Magic Saddles

A sahir riding a zawba’a?
(Excerpted image from Fabled Cities, Princes & Jinn from Arab Myths and Legends)

Some sahir and other wizards of Mythic Middle East choose to ride servile jinn that take the form of sandstorms rather than mundane animals. Although a wizard may readily bargain with entities such as the zawba’a (see The Cradle and the Crescent, Chapter 6: Arabia) or a fiery ‘ifrit and coerce the spirit to act as a mount, the discomfort of traveling in the midst of a small magical sandstorm or on top of a column of smoking flames can be considerable without an appropriate magical harness.

Sarj al-Zawba’a

These enchanted saddles (Arabic: sarj) appear similar to the harnesses used to ride camels and are created by a family of itinerant Bedouin leatherworkers from Najd who possess the Touched by Magic Major Virtue or Mythic (Professional) Minor Virtue (see City & Guild, page 72 or Grogs, page 76 respectively). Like other crafters with this Virtue, each saddle maker can only create saddles with magical effects that cover one or two Hermetic Forms. An individual saddle only works for the sahir for whom it was made. This protective enchantment cannot readily be replicated by Solomonic Magic although a Hermetic equivalent would be possible. These saddles are highly prized by Bedouin sahir, who often pay an exorbitant rate to have the leather carved and decorated with filigree jewelery and gems.

Saddles designed for use with jinn that can assume fiery or watery forms are possible but are encountered much less commonly, fetching a much higher commission and requiring the sahir seek out one of the leatherworkers that has the rarer talent to manifest Ignem protective effects in their finished works.

Safe within the Eye of the Storm
ReAu(Te) 21, Constant effect, R: Touch, D: Sun, T: Ind
Sand is prevented from coming within half a pace of the individual sitting in the saddle. This effect allows a sahir to ride a jinni in whirlwind form such as a zawba’a without suffering or to ride a mundane mount such as a camel or ostrich through a sandstorm without ill effect. It does not protect the rider from the attacks of such creatures. A magnitude higher version of this enchantment allows the rider to also protect his mount from the effects of sandstorms.
(Effect: Base 5, +1 Touch, +2 Sun, +1 level 2 uses per day)