OSR: The Iron Gates - A Mythic Itinerary

I've been thinking about what to do with Benjamin of Tudela's itinerary. Originally, I was going to write a medieval pointcrawl, but now that I'm halfway through, I don't think I need to. With my notes and map, a suitable system (like Mercator), and a list of trade goods, a GM could run a passable pointcrawl right now.

I'd like to go in a different direction.

Jake Wyatt

Usually, when writing historical posts, I try to find the truth within the tall tales, mistranslations, and wild guesses, and write posts about the interesting aspects of historical fact. What if instead I exaggerated the myths and stories? When Benjamin visits Damascus, he sees the rib of a world-conquering giant and a wall made of magic glass and he doesn't question it. His world wasn't dry and organized.
We exaggerate when we read and tell stories, especially if we aren't familiar with historical facts. We imagine anachronisms and things that never existed on a scale that's not possible. If you went to Sunday School, I'm sure your version of Biblical kingdoms, the Sea of Galilee, the Temple  of Solomon, etc. were all far grander than reality can support.

Dark Souls draws heavily from Arthurian legends. What if we draw from Alexandrian legends instead - specifically, the Romance of Alexander - and build a world based on mythical history, not reality? Rome as we imagine it was, not as it was. The Babylon of dreams. The core map will be based on 10th-12th century legends and travelers tales.

The Fall of Babylon - John Martin

Design Goals

-Build a pointcrawl/merchant caravan game set in a Dark Souls-esque world.
-Use environmental storytelling. Provide the GM with the full story, but give the players hints and reward them for investigating the nature of their world.
-Mash together myths of civilization. File off the serial numbers but keep the core story concepts intact.
-Implement the Aesthetics of Ruin on a grand scale.

Origin Story

The Romance of Alexander starts with the last king of Egypt fleeing his country and, to exact his revenge, begetting a son through sorcery and deception.

AFTER THEY had determined the size of the earth and the sea and counted the stars of the sky, the wise men of the Egyptians imparted to the whole world power, the discovery and disposition of words, and the knowledge of practical skills. For it is said that the last king of Egypt, Nectanebos, after whom the kingdom fell from glory, conquered all men by magic sorcery; even the natural elements obeyed him.

[...]

Staring into the basin, he saw the gods of the Egyptians and they were leading the ships of the oncoming enemies from the barbarous nations—he was a man who was accustomed to being among and speaking with the gods magically through his sorcerer's skill. And upon learning that the kingdom of the Egyptians had come to an end, he filled his belt with much gold and silver and shaved his hair and his beard. Having disguised himself, he fled away, without anyone's knowing, through Pellousion; and after traveling through many lands, came to the Macedonian city of Pella.

We need god-king of course. Born of sorcery, world-conquering, he rules the west and the east and the south. He takes an army north into the Land of Darkness and finds many strange things. His army is lost to the numberless bestial humans living beyond the mountains. He drinks from the Fountain of Immortality. He returns with one servant and seals the Land of Darkness behind an iron wall. His five generals, fearing his power, betray him. Through sorcery, his soul is split into five pieces. The generals become immortal. They raise five great cities and usher in the Long Day.

But the day is fading.

Artem Demura

Cycles

At its core, Dark Souls is about a natural cycle replaced with an artificial one. In brief, empty mindless shells - hollows - find powerful souls in the first flame. They use these souls to conquer their environment. But the flame fades, and must be relinked by a powerful being to keep the age of fire going and prevent another age of darkness.

In this setting/game, the cycle is barbarism and civilization. A barbarian world is conquered and given form and order. Great cities rise. Then, barbarians attack, cast down the cities, and the cycle begins again. The cycle was interrupted by Alexander finding the Fountain of Immortality and building the Iron Gates. The age was meant to end long ago, but the Iron Gates hold back the barbarian hordes.

And as the Gates begin to fail, the Five Generals stir in their sleep, troubled by dreams of the north.

Picture of Nations. Emma Willard, 1836

The Five Cities

Names and details will be changed.

Cordoba - The Sunset City
In a fertile valley near the western edge of the world and the Ocean of Night. A grand city, a new city, not yet fallen to decay. The PCs will start here.

Rome - The Evening City
A grand heap of ruins. Churches, catacombs, mobs, aqueducts.

Constantinople - The Noon City
Ritual and grandeur. Markets, high walls, masks, and wealth.

Jerusalem - the Morning City
War and fire. Knights. Possibly some sort of eternal war.

Baghdad - the Sunrise City
The grandest city. Hospitals, libraries, an oasis in the desert, surrounded by ruins of other capitals.
Other Cities
Alexandria -  Alexander's Tomb
Fallen Babylon
Damascus, City of Sorcerers
Genoa and Pisa, towers and pirates

The Steppes
Long distances, cold, and then the mountains and the Iron Gates. Strange people who have no cities. Exiles and madmen.

The Land of Darkness
Who knows? The Fountain of Immortality and other strange marvels.

Immortals (2011)

Historical Sources

-Benjamin's journey and other 10th-12th century accounts
-For the Iron Gates, I'm spoiled for choice. Just to show I'm not making this up:

The Arab geographers placed the lands north of the Caucusus in the Sixth and Seventh climes, the northernmost of seven  divisions into which the globe was divided. The peoples who inhabited this huge region were all considered descendants of Japeth, son of Noah, meaning that Chinese, Turks, Bulgars, Khazars, Alans, Avars, Magyars, Slavs, Lombards, Burgundians, and Franks shared a common ancestry. They comprised the majority of the world's population and their numbers were "uncountable as the sands of the sea" (cf. Revelation 20:8). Beyond the Seventh Clime lay the Land of Darkness, a mysterious, mist-shrouded land, inhabited by the tribes of Gog and Magog. These peoples, who appear in the Qur'an (18:92-8) under the names Yajuj and Majuj, as well as the biblical books of Genesis, Ezekiel, and Revelation, were also counted among the descendants of Japeth, and were more numerous than all the other peoples of the earth combined. They were separated from the rest of mankind by high mountains, behind which they had been penned by a rampart of brass and iron erected by Alexander the Great. It was believed that at the end of time, they would break free and spread destruction throughout the earth, heralding the Apocalypse and the final days of mankind. 

