Battling Saxons

Time Stamp - 485-486

Although the knights had been in a number of fights over the prior three years, mainly against the Saxons, their first real battle was in 485.

Uther sent his army against the Saxon King Ælle and the battle was joined at Mearcred Creek in Sussex.  It was the largest gathering of knights and soldiers any of them had ever seen.  The quartet were part of a very small contingent of Cornish knights sent by Duke Gorlois.  The battle began with a great charge of knights against the Saxon footmen but soon degenerated into individual fights.  While lightly wounded, all four distinguished themselves with their bravery and skill.  The battle ended in a draw, so there was no real plunder to be had.

Meanwhile, in the East, Saxon King Aethelswith landed a large force near Maldon in Essex and pillaged the area extensively.  Duke Lucius brought his army down but were bested by the Saxons at Colchester and were forced to retreat,  The Saxons pursued the British into the wood and enslaved hundreds.

- - - - -

In 486, the Saxons in the east continue enslaving as many Britons as they can, killing anyone who tries to run away.  Duke Lucius ventures forth once more but is outnumbered by the Saxons and the Duke is killed in an ambush near Ipswitch.  The remainder of his army escapes to the north.  Uther orders Sir Brastias to settle the area and the Cornish knights and others are sent along with him.

Brastias rallies the army and halts the Saxons' advance.  Although there are a number of skirmishes, nothing of significance is gained.  The Cornish troops are relieved and return west, only to hear of Brastias's glowing reports of many victories in the east.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:03, Tue 13 Apr 2021.

Sword Quest

Time Stamp - Late Summer 486

After returning from the East, the four knights are assigned to riding patrol around the borders of Cornwall for a couple of weeks in the late Summer of 486.  They are a few days into their tour when they come upon an old man in tattered goatskins one afternoon.  He claims that his cherished goat has wandered away up a steep hill and he is too old to chase after it.  He wonders if the good knights could help?

Thinking this would be more interesting than the rather tedious patrol, they agree and ride up the hill in search of the goat.  They spot a huge black billy goat.  When they move toward it, it flees toward the woods and manages to stay ahead of them.  Not far into the woods, they catch sight of the goat once more, now screaming as a small giant with three eyes grabs it by the horns and gets ready to eat it.  Spotting the knights, the giant tosses the goat aside.

The knights charge the giant, with a couple scoring solid hits but the giant picks up a large tree branch and knocks Sir Daeddon unconscious from his horse.  A couple more solid hits from the knights and the giant goes down.

As the trio tend to the unconscious Sir Daeddon, they hear the old man laughing and cheering them as he walks toward them.  As he approaches, a wavering cloud of fog and smoke surrounds him for a moment, and they see that it is actually Merlin.  The Enchanter casts some sort of spell and Sir Daeddon blinks back to consciousness and appears fully healed, as does Sir Kenyr, who was also injured.

Merlin tells them, "you will do, come with me" and leads them into the woods.  The four feel that going along with a powerful mage is the prudent path, so they follow.  They have not gone far when Sir Arcol realizes that they are in a patch of Faerie Forest.

A bit farther along, Merlin orders the knights to leave their horses with their squires and continue on foot.  Merlin continues on and the knights follow.  Coming out of the woods, Merlin points and shouts, "There!  Protect me now, good knights, for the sake of the realm and your lives!"

A man with two swords riding on a horse emerges from the trees, both man and horse being of a slimy green color.  The steed seems impossibly agile as it nimbly moves among the trees.  Once clear, it charges toward the knights.  They notice that Merlin has abandoned them and is hurrying toward an empty raft on the shore of a lake.

The knights engage the rider, only to discover he and the steed are actually a single creature (a nukalevee), which they eventually kill, although several are wounded in the process.  The thing melts into a disgusting pile of slime.

Following Merlin's path, the knights see him out in the middle of the lake, standing on the small raft.  Around him, there swirls a low fog.  An arm reaches up out of the water, clutching a beautiful sword that gleams in the light.  They can hear Merlin's low murmurs across the water as he reverently takes the sword in both hands.  The hand withdraws into the lake and the raft moves solemnly to shore of its own accord.

Stepping ashore, Merlin praises the knights, "well done, knights.  Britain is in your debt.  Let us go now."  He leads the knights back to their squires and horses and is soon gone from view.  The knights report the encounter to their lord, Earl Guinier, who has them repeat the story for Duke Gorlois, who is deeply troubled by the news.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:02, Tue 13 Apr 2021.

Christmas Feast

Time Stamp - Winter 487 (Sarum)

The Christmas Feast is one of the three regular Crown Wearings of the year, so everyone comes to court to participate.  Sarum castle is mightily crowded with King Uther and his retinue present. Nonetheless, everyone is invited to the annual event. It lasts for a week.  The player knights attend as representatives of Duke Gorlois, who is absent.  At various times, gifts are given.  All goes well, with the servants first getting gifts from the earl, then the knights (so that knights who are bachelors get their annual clothing and so on).  The earl then gives his household officers presents, and then his own family members get their gifts.

