The morning after the Pentecost Feast, the knights from Salisbury are up early, their gear packed, and soon they are on their way.  They have several days on the road ahead of them, a great time to think on recent events and make plans for the future.  It appears that Cadlew takes after his brother as he looks like he was dragged behind a wagon.

Everyone is a bit tired of the constant riding.  The dust.  The growing heat.  When not busy with their own thoughts, the knights spread rumors and swap stories.  There is a lot of gossip going around about Earl Robert and Princess Gwendollyn.  Others discuss his new title as Master of the Queen's Guard and its possible implications.  Talk also revolves around the Court of Love and how that will change things.  Many are already missing the Ladies from the feast.

After most of a week on the road, the group finally arrives at Sarum.  Earl Robert thanks his knights for their service during the campaign against the Saxons and their assistance to Sir Gawaine and King Arthur.  He finishes up by ordering everyone to return at the end of June to start a new campaign in the West.

The knights drift off toward their own manors, rest, manage their affairs, and when it is time, return to Sarum.  Everyone is back at full health.

Twenty-five of the knights remain in Sarum to protect against raids, invasion, and banditry, while the other 50 head north and west for several days, eventually arriving near the western bank of the mouth of the Severn River, north of Bristol.

Once in place, they are divided into five groups of seven and a group of 15, the latter of which includes Earl Robert.  The smaller groups will fan out in search of Irish raiders who have been plaguing the countryside, while Earl Robert's larger force acts as a rapid-deployment force to provide reserves and coordination.

It is the first night in small groups, yours consists of Sir Dalan, Sir Gracian, Sir Garym, Sir Perin, Sir Sejanus, Sir Tyreth, and Sir Cadlew.  You also have 20 men-at-arms with you.  This is a good opportunity for Sir Dalan or Sir Gracian to fill in the others on their mission . . . as they understand it.

A couple of notes:

- Anyone who needs a scribe, it is 2d to write a letter and 5d per day of travel to deliver one.
- In case anyone is wondering where we are (geographically) in relation to other things and people, on the Main Game Map we are in the bottom-right corner of grid K18.  Gwendollyn is in Escavalon, just to the west across the Severn, Fiona is almost straight north in Hereford, Rhodria is waaaaay east on the far side of London in Essex, Rosalynd is south and a little west in Devon, Galeria is south of Salisbury in Dorset, Ariette is just north in Gloucester, and Ellowyn is also across the Severn and a bit farther south and west in Cardiff.
- With luck, no one will die and you'll pick up some pocket change at least.

Sir Perin spends quite a bit of time catching up with old friends of his, Sir Dalan and Gracian.  Beyond simply being the chatter of old friends catching up, the young knight is seeking their aid in wooing The Countess Fiona.  So it isn't long before talk turns to the Fae.  "My friends, Diarmuid mentioned that I should ask you about who set you on the path to the Kingdom Inapercu.  He thinks that it would be no small aid in my quest, and so if there's anything you can tell me, I would be most appreciative."

Sir Dalan is pleased to talk to Sir Perin and tells the younger knight of their past encounter with Irish sea raiders.

Asked about Inapercu on the other hand and he grows quiet. "I promised another not to reveal who told us of the path to the Faerie kingdom. It may be that same person only meant not to reveal it to the Elven king but still..." He glances uncertainly at Sir Gracian.

Sir Perin raises his hand slightly, in a mollifying gesture.  Oaths are something Sir Perin held sacred, and he would never expect, much less ask for his friends to break theirs. "Please know that I would never ask you to break your oath my friends.  However whatever you can tell me is most appreciated."

Sir Gracian has spend his precious little time in Dinton announcing the coming marriage to Lady Ariette and then engage in desperate frantic attempts to repair the ruin he call home. He has inspected the rebuild Roman bridge spanning the river and then talked to Cauras about the possibility of repairing the mosaic tiles in the manor house, rebuilding the ruined chapel and fixing the overgrown garden. Sir Gracian has always known his ancestral home was a ruin but with the wedding coming up he is suddenly very aware of the condition of his manor.

But now he is on campaign again and sitting around the campfire at night Sir Gracian listen to Sir Dalan tell the other knights about their encounter with the Irish raiders. When Sir Dalan is finished with his tale of high adventure on the Irish Sea Sir Gracian looks around at the other knights. "Like all sea-raiders the Irish will most likely strike camp somewhere along the coast and from here strike at the villages further inland. I suggest that we scout along the coast - if we are lucky we may find their camp relatively undefended while they raid inland. That will give us the chance to burn their ships and trap them on the shore where we can defeat them in battle. The Irish are good raiders but in a proper battle they are nothing against our lances." Away from the court and Lady Ariette he is starting to sound like a warrior again.

When Sir Perin ask about Inapercu Sir Gracian looks as uncomfortable as Sir Dalan. "... yes we did indeed swear an oath not to reveal the location of Faerie Court. But ..." he looks at Sir Dalan "... perhaps we can reveal who to speak to and then let him decide if our good Sir Perin should be granted access to Inapercu or not? I can tell you this much Sir Perin. To visit the Faerie Court is like nothing you can ever imagine. It is not of this world and it is in fact so beautiful that it burns and leaves you a changed man forever."

With memories of his encounters in the Faerie Court Sir Gracian make sure to write Lady Ariette that night. Perhaps it is the thought of Flydorill that makes him write her or perhaps he tries to forget that one night in Flydorill's arms but he hope that Lady Ariette will like his letter. He has never been much of a writer but his Latin is quite good but if he is good at explaining his feelings to Lady Ariette is another matter. In his letter he also inquire about Lady Fiona's past and explain to Lady Ariette how his friend Sir Perin is struck by Cupid's arrow.

---

Can one use Romance by mail? :)
This message was last edited by the player at 20:54, Sun 10 Sept 2017.

Following Sir Gracian's plan, the knights scour the river bank, looking for the raider's camp.  The first week passes uneventfully with no sign of the intruders.  Life in camp is pleasant enough, the weather is beautiful, game is plentiful.  Camping outside is comfortable as the chill nights are gone but the steaming days have not yet arrived.

Those who sent letters to nearby women (Sir Gracian and I assume Sir Dalan) receive flowery replies . . . literally containing flower petals.  Of course, mail is always welcome, if extremely rare in these days pre-widespread literacy.

As the second week begins, Sir Dalan notices some tracks but is unable to determine where they lead (check in Awareness).  The following day, however, Sir Garym also finds tracks and is able to follow them to a trail covered in horse and boot marks.  Sir Garym gets checks in Awareness, Hunting, and Horsemanship.

There appear to be approximately a dozen to fifteen horses and perhaps twice that many men, although it is difficult to tell.  They are pretty fresh, certainly earlier in the day.  It is now mid afternoon.  What to do?

OOC:  Each group of 7 knights has a knight designated to them from Sir Robert's group who can be found in a specific place.  It is a couple of miles to that knight, who would have to then ride to the main camp and return with reinforcements.  This would probably take a couple of hours.  That would give you another hour or two of daylight but likely not enough time to track down the raiders before nightfall.  Sir Cadlew can go to the designated knight and lead anyone back to where you are.  Let me know if this does not make sense.

"Well done Sir Garym! You impress me with your keen senses! I think we have found our enemy - Sir Cadlew. We all you are a master horseman. Ride now and ride hard so Earl Roberts know of this and he can bring reinforcements. But ride fast my friend - I do not want you to miss out on the fun to come!" Sir Gracian seems elated by the thought of combat and glory to come.

Sir Dalan strokes at his chin. "I admit part of would have us chase the raiders here and now brother than risk them slip away. It is true they would outnumber us but we are likely better armed and armoured."

