Table of Contents Introduction: Thunder in the East ...... 9 Theme ...... 30 by Night ...... 10 Mood ...... 30 The Rise of the Ikhwan ...... 10 Using by Night ...... 31 Ideologies and Ambitions ...... 11 The Ikhwan in Raqqa ...... 31 Words and Lore ...... 11 History ...... 32 Lexicon ...... 12 Empires at War ...... 32 Prince, Basileus, and Emir ...... 12 The New Rome ...... 33 Levant and Syria ...... 13 Persia Resurgent ...... 34 A Note on Names...... 14 Years of Conquest ...... 35 Using this Book ...... 14 The Arab Empire ...... 35 History and Continuity ...... 15 Raqqa, the Capital ...... 36 Historiography ...... 16 Burning Raqqa ...... 36 Chapter 1: Geography of Syria ...... 19 Hamdanid and Seljuk ...... 36 The Prefectures ...... 20 The ...... 38 A Web of Knives ...... 22 The Ikhwan in Raqqa ...... 38 The Emirates of Syria ...... 24 Melissa’s Fate ...... 39 Mapping Syria ...... 26 Geography ...... 40 Reading Area Maps ...... 26 The City in the Desert ...... 40 Reading Location Maps ...... 27 Travel ...... 40 ChSampleapter 2: Raqqa by Night ...... 29 The Town ...... file 42 Raqqa, Crossroads of Empire ...... 30 The Cainites of Raqqa ...... 44

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The Rulers of Raqqa ...... 44 Travel ...... 66 The Ikhwan ...... 45 The Town ...... 68 The Subject Cainites ...... 46 The Cainites of Amman ...... 70 Chapter 3: Amman by Night ...... 59 Amman and ...... 71 Amman, The Ruined City ...... 60 Amman and ...... 72 Theme...... 60 Chapter 4: Elsewhere in Syria ...... 79 Mood...... 60 Dabiq, Battlefield of the Apocalypse ...... 80 Using Amman by Night ...... 61 , the Ruined Metropolis ...... 82 The Ikhwan in Amman ...... 61 The Rise of Palmyra ...... 82 History ...... 62 Patrons and Clients ...... 82 The Seleucid City ...... 62 An Eastern Empire ...... 82 Roman Conquest ...... 62 The Ruins of Palmyra...... 84 Decadent Nights ...... 63 Ariha, Paradise on the Jordan ...... 86 The End of Philadelphia ...... 63 Crusades and Conquests ...... 86 The Desert Stronghold ...... 64 The Jordan Valley ...... 87 Amman Destroyed ...... 64 Cainites of Ariha...... 87 The Seljuk Sultanate ...... 64 Deir, Monastery on the ...... 90 The Citadel of Ahamant ...... 65 Abu Qubays, Frontier Stronghold ...... 92 The Coming of the Ikhwan ...... 65 Appendix: Key Dates ...... 95 Geography...... 66 Key Dates in the History of Syria ...... 96 The Fringes of the Desert ...... 66 Index ...... 98

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INTRODUCTION:

rom the time of the Second City, the Children of Haqim have been Fthe judges of the Children of Caine. Respected, honoured, and occasionally feared, the Banu Haqim has long been the rock which has formed the foundation of Cainite society in Syria, Persia, and Africa. Yet times are changing and, in recent years, many of the Banu Haqim who arrive in the Levant are harsh and uncompromising, wanting to impose their own ideas of order upon the Cainites of the land. There are some who say that this change is a response to the faithlessness of the Ashirra; others claim that this shift is due to a schism within the clan, and that competing interests amongst the Children of Haqim are fighting for dominance. Regardless of the reasons for the rise of this new breed amongst the clan, their appearance is seen by many Syrian Cainites as an ominous sign. There are some who claim to have heard the thunder in the Sampleeast, warning of an approaching storm. file

