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Home , Charles the Simple, Pepin the Short

Advapced DuireeonsF/Dragons Historical Edition Reference

Charlemagne's Paladins Campaign Sourcebook

by Ken Rolston

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Introduction 2 tt aladins 57 Chapter 3: Character Design 11 Chapter 7: Adventures on thetth Chapter 4: The Setting Sample25 Saxo filen Frontier 69 Chapter 5: Equipment and Treasure 52 Appendix: Predesigned Player Characters ... 93

ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, AD&D, and DSD are registered trade- Credits marks owned by TSR, Inc. The TSR logo is a trademark owned by TSR, Inc. t01992 TSR, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.

Editing: Mike Breault Random House and its affiliate companies have worldwide distribution rights in the Additional Editing: Dori "the Barbarian" Watry book trade for English language products of TSR, Inc. Illustrations: Roger Raupp Distributed to the book and hobby trade in the United Kingdom by TSR, Inc. Typography: Gaye O'Keefe Distributed to the toy and hobby trade by regional distributors. Cartography: John Knecht This book is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Playtesting: Paul Harmaty, Anna Harmaty, Henry Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material contained herein is prohibited Monteferrante, Daria Swain, Richard without the express written permission of TSR, Inc. Garner, Brian Cummings ISBN 1-56076-393-0 9323 Special Thanks: Alan Kellogg

TSR, Inc. TSR Ltd. POB 756 120 Church End, Cherry Hinton Lake Geneva Cambridge CBl 3LB WI 53147 U.S.A. United Kingdom CHAPTER

Introduction

One of the greatest challenges facing a DM is The Fantasy Campaign to create a detailed, dramatic, and plausible campaign setting for role-playing. Adapting a This type of campaign melds a weak-magic historical setting like the Carolingian period of- AD&D fantasy campaign with various historical fers some spectacular advantages for meeting and legendary elements associated with Charle- this challenge. The historical and legendary per- magne and his times. Except for some restric- sonalities and events of 's time pro- tions on player characters and magical items, vide a wealth of epic themes for a role-playing players are expected to use their PCs pretty campaign. much like they would in any other AD&D game setting. We suggest you choose one of the following three strategies to develop an AD&D® role-play- The big advantage of this is that the players ing campaign set in the time of Charlemagne. As get all the abilities they are accustomed to, while you read this book and consider how to use it in the DM has access to abundant campaign setting your campaign, keep the following three options detail to adapt for fantasy scenarios (many his- in mind. torical books are available at the public library).

The Historical Campaign Historical Role-Playing This type of campaign should be held to the This is not a history book! This is a handbook same standards for accuracy as a historical novel for running AD&D game action-adventure cam- or film. Such standards vary greatly, especially paigns in the time of Charlemagne. Our focus in the action-adventure genre. Often we forgive produces a necessarily narrow and occasionally inaccuracies so long as the tale is dramatic, but a distorted picture of the period. careless disregard for detail ruins our pleasure in Great differences existed between east and the historical setting. Most significant for west, north and south, in Charlemagne's vast AD&D game players, the visible effects of magic European empire. For simplicity we have in a historical world must be far more subtle glossed over many distinctions. Historical de- than those found in a more typical AD&SampleD cam- tail files true of one region may not be true of an- paign. other; details true to the period in general may not necessarily be true in various localities. The Legendary Campaign This type of campaign exploits the legends of DM Tips Charlemagne and his Paladins as recounted in Your task is similar to that of a historical nov- late Medieval tales. Unfortunately, certain as- elist. We have done the basic research for you, pects of these legends (plate armor, jousting, chi- but the true pleasure of designing a historical valric romance, and others) are historically campaign is in adapting the materials you find inaccurate. However, the sorcerers, magical here and in the library. swords and rings, and marvelous fairy king- As your research progresses, you will quickly doms should be retained and adapted to the Car- realize that we don't know very much about folk olingian setting. They can enhance or expand in the Dark Ages. You'll have to piece together any campaign. what you've learned from books, films, and oth- In a legendary campaign, the restrictions on er historical settings to imagine what things spellcasters and spellcasting are somewhat re- might have been like. laxed. Encounters with mythical creatures, such Finally, remember that role-playing is primar- as hippogriffs and pegasi, and with sinister sor- ily a dramatic art. When given a choice between cerers are standard fare. Though spells and mag- facts and drama, go for the drama. Satisfy your ical effects are somewhat restricted, a legendary players' desire for authenticity, but don't be ob- campaign is considerably closer to the standard sessed with facts. Your main task is to capture ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® the feeling of the human drama and setting of game than is a historical campaign. the Dark Ages for your players.

