It has been a few weeks since the tournament and everyone is healed up and getting ready for the summer campaign against the Saxons.  The spring planting is done and the manors can safely be left in the care of those hired to handle them.

Ariette, Ellowyn, Fiona, and Galeria all departed on the final day of the tournament, while the Queen left after the funeral for Sir Lamorak the following day.  The Princess has remained at Sarum.

-- Sir Dalan --

Sir Dalan is preparing to depart for Sarum when there is a report of bandits along the southern border of his manor that edges on the forest.  Riding out with some men-at-arms, he does not get far before seeing a frightening scene.  There are at least a hundred men-at-arms heading toward him.  Having fought various peoples, he recognizes these as Irish.  Of course, that is impossible.  How could the Irish have made it this far inland without being seen by anyone?  The entire duchy of Dorset is in the way.

A normal bandit group is 6-10 people, perhaps larger in some cases but usually poorly armed and unarmored.  A Saxon warband is usually more like 30-40.  This is much larger and well armed and armored.

-- Sir Garym --

Sir Garym and Arianwen are out riding when they see smoke to the West and to the South.  Soon after a rider appears, his horse lathered with foam.  "The Irish are attacking from the West!" he exclaims before riding off.

-- Sir Sejanus --

Sir Sejanus is composing a letter to Galeria when word reaches him that an Irish army is attacking Chitterne and that it probably won't hold out much longer.  The rider than continues on his way to warn others.

-- Group --

You are all in slightly different time lines.  Sir Dalan is early in the morning, Sir Garym closer to noon, and Sir Sejanus early afternoon.  You know only what is in your paragraph(s).  Sir Dalan only really has one direction in which to travel but Sir Garym and Sir Sejanus have some options but getting more information from the riders is not possible.  Sir Gracian and Sir Perin are unaware as yet of what is going on.

As a general rule, once you realize the scope of the attack, you should all be trying to get to Sarum and help others to do so as well by warning them or helping to hold bridges or crossroads (or destroying bridges).  Your decisions will impact how things play out in terms of how many knights and soldiers make it to Sarum and whether or not you make it or are killed or captured.

Given the numbers involved, although your characters are not yet aware of it, you won't be able to stem the tide but anyplace you go will be able to hold out longer due to your presence.  For reference, there are 75 knights and 165 soldiers under Earl Robert.  A normal request to gather them would take a few days (sending out riders, knights gathering equipment, knights traveling to Salisbury).

Look at the Group 0 Map for reference as to where things are relative to you.  You can generally assume that people can walk along rivers but they generally can't ford them except at roads.  Keep in mind that people are going to be panicking and the news you get is not necessarily accurate.  Also, people will not necessarily be acting as they would if they were sitting in a comfortable chair typing on a computer.
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:54, Sun 05 Nov 2017.

Sir Dalan's jaw drops but after a moment he comes to his senses. Turning on horseback to his sergeant of men-at-arms. "Back to Tisbury. Hewgon, you and the others will help to evacuate everyone to Wilton - Tisbury alone cannot hold out against such numbers."

To his squire he says: "Melion, after the evacuation has begun we're going  ride for the next manor to warn them what's coming. Dinton, Baverstock, Barford... we'll take muster at Wilton's walls."

When the frightened inhabitants of Tisbury reach Dinton Sir Dalan at once goes to see Sir Gracian: "My friend we need to head towards Wilton, all of us. I'm not sure even the walls there will help us but we'll be in a better position to hold the ground there to get time for Earl Robert in Sarum."
This message was last edited by the player at 19:31, Sun 05 Nov 2017.

Sir Dalan found Sir Gracian admiring his newly planted rose-garden when he brought him the news of the Irish raiders. "Irish raiders! Here?? Curses on them!"

He turns and looks at the garden he planted as a gift to his wife. "Alright then. Wilton it is. I will send a courier to Baverstock then to warn Sir Perin and tell him to make for Wilton with all haste."

Gracian then begins the evacuation of Dinton with a heavy heart.

Gracian's courier finds Perin overseeing the serfs of his manor as they were starting to plant for the coming year.  He wasn't interfering, simply trying to get to know the people of his manor, and seeing how they worked.

Nodding gravely at the news, he immediately sends his squire off to prepare for the trip.  In the interim, he very calmly orders the serfs to stop their work and return to their homes, taking only what is necessary.  He doesn't share the nature of the evacuation with the people, as he doesn't want to spread panic.

When they finally set out, Perin orders any horses (including his own if need be) and wagons to be loaded up with children and the elderly.

Wilton, as the only walled city in Salisbury outside of Sarum, is a decent sized city with a dozen knights and 25 men-at-arms stationed there.  However, as Sir Perin, Sir Gracian, and Sir Dalan arrive, the place is in total chaos.  Defenses are hastily being erected and manned, while many townspeople load carts, wagons, and any animal worthy of carrying things with their possessions.  People are running aimlessly or standing dumbstruck while others scream at them or ignore them as they run about their own business.

The Southern gates are shut with a half dozen knights watching the roads to the south from the parapet.  The northern gates are clogged with villagers, merchants, serfs, women, and children fleeing toward Sarum and safety.  There is no obvious person in charge and many of the efforts seem contradictory.

Heavy black smoke can be seen from the south and from the west.  The castle at Ebble, some three miles to the South can be seen from the walls, if anyone cares to see what is going on along the Southern roads.

About another half dozen knights and 10 or so men at arms arrive with Sir Dalan, Sir Gracian, and Sir Perin, so approximately 20 knights here.  There should be 5 knights at each of the castles (Devizes, Du Plain, Ebble, and Vagon) and another 10 at Sarum (none of whom are counted in the 75 knights Earl Roberts commands as they are tied to the castles).

Sir Gracian immediately attempts to organize the defense of Wilton. If there is noone there to take charge then Gracian simply assumes command working day and night to gather supplies, dispatch scouts, find shelter for the refugees and of course organize the defenses. If he has any doubts about their chances he hides it well as he is always seen and heard laughing and joking.

Perin surveys the scene with a frown.  Unless they managed to get this mess under control, they'd be easy pickings for the Irish.  "Sir Gracian my friend, can you stay here and try to make some sense of this mess?" Perin asks, gesturing to the chaos unfolding around them.  "I'll try to organize those retreating to Sarum and get them cleared out of here.  Sir Dalan, you had mentioned mentioned Ebble and those knights stationed there.  It's not far, and they might have an idea about what's happening to the south.  And given all of this, we need to tell Robert everything that we possibly can."
This message was last edited by the player at 21:26, Sun 05 Nov 2017.

"Of course my friend. I will have this place sorted out soon enough and then Wilton will hold until help arrives. No Irish barstard will ever take this town!"

"Well said my friends," Sir Dalan says, before turning to mount the walls so he can get a better look at the road to Ebble.

Clapping his friend on the shoulder, Perin nods grimly.  "God be with you my friend, stay safe."  Turning to Sir Dalan he adds to the retreating man "Ride like the wind my friend" before quickly departing to make order out of the chaos of those people retreating to Sarum.

Looking to the south, Sir Dalan can see Ebble in the distance astride the Ebble river.  There is smoke coming from farther south and what appears to be a large force of men on foot and even some knights on the far side of the river.

As he watches, the northern door of the castle opens and two dozen soldiers come running out, the door closing quickly after them.  The soldiers can be seen running toward Wilton along the road.  Not long after, a pair of knights rides quickly up along the northern bank of the Ebble from the west, probably from Chalke.  The two knights turn, lower their lance and charge back the way they came.

A few minutes later, the two knights are heading back toward Wilton again and come quite a bit further before turning and charging once more.  The northern door of the castle opens once more and five more knights ride out, lances couched, heading to meet up with the other two knights.

A few minutes later, six knight return and this time it can be seen what they are doing.  Dozens of additional foot soldiers are coming up along the northern bank of the Ebble river and the knights are repeatedly charging at them to slow their progress while the Salisbury soldiers make for Wilton.

The soldiers are about two miles from Wilton.  If they can maintain their pace, they might make it in half an hour.  However, some of the enemy soldiers are heading toward the castle from the north and if they let the enemy knights through, it could get bad fast.  It is hard to estimate numbers but there are dozens (more than 50) of soldiers on each side of the river and at least a dozen knights, although the castle blocks a lot of the view.

Coming down from the wall Sir Dalan raises his voice. "The footsmen of Ebble are bound for Wilton, but the enemy are abroad. I need a muster of knights and men-at-arms to clear their path here. Remember every soldier we rescue is another spear and bow to defend these walls - to defend our people!"

"Budfannon to me." Garym stared hard at the young man. "You heard the rider. Now, hear my words. I order you to take Lady Lethe and our gear to the castle to alert Earl Robert of the Irish to the West. Tell him I will attempt to get a scouting report of the numbers and direction of attack."

Garym rides close to Lethe. He smiles at her softly as he points to his heart. "This is yours my lady. I never knew that it existed until you came into my life. All I wanted was to fight gloriously, and in death have others remember my name. Now, I struggle to do what I must for fear I will not be there when your voice is once again discovered. If, I fail I must go now, my squire will take you to safety."

In about 5 minutes, Sir Dalan can gather the 20 knights and 20 men-at arms currently in the city (a dozen of the foot soldiers from Wilton went to support Ebble) when it came under attack.  This includes the players.

Looking to the south, the soldiers are about a mile-and-a-half away, closer than the halfway point.  The five knights continue to harass the following Irish foot soldiers, who probably number over one hundred with a constant flow streaming out of Ebble Castle.  Several dozen knights are now emerging from the castle as well.  You can see at least 20-24 so far.

The young woman smiles at Sir Garym, perhaps sensing something urgent is occurring and wanting to comfort him.  The pair then ride off toward Sarum.

Sir Dalan mounts his steed, showing his new coat of arms painted on his shield.

"My brothers in arms now we fight on our own sweet soil, in defence of our womenfolk, our children, our aged. Let's makes these Hibernian swine pay for their arrogance! To victory!" Raising his voice he thunders: "For God, for the Earl, for Salisbury!"

He turns and leads the army out the town gate facing the south.

Riding west along the road from Sarum to Vagon, Sir Garym encounters a large number of frightened peasants and villagers hauling their belonging east, toward Sarum.  They provide conflicting information that Sir Garym feels is of little practical value.

