One of my PK, a very religious knight, is about to find himself unknowingly caught in feud between two witches. The knight is a devout Roman Christian but his manor consists of a mix of Christian and Pagan villages. The witches, both British Pagans, disagree as to whether or not a Roman Christian knight will be a good ruler for the Pagan villagers. They intend to set him a serious of tests based on the religious virtues: Lustful, Energetic, Generous, Honest and Proud.

Mechanically, this could obviously involve a serious of Trait tests but I want to include a heavy roleplaying element to go with them...

For instance, Lustful will involve the lord supporting, if not necessarily participating in, the annual Beltane rites. For Generous I was considering the classic "a beggar asks to fill his sack from your larder, but the magic sack holds much more than it appears" idea.

I'm not sure what to do for Energetic, Honest or Proud and would welcome any suggestions folks might have.

(apologies for this appearing multiple times, I kept getting error messages and didn't think it had posted)

One of my PK, a very religious knight, is about to find himself unknowingly caught in feud between two witches.


If he is a Christian (religious) knight, he will most likely fail Lustful and Proud tests.
If he is Chivalrous, he likely succeeds in the Energetic and Generous.
Honest is something he'd likely be 50/50 on, with probably more on the Honest side if the player gets to choose.

Energetic:
Have the village's herds be threatened by some beast. The knight needs to stand watch the whole night without falling asleep. It need not even be a real beast, just the implication of one. These women are witches, so certainly they can mimic or even summon some wolves...

Honest:
Hmm. Has the knight done something wrong? Something he would be ashamed to admit, which might cost him (upset someone, cause a duel, etc) if it comes to light? The witches would need to know about this to use it, of course. Alternatively, if the knight is as clean as a whistle, you can go the other way (a true variant might work for Modest/Proud): Have a knight (pagan, doing a favor for the witches) arrive to the court of the Christian Knight's liege lord, during some special day, like Christmas. The pagan knight praises the Christian Knight, telling a tale of how this valiant knight saved him from a terrible monster (giant, something else), which of course never happened. And then the pagan knight finishes up the tale with a valuable gift of some sort, to thank his 'rescuer'. The Christian Knight has the option of accepting the praise (Glory) and the gift (treasure), which would be Deceitful, or admit that he never did any of those things, and that it must be a case of mistaken identity, in which case he doesn't get that Glory and treasure, but is Honest. Here, the temptation is the Glory and the treasure, representing the 'cost' of sticking for Honest: it is easy to be Honest when there is nothing on the line, but will you stick to your principles if you might benefit from being more flexible?

Modest/Proud:
A variant of the above, but instead of a false story, the pagan knight is telling a true one. Alternatively, it could be as simple as a bard attending the court and singing heroic songs of the tested knight's previous adventures, and then just see if the knight gets puffed up with praise (Proud) or gets embarrassed (Modest) at being singled out (especially if it was a group effort, as most PK adventures tend to be). I'd give some extra Glory here, too: if Proud, all Glory goes to the tested knight, if Modest, he shares it with his fellow adventurers.

Energetic:
Have the village's herds be threatened by some beast. The knight needs to stand watch the whole night without falling asleep. It need not even be a real beast, just the implication of one. These women are witches, so certainly they can mimic or even summon some wolves...


I really like this one. Thanks

I'm wondering if swearing an oath would be a good trial for Honest? If so, what might be a good oath... something innocuous seeming enough that the knight would be willing to swear it, but with a large enough loophole to make it turn into a challenge.

Edit: Or perhaps is there a way the witches could use the knights oath of fealty to challenge him? (I know Fealty is a separate trait from Honest. I'm trying to think outside the box and look at what the religious traits could represent to make these challenges more than just pass/fail trait tests... with Honest including being true to your word.)

That would be more of a Honor test, though? Keeping one's word.

Honest is about telling the truth even when lying would be more advantageous. For instance, a knight of King Arthur is travelling in lands hostile to King Arthur, and a local patrol catches up with him. They demand the knight to identify himself. A deceitful knight would make up some plausible story and probably gets waved through without being hassled. A Honest one would declare himself to be a knight of King Arthur, and if that leads into a fight, even at very unfavorable odds, so be it.

