Gottam Cnihtas (OD&D Campaign Setting)

[krusader74]

Campaign setting: Gottam Cnihtas ("Gotham Knights")

Time: 1200 AD

Place: Gotham, Nottinghamshire England

"Gotham" is pronounced goat-em, stemming from "goat town."

Background

King John, the villain in the legend of Robin Hood, is about to travel through Gotham on his way to nearby Nottingham. If he does, he will charge the residents heavy taxes. So the residents conspire to convince the King that they are stark raving mad, so that he'll stay away--at the time, people believed insanity was contagious. Their activities are documented in the 1565 book, The merry tales of the Mad men of Gottam. Some examples of their insane behavior:

• raking the moon out of the pond
• trying to drown eels
• putting cows on thatched roofs to eat the straw
• fencing the Cuckoo inside a bush in to hear its song all the year round

The trickery succeeded, leading to the saying: "There are more fools pass through Gotham than remain in it." Villagers were dubbed the "Wise Men of Gotham."

Plot

What if these Gothamites were really insane--criminally insane--like the inmates of Arkham asylum? And what if there arose a "Dark Knight," a vigilante crime fighter, like Batman, who tried to save Gotham from the criminal madness?

Population

According to the Domesday Book survey in 1086, there were 20 families. In 1601, there were 224 families. So lets interpolate and say there were maybe 50-60 families in 1200 AD. (N.B. 1 family = 5 people approximately.)

Notable places

• Wayne Manor house
• Sun public house & Old Coaching Inn
• Cuckoo Bush public house
• Church
• Well/Pump structure, just outside the church
• Rectory (house of the parish priest)
• Curate House (house of the priest's assistant)
• Paradise Farm
• Tythe Bam (Barn)

Main Cast of Characters...

• Batman. Medieval Batman Armor:
• The Joker. Check out this awesome "Joker armor":
• The Black Cat--a witch (and thief) who can polymorph-self into a black cat at will
• The Scarecrow--an animated scarecrow, with a fear contagion
• The Cuckoo (like the Penguin)
• The Wise Man of Gotham (like the Riddler)
• King John

History Links

Gotham village history
www.gothamhistory.org.uk/history.html
gothamvillage.org.uk/category/history/

The real Gotham: The village behind the Batman stories
www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-24760791

So, why do we call it Gotham anyway?
www.nypl.org/blog/2011/01/25/so-why-do-we-call-it-gotham-anyway

Robin Hood by James C. Holt
libx.bsu.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/BSUPrvstLec/id/998

King John
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John,_King_of_England

Literature Links

Batman Wiki
batman.wikia.com/wiki/Batman_Wiki

The merry tales of the Mad men of Gottam (1565)
books.google.com/books?id=Yb8ZAAAAYAAJ

Language Links

This period marks the transition between Old English and Middle English. Because Gotham is making an effort to remain isolated, we can assume they're still using Old English.

An Anglo-Saxon dictionary
archive.org/details/anglosaxondictio00tolluoft

Introduction to Old English, 3rd ed. (Grammar)
www.wmich.edu/medieval/resources/IOE/index.html

More Old English Links
www.lexilogos.com/english/english_old.htm

Armor Links

Medieval Batman Armor
www.thisiswhyimbroke.com/medieval-batman-armor
www.google.com/search?q=medieval+batman&tbm=isch&qscrl=1

Joker medieval armor will make you wish Gotham had a Ren faire
robot6.comicbookresources.com/2014/01/joker-medieval-armor-will-make-you-wish-gotham-had-a-ren-faire/

[ravenheart87]

Sounds fun. I can imagine Bane as a leader of a berserker warband. Since they are outlaws in their homeland, they left Norway. Bane has plans to take over Gottam. He is a cunning and wise foe, maybe even a skald or runepriest, but he is very superstitious: he believes he can't achieve his goal until the Bat Demon of Gottam is alive. He goes berserk by drinking a brew made of herbs, which enhances his physical strength.

[scottenkainen]

It's a clever idea, but I think it would be too easy for medieval Batman to clean up such a small town. He needs a metropolis more like London.

[krusader74]

Mar 4, 2014 10:36:17 GMT -6 scottenkainen said:

It's a clever idea, but I think it would be too easy for medieval Batman to clean up such a small town. He needs a metropolis more like London.

Good point. Here's four reasons why I think it will prove a challenge:

1. In the comics, starting with 1940's Batman #4, Batman has a no-gun/no-killing policy. Likewise, in "Gottam Cnihtas" Batman has made a solemn vow not to kill and not to use weapons. He'll only do subdual damage in hand-to-hand combat. Many of Medieval Batman's challenges will consist of puzzles that require detective work to solve. He must rely on his exceptionally high STR, INT, DEX and CON instead of the use of lethal force.

2. Medieval Batman is wealthy, but he lacks all that sophisticated Wayne Tech that modern Batman uses. He's stuck in a low-tech world. Magic and magic users are rare too, rather than commodities he can easily buy. Additionally, one of Medieval Batman's main opponents, King John, is even more wealthy and more powerful than Medieval Wayne. Medieval Batman may need to "team up" with Robin Hood to oppose King John. And that's my interpretation of "Batman and Robin"--Robin Hood starts off as a mere "sidekick" to Medieval Batman.

3. Gotham's villains are formidable opponents. Medieval Batman may be a genius and a master of deduction, but most of his opponents are madmen, making them unreasonable and unpredictable. The Joker is Chaos incarnate.

4. There's certainly no reason why Medieval Batman can't venture outside Gottam, to London (population 20,000-25,000 in 1200 AD) or Nottingham. He can also seek adventure around the world. His story is set during the Northern Crusades (1193–1290), the Albigensian Crusade (1208–1241), and the Fourth Crusade (1202–1204). Though he'd be older, he's still around during the Fifth Crusade (1217–1221). (See the thread on Adventuring in the time of the Crusades for ideas.) In fact, Medieval Batman will almost certainly make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, and meetup with the immortal Rā's al Ghūl, whose name is Arabic for "head of the demon."

Here's two more resources I found after writing the OP:

(a) I never read it, but the Elseworlds series of comics had a two-part comic called Batman: Dark Knight of the Round Table (1998). Here's the cover art for volume one:



(b) The entry for Gotham in the Domesday book. N.B. This info comes from 1066 and 1086 AD, whereas Gottam Cnihtas is set in 1200 AD.

[scottenkainen]

A conceit of the comic books is that Gotham City has inexhaustible resources that the villains are constantly trying to acquire for themselves. What would Gottam Towne have that would tempt them to stick around after their first encounter with the Dark Knight? Secrets?

Not that I'm trying to talk you out of this. A 13th century Batman campaign (particularly a globetrotting one) is one I'd love to play/read/follow.

[ravenheart87]

Gummiberries, of course.

[scottenkainen]

Well, magic and mystery IS part of their history...

[krusader74]

Mar 5, 2014 7:57:59 GMT -6 scottenkainen said:

What would Gottam Towne have that would tempt them to stick around after their first encounter with the Dark Knight?

Fair question. Here's three plausible answers:

1. Location, location, location.

Gottam has a central location in England, ideal for criminal gangs to launch raids from. Moreover, it has a reputation for 'madness' that keeps outsiders away. Medieval Joker uses the ruins of a Corieltauvi hill fort near Gotham as his base of operations.

2. Burried Treasure.

Over the decades a significant number of 'British treasure troves' have been discovered across the United Kingdom. [...] In most cases these treasures were hidden by their owners during times of social and political upheaval [... or] were associated with deliberate religious rites. Although many such discoveries have already been made it is widely believed that many more exist waiting to be revealed. (Quoted from Top Ten British Treasures.)

Three real-life examples of buried treasure include: (a) Anglo Saxon Gold, Garnet & Weapons buried in Sutton Hoo, Suffolk in 620 AD; (b) Viking Silver buried in Lancashire in 912 AD; and (c) Roman Gold & Silver Coins buried in Suffolk in 407 AD.

