who was Nicholas of Cologne?

Answer 1

Nicholas of Cologne


n the year 1212 young Nicholas of Cologne, possibly with the encouragement of his father, began to preach a new crusade to the Holy land to pilgrims visiting the relics of the three wise men in the local cathedral. Nicholas claimed that recent crusades failed because the participants were overly sinful and unworthy. Children who had not yet participated in the sins of adult life would be blessed by God and succeed—not by force of arms, but by direct divine intervention through faith. Many thousands of children flocked to him and to him and to others, including Stephen of Cloyes in France. All believed that God would divide the Mediterranean Sea to give them easy access to Palestine. Some wealthy and noble children joined the new crusade, but the vast majority of the participants were destitute peasant children, mostly boys.

housands of the children following Nicholas died while they crossed the Alps on their way to Italy. (The children following Stephen of Cloyes boarded boats in Marseilles and were subsequently sold into slavery in North Africa.) Nicholas and the survivors eventually made it to Rome, where Pope innocent III released them from their vows to retake Jerusalem and sent them home. Even fewer survived the return trip. Humiliated and discredited, they were mercilessly exploited, robbed and abused, and Nicholas’ ultimate fate is lost to history. Angry parents eventually had Nicholas’ father tried and hanged.

hether Nicholas is saintly or demon-possessed is a matter for speculation. The Pope did not condemn Nicholas as wicked, and the church may well have tolerated the movement in hopes that it would embarrass adult nobles into mounting a new crusade. Thousands of young people of simple, sincere faith answered the boy’s call. These are indications (according to Ars Magica rules) that Nicholas was divinely inspired, and this mobile congregation would carry with it a powerful divine aura. On the other hand, the suffering and grief resulting from Nicholas’ efforts was enormous. The children attracted both human and animal predators and few if any ever returned to their families. This would indicate that demonic influences were ultimately at work.

as Nicholas in service of good or evil? Were his extra-ordinary accomplishments the result of an extraordinary faith or demon possession? I propose a story guide leave this question unanswered as long as possible—even in her own mind—to reflect the ambiguity of his place in history. The stats given below portray him as a boy of profound yet simple faith, but the only indication of this in the character sheet is his True Faith. Third edition rules allow for characters with True Faith virtue to be possessed by demons, but I suggest that story guide try to avoid using Nicholas’ True Faith virtue to thwart the players schemes until absolutely necessary, and at the moment when it becomes impossible to avoid, flip a coin to determine the “truth” of Nicholas’ divine or infernal motivations. That way, even the story guide will not know Nicholas’ true motivations until near the end (if ever), forcing her to portray Nicholas ambiguously. If that coin flip determines Nicholas’ motivations and actions as deriving from the infernal, bring into play a possessing demon who is controlling the boy. Sonneillon, as described on p.115 of The Maleficium would be an appropriate model for such a demon.

Possible Story Hooks:
A petty Knight (or a companion) begs for help from the covenant to find his “kidnapped” son. The troupe soon discovers that the boy willingly joined Nicholas and the children’s crusade. When they bring this information to the father they discover that he has long felt guilt about ignoring calls from his bishop to go on crusade, and is now ashamed to have the public know about his son’s faith and obedience. A generous reward is offered if the covenant can bring the boy back quietly. Are the thousands of children they eventually catch up with protected by a powerful divine aura that will undermine their Hermetic arts? Or a powerful demon they will eventually have to banish? Can the boy simply be kidnapped without risking divine (or infernal) intervention?
The troupe encounters a destitute and devastated Nicholas with a small band of followers returning home after the complete failure of their mission. His faith-- or resident demon-- has abandoned him. The weary band is recognized and hunted by grieving local parents. Nicholas asks for the players’ help. Nicholas’ presence and communication are still imposing. And… the troupe might discover he had made use of some kind of raw, uncultivated “Gift” to augment his persuasiveness. Could he be an acceptable Hermetic apprentice?
A pious local priest or monk—and trusted friend of the covenant—has heard Nicholas and his followers are soon to pass through the area, and local children are showing an interest. The monk asks for the troupe’s help in dissuading the local children from joining—possibly by convincing Nicholas to avoid the area. The good father’s efforts have already come to the attention of the local bishop, who is encouraging the children because he believes the children’s crusade will embarrass local knights into taking up the cross. A strong showing of volunteer knights might get him promoted to Cardinal. The Cardinal will not appreciate the interference.
Your troupe encounters Nicholas of Cologne decades later as an adult monk living in obscurity under a new name, or passing as an obscure peasant farmer. The ghost of a long-dead child brought them to Nicholas—a ghost accidentally summoned up by someone in the troupe. The ghost-child now pesters the covenant for vengeance—and is wrecking havoc. If Nicholas is exposed and punished, the ghost-child will not only stop his mischief, he is also willing to tell details about, and the final resting places of thousands of the crusader children. This knowledge can be exploited by a clever troupe, as many parents are still grieving over the loss of their children in that reckless adventure.
Suddenly the players’ covenant is inundated with beggar children. Thousands of children moving across mythic, scavenging for food and shelter, would result in bands wandering into even remote areas (like covenant locations) to beg, steal chickens (or even cattle) pick berries and fruit, ransack gardens, all with a zealous, self-righteous arrogance of the Lord’s chosen. How does the covenant react to this? Do they try to dissuade the children from such a reckless adventure? Do they use magic or force of arms to deter them from approaching the covenant? In either case Nicholas will soon confront them. Do the children of the covenant hear the call?
Historical Notes:
ike so many 13th century “facts,” the facts behind the Children’s Crusade have been filtered through centuries of commentators, leaving very little information deserving our complete confidence. Some modern scholars rightly point out that the word “boy” brought to the 13th century mind all males of subservient status. They question whether the children’s crusade involved any children at all in the modern sense. Even today that definition of the word “boy” survives in the derogatory references to black men; or in British English, referring to gangs of subordinate laborers or soldiers of most any age as “the lads.” In France, male waiters of any age are still called “garçon.”

t is also likely that later historians and commentators promulgated an idea that child crusaders considered themselves more likely to succeed because they were more innocent than their adult counterparts. Many modern cultural scholars (such as Philippe Ariés and Anne Higonnet) consider childhood innocence to be a post-enlightenment concept. Christian European folks of earlier times saw and depicted (in their art) children as shorter adults. Commentators saw children as unsaved, untrained, and in perpetual need of discipline, if they made much of a distinction at all.

Game Statistics
Nicolas of Cologne
Age: 12
Size: -1
Confidence: 5

Characteristics:
INT 0, PER 0, STR -1, STA 0, PRE 3, COM 3, DEX 0, QIK -1

Virtues and Flaws (ArM5):

True Faith (Faith Points: 3)
Piercing Gaze
Enchanting Music

Vow (To liberate Jerusalem)
Pious
Proud
Non-combatant


Suggested Abilities
Music (Singing)
Teaching (Faith) Nicolas’ sermons can actually inspire children into True Faith, or possibly some demonic simulation of it.

Answer 2

Adrienne Nicole Cologne Alexis Nicole Cologne Hannah Nicole Cologne Justine Nicole Cologne Kendra Nicole Cologne Athena Nicole Cologne Gina Nicole Cologne Sophie Nicole Cologne Leah Nicole Cologne Tia Nicole Cologne Alexander Nicholas Cologne Jason Nicholas Cologne Justin Nicholas Cologne Pierce Nicholas Cologne Zachery Nicholas Cologne Steven Nicholas Cologne Matthew Nicholas Cologne Brandon Nicholas Cologne Evan Nicholas Cologne furnish Nicholas Cologne