House Baldwin Territories

House Baldwin. There is a lot of area that makes up the relatively small but significant Kingdom of Jerusalem. In the setting, House Baldwin lived on and the kingdom of Jerusalem became stabilized because of the man power generated by the Latin exodus.

Millions of Europeans tried to escape the Nomad Horde. This increased the capable manpower available for sustaining and establishing the Latin Kingdom. As the population swelled, there was pressure for greater organization and fairer distribution of the limited resources of Palestine.

House Baldwin was in a decline towards the 13C, bowing before more powerful nobles and houses that arrived from the west. It was in the outbreak of civil wars where the house matured into a cohesive middle ground between the European and the Palestinian inhabitants.

Interestingly, the inheritors of House Baldwin legacy are not related by blood to the original line, instead it has become a common practice to adopt capable heirs regardless of blood relation. This is because of the savagery of the civil war, that attempted to unify the fractured lands against the threats of their neighbors as quickly as possible. This meant the soldiers were forgiven, but their masters, the heirs, and families, were punished severely

Instead of organizing it per City or Town, I feel the organization is best achieved through groups of various networks. A group of settlements strategically depend and culturally connected best represent a fiefdom, more precisely than by individual city or town.

There are too many unknown villages that exist within each of these territories to be completely ignored. These villages can serve as the background of so many potential adventures. Characters who are men-at-arms will need these obscure villages as part of their background.

The title has a link of the "Best" map for running this game I have found so far. Looking at my copy of GURPS Fantasy Harkwood inspires me to do a much better job.

Next Up... (hopefully)

Random Village Generator - *(what I want out of a village generator) This should be able to roll up the following: Village main economic produce/role, secondary economic role, power center (religious, military, bureaucratic, noble), condition (wealth, morale), current problem in the minds of the population, current problem of the "power center" (which can be different from the people) and... anything else that will speed up GM improv...

Random NPC Generator - Looking for one online that will do European names (germanic or french).

Principality of Antioch (16 locales)

• Antioch (town, now city)
  

• Albara

• Marra

• Apamea

• Zerdan

• Artasium

• St. Simeon
  

• Laodicea /Latakieh
  

• Gibellum

• Alexanderetta

• Castle Biza (oldenbourg p. 312)

• Castle Athareb (oldenbourg p. 312)

• Castle Kafartab (oldenbourg p. 312)
  

• Artasium

• Zerdan

• Artasium

County of Edessa (10 locales)

• Edessa

• Ain-Tab

• Coris

• Ravendal

• Madrin

• Melitene

• Hisn-Keifa

• Samosata

• Turbessel
  

• Tulupe
  

Principality of Damascus (16 locales)

• Damascus

• Adratum

• Bostra

• Assalt

• Baalbec / Baalbek
  

• Emesa

• Tadmor

• Hamah

• Gadara

• Homes (oldenbourg p.301)

• Rasheiya (oldenbourg p.301)

• Kiswe (oldenbourg p.301)

• Ezra (oldenbourg p.301)

• Mazerib (oldenbourg p.301)

• Bosra (oldenbourg p.301)

• Jerash (oldenbourg p.301)

Principality of Allepo (6 locales)

• Allepo (town, now city)
  

• Artasium
  

• Manby

• Harran

• Rakka

• Shaizar (oldenbourg p.301)

Principality of Armenia (5 locales)

• Adana

• Tarsus

• Tunor

• Mamistra

• Marask / Marash
  

County of Tripoli (10 locales)

• Tripoli (town, now city)

• Arqa (oldenbourg p. 375)
  

• Margat

• Tortosa

• Castle Rouge

• Bortoun

• Gibilet

• Mons Ferandus

• Chaedes Chaveliers

• Apelias

Principality of Jerusalem (20/sq km; Pop 420,000) (39 locales)

• Jerusalem (Pop 12,500)

