520 AD: The Adventure of the New-Made Knight

It was raining heavily. Not an unusual thing in Logres. But because of the rain, the river was swollen, and the knights would not be able to ford it until the morrow at the earliest. They would have to find shelter for the night. They had passed a small village, only a short way back. They turned their horses and made their way to seek hospitality there.

It had begun a few weeks ago, at the wedding of Sir Dagonet and Lady Elspeth. At the feast afterwards, Sir Balthazar discovered his lord, Earl Robert, in tears. The Earl had offered to make Elspeth his mistress a few years earlier. It turned out that he fancied her more than anyone had known. But after the feast, Robert declared that he was seeking a wife. Sir Balthazar and his companions were tasked with travelling north to Wuerensis, to meet the Earl's marriageable daughter. With Sir Balthazar were Lady Elspeth and Sir Connor, a young knight of Irish descent. They reached Warwick without mishap, and met the lady and her noble father. Their task done, they returned south - when the rains forced them to detour.

At the manor, the knights were received by Lady Enide, whose age added to her stateliness rather than diminished her beauty. But the lady was mournful, and could not restrain her words. Her husband, Sir Danain, had recently perished from wounds received at Badon Hill. Their son, Sir Danain the Younger, inherited his manor at Rimchurch. On his deathbed, the elder Danain had written to his son, encouraging him to follow the code of chivalry. But when Sir Danain the Younger went to visit the four lords who dwelt near Rimchurch and inform them of his father's death, he faced a number of challenges. Attempting to maintain the standards of chivalry, Sir Danain failed all four of the adventures. Now he renounced chivalry as the dream of fools, and lived as a bully with his brutish followers. Would the knights of Salisbury visit Sir Danain with her and help remind him of the value of chivalry?

There was no way the knights could honourably refuse. Nor did they wish to do so. The next day, Lady Enide, Sir Balthazar, Sir Connor and Lady Elspeth set off to Rimchurch. As they rode, the Lady read to them from the last letter of Sir Danain the Elder, on the subject of chivalry. It outlined four major tenets: that knights must honour and protect ladies; that knights should be willing to lay down their lives for one another; that knights should be gentle and courteous despite all provocation; and that knights must always be true to their faith.

As the knights drew closer to Rimchurch, they began to see signs of Sir Danain's poor rule. The land looked poor, and people did not meet the knights' eyes. The bodies of peasants were strung up in trees. When they reached the manor house, where they were discourteously welcomed by the sinister steward, Septimus. Soon the knights and ladies were 'enjoying' a feast with Sir Danain and his thuggish followers. Some of the brutes started to make distasteful remarks about Lady Elspeth, but when Sir Connor started glaring at them, they changed their minds. Sir Danain himself was sulky and silent in the presence of his mother. Sir Balthazar engaged him in conversation and managed to draw him out: it was not that he did not believe in chivalry, as much as that he did not believe that it was possible. Lady Enide proposed that Sir Danain accompany the knights of Salisbury to the four neighbouring castles, and learn from them how to conduct himself honourably. Sir Danain reluctantly agreed, but said that he expected that they would fail as he had.

The next morning, when the group was ready to join them, Sir Danain did not come down, and Sir Connor had to rouse him from his drunken slumber. Eventually, they were ready to depart. The first castle to which the group travelled was the Castle of the Red Beast, deep in a forest. Here, they were welcomed by the aged Sir Plenorius. After dinner, he explained that his lands were haunted by the Devil's Stag. It most commonly haunted the Devil's Keep, a ruin out in the middle of the forest. Legend says that the curse will be lifted if anyone can spend a night in the Devil's Keep, but any who try flee in terror. Sir Danain admitted that he went to the ruins, but when the Devil's Stag appeared, he was too scared to remain.

The knights were not dismayed, however. They departed for the Devil's Keep, a small stone building overgrown with vines. There they cleared out some of the vines and settled in for the night. Sir Connor briefly wondered about the meaning of the coloured glass that remained in one of the windows, but thought no more of it. They had been waiting for four hours, when suddenly the hellish apparition emerged from the woods. It was only a bit larger than a normal stag, but its immense twisted antlers showed that it was not of this world! Sir Danain and Lady Elspeth were terrified, but Sir Balthazar and Sir Connor managed to stand their ground. The demonic stag started eating some foliage, and Sir Connor finally approached it. Once he got closer, he could see that the 'Devil's Stag' was in fact just a normal stag. It had brambles and vines caught in its antlers, which gave it its terrifying silhouette. The two knights lured it closer, and then Sir Connor restrained it while Sir Balthazar cleared off its antlers. They then let it escape back into the forest. The next morning, the group emerged and told Sir Plenorius that the 'curse' had been lifted.

Sir Danain was impressed by the bravery of the knights of Salisbury, but pointed out that godliness was not really involved - a lit torch would have done as well. In fact, by showing that the stag was only an animal, they disproved the need for a knight to be pious! In any case, they would not succeed at the Castle of the Sons of Sir Cadlew. Shortly before reaching that castle, the group met some travellers upon the road, heading to the same destination. Duchess Blandine, her beautiful daughter Lady Analine, and their retainers were travelling to the castle, for Lady Analine had been betrothed to marry one or another of the sons of Sir Cadlew at birth. Analine herself was putting on a good face about the whole thing.

It was late at night when the group arrived at the castle. An old servant, Berenger, seemed strangely reluctant to welcome them, and then hurried them past the great hall, from where the sounds of drunken revelry were issuing. Sir Danain revealed that the five brothers were horrible boors, such that no man could maintain his composure in the face of their taunts. And now there were ladies whose virtue was at stake! Soon, the group was invited to join their hosts at the feast. Sir Cleris, Sir Cleremond, Sir Caulus, Sir Caradoc and Sir Cadlew the Younger were as drunken, foul-mouthed and crude as expected. After only a short while, Lady Analine was struggling to hold back tears, and Sir Connor was struggling to hold back his fists.