"I would love no more than run them down, Sir Dalan, but what if they defeat us? Oh I am not talking about saving my own skin, but if they defeat us and we have not send word to Earl Roberts then he will not know where to deploy his forces and this opportunity will be lost. Oh I agree we can pursue them as far as we can, but we must also get word to Earl Roberts."

Sir Gracian points in the direction of the tracks. "Besides if they are that many men on both horses and foot, then I am sure their camp must be close."

"My friends, what if we do both?  By all means send for our Lord, but we should also endeavor to find and pursue the enemy.  If as you say, their camp is close, then we should find it and attack.  We leave them nowhere to return to and acquire their supplies for ourselves.  Then when they return, men and horses exhausted from a day of raiding we strike."

Sir Gracian looks at Sir Dalan with a huge grin on the face. "What about it my brother? Shall we not listen to the words of young Sir Perin and wreck havoc on the enemy so that they are weakened when our Earl Roberts arrive with his forces?"

Turning to the rest of the men he calls out with a grin on his face. "Men of Salisbury! I do not know what Gods the Irish pray to, but I hope they have said their prayers because I think it is time to show them some true Salisbury hospitality!"
This message was last edited by the player at 15:26, Mon 11 Sept 2017.

"Yes!" Sir Dalan cries enthusiastically, his grin echoing Sir Gracian's. "Well said good Sir Perin, let us do the work of knights this day!"

"Decisions made in the blind are foolish at best. Wisdom would dictate that we determine their exact numbers and ground before attacking. Normally, I would say that we should be cautious, but it seems the saints did bring us here for this purpose. I am no hunter, or so keen of eye that it could not be any other way. By Gabriel's horn, a valiant charge through their camp with the men following. We could wreak such damage that they would not be able to strike a counter offensive. The success of our endeavor depends on the quality of their perimeter guard. If spotted early, the battle will be dangerous indeed." With that said, Garym kneeled on the ground with his sword in the position of the cross. Garym was not normally a religious man this was just a ritual a god faring knight did before battle, but this time it seemed to mean more than it had when he was a squire. Maybe as a squire, he was so concerned at just serving he was oblivious of the danger. Plus, he as a knight had responsibility of the men that served with him.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:12, Mon 11 Sept 2017.

"I am of course not suggesting we rush in blindly my friend, but it seems to me that we have a rare opportunity here.  If indeed the raiders are all out, then a strike to their camp could all but cripple them.  However if things look too bad, we can simply not engage and begin to slowly pull back, allowing time for our reinforcements to arrive."

After praying; Garym gets up. "Perhaps, we should consider a twilight raid. The Irish will either be sleeping or drunk. The darkness will give us the opportunity to approach without being scene more likely."

"Good idea Sir Garym but first we must track them and find them." says Sir Gracian.

"My only concern would be that if we attempt such an attack, their raiders and the forces guarding their camp might have merged.  Still, as you say Sir Gracian, we need more information.  So shall we hunt some Irish?"

It is around 4:00 p.m.

Sir Cadlew rides off in search of their contact with the main body as the remaining knights start tracking the prints back toward their source.  Given the number of tracks involved, it is usually fairly easy but a couple of times the trail seems to disappear . . . in fact it seems to have been purposely obscured.  Sir Garym and Sir Sejanus are able to pick up the trail again.  After an hour or so, the tracks seem to disappear once more.

The knights spiral out from the spot and eventually, Sir Tyreth spots the remnants of a campsite about a hundred yards from where the tracks disappeared.  The campsite is fairly well hidden and has mostly been swept to avoid detection.  It looks like the group camped for a single night and moved on.

From observing the tracks, the knights determine the following:

The trail meanders as if purposely not heading in a straight line.

The party appears to be moving fairly slowly.  There are clear indications of groups going off to hunt or gather firewood and water the horses and men.

The party had probably been traveling for about 3 hours at the point you picked up the trail.

Some things about the surroundings:

The camp is a ways from the river.  The land near the river is marshy at this point although it becomes dryer and hillier as you move North, which the party appears to be doing, in general.

There are not a lot of settlements in this area and it is mostly woods.  One would not normally expect a large force of knights or men-at-arms here.  In fact, having a large force of knights from outside of the area (you) is highly unusual.

Heading back to where you originally found the tracks, you discover Sir Cadlew and five other knights have just arrived.  At this point, it is around 6:30 p.m. and you think that the tracks are now about 8 hours old.  You have a few hours of daylight left.

Five more knights and 30 men-at-arms will arrive here in the morning (although if you notify them prior to dawn, they can go somewhere else instead).

Given your guess about their pace, if you continue tracking them until it gets too dark to do so, you might catch up with them before it is too dark to see.

You have been traveling all day, so the men-at-arm will be fairly tired if they march for another 3 hours.

Fighting in the dark is a bad option for knights in the woods.  Traveling in the woods at night requires torches, which can be seen for up to miles.

Sir Sejanus gets a check in Hunting.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:11, Wed 13 Sept 2017.

The group decides to await reinforcements and camps where they first came across the tracks.  They set up a defensive perimeter and sentries and stagger watches.  The night is uneventful.

Around mid-morning, five knights and thirty men-at-arm arrive.  Expecting that they are about a day behind the raiders, they cautiously follow the tracks.  Once more, the trail meanders about but heads generally north.  Tracks go off occasionally, presumably for hunting or scavenging.

On a couple of occasions, the tracks disappear completely and once more it seems that they were obscured on purpose.  Sir Tyreth is able to pick the trail up, however.

Around mid-afternoon, after the group has been traveling for about 5 hours, the tracks disappear completely.  It takes about half an hour until Sir Garym discovers the scattered remains of their camp.  Like the previous camp, it is hidden from view and some effort was made to hide evidence of it.

It appears that they had a sheltered fire, which would have been hard to see from any distance.  There are buried bones that include a deer and some small animals.  There is a stream running nearby.

The group searches for the tracks again but can't seem to find where the raiders went from here.  After about an hour, the knights have carefully searched the area 100-200 yards from camp, especially heading north and have not found any sign of the horses or men.

There was evidence along the way that the group stopped for water.  There are streams every so often.  The ground here is becoming a bit more marshy, suggesting that you are getting closer to the Severn River again.

Heading to the east for about a mile, the group then heads north once more.  The terrain becomes a bit more open, although more hilly.  They make good time, skirting the base of hills and taking advantage of the reduced number of trees.

After a few hours, it is time to stop once more for the night.  Camp is made in a defensible position with guards and watches.  The night passes uneventfully.

Based on a rough estimate of the enemy's movements, you would guess that you should be about an hour or two behind them if they kept to the same pace.

The party gets up before dawn, has some cold rations for breakfast and heads out as soon as it is light enough to see, hoping to get ahead of the raiders.  After traveling north for about an hour, they come upon a road.  And by road I mean single-lane dirt track heading East-West.

Since the raiders are almost certainly to the west and roads mean civilization, the group heads west.  They pass a few farms but no signs of life, or indications that raiders have been here.  A little over a mile down the road, they come to a small village.  Basically a small collection of buildings next to the river.

There are a large number of people in the streets, seemingly having a debate of some kind.  Seeing the group approach, an older man who seems to be in charge comes forward while the others cheer.

"My Lords," he begins, "bless you for arriving so quickly and with such force, our small town is honored by your response," he bows low.

This is all rather baffling and it takes several minutes before the confusion is cleared up.  It seems that everyone in town went to bed as normal last night but woke up this morning to find that Ole Whalen, who runs the ferry, is dead (his throat was cut) and the ferry, which is usually on this side of the river, is on the other side of the river.

