Setting: The Sword and the Cross

[Greg 1]

The Sword and the Cross: Post 7

England

The Knights of St. George are guardians of England.

St. Edmund
Symbol: Black Wolf
The Knights of St. Edmund, also known as the Black Wolves, were guardians of England until 1348. For centuries, they defended the kingdom not only from bandits and foreign armies, but also from disease, using their sacred powers of healing. When their powers failed against the Black Death, it was taken as a sign that their mandate had been withdrawn by God, and the guardianship was given to the Knights of St. George. The Knights of St. Edmund have been striving to regain their lost position ever since. Edmund’s role as protector from wolves has led some of the knights to develop wolf-life abilities, or even become lycanthropic. Many knights of Edmund are expert woodsmen.
The Knights of St. Edmund are loyal to England and the Vatican. They have a good relationship with English King Henry VI, born of their mutual rivalry with the Knights of St. George. They are also on good terms with the Knights of St. Hubert, whose affinity for nature they respect. Edmund was tortured and killed by Vikings, and St. Edmund’s knights bear grudges against Scandinavians, especially the Knights of St. Canute, guardians of Denmark, and the Knights of St. Olaf, guardians of Norway. The Knights of St. Edmund detest the use of torture.

St. Bede the Venerable
Symbol: Pen and ink horn.
St. Bede was England’s first great historian and natural philosopher. His order maintains a monastery at Jarrow, in North-Eastern England, where they devote themselves to English history and natural philosophy, particularly as they relate to the elements, the seasons, and astronomy, building on Bede’s work in “De Natura Rerum” (“On the Nature of Things”). As scribes, they produce copies of Bede’s works.

France

St. Joan
Symbol: Tarasque.
The Knights of St. Joan are guardians of France. They are a very new order, having been established in 1433, a mere 20 years ago. For almost a thousand years, France had been under the guardianship of the Knights of St. Martin, but confidence in the knights of Martin had evaporated in the face of catastrophic defeats against the allied English and Burgundians. The knights have adopted the dragon-like Tarasque as their symbol, and are known for developing holy powers reflecting its strength, indomitability, and ferocity.
King Charles VII of France is a firm supporter of the order. Not only have they secured his kingdom against the English, but they are not as obsessively concerned with the wellbeing of the poor as the Knights of St. Martin, who were always difficult to work with. The Knights of St. Joan remember how the Burgundians captured the saint and sold her to the English, who tried and executed her, leaving resentments towards the knights of St. Andrew and St. George. The Knights of St. Joan are highly loyal to the Vatican. The role of English church officials in Joan’s trial has made them aware of, and suspicious of, church corruption, but they do not blame Rome.

St. Catherine of Alexandria
Symbol: Wheel.
The Sisters of St. Catherine occupy an abbey near Rouen, in Normandy. Like Catherine, they are scholars, with a particular interest in philosophy and theology. Catherine is patron of librarians and the sisters have an extensive collection of texts, including old pagan Greek and Egyptian works.

St. Fiacre
Symbol: Spade and basket of vegetables.
The monks of St. Fiacre occupy a monetary near the town of Meaux. Fiacre is patron of gardeners and herbalists and the monks study the nature of plants and herbs, mundane and magical. Some of them have used herbs for mystical or visionary purposes. Fiacre came to France from Ireland, and his monks are favorable to the Irish.

Greece

With the disappearance of their Byzantine rulers in 1453, Greece has collapsed into a collection of feuding city states, apart from the strategic islands and coastal areas controlled by Venice.

St. John of Damascus
Symbol: Severed hand.
The Order of St. John of Damascus maintain a monastery on the Greek Island of Patmos. The monks continue St. John’s work on theology, music and music theory. It is said that their choir sounds like a choir of angels. According to legend, they once defeated an invading flock of sirens in a battle of music.

Holy Roman Empire

The Knights of St. Maurice are guardians of the Holy Roman Empire.

St. Elizabeth
Symbol: Basket of bread.
The Sisters of St. Elizabeth maintain an abbey and hospital in Marburg, where they devote themselves to caring for the poor and sick. They are famous for their healing skills. St. Elizabeth was a member of the Hungarian royal family, and her nuns are strongly supportive of both Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor, and Ladislaus, King of Hungary. St. Elizabeth was inspired by the Franciscans and relations between the two orders are particularly good. Elizabeth’s husband was a crusader, and so her nuns tend to be supportive of knightly orders with a particular history in the crusades, such as the Hospitallers, Templars and Teutonic Knights.

