One Brief Shining Moment

[Prince_Asuryan]

'Hail Centurion-King,' called John, bowing low. 'King Uther Pendragon of Logres bids you greetings and wishes you well. I have been sent on his behalf to negotiate a truce and alliance between our two kingdoms, for all men of this Isle must stand firm against the Saxon menace'.

[Etherion Fenix]

Not all sits well in the affairs of Malahaut, thought Galan. His eyes flirting between John, the King and the Saxons present.

[Calarion Sapherior]

The Centurion King steepled his fingers before him and leaned forward. "King Pendragon spoke similar words when he was last here, Giantslayer. But the only thing then that he wished to 'stand firm' was his loins. Why should I listen to you now?"

[Prince_Asuryan]

'That was at a time when the way was clear, and the Saxon power diminished. The Pendragon allowed his vices to get the better of him, though he never intended to allow them to rule him. This time Octa and Eosa are free, and threaten both our lands. Hengest builds his power and the disaster at Magouns has left their position far stronger. In the face of such a threat, King Uther would not allow this opportunity to avoid him as it has in the past. He will not make the same mistake again. An alliance of this nature can be naught but a benefit for us both.'

[cidracin]

Owen kept quiet as Sir John spoke with the Centurion King. Owen was fortunate enough to have been selected to accompany John to Eburacum and knew that it was not his place to take part in the negotiattions with the leader of Malahaut.

[Calarion Sapherior]

"I would hear what the emissaries of the Saxons would say," the Centurion King said. The three men that Galan had seen stepped forward - brawny Saxons, though unarmed, and their leader one of the largest men that any of the Cymric men had ever seen. This must be none other than King Eosa, the brother of King Octa, in whose veins was said to flow the blood of giants. Looking at him, the knights could well believe it.

"The grudge that my people hold is against Logres, not Malahaut," the immense man said, his voice surprisingly gentle. "My grandsire Hengest was invited into this country by them - invited and then betrayed. Despite that, we seek only a land to call our own, to replace those we lost in the chaos when the Empire fell. If Malahaut turns against us to side with the Lecher King, why, we shall turn upon Malahaut. But otherwise, our ire may be focused elsewhere. Who would you rather have as your ally, your Majesty - a feeble nation come begging for aid? We stand for the future."

ooc: Sir Owen has such a high Hate-Saxons that he should roll to see if he does anything stupid. You can oppose it with Hospitality.

[Etherion Fenix]

Galan's head tilted a fraction. What game do you play Saxon King? For certain you would wish all here crushed beneath your heel. His thoughts ran on.

[cidracin]

The giant Saxon's lies and insults stirred up a fury in Owen's heart. For Owen knew in the deepest depths of his heart that the Saxons were a bloodthirsty, violent, barbarian savage people more akin to beast than man. And here this giant Saxon was seeking to hide his true nature and weaken Lorges and all in front of knights sworn to protect her. Hiding behind the laws of hospitality meant for the civilized not for animals such as Eosa. Suddenly Owen found himself not caring that it was indeed a king that stood in front of him.

OOC: 8 hate saxons vs. 6 Hospitality. this could be bad i'm unsure whether it would be a good or bad thing for owen to have weapons

[Prince_Asuryan]

Taken aback at the appearance of the Saxons, Johns faltered momentarily as he struggled to recover.

'The Saxons were not invited here by the King of Britain, but by an upstart, a traitor and a liar. They were no more welcome here than they are today,' snarled John. 'And when the true Britons tried to take back their land, they were betrayed by the Saxons, and not for the last time. The Saxons have lied and broken more truces than years I have lived! And you would trust them over the word of a King? I would not sleep easy were you to ally yourselves with these dogs!'

John turned to the Saxon ambassadors, trying to ignore the stirrings of Sir Owen behind him. 'If you are too weak to claim your own land, then you do not deserve a another one. Are are you so quick to forget the events of Lindsey?, so that you might convince yourselves of your false power? No, you look to Malahut to lie and steal your way into power as you have done so often before. Do not trust them, centurion king!'

[Calarion Sapherior]

"Their own words I quote back to you, King of Malahaut," King Eosa said smugly. "If they are not strong enough to hold their land, they do not deserve to keep it. Deny your King Vortigern if you will, deny the oaths he swore to us and then abandoned. You know our purpose in the north, oh Centurion King. Aid us with it, pledge your strength to us. When we have finished, then we shall ally against the lies and deceit of Logres."

ooc: Sir John will need to roll an Orate check, opposed by Eosa's, which I haven't rolled yet (don't have his stats on hand). Sir Owen, since he has a partial success on hospitality, needs to decide how he'll act - doesn't need to spring to the attack (unless he wants to!)

[cidracin]

"Eosa you are very confident for a man who is only still drawing breath because King Uther spared your life. You are lucky that the laws of hospitality protect even a dog like you or I would end your life where you stand." spat Owen unable to hold his tounge. But his sense of honor at least had kept him from trying to attack the unarmed Saxons in defiance of hospitality.

