The Last Crusade

[Iron Templar]

Exile

This quest is being migrated to QQ as a result of it being Yeeted from SB by Illiterate savages who apparently neither understand history, nor what words actually mean. Alas for them, and their efforts I possess more brainpower than your average ketamine infused squirrel and saved all of the quest on a separate document before they blocked my access to my own thread which they locked.
So for a little while I will be reposting the turns, with some touch ups and spelling corrections. That will likely take a little while as I want to make it look nice, rather than a one to one rip. Especially as I wasn't very familiar with the Formatting of SB when I started. So, without further ado.

It is the 30th Millenium.

It is a time of legend.

Old Night is ending, and Terra burns to greet the dawn.

For five thousand years the cradle of Mankind has been entombed. Warp storms sealed the stars. The empires of the Dark Age of Technology collapsed into ash, rust, and atomic fire. Cities became ruins, picked over by carrion bands eking a meager existence. Oceans boiled or froze. The gene-stock of humanity twisted under rad-winds, chem-rain, and the unchecked horrors of forgotten laboratories. What remains is a patchwork, its mythic past only dimly recalled.

Mighty tyrants battle for the right to rule a single, ruined world.

From the Panpacific wastes to the steppes of Ursh, from the scattered sanctuaries of Yndonesia to the fortress-realms of Albia and Franc, from the jungles of Hy Brasil to the sparse highlands of Hispania, banners rise and fall with the season. Armies, raiders, relic-engines, and half-understood atomics grind one another into the dust of dying lands. Priests of rusted machines bargain with spirits they no longer understand. Psychic warlords open doors that should have stayed shut. There is no peace on Terra, only endless war.

Each names himself master of Mankind by his own proclamation, and conqueror by the might of their vast hosts: gene-bulked conscripts, tribal raiders, relic-engines, and warriors birthed in storm and vault, some with the strength of a hundred men. By fist, banner, and the gleam of half-understood artifice they seek to bind Terra — and whatever lies beyond the dying vox. Despite all their strength, it is barely enough to seize an edge in this age of techno-barbarism.

Will humanity be led into a new age of supremacy under the reign of one among them, or slink back into fire and ash, doomed to a cycle of never-ending war?

To be a man in such times is to be the surviving heir of an already fallen kingdom. To fight, kill, and die on the battlefields that shall determine the future of the galaxy.

Forget the stars. They are a distant and false memory. Forget the promise of the Golden Age, for its machines are tombs and its sciences are naught but horrors to fear or use. This is Terra at the end of Old Night: a world of warlords, relics, and doomed causes. There is no unity, or peace save what is purchased in fire.

These are the tales of those years — when one world was forced to become the throne of a species, and the Unification Wars decided whether Mankind would crawl back into the dark of endless night, or rise once more with the break of dawn.

 

[Iron Templar]

Begin Again.​

"See, I am doing something new! Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? In the desert I make a way, in the wasteland, rivers." – Isaiah 43:19​

It is the Year of our Lord 29,550. The 30th Millennium, and it is a time of sorrow, and pain. A group of Jesuits and survivors of the collapse of the Human Federation have gathered in the ruins of Humanity's cradle amidst the warring technobarbarian states. From all across Terra during this time of strife. The people cry out for a savior, some indeed believe it is the end of days. Your people are not one of these, for you were told two things about the apocalypse in revelations. The first being a series of signs of which only a bare handful may apply. The second, is that the lord said the people would not know of the end times, and to not worry about them, but instead to seek first the Kingdom of God.

In this time there are those who look back to the past to the Federation, and the Golden age of technology. There are those that look back at this time with reverence, and worship, and longing for that time to return. They do not remember the horrors, the faults, or the cracks in the very foundation. Then there are those who look back on such a time, and have naught but disdain and fear, who shun that past, and believe it would better be forgotten. Perhaps there is more wisdom in this than the other, but ignorance is a poor shield, and forgetting the past also means forgetting the lessons it taught.

Your people remember the past clearer than most. Catholicism is at its heart a scholastic faith, and part of that comes with a desire to know how everything in Creation works, and understand it as completely as is humanly possible. Part of that includes history, which your people have studiously kept records of throughout old night. May this knowledge bring clarity and inform your actions in the future.

It has been nearly five thousand years since the fall. Since Terra burned, and the galaxy was set ablaze, and then cast into darkness. Since the Federation collapsed, Xeno's turned on their once allies. Now your order has gathered, and a decision has been made. You will no longer merely attempt to preserve and hide. The time has come at last, the destruction and chaos has begun to abate, and what word you have managed to get from across the world tells you that things are at last beginning to stabilize. It is predicted by the monks that in the coming centuries there will rise warlords who will have both the strength, and capability to attempt to unite Terra once more. The worst of strategic weapons have been used, and the people rendered resistant as a result of having to contend with them for so long. The time is now coming where humanity will begin to regain its strength rather than lose or merely conserve it.

That is why it is vital that your people act. You remember the past, and you know something about what is out there. Be it one of the many violent and ruthless alien life that would see mankind enslaved, dead, or far worse. The human, yet self-destructive hand of the Technocrats, Ethnarchs, and ideologs of your own race; or the dark works of the devil no doubt working industriously between cackling at the state of God's children. Regardless you have a responsibility to God and man. To make sure that neither the old-world order which led to such devastation, nor the dark dreams of tyrants come to fruition. It is time once more to go on crusade. Perhaps it shall be our last, but we know what the alternative is, and would rather try and fail than surrender to the end. Now is the time to reunite Christendom and reclaim our birthright.

