Avramistan

Avramistan: a setting for Storming the Wizard's Tower

This setting was inspired by Michael Chabon's Gentlemen of the Road and other writings about the Jewish kingdom of the Khazars. And my interest in Central Asian food. And my affection for the music of Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road project and a CD of Afghan Rubab music that I really like. And the fact that scimitars are cool. And the concept of Jewish Tartars swinging scimitars and riding fierce ponies under the banner of the menorah and fighting weird monsters is cool. So take the juvenile historical fiction of Geoffrey Trease out of its Anglo/Celtic setting and move it to Central Asia and you will have the feel of this setting.

The basic concept: a Turkic people who have converted to Judaism within the lifetime of the player characters' grandparents. The kingdom is only gradually moving towards a "state" structure, but is a prosperous and strong region, sandwiched between the great Christian and Muslim empires to the south, the fierce Kiev Rus to the north, Magyars and Bulgars to the west and wilder Tartar hordes to the East.