The king next does the same for his household, knights, and officers. Finally, he gives his son a new set of armor and a generous grant of several manors of land on the Thames, and also the holding of Windsor Castle. This is a huge gift, but not unusual for royalty, who have many expenses.

Among the earls, Roderick gives Uther a beautiful cloak trimmed with the fur of white bears, imported from Norway. The dukes all have gifts to better that. Finally, Prince Madoc calls in his men, and ten retainers come forth carrying special stretcher-like frames to bear large treasure. They place them in a semicircle and, on the prince’s signal, open them all at once. All contain booty from the war: A chest of silver coin, another of gold; one of goblets and plates, another of jewelry; one of silver and gold, one of red and purple jewels; another of bolts of silk and samite, others of gold cloth and silver thread. Prince Madoc then unrolls a cloth as if it was a carpet. Everyone sees that it is a battle standard taken from a dead Saxon chief. The king descends, walking upon it, to admire the goods.

He then takes various things and fondly hands them over to his lords, pressing goblets, jewelry, and a bolt of silk upon one; a massive gold necklace and a book upon another; and so on, seeming to know the right gift for each man. Then handsful of silver for his knights, and a fistful for each visiting knight (About £1 to each knight).

After a long while, all the gift-giving seems to be over and the great hall is cleared to set up the tables for the feast. Suddenly, at the back of the room the people are all abuzz, a herald rushes in and makes a great shout.

“Presenting the great wizard Merlin, the Guardian of Britain!” he says, just in time as the impatient mage walks into the room. He looks neither right nor left, but strides to the front, where King Uther sits on the earl’s throne.

“Welcome, Merlin, to these halls,” the king says. “You are always welcome in my court.”

Merlin thanks the king, and speaks in a loud, clear voice. “Gold and silver, clothing from far distant lands; these are surely gifts worthy of a king. Yet you, Uther, deserve more, for surely no one in the world has ever sat as high as you, not even the emperors of Rome.” Uther is clearly flattered. “Yet, even you lack one thing.” The king frowns, the room murmurs. “Such a great man deserves nothing but the best, and he who would bring peace to the whole of our great land deserves all that would help him to obtain it. And so I, your humble servant, am pleased to offer you, from my weak hands, this.” And he pulls from beneath his robes a gleaming sword whose own internal light causes everyone to gasp in delight and wonder.

Even the king is surprised and stands up. Merlin takes the sword by its point, his hands covered by his robe so as not to tarnish the blade, and extends the pommel to the king. “For the High King,” says Merlin, and with a loud triumphant statement, “Excalibur, the Sword of Victory!”

Everyone in the room gasps aloud, and when the king takes the sword they break into applause and cheer. It is clear that the king is highly pleased. “Surely, now,” he says, “no one can stand before me.”

“All you need do,” says Merlin, “is to remain just.”

King Uther holds the gleaming sword and stares at it in wonder. “Now I’m prepared to visit some friends of mine.” Ulfius, at a table nearby, chuckles.  Uther names the nobles who will accompany him to visit Duke Lindsey.

“This is cause to celebrate then,” says Uther.  “Bring forth the tables, and make a place at my right hand for Merlin, whose wisdom and truth guides our good land.”

“Thank you, Lord,” says the magician.

The knights recognize the sword as the one Merlin pulled from the lake.  Upon reporting this to Earl Guinier and then Duke Gorlois, they find the Duke to be deeply troubled once more.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:14, Tue 13 Apr 2021.

Vassalage of Cornwall

Time Stamp - Summer 489 (Cornwall)

After some years of Duke Gorlois failing to report for muster, as ordered by Uther, Uther leads his army against Cornwall.  Outside Somerset, King Cadwy meets King Uther, but neither the Somerset king nor his troops join the marching army.

The fathers are assigned the high honor of acting as Duke Gorlois's personal bodyguard.  They see the approaching British Army commanded by Uther and have little doubt, given the numbers and the terrain, that Uther’s army will be slaughtered even if it wins.

King Uther rides forward to parley, Merlin walking beside him. The king yells, “One land, one king!”

“Justice!” shouts Gorlois back.

“Show him the sword.” Uther draws Excalibur and it gleams brightly even in the morning light. The bright light reveals troops in the woods and they gasp and withdraw. Duke Gorlois looks worriedly at his nobles around him. They are worried.

“Behold the Sword of Victory,” says Merlin, “forged when the world was young.”

The duke holds a hurried parley with his men, asking the knights if this is the sword they beheld Merlin accepting from the lake and presenting to Uther at the Christmas feast.  They acknowledge that it is.  "I fear that Uther will misuse the power of that sword to the detriment of all of Britain but we can only try to preserve ourselves at this time."  Duke Gorlois then steps back toward Uther and shouts, “and if I surrender, what do I get?”