Lust: Send him a pagan maiden who has been blessed by the local pagan priestess or other head of the pagan congregation (it is important a that that person be whoever the knight believes is the village head of worship) to represent the fields, game and livestock. she is a young, pretty, healthy (+1 to child birth) but very common (daugher of a cotter/very poor farmer) and has an interest in his high non religious non knightly skill. have her demonstrate high Energetic, Honest, Prudent, and Temperate four of six gentlewoman traits.

now that you have the near perfect girl (no land or dowry but hey not the point) tell him the two are to spend evening in bed together after spending the day together. to represent the joining of lord and lands. head Pagan makes it clear he isn't require to have sex with her and therefore he can't refuse on grounds of chastity(and the pagan peasant get crabby if the ritual is refuse). during the night have the maiden offer sex.

energetic: the wolves are a great idea. foxs going after the chickens work too

Generous: the local (already existing) temple/shrine could use a repair, make it clear that he isn't being asked to build one just fix a minor issue make the value small enough that it doesn't need to be track or have a financial impact. a few pennies and allowing a handful of serfs to skip work in the fields a day or to to fix ( i admit this is more is the lord not selfish vs. is the lord generous but, i would see it as an indicator to the pagans the lord can be worked with. that is the crux of the feud )

Honest: have the midwife go to one of the sheriff's bailiffs on behalf of the maiden of the fields (from the lust test) she's pregnant with the knights kid the sheriff's man interviews the knight but makes it know that the pagans will stone the girl if it's not the lord's because the means she wasn't a maiden for the ceremony and has cursed the harvest [if he didn't actually impregnate her shes not pregnant and they will not stone her either way it's all a test] did the knight sleep with her? will he be honest even though it'd mean a bastard? if he did not, would he lie to save a life?

pride:the villagers host a feast and invite the knight to eat, drink, dance and tell tales (a christian knight outght never deign to dine with the commoners) [if he accepts check folklore, maybe religion pagan, also concern commoners) if he shows have him be offered to participate in a boasting game if he takes part he passes

energetic: the wolves are a great idea. foxs going after the chickens work too


*puffs his chest up with pride* Yeah, an inspired idea, even if I say so myself.

Seriously, though, I'd use wolves (or other dangerous beasts/monsters), since you wouldn't actually need a knight to stand around to fight against a fox, now would you? Any peasant with a staff would be enough to chase foxes away. I would be giving any peasant suggesting that I guard their chickens from foxes a DeathGlare. They'd better be Giant Dire Foxes, if they need me in full armor all night.



Honest: have the midwife go to one of the sheriff's bailiffs on behalf of the maiden of the fields (from the lust test) she's pregnant with the knights kid the sheriff's man interviews the knight but makes it know that the pagans will stone the girl if it's not the lord's because the means she wasn't a maiden for the ceremony and has cursed the harvest [if he didn't actually impregnate her shes not pregnant and they will not stone her either way it's all a test] did the knight sleep with her? will he be honest even though it'd mean a bastard? if he did not, would he lie to save a life?


Oh, the problem here is that this is setting the Christian Knight for a fall. Granted, he is likely to fail the Proud and Lustful tests, too. But this one is clearly an issue between Merciful (a Christian trait, lie to save two lives, the maiden's and the child's) and Honest. Frankly, I could see even Pagan Chivalric Knights lying under those circumstances quite happily.



pride:the villagers host a feast and invite the knight to eat, drink, dance and tell tales (a christian knight outght never deign to dine with the commoners) [if he accepts check folklore, maybe religion pagan, also concern commoners) if he shows have him be offered to participate in a boasting game if he takes part he passes


Why not? I could easily mistake this for a test of Modest, humbling myself to share in the feast with my peasants, like Our Lord Jesus did with the humble folk in the Holy Land. Besides, I'd likely be dining all the time in the manor with my staff (commoners, soldiers) eating in the same hall...


As for the Lustful test, I think that was a good way of doing it. :)

The Generous test... the issue of fixing the Pagan Temple is a good one, as it not only shows that the Knight is Generous, but also that he is willing to sponsor the Pagan worship rather than try to stamp it out. I'd make it sting a bit in the coinpurse, though, rather than be something the Player will just shrug and say 'sure, why not', since it doesn't impact on the bottom line.

Reminds me of an issue that one of our (rather fervent) Pagan Knight had with his village... His father (the previous PK) had made sure that the village priest (Christian) was a drunkard who wasn't too keen on his duties. The long-term plan was to slowly convert the villagers (Christian) to paganism with that drunken priest as a bad example. However, the father died at Badon, and it was years later until the son inherited. During that time, the village priest had died away and been replaced by a rather more active priest (no doubt sent there by the local bishop to restore the villagers' faith to the Christian church). The PK started by laying down the law to the new Priest about wanting nothing to do with Christianity and that the Priest should keep a low profile. Well, a bit later, he returned to his manor to see the Priest leading an Easter procession through the village, with the villagers in tow, naturally (since they were overwhelmingly Christian). What does our hot-tempered Pagan Knight do? Jump down from his horse and punch the Priest in the face. The Priest goes down, shakes his head a bit and then stands back up... and turns the other cheek. The PK was smart enough to realize that he had just been bested in front of the whole village. :)

As for the Lustful test, I think that was a good way of doing it. :)

I like that Lustful test too.



