History is great. Steal from it!

I've really been enjoying The Travels of Ibn Battúta. As this is a travelogue dictated from memory of a journey that lasted nearly thirty years, he does make mistakes and confuses the timing of some of his side trips, but it is an amazing read.

One thing stood out to me as great window dressing for an RGP setting or a story. At the time of Ibn Battúta's travels, the cult of the "12th Iman" was extremely strong in Shi'ite areas of the Persian Empire. In the city of Shiraz, Ibn Battúta observed a curious custom. Every night, the men of the city would go into the streets armed for battle. They would march to the governor's house and demand a horse or mule equipped with saddle and tack.

Then, horns blaring, drums pounding, the men singing and waving their swords, they would proceed to the main mosque. This was a mosque where a well-regarded Iman supposedly vanished years before. The men would come to the mosque, and start to chant for the 12th Iman to come forth and help them rid the land of evil and inequity. This would last until the call for evening prayer.

Now put this in a fantasy setting. Imagine such a scene in a RuneQuest game, with Orlanhti warriors calling for a great hero to rise. Can you imagine the spirits that would be drawn to this event? Even if you make an event that only happens on the god's holy days, it still would be a wonderful piece of flavor, and a fun thing for characters of that cult to take part in.

Now imagine that the doors open and the Hero emerges. . .

Making some good moves.

Well, kshandra and I made the decision to really start focusing on health and wellness. She's getting a trainer at Anytime Fitness, I'm going to use my TRX bands, and we're both walking more. A better diet is also part of this. Wish us luck!