So, in Gottam Cnihtas, there are rumours of buried treasures in and around Gottam which draw outlaws to the area. Here's a totally made-up example:

The Corieltauvi Hoard.

The Celtic tribe of the Corieltauvi dominated a large area that included Nottinghamshire prior to the Roman conquest. The legend goes that during the Roman conquest in the 1st century AD, the Corieltauvi buried a large treasure near Gotham. The treasure consists of 5,000 silver and gold coins, a silver-gilt Roman parade helmet, jewellery, and other objects. It also contains the skeletons of dogs sacrificed to guard the treasure. If someone 'finds' the hoard, the dog skeletons will re-animate and attack!

3. Contemporary treasures.

Here are two actual examples of early thirteenth century treasures that Gotham-based bandits want to steal:

(a) Templar treasure hoard. The leader of the Templars is Ralph de Sudeley. In 1189 he returned to his home at Herdewyke (50 miles south of Gotham as the crow flies, 67 miles by road) and setup a preceptory. This monastery/military training camp also houses all the holy relics and treasure that de Sudeley brought back with him from the Crusades. See www.grahamphillips.net/ark/Ark_6.htm

(b) King John's Crown Jewels. On October 9th 1216, King John was transporting the crown jewels he had inherited from his grandmother (the Empress of Germany) from Norfolk to Newark Castle. Supposedly, the carts carrying the treasure were trapped in the tides of the swamps around Sutton Bridge and drowned. That would be about 50 miles east of Gotham as the crow flies, 73 miles by road. Perhaps this treasure was pinched by Medieval Joker, who stashed it in the ruins of the Corieltauvi hill fort near Gotham, which serves as his base of operations. Medieval Joker may have even poisoned King John the week before the heist; he died on October 18th 1216. The treasure consists of the Crown jewels, gold goblets, a silver plate, a golden wand with a dove, the sword of Tristram, and numerous gold coins. See www.britainexplorer.com/top-ten-lost-treasures.html

[simonw]

Sounds cool to me

[Deleted]

I approve of this thread.

[Deleted]

Great idea and great setting, sounds like it would be a lot of fun.

[kent]

It is potentially a well organised and detailed mini-setting. The links point out away from the game towards (interminable) background and it remains unclear what day to day gaming would be like.

I would play King John and hound both batman and the joker into forming an alliance against me. The joker would presumably betray batman eventually and then robin hood and his ents would hunt down the joker & his men while I raised taxes, mocked peasants and sent the sheriff and guy of gisborne on pointless quests.

[idrahil]

Mar 5, 2014 12:08:09 GMT -6 ravenheart87 said:

Gummiberries, of course.

Gummiberry Juice!

[krusader74]

The Jester

(This is Gottam Cnihtas's equivalent of "The Joker.")

Character Background

On Christmas Eve, December 1166, in Beaumont Palace Oxford, Eleanor of Aquitaine bore twin sons to King Henry II. Both had dark red hair. But the first of the twins was pale and thin and didn't cry. The second was strong and wailed loudly. Her attendant, Mary Picol, fearing the first child was dead (or very near death), did not inform the Duchess of his existence. She thought she'd be blamed. She hid him in a blanket and carried him away with the dirty laundry while the Duchess held the wailing baby who would eventually become King John.

Eleanor left for Poitiers soon after giving birth. And John was sent to Fontevrault Abbey. The first of the twins stayed in Oxford and was raised as 'William Picol.' The young boy was a polymath. At age 14, Mary Picol died. On her deathbed, she confessed to William his true identity. He thought perhaps her fever was making her dillusional.

After Mary's death, the boy became a vagabond who spent the next 19 years traveling the roads from the Scottish Highlands to Folkestone, across the channel, and all the way to Córdoba, Spain.

Early in his travels, he studied with the Aois-dàna in the Scottish Highlands where he learned the arts of music and poetry, the skills of an ollamh (medical doctor), and the secrets of distilling.

In Córdoba, William studied under Averroes (1126-1198). Initially, he learned Islamic medicine and psychology. Following Aristotle, Averroes believed that mental disorders were medical conditions--an imbalance of the humours--or had mundane causes like alcohol abuse, overwork or grief. Arabs had built the first asylum around the 7th century. This medical approach to insanity differed significantly from the prevalent Medieval European view. (See the Appendix on Medieval Madness.)

While studying in Córdoba, he discovered the works of Jabir ibn Hayyan, and came to master the entire Jabirian corpus, particularly the the Kitab Al-Ahjar ("Book of Stones"). This book was a real eye-opener for him. He began to study alchemy and poisons and desired to create a Homunculus. The Book of Stones (4:12) discusses Takwin, the creation of synthetic life in the laboratory. William began to experiment on himself with small quantities of poisons, fungi and microbes. And he discovered how to fabricate useful acids and compounds. (See the Appendix on Alchemy.)

While in Córdoba, William purchased a deck of playing cards from an Arab merchant who traded along the Silk Road. The deck consists of 144 cards that illustrate the 36 Heavenly Spirits and the 108 outlaws in the story of Song Jiang. Jiang lived during the reign of Emperor Huizong (1082-1135). These bandits fought for justice and stole from the rich and gave to the poor (much like Robin Hood would). William modified some of the cards with razor edges to use as weapons.

He obsessed over the card named "Liu Tang", Strangeness, the "Red Haired Devil." He saw a reflection of himself in the card. The card depicts the story of a vagabond who from an early age wandered on the roads. Learning that a corrupt official is traveling the road with a vast treasure, he sets up an ambush to seize the ill-gotten gains.

He also purchased a bag of 'nuts' (what the Romans called marbles) that supposedly belonged to the Roman poet Publius Ovidius Naso (43BC-18AD).

His experiments began to drive him mad. Group A β-hemolytic streptococci gave him a permanent facial grimmace. Belladonna made him hallucinate, often of cruel and sadistic acts. And nitric acid stained his skin yellow (due to its reaction with the keratin). His increasingly bizarre appearance and behavior resulted in his expulsion from the school in Córdoba, and he returned to England, to the Picol ancestral village of Gottam.

William arrived in Gottam in the year 1200 and found things there very much to his liking. The whole town seemed madder than himself: Cows grazing for straw atop thatched roofs. Farmers attempting to rake the moon out of a pond. A priest and curate attempting to drown eels. And a cuckoo fenced in a bush outside a pub.

Wandering around the outskirts of town, William discovered the ruins of a Corieltauvi hill fort in the woods. Scattered about the ditch were thousands of pig bones--the leftovers of sacrificial rituals. On a wood plank he found a griffito. At first it was illegible, but his unconventional mind hypothesized the language was an ancestor of Welsh. Working from this hypothesis, he decoded it in less than a week. It listed the names of Corieltauvi Kings: Volisios, Dumnocoveroes, Dumnvellaunus, Cartivelos and 'Vepo the son of Cor.' And it hinted that the treasure of these kings has been buried nearby, to protect them from the approaching Roman hordes. The vast treasure hoard would be safe, protected by a pack of hounds sacrificed and buried with it. (See "The Story of England" by Michael Wood.)

Next William decided to visit nearby Nottingham. On the way, he met a troop of itinerant performers on their way to perform for King John. Recalling his earliest training with Aois-dàna, William auditioned for the group. His talents were warmly accepted.

After his amazing performance in Nottingham, King John issued a charter, granting this follus, William Picol (Piculph), an estate in Fontaine-Osanne in exchange for his services--He must perform for the King once per year. The estate will become the property of Picol's heirs, but they must pay the crown "one pair gilt spurs" per year. (This story is 100% true. The text of the original Latin charter can be found on page 203 of "A History of Caricature and Grotesque in Literature and Art.")

