Griding his teeth in frustration Sir Daron has the party set up camp and sets a watch rota, taking the first watch himself.

It seems that a good night's rest has done wonders for Sir Daron, who easily picks up the trail the following morning.

Sir Daron, rolled 10 using 1d20.  Hunting.

Sir Daron takes a point in Hunting (critical).

Sir Daron and his knights are able to follow the trail easily, despite some switchbacks and a stream.  The trail takes them into a stretch of woods that is fairly thick with underbrush, making it difficult to maneuver horses, although they can still ride (charging is impossible and turning may prove a challenge).

Sir Daron spots a lookout ahead.

Sir Daron, rolled 2 using 1d20.  Awareness.

Sir Daron takes a check in Awareness.

"We'll have to go on foot," Sir Daron whispers to his kinsmen. "There, that looout - I'll try and take him bysurprise. Whether it works or not ready your swords for battle."

Sir Daron and his knights manage to get the jump on the lookout before he is able to raise the alarm.  You can kill him, subdue him, something else?  If you do not kill him, what do you do?

The lookout looks to be in his late teens, thin and with ragged clothing.

Sir Daron, rolled 5 using 1d20.  Hunting.

Sir Daron takes a check in Hunting.

"Leave him strongly bound and gagged," Sir Daron orders. "We'll bring him and any others we take back to the manor and hang them in public. The peasants deserve to know their lord will bring them justice and protection - and would be bandits need a warning."

Sir Daron finds the trail leading back to the camp easily and he and his knights approach.  The camp is rather large, containing around 50 people, including women and children.  Sir Daron guesses that there are about 20 able-bodied men, with about half a dozen armed with makeshift weapons.  There are another 20-or-so women and ten children.

All of the people are poorly clad with very basic possessions.

Sir Daron, rolled 4 using 1d20.  Hunting.

Sir Daron takes a check in Hunting.

With his sword drawn Sir Daron tells his fellow knights, "Fall upon the armed men but leave the others for now."

With a roar he leads his small band on the attack.

The 'battle' is brief.  The men are poorly armed and lack any real training in working as a group.  Against an equal number of well-armed and trained knights, they fall rapidly, begging for mercy.

"Tie their hands," Sir Daron tells the other knights. "We'll march them back home to be tried and to let the peasants see justice be done."

There were five men with makeshift weapons as well as the lookout, who appears to be a teenager with no weapons.  In addition, there are another fifteen or so men, twenty women, and ten children.  Who are you tying up and marching?

All of the men certainly (if possible). Everyone should be moving as part of a convy surrounded by the knights in case they try anything.

Sir Daron and his knights bind the men's hands together and after recovering their horses, lead them off toward Sir Daron's manor.  There is a fair amount of wailing and pleading from the women and children but the y seem afraid to leave the camp.

The men plod along listlessly.  Other than the few who were armed, they seem barely strong enough to keep up with the knights on their horses.

Sir Daron stiffly sits on his horse, ignoring the cries of the women - if he had the men they be bound and brought along too.

He tells his squire Brice: "Ride to the farms the bandit struck and summon the farmers to court. I want it confirmed that these are the right men before we hang them."

Brice rides off and Sir Daron and his men shepherd the captured men back to Sir Daron's manor.  By the following morning, the farmers have arrived.

The Bailiff brings in the accused and calls the session to order "Here ye, here ye, this Court is now in session, the Honorable Sir Daron of Trengloss presiding.  God save this Honorable Court."

The accused stand, while the farmers sit in the gallery with many townsfolk.

"Thank you Baliff. Bring forth the witness," Sir Daron instructs. "Do you recognise any of these as the vagabonds who raided your farms?"

The farmers point to the ragged, bound men, as they seem to be the accused, and say "them."

Sir Daron clears his throat: "If you do truly recognise them I'll hang them quick enough, but be sure and do not say yes just in order to please me. If these aren't the men the real bandits might be back to raid you again."

The farmers continue to indicate the accused.  The accused clearly look like brigands and not the sort of people the farmers want near their family and farms.

"Very good," Sir Daron says briskly. "Father Alban," he says to the village priest, "conduct the last rites. Baliff, once all is done hang them."

Once the business is done Sir Daron calls his knights together. "Now, for the women should they have been so misguided as to remain on my lands. They of course will have to go to the gallows too as accomplices and to warn all of the fate of any bandit who sets foot in these lands. The children however will be spared for they are still innocents, the boys sent to be fostered by an abbey, the girls by a nunnery. Come, to your horses by brothers."

The men are hanged, their pleading unheeded.  A nice crowd gathers for this rare entertainment and the farmers look especially pleased.

Riding out to the camp, Sir Daron finds it deserted, except for an old crone lying against a log, too weak to stand.  She spits at the knights as they arrive, "come back to rape the rest of the women, cowardly pretender?  Worse than the Saxons who drove us from our lands, at least they never claimed to be Christian," she gasps before her labored breathing sets her into a coughing fit.

Sir Daron looked at her grimly. "I have never so much as touched a woman in my life crone. You know me not at all, though your menfolk saw fit to steal from my people."

He turned his horse away and led his men back home.

They arrive back at Treneglos Manor confident in a job well done.

Winter 506 AD

Experience 1

01:16, Today: Sir Daron rolled 19 using 1d20.  Valorous 17.
01:16, Today: Sir Daron rolled 7 using 1d20.  First Aid 10.
01:15, Today: Sir Daron rolled 15 using 1d20.  Lance 15.
01:15, Today: Sir Daron rolled 5 using 1d20.  Recognise 4.
01:14, Today: Sir Daron rolled 12 using 1d20.  Horsemanship 17.
01:14, Today: Sir Daron rolled 2 using 1d20.  Awareness 16.
01:14, Today: Sir Daron rolled 7 using 1d20.  Gaming 13.
01:14, Today: Sir Daron rolled 17 using 1d20.  Intrigue 13.
01:13, Today: Sir Daron rolled 7 using 1d20.  Sword 18.
01:13, Today: Sir Daron rolled 5 using 1d20.  Hunting 13.

Raises to Valorous (18), Lance (16), Recognise (5), Intrigue (14).

Marriage

Nothing, hoping to find a decent bride elsewhere.

Glory


Skills

+18 Valorous
+17 Hate (Irish)

Improvements

N/A

Total: +35

Experience 2

Squire Brice - Raise First Aid +1

Sir Daron rolled 2 using 1d6+1.  Skill points.

Read Latin +2


Income


01:50, Today: Sir Daron rolled 11 using 1d20.  Steward 13.(Success)

Treneglos Fief Income £6 + £1 (Steward success) +2 (Apiary) +3 (Coneygarth) = £12

Maintenance

£6 (Ordinary Knight)
£1 (Apiary)
£1 (Coneygarth)

= £8

Improvements

£15 Simple Hall, Wood

Family Event Winter 506

Sir Daron's sister is missing.

Sir Daron, rolled 15 using 1d20.  Family Event - Missing
Sir Daron, rolled 14 using 1d20.  Family member - Sister

When word reached Sir Daron that his twin sister Aelwen had vanished under mysterious circumstances while returning from a visit to a friend at a nunnery his reaction had been a rueful chuckle.

"Knowing my sister she has probably fallen for an inappropriate man and given him chase, much that he has my sympathies!"

However when days passed and still nothing more was heard Sir Daron grew troubled. His sister could be fickle and troublemaking but such a long absence was unlike her. Eventually the young knight rode out, visiting his aged mother to see if there had been quarrel and speaking with her friends (a chore for one who disdained maidens!)


Annoyance was beginning to melt away into fear now. Where had Aelwen gone?