St. Mary Magdelaine
Symbol: Jar.
The sisters of St. Mary Magdelaine possess an abbey near the town of Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume in the County of Provence. St. Mary Magdelaine is patron if apothecaries and perfumers, leading her nuns into research into chemistry, herbalism and alchemy. The fact that the saint was once possessed by demons has led her nuns to study demonology and exorcism.

Hungary

St. Stephen of Hungary
Symbol: Sárkány.
The Knights of St. Stephen are guardians of the Kingdom of Hungary. The knights have adopted as their symbol the Hungarian dragon, the multi-headed Sárkány. Just as the Sárkány is associated with thunder and rain, so the knights are known to develop thunder-related holy powers. Some have been accused of fraternizing with dragons.
St. Stephen was devoted to the Blessed Virgin, putting his knights on good terms with the Teutonic Knights and Carmelite monks. On the other hand, the Knights of St. Stephen are rivals of the Knights of St. Maurice, guardians of the Holy Roman Empire, and the Knights of St. Stanislaus, guardians of Poland-Lithuania. St. Stephen founded three Benedictine monasteries, and his knights have always been particular patrons of the Benedictines.

Italy

Italy is a patchwork of independent city-states. The most powerful of these is Venice. Many of the rich northern cities have the Knights of St. Michael as their guardians, including Venice, Florence, Genoa, and Milan. The Knights of St. Peter are guardians of Rome and the papacy.

St. Cosmas and St. Damian
Symbol: Medical instruments.
Cosmas and Damian were third century doctors. They were Arabian twin brothers who provided medical aid and surgery without charge. Today, the brothers of St. Cosmas and St. Damian maintain a friary in Alberobello in southern Italy, from which they provide medical treatment for the poor. They engage in experimentation in healing magic and have a particular interest in transplantation of limbs and other organs. Their formidable medical skills draw heavily on the Islamic tradition, leading to some contact with pre-Islamic pagan beings.

St. Lucy
Symbol: Eyes on a dish.
St. Lucy is patron of the blind, and the Sisters of St. Lucy maintain an abbey in Syracuse in which they care for the blind and those suffering from ailments of the eye. Their esoteric studies include not just ocular healing, but manipulation of darkness.

St. Luke
Symbol: Winged ox.
The friars of St. Luke maintain a friary and hospital in Padua in northern Italy, where they devote themselves to healing the sick. His friars often study healing magic. Luke is a patron of artists, including decorative metalworkers, and his friars often excel in the arts. They have been known to produce enchanted artworks.

Ireland

Ireland is a patchwork of independent kingdoms.

Saint Patrick
Symbol: Shamrock
The Knights of St. Patrick are guardians or Ireland, and almost all are Irish. Patrick is patron of engineers, inspiring the knights to cause the construction of massive and inspiring churches and cathedrals in Irish towns.
Patrick’s most famous miracle is driving all snakes from Ireland, inspiring his knights to develop holy powers related to banishing. Patrick’s next most famous miracle is raising 33 people from the dead. His knights insist that they do not engage in resurrection, but they have developed powers related to communication with the deceased. The Knights of St. Patrick have long protected Irish Christians against the Fae and other magical dangers. Occasionally, contact is corrupting, and a knight will switch their allegiance to pagan forces.
The Knights of St. Patrick are loyal to the Vatican, even though they would like more autonomy to worship in their own way. As guardians of Ireland, they are rivals of the Order of St. George, guardians of England. The Viking raids of past centuries have made them traditional rivals of the Knights of Canute and Olaf.

St. Brigid
Symbol: Cross made of rushes.
St. Brigid is patron saint of healers, poets, blacksmiths, and livestock and dairy workers. Her nuns study both healing and poetry and are perhaps most famous for their mastery of fire. They maintain the abbey of Cill Darra in Leinster, North-Eastern Ireland, and their skill with flame has sometimes played an important role in Leinster’s defense. Knights of St. Canute and St. Olaf remain suspicious of them, their hostility a relic of the Viking age.

