Baptism of Fire (OSR)

family, loved ones, or community; the latter their perceived enemies. Additionally, anyone slain by an Upior will rise as one, which is subservient to the one who slew them. Upierz encounters are with 1d4 creatures, where one is the master upior and all others obedient to his control. Upierz rest under the ground, in their tombs or burial places if they were buried, during the day. It is said that a child of six years or younger if brought to a grave site, will be able to point out which grave contains a Upior. Upierz have incredible strength and physical power, and also can emit an acidic or fiery breath. There is a 50% chance it is either acid or fire; in either case, their attack affects a 5ft area in front of them and does 3d8 damage (DEX save vs area effect for half damage); they can use their breath attack every three rounds. They are immune to normal weapons except for silver. They drink people’s blood to maintain themselves (or sometimes drink the blood of livestock). They can only be slain permanently by decapitation and piercing the heart with a hawthorn or iron stake or by cremation (one reason why Polish pagans generally cremate their dead). Additionally, if an Upior cannot return to the place of its death, it will melt into a black slime when exposed to the light of the sun. Utopiec Init:+2 AC:14 MV:20/40(swim) HD:2d6 SV:16 AL:C Ml:12 Att:1 grapple (+5, drowning) Special: An undead creature revived from the corpses of people who drowned in bodies of water. The term “Utopiec” means “drowner”. They look thin and gaunt with unusually long legs and arms and greenish skin and hair. They will typically stay very still under the water and will swim up quickly to grab anyone who enters their water, grappling them with surprising strength and pulling them down into the depth to drown them. Anyone slain by a Utopiec will certainly become one unless their body is recovered and they are given proper pagan cremation or Christian funerary rites. They cannot typically leave their waters except during the week of the new moon. Then, they can move onto land and will try to drag animals or people into the water. They are typically encountered alone but, on some occasions, may be found in a group of 1d4. 244

Wight Init:+0 AC:15 MV:30 HD:4d6 SV:14 AL:C Ml:12 Att:1 touch (+5, 1d4 + STR drain + curse) Special: Wights are called “draugr” in the Viking tongue. They are a special kind of living dead, possibly brought back to life out of greed or envy. They are sometimes found in the kurgan mounds, the ancient burial mounds of prehistoric pagans. Wights look like deceased humans, their skin usually rotting and blackened or dark blue. It is said that mortal men or animals who sleep near where a Wight is found will have disturbing dreams and be unable to get adequate rest (meaning they will not heal from resting). When Wights strike a victim, in addition to damage, they drain 1 point of strength. Anyone reduced to under 3 STR will be unable to move, and anyone reduced to 0 STR will die and return as a Wight (if they survive the attack, they’ll regain lost STR at a rate of 1 per day). Additionally, anyone struck by a Wight will suffer a Curse; their injuries from Wight strikes (the hit point damage from the strike) will not heal (unless the curse is removed through magic or miracles). Wights have the power to transform into a lightly glowing mist and thus pass through even tiny cracks in rock or from under the earth. Wights are immune to normal weapons, and if they are slain will return to life (and full hp) in 1d8 hours. Sunlight will not injure them, but they will suffer a -2 penalty to attacks and saving throws when exposed to it. The only way to permanently destroy a Wight is to burn its body and cast its ashes into running water or the sea. Wights are encountered in groups of 1d6 or 2d6, depending on the burial site they’re tied to. Wraith Init:+0 AC:16 MV:30 HD:5d6 SV:14 AL:C Ml:12 Att:1 chill touch (+6, 1d6 + enervation) Special: Wraiths are incorporeal undead that seem to be found in places with high influence of chaos; they are sometimes found in ancient ruins or burial mounds. Wraiths despise the living. They are immune to normal weapons, and silver weapons only do half damage to them. A 0 or 1st-level human touched by a Wraith will die and return to life as a Wraith. A higher-level victim will suffer a -1 penalty to all d20 rolls (attacks, saving throws, skill checks) for each hit they suffer; if their total penalty equals their current level/HD, they die and 245

return to life as a wraith (if they survive, the penalty goes away at a rate of 1 per day). Wraiths are occasionally encountered alone but more often in groups of 2d6. The Walking Dead Init:-1 AC:12 MV:15 HD:2d6 SV:16 AL:C Ml:12 Att:1 claw (+3, 1d8) Special: The most basic form of the living dead, the “walking,” are created from those who were not properly buried after death or those who died from suicide or some state of sin. The Walking Dead can be harmed by any metal weapons or magic. If they are slain, they return to life in 10-40 minutes (at full hit points) unless they are decapitated. Walking dead might be found solitary, but often in groups, typically of 3d6, but it could be far more if they were risen from some recent battlefield. 246

Piast Poland In 1025, Poland is only just barely starting to exist as a nation. Previous to the ascent of the Piast chiefs, the various territories that constitute what we now think of as Poland were different tribes of western Slavic peoples. Silesia and the area around the Vistula, in particular, had their own power centers. Duke Mieszko I’s ancestors were of the Polans tribe and took control of other tribes (the Goplans, Kujavians, and some of the Pomeranians and Masovians). These people all thought of themselves as different from the Polans. Mieszko I continued his forefather’s conquests of surrounding areas when he became chief around 950, but it was one thing to win new territory and another to change the people in it to unite peaceably under his rule. At the same time, his territories were potentially under the threat of greater powers, both the pagan Veleti and the Christian Germans and Bohemians. Mieszko realized that as a people, all those of his territories had far more in common with each other than any of them did with the Germans, Bohemians, Veleti, or Norsemen. But they were kept divided by greedy local chiefs and influential pagan priests, witches, or shamans, as different tribes worshiped different gods. At the same time, around 965, Mieszko was faced with a choice between an alliance or an inevitable military confrontation with the powerful Bohemian Duke Boleslav the Cruel. He chose an alliance that required a marriage to Boleslav’s Christian daughter, Dobrawa. Mieszko was quickly smitten by his new wife, and she not only showed him the goodness of Christianity, but also its value to Kings, to unite their people under one faith and one cause. In 966, Mieszko was baptized as a Christian, and from that point on, his territories would practice the new religion; those tribes would gradually become one people (the Poles), and his conquests (and his successors) would be a crusade against the darkness of a pagan world of witchcraft and monsters. But Paganism would not die easy in these magical lands... Campaign Timeline The campaign ostensibly begins in 1025, when Boleslaw the Brave (son of Mieszko I) is crowned King of Poland. The early Piast Polish state has been established but faces all kinds of challenges within its territories, where there are still huge areas of resistance to Christianity and from enemies outside Poland. However, if a GM wishes, he could instead start the campaign earlier, any time from the moment of Mieszko’s baptism. 966: Mieszko I is baptized as a Christian. He is also recognized as the ruler of the Piast state, designated as a “Duke” by the Holy Roman Empire. 247

967: Mieszko and Bohemian allies invade Pomerania and win a decisive battle at Wolin against the pagans, taking control of most of the region. This seemed to unify Mieszko’s current subjects as the Pomeranians had been fierce long-time enemies, but the Pomeranians themselves would strongly resist his rule and Christianization. -Mieszko’s son Boleslaw the Brave is born. -The German Emperor Otto I obliges a council in Rome, essentially asserting his power over Rome. Some Polish Christians probably accompanied his delegation. 968: Mieszko’s daughter Swietoslawa (later known as Sigrid the Haughty) is born. -Mieszko builds the Poznan cathedral, and installs the Bishop Jordan as the first Polish Bishop. 972: Odo, Margrave of Saxon Ostmark, attacks Poland; he does this without the permission of the Holy Roman Emperor. He attacked out of concern for the Piasts’ growing power and Mieszko’s ongoing interest in conquering Pomeranian territories that Odo wanted for himself. At the battle of Cedynia, Mieszko and his brother Czcibor defeated Odo after a hard fight. -Benedict VI is elected Pope, he is a German and supported by Otto I. 973: Czcibor, Mieszko’s brother, dies. -Emperor Otto I died after 37 years of rule. His successor is his 18-year-old son Otto II. -Poland becomes an area of trade via Byzantium, mainly through Jewish merchant caravans, and spices like pepper, ginger and cloves become available in cities on the major trade roads. 974-981: Mieszko moves his forces south and conquers the Sandomierz area of the Vistula as well as the Red Lands. 974: Benedict VI is imprisoned and later strangled to death in a Roman revolt against German rule. The Roman conspirators install an anti-Pope, Boniface VII. Before the end of the year German forces overthrow the false Pope (who flees to Constantinople with a fortune in stolen church money), and Benedict VII is chosen as Pope. 975: Otto II goes to war against Boleslaus, Duke of Bohemia. At the same time, Otto’s cousin, Henry II, starts a revolt against Otto’s rule. 976: Otto II defeats Henry II’s forces, and the latter flees to Bohemia. 977: Mieszko’s wife Dobrawa dies. -Otto II besieges Paris; at the same time, Henry II joins forces with Henry Duke of Carinthia and Bishop Henry of Augsburg in revolt against Otto in what is called the “War of the Three Henries.” Otto is forced to retreat from Paris. -Mieszko supports the Henries in their conflict against Otto II. 978: Otto defeats the Three Henries. He remains at war with the Franks. -Vladimir I, The Great grand prince of Kiev, marches with an army of mercenaries and takes the city of Novgorod. 979: The Holy Roman Emperor Otto II, whom Mieszko opposed, invades Poland, marching toward Poznan, but he is pushed back by a combination of Polish resistance (he underestimated the Polish defenses and fortifications) and bad weather. 248

-Mieszko, during negotiations with the Holy Roman Emperor, meets Oda of Haldensleben, daughter of the Margrave of the Northern Marches, who was a nun. He is smitten with her and kidnaps her (voluntarily) from her nunnery and marries her. He subsequently made an alliance with her father to diminish the scandal, and Oda abandoned her vows but became a great promoter of Christianity in Poland, allegedly responsible for a huge increase in baptisms in Piast lands. -Miezko and Oda have a son, named Mieszko. 980: When the Danish King Harald Bluetooth begins to make alliances with Pomeranian opponents of Mieszko, the latter makes an alliance with the Swedish King Erik the Victorious, in spite of Erik being Pagan and Bluetooth being Christian. To compensate for this, he married his daughter Swietoslawa to Erik in the hope she would convert him to Christianity. To the Norsemen, she would come to be known as Sigrid the Haughty. -Mieszko arranges for his son Boleslaw to be married to Rikdag, daughter of the Margrave of Meissen. -Mieszko and Oda have a second son, Swietopelk -Otto II makes peace with the Franks. -Vladimir I of Kiev is now ruler of all the Kievan Rus. 981: Mieszko and Oda have a third son, Lambert. -The Kievan Rus invade the Red Lands and take many of the territories which had been recently captured by Poland. -Pope Benedict VII issues an encyclical prohibiting the practice of Simony (the charging of money inexchange for religious offices). 982: Adalbert (the future Saint) becomes Bishop of Prague. 983: The Veleti and other pagan tribes revolt against their German Christian overlords. They invade German lands and pillage the cities of Brandenburg, Hamburg, and Havelberg. King Harald Bluetooth rebels against the Holy Roman Empire as well, invading German territories in what is today Denmark. -Otto II dies from fever while in Rome. He is succeeded by his 3-year-old son Otto III, under the regency of his mother, Empress Theophanu (the niece of the Byzantine Emperor John I). -Pope Benedict VII dies, succeeded by John XIV. 984: -Otto III is captured by Henry II, his uncle, who attempts to claim the regency, but he’s soon forced to return Otto to his mother in exchange for being restored to the title of Duke of Bavaria. -Pope John XIV left without allies after the death of Otto II, is arrested by Roman dissidents and dies in prison; anti-Pope Boniface VII returns from exile in Byzantium and is again enthroned as Pope. 985: Mieszko comes to the aid of the Saxons against the Veleti, who had initiated a pagan revolt in 982. During this campaign, Mieszko visited the court of the new 4-year-old Holy Roman Emperor Otto III, granting the child a gift of a camel (which he obtained at great expense from the Byzantine trade routes) -Boleslaw annuls his marriage to Rikdag after her father’s death, making her unnecessary. He then marries Judyta, a daughter of the Hungarian Prince Geza. -Anti-Pope Boniface VII dies under suspicious circumstances. John XV is chosen as Pope. 249

