The Rule & Religious Life

Example Churches

Urban Parish

This parish is in one of the larger towns in the diocese. The town also has a substantial minority of Jews who the church canons must sometimes protect from persecution. The town guild master is a close ally of the dean, and the guild has sponsored its own altar in the church.

Hooks: Urban; Protector (Jews)
Boons: Chapter of Canons, Edifice (church tower), Local Ally (guild master), Minority (Jews).
Resources: Divine aura 5. Books: 150 Build Points. Relics: Two relics (Faith Score 3; each with two powers), ten minor relics (Faith Score 1). Vis Sources: 5 pawns Creo (sound of the pealing bells at Easter Mass). Specialists: 6 Canons (Church Lore 5), 2 Notaries (Profession: Scribe 5), 1 Master Stonemason (Profession: Mason 6), 8 Churchwardens (Brawl 4). (295 Build Points)

Village Parish

This church serves three small villages constructed on the edge of a forest, which was once a nobleman's hunting estate and is now used as a resource by the peasants. The church is very old and in a bad state of repair, which makes climbing the bell tower perilous. The decay is caused by spells cast by the lords of a faerie court, who haunt the dark places in the forest. In addition, perhaps due to the presence of the faerie court, unless the church relics are carried on the perambulation the Divine aura reduces to 3 for the following year. The curate's cousin is the bishop of the diocese.

Hooks: Absent Rector, Crumbling, Faerie Court, Flickering Aura.
Boons: Powerful Ally (bishop); Chase.
Resources: Divine aura 4. Books: Bible, Missal, Parish Register (Level 7). Relics: one relic (Faith Score 2; with two powers), three minor relics (Faith Score 1). Vis Sources: 3 pawns Animal (first boar of the hunt), 5 pawns Imaginem (mid-summer dawn light penetrating the bell tower). (141 Build Points)

Covenant Chapel

The chapel is a separate building built in a shaded glen a few minutes' walk from the covenant tower. It was once the site of a pagan temple. The parish clerk secretly reports to the bishop on the affairs of the priest.

Hooks: Fallen Temple, Spies.
Boons: Burial Rights, Seclusion.
Resources: Divine Aura 3. Books: Breviary (Quality 6), Missal. Relics: Saint's Thigh Bone (Faith Score 3; Cure Blindness power). (29 Build Points)

This chapter discusses the life of the religious of western Mythic Europe. In the east the religious of the Orthodox faith follow different traditions, but even there monasteries of the Western orders can be found.

The role of the contemplative life is to observe the canonical hours, a series of services that form a regular daily cycle, devote oneself to prayer for both the self and the world outside the monastery, and to serve God.

Religious houses play an important role in the world outside their walls, providing much education and health care to the wider community, and forming centers of scholarship as well as supporting the indigent and disabled.

The majority of monks in western Mythic Europe follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. The assumption is that in your saga the Benedictine order is neither corrupt, nor necessarily filled with holy monks. Instead, like any institution, it is a mix of good and bad, saints and sinners. Depending upon the way you want to portray the Church in your stories, you may wish to alter this to suit your individual saga's themes. As most of the religious orders follow variants of the Rule of Saint Benedict, this "standard" is set out in some detail.

Those who wish to join a monastery or nunnery are actively discouraged and treated harshly for four or five days upon their arrival, to ensure they are truly committed to the vocation. If they persist they are admitted, and become novices. Their clothes are kept, however, and put in storage, in case they should be expelled before taking vows.

Even a priest who wishes to join the community must undergo the same process, as must a noble, irrespective of rank. Monks who seek admission are treated as guests, and may join the monastery as long as their previous abbot gives written permission and the abbot of the new house consents.

In the past, children were admitted as oblates, educated and raised within the monastery, and on reaching maturity were given the opportunity, if suitable, of taking vows and becoming monks. This process is now considered to be highly questionable, and was outlawed by a ruling of the Fourth Lateran Council in 1215, though some monasteries still have oblates. No girl of less than six years of age should be admitted to a nunnery, since she must be able to learn to read, write, and obey the rules; the nunnery must not be used as a nursery or school, expected to raise and educate girls.

Monks are expected to obey three vows made on formal admission to a monastery. However, after applying to join it is necessary for a monk to spend one year serving as a novice or junior monk before the vows are sworn, and during that year he can choose to leave the monastery if he wishes. In the probationary year he is not counted as a full member of the community. Many decide that the religious life (a term meaning the vocation of a monk or nun) is not for them, and depart on good terms.

The three chief vows that are sworn as solemn oaths are for chastity, poverty, and obedience. These are common to almost all religious.

The vow of obedience entails observing the Rule of Saint Benedict (or other applicable rule) and the will of the abbot, without question. It means subjecting oneself to the discipline of the community, and becoming a full part of the community.

The vow of humility or poverty is a central part of the life of the religious, and if one should err he must demonstrate penitence by laying flat on the floor before all the convent, arms spread out in a cross, and confessing his sin. Poverty means renouncing any hope of inheritance, and handing over all one's worldly goods to the house. Everything the religious use, even their habits, belongs to the house, and personal possessions are banned.

The vow of chastity entails celibacy, no relationships with the opposite sex, and a breaking of relationships with friends and families, as well. The religious enters into a completely new life and discards the old. This does not mean, however, that family visits or correspondence are completely discouraged, but they are subject to the abbot's approval.

