The Muhjari, or the Muhjein, were a human culture and faith of Durpar and Semphar, and to a lesser extent Murghôm.[1][2]
History[]
Originating in Durpar and on the coast of southeast Faerûn, the Muhjein culture spread north as far as Semphar[1][3] and also to Murghôm.[2]
Language[]
They spoke the Muhjuri language,[4][5][6] which was classified as one of the Mulani languages.[6]
Faith[]
Muhjari venerated a group of deities known as "the true gods". One extremist sect of Muhjari even banned priests who did not follow Muhjari from practicing their faith or showing their symbols. This sect rejected all forms of pleasure and vice and promoted abstinence and fasting. However, other devout followers were moderate and practical, seeing some vices as necessary for release when taken in moderation.[7]
The Muhjein held that nature was something to shaped and organized to make it more beautiful than it already was. This was expressed in the breeding of new flowers, building formal gardens, and constructing fountains.[8]
Laws[]
Muhjari culture was particularly associated with a set of faith-based laws followed by many in Semphar and surrounding lands.[9][2][7] These were called the Laws of Purity. The strictest such laws banned drinking alcohol, gambling, and other vices, as well as swearing and particularly blasphemy against the true gods. The more moderate banned only alcohol and permitted others as seemed reasonable.[7]
Enforcement varied from place to place. In the city of Dhaztanar in Semphar, the Laws of Purity were strictly adhered to, with a particular prohibition on alcohol inside the walls of the Medinat.[7] In contrast, in Phelzel in Semphar was nominally under Muhjari law, it was only loosely enforced and governor and officials corrupted, allowing the illegal wine shops and other vices to operate openly provided they paid their "fees".[9] Meanwhile, Port Ghaast in Murghôm was predominantly populated by Muhjari, but the mercenaries there drank, gambled, and womanized regularly, in defiance of Muhjari law.[2]
Notable Followers[]
- Caliph Abu Bakr, ruler of Semphar[3]
- Masudi: an extreme follower and caravan master of Dhaztanar.[7]
- Rukn ud-Din Mahmud: a moderate follower and caravan guard for Masudi.[7]
- Nasr-uddin the Lame: a false prophet of Muhjari[7]
Appendix[]
Background[]
It's unknown who the Muhjari/Muhjein are and what faith they actually follow, as The Horde does not elaborate further and can be ambiguous as to whether it is a faith, law, culture, or ethnicity. A likely candidate is the Durpari of Raurin in Desert of Desolation, who worship the god Anu, known as the "True Faith" (cf. "the true gods" in The Horde) and repress other religions. Both sources say they originate in Durpar, but the standard history and culture of the Durpari give no links to this, and the common faith of the Adama seems antithetical to the Muhjari/Anu faith. It may be that the Muhjari/Raurin Durpari represent a pre-Adama Durpari culture surviving outside Durpar.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 David Cook (August 1990). “Volume I”. In Steve Winter ed. The Horde (TSR, Inc.), pp. 8, 16. ISBN 0-88038-868-4.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 David Cook (August 1990). “Volume I”. In Steve Winter ed. The Horde (TSR, Inc.), p. 94. ISBN 0-88038-868-4.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 David Cook (August 1990). “Volume I”. In Steve Winter ed. The Horde (TSR, Inc.), p. 101. ISBN 0-88038-868-4.
- ↑ David Cook (August 1990). “Volume I”. In Steve Winter ed. The Horde (TSR, Inc.), p. 17. ISBN 0-88038-868-4.
- ↑ David Cook (August 1990). The Horde. Edited by Steve Winter. (TSR, Inc.). ISBN 0-88038-868-4.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Thomas M. Costa (1999). “Speaking in Tongues”. In Dave Gross ed. Dragon Annual #4 (TSR, Inc) (4)., p. 29.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 David Cook (August 1990). The Horde. Edited by Steve Winter. (TSR, Inc.). ISBN 0-88038-868-4.
- ↑ David Cook (August 1990). “Volume I”. In Steve Winter ed. The Horde (TSR, Inc.), p. 110. ISBN 0-88038-868-4.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 David Cook (August 1990). “Volume I”. In Steve Winter ed. The Horde (TSR, Inc.), p. 93. ISBN 0-88038-868-4.