JHANGARADouglas Bramlett

Book Four of the Lost Books Of Talislanta

The Talislanta game and fantasy world are the creations of Stephan Michael Sechi. Talislanta is a trademark of SMS, and is used here with permission.Writing & Cartography: Douglas Bramlett. Design & Layout: Paul Cunningham.First Printing, May 2010. This book may be reprinted for personal use only. For more information about the world of Talislanta, visit talislanta.com.

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CHAPTER ONE

The Historyand Land

To Our Most Vigilant Father, Aaran, Abbot of Lash of Aa Monastery from your humble and holyBrother, Aallan, Holy Bearer of Aas Light in the Southern Jungles. Father Aaran, the savagesthat dwell here in the swamps across the Axis river from Alm are in desperate need of our aid.Having long been cut off from the wisdom and glory that is Aa by the river, the swamps, and thepestilential life, these pitiful wretches are appallingly ignorant. However, by the pervasive light ofAa I have been able to pierce the clouds of darkness, ignorance, and godlessness and make someheadway. In spite of this there have been difficulties because the natives lack of education. In theJhangarans native use of the common tongue both history and land carry the samemeaning. Understand that and you begin to understand the Jhangarans.

Excerpt from a missive from the Aamanian missionary Aaran to the Abbot of Alm.

HISTORYJhangara is a huge area of swampland

bounded by the twin forks of the Axis River.These swamps are in part the delta formed bythese two branches of the Axis, but the land inthis southern region is dotted with a variety ofbogs and jungles. The past of what is now theland of Jhangara is largely a matter of theguesswork of antiquity scholars. Aiding themwith the matter of clues and conjecture are anumber of ruins and artifacts lost amongst theswamps, shunned and avoided by thesuperstitious natives.

The Forgotten AgeThe conditions of the Wild Races during

the millennia preceding the Great Disaster area matter largely unknown to intellectuals.While numerous legends, tall tales, andsuperstitions still extent date back to thesetimes, they are largely ignored by civilizedfolk as unfounded ramblings.

Time Before TimeThere is little known about the swamps of

Jhangara from the Time Before Time, in partdue to the widespread illiteracy of theJhangarans. However, hidden throughout themires, bogs, and fens of the land of Jhangaraare numerous ruins that date back to ages ofantiquity. The oldest of these structures show

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evidence of huge complexes are made of bothstone and wood, and lie half-submerged alongthe coast of Jhangkin Bay and the JhangaranIsles. Scholars of the distant past have learnedto separate these structures from theoccasional Archaen remains by theirarchitectural oddities and interior carvings.Unfortunately, the majority of these ruins havesuffered extensive injury from either theencroaching jungles or from the ever-constantbattery of the sea.

Of the structures built that have survived,many of them display evidence of greatarchitectural skill. Rooms and passagewaysseem to flow one into another in an almostorganic fashion. The smoothly flowing lines ofthese buildings are largely constructed out ofstone, although constructions combining rockand coral have been found. The various nichesand crannies throughout these buildings seemto suggest that the populace used scintillamuch as modern Talislantans do: as a systemof illumination. In addition to tools, includingweapons, made out of carved bone, shell, andcoral, explorers have found evidence that thenatives were literate. Artifacts such as bonequills, carved ink-wells, and the occasionalcarved inscription, despite being largelyillegible, further underline this claim. Themajority of treasure looted from these sitesprominently display all manner of pearls,including the rare violet pearl from the quaga.Found mostly along the coastal swamps,inlets, and grottoes, it is obvious that theinhabitants of these ruins were a people whoselives depended upon the sea. Depending uponthe strength of season rains and current tides,finding these ruins can be difficult. In fact,many of them are now completely submergedbeneath the waves.

The Archaen AgesEarly Archaens found these coastal

fortress-temples and as they grew ever moresecure in their magical prowess came to heedthe warnings of the inhabitants, a race whosename is now lost to history. As the Archaensgrew in strength, challenged and overcamefirst the First Folk and then the Wild Races,

A Forgotten People

Some of the pre-Archaen ruins alongJhangaras western coast share a variety ofcharacteristics that are found in few otherstructures around Talislanta. First, andperhaps the most notable, all of thevaulted windows face the western shoreswhile all entrances instead face eithernorth or east. Additionally, all of thesebuildings contain religious iconography orevidence of its past presence. Typicallyfound as carvings or as bas relief, the vastmajority of these seem to depict the seasin a negative context, ostensiblyprohibiting travel across the waves.Furthermore, some of the remainingfigures resemble strange creatures thatseem to be a mixture of both Man and Fishor some other aquatic beast. While they donot resemble any currently living creaturesfound in Talislanta, some scholars havelikened them to either the Sun-Ra-San ofthe far East or the Imrians of the SouthernRim. Whoever or whatever previouslylived in these ruins may have either fearedthese creatures or perhaps built theseextensive fortress-temples as a way toguard against those terrors from the sea.

The First Folk:A Watery Origin?

The odd coral and stone constructions,the location of buildings right along thewaters edge, and the presence of writingthat highly resembles Piscine seems to hintthat the inhabitants of these ruins, whetherthey were First Folk or one of the WildRaces, were at the least a semi-aquaticrace. Indeed, given the evidence it seemsentirely possible that they were almostentirely aquatic and only came to thesurface for brief periods of time. Preciselywhy they came to the surface, if this isindeed the case, remains a mystery.

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this race declined. Eventually as the Archaensreached their peak, these structures wereabandoned. Some pioneering Archaens wentso far as to loot the abandoned structures,opening up long buried tombs and chambersbeneath the temples. While they may havefound great magical lore or artifacts in theseplaces, those who did so did not recordprecisely which shrines yieldedhidden knowledge.

In addition to the ancient temple-forts, theArchaens themselves left behind a few relicsof their own. Like the older structures, theJhangarans regard these ruins as forbiddenlocales and do not venture into them.

Although the Archaens were largelyknown and remembered for their amazingfloating city-states, in the days of theirmagical infancy they too were prisoners of theearth just as the Landborne that they wouldlater one day shun. It was along the westernend of Talislanta that the first Archaensventured forth against the First Folk, and eventhough the swamps were not their first homethere were Archaens who ventured there invarious effort to carve out empires oftheir own.

While there would be later Archaen ruinsof a slightly more permanent nature anddecidedly more magically powerful, many ofthese early wooden structures wound up beingsubmerged in the rising tides andaccumulating silt washed down river. It ispossible that some of them remain intactburied in the bogs and river sediments, but forthe most part the Archaens left little impacton Jhangara.

It was also during the Archaen Ages thatthe Jhangarans first began to settle the landwith which they share a name. Precisely wherethe Jhangarans originated is unknown.Amongst the records of the Archaens there islittle evidence to be found. In one accountthere is no mention of anything at all exceptthe expurgated records of the abandonedtemple-fortresses, in the next the Jhangaransare simple indicated to be the inhabitants of

the swamps of the area. The Jhangaransthemselves have a number of differentaccounts of their origins.

The oldest, and perhaps the oddest, originstories of the Jhangarans claim that theirpeople were born in a harsh and violent landfar to the west. After generations of sufferingand hardship, the people begged their Creatorto save them. Their Creator, an air goddesswhose name is lost to time, answered theirprayers and transported them across a greatand vast sea expending a great deal of itspower. Having deposited them on the banks ofthe Axis River, the Jhangarans wereadmonished about invoking the power of theirCreator and told that if any Jhangaran crossedthe waves they would lose their religion. Asthe modern Jhangarans have no real organizedreligion, merely a handful of primevaltraditions and passed-down superstitions, itcan be assumed perhaps that whateverstrictures were laid upon them in the past mayhave taken effect.

A differing legend claims kinship,however distant, with a race of jungle-dwellersin the distant east. Fearing the rage andviolence of their brother-tribe, the Jhangaransfound a way to wash away those violentemotions. In so doing, the bright and vibrantcoloration so common to jungle creatureswashed from their skin and they took on thehues of the calm and patient earth. Viewingtheir now bland cousins as cowards andtraitors, the more violent of the two tribesattacked repeatedly, driving the Jhangaransfurther and further west every few years.

A third story, one that carries a bit moreweight with modern scholars, is that theJhangarans were an early, and failed,biomantic hybridization experiment. Inattempting to create a hardy supply ofservants, perhaps for labor, warfare, or simplefood-production, the Jhangarans were createdby mixing Ahazu, Archaen, and otherunknown stock. Proponents of this theorypoint to the Monad as being a later, moresuccessful, version of the sameexperimentation. The easy pliability and

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natural hardiness of the Jhangarans would beconsistent with a created slave-race. Critics ofthis theory point to the Jhangarans lack of anyof the extra-ordinary abilities that commonlyoccur amongst the specialized servitor-racescreated by the Archaens and their descendants.

The most credible story is perhaps also thesimplest. The Jhangarans were once originallya tribe of Wild Folk, most likely the tribeknown as the Running Spears. This tribe wasknown to frequent the south-western junglesand swamps of the continent. The RunningSpears were known to utilize ambushes, hitand run attacks, and theft in order to steal theessential things they needed to survive. Mostof the Sub-Men tribes despised the RunningSpears, not out of fear but due to loathing;even amongst the Wild Folk the RunningSpears were extremely primitive andsuperstitious. When the Tirshata, a hero ofgreat renown amongst the Wild Folk, unitedthe disparate tribes to fight the Archaens, theRunning Spears flocked to his call. Serving asadvance scouts, guides, and trappers they wereable to give the Wild Folk a slight, ifdecidedly helpful, edge against the Archaens.After the Tirshata disappeared, the RunningSpears were overwhelmed. Their witchdoctorsand shamans claimed that his disappearancewas the forewarning of a horrendouscatastrophe. The Running Spears fled as far asthey could, back to the swamps and jungles oftheir former homes. Given that the Jhangaransfit all the pertinent descriptions of the RunningSpears, it is safe to assume that the Jhangaransare a still primitive tribe of Wild Folk thathave utilized their time-honed skills to survivein some of Talislantas mostunforgiving jungles.