As he rides, he is joined by a couple of other knights and a number of men-at-arms.  Approaching Vagon, Sir Garym sees a large force of foot soldiers approaching along the road from the west.  He knows that there are usually 5 knights and a dozen foot soldiers garrisoned there.  It is difficult to tell how many soldiers are approaching but Sir Garym would guess 80-100.  He sees no evidence of knights.  This is certainly a very large force (half the number of soldiers Earl Robert musters).

There is a lot of smoke coming from the west and north-west, as well as farther to the South, which does not bode well.  The knights (3) and men-at-arms (10) can probably reach Vagon before the approaching soldiers.

Perin, hearing his brother shouting, turns control of the evacuation over to one of the men at arms assisting him.  Rushing over to Dalan, he quickly takes stock of the situation.  Glancing at the gathering of foot soldiers, he remarks "There's no time brothers, they'll just slow us down and would be better served by ensuring that the city is secure before the Irish arrive."  Fixing one of the sergeants with a look, he adds "Stop the evacuation, seal the city, and find any man capable of throwing a javelin or using a bow; get them up on the walls and ready for battle.  The Irish will no doubt be hot on our heels."

Nodding grimly as Sir Dalan's words, he sets his destrier into a gallop as they fly down the road towards their fellow knights.  There's precious little time to waste, and they can't let their brothers fall to the Irish.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:52, Sun 05 Nov 2017.

 Sejanus has been in his hall,and at his small desk,when the rider came through,warning of an Irish force attacking a nearby Manor. The young knight was skeptical as to the Irish part, but he had to assume there was an attack. " What size force, Horse verses foot. Whatever you can tell me,will be of great assistance." Sejanus said to the rider.

The rider hailed someone with his news and rode off in a hurry.

Looking toward the West there is smoke rising from the south west.

 The Knight sends for both his Steward and Squire. The Steward is told to have the Peasants gather what they can,as far as rations and water, then displace toward Sarum. Casca is to make ready the horses.

Sejanus and Squire now girded for battle, ride off in the direction of the smoke,to see what can be seen.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:19, Sun 05 Nov 2017.

Garym watches the two ride off whispering a soft prayer to god. He almost had to laugh as he realized that he like other became a religious man during the most trying of times. Sejanus self righteous confidence in the Lord was irritating, but he also envied that Sejanus had such faith. Sejanus wore it and it shield him from many things it seemed.

Garym rode off towards the nearest smoke as he got closer; he sought to avoid the fleeing masses by taking less travelled farmer's trails versus the trade roads. He needed to get closer , or find an elevated position that would allow him to could get a view. He was easy on his horse because if he was discovered he would need his mounts speed to escape.

Does Sir Garym wish to attempt to enter the castle at Vagon?  He is about half a mile distant, a little closer than are the Irish foot soldiers approaching from the far side.

Sir Dalan, Sir Gracian, Sir Perin, and seventeen of their fellows trot down the road toward the approaching soldiers.  The knightly rearguard sees the knights coming and rides forward to meet them.  The Salisbury soldiers are a couple of hundred yards in front of their pursuers and close to a mile from Wilton.  However, several dozen knights have appeared out of Ebble Castle and are now approaching quickly.

Sir Dalan frowns. "The enemy is quick, we must be quicker. One pass at their foot, then back to wall. As tempting as it is we can't afford to trade lances with so many Erse horse!"

Perin nods in agreement and spurs his horse onward.  If they repeat the tactic used by their brothers, then with their newly bolstered numbers, they might just caused enough chaos to slow down the column.  Hopefully this would buy them enough time to retreat and take shelter behind the prepared defenses of Wilton.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:47, Mon 06 Nov 2017.

As the knights pass the retreating foot soldiers, they can see the red-faced, grim determination that is driving them at top speed toward the safety of Wilton.  And then they are passed and with two waves of more than a dozen each, they swing to the right and come across the front of the enemy column, attempting to force the column into the path of the pursuing knights.

With so many knights it is both trickier and easier.  Trickier because the knights all have to maneuver at once lest they run into one another, easier because the sight of a couple of dozen horses charging you is really quite frightening.

They manage to cause sufficient chaos to scatter the front of the column and slow the knights somewhat.  But will it be enough?

They peel off and return to the marching men who are closing on the final half mile.

Looking back, it appears that the knights are closing too fast but the foot soldiers as one start a jog, while the knights rush ahead to get in and away from the gate.

When the Irish knights get to within one hundred yards it is clear that it would be a close call and they break off rather than risk flights of arrows or a counter charge that would catch them without their supporting foot soldiers.

The soldiers make it to the safety of Wilton and the doors clang shut.

Sir Perin gets a point in Horsemanship, Sir Dalan and Sir Gracian get checks in Horsemanship (if you don't aleardy have them).

Perin blows out a heavy sigh of relief once they're behind the safety of the city's walls.  Immediately dismounting and handing his steed's reins off to his squire, he makes for the parapets, so as to better observe the Irish forces.  Would they press their numerical advantage and attack, or would the city's defenses be enough to give them pause?

The knights who were manning Ebble castle explain that they counted approximately 200 foot soldiers and forty knights coming up the road from the south and that they had siege engines (which can be seen in the distance).  As the siege engines grew close, they could see another hundred or so foot soldiers coming up from the west along the north bank of the Ebble river and they knew that if they did not abandon the castle, they would be surrounded and taken.

Looking out to the west, they can see another hundred or so soldiers marching up the northern bank of the Naddar river, from the direction of Tisbury, Dinton, and Baverstock.

In reply to Sir Sejanus (msg # 21):

Ooops, sorry, I was about to reply to this and got sidetracked and then forgot that I had not replied.  D'oh!

Sir Sejanus rides west and sees a small tide of commoners hurrying in the opposite direction, heading toward Sarum.  He hears a number of wild rumors about hundreds of Irish soldiers attacking from the west which are obvious exaggerations.

At length, he gets to the manor at Shrewton, which stands abandoned.  Turning left he heads South-ish toward Chitterne, just on the other side of the northern fork of the Wylye River.  Approaching the manor from the south-west, are about a hundred Irish footmen.  There are a handful of knights and about a dozen men-at-arms currently holding the bridge but it seems that they will need to retreat soon or be captured or killed.

Garym takes a moment to appraise the situation; he scans the Irish to look at their armament and numbers. Once, that was done he spurred Harbinger towards the castle. "Castle Defenders, I am Sir Garym of Woodford. I ask entry!!!"

Perin, upon hearing the account of the knights from Ebble, hurries to find Dalan and Gracian.  Catching the pair, he murmurs quietly "We need to abandon the city, and quickly.  There's no way we can hope to hold against these kinds of numbers, especially if they have siege equipment.  If we make for the river and cut the bridge behind us, we might be able to buy some time."
This message was last edited by the player at 09:05, Mon 06 Nov 2017.

Sir Dalan looks very grim but nods at last. "Agreed, we'll fall back on old Sarum. There must be carpenters in this city who can bring down the bridge."

He shakes his head in disbelief. "So many!"

"My friend, could you keep a force of our knights here on the walls until the last minute?  The last thing we want is for them to figure out we're leaving, and rush us.  If they think we intend to hold the city, they'll be far more cautious in their approach."  At this, Perin claps his brother on the shoulder and begins ordering the evacuation of the city via the gate closest to the river.  Perin's expression makes it clear to the people of the city that there is to be no argument, and they're under strict orders to be quiet.  He does however send a few footmen to see about finding the supplies he needs to rig a trap for the Irish.  They're to move quickly though, as there's no time to waste.

"Yes, I'll show my shield on the walls." Sir Dalan smiles tightly and pats his panther emblazoned shield. "Sir Gracian go with our brother and help keep the citizens calm."

Sir Dalan turns and rounds up half of the knights - the taller or more flashily armoured the better to create an image of a stoutly defended wall.!

In reply to Sir Garym (msg # 31):

There are approximately 80-100 Irish footmen, with a combination of swords, pikes, and bows.  All are wearing light armor.  They appear to have cut a few trees, which could be used as battering rams or ladders, it is hard to tell from where you are as they are parallel to the ground and being carried by men.

The door opens and soldiers start pouring out, one points as he passes Sir Garym, "there's at least a hundred more," he shouts in a panic.

Sure enough, there is another group of roughly the same size coming from the North, having just crossed the bridge above Sherrington.

A dozen men-at-arms and five knights retreat out of the castle.

In reply to Sir Dalan (msg # 35):

It is afternoon and the Irish seem in no rush.  They bring up siege engines and their troops array themselves out of bowshot range.  The troops to the west that recently ravaged Tisbury, Dinton, and Baverstock (:D) split up with about half of them heading North while the remainder dig in outside of the walls.

OOC:  Although there was mention of informing Earl Robert of what is going on, no one has actually done so yet.  This is your friendly reminder.  Also, there are normally ~10,000 people in Wilton and your ability to control them is very milited with your few resources, especially if you are also trying to put on a show of force for the Irish.  People continue to stream out of the gates toward Sarum, despite the efforts of the soldiers, many of whom seem to think that is a pretty good idea.

Sir Dalan, on the walls, points to the bridge across the Naddar. "We need to destroy that now.  We can't have them crossing the river."

Perin, busy overseeing the retreat flags down his brothers the minute he watches the Irish split off "Brothers, did you see the Irish forces head north?  I'm worried that they'll head for the crossing at Stoford and cut off any chance at escape we might possess.  Unless you have another plan, I'm going to ride for Sarum to inform Robert about what's happening here."  Dropping his voice to a whisper, he adds "My friends, there's no hope of holding the city; don't throw away your lives in a valiant, but hopeless defense.  Help escort the people of Wilton to safety, and we can muster with the rest of Salisbury where we can prepare to strike back."

 Sejanus rode up to the small group of Knights and Men at Arms, next to the bridge. He took one look at the advancing enemy force, saw the archers with them, which had any idea of a charge to delay them, evaporate. “Sir Knights and Men at Arms, we cannot hope to delay that force, which approaches. It would be as a rut in the road to a wagon wheel. An annoyance, but the wheel continues to roll forward. Nay, we must withdraw towards Sarum, where I am sure, forces muster to wipe out this Irish blight upon our fair land. We must retire to the south.”

In reply to Sir Perin (msg # 39):

Sir Dalan looks anguished. "We must do something to hurt them or how will Sarum be much different?"

