arden
at the Roof of the World
Places:
Gwenaella will journey across central Europe, along the Danube from the fortress
of Buda to the Black Sea where she took ship through the Bosperus and around
Asia Minor to Antioch. From there she journeys by land to Bagdad.
She will make her way to Mumbai by ship, and then over land through Khajuraho
and Delhi and then into the Himalayas. With brief visits to Lo Mantang and
Kathmandu, she will then make the dangerous climb into the heights of the
mountains where in the shadow of Sagarmatha she hopes to find the Garden at the
Roof of the World.
| Europe |
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| Brittany |  |
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| France, Poitiers Fontainbleau Paris |
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| The Holy Roman Empire Black Forest Wein |
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| The
Kingdom of Hungary Buda-Pest |
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| Danube |
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| Latin Empire |
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| Empire of Nicea |
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| Near East |
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| Outremer Antioch |
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| Abbasid Caliphate Baghdad |
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| Asia |
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| Mumbai | ||
| Delhi |
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| Himalayas |
Brittany (Breizh)
Forest
Brocéliande, legendary home of Nimuë, lover to Merlin
Merlin's Tomb
Redon (Gwen's home)
During the period, Rennes
is the capital. The land is wet in winter, hot and dry in summer.
Woman wore a coiffe on their heads.
Small history:Iin 851, Erispoe takes title of King of Brittany, assassinated by Salomon, his cousin. Extends Brittany to include Anjou and Cotentin. Norsemen invade in 919, in 939, King Alain Barb-Tort drives out Normans. Peninsula returns to disorder and poverty upon his death.
In 1203, Pierre de Dreux of the Capétiens house (a prince of the house) selected by Breton bishops and barons as their duke. Succeeded by Jean1, Jean 2, Arthur 2, and Jean 3. Kept Brittany autonomous.
Archdiocese of Dol established by Nominoë
France
Window from the Cathedral at PoitiersPoitiers
had been the
capital of Agevin Poitou (county), and the birthplace of Eleanor of
Aquitaine (Duchy). French called Duchy of Aquitaine
Guyenne. It had been won by Philip II, the father of the current
King. Poitou sent men to the 5th crusade. Poitou was a site
of a cathedral school at the large romanesque church. Poitou also
was the birthplace of a number of troubadours. This duchy would
not long remain french, being lost again during the early stages of the
100 years wars. Near to Poitiers is the town of Parthenay, which
is along the road to Poitiers from Brittany.
Title of Count of
Poitiers held by Alphonso Capet from 1220 - 1270. He was the son
of Louis VIII of France.
Elise's father is the Baron de Chauvigny with fealty to the count of Poitou, and then the Duke of Guyenne. He has a residence he maintains in Poitou, and has had some of his children put through the cathedral school. As he is absent from his baronial seat, his valet has taken advantage of the situation. That is where Adelie has been raised. The bishops of Poitiers had a chateau in Chauvigny. The local industry is stone, wool and feathers.
Fontainebleau
Forest south of
Paris.
Had streets with lovly names
such as rue Trousse-Puteyne (whores slit street) rue Grattecon
(scratchcunt street) rue du Chapon, and just outside of the city, a
rue du Poil au Con (for unshaven prostitutes). St. Louis (current
king) had a house built called Maison des Filles-Dieu where former
prostitutes were pensioned so as not to resume their trade. Many
students would pimp for the prostitutes, and of course, were their
frequent customers. The Quartier Latin was filled with “bordels”.
The students were frequently riotous, harbingers of things to come
centuries later.
The walls had recently been
built, by King Philip, as well as the streets paved. The
University was swiftly becoming a rival to the University in Cologne.
The Holy Roman Empire
& Bohemia
The Black Forest
recently part of the Holy Roman Empire, now part of Kingdom
of Bohemia. It was anexed by Wenceslas
I, King of Bohemia 1205-1253, who kept the Mongols from bohemia.
The Kingdom of Hungary
Buda
& Pest were two cities in the Kingdom of Hungary, destroyed by the
Mongols in 1242 AD. The citizens took refuge in caves underneath
the fortress.
