But lo’ do the Troll Lords have even more wondrous treasures for

The Year of the Troll
Troll Lord Games’ first anniversary rapidly approaches and it has
been a truly invigorating and wild ride. We debuted at GenCon
last year with a set of universal fantasy roleplaying products:
three adventure modules, and a campaign setting with an accom-
panying map. Good, solid meaty products one and all, but no one
had any idea who we were. Most people passed by our booth and
thought, “Who the heck are those ugly mugs?” Then they swiped
a couple of our FREE promotional dice with the deft skill of a
six-fingered dwarf.
When the “d20 System” became official, we were poised to jump
aboard. It had been our plan all along. Just as our first d20
adventure was heading to print, we teamed up with Fiend Games,
a young, up-and-coming company, and became their publisher.
All copies of our respective modules, A Lion in the Ropes and
Galal’s Grave, that shipped to our worldwide distributors sold out
in less than five weeks. (Although we do have copies secured in
our treasure chests if any trolls are looking for them!)
We followed with the even more successful The Malady of Kings
and Dzeebagd: Under Dark and Misty Ground. Our next module,
Felsentheim: Dogs of War, ships in just a week or so. Even more
exciting is The Codex of Erde, our 200+ page hardback campaign
rulebook /sourcebook with everything you want to know about
our official campaign world, The World of Erde. You d20 trolls
are gonna love it when it hits the stands in August, just in time for
our 1st anniversary. Crunchy, crunchy, crunchy bits with lots of
marrow.
you in year two! First up, The War of Thorns from Fiend Games
— a complete campaign adventure series that will take your
characters from levels 1-10. You will love the cover by Paul
Carrick, rendered in his trademark style. (By the way, check out
Fiend Games new website at www.fiendgames.com)
Next, in case you were hiding under a rock from passing giants
and missed the herald’s trumpet, comes The Canting Crew from
the father of roleplaying himself, Gary Gygax! Gary returns to
the game he created with a sourcebook for use by DMs and
players alike. Using the fantasy-medieval city of Ludnum, Gary
details the criminal underclass and their place in a city-society.
Lots of goodies for DMs to incorporate into their games, and bits
and flavor for players to use with their roguish characters. You’re
going to find maps, a cant dictionary, signing dictionary, details
of city life, prestige classes, rogue equipment, and more, all in the
Gygaxian style you love.
And the surprises will not stop there. You’ll hear more in the
coming weeks, but look for news regarding an extra special
addition to The Codex of Erde, a new series of d20 sourcebooks,
and the appearance of previously unannounced adventure
modules before you can blink. Be sure to keep tab on everything
at our recently updated website, www.trolllord.com, now with
interactive message boards and a retailer locator. And of course,
you will always find the latest TLG news and informative gaming
articles right here in The Seeker.
Until next time, good gaming! Oh, and by the way, be sure to
stop by our booth at Gen Con and swipe our new, FREE Troll
Lord dice.
~~ Troll Lord Mac

Table of Contents
Welcome to The Seeker! This is our own in house Vol. 2, Issue 2
newsprint magazine that carries reviews, articles,
stories, RPG news etc etc. For letters to the editor, Letters & Reviews page 3
Gary Gygax refutes
submissions, or simple questions and comments
“Crossed Bows”
please contact the editors at seeker@trolllord.com Game Master’s Theatre page 4
Always Role-Play in
Character
The Seeker: Journal of Intrepid Adventuring, Troll Lord Letters continued page 5
Games, and their logos are Trademark and Copyright 2000, Women & Gaming page 6
2001, Troll Lord Games, LLC. All Rights Reserved. All Living Life on the
characters, character names, and places herein and the Other Side
distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks of Troll Lord The World of Inzae page 6
Games, LLC. This material is protected under interna- History & Myth
tional treaties and the copyright laws of the United States The Angry Gamer page 7
Change or A Pocket
of America. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the
Full of Arrows
material contained herein is prohibited except for purposes Historical Footnotes page 8-9
of review. Material published herein does not reflect the Objections to Ignorance:
opinions of Troll Lord Games or its staff, who are not A Look at Early Medieval Scholasticism
liable for the opinions expressed herein. Products men- A Tale of Erde page 10-11
tioned or appearing in ads herein are trademarks and Of Daladon, Ephremere
copyright by the companies that publish those & the Unicorn
products. Volume 2, Issue 2, June 2001. Printed in U.S.A. TLG Catalog page 12