“You get…!?” starts the king, but he is interrupted by Merlin, who holds a hurried chat with Uther. Then the king continues, “All the land from here to the sea, to hold for the king.”

“I accept!” shouts the duke. A big cheer goes up from both armies, and everyone can say afterwards they were pleased with the nobility of the lords, and with the good that was done for Logres.

Gorlois and Uther camp together, spend the knight drinking and talking, and late at night the duke goes away.

Battle of Lindsey

Time Stamp - Summer 490 (Lindsey)

Saxon Kings Octa and Eosa have driven Malahaut to the ground and have pillaged the countryside.  Their army has doubled as a result of a new fleet of ships from Saxony.  Uther calls together his dukes and brings the British Army to Lindsey to fight the Saxons and defeat them once-and-for-all.  The Saxon army is 10,000 footmen strong.  The British army is 5000 foot and 2000 knights.

This is far-and-away the largest battle these knights have or will see.  They are with Duke Gorlois's guard on the left flank of the army, facing Saxon forces commanded by the giant Eosa.  Several rounds of back and forth result in no advantage but then, Gorlois charges through the Saxons and brings low the giant warrior Eosa! The Saxon right flank routs!

This causes the Saxon center to collapse and rout the following round, leading to the capture of King Octa!  The Saxon left flank collapses the next round and all knights are able to pursue the foe.  The knights receive £14 in plunder.  All of the fathers are wounded but none severely.

That night there is a grand feast.

The battle was long and hard-won; though many men are dead or sorely wounded, everyone else is exuberant. In Lincoln, the duke, whose lands have been saved from pillaging this year, has the victory feast spread through the entire castle, so that the bailey is an expanse of impromptu tables spread with abundant food and beer.

In the duke’s Great Hall, the upper nobility celebrate.

At one point a bevy of beautiful, well-dressed noblewomen enters, taking up ranks along one side of the hall. One of them steps forward. Her beauty and stature are particularly breathtaking (APP: 29), like those of a woman in a dream, and her voice is like music.

(Everyone present had to attempt a Lustful roll. On a success, the knight got a directed trait of Lust (Ygraine) equal to the number of points by which he succeeded at his roll. A knight who fails this roll then had to make a Chaste roll or gain an Amor (Ygraine) passion equal to the number of points by which he succeeded at his roll.)

Ygraine is reciting a poem of victory to praise the king, and the women behind her provide a chorus to the clear, ringing words.  King Uther is clearly fascinated, perhaps even entranced or ensorcelled by the beautiful duchess.

The women finish, there is a smattering of applause from the drunken, victorious nobles, and the women leave the hall. Uther stares boldly, and Gorlois, frowning, watches Uther.

Escape from Uther's Court

Time Stamp - Christmas 490 (London)

Uther keeps many of his nobles close to him as he progresses through his realm, always asking them for advice — especially Duke Gorlois. But of course they all have their own holdings to take care of, and so one by one he releases them to return to their own lands. Yet although Gorlois asks to go every day, he and the Duchess Ygraine are not allowed to leave.

One night, with the threat of a snowstorm looming, Duke Gorlois approaches the knights.  "We need to depart tonight, make sure there are horses and provisions ready to get us back to Cornwall."  Although the knights know that it would be a serious breach of etiquette and hospitality to leave without their Lord's blessing, the knights have seen the way the King looks at their Duchess and how he refuses to allow the Duke and Duchess to return to their lands.  Recently, they learned that Uther gravely insulted the Duchess by making untoward advances.  With a great deal of trepidation, they ready things.

As night falls, the Duke and his household slip out of Uther’s castle.  With them is Nineva, the Lady of the Lake.  She appears to have cast some sort of spell that makes the entire group difficult to focus on.  They make it passed the guards and make a dash back to Cornwall just as the snowstorm hits, obscuring their path.

Uther is furious when he discovers what has happened.

Battle of Terrabil

Time Stamp - Spring 491 (Cornwall)

King Uther marches his army on Cornwall. He is hasty, not even waiting for all his men to arrive. He leaves orders for the other contingents to follow as soon as possible.

The duke won’t fight on the field. He has divided his army to defend two strategic castles, Tintagel, on the coast, and Terrabil, at a strategic road junction ten miles inland. His treasure and wife are at Tintagel, while his main army is at Terrabil ready to sally forth and strike the king in the rear if he turns toward the treasure storage.

King Uther sends three-quarters of his force to besiege Terrabil and the rest to Tintagel.

The army assembles around Terrabil and sets up a siege. It is long and boring.

One night, before the king’s army can be strengthened by more troops reported to be on their way, the duke sallies forth and falls on the king’s army in camp.

Uther's knights are in camp relaxing and carousing when a sentinel shouts. A moment later, a trumpet blares and is cut off halfway through the call to arms. At the far edges of the camp — several places! — men shout, horses scream, and metal clashes upon shield.

