History, Mythology, Art and RPGs

[Galloglaich]

Originally Posted by Jack7

Good luck and Godspeed with your project.
I've got to hit the sack.

Hi Jack,

First of all thanks. I really appreciate somebody taking a thoughtful look at these ideas and it sounds like you and I have similar tastes in gaming. Your setting is a fascinating era / corner of the world, I often thought what a cool milieu that would be when reading of Harald Hardrada in the Varangian guard. The Rus states remind me of the Voyaguers in Canada, only more wide-open and scary. The decadant Khazar empire is like something right out of Conan.

To answer your question, I guess it depends what you mean exactly by combat but yes I have been in a few pretty hairy fights as a punk in the deep south back in the 80's. That far back before it was cool or socially acceptable, it kind of went with the territory.

The Codex is primarily oriented toward the kind of individual and small group combat you have in most RPGs though there are some rules for mass missile combat and cooperative fighting Martial Feats which have to do with group combat. Due to the nature of the Martial pool getting ganged up in is much more dangerous using the codex rules, and the emphasis is on the individual and small group, though you might be able to play with the system for larger scale fights.

We do include some emphasis on your period. A lot of the shield-fighting and missile combat feats in the Codex were taken directly from the Icelandic Sagas, and there is some kit like lamellar and klibanion armor for example, and some specifically Norse and Roman weapons (the bearded axe, hurlbat, pilum, the Gastrophetes bow).

I tried to make a system which would work with every historical period that I was familiar with, so a Varjag group should fit in, but it's a generic combat system and only 40 pages. We may do some more expansions if it does well of course, there are a lot of interesting directions to go in with the historical angle, even into Magic and Alchemy etc. (I'll be posting something about Berzerks on this thread a bit later)

If you ever do get a copy let me know what you think of it ,

G.

[Galloglaich]

Álfheimr: The historical reality of … Elves? (part I of II)
After reading through this thread you may think, “Ok Galloglaich, I see there were more interesting personalities, adventures, weapons and martial-arts in the Middle Ages than I had really expected. But DnD is a fantasy game, and the world of humans is only a small part of its universe. What use is all this historical grounding when it comes to something a bit more fantastic like say, Elves?

Well, old Galloglaich likes a good challenge, and while this is a tough one, I have learned through experience that history is full of surprises and seldom lets me down when I'm willing to really plunge into it. Sure, Elves are mythological beings, but like anything else around today, they had to come from somewhere. To follow this white rabbit down the hole just open your history books (and Wikipedia) to find the original legends which are almost always more interesting than the modern derivations. And who knows, you may find something really surprising, I almost always do.

As a starting point for Elves I figured I’d begin with Tolkein. I don’t think anybody ever did Elves as well as Tolkein did. Sure an infinity of novels, comics, manga and computer games have been written now featuring Elf characters, we have Drizzt Do'urden and a few other pretty well defined Elves in the world of fantasy literature now. But to me none of them live up to the sheer “Elfiness” of Tolkeins Noldor, Sindar etc.

Tolkeins Elves
Tolkein had many influences, and many major academic papers have been written on them all, but primarily his inspiration for the Elves came from Finnish, Celtic, Welsh, and Norse mythology and folklore (not the same thing). But the closest relative of Tolkeins Elves are, in my opinion, the Norse Ljósálfar "light elves" who were consistently portrayed as human sized and human-like only fairer and wiser, with a knack for making things like rings and swords and friendly with the Gods (particularly the Vanir Frey and Freya) almost identical to Tolkeins Elves in fact.

And here is where it gets interesting. Because the infamous Vikings were an Iron Age society which had remained essentially frozen in time on the northern fringes of Europe during the centuries that Christianity and the Feudal system were replacing the old type of society on the continent, we got a snap-shot of their ancient culture in the middle of it's transformation to "civilized" cultural norms, thanks to chroniclers and record keepers of the time. It also meant the archeological record was relatively more intact (since it was a thousand years younger), as a result we know far more about the Norse than we did about their earlier very similar barbaric cousins like the Celts, the Ligurians, the Scythians etc.

More to the point, within this snapshot we can see the evolution from history to mythology and back again, and right at this juncture is where we can find our Elves.

Álfheimr was a real place
There's the first shocking fact. Strange yes, but apparently true. The early Viking Sagas describe the actual location of Alfheim as a specific place in Scandinavia, which later evolved into another world on another plane

The land governed by King Alf was called Alfheim, and all his offspring are related to the elves. They were fairer than any other people...
-The Saga of Thorstein, Viking's Son


From the wiki:

The Ynglinga saga, when relating the events of the reign of King Gudröd (Guðröðr) the Hunter relates:

Álfheim, at that time, was the name of the land between the Raumelfr ['Raum river', lower parts of the modern Glomma river] and the Gautelfr ['Gaut river', the modern Göta älv].