2
 Trolls & Scrolls
Letters, Reviews and other Nuggets
The following are a few letters from subscribers. Lets get to it.
Hello again. Sorry about the trouble with sending me The Seeker
(Grrrr damm hotmail).
Anyway, I’ll keep this short, I know you’ve got better things to do
than read pages and pages of my email.
Dont worry, I downloaded it from the URL you gave me. I had a
good read, and quite frankly, I found it incredibly refreshing.
In Vol one, you stated that the aim was to recreate that incredible
feeling of anticipation when you would run down to the local
games shop to grab the latest issue of whatever you were gonna
buy, slam down some stale crumpled notes and then belt it back
home to rip it out of its wrapper and devour the contents. I think
you have pretty much done it.
I thought that the articles you had were nice and varied. I’ve had
many a late night were I end up re-reading one of my old game
manuals instead of reading some RPG magazine that has ended
up as 40 odd pages of the repetition. In other words, the varied
content is a reason to keep reading.
The main problem was that there was only 8 pages of it. I know
time constraints mean that it is hard to produced it into a larger
page count, but perhaps later on you could beef it up with adding
a few articles by freelancers. Other than that, I loved it (especially
the articles for GM’s, as I am a regular GM myself).
Keep up the good work, I look forward to the next issue!
Leon Goodbody
Leon, Thanks for the kind words. When the mag was originally
conceived it was to recapture the days of basic and first edition.
You remember, when you first encountered an orc at a gaming
table! Then the thrill and mystery was paramount! I had no idea
what was going on back then. But I digress, as The Seeker
matured we decided to add articles that could help us at TLG
focus ourselves on the game and its creation. It’s a constantly
evolving project. This issue, as you’ve no doubt noticed, we’ve
added 4 more pages and an actual cover! Hope you enjoy it as
much as the last one. And remember, we are interested in
anything you folks have to say . . . well, almost anything. LoL
~~Steve
Look for Troll Lord Games products at your
local retailer (if they don’t carry us, be sure to
ask them to) but if all else fails, check us out at
www.trolllord.com June releases: “Fesentheim,
Dogs of War” part III in the Death in the Treklent
series, d20 module. ON SALE NOW! Look for
The Codex of Erde, coming in August/September
this year!!!!!
3
We had two responses to the article, “Crossed Bows, A Look at
the Longbow and Crossbow.” Both are from very interesting
quarters. A subscriber from Wales and the esteemed Mr. Gygax
himself.
Dear Stephen,
I enjoyed the magazine, but for one thing. The English did NOT
invent the longbow. That was a Welsh invention, just as the
"English" archers of the Middle Ages were in fact Welsh.
(Something which the English themselves seem to forget.) (Sorry,
but as a patriotic Welshman I get annoyed by this.)
All the best,
Zoltán Dery
Dear Editor:
Your comments on games existing for fun, and fun is for people,
thus games = people, are well founded. This is something I have
been trying to get across for years. The exposition you presented
in THE SEEKER, Issue 1, should be taken to heart by all in-
volved in the RPG hobby.
The eight pages of the zine were packed full of interesting
material. I read and enjoyed if from cover to cover. Of course I
found something with which I strongly disagree.
Your championing of the crossbow in “Crossed Bows” is co-
gently written, but it ignores many important matters in regards
the longbow—and its cousins. Allow me to elucidate:
First, the longbow is a Welsh weapon that was adopted by the
English after the Norman Conquest.
Next, and of critical importance in any study of the weapon,
training to use the weapon began when a boy was around age
seven years. As the young archer grew, a new bow of the same
height as he would be supplied. When at maturity. the archer had
to continue practicing regularly. Also to maintain the ability to
ply the longbow, the archer had to be kept well-fed. Thus
longbowmen were elite amongst footmen in a military force, were
paid more than the others too.
Target practice took place at “bowshot.” That distance was 220
yards, a furlong. The target wastypically a man-sized butt of
wood. It was expected that an average, able longbowman would
hit this target seven out of 10 times. When pressed, an archer of
this sort could have six shafts in flight as he knocked the seventh.
Of course s7uch profligacy with arrows was rare, as the ammuni-
tion was precious. When an archer was out of arrows, that one
became nothing but a lightly armed infantryman. So arrows were
conserved, and although English longbowmen carried striking
weapons, some even having pole-arms such as the famous “brown
bill,” their main employment was to launch their missiles, that
with care. Continued on page 5
 mood at the table was lessened by the fact that the player
didn’t role-play the scene fully.
~by the able hand
of Christian Harris To wit: Fiorgyn sacrificed a bull to the norse pantheon,
stating, “Fiorgyn calls down the blessing of Odin and
Thor on the battle tomorrow.” And then, appropriately
taking form The Thirteenth Warrior, the player began,
Always Role-Play in Character “Lo do I see my father’s people...,” but failed to finish the
chant. Instead, the player held up a piece of paper with
the chant on it and told the DM, “this is what Fyorgyn
To me, role-playing at its highest level is incredibly says.” My feeling is that the player should have role-
enjoyable. It is group imagining. The creation of a story played the chant at the table in a low powerful voice. I
with several of your good friends that allows you to was waiting for it because I was going to join in, and I
become a hero. Responsibility for creating the tone of knew that if I did, the rest of the players would do so as
course depends to a large well. That would have been a inspiring role playing
extent on the DM, scene that would have fired up the players and the DM,
who must set-up ideas and would have carried over into the game itself. Don’t
that incorporate mythic get me wrong, it was still a cool scene. And heck, for
elements and epic de- those experience point junkies out there, a fully played-
signs, but the DM shares out scene is sure to get you a bushel of points.
this responsibility with
the players who must So, always try to talk in character as much as you can,
suspend their disbelief even if an ad-lib sounds a little weird. One suggestion is
and for a brief time to write down phrases or speeches ahead of the game that
transport themselves into you can rely on when it comes time to seize the moment.
the land of dreams. To Suspending the disbelief at the table can be quite hard,
accomplish this, it’s im- especially if you only see your friends once a week and
portant to be “in charac- there is a tendency for a lot of joking and catching up.
ter” as much as possible But, when people are ready to sit down and game, I
when at the table. encourage you to role-play the heck out of your character
and it will bring out the best in everyone.
One of the best ways to get players into their characters
at the start of a game is to have them describe their
character. A simple “around-the-table prologue” where
each player describes the physical traits and dress of
HFP1001
their character, peppered with bits about the characters
MSRP $34.95
habits and personality. This warm-up loosens up the An RPG by Gary Gygax! 224 pages
player and gets the brain ready for role-playing, helping
to create a character arc for that particular game session. Everything you always
wanted to know about
For example, Troll Lord Stephen set up a really cool character generation,
scene in his campaign the other night when he said that skills, combat, and
the viking warlord, Theodhad, who is the NPC brother to magic is found in this,
the PC Fyorgyn, was encamped in seige with thousands the player's guidebook
of their viking kin. The player behind Fyorgyn took the to the Lejendary Adven-
initiative perfectly and set about to rousing the host with ture.
the traditional norse sacrifice.
That was a great idea, but the effect of the scene and the

