Note:  You are not sure exactly which Lords sent troops with Arthur but Earl Robert suggested that most of them did, including many large kingdoms around Salisbury and definitely Escavalon (hence the Princess's presence here).  Salisbury is supposed to be guarding Logres while Arthur is gone.  Earl Robert sent out messengers (5 of them) to Kingdoms and Duchies that could potentially get troops here in time but you don't know which Lords those were and which messages got through.  It is a fair bet that the closest Lords are away.  As a side note, absent some connection to these Lords, they are probably unlikely to send large numbers of knights off on the word of a knight they don't know.  This does not mean that you are not free to try, it is simply background information your knights know.

"I intend to make for Levcomagus myself brother, I would be more than happy to see you there.  Though I should note, we know of at least 40 Irish that are somewhere to the north, so riding alone probably isn't the smartest idea.  And Sir Gracian, we will see how the situation shapes up at Sarum, it may well prove impossible for you to actually return to the fortress if the Irish have encircled it."

"Before we scatter the prisoners let's burn the pikes and bows." Sir Dalan says. "Even the Irish can't have unlimited supplies of weaonry with them - or at least not so fine as these."

"The river will take care of all their weapons, and it will be much faster my brother, but yes I agree, let's take away their ability to fight" Perin says with a nod.

Sir Sejanus and Sir Garym receive 3 points of healing, Sir Dalan (with highest First Aid) gets a check in First Aid.

Releaving the Irish of their weapons, which are dumped in the Avon, and armor, some of which is taken with the knights, the party splits in two, with the wounded and dead heading off with a pair of knights going north, and the other twenty knights and two messengers heading south.

After about an hour and a half, the group comes in sight of Sarum.  It appears surrounded on all sides by Irish troops, hundreds of them.  There are also groups of knights here and there.  Siege engines are being put into position, suggesting that the siege began a while ago as the siege equipment would have taken a while to move up from Wilton.

Groups of pickets are moving out from the besieging troops, which are digging in.

All told, there are probably 400-500 troops surrounding the city with more acting as pickets around the perimeter.  A few dozen knights in groups of ten or so.  The bridges cannot be seen from this vantage.

Almost immediately, horns are blown and the cavalry begins to mass, suggesting that the Salisbury knights have been spotted.  You are in no immediate danger but probably being pursued by double your own number of knights is not in your immediate best interests.

You have a bit of time but prolonged discussions will result in either a short battle here against ~40 knights and some large number of soldiers or perhaps a prolonged chase.

Taking in the scene before them, Perin grimaces.  "Hold as long as you can my friends, we will return, I promise."  With that, Perin turns his mount around and begins to retreat with all haste.  Meeting the Irish knights in battle here would not end well, and so there was little time to spare.
This message was last edited by the player at 11:37, Tue 14 Nov 2017.

Sir Dalan turns his steed and follows. Discretion is the better part of valour and all that.

Uttering a surprisingly number of curses Sir Gracian turned his steed and followed his companions feeling like he had abandoned his lord and foesaken his duties.

  Sejanus sat there a moment, as the others turned away; He stood up in the saddle and one of his hands made a gesture as old as the Republic.” Potes meos suaviari clunes!!” Then wheeled his mount, and followed the others.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:43, Tue 14 Nov 2017.

The group heads back up North toward Winterslow.  At the scene of the battle are the dead and wounded but no signs of the surviving Irish.   You continue up to Winterslow and then along to Bulford.  As they approach the forest, Sir Garym and the others hale them from a copse of trees and explain that the Irish soldiers you fought headed back into the woods about an hour ago.  There were 34 of them and about half were armed.

It is currently around 2 in the afternoon and you have been riding and fighting for a day-and-a-half.  Plans?

If heading to Upperchute, by what route are you traveling?  The road from Fittleton to Upperchute is an 'old track' (i.e. poor road).

It is probably 2 hours to Fittleton or Upperchute following the rivers and 3+ hours to Fittleton going through the woods.  The path from Fittleton to Upperchute probably takes about 2 hours.

"We need to make our way to Levcomagus immediately.  If we follow the river, it will get us to Upperchute, where hopefully the Irish haven't been able to bring down the bridge yet.  From there it is just a few hours to the city.  While I'm loathe to travel this route, I see little choice."
This message was last edited by the player at 10:28, Wed 15 Nov 2017.