The words "at that time" indicates the name for the region was archaic or obsolete by the 13th century. The element elfr is a common word for 'river' and appears in other river names. It is cognate with Middle Low German elve 'river' and the name of the river Elbe. The Raum Elf marked the border of the region of Raumaríki and the Gaut Elf marked the border of Gautland (modern Götaland). It corresponds closely to the historical Swedish province of Bohuslän.
The name Álfheim here may have nothing to do with Álfar 'Elves', but may derive from a word meaning 'gravel layer'.
However the The Saga of Thorstein, Viking's Son claims that the two rivers and the country was named from King Álf the Old (Álfr hinn gamli) who once ruled there, and that his descendants were all related to the Elves and were more handsome than any other people except for the giants, a unique and possibly corrupt reference to giants being especially good looking. The Sögubrot af Nokkrum also mentions the special good looks of the kindred of King Álf the Old.

and

Álfheimr or Alfheim (Elf-home) is the abode of the Álfar "Elves" in Norse mythology and appears also in northern English ballads under the forms Elfhame and Elphame, sometimes modernized as Elfland or Elfenland. It is also an ancient name for an area corresponding to the modern Swedish province of Bohuslän.

(and also apparently the neighboring Norweigen province of Østfold) Østfold - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

So yes, it was a real place. But does that necessarily mean it was mundane or boring? Perhaps not. This is in fact a quite interesting part of the world. Bohuslän and Østfold are literally the heartland of the Vikings. They are part of a special region of islands and bays called the Viken right near the choke-point where Norway, Denmark and Sweden intersect, the name of which is the actual source of the word "Viking". This is one of the oldest continuously inhabited regions of Europe, possibly as far as 8,000 years, and was one of the key centers of the pre-Viking Vendel culture and the earlier bronze age Norse culture. It is an area known for many extremely ancient stone circles, like this one in Bohuslän




And this one in Ostfold



..and even older petroglyphs



…which were considered important enough to be made into a Unesco World Heritage site. Bohuslän is today partly deforested, a center of granite carving and fishing, the extensive ancient Oak forests were cut down apparently in the 19th century to supply the fishing industry (Sauruman and his Orcs were inspired by industrialization which Tolkein despised) but firs and pine trees have been replanted. Meanwhile Østfold still seems largely pristine.




Next: Gandalf was a real person
So what was he like?plus much more about the living tradition of Elves in Scandinavia

[Jack7]

This was very enjoyable.
I'll be following this with interest.

[Galloglaich]

So yes, Gandalf was a real person
Actually there were several Gandalfs, but one in particular who is relevant to our Elves.
�lfheimr - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I wonder if it is a coincidence Tolkein named his hero after this guy from where the Elves historically lived? I almost felt like I was walking in his footsteps while researching this article

From the wiki:

The Ynglinga saga, Saga of Halfdan the Black, and Saga of Harald Fairhair, all included in the Heimskringla, tell of kings of Álfheim at the end of the legendary period:

• Álf: His daughter Álfhild (Álfhildr) married King Gudröd the Hunter of Raumaríki and Westfold who brought with her half of the territory of Vingulmork as her dowry. She bore to Gudröd a son named Óláf (Óláfr) who was afterwards named Geirstada-Álf (Geirstaða-Álfr) and was the elder half-brother of Halfdan the Black.

• Álfgeir: He was son of Álf. He regained Vingulmork and placed his son Gandálf (Gandálfr) over it as king.

• Gandálf: He was son of Álfgeir. Since this Gandálf was an older contemporary of Harald Fairhair and since the historical Viking leaders identified as sons of Ragnar Lodbrok in some traditions were also contemparies of Harald Fairhair, it is not impossible that Álfhild, the supposed mother of Ragnar Lodbrok, was the daughter of this Gandálf as the Hversu Noregr byggdist states. What is told in the Heimskringla is that after many indecisive battles between Gandálf and Halfdan the Black, Vingulmork was divided between them, Halfdan regaining the portion which had been the dowry of his grandfather's first wife Álfhild. Two sons of Gandálf named Hýsing (Hýsingr) and Helsing (Helsingr) later led a force against Halfdan but fell in battle and a third son named Haki fled into Álfheim. When Halfdan's son Harald Fairhair succeeded his father, Gandálf and his son Haki were both part of an alliance of kings who attacked Harald. Haki was slain but Gandálf escaped. There was further war between Gandálf and Harald. At last Gandálf fell in battle and Harald seized all of Gandálf's land up to the Raum Elf river, at that time not taking Álfheim itself.

See also
Gandalf Alfgeirsson - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

So How's that for a shocker?