The monk, on taking vows, has his head shaved leaving a ring of hair called a tonsure. A nun has her hair cut short.

A Note on Terms

The term "religious" is the technical term for monks and nuns. "Houses" in the religious sense are simply monasteries or nunneries. In the 13th century, the word "convent" applies to the body of monks (or nuns) who comprise the monastery (or nunnery), and the place where nuns live is always a nunnery. Other terms can cause confusion; for example, a "monastery" can be an abbey ruled by an abbot, or a priory ruled by a prior, but the monks live and pray the same way.

Story Seed: The Novice's Nuptials

The son of a friend of the covenant, after being disappointed in love, has run away and joined a monastery. The misunderstanding has subsequently been cleared up, his lover now wishes to marry him, and his father is desperate to get news to him. The abbot, who believes the boy has a true vocation, is blocking messages and letters. Can the characters find a way to communicate to the lad, or perhaps get his clothes to act as an Arcane Connection? What if he does not wish to leave the monastery?

The Opus Dei, Divine Office

The recitation of the Divine Office — daily prayers recited at the canonical hours, also called the Liturgy of the Hours — is as follows.

Midnight, Matins: Roused from sleep by the sacristan with a bell, the monks attend the first service of the day. In the summer months this is held an hour or so before dawn in the original Rule of Saint Benedict, and some houses celebrate matins an hour before dawn all year round — the practice varies.
12:30 am: Matins ends, and the monks pray or walk in cloisters. According to the rule, they "may go out for the necessities of nature."
1 am Lauds: Another service, after which the monks return to bed. In the summer it might be held at dawn.
7 am Prime: Monks are roused from bed for another service.
8 am: Mass for non-monks, then ablutions and breakfast. The monastery gates open, and Mass is celebrated for servants and lay folk. The monks meanwhile "break their fast" with their morning meal and wash. During breakfast a passage from a hagiography, the psalter, or other devotional book is read. Breakfast is bread or gruel plus beer or watered wine.
9 am Terce: A morning service is now sung, and today's designated chapter from the scriptures is read. After this, there is a meeting of the community in the chapel, where duties are assigned, disciplinary proceedings conducted, and other matters settled.
9:30 am: The monks begin their daily duties
11 am Dinner: Monks eat very little meat, though fish may be eaten sometimes. Abbots may enjoy meat more frequently and also good wine, rather than the vegetables and beer of the monks. The meal is eaten while the scriptures are read.
Midday, Sext: Back to the chapel for this service.
12:30 pm: A break. Monks pray or walk in cloisters, and according to the Rule "may go out for the necessities of nature."
3 pm Nones: Afternoon service provides a break from duties.
5 pm Vespers: The service marking the end of the day's labors; the gates are often locked now.
5:30 pm: Evening meal accompanied by readings from a devotional book.
6 pm: Chapterhouse readings. The monks gather in the chapterhouse to hear today's readings from the scriptures.
7 pm Compline: The evening service, after which the monks retire to bed by half past seven.

The rule, while it varies by locality and slightly by order, and is enforced with varying degrees of rigor, provides storyguides with a fairly good guide as to what monks will be doing and what limitations are upon them at any given time that characters choose to visit.

Monastic Gardens

While the cloister garth is almost invariably simple, with a lawn and pleasantly scented green herbs where the climate allows, and maybe one or two trees, monasteries and nunneries lead the way in horticulture. Techniques for irrigation, soil enrichment, land reclamation, and grafting have been adopted, developed, and exploited. Emphasis is on the cultivation of plants for food, for both residents and visitors, since self-sufficiency and hospitality are in line with the Benedictine Rule. As well as herbs and vegetables for the kitchens, hay, rushes, and strewing herbs are needed. Beehives are always kept for the wax required to make the best church candles, and for their honey, as well.

An orchard of fruit and nut trees is frequently planted in or around a cemetery, especially in southern countries where the Islamic vision of the gardens of Paradise has influenced taste. Planting is in straight rows as formal patterns are favored. If there is no orchard, a few fruit trees are grown nonetheless, and vines are grown where the climate permits. Rich abbeys have gardens, orchards, and vineyards extending beyond their boundary walls. The orchard of Llanthony Priory in Wales extends over twelve acres with hundreds of trees, while that of Saint Gall in the Alps has just thirteen trees planted among the graves.

Medicinal plants are equally important. These are grown in the physic garden in small beds divided by paths in a regular layout. A closed-off area is used to grow poisonous plants. Close by is the infirmary garden, which is designed for the patients to relax; benches, pools with decorative fish, and attractive flowerbeds are featured. Gardens for pleasure, or herbers, are attached to the guest quarters also, and there is an area of grass close by to graze visitors' mounts. An abbot or prior with private rooms also has his own garden for pleasure and relaxation, where sweet-smelling herbs grow alongside plants chosen for their flowers, and shade is provided by trees and climbing plants trained over frames. Garden designs and planting schemes are often chosen for biblical significance; for example, twelve trees in a row represent the apostles.

Monks live under a rule, which lays down a complex set of regulations for community life. The most famous and most widespread rule in Mythic Europe is that of Saint Benedict. The rule also sets out in some detail the day-to-day cycle of life in the monastery, for monks and nuns live by a timetable and are deeply aware of the passage of time.