[...] 

[Their eschatological role] haunted the caliph Wathiq (reigned 842-847), grandson of Harun al-Rashid, who one night in 842, in the palace of Samarra outside Baghdad, dreamed that Gog and Magog had breached the barrier behind which they were imprisoned. He was so disturbed by the dream that he immediately sent an agent, Sallam the Interpreter, who was adept in more than thirty languages, to inspect "Alexander's Wall" and make certain the hordes of Gog and Magog were still safely imprisoned.

-Ibn Fadlan and the Land of Darkness, Penguin, introduction by Paul Lunde and Caroline Stone.

Thomas Honz

Listen now how one by one the kingdoms of the East were overpowered. The kingdom of  the Babylonians was overpowered by that of the Medes, and that of the Medes by that of the Persians, and that of the Babylonians overpowered that of the Cushites and of Sheba and of Saba and the kingdoms of the nations from the sea unto the Euphrates besides the kingdom of the house of David. And the kingdom of Babylonia overpowered the kingdom of the house of David through Nebuchadnezzar. He overpowered the Hebrews and the Egyptians, and Darius the Mede overpowered the Indians and the Luzie and Cyrus the Persian overpowered the Thracians and restored the sons of Israel.

Listen now how these four kingdoms were overpowered one by the other, that of the Cushites by that of the Macedonians and that of the Macedonians by that of the Greeks, and that of the Greeks by that of the Romans. And these are the four winds of heaven which Daniel saw pouring forth the great sea. Philip, father of the king of kings Alexander, was a Macedonian, and whom did Philip take for wife? Cusheth, daughter of King PIl of the Cushites. And from her there was born King Alexander of the Macedonians. He built the great Alexandria and ruled in it twelve years. He went down to the East and killed Darius the Mede and conquered many places. And he marched round the earth and descended to the East and went as far as the sea called Fire of the Sun. And he saw there nations filthy and ugly to look at, who were sons of Japheth. And when he saw the abominable deeds which they were doing—they ate the vermin of the earth, mice and dogs and kittens, and they did not enshroud and bury their dead, and the embryos which the women aborted they ate as if it were some delicacy—and when Alexander saw their abominable deeds, he called God to his aid. And he assembled and expelled them and their wives and their sons, and all of their camps he expelled from the East.

And he placed them and enclosed them from the ends of the North inside the entrance which is the gate of the world from the North, and there is no other entrance nor outlet from the uttermost part of the world from East to West. And King Alexander prayed before God and God hearkened unto him. And God commanded the mountains called Sons of the North, and they drew near each other to a distance of no more than twelve cubits. And he [Alexander] made a gate of brass and anointed it on the inner side with Taseqtis. If one applies iron in order to open it, one does not affect it. And if one wants to melt it by fire, it quenches the fire brought near to it because the nature of Taseqtis is not affected by iron, nor by the operation of demons. Also not even fire can destroy it at all if it is applied to it, for these Unclean Nations who were imprisoned inside used all the wickedness of witchcraft. And through these two mighty things he brought to nought their entire activity so that neither through iron nor through the operation of evil spirits could it be opened before them and they depart and corrupt men and defile the earth. But at the end of the ages, as was the saying of the prophet Ezekiel which was prophesied concerning them, saying: In the end of times, at the end of the world, the followers of Agog and of Magog will come out upon the land of Israel.

-Apocalypse of Pseudo-Methodius

 Media Sources

-Dark Souls, obviously.
-A few modern-ish films have capture the "exaggerated scale" of history and ruins I want to capture: Prince of Egypt (1998), Immortals (2011), Noah (2014). The films are very pretty... but that's about it.
-Parsifal, because... well, Parsifal.

Artem Demura

Themes

-It's hard to create loneliness and desolation in a 5+ player RPG. I can't use that aspect of Dark Souls, but I can use:
-Layers of ruin
-Cycles
-No true villains, just people (or gods) with motivations and goals
-Looping and branching paths
-Distributed lore. It's possible to play through all of Dark Souls and have no idea what's going on. The plot is hidden in item descriptions, the environment, and ambiguous dialogue.

Structure

-I'm not particularly concerned with emulating Dark Souls combat or items, though I will create custom classes for this setting.
-A pointcrawl with several detailed cities and several less detailed stops en route.
-Factions, trade goods, spells, secrets. -And yes, there will be monsters.

A 12th Century Tour, Part 5 - Turkey and Mesopotamia

In the 12th century, Benjamin of Tudela traveled from his home in northern Spain to Baghdad and beyond. I'm turning his record - his itinerary - into a series of posts on medieval travel.

A large section of this post is devoted to the city of Baghdad. I considered cutting content or adding more notes, but Benjamin's description is so evocative, detailed, and unique I had to include the entire thing.

At Baghdad, you can branch off and follow Ahmad ibn Fadlan on his doomed mission north before returning to Benjamin's itinerary. I'm not going to quote the text here. Ibn Fadlan doesn't use the same dating system as Benjamin; he's justifying a delay, not showing a trade route. Ibn Fadlan doesn't want people follow in his miserable, frostbitten footsteps.