There is a rope that goes across, which is used to guide the ferry, but there is no way to get the ferry back here without sending someone to the other side.  The closest crossing is Gloucester, which is about 10 miles north of here.  (On the Main Game Map you are South of Gloucester along the river where it bends in a semi-circle to the west.)  The river is fairly narrow here but that also means that it is moving quite quickly.

The townfolk sent a runner to their lord, seeking help an hour ago and then you showed up.  They have not seen nor heard anything about any raiders.  They are the southernmost settlement in Gloucester.  This is a lesser-used crossing, mainly used by smaller groups or those who wish to avoid the expensive tolls at Gloucester.

As the knights and townsfolk try to figure out what is going on, Sir Sejanus notices some familiar-looking hoof prints near the ferry dock.  Sir Sejanus gets a check in Awareness.

Garym could tell there was little chance of crossing here. He started to speak with the locals hoping that they knew a safer place to forge the river. They were so close to over taking the Irish. He could not accept a river was going to block him.

While Sir Garym talked to the locals, Perin conversed with his fellow knights in a low tone.  "Does anyone else find it suspicious that the Irish completely ignored the village, and instead are making their way further inland?  That suggests more than simple raiders to me, they have a clear objective in mind.  And the bit with the rope, they're either on to us, or taking no chances at all.  Neither of which bode well for us..."

Sir Gracian has been sitting on his horse quietly studying the river. Sir Perin's words seems to bring him back from his thoughts. "I agree Sir Perin. I fear their leader is a cunning barstard. You think they knew they were being pursued by us? Think about it ... their old camp hidden, tracks covered and now this. Lets say that any of you were leading those raiders and you knew that you were being pursued because one of your scouts stumble upon the enemy by chance but escape without being noticed. So you want your pursuers off your back and still be able to raid. So what do you do? You make sure the enemy head for a crossing 10 miles away. It will give you a chance to get rid of your pursuers and leave a village open for a raid afterwards."

He sighs. "I dont know ... perhaps I am just imagining things. Perhaps the raiders are not even trying to raid villages but are after a greater prize. Blasted! What happened to a simple battle?"

The townsfolk don't know of a better crossing than the one at Gloucester.  The bank on this side is pretty marshy south of here and very steep north of here.  The bend in the river makes this a good place to get to the river easily, hence the ferry.  They think they can rig up something with the barrels and logs they have but they are not eager to try crossing themselves.  Above their pay grade, as it were.

As the knights and townsfolk discuss the situation, a rider can be seen galloping up the road the knights just used.  His horse is lathered and he looks very much as if he has been riding for a long time.

The townsfolk begin murmuring that this must be a response to their petition but as the man draws reign, you recognize him as Sir Ceredig, one of Earl Robert's knights.  They did not recognize him at first as he is on a Courser (more of a hunting horse than a battle horse or riding horse, they are the fastest of the horses) and is wearing no armor or pack.

Out of breath, he slides from the saddle, staggering somewhat but catching himself before approaching the knights.  "Sir Gracian, Sir Dalan, the raiders, they are heading to Escavalon for the Princess, you have to stop them at all costs!"

Sir Ceredig has, in fact, been riding for most of the last day.  Once he has caught his breath and questions are asked and answered, the tale spills out.  Earl Robert is courting Princess Gwendollyn of Escavalon and it was her who requested his aid in dealing with Irish raiders.  Muirchertach Mac Erca, the High King of Ireland, is also courting the Princess and seems to have taken a rather more forceful approach after the Pentecost feast.

Some Irish ships were seen heading East past Cardiff and it was believed that they were going to attack Bristol.  The Princess asked Earl Robert to help deal with the situation while her own troops dealt with additional raiders to the west.  When Earl Robert received news that your group had discovered raiders, he had also just gotten news of the fleet attacking Bristol, so he sent a few forces to you while most of the rest of the knights and men headed south to help defend Bristol.

It turns out that the attack on Bristol was just a feint, meant to draw attention away from the group you were following.  Sir Robert captured part of the group attacking Bristol, which did not expect so large a force to be close by.  He found out that the plan is to have a large force attack Kynedunne and Cardiff to draw out Escavalon's army while a smaller force sneaks into Carlion to capture the Princess.  The Irish navy is blockading the Port of Bristol and there is no way to get word out except overland.

Earl Robert and most of his troops are coming but they are still at least half a day behind you.  You need to stop the raiders before they can get to Carlion.  It is also likely that a second group of raiders has or will join up with the ones you are following.  So, good luck and God speed.

 Sejanus, the quiet one of the newly minted Knights, only spoke when he thought it worthy of the words. He sat atop his horse, and studied the far shore where the ferry was located. He studied the terrain and places that might provide concealment.

“Perhaps I am in error, my brothers, but a clever leader might have left a small detachment of archers to guard this ferry. The swift current would make the slowing go, for anyone attempting to cross.  It would be the Devils own time, winning the opposite bank, in the teeth of arrows.”

"Sir Ceredig, how many troops does the princess currently have. Remembering what he had been told." It seemed that there was no way to get ahead of them. "Sir, do you know the terrain better than I is there any route that could ridden that could reach the Princess with a warning?"

Perin nods at Sir Sejanus as the man broke his long silence to raise a point about archers "Aye, that's a good point, but only if he's willing to lose those men.  The force seems small enough as is, I'm not sure they'd be willing to split their forces like that.  Still, it's worth being aware of."  Turning to Sir Garym he adds "Are you thinking of doing the same thing as Sir Ceredig?  It might be wise to get word to Escavalon as soon as possible."  The suggestion made perfect sense of course, Sir Garym was the finest rider that Perin had ever seen; he had no doubt that the man could make it to Escavalon in time to get some sort of defenses set up.

The townsfolk get to work creating a raft of sorts.  They take a couple of barrels standing upright and lash a couple of logs between them at the top opening.  They place the logs over the rope that spans the river so that one upright barrel sits on each side with the rope beneath the logs.  One person can stand in each barrel and pull themselves across with the rope.  It looks relatively secure but getting across will take a while.  The ferry itself looks like it can take 4 horses or 10 soldiers at a time.

Sir Ceredig responds, "I do not know for sure but I don't think there is more than a token force of a dozen or so guards in Carlion.  Trying to get a message through is risky as the enemy is between us and there and will likely be moving quickly and probably guarding the road.  If they can get to the bridge above Caerwent before a messenger, there will be no way around."  (It is about 20 miles straight on the trade road from the ferry to Caerwent.)

It is absolutely possible that the raiders left archers but that assumes that they expected pursuit and had men to spare at this point.  If they really wanted to screw you they would have cut the rope and sunk the ferry.  They seem to have made an effort to leave as little evidence of their presence as possible.

It is currently still relatively early morning.  If things go according to plan, you could get a couple of people to the far side, get the ferry back, and ferry men and horses across in a few hours.  You could then make it down to Caerwent before nightfall if you pushed and didn't run into anything.

Tipping his hand in acknowledgement of the man's point, Sir Perin turned to his fellows "Then it sounds like we need to move quickly."  Glancing about, he motions to one of the sergeants, calling the grizzled veteran over.  "Tell the men to rest while they can during the next few hours, we have a day of hard marching ahead of us once we get to the other side of the river."

Sir Garym calls his fellow knights over. "We will have lost much time moving with the main body. We can not defeat the Irish with just our knights, but perhaps we could cause them to stop their movement thinking that they had been overtaken. What I propose may be foolhardy, but I doubt that we can catch the Irish as is. We proceed on horse in pursuit. We attempt to deceive them in thinking we are a larger unit. They will use scouts to determine our size, but the standard tactic would to prepare lines for battle until the scouts report."

