One Brief Shining Moment

[Calarion Sapherior]

Fearghus nodded his assent, and so the galley headed south. A few hours away, they found a small cove, and there the ship anchored and waited until nightfall. The storm subsided and a thick bank of fog rolled over the Channel, further obscuring the foreign galley. The red-haired Pict ordered complete silence as the ship sailed north to where he and Sir Tinian had seen the wreckage. "We'll wait for you until just before dawn," Fearghus said, "then we must be off, lest the Saxons discover us."

The knights took the galley's small skiff and lowered it off the side. It was only barely large enough for the knights and the squires to fit. Sir Aldrydd took the oars and began deftly rowing towards land. The skiff rocked unpleasantly, and many of those in the boat wished that they had their horses instead, but these were safe and dry in a stable in London. Squire Bruce, who had been green-faced for much of the journey, lowered his head over the side of the boat and emptied his stomach into the water.

The skiff arrived on the beach, and the knights moved up to investigate the shipwreck. Search as they could, the knights could see no signs that might hint as to the location of the crew: they appeared to be entirely missing.

"Lay down your arms," a thick voice ordered in heavily-accented Breton. The knights had been so preoccupied that they had not noticed a patrol of Saxons had come down the cliff, down a steep path to the beach. There were ten Saxon warriors, with arrows aimed at the knights.

ooc: A whooole lot of awareness checks got failed in a row there...

[Prince_Asuryan]

OOC: That sucks. We hardly have the health for a big fight...

How far are we from the saxons?

[Calarion Sapherior]

ooc: They get one round of arrows, then it's melee. You are better individual warriors than most of them, and your Passions would help even up the numbers... but you are also pretty badly hurt. Even assuming no arrows, all you need is a little bit of bad luck for the fight to go badly against you.

[Prince_Asuryan]

Aye. I want to talk to the others, cos I have an idea or two...

[cidracin]

Aldrydd cursed himself for not noticing the Saxons before they had trapped them and had bows trained on them. Aldrydd could tell their odds of victory were slim to none. It seemed surrender was their only real option.
"I think we should surrender there is no dishonour in it," said Aldrydd.

[Prince_Asuryan]

As Aldryyd spoke, Tinian gave a roar of rage, drawing his sword. Sensing the impending bloodshed, John bodily threw himself at his friend, tackling him. Tinian struggled as the saxons watch on bemused. Quickly though, Tinian began to calm down. Slowly, John got to his feet.

'We need to be calm friend,' said John, 'I don't think we can win this.'

He turned to the Saxons. 'We surrender. On our honour as knights, we will go quietly, but allow us to keep our weapons.'

[Calarion Sapherior]

"Your honour as knights?" one of the Saxons sneered. "The waelisc have no honour!" Soon, the knights and the squires were disarmed and bound. One of the Saxons peered at the skiff. "Your friends are out there?" he said. "Soon we shall hunt them down and hang them like dogs."

The knights were marched up the cliff face, the Saxons close behind with their weapons drawn. A watchtower sat just behind the top of the chalk cliff, an ancient Roman structure. Behind it, the land was covered in thick woodlands: the Perdue Forest.

One of the Saxons, a massive man standing a full head taller than Sir John, emerged down the steps of the watchtower. "Waelisc spies, Coenred!" one of the men with the knights shouted to him. "We found them sniffing about the shipwreck. They must be looking for their friends. I think there's a ship out there as well."

The Saxon leader, Coenred, growled. "I have lost patience with your sneaking bastards friends. I have none for you. Uffa, take a horse and ride to Dover, get them to send a fleet out to sink their friends. As for you..."

Coenred unsheathed an immense two-handed sword that looked like it might have weighed almost as much as Sir Aldrydd. He struck with it, savagely, and Squire Reynold's body sagged, as blood splattered all over the others and his head vanished into the gloom over the edge of the white cliff.

"Tell me everything you know about the shipwreck at the bottom of the cliff and its crew. Now."

[cidracin]

Aldrydd met the Saxons gaze with his own gaze of piercing blue and there was no fear in Aldrydd's eyesf or he had been at the mercy of worse. "I am Sir Aldrydd of Salisbury. We were not sent here to spy on you Saxons. We came to the cliffs of Dover searching for a that ship that was wrecked upon the coast. The ship carried a Lady of London who we have spent months searching for and our leads led us here. It appears that she died in the surf or made it to land. She is a kinswoman of a late companion of mind and if you have captured her I would have you tell me Saxon." Aldrydd replied.