After becoming King John's court jester, William returned to the Corieltauvi hill fort and began making plans. Big plans. Perhaps he will slowly poison King John and steal the crown jewels, just like the red-haired devil, Liu Tang, in the story depicted on his favorite playing card...

Appendix I. Medieval Madness

In the 12th and early 13th century, Europeans generally believed the causes of mental disorders were divine, diabolical or magical:

• divine
  
  • punishment for sin: the cure is fasting and prayer
  • test: the afflicted must show perseverance and long-suffering
  • prophetic vision: we must strive to correctly interpret the vision/voices/dreams
    
  
  
• diabolical/demonic possession: cured by trepanning to let the demon out; or exorcism; or whipping; or burning (as a last resort).
  
• magical/spell cast by a witch: cured by finding the witch (via a witch hunt) and burning her at the stake.

England's views on madness began to change in the mid-to-late 13th century. The law began to recognize insanity as a legal defense ("not guilty by reason of insanity"). (See the "History of Insanity as a Defence to Crime in English Criminal Law.") De Praerogativa Regis, drafted around 1255 and enacted 1290, distinguished between "natural born fools (or idiots)" (=permanent insanity) and "lunatics" (=temporary insanity). In the 12th century, Escheators were appointed by the Crown to take away the lands of felons. Under King Henry III in the mid-to-late 13th century, Escheators began to study mental disorders, and held the inquisitions to determine if a land holder was an idiot. If so, their land was seized by the Crown and their families made wards of the State; after the land holder died, his heirs could redeem the land for a fee.

Appendix II. Alchemy

1. Belladonna ("deadly nightshade"): May be mistaken for blueberries; useful for poisoning arrow heads. Consumed in

• minute doses: pain reliever, muscle relaxer, and anti-inflammatory, pupil dilator
• small doses: vivid, unpleasant hallucinations and delirium
• toxic doses: tachycardia, loss of balance, headache, rash, flushing, severely dry mouth and throat, slurred speech, blurred vision, urinary retention, constipation, confusion, and convulsions.

2. Mandragora/Mandrake also belongs to the nightshade family of plants and may produce similar effects to Belladonna. The root resembles the human form. According to the legend, when the root is dug up, it screams and kills all who hear it. It only grows where the semen of a hanged man had dripped on to the ground. It may be made into a Homunculus if kept warm in a horse's womb for 40 weeks and fed blood.

3. Ergot: a precursor to LSD. Ergotism is called "St. Anthony's Fire." It produces a severe burning sensations in the limbs, also hallucinations, irrational behavior, convulsions, and possibly death.

4. Group A β-hemolytic streptococci causes Sydenham's chorea also called Dancing mania. The word "chorea" refers to an abnormal involuntary movement disorder, one of a group of neurological disorders called dyskinesias. Sydenham's chorea also causes behavior change, dysarthria, gait disturbance, loss of fine and gross motor control with resultant deterioration of handwriting, headache, slowed cognition, fidgetiness and hypotonia, and facial grimacing.

5. Gunpowder. William purchased a hand cannon from an Arab merchant in Córdoba, who had acquired it trading in China. It is fired by holding a burning wick to a "touch hole" in the barrel igniting the powder inside. William's knowledge of alchemy allowed him to reverse engineer the recipe for gunpowder.

6. Acids. William crafted a lapel flower that sprays acid. He's particularly fond of using "fortified water" and "royal water":

Aqua fortis ("fortified water"): nitric acid (HNO3), dissolves silver. Nitric acid stains human skin yellow due to its reaction with the keratin.

Aqua regia ("royal water"): nitric acid + hydrochloric acid (HNO3+3HCl), dissolves gold and platinum. The hydrochloric acid burns the skin.

7. William also makes Aqua vitae ("water of vitality"): distilled wine; brandy; ethanol.

[krusader74]

Genealogy of the Wayne Family

WILL you hear a Spanish lady
How she woo’d an English man?
- THE SPANISHE LADYE by Thomas Deloney (1543-1600)

In the autumn of 1107, Sigurd Magnusson sailed from Norway with 60 ships and 5,000 men to England. They stayed there the entire winter. A 20 year-old English man from Gottam named Gawayne with aspirations of being a Crusader joined Sigurd's crew. In the spring of 1108, they set sail for Spain.

The Crusaders spent 1109 fighting in the Balearic Islands, a center of piracy and the slave trade. When they liberated Formentera, they freed a Spanish lady from Palma de Mallorca. The Taifa of Majorca forced her into slavery and sold her to the Formenteran Blåmann (Moors). Here is the Spanish Lady's coat of arms. Notice the bat above the crown:

The Spanish Lady fell in love with Gawayne. The two engaged in the amorous congress. But their love couldn't last. The Crusaders deposited her at a nunnery in Sicily in spring 1109. The Crusaders then sailed on to Jerusalem, where they were warmly welcomed by King Baldwin I in 1110. Gawayne died in the siege of Sidon. His heart was embalmed and eventually returned to England by Sigurd on his return trip.

Meanwhile, in Sicily, in 1110, the Spanish Lady gave birth to Gawayne's son, whom she named Tomás Wayne. Tomás after her own father, and Wayne after the boy's father. In 1120, Tomás was sent to a Templar preceptory in Sicily, where he learned the martial arts.

Before going to the preceptory, Tomás's mother wrote him a letter, telling him about his English father from Gottam and her own family's noble past in Palma de Mallorca. She drew a picture of her coat of arms on the back of the letter.

Tomás was sent to fight at the Siege of Lisbon in October 1147, one of the few Christian victories of the Second Crusade. There he met English Crusaders from Dartmouth. They encouraged him to return with them to England, after discovering his father was an English Crusader.

Tomás arrived in England during a period known as the Anarchy: "there was nothing but disturbance and wickedness and robbery." Making his way to Gottam, Tomás found the area in conflict. He fought to retake Nottingham from Robert the Earl of Gloucester. In recognition of his fierce fighting, King Stephen granted Tomás Wayne lordship over his ancestral home of nearby Gottam.

Tomás continued to fight for law and order until the end of the anarchy in 1154 when Stephen died and the throne passed to Henry II. Then Tomás married, and in 1166 he had a son, Bruce.

Tomás trained Bruce in the martial arts and taught him to fight for law and order. Bruce inherited the embalmed heart of his Crusader grandfather Gawayne, the bat-crowned coat of arms of his mother, and Wayne Manor in Gottam.

[scottenkainen]

You should compile a Gottam Supplement when you're done...

[krusader74]

The Death of Tomás Wayne

Continued from the Genealogy of the Wayne Family above.

In 1186, a new French king, Philip Augustus, starts making threats and demands against King Henry II. Henry visits his vassals in order to raise an army and raise money to confront the French in battle at Châteauroux.

At Nottingham Castle, the local lords including Tomás Wayne attend to the visiting King. While there, a Welsh bard, madman and prophet named Myrddin Wyllt tells Henry where to find the bodies of King Arthur and Queen Guinevere--

After the Battle of Camlann in the year 537, Morgan took the bodies of Arthur and Guinevere to Glastonbury Abbey and hid them deep in a tree trunk, covered by a heavy, seven foot tall stone. The abbey was founded by Joseph of Arimathea in the first century.

Henry commands Tomás, now 76 and too old to fight, to go to Glastonbury, find Arthur's crypt and recover any relics, weapons or treasures from the burial site. Arthur's weapons are known to include:

• Rhongomyniad ("spear" + "striker, slayer"): Spear.
• Carnwennan ("white hilt"): Dagger. Shrouds its user in shadow. Once cut a witch in half. Also used to kill a giant.
• Excalibur: When first drawn, the light that shines from its blade blinds one's enemies. Capable of cutting through iron, steel, and wood ("Escalibor c'est non Ebrieu qui dist en franchois trenche fer & achier et fust.")
• Excalibur's scabbard: The bearer would not die of injuries from losses of blood. Supposedly stolen by Morgan le Fay and thrown into a lake.
• Clarent: Sword of peace, meant for knighting and ceremonies as opposed to battle; stolen by Mordred and used to kill Arthur.

