Mare Balticum
Posted: Tue May 30, 2017 5:01 pm
This is really about gauging interest for an idea I have.
[They] "transport beaver hides, the pelts of the black fox and swords from the farthest reaches of the Saqaliba to the Sea of Rum [i.e., the Black Sea]. The ruler of Rum [i.e., the Byzantine Empire] takes a tithe of them. If they wish, they go to the Tnys river [i.e., "Tanais", the Greek name of the Don River], Yitil [i.e., Itil, the ancient name of the Volga], or Tin [variously identified as Don or Seversky Donets], the River of the Saqaliba. They travel to Khamlij, the city of the Khazars whose ruler takes a tithe of them. Then they betake themselves to the Sea of Jurjan [Caspian Sea] and they alight on whichever of its shores they wish. ... Sometimes, they carry their goods from Jurjan by camel to Baghdad. Saqlab slaves translate for them. They claim that they are Christians and pay the jizya."
885-886, Ibn Khordadbeh writing about the Rus merchants who brought goods from Northern Europe and Northwestern Russia to Baghdad
The campaign would be about a group of Varangians (Eastern Slav/Arabic name for Vikings) whose leader has set up a trading post on the banks of the River Daugava thence to the Dnieper through Kiev, and after entering the Black Sea to Constantinople.
The campaign would be broken up into years, with a trading season (when the adventures happen) and the rest of the year (when Adventurers improve themselves) a bit like Pendragon. The game would be a long term open ended campaign but with players able to come and go and only committing to a single trading mission. Potentially, it would also work with multiple keepers.
The Game would use Cthulhu Dark Ages 1st Ed.
I'm not planning on starting immediately I would just like to gauge people's interest (as well as thoughts and ideas) and if there is enough interest I'll start putting a bit more effort into the idea.
[They] "transport beaver hides, the pelts of the black fox and swords from the farthest reaches of the Saqaliba to the Sea of Rum [i.e., the Black Sea]. The ruler of Rum [i.e., the Byzantine Empire] takes a tithe of them. If they wish, they go to the Tnys river [i.e., "Tanais", the Greek name of the Don River], Yitil [i.e., Itil, the ancient name of the Volga], or Tin [variously identified as Don or Seversky Donets], the River of the Saqaliba. They travel to Khamlij, the city of the Khazars whose ruler takes a tithe of them. Then they betake themselves to the Sea of Jurjan [Caspian Sea] and they alight on whichever of its shores they wish. ... Sometimes, they carry their goods from Jurjan by camel to Baghdad. Saqlab slaves translate for them. They claim that they are Christians and pay the jizya."
885-886, Ibn Khordadbeh writing about the Rus merchants who brought goods from Northern Europe and Northwestern Russia to Baghdad
The campaign would be about a group of Varangians (Eastern Slav/Arabic name for Vikings) whose leader has set up a trading post on the banks of the River Daugava thence to the Dnieper through Kiev, and after entering the Black Sea to Constantinople.
The campaign would be broken up into years, with a trading season (when the adventures happen) and the rest of the year (when Adventurers improve themselves) a bit like Pendragon. The game would be a long term open ended campaign but with players able to come and go and only committing to a single trading mission. Potentially, it would also work with multiple keepers.
The Game would use Cthulhu Dark Ages 1st Ed.
I'm not planning on starting immediately I would just like to gauge people's interest (as well as thoughts and ideas) and if there is enough interest I'll start putting a bit more effort into the idea.