CODEX SLAVORUM BY BRIAN N. YOUNG EDITOR: LIBBIE OKEY FRONT COVER: PETER BRADLEY INTERIOR ART: PETER BRADLEY, JASON WALTON ART DIRECTION/ CARTOGRAPHY: PETER BRADLEY PRODUCED BY: THE CHENAULT BROTHERS 1818 North Taylor, #143, Little Rock, AR, 72207 email: [email protected] // website: www.trolllord.com // www.castlesandcrusades.com ©2016 Troll Lord Games. All Rights Reserved. Castles & Crusades® is a registered Trademark of Chenault & Gray Publishing LLC, d/b/a Troll Lord Games. SIEGE Engine™ is Trademark of Chenault & Gray Publishing LLC, d/b/a Troll Lord Games. Amazing Adventures is a Trademark of Chenault & Gray Publishing, d/b/a Troll Lord Games. The Troll Lord Games, Castles & Crusades, SIEGE Engine, Amazing Adventures and Troll Lord Games logos are Trademarks of Troll Lord Games. All Rights Reserved. 2016. Art, artwork, cover art, cartography is copyright Peter Bradley of Ravenchilde Illustrations, 2016 or Troll Lord Games. All Rights Reserved. All content copyright 2016 Troll Lord Games. All Rights Reserved. SampleFirst Printing file Printed in the United States of America Sample file TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: IN BYGONE YEARS 6 FROM MISTY HISTORY TO BYZANTIUM 6 THE EARLY SLAVS 6 THE WIDE WORLD & ALL BELOW IT 9 CHAPTER 2: THE WHOLE WORLD & THAT WHICH IS BEYOND 14 THE MYTHIC REALMS 21 MAGICAL ISLES 24 CHAPTER3: DID DWELL MANY PEOPLES 26 MONSTERS 26 THE MAGICAL BORN 48 ZMAJEVIT – THE DRAGON BORN 48 Zduhać – The elemenTal One 50 VAMPIRDZHIJA – THE VAMPIRE HUNTER 53 CHAPTER 4: FILLED WITH GREAT MAGIC 57 THE KOLDUNY (INTELLIGENCE) 57 THE MOLFAR (WISDOM) 59 CHAPTER 5: OF MIGHTY GODS AND SPIRITS 64 GODS OF LIGHT AND DARK 64 THE GODS OF LIGHT 65 PAGAN RELIGION 81 CHAPTER 6: BATTLE STRONG AND HEROIC 85 THE SLAVONIC WARRIOR 85 THE BOGATYRI 88 CHAPTER 7: CASTLE KEEPER INFO 91 OLD SLAVIC SOCIETIES 91 NSampleAMING THE CHARACTER file92 SOCIAL BONDING & SAGA BUILDING 94 CODEX SLAVORUM his codex explores the diverse and unique Sla- Because there are so many groups within the Slavonic language vonic myths and pagan cosmography in gam- family only a few will represent the whole in this book, and ing terms. Just like the others in this series, new their orthographies will be modern as often as possible. Slavic character classes, monsters and other culturally witchcraft and the many varieties of wizards and witches are relevant aspects will be carefully allotted out in discussed in detailed. The codex also outlines several new char- chapters and sections for reference. These peo- acter classes: the koldun, which presents a new take on the wiz- ples in this book are designated the ‘Old Slavs’, Eastern Eu- ard class entirely; the zduhać, intense super-humans born of the ropeans that lived before Christianization occurred (and the elements; the zmajevit, dragon born humans gifted immensely Tmedieval changes that will sweep Europe) and are the ancestors with powers unspeakable; and the molfar, or shamans, that use to the modern and diverse Slavic peoples in Europe and Russia. a different angle on calling the spirit world. Detailed also is the bogatyri or ‘heroes’ from Slavic tradition and how that trans- The Slavic myths present many similarities to Germanic and lates into Castles & Crusades. Heroes like Iiya Muromets and Celtic myths but at the same time also have a different perspec- Dobrynia Nikitich can be emulated and a new generation of tive and a pantheon that is organized along different lines to bogatyri can be played in an ancient Slavic cosmography, ran what was worshiped in the west of Europe. There is the familiar and told in the manner of the byliny (‘oral epic’). The legendary World Tree cosmography, storm and underworld gods, and fas- vampire hunter class, the djadadjii/vampirdzhija is provided in cinating and frightening monsters and magical beings. There is, this codex, placing the late medieval/early modern profession however, a cultural uniqueness that is only found in Slavonic into an older context for gaming. countries and peoples and nowhere else. This codex will explore these intricacies and put them into a context that is playable With this codex, you can immerse yourself in the Slavic other- into gaming at the table. world of Iriy (Vyriy), or its underworld of Nav, and can be used with the others in the series to fully flesh out a “mythic Earth” Just as with the other codices in this series, there is some adjust- game setting where the many worlds from ancient beliefs can ment needed in places where the mythology varies (and often merge, and its inhabitants can blend. The gaming possibilities has large gaps) to explain more of the subject matter. Slavic my- expand with each volume in the series, and between the CK thology