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Post by krusader74 on Apr 6, 2014 2:53:06 GMT -6
Rescue from Corfe CastleAn adventure seed for the Gottam Cnihtas campaign...Maud de Braose/Lady of Bramber (b. 1155) showed great hospitality to Bruce Wayne while he was searching for the Tomb of King Arthur. Her home is Paincastle near the town of Hay-on-Wye (on the present-day Wales-England border). She is sometimes called Matilda, Moll Wallbee, and the Lady of Hay. Maud is beautiful, wise, doughty, and vigorous. In 1198, Maud defended Painscastle against a massive Welsh attack led by Gwenwynwyn, Prince of Powys. She successfully held off Gwenwynwyn's forces for three weeks until English reinforcements arrived. Over three thousand Welsh were killed. Since then, Painscastle has been known as "Matilda's Castle" by the locals. The locals also say she built the castle single handed in just one night, carrying the stones in her apron. The truth is that she merely added the gateway arch to a tower in the 1180s. Maud is extremely tall and wears armor while leading troops into battle. Perhaps she looks a bit like Brienne of Tarth... In the year 1208, Maud's husband, William de Braose, owed King John five thousand marks (a large sum of money). John demanded Maud's son William be sent to him as a hostage for her husband's loyalty. Maud refused, and stated that she "would not deliver her children to a king who had murdered his own nephew" (referring to the murder of King John's nephew, Arthur of Brittany). Upon hearing this, King John became enraged. He sent an army to take all of the castles that belonged to William de Braose. Maud fled with her son William to her sister's castle in Ireland until 1210. Then King John sent an expedition to Ireland, which caught them trying to set sail to Scotland. King John has imprisoned Maud and her son William in Corfe Castle. He plans to starve them to death. According to the British Medical Journal, humans can survive without any food for 30-40 days, as long as they are properly hydrated. So the clock is ticking. Can the Bat Man rescue Maud and her son from Corfe Castle in time?There are lots of great drawings of Corfe Castle online. Here is an oblique view of modern-day Corfe Castle taken from this page: Here is a bird's eye view of the castle from this page, which also has plenty of information on the castle's defenses: And finally, here is a hand-drawn plan of the castle. A larger version is available on Wikipedia.
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Post by krusader74 on Apr 4, 2014 1:38:57 GMT -6
There's the AD&D2E sourcebook: HR5 Glory of Rome Campaign Sourcebook by David L. Pulver for sale in PDF at dndclassics dot com. And Green Ronin has a supplement called " Eternal Rome." ( If I had to pick just one resource for a realistic Roman campaign, I think I'd choose this one) C. J. Carella wrote " GURPS: Imperial Rome." GURPS sourcebooks are largely system neutral. There's lots of detailed setting info that can be used with any version of D&D or any other RPG. The product page has a link to a preview; take a look at the TOC--topics include City Life (City Administration, The Streets, Shops, Important Buildings, Roman Homes, Graffiti, The Police and Fire, Departments, City Hazards, Crucifixion, A Typical Day in Rome, The Roman Calendar, Night Life, Roman Medicines, Roman Poisons, Education, Leisure, Fashion), History, Myth and Religion, the Legions, the Games, etc. If you want a fantasy-version of Rome, rather than a realistic-version, then there's Aaron Allston's " Dawn of the Emperors: Thyatis and Alphatia" for Basic/Expert D&D. Quoting from the Mystara Wiki: There's more info about Thyatis over in the Vaults of Pandius. Noncommercial stuff... There's a discussion about a Roman Empire homebrew campaign setting on the Wizards Community Forums. And another one at ENWorld: " Rome: Decline and Fall (Adventure Series)." Finally, there's a thread on the same topic here.
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Post by krusader74 on Mar 31, 2014 4:22:37 GMT -6
Additional design notes on King Arthur's tomb.1. A fourth dimensional dungeon?!In Detective Comics #267 (May 1959), Bill Finger introduces Bat-Mite, another imp from the 5th dimension, like Mister Mxyzptlk. Bat-Mite idolizes Batman and sets up strange events to see his idol in action. It's entirely possible that Bat-Mite is really orchestrating events from behind-the-scenes in the fifth dimension, in order to propel Bruce Wayne to take up the mantle of Bat Man. 2. Enhanced Abilities.One of the goals of this scenario is to boost Bruce's six abilities, because the World's Greatest Detective needs above average abilities. There are several trials and tests of character in this adventure; the reward for success is a permanent increase in one or more ability scores. 3. Vow not to kill.A second goal is to give Bruce a plausible explanation for renouncing the use of lethal force. Bruce should find Clarent, King Arthur's sword of peace, in room #1 in the catacombs. The sword penalizes the use of deadly violence. That's the stick; but I think there should be a carrot too. Clarent should also somehow reward Bruce for not killing. Here are a couple of ideas: - When Bruce has Clarent with him, if he subdues his opponents, he does 2d6k1 (keep the higher of the two dice) subdual damage.
- When Bruce has Clarent with him, his "critical hit range" for hand-to-hand combat is expanded to 19-20. On a critical hit, he KO's his opponent--they're not dead, just unconscious.
