Manors/Knights in Attendance
Spring Conquest
With the death of High King Aurelius Ambrosius behind them, the land of Logres looked towards its future under King Uther and hoping he could save them from the Saxons plaguing their lands. It was not as though the lands of Salisbury languished in the winter though. Sir Gariant found himself forced to defend his family’s honour in a duel, and Sir Liam welcomed two girls into his family: one his own, and one from his liege lord. Sir Gwyllim found his adventures having secured him new fame and rumours of an unknown rival in Uther’s court, and Sir Caelus was still lost to the throes of madness following the disastrous Battle of Salisbury.
When the call came out in the Spring for the Knights of Logres to gather, it was hoped by many that this would be a year of striking back against the Saxon hordes. It was to the surprise of many that their target instead was the Kingdom of Bedegraine: A free British county located to the Northwest. According to Duke Roderick, the county had refused to pay tribute to Uther as he had not been appointed High King, and thus they owed him no allegiance. While true, Uther proclaimed that any Britain who would not stand with him against the Saxons would be against him.
The invasion force went largely unchallenged: The forces of Logres vastly outnumbered the knights of Bedegraine, and though the King of Bedegraine was able to prevent Uther from pressing into the heart of the Kingdom, they could not defend their territories from the raids of the Knights. Forced to confront Uther or lose his Kingdom, the forces met in open combat. The result was swift and inevitable, with their superior numbers the Knights of Logres devastated those of Bedegraine, and Uther personally slew their King in open combat.
Following the battle, the forces of Cornwall arrived in the evening, and to Sir Gariant’s keen ears, the Duke Gorlois presented his deepest apologies for the weather preventing him from joining the battle. Uther was not prepared to accept excuses, and levied a great fine against the Duke of Cornwall – a fine that Sir Gariant knew was not justified under the law.
The victory feast was slightly humbled by the knowledge that it was bought at the war between British forces, but was still a night to remember. Both Sir Gwyllim and Sir Liam found the sight of King Uther to inspire a great loyalty passion inside of them, while Sir Gariant found that Uther failed to inspire any emotion in his heart. During the feast, Sir Gwyllim found his fame from the battle had earned him recognition, and he spoke with Prince Madoc personally for a time, sharing stories as to their battles and mutual hatred of Saxons. Sir Liam composed a ballad celebrating the English battle and victory which was presented personally to King Uther to his approval. Sir Gariant found himself talking to Duke Gorlois, and found he had quite a lot in common with the older warrior. Making a good impression on the Duke, Sir Gariant was personally introduced to Lady Ygraine, and found himself both charmed and envious of the Lady.
The subsequent honours given out favoured Sir Gwyllim and Sir Liam, while spurning Sir Gariant – rumours had it that the King had been rewarding those who showed him particular Homage, thus explaining why Sir Gariant had been excluded. However from his position in the hall, he was in position to see that Sir Brastias seemed particularly displeased with the honours bestowed on Sir Gwyllim. With favours paid out, Uther congratulated his assembled men on their great prowess, and swore that once all of Britain was united under his rule, the Saxons would be excised from their lands in almost no time.
Summer Hunting
Returning to Salisbury, the Knights decided to spend their summer performing extended vassal duty and hunting down lawbreakers inside of their land. Near the village of Brunton they found word of Bandits camping nearby who were harassing the nearby peasants. Attempting to hunt them down, Sir Liam noticed a suspicious man watching them, and followed him back through the woods. His superior hunting easily managed to track the villain unseen, and the three quickly found themselves on the outskirts of a camp, with the man attempting to warn his companions of the presence of the Knights.
Sir Liam and Sir Gariant spoiled that illusion by charging into the midst of the bandits and fighting them. Sir Gwyllim intended to follow them, but his dramatic horse rearing only served to spill him onto the ground. The bandits had no great battle combat, but a few of them were impassioned enough by their hatred of knights to pose a threat. That threat was in fact brought to stark point when Gwyllim and Gariant had finished their foes, to find Sir Liam down on the ground with two bandits standing over him. It seems his mighty Warflail had finally backfired on the Irish Knight, as well as a lucky strike from the bandits felling him to the ground.
The bandits attempted to bargain for their own survival with Liam’s life, but Sir Gwyllim would have none of it. With a burst of speed belying his age, he quickly surged forward and in one strike, felled both bandits and saved Sir Liam. He was still badly wounded, and as Sir Gariant applied First Aid and tried to keep him stable, Sir Gwyllim rode to Tangley to find Lady Junah and her mighty foreign concept of “Medicine” to save Sir Liam. Thankfully, Gariant was able to stabilize Liam, and Junah was able to stabilize and save her husband’s life.
With the sour taste of the conquest of Bedegraine behind them, and Sir Liam badly wounded, the Knights retired to their manors to wait out the rest of the year, and steel themselves for whatever would come next year.
Rewards Earned
- Sir Gariant
- Glory: 172
- Libre: 5£
- Sir Gwyllim
- Glory: 183
- Libre: 7£
- Sir Liam
- Glory: 197
- Libre: 4£
- Child Born: Daughter (Irish Heritage)
- Child Claimed: Daughter (Cymri Heritage)
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