The Jhangarans have in part adapted alifestyle based on a much smaller territorythan that prowled by the Running Spears.Although the Jhangarans do move from placeto place, they also dwell in a number largevillages in addition to smaller, temporary onesthat move with the seasons.

The Great DisasterIt is believed that the Jhangarans were

much more numerous prior to the disaster.While their tribes and culture were widespreadalong the southern coastal regions from whatare now the Monastic Hills to Barbatus Bay,after the Great Disaster they were only to befound in the south-west. Reversing some ofthe Jhangarans varied creation myths,multiple scholars have claimed that the Ahazuare derived from the Jhangarans, altered by themagical energies released duringthe catastrophe.

What is known about south-westernTalislanta following the Great Disaster is thatthe overall sea level for the area fell increasingthe number of low-lying bogs and marshes inthe area. This falling of the sea also served toexpose numerous ruins and create copioussmall narrow bays and islets that would laterserve to hide innumerable pirates, scavengers,and neer-do-wells in the centuries to come.

Godless SavagesWhoever they may have been, the

ancestors of the Jhangarans were a verydevout and religious people who worshiped asmall pantheon of deities. The tribesmenbelieved that these remote but powerful beingscould not directly interact with the worldwithout causing extreme calamitous changes.Instead, these deities communicated theirdesires and wishes through signs and portents.When the tribesmen correctly interpreted thesesymbols, they were rewarded; when theyfailed to interpret them properly the godsdispleasure was obvious. Furthermore, themeaning of any particular sign was subject tovarious interpretations, thus preventing anysort of standard set of meanings.

When the Jhangarans encountered theArchaens it seemed that these strangerspossessed the powers of the gods. Unused tomagic, the Jhangarans who witnessed thewonders of the Archaens were astounded andamazed. As a result, many of them began toclaim that their elders stories of powerfuldeities were simply fictional stories. Others

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started to believe the accusations of the otherWild Folk that the Jhangarans were simpletonsand too superstitious, and in reaction largelyabandoned the ways of their religion.

The result of all of this was that thepantheon of the early Jhangarans passed awayinto the lists of the Forgotten Gods. Still,centuries and generations of belief are notwashed away overnight. Many of thesuperstitions of the Jhangarans continued to bepassed down, but the meaning behindcountless of the rituals and rites were lost toantiquity. While there are ancient temples andshrines buried in the mires of Jhangara, theJhangarans avoid them out of an primordialfear of what may befall the ones who awakenthe ancient inhabitants of these temples.

The Age of ConfusionDuring the Age of Confusion after the

Great Disaster, the Jhangarans were giventheir current name. As the lore of the Archaenswas lost and their descendents struggled forsurvival, the early Jhangarans made use oftheir skills to continually harass and rob theArchaen survivors. Commonly, the Jhangaranswould wait until the survivors had exhaustedthemselves, then charge in, pushing andshoving, and snatch up everything they couldwhether it be food, weapons, or newly madetools. Stories of an ancient people on the coastwho guarded great secrets of warfare and strifewere vaguely recalled. Combining theseancient legends and the nighttime raids of thejungle primitives, the Archaen survivorsnamed the tribes Jhangarans, or ancestorsof rage.

During the rainy season of Spring, theearly Jhangarans were loathe to venture to farfrom their homes. The influx of rains coupledwith the rising and falling of the tides madethe swamps of their home treacherous fortravel. It was also during this time of year thatmany of the indigenous predators of theswamps tended to be mating; because of thisthe Jhangarans were able to take advantage ofyoung males injured or weakened duringmating rites to provide food for themselves.

The Jhangarans were eager to find easyprey after the long rainy season, and so it wasunder the crimson glow of Jhang that theseattacks were the fiercest because it was duringthis time of year that the swamps were at theirmost dangerous. Swift moving streams andrivers, predators finding food for their young,and the increase in disease-carrying insects allserved as omens to encourage the Jhangaransto find new sources of nourishment.

During the Fall, the overall water leveltends to fall exposing a variety of things thathave been washed downstream during theprevious year. From scavenging and salvagingthis debris the Jhangarans manage to eke outan existence until the next year.

The New AgeIt is no twist of fate that the rise of the

Phaedran Empire coincides with great changesin Jhangara. As the Phaedrans began toconstruct fortresses and walled cities of theirown, the Jhangarans found it harder andharder to conduct their raids. However, theywere able to steal not only the idea of walledsettlements, but also all manner of scraps frombuilding supplies and broken tools. Using allof this, the Jhangarans first began to build

Altruism or Avarice

Some early, and enterprising,Phaedrans decided to trade with theirsavage southern neighbors. While there isno record of precisely who originated theidea of trading with the primitive tribeswho routinely attacked them, it was thePhaedrans who first began trading with theJhangarans for amber, gold, and sapphires.While these precious items were alreadyknown to the Jhangarans, they themselvessaw little of value in them. However, asthe Jhangarans learned the some of thePhaedrans language, they too began toattach importance to these trade goods as ameasure of the ability to acquireessential needs.

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permanent settlements of their own. Yet,without the knowledge of how to erect andutilize the tools they had stolen, the earliestattempts at building walls were doomed tofailure after failure. Yet the Jhangaranspersisted wanting to emulate the strength ofthe Phaedrans. As the stolen materials fell intogreater and greater disrepair, the villages werelargely simple collections of huts surroundedby piled rubble and fallen logs. As these werefirst erected, several notable things occurred.First, the Jhangaran tribes began to trade withthe Phaedrans for various goods instead ofsimply raiding them for what they could grab.Secondly, and possibly as a result of theJhangarans new lifestyle, the tribes began tosplit and fracture. While they had always hadvery strict conventions regarding inter-tribalinteractions, but it was at this point that theserules became highly formalized. Third, it wasduring this time that the Jhangarans learnedhow to read and write. While they didpreviously have a language of their own, theirnorthern trading partners refused to learn whatthey saw as a debased and primitive form oflanguage. As a result, the Jhangarans woundup learning Talislan, although not to the extentor mastery as their Phaedran educators. Whilethe Jhangarans did learn Talislan, words fromtheir old tongue crept in especially when itcame to references to their old traditionsand superstitions.

During the first century of Phaedran rule anumber of important events occurred inJhangara. First, the Phaedrans annexed thelands of the Aeriad, a bird-people who lived inthe hills across the Axis river from thenorthern marshes of Jhangara. The Jhangaransviewed the displacement of the Aeriad withsome dismay. The Jhangarans have a numberof superstitions regarding the bird-folk, notleast of which is to leave the bird-folks nestsalone. While there were no strictures aboutharming the bird-folk. Those Jhangarans whohunt the marshes have long held the GreenAeriad in a state of awe. Some Aeriad did fleesouth into the swamps, but for the most partthe Aeriad found the damp, humid climate ofJhangara uncomfortable. When nothingdisastrous immediately happened, the

From the Fall of the PhaedranEmpire to the Present

At the turn of the first century of theNew Age, Kabros predicted the fall of thePhaedran Empire and abdicated hisrulership over it. While this had littleimmediate impact upon the Jhangarans, theensuing conflict of the Cult Wars in 111did slow trade with the southern savages.While the Aeriad did maintain some trade,the bird-folk typically found theJhangarans a despicable and degeneratepeople. In 133, when the penal colony ofGao is abandoned by the Phaedrans, someof the rogues begin to trade with theJhangarans for scintilla and fresh water, butby and large avoid the dangerous bogs andswamps of the coast. Some pirates laterestablish small caches in the various baysand ruins of the coast after learning of theirexistence from Jhangaran tradersessentially ending the vast majority of tradewith Gao.

Eventually, the settlements long agostarted by the Jhangarans eventuallymanage to create true permanentsettlements around 300 N.A. Thesesettlements are constructed over the top ofthree centuries of fallen limbs, refuse, andrubble, raising them slightly above themuck and mire of the surrounding jungleand swamp. However, as the Jhangaranshave little notion of sanitation, thesecommunities are also surrounded by pitsand moats of sewage, refuse, and waste.Still, they eventually manage to serve asthey were originally conceived. In 570N.A., the Imrians attack the westernswamps in force. The wretched and pitifulconditions of the Jhangarans leave much tobe desired causing the Imrians to head upriver and through Mog towards the SevenKingdoms. Once there, the Imrians arebeaten back. The Jhangarans howeverbelieve that the fish-folk pass them bybecause of their faithful adherence to theirown primitive superstitions.

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Jhangarans began to feel that the doom fromthe displacement of the Aeriad may havepassed them by. However, two decades laterthe Imrians made their first raids along thelength of the southern coast of Talislanta.While the vast majority of their attacks werefocused on the central Dark Coast region, anumber of Jhangarans were taken as slaves.Finding several empty and abandoned campsalong the south-eastern coasts, the Jhangaransknew that the doom of the bird-folk hadfinally befallen them.