Meanwhile, Bruce Wayne, now age 20, goes with Henry to fight the upstart French King.

By summer of the year 1189 the tomb of Arthur has still not been found. Henry dies in France. Henry de Sully is appointed the Abbot of Glastonbury by the new king, Richard the Lionheart. Bruce returns from France and heads to Glastonbury to inform his father of the death of King Henry. The shock of the news is too much for Tomás, who dies. Tomás's body is sent back to Gottam for burial.

Bruce remains in Glastonbury to complete his father's quest for King Arthur's tomb.

To be continued...

[kent]

Do you have anything apart from background notes?

[Deleted]

Have an Exalt! Looks like you have given us everything needed to play. If I had more time I would love to give it a go as a player (I normally Ref).

[krusader74]

Mar 11, 2014 12:09:49 GMT -6 kent said:

Do you have anything apart from background notes?

I've been thinking about a sequence of three character-building exercises. These are scenarios intended to evolve the Bruce Wayne character into the Bat-Man vigilante. So far I only have rough outlines--

1. King Arthur's Tomb. Bruce Wayne must complete his father's quest to find King Arthur's tomb at Glastonbury Abbey. Historically, this happened in 1191. De Sulley wrote two accounts. There are other accounts, including two by Gerald of Wales. The scenario I had in mind was an amalgam of these:

It starts when an old monk at the abbey dies. He wished to be buried in the hollowed-out trunk of a certain old oak tree at the edge of the forest outside the abbey. Bruce has volunteered to dig the grave. At the 7 foot level, he hits a large stone. Lifting the stone reveals a lead cross with an inscription on the underside. Gerald of Wales's first account in "Liber de Principis instructione" (1193) has it read: "Here lies buried the famous King Arthur with Guinevere his second wife in the isle of Avalon." The bodies are at the 16 foot level. Some accounts have three bodies: Arthur, Guinevere and Modred. In de Sulley's second account, he says that a monk reached down to touch Guinevere's long, beautiful, blond hair. The earth around him becomes unstable, and he falls into a bottomless pit, possibly Hell. In my version of events, he falls into a subterranean bat cave; he's injured, but able to cry for help. The caves are full of traps, puzzles, and treasures: the dagger Carnwennan, which shrouds its user in shadow; Clarent, the sword of peace; and a phylactery that contains the living soul of King Arthur--in my re-conception of the Bat-Man mythos, I'm aiming to replace Alfred Pennyworth with Arthur Pendragon--he's disembodied, but he can still supply advice, comic relief, sarcasm, and cynicism. According to legend, Merlin had perfect foresight, so he would have known Arthur's fate at the Battle of Camlann in 537, and he could have put Arthur's soul in a phylactery to protect it from death.

2. Robin, the Boy Wonder. The Lord of East Leake ("Leche" in the Domesday book) is declared mad by one of King John's escheators. His land is seized by the Crown. His only kin is his young son and heir, Robin, who is made a ward of the state. King John commands Bruce Wayne to care for the boy. This is the beginning of the medieval dynamic duo. Robin is about 12, he's already a skilled archer, he now resents King John, and he will eventually grow up to become Robin Hood. My idea is that Bruce and Robin soon face their first challenge together-- A group of 7 villains, who style themselves "The 7 Deadly Sins" (wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony), wreak havoc in Gottam.

3. Coulrophobia. The Jester has been recruiting a gang of criminal clowns from all over the kingdom. He's organized them into a circus of crime, traveling from village to village, creating mayhem wherever they go. When their carnival opens in Gottam, Bat-Man and Robin must swing into action to save the town. The Jester is planning on poisoning the well in the town square, looting and burning Wayne Manor, and generally doing the things that Evil Clowns do.

In addition to these three scenarios, I'm also working on some maps: A map of medieval Gottam, a map of Wayne Manor, a map of the Jester's hill fort, and a map for the King Arthur's Tomb scenario.

[scottenkainen]

The very earliest Batman stories would serve as the best fodder for campaign material, I think, particularly Gardner Fox's "French trilogy" -- the two-parter with the Monk, followed by Le Duc D'Orterre -- which would need very little modification to turn them into fun dungeon romps.

~Scott "-enkainen" Casper

[kent]

In my opinion there are only a handful of creative people on all of the forums and blogs. That may be harsh but there you are. I have no interest in using other peoples ideas but I think there is always some pleasure in reading differing and genuinely creative processes in old school gaming. All commercial efforts have been worthless in my view. That's just to make it clear where Im coming from.

I look forward to seeing some of your maps because for me maps mark the beginning of creating the space to explore the pseudo-reality, an objective reality the players can exploit. A sh!t map indicates the DM is struggling to imagine the environment and is probably more comfortable playing a boardgame.

Now for me the kind of background you have been presenting is for DM eyes only and players should never come across it in that form. Also, I have never met a player who would have an interest playing a PC with such prescribed motivation. So there are layers in gaming that are missing in the setting you have revealed so far even if you demonstrate adept appropriation and integration of previously created material.

Im not against narrative but I think it is best suited to NPC agents and players must have the power to inflict bathos on the most intricate and epic design.

[simonw]

Mar 17, 2014 17:52:58 GMT -6 kent said:

In my opinion there are only a handful of creative people on all of the forums and blogs. That may be harsh but there you are. I have no interest in using other peoples ideas but I think there is always some pleasure in reading differing and genuinely creative processes in old school gaming. All commercial efforts have been worthless in my view. That's just to make it clear where Im coming from.

I look forward to seeing some of your maps because for me maps mark the beginning of creating the space to explore the pseudo-reality, an objective reality the players can exploit. A sh!t map indicates the DM is struggling to imagine the environment and is probably more comfortable playing a boardgame.

Now for me the kind of background you have been presenting is for DM eyes only and players should never come across it in that form. Also, I have never met a player who would have an interest playing a PC with such prescribed motivation. So there are layers in gaming that are missing in the setting you have revealed so far even if you demonstrate adept appropriation and integration of previously created material.

Im not against narrative but I think it is best suited to NPC agents and players must have the power to inflict bathos on the most intricate and epic design.

[simonw]

Interesting...my replies still aren't showing

[krusader74]

King Arthur's Tomb

Here's a very early preview of the first scenario I mentioned above. Bruce is at Glastonbury Abbey to complete his father's quest to find King Arthur's tomb. A monk at the Abbey has just died. He requested to be buried under a pair of entwined apple trees at the edge of the forest that surrounds the Abbey. Bruce is digging the grave.



Entwined apple trees: Avalon is the isle of apples. Here stands two entwined apple trees. From a certain angle, the trunks of the tree look like a male and female figure in an embrace.

Stone slab: Buried 7' below the entwined apple trees is a large stone slab. On the flip side of the stone is an iron cross with a (Welsh) inscription: "Here lies buried the famous King Arthur with Guinevere his second wife in the isle of Avalon."

King Arthur's tomb: Buried 11' down are sarcophagi with the skeletal remains of Arthur and Guinivere. There are no treasures here. There is a debris covered pit. Searching the crypt finds the pit on a roll of 1-2. Anyone not searching risks falling into it on a roll of 1-2. Someone who climbs (or falls) through the pit lands in area 1 of the catacombs under Arthur's tomb.

Catacombs under King Arthur's tomb

The catacombs consist of two closed loops, linked together exactly once. In mathematical knot theory, this is known as a Hopf link. It is also the crest of the Shingon-shu Buzan-ha, a sect of Buddhism. It nearly looks like a lemniscate or infinity symbol ∞ except the loops are linked but not connected. It is also similar to Solomon's link, in which two closed loops are linked twice.