In the end, no one could quite manage perfect knightly restraint, but neither did they completely lose their temper. Lady Elspeth suggested that Blandine and Analine go to see Queen Guinevere, who would annul the engagement. In the meantime, Sir Balthazar and Sir Connor stood guard outside the ladies' rooms that night, in case the brothers should try something untoward: fortunately, nothing happened. In the morning, Sir Balthazar denounced the brothers for their churlishness, and fought a duel of honour with one of them, defeating him handily. The other four brothers looked like they were about to attack, but after sharp words, they slunk inside in shame. Blandine and Analine departed to see the Queen. Sir Danain again was pedantically critical, but underneath his bluster, the knights could see that he was starting to come around.

The third castle was the Castle of the Tethered Giant. It was situated on one side of a hill with two peaks, with a great lake between them. A harried-looking knight, Sir Pertacus, welcomed the knights inside. Shortly after they entered, there was a tremendous bang, and the keep shook. Sir Pertacus explained that there was a truly immense giant, Hargyll, imprisoned upon the second peak. He had been chained to the bottomless lake for killing his brother. Now he kept cages of imprisoned knights who had come to slay him or to save their brothers. Legend said that if a knight was brave enough to sacrifice himself by leaping into the bottomless lake, the giant would be freed and the knights saved.

After a long night, subjected to Hargyll's bombardment, the knights set out to the second peak. A single path led up to a cave, where the imprisoned knights were bound in wicker cages. Hargyll was a truly monstrous giant, a beast of legend. He was bound by a massive chain that disappeared into the black lake. The knights were horrified: how could they win without sacrificing their lives? If they engaged the giant, it would surely crush them, while diving into the water was suicidal. Lady Elspeth went hysterical, insisting that none of this made any sense. Finally, Sir Connor agreed to sacrifice himself. He stripped himself of his armour and jumped into the lake. To his relief, it was not bottomless. Just under the water's surface, there was an immense lock fastening the chain. At the bottom of the lake, obscured by the bones of Hargyll's brother, was a key greater in size than a man. Sir Connor held his breath, swam down, and managed to extract the key. He then unlocked the chains. Hargyll stomped off happily, and Sir Connot grabbed hold of the chain and was hoisted out of the water! Once the giant was gone, the group were able to free all the captive knights, and there was great rejoicing.

Only one castle remained: the Castle of the Maiden Knight. Its old Saxon lord, Sir Ethelheard, had imprisoned his daughters for falling in love with Cymric men. Any who would seek to free them, as Sir Danain the Elder's letter insists, must fight with Sir Ethelheard's champion: his young warrior bride, Lady Ethelrida. But how can one pledge to offer no harm to ladies and fight one, or should one refuse to harm Lady Ethelrida and abandon the daughters to their fate? This was Sir Danain's dilemma. Lady Elspeth personally thought that not fighting Lady Etherida would be an even greater insult to the honour of ladies than fighting her. However, she talked reasonably to Sir Ethelheard about the High King's dream for British and Saxon to unite, and was able to convince him to relent.

Sir Danain still dug in his heels, The knights had failed to address the final challenge personally, and a woman had resolved the problem for them. Lady Elspeth spoke to him too. Yes, they not always succeeded as Sir Danain the Elder might have wished - but Sir Balthazar and Sir Connor had always tried to do the right thing, and had succeeded at all their challenges. Chivalry was not easy, and like any ideal, it could not always be achieved, but we should always strive for it. Properly chastised, Sir Danain admitted that she was right. He swore to correct his ways, and returned to Rimchurch. There, he apologised to his mother, and swore to be a good knight until the end of his days.

The rains had stopped. Sir Balthazar, Sir Connor and Lady Elspeth bade Sir Danain and Lady Enide farewell, and then resumed their journey back to Salisbury.

519 AD, Interlude: The Courtship of Lady Elspeth

Lady Elspeth was intelligent, good-looking, independent - and a widow for six years. During that time, she had avoided attempts to force her to remarry, and turned down an offer to become Earl Robert's mistress. However, she was beginning to feel lonely. When her patron, Queen Guinevere, sought to find her a new husband, she decided that the time had come to remarry, but on her terms.

The Queen agreed. She felt that women had little power or say in relationships, and sought to establish a new paradigm of behaviour. Marriage was so often for land, or for money, or for power. Women should have some say in who they married, and ideally some love should even be involved! Knights loved going on quests. Perhaps a lady ought to announce a quest to marry her, and then only someone who met the criteria that the lady had set would achieve matrimony. Sir Amren, the leader of the Queen's Knights, agreed, and helped them plot as well, for he was dedicated to the service of True Love.

Elspeth, Guinevere and Amren devised a quest of three goals. Elspeth valued intelligence over martial ability, and so she decided that her quest should consist of three challenges. To win, her suitors would first have to riddle out what the challenges meant. The challenges were these: 

1. To show something that had never before been seen in court.
2. To disdain Elspeth's enemy before the court.
3. In honour of Sir Fflergant, to perform an act of 'noble brigandry'.

There were many who showed up for the challenge. After all, the lady was getting on in years, but she was still passing fair and possessed of lands. More to the point, however, she was friends with the High Queen, and the winner would surely enjoy royal patronage. But many were confused by the nature of the quests. Some tried to invent new dances or new songs for her. Some declared their intention to raid the Saxons, declaring them her enemy. One even went to hassle Svenhildr, believing her Elspeth's rival (and was immediately disqualified!) One poor knight declared that his act of Noble Brigandry was that he had stolen Elspeth's heart, sending her into a fit of laughter.

The front runner was Sir Thomas, a minor knight. He performed a new song before court, disparaged the Saxons who were still holding out against the Crown, and presented jewelry won from a haunted barrow to Lady Elspeth. This fulfilled all of her tasks, although she was not wildly impressed by any of his answers. Sir Donna, Elspeth's older sister, didn't trust the man - she felt that he simply wanted to get closer to Guinevere. However, he was the only knight who had succeeded at all three quests. Reluctantly, Lady Elspeth knew that she would have to declare him the victor and marry him.