"Because Sarum is a well fortified castle, with the entire might of Salisbury assembled to repel the enemy my friend.  We were caught off guard, and are now being forced into a battle of their choosing.  There's no shame in retreat."  Inclining his head towards the Irish band making their way north, he adds "Instead of holding this city and getting everyone killed my friend, why don't we shadow that group.  If we're lucky, we might be able to catch them if they're doing what I think they're doing and aiming to take the crossing at Stoford to cut us off."

How did the Irish get so far so fast? Garym needed to make his way back to Sarum. He could do little here. Vagon was lost, and all they could do now was flee.

"Make to Sarum best you can. Robert will be mustering his forces in retaliation. I will ride hard to inform Robert."

Garym spurred his horse onward towards Sarum. He hated that he had no better news, but this attack had to be in retaliation for their interference last year.

In reply to Sir Perin (msg # 42):

SIr Dalan hesitates for a long moment, then reluctantly nodded his head. "Fine. We'll need to evacuate the civilians though - and for Heaven's sake send a rider to the Earl before it's too late."

Perin smiles and claps his friend on the shoulder "We've been doing that for some time my friend, don't worry.  And I've already dispatched a man" he says gesturing to one of their fellow knights and his squire who are galloping hard in the direction of Sarum.

"I still think we should defend the city. The walls wont stand forever but at least the citizens stand a better chance behind the walls than on the open road fleeing towards Sarum. The elderly, the women, the children ... they will all perish if we make a single mistake and if there are any Irish between here and Sarum." said Sir Gracian.

"But if you call for a retreat then I will have no men to defend the walls and the citizens will not know who to answer to - you or me. We will stand divided and that will sow fear in the hearts of the citizens and we cant have that. I will go with you, my brothers, but I do not believe it is the right decision. We have sworn an oath to defend this land and those that live upon it. Abandoning the city seems wrong to me."

-- Sir Sejanus --

The knights and men-at-arms seem to sag.  Sir Sejanus is of course right, it is just hard to admit.  Their force is far too small to even slow the attackers.  And so they head toward Sarum, picking up knights and men-at-arms as they go along.  Wild rumors of additional armies to the South and East circulate but who can really tell?

They cross the Avon at Amesbury, just north of Sir Sejanus's manor.  The men-at-arms stay behind to destroy the bridge.  Even though it is wooden and they brought carts loaded with wood for the purpose, it will take a while.  They can only hope that the Irish are not rushing this way.

At length, they arrive in Sarum to find the place in turmoil.  Sir Sejanus reports on what he has seen and learns that there are several Irish armies attacking all across the South of Salisbury.  He sees Sir Garym nearby, soothing the lady he calls Lethe.

-- Sir Garym --

Sir Garym spurs his horse and heads East as fast as he can.  He is disturbed to see a lot of smoke to the South, suggesting that his encounter was not unique.  Riding along, he eventually comes to the Wylye River crossing at Stoford.  He informs the knights there about what he has seen to the West.  They inform him that there is a larger army coming up from the South and another from the East.

Sir Garym continues riding to Sarum, where he finds that Earl Robert and most of his available knights (about 35 in total) are attempting to hold the bridge at Ford.  On the other side are a couple of hundred Irish foot soldiers.

Sir Garym informs the Earl about what he has seen and the Earl nods, "that confirms what another rider just told me and bodes ill.  There are scattered reports of another force attacking Ebble Castle."

He leaves twenty knights to hold the bridge, forming a wall of shields across it, and takes Sir Garym and the other 15 knights back to Sarum to try to figure out where they stand.

Sir Garym finds Arianwen, who seems relieved to see him.

-- Sir Dalan, Sir Gracian, and Sir Perin --

The townspeople continue to flee the city, although the flow has dropped to a trickle.  A rider comes back with news from Sarum.  If possible, the town should be held until nightfall but should be abandoned sooner if its fall is imminent.  There are at least two additional armies to the North and West and it is unclear exactly where they are but it is likely that they are between the Wylye and Avon rivers.  The bridge at Stoford is being held currently against a force of Irish soldiers.

For their part, the Irish seem content to wait, setting up their siege equipment, digging in, and staying out of bow range.

Not long before dark, a rider brings word that the bridge at Stoford has fallen to the enemy.  A large force came down from the North on the Eastern side of the Wylye and the knights there were forced to retreat.  The garrison at Wilton is ordered to retreat as soon as it gets dark so that they are not cutoff.

Rounding up some of those who are staying in the city, the knights provide them a large quantity of torches and ask that they patrol the walls during the night to simulate guards.

It is despondently that the knights ride to Sarum in the dark.  Fortunately, they are on good roads that they know well, so navigation is not an issue.  Arriving in Sarum, they are ushered to the Earl, where Sir Garym, Sir Sejanus, and Sir Cadlew are already pouring over a large map of Salisbury with the Earl.

(cont.)

(cont.)

"I asked you all here because of your leadership so far in this crises as well as previously," the Earl starts.  Pointing to the map he says, "what we know is that about 200 infantry attacked from the west, with Sir Garym here seeing them at Vagon.  I believe that they then headed North and split up, with half coming across the Wylye at Stapleford before attacking Stoford and taking the bridge there.  The other half continued north, where Sir Sejanus saw them.  The soldiers with Sir Sejanus destroyed the bridge at Amesbury just before the Irish arrived, and they departed to the North."

"Sir Cadlew spotted another 200 or so men approaching his manor at Falt from the South this morning and dispatched a rider to Du Plain before informing me," he smiles over at the young brother of Tyngyr.  "We were able to prevent them from crossing the Bourne over the bridge at Ford but I believe that some of their force might have headed North."

Indicating the others, he continues, "another 100 or so attacked Tisbury and continued up to Wilton, while 200 more along with 40 knights and siege engines came up the road and attacked Ebble castle while another 100 attacked along the north bank of the Ebble river.  After taking Ebble castle, both groups headed up to Wilton."  He sighs heavily.

Spreading his arms, he summarizes, "that is at least 800 soldiers and 40 knights, plus siege engines that we know of.  I have 130 soldiers and 80 knights.  And Sarum, while defensible, is going to run short on water with this many extra people here.  My guess is a week or less."

He lets the grim numbers sink in.  "So the question is, what are they up to and what do we do?" he asks with a shrug.  "Obviously, they would like to capture the Princess, and probably me.  They coordinated all of the attacks to hit at once and repeatedly used flanking maneuvers and superior numbers to isolate and take fortifications.  So this was well planned."

Looking around he finishes, "I have sent out riders to neighboring Lords but doubt there will be much of a response as most of their knights are with Arthur.  If there is anyone.  Who else can we ask for help who could conceivably get enough force here in a week to help?  Do we try to get the Princess out and if so, to where?"

Please assume that the Earl has properly thanked you all for your efforts.

Looking at the map, it is pretty clear that the Irish have cutoff all of the roads except possibly the good road heading North-East and crossing the Bourne at Allington.  They have not, as far as anyone knows, crossed the Bourne of Avon as yet.

Garym had one idea. One that no one would except, but there was some one with enough forces to help in this crisis. "My Lord, if I may, there is one force available that is not in the north. We would need to negotiate, and it may cost dearly. We were going to campaign against the Saxons, but what if we could make an alliance instead. They would not want the the Irish here anymore than we do."

The words burst forth from Perin's mouth without a second's hesitation, as he blurts out "The Countess Fiona will help my lord, trust me on this."  Glancing about at his fellows and their slightly confused looks (after all, he's speaking for the Countess as if there were zero doubt as to what she would do), he seemingly ignores them, instead focusing his gaze on Robert "She may be far, but she and her men represent the largest, and best equipped allied forces that have the ability to potentially make it here in time.  With your leave I'll depart immediately and return as quickly as I can."
This message was last edited by the player at 00:40, Tue 07 Nov 2017.

"My lord we seem to have overall superiority in horse. Let us have as many knights as you think we can spare and leave now, taking the North East road. Such knights can raid the enemy lines and destroy their baggage trains - that many men must eat. This group will also be able to kill off the enemy scouts, depriving them of eyes and ears - especially if aid is coming from either the Countess or the Saxons."

He points at Chute Forest. "Give me a force of knights my lord and I'll base myself here. Hidden by the trees the foe won't know our numbers, especially if I only use half my men to strike at them at any one time."

Sejanus stood there, and just stared at the map. Then spoke. "While they have the numbers, we know the land, and are operating on interior lines of communications. We have victuals stored here at Sarum, with limited duration, granted. But they must bring supplies with them, for it is too early to forage to any level of success. Such numbers could not remain in the field with what supplies they brought with them for long, without resupply. This is their major weakness, they must have supplies brought to them, and we can interfere with that. I counsel a force of Knights take the field to bedevil the Irish and strike at their resupply efforts, and any Irish force small enough to be handled. This well might slow things down long enough for allies to be gained."

"While I agree with Sir Garym that the Saxons could be useful allies then I fear we will end up having to pay a heavy price for their aid in this conflict. And considering the Irish are not likely to stay once they have achieved their goal who is to say the Saxons will even help us? If I were a Saxon I would let the Irish make us bleed and then swoop in after they are gone and finish us for good.

I think the Countess Fiona is a better choice and with her forces by our side we stand a chance to defeat the Irish. And I agree with all of you that it would be useful if we harassed the Irish forces and their supply lines but the question is how many knights can be set to that task. Every knight attacking their supply lines is a knight away from the walls of Sarum.

If you, Earl Roberts, permits it then I suggest Sir Perim is send to ask of help from the Countess Fiona. That Sir Sejanus, Sir Dalan and perhaps also Sir Garym lead a small force of men to harass the enemy's supply lines. And that I stay here in Sarum defending the walls. I promise you my Lord that I will man the walls day and night and know no rest until the siege is lifted."

 After Sir Gracian spoke about the Saxons, Sejanus had to speak his mind. " Gentlemen, the Saxons are Barbarians,and as such, they cannot be expected to adhere to any agreement. They are a blight upon this Island, and a God cursed, constant threat to us all. Nay, I counsel not to approach the Saxons with anything but a a Sword in hand."

"There are many ways for men to be barbarian savages, Sir Sejanus." said Sir Gracian bitterly "Roman, Cymric, Saxon, Irish, Picts ... snakes can have many names. If I thought they wouldnt exploit our weakness later I would approach the Saxons in a heartbeat if it could save Salisbury and the people we are meant to protect."

He looks over at Sir Perin. "Besides there are those with Saxon blood in their veins that I am proud to call friends and brothers. I advise you not to judge people so quickly, Sir Sejanus."