  "We have to inform the High King, of what goes on here. While the odds are, he could not send forces, in time, the attempt must be made."

"That's fair, but may I suggest we focus on the task at hand my brother?  We need to escape the Irish blockade first and foremost, we can worry about the rest later.  Are there any objections to my plan my friends?  Sir Garym, will you be able to make it without aggravating your injuries further?"
This message was last edited by the player at 00:47, Wed 15 Nov 2017.

"We must do something, I am in agreement, Sir Perin."

So we are clear, it is 2 PM, going along the river to Fittleton will take about 2 hours, continuing on the road to Upperchute will take another two hours or so, and if the bridge is still intact, continuing on to Levcomagus is about another 2 hours.  That means arriving at Levcomagus at 8:00 PM, around when it is getting too dark to reliably travel as it is now Summer.

Think about:

1.  Earl Robert guessed that Sarum would hold a week or less given the water situation.  As of this morning, the Avon was fouled and they were getting no extra water.  The hope was to hold the bridges for a couple of days, not less than a day.  So 4-5 days might be a more realistic time frame.  It is probably 3-4 days to Hereford, depending on a variety of factors.

2.  If the 100 Irish that pursued Sir Sejanus (and were seen by those destroying the bridge at Amesbury heading north) are the same ones you just fought 60 of, then:
A) 40 of them were up to something this morning instead of coming south.
B) The bridge at Fittleton has almost certainly been destroyed.
C) The bridge a Upperchute is probably on their hitlist.

3.  You know that there are 34 soldiers, at least 15-20 of whom are armed and the others probably now have sticks or rocks as well, ahead of you.  If they are heading toward Upperchute along the river, they will get there in enough time to destroy the bridge at Upperchute if you go to Fittleton first.

4.  There are only 22 combat ready knights.  Running into the 40 soldiers would be bad, running into the 40 soldiers with the other 34 soldiers would be disastrous.

5.  Sir Garym should probably not be riding anymore than necessary and the quicker you get him to Levcomagus, the more likely he will be able to recover and be useful again, rather than spending the next week lying on his back while everyone else is off getting themselves killed saving Salisbury.

Perin frowns "It seems we need to make for a crossing with all haste then.  We stand a chance of making it to Upperchute before they destroy it.  I imagine that the other chunk of their forces went to Upavon to destroy that bridge, so hopefully they aren't present."

Blowing out a heavy sigh, he continues "We need to gather any forces that we are able and prepare to return to Sarum with all haste.  We find anyone who might even remotely be able to come to our aid and beg for their help.  Make them aware that if we fall, the Irish will have free run of their lands too, and that whatever forces they hold at home won't be sufficient to stop them."

With that, he turns to his brother knights and addresses them by name "Sir Dalan and Gracian, send our messengers for your knights, and see if your relatives and acquaintances might be of any help.  You are far better known than any of us, so your words will carry a greater weight.  Sir Sejanus, as much as I hate to say, perhaps asking the Praetor for his aid?  If he is on campaign with the King, then ask whomever he left in his stead.  Perhaps your lady might be able to help you convince them?  And as for myself, I will ride for the Countess Fiona, as she represents the largest, best trained force that is readily available."  Perin doesn't mention Garym of course, he doesn't want to make his brother feel as if he has to do anything else; the man has already given more than enough to Salisbury's defense.

Frowning, he seems to change his mind as he turns to look the wounded man directly in the eyes "All that remains is to figure out a rally point.  Sir Garym, you have the finest mind for strategy amongst us, what do you suggest?  How can we turn this situation against the Irish, assuming we are able to find the forces we need?"
This message was last edited by the player at 16:07, Wed 15 Nov 2017.

"Each of us has lineage men and knights that are of are family. Each of these men must be mustered. Once in place, we need to limit how many battles are fought. If, possible luring their knights into an ambush. The trouble comes that most likely our men are scattered, and unable to respond in a timely manner. The trouble comes in the fact that we do not have the men available to be effective. My fear is that by the time troops are mustered we will have been to late to stop their plans." Garym was tired from his wound. He did not want to steal hope from his comrades, but he simply did not have the strength to paint a pretty picture.

"We also have our neighbors, and while many are out on campaign with the King, there surely must be some around.  There are a number of manors to the northwest that should largely be untouched, so perhaps sending some men there would be a good thing." he says nodding in agreement with Sir Garym.