• Beirut

• Sidon

• Tyre

• Banias

• Acre

• Cesarea

• Arsuf

• Jaffa

• Ibelin

• Azotus

• Ascalon

• Gaza

• Daron

• El Arish

• Kerak of Moab
  

• Segor

• Kerak of Monreal

• Elim

• Belfort

• Toron

• Montfort

• Safed

• Castle Jacob

• Hattin

• Tiberias

• Nazareth

• Belvoir

• Baisan

• Sebaaste

• Neapolis

• Maribel

• Lydd

• Jerico

• Ramleh/ Ramla
  

• Blanche Garde

• Bethlehem

• Hebron

• Daron

A better map of 12C Crusader Palestine

The title is a link to a better resource for the Kingdom of Jerusalem 15C.

4950 Villages
30 towns
6 Cities
1 Capital city

I have to organize them into "districts" where the surrounding lands and their lords follow a chain of command centering to the Town or City. That's around 7 Major districts, and further divides into towns and their surrounding villages.

I came from a lasik evaluation and laser eye correction (reinforcement of my retina walls). So I can't do a lot of reading and writing, because I lost my near sight because of pupil dilation. Its been 7 hours since I left the clinic and the meds haven't worn off yet.

Kingdom of Jerusalem List

Basically using the guidelines and exel sheet of Medieval Demographics Made easy I'll work with these settlements. Basically for simplicity their major centers and the region is named the same. So the small villages around Jersulem will be simply referred to as Jerusalem. They will have their individual names which is free to be made up since alot of these maps are unreliable and it is an altered history after all.

I have not yet arranged the key fiefs according to their population. I plan to roll randomly what became what, then make up the rest. Since its random I don't have to worry about trying to get it accurate and saves me HOURS researching the actual political power. I'll just base the power structure after I roll up the value of each fief.

Population will be the most key determinant for political power given the era. The map in the link is a nice LOTR-ish map. There are more maps if you use Palestine as a search term and look form maps bigger than 2Mpix. Given a population of +2M I can't possibly make enough NPCs. I'll just have up to the GM rule of 7 key figures (GURPS mysteries) beyond the ones i've already fleshed out in my previous write ups.

To the other GMs out there. If it gets Boring reconsider the amount of time you are budgeting or do it at smaller increments (which go faster). What I'm doing is that I'll just use the exel sheet and bulldoze my way to filling up the Political crap out of these centers. Probably 2 hours TOPS!

Note that because of the climate these "Nation" is very "eastern" with their armor and dress. They wear very light and fight based on endurance and speed.

Major Fiefs (Cities, Provinces)

• Jerusalem
• Acre
• Tyre
• Damascus
• Ascalon
  
• Antioch
• Tripoli
• Edessa
• Mosul
• Beruit
• Galilee
• Sidon
  

Great Fiefs (Towns, Large Settlements)

• Nazareth
• Bethel
  
• Berea
• Bethany
• Bethlehem
• Hebron
• Ralma
• Jaffa
• Haifa
• Tiberias
• Siloh
• Gaza
  

House Baldwin: The Kingdom of Jerusalem

I've been reading up on the kingdom of Jerusalem. In the Sins of the Crusades, the altered history made for it to be one of the refuge territories when the Golden Horde successfully invaded europe.

Looking at the area, terrain and climate, it is very hard to fit a migrating populace of about 10 million Europeans in the 12C into the territories of Byzantine Empire, Greece, the Balkans, Norman Italy, Palestine, Egypt, and parts of northern Africa.