Clarent reminds me a bit of the Holy Spear in Wagner's Parsifal. On his long journey back to the Grail Hall, Parsifal wandered lost for years. During this time, he got many battle scars, because he had often been forced to fight, but refused to wield the Spear in battle. 4. Dispel Magic.Dispel Magic cast on the inscription over the archway in room #1 of the catacombs will allow PCs to traverse the rooms of the catacombs out of numerical order for the duration of the game session. Dispel Magic cast on any of the other inscriptions in the catacombs will temporarily dismiss the encounter in that room only, for one turn, but it will leave Arthur's weapons (if any: sword, dagger, or spear) intact on the floor. 5. Biblical Parallels to King Arthur.In Dante's epic poem the Inferno, Circle 2, canto 5 (Lust), as well as the romance Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, we see parallel's between Adam, Eve and the Tempter on the one hand and Arthur, Guinevere and Lancelot on the other. Just like Adam and Eve's original sin destroyed paradise, so Guinevere and Lancelot's betrayal set in motion the events that would destroy the paradise of Camelot. The entwined apple trees in Avalon have the appearance of a human couple in an embrace. I wanted to this image not only to foreshadow finding Arthur and Guinevere's tomb, but also to prefigure the discovery of the Trees of Life and Knowledge in the Void at the center of the catacombs. 6. Archway Inscription Languages.The archway inscriptions were presented in English, Hebrew and Greek. Initially, I felt just one of these should be picked for use throughout the catacombs. Either one of the PCs knows the language, or the PCs would need to make an INT check to try to figure it out, with failure possibly meaning they mistranslate it. I think the choices should be expand to include Latin, Welsh and Enochian. Online translations in Latin and Welsh are easy to come by. There's also a great scanned copy of a Bible translated into Welsh in 1588: Y Beibl Cysegr-Ian. Another possibility is to roll a die (D6) for each room to decide what language the inscription is in: - Hebrew
- Greek
- Latin
- English
- Welsh
- Enochian
Furthermore, if the PCs go back to the same room again after 1 or more turns have elapsed, the language of the inscription may have changed! Roll again on the table above. 7. Sefer Raziel.Importantly, any spells contained in the Sefer Raziel in room #7 may be cast by anyone who makes a successful ability check versus Wisdom, regardless of class. The book contains at least one spell, namely "Commune." This is so Bruce can commune with Arthur's soul, which is contained in the phylactery in room #8. It is said that Adam and Eve received a copy of this tome in the Garden of Eden from the hand of God. Here is a PDF copy of a 1701 edition of the book. The excerpted page shown in the scenario write-up is page 88 of this edition. 8. Politics of Medieval Messianism.Adam's disobedience spelled sin and death for all, while the "Second Adam's" (i.e., Christ's) obedience repaired this harm by bringing righteousness and abundance of grace... I already showed that Arthur was compared to Adam. He was also believed to be a kind of Second Adam-- In the 12th century, it was widely believed that King Arthur would make a messianic return, kick the Saxons out of England, and restore Britain to paradise. In the 1100s, William of Malmesbury wrote: "But Arthur’s grave is nowhere seen, whence antiquity of fables still claims that he will return." Arthur is associated with the Y Mab Darogan, the Son of Destiny, the Welsh Messiah. The political urgency for the English finding Arthur's tomb was to dash these messianic hopes and aspirations. In other words, Arthur's tomb in Avalon was faked by the English monarchy in 1191 as a way of crushing Welsh resistance to their rule. I'm pointing this out, because it could add another layer of complexity to the Gottam Cnihtas campaign setting. Once Bruce has the phylactery containing King Arthur's soul, and the means to communicate with it using the "Commune" spell found in the Sefer Raziel, what will he do with it? And what role will Arthur have?
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Post by krusader74 on Mar 28, 2014 16:33:16 GMT -6
The Black HouseNotice the dead-end called "Farm Home Close" off Kegworth Road between the Carpenter and the Constable? It's not just an empty lot. So what's there? I wanted to put a "haunted house" here for use in a horror scenario. I haven't decided what kind of ruins are there yet. But it is definitely a structure that was destroyed during The Anarchy (1135-1154). Some possibilities: - The ruins of of a Farm House (hence "Farm House Close"). That was my first thought. This is actually the real name of the street here in modern-day Gotham. Hence the name on the map.
- The ruins of a castle.
- The ruins of a church, the forerunner of St. Lawrence Church. Perhaps on some windy nights, villagers think they can hear the Church's pipe organ ominously playing...
- The ruins of a house of ill repute.
- The ruins of a hospital.
Gottamites have not rebuilt anything on these ruins, because it used to be the burial grounds of the local Corieltauvi clan, and so it's believed to be cursed. In fact, the Corieltauvi Hoard is reputed to be buried somewhere near here (see earlier post on local treasures). But beware! The Corieltauvi protected their dead and buried treasures with the animated skeletons of several large (Irish wolf-)hounds they sacrificed. Strange lights and voices emanate from deep in the Black House, and bats fly around it at night. Whatever ruins are there, the Black House is definitely "bigger on the inside," with seemingly endless corridors and remote areas and rooms that appear incongruous with exterior views of the building. The natural laws of physics don't seem to apply inside. The Black House has hidden staircases and rooms behind bookcases. Doors open and close themselves with a pounding pulse. The Black House itself seems to be alive, to have a mind and a will of its own. Writing appears on the walls...in blood! Local farmer Randolf Morely is a "haunted house historian"--He knows the true back story of the Black House... Dogs, cats and other farm animals will whine, growl, whimper and howl when they get near the Black House. A few years ago, a group of horny teenagers sneaked off to the Black House to engage in the amorous congress. After experiencing the "little death," they soon experienced a big, permanent death, at the hands of some supernatural power. The Black House is filled with mirrors. Survivors say they saw the faces of the dead in these mirrors. The Jeweler who lives across the street from the Black House has a young son who says he has a (presumably imaginary) friend named Josiah who lives inside the Black House... Constable Jim Gordon lives next to the Black House. He is a non-believer--He doesn't think anything supernatural is going on inside the Black House. He thinks there's probably some kind of natural gas leaking out of the earth here, which explains the weird lights and sounds as well as the deaths of people who go poking around inside. Or maybe the Black House has become a hangout for bandits or just one angry lone nut. In any case, Gordon has never been able to prove his suspicions. The priest at St. Lawrence Church thinks that there is nothing wrong with The Black House that a good, old-fashioned exorcism can't fix, but he can never find the time (or the courage) to perform one. The curate doesn't think an exorcism will work. He says: "Some Houses Are Just Born Bad." Have I forgotten any haunted house clichés or tropes? Anyway, at some point, the Bat Man and Robin will want to investigate the Black House. To be continued...