[Etherion Fenix]

Seeing the two men of the south turning their attention upon the Saxon, Galan's own turned to those others among the crowd. With whom their loyalties, favours and hearts lay.


(Rolled a 14 for whatever is applicable in this situation.)

[Prince_Asuryan]

'Silence Sir Owen!' snapped John. 'Ally with whomever you will King of Malahut, but remember this. The King of Logres has never threatened your lands, or shown himself to be anything other than a friend. Can the same be said for the Saxons?'

OOC: Orate 14. Not good.

[Calarion Sapherior]

"I shall take what you say - all of you - into consideration," the Centurion King said. "Enough of this talk - you shall sample the generosity of Malahaut. I shall reach a decision and inform you all of what I decide." The knights were given time to clean themselves after their travels, and rooms in the keep, before the evening's banquet. None of them had any idea as to how the King would decide. If only Sir Alain were here, for his understanding of the subtleties of court might have proven invaluable!

ooc: If you want to nominate a courtly skill to gain some glory from, roll it, and then describe how you use it in front of the court of Malahaut.

[Prince_Asuryan]

John sat silently throughout the banquet, speaking only a little to the surrounding noblemen at the table. He was not one for courtly graces, as was painfully evident in his speech to the king. He took the opportunity however, to learn what he could of this deal the Saxons were trying to make with the Centurion King.

OOC: Rolled a 9, which fails all of my applicable courtly skills. Also rolled a 7 which fails my intrigue test, depressingly.

[cidracin]

At the evening banquet Owen did not spend his time focusing on intrigue, politics, or drinking and feasting. That night Owen's attention was ensnared by the presence of an attractive young woman. Her name was Kara and she was the daughter of a Malahautian vavasour. Her hair was strawberry blonde, her skin pale, and her body lithe and thin as a reed. She was a cheery young woman, pleasent, kind, and humble as a result of her less than affluent upbringing. While Owen was most certainly a handsome and dashing young knight, what had caught Kara's eye was Owen's outburst against the giant Saxon Eosa. She thought him fearless and heroic for he had dared to speak out against such a terrible and fearsome man. As they talked he also learned that Kara's family lived near the border of Malahaut and the region had been suffering due to frequent and brutal Saxons raids.

[Calarion Sapherior]

ooc: Sorry about the delay, I was on holiday for a few days and we turned out not to have computer access as expected. Mike, where are you? I'm rolling for Galan on your behalf this time.

While Sir John was lost in introspection, and Sir Owen conversed with Kara, the attention of the court focused in a surprising direction: upon Galan. The Pict drew attention from all sides as a result of his ugly and surprising appearance, and the appetite with which he consumed food and drink. Many sneered at the Pict, for Pictish raiders had made their way as far as Malahaut in the past, but they did not sneer when Galan began to sing. A strangely wistful mood had overtaken the mercenary, and his song was not as bawdy as it might have been. Instead, it spoke of the beauty of his homeland. While Galan's voice was not the most melodious, there was a strange charm to his song, and many of those present felt that they could see the highlands in their mind. Not a few members of the court had their preconceptions about the Pictish race challenged that night...

Over the next days, while the Centurion King made up his mind, a range of activities were held for the Saxon and Cymric visitors to Malahaut. The court went hawking, where Sir John was able to demonstrate his great skill with the noble raptors, although Sir Owen and Galan fared less successfully. The next day, the group went hunting. Here, too, Sir John was greatly skilled, as was Galan: while the Pict had little experience at the formal, courtly conventions of the hunt, he was extremely talented at woodcraft, tracking and trapping, and between the two of them they caught a deer and a brace of rabbits for their dinner that night.

Then, almost a week after their arrival, the Centurion King summoned the Saxons and the men of Logres to him privily. "I have weighed up the options before me," the King said gravely, "and found both wanting. Neither side I trust fully any more. Both sides offer me great perils in failure and great glory in success. I would hear your final words ere I make my judgment."

King Eosa began to speak then. His speech was short - he emphasized the advantages of paying tribute and having peace over a costly and uncertain war. He mentioned that the Saxons would gladly leave the area, once their business in the north was done, if they knew Malahaut would not turn on them. He pointed out the traditional enmity between Logres and Malahaut, and how the two would surely clash again - and how the aid of the Saxons would aid Malahaut in that conflict. His points made, the giant stepped back to allow Sir John to speak.

[Etherion Fenix]

Galan's features remained flat and impassive, till he heard the words business in the north. His face hardened as he moved nearer to Sir Owen. "I do not like this mention of up north. No good can come from their actions."
The worst thing he found, was he wasn't sure if his kin would be for or against the Saxons plans.

