"I think we are all itching for battle and the chance to win glory. But we have been tasked with rebuilding Tullamore and we must not fail. Let me and my knights stay here and along with the stewards continue our building projects. Admittedly a mere six knights isnt much of a defense but the majority of our knights should join the battle in the north."

---

We hire one Priest and three Stewards for the total of £4.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:57, Sat 25 Aug 2018.

"Are you sure my brother?" Sir Dalan asks, raising his eyebrows at Sir Gracian's modesty. "I am glad one of us will continue his post here, but I am afraid of letting you lose out on greater glory."

Sir Dalan strokes him trim beard thoughtfully. "About our fiefdom - perhaps if we do hire servants for the castle the locals will fear it less, seeing normal men and women come and go with ease?"

"I am sure, my brother. Just promise me you will make sure people dont think my abscence is caused by cowardism?" he replies.

"I fear the locals wont dare stay at the castle. We need a priest first to cleanse it of evil spirits - or at least to make sure the locals think any evil spirits has been banished." he adds with a wry grin. "Let us wait with hiring local servants until you return and the first line of projects has been finished. If we push them they will show up with pitchforks and torches - and I rather not face those pitchforks until you all return from the campaign."

-- To Battle --

Sir Dalan and Sir Garym ride off with their four-score knights, raising a large dust cloud in their wake as the many hooves pound the simple road heading north.  The weather is damp, the skies a dull grey but otherwise the journey is mostly uneventful.  They meet up with Arthur's forces after a two-day ride and are sent to scout around the enemy's right flank.  A huge contingent of Irish foot soldiers, estimated to be as many as 1000 strong, has been pushed into the woods.  The knights are to ensure that the enemy does not sneak out of the woods and escape to the west and safety.  It is believed that a few dozen Irish cavalry are in the area and try to harry or ambush you.

You head off to the western edge of the woods.  As you ride, Sir Garym begins to feel ill.  He is the only one affected and although his complexion has a greenish tinge, he does not appear to be in mortal danger.  He does not, however, seem fit to fight, or perhaps even to ride long distances.  He certainly is not well enough to lead knights into battle.  He rides back to Arthur's camp, leaving Sir Dalan with command of 80 knights.

How would you like to deploy your men?  A single large group, several smaller ones?  If more than one, who would you like to lead the others?  The knights of Bod Dynal include those listed in the original adventure and could easily lead at least their group.  Otherwise, you can make up someone to 'promote.'  From your experience, you know that the Irish cavalry tend to be led by a tough and wily fighter.  He likely is very familiar with the local terrain.  He is not very chivalrous.

-- The Haunting --

Sir Gracian watches his companions and the vast majority of knights ride away and perhaps wonders what he has gotten himself in to.  Returning to the castle, he sets to work on one of the many projects that seems in constant need of his attention.  It is late before he manages to find time to eat and it is a lonely affair.  Well, at least until a specter arrives and begins complaining about the quality of the food and lack of service.  The ghost is a large man and seemingly well-fed, and yet he complains bitterly about the quality of the fare and that there is none to serve him.  He entreats Sir Gracian to get some servants and better food.

Although his arguments are strenuously made, Sir Gracian is able, for now, to disregard them.  Still, it is an odd experience.

The ghost will depart once the meal is over.

Anything you would like to do or say?

Sir Gracian is rather disturbed by the appearance of the ghostly apparition. He like to think he has seen his share of danger and fantastic creatures but ghosts are ... different. Their souls trapped on this Earth and unable to move on and even if the well-fed complaining ghost at first sight seems harmless, then Gracian is not comfortable with the ghost.

The following day Gracian seek out brother Cadfael to discuss the encounter. "Late last night as I was eating a meal a ghost appeared before me. It appeared in the shape of a ... uhm ... well-fed man that ... uhm ... complained about the quality of the food. After a while the man disappeared right before my eyes leaving me alone with my meal. I have no experience with such things but will you help me? Perhaps if we find out who he is ... or was ... then we can find a way to lay him to rest and grant him peace. Also I intend to check our food stores later on today and I want you to accompany me."