[Greg 1]

The Sword and the Cross: Post 8

Norway

St. Olaf
Symbol: Axe
The Knights of St. Olaf are guardians of Norway, and are almost all Norwegian, or from French Normandy. The saint was known for slaying giants and trolls and for protecting Norwegians from monsters, and his knights strive to follow his example. St. Olaf was said to have been enormously strong, and to have had control over thunder and lightning, leading his knights to develop holy powers giving them similar abilities.
The knights would like to curtail the authority of the Vatican, to allow them to more easily worship in accordance with their own culture. They are traditional rivals of the Knights of St. Canute, guardians of Denmark. Norway’s history of raiding Britain has also made them traditional rivals of the orders of St. Andrew, St. Edmund, and St. Patrick.

Poland-Lithuania

St. Stanislaus
Symbol: Wings of Hermes.
The Knights of St. Stanislaus are guardians of Poland-Lithuania. The Knights of St. Stanislaus are at war with the Teutonic Knights, just as the Kingdom of Poland-Lithuania is at war with the state of the Teutonic Knights over the appropriation of Polish lands. The Knights of St. Stanislaus are also rivals of the Knights of St. Stephen, guardians of Hungary. On the other hand, they’ve often been allies with the Knights of St. Maurice, guardians of the Holy Roman Empire, putting them on good terms. The knights have adopted the wings of Hermes as their symbol, and are known for developing holy powers related to speed, especially on horseback.

Portugal

St. Anthony
Symbol: White lily.
The Knights of St. Anthony are guardians of Portugal and almost all are Portuguese. St. Anthony’s diverse patronages are reflected in the knights’ interests. Anthony is patron of the poor, and so the knights champion the poor, much to the inconvenience of the Portuguese nobility. Anthony is patron of travelers, and so the knights protect travelers, both in Portugal and abroad. Anthony is patron of those who hunt for lost items, leading his knights to quest for legendary artifacts. They are known for develop holy powers related to travel and the protection of travelers.
St. Anthony was a Franciscan, and so the Order of St. Anthony has always patronized, and been guided by, Franciscans. As guardians of Portugal, the Knights of St. Anthony are rivals of the Knights of St. Aemilian, guardians of Castile, and the Knights of St. George, guardians of Aragon. Mutual concern for the poor puts them on good terms with the knights of St. Andrew, and especially St. Martin, as well as with the monks of St. Benedict.

Wales

St. David of Wales
Symbol: White Dove
The Knights of St. David of Wales are the guardians of Wales, and are almost all Welsh. David is patron of poets and many of his knights are accomplished poets. Tradition says that David prayed for his people to have forewarning of their deaths, resulting in the existence of “corpse candles” in the night. His knights have studied the secrets of these lights. In David’s most famous miracle, the ground rose up to form a hill where he was preaching, while a white dove settled on his shoulder. His knights are known for developing the power to move and shape earth, and their castles are formidable. They are also known for their power over doves, used as messengers or scouts.
The Knights of St. David are loyal to Wales. They resent English rule and the Knights of St. George, guardians of England. Many took part in the Glyndŵr Rising of 1400-1415, a major Welsh rebellion against English rule, and there are lingering hatreds. The Knights of St. David find the Vatican’s authority burdensome, and wish to be left to worship how they see fit, in accordance with their own culture.

St. Collen
St. Collen is known for his encounter with fairies. According to legend, he was invited to the court of the Fairy King, where he sprinkled holy water to dispel the illusion and reveal the fairies as demons. His monks maintain a monastery near Pembroke and study the ways of the fae.

[Greg 1]

