Taftani

*Truth is my fire, art my joy, and courage my design.*

Once upon a time, sultans flew on flying carpets. Viziers commanded and consulted djinni trapped in lamps or sparkling jewels. Wealthy merchants lived in wondrous castles that floated above the clouds. Once upon a time, the Taftâni – weavers of miracles, masters of Arts – created all these things, and more besides.

Independent and nomadic by nature, these early ashavanti (“followers of Truth”) remained wary of European magi and their chained and confined magick. Where the Order of Reason saw horrifying forces that needed to be eradicated, and where the Council magi saw a solemn, exclusive Art, the Taftâni looked upon magick and saw a gift: a boundless expression of the beauty and power of Asha – Ultimate Truth – to be savored, relished, and enjoyed with as much vigor and enthusiasm as an excellent meal, a fine wine, or a sexual rendezvous.

Sadly, these wild mystics did not fare well as the world changed around them. To them, the modern sciences are manifestations of druj – “falsehood” – and the deluded souls who manifest it. When Weavers pitted their truths against those falsehoods, though, they all too often burned. And yet, despite impossible odds, the Taftâni survived… not many of them, to be sure, but enough to preserve their knowledge and their Arts. The sect’s independent nature made its individuals hard to find and harder still to destroy. Most of the survivors took to the desert and joined Bedouin communities. Smaller enclaves took their cues from their Batini brethren and made themselves invisible, secretly passing on their Arts to worthy apprentices, observing the changing world and learning its workings and its ways.

Today’s Taftâni remain flamboyant, defiant, and boisterous. They do, however, tend to have a better relationship with Paradox – a practical benefit gained through four centuries of trial and error. Although some still travel with the nomadic tribes of the Middle East, practicing the venerable Arts of spirits and command, most modern Weavers ensconce themselves in the glass palaces of oil-rich lands, channeling their arts through numbers, finance, and the wonders of technology – snatching the tools of Technocratic enemies right out from under them, like rugs yanked from beneath the feet of fools.

The city of Dubai arises from the desert as a base of operations for 21st-century Taftâni. What else can explain the fantastical buildings that defy the laws of physics – these impossible oases in the middle of the desert that entice people from all over the world to come and see, wonder and play? From the Burj-Al-Arab and the Dubai Tower to the underwater Hydropolis and the floating Rotating Skyscrapers, each new architectural achievement is invested with djinni or spirits… not as some Technocratic prison, but as embodiments of wondrous Art.

## Organization

A fiercely independent lot, the Weavers do not congregate in houses, families, cabals, or the like. There are schools where newly Awakened ashavanti can learn the ways of old. In almost every case, however, Taftâni Masters train only one apprentice at a time, and rarely train more than three in a lifetime. Outside those apprenticeship bonds, the Weavers have – until recently – met only at bagha (“gardens”) every six months. In recent years, however, such isolation has given way to pragmatic cooperation.

Only fools refuse to change in the face of extinction… and that face has come very close indeed. Confronted with the mad djinni of the Technocratic Order – and worse, with the poisonous corruption of that Order’s Fallen masters – the Weavers have abandoned their old tradition of internal conflict. Although Taftâni society holds a very loose weave, it’s far more stable… and more subtle… than it has ever been before. And in that quiet stability, it has prospered.

## Factions

### The Zoatar

Masters of vulgar magick and the Sphere of Forces, who see themselves as champions against druj on all fronts.

### The Kahin

Masters of subtle arts and the Sphere of Spirit, who have pledged themselves to the mastery over the spirit world.

## Initiation

Artistic vision, combined with practical aptitude and application, means more to the Taftâni than rigid ceremonies. A Weaver who cannot weave, one who cannot see the patterns before they shape themselves beneath his hands, is no true Weaver at all. A master, then, finds her apprentices wherever she finds them, trains them vigorously, tests them constantly, and places the utmost importance upon teaching them well.

Taking an apprentice is a sacred honor and responsibility to the ashavanti. Truth, after all, is easily dispelled by ignorance or corruption. That responsibility cuts both ways; a Weaver’s apprentice endures a brutal workload of chores and services. By long tradition, a Taftâni master takes an apprentice somewhere between 11 and 16 years of age; teaches him the essential Arts until he dies, prospers, or beats his mentor in mystic combat; and then introduces him to the djinn and the many ways one might control such entities. If the pupil dies, then the master mourns… but not overmuch. If one presumes to weave divine fire, she knows, then that Weaver must have the strength of Will and Art to survive such majesty!

## Focus

Asha’s flame is limited only by a Weaver’s Will and vision. Yet just as a fine carpet follows a wave, and a fire follows the currents of air and kindling, so too do the blessings of Asha follow the bright designs of intent and consciousness. The focus of a Taftâni mage involves shaping thoughts and materials toward a grand elaborate design – one that demonstrates the beauty of Truth and the artistry of the mage. Might is Right in a realm of Divine Order and Earthly Chaos, and so the ashavanti employ alchemy, craftwork, High Ritual Magick, crazy wisdom, the Art of Desire, a touch of hypertech, and dominion over men and spirits alike.