The Cornish knights sweep through the camp as Uther's knights attempt to don armor or mount horses.  The knights are with Duke Gorlois and soon hear Prince Madoc shouting, “Rally to the banner! Rally to the banner!” and they can see the banner fluttering in the light of burning tents and supplies.

They find Prince Madoc, now afoot, and Duke Gorloi, who remains mounted, fights him hand-to-hand.  The duke is shouting, “Stand aside! Send me your father.”

With a mighty blow, the duke sends the prince’s weapon flying from his hand, and then chops hard upon the prince, cutting him from the neck deep into the chest!  The prince stands, dumbfounded, deeply wounded and glaring at the duke, blood trickling out of his mouth and spurting freely from his wound.

The blood-soaked duke tugs at his sword as he turns upon the enemy troops and shouts, “Where is the king? Send me the king!” He is clearly impassioned with hatred, deadly and intent upon the business of destruction.

The prince collapses and Gorlois’s sword goes with him; the duke reaches for the mace hanging from his saddle.

Numerous Logres knights push forward to attack Gorlois, the Cornish knights shout, “Gorlois! Gorlois!” Inspired by their Loyalty (lord) passion.

More of Uther's knights intervene and slowly push the fathers back and one-by-one they are knocked from their horses by the press of arriving knights and incapacitated.  The duke is slain.

The fight rages on, but when the last of his bodyguard set up the cry “The duke is dead!” his army loses heart and withdraws. Trumpets sound the retreat and they back out of camp, leaving behind fire and chaos along with the dead and wounded.

“On them! On them!” shouts Duke Ulfius, leading a band of surviving knights in pursuit of the retreating Cornish enemy. They pursue the Cornish knights into the castle and lead Uther’s forces in to its capture.

The carnage viewed in the daytime is horrible.

The castle is afire in places, with knights and men at arms milling around and the sounds of men shouting and women screaming from within.

Surrender of Ygraine

Time Stamp - Spring 491 (Cornwall)

The knights were at Terrabil and thus only heard second- or third-hand about the events at Tintagel.

The king’s forces besiege Castle Tintagel, a fortress nearly impregnable by virtue of its natural features. It is built on top of an island with cliffs all around, and can be approached only from the mainland by a natural stone causeway that spans the water, wide enough for only 3 or 4 men, with troops subject to missile fire the whole way.

Uther launches a few assaults across the causeway, all of which end in disaster. Even after getting across the causeway, the castle’s walls and gates stop attackers.

Uther sets up some trebuchets that hurl rocks and burning balls of pitch against the walls, but to little effect.

Uther's knights are bored. They can watch King Uther rage in his command post.

Merlin arrives one afternoon and speaks with Uther and they walk together out to the causeway.  There is a weird fog around.  There are rumors that on that night, Duke Gorlois appeared at Tintagel (and lay with the duchess).  Obviously, that is impossible, as he was leading the charge at Terrabil.

In the morning, messengers come with news. Duke Gorlois was killed in battle and Castle Terrabil taken in a fierce night battle. And Prince Madoc, the son of the king, was also killed in the fighting.

When Uther hears the news, sitting in state upon his throne set up in the war camp, he glances sharply at Merlin, who as always remains entirely impassive. Uther, hard as iron, takes on the visage of a man who has lost a son; he departs from the public eye to weep in private. Merlin shows no emotion, but appears exhausted.

The body of the duke is brought to Tintagel the following day. Under flag of truce, it is borne across the causeway and taken into the castle. Even across the straits, the keening and weeping of those inside is easily heard.

After a day, the king sends Brastias, under flag of truce, to the castle. He is admitted. Some time later he returns, with word for the king that the duchess has agreed to surrender.

The king announces that justice has been done: The traitor is dead and now peace and unity can return to the land of Britain. The duchess comes forth with her household, all dressed in mourning black, and surrenders to the king, who places her into his protective custody.

Battle of St. Albans

Time Stamp - Spring 495 (St. Albans)

The king is very ill.  Many of his court feel he is dying, and some of them fear that he is not making the best decision to fight here.  The Saxons have a lot of reinforcements.

As the royal army, roughly 1,500 British knights and 5,000 foot, closes on the city of St. Albans, the peasants who had been hiding come to the British camp and report that the Saxons took the city by surprise, slaying all the defenders and many of the residents.

Upon closer inspection, the army sees that the gates to the city are open! King Uther does not wait, but orders his forward units to attack immediately and seize the gate, and all others to follow as they can. But it is a trap. Some troops get inside the city and are slaughtered, and then for the rest of the long day the British archers shoot at the defenders and many good foot soldiers perish trying to get over the walls. The attack fails.

The army is generally depressed by this failure.

Night falls, they rest fitfully. At dawn the next day, King Octa and his army of 9,000 file out of the city to meet Uther in open battle.

