[X] Join the Peasant's Crusade under Peter the Hermit. You must leave now, to meet with the other Pilgrims in Cologne before August.
-[X] Say goodbye to your family. This wouldn't take much time, and there is nothing material to gain here, only the love from your mother and siblings. Or you can just leave without doing this, you'll save time, and that may or may not be a boon...
--[X] While you wait for your mother to return home, make your intentions known to the people of Gaillac. Perhaps your strong faith can persuade a few townspeople to throw their lot in with you. A group would also be safer to travel to Cologne...
---[X] You have a 'high' intrigue and piety score, maybe we can use that to gather more supplies from priests, monks (learning teacher please), merchants and smiths, finding men who knows how to fight (either through our piety or intrigue), and maybe persuade the local bandits to change their ways and to join the crusade with us.
[X] Join the Peasant's Crusade under Peter the Hermit. You must leave now, to meet with the other Pilgrims in Cologne before August.
-[X] Say goodbye to your family. This wouldn't take much time, and there is nothing material to gain here, only the love from your mother and siblings. Or you can just leave without doing this, you'll save time, and that may or may not be a boon...
--[X] While you wait for your mother to return home, make your intentions known to the people of Gaillac. Perhaps your strong faith can persuade a few townspeople to throw their lot in with you. A group would also be safer to travel to Cologne...
Unless we shit out a major miracle to convince the romans to equip us and join in penance because their weird religion was wrong all along... Yeah, wishful thinking.
It's only been 40 odd years since the official schism of the Greek and Latin churches (granted they have been drifting apart for quite a while now) and the Romans would jump at the chance to reconquer Anatolia.
Also the Peasants' Crusade does have some trained knights, who we can pick up knowledge from.
It's only been 40 odd years since the official schism of the Greek and Latin churches (granted they have been drifting apart for quite a while now) and the Romans would jump at the chance to reconquer Anatolia.
Romans will be pissed enough to have a large host of undisciplined rabble wandering through their borders, most likely eating off the land like some locust plague. Getting anything besides passage (and that only to get us out of their hair) will be almost impossible unless we roll a major miracle.
What we actually can do is preach in every roman city and town we come across and beg for some charity to fulfill the Lord's command.
[X] Join the Peasant's Crusade under Peter the Hermit. You must leave now, to meet with the other Pilgrims in Cologne before August.
A wise choice, or a foolish one. Your plan is to set off to Cologne before August, as the Crusade will leave by November. You have nothing, so there will be no time wasted on preparations.
-[X] Say goodbye to your family. This wouldn't take much time, and there is nothing material to gain here, only the love from your mother and siblings. Or you can just leave without doing this, you'll save time, and that may or may not be a boon...
Your sentimentality here has no ill side effects.
--[X] While you wait for your mother to return home, make your intentions known to the people of Gaillac. Perhaps your strong faith can persuade a few townspeople to throw their lot in with you. A group would also be safer to travel to Cologne...
[Diplomacy: 7 + (4/2) + (25/2) = 21, Success: 20] Your people always knew you for your faith, and now that the Pilgrimage has been condoned by His Holiness, they flock with you to the local Church to proceed to the next step on the journey to their Eternal Salvation.
+1 to Diplomacy for your efforts at trying to convince those with words.
+1 Piety for bringing more people on the Pilgrimage.
---[X] You have a 'high' intrigue and piety score, maybe we can use that to gather more supplies from priests, monks (learning teacher please), merchants and smiths, finding men who knows how to fight (either through our piety or intrigue), and maybe persuade the local bandits to change their ways and to join the crusade with us.
[Intrigue: 6 + (10/2) + (25/2) = 29, Success: 20] You head to the usual hang out for miscreants and ne'er-do-wells. They didn't go to the proclamation at the town square, but they did hear about the Pilgrimage. Until you came, they thought it was just another scheme by the church to get fools to march to their deaths for their faith. But after you explained to them, very simply, that this was greater than that, they start to come around. It was more likely that you used the explanation of all their previous crimes, which you knew in detail from working with them, to have them come to their own conclusion that they neededsalvation, because of how shit they were. (Piety + Intrigue is a pretty insane combo)
+1 Piety for bringing more people on the Pilgrimage.
[Edit: This was essentially the Introduction/Tutorial area. Base success for actions was 20. Until the halfway point of the game they will be bumped up to 50.]
