515 AD, Part Two: A Funny Thing Happened To Sir Taedi On The Way To The Blacksmith

Sir Taedi's player was unable to attend the second half of our 515 session due to some unfair real-life problems. So we had a bonus adventure for him, to explain what he was doing while everyone else was off saving Logres!

Shortly after the knights of Salisbury left the Wasteland, while travelling through the backwaters of Malahaut, Sir Taedi's horse threw a shoe.

This was very unfortunate. The travelers were moving swiftly, as they needed to find the Whetstone of Tudwal Tudclud and return to London before Pentecost. Sir Taedi would be unable to keep up with them, and once they left him behind, it was unlikely that he would be able to catch up. They would just have to leave him behind. So they departed, and Sir Taedi backtracked: he remembered seeing a village on the horizon two, or maybe three hours ago.

He rode slowly back north, along the bank of a river too wide to ford. Before too long, he reached a stone bridge that spanned the river. A mounted knight held the bridge; his squire lay in the grass nearby, with a blade of wheat in his mouth, staring up at the clouds. The knight waved to Sir Taedi (almost falling off his horse in the process), introduced himself as Sir Victor, and challenged him to joust. Somewhat bemused, Sir Taedi asked what the stakes were. This made Sir Victor pause for a minute, for he had not realised that some manner of stakes were customary - he just wanted to practice his jousting skills! Sir Taedi suggested that the loser should offer hospitality to the winner, and Sir Victor cheerfully agreed. The two charged, and Sir Victor's lance struck a very glancing blow to Sir Taedi, which barely rocked him in his saddle. On the second pass, Sir Taedi's lance flung Sir Victor from his saddle. The other knight fell, and caught his foot in the stirrup, being dragged along the ground for some way. His squire rushed to rescue him. When Sir Victor was freed, he removed his helmet, revealing a simple and smiling face. He was pleased to have lost, and he invited Sir Taedi to come and have dinner with him.

Sir Victor's home was a squalid little village. He took Sir Taedi's horse to the village blacksmith Dafydd to be re-shod, and then invited his guest to his manor for dinner. It was barely larger or grander than the peasants' houses. In fact, many of his tenants ate with him, and he ate the same simple food as they did, while animals ate in the rushes on the floor around them. Sir Taedi found it strangely comfortable. The two knights talked of the news from the south, and Sir Victor revealed how he dreamed of leaving home, seeking adventure and finding a wife. That night, Sir Taedi slept on the ground in the hall, curled up with a pig for warmth; the next day, when he rode out, Sir Victor rode with him.

Later that day, the two adventurers met another knight upon the road. This knight called to Sir Taedi as if he recognised him. Sir Taedi thought that the knight's coat of arms, a crimson moon, looked familiar, though he could not quite place them. He played along, hoping the other would say something to jog his memory, as the Moon Knight greeted him and asked how he had been since they had last met, asked if he'd had any success since then, and admitted to very little himself. Then the Moon Knight saw Sir Victor and challenged him to a joust. The loser would offer military service or scutage to the winner. Sir Victor cheerfully accepted, and was immediately bowled from his saddle by a mighty blow. The Moon Knight introduced himself to Sir Victor as Sir Einion, and asked the two to accompany him to where his other followers were gathered, to reclaim the ancestral home and rescue the sister of... "Sir Dai?" Sir Taedi quietly spoke to Sir Victor and decided to play along, so that Sir Victor could take part in his first adventure.

The three knights rode towards a nearby village, while the two knights subtly pumped Sir Einion for more information. He revealed that one Sir Meurig had dishonourably slain the local lord, Sir Heilyn, in an ambush. Sir Heilyn's daughter (and Sir Einion's lady love) Gwladys was his prisoner, but his son Sir Dai, who had the same heraldry as Sir Taedi, had escaped and met Sir Einion, and the two had agreed to muster support to reclaim the castle. Sir Einion commented on how 'Sir Dai' seemed different to before, and Sir Taedi improvised wildly.

