#goedendag

[cutecuttlefish]

The sword of the day is the goedendag.

The goedendag was a Belgian weapon, used during the 14th century, and was essentially a combination of a spear and club. The wooden staff, somewhere between 3 and 5 feet long, was wider at one end, which would have been used as a striking surface. This wider end also featured a metal spike, which would have been used to thrust. The exact origin of the name is a matter of debate, but its meaning in Dutch is “good day.” One possible advantage of the weapon is its relative ease of use in training foot soldiers; it combines the spear and club, generally the two easiest weapons for laypeople to wield effectively. Eventually, the goedendag was replaced in the military by weapons like the halberd or morning star, but remained a potent self-defense weapon.

[handlewithcare-delicate]

Shoutout naar de man die met een hele bedenkelijke blik mij een muntje voor popcorn gaf met de woorden "als je het zeker weet..."

Het feit dat het personeel bij alles zegt 'sterkte' is zo grappig. Ik kocht een suikerspin en zij zei 'sterkte ermee' 😭

[enby--emrys]

Zitiron- a creature with the bottom half of a fish and the top half of a knight.

The zitiron only shows up in three sources that I can find- the Ortus Sanitatis (published in Germany 1491, author unknown), Van der Naturen Bloeme (early 14th c) by Flemish poet Jacob van Maerlant, and De natura rerum (1244 CE) by Flemish writer Thomas of Cantimpré. Van der Naturen Bloeme is actually just a Dutch translation of the Latin De natura rerum, so technically there's only two original sources. The only reason I mention both is that the original De natura rerum- which is sourced from a large number of works by philosophers and writers such as Aristotle, Pliny the Elder, St. Ambrose, Jacques de Vitry, and too many others to explore them all as original sources- doesn't have any illustrations and is in Latin, which I can't read, making it a personally useless source. But Van der Naturen Bloeme does have illustrations- the third image in this post is Jacob van Maerlant's interpretation of the zitiron I assume to be outlined in De natura rerum.

The only other original place that a zitiron can be found, according to the internet, is in the Ortus Sanitatis, a Latin natural history encyclopedia with no known author published in 1491 in Mainz, Germany. It has illustrations, the second image in this post is the author's interpretation. But again, I can't read Latin and it's hard to read the stylized text to put into google translate.

There is almost no information about the zitiron online, which is a shame because it's a really interesting figure. If you can read Latin or medieval Dutch I would LOVE to work together to place the origin of this mythological creature and learn more about it!

For the drawing, I wanted to honor Jacob van Maerlant and Thomas of Cantimpré's Flemish heritage. The helmet, chainmail, shield, and goedendag on the zitiron are representative of what the Flemish forces wore and used at the Battle of the Golden Spurs, a 1302 victory of the French that is a source of pride and celebrated every July 11th by the Flemish today.

TLDR: The zitiron is a little known creature from the Middle Ages or perhaps antiquity, with the bottom half of a fish and the top half of a knight. My drawing is inspired by the Flemish culture of two of the only writers to leave any information about the zitiron.

If you've got the time and can read Latin, could you take a look at the two Latin texts I mentioned? For the Ortus Sanitatis, I was able to flip through the whole thing and find the page that has the info on zitirons. It's on page 730 here- (x). But for De natura rerum, which you can access here (x), I have no idea where it could be. There's a translation project for it ongoing through Kalamazoo College, but I don't see anything relating to zitirons or relevant mythology on their page so far. And if you can miraculously read medieval Dutch, here's the link to the page on zitirons in Van der Naturen Bloeme (x).

[toweringclam]

Sinner #6: Victor

Name: Victor von Frankenstein Age: 30 Height: 6'2" Weapon: "Prometheus," a goedendag. (a sort of thick spear with a disc-shaped band around it that lets it serve as a mace as well) Particulars: Brilliant, Egotistical, Self-effacing Skin: Pale Build: Slim Hair: Dark blonde, in a neat medium fade Face: Angular, with sunken cheekbones and eyes. Emoji: ⚡️ Color: #d4e1ec (Mirror Blue)

Attire: No jacket. Tie tightened up to his neck and all buttons buttoned. Wears the waistcoat. Shirt cuffs unbuttoned. Tiny round spectacles.