The Sword and the Cross Post 9: Timeline Part 1

Timeline

313 – Edict of Milan: Emperor Constantine legalizes Christianity in the Roman Empire.
337 – Emperor Constantine is baptized on his deathbed.
380 – Edict of Thessalonica: Emperor Theodosius I declares Christianity the state religion of the Roman Empire.
496 – At the Battle of Tolbiac, King Clovis of the Salian Franks, facing defeat against the Alemanni, prays to the Christian God for victory, promising to convert if he won. Miraculously, the tide of the battle turns, and Clovis emerges victorious.
509 – Clovis becomes Clovis I, first King of the Franks, considered first king of France. He will promote Christianity.
529 – The order of St. Benedict is founded in Italy by St. Benedict of Nursia. This is the first of the great monastic orders.
597 – St. Augustine of Canterbury begins the conversion of Anglo–Saxon England.
722 – St. Boniface begins missionary work in Germany.
800 – Charlemagne, King of the Franks, becomes the first emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. He will promote Christianity throughout his empire.
815 – In Kufa, Mesopotamia, Muslim alchemist Jabir ibn Hayyan demonstrates a perpetual motion engine. He automates several agricultural estates.
821 – In Baghdad, Mesopotamia, mathematician and wizard Al–Khwarizmi argues that wizards should be considered holy. After his death, some will worship him as an incarnation of Allah.
880 – Richard the Justiciar, count of Autun, becomes first Duke of Burgundy.
899 – Knights of St. Maurice founded in the Duchy of Saxony, Holy Roman Empire.
924 – Æthelstan, King of Wessex, becomes first King of England.
926 – In Ray, Persia, physician and wizard Al–Razi argues that death should not be considered inevitable. His work will become influential in magical healing and the prolongation of life.
929 – In Harran, Mesopotamia, astronomer Al–Battani ascends into the sky to join the spirits of the air and never returns. His ascension is followed by several years of recurrent turbulent weather.
11th–12th centuries. Investiture Controversy: A conflict between the papacy and secular rulers over the appointment of church officials, ending in a bitter compromise.
1000 – Stephen I becomes first King of Hungary.
1011 – Knights of St. Andrew founded in Burgundy.
1025 – Boleslaw the Brave, Duke of Poland, becomes Boleslaw I, first King of Poland.
1026 – Physician and wizard Ibn Sina cleanses the entire city of Bukhara, Persia, of the plague.
1030 – The city of Basra, Mesopotamia, is devastated when optician Ibn al–Haytham fills the city with spirits of blazing light, for a mystical religious reason understood only to himself.
1035 – Romero, Count of Aragon, becomes Romero I, first King of Aragon.
1037 – Ferdinand, Count of Castile, becomes Ferdinand I, first King of Castile.
1051 – Knights of St. George founded in Aragon.
1054 – The Great Schism. The Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Church formally split, primarily over issues of papal authority and theological differences.
1088 – Founding of University of Bologna in Italy. This is the first of the great universities.
1095 – Pope Urban II calls for a crusade to capture Jerusalem.
1098 – Cistercians founded in Burgundy by St. Robert of Molesme.
1099 – Crusaders capture Jerusalem and establish the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
1119 – Knights Templar founded in Jerusalem.
1120 – Norbertines founded in France by St. Norbert of Xanten.
1139 – Alfonzo, Count of Portugal, becomes Alfonzo I, first King of Portugal.
1150 – Founding of University of Paris in France.
1167 – Founding of University of Oxford in England.
1198 – Teutonic Knights founded in Kingdom of Jerusalem by German crusaders.
Late 12th century – Carmelites founded by hermits in the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
CA 1200 – In Diyarbakir, Turkey, mechanical inventor Al-Jazari creates artificial people able to speak and reason. He will continue to make people throughout his life.
1208 – Founding of University of Palencia, Castile.
1209 – Franciscans founded in Italy by St. Francis of Assisi.
1209–1229 - Albigensian Crusade: A military campaign initiated by the Catholic Church to eliminate the Cathar heresy in southern France, resulting in widespread persecution and the establishment of the Inquisition.
1214-1217 – In the Iberian peninsula, Islamic Granada undergoes a revolution as pagans try to establish a pagan state. Somehow, the use of magic in war unleashed monsters across the kingdom, depopulating it. From now on, the reconquest will not be fought against Islamic forces, but monstrous and magical ones.
1215 – Dominicans founded in France by St. Dominic.
1226 – Founding of the State of the Teutonic Knights in northern Europe.
1264 – Augustinians formally established by Pope Urban IV.
1290 – Founding of the University of Coimbra in Portugal.
1291 – Fall of Acre to Egyptian Mamluks marks the end of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
1300 – University of Lleida founded in Catalonia, Crown of Aragon.
1307 - King Philip IV of France orchestrates charges of heresy and blasphemy against the Knights Templar.
1312 – The Knights Templar are officially disbanded by Pope Clement V in 1312, but then almost immediately reinstated when both foreign dignitaries and Italian banks and merchants object to the damage the loss of Templar banks would do to the economies of Western Europe. Many Christians are outraged by this defiance of the papal will, especially among the poor orders inclined to be suspicious of money. French Cistercians and Norbertines urge the Pope to quit the corrupt city of Rome. To the amazement of Christendom, he does, moving the papacy to the French city of Avignon. The wounds are not quick to heal and Popes will reside in Avignon for the next 65 years, until 1377.
1337 – Start of the Hundred Years War: A prolonged series of conflicts between England and France over claims to the French throne. Burgundy will play a crucial role, switching sides at will.
1347–1348: Civil war within Aragon between King Peter IV and the Union of Aragonese nobles, which ends with the defeat of the Union.
1348 – The Knights of St. George replace the disgraced Knights of St. Edmund as guardians of England.
1356–1375: “War of the Two Peters”. A conflict between the Kingdom of Aragon and the Kingdom of Castile, named after the two kings, Peter IV of Aragon and Peter I of Castile.
1363-1366 – Mamluk Egyptians driven from the Holy Land by pagans. The pagan kingdoms in turn will be destroyed by monstrous, demonic creatures. Despite the fact that Palestine is a fiend-haunted land, some time in the next century, new cities of Tyre and Sidon will arise.
1364 – University of Jagiellonian founded in Poland.
1366-1369 – War of the Castilian Succession. A civil war between Peter I of Castile and his half-brother Henry of Trastámara, which ends with Henry's victory and the establishment of the Trastámara dynasty.
1367 – University of Pécs founded in Hungary.
1369-1382 – Fernandine Wars: A series of conflicts between Castile and Portugal over claims to the Castilian throne.
1377 – Under pressure from the great religious orders, Pope Gregory XI returns the papal residence to Rome. As Pope, he is regarded by many as a servant to wealth, both the wealth of the Italian banks and of the great agricultural orders like the Cistercians, Benedictines and Augustinians.
1378 – Death of Pope Gregory XI and succession crisis as different factions strive to get their candidate elected. The surprise victor was the radical Franciscan candidate Pope Urban VI, who opposed the wealth of the church. The election is almost immediately declared invalid and Clement VII, supported by Cistercians, Dominicans, and Norbertines, looking to curb the influence of Italy, is elected instead. When Urban, supported by the Knights of St. Peter, refuses to abdicate, Clements set up a rival papacy in Avignon.
1383-1385 – A period of civil war and political crisis in Portugal, which ends with the Battle of Aljubarrota in 1385, securing Portuguese independence from Castile.
1387 – Christianization of Lithuania, the last pagan state in Europe, by the Teutonic Knights.

