history & intrigue

In the coming era, the avoidance of major intercivilizational wars requires core states to refrain from intervening in conflicts in other civilizations. This is a truth which some states, particularly the United States, will undoubtedly find difficult to accept.
Samuel P Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order

History and intrigue, for starters. While few Omanis apart from those in Dalkut are aware of its existence, a little-known group called the Mormons now based chiefly in the Americas has been eyeing Kharfot very closely. The term Mormon isn’t their official name – it comes from the book they follow, The Book of Mormon. But it is a vague-enough term that has come to identify them, and we use it here so as not to get into specifics of their beliefs.

The Mormons believe that their ancestors made a monumental 3,300km journey over land down the entire Arabian peninsula, to what is present day Yemen and then through the edges of the Empty Quarter and to the coast. After this epic land crossing, they reached a valley that eventually opened out on the sea, and a natural harbour. This valley had everything they needed: fresh water, fruit-bearing trees, beehives with honey and a waterfront for easy fishing. It also had all the ingredients required to leave this land and continue their journey: trees large enough with which to build a ship, and iron ore deposits to smelt rudimentary tools. Most fantastically of all, the Mormons believe their ancestors eventually built this ship here – and sailed to the new world, i.e., the American continent. This would make Columbus’s journey a bit of a joke, but no one is saying any of this is true yet. This is all part of the legend of the Mormons, described in the writings of the leader of the group that made the journey, Nephi. And the Mormons believe that Bountiful could be what is now known as Khor Kharfot.

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