What Happened 500 Years Ago?

[viscounteric]

Local libraries are great to read last week's Palookaville Journal or to get on the waiting list for the latest Harry Potter book, but are extremely lacking in specific material.

Outside of Chicago? There's this little place called the University of Chicago, some of you might have heard of it. They have a half-decent library (you can't take the books out, but it's a fitting place to do some research on the weekends, depending on their summer hours). Heck, Chicago is chock full of colleges/universities, all which have superior material than 99% of local libraries.

Next go through the PHYSICAL card catalog (the little drawers filled with cards, most places still have 'em) I have always been surprised that they are more thorough than the computer searches. Of course, they don't include material after 1995, but it's a better start. 1500AD not showing up (or Fifteenth Century)? Spend another 15 seconds and peruse what's above and below your search. You'd be surprised what's just under your nose.

After you find a pile of books, go through the bibiliographies. Find out what books the author used and check THEM out! Repeat process until you find your specific interest.

If it can work on the obscure topics I wrote for my History degree, it can work for broader topics.

 

[Pbartender]

Sounds great Do you intend to use the religious background as well ? I mean clerics being Catholic priests or Calvinist parsons ?

No, actually... At the turn of the sixteenth century, the Reformation hasn't happened quite yet. Lutherns don't happen until 1517, and Calvinists don't show up until 1531. At this point it's just the Roman Catholic Church, and the Orthodox Church.

It's one reason I picked exactly 500 years ago... It keeps the Christian Church a little bit simple, and all that conflict is looming over the horizon.

As opposed to what some people have said, I've actually found some big differences between 1400, 1500 and 1600.

 

[Dr. Strangemonkey]

You should check out the Books of Ash by Mary Gentle.

They may be a little bit early, but not by much, and she is a fantastically well informed, evocative, smart, and creative author.

Similar things could be said of Machiavelli's Prince which is very short and is very much a retrospective on the period you are discussing from a very personal and well positioned point of view.

As a general conflict, or theme, you might look at the formation and upcoming conflict of powerful princes and powerful parliaments.

Prior to this period you pretty much had one or the other, as it develops you end up with very complicated systems to balance the two entities.

Spain, despite its reputation, is probably the best example of this as the nascent Hapsburg empire finds itself making devil's bargains to create vast international power while bound to extremely limiting local power. Spain's various parliaments find themselves in far better positions than Englands at this time and for some time.

The military revolution is about to occur in its full blossom. Russia, Poland, Austria, and the Turks are totally awesome and the glorious Knights of Malta are busy demonstrating how bad ass a dedicated group of men can be as they succesfully, if painfully and degradingly, oppose the unstoppable might of the Ottomans.

 

[Pbartender]

You should check out the Books of Ash by Mary Gentle.

I'll have to look that one up...

Similar things could be said of Machiavelli's Prince which is very short and is very much a retrospective on the period you are discussing from a very personal and well positioned point of view.

Oh, yeah... I've read that one. It's good. I'll have to reread it again.

I've also just run across The Book of the Courtier, by Castiglione. It details the desirable attributes and behavoir one should display at court.

 

[Goblyns Hoard]

Holy Roman Empire

Don't know why but it seems to get forgotten by so many. Apologies if anyone else has mentioned it - haven't read through the whole thread

Try http://www.serendipity.li/twz/hre.html for starters

 

[Pbartender]

My Elizabethulhu campaign was set in 1603, but some of the information in this PDF might help you: http://www.evilhat.com/ethulhu/

So finished reading through that... Looks nice.

I really like what was done with the races, and the class explainations are excellent.

I'm planning on keeping the D&D stuff pretty standard in my world, so not much from the race section would help out. The flavor text for some of the classes is wonderful, though, and I may borrow bits from it.

Here's my current thoughts on D&D races in 1500...

The Atlanteans (Elves & Half-elves) - Elves are the descendants of the survivors of Atlantis. When Atlantis sunk, they fled to the Mediterranean, where they founded the city of Rome and rebuilt the Atlantean Empire in the form of the Roman Empire. They still exist, though their bloodlines have thinned and the full-blooded have a tendancy to keep themselves inconspicuous.