Although badly outnumbered, the British knights make the difference on open ground and they are able to break the Saxon footmen. The Saxons take many more losses, and the survivors slip away as soon as possible. British losses are significant, but not horrible.

The worst is that Duke Ulfius and Sir Brastias have both received grave wounds and are in the hospital.

This is the first battle for the knights since Terrabil.  They have mostly been sidelined but it seems that Uther was desperate enough for forces that everyone was included in this battle.  They fought well, although they were not in the main part of the fighting.

The Last Supper

Time Stamp - Spring 495 (St. Albans)

The army and populace are ecstatic. Cooks and servants prepare a huge feast at the castle in St. Albans.  The nobles are to eat in the Great Hall, while the bulk of the army is to eat at makeshift tables spread in the bailey.  Knights who were notably successful in the battle are invited to eat in the hall too. However, the bailey is hardly less magnificent.

Earl Guinier, the knights' liege, is invited to dine in the Great Hall in recognition of his bravery during the battle, in which he brought down a berserker after being unhorsed.  He asks the fathers to join him, which is a rather high honor, especially as they were not involved in the deed.  It seems clear to the quartet that the Earl is trying to help them rebuild some Honor and Glory by having them with him in the Great Hall with all of the great nobles of the land.

At the feast, the happiness of victory incites many to excess. Many knights drink enough to pass out early.  However, the fathers have barely taken their seats when they and Earl Guinier are summoned to attend to the Queen.  It is not the sort of summons one can ignore.

They find the Queen and her youngest daughter, Morgan, in a suite not far from the Grand Hall, along with her attendants.  In fact, the sounds of revelry can be clearly heard.  "I am sorry to take you from your feast but with the exuberant crowd, I feared for my safety," she explains.

What follows is a rather long and awkward evening.  The knights feel awful for their role in the kidnapping of the Queen's baby and similarly, she feels badly for accusing them, only to learn that it was Merlin who was to blame.  Both sides manage to fumble through an apology and more-or-less reconcile.  Still, it is difficult for the knights to sit and listen to the revelry from the Great Hall and imagine what wondrous food and drink they are missing, what noblewomen they could be frolicking with, and what nobles they could be chatting up.

The conversation in the room tends to be fairly neutral but the knights have little difficulty determining that Ygraine's hatred for Merlin is absolute and her feelings for Uther are not happy ones.  Morgan sits in a corner and watches everything but never speaks.  Any mention of Uther or Merlin causes her eyes to narrow and her expression to harden.  The Queen stays up far later than the knights would imagine and the later it gets, the more tense she seems to become.

Around midnight, many screams resound in the halls of the castle.  The Queen rises, "you should see what that is," she says.  The tiniest of smiles curls Morgan's lips as the knights rush to the Great Hall.

Arriving, they witness the first fallen vomiting blood. It is clearly too late for them. The men are blue and purple, heaving up foaming red blood upon the tables, themselves, and each other.  They stagger, gasping, and then crash upon the tables and floor, thrashing spasmodically. First Aid is useless, as is any other healing. The carnage is horrible; man after man falls to the floor, dying a horrible death.

They wade through the blood and vomit to find Uther. No matter, for he’s dead. They are all dead. All of them. The lords of Logres are no more.

Panic, hysteria, and frantic, meaningless activity seize everyone in the castle, the town, and the nearby countryside.

At some point, the castellan’s wife asserts order.  Servants begin the grim job of removing the corpses. It is clear that someone has treacherously poisoned the meal, probably the ale or wine (or both). Everyone who survives is devastated. Hundreds killed! Terrible enough, but look at the roster of dead!  The ruling class of Logres is virtually wiped out.  The High King and just about all of his barons (except those in the hospital) have died. Earl Roderick is dead.  The land has no rulers.

The mourning is keen and grievous for the many noble dead. Even Ygraine is sad — perhaps she was fond of the king after all?

Rise of Cornwall

Time Stamp - Summer 495 (Amesbury)

Queen Ygraine returns to Salisbury with Uther's body, which is buried at Stonehengs.  The knights escort her.  The feast is never discussed.  After the funeral, she and Morgan go to the nunnery at Amesbury to take refuge.  Morgan remains as watchful, quiet, and enigmatic as ever.  Having received £10 plunder from the Battle of St. Albans, the knights are able to maintain themselves and their families as things collapse around them, so they remain near Amesbury, as the situation in Cornwall is also deteriorating.

In 496, A stone appears in the court of Saint Paul's cathedral in London.  There is an anvil atop the stone and a sword pierces both.  An inscription suggests that whomsoever pulls the sword from the stone will be the next rightful king of Britain.  It is generally believed that the meddling wizard Merlin is behind this.

In 497, King Idres of Cornwall and Brittany attacks Tintagel.  A messenger arrives from the fortress seeking the Queen's advice.  She sends the knights back with the messenger, advising that they surrender and that the King accepts Earl Guinier and his knights as loyal vassals.  The King accepts.