4
Continued from page 3
According to accounts of the penetration of arrows from the
longbow, at Agincourt, or Crecy, I can’t recall which now, and
possibly this occurred at both battles, French armor of the finest
sort was pierced with shocking ease. For example, a shield was
penetrated, the arrow passing on through the cuirass, to pin shield
and arm to the target’s body. Similarly, both sides of a French
knight’s leg armor were pierced, the arrow passing further into the
mount, pinning the man to his horse thus. As for being used to
kill the warhorses of the French chivalry, that is so. Note that in
Napoleonic times a similar sort of horse might sustain as many as
seven hits from musket balls before expiring. The fact that
clothyard shafts from longbows brought down such mounts, some
with barding, spells volume in regards their penetration and
killing power.

In regards to use of the longbow in defense of fortifications, not

only could these weapons be plied from battlements, but most of
the English castles of the period did indeed provide long loop-
holes for such archery.
As I recall, C.W.C. Oman, in either his monumental A History of
the Art of War in the Middle Ages, or possibly in A History of the
Art of War in the Sixteenth Century, noted that the longbow as
overall a more efficient weapon than the “brown bess” musket. It
was more accurate in the hands of a trained archer, had a longer
range, and a higher rate of fire. Either King Henry VIII or Queen
Elizabeth I sought to bring back the longbow to the English
armed forces. The attempt failed because of lack of trained
persons and the projected cost of training and maintaining such a
force.
The crossbow was, in fact, much the same sort of weapon as the
arquebus and later musket. It could be furnished to untrained
troops, and after a short time of practice these men would be
sufficiently proficient to operate their arms with effect. Quite the
opposite of a longbow-armed archer.
Finally, weapons that were effectively like the longbow were used
in other places than England and the European continent (by
English and Welsh archers). The Japanese Samurai’s very long
bamboo bow was much akin to the English longbow in effect.
The Indians (Asian) used longbows, some being drawn with the
legs. Finally, there were Asiatic composite bows of long sort used
by footmen.
While a heavy, winch-drawn crossbow likely had as long a range
and greater penetration power at close range, in all the longbow
when it was in trained hands was so vastly superior a weapon to
the crossbow, that there can be no comparison. The problem was
in the numbers of trained archers able to employ the weapon, and
the maintenance of these men, not that the longbow was not
superior to the crossbow.
Regards,
Gary Gygax
Trigee Enterprises
How can I argue with Zoltan, who is from Wales, or Gary
Gygax, who is, well, Gary Gygax. Actually I can, but will save it
for another day. But, after further reading, I found some reliable
evidence placing the origin of the longbow in Wales, as they
suggested.. The regular wooden bow probably evolved over a
period of several hundred years into the length of the Longbow.
We do know that the Romans used some bows as long as 6' (this
from the Nydam excavation). We are safe in saying that the
Longbow evolved slowly over time. We have many accounts of
the peculiar makeup of Welsh longbows and archery in Wales.
From 1188 (a time when the King in England controlled half of
France), Gerald of Wales, reported that the Welsh already used a
bow as powerful as any crossbow. In a battle at Abergavenny
Castle their arrows “penetrated the oak doorway of the tower,
which was almost as thick as a man’s palm.” This and many
other accounts of the English mark the men of Wales as expert in
archery, and it is safe to assume that much of the skill of this
martial arm came from this region of Europe. . ~~ Steve
Game Review: Dzeebagd: Under Dark and Misty Ground
d20 Dungeons & Dragons
Dzeebagd: Under Dark and Misty Ground
(Troll Lord Games)
“Dzeebagd,” designed for four to eight characters levels 2 to
4, is the sequel to the previous Troll Lords Adventure “Vakhund:
Into the Unknown,” which had been for characters levels 1-2.
Dzeebagd doesn’t need to be run as a sequel, and can stand alone
if desired.
If run as a sequel, Dzeebagd is the area where the search for
the kidnapped princess from “Vakhund” is continued; otherwise,
the module provides a few other ways to bring characters and
adventure together. As the adventure’s subtitle suggests,
“Dzeebagd” involves an overland through marsh and a good, ol’-
fashioned dungeon crawl.
“Dzeebagd” is reminiscent of classic D&D adventures and
will serve as a good introduction to many of fantasy RPG’s genre
conventions for beginning players. Experienced old-timers like
myself may find it a bit predictable, but there’s a certain nostal-
gia value to dungeoneering. “Dzeebagd” does not encompass all
of the old cliches — the dungeon seems to have been designed
Conitinued on page 11

