[Charlemagne] Chapter Four: Teutoburg Forest

[Damien]

Really enjoying this campaign. I'm curious to see how Merde's spirit is going to wander for all eternity if he can't find the Eagle :)


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‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ Original Message ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐

On 13 April 2018 10:23 PM, Lev Lafayette <lev at rpgreview.net> wrote:

> To: His Holiness, The Pope Adrian I
> 
> Most Holy Father,
> 
> It has been a most extraordinary winter of which I must relay to you,
> 
> which all started when I was kidnapped by Saxon pagans. My vassals were
> 
> wise enough to read the poorly written random note to bring 1,000 silver
> 
> pennies to a place known as Irminsul. Naturally, they had no idea where in
> 
> pagan lands this was located, but they did find a local soldier who
> 
> suggested Baderic a former knight and now retired as a monk, at Saint-Géry
> 
> Island, at a small trading town surrounded by swampland called Brussels.
> 
> It took a few days travel through the misty weather to reach the
> 
> iris-covered Saint-Géry Island and enter the monastry. The meeting with
> 
> Baderic was difficult; he noted that the forest where Irminsul was located
> 
> was dangerous full of ghosts and monsters from Roman times, especially
> 
> vicious wolves, and of course Saxon rebels. Nevertheless, an appeal to his
> 
> religious duty made him forthcoming, and with some consideration he
> 
> provided the vassals a map to the location. Rainer tells the an
> 
> interesting tell of an interesting enounter with Baderic however that
> 
> night, as his transformed into a savage wolf! Despite escaping and running
> 
> rampant through the monsastry, he was eventually recaptured. Such stories
> 
> be told, that men can transform into wolves! Fortunatey a holy relic, the
> 
> lamp of Gudula, prevents the wolf from leaving the monastry.
> 
> Following Baderic's advice, the vassals entered Teutoburg Forest, and
> 
> enountered a group of Saxon bandits, who were quickly defeated. That night
> 
> they stayed at a small hamlet, and traded for lodgings at Lar's household.
> 
> Merde noted the sounds of awakened spirits that night, who turned out to
> 
> be Roman and Germanic ghosts, fighting out the the old battle which the
> 
> died in have been doing so for years. Merde approached them, and inquired
> 
> for their actions - it turned out that they were from The Battle of the
> 
> Teutoburg Forest, when the Germanic tribes decisively destroyed three
> 
> Roman legions. A headless Roman ghost, in a splendid outfit and cape,
> 
> introduced himself as Publius Quinctilius Varus, and said the warriors
> 
> would remain until the third legion's Eagle is found and returned to Rome,
> 
> and the Germans will keep fighting until the Romans are gone. Amazingly
> 
> Merde swore an oath to discover the Eagle and return it to Rome. This may
> 
> be a problem in the future.
> 
> As the vassals travelled deep into the forest the density of the woods
> 
> became greater and more confusing to travel. They were attacked by an
> 
> animated plant, but bested it. At a point they found themselves followed
> 
> by wolves; first one, then an entire pack. The wolves seemed to be
> 
> directing the party, and led them out the dense woods into a clearing. In
> 
> the clearing was a massive Yew tree that has been chopped down and burnt.
> 
> Various pagan standing stones surrounding it have been smashed or pushed
> 
> over. Broken swords, spears, bow, shield, and even bones lay about. When
> 
> the vassals reached the centre eight eagles landed on the compass points
> 
> of the forest, and between them, eight wolves. Then, through the mist on
> 
> the north, came King Widukind to parley with the party.
> 
> Widukind explained how Emperor Charlemagne destroyed the Irminsul, and how
> 
> it was once a gateway to the nine worlds, a pagan superstition of some
> 
> sort, and how Charlemagne engaged in a great execution of pagans, the
> 
> Massacre of Verden. Widukind will ask the vassals to join him in his fight
> 
> against Charlemagne for this action, but fortunately they resisted his
> 
> offer; he accepted the thousand silver coins and his underlings brought me
> 
> to them.
> 
> Bishop Giselbert, Cathedral of Tournai, Anno Domini, May 775.
> 
> Some notes:
> 
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint-Géry_Island
> 
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gudula
> 
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Teutoburg_Forest
> 
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massacre_of_Verden
> 
> 
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Lev Lafayette, BA (Hons), GradCertTerAdEd (Murdoch), GradCertPM, MBA (Tech
> 
> Mngmnt) (Chifley)
> 
> mobile: 0432 255 208
> 
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