Then there was an announcement! A pageant would be performed: "The Court of Faerie." Well, it would take her mind off the failure of the quest. However, the pageant turned out to be something amazing. It was a play, more like the ancient Greek comedies than the modern religious mystery plays. Elspeth's young daughters Ella and Bette were featured in it as fairies. The Court of Faerie was a very clever satire of Arthur's court, featuring hilarious but not unkind parodies of the King and Queen, and many of the top knights. However, it completely skewered Sir Thomas, revealing him as a two-faced, deceitful fop, who was toying with Elspeth's affections, and who had lied about his quest. 

Sir Thomas was humiliated before the court. He tried to sabotage the play, and was knocked out by Sir Donna, who was waiting backstage for him. King Arthur requested that the author of this pageant be brought forward: a young and landless man, nobly born but of no wealth or fame. His name was Dagonet, and he sought Elspeth's hand for her sake. He had fulfilled the quest admirably: he had delivered a new type of theatre, destroyed the reputation of the lying Sir Thomas, and stolen Elspeth's children to help with the play. Sir Donna revealed also that young Dagonet had approached her for help: alone of the questers, Dagonet had done the research. King Arthur knighted Dagonet on the spot, and declared him his Chief Jester, in charge of the entertainments henceforth. Elspeth acknowledged that he had won the quest, and Guinevere promised them a grand wedding in Spring!

519 AD: The Conquest of Caledonia

A year had passed since the Battle of Badon Hill. Already, the great bloodshed had begun to recede into myth. Had the dead truly arisen to fight at the side of the living? With the battle fought at the borders of Faerie, within a generation its very location would be forgotten. Its effects, however, would remain. The Saxons had been conquered, and the great war was at an end. King Arthur and his knights had pacified them, and now the High King ruled over them as his subjects. It had not been an easy conquest - there had been Cymry who had used the pacification of the Saxons as an excuse for violent revenge, and there were Saxons who did not trust Arthur and resisted his rule. But for the first time in over a hundred years, there was the chance of peace in Britain. It was for this reason that the High King summoned his people to Carlion in May, for a great feast to celebrate the victory at Badon Hill. There were rumours that there would be a special announcement at the feast, and everyone hoped for the same thing: that Queen Guinevere was pregnant with an heir to the throne.

Among those who accompanied Earl Robert of Salisbury to Carlion that year were Sir Balthazar and Lady Elspeth. They had both been at the Battle of Badon Hill, and the messenger who brought the news to Sarum had intimated that the High Queen wished to reward them for their great deeds. With them also were Sir Avain, the half-brother of the deceased Sir Taedi, and two Saxons, Athelwulf and Aelfwinn. Athelwulf was in fact a Thulian, the younger brother of Lady Svenhildr. He had left the Thulian village in the Fens to seek his sister, and settled with the Saxons, taking Aelfwinn as his bride. After the Saxons defeat, they had come to Salisbury to throw themselves on Svenhildr's mercy, and been very reluctantly welcomed by the Earl. The High King had called for Saxons to be invited to the victory feast (as an attempt at representation by his new subject), and so they were brought along as well.

Court was smaller than usual, due to the loss of life of the previous year. The knights noticed that Sir Griflet, who they remembered as an enthusiastic young knight who had befriended Svenhildr, had distinguished himself so greatly that he was now Marshall of Britain. There were also a large number of French knights from Ganis present, led by Sir Bleoberis and Sir Blamore. Arthur had failed to come to the aid of Ganis due to the fighting with the Saxons, and so now he offered hospitality to its exiles. There were also a few Saxons present, led by a morose Prince Cynric. Rumours were that he would be given a seat at the Round Table as a token example of Saxon assimilation.

The feast was certainly eventful! King Arthur announced a plan to build a new capital city, and that his knights would be travelling Britain to select the best location. Queen Guinevere announced that she would be instituting an order of Queen's Knights, and that the selections would begin at dawn on the next day. The news was well received, although there were many disappointed that the Queen was still not pregnant. But this was not all that befell at the feast. One of the Queen's maidens approached Sir Balthazar and told him that Guinevere especially wished for him to join the Queen's Knights. Guinevere called Lady Elspeth over to the high table and asked her to help judge the competition, and then asked if Elspeth would like her help in finding a new husband. Sir Avain met his brother's friend, Sir Victor, and then spent the rest of the night trying to seduce a standoffish lady. Athelwulf entertained some others with a tale of how King Aguar was expelled from Thule by the usurper Sligon. Aelfwinn spoke with Prince Cynric and was disgusted by how defeatist he had become. These were just some of the events that befell at the feast. (n.b. We tried the Feast Event Cards, which I found here: http://esoteric-rp.blogspot.co.nz/p/pendragon-resources.html We all loved them, and intend to use them in every session from now on if we can!)

At dawn the next day, many knights turned out to the Carlion tournament grounds at dawn. Elspeth overslept, and had to be awakened by a servant. Other ladies of the court were present too, and each took a small group to judge. Elspeth was impressed by one of her knights, Sir Amren Goldenhair, who had devoted himself to the ideal of True Love. Meanwhile, the knights of Salisbury were judged by Lady Yglais. She had them play tabula, which none of them had any great talent, and quizzed them on how they achieved their glory. Sir Balthazar managed to do well, as did Athelwulf, who discovered a love for the game. However, Yglais seemed to be prejudiced against the Saxons. Elspeth noticed, and said as much in her report to the Queen.

After luncheon, the knights were to go hunting with Guinevere's ladies. However, this was interrupted almost immediately by a messenger who recalled the knights to Carlion. An alliance of the Picts and the Irish had launched an attack to the north. They obviously expected that after Badon, Britain would be vulnerable. King Arthur meant to show them otherwise! The Knights of the Round Table, those others who were present, and whatever other forces could be mustered at haste rushed north to beyond Hadrian's Wall in Caledonia, where battle was joined. The knights of Salisbury were themselves in a contingent led by Sir Agravain, who they remembered without fondness from four years earlier. However, the Orkney prince was still a Knight of the Round Table. He led them in a lance charge against the enemy lines, where they acquitted themselves with great honour against the blue-tattooed enemies. After only four hours the enemy broke and fled. The Irish returned to their ships and departed, while the Picts regrouped at Loch Lomond. King Arthur gave pursuit, and brought them to battle again on the shores of the lake. The Picts fled to islands in the loch, and Arthur set up his army around its edges. Over the next few weeks, as their food ran out, they were forced to throw themselves on the High King's mercy, who accepted their surrender with an oath never to fight against him again.

