I smile warmly.
"That would indeed, and get us to her all the faster. Thank you very much."
I turn to Philip.
"It has been a pleasure sharing the road with you, my friend. LORD willing, before long, we shall again."
Then I turn to <Do-You-Want-To-Name-Him-Or-Shall-I>, and ask "Well, lad, it looks like the LORD speeds us onward. Do you want the top, or the back?"
Phillip seems surprised, and recovers poorly. "Oh, right. Of course. I'll let R--everyone know where you've gone."
We'll call him Jared.
"It's the same to me. You get to sit if you're on top, but you're also more likely to hit low-hanging branches if you don't keep your wits about you."
--M. J. Young
I nod.
"I think I'll face the peril of the branches, and the opportunity to chat with our new friend, the driver..."
And so I take my place up next to him.
"Thank you again for the ride."
"Tell me something of yourself, my friend. What is your name, and what paths brought you here today, to share this journey with me?"
He tells you his name. He is in the employ of the Lord Richelou and his Lady, a knight of some distinction but now retired. Mostly he cares for the carriage and the horses. He is not unhappy with his pay or his keep, although he has a cousin who insists that it is wrong for him to work for the Norman lords. His Lord and Lady are bound for Nottingham, and it is not for him to ask the purposes of their errands.
He asks about you in turn.
--M. J. Young
OOC: Sigh. You wanna name this one, or shall I? :p
"I am a traveller from afar, seeking to serve the LORD by ministering to those around me. Jared told me that he has an ailing sister in Nottingham, so I am going there to look after her, and to encourage her from the Holy Scripture, and to pray for her."
"I have yet to go to Nottingham. What is it like?"
OOC: Sigh. You wanna name this one, or shall I? :p
Um--no?
In my approach to play, incidental characters don't get names unless they cease to be incidental. For the moment, this guy's name is "the driver"; probably in future his name will be "the driver of the carriage through Sherwood Forest". That's a name I will have little trouble remembering.
If you want to call him something else, you certainly may call him anything you like; but when you want me to know who you mean by that, you will have to add "the driver" so I know.
There are a lot of tricks like this, and some of them can be a bit silly. For example, anyone who played in E. R. Jones' games knew that the stableboy's name was "Bob", even if it was the thousandth stableboy, and anyone you met whose name was Henry was a professional thief. Players used to tease that, as their characters would walk into unfamiliar towns and address the stableboy by name immediately, and tell the barkeeper they were looking for someone named Henry.
I avoid that. I said "He tells you his name". Now your character knows his name, and I know that your character knows it, and you will use it. If you want to make a point of using it, you can say something like, "'So you see,' and I address him by name, 'it comes down to this.'"
Otherwise next week at this time, the driver will be a forgotten character and I'll have burned up a useful name.
Does that make sense?
"Beg your pardon, Father; I did not recognize you as a holy man in your traveling attire."
"What, Nottingham? Well, it's not London, you understand; it's not even Canterbury. But it is the biggest city in these northern parts. I don't think the crown takes it too seriously--the shire reeve is really the highest ranking nobleman in the city, charged with protection of the forest, which is more than he can handle to be sure. There are a few other nobles who stay for extended visits, as they enjoy the hunting--but that's not so common as once way, or so they say, since this Hood and his thugs have made the forest unsafe for them as has the divine right of kings on them."
--M. J. Young
"No, I am not a clergyman, just an unworthy follower of our LORD."
"Please, tell me of this Hood."
"If the forest is unsafe, then why would your lord venture to pass through?"
"Hmmm. Never heard of someone travelin' somewhere to pray for the sick, who wasn't like a priest or a friar. I woul'n't have thought you could do that, if you weren't in the Lord's employ, or however you want to say it. Called, I think, is the word they use, i'n't it?"
"You've not heard of the robbin' hood that prowls these woods with his band of brigands, waylayin' travelers as have any money, and vanishing into the trees like ghosts? They say he shares his ill-gotten gains with a few peasants, which gets him help vanishing when he needs it. The shire reeve has yet to find anyone willing to tell him how to find this villain; he can't even be sure whether the peasants know."
"I guess you've no idea. Sherwood Forest is easily a hunnert miles across, I'd wager. Well, maybe not so big as that--but it's quite a distance out of the way to go around. To the north, of course, you'd be skirting the edge of Scotland, and the Scots are no better than the local bandits--worse, as they'll hold for ransom anyone they think might have more money or rich family or political connections. The south is just so far out of the way--if you're going into Nottinghamshire, Sherwood Forest is the dominant feature, and you've pretty much got to pass through it."
--M. J. Young
"I am Called indeed, but as a layman."
"How long has this robbin' hood been active?"
"Where do you live? You mentioned a cousin before -- tell me about your family..."