Deus Vult!
—

Your order has survived for a very long time. The church is humanity's oldest organization. It has outlived men, dynasties, countries, worlds, and species. It has been hunted and persecuted for much of that time. It has had to endure political intrigue, heresies, and subversive elements. The church has not always succeeded, and indeed it has failed in the past, it is human. However, it has endured it all, and it has thus far found its way back to the path, no matter the trouble or tribulation.

As you are the monks charged with ensuring the history is properly chronicled. We shall begin with the most basic of questions. "Where?" As in where was the orders base of operations that would be the start of the mission?

[ ] The Iberian Plateau; Once the home and heart of the great Spanish and Portuguese empires. Though different in language and temperament these two great empires would both keep to the faith and do great work to spread the word of the lord across the world. The records kept by the Spanish Empire were some of the most highly detailed in history to the point many scholars found the prospect of actually reading them rather daunting. Between the Spanish and the Portuguese. There was a time when the two nations' brothers within the church had divided the world between them through the Treaties of Tordesillas and Zaragoza, bounding the two Empire's spheres of influence along a meridian and antimeridian line.

The Iberian Plateau, although technically a part of the wider technobarbarian state of Europa, the plateau's raised position, and harsh terrain makes it naturally defensible from those of the lowlands. Which includes broader Europa should they prove an enemy of the church. The city of Madrid was the capital of the old Spanish empire, despite its central location it is not presently the regional capital of Iberia, for that honor goes to the lesser hive city of Cordesh. Which serves as a semi itinerant court of Don Luis Ramon, who serves as the regional governor for Europa.

However, it is likely given the long traditions of the people, and the suffocating nature of the Federation Remnants that the people will largely be receptive to you, baring perhaps the people of the Saragorn Enclave who little is known about, aside from the fact their people are mostly from the Barcelona region which historically have been about as reasonable, as they have been successful.

Your order is based in the Monasterio de El Escorial. Or simply El Escorial. It is one of the historical residences of the king of Spain. Built sometime between 1563 and 1584. As a former royal site. It has the functions of a monastery, basilica, royal palace, library, university, hospital, and school. Its austere location is in close proximity to the City of Madrid. The monastery also contains one of the largest reliquaries in Christendom (at least on Terra). The library contains over 40,000 volumes, including many important illuminated manuscripts. As well as a digital library in which monks saw to preserve the knowledge within hard drives and physical books.

[ ] Hymalazia; The Hymalazia, also known as the Himalayas are the tallest mountain range on the planet, even with a few terrain altering thermo-nuclear explosions. There are many places, temples, and bases could be made in this region, and surely with such natural defenses, and storied history of temple fortresses able to project power downwards. Surely nothing could go wrong in this location. (This is here for humor.)

 

[Iron Templar]

Making preparations like its the first Crusade​

"Blessed are the meek*, for they will inherit the earth" - Matthew 5:5 (Beatitudes)
​

The Iberian Plateau, aka Hispania. This is your home region for this operation. It is a region that is controlled albeit somewhat loosely by the Federation Remnant of Europa. However, the vast sand desert of the mediterranean basin, and the naturally rough terrain of the Iberian plateau makes regular communications, and news from the Europan capital in Ru'Mova, both rare, and often incomplete.

As a result of this distance, and the hazards and problems coordinating efforts into this region. This means the management and governance of this region has been delegated to Don Luis Ramon, a warlord who as his honorific suggests styles himself as a classical Spanish lord. As such he is a military aristocrat in his form. Some may uncharitably suggest that this is mere delusion on his part, but in effect it does lend him an air of civility, and gentlemanly conduct which can be rare in these harsh times. From what you know about Ramon, he is a man who is decisive, and is quick to make use of his sword, but does not seem to inherently be belligerent. (at least relative to what you would expect). The only strangeness surrounding his appointment as governor was that the Europan government insisted that he could not be appointed to the role unless he was elected by the people of the plateau. Since the Don was the man with the largest and best organized military on the plateau, the people who bothered to crawl out of the woodwork to vote; Voted for him. Either because he seemed most apparently able to protect them, or for the fact they didn't seem to have any other clear alternatives. One Spanish man quite literally remarked "who else would we vote for?"

Despite his appointment/election, neither he nor Europa as a state has the whole of Iberia under their control. Even excluding the neighboring Enclave of Saragorn. It is more accurate to say that the land they claim as theirs is within their sphere of influence instead. Firm National borders are difficult to maintain to say the least, and direct control typically only extends as far as the range of a man's rifle in these times. As such there are numerous bands of survivors, gangs, and ethnic groups that all have their own thing going on in the region, but it is without question that the largest, and most powerful man in the region is Don Ramon, and this was true even before Europa appointed him as governor of the region. Only now, he at least on paper has access to further support and reinforcements from the wider Europan state.