---

The plan so far:

• Enlist brother Cadfael. He is after all a man of the cloth (and in fact the only one in Tullamore).
• Investigate the current food stores.
• Investigate the keep and see if the food and supplies used to be stored in a different location than the one that is currently used.

Sir Dalan clasped his hands with Sir Garym as they parted: "Rest well my brother. We need your sharp sword and sharp wits in this adventure!"

After sadly watching the knight depart Sir Dalan assembles those who ride with him to plan strategy: "Most of you I have not ridden with before, though you all have the look of splendid and true knights to you. Tell me knights of Bod Dynal, be there one amongst your chivalry who knows best how to fight in the narrow forests?"

-- Battle --

A large knight approaches Sir Dalan, "I am Gwyllt, brother to the Baron.  We have fought for many years in the dense forests of Cambria."  The knights of Bod Dynal nod in agreement.

-- The Haunting --

Cadfael departs and Sir Gracian checks the supplies.  They are good enough knight's fare.  It is unclear where they used to be stored but they are secure now.  Admittedly, there are no servants to cook and serve, and clean.

After a couple of days, Cadfael returns, a curious expression on his face.  "Well, I spoke with the locals and have pieced together as best as I can the stories.  The person whose likeness you describe is probably John, the son of the builder of this castle," he gestures to the stone keep.  "He was brought up rich and spoiled and grew obese.  Although the particulars are not important, the general consensus is that there was a famine and John ignored the plight of his starving subjects and they . . . well, lopped off his head and put it on a pole."

He shrugs apologetically.  "I am not an expert on ghosts but I would recommend blessing the castle with holy water and a cleansing prayer."

OOC:  Holy Water is expensive, especially in sufficient quantity to bless the entire castle.  Probably a few librum worth.

The good knight Sir Gracian listened carefully to the learned brother Cadfael and sat silently while staring at the Irish monk.

"Is it tradition around here for the peasants to lop off their Masters' heads?" he asked and at once regretted his question. "Never mind. Please dont answer that question..." He just hoped he hadnt sounded too anxious.

"Holy water for the entire castle? Do you have any idea how much that will cost?!" The knight buried his face in his hands and shook his head before he sighed heavily and deeply wished he had follow Sir Dalan and Sir Garym on their campaign to the north.

"Very well then. I suppose we need to have the castle blessed then. If we dont get the place cleansed we will never be able to get any local servants. Can you make the neccesary arrangements and perform the ceremony or will I have to bring in some priest?"

Gracian was already trying to balance the books. His beloved Ariette had done most of the bookkeeping before and he had never been much good with numbers ...

---

Do we only have the £ given to us when send to Tullamore or can Gracian pay for things with his own money?

"Well met good Sir Gwyllt," Sir Dalan replies, clasping the man's hand in greeting. "I want you to be my second in this battle. The enemy knows the land better than us, and that can't be helped, but I'd sooner have a knight who has used sword, lance and steed under the green leaves than two gallant men of the rolling hills and pastures."

Turning to address the knights as a whole he lifted his voice. "The plan is this; Sir Gwyllt will take a pick of a dozen men and scout the woods, trying to draw out the enemy horse and then take flight, drawing the enemy to the rest of us. Now the Gael probably thinks us all blundering brutes, empty heads encased in iron helms. Let them think that - good Sir Gwyllt your job is to fool the Irish into thinking they are chasing witless, panicking fools, riding off without a wit between them. I want the enemy blinded by their own confidence until the moment when they meet the rest of us - aye and our swords!"

-- Battle --

Sir Gwyllt gathers up a dozen knights and rides off as Sir Dalen sets up his trap.  There is not a lot of ground cover, especially for almost 70 knights but at length Sir Dalan finds a suitable spot.

It is a couple of hours before the small party of knights returns, streaking out of the forest but slowing once out of bow range.  When they rejoin the main group, Sir Gwyllt reports.  "We did not find any horsemen but the woods are full of foot soldiers.  They ambushed us several times but we were able to extract ourselves.  Once out of the woods, they did not pursue us, although archers continued to fire upon us until we were out of range."  Several knights are wounded but only one is hurt badly enough that he won't be able to fight.