So was Gandalf a big sweaty flea-infested Viking ?
This news could be a bit of a downer. After all, we have come to think of Gandalf as the loveable character from Tolkein, and now from the famous films. It seems a bit jarring to think of him as some … some … Viking!



[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCxUBOsbl7c"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVUf2-ZG-l4[/ame]

Actually, the modern conception of a Viking comes primarily from a combination of Victorian fantasy, 19th Century German nationalism and WW II era Nazi propaganda.

The image is so distorted I think in some ways were Tolkeins Elves more like the real Vikings than our modern image. For example, they seem to share the Elf aesthetic in certain respects.

The Norse / Elf Aesthetic

Consider the famous Urnes Stave Church, a Unesco World Heritage site.


Urnes stave church - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Or this elegant helmet from the Vedndel period, during the time of Alf the Old

(Modern Reproduction of Vendel helm

Or these other small Vendel Artefacts



Viking Rune Stone

Or these little Viking-era artefacts



The broaches and the face on the left are historical antiques in original condition.

The Elf: So Fresh, So clean
Viking - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
One thing we know about Elves, they don’t walk around dirty and sloppy all the time like hippies. So what about our historical Gandalf, was he sweaty and flea infested? Actually, he probably didn’t have fleas. Like the Celts and many other European "Barbarians", (and unlike the monks who wrote about them) Vikings were known to be actually quite hygienic. Combs, ear-spoons, razors and similar articles of toiletry are common finds in Viking-era grave sites. In fact the cleanliness of the pagan Vikings was a source of irritation to civilized Christians, according to at least one source:

“…the Danes, thanks to their habit of combing their hair every day, of bathing every Saturday and regularly changing their clothes, are able to undermine the virtue of married women and even seduce the daughters of nobles to be their mistresses.“
-English cleric John of Wallingford, prior of St. Fridswides, 1002 AD


The Norse of this era generally washed their faces and hands every day and bathed as often as possible, normally every few days, at least once a week. Nearly every Norse village or farmstead no matter how small had its bath-house and / or sauna. They combed and washed their hair and beards regularly and washed both their bodies and their garments with lye soap, a habit they apparently inherited from the Celts who seem to have invented it. All this attention to personal hygiene led them to suffer somewhat less from two of the common nuisances of the day: lice and fleas, and all extra disease risk that went with them. (A good reason to stay fresh and clean)

Norse / Elf culture ?
Similarly, while today our biker-like Vikings are often (rather strangely) exclusively associated with an authoritarian image of Odin as All-Father, in reality the Elves in particular were closely associated with Frey, one of the Vanir…


Common modern depiction of Frey, with the Boar-cult he and his sister were often associated with


Famous artifact depicting Frey in his characteristic perpetual state of manhood.

…which was apparently an earlier cult than the more famous Aesir. In the Poetic Edda of Snorri Sturlson the Aesir and the Vanir fight a war, which ends in a truce involving the exchange of hostages (some of whom were killed by the Vanir when they believe they were betrayed) This apparently reflected an uneasy truce between the two tribal sects and corresponding political factions, which has been largely forgotten in our modern simplification of the cartoon Viking. For example a lot of people today forgot that the Vanir Goddess Freyja, who was extremely popular and remained so long after official conversion to Christianity, was able to claim fully half of the warriors who died in battle- Half of Norse warriors who died in battle went to Odin’s hall Valhalla which we know so well, but few people today know that the other half went to Sessrúmnir, Freyja’s party palace (known to be a favorite hang out of Elves, according to the Sagas).


Odin: the creepy, devious, overbearing and perpetually angry All-Father. Into betrayal, hangings and gibbets, friends with two corpse-eating crows.


Freyja, literally a sex goddess, into lust, magic, dancing, poetry, and drinking mead, hangs around with valkyries and elves. I know where I'd rather go to spend eternity.

By contrast, we know from the Sagas that Odin in particular was actually not a popular God during the pagan Viking times except with would-be Kings and Berzerkers. There are few if any shrines to him and very few artifacts associated with his worship remain (unlike the hundreds of Thors hammer pendants which were found in profusion all over Scandinavia) He seems to have risen to higher prominence as an underground anti-hero ironically after conversion to Christianity.

Vikings were also far more chaotic and elf-like in their politics as well. Political power in Viking Scandinavia was in what was called a http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thing_(assembly) Thing, a combination county faire, legislature, high court, tribal assembly and general election. Gradually toward the end of the Viking age the Thing was overshadowed by new Monarchies, though in Iceland, where they tried to preserve the old-school traditions a bit longer, this became the foundation of one of Europes oldest ever Republics, the All-Thing, founded in 930 AD.

And unlike in Rome or Greece, women were allowed to attend !