The lesser hive city of Cordesh is the regional capital of the plateau, and serves as the base for Don Luis Ramon's operations, it is also where his semi-itinerant court can most regularly be found. It is not as big of a city as Madrid, at least in size. It is however the city that has been properly secured, and at least in part brought online water purifiers, and waste recycling. Which has allowed it to sustain a large population, and support his troops in the field around this region, and serve as industrial support. Outside of this he maintains military outposts along the border of the plateau, with patrols around these regions to watch carefully for raiders, or potential invasions.

Our position is just outside the Hive city of Madrid at the monastery of El Escorial, Though calling Madrid a city is perhaps a stretch. The very reason it is not the regional capital of the plateau is that the city is largely a ruin. It is divided amongst dozens if not hundreds of rival gangs who fight over the scraps, and the city is massively depopulated from its height during the Federation. Indeed even a millennium ago the city was far more populated than it is now. Make no mistake though. The city contains not only valuable salvage, but if its facilities could be restored, and the city taken in earnest it could be a vital resource for future ventures.

There are two other major groups in the region whom your order has some information on the first is the Saragorn Enclave, which is set up in the area of the Saragorn city, but their territory also extends to the plateau region of Barcelona. They have largely kept to themselves, but they have dispatched their agents, and small raiding parties to collect known, or suspected psykers, and have been known to pay out bounties to people who will give psyker's up. Something that has driven several such people into the arms of your brothers and sisters at least for a time to shelter them from these hunters. What they want with these psykers is unknown, but they seem to prefer taking them alive. The why however has eluded your order to this point.
The Second group is a large gang based out of the settlement of Portu to the west in the northern part of the Spanish province of Portugal. There is a gang known merely as the chuleta de cerdo (The Pork Chops), they are known for their sand skimmers, a device that is peculiar, it seems to be an ordinary sand crawler, and yet somehow they are able to get incredible speeds out of these devices. How they are able to do this is unknown, and they are careful to not use them at their full speeds while observed, but the distances they cover happen far too fast. Leading others to conclude that they are capable of much greater speeds. However no one has been able to replicate this. The chuleta de cerdo are best known for their piracy, and raiding. They are also known for having a vendetta against Europa for reasons we can't be entirely sure of, but it probably has something to do with the Federation turning their ancestral homeland into an economic zone, and then folding it into the Spanish economic zone later on, and a number of other unsavory things which have left a cultural memory of bad feels.

GM Note: This game will alternate between Policy turns, and Strategic turns. During policy turns you will determine your overall goals, projects, laws, civics, etc. Strategic turns will be when you decide things like… Sending expeditions, military actions, diplomats, etc, etc. Policy naturally comes first.

How the Policy Turn works.
So the way this is going to work, is for parts of this quest I will have you lovely gentlemen, and ladies deciding policy. I will then make the rolls in accordance to the difficulty, kind of policy, and outcome, etc, etc. There is no technical limit to how many policies you can attempt to implement, but some of these are clearly going to require more, or less time, and effort to implement. The more policies you try to push through at the same time the harder it will be for them to succeed and the higher the likelihood they will just fail. So it would be best for you to limit your policy choices to either a few things which are important, or things that could be achieved with minimal effort, and time.
In short, don't overextend yourselves, or you will be disappointed, and I will be treating this like real world policy implementation which means. While good policies will generally do better, and bad policies will generally do worse. It is also possible for a good policy to be implemented poorly, or have trouble due to unforeseen events. Just as it is possible for bad policy to succeed in spite of itself for external reasons, or perhaps exceptional individuals carrying them out. You will thus have to watch to see how these policies pan out over time.

What are these Policies?
I am glad you asked, disembodied voice that is definitely not a sign of early onset psychosis. The policies I have listed here are a combination of policies that would be readily thought up by the members of the church, and the survivors. This does not represent all of the options. You can even suggest more options for policies, just keep it brief. If it is something that would be considered or suggested by a member of the faction it will if nothing else be added to the list for the next policy turn. Though I will mention if the policy will be reviewed by the factions within the church, and they will react accordingly.

Deciding Policy.

