The Standard ManorThe standard manor typically provides ?6 of income (yours are both poor manors, so will provide less), and contains the following:
? a village with 500 commoners
? a small church
? a mill
? a communal bakery
? a pack of dogs (for herding and hunting)
? a herd of about 20 horses
? a herd of cattle, a flock of sheep, a herd of pigs, a flock of chickens, a gaggle of geese and other animals (some owned by the manor, and many more owned by the peasants).
The manor house is surrounded by plowed fields, meadows (used for hay), pastures (used for grazing), and wastes (land not used for other purposes).
Note that, while money is glory, there is no glory gained from what is in your treasury. Glory is only gained by spending.
Expenses: ?2 for the knight and his squire, ?2 for his family, ?2 for his horses.
Stewards: Ordinarily a knight's wife or a member of the family will run the manor at a cost subsumed into the manor income. If the knight requires and chooses to, he can hire a professional steward for ?1 to run the manor for him.
RetinueKnights are expected to be served by a retinue that travels with them. Such a thing costs money, of course. The larger and more skilled the retinue, the more glory it gains the knight. Also, note that hiring retinue is Conspicuous Consumption, which grants annual Glory equal to their cost. Soldier retinue also grant annual Glory, but only to 100 points per year.
- Groom (??) - These are the lower ranked servants, often found in ladies? retinues, though most soldiers are also maintained at this level.
- Valet (??) - These are the upper ranked servants. They include the Craftsmen, Manorial Specialists, and the Bailiff of your manor.
- Professional (?1+) - These are the highest ranked servants, often found in a knight?s retinue. They earn their living plying highly specialized skills and arts. Your squire and professional esquires are maintained at this level.
Multiple squires - a knight often has more then one squire. Only the chief squire is guaranteed a position. Others will be hired and released as the economic circumstances of the knight wax and wane. These other squires can be commoners or professional esquires.
Knight?s Professionals for HireKnights hire professionals for their education and expertise. Each profession has one or more Key Skills that indicate its specialty. Once you have wives, there are professionals that make up a Lady's retinue as well.
? Clerk. Key Skill: Read (Latin). As tutor: He teaches the Classics, the Bible and how to read Latin. As proctor: A master at maintaining correspondence and keeping figures, he saves ?1d3-2 per year, scrutinizing the books.
? Courtesan. Starting pay is ?2 per year. Key Skill: Check to Lustful + any one other Courtly Skill. Additional skills add to the cost at the rate of ?1/ skill. (does not generate childbirth rolls)
? Engineer. Key Skill: Siege.
? Herald. Key Skills: Heraldry, Recognize, Tourney.
? Lawyer. Key Skill: Law. (Note: Law is a meta-skill and combines Courtesy, Folklore and Intrigue. Whenever your character needs to make one of these rolls, he may roll on his Lawyer?s skill instead. Law is also the cultural specialty of Roman characters.)
? Mistress. A commoner woman dedicated to personal pleasure. Key Skill: Check to Lustful + annual Child-birth Roll.
? Musician. A professional trained at playing the courtly instrument of harp. Key Skill: Play (Harp).
? Priest(ess). An experienced holy man (or woman). Key Skill: Religion. Note -this one is in your retinue, so travels will you. Likely much more skilled than the village priest.
? Raconteur. A storyteller, who has memorized histories, legends and other tales and can retell them in an entertaining manner. Key Skill: Orate.
? Singer. A vocalist, also knows many songs for any occasion. Key Skill: Singing.
? Squire. An additional squire to the normal complement of the Knight?s station. Key Skill: Squiring
? Steward. An expert who looks after a manor sized estate, is usually a noble esquire. Key Skill: Stewardship. Note: if a knight is not married with a wife to support, but has engaged a Steward instead, his ?1 cost replaces the costs to support the family (yes, this leaves an extra ?1 that goes to the landholder).
? Troubadour. A poet and musician, who specializes in songs and poems of love and romance. Key Skill: Compose, Play (Lute).
? Valet or Body Servant. An expert in grooming, dressing properly and in protocol, etc. Key Skill: Fashion.