In 498, King Idres takes Devon.

In 499, King Idres marches against Jagent, besieging several castles and finally the city of Ilchester.  The earl resists for as long as is reasonable, then surrenders and pays homage to Idres.

In 500, King Idres besieges Dorchester (in Dorset), but the city has stout walls and good supplies. Cornwall withdraws before he conquers anything significant. Praetor Jonathel is claiming a great victory, for even though all he did was stop the Cornishmen, he is the first one to have done so.  Rumors have it that King Idres proposed that his son, Prince Mark, marry Countess Ellen of Salisbury, an offer that was rejected.

In 504, King Idres continues his march of expansion. His army invades Somerset and besieges the city of Wells. After the necessary length of time holding out, it finally surrenders.

Rise of Escavalon

Time Stamp - Summer 500 (Escavalon)

The following events are ones about which the players learn through various sources as they are old enough to appreciate them.  Their fathers were not present.

In 500, King Nanteleod of Escavalon wins a small battle against the king of Byrcheiniog and gains his vassalage.  Resistance is only perfunctory, as if the king of Byrcheiniog had really wanted to aid Nanteleod. Then King Nanteleod, with the newly allied hill men, marches west and attacks the Irish in their own kingdom of Estregales. The King of Estregales is unprepared, but with his small household forces and local muster he fights a battle anyway, and is soundly defeated. Now Estregales has sworn vassalage to Nanteleod of Escavalon.

In 501, King Nanteleod challenged the Three Cadlews.  Both of the kingdoms in southern Gales and also many of the mountain tribes are now under his rule.  After a long summer of marching around in the mountains, with some deft maneuvering and the surprise appearance of an Irish army from Leinster, King Nanteleod of Escavalon traps the Three Cadlews and a battle ensues. The Cadlews are defeated and killed.  After the defeat, King Nanteleod names the nobleman Maelgwen to be king of Norgales, to serve as Nanteleod’s vassal.

In 502, a messenger from King Nanteleod brings word that Gloucester, Orofoise, Galvoie, Cheshire, Cameliard, and Wuerensis have all agreed to submit to him as vassals.  Bedegraine and Lambor have both submitted to Duke Corneus of Lindsey. Since both of them have a border dispute with Cameliard, it appears there will be war between King Nanteleod and Duke Corneus.  King Nanteleod spends the summer maneuvering through Lambor and Bedegraine, accepting the surrender of cities and besieging castles. The Duke of Lindsey, with his army nearby, does not engage.

In 503, King Nanteleod has alliances with Clarence and Lambor; he also goes to Bedegraine to accept the vassalage of the earl.  The King of Malahaut marches south, joined by Elmet, and begins plundering Lindsey. Duke Corneus can not hope to match his enemy’s army, and everyone withdraws into their castles. The main army besieges Lincoln, where the duke has withdrawn.

King Nanteleod marches down the Trent, and three leaders meet outside of the city. Corneus plays it cagey, Malahaut is aggressive, and Nanteleod accepts the challenge and proposes that Lindsey, with its duke and little army intact, be the prize of the battle between the kings. It’s a grand and glorious battle between knights. Nanteleod wins the day when Malahaut’s Saxons, much hated by the Britons, are crushed. It is a decisive victory.  Afterward, King Nanteleod and Duke Corneus are reconciled. The armies of Nanteleod and Lindsey spend the rest of the summer scouting Lonazep and skirmishing with the Saxons who are also scouting there.

The Saxons

Time Stamp - Summer 496 (Britain)

The following events are ones about which the players learn through various sources as they are old enough to appreciate them.  Their fathers were not present.

In 496, Prince Aescwine the son of the King of Essex comes to discuss peace and tribute in Logres.  He says that if they pay tribute to him now, he will guarantee peace and protection from any enemy who invades. He stresses that he does not demand their vassalage, though such an expression of loyalty would require less tribute and get them even more privileges.

Cerdic, King of the Gewessi, is a handsome man, mannered in the British way but speaking with a Saxon accent.  He welcomes everyone and spreads a lavish feast. Judging from the service and food available, the people of Hantonne may already be accustomed to their new lord. After dinner, Cerdic makes his presentation, welcoming everyone and expressing hope that they can continue to be friends and peaceful neighbors. For after all, that is the way among fellow Britons.

“Yes, fellow Britons,” he says, “For I am one of you more than I am a Saxon, as measured the civilized way where all of importance comes from the father’s side. And my father was British.

“Measuring that civilized manner further, we know nobility is superior to normal humanity. I could not come from more noble stock, for my father was the High King of Britain. Indeed, my father was King Vortigern, the noble lord who ruled this island before the Pendragons. And indeed, though it counts less, my mother’s own father was a king as well.

“I have many powerful connections among the Saxons. They are not as savage as you seem to believe, and in my future kingdom they will be my subjects, just as the British shall be; and both shall be equal, if I do not have to conquer.