While the rule may seem very severe, it is attractive to many as an escape from the uncertainties of life in dangerous times, and offers food, shelter, education, stability, companionship, and the chance to learn and develop spiritually. It is an extremely attractive lifestyle to many, and it has produced a flowering of deep and fulfilling devotion. Monks are often very happy in their lot, but there are always exceptions.

Daily Routine

The daily routine is marked by bells, which summon monks to devotions and inform them of meal times and work periods. Every day apart from Sunday the monks labor, whether copying books in the scriptorium, studying religious works, cleaning, cooking, repairing buildings or clothing, or working in the fields and gardens. A monk with whom characters seek to speak may be out on a journey to distribute alms, visit the sick, or instruct a vicar, or he might be in the monastery but occupied with teaching duties. There is no manual labor on Sunday, only reading and study.

Discipline

Monks and nuns are expected to obey their superiors without hesitation as a sign of their humility, and to be respectful to each other. None may strike or insult another brother, or belittle them. Silence is practiced for long periods, and even when speech is allowed, jokes, gossip, and idle banter are specifically forbidden. Long silences are used to teach discipline with respect to speech, with the right to speak conferred by the abbot as a privilege. Speech may be used when working, and is allowed at various specified times; at other times, monks use a series of hand gestures to communicate with one another. This sign language is a silent language that is not understood by outsiders. Monks may not speak to guests and visitors, but may offer a blessing if spoken to, and may inform them politely of the rule.

Younger monks are addressed by their elders as monk, as in "Monk Thomas, fetch the hoe," and older monks are addressed as elder, as in "Elder John, please tell me the way to the village." The abbot is referred to by the title lord and abbot, as in "Lord Abbot Samson." However, age is counted not from birth, but from joining the monastery. This reckoning is used to determine the order of precedence among the monks at all times, but it may confuse visitors to see an elderly monk address a much younger man as "elder."

If a monk is commanded to perform an impossible task, he may meekly state his case as to why it is beyond his powers. If the abbot insists he attempt it, then he must endeavor to succeed and trust in God to help him. No monk may question the abbot's decision on this, or any other matter, or attempt to defend another monk by joining in his rebellion.

Pride is a deadly snare. Humility includes humbly submitting to God's will and renouncing all worldly desires, and breaking the rules is often a sign of pride. One in ten monks is appointed a dean of order, responsible for keeping good order among his brethren. He quietly speaks to them if their behavior lacks in some way, or reports serious offenses to the abbot. It is sinful to fail to reprove a brother or sister seen to be in error. If a monk persists in error after the abbot speaks with him privately, he is then publicly rebuked in front of the whole monastery, and if he continues thereafter, he is punished.

The usual punishment is first exclusion from communal meals — the monk is forced to eat alone at a later time and, as meals are social occasions, this is a severe penalty. A nun excluded from the community for a transgression must reside where the abbess says, with one other nun, until repentant and forgiven.

If further offenses occur, or a graver offense must be punished, then a monk is totally debarred from speaking or being spoken to, or communicating in any way with any of the other monks, who all ignore him. If this fails he may be whipped, and if that is not sufficient, he is expelled from the monastery. Nuns and younger boys receive more merciful sentences, including enforced fasting. If an expelled monk or one who has left returns and makes amends for his faults, he is readmitted, even up to the third time, but thereafter he is refused entry.

Nuns often argue, under the influence of the devil. Quarrels must be ended as soon as possible. Anyone who injures a sister, by word or deed, must ask for pardon. A nun who refuses to forgive must be excluded from the community until she repents. The prioress who uses harsh words to a nun who is at fault when correcting her need not ask forgiveness from the nun, even if she is more severe than necessary to preserve discipline, but must ask God to forgive her.

Numerous examples of story ideas based on disciplinary problems are presented in Chapter 5: The Women, Misbehavior, many of which are applicable to male characters, also.

Property and Possessions

Monks are clothed appropriately for the local climate, with two woolen robes and cowls each, and a pair of sandals. These are provided by the monastery, and repaired or replaced as required when worn out. Also provided by the monastery are stockings, girdle, knife, pen, needle, towel, and writing tablet; however, a monk found keeping private property beyond this, especially if not specifically allowed to do so by the abbot, faces severe disciplinary measures and loss of all the above, leaving him naked but for an undergarment while he does penance. Curiously, the keeping of personal pets is widely accepted and common — dogs, songbirds, and even monkeys and squirrels are kept by both monks and nuns.

Religious may not give or receive gifts or letters except with the abbot's direct approval, and all gifts are taken by the porter to the abbot on arrival, who may distribute them to the intended recipient, or to any other as he sees fit.

Any wealth owned by someone entering the religious life should be humbly offered to the abbess for the benefit of the nunnery. Those who enter a nunnery after marriage must dispose of all their worldly wealth before taking the veil. Those who inherit after joining the nunnery must dispose of their inheritance appropriately.

No nun should have a personal servant, but may be helped as necessary by younger members of the community.

