AHL-I-BATIN - Revision history

Bruce: /* ORGANIZATION */

2020-12-30T04:18:03Z

ORGANIZATION

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:18, 29 December 2020
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	== ORGANIZATION ==		== ORGANIZATION ==
			The Ahl-i-Batin have a formal structure, as they con-
			sider structures to be an important means to understanding
			the Unity they seek. Their structure serves two purposes:
			instructing new initiates (called mutasawwif) and institut-
			ing a system of government for the entire sect. Broadly
			speaking, the Ahl-i-Batin are divided into five khanaqas or
			lodges. Each lodge teaches a slightly different interpretation
			of the Doctrine of Unity, but all endorse the overall mission
			of the sect without the infighting that's typical in the Order
			of Hermes, for example. The khanaqas instruct initiates in
			the ways of the Ahl-i-Batin (called tariqa) and its purpose in
			the world.

			Initiates who complete their training are known as
			murids and are instructed in the deeper teachings of the
			sect. In particular, murids are taught the magical incanta-
			tions that allow the warping of space and distance to the
			will of the mage. Once these incantations have been
			mastered, the murid is tested by a judge (called a Qutb)
			who is a master Batini and possesses the ability to read the
			minds of others. A murid is judged favorably by a Qutb if
			he shows an understand ing of sacred geometry and mathematics, two disciplines considered to he essential to
			understanding the nature of Unity.

			The next rank in the hierarchy of the Ahl-i-Batin is
			murshid, which can be attained only after years of study
			and perseverance. In the meantime, new murids leave the
			khanaqas and join a smaller type of lodge known as a
			zawiya. Zawiyas typically consist of three to eight mages
			who work together in the pursuit of common goals. These
			Batini function somewhat like a monastic group, sharing
			household and scholarly duties. Occasionally, a zawiya
			admits rum-mages into its membership to serve as assis-
			tants to the mages, but this is not the norm, particularly
			in the Dark Medieval age.

			Individual zawiyas act according to their own inter-
			ests, which may mirror those of the sect as a whole but do
			not have to do so. Indeed, there is very little coordination
			between zawiyas, and this is by design. According to
			traditional practice, Batini do not know one another
			outside their own zawiyas. This helps to strengthen the
			relationship between members living in a particular zawiya.
			It also helps to preserve the secrecy of the Ahl-i-Batin,
			who find themselves beset by enemies on multiple fronts.
			Unfortunately, this structure has the unintended side
			effect of making it easier for Infernalists and other dark
			mages to infiltrate a zawiya without notice.

			Despite their unusual organization, the Ahl-i-Batin
			function reasonably cohesively, much more so than out-
			siders might suspect. Disputes between khanaqas are rare.
			When they do occur, they are largely resolved in a
			reasoned, logical fashion. Batini treat such disputes not as
			evidence of disunity but as an occasion to explore die
			limits of diversity within Unity. Particularly acrimonious
			disputes (which do occur from time to time) are adjudi-
			cated by Qutbs, whose decisions draw on the interplay of
			tradition and innovation to come to a just solution.
			Consequently, the Ahl-i-Batin have shown a remarkable
			ability to adapt and survive, even in the face of deter-
			mined opposition.

			== Philosophy ==


	----		----

Bruce at 04:03, 29 December 2020

2020-12-29T04:03:19Z

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	;[[Dark Ages Mage]] * [[Ahl-i-Batin]]		;[[Dark Ages Mage]] * [[Ahl-i-Batin]]
	[[]]		[[File:Fellowship Ahl-i-batin logo.png]]
	<br>		<br>
	<br>		<br>

Bruce at 03:56, 29 December 2020

2020-12-29T03:56:48Z

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	;[[Dark Ages Mage]]		;[[Dark Ages Mage]] * [[Ahl-i-Batin]]
	[[]]		[[]]
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Bruce: /* BACKGROUND */