While you waited for evening, to see your mother off before you left, you decided to talk to some people following the proclamation of the Great Pilgrimage. While you weren't able to grab a crowd intially, as you were never good at public speaking, eventually the small amount of people that were drawn by your pure devotion grew. Apparently small crowds create slightly larger ones. Your words were shit, but your intentions true, and it appears that the townspeople were still amazed by the proclamation of the Bishop, so a few of them even decide to enlist in the Pilgrimage. You direct them to the Church where logistics are handled.
(15 Peasants join you.)
You head to the Hangman's Hearth, which is the locale for unscrupulous actors and actresses in Gaillac. This is where you spent a lot of your time, scheming with your friends to join your plots to gain what little coin you could. You had a lot of dirt on these guys, and you sure as shit used it against them today. It wasn't necessarily in a malevolent manner, as your goal was to genuinely get them to fight for salvation, which is something you honestly believed in. Most, if not all of them came to the realization that if they didn't do this, they'd burn in the hellfires of the underworld for the rest of eternity. All but one join you, and he's real scum. His name is Gaston, and Gaston doesn't take shit from anyone.
(The Company of Generous Fellows join you, which is the name for you, your friends, and your associated of crime. Seven very experienced cut-purses join you (I say cut-purses because that's essentially what they did, among other sorts of grifting/stealing, they either have Medium level Diplomacy or Medium level Intrigue stats).
One member of the Company is important. He is your best friend since you were kids. The two of you complement one another very well, and even if you hadn't convinced these other idiots to join you, he would have done so anyways.
You head to your mothers shack as the sun sets. You are greeted by a tired, middle-aged woman, and your younger siblings. Your father died when you were young, so it took a lot of effort to raise these young ones on her own. You'd bring money and food when you had it, but you mostly stayed away to not leech off of what little they had. Your mother is always happy to see you, but is saddened by your departure. She is proud of you for wanting to dedicate yourself to the faith, but you know that she knows you're probably going to die. She kisses you on the cheek, and you get a massive hug from your family. You're probably never going to see them again, but the love they give you is enough of a morale boost to get you through the next few days, at best.
+1 Piety from your Mum
You head to the Church where everyone has gathered. Other than those that have come from your own efforts a small group has already formed from members of the town and outlying villagers that wanted to go on the Pilgrimage of their own accord. There are 40 Pilgrims from Gaillac. Father Albert is here, talking to the pilgrims and working things out while his second, Brother Thomas of the Order of St. John, is handling logistics. There is another man here, and he is wearing full armor and carries a massive mace. His tabard is one you have never seen before. You know not his name, and have never seen him before. He does not speak to anyone, and he must have come with the Bishop for the proclamation.
When everyone is given blankets and bread, and a space to sleep for the night in to church, to spend the evening in prayer in preparation for the journey, you get a chance to talk to Father Albert. You were always his favorite. He always condoned your actions, because when you could, you gave to the church. He silently condoned your petty theft because he knew where the money went, and when you could you always gave him a minute of your time just to talk. [Piety Check: Critical success]
Father Albert tells you that Brother Thomas is to lead the Pilgrims from Gaillac to Cologne, and link with other members of the Hospitalier order along the way to try to coordinate the pilgrims as best as they can until they get to their first destination. He wants you to help Brother Thomas with this arduous task as 40 men is a large group to coordinate for one man, even for a man of the Hospitalier order. You hug, have some bread and water, and try to catch as much sleep as you can for the night.
The next morning you arise at dawn, the pilgrims are slightly rejuvenated. The simplicity of the bread and water, and the night of reflection in their home church has given them a boost of spirits towards their task at hand. [Morale set to Good]
Brother Thomas calls for everyone to begin marching. People say goodbye to their family members one last time, at least those who were awake to do so. It is a strange crowd, and its more of a swarm of people than an organized group, but it's what you have. Brother Thomas is at the front, and you are next to him. The strange, armoured man is at the rear, silent. you talk to Albert about many things along the road, and you even come across other Pilgrims.
Your first stop is Clermont, where the first council was held. Another 50 Pilgrims join you, coming from towns further west, as the original host from Clermont, which must have been massive, as already left for Cologne. These 50 join your band under two more Brothers of the Order of St. John. Brother Thomas does not know them, and after exchanging pleasantries, he prefers to keep to your company.
Relationship with Brother Thomas set to 4/10.
Pontarlier is your next stop, and it is where you make camp after the second day of traveling. Your numbers reach 120 by the time you set up your makeshift camp, which is merely a series of campfires and patchwork blankets offered by the local church, as they had already given what they could to their own Pilgrims. The local Prior comes out to talk to you and Brother Thomas, who is the unofficial leader of your band.