Anyway, given the tools used in Medieval Demographics made Easy, the many Palestine maps found on the web, and Google Earth it can be a fairly straight forward method of making the kingdom. It would probably take me 4-5 hours (and good internet). Basic Rule- If Its taking me more than 5 mins to research make it up.

typically Palestine occupies 22,000 sq. km but including Mosul region (the eastern region up to parts of the fertile Crecent) I've extended it to 60,000 sq km but with a density of a near Renaissance level of mercantile efficiency average 30-ish per sq km. This is around 2M. I can actually bolster up that population density if Egypt and Persia acted as granaries to feed that city, but that would mean Palestine had to provide some valuable service or product...
... hmmm.. well the can serve as middle men and be the "England" between the two with efficient taxation, a textile industry, and the first to develop a sense of unity as a source of morale will.

that would work I guess. 2M would mean up to a 20,000 standing forces, another 40,000 rotating forces, and up to a maximum 40,000 aditional with levying. Up to 100,000 swords and not counting the baggage of 30,000 (made up by the families and women).

Religion in Sins of The Crusade. The new Roman Empire, revitalized by Empress Anna Comnena and Emperor Bohemon of Tarranto is a theocracy that had no equal. Unlike that of Queen Isabel where the Church and the Kingdom was seperate, this theocracy had the greatest political strategists (Anna and Bohemon) in its conception.

The Golden Horde's invasion of the rest of Europe stamped "God's approval".

The House Baldwin's Palestine was the only remaining Latin Christian people, surrounded by Powerful Theocratic Orthodox Greeks, a form of Islam that has become very non-religious and more enlightened, and some traditional Islam.

Given the events in the setting and Christian Theocracy, Islam had to change. Fundamentalism vs Fundamentalism created two examples that made secularism an attractive choice. The first to change their view were the Hous aDin and their forays into philosophy and critical thinking which recreated the new islam in the setting (basically the early agnostics). Then a few members of House Osman dared to be different and basically became "wild" and truly secular embracing rationality, something their pragmatism of nomad orgins seemed to thrive in.

Its much harder to be a christian Secular when all the political power comes from a Christian theocracy that tries to control how you thought. The only people who were protected against this assault of irrationality are those who had the freedom to think for themselves.

There was also the Logos, the bureaucrats of the setting who carried with them the tradition of Ancient Academies. Although the truly secular Logos were still rare. House Baldwin's Palestine also had secular because of the inherent meritocracy in its efficiency.

Horde in Europe. in the setting, the horde flourished in Europe, but did so slowly because of the severe depopulation. They have began to also move vast amounts of people from their other provinces to repopulate changing the face of the average European (they look like the Steppe People of indeterminate heritage).

The first to be settled is France for their best arable land and climate. Germany and Spain slowly followed. The horde also could have established the most complete link between the East and the West, but at that distance and size bureaucracies and levels of organization cannot maintain contact and eventually broke off as a separate states.

French lands in Mongol Hands, the kind of Cavalry that can come about can defy imagination. The French industries of metal production, the grain production to breed better horses, the size and population able to support more intensely specialized Warrior class and the higher protein content in their diet and access to Imperial Chinese Physicians. These made powerful Horse Archer Knights who were bigger stronger and smarter. A natural check is that they were more fractured because of their relative power and their independence from the rest of the Horde.

In the setting, dealing with these guys are like dealing with monsters. A lot of lesser mooks, but the few elites are more than a match with the heroes.

The Slavers of the Horde

The Slavers of the Horder are men that profit from the enemies of the empire: the horde that had conqured the rest of europe and control most of the north, east and west. The petty kingdoms and clans are formidable but squable often. Those caught in the middle, find their way to Mamon who sell them as valuable slaves a sign of status.

Adventure Hook. A Baron Durand, of House Baldwin's purchased slaves expired unduly. The PCs are caught with the ball in their hands to do something about it. Typically the PCs (who ar lower in status) are obligated to do a favor and not to turn down a request from a lord of their own house. The PCs are given the bodies and given to return them to Mamon Barmuddi.

While at Barmudii's a medicant sister has taken a dwelling near the Manor and has been trading with the serfs for holy fetishes. PCs who talk to her, are told Mamon has not been drawing his stock from the north but from nearby villages. This is not actually true, but has a tendency to get players all riled up.

If the PC ask nearby villages, and presented with the information they will jump to the conclusion that Mamon does so and will plead the PCs to break in and rescue a their missing loved ones.