5

Living Life on the Other Side
When I was introduced to gaming by some male
friends my first thoughts were that women in the
games would be portrayed along the same stereotype –
large breasts, dumb, and vehicles of conquest. When I
entered a game, however, I found that there was quite
a different story, at least with those with whom I
gamed. Women were held in high esteem. They were
rulers, highly intelligent, and great warriors.
It was quite a shock to those men I began gaming with
when the characters I began playing were large
breasted, scantily clad sex fiends. I don’t know what
happened. I was somehow drawn to these characters.
Perhaps it’s because I lead such a stable life otherwise.
I’m married, have a job where I must be responsible
and respectable, and have a home and a child on the
way. Maybe I just want to sow some wild oats in
fantasy role-playing. I’m just tired of being a leader. I
want to be a tramp; at least for a few hours a week.
My characters are flighty, irresponsible, and have sex
with all male members of the party and most NPCs.
My conquests are not graphic (especially since my
husband sits at the table), and have no real tie-in to the
storyline. I just throw that stuff in to add a little zest
to my character’s personality. I think it helps relieve a
little tension and allows me to laugh a little. Sex jokes
are funny. Even the other female at the table will
throw in a comment or two. She is quite the gamer.
Her characters are what female legends are made of.
Perhaps some day I will tell you
about her.
So basically, gaming for me is not just about high
fantasy and adventure, political and military battles, or
treasure and conquests. Gaming for me is a chance to
live out a part of myself that I would otherwise never
show or want to show. So, now that my thirst for sex
is revealed, I’ll reserve my love for combat for another
column.
~ Laura Burns
6
And Inzae flew into the emptiness above
her world to confront the Usurpers and
cast them from the lands of her making.
But the Usurpers were strong and
numbered greatly. They battled in the
firmament for aeons beyond counting and
Inzae drew upon her mightiest strengths
and greatest beguilements destroying one after another of the
rebellious lords. Inzae, with victory near at hand, flew into their
midst and laid waste to many. Yet, at the moment of victory,
when her mind and will were bent to one end, she failed to note
Hiimdel climbing higher into the skies.
Hiimdel, the protector and guardian of the way, gathered the stars
and the wastes of Inzae’s creation into massive heaps and began
casting them down upon her. These massive balls of fire and
tremendous weights of stone collided with her magnificent
raiment, shattering and splintering her hide. Dismayed and
confused, having never felt pain or suffering, nor ever even the
slightest break in her hide, Inzae fled back to her realm to
regather her strength.
But the Usurpers would not let her rest and hounded her even into
her fortress, while Hiimdel never relinquished his terrifying
barrage. The fight continued amongst the width and breadth of
the fortress till it was pounded to rubble and Inzae again flew up
into the sky. Grievously wounded, she sought out and slaughtered
what she could before leaping into the firmament to face Hiimdel
and the awful rain pouring down upon her.
Yet Hiimdel had, in great secrecy in the years before the rebel-
lion, gathered the spirits of the mightiest dead and placed them in
row after row upon the bridge to his soul. It was along this bridge
that Inzae sped seeking for the heart of Hiimdel’s will and power.
And upon this bridge she first met the souls of those who had died
in the making of her world, and she was stunned and still, for the
rows spread to the
horizons of her
awareness. The souls
spilled upon her as a
vast flood, overwhelm-
ing her for the moment,
and bringing her to
ground. And in these
moments Hiimdel
reached for the greatest
of the stars and the
most tremendous of
stones to cast upon
Inzae.
Inzae, massive beyond
knowing, heaved
herself from the flood
of the souls of the dead
casting many millions
into the void beyond
the bridge where they
would forever be lost
in the abysses of time. She broke through the wall of souls
seeking once and for all to kill Hiimdel. Her time had past
though, for Hiimdel now cast down such a furious barrage that its
thunders and echoes can still be heard on clear evening night. He
had reserved his strength for the last moments and Inzae was
nearly spent before entering this final fray. The back of Inzae
splintered, her scales broke into tiny pieces, her wounds gushed
as a deluge and she fell from the sky.
But Inzae had some strength in her yet and controlled her fall
heading for the Book of Making. There she landed mightily upon
its slate pages and shattered the book causing a vast earthquake.
Then she caused a throne of fire to erupt from its center, scatter-
ing the book’s fragments to the far edges of her realm.
Inzae gathered the last of her strength and flew back into the sky
for the final time, heaving gasps of black breath as death began to
overtake her. Hiimdel was spent and stood at the forefront of his
souls, upon the bridge to his soul, hoping against all hope that this
final battle would end in his victory. But Hiimdel was anxious
and his arm could barely heft the spear at his side.
Inzae slammed into Hiimdel with a thunderous blow, knocking
him to his knees. Inzae lifted her forearm to deliver a final and
deadly blow to Hiimdel and end usurpation. Yet Hiimdel’s sister,
Todavia, had entered his will and hidden herself in the masses of
the dead and sprang forth in the guise of a mighty lion to wrestle
with Inzae. So great was Todavia’s strength and so powerful her
attack that Inzae fell from the bridge back to the realm of the
world. With him fell Todavia and they wrestled in the sky. With
a sweep of her claws the size of large mountains, Todavia opened
the belly of Inzae. Out flooded Inzae’s life, engulfing and
confusing Todavia. Inzae fell limply towards the center of her
realm and landed with a tremendous clap into the empty plains
where once was a garden for her delight. So heavy her bulk and
so mean her fall that she broke the world, riving a deep hole in its
center. The eruption of earth settled back upon her, burying her
deep under the world. The shape of the world changed and the
cold waters of the Outerzae began to course new rivers towards
the center of the world, filling this vast hole.
Todavia fell to the world, blinded by the blood of Inzae and
landed upon a sharp spire, a remnant of Inzae’s vast palace, and
there she split asunder. But her halves, infused with the blood of
Inzae and the will for life gave birth to the twin aspects of her
being, Law and Justice. They arrived as twin wolves and named
themselves Miletus and Secenia. They lapped up the blood of
Inzae and ate fresh the meat that surrounded them.
The world was freed of Inzae’s yoke and the dwarves and the men
and the elves and the sundry beings that were held within Inzae’s
grasp broke their chains and wandered into the lands which they
had so long tended. The men first came to the wolves and the
first Kingdom of men was established and named Todavia. The
dwarves scattered far and wide seeking egress from a world in
which they had no founding. The elves, few in number and cut
off from the source of their power, scattered and hid themselves
in the forests and glens in the loneliest spaces of the world to
ponder their fate.
7
Change
or
A Pocket Full of Arrows
Apparently everything is
about change. Things must constantly be changed for
better or worse. I am certain whether changes are
supposed to be refreshing or just something different.
In this case, I am talking about the bow’s rate of fire
change in Third Edition.
What do you think has suddenly brought about this
change? Do you think that archers have become
increasingly slower in the evolution of the gaming
industry? Since I began gaming, this one aspect was
constant. When using a bow in
first/second edition sessions,
your rate of fire was two per
round. It has always been my
understanding that in melee
combat the number of attacks a
player gets is established by 1)
opening left by an enemy or
opponent, or 2) or the players
level and experience.
When using a bow, player char-
acters have enjoyed being able to fire two arrows per
round. Realism is definitely brought into effect with
this rate of fire. Now, in missile combat, one is not
simply waiting for an opening to appear in an
opponent’s defenses. The idea is to pummel an enemy
with as many shots as possible. The true shots will
take their toll, armor or not. Also, when player char-
acters are using bows, they are normally removed from
