505 AD: The Reconquest of Salisbury

The time had come. King Nanteleod was marching against Cerdic of Wessex, to take the war to the Saxons. His armies were mustering along the border of Salisbury, ready to reclaim it before pressing deeper into enemy territory. The knights of Salisbury were preparing to ride to war as well. This was the moment that they had been waiting for, for many years. Sir Helbur, the Marshal of Salisbury, with the help of Sir Bleddyn, Sir Cuthbert, Sir Edwin, and his squire Svenhilde, was to take control of the forces of Salisbury in this conflict.

As the armies prepared to march, young Robert came to see Sir Helbur. Robert was the rightful Earl of Salisbury, though as yet still a squire and, at twenty years of age, not yet ready to become a knight. However, he begged a boon from his subject. "It is contrary to my honour to sit at home while other men reclaim my birthright for me! Please, Sir Helbur, make me a knight so that I may do my part!" Sir Helbur was hesitant. Sir Edwin took the young man aside and challenged him to a bout, to test his mettle. Young Robert eagerly accepted, and was then shown how inexperienced he was. While he had some skill, and his reflexes and strength were both good, he was still green, and his brash nature made him easy for Sir Edwin to defeat. But this did not dampen Robert's enthusiasm, and so in that courtyard, Sir Helbur invested the young man as Knight and Earl of Salisbury.

The new Earl had a first request. King Nanteleod needed a vanguard to seize Sarum from the Saxons, to serve as a staging point for the main invasion of Hampshire. Earl Robert wanted the battered army of Salisbury to volunteer to lead the vanguard. He did not want Salisbury to be given back to him from the efforts of other men! The knights of Salisbury readily agreed to lead the advance force. The Earl also recognised that the others had more experience than him. While he led in name, he promised that he would consult them, and that Sir Helbur would actually be in command of the army. Sir Helbur, in turn, relied upon Sir Bleddyn and Sir Edwin, who knew more of battle leadership and of siegecraft, to advise him.

Sir Helbur directed his men in a forced march towards Sarum. He wished to catch the defenders unawares. Meanwhile Sir Cuthbert rode with all haste to Amesbury Abbey, to visit Abbess Esther. She could be a valuable source of information about the present state of Salisbury. Esther told Sir Cuthbert that the Saxons still held Sarum and Du Plain Castle (which guarded the road between Sarum and Cerdic's capital of Winchester). She also said that there was a Saxon force at Berwick, Sir Albrecht's former estate. It had become something of a holy site for the followers of Wotan. Abbess Esther urged that the cult of this bloody god be suppressed, and told Sir Cuthbert to destroy it.

The army of Salisbury arrived late at night outside the walls of Sarum. They were joined there by Sir Cuthbert. A war council was called that night. The Saxons inside had begun to prepare their defences, though the walls were still damaged in several places, thanks to the dragon Hob-Nob. A messenger had been dispatched to Du Plain, to bring reinforcements. If Sarum was reinforced, then the battle would go much harder for the Cymry. It was decided that Sir Cuthbert would ride on his mighty steed Aescalaxing to catch the messenger and slay him upon the road. Should he fail to catch him, then Sir Bleddyn volunteered to lead a small force to attack the Saxons upon the road. Meanwhile Earl Robert, Sir Helbur and Sir Edwin would lead the assault upon Sarum. Various strategies were considered, but in the end the knights settled upon a frontal assault upon a weak point in the wall. It would lead to the swiftest victory, and a speedy victory would be essential.

Sir Cuthbert departed immediately, riding throughout the night. His horse was very swift, and the Saxon messenger was a poor rider. As the sun rose, Sir Cuthbert caught the man shortly before Du Plain Castle. Weapons were drawn, and the desperate gave Sir Cuthbert a mighty blow upon his skull that knocked him insensate, and left him to die in the road as he reached Du Plain. When Sir Cuthbert did not return, Sir Bleddyn knew that his mission had failed. He took control of a small cavalry force and headed to the village of Pitton. The Saxons would pass close to there upon the road; the Cymric force could attack them from there.