As the early Jhangarans began to tradewith the Phaedrans, they also began to argueamongst themselves about how best to takeadvantage of their lands commercial wealth.The elders of Tabal, the oldest of the threeJhangaran settlements, maintained that thetribes should keep to the long-standing waysof the past. In their view, the sufferings of thetribesmen were completely the result of theJhangarans failing to follow the dictates of theOld Gods. These elders did not themselvesknow exactly what would appease the OldGods, or even who the old gods were. But theybelieved in the old superstitions and thoughtthat further change would result in evenmore misfortune.

While the tribesmen listened to the villageelders, they did so with much disagreeing,muttering, and arguing. Soon, however, manyof the younger tribesmen were sneaking out ofthe village to trade with foreigners who sailedtheir boats into the nearby cove. As theydiscovered that the foreigners would exchangefood and weapons for things that the tribesmencould dredge out of the swamps: gold, amber,and blue gems. Even though the foreigntraders would buy the eggs of water raknidsand the hides, feathers, and horns of beaststhat the hunters brought in, soon the younggrew to some power in the village since theycould provide food and the strong drink thatthe foreigners called alcohol.

This drink of the outsiders exacerbated theproblems in Tabal. Not only did the alcoholicdrinks of the outsiders cause the Jhangarans tobecome irrational and seemingly mad, but it

Jhangaran Art Forms

The Jhangarans have little appreciationfor art of any kind. The Zandir willfrequently refer someone of little talent asan artist worthy of Jhangara, unless theystoop to decrying them an Aamanian.

Jhangaran singing, if it can be calledsuch, typically consists of a chanted chorusof insults from drunken males. Normallythese insults are aimed at rival clan familiesand often lead to brawls if the singers do notpass out first. Singers also tend to push andshove one another quite violently whilecontinually trying to out-sing theircompatriots.

Folk Dancing

Tabal is a very traditional settlement,and one of the more unique customs stillpracticed there is that of Jhangaran FolkDancing, known to locals as vasee ninyo.These dances are carried on for hours andhours as the dancers attempt to achieve astate of exhaustion. Many of the steps andmoves are pieces of ancient rites and rituals,but the Jhangarans do not recognize this.They do superstitiously believe that thedances must be held after each successfulhunt in order to replenish the numbers ofanimals nearby. Rarely are outsidersallowed to witness these somber occasionsalthough they are sporadically drawn tothem by the steady sound of pounding rocksand shrill whistles.

On occasion, outsiders are sold simpletrinketsan unpretentious doll modeled on

the form of a Jhangaran dancer. TheJhangarans superstitiously believe that these

little dolls, named after the dance, arecapable of warding off minor ailments, but

only if the dolls are present at one of thedances. In their view, many minor ailmentsare seen as bad luck or the work of unseenspirits; by carrying one or more of these

(continued)

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was also highly addictive. Soon, manytribesman were trading solely for alcohol andno longer purchasing food from the traders.Fights broke out in Tabal between variousgroups, each claiming to have a solution to theproblems of the tribe. Before too long, thevillage split asunder with a large portion of thetribesmen leaving under the direction of ahandful of loudly vociferous leaders. Tabalmaintained its long custom of trade in animalsand animal products, including theprofitable scintilla.

This band of Jhangarans traveled up-riveruntil they found a place suitable for habitation.There they built the village of Karansk. WhileKaransk lacked the easy access that Tabalprovided for sea-going vessels, it was situatedimmediately on one fork of the Axis River.Karansk soon became the port of choice fortraders wishing to transport small cargoes,typically of amber, gold, and sapphires, upriver. As the area around Karansk wasdepleted by simple surface dredging, itbecame necessary for the villages survival tobegin scouring deeper, pulling out long buriedtreasure from the muck and mire of thesurrounding swamps. Thus did the mud minesof Karansk originate.

But the animosity between the villagersdid not stop with the formation of a newvillage. As both villages flourished, theJhangarans became more and more obsessedwith alcohol. As the alcohol fueled the angerand frustration of the villagers, feuds brokeout between bands of Jhangarans thateventually broadened into huge disputesbetween the two communities. Again youngJhangarans seeking to improve their chancesfor survival sold themselves out asmercenaries in order to get the food andweapons necessary to stay alive in theswamps. These young mercenaries worked forthe highest bidder, no matter which villagethey lived in. While the majority of themsimply worked as guards for those who wereleaving the relative safety of the villages towork in the swamps, others were paid to attackrival bands of workers or even the opposingvillage. Some of these even left the swamps to

work in foreign lands. As the villagers ofTabal and Karansk realized that living withintheir own villages were the very Jhangaranswho were responsible for attacking them, theybegan to grow increasingly nervous. Thensuspicious, resentful, and angry in turn. As aresult, the Jhangaran mercenaries bandedtogether in order to prevent their tribesmenfrom murdering them in their sleep. They soonfled and founded a village of their own on thewest fork of the Axis river. This final villagewas named Jhangkin after the most successfulband of mercenaries, the brothers of rage.Jhangkin is still the smallest of the permanentsettlements in Jhangara, but is perhaps thewealthiest as well.

Jhangaran Art Forms(continued)

grass dolls, the Jhangarans think that theailments will be inflicted upon the dollwhich they can then cast away into therubbish or the swamp. Typically, theJhangarans sell ineffectual copies towandering tourists and traders whilekeeping the real ones for themselves. Thatfact notwithstanding, the vasee ninyo dollsof Jhangara are crude things of made ofmarsh reeds and mud and therefore unlikelyto bring a buyer in any market.

Jungle Drums

While there is normally little dancingin Karansk, the village is home to someJhangaran craftsmen who make smalldrums. Called takla, these drums aresmall enough to be carried in one hand andbeaten with the other. Sometimes mountedon a stick for ease of carrying, the MudMiners of Karansk believe that the sound ofthese drums scares off misfortune.Resultantly, the sound of multitudinousdrums can be heard from morning untildark as the Jhangarans move from theirvillage to the mines and back.

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New HorizonsAs the Jhangarans have more and more

contact with civilized peoples, they tend toyearn more and more for what they do nothave. Many of them seek to leave theirswampland home, but after growing up withthe superstitious and primitive beliefs of theirtribes, they find it hard to assimilate toother lands.

The most common destinations for theseimmigrants are the swamps of Mog, eastacross the Axis River. The terrain and climateare similar to their home, and there are fewother nations interested in the land. TheJhangarans are, in general, seen as equals bythe somewhat naive Mogroth. The Jhangaransare quick to exploit this fact when migrating toMog, often claiming to be a hunting party or atrading group. To date however few of theJhangaran settlements in Mog has lasted formore than a few years. In part this is becausethe immediate area adjacent to Jhangara is theDevils Swamp, inhabited not only by waterraknid, but also by swamp demons and bogdevils. While there are Mogroth who live inthis part of Mog, they tend to dwell in thehighlands near the southern coast.

Some Jhangarans have attempted to sailmarsh skiffs across the Azure Ocean toThaecia. Typically these endeavors end in thedeath of the Jhangarans as their craft are ill-suited for the ocean waves. However, therehave been successful efforts as well.Unfortunately, due to the unpredictable butoften violent reaction that alcohol has on theJhangarans, they are rarely allowed to remain.

Other Jhangarans have resettled in theSeven Kingdoms. While some eke out ameager existence on the fringes of Aeriad orTaz, some have taken up residence in Cymrilitself hiring themselves out as manual laborersfor a pittance. Those who can stay sober longenough to find continued work are usuallytaken advantage of by their less restrainedtribesmen who beg for handouts and coins inmuch the same way as the Outcastesin Jhangara.

The willingness of the Jhangarans to workfor little pay has also resulted in their use asslaves by the Farad and the Arimites. In Arim,the Jhangarans typically spend much of theirtime working in the various mines that dot thecountryside, tending animals, or working atmenial, dangerous, or unwanted chores.Amongst the Farad, the Jhangarans lot is littlebetter. Typically seen as only slightly betterthan expendable, the Farad also sell and tradeJhangarans with the Imrians, Rajani, andMangar. More often than not theseunfortunates can be found working inunskilled positions, but there are some whowork as bodyguards, soldiers, and enforcers.

The most sizable population of Jhangaransoutside of Jhangara, however, remains Aaman.Long used by the Orthodoxy as mercenarytroops, servants, and slaves, Jhangarans inAaman often wind up living longer than mostof their brethren. In part this is due to regularmeals and the widespread absence of alcohol.However, the bland uniformity of theAamanian lifestyle tends to eventually grateupon the Jhangarans aggressive nature. Fightsare common amongst the Jhangaran living

A Mercenary Mindset

The mercenaries of Jhangkin aresimultaneously some of the most advancedand most wretched of the Jhangarantribesmen. As mercenaries, they arefrequently hired by outsiders. As a result,they frequently are able to travelextensively where they pick up new ideas,new skills, and new possessions. Thesethings all enable Jhangkin to closelyresemble other Talislantan cities, albeit aodd mix of its various cultures allcrammed together. On the other hand,Jhangkin mercenaries know that each timethey are hired that they may be marchingto their deaths. They resignedly accept thattheir deaths will help to improve the lot oftheir tribesmen in Jhangkin in some smallway, but that doesnt mean that they arehappy about it.

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areas, which are often segregated away fromthe normal Aamanian populace.

THE LANDIt is simple to say that Jhangara is a

swampy land surrounded by twin forks of theAxis River and the Azure Ocean. Perhaps toosimple. For most foreigners however, that isall that they see and therefore all that theyreport of this savage land. But, to its nativeinhabitants the Land Between the River is fullof different regions, all coexisting with a senseof balance. There are subtle shifts between thevarious pieces of the land making mappingdifficult. Instead, the Jhangarans have namesfor large areas of the Jhangaran Swamps.There are also a few places that the Jhangaransconsider taboo. Most of these have names, butthe Jhangarans are loathe to utter them whilesober and often become enraged whenmentioned while they are drunk.