melee combat. True, there are exceptions to this point.
But, these instances are up to the GM’s discretion.
Now, the rate of fire issue from First and Second
Editions has fallen under the scrutiny of the new rules.
Why lower the number of shots to one per round?
What is the rationale? It would be understandable if a
player character was attempting a “called shot,” or a
shot at a particular point on an enemy or an item. But,
as it goes, it is really pointless, no, senseless to change
the rate of fire of the bow. Third Edition has made the
player character much more powerful than before.
This small adjustment will not help even things out.
~~Todd Gray, One Damned Angry Gamer
 Objections to Ignorance:
A Look at Early Medieval Scholasticism
The “Dark Ages” is a period
portrayed in book and film as a
time when Europe suffered the
yoke of ignorant men. An age in
which technological and scien-
tific advances ground to a halt, when Europeans became mired in
constant warfare, and became servants to a dogmatic religion which
rejected the ‘wisdom’ of the ancients. Generally this term refers to
those centuries from the fall of the Roman Empire (roughly 476) to
the turn of the millennia (1000), or even beyond to the Renaissance.
Regardless of the time framed, the term “dark ages” is a misnomer.
There was no dark period in European history in which men ceased
to read and write, to study philosophy or to explore the world around
them. At best, short periods of extreme upheaval contained in
particular regions, can be identified, and these periods interrupted
the intellectual endeavors of both men and women and made the
transference of ideas difficult at best. In fact, the centuries from the
fall of Rome as a power in the west to the Renaissance were lively
times, filled with men of letters, who wrote prodigiously, exchanged
ideas and explored the philosophies of a new religion in all its varied
facets.
Rome was not built in a day, nor did it fall in a day. It took the
western portion of the Roman Empire several centuries to collapse,
and in truth her well established institutions never did. The Roman
nobility, largely Christian, ran a vastly complicated bureaucratic
machine. They collected taxes, dispensed justice and supplied the
Legions with food, lodging, recruits and equipment. Eventually,
churches became an intricate part of this process. As clericals
assumed the day to day administrative tasks, the various churches
became more influential in the education of the nobility.
Christianity became the glue of the foundering empire.
As the wealth of the Western Emperors declined so did their ability
to maintain the Legions, the main pillar of Imperial authority in all
the far flung regions of the Empire. Their inability to do this led to
the eventual diffusion of power from the Imperial throne and the
Roman Senate to the local magistrates and Roman nobility. The
bureaucratic machinery, long in place, did not disappear. Rather, it
ceased serving the power in Rome and became more localized. The
local nobility failed, however, to replace the Legions with any kind
of coherent military power, relying upon outside forces for
protection.
Consequently militarily powerful Germanic barbarians (this too is a
misnomer, many of these Germans were educated in Roman
institutions) were able to integrate, and in some cases conquer, the
established local authorities with relative ease. The Germans filled
the power vacuum left by the Emperors. They did not command the
economic wealth or the military might of Rome and were therefore
unable to establish very large “kingdoms.” In fact, their kingdoms
often reflected the size and shape of Roman administrative districts.
A complicated arrangement of power sharing quickly evolved
throughout western Europe. The Germans supplied the military
might for local Romans, who in turn supplied the bureaucratic
8
machinery necessary to the administration of the new kingdoms.
These bureaucrats were products of the only viable institution which
remained capable of expending its resources on educating and
training an elite, the Christian Church.
In many respects the fall of the Empire allowed the power of the
early Christian church to blossom. The papacy in Rome, and more
importantly, the monasteries, assumed the position previously
fulfilled by the Emperor in that they were the only institutions which
transcended boundaries. A common language was spoken by the
clericals, a common philosophy was adopted, and similar
approaches to administration came about. The new Germanic
nobility was forced to rely upon the church for its administrators,
historians, judges and lawyers.
Even as the secular clergy became infused with corruption and
nepotism, the monasteries became centers of learning. In the sixth
century the Roman noble, Cassiodorus, introduced to western
monasteries eastern educational principles. He established an
educational outline for Christian studies in the Introduction to
Divine and Human Readings which included studying classical
literature as well as Christian. This led to the creation of the
scriptoriums to furnish copies of older texts and libraries to house
them.
The Benedictine monasteries followed the example set by
Cassiodorus, and within the first two centuries of Rome’s fall the
monastic/educational rule had spread throughout western Europe.
These monasteries eventually added schools to their existing
libraries and became thriving educational communities. These
institutions were not simply autonomous units in a sea of chaos. The
Monastic Orders had clearly established guidelines for monks,
outlining not only their day to day activities, but their education as
well.
The international power of the monastic orders became prevalent as
early at the late sixth century. Hardly a hundred years had passed
since the Goths deposed the last Roman Emperor before Pope
Gregory I, the Great, propelled the Bishopric of Rome into the
international limelight. A Benedictine Monk himself, Gregory
strove to establish the Papacy as the preeminent power in Western
Europe. To do this he turned to the two most powerful forces in
Europe, the Frankish Kingdom and the monastic orders. Gregory
sent monks across Europe as missionaries to convert heathens and to
express the papal power. An inadvertent consequence of this
missionary work was the continued transference of the Cassiodorian
method of educational rule. The newly internationalized
monasteries were forced to abandon their esthetic principles of
hermitage and apply a more lucrative trade of Christianization and
education.
This is not to say that the monks set about educating common people
or establishing a public school system, but it did go far in
establishing an environment in which men, and in some cases
women, studied literature, history and philosophy. The theological
discussions were many and varied and dominated learning in the
early post-Rome era. Biblical interpretation was nothing new when
Luther protested the Church in Rome. From the Church’s earliest
divisions the interpretation of biblical law, religious doctrine and
church organization were constant topics of discussion. The idea of
one paramount dogmatic church is a false one. Lively and often
acrimonious theological debates were constant throughout early
medieval Europe and mirrored philosophical discussions of earlier
ages. The nature of god and man were discussed, topics not
unknown to the ancients.
The international nature of the monastic orders and the educational
emphasis placed upon the monks, many of whom went on to serve
both secular and papal governments, created an educated class of
men. There are many varied letters, histories and philosophical
tracts which highlight this. The earliest entries in the Saxon
chronicles reflect a knowledge of early Roman history in
referencing Octavian’s 56 years of rule (beginning his reign with his
rise to power in the west, 42 B.C.). This was in the year 494
(Garmonsway, Trans., The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, p. 4). In the
mid sixth century St. Columba, after converting the heathens of
northern England and Scotland, established monasteries respon-
sible for illuminating, reputedly, 300 books. Lively histories of the
earliest Kings date from Bede in England to the Gallic chronicle in
France. Most monasteries kept records of transactions as well as
local events which reflected the world within which they lived.
They were not men ignorant to writing or record keeping.
To further illustrate the importance of the monastic class in
European society one has but to glance at the governments of
reigning nobility. Einhard of Seligenstadt served both Charlamagne
and his son Louis the Pius. Einhard
was a well educated man, having
studied all the “Fathers of the