As Sir Bleddyn set off, Sir Helbur ordered the rest of the army to attack. The fighting was thick and fierce at the wall, but Earl Robert led his men into a breach in the defences. His assault was reckless - perhaps too reckless, for he was struck down. Sir Helbur saw his Earl fall and flung himself forward to strike down the Saxons swarming around him, saving his life. Meanwhile, Sir Edwin caught sight of the Saxon commander and challenged him to a fight. He hurt his foe grievously, but was wounded himself and forced to fall back. His efforts were not in vain: the Saxon warrior was soon cut down by a nameless warrior, and the Saxon forces found themselves driven back into the city. Sir Helbur led the army of Salisbury into the streets of Sarum, and the violence intensified...

Meanwhile, near Pitton, the reinforcements from Du Plain were sighted upon the road. Sir Bleddyn realised again how very outnumbered his force would be - but if his sword arm and his leadership were true, then victory was possible. He ordered his knights to charge. The Saxons reacted - too quickly - moving into a defensive formation. The two armies collided, and the bloody work of battle began. Though outnumbered three to one, Sir Bleddyn struck down all who stood before him. However, his personal prowess was not enough to sway the result - about him, his force was being crushed. He ordered the retreat. He had hurt the Saxons, but not badly enough, and at the cost of half of his small force. The knights began riding back towards Sarum.

He reached it at evening. The Saxon reinforcements, he knew, would arrive the next day. The fighting had now died down. Sir Helbur was in control of the city, save for the central castle. The Saxon defenders were still holed up there. If they were to sally out when the column from Du Plain arrived, the battered Cymric army could be caught between them and destroyed. Fortunately, Sir Edwin had recovered somewhat after some time in the first aid tent. (Svenhilde was working there. She was nearly tireless, providing care and cheer for the wounded, and working until she eventually collapsed from exhaustion in the early hours of the morning.) Sir Edwin had ordered the army's engineers to create siege weaponry. With a small force and the use of these siege weapons, he thought that he could keep the Saxon garrison contained. Meanwhile, Sir Helbur and Sir Bleddyn would lead the main part of the army to man the walls of Sarum against the Saxons from Du Plain. All three knights were badly wounded now, and knew that if any one of them failed, then the entire battle could go very wrong.

The next morning, Sir Edwin began his assault upon the central keep, while Sir Helbur mustered as many of the inhabitants of Salisbury as he could. There were very few who remained - many had fled from the Saxons or the dragon, or were hiding until the battle was over. However, to those who came, the Marshal gave a stirring speech inspiring them to fight for their rightful lord against the Saxons. Some were inspired to join in the battle. With their numbers thus reinforced, the men and women of Salisbury awaited the onset of the Saxons. They arrived in the mid-morning, and began their assault. Fortunately, Sir Edwin had done his work well, and so the defenders of the keep remained contained. For hours, Sir Helbur and Sir Bleddyn fought against the Saxons, and finally the enemy withdrew from the field, defeated. But not without cost - for Sir Bleddyn was found, his body cleft by many wounds. He would surely have died had Sir Edwin not used an ancient healing potion, an heirloom of his family, and this brought him back from the brink of death.

It was time to turn their attention to the Saxons in the Earl's castle. Both armies were heavily damaged at this point, and any remaining fight would be extremely bloody, as neither side would back down. The Saxons proposed that their champion, a shield-maiden called Sigrun Eriksdottr, would fight a champion of Salisbury to the death. The winner would hold Sarum; the other side would withdraw. The knights nominated Sir Jaradan , a veteran knight, to be their champion. When blades were crossed, it soon became apparent that Sigrun was outmatched. With one blow, Sir Jaradan knocked Sigrun reeling; with the second, he smote her head from her shoulders. The Saxons agreed to depart. Treacherous to the last, however, they used the opportunity for a final attack. It would not avail them. Sir Helbur and Sir Edwin had predicted their reaction, and their own forces were waiting. In one final blood-drenched hour, the Saxons were slain to a man. Sarum had been reclaimed!