The group from Salisbury has 17 knights plus 50 men-at-arms, and Sir Ceredig, who is unarmed/armored and not in much shape to ride hard right now much less fight.  The townspeople build the makeshift raft and two of the men-at-arms volunteer to take it across the river and return with the ferry, which they do.  It is somewhat time-consuming but works well enough.

When the ferry is brought back over to the east side of the Severn River, sixteen of the knights quickly ferry over to the far side, using ropes attached to spare horses to speed the ferry along.  Sir Cadlew, still on the east side, offers to bring the men-at-arm along behind if the knights feel it a good idea to ride ahead.  Sir Ceredig will await Earl Robert and the others on the east side of the river to let them know what is going on.

Recovering the ferry and getting the knights to the west bank takes about an hour.  If they want their squires and spare horses, it will take another hour.  Getting all of the men across will also take about an hour.  If the knights are going to go on their own, sending the men-at-arms next and then the squires would mean the men-at-arm start an hour behind the knights and the squires could probably catch up with the men-at-arms before arriving at the bridge.

“If we are to offer pursuit, they enemy have no idea of our exact numbers, so I offer the following counsel. We travel in a loose order. We get whatever rope, leathers straps, etc., and tied branches to them. If each of us drag as many branches as we can, the dust kicked up will give the impression of a large body of mounted men. “

"It is indeed foolhardy Sir Garym but do we really have a choice? The Princess is in danger and we are the only one that can come to her aid. We can never defeat the enemy just us knights, but we do indeed have a chance to make them halt their advance and turn around to face us in battle and perhaps we can make them halt for long enough for our men-at-arms to catch up with us.

And with Sir Sejanus' cunning plan we may even make the enemy think twice about their chances and cause fear in their hearts. And then when our men catch up with us we can make them pay for their folly."

“ If the Irish are a mixed force of horse and foot, we might be able to act as the bee to the bear. We move in and they must deploy for battle. They deploy, we withdraw, they march, we close, and they deploy, and we again withdraw.” Offers Sejanus in way of counsel.

“It takes time to go from a March formation to a battle one, and the same is true, in reverse. We might be able to slow them down to one degree or another.”

 Sejanus was quick to add the following.” These ideas are not mine; they are the tactical genius of Caesar, and Marcus Antonius”.  When Sir Gracian, offered praise for Sejanus’s suggestion.

"You are a scholar Sir Sejanus - I envy you." says Sir Gracian and sound like he means. There is a tone of sadness in his voice as he touches a gold ring on his right hand. The ring is exquisitely made and is obviously old. For a moment he is lost in his thoughts before he suddenly smiles "Let us then hope our plan will work, Sir Sejanus."

"Then we should at least send our men first, and allow the squires to catch up with them with our spare horses later in the day.  While I may not like the idea of rushing headfirst into the dragon's maw, it appears we have little choice in the matter.  Our lord has given us our orders, and we must see them though, at any cost."

"Well spoken Sir Perin. But I suggest we try our best to live to tell the tale of our glorious encounter with the Irish." he says with a grin. "I am not sure my fair Lady Ariette will approve of me being killed today. You know how women can be."

Sir Perin's face breaks into a grin as he claps Sir Gracian on the back "And if I were to let you die, I would never hear the end of it I'm sure my friend.  Don't you worry, I'll make sure you return to your lady love in one piece!"

"With the grace of our Lord, Iesus Christus, We shall prevail, if our cause be just. So let us place our faith in our God, and the skill of our blades, My Brothers."

 Sejanus, most times the quiet one in the group, suddenly raised his voice, so the entire group of Knights and Men at Arms could hear." let us all bow our heads and offer up a prayer to God, our Savior, and  for the blessing of Saint Albans, who was martyred for our faith." Sejanus raised his sword like a Crucifix, holding it by the blade.

"I was told a long time ago. Do not speak of death, and do not speak of life for these happen no matter what words are said. Better to be in the moment, so one may experience what God has given." Garym bowed his head in respect to Sejanus, but in truth he grew tired of praying.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:18, Mon 18 Sept 2017.

Sir Gracian bows his head in prayer even if he is not a very religious man but he respect Sir Sejanus faith and how much it means to him.

He cant help but think of what Sir Garym says about being in the moment. He vaguely remember his father trying to impart some words of wisdom to Sir Gracian when he was a child but he doesnt remember much of it. Sadly.

When the prayer is over he turns to Sir Perin with a grin on his face "Are you sure it is not because you need my Lady's help to win the heart of a certain woman that makes you so concerned for my health?"

The knights decide that speed is the greatest necessity at the moment and the 16 knights head off as soon as they are across the river, hoping to catch up with and harass the Irish.  Sir Cadlew coordinates the crossing of the men-at-arms and follows the knights about an hour behind them.  The squires and extra horses are the last to cross and they proceed about an hour later than the men-at-arms.  Sir Ceredig awaits Earl Roberts and the other knights on the west bank of the river, planning to ferry them across as quickly as possible once they arrive.

Compared to the last week-and-a-half of trackless wilderness, the trade route down toward Caerwent is a welcome change.  Hurrying along, they kick up a lot of dust but they are able to move fairly quickly at least.  The group is a little surprised to find no travelers on the road.  However, after about an hour Sir Dalan notices a traveler hidden in the bushes off to the side.

The group reigns in and asks the man what he is about.  He seems a little frightened by the large force of knights and stutters that he was just trying to stay out of way.  He is a little worried as you are the third large band he has seen this morning.  There was a larger group of knights early, a ways after dawn.  Then about a hundred men-at-arms around mid-morning, and now you.

He is not exactly clear on times or numbers but it has been a while since he saw the men-at-arms.  The knights inform the man that there are more groups of soldiers and knights coming but they will not harm him and then they race off in pursuit of their quarry.

It is about an hour later that Sir Garym spots a peasant and his wife hiding in a field.  Once again, the knights reign in to question the couple.  They say that they also saw a 'lot' of knights this morning and much more recently a 'lot' of soldiers.  They hid and both groups passed them by.  Both seemed to be moving quickly like your own group.

Half an hour later, Sir Sejanus spots a friar peeking out from the windows of a small church by the side of the road.  The group halts once more and bids the friar tell them of any other groups of knights or soldiers he has seen.  The friar takes some convincing as like the two previous groups, you are clearly not from Gloucester or Escavalon.

Once convinced of your good intentions, he tells you that two dozen knights came through in a hurry in late morning (a couple of hours ago) and that a large body of men-at-arm, probably 50 or so, just passed by a short time ago.  About a dozen of the men had bows.  In fact, the air is still a little dusty from their passing.

He tells you that the road continues through the scrubby trees and bushes you see for another mile and then it is cleared for the next couple of miles (he lists off the names of several farmers whose farms run along the road).

It is currently about 1:00 p.m.  You would guess that you are halfway to the bridge.  Your men-at-arms are probably two hours behind you.

Sixteen knights against 50 men-at-arms is not the best odds but in the open with some surprise, it is certainly favorable to you.  Sixteen knights against 24 knights is somewhat worse odds and would be extremely worse if the two groups were together.

Sir Dalan, Sir Garym, and Sir Sejanus get checks in Awareness if they don't already have them.

What would you like to do?

1.  Attack the men-at-arms in the open.

2.  Try to negotiate the surrender of the men-at-arms (probably unlikely and will allow them to prepare).

3.  Try to bypass the men-at-arms and continue after the knights ahead of them?

4.  Await reinforcements?

5.  Something else?

Sir Perin turns to his fellows, and quietly murmurs "I see little choice but to press our advantage and attack.  If we allow the two groups to link back up, it will not end well for us.  Yes, it will slow us down, but if fortune favors us, the initial charge should cause significant damage.  If we can maintain our momentum and avoid being bogged down, then we should be able to wheel and charge again."