• Conducting a Census
  • [ ] Church Censor: (Actually a fairly traditional way of doing it. As is the church keeps detailed genealogies for their local region, and often fills outs paperwork for marriages, births and deaths. Who better to keep the Census?)
  • [ ] Census Department: (Or we could create a department more dedicated to keeping the census. It would mean they are theoretically specialized for such a task, but it would seem like their would be limited work for them.)
  • Intervals
    • [ ] Adhoch basis (The Census will be conducted whenever we feel it would be a good idea.)
    • [ ] 5 Year Census (The same system the Romans Utilized. It allows for very good information)
    • [ ] 10 Year Census (Nearly all modern states use this system. It allows the government to keep a fairly good bead on tendencies, and general trajectories)
    • [ ] 15 Year Census (Also known as a generational census. It basically puts a focus on long-term trends rather than changes over a short period.)
• Communications:
  • [ ] Courier: (Snail mail, but unlike all the others it allows the delivery of documents and packages from point A to point B. It is dangerous especially in these days, but sometimes its the only way to get something from one place to another)
  • [ ] Voxcaster (using good old fashion radios it allows you to send a signal within a certain range. Generally a fairly short one as the amount of radiation, interference, and dust make this form of communication extremely difficult over long distances. Large and powerful Radios will be required for any meaningful communication more than a few miles. At least until the situation improves)
  • [ ] Wire (The most reliable way to cut through interference is to have a hard line to whatever it is you're trying to reach. At least so long as the wire itself isn't cut.)
• Educational Policy(While your monks, and priests are still receiving the full comprehensive education. The same can not be said for everyone else)
  • [ ] Catholic Schools (reopening the old schools to allow kids who are not already preoccupied with other work and activities for their family)
  • [ ] Literary Schools (While opening a general academy or university is impractical, as is trying to educate every person, and survivor. We can focus on teaching people how to read and write, and this would provide a gateway to general improvement, both in their overall capability and they may even use this ability to learn additional skills by reading books, and manuals)
• Foreign Policy:
  • [ ] Missionaries: (As was the time of old, we can send out Missionaries to establish missions, spread the good word, reunite with our fellow brothers and sisters of Christ. Through these efforts we can even begin to establish relations with others and gain some information about what is occurring.)
  • [ ] Diplomats: (Brothers can be dispatched to make contact with, and establish relations with the other polities. This establishes basic level of information, and can help us to know who is out there, and their perspective. )
  • [ ] Spies: (We could send out scouts to seek, and find locations, people, and places of importance with the express purpose of gathering intelligence which can hopefully be meaningfully acted upon. This would be far from anything truly clandestine, but honestly most of spywork has historically been about this more than anything else.)
• Governmental Policy
  • [ ] Direct Theocracy (There is a historical president for the Church directly governing its own territory. We could decide for the kingdom to be not only in spirit but exist on the material as well.) (In the modern day the church is actually still like this; it's just mostly managing property like an international organization rather than territory.)
  • [ ] The Holy Roman Empire. (The HRE was an ancient state that was often misunderstood by many within popular fiction. Regardless it was an empire that lasted a millenia, and did so in a time before fast communications and travel. It could be used as an effective model that would both respect compatible local cultures and customs, and provide a strong sense of unity from which could easily be expanded and built upon.)
  • [ ] Federated Christian Republic. (Inspired by the old Swiss cantons, and italian city-republics. Organizations like this do require immense amounts of basic education, and a semi homogeneous culture. Without those they tend to become either paralyzed or tear themselves apart. Still if the groundwork is laid we could make use of it.)
• Psyker Policy
  • [ ] Approve and Allow all Psykers (Yeah, lets just allow all Psykers in and accept them with open arms. It should be fine.)
  • [ ] Church Sanctioning of Psykers (Psykers who meet certain criteria of the church can receive official sanctioning.)
  • [ ] Ban all Psykers from Reliquaries and libraries. (Given psykers occasional instability making them stand outside of the range of church relics and books might be wise.)
  • [ ] General Ban of Psykers: (While we are not going to cast them out of society for something they simply cannot help. We cannot encourage the use of psykery, and must strictly enforce our laws against those who act out with their usage of them.)
  • [ ] Drive Them Out! (Generally not a very popular policy among the catholics though it is one the people who are deeply afraid of psykers could get behind. The church however, has never historically been a fan of burning witches, and has broadly stood against it in nearly all instances. Oftentimes the church acted as a higher authority that would prevent these atrocities from happening. As such driving them out is not a popular decision within the church.)
• Law Enforcement:
  • [ ] Night Watchmen (Instead of a formal police force, pulling from Anglo Saxon common law. Wary of creating a standing police force, the Anglo Saxons incorporated a tradition known as the Vigilante. Whereby volunteers would watch for crime, and enforce good order. Whenever the vigilantes proved inadequate in the face of rampant crime. The citizens would band together, and enforce the law upon the lawless.)
  • [ ] Sheriff's office (A formal office of law enforcement is established on local levels by which a small force of Sheriffs and deputies will combat crime, and maintain order. Similar to the night watchmen system the sheriffs have the ability to enlist the help of volunteers on a case by case basis to deal with larger problems)
  • [ ] Police Department: (Local police departments can be established to formally assemble a professional police force, this force would typically be drawn from people who live in the region.)
  • [ ] Federal Department: (A centralized police force that would answer directly to the The central authority)
  • [ ] Military Police: (Given the hard times, you could opt to just straight up have the military police the public and enforce the law. Provided they are actual MPs for the military they may incidentally be less belligerent as a result of being used to dealing with armed, military aged men on the regular.)
• Military & Warfare
  • [ ] Organize a Militia: (We could organize those armed among the faithful, and introduce training and drill to create a force that is better able to defend ourselves from raiders, and warlord armies. This could lay the foundation for a levy force which can be pulled from in future.)
  • [ ] Recruit Temple Guard: (Our defense has mostly been carried out by our own priests, and monks who have elected to become skilled with weapons much like Saint Peter)
  • [ ] Scavenging Arsenals: (The devastation unleashed upon Terra was great, a deluge of fire that engulfed the world. Consequently it means that a great many arsenals and caches were never found, or kept track of. We have in our possession records of these old armories. It perhaps could be worth checking out to see if anything of use could be found there.)
• General Strategy
  • [ ] Fortress Monastery First: (Focus of Fortifying El Escorial and the Immediate Madrid area before outwards expansion. In this way we shall build a castle from which the faithful can shelter, and provide legitimacy by providing protection to the people)
  • [ ] Missionary Expansion: (Aggressive, and nominally peaceful outreach, send small teams of Jesuit missionaries plus escorts to the districts of Madrid, nearby settlements, and even Cordesh)
  • [ ] La Reconquista Nueva: (The Iberian Plateau already contains a great number of people who would be sympathetic to our cause, and has historically been a bastion of faith. Securing the Iberian Plateau for Christ would grant both a clear purpose, and an excellent base of operations to jump off from.)
• Organizing the Faithful
  • [ ] Sword Brothers: (Charitable organizations tasked with security where needed in return for modest fees)
  • [ ] Order of St. Isidore (St. Isidore, aka Isidore the Laborer or farmer. Who was in fact born right here near Madrid. In honor of this saint we can establish an order dedicated to working the land, restoring it both for use in agriculture, and for the nature that existed before the fall… Of the Federation, not the garden.)
  • [ ] House of Healing: (The church has a long and proud heritage of healing the sick, and the wounded. Running many missions to cure illness, and perform lifesaving surgery. Organizing some of our brothers, and those survivors of adequate skill, and ability to learn. Such medicine and skill would doubtless be useful, and save many lives.)
• Logistical Concerns(We need to consider how we could restore sensible logistics for long term operations. As of right now we are dependent on what individual people can move by hand and the occasional vehicle which has been either kept in working order, or restored.)
  • [ ] Beast & Porter Networks (Through use of Mules, and other draft animals, and human porters. We can establish a system of cheap, low-tech, and rather resilient transport. At the cost of it being very slow and low capacity)
  • [ ] Tunnel and Road Restoration. (Many of the old roads have been destroyed or otherwise have fallen into disrepair. If we could organize people into labor brigades, and using old maps we can work to restore old roads, or lay new ones. Though new roads will have to be compacted dirt, or maybe gravel if we are feeling expensive.)
  • [ ] Vehicle Recovery & Workshop Priority (Dedicate significant resources to locating, repairing, and restoring Pre Old Night trucks, Half tracks, and light grav-sleds)
• Resource Concerns
  • [ ] The Tithe (It was a custom for the church during the medieval times to collect a tithe, The word tithe comes from the Anglo-Saxon word teotha meaning "a tenth." The church could implement such a thing. Not for money obviously as their isn't really a reliable currency but for goods or services. Such resources could be used to restore, rebuild, and further the church's goal of a reunited Christendom. Our holy brothers will be inclined to refuse tithe collections from those who cannot afford it.)
  • [ ] Freshwater Wells (The lack of reliable access to water has led many to fight over the hive cities to make use of their water reclamation systems, and waste recycling. We could survey the land for aquifer locations, and good places to dig wells and establish filters for nasty particulates and radiation. Bringing clean water to those out in the countryside, and wasteland.)
  • [ ] Scrap & Reuse (There exist a great many wrecks, and ruins which will never be recoverable. These systems could be stripped of their useful components, and recycled for their base parts for our effort. Scrap metal can be melted down, and reforged. It is a tedious process, but it does have the advantage of making use of the wreckage and ruins of the old world to build a new one.)
• Manufacturing.
  • [ ] Workshop Economy: (It is what it says on the tin. We already have brothers, and survivors who make things as a hobby. They could be employed to construct things on a more regular basis.)
  • [ ] Salvage & Refurbishment: (Assemble Salvage teams, and have those with the required skills in restoration to search the wreckage and junk piles for useful items that can be restored to working order.)
  • [ ] Manufactorum Restoration: (Within the city of Madrid there is a Manufactorum complex which could be restored, and if properly crewed could produce a great many things. That said, it will require a lot of resources, and skilled personnel, such as the monks.)

