Insvlae Britanniae

[Capra]

Hello. I would like to know if there could be some interest for a RP campaign set in a faux-medieval British Archipelago, a land where might makes right, pagan and christian beliefs fight and merge with each other, and where the word "invader" means "a more recent invader than us".

The kingdoms of the Celts, an ancient people who inhabited the islands since time immemorial, have been reduced to a fraction of their former power by the invasions of the Anglo-Saxon, a proud people from beyond the sea. The Seaxe conquered most of the area now known as Englaland, leaving only Cymru, Éire, and the northern kingdoms of Rheged, Alba and Fortriu to the Celtae. However, an even more fearsome people has descended upon Britannia: the Norse, sailing the northern sea on their dreaded longships, have come to pillage, loot, and settle the islands. Striking both Saxons and Celts, they carved their own vast domains in eastern Englaland, northern Ireland and the northern isles of Suðreyjar and Orkneyjar. Meanwhile, all that remains of the glorious Roman past of the island are the two small, bickering kingdoms of Cornovia and Dumnonia, in the far southwest. The isles are set ablaze by war, and the rivers run red with blood.

Still, rumor has it that yet another invasion is being prepared...

The players can play as any sort of character they'd like to (combat-oriented, of course). The characters' ethnical background (Celt, Saxon, Norse, or Roman) and religion (there will be some religions to choose from, some available to all characters, some only to those of a certain ethnicity) will both play a significant role in the plot.

If anybody is interested, I will gladly post the map I prepared of the RP's world, and more detailed descriptions of its peoples, religions, and kingdoms.

(disclaimer: this setting is VERY heavily inspired by the Crusader Kings 2 Lux Invicta alternate history mod, which you should check out if you own the game)

[Siti]

I like this.

[Capra]

Siti said
I like this.

Glad you do! As we wait for more people to join us, I'll post the map of the islands (it's very big) and a brief description of the various peoples inhabiting them.

The Celts: the most ancient of all peoples of Britannia, the Celts have inhabited and dominated the archipelago since times long before recorded history. Traditionally, the Celts have always been divided in many different tribes, clans, and petty kingdoms, and so they are today: tribal bonds are very strong among them, and different tribes, even those that share the same language or culture, may despise or even hate each other because of ancient rivalries or feuds; sometimes, however, many different tribes may unite under a more or less powerful High King. The druids, priests and seers of the traditional Celtic religion, are also held in very high regard by all the Celtic peoples. After the Saxon and Norse invasions, the only Celtic kingdoms and tribes that have remained are the following: Dal Riata, Fortriu, Ystrad Clud, Alba, Rheged, and the Caledonians in the North; the three Welsh kingdoms of Powys, Gwynedd and Dyfed in Cymru; Brythonia, last Celtic bastion in Englaland and home to the descendants of the great Artorius; and lastly, the high kingdom of Éire.

The Romano-Britons: when Britannia was conquered and colonized by the Romans, the Empire found it wise to not only subjugate or eliminate local tribes, but also, in order to tighten its grip on the islands, found various semi-independent Roman colonies and vassal kingdoms, headed by a Rex, a sort of hereditary governor. The Empire has collapsed long ago, and only two of these colonies exist today: Dumnonia and Cornovia, both located in the south-westernmost part of Albion. Compared to the rest of the peoples of Britain, Roman society is way more organized and well structured, with both the former colonies enjoying such things as a professional army, a very efficient infrastructure, and advanced knowledge of architecture and engineering. The most common religion among the Romano-Britons is Christianity, although two different doctrines of this religion exist in the two kingdoms.

The Saxons: invading during the years of the Empire's collapse, the Saxons have become the most numerous people to inhabit the island, settling in the vast region now known as Englaland. The Saxons, however, have never been a united folk: in some regards, their society is even more balkanized and tribal than that of the Celts. Thus, while being one people, the Anglo-Saxons are divided in a myriad of petty kingdoms, in a sort of feudal society. Each kingdom is headed by a King, who rules over a varying number of earls. Although an ambitious king might manage to unite various different kingdoms and proclaim himself High King, after his death his realm will most likely split up again. The Saxons do not share a common religion: many still hold true to the Pagan ways of their ancestors, but even those who have converted to Christianity are divided between various creeds and doctrines. The Saxon kingdoms are Northymbria, Mercia, East Engla, Kent, Westseaxna, Eastseaxna, and Suthseaxna.