"How many of her knights are following Arthur in his campaign, and what if we do achieve a alliance. What a gain for the kingdom. An enemy turned to a friend. Is that not what Arthur has done with those who warred against him. If, they were willing to live in peace. King Arthur welcomed them as a lost brother. Besides Sejanus, if we could make an alliance with them than you would have a whole new group of people to preach to. I was told by the Druid Diarmuid that if one approach a Saxon village in without war in his heart than they would return the respect. I will go to them, and negotiate if given leave. I would need only what words Earl Robert would have me speak." Garym thought it was strange that in one day he would go from planning to fight the Saxons to proposing a possible Alliance.

There is the unmistakable creak of a mailed gauntlet being clenched as Sejanus makes his proclamation about Saxons.  Thankfully Gracian speaks up before Perin can, because if the situation weren't quite as dire, the large man would be liable to challenge Sejanus to a duel here and now (it wouldn't be the first time he'd done something similar, a fact Dalan and Gracian were all too aware of).  Still, there's no mistaking the venom in his gaze, as he fixes Sejanus with a cutting glare.  Thankfully, Robert speaks up before the situation has a chance to get out of hand, and so Perin's attention is forced towards his liege, and away from his brother knight.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:22, Tue 07 Nov 2017.

Gracian nods as he listens to Sir Garym. "True. The Druid named Diarmuid is a wise man and if he say you can enter a Saxon village and be met with peace then I believe him. I still think though that the Countess Fiona is our best chance of finding an ally."

 Sejanus fixed his gaze on the Earl. "That is my counsel, my Lord. Making any type of alliance with the Saxons tribes would be seen as weakness on our part. Sooner then latter, we would regret any agreement with the Barbarians. But of course, your will be done, My Lord Earl."

Garym heard the pompous little Romans words, and he wanted to take his sword to him. He took a deep breath, and made his final argument towards his plan. "I do not counsel not to approach the Countess, but I suggest that an Alliance with the Saxons could be a step to a towards solving a problem that has plagued Salisbury. Let us say that we make an alliance with the Countess, and when the battles are done with Irish what will we next? Would we next have to fight the Saxons? What if peace could be found between our peoples? As we all know; death is a part of battle. But, how many sons of Salisbury will have to die this summer to Irish spears and then Saxon axes? Sir Sejanus! When the summer wars are done, and you look at the orphans and widows I want you to ask yourself 'Did I do all that I could to stop what has befallen Salisbury'. Let us not work towards just a solution for a day, but look for a solution that will bring a lasting security to Salisbury."
This message was last edited by the player at 21:11, Tue 07 Nov 2017.

Sejanus, did not repsond to Sir Graym, but continued to study the map

The OOC: pieces are common knowledge that your knights would understand or be familiar with.

The Earl watches and listens to the knights propose solutions and discuss their merits, at length holding up his hands to signal a pause.  With a smile he says, "good, you are thinking outside of the traditional, because I don't think the traditional will save us.  Sir Perin," he looks over at the burly knight, "please write out a letter to the Countess and I will have a messenger deliver it.  We can't afford to spare any knights right now on a job better handled by someone else."

(OOC: Sir Perin, while capable of riding to Hereford, would not be able to make the journey in anything close to the time it would take a professional messenger.  First, he has been up all day riding and fighting.  Second, he would not be able to leave now and travel at speed overnight.  Third, his horse is a war horse, not a race horse and he weighs twice what a good messenger weighs.  Fourth, he is not accomplished in avoidance, knowing back roads, and other tricks that will be necessary.)

Looking around a the others he explains, "this is not an 'either or' situation.  The Countess has not sent any of her kights with Arthur, just like us.  Unfortunately, there are no other nearby kingdoms who are in a similar position that I feel we can count on to provide aid, although I have sent out messengers anyway.  Giving Sir Perin an apologetic shrug he notes, "While I doubt the Countess could get here in time with sufficient troops, perhaps we will be able to hold out long enough."

"Does anyone have anyone else they think might be able to send us troops?" he asks before continuing.  "The Saxon idea is not a bad one but it is a tricky one," he comments, looking over at Sir Garym.  "I gave Sir Wulfric and his warband a place here and knighted him.  But he never really gave up his Saxon ways and they are not the ways King Arthur is promoting.  When Sir Wulfric died I offered his warband a place here but they were not interested, and in fact made clear that they might raid us one day."  Shrugging toward Sir Garym he says, "if you wish to go in search of a band of Saxons and try to negotiate a deal, I will not stop you but know what you are up against.  There is not likely a single warband large enough to rid us of the Irish.  Finding the Saxons is likely to take more time than we have and they will likely mistrust those who have been fighting them for many years now."

(OOC:  Everyone in Salisbury has a Hate (Saxons) of 3d6.  There is a reason for this.  Making a sudden alliance will not change the deep-rooted animosity toward the Saxons.  A lasting peace is going to take a great deal more time and resources than it is likely worth in the end.)

Looking over at Sir Dalan and Sir Sejanus, he continues, "a minimal force to hold Sarum is 170 men and we have 210.  So I can't spare more than 40 knights and even that is really stretching our resources.  While we only know of 40 Irish knights, that does not mean that there are not more.  And given the armament we have seen on the soldiers, forty knights might not fare too well against 100-200 soldiers and there appear to be a half-dozen groups that size.  If, or more likely when, the bridges are cut, you could get cutoff."  Pointing down at the map he indicates, "they are likely getting supplies from the South and there is no easy way for you to disrupt that.  Add to that the fact that they have dozens of manors, several castles, and Wilton to plunder for food.  I am not sure that they are in imminent danger of starving.  But you are right that we need to do what we can to postpone any siege of Sarum."

"I do not want to dissuade any of you or suggest that your ideas are not valuable or that we won't do them.  I just want to make sure that we are thinking carefully about them.  Remember that the Irish have been planning this for some time.  We need to make some decisions right now while there is at least the possibility that the North-East road is still open," he says looking around at each of the nights in turn.  "And we need to figure out if we are better off trying to get the Princess out of Salisbury and if so, to where?"

"So their goal is the Princess. Is there a way we can use that to our advantage? Make them believe that the Princess has been moved, and force them to follow using only their knights. We can meet them with roughly the same number. Once the knights fall; we may hurt the leadership so badly they will be disorganized."

Earl Robert shrugs, "I am not sure what their end game is.  Another attempt tot capture the Princess, to kill me, to sack Salisbury, to harm King Arthur?  For all I know it could be some subtle feint.  But I think that Princess Gwendollyn is in danger here and I will do what I can to protect her.  The question is if this is all a trap to lure us into sending her off by the last open road or if they didn't get as far as they hoped?  Did Sir Sejanus burning the bridge at Amesbury or Cadlew holding the bridge at Ford prevent them from cutting us off completely?"

"Of course my lord.  And we will hold until the Countess arrives sire, I promise you that.  If I may, I think moving the Princess would require resources that we need here.  If we move her with too few men, then the Saxons are likely to capture her.  But if we send the men to ensure that she is safe, we deprive ourselves of badly needed soldiers.  No, I think the safest place for her is here." he says glancing about at the others as if seeking affirmation.

"If the roads to the east are still clear, I would suggest getting as many of the civilians to safety as possible.  Not only does it ensure their safety, but it would also allow us to ration our supplies for that much longer.  I also think that we should set up a series of pickets and riders along the approaches that the Irish are likely to take.  It should alert us to their presence far more quickly, and allow us to react accordingly.  And if in doing so, the opportunity presents itself, we should not be afraid of striking their forces if they approach piecemeal."

Turning to Gracian and Dalan he adds "Brothers, we have far more time here, what if we try our trick with the bridges?  We can make it seem as if we're attempting to demolish them and the Irish will be forced to rush their forces forward to try and stop us.  In their haste they might leave themselves vulnerable."

"A sound idea my brother." Sir Dalan says, nodding at Sir Perin's words.

Turning to the Earl he speaks up: "My lord you are right the Irish are well prepared but they are not omnipotent. Their plans cannot cover every eventuality and the longer they are here the longer they'll have to deal with the unexpected. In my experience slavishly following a plan leaves little ability to think on one's feet."

" I shall do what I can, to assist you,my brothers."

Sir Robert cocks an inquisitive eyebrow at Sir Perin, "how can you guarantee that we can hold out for more than a week?  We will be very hard put to do so against just the forces we know about and if they control the bridges, which we probably can't prevent for a week or more, how can she get forces to Sarum, even if she makes it as far as Salisbury?" he asks of the young knight.

"I am not clear exactly what troops you want to put where as pickets.  We will be stretched thin trying to hold just the three closest bridges, and," he gestures to Sir Dalan and Sir Sejanus, "we will have far fewer troops if there is going to be a sortie of some kind."  Shaking his head a little sadly he notes, "they do not appear to have acted recklessly or rashly so far.  Instead, they have used numbers and flanking maneuvers to force us to retreat.  They are the ones who have herded all of us here."

OOC:  Perin's description so far has been pretty short on details, so I am not really sure what you are proposing for pickets or threatening to destroy the bridges.  The country around here is relatively flat and largely devoid of cover . . . being farmland.  So some details would be helpful.

Acknowledging Sir Dalan's point he remarks, "What I am suggesting is that they put a lot of thought into what they are doing and they seem to know a great deal about our forces, where they would be found, and that no one in the area would be able to support us.  This is not a seat-of-the-pants attack thought up and executed blindly on the spur of a moment.  And just as they have to be wary of the unexpected, so too do we.  And we have far less information about them than they seem to have about us."

In reply to Sir Robert (msg # 69):

"My lord I'll grant how well prepared they where, but as you yourself said numbers where the key. Half the armies of Leinster must be here!" Sir Dalan counsels. "A swarm of wasps is more dangerous than a single wasp; it does not make them more cunning. It is just we do not underestimate the foe, but assuming we fight an Alexander or Caesar is of a like danger. We can outwit them my lord - we must! If they are as cunning as they are numerous then all hope is forfeit. Let us believe we face mere men who bent on an endeavor set upon it well, but have yet to complete their task, and now at last face an opponent willing to act."

Perin nods knowingly.  "Well my lord, then it sounds like we need more information.  What is the band to the north doing?  Are there more Irish troops that we don't know about?  What are the troops that occupy the bridges doing?  The more we know, the better position we'll be in.  What information we do have is limited, and quite scrambling, so it seems to me that one of our first priorities should be in getting scouts out to assess the situation properly.  As you've said, we've allowed the enemy to lead us here, but why?  What's their aim?  The sooner we figure that out, the better we'll be able to counter them going forward.  My lord, it's time to stop dancing to their tune and figure out how to change the game."