Two different types of meal are prepared, in case one meal is not liked by some of the monks, so they may choose. A pound of bread is given per day, and three meals in total, with fruits and vegetables that are in season. The job of preparing food and serving in the kitchen is rotated each week, so only the sick and the abbot do not have to do it. It is an unpopular job, but is rewarded with a little extra food and drink. Those who prepare the meal eat in the kitchen after the other monks have finished. Children and the elderly also receive larger portions, and the sick get the best possible food for their conditions. Excess and drunkenness should be avoided, but alcohol is, of course, served as it is throughout Mythic Europe, in the form of wine or beer. Abstinence and selfdenial are expected of monks, but in Lent every monk goes to the abbot and swears to give up one additional thing for the forty days. Only the sick and the very young or old are exempt.

A reader is appointed each week to read at meals, starting on Sunday, and another monk is charged that week with ringing the bells that punctuate the day.

The abbot always dines with guests and travelers alone in his lodgings. If there are no guests he may choose to invite some of the brethren to eat with him, and they may have the privilege of enjoying meat and superior wine.

Sign Language (Monastery)

Sign Language is a number of related languages used by monks to communicate with each other when speech is forbidden. A score of 5 allows fluency equivalent to a native spoken language Ability, while a score of 1 represents simple everyday monastic terms only. While it is usually clear that sign language is being used, characters may choose to use it subtly so that it is not obvious that they are speaking about someone present. A score is in the language employed in a specific monastery (or nunnery). It defaults to an Ability in the language of other monasteries of the same order at –3, except in the case of daughter houses and the parent house, where the relationship is –1, and those sharing a parent house (–2). Other orders give a penalty of –4, as the language has diverged considerably. So, for example, a Cistercian and a Cluniac monk are only likely to be able to share very basic information. Within a particular house, however, the language adapts to local needs, and it can have a surprisingly rich vocabulary for normal situations. The unexpected and unique may prove impossible to convey even if totally fluent — there is probably no sign language for "Are the guests casting spells in the Chapterhouse?" for example.

Story Seed: Signs in Silence

The characters are staying at a monastery where they believe an Infernalist cult may be operating. Unfortunately, the abbot is suspicious of them because of The Gift, and has imposed strict silence upon the monks. (Monks may only speak to guests with the Abbot's express permission, anyway.) The investigation has run into a wall of silence: all around them sign language is employed, but what is being said? Can the characters manage to understand somehow, or find a way to communicate with the monks without spoken words, and avert disaster? The passing of notes by monks, if observed, is punished as a breach of the rule.

Sleeping Arrangements

The monks are provided with beds arranged in dormitories. In a small monastery they may all share the same room, but in larger monasteries several dormitories, each housing ten to twenty monks, are provided. Each dormitory has a senior monk appointed to keep good order. Each monk sleeps fully dressed, but removes his eating knife to prevent any dangerous accidents. A straw mattress, a blanket, a coverlet, and a pillow are given to each monk, who will have that bed as his own from then on. The abbot examines the beds without warning from time to time, according to the rule, to prevent personal goods from being concealed there. Dormitory inspections are common, even though the dormitory supervisors should keep order.

Hospitality and Visitors

Guests are expected because many travelers avail themselves of monastic hospitality and, by the rule, none may be turned away. They are generally invited to meet the monks at the chapter meeting, and be formally received by the abbot, who is expected to pray with them, and then exchange the kiss of peace. In practice only important guests are usually greeted this way; in houses on important routes, there are so many guests that they are entirely dealt with by deputies. The abbot invites important guests to dine with him in his quarters, unless the monks are fasting, when the guests eat alone. In theory, and by the rule, the monks wash their guests' feet, serving the poorest with humility, but travelers may find the custom is not always observed.

The guest quarters are situated away from the monks' quarters, so that they do not interfere in the smooth running of the monastery, and certain monks and some servants of the monastery are assigned to look after guests, and meet their needs. Other monks may not speak to guests, but may offer a blessing if spoken to and may inform them politely of the rule that forbids conversation.

The Infirmary

Sick monks are given a room of their own, meat with meals, baths as desired, and they have another monk appointed to look after them while, in ideal circumstances, everything possible is done to restore them to full health. Larger houses have an infirmary; the role of infirmarian is often unpopular, as this person eats in the area where the sick are kept and has limited contact with his fellows while looking after his charges.

Not all infirmaries are given over to the care of the sick. Large monasteries might have a detached infirmary, where elderly, indigent, and unhealthy individuals live and are cared for by the monks, receiving alms. In the case of the elderly whose children have now inherited their estates, as they are no longer capable of the work needed for sustenance, they may well have made payments during their working lives to the monastery in return for a promise that they would receive care in their dotage. Others are simply charity cases taken in by the monks, who gladly receive donations toward their upkeep.

Nonetheless, a monastery always has individuals knowledgeable in Medicine and Chirurgery, and herbs and medicines are often available here.

Work Outside the Monastery

Monks are often called by duties to go on a journey, or they may be working too far away to get back for one of the seven divine offices. If so, they must perform it reverently on their knees wherever they happen to be. Most monks know the Psalter by heart. Monks sent out on business should always try to return the same day, if at all possible, and should eat nothing outside unless specifically allowed to do so by their abbot.

If a long journey is undertaken, the other monks should pray for their absent brother daily, and on his return the traveler must go to the chapel, prostrate himself, and give account of his sins. He may not speak of anything he saw or heard outside of the monastery to other monks, though one assumes he reports fully to the abbot.