TerrainOutsiders often refer to Jhangara simply as

swampland. The truth however is as murky asthe bogs themselves and therefore it isnecessary to discuss the variety of types ofterrain found here. In general assume that anyuncleared land is covered with vines, lowbushes, and swamp grass. Such areas provideample hiding spots for small fauna such asserpis and avir. Bogs abound in Jhangara:generally a bog is an area of muddy groundcovered in water. This water varies in depthfrom a few inches to several feet. Commonlyhome to swamp slugs, mudrays, flits, andserpis, deeper bogs frequently conceal largerpredators like swamp lurkers and aramatus.Fed by frequent and seasonal rains, the waterin bogs rarely has anywhere else to go and soit sits slowly stagnating until it eitherevaporates or is somewhat refreshed by therains once more. The thick layer of mud at thebottom of bogs is often acidic to some degreebecause of the large amount of decayingplantlife. While not an immediate danger totravelers, this fact does account for the

misleading estimates that explorers put on theage of items they find as the mud will corrodesoft wood and pit metal faster than were it leftout in the open. Mysteriously enough, thisdoes not seem to apply to flesh, bone, or hardwoods such as span oak. Creatures whosomehow die in a bog and are not disturbedbefore sinking beneath the muck are oftenmummified by the sludge and preserved forcenturies. The south-western coastline ofJhangara is one large saltwater marsh.Saltwater marshes are similar to bogs,however they often are home to a greaterquantity and variety of life. Additionally, thesoil here is not as acidic as it is tossed andturned by the waves to free up sediment andsubstrata. These saltwater marshes aresometimes called tidal marshes and the depthof water here varies with the tides of the AzureOcean. The mouth of the Western Axis Fork isone large tidal marsh where the Mercenariesof Jhangkin commonly spear fish when thetide changes. Fens are an area of transitionbetween land and water. Unlike bogs, thebottom soil of fens tends to be more solidallowing for somewhat easier travel andnavigation. A marsh differs from other terrainsin that it is typically dominated by tall grassesand other low vegetation. Stranglevine andneedle leaf are common in these areas, as arenumerous avir and serpis. Marsh water is oftenbrackish and supports a variety of aquatic life.A mire is a muddy area similar to a bog, but issituated along waterways. These small riversand creeks provide fresh water morefrequently than can normally be found in thenumerous bogs. Quagmires on the other handare fed by underground water sources. Thisfact often creates a preponderance ofquicksand in the areas. Larger predators, fromaramatus to swamp demons frequently burythemselves in the mud of quagmires and waitfor prey to come to them. True swampland isdominated by the presence of trees. Whilethese are often found on the numerous smallhills that rise above the slow moving waters ofthe swamps, they also exist in the variouswaterways as well. Alatus and shathane areoccasionally found amongst these ancientgroves. If these creatures are not adequatedeterrent for explorers, the abundance of

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scarlet sporozoid and stranglevine shoulddo so.

The Avir Fens and the AccursedForests

At the northern end of the JhangaranSwamps where the Axis River forks is an areaknown as the Avir Fens. These fens are a wetand watery region dotted with small hills.Home to scores upon scores of various avir,the Avir Fens are also something of asalvagers dream. The western fork of theAxis habitually dumps a variety of junkwashed downstream, sometimes from as far asArim, at the edge of the fens.

Surrounding the Avir Fens are severalwooded areas known to the Jhangarans as theAccursed Forests. Except for the Outcasts, theJhangarans typically avoid these groves. Thesewoods are alive in ways that differ fromnormal forests. In part this could be blamed onthe Great Disaster, but castoffs from earlyAeriad Botanomantic experimentation are amore likely culprit. Even the Outcasts findthese woods odd and believe them filled withstrange spirits. Many of them avoid sleepingunder the boughs of the woods at night,instead preferring the watery hills of the AvirFens. However, since the Accursed Forestsprovide some limited protection from the restof the Jhangaran Swamps, the Outcastscontinue to hide within them. In addition tosuch unusual species of flora as the violetcreeper and stranglevine, this area is alsoinhabited by tanglewood and viridia. Durge,marsh striders, and serpis also share this areawith the avir.

Jhangkin BayThis wide bay is filled with centuries of

silt and sediment washed both downriver fromthe north and washed up by the sea. As aresult, this bay is impassable to nearly allships. Jhangaran mud skiffs and reed boatsoccasionally navigate this stretch to ferrygoods or travelers from Jhangara to Aaman.Rarely, an Aeriad barge-fort may travel thisfar down the Axis River in order to meetocean going craft from Zandir, Gao, or even

the Kang Empire. The shallow waters herealso serve to prevent water raknids fromhiding nearby making this area a popular spotfor Jhangaran fishermen.

The Ruined MarshAt the southern reaches of Jhangkin Bay

lies a soggy expanse of land. With theexception of the few hours surrounding lowtide, this region is normally completelysubmerged under a few inches of brackishwater. During low tide, enough of the waterretreats into the Azure Ocean enough to drainthe marsh to expose a silt-covered low land.At the edge of this area lie a number of ancientruins. Some of them are constantlysubmerged, making this area something of ahazard for sailing craft that attempt to followthe coast. Others remain high enough, evenduring high tide, to have at least a little of theirsubstance visible to passersby. The Jhangaransonly rarely come here, finding the carvedshapes of the stone and coral to be unsettling.

Atop a small rise on a southern peninsulaof the Ruined Marsh lies another ruin ofancient design. This site is unique in severalways. First, and perhaps the most notable, is astone pier that juts out into the Azure Ocean.This dock was built of stone and wood,probably during the height of the PhaedranEmpire. The string of ruins overlooking thisport however is much older. This series ofsquat, stone buildings do not seem to havebeen constructed, but rather carved out of anatural outcropping of rock. While somescholars have correctly identified these ruinsas a temple complex, there is still a debateover exactly who or what was worshippedhere. While there is some evidence that thisplace was used in later ages by worshippers ofboth Oceanus and Arial. Phaedran sailorsprobably stopped here to make offerings to thetwo patron deities of their craft beforebeginning the long journey along the southerncoast toward the Far Seas. In truth, this placewas once part of the center of worship for adeific being known as the Morgod.Unfortunately, worship of the Morgod ended

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before the rise of the Archaens and nothingmore than its name is known.

Visitors to the area should beware of thenumerous alatus, aramatus, and swamp krathat prowl the shallow waters looking for prey.

Pirate Bay and Altara GrottoThe southern coastline of Jhangara is

bounded by two features: Pirate Bay andAltara Grotto. In the west, Pirate Bay is astretch of coast along the Ruined Marsh thatwas long ago charted by Phaedran sailors.When the penal colony of Gao was abandonedby the Phaedrans, some of those maps fell intothe hands of the prisoners left behind.Eventually, the safe passage through the hull-cracking ruins and keel-scraping shoals wasknown to a large number of pirate bands whosailed the Azure Ocean. Although there islittle to find at the southern end of the RuinedMarsh, it is possible to find fresh water andgame there and these are reason enough forpirates to risk the passage to shore. Rumorspersist of a buried treasure left behind by aninfamous half-Zandir pirate that occasionallybring treasure-seekers to the area, but withouta knowledgeable guide many of them simplyadd another shipwreck to the dozens alreadysubmerged amongst the ruins. Those strandedamongst the shells of these ruined craft maybe able to pry violet pearls from the quaga thatdwell in the muck of the bay, but should bewary of attracting the attention of thenumerous sea scorpions that also call thisarea home.

Between the Jhangaran Isles and theSinking Quagmire lies the region known asAltara Grotto. Sunken in this sheltered passageare a number of Archaen and Phaedran ships.These vessels are normally quite hard to findas silt washed down the Axis River has buriedthose few that have survived the ravages oftime. Also, many of these vessels are nowhome to colonies of water raknid. Jhangaransoccasionally come here to harvest scintilla,little knowing that the other trinkets sunkenwith these craft could fetch an evenhigher price.

The Sinking QuagmireAn area of swampland extending to the

west of Tabal, the Sinking Quagmire is atreacherous area filled with sinkholes, suckingmud, and biting insects. The Marsh Hunters ofTabal do claim these areas as part of theirhunting territory and trips here are frequent.They have learned to take advantage of thetendency of the mud to entrap the unawares,and can thus occasionally capture creatureswithout great risk. In addition to untold scoresof both sea slugs and mud slugs, visitors canexpect to find mudrays, swamp kra, tardisites,ravengers, and urthrax here for most of theyear. While swamp demons and bog devils dooccasionally wander into this area from thenorth, their appearance is infrequent at best.

Gods of Wind and Wave

Arial, Goddess of the SouthWind

A beauteous female composed of wispywhite vapor, Arial is said to ride the cloudsabove Talislanta. Although occasionallyconfused with the Sawila deity Ariel, Arialis associated with air elementals and isaccorded respect among many people.Talislantan sailors especially revere theStorm Queen as it is within her power togrant favorable winds, bring rain, or evencause tempests and storms if she is angered.A common ritual among many sailors is toannoint their vessel with costly fragrancesbefore setting sail. This ritual is closelyrelated to the Sea Nomad tradition ofpouring a bottle of wine into the sea inhonor of Oceanus. Arial is the sister ofBorean, God of the North Wind, and whilethey rarely meet, followers of each deitytend to treat the other with respect.