The knights immediately set about repairing the fortifications of Sarum. King Cerdic might choose to send further forces against them. He did not, instead preparing his own defences. Soon, the main army of King Nanteleod arrived at Sarum, before continuing east into Wessex. Sir Jaradan took a token force from Salisbury to aid him, but the King permitted the majority of the survivors to remain at Sarum. They would need to spend the rest of the year re-establishing control over the rest of Salisbury. Troops were sent to re-occupy the land around Sarum and Amesbury, and let them know that their rightful lord had returned. Before very long, these lands had been reclaimed. Also at Amesbury, the knights found Sir Cuthbert healing. Aescalaxing had borne his unconscious master there, to be healed by the hand of Abbess Esther. Many accredited his salvation as a miracle wrought by the martyred Saint Gwiona.

After a month had passed, Earl Robert had recovered sufficiently to hold the official ceremony that invested him as Earl of Salisbury. He held a great feast, at which Svenhilde gained recognition for her singing. During the feast, the young Earl rewarded his men who had served him well. Earl Robert praised Sir Helbur's leadership and gave to him Vagon Castle, the traditional home of the Marshall of Salisbury. Although Sir Jaradan was not present, the Earl also rewarded him. The city of Tilshead was known to be held by a brigand knight, Sir Orlin, but Earl Robert promised that once Sir Orlin had been dealt with, he would give it to Sir Jaradan. Only a few present realised how Earl Robert had just upset his sister, the Lady Jenna. For years, she had governed Tilshead while her menfolk were away; she had made no secret of the fact that she wished to return there, now that she was no longer the regent of Salisbury. Now that city had been taken from her, and she was expected to serve as the Marshal's wife - even though she and Sir Helbur were no longer on speaking terms.

Shortly afterwards, Earl Robert held a council to plan the next steps in reclaiming Salisbury. Jenna was not invited - a further snub. The most politically astute members of the court began to wonder what action Jenna would take now. Sir Bleddyn, who always knew all the rumours at court, tried to assess where Sir Edwin's loyalties lay, but Sir Edwin was cagey and refused to be led. Meanwhile, Svenhilde talked to Sir Helbur. She was concerned about the rift between husband and wife, and felt that Jenna was jealous of her. Svenhilde offered to step down as Sir Helbur's squire, but the Marshal refused. However, he agreed with her that the argument had gone on for too long, and went to talk to his wife.

Sir Helbur laid his soul bare. He still loved Lady Jenna; she still loved him. So many things had happened to hurt each other. Thinking of his companions, he was able to make some progress, and it seemed as if she might give in and forgive him. But in the end it was not enough. Lady Jenna has lived her life without feeling that anyone truly respected her - her father married her to an older man who ignored her, just to spite his enemy; Helbur took her to the Forest Sauvage just to find a stork for her mother, and did not sympathise with her ambitions; her brother had thoughtlessly stripped her of her power. When Sir Helbur began to chastise her for her pride, she slapped him and stormed out in tears. On her way out, she caught Sir Cuthbert eavesdropping. The young knight tried to cheer her, but it was not successful.

The group was gloomy when it set off to reclaim Vagon Castle. Sir Helbur's black mood infected the others. The found the castle empty, long since abandoned by Saxons, and untouched by pillagers. Svenhilde prepared chambers for the night, while the others searched for some explanation but found nothing. At night, Sir Edwin continued to search, and saw a spectral form patrolling the grounds! He ran back to tell the others, who went to investigate. Their hearts were full of fear, but they steeled themselves to approach. It was the ghost of Sir Elad!

He approached Sir Helbur and laid an icy hand upon him. When Sir Elad had died, he felt that he had failed Salisbury, and so his ghost remained - but now a worthy Marshal had arrived to take his place, he was able to rest easily, and his spirit moved on. The knights were supernaturally aged by their encounter with the spirit, but Vagon Castle had been lifted from its curse and reclaimed for Salisbury.

