Taftâni
Craft · Mage · “The Taftâni”
Once upon a time, sultans flew on flying carpets. Viziers commanded and consulted djinni trapped in lamps or sparkling jewels. Wealthy merchants lived in wondrous castles that floated above the clouds. Once upon a time, the Taftâni – weavers of miracles, masters of Arts – created all these things, and more besides. Independent and nomadic by nature, these early ashavanti (“followers of Truth”) remained wary of European magi and their chained and confined magick. Where the Order of Reason saw horrifying forces that needed to be eradicated, and where the Council magi saw a solemn, exclusive Art, the Taftâni looked upon magick and saw a gift: a boundless expression of the beauty and power of Asha – Ultimate Truth – to be savored, relished, and enjoyed with as much vigor and enthusiasm as an excellent meal, a fine wine, or a sexual rendezvous.
harder still to destroy. Most of the survivors took to the desert and joined Bedouin communities. Smaller enclaves took their cues from their Batini brethren and made themselves invisible, secretly passing on their Arts to worthy apprentices, observing the changing world and learning its workings and its ways.
Today’s Taftâni remain flamboyant, defiant, and boisterous. They do, however, tend to have a better relationship with Paradox – a practical benefit gained through four centuries of trial and error. Although some still travel with the nomadic tribes of the Middle East, practicing the venerable Arts of spirits and command, most modern Weavers ensconce themselves in the glass palaces of oil-rich lands, channeling their arts through numbers, finance, and the wonders of technology – snatching the tools of Technocratic enemies right out from under them, like rugs yanked from beneath the feet of fools.
The city of Dubai arises from the desert as a base of operations for 21st-century Taftâni. What else can explain the fantastical buildings that defy the laws of physics – these impossible oases in the middle of the desert that entice people from all over the world to come and see, wonder and play? From the Burj-Al-Arab and the Dubai Tower to the underwater Hydropolis and the floating Rotating Skyscrapers, each new architectural achievement is invested with djinni or spirits… not as some Technocratic prison, but as embodiments of wondrous Art.
Truth is my fire, art my joy, and courage my design.
Stereotypes
The Traditions: There is no poetic vision in their works. They shape magick without joy or challenge, and thus do they fall far short of Truth. The Technocracy: Our word for them – dregvanti, the followers of deception – reveals their true allegiance to the Devil-Kings. We will take their toys and burn away their shadows with our flames. The Disparates: All too many of them lack art or courage; still, they stand against the Fallen Ones, and for that – for now – we stand together.
Organization: A fiercely independent lot, the Weavers do not congregate in houses, families, cabals, or the like. There are schools where newly Awakened ashavanti can learn the ways of old. In almost every case, however, Taftâni Masters train only one apprentice at a time, and rarely train more than three in a lifetime. Outside those apprenticeship bonds, the Weavers have – until recently – met only at bagha (“gardens”) every six months. In recent years, however, such isolation has given way to pragmatic cooperation.
Initiation: Artistic vision, combined with practical aptitude and application, means more to the Taftâni than rigid ceremonies. A Weaver who cannot weave, one who cannot see the patterns before they shape themselves beneath his hands, is no true Weaver at all. A master, then, finds her apprentices wherever she finds them, trains them vigorously, tests them constantly, and places the utmost importance upon teaching them well.
Taking an apprentice is a sacred honor and responsibility to the ashavanti. Truth, after all, is easily dispelled by ignorance or corruption. That responsibility cuts both ways; a Weaver’s apprentice endures a brutal workload of chores and services. By long tradition, a Taftâni master takes an apprentice somewhere between 11 and 16 years of age; teaches him the essential Arts until he dies, prospers, or beats his mentor in mystic combat; and then introduces him to the djinn and the many ways one might control such entities. If the pupil dies, then the master mourns… but not overmuch. If one presumes to weave divine fire, she knows, then that Weaver must have the strength of Will and Art to survive such majesty!
Organization
A fiercely independent lot, the Weavers do not congregate in houses, families, cabals, or the like. There are schools where newly Awakened ashavanti can learn the ways of old. In almost every case, however, Taftâni Masters train only one apprentice at a time, and rarely train more than three in a lifetime. Outside those apprenticeship bonds, the Weavers have – until recently – met only at bagha (“gardens”) every six months. In recent years, however, such isolation has given way to pragmatic cooperation.
Focus
Asha’s flame is limited only by a Weaver’s Will and vision. Yet just as a fine carpet follows a wave, and a fire follows the currents of air and kindling, so too do the blessings of Asha follow the bright designs of intent and consciousness. The focus of a Taftâni mage involves shaping thoughts and materials toward a grand elaborate design – one that demonstrates the beauty of Truth and the artistry of the mage. Might is Right in a realm of Divine Order and Earthly Chaos, and so the ashavanti employ alchemy, craftwork, High Ritual Magick, crazy wisdom, the Art of Desire, a touch of hypertech, and dominion over men and spirits alike.