Date: Sun, 16 Feb 1997 02:41:47 +1000 (EST) Reply-To: Timothy Ferguson To: Peter Corless Subject: The Clan of Ardashir ("Minor" Clan) completed. "The Clan of Ardashir" is copyright (c) Tim Ferguson 1997. Excerpted from the work in progress "The Courts of King Arthur", Peter Corless, Editor. (Written for future publication by the Chaosium) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Revision History v1.0 - 13 Feb 1997 - Initial version v1.1 - 16 Feb 1997 - Complete v1.2 - 10 Mar 1997 - Posted to www.employees.org/~pcorless/pendragon - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The Clan of Ardashir -------------------- The Clan of Ardashir is founded in 226. A great Persian general, of the same name, defeats his Parthian overlords and begins the Sassanid dynasty in Persia. He stretches out his dominion to include northern India and Mesopotamia, creating the largest Empire in the world at that time. As the "Pendragon" period begins the Sassanids have suffered a serious setback, invasion by the Ephalities. Heresies flourished in Persia, Nestoriansism being the official brand of local Christianity, while the teachings of Mazdak were favoured by the ruling house, over more orthodox Zoroastrianism. A new king, Khosrau the First, proved himself to be the man for the hour, allying with the Ephalities to push against the borders of Byzantium, forcing his way west into the Cacasus and around the Black Sea. Historically, Khosrau I was the most potent Sassanid king, but for the sake of the game we combine him with his grandson, Khosrau II, whose Empire was extended even further west, into Egypt. It is fear of Khosrau that leads the Emperor of the East to ask the Pope for aid, sparking the Cruasdes, in "Pendragon". Theme: The Other God-King. The Sassanids were a great civilising force in Persia and, later, after their ways had been absorbed by their conquerers, throughout the Arabic world. The cultural base from which the Arabic sciences and arts developed was, in large part, a Sassanid one. The Byzantine way of being civilised and the Sassanid way of being civilised are more similar than they initially appear, certainly closer in their power structures than either is to the feudal states of the barabarous West. Each has a central figure around whom all mortal men, and the Church, to a lesser degree, revolve. Each prizes scholarship and cunning over being able to hit things repeatedly with a sharp instrument. This is why those in disputed areas seem to travel so easily from one state to the other, since their ways of living are very similar. This creates a problem, however, in that each state respect the power of the other to do it harm. The Arabs and Germans can be ignored as barbarian rabble, but the Other Empire, they're dangerous. This fear breeds mistrust, which evokes hostility, and when mixed with greed for territory, this plunges the Empires into several wars. Their emperor, unlike that of the Byzantines, is more than just the representative of God's strength in a state. The Sassanid emperor is revered almost as if he were a solar god himself, like the Roman Emperors of old. On a personal level, the Saracens represent the possibility, to each knight, that there's a better way of doing what they do, and being who they are. What if their faith is correct? What if horse archery is a superior combat form to cavalry charges? What if their foods really do taste better? What if their cities really are more exotic? What if their doctors do know more? What if their magicians really have deeper insights? Isn't their reverence of their emperor heresy? For the Saracens, especially those player characters who have travelled to distant Britain, the questions are the similiar. Knights in Britain can claim cultural descent from the Romans, who must have known a thing or three to have so great an Empire. They can scoff at Pictish, Saxon, Danish and Irish customs as "barbaric" or "heathen". The Sassanids force them to question, even if only subconciously, whether their way really is the best way. This questioning of cherished ideals sometimes leads to enlightenment, but more often leads the Sassanids and Byzantines to war as each attempts to cast down any challengers to those ideals they hold dear. Leaders: Khosrau I (who has a fictively long life, and is replaced by equally distant and enigmatic rulers upon death). Homeland: The clan is centred in Cestiphon, although septs of it exist eleswhere. Culture: Sassanid Religion: Saracen Zoroastranism. Clan Benefits: 2 DEX: The Sassinid love of the hunt, riding, polo and cavalry warfare has inculcated into this family a lithness of body that their fellows find estimable. 2 APP: The Sassanids have excellent, if unusual, manners and look "different" to the average person, haveing the attraction of the strange. This is especially pronounced amongst their rulers, who are regal in an exotic way. 1 CON The rulers of the Sassanid Empire enjoy the rigours of vigourous excercise, but are, as a family, more healthy than average even without these sports. Skills: +5 Battle +5 Stewardship +10 Religion (Zoroastranism) (The Prophet-king's a relative, after all). +5 Hunting Traits: +3 in each Zoroastran trait. Honest, Chaste, Pious, Just, Generous. Loyalty (Persian King) +d6+6 Honour: +1d3+3 Suspiscious (Byzantine Romans) +2d6 + 3000 Glory (more if the gamesmaster so decides.) Indirect: Statistics: +1 DEX, +1 APP Skills: +3 Battle, +3 Stewardship, +3 Religion (Zoroastran), +6 Traits: +1 to all Zoroastran virtues: Honest, Chaste, Pious, Just, Generous. Directed Trait: Suspiscious (Byzantine Romans) +1d6 Passions: Loyalty (Persian King) +1d6, +1d3 Honor Glory: +1500* Marriage: Immediate: Glory: same as per Pendragon (pg. 121, up to 1000 points max.), plus +1500 for marriage to clan member of direct lineage, or +750 to indirect (extended) clan member.* Honor: +1d6 (for direct marriage) or +1d3 (for indirect marriage) After one full year of marriage, recieve: Skills: +1 Stewardship, +2 Religion (Zoroastran) Traits: +1 to all Zoroastran Virtues Passions: Loyalty (Persian King) +1 Directed Trait: Suspsiscous (Byzantine Romans) +1d3