2020-12-29T03:51:41Z

BACKGROUND

@@ Line 132: / Line 132: @@
 had.
 Some Batini would
 later claim that no unenlightened merchant could have
 founded Islam without
 magical assistance.
-Stung by the realiza
+Stung by the realization that the Prophet
 had succeeded in
 preaching Divine
@@ Line 145: / Line 144: @@
 that their Fellowship
 did not have some
-hand in the founda-
+hand in the foundation of Islam. The
 current majority,
 however, accept what
-seems obvious to them
+seems obvious to them — that God Himself chose
 an ordinary man to spread the
 Doctrine of Unity not through the esoteric
 learning of the Ahl-i-Batin but through the
-simple beauty of a new religion. Instead of claim-
+simple beauty of a new religion. Instead of claiming credit for the intervention of the godhead in bringing
-ing credit for the intervention of the godhead in bringing
+a new revelation to mortals, most Batini mages did

Bruce: /* BACKGROUND */

2020-12-29T03:43:53Z

BACKGROUND

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	nothing compared to the		nothing compared to the
	greater Unity they had experienced. The Ahl-i-Batin were born.		greater Unity they had experienced. The Ahl-i-Batin were born.

			The newly formed ones
			"Interior Ones" spent
			the next few hundred
			years establishing themselves throughout the
			lands of China, India and
			Persia, although they
			proved most successful in
			Persia. There, they established
			six distinct schools, called
			''khanaqas'', each of which taught its
			students a different aspect of the Unity
			the sect hoped to achieve. These early
			Batini became deeply involved in many aspects of
			Persian life. In particular, they were revered as masters of
			self-discipline and sought out as teachers of both etiquette
			and diplomacy. The Batini also became involved in politics and attempted to institute reforms within the Parthian
			administration that would lead to greater unity. These
			reforms were partly successful and culminated in the formation of the Neo-Persian, or Sassanid, Empire in the third
			century A.D.

			In its efforts to achieve Unity, some Ahl-i-Batin
			looked in unusual places. One such Batini was Ishaq al-Jannani who, around A.D. 100, began to cooperate with
			the Nif'ur en' Daah, an Infernalist sect of mages. Unfortunately, 3shaq becomes so enamored of the Infernalists' ways
			that he adopted them, renaming himself Ishaq al-Iblis. He
			became the first Devil King and turned against the Subtle
			Ones — violently. In the process of his own corruption, he
			did the same to the ''khanaqa'' he led, which soon ceased to
			be part of the Ahl-i-Batin forever.

			In order to defend themselves against this new threat from within, the Batini leadership created the ''Qutbs'', who
			used their powerful mind -reading magic to monitor the
			thoughts of Batini. The ''Qutbs'' rose to prominence as
			the sect grew and eventually became judges
			within it. A few decades later, the Ahl-i-Batin authorize the training of assassins
			to he used against their corrupt brethren. So successful arc these
			assassins that their abilities enter legend — and sully the
			good name of the sect in the
			eyes of some outsiders.

			The Ahl-i-Batin never-the-less soldiered on in their
			quest to influence cultures and
			societies toward Unity, According to Batini tales, a Qutb
			encountered a certain man and
			saw in him a great destiny,
			although he possessed no
			magical ability. This man, who
			would become known to history as the
			Prophet Muhammad, wrote a holy
			book, the Qur'an, after receiving its words from God
			through the agency of the
			angel Gabriel. The religion
			he founded — Islam -
			had many beliefs in common with the Doctrine of Unity and in tact spread
			those beliefs throughout
			the world, far better than
			the Ahl-i-Batin ever
			had.