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yria is a land familiar with conflict. On the boundary reason. The coming years will show whether such fears Sbetween the Mediterranean to the west, Arabia to are justified. the south, and Persia to the east, Syria is a contested land, one which has been the focal point of many wars. Yet, at the same time, conflict is not the sole defining The Rise of the Ikhwan In the year 1099 the city of Jerusalem was captured by a feature of Syria. The region lies upon many trade routes, Crusader army. Whilst this was a relatively and is an area where cultures and religions mix freely. unremarkable feat in military terms, the event had an The cities of Syria can be exciting and invigorating enormous cultural impact across Europe, North Africa, places to reside, for mortals and Cainites alike. and Western Asia. The importance of Jerusalem to Judaism, , and Islam meant that the Syria by Night conquest of the city was highly symbolic. It was an event The Gates of Damascus is a sourcebook describing the with repercussions across the world for centuries to region of Syria for Vampire: the Dark Ages. The various come. chapters which follow contain general information on The effects were felt not just in mortal society, but Syria, as well as information on some of the more also amongst Cainites. Some interpreted it as a sign of notable domains found within the area, along with the approach of Gehenna; others saw it as an details of the notable Cainites within these domains. opportunity which might be exploited to gain power The material within this book in intended to support and influence. Still others were motivated to act on the the work of a Storyteller who wishes to set a chronicle basis of their religion, either through a desire to support within Syria. the Crusader victories, or through a wish to return the In the year 1242 the region of Syria is divided Levant to Muslim rule. These competing interests and between a number of small states, known as emirates, desires quickly transformed Cainite politics in the which recognise the ruler of Egypt, the Sultan of Misr, region. as their overlord. The emirates cover a wide range of The effects of the Crusades were also felt far from landscapes from the arid plains and rocky deserts of the Jerusalem. In 1100 a delegation of Assamites from Emirate of Kerak in the south, to the green hills and Baghdad travelled to Alamut and demanded that the fertile farmland of the Emirate of in the north. Silsila must take action against the Crusaders. The This is a wealthy land, one which supports a number of matter was discussed at length over seven nights, at the large cities including Damascus, former capital of the end of which the Silsila delivered a formal decision, Caliphate, a great and glorious centre of trade and ruling that the Children of Haqim should be guided by learning. Syria is a land rich in possibilities. their own moral judgement in relation to their response The wealth of Syria means that influence over the to the Crusades. Though the Silsila understood that region has been contested by Cainites for thousands of many younger Assamites were outraged by the Crusader years. This is an area which has seen more than a few conquests, as the oldest and wisest member of the clan bloody battles in the War of Ages, as ancient elders they saw the wars in the Levant as ephemeral events, have attempted to manipulate Cainite society to merely the latest conflicts to afflict the region. It was support their interests. As few elders have the power to the belief of the Silsila that the Crusades were dominate Syria, these conflicts have been long-lasting insignificant events, not requiring a unified response and inconclusive. from the clan. This stalemate has been disrupted in the last fifty There were, nevertheless, many Assamites unhappy years, by the rise of a new faction, a group of Cainites with this lack of direction from the clan elders. It was known as the Ikhwan. Disregarding the accepted said to be in response to this that a group of the conventions of Cainite society, the Ikhwan have Children of Haqim met in Baghdad, in the year 1102, wrested control of many cities in the region from to decide upon a course of action. By the end of the year ancient Cainites. Now dominant in Mesopotamia, the it was clear that a new Assamite faction had emerged Ikhwan have started to expand into Syria; their capture within Baghdad. Calling themselves the Ikhwan, the of the city of Raqqa in 1232 shows that their designs members of this group were brutal and uncompromising, uponSample Syria are not an idle threat. There are many ready and willing to use violencefile to support their Cainites who fear the rise of the Ikhwan, and with good political ambitions. The Ikhwan soon came to dominate