Once the enemy was defeated, Arthur dispatched his knights across Caledonia to gain the oaths of the other tribal villages, sending larger forces to the kingdoms in the north. The land was cold and damp, covered with forests and hills, and small villages nestled in the valleys. For shelter, the knights sought hospitality in small monasteries. One night, when there was no monastery to be found, the knights of Salisbury were camped in the wilderness when they were approached by a native woman, Jhessie nic Callum. She came from the town of Fearrach, on the edge of the highlands, and she sought the aid of King Arthur's knights. A warlock calling himself Beithir, after the mythical monster, had united many highland tribes and was intending to conquer Fearrach next. In exchange for their oath of loyalty, Jhessie sought protection for her people from a man who, it was said, could not be killed!

Sir Balthazar and the others agreed to help Jhessie, and set off for her village. On the way, they asked her more about this Beithir. She exclaimed that the local tribes all had guardian animal spirits, which they believed watched over her. (Her village believed in 'Father Jesus, the sun god' and 'Mother Mary, the earth goddess,' and none of the knights decided to correct her!) The warlord, a giant of a man, claimed to have the backing of a new spirit, a Snake. The Beithir was a legendary creature born during a lightning storm from the corpse of a snake. Its venom was said to be deadly. Beithir the warlock had reputedly been slain in battle and yet survived, he could summon lightning from the sky, and his spear was envenomed with a poison that could slay with a scratch. There was, Jhessie admitted shortly before they reached Fearrach, one more catch. Her father Callum had forbidden her to seek the aid of the Pendragon against Beithir, so they would have to convince him to let them help first!

Soon they reached Fearrach. It was a picturesque town located on top of a hill fort. Hairy highland cattle roamed the streets, and the people stared at the knights as they entered with Jhessie. They went to the great hall, where Jhessie's father Callum mac Aidan met them. He was an older man, with a festering leg-wound. He bade them a reluctant welcome, but told them that they would have to depart in the morning. Jhessie convinced him to give them a chance. At a small feast that night, where the knights were given some food. Elspeth discovered that the villagers had very inaccurate ideas about King Arthur - they thought that he killed people on stones with swords! - and told them about what manner of man he truly was. Meanwhile, Athelwulf told the others that Sir Balthazar had slain a dragon (based on a misunderstanding of something that Sir Balthazar had said), and that a mere warlock giant would be child's play. Sir Balthazar tried to correct him, but finally gave up. Based on this, Callum agreed to their help.

The group had very little time before Beithir and his highlanders arrived, a day or two at most. Sir Avain, Athelwulf and Jhessie headed into the hills to consult a hermit, who might know how to counter Beithir's sorcery. Meanwhile, Sir Balthazar, Elspeth and Aelfwinn prepared the defense of Fearrach. The enemy army would have to cross through a pass to enter the valley, and then ford a river before reaching the hill-fort. Sir Balthazar decided to meet the enemy at the ford and harass them with missile weapons, before falling back to the fortress.  Elspeth was the most proficient at siegecraft, and so she prepared the defenses of the hill-fort. Her plan was to allow the enemy to breach the walls with a small band, and then pen them in and slay them. By repeating this, they would be able to whittle away the attacking force. At the same time, Sir Avain, Athelwulf and Jhessie accidentally ran into a yale, a strange beast which could rotate its horns. Athelwulf slew it and claimed its head as a trophy. They discovered the hermit Caillach, whose mind was addled from the interesting mushrooms that grew in his cave. He was able to advise them that the rooster was the enemy of the serpent, and that a crow of a rooster might rob Beithir of his powers. The group hurried back to Fearrach before nightfall.

The next day was cold and wet, and the dark clouds presaged a thunderstorm. Scouts reported that Beithir and his highlanders marched upon Fearrach. Now Sir Balthazar mustered the people of Fearrach and led them to the fords. They struck down some of the enemy with slings as they attempted to cross, and then fell back to the town to man the defenses. Beithir, an absolute giant of a man, threw his troops against the walls rather than settle in for a siege. The fighting was fierce, but with the aid of the knights, the town was able to hold out. Now the highlanders made their camp around the town, and prepared to starve out the defenders. Sir Balthazar held a council of war to decide what to do next. They had done well so far, but unless reinforcements arrived, Beithir could besiege them inevitably, and sooner or later Fearrach would run out of food. The knights contemplated using some of Caillach's mushrooms to poison the enemy's food supply, but Elspeth spoke against it. They had to fight with honour! So instead the knights decided to sally out at night and try to slay Beithir, with the aid of roosters. If he died, surely his followers would flee.

Sir Balthazar, Sir Avain, Athelwulf and Aelfwinn sallied out of Fearrach and drove for the enemy lines. Their attack was unexpected, and they made their way close to Beithir's tent before the enemy came howling upon them in number. Sir Balthazar decided not to withdraw: this was the best chance they had of defeating Beithir. The knights fought against horrific numbers, while Sir Balthazar fought his way to Beithir's tent. The giant emerged, holding his deadly spear. Although frightened, the brave knight blocked Beithir's spear with his shield and then struck out with his sword. Lightning flashed from the sky, and the giant... died. Sir Balthazar was dumbfounded by the ease of his victory. His enemy was no warlock, but a fraud! But with his death, his followers panicked and fled. Fearrach was saved!