Series: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

Part 5: Turkey and Mesopotamia

Two days' journey brings one to Damascus, the great city, which is the commencement of the empire of Nur-ed-din, the king of the Togarmim, called Turks. It is a fair city of large extent, surrounded by walls, with many gardens and plantations, extending over fifteen miles on each side, and no district richer in fruit can be seen in all the world. From Mount Hermon descend the rivers Amana and Pharpar; for the city is situated at the foot of Mount Hermon. The Amana flows through the city, and by means of aqueducts the water is conveyed to the houses of the great people, and into the streets and market-places. The Pharpar flows through their gardens and plantations. It is a place carrying on trade with all countries.

Here is a mosque of the Arabs called the Gami of Damascus; there is no building like it in the whole world, and they say that it was a palace of Ben Hadad. Here is a wall of crystal glass of magic workmanship, with apertures according to the days of the year, and as the sun's rays enter each of them in daily succession the hours of the day can be told by a graduated dial. In the palace are chambers built of gold and glass, and if people walk round the wall they are able to see one another, although the wall is between them. And there are columns overlaid with gold and silver, and columns of marble of all colours. And in the court there is a gigantic head overlaid with gold and silver, and fashioned like a bowl with rims of gold and silver. It is as big as a cask, and three men can enter therein at the same time to bathe. In the palace is suspended the rib of one of the giants, the length being nine cubits, and the width two cubits; and they say it belonged to the King Anak of the giants of old, whose name was Abramaz. For so it was found inscribed on his grave, where it was also written that he ruled over the whole world.

Three thousand Jews abide in this city, and amongst them are learned and rich men. The head of the Academy of the land of Israel resides here. His name is R. Azariah, and with him are his brother, Sar Shalom, the head of the Beth Din: R. Joseph, the fifth of the Academy: R. Mazliach, the lecturer, the head of the order: R. Meir, the crown of the scholars: R. Joseph ben Al Pilath, the pillar of the Academy: R. Heman, the warden: and R. Zedekiah, the physician. One hundred Karaïtes dwell here, also 400 Cuthim, and there is peace between them, but they do not intermarry.

Benjamin was definitely here, and he definitely saw the "wall of crystal glass of magic workmanship." The translation isn't ambiguously supernatural. Asher has "witchcraft". The "rib of one of the giants" could be a fossil bone.

It is a day's journey to Galid, which is Gilead, and sixty Israelites are there, at their head being R. Zadok, R. Isaac, and R. Solomon. It is a place of wide extent, with brooks of water, gardens, and plantations. Thence it is half a day to Salkat, which is Salchah of old.

Thence it is half a day's journey to Baalbec, which is Baalath in the plains of Lebanon, and which Solomon built for the daughter of Pharaoh. The palace is built of large stones, each stone having a length of twenty cubits and a width of twelve cubits, and there are no spaces between the stones. It is said that Ashmedai alone could have put up this building. From the upper part of the city a great spring wells forth and flows into the middle of the city as a wide stream, and alongside thereof are mills and gardens and plantations in the midst of the city. At Tarmod (Tadmor) in the wilderness, which Solomon built, there are similar structures of huge stones. The city of Tarmod is surrounded by walls; it is in the desert far away from inhabited places, and is four days' journey from Baalath, just mentioned. And in Tarmod there are about 2,000 Jews. They are valiant in war and fight with the Christians and with the Arabs, which latter are under the dominion of Nur-ed-din the king, and they help their neighbours the Ishmaelites. At their head are R. Isaac Hajvani, R. Nathan, and R. Uziel.

In the legends, Solomon built many buildings with the aid of bound demons, including "Ashmedai", more commonly known these days as Asmodeus.

From Baalbec to KarjatĪn, which is Kirjathim, is a distance of half a day; no Jews live there except one dyer. Thence it is a day's journey to Emesa, which is a city of the Zemarites, where about twenty Jews dwell. Thence it is a day's journey to Hamah, which is Hamath. It lies on the river Jabbok at the foot of Mount Lebanon. Some time ago there was a great earthquake in the city, and 25,000 souls perished in one day, and of about 200 Jews but seventy escaped. At their head are R. Eli Hacohen, and the Sheik Abu Galib and Mukhtar. Thence it is half a day to Sheizar, which is Hazor, and from there it is three parasangs to Dimin (Latmin).

Thence it is two days to Haleb (Aleppo) or Aram Zoba, which is the royal city of Nur-ed-din. In the midst of the city is his palace surrounded by a very high wall. This is a very large place. There is no well there nor any stream, but the inhabitants drink rainwater, each one possessing a cistern in his house. The city has 5,000 Jewish inhabitants, at their head being R. Moses el Constantini and R. Seth. Thence it is two days to Balis, which is Pethor on the river Euphrates, and unto this day there stands the turret of Balaam, which he built to tell the hours of the day. About ten Jews live here. Thence it is half a day to Kalat Jabar, which is Selah of the wilderness, that was left unto the Arabs at the time the Togarmim took their land and caused them to fly into the wilderness. About 2,000 Jews dwell there, at their head being R. Zedekiah, R. Chiya, and R. Solomon.

The story of Balaam is one of the most fascinating and convoluted extrabiblical tales. If you've got time, this article explains the twists and turns of Balaam's reputation. "Balaam's turret" or "tower" isn't well documented as far as I can tell.

Thence it is one day's journey to Rakka, or Salchah, which is on the confines of the land of Shinar, and which divides the land of the Togarmim from that kingdom. In it there are 700 Jews, at their head being R. Zakkai and R. Nedib, who is blind, and R. Joseph. There is a synagogue here, erected by Ezra when he went forth from Babylon to Jerusalem. At two days' distance lies ancient Harrān, where twenty Jews live. Here is another synagogue erected by Ezra, and in this place stood the house of Terah and Abraham his son. The ground is not covered by any building, and the Mohammedans honour the site and come thither to pray.

