DXXII a.D.
General Summary
The Swearing In Membership to the Companions of Arthur is open, as long as the knight exhibits a general desire to act chivalrously, and does not have a reputation for churlishness, dastardly deeds, or other unknightly behavior. Many knights wish to join King Arthur's Companions. Those who are sworn in this day get extra Glory for being among the first group to do so.
Forest Sauvage, Norgales, Sugales1 Cambria is riled up with adventure! It must be those Triple Questers doing their work! The Lady of the Lake came to court with a new lover, named Peleus, and says it was the doings of Sir Gawaine that brought them together. Sir Marhaus has defeated the bad Duke of the south Marches and his six sons. And Sir Ywaine has restored the Lady of the Rock to her lands. Autumn: Return of the May Babies2 A French merchant is among the petitioners to the crown. Though only of the mercantile class he is well spoken and courteous. With appropriate humility he presents a letter to the king, and offers to tell the tale if desired. Arthur reads the brief letter, appears puzzled, and hands the letter to Guenever to hold. The merchant tells his story: while young he was a fisherman so poor that he had no boat and worked his nets from a rocky headland on the coast. He and his wife were childless and each morning they prayed to God for a child. One dawn, after a storm, he came upon a wrecked ship with its back and ribs cracked and its cargo strewn across the beach. A baby cried; two more, a dozen, twenty! And although many children lived, none of the crewmen were alive. In the hand of one child, who was wrapped in a silk lined wool blanket, was the letter. "I have kept these children and raised them as my own household for the last ten years. Only recently did my parish priest read this letter to me and urge me to return the boys to their own land. When I heard of your kindness and honor I knew they would be well received here so I brought them home." The Bishop reads the letter. "To his Highness the Pope: This child is the son of a king and a queen of Britain. His father hight King Lot, the greatest king of Britain, and his other hight Margawse, daughter of Uther Pendragon The gifts sent by messenger are a token of appreciation and trust that you will raise our children in the best manner possible. Please save them from the devil worship of Merlin the Enchanter " The seal is broken, and unreadable "Bring the children out," says Arthur. And before the silent stares of the royal court come two dozen ten year old boys, dressed in neat uniforms of homespun made up like livery colors: grey collar, brown jerkin, grey breeks. brown boots. One of them also wears a hat and cloak of the same material. The other boys look to him before doing anything. He boy steps out and kneels, his face almost on the floor. "Oh mighty king, we place ourselves at your mercy " As if on cue (how could they possibly have practiced?) the rest of the boys kneeled too. "We have been lost for years and long to be home" Without taking his eyes off them Arthur replies: "Britain is the refuge of the innocent and helpiess. In this land the strong defend the weak, and no one is helpless who lives within the law "Guenever, welcome these guests to our court. Kay, have a special table set up here before the high table, just for tonight Constable, call out the messengers, send along those herald fellows, on the fastest horses to Queen Margawse. Tell her that her missing son has been found, and that she and all the other mothers robbed ten years ago should come to Camelot immediately."
Du côté des héros
De retour pour la seconde édition du tournoi d'Anglehearth, les PJ découvrent une terrible malédiction : chaque soir depuis quelques temps, le seigneur d'Anglehearth doit aller combattre un guerrier fantôme qui apparaît la nuit seulement ! Ses forces déclinent et il ne pourra plus tenir bien longtemps. Un vieux rebouteux, le Décharné, les met sur la piste d'un chevalier féérique. Celui-ci détient une Lance Sacrée qui seule a le pouvoir de tuer le guerrier fantôme d'Anglehearth une bonne fois pour toutes. Mais le chevalier féérique ne donnera pas sa Lance pour rien, et il faudra le combattre... (cf. the Spectre King, p.68 : the Adventure of the Ghost Knight)
Plus tard dans l'année, les PJ sont en mission en Nohaut, près du Mur d'Hadrien, lorsqu'ils sauvent une jeune fille de Saxons qui veulent l'enlever. Mais malgré leurs efforts, ils ne parviennent pas à étouffer des troubles fomentés par un chef Saxon qui prend ainsi plus de territoires dans le Nord. (cf. the Spectre King, p.109 : the Adventure of the Horned Boar)