"To battle one group and than next..... difficult. If, we could break through the Men at arms, and push forward to the Irish Knights. One hard Charge, and we might be able to scatter them."

"I suspect it will take more than a single charge to break them, but perhaps we will get lucky.  The main advantage would be of course, that when we faced their knights in the future, they would be entirely without support.  It might make them amenable to negotiations."

"Might it be possible to detour around their foot, unless we see a chance to scatter their archers, and then engage their Knights? If we best them, we can be the hammer to our Men at Arms  anvil, for the Irish foot. It be a gamble, but a worthy one, the way I see it.”

Sir Gracian nods quietly and spits on the ground. He feel the lance in his hand and steadies his breathing.

"I dont want to be caught between their footmen and their knights. I say we attack now, charge through and then back again causing as much carnage as possible."

Sejanus nodded " I shall follow the elder Knights decision."

"I agree with gallant Sir Gracian," Sir Dalan says. "It is time to offer battle."

It is decided that attacking the men-at-arms is the best plan.  The enemy brought them for some purpose and taking advantage of the opportunity to destroy them seems too tempting.  It also seems like a bad plan to end up between the enemy knights and the enemy men-at-arms.

Sir Sejanus pushes ahead of the rest of the party and scouts out the enemy.  He knows that he is close as the dust from the road gets thicker.  He manages to catch sight of the end of the column without being noticed and waits for it to leave the woods before heading back to the other knights.

After a quick conference, a battle plan is drawn up.  Eight knights will line up to the left of the road and charge as soon as the men-at-arms are an appropriate distance from the woods.  The other eight knights will line up to the right side of the road and charge as soon as the first group makes contact.  Both groups should go for the archers first and ride through, turn around, and charge back as the enemy soldiers try to deal with the next charge.

Battle rolls:
Knights are +5 surprise, +5 Knights versus soldiers, -10 1:4 odds.
Sir Sejanus, rolled 16 using 1d20.  Battle.
Enemy men-at-arms, rolled 3 using 1d20.  Battle.
Knights -5, Enemy 0.


The initial charge catches the enemy completely by surprise as the clomping of charging hooves is muffled by the grass and the sound of fifty marching feet.  The rear of the column yells out as the knights are almost on them and some of the soldiers attempt to scatter but it is too late.  Heading for the archers first, Sir Dalan, Sir Gracian, and Sir Sejanus knock their foes unconscious, while Sir Perin and Sir Garym kill their opponents outright.  One of the other archers is knocked out as well.

Knights are +5 for being mounted, +5 for using a lance, and -5 battle modifier.
Sir Sejanus, rolled 17 using 1d20.  Lance.
Sir Perin, rolled 20 using 1d20.  Lance.
Sir Gracian, rolled 9 using 1d20.  Lance.
Sir Garym, rolled 11 using 1d20.  Lance.
Sir Dalan, rolled 10 using 1d20.  Lance.
Sir Sejanus, rolled 20 using 5d6.  Damage.
Sir Perin, rolled 40 using 12d6.  Damage.
Sir Gracian, rolled 22 using 5d6.  Damage.
Sir Garym, rolled 26 using 5d6.  Damage.
Sir Dalan, rolled 17 using 4d6+2.  Damage.

Sir Perin gets a point in Lance, everyone else gets a check in lance if you don't already have one.

The remaining archers loose arrows as the next wave of knights charge, with only a couple managing to penetrate armor and do slight damage.  The knights, however, mow down the remaining archers like a scythe harvesting golden stalks of grain.

Knights are +5 for being mounted, +5 for using a lance, and -5 battle modifier.  Archers have no modifiers.
Knights, rolled 70 using 8d20 with rolls of 14,5,7,12,1,16,2,13.  Lance.
Archers, rolled 38 using 6d20 with rolls of 8,9,11,2,2,6.  Bow.
Archer 1, rolled 3 using 3d6 with rolls of 1,1,1.  Damage.
Archer 2, rolled 10 using 3d6 with rolls of 6,3,1.  Damage.
Archer 3, rolled 6 using 3d6 with rolls of 3,1,2.  Damage.
Archer 4, rolled 12 using 3d6 with rolls of 2,4,6.  Damage.
Archer 5, rolled 14 using 3d6 with rolls of 4,4,6.  Damage.
Archer 6, rolled 8 using 3d6 with rolls of 3,3,2.  Damage.

As the knights turn to charge back through, a core of about two-dozen soldiers have formed a square.  However, without archers in the center, or pikes, they are not extremely effective against mounted knights with lances.  About a dozen more men are scrambling back toward the cover of the trees, and it is these that the knights charge.  The fleeing men turn to face the charging knights but are unable to hit the knights.  Sir Dalan manages to kill his opponent, while the others wounded theirs.

Knights are +5 for being mounted, +5 for using a lance, and -5 battle modifier.  Soldiers are -5 for being on foot.
Sir Dalan, rolled 20 using 1d20 with rolls of 20.  Lance.
Sir Garym, rolled 8 using 1d20 with rolls of 8.  Lance.
Sir Gracian, rolled 10 using 1d20 with rolls of 10.  Lance.
Sir Perin, rolled 9 using 1d20 with rolls of 9.  Lance.
Sir Sejanus, rolled 7 using 1d20 with rolls of 7.  Lance.
Soldier 1, rolled 9 using 1d20 with rolls of 9.  Sword.
Soldier 2, rolled 4 using 1d20 with rolls of 4.  Sword.
Soldier 3, rolled 13 using 1d20 with rolls of 13.  Sword.
Soldier 4, rolled 9 using 1d20 with rolls of 9.  Sword.
Soldier 5, rolled 11 using 1d20 with rolls of 11.  Sword.
Sir Sejanus, rolled 17 using 5d6 with rolls of 3,2,5,5,2.  Damage.
Sir Perin, rolled 20 using 6d6 with rolls of 3,5,2,3,4,3.  Damage.
Sir Gracian, rolled 13 using 5d6 with rolls of 3,1,2,1,6.  Damage.
Sir Garym, rolled 17 using 5d6 with rolls of 6,1,1,6,3.  Damage.
Sir Dalan, rolled 35 using 8d6+4.  Damage.

Sir Dalan gets a point in Lance

Although they have taken a lot of casualties, the enemy is not ready to give up yet.  The second group of knights makes their second charge.  They head for those still trying to make it to the trees and a couple more soldiers go down, with the others being wounded.  There are now twenty five men in a square, which is now marching toward the trees, and another ten individuals, all wounded, also heading for the trees.  Despite the losses, they remain oddly defiant, perhaps hoping if they can make it to cover, the knights' advantages will be nullified.

The two groups of knights charge one last time at the now-fleeing soldiers, who hope to make it to the cover of the trees as their fellows slowly plod toward the same cover in square formation.  The ten fleeing soldiers are cut down and the knights reform as a single unit lower their lances and call to the remaining soldiers to throw down their arms.  The soldiers have had enough and see no possibility of surviving, even if they make it to the trees.  They lay down their arms.

Sir Sejanus, rolled 14 using 1d20.  Lance.
Sir Perin, rolled 15 using 1d20.  Lance.
Sir Gracian, rolled 6 using 1d20.  Lance.
Sir Garym, rolled 5 using 1d20.  Lance.
Sir Dalan, rolled 12 using 1d20.  Lance.
Sir Sejanus, rolled 23 using 5d6.  Damage.
Sir Perin, rolled 18 using 6d6.  Damage.
Sir Gracian, rolled 22 using 5d6.  Damage.
Sir Garym, rolled 17 using 5d6.  Damage.
Sir Dalan, rolled 19 using 4d6+2.  Damage.
Knights, rolled 90 using 8d20 with rolls of 14,13,10,15,5,10,7,16.  Lance.