The Norse: the most recently arrived in Britannia and perhaps the most determined of all invaders, the Norse have descended initially upon the islands as pillagers and raiders. However, they soon started to settle on its shores, and to carve kingdoms of their own on their shores. The great Viking warlords, with hordes of warriors behind them, are often the fathers and founders of these kingdoms, and their descendants still hold their thrones. However, Viking society is simple and primitive, with personal loyalty to one's warlord (called Konung or Jarl) is the main bond uniting a king to his subjects; thus, it shouldn't surprise that raiding and trading are the most practiced activities by the Norsemen. The Norse are mostly Pagan, but a few Viking kings and lords have become Christian. The Norse realms in the islands are Sudreyjar and Orkneyjar in the North, the pseudo-republic of Ulaid, the island kingdom of Manx, the three great kingdoms of Beornice, Jorvik and Danelagh, and the small realm of Anglia.

[Templar Knight]

What about the Picts? Unless we're saying that the Celts already conquered them. Either way, I may be interested.

[Capra]

Templar Knight said
What about the Picts? Unless we're saying that the Celts already conquered them. Either way, I may be interested.

The Picts are one of the many celtic cultures, and they live in the territories of Fortriu.

[TheBlueShotgun]

Very interested. I also play CK2, though I haven't played Lux Invicta yet. Regardless, this sounds awesome. Celtic Pride!

[Capra]

Here's a brief description of the religions and faiths existing in the islands.

Religions available to all characters:

Catholicism: although Catholicism is universally (and rightfully) regarded as the most important and influent branch of Christianity in Western Europe, the Catholic Church holds actually relatively little power in Britannia. The isles were simply too far away from the main papal seat of Rome and of little importance for the Pope's interests, and the rise of the Pelagian doctrine further reduced the Church's influence in the archipelago, as we shall see later. However, Catholicism appeared again in Christianity in recent times, around the beginning of the ninth century, when the Saxon kings of Kent and Suthseaxna decided to embrace this doctrine; this was a strategic move to gain the favor of the Catholic rulers of the Holy Roman Empire, which at the time was the most powerful realm in Western Europe. The two kings decided to embrace the Catholic rulers in order to become a part of the Empire's sphere of influence, and thus gain its protection against their Pagan and Pelagian neighbors. Thus, the Catholic Church abruptly re-entered the islands, and using the two Saxon kingdoms as footholds, flooded the archipelago with missionaries and priests, however obtaining only scarce results in bringing back Britannia under the hegemony of the Pope. Now, Catholicism has relatively little followers in Britain; except in the two kingdoms of Kent and Suthseaxna, Catholics are viewed with suspicion in all of Britannia, and sometimes even persecuted. This religion is symbolized by the papal tiara and crossed keys, emblem of the Vatican.