Assessment: Volatile mix of arrogance and self-loathing makes him easy to manipulate through both flattery and threats. Will exceed given orders whenever possible, so give him tasks that seem more difficult than they are.

EGO: "Stolen Fire." He appears in the striped pajamas, but the top is long, resembling a lab coat. He wears a pair of goggles to block out the light. His weapon becomes a lightning rod, with three prongs surrounding a central prong, all connected to a ball in the middle. He says, "My science struck the throne of heaven..." as he impales an enemy on it. Then a bolt of blinding lightning strikes his upraised spear.

Note: Goes by "Victor" and shuns his family name. As he puts it, "my legacy is forfeit to that creature."

[theinimitablefuckstormkilligan]

You have any thoughts on the Goedendag?

I fucking love the goedendag. It's just a pointy stick!

[racefortheironthrone]

A Guildsman Goes Forth to War, World-Building Part II

Historical Departures:

As you might imagine, in a world that's experienced quite a significant change almost a thousand years previously, Europe circa 1500 AD in A Guildsman Goes Forth to War is not the same as the one from our timeline. Names and places are familiar but distinct, and the borders of entire countries have shifted because a battle that went one way in one timeline went the other in this.

For the purposes of this novel, I wish to draw your attention to two more significant historical departures that will be the most central to the main characters and the plot.

The first departure has to do with the outcome of the Franco-Flemish War at the beginning of the 14th century. As in our timeline, the war began as a conflict between Phillip the Fair (although in this world, he was King of Gallia, rather than of France) and the Count of Flanders, and turned into a Flemish revolt against the overlordship of France that enraged and terrified the French chivalry after the Guldensporenslag. Unlike our timeline, however, the Count of Flanders offered marriage of his younger daughter to Rudolf I of the Empire after Phillip blocked his marriage alliance to Edward of Anglia.

While sadly in this timeline the Flemish cause did not ultimately win victory either, the Imperial marriage meant that when French forces pushed the Flemings' backs to the wall at Zierikzee and Mons-en-Pévèle, they were met by an Imperial expeditionary force. Rudolf I was no partisan of the burghers, but neither was he about to have Phillip the Fair as a neighbor. And so instead, the Low Countries became a buffer zone between the Kingdom of Gallia and the Sacrum Imperium.

Major warfare between Gallia and the Empire was avoided. (After all, Phillip had his hands full with Edward and Rudolf desperately needed that bastard Pope to agree to his coronation.) As for the people who had fought so hard for their freedom, the militias were disbanded, the burghers were stripped of much of their former independence, all commoners were forbidden to carry arms, and the local nobility were carefully balanced between Gallician and Imperial lines to keep the peace. Everyone returned to the business of spinning thread into gold. But still the memory of the goedendag lingered...

The second, more recent event is the rise of the Lega di Mille Communi. At the height of the Wars of the Guelphs and Ghibellines, a number of Italian communes hatched a conspiracy "as to dwarf any previous such venture in the history of man." To end the constant fighting and free themselves from the ambitions of Pope and Emperor both, these communes pretended loyalty to both factions, offering loans and fighting men while working within the walls of their own cities to plant spies, provacateurs, and assassins among the leading families of the signorile.

This silent campaign built to its height at the Second Battle of Legnano, where the combined forces of Pope Boniface VIII and his Guelph allies and Emperor Louis IV and his Ghibellines met again at that place honored in song and memory as the place where Barbarossa was humbled. When the battle was fully joined, a pre-arranged signal was given and the condottieri on both sides turned on their own armies, making a daring charge for the command tents of Pope and Emperor alike. In the confusion and chaos, those great and noble persons were taken captive in the name of the newly revealed Lega di Mille Communi.

