Mutt's Ars Magica 5th Edition Plus+

Common Knowledge

It is the middle ages, the year 1190. The world is flat,the earth fixed, stars rotate around the earth including the sun, the church is absolute and Jerusalem is the center of the world. Magic, Angels, Faeries, Monsters, Spirits, demons,God and the devil are as real as the sun and the stars. Disease is caused by demons and spirits, curses are real and prayer really can heal. The church is God's power on earth and the pope gods voice , as the caliph is in the near east. Wizards are real as are witches as are all creatures from myth and legend. The world is a dangerous place where death is commonplace and life short and hard. The average life span of a European is 35 , in the near east its 50. The world consist of Europe, the near east, Libya (All of north Africa to Egypt is considered Libya where the campaign takes place), Arabia ( India is mostly unexplored and Pakistan is part of the Arab world). In Europe only the priestly class, scribes and scholars are literate, in the near east only those in the cities of moneyed families, poets, and few others are literate, though schools are set up to teach reading to any male who wishes. Women are the possessions of men and have little rights in both Europe and the near east on average, women liberation doesn't exist, both wife and child are property . The average person has never traveled more than 20 miles from where they were born.

The third crusade has begun, rumors of a huge massacre of Jews in England for making matzoh from the blood of christian babies, pope clement is ill as are the king of France and a new young king has been crowned for the holy roman empire,England's King Henry II is dead, and a new peace treaty has been made between Germany and the east.