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Post by krusader74 on Mar 28, 2014 6:39:50 GMT -6
CoulrophobiaThis is an idea I'm developing for a role-playing adventure and Chainmail scenario... The Gottam town council approves (by a 5-2 vote) a permit to allow a traveling circus to perform in the Gottam Commons (see the map of Gottam above). This is actually a conspiracy of the Sinister Six to rid the town of Bruce Wayne, rob the bank, and immiserate the poor. Here are the program notes for the circus-- Act I: Death-defying Stunts.Scene i (Agility): Jugglers and stilt walkers. Contortionist. Expert knife thrower Guillermo Barrera demonstrates he can hit any target! Scene ii (Fortitude): "The Warlock" performs pyrotechnic wonders including fire eating, breathing, and dancing. Scene iii (Strength): Bane, The World's Strongest Man, performs amazing feats of strength--card tearing, nail bending, flexing, weightlifting. He will wrestle any challenger, and any who defeat him will get 1,000 gp! Act II: Animals.Scene i: Big cats & hyenas Scene ii: Trained horses. Scene iii: Bears. Musical Interlude: A troubadour and trobairitz perform your favorite ballads. Act III: Harlequinade/Commedia dell'arte.Grand Finale: A large scale theatrical battle reenactment.Cast of the Harlequinade. A troop of 10 male Neapolitan clowns: Harlequin, Pantaloon, Mr. Scaramouche, a dwarf dressed as a dog, a dwarf dressed as a baby, an officious Sheriff, Soldier, Hangman, a King, and the Devil. There's also an 11th clown, Columbine (a female, like Harley Quinn), plus a 12th clown simply called "Clown" who acts as the master of ceremonies through the entire circus. He is actually William Picol, The Jester. Plot of the Harlequinade. The play is mostly improvised. But there is a basic plot: Scene i: Pantaloon is a greedy old rich guy with a big hooked nose and a beautiful maid named Columbine. He tries to seduce her with poetry but she rejects him. He tries to seduce her with money and jewels but she still rejects him. Then he tries to abduct her. Harlequin witnesses the attempted abduction and attacks Pantaloon with a slapstick. Columbine falls in love with Harlequin and makes seductive overtures towards him. Harlequin is offended that Columbine thinks he would want to be repaid for his selfless gesture with her favors, and so he returns her affection by beating her with the slapstick. Scene ii: Next on the scene is Mr. Scaramouche walking his dog. He is very boastful. The dog pees on Scaramouche's leg. Harlequin approaches and tests Scaramouche's bravery only to find out he is a coward. Harlequin attacks him with a slapstick and he runs away leaving the dog behind. Columbine returns with a (dwarf dressed as a) baby. She says the father is a soldier. She asks Harlequin to babysit. Harlequin carries the baby around and sings a song about how ugly the baby is. The baby cries and Harlequin beats him with the slapstick. An officious Sheriff witnesses the beating and tells Harlequin to cool it. Harlequin beats him with a slapstick, and the Sheriff retreats. Harlequin feeds the crying baby to the dog as Columbine returns. They have a tug of war with the baby. The soldier approaches and beats the dog with a slapstick. Harlequin beats the soldier with the slapstick. The dog eats the baby and then humps Columbine's leg while Harlequin ROTFL. Scene iii: The King sentences Harlequin and the dog to death by hanging for their crimes and abominations. Harlequin tricks the Hangman into putting his own neck in the noose and hangs him. Harlequin then delivers a speech about the injustices of the King. Harlequin and the dog attack the King. A puff of smoke, a loud bang and the Devil appears, saying he's come to bring Harlequin to Hell for making a joke out of the Divine Right of Kings. Harlequin outwits the Devil and beats him with the slapstick. Harlequin then announces: La Commedia è finita! – "The comedy is finished!"Chainmail BattleThe circus has 30 extras dressed as soldiers. These are actually mercenaries hired by The Jester. Instead of reenacting an historical battle, The Jester plans a lethal attack on Gottam... Chaos 4 pts.* Group of 20 mercenaries will mount horses (from Act II, scene ii) and attack/defend as 2 MH. They are armed with spears. Special rules for mercenaries apply (see CM, p. 19). 0.5 pts.* Group of 10 mercenaries will attack/defend as 1 LF. They are armed with swords. Special rules for mercenaries apply (see CM, p. 19). 9 pts. Big cats, hyenas and bears attack as 4 AF defend as 4 HF. 1 pt. Clowns attack/defend as 1 LF. They are armed with knives. Their goal is to rob Gottam's pawnbroker/bank. 1 pt. Singers, jugglers and other circus personnel attack/defend as 1 LF. They are armed with clubs. 23 pts. Guillermo Barrera attacks/defends as a Hero, uses ranged weapons, specifically throwing knives. 50 pts. Bane attacks/defends as a Super Hero. He only fights hand-to-hand. 60 pts. "The Warlock" attacks/defends as a Warlock. He has 1 Wall of Fire and 2 Fireballs prepared--He used a second wall of fire and a third fireball during his act. Warlocks are usually 80 pts., but this Warlock has already exhausted 2 of his most potent spells putting on a show, so he only adds 60 pts. to the total. His goal is to burn down Wayne Manor. 20 pts. Pamela Isley ("Poison Ivy") is in attendance. She is an Enchantress. She has a 4th level "Plant Growth" spell prepared and will secretly cast it to aid Chaos. But then she will cast "invisibility" and "fly" on herself to escape safely back to her Hillside Farm. Therefore, she only adds 20 to the point value total. 20 pts. Columbine. The Jester's female sidekick. Fights as a Hero. Uses a Quarterstaff. 50 pts. "The Jester" attacks/defends as a Super Hero. His goal is to get to Weldon Spring and poison it with a potion he's carrying in a wineskin. ---------- 238.5 pts.
* Mercenaries only cost 1/2 (CM, p. 27). They're not always reliable (CM, p. 19). LawThere are 12 figures on the field representing helpless cottagers. They won't attack or defend. But Chaos may pursue them and kill them. 3 pts. 30 villagers are organized as a militia. They will be surprised for 1-2 rounds. Then they will spend 1 additional round picking up farm tools to use as weapons--Pitchforks, Bagging Hooks (large sickles), Flails and Goads (remember, Shamgar son of Anath killed six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad, Judges 3:31). All of these weapons have long reach. This militia fights as 3 LF. 23 pts. Hugh Bardulf, the High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire has come to Gottam to watch the circus. He's brought with him a platoon of soldiers. The Jester was not expecting this, but it won't deter him from his plans. Hugh Bardulf fights as a Hero. He has a bow (+3 pts.) and a sword. 8 pts. The platoon of soldiers fight as 4 HF. They're armed with swords. 21.5 pts. Bruce's cousin Kathy Kane has been spying on the Secret Six. She expected this attack. It was her that invited the Sheriff and his soldiers. She is there dressed as her alter ego, Bat Woman, hiding in the shadows until the fighting starts. She will fight as a Hero. She is armed with a light crossbow and sword. 20 pts. The town grave digger, Victor Fries, is a Bishop of the Celtic Horned God Cernunnos. He working his way up to level 6 so he can finally cast a Raise Dead spell on his beloved dead wife Nora, whose body he keeps preserved in his cottage. Having the ability to Turn Undead comes in handy when you live in a cemetery and the dead rise... Anyway, he has prepared a 4th level neutralize poison spell he could use to counteract The Jester's poison attack on Weldon Spring. He also has a 2nd level speak with animals spell that will at least get him a reaction roll with Chaos's trained animals. Mister Fries fights as a Hero -1. 90 pts. Selina Kyle is a Sorceress. She has a 5th level Animal Growth spell prepared. She will grow her house cats into lions. This will give her 1-3 figures that attack as AF and defend as HF. She has a 4th level Charm Monster spell that she can cast to switch 1-2 of Chaos's trained animal figures to join Law's side. She also has polymorph self prepared and may become a big cat to fight or a house cat to retreat. She fights as a Hero +1. 23 pts. Robin fights as a Hero. He is armed with a bow and a sword. 50 pts. Bat Man fights as a Super Hero. ---------- 238.5 pts.