[Anarion]

Tinian recoiled as his squire was brutally slaughtered. A snarl escaped his lips. Reynold was just a youth. Silently he vowed, that dishonour or not he would pay this dog for that deed. Cold blooded murder if he had the chance.

He had nothing to add to Aldyrdd's words.

[Prince_Asuryan]

'What my friend says is true. We came only to look for the kin of our friend.'

[Calarion Sapherior]

Coenred laughed at Aldrydd. "You make demands of me?" he snorted. He reached out with one massive hand and took hold of Aldrydd's left ear, and then with a single jerk ripped it off. Blood sprayed from the knight's mangled ear, but Aldrydd was able to withstand the pain and did not cry out."

"You need to listen to me when I talk to you. I did not ask for lies, I asked for the truth! I know as well as you do that the ship was full of warriors..."

Then he stumbled, his eyes wide, and fell over. An arrow protruded from his back. The Saxons turned and cried out in shock, as more arrows arched out from the woods. For a moment, the guard around the knights was distracted.

[Prince_Asuryan]

With a roar, John took the distraction and launched himself towards the saxon closest to the cliff, trying to shoulder barge his opponent off the precipice.


OOC: rolled a 4 for Hate: Saxons.

[Anarion]

Tinian dropped and rolled into the legs of a guard hoping it would knock him down, and also hoping to avoid the whistling arrows. If he got his hands free the first thing he intended was to make sure that dog of a Saxon giant was good and dead.

OOC: 3 for hate (saxons). Sorry I had to leave MSN due to child related circumstances.

[cidracin]

Aldrydd was in a fury because of the pain he was in and the further marring of his looks by Saxons. For he already bore a hideous scar upon his chest from a Saxon blade the previous year at Mearcred Creek. He would make the Saxons pay for what they had done to him.
OOC:Hate Saxons 4 Aldrydd will reek bloody vengeance for his ear. This year seems like it will be more like last year than I had hoped.

[Calarion Sapherior]

Sir John was the first to move, flinging himself at a Saxon standing nearby. The Saxon staggered back, surprised; his surprise only increased when he fell back a second step and found nothing under his feet. Wailing, the Saxon toppled off the cliff. Sir Tinian flung himself against another of the Saxons and bullrushed him over the edge. Sir Aldrydd's hands were tied together; he flung himself upon a surprised Saxon and used the ropes binding his hands to crush the man's windpipe. Seeing an opening, Sir Alain scrambled for Coenrad's fallen greatsword and sawed his bonds open.

As the surprise of the attack began to fade, the Saxons rallied. More warriors emptied out of the watchtower, while those present began to attack the knights or the hidden archers. There was a gurgling cry from the bush: at least one of the ambushers had been slain. Swinging the greatsword like a berserker, Sir Alain hacked down one of his foes, while Sir Aldrydd, driven by bloody-minded rage, lifted one of the Saxons and hurled him into another. Sir Tinian was hit; his armour absorbed the wound, but he windmilled desperately on the edge of the cliff to maintain his balance, barely avoiding falling over the precipice. Sir John parried a Saxon blade with the rope between his hands, freeing them, and then delivered a vicious kick into his foe's crotch, before seizing the Saxon sword and running the man through.

With Sir John and Sir Alain now armed, the other knights were able to free themselves from their bonds and to seize the equipment that the Saxons had discarded. Now fully armed and driven by a lust for Saxon blood, the knights hurled themselves into their foe. Another two Saxons fell under the furious Cymric blades before the Saxons had had enough: they began to flee.

"Leave them!" one of the men from the forest said. Five men emerged: battle-scarred Cymric warriors, whose mismatched armour indicated that they were likely mercenaries. "We haven't much time. You're looking for Elissa: she's this way. We have to hurry before the Saxons return."

[cidracin]

Aldrydd's rage had begun to subside and the pain on the side of his head started to rise as he calmed down. While thankful for the mercenaries assistance he was bitter that he had not been able to kill the bastard Coenred himself. His death had been too clean. Now that they had recovered all their gear he began making his way to the woodlines where the mercanaries were waiting. He was intent on finally meeting the woman he had gone through so much pain to find.