After the victory, there was a celebration feast. Elspeth finally got permission to treat and re-set Callum's leg so that it would heal properly. Sir Balthazar got a tattoo of a lightning snake upon his arm, while Athelwulf got a pair of highland cows! The knights left, taking Jhessie with them to meet with the Pendragon and formally submit Fearrach to him. On the way, the villagers recommended that the knights go to the Square Lake nearby, where a speaking eagle lived. They went there, and found the lake: perfectly square, and on a tree branch above it an eagle. "Pride is the fall of the Pendragons. Tell King Arthur." It would not vary its message. The group travelled south, where they presented Jhessie and the strange sight they had seen. King Arthur decided to travel north with them to the Square Lake, to see this bird himself. When he did, the bird identified itself as his dead cousin Eliwlod, son of Prince Madoc. Sir Balthazar was amazed, as his family had been seeking the missing son of Prince Madoc for many, many years. Eliwlod made five prophecies to King Arthur: "You will almost die, and then find yourself lost amongst a field of stones. A boatload of children will make you marvel and fear. A white knight shall also be a monk. You shall sit on a throne in Rome. Your son will be King of England." It then warned him to humble himself, or these five things would be evil for him, before departing.

With the subjugation of much of the lowlands of Caledonia complete, King Arthur and his knights returned to Logres. When they arrived, there was news awaiting them. Queen Guinevere had decided upon her Queen's Knights based on the conduct of the contestants during the year, and so Sir Balthazar and Athelwulf were made inaugural members. As well as this, Athelwulf was knighted at the hand of the High Queen herself! They returned to their lands with much honour, to await the summon of Queen Guinevere. But first, Queen Guinevere meant to find Lady Elspeth a husband...

518 AD, Part Two: The Battle of Badon Hill

The royal banner of Queen Guinevere flapped in the breeze on Badon Hill. Beneath it, the Queen and her defenders prepared to sell their lives dearly, Prince Cynric began the assault with a wave of ceorls, to take the measure of the defenders. Sir Balthazar, Sir Zebediah, Sir Xavier and Lady Elspeth threw them back, with the aid of the heroes from Fairwind Castle: Gwyddno Garanhir, Merionwydd, young Taliesin, and more. After an hour's fighting, the ceorls fled, and Lady Svenhildr and others treated the defenders' wounds. Spirits were high, but everyone knew that the Saxons would soon return, and in greater number.

As the afternoon waned, Prince Cynric flung the main body of his force up the hill at the beleaguered defenders. Now the fighting was more intense. Inspired by the presence of the High Queen, the Cymric heroes held their ground. In the middle of the fighting, Elspeth found her nephew, young Hugh, in the middle of the battle. He had disguised himself and secretly joined the force, wanting to fight as Sir Taedi had fought. He held King Arthur's shield, which Sir Taedi had given him before his death. Elspeth ordered him back behind the lines, before being grievously wounded herself. Onion, the giant of Castle Fairwind, rescued her and took her back to the first aid tents. Barely conscious, she would not be able to fight any longer.

Horns sounded, and the Saxons withdrew once more. A new army drew near, flying the banners of Malahaut and Salisbury, and Prince Cynric did not wish for his force to be caught off guard by them. The new arrivals climbed the hill to greatly reinforce the thinned ranks of the defenders. Sir Donna was among the new arrivals, and she sought out her friends. She had arrived too late at Salisbury to save the city, but she had managed to evacuate Earl Robert and some of the other knights. Then Nimue appeared and directed them towards Badon Hill. They had met up with King Berrant of Malahaut, who had led his forces south to fight the Saxons as well. He was no friend of Logres, but the Saxons were a far greater threat. He, too, had been told to come to Badon Hill by Nimue.

The next day's dawn brought no respite. Prince Cynric had been reinforced during the night by King Cerdic's forces, and their allies from conquered Dorset. Far to the east, a single black storm cloud could be seen, and men wondered what it meant. Did King Arthur fight there? Cerdic and Cynric flung their army up the hill to assail the defenders again, and more bitter hand-to-hand fighting followed. After long hours of violence, they were flung back again. A hasty council of war followed with Sir Balthazar, Queen Guinevere, King Berrant and Earl Robert. They all agreed that the Saxons would inevitably conquer the hill and kill them. King Berrant decided to take some of his men and try to break through the Saxon lines. If he could find King Arthur and bring him here, perhaps there was a chance.

King Berrant and his Hundred Knights rode out shortly thereafter. They charged at a weak point in the Saxon lines and managed to escape the siege of the hill. However, this left the defenders weak once more, and the Saxons swarmed up the hill to defeat them. Berserkers broke through the defensive escarpment and drove them back to the summit of the hill. During the fierce fighting, a group of Saxons broke through to the first aid tents. Svenhildr was wounded and nearly died, while Asher, formerly of Amesbury, was killed. The Cymric forces attempted to rally, but it seemed as if the hill would surely fall. Sir Xavier died then, struck down by a berserker's axe. Suddenly, the Saxons were fleeing. King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table had arrived, brought by King Berrant. King Cerdic's forces broke and fled down the hill. Briefly, the defenders were jubilant. However, King Arthur had been fleeing the main Saxon army, led by King Aelle. He had been fighting a running battle with them from Silchester. Because of Guinevere's defense on the Hill, he had not been caught between Aelle and Cerdic; the Saxon battle plan had been foiled. Now, all the defenders of Britain were united on Badon Hill, while all the Saxon attackers were united to attack it. Here, the war that had raged for generations would end, one way or another,

The next day, the sun did not rise. The sky was grey and foreboding. Banners hung limp from poles. Badon Hill seemed transformed, from an old hill fort into a mountain of legend. In the sky, the white and red dragons that Merlin had once prophesied coiled and roared, the personified spirits of the two peoples. King Arthur reclaimed his shield gratefully from Hugh, and then knighted him and all the squires present - anyone who could bear arms would be needed to fill out the ranks. Those who were wounded but could still fight shuffled out. The High King gave a short, inspiring speech to his men. The whole world had fallen into chaos, and now they were the last bastion of civilisation. "We are the blaze in the dark! And if we should die here, we shall have made such a blaze that men will remember us on the other side of the dark!"

