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→Part 2 Of Guelfes and Gibelins
He knows someone who knows someone who has a big favor from the Sultan and could call it in.
'''**TODO : Modify Episode 5 and 4, the symbol is an abraxas with ten crowns.**'''
'''**TODO : When they read the text, they understand that it is the secret to the philosopher’s stone and they have some kind of a proof of it using a dark feat.**'''
'''**TODO : Along with the scroll, there was a relic from an unknown person (it is actually the hand of Jannes or Jambres or the king of Iram, decide one more meaningful) this relic is a black clay hand, inside there’s a squeletal hand. The name is written on it but in a special language, special knowledge to know whom it is.**'''
'''**TODO : Make more references to this black squeletal hand.**'''
'''**TODO : At some point Roncelin is angry against the king figure who seem to chase him so he throws the black hand on the ground and the black clay breaks, revealing a skeletal hand inside.**'''
===Conquest===
In the process Barral lost all his lands, but now with the help of an envoy from the emperor himself he intends to get his lands back. And to hell with excommunication.
'''TODO : Add before'''
During the long voyage, Roncelin seemed obsessed with the skeletal hand.
He spends hours and hours locked in his room making strange drawings and carving things on the hand.
Once you surprise him and quickly see that he is drawing lots of characters and lots of skeletons.
He speaks to himself A LOT.
As soon as he arrived in Provence, he spent two entire days going from shops to shops and spending a fortune in different craftmans. He made ver substancial order at lots of shops, you don’t know what.
The Comtat Venaissin is under strong Templar influence. That’s why Barral need Roncelin’s help.
Of course by default the templars are Guelfes especially in the Comtat Venaissin which belongs to the pope, but it’s up to Roncelin to sway them in direction of the Gibelins.
Explain to the players about Guelfes and Gibelins if they do not already know what this historical fight is about.
===The Secretum Templi===
The Commanders of most strongholds in the Comtat Venaissin are done with the Pope who is trying to replace them.
Roncelin helps organise a secret meeting between them where they meet in secret in Montfort-sur-Argens
Are present :
Templars : Robert de Samfort the procurator of England as a visitor the Emperor asked him to join because is a well known Gibelin; Roncelin de Fos; the Commander of Montfort-sur-Argens; the Commanders of : Cavaillon, Châteauneuf, Avignon, Orange, Roaix, Richerenches, Bompas
Plus a lot of unnamed Templars from all around Europe.
Non-Templars : Barral 1er des Baux, Taurelli de Strata (the envoy of the emperor)
In total they are XXX including the players.
'''TODO : XXX = How many bones in a human hand ? Should be that many people present including the players.'''
Each Templars enter one by on the Temple. Only the players which are actual Templars (not sergents) can be part of this scene, there others are outside but they can listen.
if none are Templars, then one player is present.
The Templar Guardian of the Threshold hold his blade on his chest asking for the password.
"Give me the first word and I will give you the second" says the guardian of the Threshold.
Each persons says "Basileus"
Then the Guardian says "Philosophorum"
Then they reply "Metallicorum"
And one by one they enter this way.
One by one they are called by the Commander of Montfort-sur-Argens and they have to sign by getting up then placing their right hand on their left shoulder "Present, Commander"
(Actually call the players one by one)
"My brothers, since we form the circle and the number, I declare open the council of the Temple of Montfort-sur-Argens."
Roncelin opens his hood and knocks the table three times with his index and middle finger.
If anyone wants to speak they need to say : "Brothers, I wish to speak."
Roncelin starts : "Brothers, I wish to speak.", then the Commander allows it :
He explains that the problem is : the nobles are clearly in favor of the Count of Toulouse, so is the people. But the pope is literally the master of the order of the Templars, so they have to follow his orders, what can be done ? Also the emperor is willing to bring much ressources.
Roncelin explains about the scroll that he found. And he is certain that he can create the Philosopher’s stone and he shows proof. Which would definitely give them power over to change everything.
He proposes to create a secret order within the order, the Secretum Templi. Who’s goal will be to create the philosopher’s stone in order to bring down the pope and create a new world order were the templars are free from the Pope’s influence.
Action : Any meaningful Feat to convince the audience or a Miracle. But they will not be convinced by words alone.
The Commander of Avignon get up and he is very upset, he think all of this is madness.
What to do ?
Action : They have to assassinate him discretely and make it look like an accident. Or any other meaningful Feat.
That’s how the Secretum Templi is created.
'''Music : Danse Macabre loop only for this scene in particular'''
Roncelin has been preparing for this day for a long time. He distributed to everyone a little piece of Bone with drawings and letters on it.
When assembled all those pieces of bones reconstitutes the hand and it forms an Abraxas with written Secretum Templi.