Factions: While not relevant right now. As you expand, and make contact with more members of the church, and make decisions. You will encounter, add, and create new factions within your order. These people will nominally generally agree on basic principles at least most of them will, but they may have disagreements about how this whole matter should be handled.

* Leaving this here because I know that no one will bother to look it up. Meekness in the Bible, and indeed in ancient times in general carries a different meaning to the popular concept. Meekness translates to those who are strong, but show restraint. It also includes being strong enough to be gentle. Those who are dangerous, and have self-control. Something a lot of the primarchs could have taken some wisdom on.

Spoiler: The Players Plan

This was what the players voted for in the last game for reference.

Player Plan Choice:

[X] Plan Meek, Indeed
-[X][Census Policy] Church Censor
-[X][Education Policy] Catholic Schools
-[X][Law Enforcement] Night Watchmen
-[X][Military and Warfare] Temple Guard
-[X][General Policy] La Reconquista Nueva
-[X][Organizing the Faithful] Sword Brothers
-[X][Organizing the Faithful] Order of St. Isidore
-[X][Organizing the Faithful] House of Healing
-[X][Resource Concerns] Freshwater Wells
-[X][Manufacturing] Workshop Economy

 

[Iron Templar]

The Meek Shall Inherit the Earth​

"Trust the past to the mercy of God, the present to His love, and the future to His providence." - Saint Augustine
​

The council of sworn brothers met, and discussed that which must be done, and it was here that one of our brothers spoke, and reminded us of our task. We have chosen to act yes, but this is no excuse to act without restraint. As it is said it is the meek who shall inherit the earth, and we should be in no rush to draw our swords when words will suffice.

