Year 492: High Treason

General Summary

For the prior session, see Year 491, Part II: Castle Tintagel. For the following session, see Year 493: Uther's Shame.

"I spoke to Mom. She said she misses you, she’s proud of you, and she wants you to come visit. And I told her that that was okay." - Sir Amlyn of Winterbourne Stoke

All throughout Logres, King Uther Pendragon is still preparing for a war against his distant cousin the Centurion King of Malahaut for costing him the title of High King of Britain at the Supreme Collegium vote the year prior. He recruits a new Cambrian kings to his cause, King Leodegrance of Cameliard and begins discussions with another, King Nanteleod of Escavalon.
In Salisbury, Sir Amlyn of Winterbourne Stoke brings his daughter Meinwen to the northern village of Upavon, where she will be serving as a page in the household of Sir Edward of Upavon. He then heads to Sarum Castle for the christening of Earl Roderick of Salisbury's newborn son and heir, Robert . After the christening, as Lady Viver of Lighthorne and Sir Penwyn of Oxenwood explore the marketplace, Lady Viver encounters her blackmailer Lady Elidia delivering a letter. She attempts to bribe the courier into letting her deliver the letter herself so she can have the contents read, but is unsuccessful.
The trio then leaves to Tintagel Castle for the double wedding of the king's stepdaughters Lady Margawse and Lady Elaine to the northern Caledonian kings, Kings Lot of Lothian and Nentres of Garloth, respectively. As usual, Queen Margawse puts on a stoic face as she marries the cruel King Lot, while Queen Elaine seems excited for what her future with the kindly King Nentres might bring.
During the wedding feast, a knight arrives and is announced as Prince Lamorak de Galis. Recognizing Sir Amlyn as a knight from his vassal kingdom of Cheshire, he explains that he is desperately looking for his father King Pellinore de Galis, who has been missing for several years, because their kingdom has fallen into ruin between his uncles fighting each other and an alliance of three mountain tribe chieftains called the Three Cadlews threatening to take over. Sir Amlyn, no longer passionate about life or adventure after the death of his wife and friends, merely insults and dismisses his prince. Lady Harley tells the group about rumours of a young bastard of Prince Madoc ap Uther living in the enchanted Leicester Forest. Lady Viver asks Lady Marigold if she knows any barons to marry Lady Elidia to, and Lady Marigold suggests Earl Roderick's rival Sir Blains of Levcomagus, who is merely an honourary baron with no castle. Again, the mysterious Lady of the Lake Lady Nineve is seen near the king and queen at court. Later throughout the feast, Sir Amlyn is openly critical of King Uther. Lady Viver is blessed by the legendary monk Father Dewi before being seduced by a male courtesan and leaves the party, which Lady Elidia notices. Sir Penwyn is again pulled into a conversation with King Uther, but manages to insult the king with his lack of understanding in courtesy. Sir Amlyn distracts himself by dancing with a lady in the king's retinue, Lady Tansy.
On garrison duty in the foggy morning on the Tintagel moor after the feast, Sir Amlyn, Sir Penwyn, and Lady Viver (in disguise as the legendary knight the Silver Wolf) encounter Merlin the Magician, who asks them to follow him back to Tintagel Castle for the good of the realm. After debating whether or not to obey, the knights follow and stand guard as Merlin finds his way into a secret passage within the castle. Merlin hastily returns with men in pursuit, and Sir Penwyn notices that he is carrying something in his robes. Merlin demands that the knights defend him with their lives as he makes his escape. The knights stand their ground, but quickly realize their opponents are Sir Brastias and twins Sir Minodos and Sir Minodalis, all of the King's Guard. The knights continue to obey Merlin's orders over King Uther's and pretend they didn't see the archdruid, agreeing to help search while stalling and distracting the guards. The twin knights make note of the knights' coat of arms as Sir Brastias eventually returns to report that Merlin has escaped with King Uther's newborn son.
The knights return to Salisbury to inform Earl Roderick of their involvement before he hears from the king, but Sir Edward stops Sir Amlyn and urges him to come to Upavon as his daughter has had a horse-riding accident. Sir Amlyn hurries to Upavon and says goodbye to Meinwen, explaining that she will be with her mom now, and the girl passes away. Outside the manor, the county marshal Sir Hywel of West Lavington regretfully informs Sir Amlyn of his royal summons for court after committing high treason against the king.
Sir Penwyn and the Silver Wolf arrive at the White Tower for their trial, while Sir Amlyn, completely apathetic after the death of all his loved ones, is arrested and dragged to court. The Silver Wolf is asked to remove their helmet, but talks their way out of it, keeping Lady Viver's identity secret. Before proceeding, Father Dewi asks the Pagans among the knights to repent and convert to British Christianity to no avail and the trial begins. Salisbury's Earl Roderick, Sir Hywel, and Bishop Roger defend and endorse their knights against King Uther and his council of Sir Brastias, Father Dewi, Archbishop Dubricus, and Saint Illtyd. Queen Ygraine coldly demands that the knights be executed for stealing her son. Sir Amlyn mocks the trial, claiming that the mythical creature Puck was the kidnapper. Father Dewi ultimately declares his belief that the knights were enchanted by Merlin and King Uther agrees, declaring Merlin an enemy of Logres and absolving the knights of wrongdoing. Before the trial concludes, Archbishop Dubricus points out that Sir Amlyn still has a reported history of criticizing the king, and Sir Amlyn admits that this is true. His frustration with King Uther coming to a boil after years, he lambastes the king in front of his council for being cruel, petty, uneducated, and ineffective. He also reveals that he saw King Uther and Merlin conspiring on the night Duke Gorlois of Cornwall was killed, and believes that the king used dark magic to conceive his son and willingly promised the prince to Merlin as the cost. Furious, King Uther finds Sir Amlyn guilty of high treason and the knight is executed. Sworn to him until the end, his esquire Collin insists on being executed alongside his knight.
That winter, rumours spread throughout the kingdom that Merlin and Sir Amlyn kidnapped the newborn prince and were exiled, distorting the men into bogeymen used to scare children. Sir Penwyn marries Lady Aoife, his brother's widow. Lady Viver becomes ill. Sir Amlyn's orphaned surviving child and heir Kyffin becomes a ward of King Uther.

Report Date

04 Apr 2020

Primary Location

Tintagel Castle

Secondary Location

Londinium