[Bob of Beleriand]

ooc: Sorry guys, I'm feeling much better now. But you guys sure got into trouble while I was gone! Can I keep the Saxon sword, as well as reclaiming mine?

Alain was far from eager to abandon conflict with the Saxons, but he the more immediate and original objective that inspired their journey was close to fruition. Alain hurried along towards the Cymric warriors, trophy in hand.

[Calarion Sapherior]

The path that the mercenaries led the knights on did not seem long, but all of the knights knew that they would not be able to follow it again. The Perdue Forest seemed deep and dark and foreboding. It was places like this that could make a man believe that the Other People were lurking just out of sight. Past twisted bough and gnarled bole the mercenaries led them, down through a splashing stream that lapped around their ankles and calves. Many of the branches around the knights were still bare, and they clattered together in the wind, an eerie sound. Many had the first buds and sprigs of spring upon them.

In a small clearing stood a pile of boulders. Two of the mercenaries pushed at one of the boulders, revealing a narrow opening into an underground cave. Sir Aldrydd shivered as he looked upon it, remembering the last time that he had ventured into an underground cave in a forest, but the mercenaries headed in. Inside was a cramped and dirty chamber. Through dim torchlight, the knights could see many people: men, women, and children, and all of them visibly foreign. These people were not of Cymric or of Saxon descent, nor of Pictish or Irish.

Save for one woman, clad in practical if mannish garb. In her face, the knights could see the resemblance to Sir Gaius. This, at last, was Elissa, who they had come such a long way to discover. At her side, a foreign man rose as well, clad in richly decorated armour.

"What is it? Who are these men?" Elissa demanded.

"Knights, here looking for you," one of the mercenaries growled. "Apparently they have a ship moored off the coast."

"Jesus be praised," she said, relief evident in her face. "This may be the answer we've been looking for. Sir Knights, if you have been looking for me, then you've found me; but now I need your help. The Saxons are hunting for us, and we must not be discovered."

She gestured to the foreign man at her side. "May I present Praetor Syagrius of Soissons, until recently the last Roman governor left in the western Empire..."


ooc: Have a look at the dinner conversation during your first night in Winchester, page 14.

[Prince_Asuryan]

John struggled to remember the name, but soon found he had heard it at Winchester.

'Praetor Syagrius,' nodding stiffly. 'We were very sorry to hear of the fall of your outpost. A great blow for civilisation.'

However, he had more pressing matters at hand. 'Lady Ellissa, it warms my heart to find you safe. We are friends of Gaius of Burcombe, sent to find you by Earl Roderick. Now we have a ship moored near where you found us. Is there any way we can get to it?'

[Bob of Beleriand]

OOC: Why would the Saxons care about an exiled Roman? I thought it was the Franks that destroyed Soissons?

"You won't be found here behind a bastion of boulders, our presence, nor your rescue of us, would change that. So it stands to reason you don't want to stay hidden. Naturally we will aid you and yours, that as much is plainly obvious since we came for you. But the Saxons know we arrived here by sea, if we are to escape in the manner we arrived we will have to do so soon." Alain noted that the two had come full circle, the Romans now sought aid from the Britons. Alain likewise noted that a boon could be gained from the Praetor, one that would likely find Onion most satisfied.

[Calarion Sapherior]

ooc: Remember, the Saxons don't know who was on the ship - that was what they were asking you. All they know is that some ship with a lot of soldiers got wrecked and that the survivors escaped into the wilderness. The Franks destroyed Soissons, yes - that's who the foreigners are whose ship you stole. Guess who they were looking for.

The Praetor inclined his head to Sir John solemnly. "Now I must treat with your King Uther Pendragon to garner resources to reclaim my demesne," he said. "The Saxons search for us, however; they are cognizant of the shipwreck and, ergo, of our presence, but not our identities or our location. However, we cannot stay hidden here long: our supplies are running out, and the hunt grows more persistent. Perforce we must leave ere the Saxons discover us. In your ship."

Elissa, meanwhile, smiled. "Cousin Gaius? Where is he? I haven't seen him since he was knee-high to a donkey, running hitting everything with a stick and saying he was slaying dragons."

[Anarion]

Tinian decided that honesty would be better than waiting for a better moment. "Alas," he said. "Sir Gaius has passed on, notably acquitting himself against a dread foe. We honor his mission in his memory."

"Our ship will wait until dawn only," he added. "We should hurry."