Pelagianism: Pelagianism is a Christian doctrine, condemned as heresy by the mainstream Catholic Church. Its name comes from that of Pelagius, a British monk and theologian born in 390 CE. Pelagians hold that Adam, the first man in Biblical tradition, never incurred any "original sin", only that he set a bad example for humanity. Consequently, humanity is not doomed to sin, but instead chooses to sin of its own free will. Therefore, humanity has never been "tainted" by any primordial sin, and it is capable of choosing right and wrong without need of divine aid, but merely because of their own God-given free will. This belief directly contrasts with that of the Catholic Church, which claims that man is inherently evil and that man cannot come to God without the grace of God, symbolized by the Baptism. When Pelagianism first appeared, it was a mostly underground cult, opposed and persecuted by the Church and the Roman Empire (which at the time was already enforcing Catholicism as a state religion). When the Saxons invaded, many kings of this people decided to convert to Christianity; however, in order to oppose the Catholic Romans, and seeing the Catholic churches and monastries as an easy target for plundering, they decided to embrace the Pelagian doctrine. Thus, the Pelagian monks and priests, which had been forced to hide under the Roman Empire, were given the occasion the spread their creed among throughout Britain, especially among the Saxons; thus, in a short time, the doctrine of Pelagius became the most widely followed Christian creed in Albion. Quickly, Pelagians set up their own Church, resembling that of the Catholic, led by a council of high ranking bishops (known as the College). The seal of the College and of the Pelagians in general is a white rose, symbol of purity. The College used to reside in York, but after the Viking invasion, it was forced to move to Berecingas, in Eastseaxna. Today, the predominantly Pelagian realms are Eastseaxna, Mercia, Northymbra, Est Engla, Danelagh, and Dyfed.

(1/5)

[Capra]

Religions available only to Celtic characters:

Celtic Paganism: also commonly known as Druidism, Celtic Paganism is the mainstream religion among the Celts. Followers worship various tribal deities, including some of the more pan-tribal deities such as Teutatis, Taranis, Lugh, Nuada, Brighid, in a fashion which has not changed much since the early Iron Age. In addition to these deities, they also place an emphasis on their ancestors and local nature spirits, often associated with stones, trees and bodies of water. Special connection to nature in Celtic Pagans' religion is also illustrated by the importance of sacred trees (especially oaks) and the usage of mistletoe as sacred medicine. In social life, the most important feature of the religion is the central role played by its clergy, the Druids, in maintaining religious and social cohesion. They are responsible for organizing worship and sacrifices, divination and judicial procedure. They preside over complex rituals revolving, for example, around sacred banqueting and animal (sometimes human) sacrifices, following a calendar based on Moon cycles. Although Druids prefer keeping away from the sphere of politics and abhor putting any sacred lore in writing, or maybe because of that, their spiritual aura goes much beyond those following the Celtic traditional religion and is widely respected, even by worshippers of other cults. Druids are also law-speakers, poets, and doctors, thus playing a fundamental role not only in the religious sphere, but also in everyday life. A typical Celtic symbol is the triskelion or triple spiral, found in many artifacts and emblems in the Celtic world. The old ways of the Celts remain strong especially in Ystrad Clud, Dál Riata, Fortriu, Rheged and Caledonia in the North, Powys in Cymru, and the western half of Éire.

Celtic Christianity: also called Hibernicism or Cúchulainism, Celtic Christianity is the result of the syncretism between Christianity and the local Celtic traditions. Christianity arrived in Britain in the beginning of the 4th Century, but as the Roman Catholic presence started to become unstable, local clerics reinterprated Christianity in a fashion more in line with their own Celtic traditions, creating a new variant of Christianity. Old Celtic traditions kept alive by Druidism slowly became more and more intertwined, and as a result, Hibernicism developed into an ever-changing, peculiar synthesis between its fading Christian background and the revived Celtic belief system. In particular, characters of the Christian Saints and Celtic heroes influence each other, to the extent that the historical figure of Jesus of Nazareth is often merged into one of the most prominent characters of the Celtic sagas, Cúchulainn. Celtic Christians do not have an organized clergy or unified church: their priests and bishops are much more similar to the druids of old than to their Catholic or Pelagian counterparts. However, they do refer to the whole of their community as the "Church of Saint Patrick". The most common symbol of the Hibernicist faith is the so-called Celtic Cross, standing tall in many Celtic monastries and churches. Today, Hibernicism has many followers among the Celts, especially in the kingdoms of Alba, Gwynedd, Brythonia, and the eastern half of Éire.

(2/5)

[Capra]

I have decided to post the first OOC! You can find it here:

http://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/72399/posts/ooc?page=1#post-2244197

All the other information will be posted there, including the description of the other religions.

[TheBlueShotgun]

Bumpin' dis 'cause more people should join :P