Franks

The Franks (or French) are a continental Culture from across the British Sea. Related to the Saxons, they share a religion but have some notable differences in mindset.

The French are people of honour and pride. A Frank warrior is viewed by outsiders as a volatile mixture of residual barbarism and incipient sophistication, tempered by a misplaced sense of tribal pride. Their best are excellent horsemen and fighters, although the rank and file tend to be stereotyped as self-serving to the point of cowardice.

The Franks self image of themselves is as follows: "We are the victorious French, great warriors, conquerors of Gaul. We know what is useful, what is correct and how to express our knowledge to others. Life is pleasant, and we live it with élan. We scorn the cities as places to live, for they are filthy and ridden with disease. No one is as great as we are, simply because we are French."

The most famous frank is King Clovis, who christened himself from his Saxon heritage.

Land

After fighting for their freedom the Franks take hold of a lot of former roman land on the continent. They slowly adapt the roman civilisation.

Skills & Traits

French stock tends to produce stronger, hardier people than other cultures.

Frank training covers an odd mixture of the primitive and the civilized. They are excellent hunters and skilled in the intrigues of court. Their womenfolk are excellent stewards, well versed in caring for the land.

The French are well known for their élan, best translated as a sort of ardour or zeal inspired by their pride. The Franks can be driven to strange emotional highs - even those who are normally quite chaste, temperate or forgiving can take strange turns of lustful, indulgent or cruel behaviour when driven to extremes.

Religions

Germanic Pagan

"We worship the gods of our ancestors. Our gods have led us in peace and in war, and their blood runs in our veins. It would be folly to abandon that history."

Germanic Paganism, also known as Wotanism, reveres a pantheon of gods and goddesses. The chief god of the nobles and warriors is Wotan, the all-seeing god of kings, warriors, and poets. Seax is the sword and war god.

Religious traits for Germanic Pagan knights are: Generous, Proud, Worldly, Reckless, Indulgent.

Roman Christian

"I have set my people free. But that does not mean my soul is pure. The romans brought many things that were evil to the land, but they did bring one good thing."

Roman Christians follow the church founded by Peter, the head of Jesus' apostles and one-time religion of the Roman Empire. They believe in be "One God, One Church, One Bishop," with the Roman Bishop declared to be pre-eminent, invested as Pope. They practice centralization and tight control of all churches, with church fathers standardising the New Testament Bible, sacraments, and holy days. Although most of the fundamentals are superficially identical to British Christianity, there is enough different to create tensions that have on occasions flared into open conflict.

Religious traits for Roman Christian knights are: Chaste, Forgiving, Merciful, Modest, Temperate.