[Greg 1]

The Sword and the Cross: Post 10. Timeline Part 2. This is everything so far!

1405 – In the east, Timur the Great, emperor of the Timurid empire, dies, and his empire collapses into civil war. The new great powers that emerge, Babylon and Nineveh, are pagan states.
1407-1435 – Burgundy goes to war with the Armagnac faction in France over succession to the French crown. The war will end with reconciliation and alliance against England.
1409 - The Council of Pisa attempts to resolve the schism in the church by declaring both existing popes illegitimate and electing Alexander V. Alexander wishes to greatly curb scholarship based on pagan thought and is opposed by academically inclined orders like the Dominicans, Benedictines and Augustinians. Alexander is not generally accepted and result is a third Pope, residing in Pisa.
1414-1418 - Council of Constance: The council, with the support of the Knights of St. Peter, arranges for the resignation or deposition of all three popes and elects Martin V as the new pope, restoring unity to the Church. Martin serves the vested interests of wealth, and favors the interests of Italians, but is a patron of scholarship and the arts.
1419-1434 – Hussite Wars: A series of wars fought between the Hussite religious reformers in Bohemia and the Holy Roman Empire.
1421-1426 – The Ossiran Revolution: Barsby, Mamluk Sultan of Egypt, is defeated by pagan Egyptian forces. Egypt becomes a pagan state under Ramses XII and Islam is driven underground.
1447 – After the death of Pope Eugene IV, the present pope, Nicholas V, is elected. Nicholas is a patron of academia and the arts but is seen as favoring the interests of wealth and of Italy.
1453 – End of the Hundred Years War between England France. France regains control of all territories except Callais. The French monarch is strengthened, and England’s weakened.
1453 – In Constantinople, most populous Christian city in the world, a mob holds an illegal rite to Hecate, Greek goddess of magic, on the night of the feast of St. Nicholas, in his great church, the Nea Ekklesia. It isn’t clear exactly what followed, by the city was devastated by monstrous creatures which have overrun all of Anatolia and put an end of the Byzantine Empire. All of Christendom is in shock.