The shockwave echoed across all Europe. For six months, the greatest secular and religious authorities in Christendom lingered in golden fetters, while Kings and Cardinals from ultramontano threatened foreign intervention. Across northern and central Italy, a civil war raged in the streets and in the fields, but the Guelph and Ghibelline partisans found themselves leaderless and undirected, unwilling to combine with their hated enemies against the professional forces of the well-heeled Lega who toppled government after government from within and without. When the dust had settled, a "Treaty of Perpetual Liberty" was signed by the Empire and the Papal See alike. Under the terms of this pact, the Lega was recognized as independent of both, the sole legitimate sovereign of all territories south of the Alps.

Naturally, this document signed under heavy coercion was immediately repudiated the moment the principals were freed (albeit under heavy bond). Louis IV declared war the moment he set foot on German soil, and Boniface would have done the same in his own territories had he not dropped dead of a rage-induced stroke. For another ten years, the Lega fought to uphold the Treaty, and ultimately narrowly triumphed thanks to a crucial alliance with the Swiss Confederacy that bled the Emperor's legions white as they tried to fight their way south through the Alps, and thanks to a deadlocked Papal conclave (kept that way by heavy bribery and constant espionage) that allowed the Lega to fight on one front at a time.

But in the end, the Lega endured because of the simple principles of its constitution. Under the articles of federation and defensive alliance, each commune was largely free to govern itself within certain boundaries. No separate alliance or agreement with any foreign state was allowed. Limited wars between Communi were allowed after arbitration, but not to the point of outright conquest of one city-state over another. Contracts would be honored across the Lega, and exchange rates between local currencies would be fixed at yearly conferences. Violators would face the combined forces of every other Communi bound together in fraternal oath.

One Pope after the other was crippled with debt until they had to sell the Donation of Pepin city by city and valley by valley, culminating in a truly Croesian subvention from the Lega for the new Prince of the Vatican. The Kingdom of Naples tried again and again to fight its way up the boot, only to find itself mired in costly sieges ahead and suspiciously well-funded peasant rebellions behind, until eventually the House of Anjou declined into civil war. The Lega was not a peaceful country after independence, but the fighting kept their condottieri well-trained and well-paid, and a new cultural ethos emerged among the Communi that they would uphold as jealously as the virginity of their kinswomen: "I against my brother, my brother and I against my cousin, my cousins and I against a foreigner."

And so for the first time since the time of the Divine Julius, one of the major powers of Europe was a Republic(s). A specter had begun to haunt the crowned heads of Christendom...

[20kmemesunderthesea]

Leagues of Love Now Has a Glossary

For English-speaking players, I've included a list of expressions in other languages which can be found throughout the game (as well as how to pronounce "Aronnax" and "Conseil").

Let me know if I need to make any corrections!

Name Pronunciation: Aronnax: AR-noh Conseil: con-SÉ

French Terms: À toute à l'heure! - See you later! Bise - Kiss Embrasse-moi. - Kiss me. Ma chère amie. - My dear (female) friend. Je t'aime. - I love you. Oh la vache! - An exclamation of shock or surprise. Tire-toi une bûche - “Pull up a log,” (a Québécois way of saying, “have a seat.”) Chou, Chouchou - Cabbage (Terms of endearment) Pichouette - Mischievous girl (Term of endearment)

Flemish Terms: Hallo - Hello Goedendag, goeiendag - Good day (Formal, Informal) Hoe gaat het met u? - How are you? (Formal) Ook goed! - I’m well! Merci - Thank you Slaap wel - Sleep well Ik zie je graag. - I enjoy seeing you. (Affectionate) Ik hou van je. - I love you. Amai! - Exclamation of shock or surprise

Hindi Terms: Maharajah - King Rani - Queen Rajkumar - Prince Rajkumari - Princess Jhansi - A historic city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, once ruled by Rani Lakshmibai Newalkar. "Meri Jhansi nahi dungi." - "I won't give up my Jhansi," the slogan of Rani Lakshmibai Newalkar.

Bundeli Terms: Aap Bundeli bolo ho ka? - Do you speak Bundeli?