Mamon Barmuddii,
Age 60, Ht 5'6, Wt. 160lbs
Description:
Note: He is a retainer of Baron Quamar Nahadan of Hous aDin. Mamon, is not a knight, but is a valued retainer for the income and labor he sells to his many clients. Mamon is a slave trader of the bodies from exotic east. His heir, an apprentice and adopted son, Kalil is well groomed to take over his father's business and absolutely loyal and obedient (36yrs; handsome; same stats but -1 to IQ, and all skills).
Role-Playing. He is what PCs will find the most honorable and amicable of men. He sounds like a classical philosopher and wise teacher. Understand that he doesn't see as the people of the steppe as Human.
Note. Slave trade can be very black in white in our modern perspective but in some people and culture it may be very ambigous. Mamon can be a spun to be a liberator, healer, or a scorn to the people of the Horde thus earning a respectable place in his community.

• IQ13
• Administration-14, Merchant-13, Diplomacy-12,
• Physchology-12 (callous), Body language-12, Public Speaking-12, Acting-12, Torture-12
• Physician-12, Pharmacy-12, Diagnosis-12, Poison-12,
• Very Wealthy, owns a fortified manor, and has around 40 families working for him.
  

Use this Roman Soldier Template as the basic stats of the characters below. The difference from the template is noted.

Bemgem of Garl
Age 31, Ht 6ft, Wt. 280lbs, Black Hair, Gray eyes.
Description: A large hairy man, with heavy calous hands.
Role-playing: A loyal hatchet man. Bemgem has a family and some bastards his wife and his two mistresses are taking care of. He is strict and heavy handed with the people around him, but he is generous and actually takes the time to make sure they get what they need. He asks a lot, but he looks after all those who owe him his loyalty.
Note: His boss is Mamon, and his boss treats him well. His boss, makes his heir Kalil take care of the health of his people. In return they give them their loyalty.

• Modify Roman Soldier Template
  
• ST+2, DX+1, IQ+1, HT+1;
• Tors DR3 (Light Scale), Groin DR3/2 (Studded Leather Skirt), Heavy Cloak (lion skin)
  
• Mace (instead of spear) Skill-13/Parry-12U, Dmg 2d+2 (note: typically a hit from this deals damage of 9, enough to cause an ST11 to roll DX or ST or be knocked back).
• Throwing Axe Skill-12, Acc 2, Dmg sw 2d+1 cut, Range 13/20
• Intimidation-11, Leadership-11, Carousing-12,
  
• 2 other loyal 2nds Tom Tools and Redder Paul (because there are 2 other pauls). Use the soldier template but +1 ST and damage.
  
• he commands 12 other boys who are as good as soldiers but without combat reflex

Garl of Garl
Age 52, Ht 5'5, Wt. 130
Description: A red scaly and splotchy skinned, old man who seems to be falling apart. His eyes look bright and young, Wooden detures have real teeth, and smells of old things and dead.
Role-playing: Bemjem's Father, a very cruel and sadistic man. He gets paid little, mostly in the free use of the slaves. He is tolerated only because he is Bemgem's father. People tend to avoid him and hide behind Bemgem's if Garl would ask something of them. He constantly ridicules his quiet son, raving and complaining. Everyone ignores these as they think his head is gone. Garl will harass any female character and soft young male character.
Note: He takes care of his boy Garl and this Grand kids and bastards, oddly enough. Some are growing up to be as sadistic and crazy as the old man.

• DX+2
• Torso DR1 (Fur Shirt), Groin DR3/2 (Studded Leather Skirt), Spiked Gauntlet (right hand) DR4, Boots DR2.
• Brawl-15, Feint (brawl)-19, Kick-15, Spike Guantlet Dmg thr 1d-1 cr, Kick Dmg thr 1d+1 cr
• Wrestling-13; Can spit as apart of a brawl feint Perk.