Neither side has a huge point advantage, but it will take 1-3 rounds for Law to swing into action (1-2 rounds surprise plus 0-1 round to arm themselves). Chaos can certainly do an awful lot of damage and kill a lot of innocent bystanders. Moreover, Chaos has bigger plans than just a melee-- - The Jester is carrying a wineskin full of poison to Weldon Spring; he intends to poison Gottam's water supply.
- The Warlock wants to raze Wayne Manor.
- The Neapolitan Clowns want to rob the pawnbroker/bank and get out of town.
After they finish their mission, or sooner if Chaos takes heavy losses, The Jester and the Columbine will withdrawal to The Jester's Corieltauvi hill fort ruins. They'll leave the others behind to cover their retreat. The others don't know about the hill fort ruins. Also, besides Columbine, Chaos has no clue about The Jester's true identity. They simply know him as "Clown."
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Post by krusader74 on Mar 26, 2014 1:32:15 GMT -6
The village itself is well designed, using small squares so you can name places rather than label them with numbers is good. The village - everything in black - would look better hand-drawn exactly as you have it, no? Then scan it in if you need to layer or have copies of your map. The colours I would heavily tone down, those default computer colours are ugly, glaring and cartoonish. Dark greys would work better if your software doesn't offer you a palette. The symbols for the woods are good I think. Take a look at this very high quality English Village adventure from White Dwarf 34: Embertrees. www.lski.org/pictures/tabletopgaming/gw/wd%20magazine/White%20Dwarf%2034.pdfExcellent points. I'll continue working on the map. In the meantime, here are black-and-white versions I quickly whipped up. They don't address all of your suggestions, but they do get rid of the ugly computer colours. First the 1024x641 version: And next the link to a 4096x2565 version that's big enough to read the place name labels.
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Post by krusader74 on Mar 25, 2014 5:20:43 GMT -6
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.
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Post by krusader74 on Mar 23, 2014 0:02:51 GMT -6
Twice I've bound books (but not D&D books) using a Japanese side stitch. The basic idea is to punch a series of small holes down the inner margin of the book using a hammer and awl. Then use a needle and heavy thread to stitch the book through the holes. Of course you want to use a ruler and pencil first to mark precisely where you want the holes. The difficult part was the stitching--I don't sew or knit or know much about tying knots. The thought of punching holes in a valuable book was hard to stomach. But I think its a better option than simply taping it back together--tape deteriorates over time, and I think it would make things worse in the long run. Of course, you can and should use cloth tape as a last step to cover over the thread, down the outside spine and inner margins.
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Post by krusader74 on Mar 22, 2014 14:34:52 GMT -6
-Where does all the dung, dead animals, putrid meats and fish, and decaying vegetables go in your D&D cities (pg. 5)? Despite it's stink, the dung pile was a valuable resource; farmers would use it to fertilise soil and enrich their crops. Every village would have at least one. Mentioned already in another thread, our word "dungeon" traces back to the Proto-Germanic "dungijo" meaning dungheap.
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Post by krusader74 on Mar 22, 2014 14:25:04 GMT -6
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.
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Post by krusader74 on Mar 22, 2014 8:05:12 GMT -6
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Post by krusader74 on Mar 22, 2014 7:19:27 GMT -6
King Arthur's TombHere'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 tombThe 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: There is a sword in the room. An inscription on the sword blade reads: 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: 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: 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: 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.htmlwww.clas.ufl.edu/users/ardelt/empirical%20assessment%20of%20the%203d-ws.pdfOr 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: 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: 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: 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 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. RazielThe inscription above the archway reads: 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: 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: 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."
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Post by krusader74 on Mar 17, 2014 2:55:28 GMT -6
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.
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Post by krusader74 on Mar 17, 2014 2:11:08 GMT -6
On February 3, 2011, NBC aired an episode of Community entitled "Advanced Dungeons & Dragons." On Thursday, March 20, 2014, NBC will air a sequel to this show, "Advanced Advanced Dungeons & Dragons" ( Community, Season 5, Episode 10). Here's a promotional photo with actors Ken Jeong and David Cross. If you zoom-in you can see their character sheets. In the Vulture article, Dan Harmon Explains His Cultural Influences, Community creator Dan Harmon discusses D&D: Harmon does a podcast called Harmontown, with Jeff Davis and Erin McGathy. It's usually done in the back of a comic book store in L.A., with a live audience. In one podcast, Harmon was discussing D&D and asked if anyone in the audience was a DM. A guy named Spencer Crittenden spoke up. Since then, every episode of Harmontown has featured a game of D&D with Spencer as DM. Quoting Mister Tumbles: Spencer also appeared on last week's episode of Community, "VCR Maintenance and Educational Publishing."
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Post by krusader74 on Mar 11, 2014 2:57:55 GMT -6
The Death of Tomás WayneContinued 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...
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Post by krusader74 on Mar 10, 2014 3:35:16 GMT -6
Also music about fairies, unicorns, dragons, etc. Recently, I've been looking to traditional ballads from England and Scotland for inspiration. Allow me to elaborate-- Francis James Child (1825-1896), nicknamed "Stubby," was recognized as "the best writer, best speaker, best mathematician, the most accomplished person in knowledge of general literature" in his class at Harvard. In 1860 he published an 8-volume set, collecting 305 ballads from England and Scotland, known as The Child Ballads. In addition to the lyrics, these volumes also contain copious commentary. You can find these books on sacred-texts.com, project gutenberg, and google books. As an example, consider Child Ballad #35, " Allison Gross" (sometimes "Allison Cross."): SUMMARY: This ballad is a variation on the "Beauty and the Beast" story. Allison Gross, the ugliest witch in the north -- also identified as a nereid, unseely fairy, elf and hill troll -- offers the narrator splendid gifts to be her lover (=leman). He rejects her. She blows a grass green horn three times (hornblase = hornblower = witch), strikes him with a silver wand, utters some magic words, and turns him into an ugly wyrm (=dragon). He remains trapped in this monstrous form until Halloween, when the Seelie Court (=good fairies) pass by, and the Queen of the Faeries (=Rhiannon) uses her silver wand to change him back into a man. Here is an illustration of this story by Vernon Hill (1887–1972): You can find the lyrics and commentary in The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, Volume 1, Part 2. Malinky is a Scottish folk band specialising in Scots song. They cover "Allison Cross" on their album "Last Leaves" and also the Various Artists compilation album "Songs of Witchcraft and Magic": There's also a 40 second MIDI clip of the melody on Mudcat MIDIs here.