Originally Posted by Sidebar

:
One famous anecdote captures the Norse attitude toward authority quite well. During negotiations before the treaty of St Claire Sur Epte in 911 AD, in which Rolf the Ganger (Rolf the Walker, so named because he was too big to ride a horse) and his Vikingeleg (Viking band) were granted the City of Rouen and part of the district of Nuestria, which later became the powerful Duchy of Normandy.

Legend has it that when this treaty was nearly completed, Rollo was informed of the standard practice of the requirement of kissing the kings foot. At first refusing in disbelief, after being explained that the act was considered a vital gesture which could not be foregone, he finally ordered a henchman to perform the act. The henchman approached the King, but rather than stoop to kiss the royal foot, grabbed the Charles by his ankle and raised it so high that he fell off his throne.

Originally Posted by Sidebar

Bohuslän like other parts of Scandinavia, was broken up into small political units called 's hundreds, which originally derived from the older concept of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hundred_(country_subdivision)#Other_terms ] wapentake, where all able bodied fighting members of the tribe gathered to vote (and you couldn’t vote if you didn’t show up armed). This tradition was widespread in ancient Europe continued in certain areas such as some parts of Switzerland (including the Canton of Appenzell) to this very day. The Hundreds of Bohuslän were:

• Bullaren Hundred
• Inland Fräkne Hundred
• Inland Northern Hundred
• Inland Southern Hundred
• Inland Torpe Hundred
• Kville Hundred
• Lane Hundred
• Orust Eastern Hundred
• Orust Western Hundred

• Sotenäs Hundred
• Stångenäs Hundred
• Sörbygden Hundred
• Tanum Hundred
• Tjörn Hundred
• Tunge Hundred
• Vette Hundred
• Hisingen

So our Gandalf may not have been quite the sweaty authoritarian biker we envision.

Norse Elves: Not as chaste as Tolkeins
Tolkein was an extremely devout Catholic and his chaste and calm elves were somewhat Angelic in character. Not so the Scandinavian Alfar, who while they did have a bit more dignity than the average human Viking, were decidedly pagan and generally a much more raw and lusty type of Elf than Tolkeins Noldorin. The Sagas are full of stories of the Alfar carousing, sleeping around, drinking to excess and getting in fights. Crossing an Elf, as with any fairies whether they be in Ireland, Germany, Russia or Finland, was a dangerous habit because these people would hold a grudge and were very resourceful. Please one on the other hand, whether with a nice roll in the hay, a clever poem, a some beer and a nice meal or a valuable gift, and they will often return the favor in a very “old school” way.

The latter tradition lives on to this day in Scandinavia as the Álfablót (Elf-Sacrifice): Ã�lfablót - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Skålgropar, a particular kind of petroglyph found in Scandinavia, were known in older times as älvkvarnar (elven mills), pointing to their believed usage to provide little treats for the Elves, who would presumably return the favor. This tradition was documented to have continued in Scandinavia until at least the 19th Century. (A recent survey in Iceland revealed 80% of the population believed in Elves)

The locals don’t like to talk about it much, but here are some photos of älvkvarnaI was able to find after a long search (and some help from some Swedish HEMA fighters I know):







To this day in Scandinavia, according to local folklore Dryad like creatures such as the Huldra, remain to haunt the woods, (a Huldra being a sexually voracious she-troll said to be both beautiful and elegantly dressed, other than having a foxes tail, to which it is wisest not to bring uncouth attention lest you annoy them. If you are polite and friendly on the other hand, you may find them friendly too…)


Modern conception of a Huldra, from the wiki

The real Gandalf: probably not a wizard.
Speaking of Magic, our historical Gandalf was very likely not a Wizard. That isn’t to say he definitely wasn’t.

The reason why it’s unlikely is that Magic in Viking Age Scandinavia on-back was almost exclusively the purview of women. Norse magic is called Seidth or Seidr or Seid, and could as a general rule only be practiced by women. It may have involved female sexual practices. This did not apparently stop Odin from learning it, something Loki mocked him for during a famous confrontation recorded in the Poetic Edda.

Seid - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

There are numerous female Wizards depicted in the Icelandic sagas, far too many to mention here, but it's worth noting that Scandinavian sorceresses were not just a thing of mythology. Arguably the single most famous Viking archeological site, and without a doubt the finest Viking ship ever unearthed, was the famous Oseburg ship burial.




Detail of dragon head prow from Oseburg ship

Oseberg ship - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This was a burial of two woman, apparently a high-status sorceress and her servant or companion. The Lady was buried with a wand, and marijuana seeds. Norse sorceresses were known by the somewhat evocative name of a Völva.
Völva - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia





Another famous burial of a Volva included an iron wand and an expensive pendant depicting Freyja and her famous necklace, the Brísingamen (which was made by dwarves Freyja had to sleep with to get them to build it)

It is just possible Gandalf was a Wizard though. There were a few rather manly semi-historical characters who practiced magic, including the infamous Egil Skallagrimson, one of Icelands national heroes and a man who makes several lists of the deadliest people in history. Egils saga records Egil casting several spells, including a curse aimed directly at his principle rival Erik Bloodaxe, King of Norway, and his wife Gunnhild, who was herself a famous witch.

