with rounded corners and a square hole in the center. Its surface is intentionally textured and rough, mimicking the grit of the desert floor.
  • Vane (Silver): A thin, elongated diamond shape with a vertical slot running through the middle.
  • Sirocco (Gold): A curved, S-shaped coin with two small, square cutouts at either end. The cutouts are designed to “whistle” slightly if blown across, a nod to the city’s windcatchers.
  • Dune-Star (Platinum): A circular coin with eight sharp serrated points around the outer edge and a cross-shaped void in the center.

• Rumors and Folklore

  You also hear some things that may not be rooted in truth or which may be just wild conspiracy theories or folk tales.

  • Never pick up stones that have faint blue veins while in the Silhol Valley. These stones are believed to act as anchors for viscious sand beasts and disturbing or carrying one is an invitation for the desert to swallow you whole.
  • Whispers in the market suggest that Wayfinders don’t just know the desert, they speak to the shifting sands and are guided to where they want to go.
  • A tale suggests the Windcatchers are actually giant musical instruments and if the wind hits them just right they will play a beautiful melody.