At a village near the castle, they met the other three knights that Sir Einion had already recruited. Sir Powell was a drunken sot, Sir Sian a religious fanatic, and Sir Aidan a cross-eyed birdwatcher - not an inspiring army! Sir Aidan also confronted 'Sir Dai' about his gambling debts, and Sir Taedi continued to bluff, promising to pay 'his' debts once they had recaptured the castle. Sir Einion and Sir Taedi then made a plan to attack, leaving Sir Taedi bemused by how pitiful the defenses were. They planned to attack on the next day, but Sir Taedi and Sir Victor sneaked away to attack the castle that very night.

At this point, our cat Nimue decided to help. She began to attack a model castle that sat on the table, shoving her nose through the gates, picking up and carrying off cardboard defenders, and nearly knocking the castle - and herself! - off the table. Once we had stopped laughing enough to be able to breathe again, we continued.

The 'castle' turned out to be more of a large house. The two knights noticed that an upstairs window was open, and used Sir Einion's siege ladder to climb into the house. They were greeted by a screaming maiden, who shouted at 'Sir Dai', her brother, for invading her bedroom. Sir Taedi tried to explain, thoroughly perplexed - wasn't she supposed to be in the dungeon? At this point, Sir Meurig burst in (Gwladys screamed again, brandishing his sword at the intruders in his sleeping attire, and confronted 'Sir Dai', who had last been seen fleeing like the coward that he was. At this point, Gwladys finally realised that Sir Taedi was a foot taller than her brother...

The deception was finally up. Sir Taedi confessed everything, and admitted that he had been pretending to be Sir Dai for the adventure, and to help right a seeming wrong - that may or may not have happened. Sir Meurig told him that Sir Heilyn had murdered his father, Sir Wynfar, years ago. He had just sought revenge, and to reclaim his ancestral homes - but he had seen to it that those he had slain had been given a Christian burial, and he had not laid a hand on Gwladys. Sir Taedi agreed that this showed he was an immensely patient man! The two men forgave each other, but Sir Meurig asked that Sir Taedi and Sir Victor would help to end the current situation peacefully - and hopefully get Gwladys out of his hair!

At this point, the sounds of the 'attack' (of four knights) came. The knights hurried outside to negotiate, as the knights charged the castle. Sir Powell collapsed, drunk; Sir Aidan tripped on a rock; Sir Sian stopped to superstitiously avoid stepping on a crack. Only Sir Einion made it across the courtyard to the castle door, which the two knights slammed in his face. They then had a guard run for Gwladys, who came down to Sir Einion and explained everything. The battle was over!

Sir Taedi and Sir Victor thought that it might be time to slip away now, but Sir Meurig cornered them and declared that their promise had not been fulfilled, for Gwladys was now refusing to marry Sir Einion! She could not possibly get married without a proper dress and without a dowry! Sir Meurig was desperate to get rid of her, and so he split tasks with Sir Taedi and Sir Victor: Sir Meurig would go on the Quest of the Wedding Dress, while they would ride on the Quest of the Dowry. They quickly searched the castle for anything that would do - a nice dinner service, perhaps? Then Sir Taedi remembered folk-tales that he had heard that men of old had buried their treasure in faerie barrows nearby.

A few hours later, the two knights reached the village where the ancient gold was said to be. The villagers 'recognised' Sir Taedi as Sir Dai. Apparently Sir Dai had been there a week ago and hired many mules, and a good spade. Sir Taedi was now getting thoroughly sick of Sir Dai - especially when they reached the mounds and found that Sir Dai had already dug them up and taken all the gold! Sir Victor gloomily predicted that Sir Dai probably meant to flee to the continent, but Sir Taedi decided to give chase.