2 • Chapter One Introduction

Sample file

Introduction • 3 CHAPTER

A Survey of Carolingian History

"Illustrious race of the , instituted by 799: Charlemagne completes subjugation of God himself, courageous in war, in peace con- . stant. . ., of noble stature, brilliant whiteness of 800: Charlemagne crowned emperor of Romans skin, exceptional beauty, daring, swift, and har- by Leo III. Charlemagne builds his chapel dy, converted to the Catholic faith free of her- at Aix-la-Chapelle (). esy. . . . Long live Christ, who loves the Franks." 802: Empress Irene overthrown and succeeded —From the prologue to a compilation by male ruler. of the laws of the Franks 812: Michael I, emperor of Byzantium, ac- knowledges Charlemagne as his "brother" em- The greatest king of this fortunate race of peror. Franks, Charlemagne (or the Great, 814: Charlemagne dies; be- Carolus Magnus), by the grace of God, by comes emperor. boldness in war, and by mercy and enlighten- 840: Louis the Pious dies, dividing the Carolin- ment in peace, brought the Dark Age barbarian gian empire among his three sons. Viking raids peoples of together under one rule in grow in size and frequency. the . Great in history and 843: After war among Louis's sons, Charles gets legends, Charlemagne and his Paladins became and western , Lothar gets symbols of the struggle to rise from the vio- and Lorraine, gets lence, disorder, ignorance, and paganism of the and the east. Dark Ages toward the noble, heroic, just, and 870: Part of Lothar's kingdom is divided be- enlightened society idealized in chivalric Medi- tween and Louis the German. eval romances. 871: Alfred the Great becomes king of Wessex. 884: Carolingian empire reunited for the last Timeline time under . 886: Alfred and the Anglo-Saxons make peace 711: The conquest of Spain begun by Muslims with the Danes and establish boundaries of the of North Africa. Danelaw. Great Viking raid on . 714: (1st Carolingian) Sample inherits 888 file: Charles the Fat dies and empire is perma- effective rule as under a nently partitioned. weak Merovingian king. 911: Carolingian line comes to an end in Germa- c. 725: Probable composition of Beowulf. ny; grants land in northwest- 732: Charles Martel defeats Muslims at Battle of ern France to the (the future ). Poitiers. 962: Charlemagne's German empire is revived 751: Pepin, son of Charles Martel, crowned under Otto I. King of Franks. 987: The last Carolingian on the French throne 768: Pepin dies and Charlemagne is crowned is succeeded by , first of the Cape- king. tian . 773: Charlemagne invades Lombard Italy. 774: Charlemagne defeats and makes himself their king. Charlemagne and His Times 778: Charlemagne's Spanish campaign fails; Ro- The Decline and Fall of the Romans land is killed at the Pass of Roncesvalles. 782: Alcuin, Anglo-Saxon scholar, joins In the Fourth Century AD, the western Ro- Charlemagne's court and becomes head of pal- man Empire had united most of what is now ace school. modern Europe under the Pax Romana. In the 789: Anglo-Saxon chronicles record first Viking Fifth Century AD that Roman Empire declined attack in England. and fell as a result of internal political strife and 797: Irene becomes Empress of Byzantine Em- external threats posed by invading tribes of Ger- pire amidst doubts that a woman can legally rule manic and Hunnic barbarians. Four principle the empire. kingdoms succeeded the collapse of the western