The monastery is a complex and completely self-supporting community, at least in theory. However, by the 13th century the Benedictine houses often rule large estates gained through donations, and some abbots are also lords of manors and even have knights owning them feudal dues and military service. It is by this time common for monasteries to possess servants, and also considerable numbers of peasants who work the fields for them, giving them more time to work on copying books, prayer, and good works at best, and to spend in moral laxity and luxury at worst.

Houses are very complex in their organization, and the exact titles and roles of the senior religious varies between houses, depending on local conditions. All monasteries, however, share certain roles like abbot, and other positions generally vary depending on needs. In some large monasteries, even the most minor roles are comparatively powerful.

The most important roles are described here. Other posts exist depending on the circumstances of the house, and in many smaller houses the abbot or prior fills many positions in person. The power, privileges, and responsibility of each position also vary from house to house.

Story Seed: Electoral Difficulties

When a great monastery, holding fifty knights' service and many manors, is saddened by the death of their abbot, the monks meet to elect a new father to lead them. At this point, however, representatives of the king or of a great noble arrive, claiming that they have a charter dating from the endowment of the monastery that allows them to appoint the abbot. They break up the chapter, and a strange, foreign monk is presented. Shortly afterwards, the local bishop reveals he has the right to appoint the abbot, and his brother is put forward. The situation deadlocked, both candidates head off to Rome to seek papal confirmation of their claim, and the monks elect their own, third candidate. One or more of the candidates wishes the covenant to lend assistance to their cause, and threatens serious repercussions if subtle aid is not provided. How can the magi resolve the situation without breaking their oaths?

The Abbess or Abbot

The abbot is effectively the house's ruler, its spiritual father, and is responsible for the spiritual and physical welfare of all the monks. It is a position of great responsibility, and abbots are often extremely powerful, even in national politics, though this varies with the wealth and influence of their monastery. Strictly speaking, the abbot is first among equals, and while his status is as head of the monastery, he is technically a servant to all. The rule is also clear that the abbot must be fair and evenhanded, saying "Let him make no distinction of persons in the monastery. Let him not love one more than another, unless he finds them more exemplary in good works and obedience." Although the abbot holds supreme authority, the monks should be consulted on important matters. When a decision is required, such as if the player characters make a request of the monastery, the abbot should call all the monks before him in the chapterhouse and explain the situation, then listen to their advice. Regardless of the opinions expressed, the abbot is not bound by them; he alone takes the final decision, by which the community must abide. The abbot holds his role for life.

The abbot is usually elected by the whole community of monks. Electoral disputes are common, and the pope is often called upon as final arbiter. King John of England notoriously intervened in the election of the abbot of Bury Saint Edmunds in 1210, refusing to accept the elected abbot and claiming the right to make the appointment himself. Such problems are not uncommon. Nobles at times try to influence the decision, and it often proves disruptive to the order of the monastery. Sometimes a bishop has the right to appoint, and this can be unpopular as well. It is also not uncommon for a patron or a motherhouse to claim right of veto over the election of an abbot.

On election, the new abbot effectively leaves the community of monks, and is welcomed into his new house, or even a palace, where he is expected to live in considerable style. He must wine and dine not only all guests but also the local nobility, whom he often equals in status and may well be related to. Great abbots are princes of the Church, often as powerful locally as a cardinal or baron, and may command a considerable number of knights. For example, the abbot of Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, in England, controls well over a hundred and fifty manors and has fifty knights as vassals. The shock of the change in lifestyle from one of obedience and extreme temperance to fine wines, meat, and lavish entertaining must be unsettling for many new abbots, especially as they now also have to cope with a new role in the politics of the world that they left many years before.

The larger nunneries are headed by the abbess. In a world where, outside a covenant, women typically have little power or authority, the abbess is an important exception, and represents the most powerful position a woman can attain (unless she is a strong regent for a child king). She has responsibility for the souls of the nuns in her care above all, acting as spiritual guide and disciplinarian, but also for their bodily needs. Administrative skills and financial acumen similar to those associated with Profession: Steward are useful. The abbess of a rich nunnery may have extensive lands under her control, and collects rent from those who live on and farm it.

It is her duty to set a good example. She should not show favoritism, and she should not abuse her right to separate lodgings by living significantly more comfortably and eating more lavishly than the others. She ought to handle the nunnery's finances with care, and must represent the nunnery in dealings with the outside world. She has a reputation of level 4, either good or bad, in both the local community and the Church.

The Abilities for an abbot or abbess should include Leadership. Intrigue and Church Lore are important for the abbot, who must protect the interests of his abbey against pressures from the world outside, and especially townsfolk and nobles who would impinge upon the abbey's estates and privileges. The character probably has Folk Ken and Etiquette, perhaps specialized in nuns or monks, or, if he has important contacts outside the walls, maybe in senior clergy or nobility. These Abilities are also important to an abbot who must deal with the bishop's visitations and papal legates, as well as every passing lord who seeks hospitality, and even kings and queens. An abbot or abbess probably has some knowledge of Theology and Civil and Canon Law, and may have Philosophiae and Dominion Lore. Such a character is likely to have Temporal Influence and Social Contacts with other senior clergy, and with the nobility at a level depending on his or her family background. Details of the appropriate Social Status Virtue, Senior Clergy, are presented in Chapter 2: Diocese.