986: Mieszko expands his territory, taking over parts of Silesia, taking Wrocislaw, Grod Opole, and Grogow, among others. He also captures more of the Vistulan region. -Boleslaw has a son, Bezprym. -King Harald Bluetooth dies after a 28-year reign as King of Denmark and Norway. 987: Due to political conflict between Poland and Hungary, Boleslaw rejects his wife Judyta and disinherits her son. -The Byzantine Empire is struck with rebellion, and the Byzantine Emperor Basil II requests aid from Vladimir the Great of Kiev. He sends a force of 6000 warriors, the Varangian guard, to support Basil. 988: Judyta, wife of Boleslaw dies. Boleslaw marries for the third time, to Emnilda, the daughter of a powerful magnate in the region near Krakow -Basil II, with the aid of his Varangian guard, defeats the insurgents in his empire and regains control over his empire. -Vladimir the Great marries Anna, the sister of Basil II of Byzantium, and converts to Christianity. He begins to Christianize the Kievan Rus. 989: Regenilda, daughter of Boleslaw, is born. 990: The Bohemians under Duke Boleslav make an alliance with the Pagan Veleti. The Bohemians, with Veleti mercenaries, attack Polish territories in Silesia, but after a short conflict, they are defeated, and most of the rest of Silesia is conquered by the Poles. Mieszko puts Silesia and the Vistula region under the governance of his son, Boleslaw the Brave. -Mieszko II, who would later become known as “Mieszko the Slothful”, is born as the second son of Boleslaw the Brave. -Pope John XV declares the “Peace of God”, a set of rules of war that attempt to oblige Christian warriors to be forbidden from killing peaceable Christian civilians and clergy. 991: Mieszko begins to fall ill, and issues a will that would divide his territories between his four sons; this will is put under the trust of Pope John XV. -The Queen Mother Theophanu dies, and Otto III’s regency is taken over by his grandmother Queen Adelaide. 992: -In this year, strange lights are seen in the night sky throughout the first three months of the year, thought to be a dire omen. -Mieszko I dies of natural causes at the age of 62. Following Mieszko’s death, Boleslaw the Brave rejects his father’s wish to divide his inheritance among his four sons. A brief civil war is fought between Boleslaw and the sons of Oda, at the end of which Oda and her three sons are all exiled from Poland by Boleslaw the Brave. Oda returns to the life of a nun in an Abbey in Quedlingburg. The two magnates who had attempted to support Oda and her sons, named Odilien and Przibiwoj, are stripped of their lands and blinded. 993: Boleslaw sends troops to help the Holy Roman Empire in their fight against the pagan Veleti. 994: Boleslaw orders the creation of a new coin, the grzywna. 995: Boleslaw leads a Polish army to invade the Veleti territory to assist the Germans in their war. 250

-Erik the Victorious of Sweden dies; his wife, Sigrid the Haughty, is remarried by her brother Boleslaw to Sweyn Forkbeard, son of Harald Bluetooth of Denmark. She would give him two sons: Harald II of Denmark and Cnut the Great (who would be King of Denmark, England, and Norway). 996: Sobelsav, the brother of the Holy Man Adalbert of Prague, has his lands taken and most of his family slain by Boleslav II of Bohemia. He is granted sanctuary in Poland by Boleslaw in honor of his brother. -Otto III, now 16, is crowned as Emperor in St. Peter’s in Rome. His grandmother retires to a convent. Otto quickly puts down a rebellion of local Romans. -Pope John XV dies. Otto obliges the election of Gregory V, who is the Emperor’s cousin. 997: Adalbert of Prague is martyred by a pagan mob in Pomerania after converting many people in Gdansk. Boleslaw pays the Pomeranians a ransom for the return of Adalbert’s remains, which is buried in Gniezno cathedral. -Pope Gregory V is overthrown by a Roman rebellion and forced into exile. The Romans elect an anti-Pope, John XVI. 998: Otto III retakes Rome; the Anti-Pope John XVI is captured, and his ears, nose, and tongue are severed; the nobles who installed him are beheaded. Gregory V is restored to his papal seat. 999: St. Adalbert is canonized. Adalbert’s brother Radim is made the first Archbishop of Gniezno, with new bishoprics created in Kolobrzeg, Krakow, and Wroclaw. On the occasion of the celebration Emperor Otto III visits Gniezno and is treated to great luxury by Boleslaw. Otto, in turn, gives Boleslaw one of the nails of the true cross as a gift. Boleslaw becomes more strict at this point with the enforcement of Christianity in his territories, with severe punishment for any commoners who eat meat on Christian fasting days or engage in fornication. -Pope Gregory V dies. He is succeeded by Sylvester II, a French-born scholar and magister who studied magic Al-Andalus. He was known to have constructed a brazen head with his knowledge of alchemy. Rumors abound that he obtained the papal throne through magic. He introduced the abacus to Europe and helped to popularize the Arabic numerals; and wrote considerably on philosophy and the medieval sciences. On becoming Pope, he spoke out against simony and concubinage (the practice of priests living with unmarried lovers). 1000: Boleslaw creates a new office meant to enforce his royal ordinances throughout the land; they are called the bobrowniczy (the “beaver masters”) in reference to Boleslaw’s law prohibiting commoners from hunting beaver. -Otto Boleslawowic, son of Boleslaw, is born. He in named in honor of Otto II. -The Kingdom of Hungary is Christianized. 1001: Boleslaw takes control of various territories in Slovakia. 1002: Emperor Otto II dies at age 22. The new Holy Roman Emperor Henry II is unfavorable toward Poland, and Boleslaw takes advantage of internal chaos during his succession to invade the German territory of Lusatia. Conquering territory as far as the Elbe River. Henry II is forced to confirm Boleslaw’s right to Lusatia initially, but then Henry sends assassins to try to kill Boleslaw while he is in Merseburg. Boleslaw then joined the Bohemian lords in a revolt against their Duke Boleslaus III, and replaces him with Boleslaw’s cousin Vladivoj. 251

1003: Vladivoj dies from excessive drinking, and Boleslaw switches allegiances, assisting Boleslaus III to retake Bohemia. Boleslaus takes brutal revenge against the rebellious lords and their families, and a group of these lords petition Boleslaw the Brave to save them. Boleslaw invades Bohemia, captures it, and is proclaimed Duke of Bohemia. He has Boleslaus III imprisoned and blinded. Emperor Henry II demands that Boleslaw swear loyalty to him, but Boleslaw refuses. Boleslaw’s armies also capture Moravia and parts of Hungary. -Boleslaw’s oldest son, Bezprym, is sent away to Italy, where he becomes a monk. -Pope Sylvester II dies. John XVII is elected, but dies after only a few months in office, near the end of the year. 1004: Pope John XVIII is chosen as Pope. He was selected by the Roman nobles in opposition to the Holy Roman Emperor. -Henry II allies with the Veleti and attacks Lusatia, but he is forced to withdraw due to snowstorms. He then invades Bohemia, and the Bohemian lords turn on Boleslaw, massacring Polish troops in all the Bohemian towns. Sobeslav (brother of Adalbert) dies in this revolt. Boleslaw is forced to retreat from Bohemia. Boleslaus III’s brother Jaromir is made Duke of Bohemia. 1005: Henry II retakes parts of the German territories that Boleslaw had conquered and marches into Poland, reaching as far as Poznan before Boleslaw sues for peace. -A massive pagan revolt takes place in Pomerania, overthrowing Polish control of the region and destroying the Pomeranian bishopric. 1006: In mid-spring, a bright star appears in the night, so intense that one could read by its like even in a new moon. This was generally taken as an ill omen, and its brightest period lasted for about three months. 1007: Boleslaw and Emperor Henry are once again at odds. Henry rejects the Peace of Poznan, and in response, Boleslaw again invades Lusatia. 1008: Bruno of Querfurt, a monk and later Bishop who was a student of St. Adalbert, engages with 18 other holy men on a mission to try to convert the heathens in Prussia, Lithuania, and the lands of the Yotvingians. 1009: After many important successes and conversions among the Prussians and Lithuanians, Bruno de Querfurt is martyred by the violent pagan Yotvingians. He is beheaded, and his companions hanged. He will later be canonized as a saint. -Pope John XVIII dies. Sergius IV is made Pope; he was nicknamed “pig’s snout” and was mainly a puppet of the rebellious Roman nobles. 1010: Henry II attempts to retake Lusatia, but his invasion is rebuffed. 1011: Vladimir the Great begins construction of the St. Sophia Cathedral in Kiev. 1012: Forces of the Holy Roman Empire again try to retake the Lusatian territories held by Boleslaw but are once more defeated. In retaliation, Boleslaw invades further and pillages the city of Lubusz. -In Bohemia, Duke Oldrich deposes Jaromir, who flees to Poland. Oldrich makes himself a vassal of Henry II. -Sergius IV dies. Benedict VIII is made Pope. Around the time of his election, the Roman nobles who had been in opposition to the 252

Holy Roman Emperor were murdered (and Sergius IV himself was possibly murdered), and Benedict (a nephew of Pope John XII and of a noble family) attempted to regain independence as Pontiff. -Mieszko II has an illegitimate son, whom he names Boleslaw. He will later rule over greater poland when the legitimate royal family is forced into exile, and will be known as Boleslaw the Cruel. 1013: A peace treaty is signed by the Emperor and Boleslaw in Merseburg, where Boleslaw’s rule over the Lusatian Marches is again recognized. Boleslaw’s son Mieszko II is married to Richeza of Lotharingia, the granddaughter of Emperor Otto II. In connection with the marriage, Boleslaw gives Mieszko personal command over Krakow and its regions, and he takes residence in Wawel castle. -Boleslaw participates in a campaign against the Kievan Rus. Mieszko II and Richeza have a daughter, whom they name Ryksa. 1014: -Henry II visits Rome and is crowned as Emperor. -Pope Benedict VIII institutes the use of the Nicene Creed in the Catholic Mass. -Boleslaw sends Mieszko II to Bohemia to negotiate an alliance with Duke Oldrich against Henry. But Oldrich takes Mieszko prisoner and hands him over to the Emperor instead. The Emperor releases Mieszko back to his father as a sign of goodwill. 1015: Vladimir the Great dies, ending his 35- year reign over the Kievan Rus. His successor is his son Sviatopolk I. -Henry II once again invades Poland, defeating the Polish at the Battle of Ciani, and cross the Oder River. Boleslaw sends Moravian mercenaries into Henry’s territory to divide his attention and then defeats the German forces in battle at the Bobr River, forcing the Germans to withdraw. -Boleslaw then invades Germany again, defeating a German army in Meissen. 1016: Boleslaw invades the Eastern March of the Holy Roman Empire. -Casimir, son of Miezko II is born. He will one day be known as “Casimir the Restorer.” -Cnut the Great conquers England. 1017: Boleslaw’s army is defeated in two battles in the Eastern March. -Mieszko II is sent to take the city of Meissen, but he fails to capture it. -Boleslaw defeats Henry of Bavaria in battle. -Emperor Henry II attempts to invade Poland with Veleti mercenaries, who besiege Glogow and Niemcza, but is rebuffed with heavy losses. -Mieszko II is sent to invade Bohemia, and he manages to take considerable territory without resistance and with the alliance of many Bohemian lords in conflict with the Duke. -Emnilda, wife of Boleslaw, dies. 1018: The Peace of Bautzen is signed, where Henry II concedes Lusatia and Meissen to Poland, and Boleslaw is given payment to assist his war effort against the Kievan Rus. Boleslaw, in turn, marries Oda, daughter of the Margrave of Meissen. -Boleslaw invades the Kievan territories with an army of around 5000 men. His invasion is in support of his son-in-law Sviatopolk the Accursed, in Sviatopolk’s succession war against his brother Yaroslav the Wise. The Polish and Kievan armies meet at the Bug River, where the Poles crush the Kievan forces. 253