The Danube
passes though a chasm called the Iron Gate. While Navigatable, it
is very dangerous.
Outremer
Antioch ad Orontes was a trade center on caravan routes, and on the Orontes river. Farm region where grains, cotton, grapes, olives and vegetables are grown. Much of city would later be buried under alluvial deposits, but during the late days of the crusader states, was fairly populated. Main streets paved with marble, roman built temples, palaces, theaters. Houses in the area are flat roofed with mud roofs. The mud is compacted with a stone roller after a rain. City is 15 miles from the port city which services it's needs from the Mediterranean. In the grotto of St. Peter is a 13th century church built in a grotto where he was believed to have preached. Church is a cave church, site of early christian meetings. Seleuceia ad Pierea is the ancient port city. There is a huge tunnel, called the Titus Tunnel, a huge canal couged from rock to prevent the river from silting the harbor. There is also a lovely 6th century monastery, St. Simeon the younger. The city was done in Hippodamic style and had city lighting.
Near by is Harran, where Terah and Abraham dwelled. Had a large Islamic university before mongols destroyed it. Buildings are beehive shaped. Even closer is the Harbiye Waterfalls, location of a temple of Apollo. Has a grove of holly and laurel.
Historically, the Orontes river was navigable.
The Abbasid Caliphate
The city of Baghdad formed two vast semi-circles on the right and left banks of the Tigris, twelve miles in diameter. The numerous suburbs, covered with parks, gardens, villas and beautiful promenades, and plentifully supplied with rich bazaars, and finely built mosques and baths, stretched for a considerable distance on both sides of the river. In the days of its prosperity the population of Baghdad and its suburbs amounted to over two millions! The palace of the Caliph stood in the midst of a vast park several hours in circumference which beside a menagerie and aviary comprised an inclosure for wild animals reserved for the chase. The palace grounds were laid out with gardens, and adorned with exquisite taste with plants, flowers, and trees, reservoirs and fountains, surrounded by sculptured figures. On this side of the river stood the palaces of the great nobles. Immense streets, none less than forty cubits wide, traversed the city from one end to the other, dividing it into blocks or quarters, each under the control of an overseer or supervisor, who looked after the cleanliness, sanitation and the comfort of the inhabitants.
The water exits both on the north and the south were like the city gates, guarded night and day by relays of soldiers stationed on the watch towers on both sides of the river. Every household was plentifully supplied with water at all seasons by the numerous aqueducts which intersected the town; and the streets, gardens and parks were regularly swept and watered, and no refuse was allowed to remain within the walls. An immense square in front of the imperial palace was used for reviews, military inspections, tournaments and races; at night the square and the streets were lighted by lamps.
There was also a vast open space where the troops whose barracks lay on the left bank of the river were paraded daily. The long wide estrades at the different gates of the city were used by the citizens for gossip and recreation or for watching the flow of travelers and country folk into the capital. The different nationalities in the capital had each a head officer to represent their interests with the government, and to whom the stranger could appeal for counsel or help.
Baghdad was a veritable City of Palaces, not made of stucco and mortar, but of marble. The buildings were usually of several stories. The palaces and mansions were lavishly gilded and decorated, and hung with beautiful tapestry and hangings of brocade or silk. The rooms were lightly and tastefully furnished with luxurious divans, costly tables, unique Chinese vases and gold and silver ornaments.
Both sides of the river were for miles fronted by the palaces, kiosks, gardens and parks of the grandees and nobles, marble steps led down to the water's edge, and the scene on the river was animated by thousands of gondolas, decked with little flags, dancing like sunbeams on the water,
and carrying the pleasure-seeking Baghdad citizens from one part of the city to the other. Along the wide-stretching quays lay whole fleets at anchor, sea and river craft of all kinds, from the Chinese junk to the old Assyrian raft resting on inflated skins.
The mosques of the city were at once vast in size and remarkably beautiful. There were also in Baghdad numerous colleges of learning, hospitals, infirmaries for both sexes, and lunatic asylums.
India