The tracks led to the city of Winteringham, on the River Humber. There, the two knights asked around. No one knew where Sir Dai was, but they remembered an extravagantly rich knight and his two henchmen, who had indeed been seeking passage to the continent. When Sir Taedi and Sir Victor met up again in a tavern, a drunken man asked Sir Taedi for money, insisting that he was a knight - and Sir Taedi realised that it was Sir Dai. Sir Dai had fled his castle when it had fallen, met Sir Einion on the road and lied about fighting alongside him to reclaim it, and then fled to dig up the gold and escape. However, he had met two sycophants who managed to fleece him for all his gold, his armour, his sword and his horse, and then took his place on the ship. Sir Taedi challenged him to a joust outside of town (Sir Victor lending Sir Dai everything that he'd need) and then finally lost control, charging with a murderous scream. Sir Dai panicked and fled, with an irate Sir Taedi close behind him...

And so their work was done. Sir Dai was dragged back home - the debtor serving as a sort of dowry. Sir Einion and Gwladys got married. Sir Meurig finally got some peace and quiet. Sir Victor returned home, having finally experienced an adventure. And Sir Taedi began the long ride south, determined never to tell anyone the story of what had happened.

515 AD: The Grey Knight

The road to London was blocked. Crowds of irritated travelers milled around, while one Irish lord wound up making the problem worse when he tried to take his prize cattle around whatever the disturbance was. Among those delayed were Sir Balthazar, Sir Taedi, Sir Xavier, Sir Zebediah, Lady Elspeth and Lady Svenhilde. These worthies were on their way to London to attend King Arthur's Easter tournament. Pushing through the crowd, they found a fallen ox-cart blocking the road. The ox leading it was lying down, bleeding from a long gash, almost dead. A family of peasants gathered around, shaken and shocked. An old peasant man was unconscious, and the knight who had done this to him, a handsome young man with a whiplash mustache, was in the process of beating a young peasant man. 

The knights of Salisbury immediately decided to intervene, to try and solve the problem. Svenhilde and Elspeth tried to help the peasants, but a friar in the crowd misunderstood their intentions and started shouting at them. (It appeared that he had heard of Svenhilde, and not in a good way.) Sir Balthazar strode up to confront the knight, while Sir Taedi and Sir Zebediah quietly moved the ox-cart off the road so that others would be able to pass once more. Meanwhile, Sir Xavier scanned the crowd and caught sight of the knight's shield: it was Sir Agravain, brother to Sir Gawain and nephew to King Arthur! When Sir Balthazar challenged Sir Agravain, the Orkney knight declared that they would meet at the tournament, and then withdrew. The priest, Friar Coombs, praised them and explained what had happened: Sir Agravain had ordered the peasants to clear the road so that he could pass, and then slew the ox before they had a reasonable opportunity to react. The cart fell, and splashed mud on Sir Agravain's shield, infuriating him. Sir Xavier gave the peasants some money so that they could buy a new ox from the Irish lord, and then told Friar Coombs to apologize to Svenhilde, which the priest did fully and sincerely.

The group continued on to London, where the city was packed full of people who had come for the tournament. The group made their way through to the White Tower - where once, years earlier, Sir Balthazar's father Sir Arnulf and Lady Elspeth's cousin Sir Aeronwy had first fought Sir Eleri the traitor. Now, there was a small army of servants bringing supplies in to the castle, directed by Sir Kay and Sir Bedivere. At the entrance to the castle, Sir Constantine, the young son of Sir Cador, apologized and told them that there was no space for lodging in the Tower. They would need to find an inn. As they turned to go, a dog ran past their hoses, spooking them. Elspeth was unable to keep her horse under control, and jostled a servant, causing him to spill everything that he was carrying - and knock over another servant, and so forth, until food was lying all over the ground, and all over Sir Kay. The seneschal was furious, and began shouting at Elspeth for her clumsiness. Sir Balthazar made a snide comment, which unfortunately Sir Kay heard, and he began to abuse Sir Balthazar instead. They were rescued when a handsome young knight rode up laughing and extricated them from the situation: Sir Gawain, Sir Agravain's brother. Sir Balthazar was nervous, but Sir Gawain had either not heard about the incident on the road, or did not recognize him. He chatted with the group while escorting them to a nearby inn, and then departed.