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Post by krusader74 on Mar 8, 2014 4:29:45 GMT -6
Genealogy of the Wayne FamilyIn 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.
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Post by krusader74 on Mar 7, 2014 16:41:21 GMT -6
The Jester(This is Gottam Cnihtas's equivalent of "The Joker.")Character BackgroundOn 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 MadnessIn 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. Alchemy1. 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.
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Post by krusader74 on Mar 6, 2014 0:22:01 GMT -6
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.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
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Post by krusader74 on Mar 5, 2014 1:40:21 GMT -6
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.
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Post by krusader74 on Mar 4, 2014 3:33:22 GMT -6
Campaign setting: Gottam Cnihtas ("Gotham Knights") Time: 1200 AD Place: Gotham, Nottinghamshire England "Gotham" is pronounced goat-em, stemming from "goat town." BackgroundKing 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." PlotWhat 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? PopulationAccording 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 LinksGotham village history www.gothamhistory.org.uk/history.htmlgothamvillage.org.uk/category/history/The real Gotham: The village behind the Batman storieswww.bbc.com/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-24760791So, why do we call it Gotham anyway?www.nypl.org/blog/2011/01/25/so-why-do-we-call-it-gotham-anywayRobin Hood by James C. Holt libx.bsu.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/BSUPrvstLec/id/998King Johnen.wikipedia.org/wiki/John,_King_of_EnglandLiterature LinksBatman Wikibatman.wikia.com/wiki/Batman_WikiThe merry tales of the Mad men of Gottam (1565)books.google.com/books?id=Yb8ZAAAAYAAJLanguage LinksThis 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 dictionaryarchive.org/details/anglosaxondictio00tolluoftIntroduction to Old English, 3rd ed. (Grammar)www.wmich.edu/medieval/resources/IOE/index.htmlMore Old English Links www.lexilogos.com/english/english_old.htmArmor LinksMedieval Batman Armorwww.thisiswhyimbroke.com/medieval-batman-armorwww.google.com/search?q=medieval+batman&tbm=isch&qscrl=1Joker medieval armor will make you wish Gotham had a Ren fairerobot6.comicbookresources.com/2014/01/joker-medieval-armor-will-make-you-wish-gotham-had-a-ren-faire/
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Post by krusader74 on Mar 1, 2014 3:21:59 GMT -6
Here's ten more twists: 8. The Dwarf Princess is actually a Dhampir--a half-vampire--the daughter of King Arman and the Vampire Queen. What's really going on here is a child custody dispute after a messy divorce. 9. The elderly King Arman has decided to retire and divide his realm amongst his three daughters: Goneril (eldest), Regan, and Cordelia (youngest). Unhappy about not getting larger shares, Goneril and Regan have conspired to kidnap their younger sister and sell her into slavery. They scapegoat the Vampire Queen, who has had nothing to do with Cordelia's kidnapping. Meanwhile, they have Cordelia confined in a public granary outside the capitol, Ar Toe, waiting until the slavers pass through Baylor island again in 2 weeks. If the adventurers confound Goneril's plot, she might have their eyes plucked out! This idea is a mash-up: King Lear plus Joseph Sold into Slavery (Genesis 37:18-36). 10. Climbing the mountains to get to the Palace of the Vampire Queen is fraught with numerous hazards: fog, falling rocks, avalanches, lightening strikes, cold, and icefall. The thin air poses risks of High Altitude Cerebral Edema and High Altitude Pulmonary Edema. The Sherpas guiding your ascent brush off these risks. But even they refuse to take you the last mile up the mountaintop, because they know the Palace of the Vampire Queen really exists on the Demiplane of Dread! And returning from the top is impossible for the living... 11. King Arman has actually given his daughter to a banker named Durcet as repayment for a debt. King Arman is scapegoating the Vampire Queen. Durcet is also libertine and a priest of the cult of Mammon. He is taking the Dwarf Princess to his estate, Château de Silling, to use for his sadistic enjoyment. Think The 120 Days of Sodom. Can the adventurers unravel the sick truth in time to save the princess from being deflowered by Durcet? 12. The remnants of the Ten Orc Tribes (mentioned in the story Background) have kidnapped the Dwarf Princess out of revenge for their defeat at the hands of King Arman. 13. Though able to defeat the Ten Orc Tribes, King Arman was never able to vanquish the Vampire Queen (real name: Lilitu). Instead, he has made a pact with her--every year his guards kidnap a dozen children and deliver them to her Palace (called Ki-Sikil). This innocent blood buys King Arman an armistice with Lilitu. This year, unable to find the 12th innocent, King Arman was forced to sacrifice his only daughter. Now he is having second thoughts, and has put out the call to adventurers to save her life. 14. The Dwarf Princess is actually a captive in King Arman's dungeon. King Arman is one sick, twisted little man. Without going into the gruesome details, what's really going on is highly reminiscent of the Fritzl case. King Arman is simply scapegoating the Vampire Queen. 15. The Dwarf Princess accidentally fell into an abandoned well. While chasing a stray cat (that escaped from the madman Level I, room 18), she fell through the rotted wood cover of the abandoned water well and miraculously survived a 150' fall! The well is outside the bakehouse in the inner bailey. King Arman just assumed she was kidnapped by minions of the Vampire Queen. 16. The Dwarf Princess's governess (Lucy Westenra) was a vampiric thrall, hypnotized and enslaved by the Vampire Queen. She is responsible for kidnapping the princess. As a reward for her service, the Vampire Queen turned her into a vampire. She is the female vampire now in Level V, room 29 of the Palace of the Vampire Queen. 17. The Dwarf Princess (real name: Sabine) was actually the victim of bride kidnapping. Her kidnapper, Borat, climbed the tower where she slept, stuffed her in the traditional marriage sack, and lowered her down to his getaway carriage. King Arman just assumed she was kidnapped by minions of the Vampire Queen. Borat lives in a cave at the base of the mountain upon which the Palace of the Vampire Queen is built; the vampires avoid it because it is protected by crucifixes, garlic, and a bear.