You now have 25 prisoners (a few of which are wounded), 15 unconscious and 10 dead enemy soldiers.  Four knights can reasonably hold them captive and give them simple orders (bury dead, carry wounded, etc.).  There are not quite enough conscious soldiers to carry all of the unconscious ones.  If left alone they can fashion primitive melee weapons and cause problems.

What would you like to do?

Everyone gets 75 Glory.  No one is wounded.

  Like some Pagan god of war, the mounted figure wheeled his horse, for the last time, a crimson stained sword in his right hand, baptized in the spattered blood and gore of the enemy. A new sound became to replace the melody of battle, which has been heard for the last several minutes.

 The sound was that of the Irish foot throwing down their arms, and begging quarter from the mounted Knights, now undisputed Masters of the field this day. Sejanus lowered his sword, drawing in a few deep breaths. He motioned his blade to where he wanted the nearest prisoners to move.

"Well fought, Brother Knights! Well fought indeed!" Sir Gracian calls out. He is thrilled that no knight is seriously wounded or killed.

"We owe much of this victory to you, Sir Sejanus. Your keen eyes and wit helped bring victory today!"

He looks around and count the number of prisoners. "We must assign four knights to guard the prisoners and make sure the dead are buried with dignity and honor. The rest of us must waste no time, but instead push on and pursue the Irish knights. Are you with me, Brother Knights?"

Sir Perin is grinning from ear to ear as he claps Sir Gracian on the back "That was some strike my friend, well done!"  His demeanor turns a bit more solemn as he surveys the dead strewn about the battlefield, quickly adding "Aye, they fought bravely, even when outnumbered.  Of course they deserve the comfort of a proper burial... However as you say, we need to keep moving, so your idea to have a few of our brothers supervise the situation is a sound one."
This message was last edited by the player at 21:07, Tue 19 Sept 2017.

"An excellent fight my brothers," Sir Dalan says, a wolfish smile on his face. "As Sir Gracian says we owe much to you Sir Sejanus."

He nods approvingly at Sir Perin's words, then turns to address the Irish prisoners, his tone firm but not threatening: "Do any of you Gaelsmen know the Cymric tongue?"

A rather large soldier stands and faces Sir Dalan, "I speak your tongue," he replies.

OOC:  They are not going to have much to say about anything but can certainly understand orders or directions and will generally follow them.

  As the group of nights rallied again, two of the elder Knights spoke praise of Sejanus.” You honor me, my brothers. But whatever I did, was only because of the Good God above, and willed it so.”

"It seems we will not be able catch up to them, and still remain battle ready. They will need to find a ship to escape. Can they even bring one close enough, or will they attempt to capture one. Perhaps we can get there first."

 While Sejanus did not think Himself a Priest, he did what a layman might do. He dismounted from his horse, went to his knees,and prayed for the souls of the fallen Irish in Latin,of course.

In reply to Teller of Tales (msg # 55):

"Have your men bury your fallen by your custom," Sir Dalan tells the Gaelic raider. He looks over at Sir Sejanus in surprise but approval for his prayers.

"That seems a good judgement Sir Garym."

"The question is where will they get the boat? The goal should be to intercept the army that captures the Princess. If, we could set a battle line  with both our knights and footmen on the route that they are traveling we could fight a single battle to reclaim the Princess. After the reinforcements arrive; we can take the other group and force them back to the sea."

"Gentlemen, a thought occurs to me.  I don't think that the Irish will be making it to the princess tonight.  Not unless they want to be entirely exhausted as they attempt to escape."  Glancing about, he quickly adds "They've done everything they can to ensure that they don't raise an alarm, so it strikes me that they're probably in disguise.  With that in mind, if we put our minds to the task, we might be able to find them before it's too late."

“My knowledge of the customs of Hibernia are limited. But they have knights, so would it be possible to settle this matter by Champions? If we have one of our knights challenge their champion to single combat, and we win, they must withdraw from these lands.”

Sejanus had been pondering the problem, at hand. They were outnumbered and perhaps outdistanced by the Irish. He decided to float an idea. “I know enough Latin to act as a Deacon or even a Priest. The Irish are Christian for the most part; I might be able to convince them that I saw a much larger force then we are that pursues them. I warn them out of the wish to prevent blood shed. They might be turned from their purpose"

Sejanus half excepted the others look like at him as if he had taken leave of his senses.

"Did someone hit you in the head during the battle, Sir Sejanus?" Sir Gracian looks puzzled and doesnt know if he should be laughing or not "Oh I am all for doing what it takes to win, but I am not going to loose a good knight because he wants to pretend to be a priest. Besides we dont even know where those damn Irish knights are. And we are not going to let it be a fight settled by Champions. They have invaded our soil and threaten to kidnap a Princess of this Realm. We are going to hunt them down and we are going to stop them. They will not succeed and they will learn never to attempt such folly again."

He sighs and orders one of the Irish prisoners over to him. The one that Sir Dalan spoke to earlier that seems to speak the language. "I am Sir Gracian of Dinton and you are my prisoner. I offer you your freedom if you tell us what your plan was. Oh, I know you are going to tell me that you are just a footman and that you dont know the whole plan and I will play along and pretend I believe you ... but the fact is that you must have known where to meet up with your knights and where to embark so you could escape and go back to Hibernia. So do not play me for a fool and tell me all you know. And if you are honest and speak the truth, then you have my word of honor that I will make sure you return home to your family and loved ones before Winter sets in."

The man gives a derisive snort, "ne'er been a footie, 'ave ya MiLord?  Dey don't tell us nutin' more like orders us.  Git off da boat, march, git on da ferry, march down da road.  Dat's all we's knows.  When's da last time ye told your footies what da plan were?"

"I dont know, my good man, because I have never been able to afford footies. I live in a bloody ruin!" Sir Gracian blurts out before regaining his composure.

"Did they tell where they would meet up with you or did they just tell you to singlehandedly invade Logres with a handful of men?" Sir Gracian can feel a headache coming.

"We're in Logres?" he asks, in obvious surprise.  Shaking his head he replies, "dey said march down da road, don't stop until you meet up with us."  He shrugs as if this is about as much as anyone ever tells him.

The knights rest for a couple of hours as they await their own foot soldiers and the squires, who caught up to them on the road.  The prisoners busy themselves making stretchers for their wounded and burying their dead.

After allowing their own footmen to rest and eat, the knights set out once more, happy to be on their riding horses, which are not quite so tired.  The knights are in the lead, followed by their squires and footmen, followed by their prisoners, who are a ways behind with 10 footmen (five guards and five to help haul stretchers).

The trail is easy to follow as there are a great many hoof marks on the trade road.  The road winds through farms, fields, and the occasional bit of forest.  They have been traveling for a few hours when they approach another small section of trees.

It has been a long day and it is difficult to remain on high alert and ever watchful.  Although generally heading south, they are going a little west here as well and the setting sun is ahead of them and a bit to the right.  It is the sun gleaming briefly off of something metallic that draws Sir Gracian's attention to the woods ahead and slightly to the right of the road.

Commenting to the others, all of the knights watch the forest.  Sir Perin sees movement a little to the left of where Sir Gracian saw metal.  It appears to be something large heading rapidly away near the road.  'Horse' is a good guess.  If not for Sir Gracian's comment, Sir Perin doubts he would have noticed the slight movement in the darkened wood.

