EARLY DAWN 1234 AD, France.

“... to be reproved are those who translate into French the Gospels, the letters of Paul, the psalter, etc. They are moved by a certain love of Scripture in order to explain them clandestinely and to preach them to one another. The mysteries of the faith are not to be explained rashly to anyone. Usually in fact, they cannot be understood by everyone but only by those who are qualified to understand them with informed intelligence. The depth of the divine Scriptures is such that not only the illiterate and uninitiated have difficulty understanding them, but also the educated and the gifted.” – Pope Innocent III, 1199 AD

“Canon 14. We prohibit also that the laity should not be permitted to have the books of the Old or New Testament; we most strictly forbid their having any translation of these books.” – The Church Council of Toulouse 1229 AD

“No one may possess the books of the Old and New Testaments, and if anyone possesses them he must turn them over to the local bishop within eight days, so that they may be burned…” – The Church Council of Tarragona 1234 AD

The Abbey of Coldfont sees a gathering of strangers, and a gathering storm outside its beautiful fields…

Monks of the Holy Armaments arrive, seeking a “heretic” with a forbidden book; Crusaders seek repose there before continuing their journey to the Holy Land; Jongleurs and other Lowly performers arrive, hoping to commission a noted Troubadour to write music and poetry for them; and most disturbing of all the peasants in the valley whisper stupid stories that strangers appeared from nowhere, materialising in front of their disbelieving eyes like phantoms made flesh. DEVILS!

COLDFONT Earth-71938 is the primary reality for a medieval Earth, focused on France, in particular the royally Samplesanctioned Abbey of Coldfont. Coldfont is a large and well appointed building complexfile housing a religious community, but also providing temporary accommodation for Pilgrims, Crusaders, Crusader Knights, Monks of the Black library and Monks of the Holy Inquisition, and Merchants with their retinue. Occasionally foreigners from other lands in Christendom may visit. At the time when the

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travellers arrive by Zoomway there are several different groups of visitors, gathering for two main reasons within the Abbey of Coldfont.

Destination Travel Time Type Description Earth-71938 9 hours Past of Modern Earth Earth-71938 “current (13th Century AD) year” is 1234 AD.

The language of Coldfont is Interlingua Gallica, a precursor to the French language of the 20th Century AD. Interlingua Gallica standardises parts of speech and can be spoken and understood by people across French. All educated people speak, read and write Latin, and speak Interlingua Gallica with everyone else such as shopkeepers in towns or villagers. In the area around Coldfont the local major dialect of French known as Occitan is also spoken by all peasants as their “native tongue”. Speaking Occitan marks locals as Lowly and provincial; speaking Interlingua Gallica marks the speaker as educated; speaking Latin marks the speaker as aristocratic or a member of a religious order – or as a devil quoting scripture, a heretic or a rebel trying to overthrow Holy Mother Church.

People who speak modern French can “pass” more easily than others. Their weird language is within the bounds of Interlingua Gallica, they will need however to pick some far-off place where their version of French is the ‘provincial’ dialect. Without giving away that this ‘province’ is far-off indeed: The Future.

English speakers will sound extremely strange to local ears, and may be assumed to be Bohemians or Breton colonists from southern England. However contemporary English is still Saxon-influenced and similar to French and common enough for people to be baffled by English speakers. This is a major problem because in a world where everyone is meant to fit neatly into a niche in the feudal orderly world, weird-looking people speaking weird-sounding “Romance” languages begin to look like Heretics -or Devils.

France 1234 AD France is ruled by King Louis IX, a boy-king who in 1234 AD has assumed more or less sole rulership after being for all intents and purposes co-ruler with his mother. His mother is still alive but as of 1234 AD begins to be a chief counsellor rather than a Queen. The France of Louis IX is wealthy, prosperous, extremely influential in culture and architecture (the home of the Gothic cathedrals and all kinds of esoteric knowledge spread in secret) and also an expanding kingdom. England is losing its possessions in Western France and the Samplearea ruled by Heretics such as thefile Cathars are gradually being conquered despite fierce resistance. Louis also sends Constables led by Bailiffs, all wearing the heraldry of the King himself, to all the towns and cities in his kingdom,

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to insure that uniform laws are upheld wherever possible. The King’s Law is at odds sometimes with Local Laws created by nobles and with the often very harsh Local Laws of Holy Mother Church, although Louis IX is an almost Monk-like fervent worshipper of the Church.

Recently, Louis IX has married Margaret of Provence, cementing the ever-growing power and influence of France across the world and giving the king connections as far away as the Holy Land the Latin-conquered expanse of the Byzantine Roman Empire – the “Frankokratia”.

Social Status Social Status is an all-important Attribute in Coldfont. Everyone is Accountable to someone above them because Coldfont is a feudal setting. The only person in France not Accountable to anyone is one of the Popes, who answer to God alone. Social Status rolls are the normal means whereby a character evades punishment. Failing a Social Status roll can result in an offended person or someone who feels wronged – or who just wants to cause trouble – running off straight to the nearest character with Sac and Soke and trying to get a court hearing against the character who failed the roll. You’ve heard the expression “Let’s not make a Court case out of this”? COLDFONT is a setting where that has teeth.

