Although the knights of "real world" orders covered up their foul deeds with fair words, there were Medieval "crusading orders" that were just as unpleasant as this. Some of the offshoots of the Teutonic Order, for example, were rather unpleasant sorts.

Terry Jones (of Monty Python fame) hit upon this in his book about Chaucer's Knight's Tale. His (controversial) thesis was that the "ideal" knight depicted therein is shown to be a bloodthirsty mercenary when you dig below the surface. The historical Dracula, Vlad Tepes, was another excellent example of a rather nasty "knight".

I could see a group of "plainspoken knights" that argued that the only difference between their order and others was that they eschewed hypocritical posturing. They might even argue that their actions were justified due to various historical factors similar to the excuses for the numerous crusades and pogroms aganst Jews and various heretics in Medieval Europe. After all, if the gods didn't approve, they would not be blessed with victory, right? Go to Comment

I finally finished the one I was working on... Go to Comment

In the Middle Ages, the peasantry often had exaggerated ideals about how their rulers would care for their needs, with extreme examples including rebels that laid down their arms because the king had come to meet with them and "address their grievances". Based on that, a ruler might well pass laws in the name of "protecting the peasantry from injustice", undermining the authority of a nobleman that had displeased him. Go to Comment

Fowlgraff, I mean Powlgraff, a city with a bird-brained set of laws. I love this insane city!

Plot Ideas:
The PCs need to get information from the venerable sage Sohndres, but the man has snapped, going on a chicken slaying rampage! As he's the only living expert on the Lost Dingus of Axelrod, the PCs will have to smuggle him out of the city before he commits any more acts of avicide!

A wizard, Pogott Glommer, has begun an evil scheme to avenge himself against the city's nobles. He has found a magical item that exchanges minds from body to body and has begun switching the nobles out with chickens. If the PCs don't stop him, he'll make them pay dearly for the humiliation he went through when he was arrested for eating a chicken!

Dark rumors have surfaced of a sinister cult hidden in the City of Poultry, a cult dedicated to Mrrrrorw, the little-known Demon Lord of Rabid Housecats. This group must be stopped before they can summon their vile patron and unleash a fowl bloodbath unlike anything the world has ever seen. Go to Comment

That torture is documentably at least 400 years older than that. It was in use in medieval Spain and Germany.

The political context is irrelevant. Go to Comment

The Native American torture that you described (Nailing intestines to a tree) was also used by the Vikings. Go to Comment

A worthy first try, Rowler. Read the feedback, then consider how to make you next submission even better. In your shoes, I wouldn't go nuts revising this piece, but would instead focus my effort on outdoing myself with each new idea.

When you write, try to think of details that a reader might not expect, but which make sense. Ideally, you want to leave your reader thinking "I never would have thought of that!"

Hmmm.  I just noticed that this was first submitted in 2006.  In all likelihood, it's too late to give Rowler advice.

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I really like the backstory and quirkiness of the item.

Part of me reacts, "but, it's just a frying pan!" and part of me wants to figure out how to build an adventure around it...

... and with an eerie, otherworldly voice, the Oracle spoke: "Bring ye forth the Vessel of Ironspirit from its durance within the Hellcaves of Dalroth! Only one who has prepared the Orbs of the World Eagle within the Vessel may pass the Iron Guardians and achieve their quest!" Go to Comment

(Bump!) A well done legend, detailed and useful. Every magic weapon should have an epic smith to give it life. Go to Comment

I normally prefer more subtle evil than this, but I have to make an exception for this wicked item.

Excellently described and detailed! Go to Comment

E'scatonia's chest may be little, but it certainly held my interest. (But, then I've always appreciated a well-displayed chest.)

I can think of a lot of ways that I could use this; this could take a campaign off in 20 different directions, from political intrigue ("My, that IS an interesting fetish the duke enjoys! I wonder what the Dutchess would say, if she knew?") to cat and mouse with the daughter (Daughter may want her birthright...) to contact with the three-tongued one. Go to Comment

I have added Ye Boke of Ye Blesssynges of Mathom as a scroll.

Manfred, thank you for giving us this amusing and useful diety. Go to Comment

Ye Boke of Ye Blessynges of Mathom
This rather lengthy text contains the collected sermons of the self-appointed "Patriarch of Mathom", Saint Ferdric the Sluggish. This decrepit wise man spent many years wandering from village to village, expounding on the need for all things to happen in their own, appropriate time. While the elderly sage’s odd views brought him into conflict with civil and religious authorities in several lands and he was eventually arrested, the magistrates never found the time to try him on the charges. Local legend says that on the day when the Blessed Ferdric passed away, his fellow prisoners were able to walk right out of the dungeon that held them, for the rusted-out bars of their cell had not been repaired on schedule.

The text itself is very disorganized, for many of the individual sermons within were never completed. It appears that Saint Ferdric intended to revise the sermons and organize them properly, but passed away before this task was completed. After his death, his acolytes respectfully decided to keep everything as the saint had originally written it.

A printed version of the text was planned, with elaborate woodcuts illustrating important passages, but this version was never produced due to disagreements between the printer and the acolytes that possessed the original text. While some woodcut illustrations were made, and are still widely admired, the text itself is only found in a few hand-written copies. Go to Comment

Just getting around to it, eh?

(Yes, I know... That's what EVERYONE ELSE said. I'll think of something original when I have some spare time.) Go to Comment

A worthy addition to the culture of the orcish folk. A worthwhile sequel would detail how the tribes and their shamans worship these gods. Go to Comment

But that was my favorite part! Go to Comment

A sneaky item, especially because it seems like it's worth keeping and its effects are subtle.

Good one! Go to Comment

Theocracy is government by the representatives of a religion: In this case, the Society of Prophecy and their secret police, the Soldiers of Destiny. A real-world example of a theocracy would be Afghanistan under the Taliban. Go to Comment

A grimly cynical theocracy, secretly controlled by the descendants of the merchant-princes that originally overthrew the old order and their mercenary troops, now the secret police force of a manipulative priesthood.

I could see the priesthood developing a rift between the hypocritical prophets that originally controlled it and a new generation of priests that have grown under the new order. While some of these new priests would be as hypocritical as their ancestors, others might have decided that the revolution and its results were foreordained by the gods, just as everything else in their carefully-planned lives is.

Such a city would be ripe for conflict, between the champions of social order ("Truly you are lost in sin, to seek to evade your prescribed place in the Great Order of All Life!") and those advocating the city's rigid castes be eliminated ("Workers of Oraburg, unite! You have nothing to lose but your chains!")

More information about the methods of control used by the priesthood would be interesting. They would need a detailed system of record keeping and the ability to verify their citizens' personal identities for them to enforce their system. I'm curious what they do with strangers. Do they try to shoehorn them into the caste system or do foreigners have their own specific social niche? Go to Comment

Many people forget how much of our communication is non-verbal. This can lead to an author feeling hurt or confused, when the person posting the criticism had no intent to be mean-spirited.

Witty banter in a comment may be intended to be fun and casual, but the subject of the criticism may take it as belittling mockery. When you are critiquing someone's work, remember:

- They may never have written seriously before; in fact they may be a young teen just spreading their wings. Many of these fledgling authors don't realize that the ideas that they have just encountered (and been inspired by) are actually quite trite and clichéd. They haven't grown tired of world-conquering demons, mighty swords and malevolent necromancers.

- The author may not appreciate or understand their work's weaknesses. My first attempts at writing were very flawed, because I didn't know better. I was fortunate that the writing standards in gaming materials were much lower then; if I had been criticised as coldly as I have seen others torn apart, I doubt that I would have continued past that stage. Go to Comment