The Norse / Elf Weapon: alternative to Elf-Ninjas?
Finally, our modern fantasy interpretation of Tolkeins Elves, including the films which I liked a great deal, seem to have invented a curious kind of samurai type weaponry for the Elves, I suspect probably since the perception of European (let alone Viking) weapons being too crude and clumsy for such graceful people.

Needless to say, as the author of the Codex Martialis, an avid historical martial artist and owner of a few high quality historically accurate sword replicas myself, this is a pet peeve of mine. Because of course the reality was far different. The Vikings and their Vendel era predecessors had some absolutely first rate swords, at least as sophisticated and effective, not to mention beautiful, as anything in the world at that time (including in Asia)

Vendel sword

(original)

Since the original is 1300 years old, some Modern reproductions can help us grasp what it looked like “back in the day”

fancy enough for an Elf?



A couple more Viking swords (replicas) from Patrick Barta of Templ, who does some of the most historically precise reproductions from this period available anywhere in the world (well worth it if you have a lot of money and the patience for a fairly long waiting list)




A truly elfin blade, in my opinion.

12th Century Sword, axe and Spear found in Finland (An original: Keep in mind it’s 800 years old which causes a bit of rust)





10th Century sword from a womans Grave, also from Finland


..here is a modern replica of it by Rob Miller of Castle Keep:

Castle Keep, Isle of Skye - Fine Handcrafted Blades





“The central part of their blades, cunningly hollowed out, appears to be grained with tiny snakes, and here such varied shadows play that you would believe the shining metal to be interwoven with many colours.”

-5th century Roman Diplomat and author Cassiodorus, describing pattern welded sword made by the Teutonic Warni tribe.

As you may have noticed from the photos, many weapons from this era were made with a very sophisticated pattern welding technique (often mistaken for "Damascus Steel") which was a way to combine high and low carbon steel to make swords of superlative quality. The Norse called this the “Serpent in the Steel” or the "Dragon in the Steel", and normally you couldn’t see the pattern unless the sword was etched with a mild acid (which was sometimes done with tanic acid, vinegar or urine) but could always be detected when you thrust it into the snow and then blew across the blade to warm it with your breath... the “serpent” pattern would appear for a moment then fade away.

Now if this isn’t sufficiently Magical for Elves in your campaign then you probably prefer WoW to DnD

http://www.templ.net/pics-weapons/11...mask_blade.jpg
Detail (URL only)

TEMPL: Making of weapons - blades
Pattern Welded Swords

[ArmoredSaint]

The account you present of the norse as cleanly people is strikingly at odds with the impression of Ibn Fadlan, who notes that, while they comb their hair and are concerned with their appearance, they are otherwise quite unclean in their habits:

They cannot, of course, avoid washing their faces and their heads each day, which they do with the filthiest and most polluted water imaginable. I shall explain. Every day the slave-girl arrives in the morning with a large basin containing water, which she hands to her owner. He washes his hands and his face and his hair in the water, then he dips his comb in the water and brushes his hair, blows his nose and spits in the basin. There is no filthy impurity which he will not do in this water. When he no longer requires it, the slave-girl takes the basin to the man beside him and he goes through the same routine as his friend. She continues to carry it from one man to the next until she has gone round everyone in the house, with each of them blowing his nose and spitting, washing his face and hair in the basin.

[Galloglaich]

Originally Posted by ArmoredSaint

The account you present of the norse as cleanly people is strikingly at odds with the impression of Ibn Fadlan, who notes that, while they comb their hair and are concerned with their appearance, they are otherwise quite unclean in their habits:

All I can say, everything I wrote in the article above is sourced. The comment by John of Wallingford for example complaining about Vikings bathing every week and changing their clothes every day was recorded in his Chronica Joannis Wallingford which is in turn reprinted in this book:

[ame]http://www.amazon.com/Church-Historians-England-Chronicles-Chronicle/dp/1432696521/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1231049314&sr=8-2[/ame]

which is also scanned online here:

http://books.google.com/books?id=aiA...brr=1#PPA24,M1


As for Fadlan, as the Wiki notes,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viking#Uncleanliness

Ibn Fadlans principle objection was that they weren't using running water to clean with, which is a strict rule in Islam, and that they were using gold vessels which are considered unclean by Islamic law. If Fadlan saw you drinking out of a gold cup or taking a bath in a bathtub you would also be considered unclean for the same reasons. (especially if you were washing down a meal of shrimp and a ham sandwich)

Allso keep in mind Fadlan was observing a campsite on the side of a river, not a permanent dwelling. A camp is a camp, and like modern people, (unlike 9th Centrury Arabs), I suspect hygiene rules for pagan Norsemen would be basic guidelines rather than strict religious taboos. As for blowing their noses in the water, I kind of doubt it but I wasn't there ...