There are three parallel sets of Local Laws. Local Laws made by the local Barons, Local Laws made by Samplethe King which apply to all parts of France, and Local Laws made by the Pope or bishops.file Based on one’s Social Status bonus, all, some or none of these apply to a character. There are also Choices of Law – a character may choose, if possible, to be tried for an offence or be put under the protection of one of the three types of Local Law. This is very relevant because Local Laws of Holy Mother

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Church emanating from the Pope or bishops prescribe lethal punishments far more often than the other two types. Once chosen, a type of Local Law will always be applied to that character for the rest of their life until overruled directly and specifically by either the King (or Queen) or one of the Popes.

Social Status Immunity from Local Laws Social Status bonus Equivalent Rank in Society Legal Immunity Choice of Laws 0 to +5 Commoners such as peasants, None Can elect to come Merchants, adventurers, under Local Laws of parish priests Holy Mother Church +6 Knights, Monks None can elect to come under King’s or Church’s Local Laws +7 to +11 Knight commanders, children Immune to Local Can elect to come of Princesses, Merchants who Laws of Barons under Local Laws of own a bank, bishops and King or Church heads of Monk Orders +12 Princesses Immune to Local Can elect to come Laws of Barons, under Local Laws of limited immunity King or Church to Church Local Laws unless the offence is a most grave one such as Heresy Sample+13 to +17 Princesses of the bloodline of Immunity to all Nonefile – only King’s Law the King (or Queen), Barons, but the King’s applies Dukes, leaders of a Crusader Local Laws Knight army +18 Arch-bishops (administering Immunity to all None – only Church

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all church lands for a whole but the Local Law applies region or province), Princesses Laws of Holy who are sisters of the King (or Mother Church Queen) +19 to +23 Count or Prince who rules a Immunity to all Makes laws, subject to miniature kingdom (County or but the King’s no Local Laws Principality) direct edicts sent to them +24 King or Queen; Islamic Sultan Immunity to all Makes laws, subject to but the King’s no Local Laws Local Laws that apply to succession and rights of redress against the King personally +25 to +29 Cardinals, Princesses (or Complete Makes laws, subject to Princes) in direct line of immunity no Local Laws succession to the throne that rules more than one country +30 Pope (or Anti-Pope or leader Complete Makes laws, subject to of heretical sect controlling at immunity no Local Laws least one country) +31 to +35 King (or Queen) who rules Complete Makes laws, subject to more than one country or immunity no Local Laws rules a continent +36 Emperor of all mankind Complete Makes laws, subject to immunity no Local Laws

General Reactions to New Arrivals Visitor from Zoomway: General Reaction: Effects: Lost Astronaut (in spacesuit) A Knight in passing strange -6 on all Social Status and armour, speaking a strange Charisma rolls, gains Bad tongue Changes Accountable (local rulers) and Accountable (Monks of the holy Inquisition) Lost Astronaut (out of A well-born soft-handed -6 on all Social Status and spacesuit) person, a foreigner, but Charisma rolls doubtless a good Christian Octron A DEVIL! A FIEND FROM HELL Immediate warfare by all local CLAD IN ARMOUR! KILL IT! KILL people who do not flee in IT! terror Other invading alien If not very human-appearing If not human: Immediate then: A DEVIL! A FIEND FROM warfare by all local people who HELL! KILL IT! KILL IT! If human- do not flee in terror; if human- seeming then same reaction seeming -13 on all Social Status Sampleinitially as a Lost Astronaut, and Charisma file rolls, gain Bad subject to change as the alien’s Change of Hunted (Monks of true nature emerges the Holy Inquisition) Pariah (in their own clothes) A well-born soft-handed -6 on all Social Status and person, a foreigner Charisma rolls; once a Monk of

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the Holy Inquisition Detects Activity on the Pariah, -24 on all Social Status and Charisma rolls and gains Bad Change of Hunted (Monks of the Holy Inquisition) Pariah or Lost Astronaut (in A well-born soft-handed -4 on all Social Status and local clothes) person, a foreigner, but Charisma rolls; for Pariahs once doubtless a good Christian a Monk of the Holy Inquisition Detects Activity on the Pariah, - 24 on all Social Status and Charisma rolls and gains Bad Change of Hunted (Monks of the Holy Inquisition) Tuner A DEVIL! A FIEND FROM HELL! Immediate warfare by all local KILL IT! KILL IT! people who do not flee in terror Vroorl A beast from St. Martin’s Land! -12 on all Social Status and Kill it! KILL IT! Charisma rolls, -24 if the Vroorl reveals it can speak

Social Status should be considered a mental and social equivalent of Entanglement and Wrestling rules, with constant attacks and defences required not to lose status or even worse attract the attention of a powerful malicious enemy.

A lot can be done through the use of Courtly Romance (platonic relationships based on Dance, Poetry, attending social events and fighting non-lethal Duels “for the honour of my love”), Feasts Sampleand “doing the right thing” in public. Etiquette becomes a survival Skill in such a setting.file Quips demonstrates how cleaver and quick thinking a person is, allowing someone using Dance or Poetry Skill to also make funny or cutting remarks to the audience or to a rival. Other than challenging someone to single combat and fighting a Duel, there is no violence whatsoever associated with the use of Social Status in Etiquette based warfare. And a Duel is a failure of diplomacy – and therefore

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