The next day was the day of the feast. The guests first were introduced to King Arthur and Queen Guinevere, who greeted each guest personally. The banquet was seven delicious courses, with entertainment throughout. The group could see important people from all over Britain - some familiar, others less well known. King Pellinore was making Questing Beast noises to amuse Queen Guinevere. Merlin and his new apprentice talked quietly together. King Arthur talked to his sister, Queen Morgan. Sir Balthazar got nervous when he noticed Sir Gawain, Sir Gaheris and Sir Agravain talking together and looking at him. He sent a page to invite them over, and Sir Gawain came to speak with him, but Sir Balthazar chose his words poorly and only succeeded in making an enemy of the great knight. Meanwhile, Sir Taedi and Sir Zebediah were drawn into an argument between Sir Cynwal and Sir Graid about Sir Balin. That knight had been involved in a fight with King Pellam of Corbenic while a guest at his castle and wounded him seriously; as a result, a magical curse had transformed the area around Corbenic into a terrible wasteland. Sir Zebediah agreed with Sir Graid that Sir Balin was at fault; Sir Taedi said that both men were likely to blame, thus managing to anger both men. At the same time, Sir Xavier was approached by a beautiful woman, Lady Ariette, who began flirting with him. He quickly realized that she was just trying to make someone else jealous, but he decided to play along regardless. Svenhilde saw through her magical sight that Merlin had become very sick and was almost devoid of magic, while his apprentice Nimue seemed very powerful. Were the rumours that she was stealing his magic true? Finally, Lady Elspeth took no part in any courtly intrigue, but instead joined the dancing and had a merry time, unaware of how many enemies her countrymen were making.

The tournament began the next day, and the knights of Salisbury were dismayed to discover that they had made many enemies and were subject to a great many challenges. Many of their challengers were disappointed, for the knights of Salisbury did not put up a mighty showing at all, and were all unhorsed by their first challenger. Sir Balthazar was defeated by Sir Gaheris, Sir Xavier was unhorsed by Sir Griflet (who fancied Ariette himself), Sir Taedi was vanquished by Sir Graid, and Sir Zebediah was overcome by Sir Cynwal. In the end, Sir Graid and Sir Kay were the final match, to determine the winner of the first day of the tournament. Sir Graid, emboldened by success, made some unfortunate comments against King Arthur; shortly thereafter, he was struck down by Sir Kay, and perished in the final round. Accidents do happen in tournaments - though some did wonder if Sir Kay had decided to defend his brother's honour. 

At this point a strange fog arose. Into the tournament grounds rode a dwarf herald, a beautiful lady all in black, and a fearsome Grey Knight. The Lady accused King Arthur of having been responsible for the deaths of the May Babies several years earlier, and formally challenged him to appoint a champion to fight the Grey Knight to prove his innocence. Many quailed in terror, but Sir Gawain immediately stepped forward to accept the challenge. With the duel scheduled for a month's time, the lady, the dwarf, and the Grey Knight departed, and everyone began to talk at once about this strange and terrible event. Arthur,  Gawain, Guinevere, Merlin and Nimue withdrew to privily discuss what had happened.

Upon the next day, after a rushed Mass, King Arthur issued a royal decree, charging his knights to go forth and discover the long-lost Thirteen Treasures of Britain, for Merlin had foreseen that one of them would be able to save Sir Gawain from an otherwise certain doom. Nimue then stepped forward and sang of the Thirteen Treasures - the sword of Rydderch Hael, the hamper of Gwyddno Garanhir, the horn of Bran Galed, the chariot of Morgan Mwynfawr, the halter of Clyddno Eiddyn, the knife of Llawfrodedd Farchog, the whetstone of Tudwal Tudclud, the coat of Padarn Beisrudd, the crock and dish of Rhygenydd, the chessboard of Gwenddoleu ap Ceidio, and the mantle of Arthur Pendragon.