OOC: I am not sure how clearly I laid out the situation.  I added Game Map Group 2, which shows the main forest into which ~1000 Irish foot soldiers have retreated.  They are represented by red dots, although you have no idea of their current positions within the forest.  The Purple dots at the bottom of the page are several hundred knights and some footmen in Arthur's army, who pushed the Irish into the woods.  The other three purple dots are you (1), Sir Perin and the Hereford knights (2), and some other group of knights (3) to the east.  It is unknown where the Irish cavalry are or their exact numbers.  You need to prevent the Irish from leaving the woods unseen.  If they leave en masse, send word and attack to slow them down.  It will take than many men a long time to exit the forest and scamper away.  A smaller outbreak should be something you can contain yourself.

-- The Haunting --

OOC: You have the money provided and perhaps a librum or two of your own you brought with you.  Carrying large sums of money on a campaign seems unwise.  Please note that Cadfael is not really an expert in this area and his advice is a pretty standard Church response to "What to do if something unholy occurs."  Sir Gracian can accept his advice, seek other counsel, reject it and do his own thing, or whatever.  NPCs don't speak for the GM most of the time.  :)

"You would need a bishop to perform the Blessing," Cadfael replies.  "There is probably one in Dublin, which is also where you would be likely to find such quantities of Holy Water."

It would probably be a bad idea for Sir Gracian to leave before his fellows return, although he could send a knight to go in his place, which might be an even worse idea.

Gracian sighed and look out the window. Campaigning in the North seemed so much more attractive now.

"I cant go to Dublin now and leave Tullamore without a master. We will have to make do until Sir Dalan and Sir Garym returns from the war and then perhaps I can go to Dublin and speak to the Bishop.

Did they ever bury his head?" The last question was mostly rhetorical.

After a while staring out the window Gracian turned to the monk. "I need to talk to the locals. Find out where his body and head is buried and if he got a Christian burial at all. Can you help me? I am starting to learn the language but those throat-sounds ... they are killing me."

Sir Dalan sends the most wounded knight away to a safe distance, then confers with his remaining knights. "It seems we'll have to wait for them to make a move out of the trees. I want the knights with the best eyes and ears on our flanks - if a leaf moves unnaturally at the forest edge I'll want to hear about it."

-- Battle --

It is some hours later, as the afternoon winds down, that a group of 50 or so footmen trot out of the wood between Sir Dalan's knights and the main army (so around 7:00 on the map).  Sir Dalan is about to give chase when he thinks a little about it and concludes that this is a feint of some sort.

While it seems like a test to send out a small group and if nothing happens, send out a stronger force, it is an odd place to leave the forest as it is a long way to the next cover and is close enough to the main army to be in danger of being caught by both the main force and Sir Dalan's knights.  Additionally, Although they are quite far away, Sir Dalan thinks that Sir Perin's force to the north is heading away from him suddenly, perhaps chasing another feint in that direction.

But what to do about this?

OOC:  You can (and should) send a rider to the main army if the enemy moves in force (as in most of their forces) as 80 knights are not going to be able to stop 700+ footmen.  But sending a knight prematurely could make you look foolish if nothing developed.  Sending one too late, of course, would also be bad.  What to do, what to do?

Sir Dalan gets a point in Battle.

-- The Haunting --

Cadfael is, of course, happy to help.  He walks along with Sir Gracian to speak with some of the locals about Sir John.  However, Sir John was the grandfather of the most recent ruler of this region and there do not appear to be any who saw the man personally.  What they have is mainly tales, perhaps exaggerated, of the man's gluttony and selfishness, but few details passed his final comeuppance.  There is a family plot outside the keep, including a marker for John but short of exhuming the body, there is no way to tell if the head is there as well.

"Sir Gwyllt send our fastest rider after Sir Perin. I want to know what Sir Perin is doing - he is a splendid knight but I am not sure patience is a virtue. I'd sooner risk embarrassment by reacting too soon than missing a chance at the foe."

Gracian listens carefully to every tale told about Sir John but he quickly realize that noone really knows anything about anything. How shall he ever solve the mystery and end the haunting of the castle?