By contrast, another Arab writer Ibn Rustah, who visited the town Novgorod, specifically reported that they were very clean, as did all the other Arab and Persian chroniclers who traveled to Scandinavia in this period.

Ahmad ibn Rustah - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Of course I'm not an anthropologist or an historian, I'm basically just sharing what I've read (not just in Wikipedia, I've got 7 books on the Vikings and a box full of magazine articles). But it was a very long time ago so our concept of what went on then will never be precisely the reality, there is definitely room for different opinions as to what these folks were really like.

G.

[DarenCommons]

Once again, these articles are really amazing. You should write a book, or at least publish this as its own website. Thank you for your work.

[Galloglaich]

Originally Posted by DarenCommons

Once again, these articles are really amazing. You should write a book, or at least publish this as its own website. Thank you for your work.

I did write a book, called Codex Martialis, available now as a PDF at DrivethroughRpG for $8

Seriously though some of this stuff will probably end up in an academic article at some point, I'm still compiling research for an essay on a somewhat overlapping subject. This RPG stuff is a bit of a tangent I find a lot of fun, kind of a guilty pleasure for me.

But I sincerely hope it inspires gamers and enhances peoples gaming experience. I think history (and real folklore) has so much to add to the world of RPG's it's not even funny. I think Gary Gygax and a lot of people involved in gaming in the early days knew that, but somewhere along the line we forgot. The resources we have now to find information on the internet are staggering, exponentially more than anyone had in the 70's. We could really do a lot more with it.

Anyway, thanks a lot for the compliment, I'm really glad you enjoyed the 'blog', it was a lot of work putting it together.

G.

[Durn]

Originally Posted by Galloglaich

I think Gary Gygax and a lot of people involved in gaming in the early days knew that, but somewhere along the line we forgot. The resources we have now to find information on the internet are staggering, exponentially more than anyone had in the 70's. We could really do a lot more with it.
G.

I quite agree with this sentiment.

[Yair]

Excellent thread. Thanks for sharing and putting togeher all these great posts.

[Galloglaich]

Mondays Mercenaries

Every Monday I'm going to try to do a small post on this thread with some cool historical mercenaries which you can use as inspiration for fighter types (or bad guys or NPCs or whatever) for your campaign.

Todays Monday Mercenary is the

Gallowglass Warrior

Our best idea of what they looked like comes from this early 16th Century print by Albrecht Durer


Starting from the left, the first three guys are Gallowglass, the last two are Kern (light infantry / squires) wearing specific type of haricuts which were eventually outlawed by the British.

Gallowglass were from a mixture of Scottish / Norse stock, the descendents of Viking invaders and Gaelic locals in the Western Scottish Islands like the Hebrides. Starting in the 13th Century they used to hire themselves out every summer, mostly to native Irish Lords (and at least once famously, to Scottish King Robert the Bruce) to fight in various campaigns, only to return to their islands in the fall (if they survived) to harvest their fields.

They were extremely effective fighters who contributed to the gradual erosion of British power in Ireland until Elizabethan times, and known for never surrendering. As one British Knight Sir Anthony St Leger described it put it in 1540:

"These sort of men be those that do not lightly abandon the field, but bide the brunt to the death."

There are good articles on the Gallowglass here

http://home.earthlink.net/~rggsibiba/html/galloglas/gallohist.html

and here

Galloglaich - History and Equipment

and a shorter summary here

BBC - Northern Ireland - A Short History

The Gallowglass were specifically associated with two types of weapon, an open ring-hilted variant of the Claymore, which has been reproduced by at least three replica makers incluing most recently by the high-end Albion Armorers



http://www.albion-swords.com/swords/...ass-photos.htm

One is now made by Gen 2



And Windlass / MRL made a nice looking one which I think they may have discontinued



You can read a bunch more about these type of swords here (includes rare photos of original antiques the above replicas were based on):

myArmoury.com - Open Ring Irish Swords


And they also liked to carry a large two-handed axe called a Sparth Axe which seemed to be something like a Bardiche, and was apparently descended from the Huskarl type two-handed axe of the original Norse settlers.


Allegedly this was the same type of weapon very famously used by an unarmored Robert the Bruce to split the head of (fully armored) English knight Henry De Bohun with one blow at the battle of Bannockburn in 1314, the same incident depicted erroneously in "Braveheart"


They also interestingly wore Mail armor (i.e. "Chainmail"), through the time when pretty much everywhere else in Europe soldiers had moved on to Plate armor, and they continued to do so into the Gunpowder age where most infantry in particular had increasingly abandoned armor. It seemed to prove valuable for the Galloglass in close combat (Typically, 15th - 16th century battles in Ireland would be fought with a volley or two of gunfire followed by a charge and close-combat). It's quite likely that some of the mail shirts they were using were passed down from their original Viking ancestors.