Thence it is a journey of two days to Ras-el-Ain, whence proceeds the river El Khabur - the Habor of old - which flows through the land of Media, and falls into the river Gozan. Here there are 200 Jews. Thence it is two days to Geziret Ibn Omar, which is surrounded by the river Hiddekel (Tigris), at the foot of the mountains of Ararat.

It is a distance of four miles to the place where Noah's Ark rested, but Omar ben al Khataab took the ark from the two mountains and made it into a mosque for the Mohammedans. Near the ark is the Synagogue of Ezra to this day, and on the ninth of Ab the Jews come thither from the city to pray. In the city of Geziret Omar are 4,000 Jews, at their head being R. Mubchar, R. Joseph and R. Chiya.

Thence it is two days to Mosul, which is Assur the Great, and here dwell about 7,000 Jews, at their head being R. Zakkai the Nasi of the seed of David, and R. Joseph surnamed Burhan-al-mulk, the astronomer to the King Sin-ed-din, the brother of Nur-ed-din, King of Damascus. Mosul is the frontier town of the land of Persia. It is a very large and ancient city, situated on the river Hiddekel (Tigris), and is connected with Nineveh by means of a bridge. Nineveh is in ruins, but amid the ruins there are villages and hamlets, and the extent of the city may be determined by the walls, which extend forty parasangs to the city of Irbil. The city of Nineveh is on the river Hiddekel. In the city of Assur (Mosul) is the synagogue of Obadiah, built by Jonah; also the synagogue of Nahum the Elkoshite. 

The enormous walls of Nineveh - forty parasangs, or four days' journey - may have actually existed, if only as a low ruin, when Benjamin visited. The city walls are 12km in length, but it's possible a wall or barrier extended from the city to Irbil/Arbela/Erbil, about 70km away.

Thence it is a distance of three days to Rahbah, which is on the river Euphrates. Here there are about 2,000 Jews, at their head being R. Hezekiah, R. Tahor and R. Isaac. It is a very fine city, large and fortified, and surrounded by gardens and plantations.

Thence it is a day's journey to Karkisiya which is Carchemish, on the river Euphrates. Here there are about 500 Jews, at their head being R. Isaac and R. Elhanan. Thence it is two days to El-Anbar which is Pumbedita in Nehardea. Here reside 3,000 Jews, and amongst them are learned men, at their head being the chief rabbi R. Chen, R. Moses and R. Jehoiakim. Here are the graves of Rab Jehuda and Samuel, and in front of the graves of each of them are the synagogues which they built in their lifetime. Here is also the grave of Bostanai the Nasi, the head of the Captivity, and of R. Nathan and Rab Nachman the son of Papa.

Thence it takes five days to Hadara, where about 15,000 Jews dwell, at their head being R. Zaken, R. Jehosef and R. Nethanel. Thence it takes two days to Okbara, the city, which Jeconiah the King built, where there are about 10,000 Jews, and at their head are R. Chanan, R. Jabin and R. Ishmael.

Thence it is two days to Bagdad, the great city and the royal residence of the Caliph Emir al Muminin al Abbasi of the family of Mohammed. He is at the head of the Mohammedan religion, and all the kings of Islam obey him; he occupies a similar position to that held by the Pope over the Christians. He has a palace in Bagdad three miles in extent, wherein is a great park with all varieties of trees, fruit-bearing and otherwise, and all manner of animals. The whole is surrounded by a wall, and in the park there is a lake whose waters are fed by the river Hiddekel. Whenever the king desires to indulge in recreation and to rejoice and feast, his servants catch all manner of' birds, game and fish, and he goes to his palace with his counsellors and princes. There the great king, Al Abbasi the Caliph (Hafiz) holds his court, and he is kind unto Israel, and many belonging to the people of Israel are his attendants; he knows all languages, and is well versed in the law of Israel. He reads and writes the holy language (Hebrew). He will not partake of anything unless he has earned it by the work of his own hands. He makes coverlets to which he attaches his seal; his courtiers sell them in the market, and the great ones of the land purchase them, and the proceeds thereof provide his sustenance. He is truthful and trusty, speaking peace to all men. The men of Islam see him but once in the year. The pilgrims that come from distant lands to go unto Mecca which is in the land El-Yemen, are anxious to see his face, and they assemble before the palace exclaiming "Our Lord, light of Islam and glory of our Law, show us the effulgence of thy countenance," but he pays no regard to their words. Then the princes who minister unto him say to him, "Our Lord, spread forth thy peace unto the men that have come from distant lands, who crave to abide under the shadow of thy graciousness," and thereupon he arises and lets down the hem of his robe from the window, and the pilgrims come and kiss it, and a prince says unto them "Go forth in peace, for our Master the Lord of Islam granteth peace to you." He is regarded by them as Mohammed and they go to their houses rejoicing at the salutation which the prince has vouchsafed unto them, and glad at heart that they have kissed his robe.

Each of his brothers and the members of his family has an abode in his palace, but they are all fettered in chains of iron, and guards are placed over each of their houses so that they may not rise against the great Caliph. For once it happened to a predecessor that his brothers rose up against him and proclaimed one of themselves as Caliph; then it was decreed that all the members of his family should be bound, that they might not rise up against the ruling Caliph. Each one of them resides in his palace in great splendour, and they own villages and towns, and their stewards bring them the tribute thereof, and they eat and drink and rejoice all the days of their life.