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Baghdad, Basra, Wasit, and the cities of southern o The Ikhwan despises the Ashirra, on the basis Mesopotamia. that the beliefs of the members of the sect rely Whilst few Cainites paid attention to the rise of the heavily upon Shi’ite theology. The Ikhwan Ikhwan in the group’s early years. Indeed, many correspondingly sees the members of the Ashirra observers from Europe and the Mediterranean ignored as apostates, and thus enemies of Islam. the group, assuming that its growth was nothing more o There is considerably hostility between those than a transient reaction to the Crusades. Assamites who are loyal to the Ikhwan, and those Attitudes towards the Ikhwan were transformed in who are not members of the group. Whilst the 1210, when the representatives of the group arrived in Children of Haqim rarely discuss this the city of Mawsil. They demanded that the city’s emir, relationship with outsiders, some Cainite Parmys, submitted to the authority of the group. When observers believe that the rise of Ikhwan she refused, she was killed, along with many of her represents a schism within the clan, and that the supporters. Mawsil became the first city to fall under lords of the Ikhwan have repudiated the Ikhwan control outside of its core territories in southern authority of Alamut. Mesopotamia. The event horrified Cainites from across o The Ikhwan appear to believe that they have a the region; it was clear that the Ikhwan was far more right to rule all Cainites, and that members of aggressive and ambitious than many had supposed. other clans should submit to their authority; this In the years since the conquest of Mawsil, the belief seems to have motivated their expansion Ikhwan have expanded their interests to the west. into Syria and the Maghreb. Raqqa former residence of the Caliphs, fell in 1232, and o Prospective members of the Ikhwan serve an Ikhwan agents are now present in many of the cities of extended apprenticeship prior to the embrace. It Syria and the Levant. It is certain that the Ikhwan will is normal for a promising mortal to spend seven play an important role in Cainite politics for some time years as a ghoul, proving their worth, and then a to come. further seven years of training after the embrace. Many prospective recruits will be killed during Ideologies and Ambitions this period of apprenticeship. Despite the growing presence of the Ikhwan in Syria, o Whilst the Children of Haqim are known as the the group remains somewhat mysterious to many Clan of Judges, the Ikhwan see themselves as Cainites. Whilst the Ikhwan appears on taking control warriors and assassins. Their propensity for of many of the cities within the Islamic world, the violence has led the group’s influence to be reason for this ambition is unclear. Those who observe described as a ‘web of knives’. the activities of the Ikhwan’s agents believe that there is a controlling body which directs the group’s activities, Though the observations above are reasonable whose identities remain unknown; in the absence of conclusions, based upon how members of the group information, those who direct the group’s activities tend behave. Given the Ikhwan’s secrecy and hostility to to be known as the lords of the Ikhwan. outsiders, the underlying philosophies behind the group The ideologies driving the Ikhwan are unknown to remain uncertain. Indeed, there are those who believe outsiders, though those Cainites who have had close that the rise of the Ikhwan is nothing more than a ploy contact with the group have made the following within the War of Ages, and their violence is intended observations: to further the agenda of some ancient and powerful Cainite. o All members of the Ikhwan are drawn from the Children of Haqim. Though other Cainites are sometimes allied to the group, full membership is Words and Lore confined to Assamites. Whilst the language and political structures of the o The Ikhwan identify as Sunni Muslims, though Cainites of Europe is familiar, the language and culture they are rarely observant followers of the religion. of Syria, and its Cainites, have been shaped by the Their religious allegiances are, nevertheless, are history of the region. The lexicon provided below Sampleused to justify their high-handed and often brutal presents the meaning of some keyfile terms used within this treatment of other Cainites. book.