“So I invite you to join me and my army, for surely there will be battles in the future, and I am sure you King Cerdic would wish to be on the winning side. I will be happy to accept your homage and loyalty, and I would treat you well and justly. Join me.”

With that, he looks briefly into each individual’s eyes. “Discuss this among yourselves.” He leaves the hall. The meal and drinking can go on. Some of the other British knights serving Cerdic circulate among the visitors for the rest of the night, talking about their great and honorable lord. They stress his generosity and his battle prowess.

If asked, they explain that Cerdic has been on the continent, fighting against the Franks and Danes. He was in several battles in Britain when he was younger, of course. Cerdic was raised in Saxony by his mother when her husband was foully murdered through the magic of the wicked Merlin.

There is a small battle between the East Saxons and the knights of Caer Colun, and the Saxons lost!

Almost everyone pays tribute, even the two dukes (Silchester and Lindsey). Duke
Ulfius is still hurting from the wounds he got at St. Albans, and agrees to ally with King Ælle.

In 497, The two aethelings, Cynric of Wessex and Aescwine of Essex, both ask for tribute.  They both say the same thing: pay up or be attacked.

In 498, Prince Cynric of Wessex, Prince Aescwine of Essex, and Prince Celyn of Sussex all demand tribute.  The Count of Huntington pays homage to the King of Essex. This formal vassalage is a real change in relationship. The county won’t have to pay tribute, but will have to help the kingdom in war. This all means that the King of Essex now has a contingent of knights at his call.

In 499, Several bands of warlords from the continent go from king to king among the Saxons, trying to get the best terms.  Some want plunder, some want land to settle their families on.  Regardless, whoever they choose to follow will be bad news for the Britons.

Over the summer, messengers from all four of the Saxon kingdoms visit Logres. They all want the same thing — an alliance and an agreement to send soldiers. They hint that the Saxon kings are about to settle their argument about who is the most powerful and deserving among them to be bretwalda, or High King.

In 500, In mid-spring, a huge fleet of Saxons appears off the Caercolun coast. It sails to the Yar River and a horde goes ashore to sack Yarmouth. They re-embark and sail upriver only to disembark again near Norwich.

The Duke of Caercolun marches his army to battle, but the Saxons prove more numerous than expected, and his army is butchered. The Saxons assault Norwich, then starve out Buckenham and Thetford. They occupy those larger cities, and groups of Saxon warriors wander the countryside, robbing and killing. Thousands of refugees flee. When caught by Saxons, they are beaten and tied; they become thralls, or slaves, of the Saxons.

Cwichelm is the Saxon king. In fact, he and his people are not really Saxons at all, except in the generic sense.  They are the Angles. If anyone talks to them, they would tell that they left their native land of Angli because the Danes conquered it. Rather than live under foreign rule, they came to Britain to be free. (And it is convenient that the island provides so many slaves, too!)

King Ælle’s Saxon warriors from Sussex and the Jutes of Kent clash, marching against each other and meeting in battle deep in the Perdue Forest. The battle is indecisive, and both forces withdraw.

In 501, A small fleet of Saxons lands on the south coast, near Chichester, and takes over that city. The new chief, named Port, marches north; when he meets with the army of Cerdic, who is coming to see what has occurred, there is a battle — and Cerdic is defeated.  Afterward, Cerdic agrees to give a couple of cities to Port, who renames one after himself: Portsmouth.

King Cwichelm and his Angles make a surprise move in early spring: They storm the city of Royston and sack it before the earls can respond. The two Briton armies march out, but the army of Hertford is destroyed before it can link up with the other. The Earl of Huntington retreats into Beale Valet and is besieged, then assaulted. He and his men are all killed or enslaved.

Anglish messengers then demand tribute from the neighboring lands of London, Rydychan, Silchester, Lonazep, and even more distant Lindsey. However, their messengers are unable to find Brun or Tribruit.

In 502, The emissary from the Angles declares their king to be the bretwalda of not only all Saxons, but also of the entirety of Britain. He defies anyone to deny this claim, and demands word from the counts as to where their loyalties lie.

King Ælle and the others challenge King of the Angles in his claim to be bretwalda. They muster their armies, join up, and march northward. They meet at the Battle of Hertford. The Angles are driven from the field and the battle is a victory for King Ælle. However, he does not pursue, and he does not harass their territory.

In 503, King Aesc of Kent and King Aethelswith of Essex both march out with their armies. They stop and besiege London, one army on each side of the river.

Duke Ulfius waits for reinforcements.  A few volunteers from far and wide, motivated by various personal reasons, show up for his muster.

Ulfius decides to attack before the two armies can join up. He crosses at Windsor and marches toward London. Unknown to him, a small fleet of boats ferries the Kentsmen across the river at night. Ulfius is greatly outnumbered, and he hears that Saxon ships have sailed for Windsor to block his retreat. He fights a short battle, and then escapes with his army at night.