And trust me, I will find a way to bring the Countess' force here in time.  We will save Sarum."</blue>  Perin says with a fierce grin.  The large knight is quite sure of himself, it's as if the possibility of failing never once crossed his mind.  In truth it's a refreshing change from the doom and gloom of the past few days, and it's nothing if not a little infectious.

"However we need to escape to fight another day my brothers, so with your leave, I suggest that we make for Upperchute immediately."

The group heads North-east along the Bourne River, occasionally seeing signs of soldiers having passed by recently.  After a couple of hours, they break out of the forest and see the bridge ahead.  Although still standing, a familiar group is in the process of demolishing it.  A quick charge sends the Irish scattering into the trees with a dozen dead.

As they inspect the bridge to make sure that it is still intact, one of the knights sees another group of Irish heading down the road toward them.  It is another three dozen or so Irish soldiers.  After a charge and heated battle, the remaining Irish surrender.  Another knight is dead and three more badly wounded.

Ten of the knights are left at the bridge to ensure that the Irish who scattered do not return to destroy it.  The other eight plus wounded and dead take the Irish prisoners to Levcomagus.  There, Sir Garym collapses, exhausted into bed.  His wounds aggravated by all of the riding.  Fortunately, the town healer is very accomplished and by noon the following day, he has recovered his health, even if he is still badly wounded.

At first light, Sir Perin and those interested in following him set off for Hereford, stopping at Stonewall on the way and sending a messenger ahead to Dover's Crossing.  The road is long and hard after two days of near constant riding and fighting.  At Stonewall, Sir Gracian's three knights accompany them as well as two dozen more provided by the Duke of Gloucester, sadly all that can be spared with much of their army away with Arthur.

After a grueling three-and-a-half days, the beleaguered group arrives in the late afternoon in Hereford.

Meanwhile, back in Salisbury, Sir Garym and those remaining behind set about gathering up those knights cut off from Sarum and begin probing the Irish lines.  After a couple of days, they have managed to put together a force of 45 knights and 120 men-at-arms.

They discover that the bridges in the south along the Avon and Bourne Rivers and the one at Allington are well defended.  However, the areas between the Wylye and Avon and the Wylye and Naddar Rivers are not as well defended.  On the morning of the fifth day after Sir Perin and others left, they plan to attack the area just North of Wilton, hoping to cut the Irish supply lines and force them away from Sarum.

The Countess is waiting for the small group when they arrive in her courtyard.  With a sardonic smile she quips, "there are no Saxons here, Sir Perin, you seem a long way from home."

After a brief explanation of the situation in Salisbury, her face clouds over like a storm at sea.

(“There are three things all wise men fear: the sea in storm, a night with no moon, and the anger of a gentle man.” - Patrick Rothfuss)

Turning to her steward, she commands in a cold voice, "call my knights.  All of them.  Anyone not here before dawn tomorrow will have his head on a pike adorning my bedchamber."

The Steward hurries off and less than a minute later there is the sound of a mighty horn,  Three short blasts, followed by one long one.  The sound is repeated every minute for ten minutes.  Soon, far off in the distance, other horns can be heard, relaying the command.

Fiona beckons the knights to follow as she turns on her heel and walks briskly back into her castle.  She approaches the door to the library, which she opens with a key hung round her neck.  Inside are books.  Walls and walls of books.  More books than any of those present could imagine existing in the world.  There must be hundreds of them.  In addition, there are scrolls and maps and ledgers and more.

Without a word, she goes over to a shelf and after a quick search pulls out a large map of Salisbury, which she lays out on a table.  Gathering the knights around, she has Sir Perin describe the Irish forces, how they attacked, numbers, armament, tactics, and everything else that could be relevant.  Then, she asks incisive questions about the bridges and how they were held, what the terrain is like, how close the Avon river is, and a series of other questions.

A large knight accompanied the group as they filed into the room and he and Fiona now look at each other.  "There are too many for us, even with surprise.  Assuming that Salisbury's other knights and men are gathered and we can count on those in Sarum helping, we don't have the numbers," Fiona muses.

The knight replies, "they will be out of water by tomorrow knight.  That many people?  I warned Sir Robert about that but he was rather more interested in planning his wedding."

Fiona cuts him off with a sharp stare, perhaps not approving of derogatory comments about Earl Robert, especially in front of his knights.  She taps a long, manicured nail against her chin, pondering.  At length she replies, "they are a superstitious lot.  And Christian.  We will need the Fair Folk to get there, might as well pony up for an additional favor.