(continued)

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The Shimmering CoveA large cove extending from the Azure

Ocean up to the Axis River, the ShimmeringCove is the home of numerous colonies ofwater raknids. While these vicious predatorsdo occasionally prey upon the settlements ofTabal and Karansk that lie at each end of thecove, they also are a great danger to any shipsthat pass this stretch of coastline. WaterRaknid from the Shimmering Cove have beenknown to travel up the Axis River as far northas Vahana in the Seven Kingdoms in search ofprey or treasure for their queens. It is from thenumerous eggs of these raknid queens that thecove gets its name: at night the waters seemto shimmer and sparkle from deep within theirdepths as the scintilla are tended by numerousraknid drones.

From time to time representatives fromAaman and the Seven Kingdoms have soughtto eradicate the raknid colonies in ShimmeringCove in order to make safe both a route to thesea and provide some measure of security onthe southern Axis River. The Jhangaranshowever do not want the Cove disturbed byoutsiders. Doing so, they claim, will onlybring disaster. Certainly any mass movementin Cove would attract the attention of most ofthe raknids in the area, and while the armies ofthe Aamanians and the Seven Kingdoms couldpossibly stand up to such an attack, theJhangaran villages definitely could not.Additionally, were the Cove successfullytamed it would essentially mean the end of thelucrative trade in scintilla that the Jhangaranshave maintained for centuries. The Jhangaransclaim to have learned how to harvest thescintilla slowly and unobtrusively while theircivilized patrons periodically claim that theJhangarans know they have a stranglehold onmuch of the scintilla market and simply refuseto let go.

The Amber BogA boggy area of ancient forest along the

eastern fork of the Axis River, the Amber Bogis a heavily patrolled area held by theJhangarans of Karansk. It is in these muddyenvirons that their mines are constructed.

Although the Jhangarans are defensive of theirmining secrets and will attempt to drive offstrangers, the patrols are more for theprotection of the miners than the secrets oftheir craft. Besides the ubiquitous mudraysand mud slugs, ravengers and swamp lurkersfrequent the Amber Bog in search of easyprey. Typically such prey comes in the form ofan exhausted Jhangaran miner who haswandered off on their own.

The Central SwampsThe center of Jhangara is an unmapped

morass of mires, bogs, and quagmires. TheJhangarans travel here infrequently in searchof tradable goods or food. The thick jungle-

Gods of Wind and Wave(continued)

OceanusPatron deity of the Sea-Nomads,

Oceanus is normally portrayed as green-skinned man of great stature with flowinghair and beard. The Sea-Nomads, whonamed their floating island-city after him,claim that Oceanus is the protector ofgood-hearted sailors and all who dwellupon or under the seas and oceans of theTalislanta. Sea-farers, even in Gao andZandu, who seek to gain his favor pourgoblets of wine into the sea prior toembarking on any long voyage across openwaters. Priests of Oceanus customarilywear necklaces of shells and use seasponges, shells, and the like in all of theirrituals. Oceanus is frequently associatedwith the water elementals.

MorgodOne of the deific beings worshipped by

the peoples of the Forgotten Age, there islittle currently known of Morgod.Sometimes written of as The Morgod,depictions of this being show it wielding agreat hammer and somehow shaping orperhaps even creating solid land and rockfrom out of the waters of the sea.

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like forests here are thick, verdant, andteeming with life. The traveler that dares tocross this innermost region of the swamps willoccasionally find ruins covered with vines orsubmerged in the muck and sludge.

The most famous of these ruins are thoseof Ylal Nat which lies in a basin in almost theexact center of the Jhangaran swamps. Eventhough the ruined city of Ylal Nat has beennearly completely overgrown, its tumbledwalls and slime-streaked streets are still adestination for explorers and scholars. Amidthe toppled stones, these travelers seek cluesto the riddle of ancient Alhambra. This longvanished land is something of a legend; mostTalislantans have never heard of it and thosewho have consider it to be a myth. However,like most myths, there is some truth in itsorigin, and Ylal Nat is the source.

The inhabitants of Ylal Nat were notJhangarans. It is debatable exactly whodwelled here, but whomever it was that didlive here left copious carvings. The vastmajority of the ruins of Ylal Nat are coveredin writing. In fact it often seems as if the entirecity was decorated with nothing but thewritten word. While most of these writings arein Elder Tongue, there are rare sections whereArchaen script has been delicately chiseled inbetween the lines of the former. Since much ofthe city has collapsed under the encroachinggrowth of the swamps it is difficult at best tograsp more than a few lines of text. Theremaining walls and towers of Ylal Natdescribe a far away land called Alhambra thatlies far to the west where the rocks, the water,and even the sky are all shades of deepest red.The inhabitants of this distant place were splitinto two tribesone that lived above groundand constantly trained themselves for battleand one that lived below ground delving forthe secrets of the stones. Accounts of thesurface dwellers seem to group them intotribes associated with differing sub-elementssuch as mud, mist, smoke, and ice; whereasdescriptions of the subsurface dwellersmention daring raids wherein the white-skinned Undermen snatch creatures and toolsfrom the surface. The descriptions are fanciful,

and many scholars doubt their veracity.However, there are stones from other parts ofYlal Nat that describe an ancient race calledthe Withen. The Withen were a people withknowledge of powerful magics and wards. Asthis race is also described by respectedArchaen scholars, the accounts of Alhambraare a mystery.

The valley of Ylal Nat is rumored to bethe abode of numerous demons, all feeding offof the land as well as one another. TheJhangarans name the valley Ahtrus and theterrible things that live within it the ahtrusa.There are few superstitions that deal with thevalley or its demonic inhabitants amongst theJhangarans, but the doom of Ahtrus is a vilecurse among the primitive villagers.

The Burning HillsTo the south-west of Ylal Nat lies a huge

peat bog over which hangs a permanent cloudof noxious fumes and foul smokes. TheJhangarans regard this place as an ill-omenedarea and even the Outcasts avoid this area. Tothe best of their knowledge this place is adangerous area; besides the nauseating vaporsfire hot enough to kill an adult instantly hasbeen known to spontaneously erupt from theground here. Although the Jhangaransattribute events such as these as the obviousresult of failing to observe the superstitiousrites of the tribes, the truth of the matter issomewhat more mundane. Underlying thisarea of Jhangara is a huge amount of peat, ordecaying vegetative material. However, duringthe Great Disaster something fell from theskyeither a piece of one of the fabled sky-cities or simply an Archaen windship full ofcrew attempting to flee the effects of thecatastrophe. This wreckage created a deep butnarrow crater which drained the surroundingmarshland and started fires in its wake. Theexposed peat has been burning ever since,sustained by both the thick layer of peat andthe lingering magical energies from thewreckage. Time, water, and mud have buriedthe wreckage, and the burning peat has thusfar prevented any explorers from discoveringthis area's secrets.

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The Jhangaran IslesOff the southern coast of Jhangara lie two

islands. The western isle is the smaller of thetwo. Aside from a few scattered monoliths ofcarved coral this island is otherwiseunremarkable. The monoliths here resemblethe constructions along the coast of the RuinedMarsh, but were somehow permanentlystained a dark crimson color. This colorationhas remained despite countless years ofweather and erosion and perhaps is a naturalproperty of the coral. The carvings do notseem to resemble anything nor do they bearany discernable legend or writing whichmakes identifying their purpose even moredifficult. Jhangarans shun this island, evengoing so far as to avoid looking in its directionwhen traveling in the area. At most, the nameof this island, Rahsso, is only whispered whenit is mentioned at all.

The larger eastern island is sometimescalled Kaliman by the Jhangarans. While theJhangarans are not afraid to land their smallwater craft on the shores of Kaliman, they willnot venture inland nor remain after dark.According to the Jhangarans, Kaliman is theplace from which all manner of evil creaturescome and strange devil-men dwell. Thereforeit is considered an act of bravery for a warriorto sail or swim to her shore and return withone of the strange rocks of her beach. Kalimanis not a typical Jhangaran name, and theJhangarans themselves claim not to know thewords origin. Kaliman, according to certainnecromantic texts, is the name of a particularlysadistic and seductive devil who vanishedcenturies past. Since few Jhangarans everwind up discussing history with Talislantannecromancers, the precise reason why a devilis closely associated with this island remainsa mystery.

In the middle of this island amidst somescattered ruins exist the remnants of a tinyvillage. For the most part the ruins and villageare unknown as the Jhangarans do not comehere. The village and the ruins are of twocompletely different styles. Even the mostinexperienced of historians could recognize

that the older ruins were most likely Archaenin their origin, while the village was of a morerecent construction. With the exception of ahandful of scholars in Phantas, Cymril, andZanth, the existence of this village and itsinhabitants are largely unknown.

Simply called Kalimantans, after theirisland home, these tribesmen were by andlarge a simple people with no concept ofwealth or desire for anything other than theiruncomplicated, easy life. They had no conceptof magic, but revered nature in much the sameway as practitioners of Natural Magic. Theyworshipped no gods and observed no rites orrituals aside from a handful of simple customsand taboos. Never plentiful, the populationhere probably never reached above two dozen,and most often hovered around the range of 12to 15 tribesmen. These villagers wereextremely long-lived, but had a strong distrustof travel. As such, they remained hidden in theinterior of the isle. The ruins they lived amongwere not their own, but they vigorouslydefended them on the occasions thatinterlopers found their home. Betweenthemselves, these primitives had no name fortheir tribe.