The council sat and discussed and the orders would be given out over the coming weeks. As the toil of men began to slowly and inexorably put to good order. The first was a matter of intent. La Reconquista Nueva, that was our purpose on a strategic level, and that is what we would carry out. The road would no doubt be difficult, but a journey of a million miles begins with a single step. Through God all things are possible.

The year of our Lord 29,551 Anno Domini

Church Censor
After the council concluded, a church Censor was needed to be found, and so your brothers did the obvious thing… They asked if anyone was interested, and your brother Alanso Godfrey was the one who answered. He had always been one amongst your brothers to take special care to keep track of things as precisely as was possible, and as effectively as he could. As such he began organizing with a few other brothers, and initiates on how the census could be undertaken. Immediately, he threw two things out. The First was there being a scheduled time for when the Census ought to be conducted; It wasn't that he didn't see utility in this, it was simply that at this stage it would be more trouble than it was worth. As it is this information would be of limited use to the order, and when the order needs that information. It can ask him and his censor office to collect it. He did express openness to the prospect of it being changed to a more regular time later, but for now he saw it as best to conduct the census on an ad hoc basis.

The second thing he threw out was attempting any sort of in-depth census gathering methods such as going door to door, or asking everyone to assemble for it. At least as of right now. The church has no real authority on this matter as far as the people are concerned, and it could be a great risk for both our brothers, the people, and ourselves. So instead Brother Alanso settled on a method that would be as efficient as possible. The first thing we would do when conducting a census was to use the information already at our disposal. Checking records of births, deaths, and medical records. The only information the census would be concerned with was if they were alive, and what family they had. The second thing they would do for the Fathers (Priests), and later the bishops. To speak with the members of their congregation when the census was called. This will be done in a natural and friendly manner, and can further be gathered when our brothers ask questions about relevant details such as how much water needs to be sent, and for how many families.

All of these methods of conventional information gathering serve to ensure that the census office itself is only staffed by Brother Alanso, and a handful of assistants. He has taken great pains to ensure that there will be no need for an extensive bureaucracy to conduct this matter at all. When it is time to conduct a census. The duty shall be dispersed over to the many hands of people who would have to gather normal information which would reveal the census numbers anyway. Alanso, and his assistants; can simply take some time to cross reference the information and compile the results. Saving time, and significantly reducing the burden of labor, and time. And when Alanso and his assistant are not required to do this task. They shall simply do other work for the church.

Catholic Schools
The origins of Catholic education go back nearly 30 millennia. With the early church leaders placing a strong emphasis on the instillment of faith and reason. From the establishment of cathedral schools in the Middle Ages, and even the rise of prestigious catholic universities like the University of Paris and Oxford. Such institutions played a central role in preserving and advancing knowledge throughout Europe, and the rest of Christendom.

The response from within the church was one of great enthusiasm. As many members of the church who held great interest in teaching, and doing it well. While the number of students attending the classes was beyond any and all expectations as many people allowed their children to attend the classes. Simply on the basis that it would keep them out of trouble, and the church offered some food for the kids. While your sworn brothers set about establishing a comprehensive curriculum which would educate the students not just in reading, writing, and mathematics - but also in history, logic, and moral virtue. Another core educational principle was the study of theology, and philosophy. With the overall end goal meant to create persons who were well rounded, and capable of critical thinking via strong logic, and reasoning; with good moral fundamentals that would create strong, intelligent, and moral individuals.

The Initial student body had exceeded all expectations as the class sizes were swiftly found to be filled, and indeed overflowing in some cases leading to their brothers having to organize times to fit all of their students in, and conscript some of our sworn brothers from their duties to see it done until the organization could be completed. Initially the parents of these children were willing to let their children attend on the basis that it would keep them out of trouble (and the church did offer to feed them at least a meal while they were there which eased the burden on them). However after a few weeks of schooling, and their children returning to them chattering about all that they had learned. The parents began to think it would not just be a good way to ease the burden on their household, but be genuinely useful to their progeny.

This had led to a pleasantly surprising occurrence where the parents and other local adults responsible for such children would arrive, and sit in on these classes. Some would be upfront in that they were curious as to what their children were learning as they were amazed at what they had learned. While others would in their pride and embarrassment make up some excuse for them being there. Your brother made sure to make them feel welcome, and helped them understand there is no shame in wanting to learn. No matter one's age. This older student body however would naturally be far more intermittent in their showings as they were often busy surviving in these lands, and made sure to bring whatever they could donate to the schools even if it was only their time and labor they could provide.

While it will take years yet to manifest the long term results from the establishment of the schools. It goes without saying that it has been a massive success. The brothers and sisters of the church said quite simply "We set our hands to good works, and the lord has blessed our efforts. May our hands never falter, and may his blessings never cease."

Night Watchmen
The establishment of Good order is the key to a safe, and productive society. For this to be so. Crime must be punished, and the law must be enforced. These are simple things that man has learned, and has unfortunately been forced to relearn many times throughout history. Among your brothers policing the grounds is easy enough. Your brothers largely self police, and already had an informal watch system set up. Setting it up for the wider communities however would be another matter, but one that would be assisted by the great success of the Catholic schools.