Gallowglass were tough heavy infantry, elite soldiers of fortune many of whom traveled the world as they also fought as mercenaries on the continent in all kinds of places, as well as eventually (after Cromwells conquest of Ireland) for the Spanish Crown in as exotic regions as China the Philipines ... where there was even a possibility of encounters between these guys and Japanese Ronin (Samurai) who worked as mercenaries for local Waco pirates... but thats a subject for another Monday...

Hopefully this may inspire someone to make an interesting character or NPC in their campaign. And most importantly, now you know where I get my name

G.

[Galloglaich]

Related to the earlier comment on cleanliness, this is a very good article on bathing before the 17th Century, which will probably surprise a lot of people.

Bathing: A history

[Galloglaich]

Ran across a really cool anecdote today about Skanderbeg, one of the guys from the O.P. "Dilbert in the Dungeon" list:

Skanderbeg aka Gjergj Kastrioti, 1405-1468 (63 years old) CG
Albanian nobleman, Ottoman war leader, Albanian rebel, guerilla leader, warrior (national hero of Albania)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skanderbeg




Reprinted from this website:

Saber combat; Turkey, 1436 « FencingClassics’s Blog

Originally Posted by fencing classics blog

This page from an unidentified German chronicle details the main events at the Ottoman court right before 1439. This passage introduces “Georgius Castriotus, whom the Turks call Skanderbeg” and a “wonderous fight at the Court of the Grand Turk Amurathis”, which occurred when Skanderbeg was 21. Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg was born May 6, 1405, which would place this event squarely in 1436.
“A man from Tartary came to Adrianopolis, who advertised himself as the greatest of all fencers and challenged the entire Ottoman court, if there were someone who would fight him for life and body. This was the manner of fight: Each was to appear naked, with only the modesty covered, and try his luck with just the drawn sword, without shield or targe. When the Turks heard this foolish creature, nobody felt like taking him up on it, and there was much laughing that this braggart was to make off with the prize uncontested. To counter this, Amurathis brought forth royal rewards, to see if he couldn’t move someone to venture a round with the Tartar.
“But this cruel type of fighting with naked body surpassed the preciousness of the reward. As this stranger was about to reach for the treasure, Georgius Castriotus stepped forth and called, ‘Halt, Tartar! You shall not have these jewels without blood. You will have to kill me for them first. Know that you have found the man you have been looking for.’
“And thus they were both brought before Amuranthis, and the place of combat was determined. When they had removed all their clothes, even the shirts, two sabers of equal length and weight were handed to them.
“The Tartar struck first at his opponent. Skanderbeg struck his attack aside with his left hand, with his right he cut his throat and neck half through, so that the Tartar fell dead to the floor. Then he severed the neck entirely and took the head and carried it, naked and splattered with the blood of his enemy, to King Amuranthis. The royal reward was his, and Amuranthis praised his fortitude and that he had preserved the honor of the court.”

Rather like a real-life Conan, Skanderbeg who as a child had been a hostage of the Turks, went on from this desperate gladiator style pit-fighting display to become a prominent General in the Ottoman army, then a rebel and very successful anti-Ottoman guerilla leader in Europe, and ultimately the liberator and national hero of Albania.

G.

[Gentlegamer]

Is there a Thread of the Year award?

This thread gets my nomination for 2008.

[El Mahdi]

Originally Posted by Gentlegamer

Is there a Thread of the Year award?

This thread gets my nomination for 2008.

Here, Here! I'll second this!

Awesome thread.



P.S.: I picked up your Codex Martialis from RPGNow. I'm only part way into it, but so far what I've read is some really good stuff (I've already started using a version of your Martial Pool concept). Great thread and great book. Nice job.

[Raven Crowking]

Originally Posted by Gentlegamer

Is there a Thread of the Year award?

This thread gets my nomination for 2008.

Thirded.

[The Shaman]

To those who consider historical gaming "boring," I offer this thread as Exhibit No. 1 in rebuttal.

[Jack7]

This thread gets my nomination for 2008.

I agree.
It's an impressive piece of work.

[Galloglaich]

Back before DnD got kind of homogenized and Politically Correct and changed the Class name, the people in your party who were good at picking locks and stabbing enemies in the back weren't just generic specialist “DPS” strikers, they were called Thieves.


Not just eccentric acrobats...