Within the domains of the palace of the Caliph there are great buildings of marble and columns of silver and gold, and carvings upon rare stones are fixed in the walls. In the Caliph's palace are great riches and towers filled with gold, silken garments and all precious stones. He does not issue forth from his palace save once in the year, at the feast which the Mohammedans call El-id-bed Ramazan, and they come from distant lands that day to see him. He rides on a mule and is attired in the royal robes of gold and silver and fine linen; on his head is a turban adorned with precious stones of priceless value, and over the turban is a black shawl as a sign of his modesty, implying that all this glory will be covered by darkness on the day of death. He is accompanied by all the nobles of Islam dressed in fine garments and riding on horses, the princes of Arabia, the princes of Togarma and Daylam (Gilān) and the princes of Persia, Media and Ghuzz, and the princes of the land of Tibet, which is three months' journey distant, and westward of which lies the land of Samarkand.

He proceeds from his palace to the great mosque of Islam which is by the Basrah Gate. Along the road the walls are adorned with silk and purple, and the inhabitants receive him with all kinds of song and exultation, and they dance before the great king who is styled the Caliph. They salute him with a loud voice and say, "Peace unto thee, our Lord the King and Light of Islam!" He kisses his robe, and stretching forth the hem thereof he salutes them. Then he proceeds to the court of the mosque, mounts a wooden pulpit and expounds to them their Law. Then the learned ones of Islam arise and pray for him and extol his greatness and his graciousness, to which they all respond. Afterwards he gives them his blessing, and they bring before him a camel which he slays, and this is their passover-sacrifice. He gives thereof unto the princes and they distribute it to all, so that they may taste of the sacrifice brought by their sacred king; and they all rejoice. Afterwards he leaves the mosque and returns alone to his palace by way of the river Hiddekel, and the grandees of Islam accompany him in ships on the river until he enters his palace. He does not return the way he came; and the road which he takes along the river-side is watched all the year through, so that no man shall tread in his footsteps. He does not leave the palace again for a whole year. He is a benevolent man.

He built, on the other side of the river, on the banks of an arm of the Euphrates which there borders the city, a hospital consisting of blocks of houses and hospices for the sick poor who come to be healed. Here there are about sixty physicians' stores which are provided from the Caliph's house with drugs and whatever else may be required. Every sick man who comes is maintained at the Caliph's expense and is medically treated. Here is a building which is called Dar-al-Maristan, where they keep charge of the demented people who have become insane in the towns through the great heat in the summer, and they chain each of them in iron chains until their reason becomes restored to them in the winter-time. Whilst they abide there, they are provided with food from the house of the Caliph, and when their reason is restored they are dismissed and each one of them goes to his house and his home. Money is given to those that have stayed in the hospices on their return to their homes. Every month the officers of the Caliph inquire and investigate whether they have regained their reason, in which case they are discharged. All this the Caliph does out of charity to those that come to the city of Bagdad, whether they be sick or insane. The Caliph is a righteous man, and all his actions are for good.

In Bagdad there are about 40,000 Jews and they dwell in security, prosperity and honour under the great Caliph, and amongst them are great sages, the heads of Academies engaged in the study of the law. In this city there are ten Academies. At the head of the great Academy is the chief rabbi R. Samuel, the son of Eli. He is the head of the Academy Gaon Jacob. He is a Levite, and traces his pedigree back to Moses our teacher. The head of the second Academy is R. Hanania his brother, warden of the Levites; R. Daniel is the head of the third Academy; R. Elazar the scholar is the head of the fourth Academy; and R. Elazar, the son of Zemach, is the head of the order, and his pedigree reaches to Samuel the prophet, the Korahite. He and his brethren know how to chant the melodies as did the singers at the time when the Temple was standing. He is head of the fifth Academy. R. Hisdai, the glory of the scholars, is head of the sixth Academy. R. Haggai is head of the seventh Academy. R. Ezra is the head of the eighth Academy. R. Abraham, who is called Abu Tahir, is the head of the ninth Academy. R. Zakkai, the son of Bostanai the Nasi, is the head of the Sium. These are the ten Batlanim, and they do not engage in any other work than communal administration; and all the days of the week they judge the Jews their countrymen, except on the second day of the week, when they all appear before the chief rabbi Samuel, the head of the Yeshiba Gaon (Jacob), who in conjunction with the other Batlanim judges all those that appear before him. And at the head of them all is Daniel the son of Hisdai, who is styled "Our Lord the Head of the Captivity of all Israel." He possesses a book of pedigrees going back as far as David, King of Israel. The Jews call him "Our Lord, Head of the Captivity," and the Mohammedans call him "Saidna ben Daoud," and he has been invested with authority over all the congregations of Israel at the hands of the Emir al Muminin, the Lord of Islam.

For thus Mohammed commanded concerning him and his descendants; and he granted him a seal of office over all the congregations that dwell under his rule, and ordered that every one, whether Mohammedan or Jew, or belonging to any other nation in his dominion, should rise up before him (the Exilarch) and salute him, and that any one who should refuse to rise up should receive one hundred stripes.