Red/Gevurah (Judgment) Loop:

1. Entrance:

You climb (or fall) from King Arthur's tomb down into this 20'W x 30'L x 10'H room. Looking up at the ceiling, there's no sign of the pit you climbed (fell) through. There is a dim red light filling the room, but no apparent light source. There is an 10'W x 10'H archway leading out into a long 10'W x 10'H corridor. An inscription above the archway reads:

Proverbs 16:9 - NAS – The mind of man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.
Proverbs 16:9 - BHS – לֵ֣ב אָ֭דָם יְחַשֵּׁ֣ב דַּרְכֹּ֑ו וַֽ֝יהוָ֗ה יָכִ֥ין צַעֲדֹֽו׃
Proverbs 16:9 - LXX – παντα τα εργα του κυριου μετα δικαιοσυνης φυλασσεται δε ο ασεβης εις ημεραν κακην

There is a sword in the room. An inscription on the sword blade reads:

Matthew 5:9 - NAS – "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God."
Matthew 5:9 - WH – μακαριοι οι ειρηνοποιοι οτι αυτοι υιοι θεου κληθησονται

DM's info:

The sword is Clarent--King Arthur's sword of peace--the sword Mordred stole and later used to kill King Arthur. The sword will only injure another being if the wielder is of Chaotic (or Evil) alignment, otherwise any damage scored is done to the wielder himself.

Language (Optional): The inscriptions are all in Greek. If a member of the party is fluent in Greek, then there's no problem reading it. Otherwise, do an ability check versus INT. Success means the PC remembers the verse from his religious studies. On failure, consider giving a false translation of the verse. A first level MU Read Languages spell will also allow the PCs to read the inscription.

Verse: The significance of the verse is that no matter which direction the PCs choose to circumambulate the catacombs, they'll always progress through the rooms in numerical order 1,2,3,... in the direction of the arrow on the DM's map. For all intents and purposes, the dungeon is linear--a straight line--despite its appearance, and not only that but a directed graph edge. The catacombs form one of the 22 paths in the Ari's Kabbalistic Tree of Life, specifically Zayin (ז), which connects Gevurah to Chokhmah.

Red Light: This entire loop of the catacombs is filled with a dim red light with no apparent light source. The catacombs are actually a 3D component of a 4D object--a Klein Bottle specifically. (See the Appendix on Klein Bottles and Klein Links.) The light source is outside the 3D sliver of space containing the catacombs.

Archway inscriptions: These inscriptions are cut right through the stone, clear to the other side. The odd thing is, they read correctly (left to right) no matter which side of the archway the PCs are on!

2. Divine Trial:

An inscription over the archway reads:

Proverbs 16:7 - NAS – When a man's ways are pleasing to the LORD, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.
Proverbs 16:7 - BHS – בִּרְצֹ֣ות יְ֭הוָה דַּרְכֵי־אִ֑ישׁ גַּם־אֹ֝ויְבָ֗יו יַשְׁלִ֥ם אִתֹּֽו׃
Proverbs 16:7 - LXX – ἀρχή ὁδός ἀγαθός ὁ ποιέω ὁ δίκαιος δεκτός δέ παρά θεός μᾶλλον ἤ θύω θυσία

From outside the room you can see hot vapors rising from the floor to the ceiling, blurring something shiny in the back of the room.

DM's info:

The vapors are the seeds of the Sitra Akhra, the demonic forces of evil found in Gevurah. Once the PCs are in the middle of the room, the demons take shape. They are horrific, hissing things.

PCs reaction: This is a test to see if the PCs are paying attention to the inscriptions so far. If the PCs attack, the demons will attack. If the PCs remain peaceful, the demons will also remain peaceful, and allow the PCs to get the treasure in the back of the room.

Demon stats: TODO.

Treasure: Rhongomiant, Arthur's spear. Optionally other treasures that may aid the PCs, like a healing potion.

3. Modred the Mohrg:

There is an inscription above the doorway that reads:

Proverbs 16:12 - NAS – It is an abomination for kings to commit wicked acts For a throne is established on righteousness.
Proverbs 16:12 - BHS – תֹּועֲבַ֣ת מְ֭לָכִים עֲשֹׂ֣ות רֶ֑שַׁע כִּ֥י בִ֝צְדָקָ֗ה יִכֹּ֥ון כִּסֵּֽא׃
Proverbs 16:12 - LXX – βδέλυγμα βασιλεύς ὁ ποιέω κακός μετά γάρ δικαιοσύνη ἑτοιμάζω θρόνος ἀρχή

There is a shadow moving in the back of this room, but you can't see anything casting the shadow.

DM's info:

The shadowy figure is Modred, Arthur's nephew and murderer. Modred is an undead creature known as a Mohrg, a creature punished for his treachery with undeath. This room is his prison cell--an eternal punishment.

He posesses Carnwennan, King Arthur's dagger, which has the magical power to shroud its user in shadow. Carnwennan means "white hilt." The PCs will be at a disadvantage fighting Modred, while he's in the shadows, but this is not as great an advantage as were he invisible or the PCs blind. They take a -2 penalty to hit, unless Modred drops his weapon or is disarmed. A Detect Invisibility spell will reveal Modred and eliminate the penalty.

Stats for Modred: TODO.

3-4. Meridian:

Between rooms 3 and 4 is the meridian of the Klein Bottle in which the catacombs are contained. Crossing the meridian line twists the PCs around and interchanges their left- and right-hand sides!

If they were right-handed before, they are now left-handed. In keeping with 13th century stereotypes, any priests or monks in the party will find this development "sinister." If the PC had a patch over the left eye, it's now on the right. Anything carried on the left side is now on the right, and vice versa. Etc.

4. Gabriel:

An inscription above the archway reads:

Proverbs 16:14 - NAS – The fury of a king is like messengers of death, But a wise man will appease it.
Proverbs 16:14 - BHS – חֲמַת־מֶ֥לֶךְ מַלְאֲכֵי־מָ֑וֶת וְאִ֖ישׁ חָכָ֣ם יְכַפְּרֶֽנָּה׃ בְּאֹור־פְּנֵי־
Proverbs 16:14 - LXX – θυμός βασιλεύς ἄγγελος θάνατος ἀνήρ δέ σοφός ἐκἱλάσκομαι αὐτός

Gabriel is the left-hand of God, an angel of divine judgement, and one of 6 angels of death (malak ha-mavet). He is fiery red and he holds an enormous flaming sword. He will not allow PCs to pass until he questions them and judges their wisdom:

4a. Do an ability check versus wisdom.

Or 4b. Use Monika Ardelt's Wisdom Scorecard--
www.nytimes.com/ref/magazine/20070430_WISDOM.html
www.clas.ufl.edu/users/ardelt/empirical%20assessment%20of%20the%203d-ws.pdf

Or 4c. Come up with your own list of questions you think might be fun/interesting to discuss.

Gabriel will assess all the PCs first, and then sort them into two groups: those that pass and those that fail. Those that pass are free to proceed. Those that fail, he will fight to the death!

Stats for Gabriel: TODO. Gabriel can't really be killed, merely temporarily banished from this area. He will regenerate and return with full HPs in 1 turn.

5. The Abyss:

The inscription above the doorway reads:

Proverbs 16:18 - KJV – Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.
Proverbs 16:18 - BHS – לִפְנֵי־שֶׁ֥בֶר גָּאֹ֑ון וְלִפְנֵ֥י כִ֝שָּׁלֹ֗ון גֹּ֣בַהּ רֽוּחַ׃
Proverbs 16:18 - LXX – πρό συντριβή ἡγέομαι ὕβρις πρό δέ πτῶμα κακοφροσύνη

You can't see anything inside. It's not dark. There's no light. It's pure void. It defies all attempts to rationalize. Anyone entering the Abyss must make an ability check versus Wisdom--

Failure: You fall out of the entwined apple trees above King Arthur's crypt. Make a saving throw or take 1d6 falling damage.

