Oman

The Sultanate of Oman is a small Persian Gulf state on the Arabian Peninsula. An absolute monarchy ruled by its Sultan, Oman was once a powerful empire in the region, exerting considerable influence due to its strategically important location and a rival to European sea-faring nations like Portugal. Its influence declined considerably in the 20th Century.
Unlike many Middle Eastern and Persian Gulf nations, Oman’s oil resources are fairly modest, as are its interests in oil extraction and export. It has sought to expand and diversify its economy, particularly in the areas of infrastructure and tourism. Omani society is strongly tribal and religious, with Islam as the majority religion. Most other religions are practiced by foreigners living and working in the country.
With no system of governmental checks and balances, and all authority invested in the Sultan, there is no freedom of speech or the press in Oman and criticism of the government or the Sultan are illegal. The nation has a checkered human rights record, at best, with various accusations of arrests and detention without cause, and torture employed on prisoners and dissidents.

THE UNSEEN IMAM

The Unseen Imam is a legendary figure in Oman, a robed and cloaked holy man whose face is never seen, who is rarely seen at all, in fact, but whose presence is sometimes felt, or who intervenes in times of great peril or importance. Over the years, a number of people in Oman describe how a mysterious man has saved them from disaster, ranging from pulling them from burning buildings to offering a vital word of advice or warning at just the right time. The legend has grown to the point of the Unseen Imam becoming a kind of “folk saint,” with prayers asking Allah to send him to aid or intervene. The Sultanate officially denies the existence of the Imam, and public exhortation or spreading of the legend is cause for arrest and imprisonment or flogging. Some believe the Unseen Imam may be associated with Al-Kidhr in Saudi Arabia or Ash’Abha in Gaza, but neither individual has ever confirmed such speculation.

THE KHANJAR OF VENGEANCE

A traditional type of curved ceremonial knife, the Khanjar of Vengeance is an occult item of terrible power. If someone holding the weapon swears an oath of vengeance against an enemy, the khanjar becomes mystically linked to that wielder and fills them with the power to carry out their oath, while also keeping the fires of the wielder’s anger hot. The Khanjar of Vengeance cut a bloody trail through parts of the Middle East in the last century. It is currently in the custody of a wealthy private collector in Oman who is unaware of its true properties, but others in the world still are, and may take an interest in the weapon.