And every fifth day when he goes to pay a visit to the great Caliph, horsemen, Gentiles as well as Jews, escort him, and heralds proclaim in advance, "Make way before our Lord, the son of David, as is due unto him," the Arabic words being "Amilu tarik la Saidna ben Daud." He is mounted on a horse, and is attired in robes of silk and embroidery with a large turban on his head, and from the turban is suspended a long white cloth adorned with a chain upon which the cipher of Mohammed is engraved. Then he appears before the Caliph and kisses his hand, and the Caliph rises and places him on a throne which Mohammed had ordered to be made for him, and all the Mohammedan princes who attend the court of the Caliph rise up before him. And the Head of the Captivity is seated on his throne opposite to the Caliph, in compliance with the command of Mohammed to give effect to what is written in the law - "The sceptre shall not depart from Judah nor a law-giver from between his feet, until he come to Shiloh: and to him shall the gathering of the people be." The authority of the Head of the Captivity extends over all the communities of Shinar, Persia, Khurasan and Sheba which is El-Yemen, and Diyar Kalach (Bekr) and the land of Aram Naharaim (Mesopotamia), and over the dwellers in the mountains of Ararat and the land of the Alans, which is a land surrounded by mountains and has no outlet except by the iron gates which Alexander made, but which were afterwards broken. Here are the people called Alani. His authority extends also over the land of Siberia, and the communities in the land of the Togarmim unto the mountains of Asveh and the land of Gurgan, the inhabitants of which are called Gurganim who dwell by the river Gihon, and these are the Girgashites who follow the Christian religion. Further it extends to the gates of Samarkand, the land of Tibet, and the land of India. In respect of all these countries the Head of the Captivity gives the communities power to appoint Rabbis and Ministers who come unto him to be consecrated and to receive his authority. They bring him offerings and gifts from the ends of the earth. He owns hospices, gardens and plantations in Babylon, and much land inherited from his fathers, and no one can take his possessions from him by force. He has a fixed weekly revenue arising from the hospices of the Jews, the markets and the merchants, apart from that which is brought to him from far-off lands. The man is very rich, and wise in the Scriptures as well as in the Talmud, and many Israelites dine at his table every day.

At his installation, the Head of the Captivity gives much money to the Caliph, to the Princes and the Ministers. On the day that the Caliph performs the ceremony of investing him with authority, he rides in the second of the royal equipages, and is escorted from the palace of the Caliph to his own house with timbrels and fifes. The Exilarch appoints the Chiefs of the Academies by placing his hand upon their heads, thus installing them in their office. The Jews of the city are learned men and very rich.

In Bagdad there are twenty-eight Jewish Synagogues, situated either in the city itself or in Al-Karkh on the other side of the Tigris; for the river divides the metropolis into two parts. The great synagogue of the Head of the Captivity has columns of marble of various colours overlaid with silver and gold, and on these columns are sentences of the Psalms in golden letters. And in front of the ark are about ten steps of marble; on the topmost step are the seats of the Head of the Captivity and of the Princes of the House of David. The city of Bagdad is twenty miles in circumference, situated in a land of palms, gardens and plantations, the like of which is not to be found in the whole land of Shinar. People come thither with merchandise from all lands. Wise men live there, philosophers who know all manner of wisdom, and magicians expert in all manner of witchcraft.

Thence it is two days to Gazigan which is called Resen. It is a large city containing about 5,000 Jews. In the midst of it is the Synagogue of Rabbah - a large one. He is buried close to the Synagogue, and beneath his sepulchre is a cave where twelve of his pupils are buried.

Thence it is a day's journey to Babylon, which is the Babel of old. The ruins thereof are thirty miles in extent. The ruins of the palace of Nebuchadnezzar are still to be seen there, but people are afraid to enter them on account of the serpents and scorpions. Near at hand, within a distance of a mile, there dwell 3,000 Israelites who pray in the Synagogue of the Pavilion of Daniel, which is ancient and was erected by Daniel. It is built of hewn stones and bricks. Between the Synagogue and the Palace of Nebuchadnezzar is the furnace into which were thrown Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, and the site of it lies in a valley known unto all.

Thence it is five parasangs to Hillah, where there are 10,000 Israelites and four Synagogues: that of R. Meir, who lies buried before it; the Synagogue of Mar Keshisha, who is buried in front of it; also the Synagogue of Rab Zeiri, the son of Chama, and the Synagogue of R. Mari; the Jews pray there every day.

Thence it is four miles to the Tower of Babel, which the generation whose language was confounded built of the bricks called Agur. The length of its foundation is about two miles, the breadth of the tower is about forty cubits, and the length thereo two hundred cubits. At every ten cubits' distance there are slopes which go round the tower by which one can ascend to the top. One can see from there a view twenty miles in extent, as the land is level. There fell fire from heaven into the midst of the tower which split it to its very depths.

The tower Benjamin saw is probably the Tongue Tower at Borsippa. Here's a photograph of the tower, and a photograph of the area around the tower.

Thence it is half a day to Kaphri, where there are about 200 Jews. Here is the Synagogue of R. Isaac Napcha, who is buried in front of it. Thence it is three parasangs to the Synagogue of Ezekiel, the prophet of blessed memory, which is by the river Euphrates. It is fronted by sixty turrets, and between each turret there is a minor Synagogue, and in the court of the Synagogue is the ark, and at the back of the Synagogue is the sepulchre of Ezekiel. It is surmounted by a large cupola, and it is a very handsome structure. It was built of old by King Jeconiah, king of Judah, and the 35,000 Jews who came with him, when Evil-merodach brought him forth out of prison.

Yes, I checked, "Evil-merodach" is a correct and canonical name.

This place is by the river Chebar on the one side, and by the river Euphrates on the other, and the names of Jeconiah and those that accompanied him are engraved on the wall: Jeconiah at the top, and Ezekiel at the bottom. This place is held sacred by Israel as a lesser sanctuary unto this day, and people come from a distance to pray there from the time of the New Year until the Day of Atonement. The Israelites have great rejoicings on these occasions. Thither also come the Head of the Captivity, and the Heads of the Academies from Bagdad. Their camp occupies a space of about two miles, and Arab merchants come there as well. A great gathering like a fair takes place, which is called Fera, and they bring forth a scroll of the Law written on parchment by Ezekiel the Prophet, and read from it on the Day of Atonement. A lamp burns day and night over the sepulchre of Ezekiel; the light thereof has been kept burning from the day that he lighted it himself, and they continually renew the wick thereof, and replenish the oil unto the present day. A large house belonging to the sanctuary is filled with books, some of them from the time of the first temple, and some from the time of the second temple, and he who has no sons consecrates his books to its use. The Jews that come thither to pray from the land of Persia and Media bring the money which their countrymen have offered to the Synagogue of Ezekiel the Prophet. The Synagogue owns property, lands and villages, which belonged to King Jeconiah, and when Mohammed came he confirmed all these rights to the Synagogue of Ezekiel. Distinguished Mohammedans also come hither to pray, so great is their love for Ezekiel the Prophet; and they call it Bar (Dar) Melicha (the Dwelling of Beauty). All the Arabs come there to pray.