Yaroslav is forced to abandon Kiev and flee to Novgorod. The city of Kiev is besieged by an advance force while Boleslaw’s main army approaches, and Boleslaw personally cuts open the Gate of Kiev with his magical sword. The sword suffers a chip when it breaks the gate, causing Boleslaw to grant it the name Szczerbiec (“notch”). -After crowning Sviatopolk Prince of Kiev, Boleslaw marches through the Red Lands, recapturing the territories lost to the Kievans in 981. 1019: Only a few months after being crowned, Sviatopolk is defeated in battle against his brother Yaroslav and tries to flee back toward Poland, but he dies (possibly murdered by one of his own allies) on the way there. -Matilda, daughter of Boleslaw and Oda, is born. 1023: Oda, wife of Mieszko I, dies. 1024: The Holy Roman Emperor Henry II dies. He has no heirs. There is an election, and Conrad II (“the elder”) is chosen as successor. -Pope Benedict VIII dies. His brother is chosen as Pope John XIX. 1025: Boleslaw is crowned as the first King of Poland on Easter Sunday, but he dies only a few months later (of natural causes) and is succeeded by his son Mieszko II, who is crowned on Christmas. This is the ostensible starting point of the campaign. Conrad II is crowned as the new Holy Roman Emperor. -Mieszko II and Richeza have a daughter, Gertruda. 1026: Otto, Mieszko II’s brother, is forced to leave Poland for Germany. 1027: Archbishop Hypolitus dies and is succeeded by Archbishop Bossuta Stefan. -Pope John XIX crowns Conrad II as Emperor in Rome. Cnut the Great, King of Denmark and England, is present at the coronation. 1028: Mieszko II marches into Saxony, ostensibly to attack the rebels opposing Emperor Conrad II. He further attacks the border of the Veleti Union and Saxony, causing huge bloodshed with the intent of capturing territory for Poland. When it becomes clear that Mieszko’s interest is to expand his own power rather than support the Emperor, Conrad II claims that Mieszko’s coronation as King of Poland was illegitimate and declares war. 1029: Emperor Conrad II attacks the Polish occupiers in Saxony, allied with Olrich of Bohemia. The Emperor expected the Veleti pagans to join his war effort, but they did not appear, causing his attack to be defeated. Still, the Bohemians capture the territory of Moravia, previously a vassal of the Piast crown. 1030: -Conrad II invades Hungary, initially making great gains but later facing growing losses from the Hungarians destroying their own crops and cutting off his supply lines. Conrad is forced to retreat. Mieszko II makes an alliance with Stephen I of Hungary, with Mieszko attacking the Empire in Saxony while the Hungarians attack Bavaria and capture Vienna. -Prince Yaroslav (“the Wise”) of Kiev conquers the Estonians. 1031: Mieszko is defeated by Imperial forces, 254

withdraws from Saxony, and is forced to renounce his claims to part of lower Silesia, after the Emperor makes a peace treaty with Hungary. -Yaroslav of Kiev attacks Poland from the East, attempting to replace the King with Mieszko’s half-brother Bezprym, who abandons his holy vows as a monk to try to take the Polish throne. They reach Greater Poland, and Bezprym is crowned King as a puppet vassal of Kiev. -The Kievite invasion is so devastating that it forces King Mieszko and his family to flee Poland and take sanctuary in Bohemia. But once there, Mieszko is betrayed and arrested by the Bohemian Duke Olrich and castrated in revenge for Boleslaw the Brave having blinded Oldrich’s brother years earlier. -Mieszko’s wife and children took refuge in the court of the Emperor. She would never see her husband again. -In Poland, Bezprym engages in bloody retribution against any of the nobility who are allies of Mieszko, causing great fear and unrest among the Szlachta, who mostly despise him as a traitor in the service of the Kievans. 1032: Bezprym is murdered by some of the Polish nobles in the territories he’d occupied. In the ensuing chaos and vacuum of power, the pagans of the Kingdom of Poland rise up in revolt against the Christian rule in what is termed the Great Pagan Reaction; this uprising continues throughout Poland, only being ultimately suppressed by the Polish nobility around 1039. -Pope John XIX dies. His nephew Benedict IX becomes Pope in spite of being only in his teens, put there by his powerful family to keep their control over the church. He is entirely unsuited for the priesthood, a hedonist, drunk, and sodomite. 1033: -A widespread panic affects Christian Europe, in the belief that the Book of Revelation predicts the end of the world in this year, believed to be 1000 years after the crucifixion of Christ. -the Treaty of Merseburg is signed by Mieszko, a humiliating defeat at the hands of the Germans, where in exchange for being restored to rule central Poland as a vassal of the Germans, he is forced to give away rule over Silesia and the Vistula region to Mieszko’s brother Otto, and Masovia and Pomerania to Boguslaw, son of Lambert (who was the son of Oda and Mieszko I). However, immediately after the treaty, Otto dies of illness, and Mieszko prevents Boguslaw from being able to attempt to take control of his territories by having his approach intercepted by loyalists, forcing him to flee. The treaty had required that Mieszko renounce the title of King but he also refused to do so. 1034: Mieszko II (age 44) is murdered in Poznan by Miecznik, his own Sword-Bearer (captain of the guard). After his death, the pagans, already in revolt, attack Christian areas with more intensity. Mieszko’s only son Casimir (then 18 years old) is unable to organize nobles who are more concerned with opposing pagan attacks in their own territories, and Casimir (along with his mother Queen Richeza and his sisters Ryksa and Gertruda) is forced to flee to Cologne, Germany, where his mother’s brother ruled as Archbishop. 1035: Most of Poland is in chaos, ruled only by powerful Magnates or occupying forces. In Greater Poland, the local nobility rally around the illegitimate son of Mieszko II, who is known as Boleslaw the Cruel. He is never officially crowned or given any real title but controls his territory with an iron fist against any who oppose his reign. He also uses 255

the pagan rebels, making promises to their leaders in exchange for their support. -King Cnut the Great dies. 1036: Having participated in orgies, ordered murders, and various other depravities, the nobles of Rome and several Bishops force Benedict IX into exile, but Emperor Conrad II defeats the insurgents and restores Benedict to the throne. 1037: Accompanied by his mother, Richeza, Casimir returns to Poland to try to claim the throne, but he is defeated by a mix of rebellious nobles and pagan armies. 1038: Casimir again returns to Poland but fails to raise a sufficient army to recapture the Kingdom. He flees to Hungary, where he is kept as a prisoner by Stephen I. -The pagan peasant uprising enters another period of intense violence and chaos. -Boleslaw the Cruel is murdered by some of his nobles after his reign becomes unbearable to them. -King Mieszko’s former cup-bearer, Mieclaw, declares himself independent ruler of Masovia 1039: Duke Bretislaus of Bohemia invades Poland, ravaging the countryside, taking the city of Poznan and Wroclaw, and pillaging the Polish capital of Gniezno, sacking the city and taking the relics of Saint Adalbert back with him as well as plundering Mieszko’s I’s tomb. The Archbishop Stefan of Gniezno sends a complaint regarding the theft of the relics to Rome, but he dies shortly thereafter, and there is no new appointment to the title to replace him (until 1076, when the Kingdom of Poland is fully restored). -Emperor Conrad II the Elder dies of gout. His son, Henry III (“the Black”), succeeds him. -Casimir is freed by Stephen I of Hungary and goes to the court of the Emperor Henry III, who is welcoming to him. -Stephen I of Hungary dies, and his nephew Peter (“The Venetian”) succeeds him. -Ryksa of Poland, sister of Casimir, is married to Bela of Hungary. 1040: Fearing the rise of Bohemian power, the Holy Roman Emperor Henry III grants Casimir an army of 1000 well-armed men and funds to recapture Poland. Casimir also arranges to be wed to Maria Dobroniega, the sister of Prince Yaroslav of Kiev, thus forging an alliance with the Kievites. He marches into Poland and establishes himself in Krakow. -The little village of Brodno is razed to the ground when the locals refuse to pay tribute to Mieclaw. 1041: With his forces and alliances, Casimir manages to recapture the central area of his father’s Kingdom, excepting Pomerania, Silesia, and Masovia. He moves the capital to the city of Krakow. Casimir now comes to be known by the Polish people as “Casimir the Restorer .”He cements his power by bringing the landed nobility into his court and by rewarding his personal and clan warriors with land and honors, making them knights (“rycerz”). However, he is never formally crowned as King; his title in the Holy Roman Empire recognized only as Duke of Poland. -Casimir signs a treaty with Bretislaus, Duke of Bohemia, at Regensburg. -Mieclaw invades Greater Poland in an attempt to overthrow Casimir, but Casimir raises up his army and defeats the Masovians in the battle of Pobiedziska, a small village between Gniezno and Poznan. Mieclaw’s army is decimated, and he’s forced to sign a peace treaty with Casimir. 256

-Peter the Venetian is overthrown by his nobles and exiled from Hungary, the nobles choosing Samuel Aba to become King. 1042: Casimir engages in a large-scale campaign to suppress the pagan revolt in his territories. 1043: Casimir’s son Boleslaw is born; he will one day be known as Boleslaw the Bold. -Prince Yaroslav the Wise makes a treaty with Casimir the Restorer, where the Red Lands are recognized as property of the Kievan Rus. As part of the treaty, Casimir’s sister Gertruda is married to Prince Iziaslav I of Kiev, son of Yaroslav. -The Kievan Rus attempt to attack Constantinople, with an army of 6000 led by Prince Vladimir. The Byzantines defeat them with the help of the Varangian guard. 1044: Casimir’s son Wladyslaw is born. -Henry III defeats the Hungarians in battle, captures King Samuel, and executes him, restoring Peter the Venetian to the Hungarian throne. -A Roman uprising forces Benedict IX to flee the city; the Romans elect an anti-Pope Sylvester III. 1045: Casimir’s son Mieszko is born. -The family of Benedict IX retake Rome and restore him to the papal throne. However, Benedict falls in love with his cousin and abdicates as Pope, selling the Papacy to his godfather, who becomes Pope Gregory VI. Gregory was a pious man (unlike his godson), but he was faced with a bankrupt church full of corruption and perversion. 1046: Casimir’s son Otto is born. -The Pagan Revolt spreads to Hungary, where the local pagans overthrow Peter the Venetian again, and murder two bishops. -Prince Andrew of Hungary, a nephew of Stephen I, makes an alliance with the Pagans. He tricks Peter the Venetian into being captured and blinds him. With the aid of the pagan rebels, he’s crowned King of Hungary. Once he does, he restores Christianity and persecutes the pagan rebels, gaining the epithet of King Andrew the Catholic. -Abdicated Pope Benedict IX expresses seller’s remorse and invades Rome to try to retake the Papal throne, but Gregory VI refuses to abdicate. At the same time Sylvester III and his backers attempt to reclaim their legitimacy. Emperor Henry III travels to Italy and convenes a Church Council at Sutri, which declares that Benedict was deposed, Sylvester was never legitimate, and Gregory VI obtained his office through the sin of simony (purchasing of church titles). They elect a German bishop as, Pope Clement II. Clement crowns Henry III as Emperor of Rome. 1047: Casimir retakes Masovia by force, with help from the Kievans, fighting Mieclaw and his Pomeranian allies. After a fierce battle in which Mieclaw is killed, the Piast forces triumph, and Masovia is absorbed back under the Piast rule. -Casimir also defeats the Pomeranians and takes the city of Gdansk. -Pope Clement II dies. Benedict IX, who refused to accept the judgment of the Council of Sutri, invades Rome and takes the Papal throne once more. 1048: Casimir’s daughter Swietoslawa is born; she will one day marry King Vratislaus II of Bohemia. -German troops occupy Rome and depose Benedict IX, who is excommunicated. Another German, Damasus II, becomes Pope, but he dies 23 days later. 257