"Called as a layman? Is that kind of like joining a monastery? I don't really understand all that--being called to do the church work but not being a priest. But then, of late it's mostly Normans who are priests, leastwise in London. Don't know if it's different up here."
"Oh, I'm from London. We only heard of this Hood this year. Couldn't say how long he's been at it, but some say it started as soon as His Majesty King Richard left for the Crusade, leaving his brother John as regent. Richard should be back soon, though, they say. He'll get the matter sorted, no doubt."
He's not married, but he sends some of his pay to help his aging father, who lives in London still; his mother died giving birth to another son, who also died. The cousin he mentioned is his mother's brother's son, and there is another boy and three girls in that family. All are married with children of their own. They struggle to make due in London, and to pay their taxes, and they blame the Norman rulers for their poverty, but it seems to him that it's as much to do with trying to make a living in the city. "You can only work for people what has money, and if the Normans has the money, there's no point grousing about having to work for them."
--M. J. Young
"No, I am not called to withdraw from the world, but to go to those in need of healing, whether physical or spiritual."
"Is your employer also from London?"
"Do you know if Nottingham has craftsmen who make musical instruments? I had to leave my instruments behind, and wouldn't mind seeing those used in these parts, and learning more of them..."
"I don't know," he says. "It sounds like you're from one of those monastical ordinaries, or whatever they're called--a bit of medical care, a bit of spiritual encouragement and guidance, tell a man how to better himself, what to give to the church, and what herbs to take for what ails him. But you say you're not part of any order? So I guess I don't gut who you are or what you're doing--not as it's any of my business, o' course, but, well, it seems like it's something new, and I'm trying to understand what it is."
It is the driver's first visit to Nottingham, but he says that there are craftsmen in London and in Canterbury, so it's likely that there would be some in Nottingham. His employer's home is in London, but he has business concerns in Canterbury, so they travel between the two cities quite a bit and stay in Canterbury often. The driver thinks that the employer might be investigating whether he can expand his business to Nottingham, although the bandits in the woods are definitely a problem for anyone who wants to ship goods up here.
--M. J. Young
I smile reassuringly at his queries, plainly unoffended by his curiosity.
"In a way, I suppose it may well be new to these lands, though it is really quite old. I hear the LORD's will through neither Pope nor Priest, but through His Word, the Holy Scriptures, alone. And long before these Romish traditions of men arose, the early church of Bible times followed the pure teaching of the Holy Bible, as I seek to do also."
I begin to explain some of the differences (the "Five Solas", etc.) with a brief overview, happily expanding or curtailing my discussion based upon his interest level...
"Well, what you say makes sense, but--how do you know you've got it right? How do I know you know what you're talking about? I mean, it would seem to me that it takes an educated man to know what the Bible means by what it says. I don't even know French, and the Bible is in Latin. So how does a man--any man, really, but let's say you and let's say me--know what the Bible means, except we ask someone who's been taught it right, because he was taught by people who were taught by people, back to Paul and Peter themselves?"
--M. J. Young
"Well, it does so happen that I am indeed educated. However, your point is well taken. To know the LORD's will concerning true and sound doctrine, we must be able to test any and all doctrinal teachings against what appears in the Holy Scriptures... and the Romish church has cleverly erected language barriers to hinder the people from doing so."
"But the Bible wasn't originally written in Latin. The original language of the Old Testament is Hebrew, and of the New Testament is Greek. It was translated from those original languages into Latin... just as it can be translated into English, or any other language."
"I know that the Romish church does not teach true and sound doctrine because I know the Holy Scriptures in my own language. Allow me to compare and contrast the relevant Holy Scriptures with various Romish teachings..."
And so I proceed... :)
I'm walking a fine line here. I'm not really interested in prompting you to bad-mouth the Roman church on the forum. I do think that there is a way to "preach the gospel" that begins with "this is how it is different from what others teach"; there is also a way to completely antagonize someone by starting with "everything you know is wrong, and the people who taught you are trying to deceive you". So I'm hoping you can explain to me how you will be proceeding, without actually writing a polemic on the subject.
I'm also assuming that you're moving toward getting him to make a decision about faith, and I'd like to know, in the simple terms that he would grasp, what that decision entails. What would he understand you to be asking him to decide? That the Roman church is wrong? That your "new" religion is not really heresy? Or something else?
Thanks.
--M. J. Young
I'm doing "this is how the gospel is different from what others teach". I'm moving toward first interesting him in, and then giving him reason to adopt, a "Five Solas" mindset toward faith and doctrine. I teach gently, offering as many thought-provoking questions as answers, using parables and illustrations as well as bald facts, and helping guide his thinking to reach these conclusions himself.
As I continue sharing, I realize in the back of my mind that there is one glaring lack that these people need provided, at least in the long term.