At a distance of about half a mile from the Synagogue are the sepulchres of Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, and upon their sepulchres are large cupolas; and even at times of disturbance no man would dare touch the Mohammedan or Jewish servants who attend at the sepulchre of Ezekiel.

Thence it is three miles to the city of Kotsonath, where there are 300 Jews. Here are the sepulchres of Rab Papa, Rab Huna, Joseph Sinai, and Rab Joseph ben Hama; and before each of them is a Synagogue where the Israelites pray every day. Thence it is three parasangs to Ain Siptha, where there is the sepulchre of the prophet Nahum the Elkoshite. Thence it is a day's journey to Kefar Al-Keram, where are the sepulchres of Rab Chisdai, R. Azariah, R. Akiba, and R. Dosa. Thence it is a half-day's journey to a village in the desert, where there are buried R. David and R. Jehuda and Abaji, R. Kurdiah, Rab Sechora, and Rab Ada. Thence it is a day's journey to the river Raga, where there is the sepulchre of King Zedekiah. Upon it is a large cupola. Thence it is a day's journey to the city of Kufa, where there is the sepulchre of King Jeconiah. Over it is a big structure, and in front thereof is a Synagogue. There are about 7,000 Jews here. At this place is the large mosque of the Mohammedans, for here is buried Ali ben Abu Talib, the son-in-law of Mohammed, and the Mohammedans come hither....

Thence it is a day and a half to Sura, which is Mata Mehasya, where the Heads of the Captivity and the Heads of the Academies dwelt at first. Here is the sepulchre of R. Sherira, and of R. Hai his son of blessed memory, also of R. Saadiah Al-Fiumi, and of Rab Samuel the son of Hofni Hacohen, and of Zephaniah the son of Cushi the son of Gedaliah, the prophet, and of the Princes of the House of David, and of the Heads of the Academies who lived there before the destruction of the town.

Thence it is two days to Shafjathib. Here is a Synagogue which the Israelites built from the earth of Jerusalem and its stones, and they called it Shafjathib, which is by Nehardea.

Thence it is a day and a half's journey to El-Anbar, which was Pumbedita in Nehardea. About 3,000 Jews dwell there. The city lies on the river Euphrates. Here is the Synagogue of Rab and Samuel, and their house of study, and in front of it are their graves.

By arriving at El-Anbar, Benjamin closes the loop. From here, he will head into parts unknown, cross deserts, and include tales of other travelers and guides.

Trade Route Map of Part 5

Martin Jan Månsson's Medieval Trade Networks map

Representative Map of Part 5

Summary of Part 5

Again, tracking Benjamin's distance here is difficult. The Damascus - Aleppo - Mosul - Baghdad - Babylon, route is 1,510 kilometres or 938 miles. Benjamin traveled this distance in 83 days. His rate of travel slowed enormously, to just 18km or 11miles per day. Presumably, the roads were more difficult than previous portions of his journey, or he took a different route than the one he indicated and estimated times incorrectly.

Bejamin reaches Baghdad in ~1170. Less than ninety years later, in 1258, Baghdad falls forever. The city he describes vanishes, never to return.

He writes of:
-A city full of gardens.
-A palace with a  magic glass wall that tracks time.
-A palace with magic rooms, where you can see through walls.
-A palace with the rib of a world-conquering giant.
-A palace with a giant gold head large enough to accommodate three people.
-A desert city with brooks, water gardens, and plantations.
-The ruins of a city built by an ancient king using the aid of bound demons.
-A city devastated by a recent earthquake.
-A city without wells or rivers that survives off rain water.
-The tower of an ancient astrologer and prophet.
-The site of a world-saving vessel. The vessel itself is gone, used to built a temple.
-The ruins of a vast ancient city, so large it would take four days to travel around.
-A palace three miles in extent.
-A palace full of trees and animals of all kinds.
-A king who knows all languages.
-A king who is wise, just, moderate, and kind. 
-A king who keeps all his brothers and relations locked inside a beautiful palace.
-A king who leaves his palace only once a year.
-A road only used by the king. It is guarded to ensure no one else walks in his footsteps.
-Great hospitals, maintained at the expense of the king.
-A group of priests who remember rites from a fallen kingdom.
-The ruins of a vast ancient city, thirty miles in extent.
-The ruins of a vast tower, whose fall was brought about by divine fire.
-An annual fair at the tomb of a prophet.
-A library of books from a fallen kingdom.

OSR: Kidnap the Archpriest Print Version

Good news! The print version of Kidnap the Archpriest is now available. For a limited time, a PDF copy will be included for free.

Read about the history of Kidnap the Archpriest, along with some reviews, here.


If you have any issues with the print copy, contact Support here. One of the USA test prints was misaligned. Other prints had no issues.

OSR: OSR: Veins of the Earth, Session 5

Last session, the PCs went from scared and lost cave-explorers to a deadly coordinated underground SWAT team (and roving corpse merchants). They think they've got a good handle on how the Veins works. They think they know the rules. Can they keep it up?

Spoiler alert: no. No they can not.