1049: Pope Leo IX is elected in an assembly in Worms (his election is later ratified in Rome). He immediately begins to reform the church, seeking to end the period that would later be known to history as the “pornocracy”. He re-establishes strict laws regarding the celibacy of the clergy and opposition to simony. He would travel to various parts of Catholic Europe, engaging in diplomacy to enforce his reforms. He would also strongly emphasize the primacy of the Roman Papacy, which would increase the Schism with the Eastern Orthodox church. 1050: Casimir retakes Silesia from the Bohemians against the earlier peace made by the Holy Roman Emperor. He will later have his occupation of Silesia ratified by a treaty with the Emperor, in exchange for a yearly tribute of silver and gold. 1058: Casimir the Restorer dies; he is succeeded by his son Boleslaw the Bold, who is eventually crowned King of Poland in 1076. Important Offices of the Piast Crown ² Cup-bearer: the master of the King’s household. He is the equivalent of the King’s secretary. ² Sword-Bearer: commander of the King’s guard and in the King’s personal court, is the only non-royal permitted to bear arms inside the King’s chamber. ² Beaver Master: The Secretary in charge of enforcing the King’s mandates in the Kingdom; his agents are usually also referred to as “beaver masters.” The name comes from Boleslaw’s order that beaver hunting be forbidden to commoners. The agents of the Beaver Master will include Woodsmen to stop poachers and hunt bandits, fighters, witch hunters, and holy warriors to oppose paganism (overt or covert) in the King’s lands and any number of other spies or investigators. The office of the beaver master could certainly be the basis for the formation of a PC group of agents in the service of the crown. 258

Elements of General Culture In Poland The peoples of Piast Poland are arranged in tribes (like clans, termed “rods”), which are ruled by chiefs. These clans, in turn, unite under certain houses, called “Doms”, alliances of noble families under a greater chief. Tribes are related by close blood ties, while houses are sometimes related by (more distant) blood connections but more often by historical allegiances. Some of these connections are quite old and complex, meaning that some clans under the same heraldic name and shield might actually be spread over many regions of Poland. Under the Piasts, some warriors have been raised to the status of Szlachta and granted their own heraldic shield; these new nobles are obviously going to have smaller clans than the more established old families, who will often look at the new nobles as inferior upstarts. Local governments are based on clans, and regions of clans unite in governments known as “Opole.” These are not permanent bodies but rather tend to be called up when there is a regional problem that needs settling, with members of each aristocratic family sending a representative. By ancient tradition, all decisions of the Opole had to be made by unanimity, but since the establishment of the Piast Kingdom, this has been overruled in favor of decisions being made by local clan chiefs allied to the Piasts, or, in some cases, by the royal representatives. The culture of the common people and the nobility are not very different at this time, with the relatively recent exception that in some areas the nobles are Christian while the peasantry is still pagan (even if they have to nominally pretend to Christianity). Regardless of this, the culture at this time is still one where most people work (or supervise the work) of the land. Unlike France or England, Poland’s aristocracy is not historically descended from a different ethnic group than the peasantry, which, to a (small) degree, makes the society more egalitarian. The Polish people of all classes have many social values in common. Bread is the staple food and is considered sacred to them. Visitors are greeted with bread and salt, and the taking and accepting of that gift means the rules of hospitality are in effect; anyone who betrays that bond while they are the hosts or guests of another is seen as the worst kind of oathbreaker. In all classes and regions, honey mead is the favorite alcoholic drink, even if the nobles may also drink wine and the peasants ale. Poles of all classes make use of frequent steam baths, a trait they have in common with other Slavs as well. Polish steam baths are wooden cabins with 259

two rooms, one heavily steamed and the other adjacent for resting after the steam. These are often places to engage in social activity as well as rest. Poles all enjoy traditional music, which may differ from one region to another, but in all cases, include the lute, tambourines, and flutes (as well as the more sophisticated performances of the Skomroszny, who travel throughout Poland and surrounding Slavic territories). Poles are all used to warfare, as until very recently, there were no professional armies (and even now, the bulk of the Polish armies are made of clan levies). Spears, bows, axes, and swords are the most common weapons, and there are no rules restricting the use of swords to certain classes at this time, though serfs and non-landowner peasants are usually not allowed to carry weapons publicly except when commanded to by their lord, and openly carrying weapons (with the exception of daggers or clubs) in a Grod is not allowed except to the guard or local nobles. The entire region at this time has a much smaller population density than later in the Middle-ages, and populations cluster strongly around cities and fortified towns. This means that near any fortress, town, or city, there are numerous villages and manors, but between these centers of population, there are vast areas with very few people, potentially dangerous roads, and wilderlands filled with animals and monsters. On the other hand, Poland is not isolated. As the timeline demonstrates, Poland’s affairs intersect constantly with those of the Holy Roman Empire, Bohemia, Hungary and the Kievan Rus, as well as the Vikings in Pomerania. Beyond that, Poland is part of an overland trade route that extends from Western Europe to Byzantium. In the larger cities on that trade route, visitors and merchandise arrive from as far off as Cordoba or Sicily on one side and Constantinople and the Middle East beyond that from the other side. While the timeline of this campaign is before the arrival of large Jewish communities to Poland or the Mongol invasions that brought the Tatars to the region, there were still foreign merchants who traveled through Poland or set up shop in Gniezno, Wroclaw, Krakow, or Sandomierz, not only Germans, Hungarians or Bohemians, but also Italians, Franks, Byzantines, Arabs, and Jews. In fact, the earliest chronicle of Piast Poland was written by Ibrahim ibn Yaqub, a Jewish trader from Muslim Toledo. 260

The Piasts Mieszko I Piast was the ruler of the Poles, who managed to expand his power base beyond the traditional lands of the Poles to Silesia and the Vistulan lands; he became a tributary Duke of the Holy Roman Emperor in 963, establishing his territories as the Duchy of Poland. In 966, under the influence of his wife Dobrawa of Bohemia, he converted to Christianity and began the process of Christianization of his territories. His son, Boleslaw the Brave, continued the process after Mieszko’s death in 992. Boleslaw the Brave crowned himself King of Poland in 1025 but died a few months later that same year. His son, Mieszko II, has taken on the crown. Mieszko II, sometimes called “Mieszko the Slothful” is not a popular ruler, and the Polish nobility have significant autonomy; they resist any attempt at strong monarchical rule. He lacks much of the charisma and skill at the arms of his father, though he is a devout proponent of Christianity and can speak and read Latin and Greek, which is unusual for a ruler at that time. He is quite intelligent but indecisive and overestimates his own capabilities. The founder of the Piast Dynasty, according to legend, was a humble commoner of the Polans tribe by the name of Piast the Wheelwright. At that time, the chief of the Polans was named Popiel, a wastrel and a drunkard who cared more about womanizing than ruling his people. When the region was attacked by Germans, Popiel chose to become a vassal (and marry a bewitching but evil German princess named Brunhilde) rather than fight. Later, when Vikings marauded the territory, he retreated rather than fight them. The men of his own family decided that Popiel had to be eliminated, but Brunhilde divined their intent and convinced Popiel to poison all the men of his family before they could kill him. After he murdered them, Popiel refused to perform the proper pagan cremation on his dead relatives, instead casting their corpses into Lake Goplo, in his family’s territory about 50 miles from Gniezno. The outrage 261

of this act led the Polans people to rise up in revolt. Popiel and Brunhilde fled and sought to take refuge in a tower by Lake Goplo, but by some magic (whether it was the pagan gods, the vengeful spirits of Popiel’s dead relatives, or some magic of an anonymous Polans sorcerer), a vast horde of very large mice swarmed the tower, chewed their way through the doors, and devoured Popiel and Brunhilde. The Mouse Tower still stands, abandoned and thought to be accursed, at the shore of Lake Goplo today. With all the men of the ruling family deceased, the Polans had no chief. In this time, two strangers came to Piast’s home at the time of his son’s 7th birthday, a date of great significance for the Polish pagans as that is when a boy is given his first haircut, is presented to the gods and begins to work with the men of the family instead of being under his mother’s care. The two strangers requested lodging with Piast, and although he was poor and his cellar was almost bare, he gave them every hospitality he could manage. The strangers, impressed with his generosity of heart, performed a magic ritual so that Piast’s cellar would never empty of food for as long as Piast lived. He shared this bounty with the people, and in recognition of his charity and these wondrous circumstances, they made his son Siemowit the Chief of the Polans. Piast lived to be 120 years old, dying in 861. Siemowit’s son Lestek succeeded him, and then Lestek’s son Siemomysl around 930. Lestek united the Polans of Greater Poland under his rule, and Siemomysl greatly expanded the territory of Polish control to Masovia. By the time of Duke Mieszko I’s baptism, he was already unofficially titled “the King of the North,” controlling the largest area of Slavic territory under a single rule, expanding to Vistula, Silesia, and Pomerania. This was further cemented by Boleslaw the Brave. The Polish nobility, the chiefs or bannermen (“hrabia” in Polish) of the various clans, have not always been amenable to the expansion of centralized power by the Piasts, as it has reduced their independence to govern their holdings as they see fit. These nobles can raise up their clan warriors to fight, but these are loyal to their clan rather than the Piast rulers, and thus, the King cannot rely upon them. To make up for this, since the time of Mieszko I, the Piasts have had their own permanent army. At this time, it consists of three thousand mounted heavy cavalry and four times as many footmen. These are all paid a monthly room, board, equipment (and wages, in the case of cavalrymen), including extra stipends for every legitimate child of each soldier, whether the child is male or female. Thus, these forces are extremely loyal to the King. Most of these soldiers are Poles, but there are also mercenary warriors and knights from other Slavic lands, Germans, Norsemen, and Normans, all of whom are treated equally. These forces are sent out to fight or patrol wherever needed, though a contingent of elite soldiers are always accompanying the King. 262

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The Polish Gazetteer 265 Greater Poland The core of the Kingdom of Poland is the territory known as “Wielkopolska” or “Greater Poland.” It is the most populous region of the area, with the total population somewhere around one hundred and fifty thousand people.