The knight shoots the countess a quizzical look but says nothing.

A decision apparently made, Fiona turns to the knights, "you are going to need your rest, there is food prepared for you in the dining room and beds upstairs, Sir Perin knows the way.  We are going to attack the Irish at dawn, so be ready."

Ushering everyone out of the library, she locks the room before turning and planting a rather sensual and decidedly unchaste kiss on Sir Perin, forestalling any questions, before heading off down the corridor, her knight in tow.

Sensing that Fiona is not in an explaining mood, Sir Perin leads the others to the dining room, where they find that Ellowyn's father has procured them two dozen knights, in addition to Sir Dalan's personal knights from Dover's Crossing.

As usual, Sir Perin is up before dawn and sees the Countess dressed in blood-red armor.  She looks miserable to be up so early, her eyes barely focusing.  She mumbles something that could be 'morning,' or perhaps 'death.'  It is difficult to tell.  Going out into the courtyard, the knights find the 36 knights from Escavalon, 27 from Gloucester, and 120 from Hereford.

Fiona mounts a fiery-red horse with an orange mane that anyone with a Faerie Lore of 5 of higher recognizes as a Faerie Horse.  She leads the procession of knights out of the castle and into the forest.  The place is as spooky and odd as ever, prehaps more so in the pre-dawn light.

Time seems to blur and reality fades and soon the large mass of knights is following a winding path, bordered by small white stones.  They travel for some time along this path before coming out into a clearing.

This place is at once similar and foreign to the Faerie Court Sir Dalan and Sir Gracian visited in the Kingdom of Inapercu.  It is as strange and magical but darker somehow.  Not exactly Evil but perhaps not quite as friendly.  Fiona dismounts and approaches the King, who sits on an Ebony Throne made of Obsidian.  She kneels and presents him an object that appears to glow a deep red, pulsing occasionally.

He accepts the object with a smile and waves toward three Faerie Knights, dressed in a rather odd fashion.  The Countess rises and bows once more, backing out of the King's presence.

The three Faerie Knights accompany Fiona at the head of the procession, which now follows a different path out of the clearing.  As with the first path, this one is edged by white stones and twists and turns through the forest.  After several hours, they come to a clearing.  The clearing comes up to a small stream that seems to shimmer and distort the light.

Fiona and the three Faerie Knights approach the stream, while her knights form three rows behind her, followed by two more rows of the other knights, including those from Salisbury.

At her signal, the group steps forward, row by row, into the small stream and vanish.

It has been most of a week since the Irish invaded and Sarum is full to bursting with people, knights, and soldiers.  What it is not full of is food and water, especially the later.  With the huge influx of people, even rationing has not been able to stretch the water supplies long.

Sir Robert sits out on the battlements looking at the large Irish force besieging his castle.  He wonders idly about those knights who disappeared before the attack and whether or not they have been able to procure help.  Princess Gwendollyn comes up silently behind him, putting a hand on his shoulder.  "We are going to have to surrender," he says morosely.

The Princess chuckles, a sweet musical sound, "there is still time.  We have friends and they will come," she says, as she has repeatedly over the last few days when the Earl's spirits are flagging.

Robert smiles and nods.  But deep down, he knows they won't make it through the day.  Summoning his general, he orders the men to prepare for battle.  Better to go down fighting, he thinks to himself.

As the dawn's light breaks over the horizon, a lookout calls out and points to the West.  It takes a moment for the scene to resolve itself because it does not make a lot of sense at first glance.  There are about forty knights in a line by the stream . . . no there is another line of forty that just appeared out of the water . . . hold on, now there are three lines of forty, no, two more lines, the last slightly smaller, have appeared.  They seem to have just walked out of the stream itself because they were never on the other side.

But that is not the strangest part.  In front of the four lines of knights are four riders.  The first is on a horse as white as snow that almost glows.  The rider wears dazzling white armor and holds a bow.  He screams "Victory!" and the knights behind raise their lances and scream "VICTORY!"  Although the knights are some half a mile distant, their voices reverberate as if they were right next to you.

The next rider is astride a fiery-red horse with an orange mane.  Her blood-red armor is form-fitting and she wears no helm, thus displaying the flaming red hair and noble countenance of Countess Fiona.  She screams "War!" and the knights behind raise their weapons again and yell "WAR!"