The Little People (Gnomes & Halflings) - These are the descendents of the fey of the British Isles. Gnomes, better known as Leprechauns still inhabit Ireland and retain some link to their fairy origins. Halflings, originally a derogatory term for these original inhabitants of Wales, have reliquished their primary ties to the fairy courts though they seem to still reatin a tendancy toward extraordinary luck.

Dwarves - The Nordic Dwarves have long lived in the mountains of Norway, Sweden and Finland. They are reclusive, however, and upon mixing with the human races, have drifted far from their Alfheim ancestors. Now, they are often mistaken for short, stocky humans, but vestiges of the race's extraordinary craftmanship remain and they are prized for their natural abilities with metal and stone.

Half-orcs - Hrm... Not certain what to do with these guys yet. I don't want to use them as Moors. Maybe the nomadic Golden Hordes that threaten the steppes of Russia are the various Goblinoids and the half-orcs are the result of those incursions. Or maybe turning them into a 'half-troll' or 'half-giant' sort of race, like Elizabethulhu does, might work... Hmmm... I kind of like the idea of half-giants. Or give them fast healing as half-trolls.

 

[Arduin Angcam]

Hi Bartender,

The more I read about your campaign, the more it makes me think about a serie of three novels in French by Pierre Pevel. The period is different as action takes place in the imaginary city of Wielstadt, Germany during the early stages of the Thirty Years War (1618-1648). The hero, the knight Kantz is a special investigator in supernatural matters. Wielstadt is protected by the last Dragon of Western Europe who flies daily over the city. Kantz's friends include a Greek satyr tavernkeeper, a Scottish dwarf printer fond of poetry, a centaur officer from the Watch, and last but not least a really sexy tiny flying fairy called Etincelle (Spark). Kantz is allied to the Templars, fights demons who try to take control of the Holy Vheme (infamous german secret society) and the Rose+Croix (another secret society). Three books have been published so far called "Les ombres de Wielstadt" (Shadows over Wielstadt), "Les masques de Wielstadt" (Masks of Wielstadt) and "Le chevalier de Wielstadt" (Knight of Wielstadt).

I find your idea of fantasy uchronia really cool and I hope your players will appreciate your work. Hope you'll give us some news about it.

Arduin.

 

[Vrecknidj]

NOTE: I'm just trying to be helpful . . . .

To know what was going on in 1504, you might want to scroll back another 500 years to see what kinds of things were happening to create the atmosphere that ended up being 1504. . . .

I'd suggest you begin with Beowulf, the epic poem probably written sometime in the 900s. This story really helps you get a feel for the relationship between the Scandinavians and the Saxons before the Normans changed England forever. Also, it's important because it shows the infusion of Christianity into the mythological worldview that existed at the time. There is simply no way to underestimate the influnce of Christianity (and Islam, actually, given Aquinas' knowledge of both--about which more in a moment) on Europe between, say, 900 and 1900. I'm sure you can find the full text of Beowulf online. Besides, it'll give you glimpses of dragons and fiends and all that stuff, from the mindset of the 10th century person.

Then I suggest you look into the life of Charlemagne. This will help set the stage for an understanding of the medieval mind--knights and kings, peasants and farmers. The standard D&D themes of annexing land, of fighting foreign wars, etc. are all covered well here.

Next, look at what's going on right before and right after the Battle of Hastings. Check into people like St. Anselm and William the Conqueror.

All of this sets the stage for the Crusades. Take a look at the Knights Templar, the role of corruption in the Church, and the collision of cultures in the Middle East (and, while you're at it, see what effect this has on Spain).

What I'm getting at, is that all this would then be the "history" of your campaign, and since the players may want the info on this feel, it would be good to have. Most of what I've given is British history, but that's just because that's what I'm most familiar with.

Next, I'd dive into Dante and Milton. Read some of The Divine Comedy (1307), especially the stuff about Hell--you'll see that this is where many of the images come from for D&D. Then read some of Paradise Lost (1667). These two will really give you a good picture of what's going on in the mythological worldview of the European mind.

