Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Things that exist: Battle Abbey

Wikipedia.
The Battle Abbey was an abbey that William the Conqueror ordered built in Battle, East Sussex, England on the site where the Battle of Hastings was fought. It was meant to atone for the bloodshed his conquest of England created and the altar itself was supposedly built on the very spot that Harold Godwinson, the king prior to William's conquest, was killed. Unfortunately, the abbey was partially destroyed in the 16th century during an event called the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Henry VIII was a huge douche. Today, only a few buildings associated with the abbey, like the gatehouse (picture above) survive and are used as part of a boarding school.

Aside from the awesome name, the abbey invokes some interesting fantasy and roleplaying images. It would be used as a model for an abbey that trains clerics and paladins. Maybe the abbey was abandoned in the past and an order of paladins takes possession of it as both a headquarters and a training ground for paladins. You could even include the abbey's partial destruction as the result of a titanic battle between the paladins and an evil army and turn it into a location for your players to explore.

Oh, the possibilities!

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