Success. You find yourself on an island of pure Void called Da'at.

0. Da'at (not shown on map, because it is nowhere):

You stand on a grassy island in the middle of pure Void. There are two entwined Apple trees that look just the ones above King Arthur's crypt, except they somehow look more "real" (if that makes any sense). Each tree has a name carved in its trunk:

a. Cheit Eitz HaDa'at (Tree of Knowledge)

b. Etz haChayim (The Tree of Life)

There is a stone slab on the ground near the trees with an inscription:

Proverbs 24:4: "Da'at fills the rooms with precious things."

Each tree produces shiny red apples. You can eat none, apples from both, or apples from only one tree. What do you do?

DM's info:

In Kabballah, Da'at is referred to as the key that includes six. The "key" of Da'at opens all six chambers (attributes) of the heart and fills them with lifeforce. Each of these six chambers, when filled with Da'at, is referred to as a particular dei'ah ("attitude," from the root of Da'at) of the soul.

In game terms, the fruit of these trees impact the PCs six abilities as follows--

No fruit: No effect whatsoever.

Fruit of the Tree of Life Only: STR +1, DEX +1, CON +1. Additionally, the PC will not age naturally for the next 40 years! In the Summa Theologica, Thomas Aquinas argued that the tree didn't grant immortality, it was merely a biological defense against physical aging.

Fruit of the Tree of Knowledge Only: INT +1, WIS +1. Additionally, the PC ages 40 years! If the PC is 75+YO after aging, save vs death. Also take CHA -1, because the PC's hair will turn gray. Aging effects do not take place until after the PC exits the void. When the PC exits, a Bat Kol (heavenly voice) will announce:

Proverbs 16:31 - NAS – A gray head is a crown of glory; It is found in the way of righteousness.
Proverbs 16:31 - BHS – עֲטֶ֣רֶת תִּפְאֶ֣רֶת שֵׂיבָ֑ה בְּדֶ֥רֶךְ צְ֝דָקָ֗ה תִּמָּצֵֽא׃
Proverbs 16:31 - LXX – στέφανος καύχησις γῆρας ἐν δέ ὁδός δικαιοσύνη εὑρίσκω

Fruit of both trees: +1 to all six attributes. No aging effects (they cancel).

Attributes may be raised to 18, but no higher. Going through the catacombs again to consume the same fruit won't have an effect unless the PC waits at least 40 years. Going through again and consuming a different fruit from the first time will take effect without any waiting period; it will also reverse the aging effects of the first time.

Blue/Chokhmah (Wisdom) Loop:

Stepping off the island of Da'at into the Void drops the player into the corridor outside room 5 in the Blue/Chokhmah Loop of the catacombs. There's no way back into the Abyss from here. No matter which direction the PCs go, they'll encounter the rooms in the direction of the arrows shown on the map: 6,7,8, ...

A dim blue light illuminates this loop, with no apparent light source.

DM's info: Chokhmah is the right hemisphere of the brain. Chokhmah's color is blue.

6. Second Divine Trial:

An inscription above the archway reads

Proverbs 16:16 - NAS – How much better it is to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen above silver.
Proverbs 16:16 - BHS – קְֽנֹה־חָכְמָ֗ה מַה־טֹּ֥וב מֵחָר֑וּץ וּקְנֹ֥ות בִּ֝ינָ֗ה נִבְחָ֥ר מִכָּֽסֶף׃
Proverbs 16:16 - LXX – νοσσιά σοφία αἱρετός χρυσίον νοσσιά δέ φρόνησις αἱρετός ὑπέρ ἀργύριον

The room has two open treasure chests. The first has 5,000 gp. The second has 5,000 sp. This is a test-- If the PC takes no gold, he gets +1 WIS. If the PC takes no silver, he gets +1 INT. The bonus can't raise ability scores above 18. Nothing bad happens if he takes the money, he just doesn't get the ability bump. Once a PC takes any of the treasure, he can't get the ability bonus unless he returns all of the stolen treasure. If the PC didn't take the treasure the first time, coming back a second time and not taking it does not result in the bonus again; it only applies once. But coming back a second time and taking treasure results in the loss of the bonus--You can't have your cake and it it too.

7. Raziel

The inscription above the archway reads:

Proverbs 16:13 - NAS – Righteous lips are the delight of kings, And he who speaks right is loved.
Proverbs 16:13 - BHS – רְצֹ֣ון מְ֭לָכִים שִׂפְתֵי־צֶ֑דֶק וְדֹבֵ֖ר יְשָׁרִ֣ים יֶאֱהָֽב׃
Proverbs 16:13 - LXX – δεκτός βασιλεύς χεῖλος δίκαιος λόγος δέ ὀρθός ἀγαπάω

A large blue angel sits at a desk with a scroll spread out before him. There are shelves of scrolls behind him.

Raziel (Hebrew: רזיאל‎ "Secret of God") is an archangel within Kabbalah who is the "Keeper of Secrets" and the "Angel of Mysteries". He is associated with the Sephira Chokmah.

There are 94 scrolls altogether--24 for the public (i.e. the Hebrew Bible) and another 70 secret scrolls reserved for the wise alone. These are the books revealed to Ezra. Raziel speaks the Enochian language. The 70 secret books are written in a combination of Hebrew, Aramaic and Enochian (magical sigils or סגולות, seguloth).

One of the books is the Sefer Raziel HaMalakh. He may give the PCs a copy, which he will write out quickly (like the Flash) from memory. It's a practical Kabbalah grimoire. It contains information about Astrology, the Kabbalah as well as magic spells. The book contain's the 5th level Cleric's "Commune" spell. Other spells than that are up to the DM. Here's a page from the book:



PCs can ask Raziel any question. Raziel knows the answer. He also knows whether or not to answer the PCs...

8. King Arthur's Phylactery:

The inscription above the archway reads:

Proverbs 16:15 - NAS – In the light of a king's face is life, And his favor is like a cloud with the spring rain.
Proverbs 16:15 - BHS – מֶ֥לֶךְ חַיִּ֑ים וּ֝רְצֹונֹ֗ו כְּעָ֣ב מַלְקֹֽושׁ׃
Proverbs 16:15 - LXX – ἐν φῶς ζωή υἱός βασιλεύς ὁ δέ προσδεκτός αὐτός ὥσπερ νέφος ὄψιμος

There is a cloud in the back of the room. It's a rain cloud. It's raining, but the room doesn't flood. In the mists of the cloud is an amulet with a light glowing out of it.

In many legends, King Arthur will return as a Messianic figure. The amulet is a phylactery containing the living soul of King Arthur. Casting the "Commune" spell from the Sefer Raziel HaMalakh (room 7) allows the PC to talk to Arthur. A 5th Level Cleric's "Raise Dead" spell can be used to put Arthur back in his body, but his body in the crypt above the catacombs is a skeleton. A 6th level MU "Reincarnation" spell can put Arthur in another body. It's possible to have two souls in the same body, but original soul will experience the second as "voices in the head." The second soul needs to make an ability check versus CON to take any action with the body.

Disembodied Arthur is an NPC that may dispense advice, humor or cynicism. Reincarnated (or resurrected) Arthur may be played as a PC.

Stats for Arthur: TODO.

8-9. Meridian (coda):

Crossing over this twist in 4D space here reverses left- and right-sides of the body, undoing what was done in 3-4.