With many of the more upstanding, and conservative members of the local communities gathering at the schools. It was actually a small matter to organize a watchmen group. They easily understood that they need to watch out for their children, and many of them had long been of the opinion that something needed to be done about the criminals and their activities in their communities. They merely needed to be spurred to action, and having been galvanized by the fact that there were so many in their community that felt the same. So they were swiftly organized to make sure their communities, and most importantly their kids would have someone watching out for them.

There was some initial roughness, especially with several local screwheads, and more importantly wandering screwheads far too used to getting what they wanted when they threated, cajoled, or straight up resorted to violence. However a few instances of community led corporal punishment sessions, and the hanging of a few notorious murderers. After learning that their actions would indeed have consequences, the number of criminals in the region has seen a steep drop in activity. At least out in the countryside.

Temple Guard
Guarding the Temple was something that up until now had largely been done by your sworn brothers who had trained with the weapons they carried where and whenever possible. The establishment of the temple guard would allow your brothers to be more at ease, and able to focus more on other matters. However what should happen in theory is not expressly the same as reality.

The Temple Guard are not bad. At least in terms of what one might expect from guards. They stand guard where asked, they will escort brothers where they need to, and Brother John was able to get them to practice their accuracy and rifle drills at least somewhat regularly. Where the Temple guard fail is at an understanding of tactics, and larger organization. As it currently stands they are essentially a bunch of individual warriors with their weapons who act more or less on their own initiative, but are inexperienced. Or in some cases they have leaders among the guard who lead by personal charisma and sense rather than any kind of formal understanding or knowledge base.

All of that said. The Temple guard did not find any shortage of recruits from among the survivors, as many were willing to work for reliable access to room and board. Doing their shifts protecting priests, and the temple in between the odd jobs they did in their day to day. And your Temple guard does at least have a solid technical understanding of their equipment, and actually knows how to read and use their sight apertures properly.

La Reconquista Nueva
All great matters begin foremost with a declaration of intent, and the declaration of La Reconquista Nueva was one that your people rallied around. Your brothers, and sisters within the church and the survivors; Would soon hear about the mission you put forth, and your order would find understanding from these people. As they could see and understand the vision the church was working towards in their minds, and throughout the halls the words of a reunited Hispania were spoken, and discussed with seriousness as many would work to figure out how and where this should be achieved. This has earned the unshakable commitment from the people in your region.

It has even led to people from the countryside hearing of your order, and sending word of their support, and inviting members of the church to come out and speak to their people of the iberian countryside. In one case a community more than 130 miles north in a town known as Burgos, there were people who had sent for a new priest to man the cathedral of Maria de Burgos. For they wished to hear the words of the church that had once held such strongholds in this land that are still standing even now in this destroyed wasteland of a world.

The latter was a sentiment that was expressed by a number of the countrymen, it seems that they have a dim recollection of the catholic church's presence in the region, and have noticed that many of the monasteries, churches, and cathedrals are still present and intact. Some have taken this to mean that the church's "strongholds" were built better, or were more wisely placed to have been built so long ago, and still be standing now. There is obviously some survivorship bias going on here, and it is something your brothers will be sure to correct, but they do admire the spirit of the people, and were glad to see the people responding so warmly to them.

The creation of new holy orders.

Sword Brothers
The Sword brothers order is one that was vexed by two problems from the start. The first was the same as the temple guard, and in that way it was much the same, but far more of a problem as your sword brothers are meant to go out and assist the people as a charitable organization, and will do so on a request for modest fees. Provided they think it's a good cause. This matter is most vexing, perhaps it would behoove us to try and locate someone who has a great interest in historical military tactics, and organization such that they might be able to help organize these matters better.

The Second problem they run into is a manpower shortage, between the temple guard, and the numerous other projects there simply isn't enough to go around, and this has left the sword brothers a far smaller order for the moment than they would like. Still there is a sense of confidence from the brothers who believe they can get themselves properly established in time.

Order of St. Isidore
The Order of St. Isidore was an order which had little issue getting established and oragnized over the course of the year. They even received an influx of volunteers from the locals who held old portraits, and likenesses of the saint. Some of these people had some rather heretical beliefs that St. Isidore was God, or a god. Your brothers were able to squash this problem largely with just some conversation, and discussions of the historical texts which the people were largely unaware of as it was largely half remembered from what their lineage passed down by word of mouth. Though mistaken, their spirits were pure, and as was their intent. So an influx of farmers would join your brothers in the order of St. Isidore, and begin discussing the multitude of ways that the land could perhaps be restored once more to its pre-destruction state.

The first matters that they discussed were the restoration of the land, and how it might be worked to deal with contaminants on the surface, and how to expand soil to reclaim the dusty, and sandy areas that made up most of the land. The farmers pool their knowledge with your brothers and their knowledge of ecosystems, and natural cycles. They would begin simply with relatively small areas in and around the temple, and in nearby settlements, as well as a highland region nearby where a series of trees and bushes had kept a section of topsoil in place through it all. They went about working, and cleaning the dirt, and fertilizing it with manure, irrigating it with some of the limited water sources, and rain collectors, and now all that is left to do is wait, and monitor the experiment, and perhaps come up with some others they can test to see what would be the most effective. The order is off to a good start.

House of Healing
The house of healing, while not as successful as the order of St. Isidore, has perhaps become one of the most beloved of the orders you have produced. The sisters, and brothers who make up the healers of the sick swiftly become near universally beloved, and the fact they offer such healing as an act of charity which requests only that those that receive their care will attempt to return such kindness in whatever way they can.