Gniezno Poland is governed from its capital, Gniezno, the stronghold of the Piast royal dynasty. Gniezno is also the Archbishopric of Poland. The current Archbishop is the Roman Hippolytus, who crowned both Boleslaw and Mieszko II. The Cathedral of Gniezno features a splinter piece of the Holy Lance as its most precious relic (this relic has the power of a minor relic, and in addition, if wielded by a Lawful aligned Christian, can generate an effect identical to the Blessing miracle as if successfully cast by a Holy Man, 3 times per day). The castle stronghold of the Piasts was constructed in 940 (at that time for the Chief of the Polans). The city has multiple walls and is surrounded by various unfortified villages. Its population is around 2500, but the larger area population of villages and manors is closer to 7000. Gniezno is an old city by the region’s standards; it dates back in its modern form at least three centuries, but there has been a settlement in this location since before the time of the Romans. According to ancient legends, there were three brothers named Lech, Czech, and Rus. The three were all sons of Pan, prince of a land called Pannonia. He sent his sons off to seek good hunting lands where they could each settle, going in three different directions. Rus went to the East (founding the lands of the Rus), Czech to the west (founding the area known as Bohemia), and Lech went north. In his travels, one day, in the red light of the setting sun, Lech encountered a gigantic white eagle. He took this encounter to be one with a patron spirit, and as a sign that it was in this region, he was meant to settle. So he founded the city of Gniezno (which means “nest”) and took the white eagle on a red background as his banner. The hill on which the Piast castle is constructed is known as “Lech Hill,” and it was the ceremonial burial place of all Polish chiefs. The hill now also features a church (the first one built in the city, before the Cathedral) dedicated to St. George. Gniezno was, up until the last century, not only the capital of the Polish lands but also the central holy site of Polans tribal paganism. This changed radically when Mieszko I converted to Christianity in 966. The enthusiasm for conversion is stronger in Greater Poland than in any other region of the Kingdom, though there are still pagans in the rural areas. Czarnkow This is a small fortress village on Notec River, at the border with Pomerania. It is further west from Ujscie. It has about 120 inhabitants and is constantly under threat of raids from the hostile pagan Pomeranians in the border region. The village is known for brewing particularly highquality beer. The clan of this region is named 266

Nalecz, under the banner of the knotted scarf, and they are very powerful in this area. They are loyal to the crown only inasmuch as protecting their territory is concerned. Giecz This is a city south of Gniezno and East of Poznan and, at this time, an important grod (fort) of the Piast dynasty. It has a population of about 1400 people, with only about half of these living within the walls and the rest in expanding suburbs. In addition to the fortress walls, in the time of Mieszko I a fortified manor was built here too. Kalisz This is a fortified city on the Prosna River in the southern area of Greater Poland near the Silesian border; it has been an important community since the time of the Romans. As far back as the 2nd century, Roman traders would travel as far as this town to engage in commerce. The Polans clans of this area resisted Piast rule, and the area was not pacified until Boleslaw the Brave took the city. Even so, this region of Greater Poland has the most unwilling nobles who cannot be counted on to support the King. Kalisz is governed by a Castellan in Mieszko II’s name. In spite of the locals’ conflict with the Piasts, the city is decidedly Christian. The city is well known for its craftsmen, particularly its weavers. It has a population of close to 1000 people, and there’s another 10000 in the region, mainly in villages and manors, but there are two other grods in the area. Grod Ostrow has 700 inhabitants, and Grod Scarbimirzyce with 400 inhabitants. Konin This is a small town located on the Warta River deep in Greater Poland. Pagan settlements have existed on the site of the town since time immemorial. Since the time of the Roman Empire, traders went through Konin (which at that time was a larger market town) to trade with the Baltic region, mainly for precious amber but also for furs, honey, and wax. The trade route is known as the “Amber Road .”A stone said to have been a Roman trade route marker is still found at the shores of the Warta, near the current fortress. The town is divided into a fortress called Grod Kaszuba, built less than a century ago, on the shore of the Warta, and the market town, built on an island in the middle of the river, and accessible via the grod. The city as a whole has close to 800 inhabitants, about 350 of those occupy the grod, the rest the island. Kruszwica This is a city on the shore of Lake Goplo, is another important city on the eastern side of Greater Poland. It is one of the most ancient 267

grods of the Polans people, and it is from here that the family of the previous rulers (the clan of chief Popiel) were based. The Notec River flows out of Lake Goplo, and since ancient times, this has been used for trade with the north, with the Pomeranian tribes. During pagan times, this made Kruszwica wealthy and justified the fortifications of the city to protect itself, particularly from the Masovians to the East, who at that time were the fiercest of all pagan tribes. After the Baptism of Poland, trade has been diminished as the pagan Pomeranians are in hostility with the Christian Poles, but it has not entirely stopped. The partially-ruined Mouse Tower, where the corrupt chief Popiel and his evil wife Brunhilde met their end, is still present not far from the city walls. The city has a population of over 900 people. Miedzyrzecz This is a town on the western end of Greater Poland. Its name means “between rivers” as it is located in the space between the intersection of the Obra and Paklica Rivers. The area all around this town is vast savage forest, rivers, and lakes, with a very low rate of habitation, but the town is important because the road between Magdeburg (in the Holy Roman Empire) and Poznan (and from there, the capital, Gniezno). During the invasion of King Henry II in 1005, the German forces passed through this town and caused considerable damage to it. The people here are a mix of Christians and pagans. They live relatively harmoniously, but the local chief’s emphasis on the construction of the town church has caused some tensions. The town makes much of its living from the road, and there are few hostile humans in these parts (except for bandits, who prefer to rob travelers rather than villagers), but they do fear the animals and monsters of the woods. Mogilno This is an ancient village in the middle area of Greater Poland, by a lake of the same name, with marshlands to the East. The people of this town and region are descended from a tribe different from the Polans, who called themselves the Goplan and used to control the area around Goplo until (some two hundred years ago) they were conquered by the Polans. The people in the region have since come to largely accept Polans rule, and have mostly accepted Christianization. The exceptions, however, tend to be of the sinister sort, including practitioners of witchcraft, who are said to hide out in the marshes. The village itself has a population of about 120, while the surrounding area has a total population of about 2000. Ostrow Lednicki This is a fortress on an island of Lake Lednica, located between Gniezno and Poznan. The fortress protects a castle and chapel, which are the personal estate of the royal family. The island is connected to the nearest shore by a bridge. It is on this site that Mieszko I received baptism in 966. 268

This area was once a center of pagan worship; in a nearby site on a hill known as Kapcowa Gora, there was a pagan temple of the Earth Mother on the site of a sacred spring. The temple had a sacred flame that needed to be kept ever-burning, and the chosen priestess of that temple had to serve for a term of one year. During that entire time, the priestess could not leave the temple or wash herself. On the spring equinox, she would leave the temple and find a girl to act as her successor. This was an unenviable position, so the girls of the region would attempt to flee or hide, but the priestess could recruit up to four men to help her catch the next priestess. Only when she captured her successor, and she was installed in the temple could the priestess bathe with the water of the spring, and in cleansing herself, it was said she purified the land.The temple was torn down by Mieszko when the region was Christianized, but many of the local peasants continue in their pagan beliefs. Poznan This is the other major city of Greater Poland and acts as a secondary capital. It is on the River Warta. The larger area around Poznan is densely populated with villages and manors, with a regional population of as many as 10,000 people. The city itself has about 2500. The area has had some form of settlement since ancient times. It has had its own bishopric since 968, and the Cathedral of Poznan, dedicated to St.Peter, is older than the Cathedral in Gniezno. It includes a special chapel that was built at the request of Mieszko I’s wife, and both Miezko I and Boleslaw the Brave are buried in the crypt beneath this Cathedral. The current Bishop is named Romanus. There is a royal palace in the city as well, where the Piast court is often found when not in the capital. The city’s westward location in Greater Poland made it an important center for trade, and much commerce reaches here from Silesia, Bohemia, and the Holy Roman Empire. However, it is also more vulnerable than Gniezno, which may explain why it is not the capital. Just outside Poznan, there is an area that was once considered sacred to the pagan priests, which has five lakes and a forest of oak trees. Many unusual herbs and birds are found here that do not live anywhere else. One of these herbs, called martagon, can be made into a poison that only kills felines; others were known by the pagan sages to make herbal medicines or poisons, but that knowledge has been largely lost. Spicymierz This is a fortified town on the Warta River, located on an old trade crossroads, one part of which led from the lands of the Pomeranians to the Kievites and the other from Masovia to Silesia. The former of the two routes has been greatly reduced since the Baptism of Poland. Like most of the towns in Greater Poland, the significant majority of the population has adopted Christianity. The grod of this town has 269

a population of close to 400. The town is well known for making offerings of flowers around the church on holy days, a tradition that dates to an older pagan custom. Srem This is a fortified town found south of Poznan. It was built by the Piasts some 70 years ago to defend the important trade road between Poznan and Silesia. It is on the Warta River, and features a grod on the eastern shore of the river, and a village and market on the western shore. The grod has about 300 inhabitants, the town has roughly 400. Trzemeszno This is the first large town on the road east of Gniezno, at a point about a day’s travel from the capital and at a crossroads leading east to Masovia and north toward the Pomeranian border. It has a grod and a large market area. The population of the grod is about 200, and another 500 people live in the outside village and surrounding countryside. The grod is on the Amber Road trade route, from Konin and going north to Znin. Ujscie This is an important fortress on the border between Greater Poland and Pomerania, on the river Notec. It has only scant villages or manors around it because of its frontier nature. It has over 800 inhabitants. Wolborz This is a town near the border between Greater Poland and the Vistula region. It is quite ancient and is the seat of the “opole” (tribal government) of the region. It is now a fortified grod, and an important market town for commerce between the north and the south of the Kingdom. The grod has a population of 230, and the surrounding area has another few hundred inhabitants. Though it is nominally Christian like all the rest of Greater Poland, and it now has a church, the people in this border region are still mostly pagan and less enthusiastic about conversion than the rest of the territory. Znin This is an ancient town north and East of Gniezno. It is situated on the river Gasawka beside two small lakes, known as “Big Znin Lake” and “Small Znin Lake.” It is known as the “town of good harvests”, being in a rich agricultural region. It is surrounded by about 30 smaller villages and manors. The people here are almost all Christians. This town is a stop in the Amber Road trade route. 270

Masovia Located mostly in a wide and relatively dry plain interrupted only by a few rivers and a few wide forests, the territory of Masovia was populated by a Slavic tribe related closely to the Poles, known as the Mazovians. The people of this land were the most warlike in the region, ruled by “voivodes” (which translates roughly as “warlords”) and who were feared by all their neighbors. But when the state of Greater Poland centralized under Mieszko I, the strength and organization of the Polish forces defeated them in war and the Mazovians accepted being incorporated into the Duchy (later Kingdom) of Poland. Most of their elites converted to Christianity, though there are still significant pockets of paganism among the peasantry. 271