The Prior or Prioress

A prior's role can be hard to define. Second in command to the abbot (except in a priory, where he is its head and the abbot lives at the motherhouse), he deals with many issues of administration and supervises the abbey's dealings with the outside world. Often priors find themselves in dispute with the abbot, a situation that can lead to factions and power struggles. The prior mainly deals with relations with the nearby towns, provisioning, and administration, while the abbot deals with internal matters, as well as politics and important outside affairs. It is usual for a prior to be appointed by either the abbot, the patron, or the motherhouse, from among the best monks in the monastery. Large houses may have a sub-prior as his deputy, and even a third prior as the sub-prior's assistant.

Players should pick from the same range of Abilities for an abbot or abbess. The appropriate Social Status Virtue is Religious, unless the prior is unusually powerful and influential, when Senior Clergy may be more suitable.

The Problem with Priors

"It often happens that grave scandals arise in monasteries out of the appointment of the prior; since there are some who, puffed up with the wicked spirit of pride and thinking themselves to be second abbots, set up a despotic rule, foster scandals, and excite quarrels in the community …"

— The Rule of Saint Benedict

The abbot and the prior can fall out, but the rule is clear that the abbot is the superior, and can give the prior four warnings, after which he can be disciplined, then deposed, and finally expelled. Cunning priors sometimes manage to keep the struggles going for years, with enough support from the monks to paralyze the abbot and prevent him disciplining them. In some houses, the situation becomes bad enough that the abbot's and prior's factions actually resort to brawling, even in church.

The Terrar

The terrar is the monastery's land agent, responsible for estates and lands. Nunneries are rarely rich enough to require one. If no suitably skilled monk is available, a professional layperson is employed in this capacity. It is a demanding job, ensuring that tithes are paid, that manors are properly productive, and balancing the accounts. It is also a job that provides excellent opportunities for the avaricious to steal from the monastery, and build up a tremendous personal fortune. Relatively few monks are likely to have the relevant Abilities — Profession: Terrar, Profession: Reeve, Profession: Steward, or similar, as well as a good knowledge of Civil and Canon Law, and in some regions Common Law, as well as Leadership, Intrigue, and Folk Ken at a minimum. Therefore, very often the role of terrar — effectively the prior's lawyer and accountant — must be given to an employee; finding an honest, educated employee who can resist temptation is very hard, however. Magi may even find themselves approached with an eye to filling the position, if they have a reputation for honesty.

The Cellarer or Cellaress

The cellarer or cellaress is responsible for everything concerning provision of food and drink. She has to make sure that supplies are obtained regularly from the local market, or are sent directly to the nunnery, and may send agents to the nearest fair to obtain imported wines and other specialties if the nunnery is rich. As well as dealing with day-to-day matters in the kitchens, this role for a monastery may involve organizing the work of monks in the kitchen garden and orchard, while for a nunnery this requires supervision of laymen working for the nunnery. For a large establishment, the cellarer must deal with those who run the farms owned by the monastery, and is often responsible for collecting produce and tithes from the monastery's farms and manors. Most abbeys include their own vineyards or brew houses, plus a mill. Locals are often expected to grind their corn at the monastery mill and pay fees, and are prosecuted for possession of querns (hand mills), as by a secular lord.

The rule states that humility and obedience to the abbot are the desired traits in a cellarer, yet cellarers are often accused of corruption, and especially secret gluttony or drunkenness; in some cases this accusation may be true. However, many a cellarer has managed to bribe, intrigue, and gain influence by secretly giving extra food and drink to individuals he wishes to curry favor with; such actions, which corrupt others, are more dangerous than mere thievery.

This character will benefit from Abilities such as Bargain, Folk Ken, and Profession: Cellaress. A cellaress character with Premonitions (unexpected visitors) could be entertaining.

Story Seed: Good and Faithful Servant?

A friend of the covenant is employed as terrar at a large Benedictine monastery nearby. He is honest, friendly, and curiously naive and gullible, but he seems to do an excellent job. One day he is seized by men acting on command of the abbot, when it becomes clear there is a very large sum of silver missing from this year's accounts. It becomes clear that the terrar's wife had been doing almost all the work for years, with her husband as the public face. Is she guilty of the theft? Or has someone else taken the money, and if so, who and why?

The Bursar

In smaller houses one person often fills the roles of both cellarer and terrar. This is the bursar, who is responsible for both estate management and keeping the monastery stores and accounts. In larger houses, where both those positions exist, the bursar is an official charged with keeping the monastery's internal accounts, and maintaining good order concerning stores for the buildings, vestments, and ritual supplies.

The Infirmarian

The infirmarian looks after the sick and elderly, and also looks after the general health of the monks or nuns, including bloodletting and maintaining a suitable regimen if he has the necessary knowledge. The infirmarian is often isolated by these duties from the other monks, and so is required to eat alone and remain with the patients, missing the hours and chapter meetings as required. Smaller monasteries may rotate the role, and ones that appoint a specialist infirmarian usually provide him with a weekly assistant or two drawn from a rota.

The infirmarian frequently travels to purchase supplies, gather herbs, and consult with other medical men outside the monastery. Some take the opportunity to sin on those visits. Some others, wearied by hours of dealing with the sick, the old, and the feeble, become bitter and lacking in Christian love, developing an unfeeling hardness and business-like bedside manner.