[Calarion Sapherior]

"Gaius is dead?" Elissa said, and her composure cracked: it was obvious that she was deeply affected by the news. "You're right," she said. "We can talk later. For now, we have to escape."

The group evacuated and moved back to the watch tower while Elissa filled the knights in on what had happened: she had had dealings with the Praetor before, and so when Soissons was attacked, Syagrius managed to get word to her. She hired mercenaries and then took a ship to rescue Syagrius and as many of his court as could be managed; but the ship was caught in a storm while crossing the channel and was shipwrecked. The group had managed to fight their way past the watchtower and discovered the cavern in the forest, but as a result the Saxons were hunting them, presumably thinking that they were some manner of advance raiding party. Upon being told of the foreigners whom the knights had battled at sea, Elissa nodded. "The Frankish King Claudas knows that he is only a false usurper as long as the Praetor lives."

The knights arrived back at the cliff to find that the fog had raised somewhat. It was now very early in the morning, a few hours before dawn. To the north, in the direction of Dover, fire could be seen: the fire of torches. A Saxon force was rapidly advancing.

"With that skiff," Elissa said, "we can only ferry about six people at a time to the ship. That means we will need to make about eight trips. The Saxons will be on us by then. Sir Knights, you will have to protect us. My mercenaries will join you - that will make ten of you, to hold off whatever the Saxons can throw at us. It is a tall order, but I think it might be the only way."

ooc: You have about an hour before the Saxons arrive to make whatever preparations you want. You will need to hold them off for a half hour. Half your defense force will have to evacuate in the last ten minutes, and the other half at the end of the thirty minutes.

[Prince_Asuryan]

John groaned. None of them were in any real position for another fight, but they would have to do the best that they could. He began barking some orders to the men aorund him.

'Grab as much of this driftwood as you can - the biggest, strongest pieces. I want a wall and barricade set up At the base of the path. That will reduce the numbers they can bring to bear.'

He turned to the squires, 'help them, then grabs bows - shoot the Saxons as they come down the cliff.*'


Finally, he looked at his fellow knights. 'We should try to make some fires, maybe we can boobytrap the path and set it alight...'

---------

OOC: I assume squires are allowed to use bows. My computer broke last week, and my copy of pendragon got deleted it seems.

I also rolled a few skills that may help:

11 for battle - either to help in preparation or the actual fight.
10 in hunting (critical) - might help in working out the lay of the land for defensive positions or something...

[cidracin]

Aldrydd had remained silent throughout their meeting with Elissa and the praetor for the Saxons were on the way for as Elissa had rightly said the time for talk would come later. Now that the defense was being organized Aldrydd had some ideas and plans on how the could best hold out against the attackers. "The barrier sounds like a fine idea John. If we have enough time and manpower perhaps we could cut some trees down and make some stakes to make the Saxon's crossings even more difficult. As for lighting the path on fire I do not think we have the materials for such a tactic. But I have another idea but it will only work if our late Saxon foes left us any alchohol in the watchtower." said Aldrydd and he began to outline his idea to the others.

OOC1: Here are my ideas for the defense. We could make some fires throughout the battle field. We can use any glass liqour/wine bottles we find as molotv cocktails and use the fires or torches to light the cloth. Lantern oil/kerosine could be used for the same purpose and if we have enough we could set fire to the path like Asuryan suggested. Kegs can be placed at points where the enemy will come through and be esed as explosives. They could be set off with alchohol soaked cloth or shot with flaming arrows if that works(not sure whether the later is possible).
I imagine the molotoc cocktails at least can be made and accomplished while the keg exploding idea is less likely.
Batlle 6 rolled for the plan.

OOC2:It says half of us defenders needs to evacuate and leave the other group waiting at half strength right? Shall we leave the mercenaries to probably get slaughtered or be heroic and stay while the mercs get away. Personally I think we should leave the hired muscle but that is not very brave is it

[Bob of Beleriand]

OOC: You won't find suitable ingredients to create a Molotov. They won't have methanol or any of the thickening agents you need to do it. Alcohol fires will burn great, although it burns better when its diluted by water, that is really getting into meta-player knowledge and perhaps unnecessary details. Likewise we're a few hundred years too early to have kegs of explosives improvised or otherwise.