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Lexicon a given city conforms to what the Ikhwan believes is acceptable. The concept of suitable behaviour often Ashirra: A Cainite sect, found primarily in Arabia, varies between cities. The singular of Mutaween is Syria, and North Africa. The Ashirra believe in using mutawa. Islam as a means of uniting Cainite society. Qadi: In the Islamic world a qadi is a judge; the title Basileus: A Greek term for a ruler, the word basileus has been adopted in Cainite society, with a qadi taking was the standard title used by Cainites ruling over cities the role of an arbitrator, an intermediary between an in the Hellenistic world. Although the influence of emir and their subjects. It is traditional for qadi to be over Syria is much diminished, many drawn from the ranks of the Children of Haqim. Cainite rulers in the region still use the title. The plural Silsila: The Silsila are the spiritual elite of the of basileus is basileis. Assamites. The group are students of the teachings of Caliph: The Caliphs are the successors of the Haqim and advise the oldest and most powerful prophet, and represent the highest political and members of the clan on matters both spiritual and religious authority in Islam. In principle, there should political. only be a single Caliph living at any given time; in Sultan: A universal ruler in the Islamic world; the practice, schisms in Islamic belief means that there are position was created by Seljuk rulers, who wished to often two or more competing Caliphs in the Islamic usurp the secular power of the Caliphs, without world. claiming their religious authority. In principle, there Caliphate: A Caliphate is an empire ruled by a may only be a single sultan in the Islamic world at any Caliph; as the entry above notes, there should only be s given time. single living Caliph at any single point, and thus a single Vizier: In the Islamic world a vizier is a chief Caliphate. The reader should note that whenever the minister, an intermediary between a ruler and his or her definite article is used (“the Caliphate”), the text refers subjects. Since the rise of the Caliphate, the term has to the territories falling under the orthodox Caliph, come to be employed by Cainites as a key deputy to a recognised by Sunni Muslims, whilst a named state city’s ruler, roughly equivalent to the role of the (“”) refers to a territory under the seneschal in the cities of Europe. authority of heterodox rulers. Crusader Cainites: The Crusades brought numerous Cainites to Syria and the Levant; these interlopers have Prince, Basileus, and Emir become known in Syria and the Levant as the Crusader By the medieval period the Cainites of western Europe Cainites. Though they are a heterogenous group, the have adopted, almost universally, the term ‘prince’ to Crusader Cainites are generally perceived as aggressive denote the pre-eminent vampire in a domain. The term opportunists, seeking to build domains in the Islamic is derived from the Latin word ‘princeps’, which means world. ‘one who takes the first position’; its use is a legacy from Crusades, the: A series of wars fought in the Levant the time when the was the dominant between invading European armies, and the forces of power in western Europe. the various emirates and sultanates in Asia and Africa. In the east, meanwhile, the use of language amongst Emir: An term used to denote a leader, both mortals and Cainites has been influenced by the governor, or other important figure. In both mortal and usage of Greek as the administrative language in the Cainite worlds the term is a close equivalent of the term eastern provinces of Roman Empire. Greek was adopted “prince”. Mortal emirs are notionally subordinate to the as the ecclesiastical language of the Orthodox church, Caliph, though many are de facto independent. and became the standard language of trade and Ikhwan: An Assamite faction, which has risen to government. This was reflected in the terms used by considerable power and influence in the wake of the Cainites; one example of this is that the term ‘prince’ Crusades. The Ikhwan is involved in aggressive was not widely adopted in the east, with Cainites in the territorial expansion in the mid-thirteenth century, region preferring the term ‘basileus’. though their motivations remain largely a mystery to As the Roman Empire declined, and was supplanted Cainites outside the group. by the Caliphate, Arabic replaced Greek as a language SampleMutaween: The moral police of the Ikhwan. The of government. Most younger Cainitesfile in Syria and the body exists to ensure that the behaviour of Cainites in surrounding region speak Arabic, and their language has