4 • Chapter Two Romans: the separate Gothic kingdoms of Spain For more detail on the history of Charlemagne and southern Italy, the Lombard kingdom that and the Carolingian Empire (and abundant in- replaced the Goths in northern Italy, and the spirations for AD&D® game scenarios and cam- Frankish kingdom of (modern France) and paigns), see the references listed in "Suggested Germany. The cultures of these barbarian king- Reading" section at the end of this chapter. doms were but shadows of the sophisticated Ro- man civilizations they supplanted. Many Adapted and Annotated Excerpts from the Roy- Roman villas (large rural farms) were aban- al Frankish Annals doned, and forests sprang up amidst their ruins. Many of the great urban centers of Roman Eu- 732: Charles Martel (the Hammer) defeats the rope were largely unoccupied or altogether de- Moors at the Battle of Poitiers in southern serted. After the long reign of the classical France and turns the tide of Moorish invasions civilizations of Greece and , Europe had from Spain. entered the Dark Ages. 750: , son of Charles the Ham- mer, is elected king according to the custom of The Carolingian Empire the Franks. He is anointed and crowned king of the Franks by the hands of the Pope's delegate, In the Eighth Century AD, an energetic, force- Archbishop Boniface of saintly memory. (Saint ful, benevolent, and enlightened king bonded Boniface was a famous Anglo-Saxon missionary most of barbarian Europe into a new Western who preached Christianity to the Saxon.) Empire, the Empire of Charlemagne, or Charles 754-56: Pope Stephen II travels to Pepin's villa the Great. The Carolingians, as Charlemagne's called and crowns Pepin again, along ruling family was called, sought to establish a with his sons Carloman and Charles I (the future new standard of law and Christian enlighten- Charlemagne) and confers upon all three the ti- ment for the people of the Carolingian Empire. tle of Roman in return for Pepin's com- They tried to secure its borders from the raids mitment to defend the Pope and Rome against and invasions of the pagan Vikings, Slavs, the aggressive Lombards. Pepin and the Franks Avars, and Moors. Historians and poets Sample of the marc fileh against the Lombards, and by the grace of later looked back on the compara- God and the intercession of the blessed apostle tive peace and unity of Charlemagne's 46-year Peter, the Franks claim victory. Pepin presents reign with a romantic awe and reverence, calling the lands he wins to the Pope (the Donation of him the "father of Europe." Pepin; these lands become the ). The reigned for almost 768: Charles I and brother Carloman come to two centuries, from the accession of Charles (the the throne together upon the death of Pepin. Hammer) Martel on the death of his father Pip- 769: The glorious Lord King Charles marches to pin in 714 to the end of Louis the Coward's reign suppress revolt in Aquitaine and , and in 997. Charlemagne's Paladins focuses on the by the grace of God he gains the victory despite years of Charlemagne's reign. brother Carloman who declined to aid him in The earlier timeline provides a quick over- this campaign. (Carloman dies in 771, leaving view of important dates and events for the entire Charlemagne sole ruler of the Franks.) Carolingian period, while the following histori- 772: King Charles holds an assembly at Worms, cal notes are presented in the style of excerpts and from thence he marches into Saxony. He from the . These consist seeks out and destroys the great Pagan idol Ir- of a year-by-year contemporary account of sig- minsul, the oak of Geismar, the Father Tree that nificant events in the Frankish kingdom during supports the vault of heaven, worshiped by the Charlemagne's reign. Remarks in parentheses Pagan Saxons, and takes away the gold and sil- add significant details that might be known to a ver he finds there. He holds parleys with the noble of the period. For a brief review of the Saxons, who make peace and give hostages, lands and peoples mentioned in these historical then returns to . (The Saxons maintained notes, see Chapter 4. their pagan worship of forest spirits and sacred