The Saxons besiege London, and although the Saxons normally don’t have siege equipment to break in, this time they do. They have hired Sir Helifer the Mercenary, who directs batteries and engineers, and even several mobs of desperate swordsmen to go up the ladders.

Sir Helifer negotiates with the mayor and guildsmen.

One day the city opens its gates and out come the mayor and guildsmen, the bishop, and the harbormaster. They surrender the city to Sir Helifer and the Saxon lords, who thereupon enter and take possession of the city. The garrisons at both castles lock up tight.

The city is not sacked. The mayor will administer the city and county, as before, but pay taxes to the king of Essex this year, and to the king of Kent next year, and back and forth thereafter.

Saxon warriors flood into the city to enjoy its luxuries.

The Conclusion

Time Stamp - Summer 501 (Amesbury)

In 501, King Idres has been pushed back from Dorset and his army is in the area around Dorset, Somerset, and Salisbury.  The fathers are not far from Amesbury when they hear news.  A small but determined band of Saxons broke into the nunnery of Amesbury and took Queen Ygraine and her daughter.  No doubt, they thought that by forcibly marrying the wife of the former High King, their king would obtain some legitimacy and prestige.

The knights set out in pursuit, but they come upon a band of dead warriors, where they find the queen waiting nearby with her daughter, Morgan le Fay. When asked what happened, Morgan, nonchalant, simply says, “They were careless.” The queen, still looking rather shocked, refuses to say what has occurred, claiming that she didn’t see it.

Time Stamp - Fall 504 (Somerset)

The fathers are part of King Idres's army attacking Somerset.  The players are new squires for knights in the army, the coming year's battles will be their first.  The fathers are on patrol in eastern Somerset.  The main fighting is over for the season so patrols are largely boring affairs.

Word comes back that the father's patrol has not reported in and a small contingent of a dozen knights is sent off to find them, including the players' knights.  Their bodies are found in what appears to be their camp.  Their horses and equipment is all gone and their naked bodies left to scavengers.  It seems that a large band of Saxon raiders ambushed them.

Following the trail through the woods it is a couple of days before the knights catch up with their quarry but they are too late.  They come upon the Saxon camp and everyone is dead.  Although the cause of death is unknown, every warrior looks to have died in agony.  The only things left alive in the camp are the father's horses, each standing by a small, neat pile containing all of their knight's possessions.

None of the Saxons appears to have been touched, other than to remove items belonging to the knights.  No scavengers, not even flies can be seen in the camp, which is eerily silent.

As the players retrieve their fathers' possessions, Sir Aeddean and Sir Daron notice a black raven sitting in a tree watching them. 

-

A funeral is held for the four knights, the cost of which is borne by Queen Ygraine, who insists that the knights be laid to rest in her family plot in Tintagel near to her husband.  It is a rare honor.

With the army camped in Somerset, the funeral is sparsely attended by fellow Cornish knights, but Queen Ygraine and her daughters (Queen Margawse, Queen Elaine, and Morgan) attend, as well as their husbands . . . King Lot of Lothian and King Nentres of Garloth.  Earl Guinier is present and informs the players that they will be knighted in the Spring.

Epilogue

So, that is the current situation in Britain.  Go to the Game Map tab above to see the map of Britain, at the bottom of that page you can select other maps.  The Main Game map and Group 0 map are different basic Pendragon maps of Britain, which show various place names, terrain, roads, etc.  The map for Group 1 is the current political map, which I will update as we go along, unless I forget or get lazy.  I am working on posting a map of Cornwall.

The current situation is thus:  Logres, which is primarily Silchester, Lindsey, and Salisbury, is beset on all sides.  The Gales (current day Wales) is consolidated under King Nanteleod of Escavalon and is generally Irish and the most likely allies for Logres.  Cornwall is consolidated under King Idres and is generally French/Cymric.  The Saxons are all around the south and east, and to some extent north, in different tribes.  Sussex, Wessex, and Essex are just Saxons in the South, West, and East.  The Saxons frequently fight among themselves but are currently driving north through Dorset and west through the Thames valley.   Lothian in the north (current day Scotland) is ruled by King Lot and his fellow kings, who are generally allied.  Farther north are the Picts.

It will be another five years until Arthur shows up, giving the players some time to get some influence, Glory, experience, land, and money.  King Lot is the primary adversary to Arthur in the books, but perhaps things will be different here.  The future is uncertain because it can be influenced by player actions.  However, Merlin is the primary contributor to Arthur's early success normally.  In a battle in which King Lot has a Battle score of 25 and Arthur a 7 and some additions, Merlin gives Arthur a +10.  Absent some means of neutralizing or balancing Merlin, it will be difficult to rewrite history.  None of this is to say that Arthur has to fail.  Swapping allegiance in the future is not a bad thing.