## Glossary

Taftâni language and culture evolved from, and consequently owes more to, the Aryans (the original Persians after whom the country of Iran is named) than to the Arabs. The Taftâni have, in fact, made a concerted effort to limit the Arabic influence on their language, largely because even after 1,400 years - and even though most modern Taftâni are themselves of Arab extraction - they still resent the Arabic invasion of Persia. No one ever said the Weavers couldn't hold a grudge.

The terms closest to the heart of Taftâni philosophy come from a variety of languages, including Arabic, Armenian, Avestan, Greek, Gujarati, Old Persian, Pahlavi and Sanskrit.

* Aramaiti: A mind purified by atar, i.e., a clear mind ready to use magic (though not necessarily capable of doing so).
* Asha: Truth, order or righteousness; the highest principle in Taftâni philosophy. Also, the universe as it truly is, not just as humans are capable of perceiv- ing it. (Traditionalists claim that Asha is the Taftâni's equivalent of the Tenth Sphere, though the Taftâni themselves disagree, claiming that the relationship of Asha to the Spheres is more complex that that.)
* Ashavant: Follower of Truth, one who uses magic liberally, especially in front of those who need to see it most (i.e., Sleepers).
* Atar: Fire when referred to in its sacred sense, also the "thought-fire" of a purified mind. A common Taftâni metaphor for magic.
* Atash: Another (more general) word for fire, also the Taftâni term for the Sphere of Forces.
* Bundahishen: "Potential" or "Creation." The Taftâni term for the Sphere of Prime.
* Chinvat: Bridge over the abyss; bridge to the afterlife. "Crossing the chinvat" is also a Taftâni term for a final suicidal display of spectacularly vulgar magic performed in front of Sleepers with the intent of proving the existence of magic.
* Dahr: "Time" or "Fate." Often used to denote the Entropy Sphere.
* druj: Falsehood, including all unenlightened beliefs, assumptions, opinions and thought.
* Dregvant: Follower of Druj. A liar or evil person. Frequently a term referring to someone who knows that magic works but colludes with the status quo anyway.
* Fravashi: "the animating fire". That which allows a mere physical being to experience Asha (i.e., the Avatar)
* Getig: The physical, visible world. Asha trapped in mere material. Also the Taftâni word denoting the Sphere of Matter.
* Gumezishen: "Mixture" or "Conflict." The term for the specific sites where Asha and Druj are in most intense conflict. Because Taftâni believe that all life is generated by this conflict, this is also the Taftâni term for the Life Sphere.
* Hamestagan: Literally, "The place that is neither heaven (i.e., Asha) nor hell (Druj)." The Taftâni term for the Mind Sphere.
* Haram: "Sanctuary." The absolute and inviolable truce called twice a year by Taftâni during which at- tendees discuss developments in the world, show off their apprentices and carouse.
* Haurvatat: Literally, "Integrity;" referring to the Taftâni principle of direct and unhesitant action Jashan: Magic.
* Kahin: "Seer;" a Sha'ir who focuses on the Sphere of Entropy, interpreting the battle movements of Asha and Druj to sense how the universe is preparing to move instead of relying on Spirits.
* Magos: (plural: magoi) An Old Persian term for a priest or user of magic. The old, original, form of the word "mage."
* Manthra: A magical phrase repeated until it loses meaning, at which time the Taftâni believes that the meaning has departed the realm of Hamestagan and entered the realm of Asha, where it can affect the flow of outcomes in the universe.
* Medin: A poetic eulogy given by a current or former Taftâni apprentice when his master dies.
* Qismat: Destiny or lot. Persian word that eventually became "kismet."
* Ribash: "Enigma," "Puzzle," "Resistance" or "Obstacle;" The Taftâni term for the Sphere of Correspondence.
* Sha'ir: Literally "one who knows;" a poet. A Taftâni who works primarily by weaving Asha into his words with sound, rhyme and meter. Sha'ir focus predominantly on the Spirit Sphere and speak with djinn and other spirits on a regular basis.
* Menog: The Invisible World or an inhabitant thereof (referring to Spirits in general, not necessarily just djinn). Also the Taftâni term for the Spirit Sphere.
* Vizier: An archaic term, derived from the same linguistic root as "wizard," used to describe anyone making obvious use of magic, particularly the Spheres of Entropy, Spirit and Time.
* Wali: (plural: awliya) Literally, "One who is close;" referring to a friend, relative, protector or helper. Some- times a "saint" of the Taftâni tribe. The word used by apprentices to refer to their mentors.
* Wizarishen: "Separation." The time in the far future, after Truth has been realized, when Asha and Druj are eternally separated. Sometimes used interchangeably with Dahr to denote the Sphere of Entropy.
* Zaotar: Literally "One who purifies creation." The term denoting the more aggressive, warlike Taftâni (compared to the Kahin).
* Zurvan: "Time." Used both generally and to refer to the Time Sphere.