The Dawn of Magic: Another Way to Look at Magic's Effect on Society

[Rhialto]

Hey, I really liked the story...

In fact, it feels a little awkward saying that the Templars of this time were more bankers than anything else...

Also, the Portugal section of the Templars survived by transforming into--THE ORDER OF THE KNIGHTS OF CHRIST! A group still in existance today...

 

[Rhialto]

And now MORE FUN FACTS ABOUT 1332! Our eagle eye turns to the east...

The Byzantine Empire (or Eastern Roman Empire, as it prefers to be called) is going through its long last phase under the Paleogous family. The present Emperor is Andronicus III, a rather militant ruler who lives in constant conflict with the Ottoman Turks--usually losing to them. He's had some military successes in Greece, but they will be short-lived. He does not get along very well with the West, it must be stated...

Andronicus's great foe is Orkhan, a dynamic ruler among the Ottomans, and the first to take the title of Sultan. Orkhan's greatest victories lie ahead of him--he will become such a force that a later Byzantine Emperor, John VI, will actually ask for his assistance, and marry Orkhan to his daughter...

Another problem for the Byzantines is Stephen Dusan, king of Serbia. Stephan has just ascended to the throne, and will soon begin a flurry of conquests that will make Serbia (briefly) a power to be reckoned with.

Another force that cannot be denied in the East are the Assassins, or as they call themselves the Nizari. A radical group of Ishmailite Shiites, they follow (or rather followed) the Old Man on the Mountain, Hasan i-Sabbah (or one of his successors). Dedicated to the overthrow of the Sunni Caliphates, the Nizari are in a sharp decline by 1332. Their traditional fortress base of Alamut has been destroyed for nearly a century now, though many lesser fortresses remain to them. They are a still a power in Persia and in the Punjab, albeit only a shadow compared to their height. While it is easy to see them as evil, in truth, they acted to advance the cause of the more eglatarian Shi'ites over the aristocratic Sunni. Indeed, it is probably due to their efforts that Shiitism still exists. Direct members of the sect lived lives of philosophical contemplation, coupled with violent action, making them rather close to the Christian Orders of knighthood. Their discipline and skills at infiltration were legendary. (Can anybody say Monk?)

 

[Speaker]

Then there are the druidic aspects in Native American cultures, and the power of the Aztecs begins to grow, as people are sacrifices by the thousands to feed dark magics.

What about a true Robin Hood figure whom suddenly finds that the very trees and animals aid him in eluding the pursuit of corrupt officials?

 

[Dr. Strangemonkey]

An Option

This may sound a little weird, but...

...one of the actual responses to increased discourse with non-Christians who were undeniably good guys was to just acknowledge that they were undeniably good guys who were undoubtably as blessed by God as good Christians.

Pagans don't exactly abound in Dante's Paradiso, but they are there and they often occupy places of incredible importance. Cato, for instance, guards the gates of purgatory, which, while not the best place to work, essentially makes him the gatekeeper for the elect just as much as St. Peter.

Given that and other attitudes of the period toward cosmology, I think you could play a game that was perfectly in tune with medieval ideas of God and still have just as much divine magic playing around in non-Christian lands as you would in Western Europe.

Mind you, a lot of people would not see that as appropriate on either side of the conflict. But what the hey, it's not them dishing out the juice.

BTW, thanks for the input Seasong, but I'm actually looking for a priest class which largely lacks magic of any type.

 

[s/LaSH]

Now what about a Norse guy hanging out in Iceland at this time? Let's say he's getting powers from Odin. This Odin could be a god in his own right, equal to the Christian god, albeit shorter on worship. Or he could simply be an aspect of a greater Divinity, of which the Christian god is also an aspect. Or he could be a demon masquerading as Odin, who died during the Blockage of magic because his worship declined so far.

Actually, Iceland was converted to Christianity around 930AD, if memory serves. Other viking lands were converted at the same time. By 1332 they'd lost many of the old legends, although monks tried to put them back together, much as they did (with less success) in Ireland.

Which brings up an interesting point; orders of holy monks were actively preserving the records of dead religions. Make of that what you will; bonus points for being creatively evil.

They screwed up Beowulf though... the text I've read is full of references to theology that the Danes et al didn't adopt for another three hundred-odd years after the events set forth.


Back on topic, according to Gibbon's Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire, the early Christians very quickly decided that all other gods were just demons out to corrupt mortals. Whether this is truth or just dogma, it certainly pits Christians against any pantheistic religion.

Can anyone else see Odin teaming up with Vishnu? It seems to me that, if the gods are all up there, and one day they look down and notice that some obscure desert god is getting all the worshipper pie, the rest would do something about it or be swept away. The Norse are already gone by 1332, though... perhaps it's up to Quezacoatl and the Hindu Avengers to stop a jihad.

Note to possibly offended people: I'm Catholic. I'm just describing a situation where that 'obscure desert god' is just another deity (my personal belief is that God is God, but that doesn't make for game balance).