9. Exit:

The inscription above the archway reads:

Proverbs 16:17 - NAS – The highway of the upright is to depart from evil; He who watches his way preserves his life.
Proverbs 16:17 - BHS – מְסִלַּ֣ת יְ֭שָׁרִים ס֣וּר מֵרָ֑ע שֹׁמֵ֥ר נַ֝פְשֹׁ֗ו נֹצֵ֥ר דַּרְכֹּֽו׃
Proverbs 16:17 - LXX – τρίβος ζωή ἐκκλίνω ἀπό κακός μῆκος δέ βίος ὁδός δικαιοσύνη ὁ δέχομαι παιδεία ἐν ἀγαθός εἰμί ὁ δέ φυλάσσω ἔλεγχος σοφίζω ὅς φυλάσσω ὁ ἑαυτοῦ ὁδός τηρέω ὁ ἑαυτοῦ ψυχή ἀγαπάω δέ ζωή αὐτός φείδομαι στόμα αὐτός

The ceiling of this room has a hole that leads back up to Arthur's crypt above. Once a PC starts to climb out, climbing back deposits him back in room 1.

Appendix on Klein Bottles and Links.

The catacombs under King Arthur's tomb exhibit an odd topolgy. The catacombs consist of two loops. The loops are disconnected but linked (a Hopf link). This link is embedded on a Klein Bottle, forming whats called a (3,2)-Klein link. Here are some illustrations to help visualize these concepts...

The following image shows the rectangular representation of a Klein Bottle. To get a 3D representation, first fold the right hand side back along the dotted (longitude) line, matching the blue arrows. Second push the bottom through the hole, and match the red arrows:


Corresponding sides (shown with like-colored arrows) are identified. Moving off the left side of the map at the blue arrow, you would re-emerge on the right hand side at the blue arrow. Moving off the bottom of the map at the red arrow, you will emerge at the top of the map at the red arrow, with your left and right sides exchanged.

Klein Bottles have an Euler characteristic (Faces - Edges + Vertices) = 0. Therefore, they form a (flat) Euclidean surface. However, they are non-orientable. They are a one-sided surface. They twist through a higher spatial dimension. Passing through this twist exchanges left- and right-hand sides.

The following image shows a Hopf link:



The final image shows a Hopf link inscribed on a Klein Bottle, forming what's called a (3,2)-Klein link:



The 3D representation on the right is "what it feels like" to crawl through this dungeon. It's not simply "around and around," but also "up and down."

[scottenkainen]

Hmm, a 4-D dungeon? Still interesting, but it seems to have "jumped the shark" from its original Batman inspiration...

~Scott "-enkainen" Casper

[krusader74]

Mar 22, 2014 7:46:15 GMT -6 scottenkainen said:

Hmm, a 4-D dungeon? Still interesting, but it seems to have "jumped the shark" from its original Batman inspiration...

~Scott "-enkainen" Casper

Not at all, read Grant Morrison's Annotations on Batman 681.

[scottenkainen]

Grant Morrison? No thanks.

[krusader74]

Mar 22, 2014 11:34:41 GMT -6 scottenkainen said:

Grant Morrison? No thanks.

OK. Other DC authors besides Morrison have used higher dimensions in Batman comics... Mister Mxyzptlk was a 5th dimensional trickster created by Siegel and Shuster in Superman #30 (September 1944), but he has appeared in several Batman/Superman crossovers. In one, the Joker steals (most of) Mister Mxyzptlk's powers and tries to erase Batman from history.

[krusader74]

Welcome to Medieval Gottam!
Approximate population 65 families.

Here's a low resolution (1024x641) map in PNG format:



There's also a higher resolution (4096x2565) map that will allow you to zoom in and read all the building names.

Let's begin our tour in the north end of the map on Nottingham Road. From there we'll travel south towards the center of town.

Fish Pond. This is a small man-made lake that stocks fish and eels. It's on the outskirts of the village on Nottingham Road. In The merry tales of the Mad men of Gottam, this is where King John witnessed men trying to rake the moon out of the pond and other men attempting to drown eels.

On the opposite side of the road from the fish pond is street called Grassmere Gardens that terminates in an Apple Orchard which is part of the Commons (see below).

Cottages. There are 35 unnamed cottages altogether: 20 on Nottingham Road, 9 more on the avenues off Curzon Street, and 3 on Orchard Street. Most of the occupants of these cottages are employed as farm workers, craftsmen, and servants. See the big list of professions in What did people do in a Medieval City?

The northernmost cottage on Nottingham Road is the home of Selina Kyle. She works as a midwife and a preparer of potions (including abortifacients) and amulets. She is a cat hoarder and has 13 cats. She is also a Witch and a Cat Burglar.

When King John passed by town, Selina put a cow to graze on top of her thatched roof. The villagers suspect that she used magic to accomplish this feat, but they're relieved it helped persuade the King not to enter the village and assess taxes.

Selina lives with her sister Maggie Kyle and a runaway Holly Robinson, who both work as prostitutes and are also witches.

Commercial District. There are 21 businesses in central Gotham. The business owners' families live on the second stories of these buildings.

Continuing our tour south on Nottingham Road we next encounter the (flour) Mill, Grocer, and Butcher.

We arrive at the end of of Nottingham Road. It becomes Curzon Street to the east, Leche Road to the SE, and Kegworth Road to the SW. Going from the NE corner of this intersection clockwise we have the Chandler (candle maker), the Barber/Surgeon (SW corner) and the Constable/jail (NW corner)--

The constable's name is Jim Gordon.

The Barber/Surgeon is Doctor Robert "Kirk" Langstrom. He dreams of being able to fly like a bat. In his spare time, he works on a serum he hopes one day will transform him into a bat.

Regarding the Chandler, Aher did a detailed exposition of Medieval candles in the thread How long does a lantern burn?

To the west on Kegworth is the Jeweler, Mason, Shoemaker, Skinner, Talor/Haberdasher, Dyer, Weaver, Merchant, and Carpentar/roofer. There's also a large Guild Hall that's shared by these highly skilled craftsmen and merchants.

East on Curzon, after the Chandler, there's the Cooper, the Smith, and the Pawnbroker.

The Pawnbroker's establishment at the corner of Curzon and Naylor has three yellow balls hanging outside to identify it, in accordance with the banking laws and regulations. The pawnbroker's name is Harvey Midas. He loans money for items pawned as collateral. He also changes foreign currency. He has a vault where he can store valuables for a fee. And he has a shop where he sells pledges that have been forfeited. I have an extensive write-up on pawnbrokering in the thread: Three Yellow Balls.

Harvey Midas is also a telepath. He can read minds. So it's difficult to defraud him or steal from him, whether with natural skills or by supernatural magic. Harvey is also the town's only Jew, so it is not illegal for him to loan money at interest.

East of Curzon is the Commons, farmlands left to the landless cottagers to farm and graze their animals.

Malt Street branches south, off Curzon. There are two businesses here: the Bakery and the Malting Rooms.

The Malting Rooms are used to malt barley. Beer is made here. And whiskey is distilled from the beer. The Malting Rooms supply the town's two pubs and merchant with alcohol. The Malting Rooms belong to William Picol, who learned the secrets of distilling in the Scottish Highlands. William was recently made King John's court Jester. See his full character biography above.

In the middle of the town square stands a majestic Elm tree. On the north side of the Square is the Sun Public House. On the west side of the Square is the Pump. Bruce Wayne ran a pipe from Weldon Spring to this hand pump, where the villagers now get their water. If Weldon Spring (east on Moor Lane) dries up, which it sometimes does, then the villages have a long trek east on Moor Lane, through the Moors, to Fairham Brook, in order to get their water.

Moor Lane forms the the south side of the Square. It runs west to Leche Road. And east to Fairham Brook. Along the way it passes the Pinfold, Weldon Spring, and Gottam Moor--

The Pinfold: Constable Jim Gordon is responsible for bringing stray animals here. The owners can reclaim their animals after paying a fine.

Weldon Spring: There is a cave here that leads to a large underground lake. Most of the water here is runoff from rain water. So during a drought, the Spring will dry up, leaving the brook to the east as the only available water. Villagers used to have to come all the way to the Spring to get their water until Bruce Wayne built underground plumbing to move water from the subterranean lake to the pump east of the town Square.

