#11: Inquisitorum, Part the First: Illumination

http://www.rpg.net/columns/sanctum/sanctum11.phtml

Summary:

The history of Sanctum from 1000-1400.

Go to the column for more information.

[indra]

I love that Incubus/Sucubus thing. It'd be great in a modern Sanctum game, too. Maybe a club-hopping Warlock who steals men's "vital fluids," alters it somehow, then impregnates lovelorn women in an attempt to breed more Warlocks. Imagine the look on your players' faces when they realize it's all the work of one, sex-shifting culprit

--Dan

[smascrns]

I don't know how you can use this but the Order of the Temple did not end completely when it was extinguished in France. It had a powerful and rich branch in Portugal that the local king kept alive and just rechristed it Ordem de Cristo (Order of Christ). It survived for centuries as a Portuguese military order. It provided the backbone for the Portuguese world expansion of the XV and XVI centuries.

On the Inquisition. It's arrival in Spain was fairly late and it's arrival in Portugal was even latter. Since these were the powers behind the European expansion and since you put the Inquisition at the centre of your alternate history, this should be of significance.

[Kester Pelagius]

Greetings,

It's my hope GMs will realize that these articles, while a great primer and aide to set up their campaigns, only scratch the surface of the true depths of the history on which they are based while players, well, I hope you pester your GMs mercilessly until they decide to finally do the leg work to set up a game of Sanctum Inquistorum. Sin of Pride and all that rot, wot?

Originally Posted by indra

I love that Incubus/Sucubus thing. It'd be great in a modern Sanctum game, too. Maybe a club-hopping Warlock who steals men's "vital fluids," alters it somehow, then impregnates lovelorn women in an attempt to breed more Warlocks. Imagine the look on your players' faces when they realize it's all the work of one, sex-shifting culprit

--Dan

Alas, like the ideas I was kicking around to expand the Lady Godiva entry, the articles allow for a finite word count. Of course this doesn't preclude the possibility that *knock on wood* one of these days an expanded version of Inquisitorum might make it's way into print. In which case, oh yeah, watch out!

An imagination is a terrible thing to unleash.

Originally Posted by smascrns

I don't know how you can use this but the Order of the Temple did not end completely when it was extinguished in France. It had a powerful and rich branch in Portugal that the local king kept alive and just rechristed it Ordem de Cristo (Order of Christ). It survived for centuries as a Portuguese military order. It provided the backbone for the Portuguese world expansion of the XV and XVI centuries.

Nor was that the only branch of the Order that is reputed to have survived by either going to ground or merely changing it's name. Alas articles really do have finite word space and, as you've probably noticed, I tried crammed every bit of historical trivia into this as I could get away with.

Which probably explains why it ended up in two parts. Three if you count the vampire spin-off article. OOPS! Was I not supposed to mention that, Dan?

Originally Posted by smascrns

On the Inquisition. It's arrival in Spain was fairly late and it's arrival in Portugal was even latter. Since these were the powers behind the European expansion and since you put the Inquisition at the centre of your alternate history, this should be of significance.

Depends on the time period the GM chooses to set their game in. But I agree, you can't go wrong knowing a little bit about the background of the Inquisition and Knights Templar. The second part of the article should have a list of suggested movies and whatnot for GMs.

But you're quite right in pointing out there's many more facets to the period of the article covers and that's it's worth looking into.


Kind Regards,

Kester Pelagius

[Emprint]

What do you have cooked up for us in the second part? I didn't enjoy this one much.

[indra]

I'm gonna keep the Vampire Hunter article under my hat for a little while. Giving a single guest author 25% of the column seems farsical. Part Two will cover similar ground, but it takes a more conspiratorial bent as the Inquisition's public face goes all Torquemada. It also includes way more Templar Zombies

After that, we'll have an article about steampunk sorcery and then one of the several nebulous proposals that clutter my desk It'll be June by then, so maybe I'll do a cheap tie-in to some summer blockbuster. Suggestions are always welcomed.

--Dan

[Kester Pelagius]

Originally Posted by Emprint

What do you have cooked up for us in the second part? I didn't enjoy this one much.

Let's see the second part delves into the Knights Templar which, as Indra mentioned, has Templar Zombies.

Why?

Because no proper historical write-up would be complete without Templar Zombies, of course!

There's also the boring requisite bit about the Spanish Inquisition and a section that introduces a few more historical personages of note. Just the usual folks like, uhm, Giles de Rais, Joan of Arc, and Matthew Hopkins. (Did you know he was a Psychic Vampire?) Also includes, unless it was edited out for length/space, a section on recommended viewing and, uhm, did I mention the historical gloss to explain just enough to get the curious interested and the Templar Zombies?

Sadly if you didn't like the first part you probably wont like the second. I know it's nothing personal. It's all very dry reading as I literally glossed over several centuries of history. Time compression. It confuses everything. Just like that Air Force colonel said.

OTOH the stuff I excised and threw into the vampire article might be more your speed. Granted there's still a lot of boring historical stuff about Vlad Tepes and Elizabeth Bathory but there's also info on Captain Kronos and Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. Did you know that Le Fanu was an associate of the Sanctum?

[Kester Pelagius]

Originally Posted by indra

Part Two will cover similar ground, but it takes a more conspiratorial bent as the Inquisition's public face goes all Torquemada. It also includes way more Templar Zombies

Got to love the Templar Zombies!

Originally Posted by indra

After that, we'll have an article about steampunk sorcery and then one of the several nebulous proposals that clutter my desk It'll be June by then, so maybe I'll do a cheap tie-in to some summer blockbuster. Suggestions are always welcomed.

Someone needs to do an over-the-top U.F.O. conspiracy article delving into how the aliens are really demons and they abduct people to eat their livers and wear their skin. . . or something.