Another Twist. Mamon, a skilled physician, autopsys the body to discover that one of the slaves, was pregnant and murdered by poison. He refuses to refund the Lord because the slaves were poisioned quite voluntarily.

One thing that should be apparent is that the murderer could have a lot to lose if this slave gave birth to someone's bastard. Why? Who could be in trouble? Who would know? Lord Durand is going to lose face if he doesnt get to the bottom of this, and makes the PCs find out who.

Defaut Possibility: The murder seemes to be caused by the Lord Duran's heir Alex. He probably panicked and killed the slave because it was an embarrassment to his betrothal's family. But, PCs discover that Alex had no access to poison and doesn't' know she died because of it. He is quiet shocked and heart broken by the event.

Later on they discover the Lord's Banneret, Sir Ibynn Tourkoisee was rumored to be seducing her and tried to find time alone with the slave. PCs find out then might have to take his word that he never touched her (and find out a twisted reason why he kept her around in odd hours- one reason would be she sang for his pleasure while he was with his lover).

They may find out later on that the Deacon Yiavis has been paying alot of attention to the slaves, witnesses say he would go to slaves quarters every night. PCs hear rumors that he has a bastard. Oddly the PCs find out quite simply he has been trying to convert them to save their souls. Exasperatedly promising salvation, which didn't go so well when he has a tendency to only preach to the female slaves and tries to "commune" with them alone.

PCs eventually discover, that the slave was murdered by the woman she was attending to young lady Beatrice. Alex's sister who did it to spite her older brother, after he of handedly compared her to the slave in terms of beauty.

Strange Bandits: NPCs part 1: Antagonists

antagonist behind the scenes: Baron Janos of Var-Jaqai, son of Corvin III

Description:
Baron Janos is always seen with his trade-mark smile, a scar drawn from the right edge of his mouth to just below his eye. Dark humoured, Baron Janos has a habit of chuckling to himself and approaching a situation with polite jests and sarcasm aimed at the circumstance (and not anyone else).
No one seems to know what Baron Janos is thinking. His wit makes him formidable at court and he honors his Liege's wishes to the word and shows great initiative.
Baron is a steady and cautious warrior. He is practical and lets his men do the dirty work, but his not a man averse to getting his hands dirty. Many of his older vassals know of how hands-on he was under his Lord Father's Corvin's command. It was only recently did he learn to resist the urge to concentrate his focus and keep his mind more engaged in the goal instead of the task at hand.

Liege Lord: Duke Godfrey of House Baldwin
Estate: Barony of Var-Jaqai

• Village of St. Kareen's Haven (Generates $560,000 annually)
  
• Castle Corvin (Generates $280,000 annually)
  

Notable Abilities: (Use Knight Template as Basis).

• Attributes: IQ 13, HT14
• Disadvantages: Callous
• Advantages: Filthy Rich ($840,000 annualy), Versatile,
• Skills: Psychology-15, Body Language-14, Strategy-14, Acting-15, Performance (Jesting)-12
  

Notable Allies:

Sir Kassel "Break-Spear'
Description:
Sir Kassel is Baron Janos' right hand and Banneret. He appears as a tall sharp featured veteran of many battles.
A very devoted family man, Sir Kassel with his wife Charice have 8 children. The eldest two are lovely daughters who dote on their father and are married to very capable, young and loyal household knights, who have taken his name (because they did not come from a noble family). His other two sons are squiring for their brothers-in-laws, while the other are still too young to leave the manor.
He rides into melee Sarmatian style, using a Longspear two handed for the reach and penetration. On foot he fights with spear and staff mastery, and very heavy armor.
Notable Traits: ST13, Staff-15, Soldier-16, Tactics-14