The brothers and sisters of the house walk through the streets of even the hive city of Madrid mostly without fear, for none of the gangs however violent, or cruel; Would dare to fire upon them, and risk both loss of access to such medical care and the swift and violent retribution of their fellows as it has become an unspoken code that the hands of mercy are not to be harmed. In one instance an old brother of yours needed to pass through an area with an ongoing firefight. He shouted at them that he needed to cross, and both sides at once ceased their firing. After the old man crossed between them to get to the building where his patient could be found. He let the gangs know he had crossed, and shortly after he went inside they went back to shooting at each other.

Some of your doctors have even been invited to the homes of gangsters both big and small, and have even been able to go to these places, and have even been able to go there without getting shot at most of the time.

The house of healing has had a knock on effect. As doctors had always been a prized skill for their healing capability in this rather brutal world. While this skill saved them from death at least so long as others knew they possessed it. It did not save them from enslavement, and in fact often encouraged it. Thus many who possess medical skills, have flocked to your order to join it as a member so that they might enjoy the protections your order seems to have gotten as a consequence.

Freshwater Wells
Despite the manpower shortages, and the relatively few brothers, and indeed even local survivors that could assist in the location of freshwater wells. Brother William of Old Albia, decided that even though he was working with the sword brothers, and educating the children, and working with the order of St. Isidore. That he definitely has some more time where he can work. He just needs to cut out some non-essential sleeping hours.

He and his brothers have managed to locate several aquifers. These had been running dry many thousands of years ago, but when the hive cities' waste reclamation system went into effect most of the old wells which supplied water to those not located in the dense urban hives were shut down. This was a horrible travesty to the people who lived out in the countryside, and a terrible injustice. However one benefit for you was that you found that they were in fact filled with water. Of the five that were found in your area two of them were too contaminated for what filters you could devise. Two others were contaminated, but you could devise a series of old-fashioned filters which would filter the water through layers of sand, gravel, and then charcoal to create purified water. An ancient method, but one that was used even in modern waste water treatments.

The final well however proved to be both in the perfect location for one of the wasteland restoration project, and the water happens to be pure. And so your brothers will focus on developing a well pump here first that can supply your needs, and that of the communities around you.


Workshop Economy
The workshop developments however… Did not happen, and likely will not happen anytime soon as the people are too busy with many other projects, and until that changes. There are simply not enough hands to go around for this.

Strategic Turn:

(Alright so this is the first of several strategic turns we shall be doing before we do another policy turn. During this time you may see results from your policies, you can decide what strategic actions your people will be taking. If any at all. You naturally can use your various organizations, and groups you have established to send them out to do certain tasks. Some tasks they will perform automatically as it is a matter of policy, but you can specifically tell them to go do something should you wish to. Even if you don't have an organization or policy. For instance, you didn't pick missionaries, or scouts, but if you want to you can as a part of your strategic actions send some people out to do those things. There will naturally be some pluses and minuses to that.

Strategic turns are also when you will be interacting with the actions of other nations, organizations, and assorted individuals.)

The work continues for much of the year, and no major crisis, nor boon befalls your people at least as far as they are aware.

Strategic Actions: (Remember these are options, you don't have to do these, and can always suggest your own.)

• [ ] Do Nothing (Always an option, it can be prudent especially when you have a lot of things going on.)

The Census Office:

• [ ] Conduct a Census (If you feel the information would be useful you can have Alanso collect the census data such as it is, and he can get back to you with that information)

The House of Healing:

• [ ] Send a mission of Doctors to (Write in where)

The Temple Guard: (The Temple Guard unless busy with other matters will automatically accompany your other church members to dangerous locations. If lots of tasks are being done you should mention which ones you want to get priority.)

• [ ] Recruitment Drive
• [ ] Set up a garrison of some of the local communities
• [ ] Deploy the Temple Guard (To Where)

The Sword Brothers: (The Sword Brothers will be taking contracts, or providing protection to people as a charity, and will presumably do that unless you tell them otherwise.)

• [ ] Recruitment Drive
• [ ] Contract the Sword Brothers (To whom?)
• [ ] Deploy the Sword Brothers (To where?)

Or

• [ ] Write in your own actions

(Your plan was very sensible, and did fairly well. I was somewhat at a loss for strategic actions this turn, but with future turns there should be more options especially as things get more established. The following strategic turns will go pretty fast. To be clear I will be somewhat flexible with the Turn lengths. At this early stage 1 year turns is sensible. Because this is an early stage. There will come a time where long turns will happen simply because theirs is not going to be as much that will require your attention, and things will need to develop for that economy of action to return to your faction.)

Spoiler: The Players Plan

Players Choice:
Erratics Plan
[X] Conduct a Census
[X] Send a Mission of Doctors to Madrid
-[X] See if we can come to an arrangement with the gangs and the locals about the establishment of a Hospital within the confines of the Hive City
[X] Set up a garrison of some of the local communities
[X] Contract the Sword Brothers
-[X] Deploy the Sword Brothers with the Madrid Mission to ensure they safely reach their destination and make base./If Gangs allow free passage the Sword Brothers will abstain.