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been shaped accordingly. One consequence is that the Syria stretched between Cappadocia and the Sinai; this term ‘basileus’ has been gradually superseded by the definition was adopted by the Romans. By the late Arabic term ‘emir’, a word representing a leader or Roman period, the empire administered the region in prominent figure within a territory. Amongst younger three provinces, Syria-Coele, Syria-Phoenice, and Cainites, the word is the natural term for a Cainite ruler. Syria-Palestina. The coming of the Crusades has led to the A further term is beginning to emerge within the introduction of term ‘prince’ to Syria, as many Cainites thirteenth century, which is ‘Levant’; the word refers to arriving from Europe use the terms which they are the rising of the sun, and was initially used to refer to familiar with from the courts in their own countries. As trading activity in the eastern Mediterranean. The a result, a variety of terms are used by the Cainites of terms ‘Syria’ and ‘Levant’ have often been used thirteenth-century Syria to represent the paramount interchangeably, though the latter is less precisely vampire within a given domain. A visitor to the region defined, and can be used to cover a large geographic should take care, as using the incorrect term in relation region, encompassing the coastline of Europe, Asia, and to a prominent Cainite is a serious breach of etiquette. Africa, from Greece to Cyrenaica. Whilst a broad and inexact term, ‘Levant’ would become widely used to Levant and Syria describe the coastal regions of the eastern One of the more difficult linguistic questions regarding Mediterranean. Syria is how to define and refer to the region. The name For the purposes of The Gates of Damascus, ‘Levant’ ‘Syria’ is an ancient term, derived from the word refers to the coastal regions of Syria, whilst ‘Syria’ is ‘Assyria’; imposed by outsiders, the region is often employed to describe the inland areas, which were poorly defined, denoting a vague area of western Asia. controlled in the thirteenth century by various Ayyubid The Greeks, early adopters of the word, considered that emirates.

Names and Places The towns and cities of Syria bear many names, the product of imperial ambitions over millennia. As a general rule, The Gates of Damascus uses the contemporary names in use by the ruling power, controlling any particular region. To assist the reader, a list showing the different names in use is presented below.

City Modern English name Other names al-Iskandariyya Alexandria Radoki al-Ladhiqiyah Laodicea al-Qahira Cairo Heliopolis, Kashromi Amman Amman Ahamant, Philadelphia Antioch Antioch Antakiyya ar-Ruha Edessa Antiochia Ariha Jericho Ericha Ayla Aqaba Aela, Elath Dimasq Damascus Darmsuq Halab Beroea Hama Hama Emath, Epiphaneia, Hamath Homs Emesa, Hims Jerusalem Jerusalem al-Quds, Hierosolyma Mawsil Mosul Mepsila Palmyra Palmyra Tadmor Raqqa Raqqa Callinicium, Kallinikos, Leontopolis, Nikephorion Sample file

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A Note on Names the person is being discussed. For the sake of simplicity, the characters appearing within The Gates of Damascus The names used by people residing in medieval Syria are referred to with a single personal name and byname were largely determined by the cultural background throughout the book, with nisbas and laqabs appearing which they inhabited. Greeks, Armenians, Assyrians, most frequently. Storytellers should feel free to utilise and Jews all used different naming conventions, shaped other bynames for these characters within their own by ethnic, religious, and cultural considerations. The chronicles. names of characters appearing within The Gates of As a final note, the nature of medieval names, and Damascus are a reflection of this complexity. As a large the contextual nature of bynames, means that names number of characters found in the following chapters will be indexed on a forename-byname basis, rather are , it is worth considering Arab names at greater than by the modern convention of surname-forename. length. Most Arabs are known by a combination of names, the usage of which varies by context. It is normal for an Arab to have a personal name and one or more byname. Using this Book The personal name, known as an ism, functions much The Gates of Damascus is a reference book designed to as forenames do in the modern world. This is combined support Storytellers running chronicles in Syria. It with bynames, which are drawn from four different provides specific reference material on English categories, the kunya, nasab, laqab, or nisba each of geography and history, as well as providing a number of which describe the bearer in different ways. The kunya chapters detailing particular locations. The finite nature is an honorific, which refers to a person by reference to of this book means that certain choices have been made their children. This can either be abu, meaning ‘father in terms of what has been included and excluded. As a of’ or umm, meaning ‘mother of’, and is generally used general rule, greater emphasis has been placed on in reference to the eldest son in a family. The most characters and social dynamics than on historical famous use of a kunya amongst Cainites is ‘abu Lazar’, a information. The intention of the author has been to commonly-used reference to the progenitor of the provide a glimpse of Cainite society in Syria, and it is Cappadocians. assumed that the Storyteller will be capable of In the mortal world it is considered polite to address completing any additional research required for a elders with a kunya, rather than an ism. This chronicle. convention has not translated well to Cainite society, The majority of the chapters in this book focus on given the immortal nature of vampires, and the nature particular locations. These chapters follow the same of their broods. Instead, it is more common for Cainites general plan, starting with background and history, to use nasabs, laqabs, or nisbas. followed by a section on geography, and closing with The nasab is a patronymic, a reference to the bearer’s material detailing the Cainite residents of the location. father. This is either ibn, meaning ‘son of’ or bint, The reader will note that many of the towns presented meaning ‘daughter of’. Whilst individuals will have pre- here have relatively small Cainite populations. This is existing nasabs prior to the embrace, it is the intentional, designed to support interpersonal drama convention within Cainite society to discard these, and and maintain consistency with information presented take on a nasab referencing one’s sire. Thus Lazarus, in prior works published for Vampire: the Dark Ages. In childe of Cappadocius, is known amongst Arab Cainites the first edition of the core rulebook, published in 1996, as Lazar ibn Cappadocius. it was noted that: ‘A city of 10,000 mortals may have a The final byname forms are the laqab and nisba. dozen resident vampires, with half a dozen resident These are descriptive bynames, referencing some vampires, with half a dozen more in the surrounding personal quality or other distinctive aspect of a person. towns and villages.’ The Gates of Damascus maintains The laqab makes reference to a virtue which the these population ratios when dealing with given individual either holds or aspires to, whilst the nisba locations. describes an occupation, a place of birth, or a clan or A small Cainite population does, of course, have an tribal loyalty. effect upon the interpersonal dynamics of a location. SampleAn individual might be referred to by any of the Having a limited number of individualsfile to interact with above bynames, based upon the context within which in a game emphasises certain play styles. These