is more recent as far as belief and faded from practice and players, the stories and characters are limitless. In a related th and customs around the 12 century, and even later in some note, each of these codices is filled with countless story/game regions of Eastern Europe. Like the Nordic pagan religion, it hooks to be used by enterprising CKs that wish to develop them was able to be documented more thoroughly than the earlier further. It just requires a little research and time to turn them cultures and societies. Even so, this creates problems in pre- into an adventure or series of them. senting an accurate overview for those not already familiar with the mythos. This documentation also came from non-believers As with the other codices, the chapters in this book are organ- who, unfortunately, were in the process of Christianization and ized in a story-telling manner for reference and memory: already had a bias and thus produced a modified source. 1. IN BYGONE YEARS Many of the deities and magical beings from this pagan religion have been scarcely used, if at all, in roleplaying game statistics. 2. THE WHOLE WORLD & THAT WHICH IS BEYOND This book will do so for those who want to have frightening be- ings like Baba Yaga (or Yezda Baba) or the leshy in their adven- 3. DID DWELL MANY PEOPLES tures. This codex will fit happily alongside the previous books in FILLED WITH GREAT MAGIC the series to be used in campaigns and will be a valuable resource 4. when in need of a different being, character class, or idea taken 5. OF MIGHTY GODS AND SPIRITS from a culture in the real world to spice up a fantasy setting. 6. BATTLE STRONG AND HEROIC In the Slavic cosmic worldview of old, the god Perun ruled over everything and everyone in creation were at his mercy. He was 7. CASTLE KEEPER INFO able to throw his plentiful bolts of lightning down on those who earned his disfavor. There are hints of another more powerful god (Rod/Svarog) that might have reigned over Perun as well. This codex will offer a middle ground when these contradictive ~Brian N. Young, 2016 sources appearSample while still staying faithful to the belief. file 4 Castles & Crusades Sample file CHAPTER 1: IN BYGONE YEARS s with most ancient cultures whose pre-Chris- differ at all from one another in appearance. For they are all tian beliefs date into prehistory, Slavic creation exceptionally tall and stalwart men, while their bodies and stories are missing for the most part. There are hair are neither very fair nor blond, nor indeed do they incline many remnants of them in later lore and re- entirely to the dark type, but they are all slightly ruddy in color. written heroic tales, but they do not provide a And they live a hard life, giving no heed to bodily comforts...” consistent and seamless ‘story’ or complete the- -Procopius, History of the Wars VII ology. Thus, what is given here is going to be a delicate combi- nation of those tales and extant evidence. THE EARLY SLAVS AThe Codex Slavorum will give two histories, one for the docu- It is not certain where the first Slavic peoples originated but mented and factual history of the Old Slavs into the Christian era Eastern Europe and around the Black Sea in the Eurasian ter- and secondly the mythological story. The mythical story will give ritories seems highly likely as a starting place. They likely began the origin of the universe, gods, and the living setting the stage for in the western reaches of what was later called Bohemia, on the the next chapter “The Whole World & That Which Is Beyond” borders with the Celts to the west, Germans to the north, and where these places are detailed and given color. the Greeks and Italian tribes to the south. A large part of surviving creation stories deriving from the The Wielbark Culture, in what later became Poland, is a con- Slavic world is found in Russian folktales and, minus the Chris- tender for the source of early Slavic cultures. This early society tianity, provides some idea of what the Old Slavs might have dates to the 1st century C.E. and displaced an earlier unknown generally believed. The presence of dualism is in evidence in culture that is one of many that once existed between Poland Slavic paganism, and this is not completely unusual, because and Kiev going back to 3,000 B.C.E into prehistory. most cultures shared the ideology of ‘good vs. evil’. In this case, Perhaps it was the pressure from the eastern Steppe peoples it may have been inspired from the Semitic religions from Meso- (Alans, Sarmatians, Scythians and later Huns) that pushed the potamia and their early influence through contacts with Rome Slavic tribes into Eastern Europe by the time of Rome’s fall in and Muslim relations in Arabia.