As he allows the others a moment to talk, Perin hastily scrawls a note to Fiona before slapping it into the hands of a waiting messenger.

My Love,

The goat-fuckers are here in force.  Conservatively we estimate their numbers to be around 800 men afoot, and 40 knights; and those are just the ones that we have seen.  I have little doubt that the enemy has reserves that we are not yet aware of.

Sarum is about to be surrounded, and the Irish will soon control all entrance and egress routes to the fortress.  Our best estimate places our ability to defend this position at about a week, but we will hold them as long as we are able.

-Perin
This message was last edited by the player at 17:49, Thu 09 Nov 2017.

"My Lord, we are uncertain what they are seeking. I suggest that envoy parlay with the Irish to hear their terms. The Irish have knights with a code of honor. We can use this to gather information and waste their time." Garym pauses. He then offers one last speculation.

"I agree it is wise to keep the Princess protected in our walls, but last summer the Irish taught us a lesson in evasion. If, we could drawn half their knights away than that would make the chance of survival under siege better. We make them believe a decoy is the Princess, and hopefully they will take the bait."

"Sir Garym, are you familiar with the fate of the late Count of Hereford?  He too was seeking to negotiate with the Irish, and they killed him, all while under the flag of truce.  So no, there will be no deals with the Irish, as they will betray their word the minute it is no longer convenient"

"Sir Perin, I was not aware of that fact, and appreciate your words. You may court the Countess, but you are not the Earl of Salisbury, so the decision lies within his hands not yours or mine. That said, I would gladly take the risk if our Earl believed it wise." Perin had not authority to say what or what would not be done by the Earl. He could be right, but Garym believed he over stepped his position.

Perin cocks his head to the side slightly and fixes Garym with a frosty look.  "I would never presume to speak for the Earl Sir Garym, and I trust that he did not take it as such.  However since you seem to have misinterpreted my last statement, perhaps I should rephrase. There will be no deal with the Irish, at least not one that they will keep.  To attempt negotiations would do nothing more than needlessly throw away lives.  But of course, it is as you say, the Earl's decision, not mine; I simply council against it."
This message was last edited by the player at 10:31, Thu 09 Nov 2017.

After listening a bit more, Sir Robert puts his hands up again, "Sir Perin, I will have a messenger take your letter to Hereford immediately and take a homing pigeon with him so that we will have her answer as soon as possible and perhaps know how much time we have."

"I have not known the Irish to be overly burdened with chivalry, it is mostly a concept that King Arthur is pushing and one that has not seemed to have made it out to the Emerald Isle.  Based on Sir Perin's story, I am loath to open any of us up to potential malfeasance at their hands, especially as we have so little information to go on as to their objectives," he decides.

To Sir Garym he says, "If you wish to try to find some Saxons, I will pay 120d per head with a minimum of 100 warriors.  Less than that will not really help us.  They need to be in the fight 5 days from tomorrow morning."

Looking at the others, he tells them, "there are 15 knights at each of the three lower bridges.  That leaves Sarum about 5 people short of a minimal defense.  As long as the bridges hold and there are no large forces coming from the North, Sarum does not need to be heavily defended."  He points to the three stone bridges in the South labelled 1-3 on the map.  "If any of those bridges do fall or there is a large army approaching from the north, we need 170 men defending Sarum, anyone else you can lead against the enemy as you see fit."

With a grim smile he says, "I am going to try to figure out what they are up to and what this all means."  With that, he departs.

Sir Dalan watches the Earl depart then smiles grimly. "Just think my brothers Ireland must have emptied herself of warriors for this adventure. After our victory she'll be an easy conquest; I don't know about you but I intend to make the foe pay very dearly for destroying my home."

Perin chuckles and claps Dalan on the shoulders "Agreed my friend!  But brothers, we need to get eyes up north.  We know that the Irish sent some of their troops that way, and it would behoove us to know why.  Everything in their plans so far has been entirely too methodical, there must be a reason for it.  I suggest we take whatever knights we can spare and head that way.  If we're lucky, we might be able to destroy their forces, but at the very least, we should be able to give Robert a clearer picture of the forces arrayed against us."

"Finally, a course, of action," Sir Dalan says. "I'm ready to ride out with you my brother."

The new knight had sat quietly while the others spoke and watched with some apprehension when Sir Robert left.  With a timid clearing of his throat, he now speaks up tentatively, "scouting is a good idea to be sure," he starts.  "But, well, it is a new moon so there is not much light and it will be difficult even for us who are familiar with the land to find our way."

He pauses for a while, looking from one knight to another, "anyway, what I was thinking, they attacked in Escavalon during a full moon so that they could travel at knight to ford the river.  It doesn't seem just a coincidence that it is a new moon tonight.  And why attack across such a wide swath.  You know, well, I mean, if those troops had all hit Falt this morning and headed straight for Sarum . . . well, who could have stopped them?"

He just sort of stops talking and looks down, muttering softly, "it is just weird is all."

Perin stops and frowns "That is an excellent point Sir Cadlew.  And is it just me or have the Irish not been in any particular hurry?  When we stopped at Wilton, they could have easily overwhelmed us, yet they didn't.  Instead they allowed us to retreat here to Sarum.  Why?"  Pausing for a moment, he murmurs "I'm curious, have we seen what the Irish have done to the captured manors?  Have they looted them?  It's just that their forces are moving fairly quickly, and if they were stopping to loot, I doubt they would be able to keep this pace."

His brow furrows even more deeply and he asks quietly "What if the Princess wasn't their goal?  If she's not the target, who or what is?"
This message was last edited by the player at 19:23, Thu 09 Nov 2017.

"Sir Dalan, in your song about Gracian and your quest you spoke about the faeries. The Druid spoke of the possibility that Lethe's challenge was due to either a religious or Fae influence. I bring both of these events up in curiosity if somehow the Fae could be contacted to aid Salisbury." Garym felt silly even bringing up such a possibility. He was not certain he believed in such things, but these were desperate times. He would believe in dragons if they could be used against the Irish.

 Sejanus stood there listening,and when deals with Saxons and the where spoken of, he held his tongue, because the Earl made mention of recruiting them. But the young Knight did did not seemed pleased at all.

 But when Sir Graym made mention of recruiting the Fey, Sejanus could not remain silent any more. " Perhaps we should seek to recruit the forces of Satan, I am sure he would send a host of demons if we appeased him. No, I say, no, there is a limit to what we should be willing to do,to save our skins.  Saxons are bad enough, but the Fairies? God only knows what they would want for their "help."

As if Perin weren't livid enough with Sejanus as is (insulting one's heritage can have that effect), the devout knight had to go and make his most recent comment about the Fae.  It's a small miracle that the large knight didn't challenge him to a duel on the spot.  Shaking with rage, he blows out a few heavy breaths to calm himself before responding tersely.  "If I were you Sir Sejanus, I would strongly consider good Sir Gracian's words quite carefully" before turning his back on the man.

Tapping Sir Cadlew on the shoulder, the large knight walks a short distance away and continues their conversation "As I said earlier brother, I agree.  There are a number of things that are perplexing about this assault.  I am tired of dancing to the Irish's tune, we need to figure out their plan, and fast."
This message was last edited by the player at 23:15, Thu 09 Nov 2017.

" What good does it profit us, if we save ourselves in this world, only to be damned in the next? Better a clean death with Irish Iron, then a lingering damnation for all eternity."

 He inhaled,then slowly let it out before he spoke again." I mean no insult or disrespect to anyone, but if I did not speak my heart in these matters,I would be dishonoring our Lord with poor counsel."

"Stop it. All of you!" Gracian forced himself to remain calm. "You can deal with insults later but right now the Irish are at our gates and the last thing we need is to bicker like little old ladies."

Gracian looks at the men standing around the table "We will stop these Irish barstards because it is our duty. People are counting on us to save them and their families. Ordinary men that work the earth and just want to live and survive and see their children grow up are now hiding in fear knowing well what will happen to them, their women and their children if we - the knights of Salisbury - fail in our task. So focus on the task at hand - if you have difference to settle then do it afterwards.

Now our good brother Sir Garym raise a good point about the Fae. It is true that Sir Dalan and I visited the Fae and were both blessed and cursed to see their Royal Court. I dont know enough of this strange race but they do not strike me as interfering directly in the affairs of Man. Perhaps those with more knowledge of the Fae can correct me if I am wrong?"

Gracian looked around to see if anyone objected.

Perin rubs his temples, obviously exasperated by the whole ordeal "Thank you for the perspective brother.  But to answer your question, the Fae don't generally get involved in mortal affairs, although it can happen.  It would generally require a bargain of some kind, and the Fae are damn good bargainers.  I expect that the price for something on this scale would be quite... large."  Blowing out a heavy sigh he steps back to the map of Salisbury and motions for the others join him.  "As I was saying, Sir Cadlew raised an excellent point.  The behavior of the Irish has been most curious.  They don't appear to be in any sort of rush, beyond securing the bridges that is.  I mean let's be honest, when we stopped at Wilton, they could have easily overwhelmed us in moments, and yet they didn't.  Instead they allowed us to retreat here to Sarum.  Why?"

Glancing about at the others, he continues "It doesn't make any sort of sense is all.  If the Princess was their aim, why not just mass their forces in a single contingent, and then attack as Sir Cadlew mentioned?  Why disperse themselves all throughout the countryside?  It just doesn't add up, at least not if we assume that capturing the Princess was the goal.  So what if the Princess wasn't their objective and we were just meant to think as much?  If she's not the target, than who or what is?"
This message was last edited by the player at 16:21, Fri 10 Nov 2017.

"The placement of forces ceases most transit through the countryside. By setting up such a large screen they could be focusing their efforts on a target not obvious to us. Of course, the question is what is the target?"

"We need one or more prisoners. Even a common Irish footman knows more than we do, currently. Perhaps a small group of Knights could slip out of Sarum, and see what can be seen. Waylay a courier, or even a small group of their knights to interrogate them." Sejanus offered to the discourse of ideas.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:34, Fri 10 Nov 2017.

"Exactly my question Sir Garym.  They've trapped us here, yet make no move to attack.  Why?  And what of that group that went to the north?"  Frowning slightly, he continues
"We know from prior experience that footmen don't often know much.  So your idea of finding an enemy courier or knight is the better option.  But still, even if all you find is footmen, it's worthwhile as idea as any information is better than what we have now."