In the end he sees no other option that to do the thing he would have prefered not to do. "Cadfael? See to it that Sir John's body is exhumed and reburied with the proper rites ... no need to infuriate him even more" he mutters. "We need to know if his head is still there or if his body is even buried here or not. I dont mind having a hungrry ghost at the castle but as long as that damned thing is haunting us we will never get any servants!"

-- Battle --

The knight rides off quickly toward Sir Perin's force, which is definitely on the move away from you.  The small enemy force picks up speed and when they detect no response, another group begins to depart from the trees.  At first glance it appears this could be a far larger body.

The knight has covered about a third of the distance to Sir Perin's original position when he pulls up short, stands up in his saddle looking toward Sir Perin's retreating force, before wheeling his horse and heading back at full speed.

As he returns, the second group continues to leave the woods.

"My Lord," the knight says, gulping air and trying to talk rapidly, "as I was heading toward Sir Perin's force I caught sight of something in the woods.  There is a huge force between Sir Perin's knights and ours.  It looks like the main body of the enemy getting ready to leave the woods.  Sir Perin is chasing some cavalry."  After a couple more gulps of air he finishes, "I tried to make it appear that I gave up on Sir Perin because he was heading away rapidly in hopes that the enemy would not realize I saw them."

What now?  Feel free to ask questions if anything isn't clear.

OOC:  Not only did you critical your Battle roll last round but the knight criticaled his awareness roll.  I was thinking, what should his Awareness be? 9?  No, 7.

-- The Haunting --

Exhuming the body is exactly as fun as Sir Gracian imagined it would be.  The body, including detached head, was in the grave and has now been properly buried once more.  It is difficult to tell but it appears that it might have been properly buried the first time.  Better safe than sorry though!

Unsure of what to do next Gracian curse his ill luck for being stuck in Tullamore with a hungry ghost.

Once the exhumed body of Sir John has been buried again Gracian ponders what to do next. Sadly he never gets must rest because rebuilding the area takes up most of his time but he is certain that the ghost will be back. And once it is back Gracian needs to have a talk with the departed Sir John - Tullamore Keep needs servants!

Sir Dalan claps a hand on the young knight's shoulder. "A good job Sir Berdic. I fear I must ask you to ride again to warn the King of what you have seen. Travel around around the back of our company of knights so that you are shielded from the sight of the Hibernians. Only when you think yourself blocked by prying eyes go to a gallop."

Turning to Sir Gwyllt he said: <Green>"Ready the men to charge on my command. We must wait till the enemy makes their move and hope that good Sir Berdic reaches his Majesty swiftly - as it is I suspect we'll be fighting on our own for a few moments before our brothers arrive."/Green>

-- Battle --

Sir Dalan and his cavalry creep along to the North, taking what cover they can.  After Sir Berdic leaves there is a bit of a lull before a large group of footmen appear from the forest to the North.  About 100 soldiers have appeared so far but it is only a small piece of the total force.  Certainly Sir Dalan and his knights can take such a force easily but they would quickly be overwhelmed by the forces yet to come.

If he charges now Sir Dalan can arrive by the time ~200 soldiers emerge.  They could certainly hold their own against such a force and perhaps force them back into the woods.  But they would likely be in trouble of they got within bow range of the woods.

Alternately, they could wait until the entire force was out and harry them until reinforcements arrived.  Assuming that reinforcements arrived in time.  This could lead to the destruction of the Irish forces here, which are a decent chunk of their entire forces.  It is, however, a more dangerous and risky gambit.

I added an update Map under Group 3 (feel free to compare to Group 2 map).  Sir Perin and the Hereford knights (2) have moved to the East.  Sir Dalan and company (1) have edged a bit North.  The small purple dot to the South West is Sir Berdic.  It is quite possible that the smaller force of Irish to the South will attempt to slow Arthur's forces, should they head Sir Dalan's way.

-- The Haunting --

Meals become something of a chore for Sir Gracian with the constant urging of the ghost of Sir John.  The ghost badgers Sir Gracian into more conspicuous consumption and is successful at wearing away at Sir Gracian's defenses.  The knight finds that he is eating more and more often in the hopes of assuaging the ghost but it seems merely to induce the ghost to redouble its efforts.

