Talk:Arjat

About this Page These expanded lore pages are intentionally placed on sub-pages so as not to overwhelm the average player with an excess of information. However, we recognize that some players will want more depth. These pages will provide links that would be useful for such expansion. If you wish to add to these pages, please contact Branwyn.Emerald for a wiki account.

Native Foods

Onions, garlic, leeks, beans, lentils, peas, radishes, cabbage, cucumbers and lettuce. There were also fruits, such as dates, figs, pomegranates, melons and grapes. Wheat, barley, flax, and papyrus. Honey.

From the words spoken by the prophet Mises when he gives the Commandments to the Zephrin People.

I am thy father, thy master, thy judge. Seek not others before me, for their laws do not govern thee. And thus I command thee.

Walk a path of righteousness. Honor my laws. Honor thy father and mother. Honor the blood of my land. Honor the five treasures that I have given thee. Seek glory in my name. Glory is the sublime balance between justice and mercy.

Be always the right-minded man, forsake lust, ill-will, cruelty and pride. Suffer not the ignorant, the wicked or those who put themselves above the position I have granted. Understand my truths. The circle of suffering does not end with this life, and each has the right to walk another turn of the wheel, and thus gain release.

Judge not lest ye be judged yourself. Judgment is reserved for those highest in my eyes. Forget not that those most high in my eyes are most watched. Make right speech. Let thy speech be both honest and harmonious. Let not thy words place another in a position lower than thee, speak in full dominion so that truth becomes a worthy act.

Make right action. Take not that which is not thine by right, by need or by spoil. Make not right an excuse for greed. Speak not of need that which does not nourish your body, or the lives of your children. Wage not war for spoil, gain or dominance. Remember that in all things I have granted thee free will, let mine gift not destroy thee.

Expanded Afterlife

“In his time, Veriaz el'Hamad, veteran of many conflicts, had seen enough wounds and death to know that Alimarat's essence would shortly be making its final journey through the desert to stand before Acrab” (Bond of Salt).

The Zephrin believe in an eventual heaven. Early traditions, left over from the Jinn claim a belief in a place known as Aaru. Aaru was a physical place far above the land in a "dark area" of space where there were no stars, basically beyond the Universe. According to the Book of Tombs, departed souls would undergo a literal journey to reach Heaven, but along the way there would be hazards and other entities attempting to deny entry to Heaven. The heart was said to be finally weighed against the Feather of Truth and, if the sins weighed it down, the heart was devoured.

The tradition today holds that a person is to be embalmed and then entombed, not buried or burned. The spirit of the person travels deep into the desert to stand before Acrab to be judged. Depending on the judgement, the person will be re-incarnated according to the value of their life and, in some cases, returned to their body and re-animated. History contains quite a number of stories about people returning from the dead and walking out of their tombs alive.