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Post by krusader74 on Feb 27, 2014 4:35:30 GMT -6
101 Complications and Reversals for the Palace of the Vampire Queen (1976) Well, I've got the first six ideas... Anyone have ideas for the last ninety-five?1. Level V, room 18 does NOT contain the Dwarf Princess. It contains a strange one-way portal. There is a note in the room left by the Dwarf Princess which says she's going to try and escape through the portal. Unfortunately, the portal sends anyone foolish enough to enter it back in time 200 years to Barovia! It turns out that the Dwarf Princess (real name: Tatyana) went through, fell in love with a noble named Sergei, but was nearly murdered by Sergei's jealous brother Count Strahd von Zarovich. Her ladies in waiting smuggled her out of Barovia back to her home island of Baylor. When Tatyana discovered she had arrived back 200 years before her own birth, she became distraught and succumbed to her injuries. However, when Count Strahd made his blood-pact with Death, he included terms that (like himself) the object of his desire (Tatyana) could not die. Therefore, Tatyana returned to life as the Vampire Queen! As the Vampire Queen, she must kidnap the young version of herself and lock her in the room with the portal, to complete the temporal loop and prevent a time paradox (the Novikov self-consistency principle holds in this world). 2. The Vampire Queen is unmasked as a normal flesh-and-blood crook trying to cover up her kidnapping crimes by using the vampire story, a costume and some cheap parlor tricks. Think Scooby-Doo. If the kidnap victim is noble, then s/he is ransomed back; otherwise, s/he is sold to slavers or used to pay the cannibals who guard the palace (e.g., the ghouls in level III, room 2; and the ogres make them into blood pudding in level V, room 13). 3. A competing team of adventurers plans to kidnap the Dwarf Princess from the Vampire Queen and hold out for the ultimate ransom: The leader wants King Arman to give him the Dwarf Princess in marriage, depose himself, cede all his lands, and grant him a royal title! 4. While it's true that there is a Vampire Queen abducting dwarf children on Baylor island, that's not what really happened here: The Dwarf Princess wasn't kidnapped. She fell in love with a commoner (a farm boy) and ran away with him. They may have already left the island together. An assault on the Palace of the Vampire Queen is a wild goose chase. There will be no sign of the Dwarf Princess there. 5. While it's true that there is a Vampire Queen abducting dwarf children on Baylor island, King Arman doesn't really have a daughter. The whole "kidnapped Princess" story was fabricated to attract gullible and greedy adventurers to clear-out the Palace of the Vampire Queen, something King Arman hasn't been able to do successfully himself. Since they will never find a Dwarf Princess, the adventurers can't possibly collect the reward. 6. If the adventurers succeed, King Arman will grant them titles to unproductive land: un-arable, stoney, no ores, no water wells, uninhabited, and totally useless. This is basically a bait-and-switch scam.
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Post by krusader74 on Feb 27, 2014 4:26:48 GMT -6
Well, the city name Byzantion goes back to the Archaic Period. When Constantine “moved Rome” to that site, he renamed it Nova Roma or Constantinopolis. It was the capital of the Roman Empire (Basileia Rhomaion, or Romania) and its citizens were Romioi. When the Turks conquered it, it became the capital of the Ottoman Empire, and the term Rûm still to this day is the name for Orthodox Christians in Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine. I recently came across an early liturgical text which the manuscript designates “Byzantine,” so I am sure the adjective existed in contemporary use as a reference to the city (during the so-called Byzantine Period, which lasted 1124 years and saw 99 emperors), but in general it is true that the terms “Byzantine Empire” or “the Byzantines” were pretty much never used as far as we know. By the way, Hellene, or Greek, was a bad word, as it meant Pagan. Sure, the Thracians built the city of "Byzantion" in 660 BC, it was conquered by the Romans around 160 AD, and renamed by Constantine in 330 AD. I think Professor Daileader's point was that this older name for the city was used only rarely from 330 AD until much later, after the Crusades. It's not a term that Crusaders would generally use. There's more detailed information on the nomenclature in this article:
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Post by krusader74 on Feb 12, 2014 19:59:06 GMT -6
I noticed that the date in the Christie's lot above is 2003. Is the a current auction for it going on too? not sure. sent email to info(at)christies(dot)com. will let you know if they respond...
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Post by krusader74 on Feb 11, 2014 23:39:04 GMT -6
This weekend, I found a great collection of lectures at my local library: How the Crusades Changed History by Philip Daileader, Ph.D. (The College of William and Mary). There are 24 half-hour lectures. So so far I've listened to the first six: 1 What Were the Crusades? 2 Before the Crusades—Deep Background 3 Before the Crusades—Immediate Circumstances 4 The First Crusade and Conquest of Jerusalem 5 The Rise of the Templars 6 Defending the Crusader States, 1099–1144 I've learned several important things already... First, I became aware of many anachronisms I've been using: 1. The terms "Crusader" and "Crusades" weren't developed until the Third Crusade. Before that, the terms "Pilgrim" and "Pilgrimage" would have been used. 2. The terms "Byzantium" and "Byzantines" were also developed by historians at a much later point. The terms in use at the time of the First Crusade would have been "Rome" and "Romans," since these people saw themselves as the natural continuation of the Roman Empire. 3. Crusaders who settled in the Holy Land were called "Franks," even when they weren't French. Second, I learned about the six different accounts of Pope Urban II's speech at the Council of Claremont in November 1095. Fulcher's account seems the most accurate: While we think of knights as chivalric, in reality they were quite brutal, fighting other knights, raping and killing peasants. The clergy tried to extend the Church's protection to the poor, defenseless peasants. This was called the "Peace of God" ( Pax Dei). Urban talked about the lack of adherence to the Pax Dei. He also talked about the problem of simony. Finally, at the end of Urban's speech, he asks for about 1,000 volunteers, both knights and peasants, to go help the "Romans" (=Byzantines) take back Anatolia from the Seljuk Turks (see the Battle of Manzikert above). Urban never said anything about Holy War (Augustine's "Just War" theory said wars were secular, not religious). Urban never said anything taking Jerusalem, only about re-taking Antioch, Edessa, etc. Robert the Monk added that Urban promised anyone who went would receive "remission of sins." This just means they wouldn't need to do earthly penance for their sins. It's likely that the clergy (not the Pope) made this up when they were trying to recruit volunteers. This idea would later get developed into the "plenary indulgence," which added that pilgrims wouldn't need to spend time in purgatory either. After the speech, the excited crowd started shouting "Deus Vult!" (God wills it!). People started cutting sacks into the shape of the cross and threw them over their backs to show their willingness to "take up the cross." They then started walking up to Urban to make the "Crusader's vow," promising to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Sepulchre, which was in the hands of the Muslims, implying they'd fight their way all the way to Jerusalem.
