Middle Kingdom Pursuivants Handbook 2nd Edition - Midrealm ...

Choosing a CultureJehan de la MarcheThe first step in persona design is deciding broadly of which culture you wish to be a part. This comes evenbefore choosing a name (at least a name you will submit to the heralds and keep on a semipermanent basis),since a name must derive from a particular language and hence implies, at least broadly, the culture from whichit comes. Some names are more specific than others (some form of “John” existed in almost every Europeanculture, for instance) but even with common names, spelling and pronunciation were determined by the specificculture.I list below, in very broad detail, some major possibilities. For each one, I have tried to give some points thatmay help you decide whether you want to belong to a group. Ask yourself which group fits your skills andinterest. Do you want simple clothing you can make with a minimum of training? Do you like to hit people withlarge axes? Did you learn French in high school? Are you happier playing a pagan? Such considerations mayhelp make up your mind. You need not (indeed should not) have a hyper-detailed “persona story” at once;sketch broad outlines that can be filled in later if you decide you should have visited Italy to learn sonneteeringfrom Petrarch, or raided Spain for the Moorish slave girl who appears in your company…Early Medieval RomanceThis is ‘romance’ in the language sense. These people start out around 400-500 C.E. speaking vulgar Latin(i.e., popular, not literary, Latin) in the land ruled by the collapsing western Roman Empire. By 1000 C.E. theyare speaking early forms of French, Spanish and Italian, living in the kingdoms carved out of the old empire byassorted conquerors.Clothing: Simple in cut, long robes and/or trousers for men (trousers were originally “barbaric” but theformerly Gallic, lower classes wore them even during the empire), fairly loose-fitting straight dresses forwomen—could be ornamented with embroidery, furs, jewels. The rulers wore something as close to Byzantinestyle as they could afford.Weapons: The old Roman short thrusting sword and big rectangular shield gave way to broadswords(sometimes without thrusting tips) and short spears—perhaps axes under barbarian influence—with roundshields. Little archery, and that with short bows.Literature: Awkward but sometimes charming imitations of classic forms by clerics; chanson de geste (bythe end of the era) among secular folk—songs of heroic deeds told in long irregular stanzas linked byassonance. Beginnings of rhymed verse by the end of the era.Politics: Great instability in early years (450-750) with assorted Germanic tribes struggling for power. Newempire created by Charlemagne (c. 800) collapses under raids by Saracens, Vikings and Magyars. By the end ofthe era France has emerged as a distinct kingdom; Spain is several kingdoms (the largest being Castile andAragon); Italy is a chaos of little free cities and lordships caught between pope and emperor (though Normanshack out a kingdom in southern Italy in the Eleventh Century).Religion: Officially Catholic Christian; a few heresies in the early part of the era (Priscillianism, anyone?); abit of folk magic, mostly using Christian terminology.Heroes: Charlemagne and his Peers (as remembered in legend—the real Charlemagne was more Germanic)are popular throughout this culture. Bernardo del Carpio and El Cid in Spain.Early Medieval GermanicAgain, my basic distinction is linguistic. These people spoke languages related to modern German, includingnot only Old High German and Old Saxon in Germany but Anglo-Saxon in England and Old Norse inScandinavia. An early group spoke Gothic; these occupied Italy, southern France and Spain circa 450-500 buteventually were destroyed, the last major Gothic group in Spain falling around 711.Clothing: Similar to Early Medieval Romance historically, but perhaps more trousers; by SCA traditionmore furs. Again, simple cut but nice embroidery.Weapons: Large round shields, axes, spears, halberds, and broadswords. Fighting may include berserking(induced battle-madness)—this should be imitated only with caution in the SCA.Middle Kingdom Pursuivants Handbook 572nd Edition - 2002