			Some Batini would
			later claim that no unenlightened merchant could have
			founded Islam without
			magical assistance.
			Stung by the realiza
			tion that the Prophet
			had succeeded in
			preaching Divine
			Unity better than they,
			these reactionary mages
			simply refused to accept
			that their Fellowship
			did not have some
			hand in the founda-
			tion of Islam. The
			current majority,
			however, accept what
			seems obvious to them
			—that God Himself chose
			an ordinary man to spread the
			Doctrine of Unity not through the esoteric
			learning of the Ahl-i-Batin but through the
			simple beauty of a new religion. Instead of claim-
			ing credit for the intervention of the godhead in bringing

Bruce at 04:13, 28 December 2020

2020-12-28T04:13:13Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:13, 27 December 2020
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	<br>		<br>
	<br>		<br>
			== INTRODUCTION ==
			The Ahl-i-Batin, or Subtle Ones, are the living embodiment of the highest accomplishments of Muslim culture
			- philosopher-naturalists who seek the hidden Unity
			that underlies all things. Masters of the intricate patterns
			that make up God's creation, the Ahl-i-Batin fulfill a
			variety of functions in their native lands: scientists, explorers, diplomats and even assassins when necessary.
			The Subtle Ones use their remarkable understanding of
			connections to move about as few mages can, seeing and
			doing things that others cannot. Possessing knowledge of
			interest to all who have magical power, the Ahl-i-Batin are nevertheless shunned and viewed
			with suspicion, sometimes even among
			their own peoples. Their vision,
			which transcends the here and
			now and seeks to find common-
			ality in all things, sparks the
			very divisiveness the Subtle
			Ones strive to overcome.

			== BACKGROUND ==
			No one — not even
			the wisest sages of the Ahl-i-Batin — knows how old
			the sect truly is. Tradition
			among the Batini holds that
			their history stretches back
			untold thousands of years into
			the past. There is no proof of
			such vintage, but it is held none-the-less for the Subtle Ones believe
			that the current incarnation of the
			sect is the re-founding of a much older
			one that died out millennia before.

			The greatest of the Batini sacred texts, the ''Mushaf al-Isra'' (or ''"Great Book of Passage Through Night"'') claims
			that the Subtle Ones are fragments of a powerful entity
			known as die Kamil, or ''"Perfected One."'' For reasons that
			are unclear, the Kamil had no contact with the world for
			thousands of years. It was during this time that the original
			Ahl-i-Batin ceased to be. Then, one night in 514 B.C. —
			known as the Night of Fana — the Kamil returned to the
			world and the Batini along with it.

			Of' course, the sect didn't spring into being immediately. Rather, it was the result of a combination of factors
			that, according to the Batini, reveal their Doctrine of
			Unity in action. On the Night of Fana, there was a great
			conflict. Adherents of two warring magical traditions
			fought against one another, with one group pursuing the
			other into a vast, green meadow where the others expected
			to destroy their foes. The hunted mages found that the
			meadow was already inhabited by another group of adepts,
			whom the Batini call the Darwushim. While waiting for
			their pursuers to arrive, the hunted mages joined the
			Darwushim in a magical ritual of dance and motion, one
			that summoned an entity which would become known as
			the Khwaja al-Akbar.

			The Khwaja al-Akbar was the fusion of two men, one
			from each magical group involved in the ritual. Suffused
			with power, the Khwaja al-Akbar spoke and affected the
			world around itself. For a few moments, all of Space became
			one and Unity was achieved among all the men and
			women present at this event. Space broke down and
			became one in a moment of ecstatic union that has never
			been repeated since. During the event, the Kamil, freed
			once more, manifested itself in everyone present.
			Then, the Khwaja al-Akbar disappeared
			and the men who composed it returned to their former selves. Yet
			they, like everyone else present,
			were changed forever. Their
			original affiliations meant
			nothing compared to the
			greater Unity they had experienced. The Ahl-i-Batin were born.

Bruce: Created page with ";Dark Ages Mage [[]]

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2020-06-19T23:30:09Z

Created page with ";Dark Ages Mage [[]] <br> <br>"

New page

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AHL-I-BATIN - Revision history

Bruce: /* ORGANIZATION */

Bruce at 04:03, 29 December 2020

Bruce at 03:56, 29 December 2020

Bruce: /* BACKGROUND */

Bruce: /* BACKGROUND */

Bruce at 04:13, 28 December 2020

Bruce: Created page with ";Dark Ages Mage [[]] "

Bruce: Created page with ";Dark Ages Mage [[]]

"