One day the poor Sir Gracian cant take it anymore. He rise from his chair with such force that he knocks over the chair and yells at the ghost standing before him. "AARGHH! No more, Sir John! I have heard enough of your mad ramblings and constant nagging. This castle is no more yours, Sir John! You lost it when the peasants came for your head because you had neglected your duties as a knight and as their master. And now you haunt these halls and corridors which means that I cant get any servants because they are all too afraid to come here. I have a monk that wants me to throw holy water on you and pay a Bishop to come here and send you off to Heaven and I got a war going on outside these walls. So for the love of God and all you hold dear ... WHAT DO YOU WANT? Tell me Sir John and I will try to the best of my ability to help you. And if you dont tell me then be gone and be gone for good!"

Gracian suddenly stops and turns white unable to determine if he has just cursed the entire estate or not. He know nothing about ghosts but he has heard enough tales about ghost and hauntings to be scared.

After much thought Sir Dalan summons his senior knights.

'I know what a risk it is but we'll wait and harry the foe once they emerge. Our task is to deal with the enemy en masse and by God and all his saints that is what we shall do. It is a tough task my brothers but I trust our king and his captains. Fight well and we'll see a great victory this day!'

Having addressed his knights Sir Dalan checks his armour, steed and weapons one last time. He has no illusions this will be a very difficult fight. 'On my mark when they emerge raise the leopard standard and at their flank!'

-- Battle --

The knights remain hidden until the mass of the Irish have departed the woods and it is quite a mass indeed.  Sir Dalan guesses that there are at least 700 soldiers in the large group of men heading toward the safety of the western forest.  The odds are not good but there is nothing for it, Sir Dalan needs to hold them long enough for Arthur's forces to arrive, so he yells and charges forward, his knights forming a long line of steel and equine muscle.

The English have the advantage of being mounted with lances but the Irish far outnumber them.  Sir Dalan is not as accomplished in Battle as some of his fellows and as a result is unable to take advantage of the terrain.  Fortunately, the enemy commander, perhaps due to surprise, does no better.

Today: Sir Dalan, rolled 17 using 1d20.  Battle.
Today: NPC Irish, rolled 18 using 1d20.  Battle.


Sir Dalan finds the largest Irishman he can find and skewers him with devastating effect, knocking what is left of the man back several yards where he remains, unmoving.

Today: Sir Dalan, rolled 17 using 1d20.  Lance.
Today: Sir Dalan, rolled 52 using 16d6.  Damage.

Sir Dalan gains a point in Lance.

Overall, the English appear to be doing well in their initial charge, grinding through the front rank of Irish soldiers without a loss.  This causes the column to stagger to a halt but their numbers will probably soon begin to tell.

Today: NPC Irish, rolled 16 using 1d20.  Round results.
Today: NPC English, rolled 4 using 1d20.  Round results.

-- Haunting --

"My duties?" the ghost whines petulantly, "it was the rotten, lazy peasants who ate up all of the food and did no work so I was barely able to sustain myself!" he splutters.  "Now I am left to eternally haunt these halls that were once my home and no food or drink can slacken my hunger and thirst!  I am the one who was wronged and yet you blame me!"

The spirit curses Sir Gracian both figuratively and literally as the knight finds that his food now lays rotten in the pantry.  There is more food about but he has lost most of a week's worth to spoilage.

It is moments like these that Sir Gracian wish he were wiser or more scholarly. Yes he learned to read as a child but somehow the old dusty rotten remains of a library back at Dinton never really prepared him for hauntings. He cursed himself for not going North - somehow war, battles and carnage seemed simpler and even more enjoyable than rotten food, self-pitying ghosts and superstitious peasants.

Sir Gracian is lost and try to focus on rebuilding the land instead of thinking too much about the annoyed ghost.

---

OOC: What I am trying to say is that I got absolutely no idea about how Sir Gracian is to deal with the haunting, so I will instead try and focus on rebuilding the area. Perhaps the good Sir Dalan got some bright ideas on how to deal with the hungry ghost? :)

Not for the first time Sir Dalan rued his inexperience as a leader. The young knight glanced at the men depending on his command and with a firm expression glanced around for an enemy leader to fight a challenge against. If he could defeat a captain or champion of the Irish it might just shake their morale - or at least throw them into confusion.

