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Chaosium Digest Volume 17 Number 05
Chaosium Digest Volume 17, Number 5
Date: Sunday, November 24, 1996
Number: 2 of 2
Contents:
Saracens in Pendragon (Timothy Ferguson) PENDRAGON
--------------------
From: Timothy Ferguson <Timothy.Ferguson@jcu.edu.au>
Subject: Saracens in Pendragon
System: Pendragon
Saracens in Pendragon is copyright Timothy Ferguson 1996, but draws on
previous works by Chaosium authors. Those sections are copyright to
those authors, or to Chaosium Publishing.
SARACENS IN PENDRAGON
Arthurian literature is built up in layers, with each addition
representing the prejudices of its time. The treatment of the Saracens
in the Arthurian canon demonstrates this. In earlier works, they are
sometimes confused with the ancient enemy, the Saxons. In later works,
most important Saracen characters give up their religion and embrace
the faith of the authors, Christianity. In Arthur's time, Islam did
not yet exist. Its prophet was centuries from being born, but later
authors added Saracen enemies to the stories to give historical depth
to their hatred of the Muslims in the Holy Land.
So as to avoid offense to Islamic readers, and to prevent us having to
have Mohammed born well before his time, in Pendragon no stress is
placed on the crusades mentioned in Malory. Religious war is not a
theme of his stories, and the Crusades, historically, were, in many
places, little better then a series of genocidal bloodlettings, where
the _Franc_ [NOTE: Italics, this is an Arabic word.] knights killed
indiscriminately, on the principle that God would save the souls of
any Greek Christians they murdered. This author chooses not to
romanticise their actions, or justify them within the game context.
===============================================================================
SIDEBAR:
Crusading
Although knights may still go Crusading in any phase, this should be
rare. Their swords are needed closer to home. The British nobility and
the Celtic Church do not support the crusading movement. Player
characters should feel intense social pressure to ignore the Holy Land
and deal instead with local concerns.
Although a knight may, in theory, take the Cross at any time, the
great crusades in the Pendragon era occur during the first, second and
fifth phases.
During the Interregnum, a knight would be derelict in his duty to
leave the realm. He must defend his liege's lands from covetous
nieghbours, Saxon invaders, brigands, Irish pirates or Pictish
raiders. "King before God" is a basic rule of feudal life and men who
ignore it lose Honour.
During the second phase, the Boy King and his enemies require all of
their troops, first to kill each other, then to face down the Saxons.
A man going to Constantinople at this stage is deserting Britain in a
time of crisis. Arthur follows the Pope's rule that no crusader's
lands should be despoiled, but he, and all other relatives of those at
Badon, will hold in low regard the cowards who did not stand against
the Saxons.
In the final phase, if you are Arthur's man, you are probably already
dead. If not, your liege needs you desperately, as the kingdom falls
into pieces. The Catholic de Ganis go off to get butchered and any PC
who follows their lead either meets the same fate, or winds up a
hermit in Syria, Egypt, or some other distant place.
When the Emperor of Byzantium asks all Christians to aid him in his
wars to the East, and the Pope declares murdering unbelievers to be a
penitential act, for which you will be forgiven other sins, the Celtic
Church exhorts its devotees not to attend. They do not defy the Pope
publicly, but some make clear that killing people won't counterbalance
adultery. Many suggest that killing Heathens (well, usually Wotanists,
actually) closer at hand is more useful than sailing for months to do
the same thing. Few British knights attend.
If, after all of this, a player still desires their knight to go
Crusading, then tell them to roll twice on the Vassal Service Solo for
each year away. A roll of 18 is a battle, not a tournament, as such
sports are put aside in times of war. Tell them to make a CON check
each year to avoid catching leprosy, dysentery, jaundice, or something
equally unpleasant. They take an Aging Check each year to represent
the strain of armoured combat in harsh terrain, coupled with poor food
and a lack, at times, of potable water. They may generate a Love (God)
score of 2d6+6 in their first year and in subsequent years gain an
automatic experience check. Knights may add a point to this score,
when first rolled, for every experience check they take in Vengeful,
Arbitrary, Cruel, Proud and Worldly, so long as this does not take the
score over 16.
Knights gain the honour of being a Crusader, which is worth 100 Glory.
They also gain glory appropriate for their activities in the Holy
Land.
===============================================================================
The gamesmaster is, however, left with a group of significant
characters who are Saracens, or who die crusading against them.