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Post by krusader74 on Feb 11, 2014 0:05:49 GMT -6
This blog post shows the planar map of a torus, and how to fold and glue edges to recover the torus: So the torus is not nearly as exciting as the double torus, topologically. What's interesting about it, as a planet, are things like-- 1. Gravitational variations across the surface: - For an earth-sized fat donut is: 0.3 G gravitation along the equators and 0.65 G along the poles
- For an earth-sized skinny hoop: 1.1 G gravity along the poles but just 0.75 G along the rimward equator. The hubward equator has slightly higher gravity, 0.81 G.
2. A moon can orbit in a few different ways: - wobble around the outside
- bobbing up and down through the hole
- through the hole in just one direction, making figure eights
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Post by krusader74 on Feb 10, 2014 23:55:57 GMT -6
Here is a simple jsFiddle that rolls on the Mercenary table (Chainmail, p. 19) for use with the Battle of Manzikert scenario presented above, as a convenience, since Byzantium will have to make a large number of such rolls. 2/3s of the time the result will just be "Mercenaries carry out orders normally this turn." The source code is here. And here's a screenshot: For future reference, is there any way to embed a jsFiddle into BBCode? Are HTML iframe tags supported? As a reminder, there's also a jsFiddle to do Chainmail post-melee morale over here.
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Post by krusader74 on Feb 9, 2014 2:47:16 GMT -6
Here's a preview of a (pre-)Crusader-era Chainmail scenario I'm developing: The Battle of Manzikert 1071ADBackgroundManzikert is a fortified Armenian town and important trading center north of Edessa. In 1054AD, Byzantine general Basil Apokapes repels an attempt to conquer the town by Toghrïl Beg, the founder of the Seljuk Empire. Now the year is 1071AD, and the Seljuks try again, under the leadership of Alp Arslan, second sultan of the Seljuk Empire. Initial SetupSetup the field of battle as shown in the following illustration: Each block is 10,000 troops. Break each block into 10 figures (1000:1). Initial troop strengths (Point Values, Chainmail, p. 27): - Byzantine Army: 3*10*4(=MH) + 1*10*2(=HF) = 140
- Seljuk Turks: 1*10*5(=HH) + 2*10*3(=LH Archers) = 110
Optional: Add a figure for each leader. Leaders' names are listed at the top left of each block. Romanos and Alp Arslan are Superheroes, the rest are Heroes. So initially, it looks like the Byzantine Army has a slight advantage... Complications1. At the beginning of the battle, Doukas and his rear reserve of heavy infantry will simply refuse to fight and march off the battlefield. He is trying to sabotage Romanos and become the new Emperor. 2. The rest of the Byzantine army consists of polyglot Mercenaries. There are Saxons, Franks, Turks, etc. There are lots of problems: The Greeks refuse to fight alongside the Armenians, the Franks want more money, etc. We need to use the special rules for Mercenaries from Chainmail. FOR EACH FIGURE IN THE BYZANTINE ARMY, BEFORE EACH TURN, ROLL 1d6: The result should be that the Byzantine army fractures: Some figures don't fight, some retreat, some defect! This should weaken the Byzantine Army's odds, and give the advantage to Alp Arslan. TacticsThe Seljuk Left & Right LH are much faster than the Byzantine's MH, and they're using ranged weapons. The Seljuk Left will break into two units of 5 figures each. These two units will attempt to flank the Byzantine Right (or get in front and behind them) and shower them with missile fire, while staying out of melee range. The Seljuk LH will simply disengage when challenged, the classic hit and run tactics of steppe warriors. The applicable rules for Flank and Rear attacks are in Chainmail, p. 16: The Seljuk Right will attempt the same maneuver on the Byzantine Left. Alp Arslan's HH will confront Romanos's MH head-on. Historical ResultsThe Byzantine Right was almost immediately routed. The Left held out a little longer but was also soon routed. The remnants of the Center, including Romanos, were encircled by the Seljuks. Romanos was injured and taken prisoner by the Seljuks. Alp Arslan placed his boot on the Emperor Romanos's neck and forced him to kiss the ground. A famous conversation ensued: Arslan treated Romanos well for a week while they agreed on concessions: - Byzantium pays the Sultan 1.5 million gp initially, followed by an annual sum of 360,000 gp.
- Arslan's son will marry Romanos' daughter.
- Anatolia (Antioch, Edessa, Hierapolis, and Manzikert) is surrendered to the Seljuks.
Arslan then gave Romanos many parting gifts and an escort of two emirs and one hundred Mamluks on his route to Constantinople. Meanwhile, Doukas had escaped with no casualties and quickly marched back to Constantinople. There he announced that Romanos had been killed. At Constantinople, the traitor Doukas deposes, publicly blinds and exiles Romanos on a donkey. Romanos makes his way to the island of Proti and soon dies as a result of an infection caused by an injury during his brutal blinding. SignificanceThe Battle of Manzikert is considered a root cause for the Crusades for a couple of reasons: 1. The new Byzantine Emperor calls for military assistance from the West after the loss of Anatolia. 2. The West saw Manzikert as a signal that Byzantium was no longer capable of protecting Christian pilgrims to the Holy Land.