The Masovian territory is a rich agricultural land, producing the most grains of any region of the Kingdom. It also exports fur and timber to a lesser degree. The Kampinos Forest is found in Masovia, between the Vistula and Bzura rivers. It is mainly composed of pine and spruce trees but also has some significant marshy swamplands and parts of the forests hide brigands and monsters. The Puszcza Biala (the “White Wilderness”) is a forested area between the Bug and Narew rivers. It is a lowland area of pine and linden trees. The tribe that lives in this area calls themselves “the people of the wild.” They are a pagan people with a distinct dialect and are known for wearing shoes made out of the fiber of the linden tree (called “kurps”, leading to these people sometimes being referred to as “Kurpie”). They live in small villages in the wilderness, engaging in beekeeping, hunting, and fishing, though they are also said to be experts in herbalism. Their shamans make use of mushrooms that grant them visions. They also work with iron and mine amber for trade. They recognize no king. They are not aggressive people but will violently defend themselves from invaders, including would-be Christianizers. On the other side of the Narew River from the White Wilderness is found the “Green Wilderness” (the Puszcza Zielona). It extends as far west as the Orzyc River. The Kurpie also live there, though their customs are slightly different from those of the White Wilderness. Plock This is the largest city of Masovia, having a population of 1200 within the grod, and another couple of thousand in surrounding villages. Located on the Vistula River, it is a key market city for river transport of goods. Christianization here was established by Mieszko I and has taken strong root. The city features a Cathedral (on the “Cathedral Hill”), and a Benedictine Monastery is located in the city, making it a center for sage knowledge and learning. The local culture is more cosmopolitan than most of Poland (perhaps with the exception of Krakow), with permanent groups of Masovians, Poles, Vistulans, Kievans, Vikings, and other more exotic peoples; and the city is well known for its sausages and cured meats. Brodno This is a tiny fishing town on the eastern bank of the Vistula. It is poor and inoffensive, with no walls and a population of about 30 (in an area of another 250 or so people in the surrounding farms). The population is entirely pagan but is not unfriendly. Brodno is sometimes used as a stop by travelers, and the local fish and tripe soup is considered a delicacy. But the most famous claim to fame of the village is that it is in this area of the Vistula where the vicious Vistula Mermaid is most 272

often found. She has been sighted many times, and there are many accounts of the mermaid having lured men into the river with her song, only to then tear them to shreds. Brzesc This fort, called Berestye by the Kievan Rus, is a stronghold in the far East of Masovia. Over the years, it has been taken by the Kievites and then retaken on several occasions, as it is at the border point between the Polish and Kievan Rus territories. It is named after a sacred Birch tree, which is important to the local pagans. The people of Brzesc do not consider themselves either Poles (or Masovians) or Rus. The grod has a population of about 350, with a couple of thousand in surrounding countryside. Ciechanow This is a significant fortified town in eastern Masovia. It has about 1000 people within the grod, and another 2000 in the surrounding region. It used to be much smaller, but it has been built up and favored by the Piasts to help maintain their rule in the region. Thus, the people here are loyal to the Polish crown. The locals here are known to make high-quality beer. Czersk This is a town about a day’s travel from Brodno and is situated on Czersk Lake, which is linked to the Vistula River. It is a Grod with a population of about 600 and is an important local market town. The settlement dates back at least 300 years. There is a mixed population here of pagans and Christians, with relatively little strife. Dobrzyn This is a town on the Vistula, a day south of Wloclawek. Like Wloclawek, it was once ruled by the Pomeranians until the Masovians took it over. It has a grod and a population of 250 within the walls. The population are the descendants of fierce Masovian warriors, and are known as excellent fighters. Drohiczyn This is a fortified grod in the eastern end of the Bug River, the largest settlement of a vicious pagan tribe known as the Yotvingians. The Yotvingians are a tribe that occupies the eastern border area of Masovia between Drohiczyn and Rajgrod and are known as the fiercest warriors of Masovia, a region famed for its warriors and is opposed to the Polish crown. They refuse to recognize any outside lord. They despise Christianity and will gladly slay Christians who enter their territory; however, many Yotvingians work as mercenaries and are quite willing to take 273

Christian coin for service. The principality of Kiev has taken great advantage of this, hiring Yotvingians to reinforce his armies and thus removing the risk of Yotvingian raids into their territory while simultaneously increasing the problem of this region for the Piast Polish crown. The grod has a population of over 200 warriors, and there’s another 2000 people in the small settlements of Yotvingians in the nearby area. Grojec This is a small town located about a day south of Brodno, in a lowland area surrounded by lakes and forests of oak trees. The area is considered a sacred place to the locals, who are pagans, blessed with a relatively warm climate year-round. The town has very fertile land and especially grows apples in abundance, said to be best tasting apples in the world. About 200 people live in the town itself, and a few hundred more in surrounding areas. Lowicz This is a small fortified grod located in the swampy regions of the river Bzura. It has a population of around 300, with a few scant settlements surrounding it. This town very recently underwent a large-scale conversion to Christianity after royal forces assisted the locals in improving the fortifications of the grod and cleansed the area of many dangerous monsters in the swamplands. The swamplands to the west of Lowicz between this town and Spicymierz are especially dangerous, and the area includes the territory of the demon Boruta (see the monster section for more information). Lukow This is a community located south of the lands of the Yotvingians. It is a grod with about 300 warriors, on the river Krzna. The word “Lukow” means “swampy place,” as, indeed, the area around the town is a wetland. The people of Lukow are of the same Vistulan tribe that stretches from their border down to Sandomierz and its surroundings. They are pagan and martial in nature, but they have for many years now suffered attacks by the more powerful Yotvingians. Their situation being more desperate than in the past, the leaders of Lukow might consider accepting the Christian faith in exchange for protection against the Yotvingians. Nasielsk This is a small grod in eastern Masovia, a day’s fast ride away from Pultusk. It is an ancient site founded by the earliest Slavic settlers. With a population of about 100 within the grod, it is mostly pagan, and the people here practice a greater level of equality between men and 274

women than is usual at this time. Women can have positions of authority, and a few have been warriors. There are apothecaries in this town who are specialists in the making of oils. These include magical oils for rituals as well as medicinal oils that can help speed the recovery from injury or reduce pain from wounds. A vial of this oil can add +2 hit points to recovery from rest and can reduce any pain-related penalties (from criticals or other injuries), reducing any penalty by 1 for about 24 hours. Pultusk This is an important trade town in eastern Masovia, on the Narew river. The region around Pultusk is a major grain-producing region, and grain is traded by the river from the Narew into the Vistula and from there as far downstream as Gdansk. Pultusk is a heavily fortified Grod, a key point of defense to protect Masovia from raids by Prussian, Lithuanian, or Kievite incursions. It has about 200 people within the Grod. Legend holds that the town was formerly named Tusk and was founded by a chief named Tusk, but at some point long ago, a powerful flood of the river destroyed half the town; from then on, it was renamed “Pultusk” (which means “half tusk”). In the previous century, the population here created a stable river ford, making its trade expand considerably. Thus, outside the Grod by the river ford, there is a large settlement and market. Its population is variable but usually around 900. The higher authorities of this town have converted, but much of the local population is still pagan. The pagans here are relatively peaceful and known to have deep family ties; they also have a cultural aspect that considers children to be sacred and cares for all the children of the community. Rajgrod This is the northern population center of the Yotvingian tribe. The location has been populated since time immemorial. The grod is built on a hill named Raj Hill. This is the main market town of the Yotvingians, where they trade with the Pomeranian and Lithuanian pagan tribes, dealing in (among other things) timber cut from the thick forests nearby. It has a stable population of about 200. Serock This is an important trade city, found at the juncture of the Bug and Narew Rivers, both gateways to eastern trade (providing access to trade with the Prussians, Lithuanians, and Kievite Rus). It is a market town with a population of over 800. Serock connects to trade roads going to Greater Poland and the Vistula region. The grod has one of the earliest stone castles in the region. The ruling class here is now Christian, but some of the population is still pagan, and traders come from both Christian and pagan lands. 275

Sierpc This is a fortified town on a tributary of the Vistula known as the Skrwa River. It is known for its high-quality brewers and clothmakers. The name of the town means “sickle .”The people of Sierpc eagerly took on conversion, and there has been a church in this town since 1003. They are more loyal to the Piasts, who have favored them than most other parts of Masovia. The population within the grod is about 200, with another 800 or so in surrounding villages and manors. Wizna This is the Masovian fortress town furthest to the East in the territory. It is a border grod, built at a crossing of the Narew River, meant to act as a line of defense against invasions from the Kievites, or from Prussian or Lithuanian pagan barbarians, or raids by the Yotvingians. The Piasts built up the town into a castle with strong walls. The route on which it is situated travels west into Masovia and East to the territories of the Lithuanian pagans. Aside from being raiders, Lithuanians also engage in trade with Poland via this fort. The fort has a population of 300 warriors. The surrounding area has another 1500 people or so, spread out in small villages or farmsteads. Wloclawek This is a city on the Vistula north of Plock. It is an ancient settlement dating back before recorded history. It was said to have been founded by people who lived here before the Slavs and was later taken over by the Pomeranians. Later still it was taken by the Masovians. It was once an important pagan spiritual center before it became Masovian territory, and since becoming part of the Polish Kingdom, the ruling class and most of the population are now Christians. Within its walls, it has a population of about 1100. Wyszogrod This is a town and pagan holy site that is found on the Vistula, right at the border between Masovia and Pomerania. It is protected by a grod and has a population of about 250, with another 700 or so in the surrounding area. The pagan temple here is dedicated to Svarog, a lawful fire god. In addition to the temple, there is a market here which specializes in wool and furs. This town is on the Amber Road trade route. It runs from Znin down the river road from here to Gdansk. Zakroczym This is a town on the Vistula. Its population is a bit over 300. It is located in a very fertile region par,ticularly one that is prime for cherry trees. Consequently, the town is famous for its cherries, cherry jams, cherry preserves, and cherry liquor. 276

Vistula The Vistulan lands, in the south, are a wealthy and populous region controlled by the city fortress of Krakow. They are prosperous lands, with great plains full of rich soil (particularly in the region between Krakow and Sondimerz), allowing for a large population and mighty forests, as well as the Carpathian mountains in the southern limits of the territory. Since the region was taken over by the Piasts in Greater Poland, the Vistula region is often referred to as “Malopolska” or “Lesser Poland”. 277

Krakow The capital of the region, Krakow, is an important trading center and was founded by a king named Krakus. He was a man of common descent but slew the great dragon who lived in this area (by the use of both trickery and heroism) and thus later became King of the region. He constructed the great Wawel Castle in the city. His cremated remains are found in a great burial mound named the Krakus Mound in his honor. In pagan times, this was considered a sacred site, and even after the Christianization, the locals still gather around the mound every year on the Spring Equinox to commemorate Krakus; at this festival, they make great noises by banging drums, clanging, and ringing bells, ostensibly to ward off dragons, and they give food to the poor. The Christian governors of the city permit this, removing its pagan roots by declaring it a feast in honor of St. Benedict, whose feast day is the Spring Equinox. Before Krakus’ death, one of his two sons murdered the other and was then exiled for the crime. Thus, his heir became his daughter the Princess Wanda. Shortly after Krakus’ death, a force of Germans came to try to conquer the land; she made an oath to the gods that if the Germans were defeated, she would conduct a human sacrifice. When she stood with her 278