Svenhilde remembered that years ago she had, alongside other knights of Salisbury, found the hamper of Gwyddno Garanhir. She went to see Merlin and Nimue, and found the enchanter deathly ill in bed, with Nimue caring for him. Nimue confirmed that he was dying. Svenhilde told Nimue about a vision of the Hamper's location, in the hands of the Ladies of the Lake. The forces of fate had revealed that it was not her destiny to act upon this any more - but Nimue knew that she herself was rapidly moving towards a confrontation with the Ladies, and that the hamper was hers to retrieve. In exchange, Nimue told Svenhilde that she would shortly find herself at the crossroads of her own fate, but she knew no more than this.

Meanwhile, Sir Balthazar and Sir Javier both discovered a clue as to how to find one of the Treasures. Friar Coombs went to see Sir Balthazar and urged him to seek the Queen of the Wasteland, a very holy woman. She had once told him that one day she would guide a pious knight on a great quest. Because Sir Balthazar had stood up to Sir Agravain, the good friar believed that he was the knight of whom the Queen had spoken. He gave directions to Sir Balthazar on how to find the holy lady, assuring him that she would know about the Treasures. Sir Javier, meanwhile, was approached by Ariette, who also told him about the Queen of the Wastelands. She had overheard Sir Tor and Sir Griflet talking about it, and as they were upset with her for flirting with Sir Javier, she had decided to help him to spite them.

The five of them met that night and decided to find the Queen of the Wasteland. They set out the next day, only to be followed by Sir Gawain. He wanted to apologize to Sir Balthazar for his temper, and his brother's behaviour. He didn't want such things hanging over either of them in the future, and so the two reconciled. It was a long ride north to the tiny kingdom of Listenoise, just south of the Wall, which had become engulfed by the Wasteland. After a week of travel, Svenhilde realised that mighty magics were being invoked far to the south. She knew that Nimue was confronting the Ladies of the Lake.

And then, one day, the travelers woke and found themselves deep in the Wasteland. All things were dead - trees were rotten, rivers were brackish, and the earth was little more than stone and dust. The sun hung cold and motionless in the sky. Food and water began to spoil. Wounds refused to heal properly and started to become infected. Young Hu began to cough. The world was dying. Sir Balthazar soon discovered that the directions that he had been given were useless in the Wasteland, and the group traveled aimlessly.

As interminable day turned into relentless night, an immense thunderstorm broke out, but the rain brought no relief. The group were forced to take shelter in a strange church, the first building they had seen in their time in the Wasteland. Sir Taedi was alarmed by the place, for he could not see any religious signs upon the building, but they needed shelter. The only priest in the building was a young man called Brother Taman, who welcomed them and offered food and wine. The other priests, he explained, had departed when the Wasteland had appeared and swallowed up their monastery. The group went to their cells, and decided to set up a watch for the night, but half the party would not awaken. When Sir Javier was on watch, he was approached by a beautiful woman, who seduced him and caused him to sleep. Sir Taedi woke, and the same beautiful woman tried to tempt him, but he denied her, and she fled in a wail of black smoke. At that, a black panther charged into the room and tried to slay him, but Sir Taedi picked up his wooden bed and struck the panther with it, slaying it. With that, the monastery vanished. The group found themselves lying in the rain upon the hillside, in the ruins of a chapel. The sleepers stirred, feeling drained and only vaguely remembering their intensely erotic dreams. At Sir Taedi's feet lay the body of Brother Taman.

On the next day, the knights discovered a ramshackle village in the Wasteland. Sir Vardilain, a worn and half-crazed knight, rode up to challenge them. He had been charged by King Pellam to guard Olbray, and therefore none could enter. While the others discussed, Lady Elspeth grabbed Hu and went to the village. The boy was sick and needed rest and shelter. This forced everyone's hand: Sir Vardilain charged, and Sir Javier and Sir Taedi rode to Elspeth's defense. Sir Vardilain unhorsed Sir Taedi, but Sir Javier was able to strike him senseless. At this, Sir Vardilain's squire came running out of the buildings and begged Sir Javier for a boon: that he would kill Sir Vardilain. Olbray had been devastated by a plague, which had killed all the villagers, and their deaths had driven Sir Vardilain insane. He would only be able to find rest in death, Sir Javier slew the knight, and the squire thanked him as he flung himself upon Sir Vardilain's sword.

