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...