This abraxas has then horns and ten crowns.
'''TODO : Show a figure of what the Abraxas looks like.'''
The goal being that each individual can use it as a seal and send documents to each others, but they have to be together for most important decisions.
Then all of those splinters of bones need to be hidden away, so he distributed to everyone a different object, for Barral it is hidden inside his sword.
The players see distributed a coin, a sword, a chesspiece etc…
He distributed to all of them a little card with a character dacing with a skeleton.
Barral Receives a Sword, a card with an emperor dacing with a skeleton and his codename will be “The Emperor”
Roncelin’s codename will be “The Pope”
Explain to the players that all Medieval Danse Macabres where a series of drawings of different characters dacing with a skeleton, starting with the Emperor and the Pope.
In real life they see that the journal they are carrying indeed had a hidden compartment but it’s empty.
If the players were a Templar because they had a certain Bone item, for example if a player was a Templar because he had the Bone Coin, then Roncelin gives him a silver coin that contains a piece of bone with the Abraxas engraved on it.
When they receive this item, they gain one more Feat. (e.g. instead of having 6 Feats from their normal Character, they have 7)
Thus the players understand the origin of the conspiracy and the ten crowns.
The book doesn’t say about all the types of objects who were distributed.
At this moment, all players which have a Bone Item realise that they can slide open their bone items and there’s a little piece of bones from a hand hidden in it.
They sign their first document together on a big black wax seal by putting all their seals together. They swear the oath of the ten crowns to create this Secretum Templi and if they die their own bones will serve to hide the seals so that even in death they will keep working towards this goal.
'''TODO : Make the actual oath based on the sercret rules of the templars'''
As they do that, the lights seem to fade and they all start dacing in a long dance each with a skeleton between them and this dance will last for hundreds of years and kill more than half of europe.
===Pernes===
In this city, the populace is firmly in favor of Barral, but the real power lays in the hand of the guild, and the head of guild much rather prefer to trade with the House of France rather than the weakened empire.
The Templar presence is strong there.
Action : Any meaningful way to sway the heads of guild or simply have them assassinated. Alternatively, the templar presence is strong there, they can have the goods of the guild repeately attacked by bandits to sway them.
===Monteux===
In this city, the population is very much in favor of Barral and refused to pay the dime, they have been excommunicated by the Archbishop enemy of Barral.
But they can’t go against the Pope more because they already have been excommunicated.
The Templar presence is weak there.
Action : Any meaningful way to sway to population or to sway the Archbishop (they can only meet him once, after that he will refuse to meet them) or the Templars pay the dime for them or they let the population pray in a nearby Templar church which is not excommunciated then they have to bribe someone next to the Archbishop to remove the excommunication.
===Malaucène===
In this small city, they are still very clearly and openly Cathars, and thus the church will never allow this city to return to Barral and they are this close to simply excommunicating the churches themselves and the entire population. This could easily trigger an inquisition run in the city.
Action : Any meaningful way to make the city appear good Chrisitan or they could use some templars to make a fake inquisition and burn the last Cathars. Pretending to have cleansed the city.
The Castle of Mornas is one of the last big obstacles for Barral, he doesn’t have enough support to get it without force.
===1236 Siege of the Castle of Mornas===
In 1236, Barral starts the Siege of the Castle or Mornas.
'''TODO : Understand more about what happened at this siege, assuming they managed to pass the gates by stealth.'''
The Siege could last for a long long time. They have to find a smart way to pass the gates.
Action : Any meaningful way to pass the gate or in the castle there’s a Templar spy that can leave open the secret door.
As they are inside the castle, the fight rages on in the streets.
Action : Combat (battle)
They are now at the foot of the main tower of the Castle, a lot of soldiers took refuge inside. They could last forever inside.
Action : Any meaning feats to enter the tower or just brute force in the tower stairs, Combat (duel) then Combat (skirmishes)
Once the siege is complete, Barral is excommunicated by the Archbishop of Arles
'''He says : TODO “Tous les excommuniés sont mes amis” BArral Quote'''
'''TODO : Add more references to barral and the crows. More references to Episode 5'''
When they return from the battle after the excommunication sentence is pronouced, the next day their soldiers are covered in Boils and can’t fight anymore.
That’s when the chaplain starts to be terrified, he says :
**Exodus 9:8-10**
"Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 'Take handfuls of soot from a furnace and have Moses toss it into the air in the presence of Pharaoh. It will become fine dust over the whole land of Egypt, and festering boils will break out on people and animals throughout the land.' So they took soot from a furnace and stood before Pharaoh. Moses tossed it into the air, and festering boils broke out on people and animals."
Clearly the lord is against us !
Roncelin kills him to shut him up.
=Part 3 The City of the Pillars=