Prior Francis tells you of what is happening along the Rhine. Persecution of Jews, robbing, and pillaging by uncoordinated mobs. This is terrible...or is it an opportunity?
You are not the leader of your Band, and will have to convince Brother Thomas of action. Your stats will affect this. Brother Thomas likes you some what, so that adds to your chances.
[X] Go to Worms, where the greatest amount of chaos is occurring...
-[X]...to try to stop the violence.
-[X]...to join in the violence. Your fellow pilgrims will surely will enjoy blowing off some steam. You'll also most assuredly get some money and/or weapons and supplies.
[X] Do not go to Worms. Cologne is the path. "The Jews are damned for their heathenism. There is only one God." Or there's nothing you could really do anyways.
[X] Go to Worms, where the greatest amount of chaos is occurring...
-[X]...to try to stop the violence.
--[X] God is love. God is forgiveness. God tells us to love our neighbors as ourselves and to forgive our enemies. Regardless of whether they are Jews or not we would be breaking the law of the Lord Jesus Christ if we let this travesty of justice go unchecked.
[X] Go to Worms, where the greatest amount of chaos is occurring...
-[X]...to try to stop the violence.
--[X] "To waste your God given strength on the undeserving is a sin; to ignore the will of the Lord - heretical. Dally not with the Jew, but make haste on your journey to the holy land instead. Those who follow the Lords command in letter and in spirit will surely receive entrance to the Kingdom of Heaven."
It might not work, but it's worth a shot. Not to mention its the right thing to do morally.
[X] Go to Worms, where the greatest amount of chaos is occurring...
-[X]...to try to stop the violence.
--[X] "To waste your God given strength on the undeserving is a sin; to ignore the will of the Lord - heretical. Dally not with the Jew, but make haste on your journey to the holy land instead. Those who follow the Lords command in letter and in spirit will surely receive entrance to the Kingdom of Heaven."
I'm not really statisfied with that. If anyone has something better I'll change it.
Edit: Quick question about the stats: since we gain stats as we successfully perform actions, do we lose stats if we horribly fail?
-[X]...to try to stop the violence.
--[X] God is love. God is forgiveness. God tells us to love our neighbors as ourselves and to forgive our enemies. Regardless of whether they are Jews or not we would be breaking the law of the Lord Jesus Christ if we let this travesty of justice go unchecked.
Was trying to go for something more intone with some one who is a die hard Christian since this kind of stuff is what I think a "good" christian should think.
Better yet it is much closer to what the Bible ACTUALLY says.
Was trying to go for something more intone with some one who is a die hard Christian since this kind of stuff is what I think a "good" christian should think.
Problem is we're on a quest to kill dudes from a foreign religion and seize their lands because it plays a large role in our own religion. It's a bit hypocritical to preach about love and forgiveness while we're crusading. I'm not sure that argument is going to stick with most of the people.
We're illiterate, as are the peasants beating up the Jews. What we and they know about the bible is interpreted by the local church. For all we know there's a priest among them with a hard-on for Jews giving that whole debacle some legitimacy.
[X] Go to Worms, where the greatest amount of chaos is occurring...
-[X]...to try to stop the violence.
--[X] "To waste your God given strength on the undeserving is a sin; to ignore the will of the Lord - heretical. Dally not with the Jew, but make haste on your journey to the holy land instead. Those who follow the Lords command in letter and in spirit will surely receive entrance to the Kingdom of Heaven."
Problem is we're on a quest to kill dudes from a foreign religion and seize their lands because it plays a large role in our own religion. It's a bit hypocritical to preach about love and forgiveness while we're crusading. I'm not sure that argument is going to stick with most of the people.
[X] Go to Worms, where the greatest amount of chaos is occurring...
-[X]...to try to stop the violence.
--[X] "To waste your God given strength on the undeserving is a sin; to ignore the will of the Lord - heretical. Dally not with the Jew, but make haste on your journey to the holy land instead. Those who follow the Lords command in letter and in spirit will surely receive entrance to the Kingdom of Heaven."
[X] Go to Worms, where the greatest amount of chaos is occurring...
-[X]...to try to stop the violence.
--[X] "To waste your God given strength on the undeserving is a sin; to ignore the will of the Lord - heretical. Dally not with the Jew, but make haste on your journey to the holy land instead. Those who follow the Lords command in letter and in spirit will surely receive entrance to the Kingdom of Heaven."