[Prince_Asuryan]

Striding forwards, John threw his arm towards Eosa. 'Great king, The offer of Logres is better than that of the Saxons, you must realise that. We do not ask for tribute and we do not ask to remain in your sovreign lands. We ask that you be partners in a great alliance. Eosa makes many pretty promises, but he puts himself in a position of power and wealth over you. King Uther does no such thing, he looks to maintain our balance, and strenghen it through friendship. Instead of demanding tribute we ask for trade. Instead of promising to leave your lands when our business is finished we promise to help you defend it if you ask for it. And our emnity is a thing that has been long held off, unlike the Saxons who rape and pillage their way across both our lands. We offer strength and security that the Saxons cannot offer.'

He let his arm fall to his side again, 'All British men must stand together and King Uther is a man who keeps his words and does not betray his friends. Do you think Eosa will do the same?'

[Calarion Sapherior]

"There is a great cost to what both ask for," the King of Malahaut said. "But I put aside my enmity once with the Pendragon as he asked - and he betrayed us all. I shall not do so a second time, and I do not think that Logres has the power to withstand them, not now that word has it that Uther has lost his magic sword. The Saxons have been rapacious, but ever honest in their rapacity. Malahaut shall pay tribute to the Saxons and remain at peace. My lord Eosa, we shall arrange for the first shipment of gold, as well as for the information you seek. My lord Sir John, you and your companions may remain here as long as you like, the laws of hospitality protect you, before you make your return to Logres."

[cidracin]

"Neither do I Galan. It can only mean trouble." replied Owen to the Pictish mercenary.

*******************************************************************

The Centurion King's decision hit Owen like a hammer. Part of it was shock that the king would actually chose to ally himself with the Saxons and even to pay them tribute! He hd not been expecting this even with Uther's recent behavior.

Even harder to swallow was the young knights realization that he would now be unable to be with the lovely Kara. Though they had just met Owen had fallen for her and hard. Believing that the Centuron King would surely side with Lorges Owen had already begun thinking about asking the Centurion King for permission to wed her given the Earl's permission. But now that Malahaut had sided with the Saxon the chances of either party agreeing to this now was remote. This knowledge weighed on Owen and he began to wish he could remain in the court of the Centurion King and spend more time with Kara.

[Prince_Asuryan]

Grinding his teeth, John bowed to the king. 'When the Saxons betray you, hope that our offer continues to stand. My tjanks for your hospitality, but we will depart sooner rather than later as we need to speak to our Earl.' John stallked from the hall.

'Owen, Galan. We depart tomorrow morning, so prepare your things. And gather what other information on this Saxon business you can'

[cidracin]

Owen thought about asking John to allow him to stay in Malahaut for a while longer but he knew from the older knight's tone that this would not be happening. John's order to gather information seemed would be a perfect excuse to talk to Kara at least one more time. he could not tell whether this was the older knight's way of telling him he could say goodbye.

With a bitter sweet feeling in his heart Owen began to look for Kara.

[Etherion Fenix]

Galan gathered information the way Galan did best, by getting rip roaring drunk and letting the drink loosen lips. Before that though, he imparted to Brian his own task. The lad would discretely talk to the other lads, stable boys, servers and see what they had heard.

[Calarion Sapherior]

That night, the group sought out as much information as they could. The decision of the Centurion King was the chief topic of conversation: some were for, others against. But no one seemed to have the information that the men of Logres sought, or else Sir John and his fellows were not skilled enough at drawing it out of them. It appeared that the knights would have to depart without gaining the information. As they were preparing their horses, Kara appeared, clad in simple attire. "Sir Owen, I would speak privily with you, an it please you," she said softly.

[cidracin]

"Of course Lady Kara." said Owen his features lighting up at her very presence. "I had hoped to talk with you again before I departed but I was beginning to think that it was not to be."

[Calarion Sapherior]

"I thought you might have left," she said, "and my heart could not bear it! My King betrays his people by siding with the Saxons - would you betray me too by leaving so soon?"

[cidracin]

"I would stay here for the rest of my life if it meant that I could remain with you Kara. But Sir John has made it quite clear that we must be off. We must bring news of Malahaut's siding with the Saxons to Lorges. It is an important task. But I would never wish to betray you so if you cannot bear to be parted from me I will remain here for a while. Consequences be damned."

[Calarion Sapherior]

"I long to ask that of you - but I am the daughter of a vavasour and know duty as well as any knight. It is a different boon I would ask - and grant, dear Sir Owen! My father Marcus has made up his mind to forsake his vassalage. We shall never be friends with the Saxons! Please, Sir Owen, take us with you."

ooc: OBSM is now the second longest RPG in the history of the website! Yay us! Next challenge: overtaking Storm!

[cidracin]

"You would come with me back to Lorges." said Owen shocked but happy beyond words. Unable to stop himself he brings Kara into a tight embrace. "Of course I will take you and your father back with me! You can both stay at my manor if your father approves."