The party consists of:
Cazael the spiderling fighter. The leader of the group by default.
The Paladin, a beetle-ling hermit, wanderer, and servant of the Authority.
Bill the wormling Orthodox Wizard. Has antlers and telekinesis thanks to strange potions. Thinks life underground is just peachy.
Swainson the Garden Wizard. Formerly a hawkling, currently a dryad.
Hec the Goblin. Mouth full of teeth, head full of bad ideas.  
Christen Bell the weasel-ling Bell Exorcist was last seen at Jeswick's fortress. She turned up at the start of this session by falling from an unseen shaft, arriving confused, bruised, and with fuzzy memories.

Side Note: I don't usually bother describing climbs, detours, minor encounters, and fear in great detail in these writeups. The sessions are full of purple prose, hesitation, and danger. These writeups, not so much.

The party debated burning 6 hours of light just to sleep. They decided to rest in total darkness, trusting Hec the goblin and the Olm to protect them. Their rest was uneventful.
 
The Paladin, using a scrap of chalk, wrote that he had to leave the group. The book of daemonic contracts they'd discovered on the body of their pig-farmer guide had been worrying him. He wanted to find a way to safely destroy it, or find its creator, and he felt the rest of the group might be endangered by the quest. The party protested, but, remembering Clothild's death and the daemonic arms that rose to claim his soul, decided not to interfere.

Side Note: The Paladin, after reaching level 5, decided to retire to safety.

Before letting the party leave, the Olm sold them a new companion. They'd found a surface-world fishling wandering in the Veins. They were going to eat him but decided that the party might have more use for him and, after some negotiation, traded him. Jack the Fishling Goliard joined the group, eager to assist. He told a confused tale of plague, madness, darkness, and doom. The party smiled politely, handed him a dagger, and told him not to fall down any holes.

Things swiftly went awry. Starting in "Salt Lake City".

1. Two Olm guides bring the party to the edge of Olm territory.

2. Hec the Goblin realizes that they are being stalked. More accurately, Hec remembers that they are being stalked - the goblin had noticed several times but neglected to inform anyone. It informs the party now.

3. Jack decids to lure their mysterious pursuer into the open. In a large cave lit by the flicker of mysterious flames, Jack wanders into the open and taunts their mysterious pursuer, using the full range of his religious education to insult its ancestry, appearance, and temperament.

4. The rest of the party sticks to the shadowy cave walls, waiting to ambush whatever appears. Left and right, front and back, Jack is surrounded and protected by his new friends.

5. A gigantic vantablack ferret reachs down from the ceiling and unscrews Jack's head.

Side Note: I'm not sure if the Blackfoot Gigaferret is intelligent enough to be a valid target of the Goliard's taunting ability, but either way, the unarmed fishling was too tempting.

6. The party panics. Swainson uses woodbend to become tall and thin and grabs the ferret. Cazael uses the wizard as a ladder to hit the creature with his sword. Hec throws daggers and Bill gibbers in fear.

7. Eventually, after a desperate struggle, Cazael hacks the ferret to death. Jack chokes to death on his own blood. The party decided to drag his body back to Olm territory and, after a brief debate, sold his corpse for meat. Bill bought a few carefully smoked fishling rations. Hec ate an entire arm.

8. The Olm are very impressed by the party's victory over the ferret. The surface-worlders might be amateurs in commerce but they seem to be experts in violence. Cazael pays to have the ferret's spine turned into a whip, though it will not be ready for several days. Bill has the skin made into a cloak, a much quicker process. The wizard is all but invisible when fully enfolded in its light-drinking fur.

9. The party rests overnight in the Olm village. They awake to find more goblins. Somehow, Hec had called to its family/clan/friends/minions or whatever and there were now a nebulous number of goblins in the room. Hec was in there somewhere, as was Hec's sonic pig, but the rest were new, scabrous, small-eyed, sharp-toothed, and noisy.
 
10. The Olm suggested they leave immediately. One goblin had been tolerable, but a goblin horde...

11. Retracing their steps, the party explores the fire-lit cave. They discover sublimely frustrating pyre monks, burning their sins away in steep-sided pyramidal pits. They also find a flealing Summoner, Tuck.

12. Tuck is completely untrustworthy, sniveling, and mysterious. He more-or-less inserts himself into the party. Apparently his "friends" (cult) went "missing" (fled his ambitious destructive takeover of the cult) and he needs to "find" (kill) them. The party decides that having a Veins native might be useful, but refuse under any circumstances to "be his friend".

Side Note: One of Tuck's summons is #56. You can see why he wants to make friends with everyone.

13. A goblin is lowered into an empty pyre monk pit to retrieve a bottle of liquid black goop. The substance corrupts the goblin's morals (and, by extension, all the other goblins). They become sinfully covetous and begin hoarding treasures.

Side Note: Finally, a use for the d10 Commandments. Liquefied sin is a great item.

14. The party spends many hours traveling through caves, searching for more ghouls. They find a steep sloped cave and spot a group of three flealings in robes trying to descend.

15. The goblin horde, encouraged by Tuck, descends in a tangle of rope and massacres the three flealings. Tuck is delighted until he discovers the goblins have also stripped the corpses of all valuables.

16. The rest of the party descends, using Tuck's summoned rope (#74). Cazael sprains one of his eight legs, but soon recovers.

17. The party finds Yorminthal the Cave Giant buried under huge boulders. The hideous cartilaginous creature, one yellow eye visible, promises treasure and glory if the PCs free him. They are not convinced.

18. With some concern, the PCs retreat to what they hope is a safe distance and debate their next move. The giant could be edible, and the Olm would surely pay a fortune for a mountain of giant meat. Transporting it, on the other hand...

And the giant did promise many treasures...

Will the players negotiate with the trapped giant? Will they run out of surface rations and turn to smoked fishling meat? Can then endure an alliance with many sinful goblins?

Who knows?