? Wandering Bard. Bards are expert entertainers who can sing, dance, play harp and tell stories. Bards (as opposed to common musicians and troubadours) have a special status due to their traditional place of honour in Cymric society and to their Pagan religious traditions, even if professing Christianity. Such an expert always costs at least ?1 more than their Key Skills would indicate. Key Skills: Compose, Dancing, Orate, Play (any), Singing
? Common Healer. Villages all have their resident healers, usually old experienced peasant women who?ve set hun-dreds of bones, sewed up countless wounds, and midwifed a small city?s worth of babes. Key Skills: First Aid, chirur-gery, each at 4d6. Cost: None, for they live everywhere.
? Apothecary. Concocts the latest alchemical medicines to fight disease. He is of urban origin, usually in the local guild. Cost: ??. Benefit: gives +1d6 to the patient?s CON roll versus disease.
? Herbalist. Concocts traditional treatments to fight disease. He is of rural origin. Cost: ??. Benefit: gives +1d6 to the patient?s CON roll versus disease.
? Augustinian Nun. This Roman Christian order is famous for their skills and devotion to healing, curing and care for the wounded and ill. Key Skill: Medicine (Meta-skill, combines First Aid and Chirurgery starting at 2d6+6. Cost: ?1 ?.
? Chirurgeon. Responsible for serious wounds and long term care. Key Skill: Chirurgery, starting at 4d6. Cost: ?1. These include: General Surgeons (wounds, sores, abscesses, fractures), Barbers (bleeding, cupping, pulling teeth, leeching, cutting hair), and Empirics (a single surgical condition such as a hernia, a cataract, etc.).
SoldiersThese are over and above your levy, soldiers who are professional full-time men-at-arms (as opposed to farmers who carry swords from time to time), hired, equipped, and maintained by the knight. They may travel with you as part of your retinue.
? Mounted Sergeant. A mounted soldier, armed as a knight but usually more lightly armoured. Key Skills: Lance, Sword, Horsemanship. Cost: ?3
? Sergeant. A foot soldier, armoured. Key Skills: Spear, Sword. Cost: ?2
? Man-at-Arms. A foot soldier, lightly armoured. Key Skill: Spear. Cost: ?1
? Archer or Crossbowman. Missile troop, unarmoured. Key Skill: Bow or Crossbow. Cost: ?1
MercenaryThey have their own equipment, and perform whatever duty their employer commands. There is no cost to finding Mercenaries, but they are more expensive than garrison troops because of the uncertainty of their employment. The price shown is for 30 days of service.
? Mounted Sergeant. Cost: ?1
? Sergeant. Cost: ??
? Man-at-Arms. Cost: ??
? Archer or Crossbowman. Cost: ??
? Knifeman. Unarmored, badly armed infantry, willing to do anything to get ahead, such as climb ladders to assault a castle. Key Skill: Dagger. Cost: ?⅛
ImprovementsThere are 5 classes of manorial improvements. I'll detail the Investments below. If you are interested in exploring other options, let me know. Take special note of the apiary - it increases the likelihood of good crop rolls during the winter phase.
Common Structures. Necessary for the existence and well being of the manor?s commoners. They generate income or maintain the manor?s ability to create wealth and reduce the peasants? Hate (landlord) when rebuilt.
Developments. Things that make the lives of the commoners easier. They reduce the peasants? Hate (landlord).
Manorial Buildings. Necessary for the knight?s survival, but also provide benefits of protection or comfort to the knight?s family. They may provide protection to the manor and give annual Glory. You can upgrade your manor from a small wood house to a large stone keep, for example.
Fortifications. Defensive works, suitable only for war. They give Defence Value (DV) to the Manor and give annual Glory.
Enhancements. Luxury and extravagant items. They grant chances for Trait, Passion or Skill checks and give annual Glory.
Investments. Provide a chance for annual Income. They may grant a Trait or Skill check and may provide Glory.
Religious Donations. Grant checks or rolls to religious Traits or Passions , give glory, and can generate income.