You had hoped to be to the bridge before dark, so you are probably pretty close.  There is about another hour or so of light before it starts getting hard to see.

Sir Gracian and Sir Perin get checks in Awareness if they don't already have them.

What to do?

Whoever it was, if it was watching the road then it would have seen the dust from your approach for a while but you are now in range to be counted and more clearly identified.  It is fair to say that whoever is ahead is aware of your approach and probably at least your rough numbers.

"They know we are coming. If, that was a scout they are now riding hard to report. The ground is as good as it will get. If, they have pushed to the bridge, and all they would need to do is control the attack corridor. Plus, every hour our men ground tired. Morale is a precarious monster. They know our immediate numbers, but they most likely do not know if we are a single force or a vanguard for a larger force. Their perception could be our advantage." Garym could not help but feel like he was still being watched.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:28, Sat 23 Sept 2017.

Perin couldn't help but chuckle "We are something of a vanguard for a larger force my friend.  And yes, I think that we can expect a force to meet us here on open ground soon enough."  Glancing about he adds "I think we might want to ready ourselves for battle my friends."

Moving the foot soldiers to the front of the line, the group proceeds cautiously into the forest.  The path winds between the trees but there is no sign of the Irish knights besides the hoof prints of their horses.

After about half a mile, the trees thin and they break once more into open country.  The road continues on, sloping slightly downward and curving around a couple of low rises.  The knights stream around the sides of the infantry and press forward with their greater speed and height.

Coming up between the two hills, the knights can see the river coming in from their right and meeting up with the road at a trestle bridge, which spans the river.  The banks of the river are quite steep and drop about 8'-12' to the river, which is about 60' wide.

On the near side of the bridge, which is about a quarter of a mile away, there are about a dozen knights emerging from small copses of trees on either side of the road, all are wearing tabbards with a red shield and three upright swords (which Sir Garym recognizes as the Coat of Arms of Escavalon).  Garym gets a check in Heraldry.

The knights appear to have just gotten up as they are still adjusting equipment.  As the Salisbury knights continue forward, these knights proceed across the bridge.  The last knight across pitches a lit torch into a cart that is on the trestle.  When he reaches the far side, several knights pull a rope, that wedges the cart across the near side of the span.

The dozen knights join approximately a dozen more knights in the same colors who are already on the far side of the river.  The entire group turns and heads father along the road, with the last in line pitching another lit torch into a second wagon that is hanging over the edge of the embankment next to the trestle on the far side of the river.  He then hits a chock under the front wheel with his lance, causing the now-burning wagon to go over the side and under the trestle.  His work complete, this knight follows the others down the road and away from the knights from Salisbury.

Hurrying forward, the knights find that the river is quite impassable other than by using the bridge, which is on fire.  There are two burning wagons, one about a third of the way across the bridge, wedged at an angle to block the span.  The second is under the bridge on the far side and flames from it are coming up around the side of the bridge and will probably soon catch the wood of the bridge itself on fire.

The bridge is slightly wider than a wagon, meaning that roughly three people can walk abreast or two horses.  In order to remove the burning wagon from the bridge, two people need to succeed at a Strength (STR) roll twice.  First success unwedges the wagon, second success pushes it off the trestle (presumably to the left side so it is downstream and does not just get swept, burning, against the supports for the bridge).  Up to three people can attempt to make the STR roll in a given turn and as long as two succeed, that task is done.  During each of the first two turns of attempting to move the wagon, each person attempting to move the cart takes 1d6 damage, ignoring armor.  During each of the next two rounds, each person attempting to push takes 2d6 damage from fire.  The amount of fire damage increases by +2 during every succeeding block of two turns as the fire in the wagon intensifies.  Swapping a player attempting to push loses a turn for that player but does not affect others.

Crossing the bridge on foot (once the initial wagon is moved) requires one turn.  Starting in turn 10, if the fire is still going on the second wagon it will cause 1d6 damage to anyone crossing.  Starting in turn 15, the damage increases to 1d6+2.  Starting in turn 20, 2d6.  Damage increases by +2 every 5 turns after that.  Attempting to cross the bridge on horseback requires 1 turn and a horsemanship roll.  Failure and the horse won't set foot on the bridge.  Fumble and you go over the side.  Leading a horse across takes two turns but gives a +5 on Horsemanship roll.  If a horsemanship roll is failed, you must wait 3 turns of calming your horse before trying again.  When riding a horse, the horse takes the damage, when leading the horse you both take damage.  Ten foot soldiers or 5 knights can cross in a turn.

How you go about dealing with the burning wagon on the far side is up to you.

Think about who should attempt to move the cart and what order people should move across the bridge.  The Irish knights are gone.  Although it occurs to you that attacking you while you are attempting to cross the bridge would be really unpleasant for you, for some reason they decided against this plan of action.  Also think about whether and how you might extinguish the cart on the far side.  You have rope and other basic tools, including some pots and buckets.  We will assume for easy of my life that the squires can get all of the spare equipment and horses across without dying.

p.s.  Sir Perin has the highest STR, followed by Sir Tyreth (who is willing to help), then Sir Gracian, Sir Garym, and Sir Sejanus (all tied), and finally Sir Dalan.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:07, Sat 23 Sept 2017.

"Cowards!" yells Perin, obviously enraged at the "knight's" tactics.  And without hesitation the large man steps towards the burning bridge, intent on removing the cart, no matter the cost.  If they didn't put out the fire immediately, it would be impossible for them to stop the Irish raiders.

 Finally, they had sight of the enemy. But is seemed that the enemy would yet again, slips away by means of a burning bridge. Upon seeing one of his brother’s head onto the bridge, Sejanus dismounted and joined him, in the effort to dislodge the burning cart. He shouted something in Latin that sounded like a prayer, as he moved to join Sir Perin.

Sir Gracian quickly dismounts and run towards the burning carts determined to push them aside. The fire burns hot and he yells out some un-Christianly curses as he - together with the good Sir Sejanus and Sir Perin - start to push the cart off the bridge.

The Irish, if they heard Sir Perin's futile taunts, pay them no heed and are soon out of sight.

As the three knights scramble across the trestle, the heat and flames sear their hands and faces.  As one, the three unwedge the wagon and toss it off the downstream side of the bridge, where it splashes into the water and extinguishes itself.  The wagon is carried down toward the sea, leaving a trail of slightly burned tabbards emblazoned with the crest of Escavalon.

Our heroes have a few turns before the far side of the bridge gets all burny if they want to run across now.  The other knights, still mounted, can ride across this turn if those on the bridge proceed across on foot.

The knights can now see that the still-burning cart is resting with one wheel against the trestle, one in the water, one on the bank, and one up in the air, leaning at a 30°-45° angle.

Sir Gracian takes 7 damage, Sir Perin takes 8 damage, and Sir Sejanus takes 11 damage.

Because it was asked, there was a full moon last night.  However, it is very overcast to the east, and although there are fewer clouds in the west (where the sun is just setting in a blaze of prismatic colors) it does not appear that it will be bright enough to travel reliably and certainly not light enough to track someone tonight.  In fact, you are pretty sure it is going to rain.

Once the first cart is in the river, Sir Perin takes off at a sprint, intent on removing the second cart before it too causes irreparable damage to the bridge.  Despite his bulk, the knight is quite fast and manages to build up quite a bit of speed before he throws himself at the second cart in an attempt to push it into the river as well.

"I could lead a couple horse through before the flame hits its peak. We must act quick though."