These people need English Bibles, and the ability to read them.
But in a world where natives can't look through binoculars, could I even successfully make a printing press? And even that might be easy compared to the challenges of making the overall population literate.
Wow.
It is a good thing that it is "Not by might, nor by power"...
And, even as these thoughts flash through my mind, I continue to faithfully share...
By the time you are emerging from the forest as the sun is setting, he wants to know why he has never heard any of this before, and how he can keep in touch with you to learn more. He can't offer you a place to stay because he doesn't have his own place, but he wants to keep in touch.
Overview of Nottingham
The "city" is home to perhaps two to two and a half thousand people.
There are two sections. The near section is the Saxon section, obviously the older village. Beyond is a new section, the French section, where the Norman wealthy live. Beyond that is the castle, a wooden fortification serving as home for the shire reeve and such troops as are stationed here.
There is a wooden bridge spanning the River Trent. There are also several water wheels powering mills that apparently process wool.
The entire town is surrounded by a trench and wooden wall as fortification. This was extended to incorporate the new section sometime within the past century or so, and parts of the old wall still exist between the French and Saxon sections.
Fields surrounding the town are devoted partly to crops and partly to sheepfarming.
Most of the standard medieval trades are represented here, including goldsmithing, fletchers, wagoneers, and more.
There is a synagogue in town in addition to a church. Nearly all buildings are made of wood.
Your hosts are headed for the French section, but your patient is in the Saxon village.
--M. J. Young
"These things were known long ago, but such knowledge has been repressed by the Romish church. They are more widely known in my homeland, but that is far from here. I may be the first of my people to reach these shores with such tidings."
"I move about as there is need and the LORD directs me, so it may be difficult to find me. But tell me well the path to find you, and I shall seek you out again, as the LORD wills."
I warmly thank him for the ride and the conversation, and ask the LORD's blessing upon him in benediction.
And as we pass through the near Saxon section, I depart with my guide to seek his ailing sister...
Someone is cleaning up after dinner as you reach the sister's home. They offer to get you some supper from the leftovers.
The sister is sitting in a chair, propped on one side by the wall. Her outside arm shakes as she moves it, and she seems to be drooling slightly. Your companion greets her by name, and she tries to speak in response, but her words are slurred.
--M. J. Young
My first suspicion is that the afflicted sister has suffered a stroke, but I am a PhD, not an MD. Thankfully, however, it is not I who needs to know, but the LORD God Almighty.
"'Peace be unto you.'"
I minister to her as to the other patients that I have visited, and pray to the LORD for her healing...
You pray, and as you pray her arm steadies. When you are finished she fixes her gaze on you and says, "I did not get your name."
She stands with some difficulty. It is clear that she is still not entirely well, but significantly improved--the members of the household are marveling at her improvement.
The man who brought you here offers a bench by the fire and a spare blanket and pillow as the best accommodations he has. Food is brought from the dinner scraps, and the family expresses its gratitude.
--M. J. Young
"I am John Oakmaster, though some call me 'Oak'. Well met, and praise be to the LORD for his gracious healing hand upon you."
"I did not wish to strain you with the effort of conversing earlier, but your speaking seems easier now. How long have you been afflected?"
I thankfully partake of the food, giving thanks to the LORD for it and for answering the healing petition. And I talk with them, getting to know them, and sharing to whatever degree they are interested, before eventually partaking of blanket and fire and sleep. Simple pleasures, but sometimes they are the most satisfying.
The problem began about six weeks ago, when she had some sort of spell.
By morning her speech is notably improved, and she is moving around quite a bit better, helping with the chores. Breakfast is peas porridge, hot.
Word has not yet spread of this miracle, apparently. What are you plans next?
--M. J. Young
If my hosts wish to talk any further, I am happy to share with them, and pray with/for them as desired.
When it is time, I take my leave, and stroll around Nottingham a bit, keeping my eyes open in particular for anyone who may be in need of healing. I also look to see if there are any craftsmen who make musical instruments, and window shop just a bit if there are.
You find no such merchants in the Saxon section of the city. Saxon markets are focused on the necessities--simple clothing, food, basic ammenities such as pottery, pots, brooms, all-purpose soap.
Are you planning to wander into the Norman section of the city?
--M. J. Young
Yes, I may as well unobtrusively explore a bit while I am here. The language barrier is a concern, but the LORD knows where He wants me, and is perfectly capable of helping me overcome that barrier if He wishes. And the Normans have need of healing (both spiritual and physical) as much as anyone else.
I pray that the LORD will direct my steps toward wherever He wishes to use me, and proceed.
I also keep my eyes open to see if I can spot where my Saxon driver friend has taken his employer to.
And if nothing happens of note (someone who needs healing, etc.), then I set off on the return journey toward my lodgings with Robin's men...