Battle was joined. Both armies seemed larger than they had been the night before: for the battle now took place on the border between History and Legend. The air blistered, as Nimue fought a magical battle against the Saxon wizards. The souls of all those who had ever fought in this war fought alongside the living. Sir Donna was struck down, but her life was saved by Sir Aeronwy, who wore her famous bear's-head helmet. Sir Balthazar fell, too, but his father Sir Arnulf, who had died fighting this same war, this same battle twenty-three years earlier, came to his respite. Were they truly there? No one would be quite sure afterwards, for the battle was like a bloody dream. King Aelle's forces broke the shield wall at the foot of the hill. There, finally, Sir Zebediah fell, pierced by many wounds. But Aelle's forces were drawn into a trap. The Knights of the Round Table charged them, breaking them, and flung them back off the hill. The slaughter went on for all of the day and much of the night.

When the fourth day dawned, there was no sign of dragons, or ghosts. The Saxon army had been shattered. Only the most hardened veterans remained, and they prepared to sell their lives dearly. But Arthur's own forces were greatly depleted. The battle still hung in the balance. Grim slaughter followed. The ground underfoot was mud and gore. King Aelle attempted to personally kill King Arthur to win the war, but his heorthgeneats were broken by the Knights of the Round Table, and Excalibur personally claimed the life of the would-be bretwalda. Shortly thereafter, King Cerdic and Prince Cynric were captured, and many of their followers surrendered. Some of the Saxons withdrew in despair; the rest sold their lives grimly. But when the day was over, the Saxons had been defeated. All of the Saxon kings and lords were dead. Britain had been saved.

Now, the knights waited, exhausted and eager. Would King Arthur give the order to drive the Saxons back into the sea and reclaim Britain once and for all? But the High King - who could not be called the Boy King any longer, for he had proven himself beyond all measure that day - gave a different edict. "The war between Cymric and Saxon is over, and now we will have peace. We ride for the lands of the Saxons, for they are my lands and my subjects now. Do not harm those who acknowledge my rule."

518 AD, Part One: Logres Falls

King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table were in the north, mustering to attack the Saxons in Anglia. Queen Guinevere had an equally important task: repairing the damage done to Logres after the Saxon invasions of the previous year. So it was that the High Queen arrived in Sarum, with a small retinue led by Sir Mabon, to repair the damage that King Cerdic had done the previous year. Earl Robert threw a great banquet for her arrival. It was Guinevere's custom that she should be escorted by local knights and ladies, and so at the banquet, the Queen requested that Sir Mabon's former companions should accompany her: Sir Balthazar, Sir Donna, Sir Taedi, Sir Zebediah and Sir Xavier (who was visiting, with his wife, at the time) to be her protectors; and Lady Elspeth, Lady Donna and Lady Ariette as her handmaidens. Young Hugh, who was now living at Sir Taedi's estate, soon to begin serving as a squire, was asked to serve as the Queen's page and cup bearer. Guinevere remembered him from when he presented her with a dragon statuette, several years earlier.

The day after the feast, the Queen and her escort made their way to the valley of the River Dun, which flows through the woods in the south-east of Salisbury, before joining with the River Test that forms the border of Salisbury and Wessex. Many of the villages there had been raided by King Cerdic's Saxons, before they retreated back into Wessex upon the arrival of the Knights of the Round Table. Everyone pitched in to help rebuild the damage, and the peasants were very grateful - a monarch who personally cared about everyone's well-being was a new thing! However, as a result of the hard work, the expedition was quite leaving for Du Plain Castle. Sir Balthazar decided that they would travel through the night to reach their accommodation. It was a beautiful clear night: the night before May Day, when bonfires were lit across the countryside in an echo of the old pagan Calan Mai celebrations.

Suddenly, Sir Taedi called for a halt. There were too many bonfires that night, and one was very close indeed! Realization struck - the Saxons had stolen a march, using the bonfires to cover their own invasion, Du Plain Castle was burning! Sir Donna immediately galloped west with all haste to alert Earl Robert at Sarum, while Svenhildr sent her familiar Hermes flying west to Vagon Castle to alert the garrison there. Her husband, Sir Helbur, Marshal of Salisbury, was not there to lead the defense -but their young children were there! Meanwhile, Sir Balthazar gave orders that the wagons of supplies should be burnt. They would only slow the group down, and he did not intend to leave them for the Saxons to salvage. They then hastened west to Elspeth's home at Broughton. The group organised boats, so they could flee upstream on the Wallop Brook. Meanwhile, Elspeth gathered the people of Broughton, and warned them to gather what they needed and then flee west immediately, before the Saxons arrived. The Queen, her retinue, the knights, ladies, and Elspeth's family boarded the boats and set off quietly. The first flames began to engulf Broughton as they punted away quietly in the moonlight.

Come morning, the group were exhausted from a night of little or no sleep, and hungry. Sir Zebediah was depressed, thinking of how his people might well be dead, while Svenhildr hoped that her children had escaped to safety before the Saxons reached Vagon Castle. The group moored their boats near Upper Wallop, where the stream became too shallow. They set off for the village in search of food and information, but found it in ruins - the Saxon had reached it first. Hugh found a tall tree and climbed up it. There was a lot of smoke on the horizon to the south-west, in the direction of Sarum. The group tightened their belts and decided to head to the north, to the Harewood. They traveled slowly, for they had been forced to leave their horses behind at Broughton before they boarded the boats. Some of the knights ranged out and foraged for a bit of food, which was better than nothing, but only just.

Later that day, as they reached the outskirts of the Harewood, the group saw riders on a hilltop. Believing them to be knights, Elspeth hailed them down. However, she was mistaken. They were knights, and they were looking for the Queen - but they were the Saxon knights led by Prince Cynric! The group were dead if the riders caught them in the open. They fled for the cover of the trees, and barely reached them before the riders! Once in the forest, however, the Saxon knights were forced to travel more slowly. Guinevere and her protectors pressed on, barely ahead of their pursuit. Finally, they managed to lose them at a stream, where Sir Xavier volunteered to leave the group, to lead the Saxons in the wrong direction. He was extremely lucky to escape Prince Cynric, and managed to circle around and find the group again that evening. However, the ruse was not completely successful -it bought them some time, but Prince Cynric was soon on their trail once more. 