Church, but also . . . Virgil, Livy,
Tacitus, Suetonius. (Duckett,
Carolingian Portraits, p. 59). He
became the cornerstone of intellec-
tual debate which thrived at Charles’
court. Here, religion, philosophy,
mathematics and science were dis-
cussed. The visual arts, architecture
and painting were studied also, as
were poetry and literature. Witti-
cisms were exchanged as well as
sarcasm. In a poem by one Alcuin, about Einhard, we see a student’s
scorn of his teacher:
There is a house; it has a little door,
And little is the one who dwells therein,
But reader, scorn not littleness in “Nard.” (Einhard)
Einhard went on to write one of the most famous biographies of the
medieval period, his Life of Charles was as well received then as it
is today.
As today, government in the early medieval period required a strict
interpretation of laws, and the history of local tradition. Early
examples of this are the Codex Theodosianus and the Codex
Theodosiani, dating from the sixth century. Both were large
collections of Gothic laws and regulations which stipulated the
complex nature of tax collecting and hospitalitas (military
billeting). These laws were based on Roman law and Gothic
tradition and recorded in order to make the integration of Goths and
9
Romans that much easier. Complicated treatises and legal rulings
followed many disputes between the local Romans and the newly
settled Goths. Some disputes were so complicated that they took
decades to unravel (Burns, A History of the Ostrogoths, p. 172).
One must also look beyond the monasteries’ theological discussions
and the governmental legal tracts to discover a lively intellectual life
in these early years. Architecture underwent a dramatic change, one
which reflected the newly forming society of early Christianity.
Large open Basilica’s were replaced by smaller, simple buildings,
which were far more in tune with the monastic life. Small replica
basilica’s and barrel vaults dominated early churches and structures.
Castles too represented a lively form of architecture. Though
generally square or rectangle in shape, they possessed all the basic
elements of a complicated architecture, sloping plinths, arched
decorated entries and more (Stalley, Early Medieval Architecture,
p. 85.) Paintings too lost none of its Roman sophistication. Church
walls and interior ceilings, particularly in Spain, were often
decorated with murals of religious nature. The famous Book of Kells
dates from the latter ninth century, but earlier illuminated
manuscripts, such as the Book of Durrow, date from the sixth
century.
For modern man to assume that early Medieval people lived lives of
abject ignorance and failed to achieve our own levels of intellectual
enlightenment, simply reflects our own lack of understanding. If
faced with the many contentious legal and intellectual debates of the
modern era, the men and women of the early middle ages would
think that we faced nothing new or had any deeper understanding of
the world at large. They did not view their own world as one which
had fallen into a maelstrom of ignorance, but rather one which had
evolved from the hedonistic rule of tyrants who redirected man’s
energy from a religious life to a secular one. To scorn them for a
theological approach to philosophy is ludicrous, particularly when
one considers the vibrant nature of early Christianity. They stood
upon the doorstep of a new age and were not ignorant of it, and they
strove to reunite the world of Rome under the religious and moral
principles set out in their Bible. They strove to achieve many things,
but in the words of the poet Alcuin, they wanted only “that the rule
of justice may become known to all.”
~Stephen Chenault
For comments or questions contact seeker@trolllord.com
Next issue look for the first in a two part article, “The
Castle in Peace.” Followed in issue four by “The Castle in
War.”
Alas, these hills must give way some time . . . we
know that paradise lies south, even to the Great River
where they speak of the Rock! Where they speak of
TrollKon I
November, 2001
For more information contact Steve at steve@trolllord.com
www.trolllord.games
 pocket, and drove it
A Tale of Erde into the snow. Be-
~Of Daladon, Ephremere and the tween his spread hands
Unicorn and using a ring on his
finger, he called forth
a liquid magic and
The stars, glittering in the darkness over-
spread it over the twig
head, watched the passage of the Lord of Fay and the princess.
and the ground.
They danced in the uncertain light, filled with mirth and joy at the
About him he wove
couple’s passing. Ephremere, the Wonder of the World, and
incantations that hung
Daladon, Lord of Faerie rode through the forest heedless of the
like crystals in the still
stars overhead.
forest air. The snow, ground and trees about him scintillated
with the magic of his casting.
The realm of Faerie unfolded before them, and at last Ephremere,
daughter of old King Baldwin, saw the twin worlds as they lay,
Ephremere watched with wide eyes. And he saw her as she saw
one atop the other. A pixie, following the Faerie Lord’s wake,
him, a creature of Faerie. There was fear in her eyes, but calm
slipped from his own world into the mortal plane. Laughing as
too, and she trusted him.
his kind is want to do, he launched a poisoned bolt at the passing
couple. They took no heed of his misspent arrow, riding on and
For a moment she heard the sound of bells and gay laughter
away. The pixie smiled at their passing, turned to go home, but
tumbling in the winter air. Horses snorted, clopping their way on
found himself stranded in Erde. He shrugged, uncaring, for such
snow covered trails. A troop of folk passed near, she was certain.
are the folk of fay.
Ephremere caught a glance of them not far from the clearing,
passing under the eaves of the forest, richly dressed in great fur
At last Daladon and Ephremere came to a glade in the deep
cloaks and silk gowns, and jewelry of silver and platinum. They
forests of the Detmold, to a pool of icy water. Ancient oaks,
were dressed in gentle colors and rode white horses. It was a
towering like grim sentinels, watched the two in silent contempla-
marvelous company of Elves. At their head rode a Lady of
tion.
inestimable beauty and wisdom, Wenafar, Queen of Fay.
“Where are we?” Ephremere slid from the creature’s back and
The Lady paused and the company with her. She caught
looked about her in wonderment.
Ephremere’s eyes and held them. Ephremere blushed and turned
away, unable to hold that gaze for long. She stole one last glance
“We are here. Now be still.” Daladon’s voice echoed the quiet
at the Lady, who, with the ghost of a smile, rode on.
strength of the forest. He took a small forked twig from his
The ground beneath Ephremere moved and the air scintillated
Cardom’s Chromatic Corner with wild spinning crystals of snow. She spun about and saw the
Unicorn, clomping and snorting, it tromped into the clearing. She
~a collection of generic magic items & knew it came to Daladon’s call, but only because it was willing.
spells compiled by Sir Mr. Todd Gray Uncaring, the mighty steed trotted up to Daladon, stopping only
when his snout touched the Ranger’s nose. Ephremere marveled,
for in all the world of mortal men, only her father had seen the
Touch of Winter (Transmutation)
Unicorn.
Level: Druid 2
Components: V S
In Baldwin’s youth it came to him and made his life whole, and
Casting Time: 1 action
ever after had he spoken of it and sought after the creature,
Range: Touch
though never had it come to him again. Even now, the old King
Target: One plant or plant creature
lay upon his death bed, longing to relive that one moment with the
Duration: 1 round/ level
Unicorn.
Saving throw: No
Spell resistance: Yes
The Unicorn stood, tall and proud, greatest of all the world’s
steeds. Muscles rippled beneath his pale white hide. His great
Plants, plant creatures, fungus and fungus creatures are
yellow mane was a mantel of rippling gold, and his horn, long and
affected as the druid or cleric changes the season in the
spiraling turquoise, rode the beast’s brow like a crown. Within
plant’s immediate area to winter, sending the target into a
his eyes danced worlds of sorrow and pain, and time without
state of torpor. The spell affects targets of HD less than or
meaning.
equal to the caster’s level. Attacking the target awakens it,
but it is still partially affected, such that its movement and
He stood stock still before Daladon, his warm breath covered the
number of attacks are halved.
border lord’s face and shoulders, the noise of it thundered through
~Zoltan Dery him. And within him Daladon felt youth return, and the years
lessened a little. He stepped back, gazing at his hands and
wondered how his body could feel so young, while his spirit felt