There was ill news awaiting them when they returned to Sarum. Lady Jenna's body had been found floating in the river. In a fit of despair, she had taken her life. Furthermore, as a suicide, she was forbidden a Christian burial. Sir Helbur petitioned Earl Robert to turn the ruins of Countess Ellen's zoo into a memorial garden for Lady Jenna, and was given permission. Abbess Esther and a nun came to consecrate the ground, and the nun stayed to tend the area.

Shortly thereafter, Sir Jaradan and the forces of Salisbury returned from the campaign with King Nanteleod. The Saxons of Anglia and Essex had launched another invasion into Logres, and so the King abandoned his attack on Wessex to oppose them. However, the forty days of feudal service had ended, and so many knights from his army had chosen to come home. With these knights, Sir Helbur led an attack the last Saxons in Du Plain Castle, and reclaim the eastern border from the Saxons. The fighting was short and easy - but his heart was not really in it. Reflecting upon his life, he realised how his idol Sir Arnulf had inadvertently created this situation. Sir Helbur had finally emerged from his mentor's shadow to become his own man, and had truly proven himself to be the rightful Marshal of Salisbury this year - but in doing so, he had lost his love forever.

504 AD: Raiders of the Lost Hamper

We often have sessions in a different genre, to shake things up a bit. At the end of the last session, I asked the players for what they wanted, and got the suggestion of Indiana Jones-style pulp. So this session is intended to be a very affectionate pastiche...

On an empty street in Carlion, a man came sprinting. Close behind him came Sir Bleddyn, Sir Cuthbert, Sir Edwyn, Sir Jeremy and Svenhilde, in hot pursuit. The street opened up into a bustling market, where the fleeing man ducked through the crowd, and knocked over a stand of cabbages. Sir Edwyn vaulted gracefully over them; Sir Jeremy was less successful and was buried in a vegetable landslide. Close behind them, the other three participants in the chase came running.

They had come from a feast in their honour thrown by King Nanteleod. Sir Edwin's father, Sir Gherard, had long sought the fabled Hamper of Gwyddno Garanhir, one of the Thirteen Treasures of Britain. It was said that if food for one man were to be placed inside it, when opened it would have enough for a hundred men. To honour his father, Sir Edwin was intent on finding the Hamper. His companions were keen for the quest as well, as they had heard that there was famine in Salisbury - a hamper of endless food would do much to relieve this. As King Nanteleod was toasting Sir Edwin, however, the knights spotted a man in the rafter with a crossbow, who fired it at them.

Sir Helbur had been having a bad feast. His wife, Lady Jenna, was upset with him after he failed to follow her instructions the previous year. Furthermore, he had returned from the north with a new squire - who happened to be a stunningly beautiful Thulian maiden. So Sir Helbur had watched his wife snub him, while she flirted shamelessly with Sir Bleddyn, who had distinguished himself in battle. Now Sir Helbur found himself in the position to be the only one able to act as the crossbow bolt flew. He flung himself at King Nanteleod and knocked him out of the way - but the bolt struck him instead. The hall was in an uproar. The assassin fled - and four heroes sped after him.

The assassin had now reached the far side of the market place. There was a large stone building being constructed there, and the assassin jumped up and climbed it, then began escaping along the partially constructed roof. The knights and Svenhilde followed close after him, but Sir Cuthbert lost his grip and fell down to the street, with displaced stones falling about him from the construction site. The others chased the assassin upon the rooftops. Sir Edwin caught up to the assassin and tried to tackle him, but was knocked back. The assassin reached the edge of the roof and then flung himself out across the street, managing the catch hold of the next rooftop and hauling himself up to continue running. Sir Edwin managed to jump after him, but Sir Bleddyn failed to make the jump and fell, becoming tangled up with lines of washing between the building which served to break his fall.

The assassin now leaped down to the street as he entered the docks of Carlion. Svenhilde grabbed one of the broken washing lines and swung down off the roof at him, kicking him with both feet in the chest and sending him flying into the water. He surfaced, only to have Sir Edwyn upon him. The two men struggled briefly in the water, but Sir Edwyn was able to punch the assassin, leaving him dazed. He hauled the man to water and began to question him as he regained consciousness. "The secrets of the druids must never be revealed!" the assassin hissed - just before a crossbow bolt struck him in the chest, killing him. Sir Edwyn could just make out another assassin fleeing, too far away for him to chase down. There was nothing interesting on the body save a tattoo of three leaves. Was this some sort of cult which did not wish the Hamper to be found?