Reminds me of an issue that one of our (rather fervent) Pagan Knight had with his village... His father (the previous PK) had made sure that the village priest (Christian) was a drunkard who wasn't too keen on his duties. The long-term plan was to slowly convert the villagers (Christian) to paganism with that drunken priest as a bad example. However, the father died at Badon, and it was years later until the son inherited. During that time, the village priest had died away and been replaced by a rather more active priest (no doubt sent there by the local bishop to restore the villagers' faith to the Christian church). The PK started by laying down the law to the new Priest about wanting nothing to do with Christianity and that the Priest should keep a low profile. Well, a bit later, he returned to his manor to see the Priest leading an Easter procession through the village, with the villagers in tow, naturally (since they were overwhelmingly Christian). What does our hot-tempered Pagan Knight do? Jump down from his horse and punch the Priest in the face. The Priest goes down, shakes his head a bit and then stands back up... and turns the other cheek. The PK was smart enough to realize that he had just been bested in front of the whole village. :)


That is just perfect. :)

Do you have a back-up plan for What you will do if he finds he is being made a catspaw by a pair of Pagan witches and voids the tests either by declining to be tested, or by Straightly enjoining the witches not to presume to judge his right on pain of displeasure or death. ?

Just thinking on how some of the very religious knights of my acquaintance have dealt with witches of all stripes in the past... :)

Do you have a back-up plan for What you will do if he finds he is being made a catspaw by a pair of Pagan witches and voids the tests either by declining to be tested, or by Straightly enjoining the witches not to presume to judge his right on pain of displeasure or death. ?

Just thinking on how some of the very religious knights of my acquaintance have dealt with witches of all stripes in the past... :)


Yeah, actually I have... in that instance, he will have proven to the witches that he cannot be a good ruler for the pagans, so the witch who wants to drive him out wins. Which means she gains Power over the area including his manor and finds himself facing a peasant uprising, supported by supernatural animals and local faeries, all led by a very powerful and angry witch.

Fortunately, his companions include knights and ladies sympathetic to the pagans so I expect he'll play along and even stands a chance of passing the trails which would ordinarily be very difficult due to his religious traits.

Fortunately, his companions include knights and ladies sympathetic to the pagans so I expect he'll play along and even stands a chance of passing the trails which would ordinarily be very difficult due to his religious traits.


Of course, if he even succeeds in MOST of the traits, shouldn't he still be a 'winner'? That should be much easier for a Christian than to succeed in EVERYTHING.

Fortunately, his companions include knights and ladies sympathetic to the pagans so I expect he'll play along and even stands a chance of passing the trails which would ordinarily be very difficult due to his religious traits.


Of course, if he even succeeds in MOST of the traits, shouldn't he still be a 'winner'? That should be much easier for a Christian than to succeed in EVERYTHING.


Oh yes, absolutely. I expect him to fail some but if he manages most, he'll prove himself.

Still stumped on what to do for Honest...

There were a couple of suggestions for Honest, earlier...

There were a couple of suggestions for Honest, earlier...


Yes, and I thank you all for them. I know, it sounds ungrateful... just, for Honest, none of them have struck a cord for me. He hasn't done anything I can think of that he would inclined to lie about, he wouldn't claim Glory that wasn't his due, he wouldn't lay with the lady of the fields nor lie about it afterward.

Then again, since he is so Honest, and since he is likely to struggle with several of the other challenges, maybe it's OK to make this one a "gimme." I think I'll go with that.

Thanks! I really do appreciate all the input.

Still stumped on what to do for Honest...


First, don't tell him what virtue he is being tested for beforehand.
Just say, "It's a test."
If he fails at one, for the final test tell him, "If you have succeeded at every test you will pass. Did you pass them all?"
see if he tells the truth or lies.

I want to thank everyone again for their input. It was a great adventure. Our knight managed to succeed on the Energetic, Generous and Honest without much trouble. He managed Lust on a technicality (he danced at Beltane, then passed the Lady of the Fields off to bed his squire) and failed Pride in a big way. Still, success enough and coupled with a lot of good roleplaying, he actually managed to convince the pagan witches that he could be a good ruler for their people.