1400 AD | The Late Middle Ages | Medieval RPG

{WORLD_SETTING}

• Era: 1400 AD
• Genre: Historical Medieval - No Magic, No Monsters, No Anachronisms
• Tone: Grounded realism, human drama, mud and glory

The year is 1400. Europe stands at the crossroads of medieval tradition and coming change. The Black Death's shadow still lingers — entire villages lie abandoned, their fields reclaimed by dark forests. Yet in this age of uncertainty, opportunity beckons for those brave enough to seize it. This is a world of mud and glory, prayer and pestilence, where life is nasty, brutish, and short — but also filled with faith, fellowship, and fleeting beauty. Survival depends on wit, will, and knowing one's place in God's great chain of being. {/WORLD_SETTING}

{POLITICAL_LANDSCAPE}

• The Hundred Years' War rages between England and France, leaving countryside ravaged by mercenary Free Companies who fight for coin, not crown
• The Holy Roman Empire fragments into 300+ quarreling states — prince-bishops, free cities, and petty lords all claiming authority
• The Great Schism divides Christendom — rival Popes in Rome and Avignon excommunicate each other's followers
• Ottoman Turks devour the Byzantine Empire's remains, their armies now at Hungary's doorstep
• Italian city-states (Venice, Milan, Florence) grow fat on trade, their merchant princes buying and selling kingdoms
• Iberian kingdoms push the Reconquista's final stages while Castile and Aragon eye each other warily
• Poland-Lithuania forms Europe's largest realm, a dual monarchy stretching from Baltic to Black Sea {/POLITICAL_LANDSCAPE}

{DAILY_LIFE}

• Feudal hierarchy dominates: Kings → Lords → Knights → Peasants
• The Three Estates: Those who fight (nobles), those who pray (clergy), those who work (everyone else)
• Status determines everything: access, justice, opportunity, risk
• Most people never travel far from birthplace
• Superstition reigns: Witches, demons, and saints actively influence daily life in people's minds
• Cities are cramped, filthy, and dangerous after dark — but offer freedom ("city air makes free")
• Guilds control crafts and trade with iron grip {/DAILY_LIFE}

{TECHNOLOGY}

• Power sources: Human and animal muscle, water mills, windmills, treadwheels
• Weapons: Swords (expensive), spears, bows, crossbows, early cannons (unreliable), farm tools as weapons
• Armor: Padded gambesons (common), mail (professional soldiers), plate (wealthy knights only)
• Tools: Iron plows, wooden harrows, sickles, scythes, hammers, saws — all hand-forged, precious
• Transport: Ox-carts (slow, sturdy), horse-carts (faster, expensive), river barges, coastal cogs
• Medicine: Herbal remedies, bloodletting, prayer, surgery without anesthesia, 50% infant mortality {/TECHNOLOGY}

{KNOWLEDGE}

• Steel armor reaches artistic perfection; the longbow and early cannons herald warfare's transformation
• Most people are illiterate; knowledge is hoarded in monasteries and nascent universities
• Alchemy, astrology, and medicine intertwine — a barber-surgeon is as likely to check your horoscope as drain your blood
• Gothic cathedrals stretch toward heaven, monuments to faith and engineering {/KNOWLEDGE}

{WORLD_FOUNDATIONS}

• Life is defined by class and status (peasant, craftsman, merchant, noble, clergy)
• The Church holds immense influence over daily life and thought
• Technology is medieval: swords, bows, plows, mills, horses, simple tools
• Challenges include famine, war, disease, taxation, banditry, and feudal obligations
• Age matters: children cannot act with the strength of adults, elders lack agility but hold wisdom or authority
• Time matters: seasons, harvest cycles, and years affect food, survival, and opportunities
• Characters should feel real — with personalities shaped by faith, duty, poverty, power, or ambition {/WORLD_FOUNDATIONS}

{DAILY_REALITIES}

• Theme: Grounded late-medieval life (year 1400). No magic, monsters, or anachronisms. Survival is social, economic, and physical.
• Pace: Day-to-day life (work, obligations, relationships) with spikes of danger (bandits, justice, famine, fire, feud)
• Roles: The player's station (peasant, craftsman, merchant, cleric, soldier, minor noble, outlaw) defines skills and limits; roles don't grant superhuman ability
• Status: Feudal hierarchy matters. Nobles command; clergy influence; guilds regulate trades; peasants owe dues/labor. Status gates access, justice, and risk.
• Church: The Church shapes time (feasts/fasts), morals, law, and learning. Superstition exists, but outcomes remain realistic.
• Justice: Manorial courts, fines, oaths, corporal punishment. Accusations carry social cost; flight or feud invites consequences.
• Economy: Barter + coin (local mints). Guilds control entry to crafts. Markets follow weekly rhythms; fairs are rare windfalls. Taxes, tithes, and rents bite.
• Time seasons: Agricultural calendar rules life (sowing, harvest, winter scarcity). Weather, daylight, and season affect travel, food, and work.
• Age & Gender: Children limited in labor/violence; elders lack agility but hold authority/knowledge. Gender matters: men and women have distinct roles and expectations (e.g., men more often fight or inherit land; women more often manage households, childbirth, or convent life). Individuals can defy norms, but at social cost—titles like princess, queen, lord, or knight are explicitly gendered.
• Health: Injury, infection, malnutrition are serious. Care is herbal, clerical, or surgical (risky). Germ theory unknown; sanitation uneven.
• Warfare: Raids, levies, duels, sieges possible—but costly and disruptive. Armor is rare outside professionals/wealthy.
• Travel & News: Slow. Foot/horse/river/coast. News spreads by messengers, merchants, clergy; rumors warp facts.
• Food & Supply: Bread/ale staples; meat rare for poor. Famine risk in bad years; preservation (salting, smoking) matters.
• Language & Tone: Concrete, sensory, historically flavored; avoid modern slang/ideas. Keep outcomes plausible, stakes human. {/DAILY_REALITIES}

{SEASONAL_CYCLES}

• Spring: Plowing, sowing, Lent fasting, Easter celebrations
• Summer: Weeding, first harvests, longest work days, Midsummer festivities
• Autumn: Main harvest, preserving food, paying rents, Michaelmas taxes
• Winter: Indoor crafts, equipment repair, storytelling, Christmas feasts (if affordable) {/SEASONAL_CYCLES}

{STORY_HOOKS}

• Brigands and masterless men haunting forest roads
• Plague-emptied villages with dark secrets
• Corrupt clergy selling false relics and indulgences
• Wandering knights seeking glory or redemption
• Mysterious scholars pursuing forbidden knowledge
• Merchant caravans needing protection
• Peasant uprisings against cruel lords
• Witch trials and religious persecution
• Political intrigue in royal courts
• Ancient ruins holding pre-Christian mysteries {/STORY_HOOKS}

{CORE_THEMES} This world is grounded in historical reality. No magic, no monsters, no anachronisms. Drama comes from human ambition, survival, faith, and conflict. Status determines everything. The Church looms over all. Death is always close. Yet people still laugh, love, hope, and dream of better days. {/CORE_THEMES}