"What if a small force went north to determine the actions of the Irish? My one fear is that the Irish understand our logistics, and whatever timetable they have will mean the mission shall be completed before the Knights of Hereford arrive." Garym looked to the map trying to determine what of value was in the north.

"I agree Sir Garym, which is why I suggested as much earlier.  Sir Dalan here almost lept at the chance to finally take the fight to the Irish."  Smiling, he claps Dalan on the shoulder before adding "still, it will be quite some time before it is light, so we should make the most of time we've been afforded to put our heads together to see if we can puzzle out exactly what the Irish might be planning."
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 18:10, Fri 10 Nov 2017.

Gracian looked at the map. Like everyone else he was puzzled by the actions of the Irish and it frustrated him. For a moment he stood still before asking. "If the goal is not the Princess ... do we know where Queen Guinevere is?"

The young knight responds, "the Queen is back in London, I was one of the knights who escorted her."  He is quiet for a moment, deep in thought, "the Princess or the Earl could be the target still.  I am not sure how the Irish made it as far as they did without being spotted but they would have to travel through several Lords' desmense to surround Salisbury: Dorset, Hampshire, Jagent, Somerset, and Silchester at least.   They did not bring enough knights to simply ride up and win and soldiers could not really pursue knights."  He shrugs, "like I said, I am not sure how they got to our borders unseen so maybe they could have used the same trick to our north?"

Perin frowns at the mention of Dorset, but wisely holds his tongue, for now at least.  Nodding slowly he replies "In our last encounter they moved slowly and through the woods to avoid detection.  However this time it seems as if they've brought significant amounts of siege equipment with them.  Moving that overland, especially in the woods is no small feat.  So how then did they pull it off entirely undetected and in the kind of numbers that we're seeing?"

"They didnt ... someone is helping them. We will learn who later and bring them to justice." Gracian glanced at Perin. "We need information and we need them now. A quick raid, take prisoners and bring them back."

Perin smiles sadly at Gracian "We know exactly what happened here my friend, let's not kid ourselves." Addressing the small group of knights present, he murmurs quietly "Brothers, what you are about to hear, I must have your word that it will go no further than those present." Seeing their nods, he prompts Sejanus to speak, asking "My friend will you tell our brothers what your lady told you during the feast?  It seems that we know what she was referring to at last..."
This message was last edited by the player at 21:54, Fri 10 Nov 2017.

 It was to the Earl,that Sejanus looked too,seeking his nod or shake of head to again, relate what his Lady had confideded to him.

The Earl left to think on the meaning of all of this.  You are on your own to use the resources he has granted you in whatever way you see fit.

"With all respect, Sir Perin, we don't know what is,and is not. There is no prrof,only suspicion. if we see evidence, then I shall speak of this."

Sir Dalan, sensing another argument about to begin speaks up. "I agree with Sir Gracian we should be looking for prisoners, and in the circumstances that mean's the enemy's knight. Without such a man we have too little to go on. Let us at least set to planning our raid."
This message was last edited by the player at 23:19, Fri 10 Nov 2017.

 Thankful for the topic to be changed Sejanus concentrated on the Raid for prisoners,and its planning.

Perin, refusing to be dissuaded from the topic slams a mailed fist on the table, saying simply  "No."  Fixing Sejanus with a level stare, he continues "Brother, I understand your hesitance to speak, but if you won't, I will.  I refuse to allow my fellows to walk blindly into the lion's den; as if I'm correct, then there's a very real chance that we could be facing far more than the Irish in battle.  We're already blind to much of the situation, please, let's not make the situation any worse."

Smiling sympathetically he adds in a low tone.  "It's the only logical explanation and you know it.  So I ask again, will you please share with our brothers what the Lady Galeria told you during the feast?"

A stubborn expression came to the face of Sejanus. And in a low tone to Sir Perin. “Earl Robert warned us of not speaking of this without proof. If we are wrong, and the Praetor is Innocent, then we shall have spoken falsely, and dishonored a blameless man. Nay, I shall not speak of it, and with all respect, nor shall you, Sir Perin. You have me you word of honor, not to speak of this to anyone. The Earl was the exception to that, no one else.”

Before Sir Perin could object, Sejanus spoke aloud. “It is obvious, by the Irish having penetrated so far inland; there is the distinct possibility that they have assistance from non-Irish sources. We have no evidence of this, but it is a strong possibility. As to who might be traitors to our High King, time shall reveal all."
This message was last edited by the player at 17:38, Sat 11 Nov 2017.

"I agree with Sir Sejanus. Time will reveal all, but I am not certain that capturing a random Irish Knight will solve our problem of information. The Irish may not hold the honor we do, but our code is clear towards our treatment of prisoners. We can question him, but how do we compel him to speak in a timely manner." Garym pauses looking at the map before speaking again. He is not certain what to do, but he is fairly certain that their ideas so far were not the answer.

"Each time, we engage the enemy we have a chance to suffer loss. We must ask what our are goals in the actions we are taking.  I believe there is primary goal which is determine what their end game is? I believe this is best achieved by general scouting versus raiding.  We have a general positioning of troops except the ones moving to the north. The downside is that it could be a deception that will draw vital troops away."

"Sir Garym I appreciate the wisdom of what you are saying, but recall we have done nothing but run from the foe until this moment. We even sacrificed the second city of the county without battle. Simple scouting, no matter how tactically wise will do nothing to improve the morale of our troops which quite frankly must be on the floor at this moment. When I said we should capture an enemy knight it is as much for that reason as anything else - let the people see the enemy is not invincible."

Sir Dalan looks grim. "Gentlemen I think I am alone among you in being of common birth. The people believe in the knights - believe in us. If we don't seem to be doing anything to an enemy which has invaded us without cause, sacked our villages and taken our cities will they still believe in us tomorrow?"

The look Perin shoots Sejanus is one of purely loathing, and he doesn't attempt to stay quiet.  "No evidence?  Are you blind sir?  This was no subtle lightning raid conducted in the dark of night, this is a full scale invasion!  The bloody Irish have marched right up the road from Dorset!  So either the good Praetor is entirely oblivious to the goings on in his realm, to the point where he missed almost a thousand enemy troops march right up the road, or there is something sinister afoot.  Which one do think is the most likely?"

Turning his back on the smaller man, he replies to Garym "Then we don't use knights to do our scouting.  We press a messenger or two into service, they can move with a speed we can't, know the back roads, and how to best evade the enemy.  With any luck we will get some answers by the early morning."

And Sir Dalan my friend, as always you offer wise counsel.  However might I suggest that we wait until morning?  We are all tired, and to engage the enemy here at night is quite unwise.  However I promise you that at dawn's first light, hopefully armed with information from our scouts, we will take the battle to them somehow."
This message was last edited by the player at 19:22, Sat 11 Nov 2017.

"I see wisdom in your plan, Perin, but I believe that it has a fault in it. The messengers will give us location and numbers, but can they bring strategic information that would be used to discern the Irish plans. If, we decide to raid I will be there fully, but I think it is naïve to believe that the capture or defeat of a few soldiers will change the tide of the people's morale. If, it was simply this castle, maybe. But we are defending the whole of Salisbury. The endeavor spends are strength and time with little true gain. But, end the end I will stand beside my fellow knights."


OOC: Not certain that Messengers will be effective. Battle Skill is often used to determine scouting info. The messengers would move more easily I do agree.

"We can discern their plans for ourselves when we enter the field.  However our messengers can give us a better picture of what to expect while we recover from the day's exertion.  They are not swordsmen, so it is not as if it detracts from our ability to fight. And as I mentioned earlier, something about this confuses me.  That second bridge to the east, the one at Allington.  The Irish have moved to cut off all our other bridges, but not that one?  Or are they moving troops there as we speak?  Either way, it's worth having someone take a look at."
This message was last edited by the player at 19:45, Sat 11 Nov 2017.

Sir Dalan nods. He looks very tired. "I agree with you Sir Perin on the messengers - and on the need for rest. As you say we'll be busy enough in the morning."

Day 2

Before dawn, the knights are up and preparing for immediate action.  The six messengers are set to go and at first light they head off.  One up the good road toward Allington, two along the poor road toward Winterslow and then along the river to Bulford, before heading toward Fittleton.  The other three head to the three lower bridges.

About 20 minutes later, pigeons return from the last three messengers.  All report fifty soldiers (40 bows and 10 spears) on the far side of the bridge with a ditch and wall of earth behind them and a camp behind that.  There are sufficient tents for 150 men at each.

About 30 minutes after they departed, a pigeon returns from the first messenger who reports that he spotted archers hiding at Porton and barely escaped without being shot.

At about this time, there are reports from those who left to get water this morning from the Avon River that it has been fouled and is undrinkable.

Any immediate plans or do you want to wait for reports from the other two messengers?  It will probably take another 30 minutes for them to get to Winterslow, 30 minutes more to get to Bulford, 30 minutes to get to the forest, and some unknown amount of time to get to Fittleton.

"Brothers, the enemy has raises defenses at the closest bridges, rendering it almost impossible for us to cross without taking heavy casualties, as we would be caught flat footed and shot to pieces by their archers.  However a small contingent has been spotted to the north at Porton.  We can not allow the enemy to gain a foothold across the river, so I propose that we ride forth and strike them down."

"Well said my brother!" Sir Dalan says, his face alight with the prospect of at last getting to grips with the foe. With an obvious effort he adopts a more cautious tone: "We must however be careful in our approach. A Salisbury knight is worth more than a score of archers."

The twenty-five knights ride at haste to Porton.  On the way, they meet up with the messenger who tells them, "I was approaching Porton and something caught my eye, looking I saw six archers covering the road from behind cover.  I was still far enough away that I was able to turn and ride back before they could fire at me."  Once out of sight, he had scrawled the message and sent his pigeon on it way.  He briefly explains where he saw the archers in relation to other things.

Approaching Porton, the group splits into three columns, two of eight knights each swerve to left and right, the other with nine knights and the messenger head straight in.  There are no archers.  The messenger points out where he saw the archers and an examination of the ground shows depressions where men lay in wait.  Looking around, it would be very difficult to see the archers and in fact it was a miracle that the messenger somehow saw them.  The depressions are still slightly warm, suggesting that people were here within the last hour.

As the knights are examining the area, Sir Sejanus notices a body, and then two more.  They appear to have been messengers although there is no sign or their horses and any messages they had on them are gone.  No one has any idea what messages these messengers were carrying.  Sir Sejanus gets a check in Awareness.