Thieves like Conan was a thief, like Cugel the Clever was a thief. Like Fafhred and the Grey Mouser were thieves. Not just some alternative lifestyle “rogue” who has a pierced nose and can do cartwheels... but a genuinely shady character who stole things for a living that you had to keep your eye on. The Thief was one of the most versatile and interesting archetypes in fantasy literature.


The old DnD thief class was largely based on the criminal underworld of Elizabethan London. If you want to find out more about that, here is a good academic starting place:

The Canting Crew: London's Criminal Underworld, 1550-1700 (Crime, law, & deviance series)
[ame]http://www.amazon.com/Canting-Crew-Criminal-Underworld-1550-1700/dp/0813510228/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1231361403&sr=8-2[/ame]

Gary Gygax obviously had done a lot of historical research on the Thief and had even included their secret language or argot into the game: the Thieves Cant. The OE DnD actually had a pretty well developed Thief class, even if the rules were a little broken, and it’s a shame so much of that was stripped out. In fact I suspect I wasn’t the only person who felt that way because no other person than Gary Gygax himself wrote a somewhat flawed (especially the awful artwork) but still highly useful D20 Supplement on this very subject also called

The Canting Crew :
[ame]http://www.amazon.com/Canting-Crew-Counter-Pack/dp/1931275084/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1231453939&sr=8-1[/ame]
..apparently inspired by the academic book of (nearly) the same name.

It’s worth getting if you can find it, among other things it includes an entire dictionary of the Thieves Cant and several pages of cool little hobo marks, secret symbols which criminals, gypsies and hobos used historically to tell each other about places they were traveling to, where there were cops, where there easy marks, dangerous animals, free food, etc. etc. great flavor for your game. Plus some cool spells and an entire urban criminal hierarchy if you want to use that.

Another real world Medieval criminal organization was the Garduna, a Spanish criminal guild which did a lot of dirty work for the Church in the 15th -16th Century, in fact they became kind of a murder incorporated for the Inquisition. They make a great archetype for an Assassins Guild for any RPG game.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garduna

The Garduna

The Spanish Garduna is also supposed to be the direct ancestor of the modern Neoplolitan Comorra (i.e. mafia) and came via the Spanish occupation, the Sicilian Mafia may go even further back, and has at least legendary origins in a resistance movement starting in the "Sicilian Vespers" incident in 1282 against a French King but may have also had some ties to Spain a well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camorra#Background
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sicilian_Vespers

Pirates
In addition to Thieves Guilds and Assassins Guilds, Medieval Europe also had Pirates, and not just down on the Barbary Coast.
One of the more colorful examples were the so called 'Victual Brothers', a semi-criminal Pirates "guild" who operated in the North Sea were they were the arch-nemesis of the Hanseatic League for a good while, depending on who you read they were like Robin Hood or like Attilla the Hun

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victual_Brothers
They were replaced by another outfit called the Likedeelers, their name again evocative of a robin hood image they were trying to establish. One persons pirate is another persons freedom fighter and visa versa, from what I've read about the Victual brothers they could have been seen as either depending on who was doing the talking.

The successors of the Victual Brothers gave themselves the name Likedeelers, which means to share in equal parts, which they even did with the poor population along the coast. They expanded their field of activities into the North Sea and along the Atlantic coastline, raiding Brabant, France and as striking as far south as Spain.

This is common behavior of some (but by no means all) pirates bandits through the ages to ingratiate themselves with the local population so they can have a support base, (the same thing is going on in Somalia today in fact). Which does put them in that gray area to some degree especially when the people they are robbing aren't always the most pristine saintly types themselves.
Their most famous leader was a remarkable fellow named Klaus Stortebeker, who though a genuine historical character could easily have walked right out of Warhammer FRPG. His name meant he can drink a four pint glass of beer in one gulp.


Apparently this is what a real pirate looks like (storebekers face reconstructed from his skull)

Klaus Störtebeker - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A statue of Stortebecker in Hamburg:


Though many of the Victual Brothers were captured and Stortebekker was killed, this by no means put an end to the piracy in the North Sea. In the 15th Century their black banner was carried on by a truly remarkable Frisian Bandit named Grotte Peter or Grotte Pier (Great Peter or Long Peter) who is one of the guys from the OP “Dilbert in the Dungeon” list.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pier_Gerlofs_Donia


This guy made Jack Sparrow look like tweety bird, and rated a more impressive statue than Stortebeker. Among other things he sunk 28 ships and organized a peasant army to fight off the Holy Roman Empire for ten years.


So if you wanted a more realistic basis for your Thief or were ever wondering how a pirate could fit into a typical DnD Medieval fantasy world, now you have a few ideas you can work with…

G.

[El Mahdi]

The Victual Brothers/Likedeelers were only successful because they didn't have to contend with Ninjas.


Also, is that a can of beer on the ground in front of Stortebeker's statue? Now that's a fitting tribute!


Seriously though, another great post/installment.