The group met up again at the castle, where King Nanteleod told them that Sir Helbur was recovering in bed, and would not be able to accompany them. He also said that they had a guest: Lady Evienne, of the Ladies of the Lake. That pagan sisterhood was interested in the Hamper as well, and the Lady had foreseen that other forces were moving to claim it for themselves. The assassin, she announced, had intended to kill Sir Edwin, not King Nanteleod. (The knights had already surmised as much, and Sir Edwin was starting to feel a bit blase to assassins coming after him!) The Saxons were also interested in the Hamper, however. King Oisc of Kent was interested in the occult and the supernatural, and wished to claim the relic for himself. The endless food supplies would mean his armies would never need supply lines again, giving them an immense strategic advantage in conquering Britain. Svenhilde was very keen to talk to Lady Evienne about her magic, as she was fascinated by such things; she became quite upset when Lady Evienne brushed her and her talents off. (The other knights remembered how Merlin had once disparaged the Ladies of the Lake, and were quick to reassure her.)

The group decided to follow a lead that Sir Edwin had discovered when he had been researching the Hamper that Christmas. The Hamper was said to be on the lost island of Cantrev Gwaelod, off the coast of Wales, which had sunk beneath the ocean many years earlier. However, it was said that its king, the legendary explorer Gwyddno Garanhir, had escaped the drowning of his land and was now living in Cardigan. En route, Lady Evienne began her slow seduction of Sir Bleddyn. She also wanted the Hamper for herself. To the Ladies, it was an item of incalculable power - those who saw it purely as a source of food were blind to its true potential. Bleddyn proved intractable to sexual blandishments, but yielded to her manipulations when she promised him power and glory, and compared him favourably to his brother Sir Cadfael (who had rescued her from Irish raiders twelve earlier). Sir Bleddyn agreed to betray his comrades and to deliver the Hamper to the Ladies of the Lake.

The knights arrived in Cardigan after a week on the road, and began to ask around about where they could find Gwyddno Garanhir. More cultists were waiting for them there. In a crowded marketplace, a bag was thrown over Svenhilde's head and she was carried off. Sir Cuthbert and Sir Jeremy gave chase, but were attacked by thugs. Sir Jeremy drew out his bow and shot his opponent, then sped after Svenhilde. Sir Cuthbert on the other hand fought a protracted fist-fight, which he won when he managed to hit his opponent on the head with a barrel. Sir Jeremy found the others and they followed Svenhilde to a fish-pickling warehouse. There, Svenhilde was suspended by a chain above a barrel of pickled fish. A number of druid cultists were there too, with their leader interrogating her about the Hamper. The knights sprang into action and swiftly defeated the cultists. During the fighting, the chain holding up Svenhilde was released, and Sir Jeremy barely managed to catch her in his arms before she fell into the pickled fish. Sir Jeremy had intense feelings for the Thulian maiden: Svenhilde was now beginning to appreciate him as well.

Sir Edwin had discovered where Gwyddno Garanhir lived, and the group headed to his house to find that the lock had been forced open. Sir Edwin and Sir Cuthbert headed inside, while Sir Jeremy, Sir Bleddyn and Svenhilde headed around the back. There were Saxons inside, clad in long black leather coats. Their leaders were a old man and a freakishly massive warrior: Heydrich Cursebinder, Kent's chief wizard, and his henchman Wulf. Over Wulf's shoulder was draped the unconscious form of Gwyddno Garanhir. The Saxons fled out the back of the house with Gwyddno Garanhir, while Wulf and some Saxon warriors remained to fight the knights. Sir Cuthbert swiftly disposed of the Saxon warriors, while Sir Edwin threw everything that he had at the giant Wulf, to no avail. During the fighting, the house caught on fire, and all the combatants began to have trouble breathing with the smoke. Sir Cuthbert attempted to help defeat Wulf - striking him over the head with a frying pan, and trying to trip him with a rope, only to be pulled off his feet himself.