Norwegian Terms: Kone - Wife Vakker - Beautiful

[the-girl-from-dres]

helloooo!!! you said one of your interests is D&D (me too) and i was wondering if you could tell me about one of your characters or ocs from other rp’s!! u seem super interesting and i wanna hear about ur stuff :P

(also is that a bill and ted reference i see in ur pinned post?)

Hmm... Well, a character I've been rotating in my head like a rotisserie chicken for a bit now is related to a homebrew race I've been cooking up a little recently... It's essentially a fairly novel (at least I think so) take on slime folks:

Salamanders!

Essentially, the idea is that salamanders need to keep their skin moist and covered in a special mucus in order to survive -it helps them breathe, among other things.

And then I thought, what if some salamander had a thick dermal layer of mucus that was a non-newtonian fluid?

For anyone who doesn't know, a non Newtonian fluid is a fluid which changes how viscous it is depending on how much stress it's experiencing -Oobleck (made of water and corn starch), for example, gets more solid and hard the harder you press on it. I thought this would be a really interesting concept for a D&D race as it'd allow for some interesting combat fuckery!

My idea is essentially that a salamander would have resistance to slashing and piercing damage, thanks to its mucus layer hardening under the force of the blade, but it would also have a vulnerability to bludgeoning (and possibly also force) damage; a harder material transfers percussive force much more easily than a soft one.

There would be a few areas this thick non-newtonian mucus isn't present, namely the mouth, eyes and hands (these places have different skin with a thinner layer of more traditional mucus), but everywhere else would be covered.

Here's a pretty bad drawing of Aeran the Yellow, a fairly typical salamander warrior. With the mucus providing a fairly strong layer of protection, most salamander armour is heavily padded to protect against percussive blows. At least two layers of thick gambeson on the torso is expected, and often more. A fairly popular addition to the chest armour is a woven wicker breastplate and plackart -if woven properly this can be quite springy and can help absorb blows to the chest and abdomen.

Aeran here wears a human-made steel bascinet -a fairly popular design among salamanders thanks to its ergonomic shape. In fact, human armourers have started making bascinets especially for salamanders, with thinner armour around the head which makes room for more intricate suspension systems -which helps the helmet absorb blunt impacts more effectively. Some also feature special two-part visors which open to the sides in order to protect a salamander's more vulnerable mouth area -injuries to the jaw are not uncommon for a salamander in a line of work like Aeran the Yellow's. They carry a Goedendag, a two handed, heavy pole-like club with a sizeable spike on the end. It's an effective blunt weapon -something useful for fighting other salamanders- and it also has a good thrusting capability. You do not want to be stabbed with a Goedendag, trust me. The extra weight means there's more force behind the thrust, too.

Salamanders are often valued for their ability to break up spear and pike formations thanks to their relative resistance to spear thrusts, which allows them to close in and force pikemen to drop their pikes and draw sidearms to deal with the threat in front of them, resulting in gaps appearing in the formation which can be exploited by the other soldiers in a regiment. In response to the use of Salamanders like this most pikemen will carry maces as sidearms -You know a tactic is effective if another group has to change theirs to deal with it!

Well guess who went on a tangent of speculative medieval warfare... whoops. Hope you liked Aeran the Yellow!

(and yes. That is a bill and ted reference. A most excellent piece of media indeed)

[stuckholm]

Goedendag y'all! I'm Amy and I'm an amateur artist. Here are the main Fandom's that I draw:

Genshin Impact

Naruto, Naruto Shippūden

Resident Evil Series

RPG Games and their fangames (Undertale, Deltarune, OMORI etc.)

Twisted Wonderland

TW: There's gonna be a lot of things like Death, Blood, maybe Gore, Horror; Disorted Face and Bodies etc. So if you're easily affected by things like this please DNI.

Hope you enjoy your stay in here!! :)

[ou-ca-2]

Goedendag

[cowoscare]

Things I'm not seeing that might be worth mentioning: goedendag, bohemian earspoon, and bill.