There could be no rest in a plagued village. The group continued onward, exhausted and famished. They were now out of water, and their food was spoiling. The only water they found was rank and foul, with the body of a dead wolf rotting next to it. No one knew how much time had passed since they had entered the Wasteland. Then, as they approached a dry gully, the group heard the sound of two ferocious animals fighting. A ferocious lion and a terrible serpent fought a mighty battle there, and the ground was wet with their blood. "Will you not intervene in this conflict, Sir Knights?" a child clad in white and black asked them. The group was startled - who was this child, and from whence had he come? Svenhilde reeled, for she alone recognized this child: it was the selfsame infant she had seen years ago in a vision of a shipwreck, the sole survivor of the May Babies. The others, not knowing the child, made their decision swiftly. Although they had a healthy fear for lions after their adventures at Dolorous Garde, the serpent was a symbol of sin. The knights charged the serpent, and with the help of the lion, slew it. With its enemy dead, the lion retrieved three cubs that the knights had not previously noticed, and fixed the knights with a golden-eyed gaze as it became a mighty knight. "The innocent are saved, though the serpent's spawn lives. The Grey Knight's cause is unjust." What did this mean? The travelers had no opportunity to ask. The Lion Knight pointed. "Ride on through the night, and stay not from your good quest. Your goal you shall find with the dawn." Then he vanished, as did the cubs, and the strange youth.

The men and women of Salisbury set off as the gloom settled around them. In the darkness, it was foolhardy to press on: any uneven ground could cripple a horse. However, they decided to trust in the guidance given to them by the Lion Knight. In the darkness, a sound could be heard, all about them as they rode - first quietly, but with volume ever-increasing. It was a gibbering sound, from many voices. The stench of sulfur was thick in the air. Barely seen, skeletal apparitions began to wail and clamor about the travelers. It was the Sluagh na Marbh, the host of the dead. They pinched, beat, and threw stones, while screaming: "Give up your quest!" Once, twice, and a third time they rallied and struck, and thrice they were denied. With a scream, they melted away as the sun rose, and a beam of light from the heavens illuminated a simple chapel on a hilltop nearby.

The Queen of the Wasteland was a nun, living alone in the Wasteland. She explained to the knights about what the Wasteland was: a reflection of the wound struck by Sir Balin upon King Pellam, her husband. King Pellam was the Grail King. Now he languished in agony until one day a knight would come who would be worthy of the secret of the Grail, and heal her husband and restore life to the Wasteland. She explained something of the meaning behind what they had encountered thus far: the priest, Brother Taman, had sold his soul to the Devil, and was luring passers-by to be preyed upon by a succubus (which Sir Taedi had banished when he denied it). The serpent represented Satan, and the lion God - the cubs were young knights who would be influenced by the boy, who willingly or not is the spawn of Satan. The Sluagh were a test of devotion and dedication to the cause. The Queen invited all to pray with her, and everyone felt their wounds and weariness melt away from them. She told them to seek the Castle of the High Wilderness in the Forest Arroy, for there they would find the path to the Whetstone of Tudwal Tudclud.

Upon the next day, the team found themselves leaving the Wasteland (and thanked God heartily for it!) They did not know how much time they had lost there, so they rode swiftly south to the Forest Arroy. Too swiftly, maybe, for Sir Taedi's horse threw a shoe, and the others were forced to leave him behind. A week later they reached the Arroy Forest, and within found a little castle, whose cheerful lord, Sir Bercilak, welcomed them and asked for news of the outside world, for he had few visitors. When he learned of their errand, however, he became conflicted. He did not wish to turn guests away without helping them, and he appreciated the importance of their task, but he had sworn never to reveal the location of the Whetstone. He invited the knights to stay while he thought about this.

