Under der linden
an der heide,
dâ unser zweier bette was,
dâ muget ir vinden
schône beide
gebrochen bluomen unde gras.
vor dem walde in einem tal,
tandaradei,
schône sanc diu nahtegal.
Under der Linden: A Medieval Persistent World
Praise be to God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit!
In the Year of Our Lord 1099, in the sultry month of July, the combined forces of Christendom - blessed by the Angels and all of the Lord's Saints - threw back the decadent and devil-possessed Saracens from the Holy Land. The land where God took Incarnation, where our sinful eyes do look with longing and love, has been cleansed and returned - after far too long of Muslim rule - to its rightful rulers of those who profess Jesus Christ as the Lord and as the Only Begotten Son of God.
The Iron Century, taken place over a hundred years ago, has finally given way to the High Ages. The Darkest Times, after the Roman Empire collapsed under its on weight, has blossomed into a fruit for Kings and Princes throughout Europe. Although the Mohammedan Moorish heathens still ride freely over Hispania and threaten the underbelly of Europe, it appears that - for the time being - the forces of Darkness have been turned back and Order is returning to the World. The Princes and Noblemen who went off to fight for God and for Glory in the Holy Land now ride back, with their skin baked from the hot Levantine sun and their hearts heavy from years of brutal slaughter. They return to absent duchies, to empty castles, and to a way of life totally alien to the one they had learned in combat with in the Princes' Crusade.
One such of these fiefdoms is the Barony of the Arde, located in the County of Champagne. The Barony, located on a tract of land with some farmland - and a few vineyards to the fame of the region - but mostly thick woodland possessed by the Baron d'Arde. The old Baron, Odo d'Arde, is in his sixtieth year and grows weaker by the day. Most of the day-to-day running of the Barony has been taken over by his aging wife, the Baroness Aceline. The heir to the Barony, the brave Chevalier Roger, the Knight of Antioch, rides back with the forces of Robert Curthorse as Baldwin, Raymond, and Godfrey attempt to strengthen their position in the newly-founded Crusader Kingdoms.
Roger d'Arde, who assailed the walls of Antioch's citadel in the final charge to capture the holy seat of the Patriarch, returns to a world that is foreign to him in all ways, shapes, and forms. With his father hearing the calls of the Angels, his people who have grown accustomed to a hands-off rule from the chateau now feel a certain degree of apprehension and dread as Roger returns to the land of his birth. He had left a young man, barely come of age, but now returns as a man. But what kind of man is he?
Sancta Maria, O clemens, O pia, O dulcis Virgo Maria! Ora pro nobis, sancta Dei Genitrix, ut digni efficiamur promissionibus Christi.
Amen.
Under the Lime Tree, on the Heather
This roleplay will take place within a fictional barony in the real-life County of Champagne, starting in Anno Domini 1102. It will begin as Roger d'Arde, heir to the Barony and acclaimed Crusader, rides back from the Holy Land and prepares to begin his duties as lord of the land. A twenty-four year old man, he is young but has spent the last six years away from the barony and in the Holy Land fighting in the service of Godfrey of Bouillon. His father, Baron Odo, is practically on his deathbed as he succumbs to his old age and all of his land is a little apprehensive at the thought of this unknown knight - who left home barely a man - returning to rule over them.
I will play Roger, Odo, and the immediate family of House d'Arde, but the intention here is to have each player take some form of the village life. Lowly peasants, local men-at-arms, chancellors, merchants. Anything really. My vision for this is to have an almost independent world, where each of us is creating this fictional barony into a proper fleshed out piece of work. Our characters do not have to interact, or interact only slightly. But each of our decisions can impact the entire story. I will also occasionally take the role as a Narrator, some Angel or another, or an outside traveler, who comes to the Barony to cause trouble or stir up something interesting to keep the story fresh.
My expectations for the roleplay will be detailed in the OOC, but I intend to have this be High Casual/Low Advanced. As usual for my RPs, I'm more interested in quality rather than the size of the post. If anyone is interested please post up!
@Gunther @CaptainBritton @LivingQuietly