-- Battle --

Sir Dalan looks around for a suitable leader or champion but is unable to locate one.  Instead, he goes after the largest Irish foot soldier he can find and splits him in half with a mighty sword blow.

Sir Dalan, rolled 8 using 1d20.  Awareness.
Sir Dalan, rolled 15 using 1d20.  Sword.
Sir Dalan, rolled 31 using 10d6+4.  Damage.

Sir Dalan gets a point in sword.

The knights continue to hold back the Irish foot soldiers, preventing them from moving forward and in fact, pushing them back in places.

NPC English, rolled 2 using 1d20.  Round results.
NPC Irish, rolled 19 using 1d20.  Round results.

Sir Dalan continues to look out for a suitable opponent but without success.  He manages to trade blows with a foot soldier whose spear he shatters, although he does no damage to the man.

Sir Dalan, rolled 14 using 1d20.  Awareness.
Sir Dalan, rolled 5 using 1d20.  Sword.
NPC Foot soldier, rolled 5 using 1d20.  Spear.

The English spread out around the edges of the lead pack of Irish and are able to contain them for the moment.

NPC English, rolled 14 using 1d20.  Round results.
NPC Irish, rolled 5 using 1d20.  Round results.

Distracted by the flow of the battle and responsibility of ensuring the safety of his knights, Sir Dalan remains unable to locate a leader among the enemy.  Instead, he cleaves another Irish foot soldier in twain.

Sir Dalan, rolled 7 using 1d20.  Awareness.
Sir Dalan, rolled 5 using 1d20.  Sword.
NPC Foot soldier, rolled 13 using 1d20.  Spear.
Sir Dalan, rolled 25 using 5d6+2.  Damage.

The knights press the Irish back as more Irish foot soldiers attempt to come up.  FOr the moment, they hold the flanks and manage to push the front of the Irish line into the reinforcements.

NPC English, rolled 10 using 1d20.  Round results.
NPC Irish, rolled 16 using 1d20.  Round results.

Sir Dalan, becoming frustrated with his inability to find a leader to hew down, gets distracted and almost allows an Irish foot soldier to unhorse him.  Fortunately, he manages to block the blow.

Sir Dalan, rolled 20 using 1d20.  Awareness.
Sir Dalan, rolled 2 using 1d20.  Sword.
NPC Foot soldier, rolled 9 using 1d20.  Spear.
NPC Foot soldier, rolled 9 using 3d6.  Damage.

Sir Dalan gets a check in Awareness.

The Irish troops in the back keep pressing forward but the English knights somehow manage to contain tham.

NPC English, rolled 14 using 1d20.  Round results.
NPC Irish, rolled 1 using 1d20.  Round results.

Not daring to divert too much attention to his search, Sir Dalan remains unable to find a suitable enemy leader.  He is hit by another footman but his shield deflects the damage.

Sir Dalan, rolled 7 using 1d20.  Awareness.
Sir Dalan, rolled 6 using 1d20.  Sword.
NPC Foot soldier, rolled 8 using 1d20.  Spear.
NPC Foot soldier, rolled 9 using 3d6.  Damage.

The tide of Irish foot soldiers seems to have finally been too much for the small body of knights to contain.  A couple of the knights fall and the Irish surge forward.

NPC English, rolled 7 using 1d20.  Round results.
NPC Irish, rolled 11 using 1d20.  Round results.

What to do?  Arthur and his knights are still a ways away.  You guess that you need to hold or at least slow the Irish for another 5 turns or so and even then Arthur may not be able to catch the front of the Irish line.  You can fall back and re-form, continue to battle where you are, retreat, threaten a different part of the line, etc.

-- Haunting --

The days pass uneventfully but Sir Gracian has come to dread dinner and his nightly torment by the ghost of Sir John.  As the second week begins, Sir Gracian manages to overcome the ghost's entreaties to eat more and instead fasts for a night.  Sir John disappears in a huff and taunts Sir Gracian no longer.  However, the ghost still remains in the castle and occasionally curses or ruins the food.  At least it is a bit quieter!

Sir Gracian gets a point in Temerate.