Aquitainians

> Listen, my son,
>
>
> We are blessed by God’s grace to have the strength
> of our martial traditions and our appreciation of
> civilization. We are known to the world as the Visigoths,
> and even mighty Rome was humbled before us.
>
>
> Our story begins in the wide grasslands of Scythia,
> where we tamed our fabled horses, ancestors to the
> one you ride to war today. We were rich and prosperous,
> until the Huns arrived from the East. They did
> not fight like men do, with lance and sword, but in
> the coward’s way, from the distance with a bow. And
> they were beyond number. Thus, we had to leave our
> beloved steppes and seek shelter with the Romans,
> who had been the masters of the rest of the world.
> They sought to become our masters, too, to reduce us
> to slavery through starvation and force. Their emperor
> attacked our families when our cavalry was foraging,
> but once our cavalry returned, they rode him and his
> army down. Rome was humbled, and forced to negotiate
> a peace with us. They gave us land for our service
> to them as warriors.
>
>
> Yet the Romans betrayed us again. When Alaric,
> our greatest king, was leading us, the Roman Emperor
> Honorius, fearful of Alaric’s power, sought by foul
> means to murder all Visigoths within his empire,
> women and children included. He almost succeeded.
> Justifiably enraged, Alaric led us to Italy, and we
> sacked Rome itself. Alas, after this great task was
> done, Alaric passed from this life. We marched onto
> Hispania, claiming it for our own.
>
>
> Then the Romans ransomed Hispania back, for
> they like hot lands. Our king then was Theodoric,
> the son of Alaric, and he sent the wise Lancelot to
> negotiate with the Romans. Lancelot returned with
> a prize beyond compare: the well-watered, green
> lands of Aquitaine would be ours forever, in return
> for Hispania. In recognition of this great deed, King Theodoric embrace Lancelot as he would a brother,
> and gave Lancelot the lands of Ganis the title of a
> king; still subservient to King Theodoric, but a king
> nevertheless. For himself, King Theodoric took Tolouse
> and the eastern lands of Aquitaine, so that he would
> be able to protect his people from future treachery
> from Rome.
>
>
> Thus, we became the Aquitainians, with King
> Theodoric the Mighty ruling in Toulouse, and King
> Lancelot the Wise in Ganis. In Toulouse, King Theodoric
> hosted a court where strength and martial
> valor was honored above all else, and stories of heroes
> of old were told by the poets. Our people continued
> to be warriors, looking down on the Romans, who
> had lost their martial spirit and were now dissolute
> and craven, trading valor for cunning. King Lancelot
> saw a different way, a way for the Romans of Ganis
> and the Aquitainians to become one people, each
> learning from the other. And we found that while the
> leaders of Rome were duplicitous, the ordinary
> Romans were industrious, sophisticated, and educated.
> We saw that we were still barbarians in comparison,
> so we took the best of what they had to offer
> and made it our custom, too, marrying martial valor
> with civilization, and soon we outstripped the Romans
> in the latter as we had already done in the former.
>
>
> Together, King Theodoric and King Lancelot have
> guided our people to an even greater destiny than
> Alaric did; one with the force of arms, the other with
> sage counsel and keen understanding of the men’s
> minds. King Lancelot often sends men to far away
> lands, to learn what they may, and to return with
> knowledge and news, so that few things come to pass
> about which he is unable to advise King Theodoric.
>
>
>
> Now our old nemesis, the Huns, have been brought by the Romans to fight against us. However, the Huns are a treacherous people, even more so than the Romans, King Lancelot reminds us, and they will turn on the Romans here in the West, as they already have in the East. Furthermore, this is not the horde that ousted us from the steppes, but mere mercenaries, paltry in number, while the bulk of the foe are Romans who fight on foot, unable to flee from us. No one yet has withstood us when we charge into battle. Remember, my son, that you are an Aquitainian by blood: yours is the glory of King Alaric, the might of King Theodoric, and the wisdom and the sophistication of King Lancelot.
>
>

The Aquitainians are Goths, Visigoths to be precise. The Goths were created when their war god mixed the blood of conquered foes with dirt to make a hardy race of warriors. They originally lived on the wild and savage isle of Scandza, far to the north and the east. Its wild forests and harsh, wintery plains made them tough. Then the Goths left there upon their horses, “always seeking better ways,” and came to Scythia. There they divided into two tribes; first were the Visigoths, the others were the unimportant Ostrogoths.

The Visigoths sought better pastures, and so they came south. The Romans resisted, but lost in battle, and so the Visigoths lived among them in Italy, a mild land that could have made them soft. A hundred years ago the Roman emperor asked the Visigoths to settle the lands of Gaul and Iberia and defend them from savage barbarians. It was a ruse. When the warriors left to conquer, the treacherous Emperor massacred the wives and children of the Visigoth soldiers. For revenge, they sacked Rome and afterwards have ruled their lands without overlord. The victorious Visigoth king divided his lands among his loyal followers. At that time he gave Aquitaine to the care of the great regulus (king) Lancelot, grandfather of Sir Lancelot of legend.

The arrogance and cruelty of the Romans had brought about their own downfall, but they also had many admirable features which King Lancelot preserved. Thus the Aquitainians also kept their ancestral virtues and religion which had brought them their successes. Thus they “combine the best of their own ancient ways and those of the Romans.” When King Lancelot died he divided the land between his two sons, Ban and Bors.

Aquitaine is the land of the troubadours, noble singers who know all the ways of love. Thus, such knights have good skills at poetry and entertainment, but more importantly, the special skill of Venery. Venery is the skill of love, and the characters with this can use it in place of both Flirt and Romance, as they wish.

## Stereotype

Arrogant continental nobility, even a little soft since they so prefer the ways of love.

## Self Image

Sophisticated continental nobility, where noblesse oblige is a virtue of the nobles, who wisely and benevolently oversee their vassals of all classes.

## Let’s Be Practical

These are sophisticated, cultured people, able to charm, make poetry and read. They are from the land of Sir Lancelot.

## Names

### Male

Achila, Agila, Ardo, Alaric, Athanagild, Braulio, Bulgar, Chindasuinth, Chintila, Cison, Egica, Ervig, Euric, Gundemar, Hanna, Heraus, Hermenegild, Hermenigild, Ildefonsus, Isidore, Iudila, Julian, Leander, Leovigild, Liuva, Reccared, Recared, Reccesuinth, Receswinth, Roderic, Sembe, Senius, Sisbert, Sisebut, Sisenand, Suinthila, Suniefred, Theoderic, Theudisclus, Thorismund, Tulga, Wamba, Witteric, Wittiza

## Religion

### Arian Christianity

“Saint Arius has taught us the truth, and our bishops follow that. We know that Jesus Christ did not exist for all eternity, but was created by God the Father. Our forefathers were taught this and it has guided us to our great status.”