I have a number of "guidance" prayers listed on your sheet, of which this is the best:
1@1 Request Divine Guidance M+7@7 10:00 TF requires extended reading aloud from a Bible, statement of need, both hands, answers what to do now, details in post 10 of An Unfamiliar Familiar Forest, +28SM.I am guessing that you are not doing this, but something considerably briefer, perhaps a minute of quietly spoken prayer? I just want to be clear as to what you are doing in this regard before I determine the results.
You do recognize a clear break between the haves and the have nots, and there is little wonder that the Saxons in Robin's band complain that they are unfairly taxed. It has been nearly one and a half centuries since these people's ancestors conquered this country, but they still live like conquerors.
There are tradesmen here, including blacksmiths, carriage and wagon makers, carpenters, goldsmiths and jewelers, furriers, tailors, and other services to cater to the wealthy, including caterers. You don't at present spot any makers or dealers in musical instruments, but there is a lot to see.
--M. J. Young
I am guessing that you are not doing this, but something considerably briefer, perhaps a minute of quietly spoken prayer? I just want to be clear as to what you are doing in this regard before I determine the results.
Yes, that is a reasonable guess. :)
I proceed as described previously. If nothing happens of note (someone who needs healing, etc.), then I set off on the return journey toward my lodgings with Robin's men.
After you pray, you start down one of the streets. You walk a few blocks, and suddenly someone calls you from a side street. It is your driver friend; he wants to know how your prayer went.
--M. J. Young
I smile in greeting, and walk over to meet him.
"She is much improved, thanks be to God."
"Where are you staying now? And how long will you be here?"
"Oh, my masters have indicated that they'll be here at least a month, maybe longer. They are guests of business associates here, and the servant's quarters are comfortable enough, not too crowded even with me added. I don't have many duties, other than caring for the carriage and horses and moving their luggage, unless they need errands run, but I have to stay where they can find me most of the time. And yourself?"
--M. J. Young
"My errand here was successful by the LORD's grace, and I have not seen anyone else in such need here."
"So I shall continue to travel from place to place as the LORD leads me, and minister to the physical and spiritual needs He puts before me."
"LORD willing, I will try to return here within the month, and have the opportunity to see you again. I enjoyed our talk during the journey here very much."
"As did I. You have very strange ideas about God and church, John. I'd like to hear more, to see if I can understand it all."
I gather then that you are heading back into Sherwood Forest. What is your plan?
--M. J. Young
"I would like that. Until then, fare thee well, and may the LORD bless thee, and keep thee."
I take my leave of Nottingham, and set off into Sherwood Forest once again. After walking for a time, and checking to ensure I am not being followed, I move into the forest, following the vector of my belongings left behind in Robin's camp.
As I walk, I am struck with the beauty of the forest, and grow reflective.
I begin to consider all of the extraordinary experiences I have had since beginning my journey through the multiverse. Mythic monsters and space aliens and psionic powers in my previous universe, miracles and mythic legends in this one...
And, in such a legendary English forest of olden times, I muse upon other stories passed down in my home world, of faeries and pixies, of elves and dwarves and gnomes and the like. In such a forest, I could well see how such stories could begin, and spring to life.
And, after pondering that thought for several long moments, I attempt to stretch out my telepathic senses, to discern if there are any nearby with sentient thoughts. And I pray for discernment, that the LORD would guard and guide my steps as He wills...
By sentient thought, I'm guessing you mean that of an intelligent creature--that is, the curiosity or wariness of a deer would not count.
That being the case, your effort to detect such a creature returns no sense of such.
It is not difficult to follow the vector back toward the camp. It is not possible, however, to know the distance based on a straight line vector. The sky is darkening above the trees before you see any signs of Robin and his men.
--M. J. Young
Actually, I'll try first to detect any thought at all. If successful, then I'll skim through what I detect to see if there is anything sentient. It would be interesting in its own right to detect the thoughts of the woodland creatures, even if there are no faeries to be found.
-=-
As the daylight begins to fade, I stop and pray for an extended period of time. I recall the previous time I was alone in Sherwood Forest, seeking the way to Robin's camp, as I pray, and sing, and read Scriptures. And then I pray to once again be transported directly to Robin's camp...
You are not able to open your mind to detect the thoughts of other creatures around you.
You pray and sing and then make your request, and as if passing through a door you suddenly step into the midst of the camp.
There is a shout of alarm, and the camp is quickly in an uproar.
--M. J. Young
I stand quietly, looking around to see if any familiar faces are nearby, while praying silently for guidance, and that the LORD would bless my interactions...
Tuck comes lumbering over to you. "John," he says, a bit breathlessly, "better get under cover. Apparently someone--we seem to have been found."
--M. J. Young