In this article, I will, in the future, use Sassanids, the rulers of
sixth century Persia, in the place of the Saracens. The Sassanid
Empire's official religion was Zoroastranism, which is described
below. There are many ways for a Sassanid to reach Arthur's court. The
simplest is to follow the example of Sangremor le Desirious and
sail. Sassanid traders reached the slave markets of Dublin, so there
might be a community of them there, or characters might be freed
slaves, taken far way after losing a battle in the Middle East. Malory
mentions that the Saracens attack Wandesborow after the battle of
Bedgeraine, while the Vulgate says that the Sesnes, the Saxons, attack
Vandaliors in Cornwall. In Pendragon, I merge these events and have
the Saxons attack Wandesboro in Lothian, but Gamesmasters might wish
to have a small group of Sassanid warriors, or slaves, take part in
this invasion.
The Sassanid culture will appear strangely familiar to many readers.
The religion of Islam is Arabic in origin, but the Commanders of the
Faithful moved their capital first to Damascus, a Byzantine city, then
to Hashimiya and Baghdad, both Sassanid cities, the last only about
twenty miles from the Sassanid capital Ctesiphon. The language and
religion of the Arabic conquerors fused with the culture of their
Sassanid subjects, creating the ancestor of the culture with which the
Europeans later interacted during the Crusades. Gamesmasters may wish
to emphasize this by allowing the Sassanids to use technologies and
lifestyles developed far later by the Arabs, in much the same way as
we allow Arthur to use systems and artifacts invented, after his
death, by the French.
Just remember, if you decide to allow your Sassanids to borrow from
their descendants, when Sir Dagonet starts telling one on the tales
from the "Alf Laya Wa Laya", or when Sir Palmodies impresses the
ladies with his ditty about a loaf, a jug of wine, a book of verse and
so forth to remove the references to Allah and Mohammed.
CHARACTER CREATION: Sassanids
Region and Lands:
Sassanids either come from Persia or from Dublin. In this section
"Irish" Sassanids describes characters who have gone native, either by
adopting local customs or through being born in Dublin or Leinster,
away from large communities of their countrymen. Roll 1d6. 1-3
Persian, 4-6 Irish.
Culture and Religion:
Sassanid and Zoroastranism.
Zoroastran Religious Attributes: Add +3 to each of:
Honest, Chaste, Pious, Just, Generous.
Father's Class Table:
"Persian" Sassanids usually enter Ireland as slaves. Some come freely
to make money, if traders, seek adventure, if nobles, or guard a
trader or nobleman, if warriors. In either case, by the time they are
sufficiently old to be played, all PCs are fortunate enough to be
free, unless the Gamesmaster decides otherwise. In Arthur's realm
slavery is illegal, although it's common in Ireland and among the
Saxons.
"Irish" Sassanids generated as PCs are usually free. The most powerful
are members of Palomides' family, either by blood or marriage,
although others have entered the service of nearby nobles.
Persian Irish
01 Minor Noble (as Banneret) Banneret 01
02 - 09 Warrior Vassal Knight 02 - 03
10 - 20 Trader Bachelor Knight 04 - 06
Mercenary Knight 07 - 12
Warrior 13 - 17
Trader 18 - 20
Trader: As per "Pagan Shore"
20 points to spend plus
4 in both Boating and Intrigue.
2 in Orate
+2 in both Selfish and Deceitful
Honour -3
Inherited Glory: 1d6
Name and Father's Name: Sassanids should use Persian historical names
that they fancy, or, since they are taking the place of Arabs in
Pendragon, any Arabic name they feel suits their character. The name
"Abdallah", or its derivatives "Abdullah" or "Abdul", all quite
popular for Arabs in Western literature, mean "Servant of Allah" and
therefore aren't appropriate for Zoroastran characters.
Liege Lord: Ask your GM where the campaign is to be run. If that's
undecided, it is King Astalabor.
Trait Modifiers:
The Sassanids are an empire building people. They are Worldly (+2),
Proud (+2), Just (+1) and Prudent (+1)
Directed Traits and Passions:
The Sassanids have few cultural traits which are likely to affect them
so far from home. Their culture stresses a veneration of the King as a
sort of prophet-demigod, shrouded in mystery and withdrawn from the
world, which adds +3 to their Loyalty for the distant Emperor of the
Sassanids, should they generate one. Characters with high "Loyalty
(Sassanid Emperor)" scores will probably wish to return to their
homeland, so they may be inappropriate as player characters. Many of
these people "Hate (Byzantine Romans)", but there are so few of them
in Arthur's court as to make this passion valueless.
Starting Skills:
Persian Sassanids, although they have courtship customs and methods of
distinguishing each other in battle, do not practice Romance or
Heraldry in the French fashion. They instead Flirt and try to
Recognize other knights. Faeries in Persia are so dissimilar from
those in Britain as to make a Sassanid's Faerie Lore zero. The sport
of tourneying has not developed there. They prefer polo. So as not to
disadvantage Sassanid characters greatly, the gamesmaster might assume
that there are merchant associates or learned scholars in Persia which
can explain the basics of these odd, British customs to the player
characters, allowing them to add to these scores during the character
creation process, to a maximum score of five in each.