The next day, Sir Balthazar, Sir Zebediah, and Lady Elspeth went hunting with Sir Bercilak, while Sir Xavier and Lady Svenhilde stayed in the castle and played chess with his wife, Lady Elavane. Sir Zebediah's skill at hunting impressed Sir Bercilak, while Svenhilde likewise pleased Lady Elavane. That evening, they agreed to reveal what they knew, on the condition that the knights swear never to reveal anything to anyone else. The Whetstone was held in the Unseen Kingdom, a fey realm that touched upon the Arroy Forest. Sir Bercilak led them to a certain oak tree, and directed them to go straight ahead and to make no noise. The group moved on, but the horses were noisy, and young Hu accidentally spoke while trying to hush them, and vanished. The knights dismounted, and Sir Xavier's squire Jennifer was charged with looking after the steeds, while the others proceeded on foot.

They entered an idyllic land full of merry-hued pavilions and gay banners, Beautiful elfin folk danced, ate, drank, sang and consorted with one another in their midst. They approached the knights and ladies, removing their gear and clothing, cladding them in finest silks and giving them wine and sweetmeats. Svenhilde gave in to luxury, as did Sir Xavier, who found himself a faerie lover. Other elf-maidens approached Sir Zebediah, who denounced the indulgent extravagance of the place - only serving to further inflame their desire. Elspeth, furious and terrified, clamped her mouth shut, and refused to engage or acknowledge the place at all. Sir Balthazar alone stayed focused on their task, and made his way to where the Faerie King and Queen sat. They greeted him politely, and Sir Balthazar was unwise in his words and all but revealed that Sir Bercilak had helped them and broken his oath. King Billis agreed to give him the Whetstone if the knights would rescue Queen Arawn's horse Selemine, which had been stolen by the giant Blackblood. Sir Balthazar agreed to the task, and an elf-maid transformed herself into a bird and led them to the abode of the giant.

The giant Blackblood lived in a cave at the top of a steep hill. There was only narrow path that led to the summit. Blackblood himself sat at a fire outside the cave, gnawing on a horse's head on a spit. Sir Balthazar and Svenhildr decided to climb the hill around the side, to try and slip into the giant's cave while the others distracted him. Svenhildr clambered up the side easily, while Sir Balthazar slipped and made noise. The giant rose and picked up a rock to throw at Sir Balthazar, who immediately rolled down the side of the mountain. Meanwhile, the others cautiously went up the road, and Elspeth started to shoot at the giant with her bow. It had little effect, being like the stinging of a gnat to the massive giant, but it irritated Blackblood, who began to throw large rocks at them. One hit Sir Zebediah, but he shrugged the impact off - he was used to suffering. Sir Xavier pretended that the rock had hit him, and fell over theatrically, hoping to draw the giant closer. It worked, and Svenhilde used the opportunity to slip into the cave, where she could see a beautiful faerie horse in a pen with other horses, She remembered that faerie horses responded to a whip of rowan wood, and dashed outside to find one. Meanwhile, Blackblood charged the warriors, who had been joined by Sir Balthazar. With a mighty blow, Sir Zebediah slew the giant. Svenhilde and her familiar Hermes found a rowan tree, and peeled off a thin branch to use as a whip. With this, they were able to tame Selemine. They freed the horses, and Svenhilde rode him down the path, the others claiming a horse as well.

The group returned to the Unseen Kingdom, where a revel was held in their honour. Sir Zebediah now had a cult-following of nubile elf-maidens, all vying with each other to be the most austere to impress him. His disdain only served to encourage them further. King Billis gave the Whetstone to Sir Balthazar, and warned him to beware of Lady Morgan, Arthur's sister, for her hand was behind the Grey Knight. When the group awoke the next day, they were in the forest, surrounded by their horses, Jennifer, and Hu.

