Bard of Valiant

My wife and I first visited Portugal about fifteen years ago. The visit was tagged onto a trip to Spain. Ironically, it turned out to be the highlight of the trip. This past August, we finally made it back to Portugal for a more thorough exploration. Our focus was on the castles and other historical sites of central Portugal, rather than the southern beaches that are, perhaps, more well known. Portugal has plenty of castles and ruins, the legacy of a long conflict with Spain, the various Spanish kingdoms, and the Moors.

Portuguese castles dot the rocky mountains along the Spanish frontier. You can climb the walls of a well-preserved town like Trancoso. Or, explore the twisted, narrow streets of Monsanto, a village built amongst giant granite boulders. Mountain villages dominated by castles like Castello de Sortelha are great for evoking a sense of medieval adventure. Looking through an arrow slit, or down a murder hole, puts you in the shoes of a castle defender. Standing at the base of a hill, and looking at the castle above, gives you the perspective of a besieging knight.

Many of these sites are eerily quiet, nearly uninhabited. But once you add the people of Portugal into the equation, the scenery really comes to life. In the walled town of Óbidos, about 80 km north of Lisbon, we happened upon the best of both worlds: The annual medieval festival in full swing. Not only did we see the period architecture, but costumed locals, touring companies of medieval re-enactors, and combat demonstrators filled the streets and nearby fields.

There was a market, with all the usual renaissance-fair kitsch, food and drink stalls of every kind. And enough characters to fill my NPC notebook for years of gaming. A teacher who spent his free time acting and doing combat demonstrations with a group called “O Mestre d’Armas”, was a great creepy apothecary. The black knight of Languedoc was a surly villain in the combat demonstrations, and a truly superior horseman. And the wandering musicians—there were many groups of these—kept the atmosphere magical with their music.

Looking for inspiration for your game? Check out Portugal. Awesome scenery, great tales of battles and exploration, and a fine example of a culture surviving in the shadows of cultural giants like Spain and France.