The Rocky Beaches of Kaliman

The shores of the largest of theJhangaran Islands are not sandy, butinstead covered with numerous roundedstones. While the vast majority of theseare simply worthless sea-polished rocks,there are some treasures to be foundamongst the roiling waves. Besides smalliron ferules, a variety of small polishedcrystals in hues of purple, red, and silvercan be found scattered amongst the rocks.Some of these crystals can be found nowhere else on the continent of Talislanta.Due to their rarity, they often fetch a highprice in faraway markets like Cymril,Zanth, or Tarun. The Jhangarans,however, do not realize the treasure lyingon their very doorstep.

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In truth, the Kalimantans are the remnantsof a race of neomorphs created long ago.Unfortunately, the Kalimantans are rapidlybecoming an extinct people. Bred to be hardylaborers and food gatherers, the Kalimantanshave a thick, stooped posture. Their arms weremade extremely flexible to facilitate thetransfer of food from the ground to packscarried on their backs. Since their eyes arespaced slightly farther apart on their headsthan normal humanoids, they are able to easilyscan a wide section of the horizon, or theground in front of them, for edible plants ordangerous animals. In general, theKalimantans are non-combative, bred to beplacid and submissive to the orders of theircreators. However, their supple limbs andstrong backs mean that they can easily deal apowerful blow should anything get too close.The bodies of the Kalimantans are coveredwith mottled patches in shades of crimson ofburgundy. While this resembles the naturalcamouflage of wild animals, the reddishshades of the Kalimantans do little to hidethem in the dense foliage of the tropical islandon which they dwell.

It is in the nature of the Kalimantans toscavenge. They spend their days milling aboutthe island, either picking up things that striketheir fancy or searching for food to feed theirtribe. They do their best to avoid the naturalpredators that stalk the island and itssurrounding waters, but as they have noknowledge of fire, they rely upon simple tool-like weapons and their long reach to keepintruders at bay. During the evenings theyreturn to the center of the island and theancient ruins that lie there. The ancientKalimantans were probably instructed toremain near the buildings, and when theircreators left, they continued as they had beenordered. As the ages passed, these neomorphswere forgotten by everyone, including theirmakers. The Kalimantans howeverremembered, however vaguely, their oldcommands and the dictates that went into theircreation. So, they continue to watch over theruins despite the fact that there is little leftto guard.

Kalimantans are fierce defenders of theirhomes. It is common for the Jhangarans ofTabal to find the mutilated or headless bodiesof those who venture out to theJhangaran Isles.

Settled LocalesWhile there are three main centers of

population within the Jhangara, frequentlysmall bands of Jhangarans venture out into theswamps for extended periods of time. Whenthey do, they commonly erect small shelters.While these expeditions may contain a scoreof individuals, these settlements are onlytemporary villages at best, normally fallingapart and being reclaimed by the swampswithin weeks.

TabalThe oldest of the Jhangaran settlements,

Tabal sits at the southern end of theShimmering Cove on the coast of the AzureOcean. A deep bay lies on the coast nearTabal, and it is here that foreign merchantsfrom across Talislanta come to trade. Thevillage, like all Jhangaran constructions, ismade of logs pulled from the jungle andshaped with crude tools. Open ditches serve tocarry away waste and sewage; when filledthese ditches are simply covered over and anew ditch is dug out. Walls of timber packedwith hardened mud and rushes surround thevillage to provide protection from the nearbywater raknids.

Situated in Tabal Bay is a smallstronghold made of expertly shaped wood andstone. From here docks for both watercraft andwindships extend outward. A long woodenpier wide enough for two wagons abreast runsto the shore. This fastness is essentially afortified market square surrounded byindividual ship berths and barracks. Thepopulation of Tabal Bay is made up entirely offoreigners, mostly Zandir, Arimites, Farad,and Gao. The local Jhangarans tolerate theirpresence, but only because of the nearconstant supplies of alcohol that are broughtin. For their part, the foreigners find theJhangarans to be savages, but require their

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services as guides through the jungles andswamps of the region.

The Jhangarans of Tabal are MarshHunters and earn a meager living by trappingor hunting wild animals. Some of these theybring back to Tabal to feed themselves andtheir families, others they take to Tabal Bay tosell to the foreigners. Scintilla also provides abit of an income, but procuring them from thebottom of the Shimmering Cove is difficult atbest. A growing number of Jhangarans inTabal solely earn their living by stealingraknid eggs up and down the Axis Rivercoastline. In order to do so, they havedeveloped some skill at diving andmaneuvering underwater. Some amongst thisgroup have taken to wearing a much palershade of green than the traditional Marsh-Hunter. This has led to some grumbling in thevillage where the trappers feel that the diversare slighting them in some way. If this disputegrows, it could eventually result in the diversleaving to start a new village of their own.Where such a village might be located isunknown as some of the best scintilla comesfrom Shimmering Cove.

KaranskThe village of Karansk lies on the banks

of the Axis River at the edge of the AmberBog. Traders and merchants from Aaman,Arim, and Vardune frequently traveldownriver to reach Karansk in order to tradefor the sapphires, amber, and gold that theMud Miners bring back. Constructed in muchthe same way as Tabal, Karansk is differentfrom the other Jhangaran settlements in that ithas a great number of tall trees remaining botharound it and within its walls.

Amidst the trees that lie within Karanskswalls live a colony of Aeriad from the SevenKingdoms. For the most part, the Aeriad hereare Green Botanomancers, conductingresearch and experimentation; however, thereare a number of Blue Aeriad stationed here toact as guards. Occasionally, merchants whotravel to Karansk seek the Aeriad to act asintermediaries in their bargaining. The

Jhangarans regard the Aeriad with asuperstitious, awe-filled dread. They havetheir own legends about the bird-men, butappreciate the aid and food that theAeriad provide.

The Mud Miners use a variety oftechniques to harvest the wealth of theswamps and rivers of Jhangara. While none ofthe techniques are very advanced or efficient,the Miners make up for this in sheer numbersand persistence. From time to time thevillagers keep some of the amber and gold thatthey find to carve into simple jewelry.Eventually most of this jewelry winds upbeing sold to traders since trinkets cannot buyfood, blankets, or alcohol.

JhangkinThe youngest of the Jhangaran settlements

lies at the western mouth of the Axis Riveroverlooking a large, but shallow bay.Populated by Jhangaran mercenaries, Jhangkinlabors under a variety of odd dichotomies.Jhangaran mercenaries from around Talislantasend a portion of their pay home to supporttheir families and clans. Because of this,Jhangkin is one of the wealthiest of theJhangaran settlements. Despite that wealth, theconditions here are little better than at theolder two Jhangaran villages. Jhangaranmercenaries, due to their widespread use fromAaman to Farad, learn a variety of tactics andtechniques for warfare and defense. Still,Jhangkin is only marginally better defendedthan older settlements, and that primarilybecause most of the inhabitants have someadditional skill at combat. Since foreignerscome here from various parts of the continentto hire Jhangaran mercenaries, one wouldthink that Jhangkin is more cosmopolitan andwelcoming to visitors. However, since theJhangaran mercenaries have more wealth tospend, they frequently spend it on alcoholwhich makes them irritable, paranoid, andhostile to outsiders.

Rising out of the muck and mud ofJhangkin is a towering block of white stone.Superficially an Aamanian mission here to

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win over the Jhangarans to the worship of Aa,this austere structure is home to a sizablecontingent of monks, priests, and knights. Agrowing number of Jhangarans are convertingto the faith of Aa, wearing white tunics, anddisdaining the use of alcohol. Were this tohappen in either of the other Jhangaranvillages, it would surely mean widespreadfighting and verbal altercations. Here howeverthe Jhangaran converts and Aamanianproselytizers speak with a loud enough voiceto drown out the protests of others.

Of course, Jhangkin is not a militaryinstallation. Its people must eat, must drink,must survive. Many of the locals spend theirdays in and around Jhangkin Bay fishing. Thisallows them to supplement their dietsomewhat while also training them in the morecommon practices of their lives as guards andsoldiers: patience, remaining still, and usingtheir muscles. Some Jhangarans revel in theirlives as fishermen and have begun to clamorthat instead of mercenaries, their lives mightbe better spent harvest the wealth of thewaters, rivers, and oceans. These fisher folkare not yet numerous enough to begin wearinga color of their own, but some think it is only amatter of time.

Outcasts and Ancient Ruins

There are numerous ruins scatteredaround the jungles and swamps ofJhangara. While many of these differ inage and origin, they all share onecharacteristic: the stigma of doom. Thesuperstitious Jhangarans feel that theseancient sites were fell under someunknown fate and to spend the night in oneonly draws that same fate down upon theindividual.

Outcasts, Jhangarans who labor undera stigma of doom, do not fear the ruinsquite as much as their kinsmen becausethey have less to lose. It is not uncommonto find bands of Outcasts living in or nearthese ancient ruins. The Outcasts do notoften remain in large groups such as onefinds in the large Jhangaran settlements,but instead cluster in small groupingssimilar to the clan families of their people.Typically they will find a defensibleclearing or small collection of ruins toclaim as their own.

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CHAPTER TWO

The Peopleand the Water

The Jhangaran people are often seen asprimitive savages by the rest of modernTalislantans. While in some aspects this istrue, the Jhangarans are still heirs to a culturethat goes back several centuries, ifnot millennia.

Origins and AncestryThe exact origins of the Jhangarans are

lost to time. At one time perhaps they roamedthe entire southern coast of Talislanta. Theirsurvival tactics and temperament are similar tothose of the Ahazu of the Dark Coast, but theorigins of the Ahazu themselves are a mystery.The Jhangaran bone structure also bears apassing resemblance to that of the Nagra.Furthermore, in the absence of any specializedtraits or Archaen records, it seems unlikelythat they are neomorphs. Therefore, it isperhaps safest to say that they are either a tribeof sub-men or strongly related to them.