A Survey of Carolingian History • 5 groves like the Druids of old times. Charle- mans, , and Goths and enters Spain. magne's intent was to convert these ungodly However, his campaign does not succeed, and peoples to the worship of the True Faith.) he withdraws. In the pass of Roncesvalles in the 773: Charles marches across the into Italy Pyrenees Mountains, treacherous Basques pre- to aid Pope Stephen against the insolent and op- pare an ambush and fall upon the baggage and pressive King of the Lombards. By rear-guard. The entire Frankish force is slain, in- the grace of God, the Franks gain the victory cluding many officers of the palace. The bag- and besiege Pavia. The Lord Charles celebrates gage is plundered, and the enemy melts away Christmas in Holy Rome. The savage and into the wild lands, so vengeance is frustrated. treacherous Saxons fall upon the borderlands (The Song of Roland is inspired by this battle; left exposed by Charlemagne's absence and put among the fallen Franks were Roland [Count Christians and churches to flame and sword. Hruodland, warden of the Breton Marches], Eg- 774: Charles captures Pavia and returns home gihard the royal seneschal, and Anselm, count victorious. He then sends four detachments to of the palace. In legend Oliver and the Archbish- Saxony, and with God's help has the victory and op Turpin fell that day. Though the Spanish returns with much booty. (Though Charlemagne campaign was a failure, the establishment of the desired that the Saxons be brought to the Spanish Marches, a defensive zone north of the Church, he also was pleased to enrich his lords Pyrenees, assured the security of Aquitaine from and knights with the spoils of war.) Spanish Moorish invasion.) Learning that the 775: King Charles campaigns in Saxony, where Saxons are in revolt, Charlemagne returns in he takes many hostages and much booty, and haste and puts down the rebellion. causes much slaughter among the Saxons. 779-780: Lord King Charles campaigns in Sax- 776: King Charles marches into Italy and de- ony. feats the oath-breaking Lombard Hrodgaud, 781: Lord King Charles celebrates Easter in then returns victorious to Francia. Then, hear- Rome, where Pope Hadrian anoints Charle- ing that the treacherous Saxons have rebelled magne's sons, Pepin and Louis, to be king of Ita- and abandoned their hostages and broken their ly and king of Aquitaine, respectively. oaths, he campaigns against them. TheSamplen all the 782 file: The Saxon chief Witunkind leads the Sax- Saxons came before him at the source of the on tribes in an uprising, and Charles is drawn Lippe River, to surrender their lands to the away from a campaign against the Slavs to put Franks, to put up security, to promise to become down the rebellion. The Saxons come once Christians, and to submit to the rule of King again to Charles and submit to the king, and Charles and the Franks. Many are baptized and they surrender the evildoers who fomented the many more are taken hostage, and fortified rebellion—4,500 persons—who are put to camps are built and Frankish garrisons installed death, though Witunkind, having fled into to guard them before King Charles returns to Nordmannia, is not among them. France. 783-84: Charles campaigns in Saxony. 777: A Moorish Embassy headed by ibn-al-Ara- 785: Charles campaigns in Saxony. Witunkind bi comes to ask King Charles's aid in overthrow- is forced to sue for peace, and he is baptized. ing Abd-er-Rahman, emir of Cordoba. The whole of Saxony is then subjugated, and (Ibn-al-Arabi, a partisan of the Abbassid caliphs their stubborn treachery quiets for several years ruling everywhere in the Islamic world except because they can find no convenient occasion for Spain, hoped to obtain Charlemagne's aid in for revolt. (Though minor Saxon revolts contin- ousting the emir of Cordoba, a supporter of the ued for years, mass deportations of Saxons into . Charlemagne hoped that France and Frankish colonies established in Sax- the Christian population of Spain would rise in ony achieved a final settlement of the region by arms and join forces with his army once he en- the end of the 790s.) An ambitious conspiracy tered Spain.) among the East Franks, led by Count Hardrad, 778: King Charles marches forth with a great ar- is discovered, and its principals are deprived of my of Franks, Lombards, Burgundians, Ro- their eyes and sent into exile.

6 • Chapter Two