Continuing on toward Boscone and Allington, there is no sign of anyone, all seem abandoned.  There are more depressions at each manor, and a fourth messenger's body is located, also by Sir Sejanus, who is apparently channeling a cadaver dog.

From Allington, the bridge can be seen.  On the far side of the bridge are about 50 soldiers.  There are two rows of 5 pikemen at the mouth, then a bunch of swordsmen, and about 20 archers in the rear.  You are currently out of bowshot range.  It is ~90 minutes after first light.

EDIT:  Fixed current time.
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:02, Sun 12 Nov 2017.

Perin fights back a curse as he sees the Irish forces arrayed against them yet again.  "Well brothers, it looks like yet again, the Irish are one step ahead of us.  Assaulting that position, even without earthworks would be to throw away our lives needlessly."  Letting out a heavy sigh, he asks "Does anyone else see any other options, or should we return to Sarum with this news and hope that our scouts have reported back?"

As he waits for his brothers to reply, he orders their squires to begin preparing the bodies of the fallen messengers for transport.  These men had done their duty and deserved a proper burial.  And besides, maybe someone could tell them what messages each man was carrying.

Sir Dalan looks at the enemy for a long moment, his shoulders slumped. "I think we must go back..."

He looks anguished, obviously struggling to speak the next words: "...and advise Earl Robert to seek terms."

"If it is a matter of getting across the water...there might be a way." Sejanus watched the river a few moments.

"It might take a day or two, but we could make something that Caesar did, to cross a River in Gaul, err... land of the Franks. You cut four trees strip them, and then bind the four into a square. You then place planks or split smaller trees to form a floor. Posts are built on both sides of the construction, where two ropes are to be used to pull the platform across the river. Someone has to ford the river to tie the ropes to trees on the opposite side of the river. We then load horses and or men on the platform, and they then use the ropes to provide forward momentum to cross the water." Sejanus concluded his quick explanation,and half expected to be laughed at, or his idea ignored.

"An excellent idea, Sir Sejanus. Please find a suitable place where the enemy cant see the construction and take the men you need. If we can strike them in the back then we can defeat them. And all we need is one bridge - just one - and then we will be able to act instead of just sit here and wait." Gracian sounded elated and looked at Sir Dalan with a huge grin on his face "... so let us wait a little longer before we ask Earl Roberts to accept the Irish surrender!"

 Sejanus blinked, when someone accepted his idea. “Yes, yes, of course. I shall see what can be done, to accomplish the task." He did some calculations on what he would need, and what manpower would be needed. Sejanus would then go in search of a likely place for the crossing "Water Turtle”, or so it was called by the Romans.

“Come along, Casca, there is much to be done, in a short period of time.” With that said, Knight and Squire trotted off.

Perin shakes his head but lets the Roman Knight depart "As I said, I think our wisest course of action is to return to Robert and inform him of the situation.  We have dead messengers here, and we need to know more.  And if we're lucky, our other scouts have reported in."

"By all means return to Sir Robert and inform him of everything. In the mean time let Sir Sejanus scout for a suitable location for his strange floating bridge. Once a location is found men and equipment from Sarum will be needed anyway. But ride like the wind and inform Earl Roberts of the fate of our poor messengers."

And with that Gracian (puzzzled by the idea of a floating bridge) and Idres followed Sir Sejanus.

As if on queue, a rider appears coming rapidly up the road from Sarum.  "Wilton fell around first light and the enemy is attacking the bridges on the Avon," he announces.  "And this just arrived," he says, handing a message to whomever is interested.  The message is from one of the two scouts sent toward Fittleton.

Large enemy force at Bulford, other messenger dead, I am wounded.

You can take 'Large enemy force' to mean scores of men.

Sir Sejanus is not an Engineer and has a 0 in Industry.  He does not have the ability to build something of the scale he is suggesting.  Even if you know the basic structure and mechanics, putting something like that together would require a lot of trial and error.  Your time is currently measured in hours or less, not days.  You are knights.  That takes a lot of practice and training.  That does not mean you can't do other things, it simply means that you need to train in them specifically at the expense of training in knightly pursuits.

OOC: Has Gracian left when the messenger arrives or is he still around so he can go and smash some Irishmen?

Taking the offered letter, Sir Perin lets out a sharp whistle that cuts through the noise of the departing knights and flags the pair down before they can get too far.  Quickly reading the message while the two men return, he then speaks in a low, serious tone.  "Brothers, it seems that the Irish aren't content to sit back and throttle the life out of us.  The enemy is attacking our forces on the Avon, while a large force masses just to our north at Bulford.  If we strike quickly enough, we might be able to rout those men before returning to the aid of our brothers.  Either way, we must move, and move quickly before our fellows are overrun."
This message was last edited by the player at 18:27, Sun 12 Nov 2017.

Gracian returned to the group and listened to Sir Perin read out the message.

"Finally a fight! I am sick and tired of this waiting game. Let us ride hard and crush the enemy to the north yes and show them how Salisbury men fight!"

Gracian was itching for a fight. Any fight really.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:29, Sun 12 Nov 2017.

"There is no charge to be made here. Their pikemen will negate our advantage of horse. Then we will be caught up in the tangle of the footmen, but before that we will be facing a barrage of arrows." Garym turns his horse towards Sarum, and begins to ride when the others are ready.

"Form a Turtle."..... It is a Roman tactic,where a ground of men afoot interlock thier shields with others holding thier shields overheard to ward against arrows. We are not trained to it,but I see no other way. Even if we only make a poor example of what the Roman's did, it should get us to the bridge. As for the pike men, up close,a pike is at a disadvantage against a sword and shield man."

Sejanus then admitted with reluctance." I read of this in Caesars chronicles,of his campaigns in Gaul. But the theory seems sound."

Perin frowns "Brothers, Bulford is to the north, and there is no bridge that we need cross.  And while your tactic seems sound Sejanus, in doing so we would give up the advantage that our mounts provide, which is unacceptable.  So instead we will approach the manor as we did just now, and hopefully the flanking maneuver will allow our forces to cut down many of the Irish skirmishers relatively unopposed.  Now follow me as there is no time for debate!"  With that, he spurs his steed into action, as he rides hard towards Bulford.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:52, Sun 12 Nov 2017.

Garym had heard some where that there was such a thing as a death by a thousand cuts. One cut being insufficient to really harm a person, but a 1000 cuts will leave a knight dead. Surely, the knights of Salisbury could find a way to hurt the Irish. Each battle that they fight they risk loss. They were attacking without an end goal.

Garym turned to follow the others, but he was certain that they were not truly achieving their overall objectives. He had spent a winter working on his gamesmanship, and what he learned was that one move often built to another move. Thus, one needed to plan several moves ahead. They were not. Simply reacting.

In reply to Sir Garym (msg # 126):

Pikes negate the use of lances, not horses.

Rider versus foot = Rider +5 Foot -5.  Lance versus non-pike = +5 Lance.  Lance versus pike = no bonus.

In reply to Sir Sejanus (msg # 127):

You can't form a turtle on horseback.  On foot 20 versus ?100 is BAD odds.  Arrows do 3d6 damage, average 11.  So they are not amusing but not necessarily deadly except in large numbers.

OOC: I was speaking of first charge. Was intentionally trying not to speak to game mechanics. A generalize statement. Battle strategy dictated the use of pikes versus horse to negate advantage because usually the infantry outnumbered the cavalry.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:24, Sun 12 Nov 2017.

In reply to Sir Garym (msg # 132):

All good, it is just that several people are not all that familiar with Pendragon mechanics, so I wanted to make them clear.

Sir Dalan speaks up again. "If we can win at Avon think we should return to Sarum, assemble as big a force of horse and foot as we can and try a direct attack on one of the big enemy units. I know it is a risk but better to do something in force than ineffectively jab at the foe."
This message was last edited by the player at 20:32, Sun 12 Nov 2017.

In reply to Sir Perin (msg # 128):

I take this to mean that the group is riding directly toward Bulford at speed.  Bulford is approximately North North-East.  The messenger probably encountered the Irish close to an hour ago.  It will probably take you about half an hour to get there as you are riding cross country.  Everyone cool?

(OOC:  Sir Garym and Sir Sejanus have the highest Battle scores (tied), who is leading the Battle?)

OOC: I have no problem with either one. I will take lead if cool.

This message was deleted by the player at 20:49, Sun 12 Nov 2017.

"You may be correct, Sir Dalan. The Irish are closing in on us. We might need to choose a direction of attack, and attempt to break out taking the Princess and Earl to safety. The Maneuver might be a lot like Sir Sejanus capture of the flag. Tie the enemy up, and a small unit flee with them."

The twenty-five knights head toward the north and Bulford, arriving about thirty minutes later.  Like most of the manors they have seen, the place is abandoned.  A little west of the manor, the body of one of the messengers lies by the side of the path with two arrow wounds in him, although the arrows themselves are gone.  Once more, there is no sign of his horse.

Continuing on to Winterslow, they find another abandoned manor.  As they ride by, however, they hear a shout and turn to see the second messenger a bloody bandage around his right thigh, waving from the front door.

He steps back inside and a moment later returns with his horse, lifting himself into his saddle and riding somewhat painfully to the knights.  "Mal and I rode up this way and on to Bulford.  I spotted something and stopped but Ol' Mal kept going for a space and next thing ya know there were two arrows stuck in 'em and a third whizzed past his head.  Then a fourth struck me in the leg as I wheeled around.  Mal slumped and fell from his horse and I rode out of sight and sent you the message.  I continued on and took shelter here.  Not twenty minutes ago I saw them soldiers marchin' past.  There was round sixty of them.  Roughly even with pikes, swords, and bows," he explains.

"You did well. Lord Robert will remember your service. Budfannon take a look at his wound." Garym gazed towards the direction they were travelling to see if there were any advantage to the land. Twenty minutes ahead meant that they were about 2 miles away.

Probably more like a mile, given the low-quality road and them being on foot.

Sir Garym has not spent a lot of time in this area but is pretty sure that there is a low ridge to the left of the road about one-and-a-half to two miles from here.  That would provide some cover and allow part of their force to essentially sneak up on the enemy, if they were reasonably quiet.  Then, when the other group charged down the road and the enemy turned to face them, the hidden group could enfilade them.

Sir Garym gets a check in Battle.