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environments promote intense character-driven stories, personal horror, and cut-throat political struggles. In a town with half-a-dozen Cainites, every single character The Mark of matters. There are no disposable background characters in chronicles set in the domains portrayed within this the Ikhwan book. One of the great art forms of the Islamic The reader should also note that there is one world is calligraphy. With a prohibition on additional consequence to the adherence to the representing the human form, creative use of population limits set out in Vampire: the Dark Ages. script became a refined art form during the early This is that the presence of the players’ characters will Caliphate. Muslim scribes found many inventive overpopulate a domain. The extent to which a ways to turn text into decorative art. Storyteller emphasises this point should depend on the One example of this is square kufic, the focus of a particular chronicle. rendering of Arabic script into geometric As a final point on the subject of using The Gates of patterns. Square kufic is particularly popular Damascus, the reader may note that the introduction amongst the Cainites of Syria and Mesopotamia, does not list a theme and mood for the book. Syria is a often used in representations of personal relatively large area, with a complex history, and there genealogy or clan allegiance. One of the most are significant variations in the historical and cultural well-known usages is in the Great Seal of the background of the various emirates found in the region. Assamites, a square kufic representation of the To this end, the individual domains presented in later name of the Banu Haqim, used to indicate chapters have their own themes and moods. Storytellers loyalty to Alamut. The Great Seal was once a should consider these when planning a chronicle. common sight within Assamite havens located in Syria. History and Continuity Since the rise of the Ikhwan, a new piece of The first foray of White Wolf into the Islamic world was kufic script has started to appear within Syria. made in 1991, with the introduction of the Assamites This is the Sign of the Ikhwan, a simplified in the first edition of The Players Guide for Vampire: version of the Great Seal, which represents the Masquerade. In their initial presentation, the allegiance to this newly-emergent Assamite Assamites were bloodthirsty monsters, heavily group. The Sign of the Ikhwan is a crude design, influenced by the mortal sect of Nizari Ismailis, lacking the artistry and symmetry of the Great popularly known as the Assassins. The following decade Seal. It is said that it is daubed upon the walls of saw the Assamites go through a number of different those cities targeted by the Ikhwan, in the nights incarnations, as various writers attempted to determine before an assault begins. The Sign of the Ikhwan what they wished the clan to represent. has a dark reputation amongst the Cainites of One ongoing issue was that the Assamites, and other Syria. Islamic vampires, were generally defined by their relationship with the outside world. Thus, Syria and the Levant tend to only appear in vampiric history when outsiders interact with the Islamic world. Thus, the Crusades feature prominently, but very little has been written about Syria and the Levant in the surrounding centuries. The region presents a relatively blank canvas, ready to be developed. The one significant exception is, of course Veil of Night. Published in 2001, the book provided perspectives on the Islamic world within the medieval period, functioning as a useful and relatively comprehensive tool for players and Storytellers alike. VeilSample of Night is recommended reading for those who file wish to use The Gates of Damascus. The Gates of Damascus