The next day, the beleaguered group reached the road running between Salisbury and Leucomagus. They heard the sound of horses from the north-east and sought cover, while Elspeth and Svenhildr greeted the travellers. The riders were Sir Blaines, the Steward of Leucomagus, and some of his knights. Sir Blaines was in a deep despair, for another force of Saxons had sacked Leucomagus, and he had barely managed to escape. The invasion was much worse than expected. In his despair, Sir Blaines contemplated slaying the two women, and riding to Sarum to kill his enemy, Earl Robert. At that moment, the Queen emerged from the woods and managed to convince him not to kill the two women. Sir Blaines and his knights apologized, and in penance they decided to give their horses to the group and stay behind to cover their retreat with their lives. Sir Taedi weighed up matters and decided also to stay behind, despite the certain knowledge that he would die. Sir Xavier gave Sir Blaines the sword that he had sharpened upon the Whetstone of Tudwal Tudclud years ago. He had been saving it, for it would kill the next person it wounded. Sir Xavier Then the group departed, leaving the brave knights behind them. Hugh screamed when he realised what was happening. He spoke one last time to Sir Taedi, who gave him the shield that he had been given by King Arthur years ago. Hugh couldn't believe what was happening, and had to be dragged away screaming. As they left, they could hear the sound of fighting behind them...

The group, battered in spirit, made their way north. The roads were clogged with refugees, and the Saxon advance was barely a day behind them, but there were no further signs of pursuit. The Saxons were everywhere. It appeared that all the Saxon kingdoms had struck simultaneously, in a carefully orchestrated attack. Word was that London had surrendered, and that Silchester was besieged, or had already fallen. No one knew where King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table were. The Queen and her escort disguised themselves as refugees, intending to make their way to safety in Carlion. They took the road to Mildenhall, and then north to Wandborough, and from there into the Campecorentin Forest. In the forest, two young warriors emerged from the trees. They introduced themselves as Cador and Magnus, the sons of Sir Cadfael of Salisbury! They had been expecting the Queen, and asked them to accompany them to Fairwind Castle!

It was a long time since anyone had heard from Fairwind Castle, once known as Illwind Castle, though they had all heard the stories of it from the previous generation. There were many familiar faces living there as well - Bronwyn, Eilmer the monk, Merionwydd the bard, the adventurer Gwyddno Garanhir, the former abbesses Asher and Esther of Amesbury, and more. Fairwind Castle had become a community of scholars and academics. One of those scholars had seen the Queen's arrival in a dream - Ambrose, who had once been known as the wizard Merlin! He had lost his magic after helping Arthur claim the throne, and so had trained Nimue as his replacement before faking his death with her assistance and retiring. Now, however, he had a final prophecy of doom. This was the pivotal moment when Arthur would either save Britain, or the Saxons would overrun the land once and for all. He did not know the outcome, but he did know that Arthur fought King Aelle's armies, not knowing that Cerdic's forces had invaded through Salisbury to surround and destroy him. If Arthur was to be victorious, someone had to warn him - and it would be up to Guinevere. 

The group immediately made preparations to leave - except for Svenhildr. Her faith in Merlin had been broken years ago, when she had seen the deaths of the May Babies in a magical vision. Now she confronted him with it. What was the truth? Had he arranged the death of children to help Arthur? Ambrose wearily admitted what he had been hiding. He had taken the blame for the May Babies incident to protect the true culprit - King Arthur himself. Horrified, Svenhildr stormed away. 

The noncombatants stayed behind at Fairwind Castle, while some of the residents, like Cador, Magnus, and Gwyddno joined the group. They left the forest the next day, only to discover that they were too late - Wandsborough had fallen already! Also, Prince Cynric had survived, and a new force of Saxon warriors was pursuing them. The Cymric party retreated to a defensive position, a steep hill. There, Guinevere asked for her saddlebags and a spear. If the fate of Britain depended upon Arthur not being surrounded, she would distract the Saxons, with her life, if need be. She planted her royal banner upon the summit of the hill. If anyone wished to escape, there was time before the Saxons began to climb the hill. No one responded. The Saxons, in overwhelming numbers, had begun to muster at the base of the hill. The warriors readied their weapons and prepared to sell their lives dearly on Badon Hill...

517 AD: The Wedding Planners

NB: In the year 518, King Arthur will fight the Saxons at Badon Hill. This is the victory which will secure his legend forever, as the war chief who saved Britain for the Saxons, if only for a time. The knights of Salisbury will fight at Badon Hill, and many of them will not live to see Arthur's victory. But to prepare for this adventure, which is the climax of the first half of the campaign, we had a special session first. It's time to see things from the other point of view...

In the summer of 516 AD, more Saxons, led by King Colgrin, arrived in Logres. The kingdom of Malahaut was invaded, and King Arthur and his knights won some victories before they were forced to withdraw. Come the next year, the Pendragon defeated the Saxons and pursued them beyond the Roman Wall, before forcing them to surrender. But this was not the end of the fighting, for Arthur's other enemies took advantage of his absence. The Saxon kingdoms of Anglia and Wessex launched their own invasions of Logres, reaching as far inland as the City of Legions. Arthur's Knights of the Round Table responded more rapidly than they had anticipated, and the High King won a string of victories, driving the Saxons back into their own lands. Through his prowess in battle and sterling leadership, the Boy King was proving himself to be a man.

King Aelle of Sussex was well-aware of the threat that Arthur Pendragon posed to the Saxons. The eventual victory of the Saxons against the leaderless and divided Britons had seems certain. However, a Britain united behind a powerful warrior king might well be able to defeat the disparate Saxon kingdoms - unless they, too, were united. Ever since the sword Excalibur was drawn from the stone and Arthur proclaimed as King, Aelle had been leading a campaign of politics, warfare, and bribery, to unite the Saxons under his banner. He wished to become the Bretwalda, or High King of the Saxons. The events of 516 and 517 had done wonders for his cause, for the fate of Colgrin, and the defeat of Anglia and Wessex, gave a very real demonstration of how powerful King Arthur had become. The last kings agreed to join King Aelle's grand alliance against Britain.