[Greg 1]

That's everything I have for this setting as of now.

I'm looking for suggestions, especially regarding what needs expansion.

I'm intending to put this up on the GURPS Wiki and I'm definitely interested in having other folks contribute to it.

[Proteus]

"Despite the fact that Palestine is a fiend-haunted land, some time in the next century, new cities of Tyre and Sidon will arise."

This seems desperate for a few more words of explanation.

If Tyre and Sidon can rebuild in the middle of a demon-haunted wilderness, that seems to make Granada a lot less scary-sounding.

[Greg 1]

Originally Posted by Proteus

"Despite the fact that Palestine is a fiend-haunted land, some time in the next century, new cities of Tyre and Sidon will arise."

This seems desperate for a few more words of explanation.

If Tyre and Sidon can rebuild in the middle of a demon-haunted wilderness, that seems to make Granada a lot less scary-sounding.

Hoom, hoom. I can see your point. The idea was to make Tyre and Sidon sound scary. The cities of wickedness are the boss-monsters of the region.

I might add something like "How the pagan cities survive the monsters is unknown. It may have to do with the plentiful human sacrifices they offer to their dark gods, or other pagan magics."

It's interesting that all of the comments there have been on this setting have been about the world at the periphery. Maybe that's the most interesting bit, or just the most mysterious.

[Ramidel]

Originally Posted by Greg 1

I'm looking for suggestions, especially regarding what needs expansion.

Magic, the Church's restrictions, and the control mechanisms on it in a world with pre-modern state capacity and little ability to enforce such restrictions on the nobility or the free cities.

[The Colonel]

All this hagiography is making me think of the classic cRPG Darklands, where learning the legends of Saints and successfully invoking their miraculous aid is a key part of the game's "magic" system. In fact, the game being set in the Holy Roman Empire around the 1400s AD, theurgy and alchemy is all you get.

And on the subject of religion

Originally Posted by Ramidel

Magic, the Church's restrictions, and the control mechanisms on it in a world with pre-modern state capacity and little ability to enforce such restrictions on the nobility or the free cities.

Presumably it will operate with the threat of interdict, excommunication and anathema much as it did historically. If a city does not control any form of heresy within its bounds, the Church places it under interdict, cutting it off from any of the sacraments until they are reconciled (which was considered a big deal back then) - if they show no sign of repentance, then they will be the subject of an anathema (a formal condemnation forbidding believers from having anything to do with them) and, ultimately, crusade. Excommunication replaces interdict as a personal penalty for offending nobles, but they can also have their lands placed under interdict to encourage their vassals to turn on them.

[Greg 1]

Originally Posted by The Colonel

All this hagiography is making me think of the classic cRPG Darklands, where learning the legends of Saints and successfully invoking their miraculous aid is a key part of the game's "magic" system. In fact, the game being set in the Holy Roman Empire around the 1400s AD, theurgy and alchemy is all you get.

Yeah, I played the hell out off that awesome game. :) They don't make 'em like that anymore. I wasn't consciously being inspired by it, but I wouldn't be surprised if it had an influence.

And on the subject of religion
Presumably it will operate with the threat of interdict, excommunication and anathema much as it did historically. If a city does not control any form of heresy within its bounds, the Church places it under interdict, cutting it off from any of the sacraments until they are reconciled (which was considered a big deal back then) - if they show no sign of repentance, then they will be the subject of an anathema (a formal condemnation forbidding believers from having anything to do with them) and, ultimately, crusade. Excommunication replaces interdict as a personal penalty for offending nobles, but they can also have their lands placed under interdict to encourage their vassals to turn on them.

Nicely put! If I copy your text word for word, I'll cite you. :)