"Could we use this?" Alain inquired quietly, pointing at the canvas mast that adorned the skeleton of the ship. Preparation and fortification was something that didn't come as easily to him as it did the others, the fantastic and outlandish plots they proposed was beyond his comprehension. He was still concerned of the well-being of Tinian and Aldrydd however, they had both been scarred, although in different manners by the Saxons.

[Calarion Sapherior]

ooc: A more detailed report on resources for your planning:

There is a cliff overlooking the sea. The top of the cliff is clear, and there is a small tower back a short distance from the edge of the cliff. The tower has basic provisions within it - the horses have been taken by the Saxons when they fled from your escape, but it has lantern oil, ropes, chains, food and drink (water for bathing, beer for drinking), etc. No glass though - containers are either clay or else they're skin. No weaponry to speak of. Back behind the tower is the Perdue Forest (largely leafless).

The cliff itself is quite high. There is a short path which winds down the side of it, wide enough for one person to pass at a time. Two people could go at once, but it would be very precarious and extremely unsafe. The path has no cover from the top of the cliff. At the bottom of the cliff is a very small beach. It's large enough that everyone who's being evacuated can wait down there. There is most of a ruined ship on it - far too badly damaged to be repairable, and it's missing its skiff. However, the wood of the ship can be used for whatever purposes you want, and there is also the rigging (ropes) and the sail (canvas) as raw materials.

And Sir Aldrydd has just spotted that Coenred's body is missing.

[cidracin]

After seeing all the materials at their disposal he began to think fire was not much of a viable option.
"I guess the best we can do is to is to make two barriers. One at the top of the cliff at the entrance to the cliff paths. And one where the narrow path widens at the base of the cliff to meet the beach. The one at the botttom should be be built in a way that it can give the most cover possible from archers that could posistion themselves at the top of the cliff. When the top barrier seems like it is about to be over run we can retreat down the cliff to the second one. Also as we retreat down the cliffs face the last man coming down could pour some lantern oil on the path and set it alight to slow the pursuit. Although perhaps we should only build one at the base of the cliff since we have only one hour?" said Aldrydd.

The side of his head still hurt from where that thrice damned whores son Coenred had ripped of his outter ear. It was just then that he noticed that his late foes body was misssing. "Where did that giant bastard Saxon Coenred's body go who moved it and where to?" Aldrydd demanded of the gathered people his anger threatening to rise again.
OOC: Do we want to build a barrier at the base or the top of the cliff? Or both? If bot the last defender retreating down the cliff can spread all the lantern oil on the path behind them ad set it on fire to slow pursuers down. We should shield the lower barricade from fir from archers at the top of the cliff perhaps we could raise some some thickly folded sail canvas above the defenders side of the barrier to give some protection from arrows . Canvas is quite thick and if folded could give us protection while defending the barrier. Perhaps thhe bottom barrier could also have a trench dug in front of it. Thoughts on this plan and should we have two barriers?

Battle 6 rolled.

[Prince_Asuryan]

Thinking, John gestured to the men to have them continue building the wall at the base of the path. 'We can build one at the top if we have time.' He looked across at Alain. 'Yes, the sails may protect us from some of the arrows should they try shooting us - if we can stretch them across our wall, but I don't know how.'

Which way is the wind blowing? If we light a fire down here, with so much wet wood and sail, the smoke could help blind them as they come down the cliff, if we light it just beyond our wall. We could also douse the wall in alcohol to help burn it as we fall back.'

'Could we burn the watch tower? It could distract them as they approach, and may even collapse by the time they arrive.'

Finally, he turned to the others. 'I don't suppose anyone will remain behind - the top of the cliffs will give us many Saxons to shot at as they go down it.'


OOC: Right, which of these things do we have time to do if all the escapee's chip in? Also, we can't fall back till last - it's dishonourable.

[Anarion]

"I don't think we should fire the tower," said Tinian. "It will only hasten the Saxons on. Let us use the ruined ship to provide refuge and defense for those who will leave first. It will be too wet for them to burn with fire arrows, if they even have any. For ourselves, let us use the chains and oil to make the path down even more treacherous. We can try to hold the top for awhile, indeed, but we will be in the open there and outnumbered. They can come down the path only one at a time. A treacherous path, while be shot at from below and met on the path by one of us - perhaps you Alain, you are the best of us in sword play."

"Did no one ensure that bastard Saxon was dead?"

OOC: rolled a 7 for battle.