Also this seems to exclude east Asian polearms in general

Friendly reminder

[blu-team-butcher]

meet the BLU Team cook : ]

goedendag. Blutarch hired me because he was rather certain his mercinaries had no idea how to feed themselves (he was right. mostly. Heavy and Engie are decently good at cooking).

i'm not exactly a mercinary, but i'm good with my knives in a pinch. and have you ever hit someone with a frozen ham hock? those things are no joke.

name: Abel Beenhouwer

pronouns: he/him or it/its

alias[es]: Cook or Beans

age: 25

birthday: October 6th

birthplace: Waalwijk, The Netherlands

gender/sexuality: gay, transman. very romantic despite having -3 game

hobbies: cooking (obviously), fibre crafts, sharpening knives, using knives, admiring knives, writing

favorite music genre: anything goth

[[[ooc stuff is enclosed in three of these bracket thingies]]]

tagging system (working on it)

a dash of salt - critiquing your abyssmal cooking. also food in general

CORNER!!!!! - asks i sent other people

expo - me just saying things

[lordmartiya]

Something I find puzzling about fantasy series without RPG mechanics and others set in pre-Industrial Revolution worlds: why are city and town militias and peasant levies so scarce?

Historically, outside very few places and times that could mass manufacture weapons and armor (such as Rome from the Late Republic to at least the 10th century or most Chinese dynasties), before the 15th century militias and levies, both with training of dubious quality and bringing their own equipment, were the numerically larger part of any fighting force both in the field and defending a fortified location, and due the sheer expense of weapons without the state having large scale factories to provide them they were often armed with polearms (cheap to make and relatively easy to use), repurposed tools (such as the falchion, initially just a large machete-like knife that turned out so effective professionals started having it made directly as a weapon. Or the Flemish goedendag, one of the best armor-openers in history ever wielded by a city militia), or dual-use tools such as hunting weapons (including most bows and even some polearms). Professionals such as knights, men-at-arms, and mercenaries were much rarer until the 15th century, when the growing adoption of of early portable firearms (less effective than contemporary bows, but MUCH easier to use and faster and cheaper to manufacture) led to the return of large professional forces equipped by the state.

And yet in fiction we rarely if ever see them, with armies being instead composed of professionals such as knights and men-at-arms (both well-equipped professionals, with the main differences being that knights were nobles by definition and men-at-arms could fight both like them or as heavy infantry), mercenaries, or adventurers (that in the end are another type of mercenary, just solitary or in small groups of less than ten people rather than bands or companies of numerous dozens to thousands). The big exception is stories featuring large scale rebellions, where the rebels tend to be peasant levies or citizen militias, Robin Hood stories (as Robin will eventually be helped by a peasant rebellion), and ones featuring English longbowmen, as they are in fact a type of peasant levy, just VERY well trained and equipped for once.

And on top of my mind I can recall only two films where levies and militias outside the above had any role: Braveheart, in which Ridley Scott, for all of his historical abominations, remembered that the English armies of the time also included conscripted Irish levies, and MAYBE Disney's take on The Hunchback of Notre Dame, as most of Frollo's men would have actually been militias (the visored ones were men-at-arms from the Royal Watch, the elite provided by the king, but the others in mail and kettle hat should have actually been either from the Burghers' Watch and Guild Watch, Paris' citizen militias for law enforcement, or militias from other cities).

[seminalduty]

that hippo in vietnam

[future-of-educationandlearning]

Lookup table = knowing 1 language and applying etymology, Germanic, Indo European language roots - Veel voorkomende Nederlandse woorden

Lookup table = knowing 1 language and applying etymology, Germanic, Indo European language roots -

Greetings and Basics

Hallo (Hello)

Goedendag (Good day)

Goedenavond (Good evening)

Dank u wel (Thank you)

Alstublieft (Please)

Ja (Yes)

Nee (No)

Pardon (Excuse me)

Tot ziens (Goodbye)

Ik spreek geen Nederlands (I don't speak Dutch)

Everyday Words

Water (Water)

Koffie (Coffee)

Thee (Tea)

Brood (Bread)

Kaas (Cheese)

Melk (Milk)

Vlees (Meat)

Groente (Vegetables

[snoek7]

goedendag