A deformed man named Waylon Jones lives in the subterranean cave containing the lake. A birth defect gives him crocodilian abilities, such as a keen sense of smell and the ability to hold his breath underwater for long periods of time.

Gottam Moor: This area's soil is too acidic to grow crops. It's covered by low-growing woody vegetation. An insane, ancient, Corieltauvi Druid named Jason Woodrue has made his home here. He's used magic to turn himself into a plant/human hybrid with his skin resembling bark and his hair turning into leaves. He calls himself the Floronic Man. He hates Saxon culture and wants to "take back" his country. His magic has made him aware of Pamela Isley (see Hillside Farms below) who he sees as a potential ally. He is the enemy of the Swamp-Thing, a creature who lives farther east in the swamps around Sutton Bridge.

Continuing south on Leche Road, we encounter three streets on the east side: Orchard, Chruch, and Monk's Lane.

As mentioned, there are three Cottages on Orchard Street. There used to be an Orchard here, but now its a cemetary, accessed from Church Street.

Cemetary/Grave Digger. The Kyle family coven is completed by the town gravedigger, Victor Fries, who is also a necromancer, trying to bring his dead wife Nora back to life. Fries lives at the end of Church Street (on Leche Road between Monk's Lane and Orchard), the location of the village cemetary. Fries is an immigrant from Germany and posseses a copy of the Munich Manual of Demonic Magic.

This coven secretly meets in Shire Wood (NE corner of map, it extends all the way to Nottingham in the North) on the Sabbats to evoke the Horned God Cernunnos.

Between Church Road and Monk's Lane on the east side of Leche Road is the churchyard. There we find St. Lawrence Church, The Rectory (priest's home), and Curate's (priest's assistant's) home.

On the west side of Leche Road is the Tythe Bam. This barn is were the farmer's and villagers are obligated to donate 1/10th of their produce each year. This tithe finances the church. It feeds the priest and curate and monks. Whatever is left over is distributed by the priest to the village poor. The priest listens to everyone's confessions all year long, so he knows who's been naughty and who's been nice. While he gives the needy preferential treatment, he also takes virtue into account, so if a villager gets a smaller share from the priest than everyone else, everyone knows why...

The Monastery at the end of Monk's Lane was built by the monks at Welbeck Abbey in North Nottinghamshire as a temporary home for the mendicant friars who travel around Nottinghamshire. It is here that Bruce Wayne's young ward Robin will eventually meet Friar Tuck when he begins his work as Robin Hood.

Continuing south on Leche Road, we pass the village dung heap to the west. The dung piled here is valuable as fertilizer. It is the job of the dung carter who lives in a nearby cottage to cart the manure from all over town to this heap. For a comprehensive account of manuring, read Manure and the Medieval Social Order.

On the east side is Wayne Manor Farms. Wayne Manor sits atop a hill here. At the base of the hill is a drain, out of which flows the sewage from the Manor's garderobes.

Behind the Manor is the Manor Wood. Bruce Wayne used to hunt game in these woods, until his religious experience at King Arthur's Tomb (see the scenario above), where he found Clarent, the sword of peace, and took a vow of non-killing. At the base of the hill in this wood is a batcave. Bruce has a secret entrance to this cave inside his manor. Bruce has an affinity for bats since they are part of grandmother's family crest (see biographic info above).

Bruce has a faithful sheep dog named Ace.

When King John's escheators declared Robert Hode (a nearby Nottinghamshire farmer) insane, they took away his farm and his only son and heir Robin. The escheators made Robin Hode a ward of the State and put him in the care of Bruce Wayne. Robin Hode bears a grudge against King John. At the age of 12, Robin is already a skilled archer. He is now training with Bruce to become a hero. He will partner with Bat-Man as the Boy Wonder. And he will eventually grow up to become Robin Hood after he befriends Friar Tuck at the Monastery on Monk's Lane.

Wayne's Road is a private road that Bruce uses to get to Gypsum Way, which connects Kegworth to Leche. There is a Gypsum Mine on this road, belonging to the Wayne Family. This is an additional source of revenue, beyond the Manor Farm. The gypsum is used as a dough conditioner in baking, as a component of concrete, as an ingredient in making mead, as a component of gesso (used by scribes to make gilded lettering), to add hardness to water in brewing, to make alabaster for sculpture, in medicines, and as a fertilizer. This stuff is making Wayne very rich!

At the edge of town on Leche Road is the Cuckoo Bush Public House and Inn. Together with the associated Farm, these establishments are owned by Oswald Cobblepot. He's the one who fenced the Cuckoo bird in the bush when King John came to town (see OP).

Farms. There are 7 only farms in Gottam. These 7 land holders are the town's government. They're the only ones who's opinion matters when it comes to making the big decisions.

Three farms off Kegworth Road: Morley's Barn Farm, Hillside Farm, and Nashton's Farm---

Nashton's farm is the smallest farm in town. It is owned by Edwin Nashton. Nashton loves puzzles and riddles. He also has a compulsion to tell the truth.

Randolf Morley has a problem with birds from Gottam Hill Wood eating his crops. He has several scarecrows, but they're not a deterrence. Morely dabbles in the occult and he's trying to animate a scarecrow to make it more effective against crows. In the meantime, he dresses like a scarecrow, and sometimes throws grenades made from hollowed-out pumkins at the crows. He's also working on a vapor to make the crows afraid of him.

Hillside Farm is owned by Pamela Lillian Isley, a widow. Her husband was killed in the Crusades. She has grown to hate mankind for its inhumanity and belligerence. Now she only has love for the plants she grows on her farm and the nearby woods. She's developing a poison from her plants to exterminate mankind.

The Globe Farm is off Nottingham Road in the North. Paradise Farm is off Moor Lane, east of the Square--

The Globe Farm is owned by Bruce's cousin (mother's sister's daughter), Kathy Kane. She is also a Crusade widow. She suspects the other land owners are plotting against her cousin, so she's been dressing in a black costume and secretly spying on them...

Paradise Farm is owned by Harvey Dent. Harvey is 60. Half his body was burnt during The Anarchy in 1154 when he was 14. Harvey was fighting alonside Bruce's father to keep Nottingham castle from the rebels. Due to his injuries, Harvey has difficulty making decisions. You'll see him flip a large gold coin to make choices, even simple ones.

We already mentioned Manor Farms (owned by Bruce Wayne) south of the churchyard, and Oswald Cobblepot's Cuckoo Bush Farm off Leche Road in the SE of town.

The Secret Six. Wayne's grandfather Gawayne was a Gottam pauper who went to seek his fortunes in the Crusades. His son Tomaz returned to England and fought beside King Henry II during The Anarchy. As a reward, Henry granted to Tomaz the Wayne Manor and the Wayne Manor Farms. Five of the other land owners whose heritage dates back to the Saxon invaders resent the Wayne family's accidental rise to fame and fortune. They have teamed up with William Picol to form a secret society that has vowed to ruin Wayne. They call themselves "The Secret Six" and they each use a codename--

1. William Picol: Malt Room proprietor and the king's Jester. Looks like he could be King John's twin. Claims to be the "true king." Extremely skilled in the arts and alchemy. Also very crazy. Calls himself "the Jester."

2. Oswald Cobblepot: Cuckoo Bush Farm, Inn and Pub owner. Calls himself "the Cuckoo."

3. Pamela Lillian Isley: Hillside Farm owner. Calls herself "Poison Ivy."

4. Edwin Nashton: Nashton Farm owner. Calls himself "the Riddler."

5. Randolf Morley: Morley Farm owner. Calls himself "Scarecrow."

6. Harvey Dent: Paradise Farm owner. Calls himself "Two face."

"The Jester" discovered the ruins of a Corieltauvi hill fort in the NE corner of the map. He uses this as his secret base of operations. It has become the meeting place of the Secret Six.