Outside the house, Sir Bleddyn and Sir Jeremy ambushed the Saxons as they attempted to flee. A furious melee broke out next to the burning building, and during the distraction, Svenhilde crept over to Gwyddno and freed him. Sir Jeremy wounded Heydrich with an arrow, and the Saxons fled without their prisoner. Meanwhile, inside the house, Sir Edwin tricked Wulf into breaking the floorboards, and then he and Sir Cuthbert jumped out a window as the flaming house collapsed, crushing the massive Saxon.

Gwyddno Garanhir soon woke. The group could remember hearing tales of his exploits - he had travelled everywhere, seen everything. His exploits were such that he had even been made king of Cantrev Gwaelod, though he was off adventuring when it sank. He told the story of how he had found the Hamper - and what he knew about the druid cult. Many years earlier, Irish raiders had attacked Mona, the sacred island of the druids, and uncovered hidden treasures. (Sir Cuthbert's aunt, Sir Brietta, had heard about this as well.) Gwyddno had travelled to Mona to fight the Irish and rescue the Hamper, which they had discovered. He was confronted on the way by a secret society dedicated to preserving the secrets of the Druids. He agreed to hand the Hamper to them, and it was sealed in an ancient vault on Cantrev Gwaelod. Evienne knew that the ancient sunken island would surface again, but did not know when. The group decided to travel to Mona to obtain a Druidic calendar, which they could use at a stone circle such as Stonehenge to calculate when Gwaelod would rise once more and the vault might be opened.

Mona was one of the most horrible places that the knights had ever visited. When the Romans had attacked it to eradicate the druids centuries earlier, they had been thorough. Mist swirled over rubble and dirt. There were only a few plants which remained. Feral-eyed cannibals prowled the landscape. The knights were attacked by a pack of naked savages. They slew a few, and then escaped as the fallen men became food to their comrades. The knights were followed by riders clad in bone armour, with shields of human leather. They were followers of Diwrnach, a self-proclaimed king who led a band of more organised cannibals. They were tracking the knights, curious as to what they would discover. Gwyddno confirmed what they all thought - as soon as the knights had discovered what they had come here for, Diwrnach would send his men forward to massacre them all. They were horribly outnumbered by the riders who stayed just out of sight...

There was no rest with sleep. Their nights were haunted with black dreams. Sir Cuthbert dreamed that as a child of two worlds, he became rejected by both. Sir Edwin dreamed that he compromised his ideals so far that he accepted the help of the Saxons in fighting Cornwall, and still failed when they betrayed him. Svenhilde dreamed of Sligon, the usurper king of Thule, and his utter indifference towards her and her hatred of him. Sir Bleddyn dreamed that he was one of the cannibals, and was eating the flesh of his companions. Sir Jeremy's dreams were about failing his family and letting his sister die. As Sir Edwin awoke, he heard words in a strange language echoing through his mind. The group had been cursed by Heydrich at Cardigan, and he now haunted their dreams...

After a day of hunting, the knights discovered ruins at the middle of the island - the ancient holy site of the druids. Sir Edwin entered the ruins and discovered an ancient crystal and stone talisman, the size of his hand - the druidic calendar that they sought. Meanwhile, the other knights prepared a surprise for Diwrnach's riders. That night, Evienne began to chant, and hidden fires prepared by the knights flared up. Svenhilde made wailing, supernatural sounds from a hiding place, while Sir Cuthbert pretended to be an evil spirit that 'emerged' from the fire and danced. The mock ritual terrified Diwrnach's riders, and while they were bewildered, the knights took to their horses and escaped from Mona.