It was time to return home. But a will was set against them. Upon leaving the forest, a massive storm broke out: wind, rain, hail, and lightning conspiring to slow their passage home with the whetstone. Svenhildr suggested detouring to a nearby henge, where she might try to combat the storm, but Sir Balthazar decided that they should ride on. After three days of non-stop storm, the weather cleared. It was only the first obstacle in the group's path, however. Next, the terrain began to shift and move, until the knights realised that they were seeing the same terrain over and over! Svenhilde used her magical sight to see past the glamour and lead them truly.

The next day, the knights heard a scream at the side of the road. A young woman had been accosted by a band of ruffians. They were swiftly dispatched, and the woman, Gilegra, asked for the knights to escort her to London, where she was going to ask Merlin to help her sick father. That night, Gilegra secretly approached Svenhilde and tried to deceive her into turning over the Whetstone. She implied that Merlin was responsible for everything that was happening, but overplayed her hand. Svenhilde wanted to wake the rest of the group to tell them of Merlin's treachery! Gilegra panicked, seized the whetstone, and began to transform into a raven to escape. Svenhilde realised that she had been tricked and tackled the witch, while Sir Xavier cleft her asunder, sending blood and feathers everywhere.

Over the next few days, the group became aware that there were still more forces arrayed against them: ambushers seeking to destroy them at every step of the road. Fortunately, the knights found it easy to ride around them and avoid the ambushes, but it cost them still more time. Just in case, Sir Xavier created a number of 'fake' whetstones using their own gear, to throw off further thieves. They finally found themselves in sight of London: they would arrive on the day of the duel. Hopefully they would not be too late! That night, one final monster appeared to attack the group: a barghest, a demon dog of smoke with glowing red eyes and a jagged maw. Their blades passed through it as if it were insubstantial, but the beast's eyes inspired primal terror, and its jaws could rend their flesh. Sir Balthazar fled, screaming, Sir Xavier threw himself at the Barghest and Sir Zebediah used the time to sharpen his sword upon the Whetstone of Tudwal Tudclud. Thus enhanced, his blade was able to cleave the beast, and he struck it dead. Seeing its power, the group were all tempted to use it, but they knew that such things were best not meddled with - all save Sir Xavier, who secretly had his second blade sharpened upon it, just in case...

On the next day, the knights reached London. The streets were empty, and there was a somber atmosphere. The knights were too late, for the duel had already begun! At the tournament grounds, Sir Gawain was engaged in a mighty duel with the immense Grey Knight. Both had already suffered many wounds, but the Grey Knight did not slowed by them at all. With a massive glow, Sir Gawain cleft the Grey Knight upon the crest of his helmet, shattering it, and revealing the visage of a corpse: the corpse of King Ryonce, killed by Sir Fflergant years ago! The crowd gasped. The group rushed to Sir Gawain's squire, whom Svenhilde recognised as her countryman, Prince Valiant of Thule. Together, they came up with a ruse. Prince Valiant called for a pause to the fighting, because the Grey Knight's horrible features would upset the ladies, such as Queen Morgan - it were meet that the Grey Knight should have no disadvantage, but be allowed a new helm: Sir Gawain would wish to extend this courtesy to his foe. In the brief interval, the group were able to hurriedly sharped Sir Gawain's blade on the Whetstone. The duel lasted a while still, but then Sir Gawain saw an opening and struck a mighty blow, cleaving the Grey Knight's withered body asunder. Worms exploded from the wound, engulfing the corpse-knight, and when they cleared, all that was left was an empty husk of armour.

Sir Gawain had won! King Arthur's innocence had been proven! Lady Nimue claimed the Whetstone, to take into safe keeping - for Merlin had perished under strange circumstances. Sir Balthazar found Queen Morgan and revealed that he knew that she had been behind the scheme, and that he would be watching for whatever she tried next. Sir Xavier married Lady Ariette, becoming the Baron of Stonewall. Svenhilde asked Nimue about the child that she had now twice seen, and Nimue told her that 'destiny' is what we make of it. Somewhere, that child of doom lived, but the doom was not predestined, but entirely of his own making...