10
so old. His heart beat fresh anon, but his mind wore heavy and
grew tired in his new found youth.
All about the Unicorn the world glittered. Snow light sparkled
beneath the starry sky. Every move it made was a sound distinct.
About its hooves blue sprouts sprung, and winter roses blos-
somed. Their blue stems, sprouting white petals, grew and
crawled across the ground.
The magic of the Unicorn was beyond any in the world. In its
eyes echoed cries of innocence. In his mind’s eye Daladon saw
his wife, his love, kneeling in a dress of green at a pool near his
cottage. Her hand skated the water, and she wept silently. She
had leaves in her hair, decorations of the forest children. And
about her hung the weight of the world’s sorrow, the suffering of
the drowned and death. For a moment Daladon felt the weight of
sorrow his wife bore and wondered at her strength.
Breaking the Unicorn’s spell, Daladon wove a mist of snow about
himself, the stallion and the girl. Blending the worlds of Faerie,
and of man, beast and woman, he enwrapped them, and made
them one. And the Unicorn saw the virgin and marveled at her
human beauty, the traces of unspent passion, the wonders of
youth, and her own innocence.
But Daladon’s enchantments obscured the Unicorn’s vision and
the stallion saw his mare, lost to him many years gone in the pits
of Aufstrag. And a great longing overcame the Unicorn.
In turn, Ephremere lost sight of the Unicorn and saw only a man,
tall and strong with hair as golden as the sun and a band of
turquoise on his brow. A Lord to meet the stature of her father, a
King to replace a King.
All about the clearing, on the edge of the mists, the Fay gathered.
Tiny winged sprites laughed in giddy pride. Pixies, wood nymphs
and dark faerie crept forward to see the stallion and maiden,
pulled by the force of the spell of the Lord of Faerie. With them
were countless others who came to see the marvel in the wood.
Whether beast became man, or woman became beast, the tempest
of the passion was lost to all as one became the other and the
other one. Where the Unicorn stood, a man, and where a woman
stood, a Mare. And in gentle embrace, amidst the patch of Winter
Rose, white petals and blue stems, they mated, bound in forgotten
desires. For her, love had never been and her heart was like a
field of fallow ground; his love, the Mare, lay slain in a crypt of
terror. The beauty of Ephremere, given to the world, fresh and
without raiment was pure and never had the world seen the like
before nor would it ever again. And the grace of her form was
unmarred and perfect as she loved the man, the Unicorn.
Daladon witnessed the union, and knew that from the virgin
Ephremere would come a child to rule when she no longer could.
But he saw Baldwin as well. The spirit of the that great King,
Ephereme’s father, fled Castle Aachen on the wings of the wind’s
of Fay. He rode on the back of the Unicorn. His laughter peeled
on high and all the world of man and beast knew his joy.
~fini~
11
THE CODEX OF ERDE!
THE PROMISE OF ADVENTURE &
GLORY, OF LOST TREASURE AND
POWER ARCANE.
JULY 2001
TROLL LORD GAMES
Game Review continued from page 5
for actual use rather than as a storehouse for complicated me-
chanical traps and monsters with nothing better to do but guard
treasure — but it has its share of low-level dungeon monsters to
combat GMs should read the history of Dzeebagd first; it’s
located toward the end of the module on page 38. The adventure
stands alone, but will be continued in a future Troll Lords Game
adventure, “Felsentheim: Dogs of War.”
BOOK QUALITY: The usual RPG module setup, color cover,
black-and-white interior. Maps on the inside front cover and a
two-page spread map of the dungeon in the center of the module.
Glossary of names in back. With names like “Dzeebagd,”
“Zjerd,” “Jzunad,” and “Me’enup Tan’ Meth,” this module really
should have come with a pronunciation guide to accompany the
glossary! 40 pages, U.S. $7.00.
GAMER GRRLZ COMMENTS: Most of the NPCs are male
here, except, of course, the princess to be rescued. A bit of a
cliche there, but once you’re beyond that there’s nothing in
particular in the dungeon to object to.
OVERALL FEELINGS: If you’re running for a new group of
D&D players, this is a good buy, and along with “Yakhund”
serves to introduce players to many standard D&D experiences.
It’s probably too simplistic for experienced players beginning a
new campaign, though.
Reviewed by Gamer Grrl Dru Pagliassotti
Dru is a reviewer for About.com
In the Game Room Tonight
Its hotter than hell in the game room
My body is covered in sweat
My mind is starting to wander
My clothes are sticky and wet.
I’ve griped for years to get air
and heat in winter’d be nice
Unable to afford central heat-n-air
A cheap Wal-mart fan will suffice.
If I had my way I’d be gaming
In a room that wasn’t so hot
And a bathroom here in the office
So I wouldn’t have to climb down to the pot!
But here I sit just complaining
Not listening to anything said
I think I’ll go down to get cooler
Just as soon as my character’s dead!
~~Laura Burns
Troll Lord Games’ Product Catalog