"There is a way that this attack can succeed." Garym explains the his plan using the lay of the land. "For Salisbury, men. The group approaching from the road needs to sound like an army twice their size."

"We'll knock our lances against our shields." Sir Dalan says. A wolfish (pantherish?) smile appears on his lips. "And we'll be shouting for Salisbury, God and the King when we ride!"

Sejanus looked most serious, but remained silent,as he rode with the others.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:47, Mon 13 Nov 2017.

The group rides about a half mile down the road, spreading out as much as possible to reduce dust.  When the ridge starts, Sir Garym, Sir Sejanus, and eight other knights split off to the left and ride along the far side of the low ridge, staying out of sight of the Irish on the path.  Every now-and-then, they halt and listen for sounds of the company of foot soldiers.  Once they hear the distinct sound of clanking metal and hard boots on the soft earth, they arrange themselves and slow to a walk.

The remainder of the knights, including Sir Dalan, Sir Gracian, and Sir Perin, wait for several minutes before proceeding at a trot up the road.  As soon as they see the dust from the passage of many feet, they let out a yell and charge.

The Irish are caught off guard by the initial charge as pikemen try to get to the front while archers fall to the rear.  Despite this, they manage pretty well once engaged.

Sir Garym hits one of the archers with his lance, knocking him down before he can get off a shot.  Sir Sejanus's lance, meanwhile, goes clear through another archer, killing him instantly.  A pair of other archers target the two, both missing.  Sir Garym gets a check in Lance, Sir Sejanus gets a point in Lance.

Sir Dalan, Sir Gracian, and Sir Perin charge down the road, whooping and hollering.  Each kills a pikeman with their well-aimed lances.  Sir Dalan and Sir Perin get checks in Lance, Sir Gracian gets a point in Lance.

Ten Irish are dead or unconscious, two knights are unhorsed.

Drawing swords, Sir Sejanus and Sir Garym lay about them, trying to kill off more of the archers while fending off swordsmen.  Sir Sejanus is hit by an archer with expert aim, but manages to deflect most of the damage and stay on his horse (Sir Sejanus takes two points of damage).  Sir Garym knocks another archer unconscious.  The swordsman on Sir Sejanus misses but the swordsman on Sir Garym lands a mighty blow, knocking Sir Garym off of his horse and giving him a major wound (Loss 1 CON, Chirurgery needed, take 14 points of damage, remain conscious) but he remains conscious.

Sir Dalan, Sir Gracian, and Sir Perin each fight a pikeman and a swordsman, and each knocks their pikeman unconscious and their other opponents miss them.

The Irish lose another 15 soldiers to death or unconsciousness.  Sir Garym and one other knight have suffered major wounds and one knight is dead.  Seeing their numbers quickly deteriorate, the Irish surrender.

A review of the battlefield reveals that there are now 34 Irish standing, 8 dead, and 17 unconscious.

Riding around the surrendered foe Sir Dalan glares down down at them and calls out: "Do any of you know our tongue?"

The battle complete. and trusting his brothers to see to the aftermath, Perin turns his attention to the surviving messengers, and the bodies of their fallen comrades that the knight's squires are transporting.  "Gentlemen, I was hoping that you might be able to help me identify these men and where they were heading. There are certain messages that are absolutely critical to Salisbury's survival, and if they weren't delivered and were instead intercepted by the Irish..." He lets the words hang for a moment before adding But if that's impossible, could you at least be able to let me know if any of these men was the one that departed Salisbury late last night?"
This message was last edited by the player at 16:35, Mon 13 Nov 2017.

The Irish seem disinclined to make eye contact, much less speak to the angry knight on horseback with his blood-splattered sword.

The messenger who met you south of Porton shrugs, "I don't know who was carrying what or where any were going.  There were five sent out yesterday afternoon," he points to three of the dead found around Porton. "I spoke with ole Carliff there after dinner, so he must have been sent out later," he explains.

Perin barely manages to stifle a curse as he replies "Thank you my friend.  I was hoping that you might be able to help us out.  While we get the situation here sorted, can you return to Sarum?  I fully expect the fortress to be surrounded, but it's worth knowing for sure.  Could you please scout out the area for us?  I know that I am asking much of you, but the fate of Salisbury hangs in the balance here."

Seeing the man off, he returns to his fellow knights "Brothers, I have terrible news.  Do you remember the message I sent to the Countess Fiona?  There is a very distinct chance that the courier I sent it with is among the dead.  It is therefor imperative that I ensure its successful delivery, even if I must carry it myself."

Sir Dalan looks ashen at the news. He looks over at the Salisbury injured. "Sir Garym my brother... can you ride? With your own injury it may be best you keep from the next fight especially as we'll need Sir Perin's sword and lance."

"Garym gravely raises his head. "I am do not think so. I can try."

A death of a thousand cuts. They loss 3 knights compared to the larger losses of the Irish, but who was hurt more.

It is mid-morning.  Two hours after you left Sarum, two-and-a-half after first light.

You have 34 prisoners, 17 wounded, and 8 dead Irish.

You have the bodies of four messengers and one knight and you have a wounded messenger and two wounded knights.  You have two additional messengers and 22 knights.

Sir Perin believes that his message to Fiona was intercepted, as were most of those sent by Sir Robert, meaning few if any know of your predicament.

You do not know the fate of the bridges on the Avon or Bourne near Sarum, nor Sarum itself.  You only know that as of about 90 minutes ago, Wilton had fallen and the bridges on the Avon were under attack or threat of imminent attack.

You are a hard hour's ride from Sarum, probably two hours or more if you are bringing the prisoners.  Sending a messenger there and back will also take about 2 hours.

What are your plans for the prisoners, wounded, and dead Irish?  If anyone is planning to attempt to deliver a message to Countess Fiona or anyone else, how do you plan to get there and how many knights are going?  Remember that the Irish prisoners outnumber you by 50% and the fewer of you there are the more they outnumber you.

Sir Garym can ride but a lot of hard travel will cause damage.  Getting him and the other wounded knight to a place where they can rest and recover may be a good idea.

Garym waves over the other knights as he whispers softly. "We can not win engaging in many little battles. It spends us foolishly. We need a plan that will limit the amount of battles fought. There is a strong chance Sarum will fall. Our goal should be the escape of the Princess and Earl. We are outnumbered. I have a plan of deception that might work. The Irish know they can not hold Salisbury. Their goal must be more short term like the capture of the Princess and Earl. We need to trick them. Send out a decoy that they can chase, but the Princess and Earl hide amongst the masses of commoners that have sought refuge in Sarum. I doubt the Irish could recognize them if disguised. Meanwhile, Perin seeks help from the Countess, and her knights. But as I have argued many times there must be another force that we can utilize against the Irish."

 Sejanus removes his helmet, and wiped the sweat from his brow. " I volunteer to be part of the decoy. if I fall, the loss would be slight, as opposed to those of you with wives or soon to be married."
This message was last edited by the player at 21:15, Mon 13 Nov 2017.

Perin smiles and claps Sejanus on the shoulder "So humble brother.  First, the loss of any man of Salisbury is always mourned; and second I count three bachelors here my good man, and I don't foresee that changing anytime soon."

Nodding to Garym, who seems to be in quite a bit of pain, Perin continues "And with respect good Sir Garym, I wouldn't be so sure that Sarum will fall, at least not immediately.  Water will force their hand soon enough, but we have at least a week.  I think your plan is a good one if it comes to it, but I see a few problems.  First, the Irish have no doubt surrounded Salisbury and will no doubt take umbrage at our attempts to enter, though we would be well served to find out.  Second, what do we do with our captives?  It's not as if we can just take them with us.  And third, and probably the most pressing, your wounds, they need a healer's aid, and swiftly."

Perin turns to Dalan and Gracian and asks "Though speaking of forces to aid Salisbury, did either of you send a message to call your knights to battle?"

"Sarum fall?" Gracian uttered as he unhorsed and knelt by the wounded Sir Garym. "Am I so terribly naive that I refuse to admit it has come to that?"

He inspected Sir Garym's wounds and tried to look brave. "Oh ... uhmm ... just a fleshwound, my friend. You will up and running in no time." He was lying of course and he was bad at it.

He rose and looked at the Irish prisoners while listening to Sir Perin. No I did not call for my knights. Things has been hectic and I doubt any messenger will get through. Frankly I even doubt you will get through to Countess Fiona ..."
This message was lightly edited by the player at 21:25, Mon 13 Nov 2017.

"Be not naïve. Sarum falls without support. Whether by arms or lack of water. The only way it does not is  delaying the enemy until reinforcements come. Guile not force will win this day. We need to act before to late. This will possibly stave off the attack giving time to allow you a chance to get help. We do the same thing they are doing to us. Make them make decisions on what their priority is. If, we do not act sooner than later we will have a chance to slow the tide of Irish. If, their goal is the Nobles than they may not attack as soon as they planned. Each day, allows a chance to get help. During that time, if Irish believe there is no gain to attack Sarum they may release the common refugees with promise of treasure. The Prisoners scatter their arms, and they will regroup, but what else is there to do save execute each of them. Which I am not yet savage enough to do."

"I too have not had chance to send message to Cardiff, but now that we are actually out of Sarum I suppose I could make the attempt." Sir Dalan frowns. "I would not be willing to execute the prisoners either but is truly no way we can deal with them without letting them go."

He rubs his beard. "You say we have a week... could we make for Silchester - all of us, prisoners included - and return with aid from that quarter?"

Perin holds up hand "The problem still remains, we must reach Garym before you can do anything brother.  How are we going to get there with prisoners in tow?  And if it is surrounded, how do you intend to break through?"

The large knight fixes Gracian with a solemn look "Trust me my friend, I will make it to the Countess, nothing will stop me."

Nodding at Sir Dalan, he adds "It can't hurt to ask for aid my brothers."

"Hopefully none of us will ever be savage enough to kill prisoners, Sir Garym. We are better than that, noble friend. The prisoners will be told to scatter. Yes they will reform but at least we have shown them what chivalry is, and we cant bring the prisoner's with us, Sir Dalan, because they will slow us down.

Sir Garym? You squire should take you to Levcomagus to the North-East where your wounds can be treated. Without skilled treatment of your wounds then I fear your ... fleshwounds ... will be your death.

Sir Perin should ride to Countess Fiona with all haste, and you, Sir Dalan, are of course free to attempt to reach your holdings and gather your knights. But I will return to Sarum and defend it. If it is a week we have then I will make the Irish bleed for a week."

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.