armies to confront the Germans, many of the enemy soldiers refused to fight, awed by her incredible beauty, and the German commander, seeing that the battle was lost, committed suicide. Afterward, realizing that as long as she lived, other enemies would come seeking to conquer the lands and take her as a prize, she decided to sacrifice herself to the gods, drowning herself in the Vistula River. Her remains were cremated and deposited in another mound named in her honor. Krakow is a large city, with over 7500 inhabitants, which includes small populations of Germans, Jews, and a few Bohemians and Italians. It is a major center of trade, and many of its houses are built of brick. It has an impressive castle and a cathedral dedicated to St. Felix and St. Adauctus, as well as various other churches. The surrounding area has a large number of villages and manors with a regional population of as many as eighty thousand people. Directly adjacent to Krakow was the “Skalka,” where a pagan temple stood not too long ago, on the site of a sacred rock and sacred pool. Now, the temple is gone, and a church dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel is in the process of construction. Around the area of the church construction there’s a smaller grod with its own market, focused mainly on livestock. Krakow is on the major trade road known as the “via regia,” making it a prosperous center of mercantile activity. The route comes from Venice, through Bavaria and Bohemia, to Silesia, and then goes east from Krakow toward Kiev and further on to Byzantium. The Vistula territory had been under the control of the Moravian Kingdom for many decades, but that Kingdom collapsed around 906 following the death of its great King Svatopluk. It became independent for many decades after that but then became a vassal of Duke Boleslaus II of Bohemia until 990 when Duke Mieszko I conquered the Vistulan territory as well as Silesia in an extremely bloody war (where it was said he slaughtered every Bohemian he found). The Vistulan territories (particularly in the cities of Krakow and Sandomierz) have had a Christian presence since the time of Moravian rule, but a large part of the population continues to practice paganism. When the Vistula region was taken over by the Piasts (they termed the region “Lower Poland”), the Christianization process was increased, including cutting down the holy Oak Tree on top of the Krakus mound, which was sacred to the city’s pagans. The city of Krakow is the seat of a Bishopric. The Trail of Eagle’s Nests and Ojcow Grod: North of Krakow, there extends a lengthy area of limestone rock formations that are known as the “Trail of Eagle Nests”; it is so named because many eagles are found nesting on these rocks, and eagles are magical creatures to the Polish pagans (so much so that the Piast symbol is the white eagle). The area is thus considered magical. Among the wonders here is a huge vertical standing rock known as Krakus’ Rod, for it is said that after the destruction of the great dragon, he came to the Trail of Eagle Nests and struck his Lordly Rod (the mighty club with which he made the killing blow against the dragon) into the ground, and it was transformed by the gods into a great rock pillar. In the midst of the Trail there’s a grod known as Ojcow Grod (the “Fortress of the Fathers”). It was said to have been built by a chief named Wieslaw, who came from Greater Poland when he fled from a sentence of death made against him by the evil chief Popiel. It is built atop a great rock hill. It is currently ruled by nobles of the clan Abdank, the clan belonging to cousin-descendants of King Krakus. They are, at present, loyal vassals of the Piast crown. 279

Bytom Grod Bytom is a fortified town founded on the border between the Vistulan region and Silesia by Bolesaw the Brave during his conquests in the area. It has about 200 inhabitants, and there are some 12 small villages or manors in the surrounding area with an additional population of about 1700. The population here is entirely Christian. Lublin Lublin is the third greatest city in the region, built on three hills with a population of about 2300 and close to a hundred villages and manors around it, numbering at least another 3000 people. There has been a settlement in the area of Lublin since at least 500 years ago, a fortification on Cwartek Hill. This expanded later on to a fortress on a neighboring hill, now known as Castle Hill, where it became a center of business. The tribe that ruled this city was known as the Lendians. The area was conquered by the Moravians and then by 280

the Bohemians, who badly damaged Lublin when conquering it. When Duke Mieszko I conquered the Vistulan region, he worked on restoring the city and constructed a new Castle here (appointing a Castellan), a monastery, and a church dedicated to St. Nicholas. Even so, most of the population is pagan. Radom Grod Radom is a fortress town on the Mleczna River, located in an area surrounded by considerable wilderness. The grod is protected by a moat as well as walls, and there’s a population of about 1000 in Radom, and another 1000 or so in the surrounding villages. It has existed for at least two hundred years. Situated in the north of the Vistulan territory near the borders of both Masovia and Greater Poland, the defenses around the town are because in the past it was frequently a target of Masovian raiders, as well as from monsters in the surrounding wilderland. The pacification brought about by Piast’s rule has made the people of Radom highly favorable to Christian conversion, although the people outside the town are somewhat more resistant. Sacz This is a small fortified town found in a valley in the Tatra region (an area between Sacz and Ciezyn, in Silesia) of the Carpathian mountains, between the rivers Dunajec and Poprad. It is on a minor trade route from Krakow down to the lands of the Hungarians, which engages in much trading in cloth and wine. The people here are pagan but friendly to Christians. The mountains in this region are of great beauty but are known to have many terrors. Sacz has about 200 inhabitants. One such terror is the “Devil Wind,” known as the Halny. It is a mighty wind that can blow anywhere in the Tatra Mountains at any time, from late fall to late spring. It comes out of nowhere, a clear day suddenly developing a dry, warm wind for a brief time, followed by thick low-hanging clouds from the horizon that sweep down with incredible force, with wind speeds sometimes reaching strength of close to 100 miles an hour. What’s more, anyone in the area of these winds must fear more than just cold chills, near-zero visibility, and the risk of falling trees. Humans exposed to the Halny Wind who are already infirm will take turns for the worst (suffering -2 penalties to any saving throws from disease for up to a week after exposure) and, in some cases, even experiencing temporary psychosis (saving throw modified by WIS to avoid becoming temporarily mad, easily panicked and aggressive), or causing people with tendencies to melancholy to commit suicide. It is rumored that the Halny winds are caused by dragons in the mountains, the warm air that heralds the Halny possibly being a residual heat from their dragon fire. 281

Sandomierz The Vistulan region has at least 30 large towns. Apart from Krakow the most significant city is Sandomierz, found at the junction of the Vistula and San rivers. It is also on a trade road, which links trade from Krakow to Masovia in the north and to the lands of the Kievites in the East. It has a population of about 2400. The entire region is very fertile and prosperous. The Sandomierz basin is surrounded by the Vistula and its tributaries as well as by the great Sandomierz Forest, a dense wilderland which extends from as far as Krakow to the west, and as far east as the distant lands of the Ruthenians far beyond the Polish border. It has a variety of trees, though mostly pines, countless small rivers and streams, and a wide variety of creatures. Animals include aurochs (giant wild cows), saiga antelope, wild boars (sometimes of giant size), wolves, snakes and spiders (again, some of these of great proportions), sometimes even lions, fairy creatures, and other monsters, as well as witches and communities of pagans that recognize no lord and despise Christians. Grod Trzcinica, found south of Sandomierz, not far from the Wislok River, is a large fortified town of ardent pagans. It has resisted all attempts of Christianization, and its walls protect an area of three hectares. The town itself has at least 400 warriors capable of defending it, but the surrounding regions that pay homage to the chiefs could raise up thousands to fight given time, if necessary. It is said that the local pagans worship animal deities. There was another similar pagan fortress, Grod Naszacowice, located about 50 miles southwest of Trzcinica, but the pagan chief in this town agreed to conversion in exchange for becoming the Castellan of the region for Duke Boleslaw. But shortly after that, the grod was destroyed by a mysterious fire (some say it was pagan sabotage, others that it was witchcraft). The Castellan moved to another village, Samczysko, which also mysteriously burned down in 1013. In 1014, the Castellan built a hill fortress over a village called Podegrodzie, which is the current Christian stronghold in the region, in a very nervous state of cool hostility with the pagans of Trzcinica. Tyniec There is an important grod a half-day’s journey southwest of Krakow, called Grod Tyniec, meaning “the fortress of walls”. It is located on a hill overlooking a canyon. The location of Tyniec is part of an ancient settlement, which features a sacred spring that was once venerated by local pagans and is now considered holy to the Christians. During the time that the Moravians ruled over the Vistulan region, Tyniec was settled by a group of missionary monks sent by the legendary Moravian Holy brothers Cyril and Methodius. They were determined to convert all the Slavic people, taught the scripture, and performed rites in 282

the local language. Their methods had such success that Tyniec was quickly Christianized and has remained so to this day. Tyniec has a population of close to 500, including a good number of monks, priests, Holy Men, and Warriors. Wislica This is a fortified town with about 500 inhabitants. It was once the capital of the Vistulan tribes. It is surrounded by ten smaller, unfortified towns and villages. There is a Christian church in the city, but a significant minority (and a majority of the surrounding area) is still pagan. The ruling authorities give strong preference to Christians, and the church features a vast baptismal font in the crypt (where a well holy to pagans was once situated) to allow for regular conversion. Wojnicz and the Thorn Lands Wojnicz is a fortified town south and East of Krakow, on the Dunajec river, in a region known as Tarnow (which means “The Thorn Lands”), the area where the rich agriculture of the Sandomierz basin gives way to the beginning of the Carpathian mountains. This location was once a pagan grod of a local clan of especially resistant pagans. Boleslaw the Brave’s army took the town by force and practically destroyed it. It was rebuilt with a new grod, and some of Boleslaw’s knights were permitted to settle and rule here. The grod was renamed Wojnicz, meaning the “fort of the warriors”. It has a population of about 350, the population inside the grod being ruled by Christian families brought here from Greater Poland by Boleslaw, and locals who agreed to convert to Christianity (a requirement to live and work in the town). But the surrounding area is decidedly pagan. About half a day’s ride south of Wojnicz in the Thorn Lands there is an area known as Ciezkowice, the City of Stone, which locals are usually wary to enter. It is a series of rock formations stretching over a region of lightly forested hills. There are many caves among these formations. Legend holds that in very ancient times, this was once a great city, but its people defied the rule of the gods by refusing hospitality to travelers (to the Polish pagans of the region, the law of hospitality is as strong as among those of Christian lands). The gods turned the entire city into stone, and over the centuries, the stones have since deteriorated. However, many of the stone formations still look like they may once have been houses or other buildings, with sharp corners or even what appear to be windows. Demons and ghosts are said to haunt and hunt in the entire region where the great city once stood. The largest stone formation is called the “great hall,” and it is said to be haunted by the spirits of the eldermen of that city, whose greed was its doom. They are cursed to haunt the “great hall” as ghosts until the day that the river Biala floods so high as to cover that rock. 283

There is another area in the City of Stone that is known as the Witches’ Gorge. It is a narrow gorge between two great rocks and under a waterfall. This is said to be a place where magic is especially strong (any spells cast here work as though the caster was two levels higher) but where witches gather to perform evil magic. Another great rock in the City of Stones is called the Treasury. It was said to have been the treasury of the city, and once a year, on the anniversary of the city’s doom, it opens up, revealing the fortune in riches held within it. Someone at the rock at the time it opens could try to rush in and grab the astounding wealth, but the rock remains open for a random period each year, from as little as six seconds to as long as 3 minutes. Anyone still inside the treasury when the rock opens will certainly die. Yet another area is known as the Alley of the Badger. It’s said that a great warrior came to this area after the city was already petrified. He used the location to store his treasure in the many small nooks and caves in this area, being paranoid about keeping his fortune anywhere easier to find. But he went mad, cursed by the doom of the city, so that he became more and more obsessed about protecting his hidden treasures, until he couldn’t bear to be away from them at all. He transformed into a monster, a giant badger, who guards his hidden caches to this day. Near the edge of the City of Stone, there is a singular rock called the Hermit Stone. Rumor holds that it was the hut of a kindly hermit who lived just outside the great city and had been warned of its coming doom by a spirit. He abandoned his hut, and it is said that the ghosts and other monsters who haunt the City of Stones will be unable to harm anyone who is by the Hermit Stone. Zarnow Grod Zarnow is a fortified town built on a hill surrounded by a moat. Its name is ancient and means “the burning place .”It is an important center of pagan worship. The grod itself is very old and has a population of about 150, with another 700 inhabitants in the surrounding area. There is a road from Zarnow leading southeast to Sandomierz and north to Greater Poland, and merchants are tolerated, but any Christians who are not well-defended may be subject to attacks by pagan bandits. Zawichost About a half-day’s travel northwest of Sandomierz is the village of Zawichost. It is located on the western side of the Vistula River and serves as an important market area for merchants traveling north to Greater Poland or south to the Vistula region, operating a ferry that crosses the river for a fee. It has a population of close to 400. 284

Silesia Silesia is the name of the land along the Oder River. It was at one time part of the Bohemian lands that founded the town known as Wrocislaw (later named Wroclaw). In 990, Silesia was conquered by Duke Miezko of Poland and has been a Polish territory since. 285