Magos Iryn Johansen
Description:
Magos Iryn Johansen, is Imperial trained magos of the coin. Baron Janos relies on his skills for the organization of his estate and the training of his servants.
Magos Iryn, is a very capable bureaucrat but his greatest talent is in teaching. Like many castrated Magos, he has found his own family in his lord, his master's right hand man, his students and servants. He has several promising students, young men who are very capable and have returned from the Magos University to serve him in his weakening age.
Iryn is a very capable teacher of the ancient philosophers methods of critical thought. Secretly he is one of the "faithless" and dwells too much on godless philosophies.
Notable Traits: IQ15, Empathy, Teaching-18, Psychology-17

Sir Titos Corwin
Description:
Sir Titos is Jano's middle child, has a reputation for being strange. Even as a squire, Titos displayed unusual cunning and manipulative skills, which allowed him more opportunity to be on field of battle. What makes him strange is that, he will not participate in the action, instead he will provoke those around him, allies and enemies, to impulse and action to their demise.
Notable Traits: Fast Talk-16

Encounter: Strange Bandits

Strange Bandits are raiding the area.
Background- The life of a soldier is a hard one, and one of the natural outcomes is to revert to banditry. Unfortunately circumstances can be complicated and banditry may be the only option. In this circumstance, a fairly large force has found itself too far from home and no where else to turn to.

There are many circumstances that will exile an army force, alienation and burned bridges are possibilities. Their loyalties and beliefs could have alienated them to the political reality of their home land, their families could have been held hostage against their return or have been brainwashed to revile them, or an accident, force majeure could have thrown them into a long perilous retreat into unknown territory or be blown away at sea only to be wrecked at an unknown coast.

This encounter is designed with Sins of the Crusade in mind but can be used in any other Fantasy or Medieval Game. A foreign army who have strange tactics and tools have upset the balance of power in the land, like an act of nature or change of the weather. Unarmored save for effectively camouflaged clothing and with light shielded, this army of fast moving skirmishers appeared suddenly and frighteningly. Circumstance and chance have lead them to take what they needed with violence. Quickly survivors notice their strange manner of fighting. Their unusal logistics and organization focus on running endurance. As highly capable runners the small force travels with only very rugged ponies for baggage. Their skilled path finder cut through difficult terrains and scarcely watered paths that cannot be followed by regular forces.

Theyare more familiar fighting in difficult terrain than in open plains. Some witness claims they are able to form a thickly packed spear formation, and according after gathering the claims, seem to do so with a discipline unseen for centuries. These soldiers have shortened spear-like broad bladed swords, improvised Long Spears and Javelins, and a strange simple device that lets them hurl these javelins with a force that deceptive of their size.

Some of them, have very small rugged ponies to carry their supplies. Others have strange crossbows, which can stand nearly a man's height and which is crossed with bone, horn and sinew. They wear simple desert colored rugged warriors robes, and sandals. Leading them, an unassuming figure, whose face is plain but marked with branded symbols.

The Leader. The leader is loyal to his men, and is caught in the machine that requires him to act in the best interests of their morale while trying to survive day by day in a hostile foreign land. He was his monarch's loyal general and defender, until he failed in his duty and was exiled along with his men.

The Second in Command. The leader's mentor and surrogate father. He is old and weakening but still manages to holds everything together, for former student, with superhuman will. He manages to hide his suffering a little longer than he hoped, but time quickly fading and devotion.

The Other Power. He is loyal and the leader's protege, but to many whispers and broken promises has filled his cup. Now that cup is about to spill, and if his fellow's cries reach his hardened heart one more time, he may not stop himself from spilling something else.

Adventure Circumstance. More than one force is acting on this small force. Not only internal, and environmental, but an antagonist has taken advantage of this orphaned force to use against a weakening neighbor. The Antagonist had fortunately deduced the force's reasons and has take the initiative to push them into his weaker neighbors lands to show him as a weak or impotent lord.

The PCs could be newly hired or untested vassals of the Victimed lord. Their lord is asking them to protect his charge and they have to fight an enemy whose tactics are strange and formidable.

Sample NPCs for the various Roles to follow (probably friday).