In a monastery, the infirmarian should have the Abilities Chirurgy and Medicine. In a nunnery, she should have the Ability Chirurgy and may have picked up a little knowledge of Medicine from her books or tuition; however, unless she has a very unusual background story, she will not have acquired any formal education in medicine at a university (see Art & Academe, page 52). An infirmarian almost certainly has to call on apothecaries and more-skilled doctors from time to time. In a large establishment, he may have underlings and hence a Leadership score, and any may pass on his knowledge and develop his Teaching Ability.

The herbalist will have a very different lifestyle than the herbwife (see Art & Academe, page 55), but she has the Herbalism Virtue and its associated Herbalism Ability and Profession: Apothecary. She has permission from the abbess to cultivate useful herbs within the nunnery grounds, and to leave the nunnery periodically to purchase or collect those she cannot grow.

The Head of the Novitiate

The head of the novitiate in a nunnery has responsibility for women and girls preparing to take religious vows. A similar post exists for monks. Useful Abilities include Awareness and Folk Ken to monitor novices' behavior, as well as Teaching and the subjects she needs to teach, particularly Church Lore, Latin, and Artes Liberales.

The Sacrist

The sacrist is responsible for vestments, candles, incense, and other elements of church ceremonies, and the upkeep of the church and chapels. The sacrist has access to the sacred host and consecrated wine, and is accused sometimes of selling it to individuals willing to pay, for nefarious purposes. Such a grave sin must be very uncommon, if it occurs at all.

The Precentor

This monk is responsible for the provision of music and chants. He requires Abilities in Music, Church Lore, and Teaching as a minimum for his duties. Rumors of precentors leading monks in bawdy songs or blasphemous parodies of the Mass are surely untrue.

The Porter

The porter's job is to answer the door, at any time of day or night. The rule says of him, "Let a wise old man be placed at the door of the monastery, one who knows how to take and give an answer, and whose mature age doth not permit him to stray about." Although the main gates are locked every night, and townsfolk, pilgrims, and casual visitors not admitted, honest travelers seeking shelter, especially in remote areas, can usually waken the porter and ask for hospitality. Some monasteries have notoriously deaf porters, who seem to take pleasure in not admitting latecomers.

The porteress has the responsibility of making sure no person or thing enters or leaves the nunnery that should not. She knows if gifts arrive for a particular nun, and makes sure they are used for the common good.

The Hostillar

This monk is in charge of the guest house and visitors' welfare. As such, this is the individual who the player characters will most often deal with, and the hostillar is not bound by the rules of silence common to other monks. In many ways, the personality of the hostillar at a particular monastery comes to define the personality of that establishment to travelers on the roads. An abbot wishing to discourage lengthy visits or weary travelers seeking shelter might appoint the most rude, abrupt, sly, bitter, or otherwise unpleasant individual he can to this task, and instruct him to refuse all requests that can be refused within the bounds of hospitality. As most visitors do not know the rule, and are not aware they are supposed to dine with the abbot, they easily can be kept in the guest quarters, watched constantly by servants, and kept from prying into the secrets of the monastery. In other houses the hostillar is friendly, hospitality is lavish, and visitors are treated well. Visitors with The Gift will, however, provoke suspicion whatever the hostillar is like.

The Almoner

One monk has responsibility for distribution of surplus food, and sometimes other goods, to those who come begging at the gate. Since this monk has a good reason to interact with those from outside, he can be a useful point of contact. Beggars go to nunneries too, although, to keep clamor away from the door, the nunnery should not distribute alms to the poor at the nunnery; if possible, arrangements are made for any surplus to be given away through the nunnery's benefactors.

The Chancellor

The chancellor is the librarian, and also oversees the scriptorium and acquires and arranges copying of books for the monastery. Monks do not just copy Bibles, Psalters, and other religious books, and many monasteries contain books of great interest to magi. In fact, monks tend to copy any ancient book they find, and the occasional lost Hermetic work might exist in a monastery somewhere. If it was purchased, then stored and forgotten, it may be of use; but if it is a copy it is unlikely to be of any use, as the scribe lacked Magic Theory, rendering the book worthless. Consulting historical records for clues, charters for a legal case, or the many other books in the monastery library requires first the permission of the abbot, and then an interview with the chancellor, who will negotiate the terms of the access. A loan of a book to the scriptorium for copying usually suffices.

Two types of chronicle found in monastery libraries are of particular interest to magi. Miracula contain ghost stories of those returning from purgatory to warn others, and miracles of the saints, especially the local saints celebrated in that house. They are read by the devout to foster Devotion (see Chapter 2: Congregation, Devotion), but are also useful for research into past events. Another type of book, the mirabilia, contains stories of faeries and magical and unusual natural phenomena, signs, and wonders. Books of this kind are a research resource that may provide clues in many stories.

Some Religious Orders

Traditionally, all monastic foundations, whether for men or women, followed the Rule of Saint Benedict or that of Saint Augustine. During the 12th century, the number of religious foundations grew dramatically. While many took the conventional line, several alternatives to the traditional rules became available. The Cistercians did not officially acknowledge nunneries in their order until 1213 (and if your saga follows history, will try to stop any more women joining them in 1228). Some communities of religious women ran without adherence to any of the officially recognized rules but, at the Fourth Lateran Council in 1215, the pope obliged all such institutions to formally adopt one of the existing, approved rules. The Augustinian Rule was fashionable at the time, so was taken up by some. A few communities are as yet undecided.