Wrocislaw The largest city in Silesia, Wrocislaw has a couple of thousand inhabitants. It has been the center of a Bishopric since 1000 (after the Congress of Gniezo), though much of the surrounding population continues to practice paganism. The city has a Cathedral on an island on the Oder River, as well as the Bishop’s manor. The Wrocislaw Cathedral features towers and a crypt, making it one of the most sophisticated churches in the Kingdom. The city is on the Amber Road trade route, making it an important center of trade. Cieszyn This is a fortified town on the Olza River, the southernmost settlement of importance in Silesia. It has a grod on the eastern bank of the river and a settlement on the western bank. The population inside the grod is about 350, with another 600 or so in the open settlement. The town was founded at the turn of the 9th century by three sons of a local chief, named Bolko, Leszko, and Cieszko. They had been sent on a quest and had discovered a spring that they considered sacred; thus, they built their town around it. The main street of the town is called “the street of the three brothers,” and the sacred spring is now a sacred well. Cieszyn is still mostly a pagan city, but it engages in much trade with Christian regions, not just Poles but also Germans and Bohemians. Populations of both have settled there, mostly in the outer town on the western bank. Glogow This is a grod on the Oder River, in an area populated by a clan known as the Dziadoszanie. “Grod Glogow” means “the fortress of hawthorns .”The location of the grod was once a pagan fortress, but it was conquered and destroyed. The current grod was constructed as a defensive fort by Boleslaw the Brave during his war with Henry II; in 1017 the grod was besieged by the German forces but they were not able to take the fortress. The fort and its immediate surrounding area have a population 286

of over 700, and its rulers are Christians loyal to the Piast dynasty. However, the surrounding area, much of which is heavily forested, is populated mainly by pagans. The Dziadoszanie worship a god known as Flins, who is depicted in idols as a dead man standing on a rock, holding a torch and with a lion draped over his shoulder. He is said by followers to have the power to kill or to raise the dead. Their most significant settlement is known as Wroblin, which is in the forest less than a day from Glogow; it is known as the “Village of Sparrows.” made Klodzko quite wealthy at one time, but damage from wars has now reduced its status; it presently has a population of only around 300 people. Kozle This is a small town found at the juncture of the Oder and Klodnica rivers. It is known as the “goat town .”As well as trading in goats, the people of the town are known for artisans highly skilled in the building of river-boats. There are about 200 people within the town; the vast majority are pagans. This town is on the Via Regia trade route. Krosno This is a fortress on the Oder River, where it meets the Bobr River. It was built very recently by Boleslaw the Brave as a defensive point in his war against the Holy Roman Emperor Henry II and the Veleti Confederation. It has a force of 150 men and several surrounding villages. The population here is Christian. Klodzko This is a trading town right on the border area between Poland and Bohemia. It was inhabited since at least the time of the Roman Republic, before the birth of Christ. It is a trading town, and has been part of the Amber Road trade route since the era of the Romans. In the previous century, it was part of the Kingdom of Bohemia, belonging to the family of the great St. Adalbert. But in the war between the Piasts and Bohemia, it was eventually taken by Poland (though since then, it has at times been occupied, and sometimes plundered, by invading forces). The border location 287

Legnica This is a city at the junction of the Kaczawa and Czarna Woda rivers. It has been a settlement since very ancient times, before the Romans, and it is believed Tacitus made reference to it as a town the Romans called “Lugidunum .”After Mieszko I took control of this region, he built a new grod in this location, which included a castle. The city has a thriving market. The people of Legnica have a long warrior tradition and are well known for their value as fighters. There are over 950 people in the Grod and more in surrounding villages. Milicz This is a small village, less than a day’s travel from Wroclaw, on the trade route known as the “Amber Road.” It is on the river Barycz, in an area surrounded by small lakes and ponds. The town was said to have been founded by a pagan chief named Mily. There are less than 150 people within its defensive walls, most of whom are still pagans, but Christians are well tolerated, as the village lives on the basis of trade. Niemcza This is another important Silesian town on the Sleza River. In 1017, the fortress town was besieged by the Holy Roman Emperor Henry II and pagan Veleti tribal allies during an attempt to retake the region for Bohemia. The siege was lifted when Mieszko II (son of Boleslaw the Brave, first king of Poland) arrived with Polish forces. It has a few hundred inhabitants. Niemcza is a stop along the Amber Road trade route. Opole Grod Opole, also in Silesia, is a fortress town of the Opolans tribe. It was built on the Oder River with the construction of an artificial canal surrounding the walls of the fort, essentially transforming the town into an island for added defense. It has been governed by a Castellan in the King’s name since its conquest nearly a century ago. It features a Castellan’s manor, as well as the new church of St.Wojtek (known in other lands as St. Adalbert of Prague), a great saint who preached to the pagan Slavs and was martyred in 997 while preaching to the Prussians. 288

This town is just north of the foothills of the Tatra mountains and is linked to the “Via Regia” trade route from Bohemia, with a road that follows the river to Kozle, Raciborz, and then east to Krakow, and beyond (to Kiev and then Byzantium). Thus, it has significant trade. Raciborz This is a fortified town on the Oder River, surrounded to the west by a small mountain range known as the Opawskie Mountains; it is in part of a long lowland stretching between these and the Carpathian mountains to the south. It is said that many centuries ago, this territory was occupied by German tribes, but by the early 9th century, this region was occupied by a Slavic tribe known as the Golensizi. The town was founded by a tribal chief named Racibor. It is known for its high-quality brewers of beer, which is traded throughout the region and even in Bohemia. It has a population of 550 and is still mostly Pagan, though tolerant of Christians. This town is on the Via Regia trade route. Ryczyn This is a fortress found on the Oder, a day south of Wroclaw. The fortress was built by Mieszko I, as a center of power after having taken control of Silesia. It was built here after Mieszko defeated a tribe of local pagans that were particularly warlike. It has 350 soldiers in the fortress and another 1200 people in the surrounding area, all Christians. The ancient pagans who once lived here worshiped a river god and buried the cremated remains of their dead in funerary mounds, which are found near the fortress. The locals try to avoid these areas at all costs, claiming the area is plagued by evil spirits. 289

Pomerania Pomerania, on the Baltic coast in northern Poland, is paradoxically one of the most prosperous states in the Kingdom and also the most highly resistant to Christianization. Its coasts allow it to be a major area of trade and manufacturing, with multiple prosperous population centers, including Pyrzyce, Szczecin, Gdansk, and the island of Wolin. There are about 140 townlevel settlements in the region, populated mainly by two different clans: the Velunzani and the Pyritzans. 290

Bialogard This is a town about a day south of Kolobrzeg, at a crossroad of two major routes: the north-south going from Kolobrzeg to Poland (called the “Salt Road”) and east-west from Szczecin to Gdansk (the “Pomeranian road”). Bialograd has been a major settlement to the Pomeranians for at least 300 years; its name means the “white fortress.” It was said to have once been the seat of a Pomeranian king. The city was taken and badly damaged during the invasions of both Mieszko I and Boleslaw the Brave, the latter of whom destroyed a pagan temple there before conquering Kolobrzeg and attempting to establish Christianity in the region. Like Kolobrzeg, the town is well known for its artisans and craftsmen, particularly for the quality of its cooks. The fortified part of the town has a population of 250, and the surrounding area another couple of hundred. Bytow Bytow is a fortified town of about 200 inhabitants, whose population are pagans of a tribe called the Kushabians. They have a separate culture from the rest of the Pomeranians, and their language is sufficiently different from Polish that it cannot be understood without study. The town was founded long ago by a legendary Kushabian chief named Byt. Cedynia This is a town near the Oder River, in a lightly forested region on the western border of Pomerania. It has a grod that is at least 300 years old, and a population within the grod of over 150 people, as well as a number of smaller villages surrounding the grod. Cedynia was the site of a great battle in 972 when the Germans (under Count Odo) invaded the region, and Duke Mieszko I marched his forces into Pomerania to stop him. After defeating the Germans, Mieszko went on to engage in his own campaign of conquest of the Pomeranian region. The people of Cedynia are known to produce excellent honey with some curative properties (consuming Cedynian honey can grant a +1 to saving throws versus infections and respiratory diseases and add +1hp per night of rest for healing from injuries). They also produce a delicious mead honey-alcohol. The people here are vassals of the Piast Crown. 291

Gdansk Gdansk is a city in the north of Pomerania, on the Motlawa River, which the locals in their language call Gdania (from where the city gets its name). The river merges into the Leniwka, which flows all the way down from the Vistula, through Greater Poland, creating a river trade route from the Baltic Sea all the way down to Krakow. It is also a stop on the Amber Road, going from Venice to Novgorod. It likewise is part of the coastal road that runs from Szczecin to Novgorod. In the 970s, St. Adalbert converted the rulers of the city, the Sobieslaw clan, to Christianity. In 975, Duke Mieszko I captured the city, but the Christian Sobieslaw quickly swore fealty to him. After the Pomeranian revolt of 1007, Gdansk became semi-independent of the Polish Crown, nominally still vassals and allies to the Piast kings but in practice selfgoverning. The Sobieslaw engage in a careful balancing act, trying to avoid the wrath of both the pagan tribes surrounding them and the Polish Crown. Thus far, it has worked and made the city prosperous thanks to its links to both the pagan Baltic and Christian Poland. The city contains a mix of traders, including Pomeranian and Norsemen pagans and Christian Germans and Poles. The city has a fortified area and a large market for foreign traders outside the city walls. The fortified city has a population of 1700, with another 3000 people in the outer city and surrounding villages. Kamien This is a large fishing town on the Dwizna strait, leading into the Kamienski Bay. It has a population of about 800. Just outside the town on the riverbed, there’s a huge boulder. According to legend, the boulder was once a Giant Toad that attacked the town. A local pagan priest was said to have invoked the tribe’s god (Trzyglow, the three-headed god) and turned the toad into its current boulder form. Since that time, the local town chief has always been blessed on his ascension while standing on the boulder known as the “king’s boulder.” Giant frogs are still sometimes found in this region, though hardly ever as large as the one that was turned into the King’s boulder. 292

Kolobrzeg This is a fortified coastal Pomeranian city, which is also a major salt mining center. Kolobrzeg was the seat of the Bishop of Pomerania, but the Pomeranian pagan revolt in 1007 overthrew the Christian rulers and forced the Bishopric to be abandoned. The city has a permanent population of about 2500. It is a major focus of craftsmen and artisans. Lubusz Built on a ridge overlooking the Oder River, Lubusz is another Polish fortress castle meant to protect the area to the south from pagan incursions, particularly from the Veleti Federation. The town was old before the Veleti came to these lands and occupied this village. Duke Mieszko I conquered the area and fortified it. It has about 400 men tasked to protect one of the westernmost strongholds of the Polish Crown against the Pomeranian pagans, the Veleti, and the Germans, all of whom border the fortress. Pyrzyce This is the main city of the Pyritzan clan, it is inland and thus not nearly as prosperous as Wolin, and has a population of about 1300, but is surrounded by a large number of smaller farming villages. Raciaz This is a town of pagans found deep in the Tuchola Forest. This is a large Pomeranian forest of mostly pine trees (as well as birch and alder), with its core being between the Brda and Wda Rivers. Within the forest there is also a large number of lakes, also with marshy land sometimes between lakes. The whole place is full of a variety of pagan magic and supernatural creatures. The pagans who live in this forested land are known as the Borowians. They are extremely resistant and hostile to Christians. They live in small communities with Raciaz, located on a site holy to the Borowians, being the largest single permanent settlement, though it has only about 150 people within its fortifications. 293