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There is, nevertheless, a note of caution which conflict to afflict the region. This is a land which has should be raised in relation to Veil of Night. This is that been shaped by Jewish Kingdoms, Greek Empires, the the book tends to conflate Arabs, Muslims, and armies of Rome and Persia, and finally the conquests of inhabitants of the Islamic World. The reader should, of the Arabs. Syria has long functioned as a point of course, note that not all Arabs are Muslims, and not all conflict between empires. Muslims are Arabs. Medieval Syria, in particular, was The layers of history are exposed within Syria’s populated by a wide variety of ethnic and religious Cainite society. Many of the elders remember the nights identities; whilst Muslim Arabs were the dominant when first Rome, and later Constantinople, dominated group within this region, their power and influence was the land. Their attitudes and allegiances date from this frequently challenged. One consequence of this is the time, and frequently come into conflict with their conscious decision not to use the Arabic clan names younger counterparts, who have only known Syria as an which are used within Veil of Night; whilst these are in Islamic domain. It is this generational split which fuels common use amongst the Cainites of medieval Syria, many of the conflicts in this book. they do not necessarily appropriate in regards to elders In terms of the younger generation of Cainites, the dating from the Roman era or before. Storytellers using most notable is the Assamite faction known as the The Gates of Damascus are encouraged to use details Ikhwan. A brutal and uncompromising group, the from Veil of Night to enrich their chronicles, but for the Ikhwan may well be associated by the reader with sake of simplicity the clan names from the core contemporary political movements found within Vampire: the Dark Ages rulebook will be employed modern Syria and surrounding countries, particularly throughout. the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. This would be Finally, the reader may note that one of the first a mistake; The Gates of Damascus is not a roman à clef, descriptions of Syria within the World of Darkness was and the people, political factions, and historical events within a chapter of A World of Darkness, a supplement are not intended to relate to contemporary political for Vampire: the Masquerade published in 1992. The events. The Ikhwan may be taken to stand in for any chapter in question covered the country of Jordan, and ideologically-driven group, prepared to use violence to its vampiric ruler, the Assamite elder Talaq. expand their influence. Totalitarianism takes many Thematically, this material is highly divergent from forms; amongst the Cainites of thirteenth-century Syria much of the later material published for Vampire: the is has appeared as the Ikhwan. Masquerade, and is not touched upon in The Gates of As a final note, The Gates of Damascus assumes Damascus. Nevertheless, none of the material within A personal agency of the people who dwell within Syria, World of Darkness is explicitly contradicted within this both mortal and Cainite. Whilst decisions they make book, and Storytellers should not be discouraged from may be shaped by the cultural context in which they using Talaq within their own chronicles. decide, their personal and moral decisions are their own. This is especially important to note; when cruelty, Historiography brutality, and the mistreatment of others occurs within The historiographic foundation of The Gates of the context of Syria and the Levant, outsider observers Damascus is the layering of history. The character of a are often hasty to attribute such actions to the political country, culture, or people will be heavily influenced and religious allegiances of those responsible. This is, of not just by the present circumstances in which it finds course, not the case; cruelty is always and itself, but the underlying historical background that has unambiguously a personal choice. The reign of terror gone before. This is especially pertinent in the case of that the Ikhwan is intent on inflicting upon Syria is due Syria, a region that has been fought over by rival to their desire to secure political power over others. empires for thousands of years. Although the medieval Though none yet realise it, the attempts of the Ikhwan land is currently contested by settling Crusaders and the to obtain influence will have long-term consequences, armies of the Sultan of Misr, this is but the most recent affecting Cainites for centuries to come.

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