While the Cluniacs, Cistercians, and Vallumbrosans are detailed in Chapter 6: The Corrupt, and the Benedictines are discussed in detail in this chapter, Mythic Europe has many other orders varying in size. The mendicant orders of friars are discussed in Chapter 8: The Franciscans, the military orders in Chapter 9: The Templars.

Augustinian Canons

The majority of Augustinian canons, known as Black Canons for the color of their habits, can be found in cathedral chapters. They are regular clergy performing the usual priestly and administrative functions, who have taken monastic vows and live according to the Rule of Saint Augustine. They enjoy excellent relations with many bishops, as they form the staff of many cathedrals in the Italian peninsula, Bavaria, and Provence, but they can be found much further afield. They are well liked for the generosity of their alms-giving to the poor.

Carthusians

The Carthusians follow the Statutes of Saint Bruno rather than the Rule of Benedict, and the order consists of both monks and nuns. Monasteries and nunneries consist of individual cells within a larger complex, with an emphasis on personal devotions and strict withdrawal from the world, and the life is far more austere and less communal than in the other orders. The monks only gather for holy office in the monastery church, but they cultivate land and perform manual labor together to support their communities. Carthusian houses are closed to outsiders, and do not have pilgrim hostels or encourage visitors. They practice complete silence, and all necessary communication is by sign language.

Gilbertines

Found only in England, the Gilbertines were founded in 1130 at Sempringham, Lincolnshire. Their distinctive habit is black with a white cowl, and as a double order they have both monks and nuns, sharing a church with a wall dividing them. Lay brothers toil in the fields, and conditions are hard. Recently some monks have appealed to the pope, who ruled in favor of Gilbert's austere rules, but since the death of Gilbert in 1190 things have become more relaxed. Saint Gilbert was canonized in 1202, and his saint's day is celebrated on February 4th.

Premonstratensians

Founded by Saint Norbert with 12 disciples, these 13 monks were to create one of the great orders of the Rhine, and were instrumental in converting the Wends. Following the Rule of Augustine, the order was initially composed of both nuns and monks, but since 1198 has closed the nunneries and only admits monks. They do not own land, but work as hired laborers in exchange for food and goods. This money is used to support the community, and each evening the surplus is distributed to the poor at the almshouse of the monastery.

Trinitarians

Known as the Red Friars for the color of their habit, the Trinitarians were founded in 1198 in France for the purpose of rescuing and ransoming Christian captives. One third of their income is set aside to ransom Christians who have fallen into captivity, and they also perform educational and hospital duties in the regions around each of their houses.

The Priest

Many abbots are ordained as priests, on election if not before, but not all. In monasteries where there is no ordained priest, a clergyman must be retained to celebrate Mass. In many Benedictine monasteries one brother is ordained and performs this role, but receives no special privileges. A nunnery also has a priest who celebrates Mass and takes confession; he is one of the few men who can enter the guarded confines of the women's world.

An obvious question is why would anyone want to play a religious in a saga, and how do they feature in stories, given that they live in enclosed communities, and have retreated from the world?

Playing a religious as a companion may prove a challenge, as even the most trusted monk may seem unlikely to have more than one free season outside the monastery each year, unless on a pilgrimage.

The religious can and do leave their houses, and many of the roles performed by the religious require extensive interaction with the wider world. In some large abbeys, for example, the prior has a townhouse where he lives just outside the abbey walls, as his responsibility is the relationship between abbey and town. Terrars are constantly traveling around the abbey's manors, and chancellors may visit a covenant to seek rare books or ask advice on an unusual manuscript. Even ordinary monks trek across the fields to work, or are sent out into the community to tend the sick, gather herbs, or distribute alms. As such, monks are a common sight around town and countryside, and while they often remain silent in the monastery, they may talk freely as required for their duties and for common courtesy while on the road.

Secondly, it is easy to underestimate the sheer importance of religious in terms of wealth and power. Benedictine abbeys owe knightly service to feudal overlords, and hold many manors. Many a knight character may have an abbot as a direct liege lord. A huge amount of land is taken up in manorial farms. In 1220 there are just under seven hundred monasteries in England, with 12,500 monks; it is estimated that one fifth of the nation's wealth is in monastic hands, and monasticism is equally important across Western Mythic Europe.

A small monastery might have four to six monks, a large one over a hundred, but both have a huge impact on the local economy, as monasteries are often also pilgrimage centers. In addition, approximately a quarter of the parish churches in England are the responsibility of a monastery. In such a case, the monastery appoints a priest, called a "vicar," to administer the parish on behalf of the monastery. The vicar is paid a wage, and the monastery receives the tithe, which frequently leads to abuses. The bishops retain right of visitation, and may offer to try to improve the wages of the vicars and condition of the churches, but abbots can prove as intransigent and neglectful as any other absentee landlord, so long as the tithes keep coming in.

Even if the magi have no direct connection with a monastery town, or with land owned by a monastery, and their local church is not appropriated to a monastery, they will still probably stay at a number of Religious Houses. When moving around the countryside, where inns and accommodation can be sparse, it is customary to seek shelter and hospitality at a local monastery, and offer a small donation in the morning for the night's accommodation. Any characters who set out on a journey are likely to spend a considerable amount of time in monasteries, and will find the porters and hostillars an excellent source of local news and geographical information gleaned from other travelers.