Dave

 

[Buttercup]

Vrecknidj, that's excellent advice.

Pbartender, the translation of Beowulf by Seamus Heany is easy to find, as it was published just a few years ago. It is a side-by-side version, with the Anglo-Saxon text on the left hand pages and the modern English on the right.

You could easily populate your monster palate from Dante, Milton and the Beowulf poet. While you're at it, read Sir Gawain & The Green Knight. It has a pretty cool BBEG.

 

[Pbartender]

Yup... I'm familiar with most of those. Beowulf, The Canterbury Tales, The Inferno, The Divine Comedy, and so on. Plus, most of te history books I've checked out do a pretty good job of describing what precipitated the Renaissance... The fall of the Roman Empire, the 'Dark Ages', the Rise of the Roman Empire, the invention of the printing press and such.

I think I'm getting a really good feel for the time period, and the events leading up to it. Now, I just need find a versimilitudinous way to incorporate D&D into the mix... How to the races fit in? What do the various classes mean? Why does magic work? Where are all the monsters? And how did they get there? ...Stuff like that.

So...

Races

In short, as I said above, elves and half-elves are decendants of the Atlantean refugees. Gnomes and halflings are linked to Irish and British fey. Dwarves originally came from the norse Alfhiem. Half-orcs are the progeny of giants and trolls. All of these races are becoming less legendary are more 'human-like' as the earthly ties to their respective faiths and pantheons fade away. But as sweet, dear Concorde would say, 'They're not dead yet.' They still retain some small vestige of their respective races' former power.

Classes

Fighters, Rogues and Barbarians are always very straightforward classes, suitable for practically any setting. I won't go into details, since I think the applications of these classes are fairly obvious.

Bards are the survivors of the bardic tradition and the epitome of the classic courtier and 'Renaissance Man'... Only with the usual D&D twist. Being at least proficient in combat, diplomacy, literature, history, languages, the arts, and even a small amount of magic, almost every courtier and noble would have a level or two of Bard.

Clerics are those of the priesthood who can actually create miracles through simple faith in their god. As far as Christianity is concerned, anyone who has been made a Saint undoubtedly had at least a few levels of Cleric. Most others within the church will simply be NPC Aristocrats, Experts or Commoners. Though not confined to Christianity, most Clerics in this setting (especially Europe) would be Christians.

Druids are the preists of the Old Gods. Remains of the Celtic, Gallic, Norse and other 'barbaricly pagan' traditions that are fading away with the advent of Christianity. Pockets of druidism still fourish, though they try to keep a low profile... With the advent of the Inquisition, many of their order have been hunted down as witches and heretics.

Monks would be rare indeed. They would be necessarily confined to those who have traveled to the Far East. Either explorers who have been taught the ways of the Oriental Fighting Masters, or exotic forgeiners themselves who have been brought back by said explorers. Europe itself, however has and never will harbor any such mystical unarmed fighting styles.

Paladins are the quintessential holy warriors. They are a hold-over from the crusades and are becoming increasingly rare as the cut-throat politics and mercantilism of the age takes over. As clerics, they are not exclusive to Christianity, but in this setting, the vast majority of them will be.

Rangers are the definitive explorers of the era. The survival and pathfinding skills are essential to any expedition into terra incognito. Also, many of the ranger's unique fighting skills are not unknown to the noblity's sport huntsmen, or the proliferance of mercenary warriors available.

Sorcerers are the spellcasters that come into their arcane abilities through 'natural' means... A concentration of faerie ancestry, deals with demons and devils, or even some inexplicable innate talent... Sorcerer's must often take care to hide what they are, lest they be branded as witches and burned at the stake.

Wizards, one the other hand, are the 'scientists' of the magic world. Astrologers and alchemists who have found true power amongst the arcane formulae that 'scientifically' describe the workings of the universe. Most of the tried and true spells that wizards use were first discovered by the ancient Atlanteans who had the extraordinary longevity necessary to conduct the centuries-long experiments necessary to perfect the magical formulae. Depending on their relationship to the church and nobility, wizards, like sorcerers, must take care with their arcane powers, lest the Inquisition take notice.