Sassanids from Dublin are exposed to the Danish and Irish cultures
surrounding them and, after Anguish and Galahuat feudalise their
territories, feudal customs as well. They gain one point in each of
the skills mentioned above, so long as the skill is available in
Ireland but lose the skill of archery, as it not practiced in
Ireland. "Irish" Sassanid characters may be made more complicated
using the rules presented in "Pagan Shore".
Starting Skills:
PERSIAN IRISH
Awareness 3 3
Boating 2 2
Chirurgery 0 0
Compose 3 3
Courtesy 1 1
Dancing 3 3
Faerie Lore 0 1
Falconry 3 3
First Aid 3 3
Flirting 4 4
Folk Lore 1 1
Gaming 5 5
Heraldry 0 1
Hunting 2 2
Industry 1 1
Intrigue 3 3
Orate 4 4
Play (Lute) 4 4
Read (Greek or Persian) 4 4
Recognize 4 4
Religion (Zoroastranism) 3 3
Romance 0 1
Singing 2 2
Stewardship 3 3
Swimming 3 3
Tourney 0 1
Combat Skills
Battle 2 2
Horsemanship 10 10
Weapon Skills
Sword 5 5
Lance 2 2
Dagger 2 2
Spear 1 1
Bow 4 0
Luck Benefits:
01 Money, 3d20 d.
02-03 Money, 1L.
04-06 Money, 1d6L.
07 Your ancestor was one of Alexander's generals. Gain 100 glory.
08 You have a Barb Courser.
09 You have an Arabian charger.
10 You have a part-share in a business, which earns you 3L. annually.
(Knights are forbidden to craft things themselves, or to engage in
usury, that is they may not lend money. They are, however,
allowed to own mills, premises and businesses, upon which the
tenants pay rents.)
11-16 Family Heirloom: Roll 1d6. Value 1-3 = 1/2L.
4 = 1L.
5 = 2L.
6 = 5L.
17 You own several useful slaves.
18 You have a healing potion (heals 1d6 points, once only) Priceless.
19 Upgrade your outfit by 1.
20 Roll twice.
Career Class:
As per normal, with the exception of traders, who are as per "Pagan
Shore" p. 106 [Requires 13 Intrigue, 10 Orate, 10 Boat]. Since it is
relatively easy to become a trader, many PCs will place their spare
points into combat skills, becoming merchant adventurers.
Character Sheet Back:
Sassanids who were once slaves may not have a family whom they can
call upon for aid. This is a GM's decision.
===============================================================================
SIDEBAR
RELIGION: Zoroastranism.
Traits: Honest, Chaste, Pious, Just, Generous
Zoroastranism is an ancient and complex religion, to which a single
sidebar cannot do justice, and it is hoped you'll look up its finer
details in your local library. For the purposes of roleplaying
Zoroastrans, here are some tips.
Zoroastrans believe that the universe is a battle between Truth and
Lie and the Gods are aligned to each pole. These are Ahura Mazda and
Arhiman. Each good act by a member of the faithful brings Ahura Mazda
closer to victory, but victory is still at least four thousand years
away. In the final days, the world will be cleansed in molten metal
and made new, whole and good. As this faith develops it incorporates
increasing amounts of Persian pantheism, so that each God gains a
retinue of lesser Gods that serve them. The most important for Ahura
Mazda is Mithra, around whom a splinter-cult forms.
Truth is the cardinal virtue of Zoroastranism. Charity to the needy is
also highly valued. Fire is sacred, even when used for cooking.
Believers wear a sacred undershirt and a girdle (basically a cord worn
as a belt) every day of their lives. Believers ritually purify
themselves upon awaking, after they have done anything that makes them
impure, as they enter each of the five sections of the day, and before
they worship. Worship of Ahura Mazdua is highly ritualised. Those who
are good think good things, do good things and say good things. A said
thing is good when it is carefully reasoned.
Dead bodies contaminate those who handle them. As Fire, Water and
Earth were made by Ahura Mazda, contaminating them with dead flesh is
wrong, so Zoroastrans should leave their dead to be eaten by carrion
birds. It is wrong to convert from any religion to any other religion,
as all religions lead eventually to Truth and each individual has been
born into a particular faith for a reason. It is wrong to marry a
non-believer. During menstruation, women can contaminate other people
and things, so she must not sleep with her husband or tend the hearth.
The religious bonus for Zoroastrans is that their bodies remain pure.
They cannot catch diseases and are immune to poisoning. For women,
this prevents their own death during childbirth, although the child
can still be stillborn.
--------------------
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