There was only one final problem. In Anglia, in the Little Ouse River Valley, two ealdormen, Gladwine and Leofdag, had a petty feud that was interfering with his diplomacy. His envoys had finally managed, through a mixture of flattery, bribery and threats, to convince the ealdormen to end their feud by marrying Gladwine's son to Leofdag's daughter. King Aelle sent some of his heorthgeneats to make sure that the wedding went ahead as planned.

Aelflaed was the leader of the heorthgeneats on the mission. She was an illegitimate daughter of Aelle, who had been given this chance to prove herself. She was immensely proud of her lineage, though nervous about leading others who were more experienced. Siegland was the daughter of Sir Albrecht, who had kept her father's Wotanic faith. Wyman was the oldest and most experienced of the group. He was the only member of Aelle's heorthgeneats to have been born in Saxony. He was also a Christian, unlike the other Saxons. Sir Logrin's father had been a knight of Cornwall, and had been dispossessed when King Uther had invaded. Sir Logrin now wished for revenge against the Pendragons, and served King Aelle loyally. He was touchy about his honour, since some saw him as a traitor. Finally, Nelda was not a member of the heorthgeneats. She was a Saxon witch who supported Aelle's cause, and decided to accompany the group, as she thought Aelflaed would be important in the future. In addition to her magic, she was interested in science. She could read, and had collected a few old books of natural philosophy.

The group took ship to Anglia, and then travelled by horse to the Little Ouse River Valley. They first went to see Coelfrith, another eorlderman whose lands were between the Little Ouse and Logres. He was loyal to Aelle and would help the heorthgeneats with their task. Coelfrith and his wife Heagyth explained the origins of the feud. Gladwine and Leofdag's fathers went hunting once and both claimed to have killed a stag that had both their arrows in it. They also offered their opinions of the bridal couple, Sigeward (mighty, handsome, and brainless) and Mildgyth (shallow and spoiled). The group also met Coelfrith's son Ganulf. He asked them about the upcoming war, and impressed them with his desire for glory, tempered with practicality and common sense.

Next the heorthgeneats went to see Gladwine, and collect the dowry. Gladwine was constantly insulting to his guests, and offered them only scant hospitality. The dowry he offered for the wedding was insultingly small, though enough to technically fulfill his obligations. The group was also upset by how his wife Baldeth showed clear signs of domestic abuse. When they tried to ask her about this, Gladwine claimed that they had upset her and threw them out. He also revealed that he had two sons. Instead of his heir Sigeward, he was offering his second son Wigmund, a skinny and effete poet. Wigmund went up into the hills with his similarly useless friends to get blind drunk and prepare to ritually abduct the bride.

Meanwhile, the heorthgeneats debated what to do about Gladwine's treachery. They extracted a promise from Wigmund that he and his friends would not act until Aelflaed and her companions had told them. They then returned to Coelfrith to lay their plans. Coelfrith and Heagyth agreed to top up the dowry to an acceptable level, if King Aelle would recompense them, and if Aelle would accept their son Ganulf into his hearth guard; the group agreed. Aelflaed then presented her plan: to reverse the customary marriage 'capture of the bride' by organising Mildgyth and other women to abduct Sigeward from under Gladwine's nose. This idea amused Heagyth to no end, and she offered to help. Ganulf and his younger sister Berchthild also offered their aid, by entering Gladwine's hall secretly and opening the back door to the wedding raiders. Wyman also laid out his observations about Gladwine's hall, analysing where the weakest points in the defences were.

With their plans laid, Aelflaed and her followers took the dowry to Leofdag. On the way, they were attacked by Cymric raiders, and made short work of them. They soon reached Leofdag's hall. Leofdag was sarcastic and henpecked; his overbearing wife Godrun took the dowry. The group met with Mildgyth and her gigantic nursemaid Oslafa, and presented her with their plan. Mildgyth initially started throwing a tantrum at the idea of her perfect wedding not going perfectly, but after much persuasion, she was won around to the Wedding Raid. Hers would be a wedding that would be remembered forever.

The raid was organised. That night, Nelda determined that the stars were in alignment. She took the raiders to a nearby battlefield, sacred to Wotan, and then invoked its power to bolster their spirits. Screaming 'Wedding Raid!' at the top of their lungs, the attackers descended upon Gladwine's unprepared hall, easily fighting past the few who stood in their way. When they reached the door, they found it barred against them: Berchthild had not opened it for them. Siegland took her axe and with a single mighty blow shattered the door. The raiders poured into the hall, and rushed to Sigeward's room, where Siegland stunned him with a single blow, and Oslafa picked him up with one hand. Gladwine himself appeared, screaming abuse, and Sir Logrin broke his nose. Then the wedding raiders vanished into the night, their mission accomplished.

However, Aelflaed was worried about where Berchthild and Ganulf were. She searched for them in the darkness, and found Ganulf's unconscious form on the road, surrounded by tracks. Wigmund and his friends had struck early, spurred on by the power of Nelda's spell - and abducted the wrong woman! When Ganulf came around, he was furious and demanded blood vengeance for his sister. The group followed the tracks to the stone circle where Wigmund and his friends were hiding out. Berchthild was not there: as soon as she had the opportunity, she had knocked Wigmund out and fled to the stone circle. However, on this night of magic, the borders of faerie were loose. The heorthgeneats followed her to the Other Side, where they found her being hypnotised by the song of a manticore. The terrible beast roared, and only Siegland and Ganulf were able to master their fear. They attacked the manticore, and hacked it to pieces. Then the team took Berchthild and retreated to their own world.

Aelflaed's mission was now complete. Ganulf returned to the south with them, bearing the manticore's head. Aelle was pleased with their deeds, and inducted Ganulf into his houseguard. The wedding would not be a happy one, but, it had secured peace, at least for a time, in the strategically important river valley. With the Saxons of Britain united behind him, he was ready to bring blood and war to the British. The hour of destiny was nearly here...