More nightmares plagued the group as they made their way to Stonehenge, where they could use the calendar stone at the coming solstice. Sir Bleddyn hatched into a monstrous dragon, Sir Cuthbert was stripped of his knighthood, Sir Edwin died an anonymous and meaningless death, Svenhilde was deemed 'not magical enough', and Sir Jeremy was killed by Svenhilde. The group stopped at Amesbury just before reaching Stonehenge, where Abbess Esther's prayers ended their nightmares. They then went to Stonehenge and waited there for the sun to rise on the day of the solstice. As the first lick of sunlight stretched across the land, it shone into the druid calendar stone. The crystals upon it lit up with all the fire of the sun, and it emitted a beam of light which struck one of the standing stones. Lady Evienne interpreted it and told the knights that Cantrev Gwaelod would rise from the ocean sooner than they had thought. They had one day...

The group went to Bristol where they found a terrible storm raging upon the ocean. No captain would agree to take them out to see, so they bought their own ship. Sir Edwin, who had experience with boats, served as captain. Wind and rain lashed at them, as they hugged the coast to make their way to where Cantrev Gwaelod should be. Then with a mighty rumbling, the ocean split asunder. A tower, then two, then a whole city began to rise from the ocean, streaming water from it. The sunken island had emerged once more.

The knights landed and began to search the city, which was covered with seaweed, flapping fishes, and the skeletons of the people of Gwaelod, who had died when it sank years earlier. Gwyddno directed them onward to the central keep - the vault of the druids was below it. They entered the manor hall and descended to its basement to find a terrible sight. Before the entrance to the vault were the massacred bodies of the druid cultists - and emerging from all around them now were the Saxons, Heydrich and Wulf, who was sporting terrible scars from the fight in Cardigan.

Heydrich explained that the curse which he had laid upon the knights had let him see into their minds, which was how he knew to be here. The druidic calendar would act as a key to the stone door blocking off the vault; the knights could then pass through the trials inside and bring him out the Hamper, or die. To make his point, he stabbed Evienne in the stomach, leaving her bleeding to death. There was nothing to be done: Sir Edwin inserted the druidic calendar into a panel in the door and twisted. With a rumbling noise, the chamber opened, and the knights entered a long corridor...

There were three tests inside the vault, the knights knew. One would test their minds, one would test their bodies, and the last would test their souls. The first test soon became apparent: the walls of the corridor began to spit forth iron-tipped darts. Svenhilde attempted to run through but was badly wounded. The other knights decided to rely on their shields and marched slowly in formation together. They were thus able to pass easily. At the end of the corridor was a door with six slots, and a bowl on a plinth before it holding six gemstones. This was the test of the mind: the knights had to figure out which gemstone went in each slot. Every time that they failed, an ancient druidic curse upon the door wracked them with agony, which was stronger or lesser based on how many gems had been put in the correct slots. Sir Edwin was tough enough that he was able to repeatedly test the puzzle, and so the knights were able to figure out the correct combination.

In the final room of the vault, the Hamper sat on another plinth. The knights were interrupted by Heydrich's Saxons, who flooded into the room to claim the Hamper. Before they could remove it from the plinth, an ancient Druid ghost appeared and explained the final challenge. All they had to do was eat from the Hamper. Heydrich and Wulf, greedy for the power of the Hamper, removed food and ate it - and their greed was punished. The food began to multiply within their stomachs, until their bodies burst under the strain and the two men gorily expired. The Saxons, screaming in supernatural terror, fled. Sir Edwin accepted the challenge next and ate with humility. He did not want the Hamper for greed, but for his father's sake, and to alleviate the famine in Salisbury. As a result, he passed the test and removed the Hamper, putting Sir Gherard's ring upon the plinth in its place.

The island shook as the waters of the ocean began to lap about the knights' feet. Cantrev Gwaelod was sinking once more into the churning ocean. The knights rushed to where they had moored their boat, taking the wounded Lady Evienne with them. She weakly urged Sir Bleddyn to steal the Hamper now. He, remembering his nightmares and the foul fates of Heydrich and Wulf, refused. "I am not a dragon," he said. The knights reached their boat and cast off just as the island gave one final heave and sank into the churning ocean. The sun began to set behind them as the knights sailed back to land, their quest complete.