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Post by krusader74 on Feb 8, 2014 3:55:06 GMT -6
In B2 Keep on the Borderlands, p. 9, we find this: When I played this module as a kid, we ignored the loan bank. We didn't try to rob it. We didn't borrow any money. And we started off too poor to afford anything from the pawn shop. But re-reading this recently got me thinking about Medieval finance in general and this Loan Bank in particular. Some of the questions this block of text raised for me: Deposits. No storage fee on deposits left over a month. Does the banker have the right to "lend out" stored items, the way banks lend out deposits or the way stock brokers lend their clients' stocks to short-sellers? Would seem so, otherwise he would charge a long term storage fee, right? What if the players come back in 6 months and can't get their deposit back because its loaned out? Will they start a run on the bank? Interest. "Interest rate of 10% per month": Simple or compund interest? As a reminder, for simple interest: FV = PV*(1 + r*t), where FV is future value, PV is present value, r is rate, and t is time. So for a 12-month loan, FV = PV*(1 + 0.10*12) = PV*2.2. For compund interest: FV = PV*(1 + r)^t. For a 12-month loan FV = PV*1.10^12 = PV*3.13842837672. Magic. The bank clerk is a magic user with Sleep and Ventriloquism prepared. Why doesn't he have Detect Magic and Dispell Magic prepared instead? E.g., In case someone tries to cast Charm Person to defraud him? In a fantasy setting, banks not only need to worry about mundane thieves. They also need to worry about thieves with magic and psionics. Pawn brokering. How long until the pledge becomes the property of the banker? I can try to analyze this problem from the viewpoint of the borrower. The borrower has two options: He can either repay the principal and interest and redeem the pledge; or he can default on the loan and forfeit ownership of the item. If he were a rational agent, he'd choose the option that minimizes his loss. Assume without loss of generality that PV=1 and the bank charges simple interest. The borrower must leave a pledge worth 2 units. Then at t=10 months, both options (repay or default) result in a series of cashflows that incur a loss of 1 unit, so the borrower is indifferent. For t<10 months, the borrower should repay, because his loss is always less than the loss of 1 unit he incurs if he defaults. In fact, he should repay ASAP to minimize his loss. For t>11 months, the borrower should default, since the loss he incurs by repaying is greater than the loss of 1 unit he incurs by defaulting. OTOH, the banker would like to seize the pledge right away, since he's buying it for 1 and reselling it for 2, so the fact that he offers a redemption period at all means there's very few suppliers willing to sell to him at a 50% discount. This argument applies to months 1-10, at which point we see that a rational borrower will simply walk away. Therefore, at this rate of simple interest, the pledge should become the property of the banker at 10 months after the origination of the loan. Laws and regulations. What kind of laws and regulations existed on banks like this? Here's a sampling of laws on pawn brokering from ancient Roman times to the present: - Pawnbrokers need to pay the local government a fee to secure a license before they may open for business.
- Laws establish the redemption period; e.g., 1 year + 7 days for items of small value.
- Items of small value became property of broker. But large items must be auctioned and may be redeemed until auction; auctions may only be held on the 1st monday of Jan, Apr, Jul, Oct.
- Laws establish interest rates.
- There was a reward for reporting illegal rates of intrerest.
- Illegal to take items from underage (<12 yo) or intoxicated persons.
- Illegal to take stolen goods (fencing).
- Some items may be illegal: In Roman law, wearing apparel, furniture, and instruments of tillage, could not be pledged.
- Must inscribe the word "pawnbroker" in large letters over the door.
Competition. What other sources of financing adventures and exploration might exist in a Medieval fantasy setting, other than the local pawn broker? - Work as hirelings. On p. 4 "Dividing Treasure and Computing Experience," B2 says: "Ideally, treasure should be divided equally among surviving player characters, with retainers usually receiving an equal share (minus any advance payment already given them)." We normally think of the PCs hiring henchmen. But why shouldn't the PCs work as henchmen, especially when they are just starting out at first level and lack money? They can get an advance to buy weapons and armor. And they still get an equal share of the treasure if they survive.
- Royal treasury. In England, the government financed the explorer John Cabot. In Spain, Columbus got financed by Isabella, who in turn pawned her royal jewels.
- Church:
- Monte di pietà (Mount of piety). Set up by the Franciscan monks, this charity worked like a pawn brokerage, except (1) the loans were small, (2) there was absolutely no interest on the loans in keeping with the Biblical prohibitions on usury, and (3) small donations were expected in lieu of interest. The monks raised capital in several ways: (a) renting land, (b) donations, esp. on Palm Sunday, (c) small donations from people repaying principal and redeeming pledges. Unlike pawn shops, the monks would not accept pledges of things like clothes or farming tools.
- Knights Templar. See Aher's post on this.
- The Papal Treasury (Apostolic Chamber) sometimes financed Crusades and whatnot.
- Joint‐stock companies. Other than John Cabot, most English explorers financed themselves this way. See this article.
- Illicit sources. Expect rates of 10% or 20% per week for small loans.
- Loan sharks, leg breakers, body sharks. You can probably find these guys at the Thieves Guild.
- The Cult of Mammon. Their leader is Gordon Gecko. His sermons all sound like this: "Greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right. Greed works [...]" This guy will gladly lend you whatever you want, but if you don't repay on time, he'll sacrifice you to his god (ממון="money"). Just remember, "Ye cannot serve God and mammon" (Matthew 6:24).
Historical roleplaying. If you're playing in Medieval Europe, during the Crusades say, how do you resolve the conflict between the Church and the moneylenders? In Genesis 3:19, God tells Adam he must earn his bread through the sweat of his brow. But moneylenders literally earn interest in their sleep. Throughout the Bible, we see outright condemnnation of moneylending: We even see the death penalty imposed on moneylenders: So in 325AD, the First Council of Nicaea forbade clergy from engaging in usury which was defined as lending on interest above 1 percent per month (12.7% APR), and later ecumenical councils applied this regulation to the laity. In the book Money, Morality, and Culture in Late Medieval and Early Modern Europe edited by Juliann M. Vitullo and Diane Wolfthal, we see that the early Latin and Greek Church Fathers portrayed Judas' betrayal as the more visible manifestation of a vicious attitude toward money (p. 34). We also see moneylending portrayed as sexual perversion: Despite the stigma attached to moneylending, it continued. The Church often looked the other way or viewed it as a "necessary evil." In the book, A History of Interest Rates by Sidney Homer, we see that over time, Church scholars found "loopholes" in the Biblical prohibitions on moneylending. The distinction between "usury" and "interest" is one such loophole: So when was it OK to make money on a loan and avoid eternal d**nation? - Late fees. When a loan was not repayed at the agreed time, a penalty for delay might be charged. Penalties sometimes ran to double the amount lent.
- Wages. Compensation for the banker's time and effort in making loans.
- Opportunity cost. When money could clearly have been used if not loaned. Or the loss incurred in selling property in order to raise the money to lend.
- Operating costs. Fees for pawn tickets. Fees for the storage and handling of pledges.
- Repo agreements: "A Mohatra contract is way of loaning money with interest without breaking the letter of the usury laws. The lender sells the borrower a trivial object to be paid for on the loan due date. The borrower then sells the same object back immediately for cash at the price minus the interest" (Source).
Note that risk was not considered legal grounds for accepting interest or profit on a loan. Nor was inflation, nor currency debasement by the royal treasury, nor liquidity preference. Other sources. Where else do we see moneylenders in official D&D material? One other place I know is T1 The Village of Hommlet: "THREE YELLOW BALLS": The three sphere symbol is attributed to the Medici family of Florence, Italy, owing to its symbolic meaning of Lombard. This refers to the Italian province of Lombardy, where pawn shop banking originated under the name of "Lombard banking." Final question. Have you used moneylenders in your D&D campaigns?
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