The Jhangarans are generally divided intotribal groupings who often share a singleactivity. In each tribal settlement there aresmaller divisions of clan families. Each ofthese clan families are related to one anotherthrough a variety of marriages and births.Most of these marriages are unrecognizable tooutsiders consisting of little more than a

pregnant female claiming a successful male asher mate and future childs father. The newcouple are not bound by any rites or ritualsother than the females public proclamation ofmarriage. By custom however the newhusband must provide for his mate andoffspring with money and goods. Some thinkthat the Jhangaran concept of marriage is agrave misunderstanding of civilized custom bythese tribal primitives. Many Jhangaran malesseem to think so as well as they often try tofind a way to ignore their responsibilities as amarried man. Since male Jhangarans arepulled back and forth between clan families,the Jhangaran females give their societystability. Commonly, it is the women whoraise the young, pass down legends andstories, and give the men the impetus to getout of the town and make a living.

The Marsh Hunters of TabalThe Jhangarans of Tabal preserve some of

the oldest traditions of the Jhangaran people.The green cloth they wear coupled with thebrowns of their skin give them an advantagewhen hiding and stalking amongst the swampsand jungles of their home. According to theelders and story-keepers of Tabal, Jhangaranswear green to represent their connection to theearth. If a hunter did not wear green while

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hunting, they would run the risk of drawingmisfortune down upon themselves.

Even amongst the Marsh Hunters there arediffering beliefs. Some feel that it is best totake down their prey during a hunt, that doingotherwise shows disrespect for the beast andrisks misfortune. Others claim that animalsshould caught in traps, and that the chasing ofdangerous animals through a dangerous landranks close to foolishness. A further campbelieves that it is only by outwitting theraknids and stealing their eggs out fromunderneath them that a Jhangaran proves theirtrue worth. The Marsh Hunters feel that theirway of life is best because it shows theirbravery and strength. If they kill an animalduring a hunt, they can sell the skin to theforeigners and keep the meat to feed theirfamilies. If they manage to capture an animalin one of their traps and can get it back toTabal, they can sell the animal to wealthytravelers. If no one buys the beast, it can feedthe clan. The other tribes are foolish. MudMiners work to dig up rocks, but rocks cannotbe eaten. Mercenaries go out and hunt others,but it is taboo to eat the flesh ofother Jhangarans.

The most prominent clan groupings inTabal are those of the Jabal, the Tibarin, andthe Kaleeb. These families are by no meansnecessarily the most successful, but they arefrequently the loudest.

The Mud Miners of KaranskIt is common for the Jhangarans of

Karansk to wear grey. This is fortunate as theyspend much of their time covered in muck andfilth. The occupation of Mud Miner is a dirtyand dangerous one. Miners who sift and panfor bits of gold from the rivers of Jhangaraperhaps have an easier life, but they also findconsiderably less. The actual mines that delvedown beneath the soil of this marshy landfrequently find not only gold, but amber,sapphires, and rubies as well. Typically thesemines are formed by Jhangarans laying downa series of felled trees in order to create arestraining wall of sorts. Then they begin to

empty the interior of this wall of all the water.After a long period of bailing and dredging,the Miners use crudely simple tools to begindigging into hillsides and down into the earth.

Different clans amongst the Jhangarans ofKaransk compete for the privilege to sell thediffering forms of amber and sapphire. Whilethe blue sapphires do fetch the highest prices,sapphire with pink, yellow, green, white, andmulti-colored hues are commonly found.Pinkish-orange sapphires are prized by theJhangarans themselves who call this varietypatratcha. Amber from Jhangara comes in awide range of hues and hardness, from a softamber to a brittle brownish-black to a harderrich red. The Mud Miners think that they arethe wisest of the Jhangaran tribes. After all,the foreigners and bird-folk gladly tradevaluable food for rocks. And the rocks areeasily found in the swamps and bogs. Whyrisk injury or death like the Hunters orMercenaries? Rocks do not attack you fortaking them from their homes.

The largest families typically control thelargest mines as well. These are the Saranka,the Mortvin, and the Kapahk.

The Mercenaries of JhangkinBlack is the color worn by the

Mercenaries of Jhangkin. It is tradition, evenamongst the Jhangarans, that black is the colorof death. The Mercenaries wear black both torepresent how deadly they see themselves aswell as honoring those whom they must killand those who have already died. TheJhangarans have little interest in politics; tothem each nation is like a tribe and tribesfight. As a result, it is not uncommon to findJhangarans present at various places aroundTalislanta. Unfortunately, they areundisciplined and inclined to cause troubleamongst themselves and other soldiers whennot involved in actual fighting.

Different clans in Jhangara tend toorganize around various fighting styles orweapons. One clan may own and deal withswords, while another may favor spears, and a

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third bows. Further divisions occur whengroups focus their attention on learning how toconduct ambushes versus scouting or acting asguards. While there is no tradition that says amember of one clan cannot learn the skills ortechniques of another, individuals occasionallyget wrapped up in rivalries with those they seeas infringing on their particular style. TheMercenaries feel that they are the smartest ofthe tribes. They get paid to leave the swamps,or paid to stay and fight in the swamps. Eitherway, they get paid. Obviously they are bravebecause the foreigners come seekingtheir skill.

The principal clans in Jhangkin are theMultan, the Karaki, and the Kayta. Thesebands are each large enough to put severalscore bodies into action at a moments notice.

Customs and SocietyIn general the Jhangarans are a morose

and hostile people who are often superstitiousto extremes. They have no real system ofgovernment, but instead argue and bickeramongst themselves until an individual orgroup stubborn enough to keep shouting getstheir way. While the males seemingly are thedecision-makers, they are often prodded along,motivated, and watched over by the females.A typical Jhangaran meeting might consist ofa ring of males shouting their ideas andsolutions to a problem, but they would besurrounded by an outer ring of females, manycarrying screaming children, who stand byrather silent, glaring at the opposition.

In each tribe there are numerous clanfamilies. Each of these extended family unitsdoes its best to provide for its members. Toolsare often passed down maternal lines and thematriarchs of these clans constantly nag andharp the males to provide food, shelter, andclothing for the rest of the family.

The Jhangarans worship no gods, howeverthey do still observe certain rites and rituals.Frequently these superstitious ideas areassociated with certain objects; less often theyare interpreted on the spot as a witness gets an

odd or eerie feeling about what may happennext. In these latter cases, the Jhangaranbecomes wildly obsessed with theirsurroundings, looking for the source ofdanger. Upon finding something to attach theirfears to the afflicted does whatever they can toavoid that object.

Many of both types of Jhangaransuperstition frequently revolve around avir. Assuch it is not surprising that the Jhangaranshold the Aeriad of Vardune with a mixture ofawe and dread. Some superstitions relating toavir that are common amongst the Jhangaransare that if any avir are shot while flying over aspecified patch of ground or coastline then thegame or fish of the area will immediatelydepart. Similarly, if an avir builds a nest in a

A Woman's Touch

Jhangaran women are the silent powersin their tribes. While their political acumenand diplomacy is miniscule whencompared to even Kasmiran or Aamanians,they still possess a native cunning that theybring to tribal politics.

While Jhangaran politics is largely amatter of shouting and posturing, there issomething to be said for sheerstubbornness. Many weaker males oftengive in to others not because they see thewisdom or point of view of theiropposition, but simply because they nolonger wish to hear the shouting thatdecision-making requires.

Jhangaran females have longrecognized this fact. When the males beginto argue, women from the clan familiesoften gather around their males withyoungsters in tow. It is not uncommon forJhangaran infants to leave a decision circlewith numerous marks on their arms andlegs from where their mothers or sisters oraunts have pinched them repeatedly inorder to elicit shriller and louder cries thanthose of their neighbors.

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roof then the inhabitants of the building willhave good health. Perhaps this is the primaryreason that the Jhangarans of Karansk allowthe Aeriad to live within their walls.

Other superstitions common amongst allJhangarans are that kantra kalan or smalluncut sapphires will help to ward offmisfortune; when someone dies any waternearby should be poured out; when someoneleaves on a journey water should be pouredbehind them; singing should not be doneduring the night or else serpis will appear. Andthen there are superstitions regarding certaintimes of the year. Jhangaran children are givena temporary name at their birth. If they surviveto reach the age of ten years, they are given orallowed to chose their adult, permanent name.As many Jhangaran children die before the ageof ten, this achievement is marked by abrief celebration.

Although outsiders often call them holydays, the two yearly events that the Jhangaransrecognize are tied to old superstitions.Beginning on the evening of the seventh ofZar the Septennarial Concordance begins. Forthe fourteen nights that Talislantas sevenmoons are in alignment, the Jhangarans willnot enter the swamps, frequently stayingwithin their walled villages unless necessary.During this time they believe that the Horag, amythical beast of enormous power and mightstalks the swamps searching for prey. Whileother nations do view the SeptennarialConcordance with some unease, theJhangarans are the only ones who claim toknow precisely why it is an ill-omened time.The Horag, they tell, is a creature from out ofthe distant west who is only able to snatchliving prey from the land during theConcordance. What the Horag eats or where itgoes during the rest of the year is unknown,but the Jhangarans often uneasily cast glancesto the west and claim that the Horag waitsunseen, but listening, never sleeping. On thethird of Ardan Jhangarans observe Jha.Typically most Jhangarans drink themselvesinto a stupor or a drunken rage. In either case,this is not a joyous or celebratory occasion.Jha occurs exactly thirty-one nights after the

Concordance ends. Perhaps it is not acoincidence that Jhangarans mark 31 as anumber of superstitious import. For example,it is at the age of 31 that a Jhangaran isconsidered an elder of their village, and a childis not given its temporary name until 31 daysafter its birth.