The next rider rides a midnight-black horse that is so dark that it appears almost as a shadow.  The rider is wearing brilliant armor polished like a mirror that reflects the light of the sun toward all who behold him and he holds a pair of scales and a sword.  He screams "Justice!" and those behind call out in response "JUSTICE!"

The final rider is mounted on a pale horse, the color of bleached bones.  He is dressed all in black and he carries a giant scythe.  There is an inhuman screeching sound (as knives on a blackboard) and he croaks out "Death!" and the knights behind scream "D-E-A-T-H!" and they all charge forward.

The first three rows of knights are on Andalusian Chargers, which are heavy war horses similar in speed to the Salisbury knights' chargers, while the four figures in the front are moving about half again faster.

The enemy is thrown into chaos.  A very large number of soldiers and knights are literally running or riding as fast as they can in any direction that does not seem to be West.  Others are simple lying on the ground or standing and watching in horror.  As the wave of knights approach the scattering Irish, there seems to be a tide of darkness at their heels.

Victory is firing arrow with deadly accuracy at an inhuman pace, Justice is hewing about him with a vengeance, Death is wielding his scythe like an allergy sufferer going after ragweed, and Fiona's sword is actually on fire.  Those who stand in their path get churned under the charging wave, which does not even slow down.

A group of a dozen knights rallies behind Sir Cormacc and seems intent on charging the leaders.  Although several are felled by Victory's arrows, the group hits the lead group, Sir Cormacc himself striking Fiona, who falls from her horse.  Several of his companions are felled.  The whole scene becomes lighter and the roiling clouds that seemed to follow the knights disappears.

Sir Perin, whose horse is mighty but not as fast as the others, charges toward Sir Cormacc, who wheels to finish off the downed Countess.

The gates of Sarum open and Sir Robert, his knights, and his soldiers come pouring out on the Irish flank, sending them scurrying back to the South and away from Sarum.

Seeing the tide of battle turning, Sir Cormacc and his knights, soon joined by the rest of the Irish knights, set off at a gallop toward the bridges to the South.

Sir Garym and those knights that have remained or been gathered, set off along the Western bank of the Avon at dawn, heading toward Wilton and the Irish supply lines.  They witness the breaking of the siege from behind and realizing that they may be able to cut off the Irish retreat, head toward Wilton as fast as they can, their soldiers following.

There is already a stream of Irish soldiers coming across the bridges on the Avon when they arrive.  Unfortunately, this prevents them from getting to the second bridge in time to stop the Irish knights from escaping into Wilton.

The Salisbury cavalry, and not long after their soldiers as well, fight with the Irish streaming across the Northern bridge over the Avon.  The Salisbury forces steadily push back the Irish, who eventually break.  Joining the other knights from Hereford and Sarum, they cut off the remaining Irish forces before they can get to Wilton, although some 150 made it.

It takes some time to batter down the gates to Wilton, during which time the Irish set fire to the city, effectively cutting off the pursuit.  Another 100 or so soldiers made it over the Bourne and were able to disappear into the forests to the South before their fellows were captured.

In all, about 550 Irish were captured or killed and a dozen Irish knights were killed.

Sir Perin finds Countess Fiona unconscious on the field.  He does not see any actual wounds but she is pale and unresponsive.  Bringing her into Sarum, she is given a bedroom and provided with what medical care can be offered.  It appears, however, that her ailments are not physical.  Sir Perin guesses that she over exerted herself in some manner.

After a couple of days rest, she wakes and appears to be herself once more.

After reading Sir Garym's letter, she asks for the knight.  When Sir Garym appears, she tells him "the young lady you brought to the feast has been cursed by the Fae.  If you want to remove the curse, you are going to need to take her back to the Other Side and request a boon of the King there.  Beware, the Fae are tricky and if he cursed her it was for a reason and he won't be happy to undo his work.  She is very strong to have escaped.  If you want to find out where she came from and why she was cursed, that will be a separate bargain."

She provides some tips on bargaining with the Fae before telling him, "to get to the Other side, you need to walk backward across the stream she used to escape.  Once on the Other Side, follow the path.  Do NOT leave the path."

Everyone gets 200 Glory for repelling the Irish.

Everyone gets 100 Glory for defeating Irish soldiers.

Sir Sejanus gets a check in Honest for refusing to divulge a secret.

Sir Garym gets a check in Prudent for his planning.

Everyone gets a check in Merciful for not slaughtering the Irish prisoners.