Garym caresses the side of his charger's neck. He links his horse with Sir Perin's horse as well if Sir Sejanus if he allows. "Harbinger, fear not. I trained you from birth to do such things. This is just another ride over a country bridge like the one near home"

As Sir Perin rushes across the bridge and slides nimbly down the bank on the far side, Sir Garym rides his horse and a pair of others across the bridge to help.

Sir Perin gets under the wagon and lifts with his legs, turning the wagon on its side.  However, as he tries to push it over completely the burns seem to get the better of him and he loses his footing.  Bracing one leg against the trestle he gives a mighty heave and the wagon flips, dousing the burning tabbards within in the steady stream.

Sir Perin takes 11 points of damage.

The fires extinguished, the remainder of the party files across the bridge.  The sun is now gone and the light is fading rapidly.  With the heavy cloud cover, that seems to be expanding from the south, it appears that not only won't there be enough light to travel safely but it is definitely going to rain.

Using ropes and horses, Sir Perin is pulled back up the steep bank.

It is decided that pushing forward would be futile and the group is better off getting as much sleep as possible.  They can await Earl Robert and start fresh in the morning.  It is unlikely that the Irish will travel far tonight as the danger of getting lost, especially once it starts raining, is too high.

The good news is that the rain will making tracking easier in the morning and the group from Salisbury is probably within an hour of the Irish.  That is not much of a lead if they hope to capture the Princess and get her away from Carlion.

Pitching their tents, the group makes a fire and most go to sleep as there is only 7.5 hours until sunrise and less hours of darkness.

About an hour later, the rain has started when Sir Robert arrives with the remainder of the Salisbury knights.  They look beyond exhausted and are glad for a hot meal and tents setup on still dry ground.  The newcomers are soon asleep except for Earl Robert, who talks briefly with the player knights.

Sir Robert listens to what has happened and praises all of the knights for their bravery and endurance.  "I doubt that they have continued far in this rain," he comments, "not over unfamiliar terrain, even with the road, it is too easy to get lost or injure their horses, which are already tired.  We will wait until the rain stops and then send a large force to Carlion.  We won't need to track them, just to stay on the road.  And we don't need to worry about alerting anyone to our presence by using torches."

Looking around at the camp he finishes, "I will come with you, as the Princess will know me and understand the danger.  The rest of the force will move to Caerwent at first light.  The soldiers can hold the city and transfer the prisoners to the locals, the knights can then search for the Irish knights."

Earl Robert retires to a tent and is soon asleep.

About four hours later the rain stops and the original 17 knights, Sir Robert, and eight others, set out, torches in hand.  They move slower than normal, making sure that they do not overtire their horses or leave the road.  They see no signs of the Irish knights and an hour-and-a-half later arrive at the closed gates of Caerwent.  Earl Robert hails the night watch who informs him that they have not seen anyone passing by.  Earl Robert explains about the Irish knights and that a large force from Salisbury will be coming in the morning with prisoners and to help guard the town on the King's orders.

Although it is still overcast, the sky is brightening by the time the group arrives, exhausted at Carlion.  A guard is sent to find the Princess who is surprised to see Sir Robert here.  After an explanation of the circumstances, the gates to the city are closed.  The castle guard is sent to guard the bridge to the east while the knights rest until noon and then assemble once more.  A messenger from the other group of knights has arrived.

The men-at-arms and other knights left at dawn.  About halfway to Caerwent, they found fresh tracks entering the road from a farm.  Investigating, they discovered signs of a large number of horses and men having camped in the barn.  They continued to Caerwent and the guard there told them that a large group of knights had passed by a couple of hours earlier, a few hours after your group passed by.

Leaving the men-at-arms to protect Caerwent and ensure the prisoners don't escape, the knights are now searching for the Irish knights.

Having dispatched a messenger to the King of Escavalon's army, Sir Robert and eight knights will remain in Carlion while the others help search for the Irish.

Sir Garym and Sir Sejanus notice tracks leaving the trade road and heading south not far from the bridge over the Usk River outside of Carlion, as if they saw the guards at the bridge and decided the gig was up.

They follow the trail for about a quarter of a mile and then suddenly lose it.  An hour's searching results in Sir Gracian eventually turning up traces of the trail once more.  This time, Sir Dalan is able to track the hoofprints for a bit over a mile before losing them again.  Sir Garym, however, has figured out what the Irish are doing when the trail keeps disappearing and he quickly finds the trail once more.

After another twenty minutes, the group comes out on a trail that overlooks the Severn Sea.  They are about 100' above the water and there is a narrow, winding trail going down to the beach.  Below, they can see three landing craft and two dozen knights loading their horses onboard.  The first craft, holding a dozen horses, is just pushing off.

Bringing horses down the trail is going to be tricky.  Riding requires a horsemanship roll, leading requires a horsemanship at +5, and running requires no roll.  A failed horsemanship roll means the horse tumbles off the path and will probably be badly injured at best.  Running takes the least time, riding next least, leading takes the most time.

The knights below are hurrying as they have spotted a group of a dozen or so knights riding up the beach from the east.  However, that group is about a mile away and not likely to arrive in time to stop the knights from escaping.

Sir Dalan gets a check in Hunting, Sir Garym gets a point in Hunting.  Sir Gracian, Sir Garym, and Sir Sejanus get checks in Awareness.  Sir Garym gets a check in Horsemanship.

Sir Gracian isnt happy to see the Irish knights about to get away. Partly he suspect they will prove a nuissance later and partly because he hoped to take prisoners and ransom them for money (he hear weddings can be expensive). But he doubt they will be able to reach the Irish knights before they disembark and he and his fellow knights could easily be injuried on the way to the beach. He sighs and looks around at his fellow knights. "I say we let them go, Brother Knights. They will be back another day and then we can have our revenge."

Sir Perin nodded as Sir Gracian suggested caution.  While he would normally be all for charging the enemy, his wounds were a bit worse than he cared to admit.  Besides, as his friend had said, the battle was over, the Irish were retreating.  Earl Robert might not like that they had let the Irish escape, but they had more than succeeded at their assigned duty, there was little need to take a pointless risk.  "Let the cowards slink away, we've seen to our duty, the princess is safe."
This message was last edited by the player at 21:07, Sun 24 Sept 2017.

Just a note, I was too lazy to roll first aid/healing after the bridge.

Sir Perin healed 3 points
Sir Gracian healed 2 points
Sir Sejanus healed 4 points.

The squires for Sir Gracian and Sir Sejanus get a point in First Aid.  Sir Perin's squire gets a check in First Aid.

Garym did not comment. The chase was over. They forced the Irish Raiders to the see, but somehow the victory seemed hollow. Charging a few footmen did not feel glorious at all. He turned his horse slowly rode away from the coastline. Garym softly whispered to his horse, "Harbinger next time."

The knights watch from the hillside as the Irish knights herd their horses onto the boats and then themselves board and sail off toward their waiting ships.  The last, and largest, of the Irish knights to board seems to study the Salisbury knights for a while before raising his shield so that they can see it, thumping it twice, and then making a rude gesture.

Five minutes later the dozen knights riding along the coast get to the spot where the Irish just embarked and throw some curses of their own toward the retreating Irish.

Returning to Carlion, the knights inform Sir Robert that the Irish have fled.  He congratulates them on their success and each is given their share of the sale of the weapons and shields of the Irish foot soldiers.  (50 * (75d sword + 3d shield) = 3600d = 16.25£, divided by 16 knights present = 1£ each, with the remainder going to Sir Cadlew who was not present but peripherally involved).

The knights are fed and can rest at the castle overnight.  Then they are on their own or can return as a group to Salisbury in the morning.

In addition to 1£, everyone gets 100 glory for defeating the men-at-arms and an extra 75 glory for preventing the Princess's capture.