The Caste SystemThe Jhangarans live by a caste system

wherein everyone in their society has a placethat they occupy and lives to fulfill thatposition. In some aspects this caste system isan ancient holdover from a time when theJhangarans were much more populous andwidespread, but it has also changed greatly inrecent centuries to accommodate their currentlifestyles. Each village is a tribe of Jhangaransunto itself with familial clans that enforcetradition to train the young and individualleaders who shout down others for change andorder. The caste system is largely a matter ofdeciding into what clan and tribe an individualis taken. However, caste in Jhangara is notmerely a matter of birth and is thus somewhatmore fluid than the restrictive practices ofother lands.

The highest ranking of caste, skota, isreserved for those who provide not only forthemselves, but also for others. ManyJhangaran mothers claim this ranking forthemselves as they are caretakers for theirchildren as well as other children in thevillage. Below the skotadi are the members ofthe eephos caste. Eephosti are those whomake and build. While it is true that theeephosti make the tools, weapons, homes, andtraps for the villagers and therefore areproviding for others, they do not immediatelybring food to the people. Lower in status arethe eepahk who do seemingly little for theirvillages. Those Jhangarans who displaytendencies that would lead to professions asartists in other landstendencies to imaginenew tales, perceive the world in differentways, or hear strange music in the sounds ofthe jungleare determined to be eepahki.Barely above outcasts, the eepahki often bringill luck to any venture of which they are a part.

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On a hunt, one may begin humming withoutrealizing it and wind up alerting the huntersprey, or perhaps stop to admire the play oflight amongst across a field of lotus instead ofnoticing the danger approaching their fellowtribesmen. The Cymrillian historian, Thrylos,theorized some decades ago that the eepahkiwere the remnants of the Jhangaransreligious caste.

While the three primary settlements inJhangara are each associated with a specificprofession, Jhangarans actually practice avariety of tasks regardless of where they live.However, each villages primary professiontends to be the highest ranking caste withinthat community. Within each community,Jhangarans depend upon their family clan toprovide them with food, shelter, andsometimes the very tools they need to earn aliving. The family clan in return demands thateach of its members work to earn their keep orfind another clan to take them in.

Marsh Hunters enjoy a position of highstatus no matter where they live, although it isprobably the weakest in Karansk. The Huntersare providers; not only do they provide moneywhen they sell their catches, but they alsoprovide both food and protection for theirsettlements. Jhangarans who display someskill at arms, survival, and tracking often aretaken into the Marsh Hunter caste. Thestronger Marsh Hunter clans are located inTabal, but they frequently find a strongpresence in Jhangkin as well where a strongarm and sharp eye is appreciated.

The Mud Miners are centered in Karanskand have little representation elsewhere. Whilenot as highly-esteemed as the Marsh Hunters,Mud Miners nevertheless tend to be fromwealthy clans. While a clans individualmembers may not necessarily have any morewealth or belongings than the next Jhangaran,the clan can normally provide for its membersthrough the sale of amber, sapphires, or gold.However, the rainy season often is a lean timefor these clans as the swollen rivers and risingtides prevent the bulk of their workbeing done.

The Mercenary clans tend to have almostno standing outside of Jhangkin. There arealways those Jhangarans who will work forfood and a slight amount of pay of course, butrarely are they more than a small, poor familygrouping. Jhangkin itself is an anomaly in thatthe Mercenaries carry more power and wealth,but the other castes sometimes holdmore status.

The OutcastsThe Outcasts from Jhangaran society are a

constant. Literally those without a caste, thesewretched Jhangarans have no say in the affairsof Jhangaran society. However, because theycarry such a heavy stigma the more intelligentor cunning Outcasts can manipulate the fearsthat others have of them in order to procurefood and tools. Outcasts wear red in order towarn off others, but there are old storiesamongst the Jhangarans that hold the color redin high esteem. Each village has anywherefrom a handful to several dozen Outcastsliving within its walls at any one time. Village

How Caste is Determined

For Jhangarans caste is determined bya variety of factors. As in other lands, thefirst thing that is taken into account is thebirth of the individual. A Jhangaran borninto a family clan of Marsh Hunters islikely to become a Marsh Hunter. Hisyouth is spent with other Hunters, he learnsthe skills of the Hunters.

If a youth displays the temperament ofa Mud Miner, they tend to gravitate to theMiners. Thus, the behavior and attitude ofa youth also has a factor. A timid youthwho seems more frightened than theyshould will likely not be taken into theswamps to learn how to stalk prey. Aclumsy Jhangaran is unlikely to be trustedin the Mines, but might be taught how topan for pebbles of gold.

(continued)

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leaders frequently attempt to persuade theOutcasts to leave, but as no Jhangaran willwillingly attack an Outcast for fear of drawingdoom upon themselves, there is often little thatcan be done. However, being without a caste,these Jhangarans also do not receive thebenefits of a family clan; namely, food andshelter. Forced to fend for themselves alone,Outcasts often have no choice but to leave thevillage in search of food in order to survive.

The Outcasts do not have a village of theirown mainly because they do not have enoughnumbers to do so. They do band together whenthey come across one another in the swamps,or when multiple Jhangarans are cast out of avillage together. In such cases the band acts asa familial clan with one individual acting asleader until such a time as another Jhangaranis strong enough to take over. Often thesegangs of Jhangarans live a rough short life inthe swamps, but some bands have grown aslarge as a hundred members in the past.

As a large percentage of the Outcastscome from another caste before starting theirlives as untouchables they also keep theirold ideas about caste as well. As such, it iscommon for a group of Outcasts to fall into ahierarchical structure based on who can bestprovide for the band. Since the caste structurevaries slightly depending on location however,sometimes disputes arise amongst theOutcasts. These disagreements are the primaryreason why the Outcasts have not bandedtogether in any semblance of a tribe. Simplyput, the ingrained caste structure that theyhave grown up with tends to keep themdivided, even when they are lumped at thebottom of it.

Then there are those Outcasts who havebeen born into their rank. As the children ofOutcasts, they have little knowledge of theJhangaran lifestyle except what their parenttells them. These Outcasts are frequentlysullen, but are often the ones to keep theroaming bands active and alive. Theseyounger members often take any excessperishables and attempt to sell or trade them toforeign traders along the banks of the Axis

River. Traveling merchants should beware ofthese red-clothed tribesmen hawking waresalong the shore for should other Jhangaransfind out, they will most likely refuse contact,seek to sell their own wares elsewhere, or inan extreme attempt to chase of said merchantwith violence.

The Aamanian InfluenceOriginating from Jhangkin, but with

growing power in other Jhangarancommunities, Aaman has a strong influence

How Caste is Determined(continued)

A third factor in determining caste isthat of an individuals choice. While thiscarries less weight, a Jhangaran couldleave one family grouping for another.Their new family may distrust them andset them with difficult or seeminglyimpossible tasks, but if they can bothprovide for their own sustenance and thatof the clan, they will be grudginglyaccepted. One exception to this is when aJhangaran is particularly skilled. As theirfame and reputation spreads, the chance ofbeing proclaimed a father by a femalelooking to secure a place for herself andher child-to-be increases. Sometimes thisis occasioned by one clan seeking to stealaway talent from another. By claiming asuccessful Jhangaran a father, a daughtercan force him to become part of her ownclan in order to provide for the child,whether it truly is his or not.

The final influence on caste is fate.Should a Jhangaran ignore the signsaround them and bring doom down uponthemselves, they could wind up as Outcast.Once declared an Outcaste by a tribe, thereis no going back. However, the newOutcast still has the skills and knowledgesof their prior service and must use those tosurvive since they no longer have a clan togive them shelter, food, or tools.

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over the lives of the Jhangarans. At one pointit was thought that Jhangaran mercenaries andconverts to the Aamanian faith made up amajority of the Aamanian military; however,such claims are both an exaggeration and amisunderstanding. Frequently, there are notenough Aamanian Knights to accompanypilgrims on the long journeys to places like theWatchstone. In such cases, a small number ofKnights are sent, but are supplemented withJhangaran mercenaries sometimes to a rationof one Knight for every three Jhangarans.Expeditions like these and the prejudices ofcertain other nations are what led to the beliefthat Aamans military might lay in the handsof the primitive Jhangarans.

In truth, there are a sizable number ofJhangarans who have converted to the worshipof Aa. While some of these have set up andbegun lives in Aaman, the majority still liveamongst their kin in Jhangara. For those thatlive in Jhangkin, or in small communes inAaman, status and cast can be a confusingthing. As Aamanian society is stratified by asystem of religious caste, these converts findthemselves locked into two socially stratifiedcultures. Respect and power in one typicallymeans somewhat less status in the other. AsJhangaran culture recognizes no gods, the faithof Jhangaran converts is something alien.Traditional Jhangarans view those who haveconverted as fools at best; at worst, a convertis someone who is tempting doom by payinghomage to a deity who did originate in theswamps. Furthermore, as the Aamanians donot acknowledge the forms of Jhangaran caste,there have been occasions when JhangaranOutcasts have become converts.Traditionalists frequently argue therefore thatwhen Reverents go to work in Aaman it isalmost impossible to know if they are cominginto