Code Product Price

1001 After Winter Dark Campaign $5.00
1002 Map to After Winter Dark $5.00
1010 The Codex of Erde (d20) $29.95 (Aug, 2001)
1101 The Mortality of Green $5.00
1201 Vakhund: Into the Unknown $5.00
1202 Dzeebagd: Under Dark . . . (d20) $7.00
1203 Felsentheim: Dogs of War (d20) $6.95
1301 The Fantastic Adventure $5.00
1401 A Lion in the Ropes (d20) $6.00
1501 Galal’s Grave (d20) $6.00
1601 The Malady of Kings (d20) $7.00

2101 Mortality of Green CD-ROM (d20) $10.00

2301 Fantastic Adventure CD-ROM (d20) $10.00
2401 A Lion in the Ropes CD-ROM (d20) $10.00
2501 Galal’s Grave CD-ROM (d20) $11.95

3001 The Canting Crew TBA (Nov, 2001)

Availability

Direct from Troll Lord Games: All products (call at

501.661.0449 or email troll@trolllord.com)

From Wizard’s Attic or your distributor: All products

EXCEPT: The new Troll Lord Games dice are coming to town,
A Lion in the Ropes (TLG 1401) these will be ancient green with gold pips and a
Galal’s Grave (TLG 1501) www.trolllord.com in place of the six. Special through
TLG only. If your name is on the Seeker Subscriber
list, I’ll send you a couple for free, you have to ask
for ‘em of course, as I’m lazy as sin.

OH AYE SO YE THINK
YOUR FUNNY EH?

Then look to your left,

whosoever can make one of
those goofs seem goofier
through word or pic then send
it to us and whoever wins we’ll
drop kick you for a free copy
of Vakhund, Into the Un-
known! And if you already
have it, then something else! If
you already have something
else then ye gets NOTHING!

12