"I am sorry to hear about your brother, Sir Rhydwyn. Did you pursue the lead to the Holy Fount or do you hope to see what news may surface?" Sir Abloc replies.

"My own problems seems trivial compares to yours. I have been made a fool by a pox-marked thief, a greedy merchant and a fool of a priest. Which I may add does not bode well if I can be fooled by such a trio. I had commissioned an altarpiece for my church at Clethor. But it never showed up so I went to the craftsman expecting to find him drunk. Instead he told me the altarpiece was already done and had been send to me by courier two weeks prior to me showing up at his workplace.

So I pursued the thief southwards tracking this devil of a man with a pox-marked face. I did not calm down when I found my altarpiece in a church in a town that might as well have been named Shite.

The priest was very proud of it. Told me how God works in mysterious ways and how a merchant in town had bought it from a man that God more or less had send to Shite with this beautiful altarpiece to inspire faith in people. Bullocks! Turned out the merchant knew it was stolen and had bought it for a patheticly small price and - being a pious little prick - had gracefully donated it to the church. Where the good Father I may add had decided to accept it, close his eyes for the obvious and be a self-righteous little arse.

So while I did manage to find the thief and bring him to justice. And while I did manage to bring back my altarpiece. And while I did manage to leave Shite and return home. Then I did not manage to find a way to bring the merchant or the priest to justice because no Law in this land would convict them as they had done nothing wrong except just being ... human .. I suppose." Sir Abloc sighs heavily.

"So I for one am looking forward to campaigning. I will rather face charging knights, boiling oil, a horde of Saxons and a rain of arrows than go back to Shite. It was not how I thought it would be to be a landed knight!"
This message was last edited by the player at 11:25, Wed 03 Nov 2021.

"It pains me to report that, by all appearances, we will spend the summer defending Cornwall against invaders," Sir Aeddan sighs as he rejoins his brothers.  "It would seem that Prince Mark was not as successful at wooing the Countess of Salisbury as King Idres had hoped."

Upon hearing their stories, Sir Aeddan is excited to hear Sir Rhydwyn's report.  "You, too, were at Amesbury?" he asks Sir Rhydwyn.  "What did the Lady Morgana tell you about your brother's whereabouts?  Had she not heard anything?  It was the strangest thing, I went to visit her simply to present her with a small token of gratitude, but she somehow knew that my idiot brother had been recently married and presented him with a stunning gift for his bride."  He glances over his shoulder at his squire-and-brother, Alwin, who has the grace to look humble.

"Invaders, Sir Aeddan?! Oh will these wars never end? Why do Briton fight Briton instead of forcing the Saxons back into the sea?"

"I would be the first to join your campaign, Sir Abloc," Sir Aeddan agrees.  "Perhaps King Idres should have sent you to woo the Countess of Salisbury!"

"Woo? Me?! Oh no my brother. I wish I knew how to woo so I could win fair Lady Gwendolyn's heart but whenever I see her words fail me and I begin to sound like a fool!"
This message was last edited by the player at 04:10, Fri 05 Nov 2021.

In reply to Sir Aeddan (msg # 11):

"I did not ask Lady Morgana, truth be told," Rhydwyn said. "I first spoke with my court bishop, Father Dafydd. From there he said that my brother was headed to a Holy Fount just south of Wandborough in Salisbury, and that he had taken a vow of silence and poverty before he left. When I went to Wandborough to speak with the bishop there, he said my brother had gone to Amesbury. I rode on to Amesbury, and there I heard from the head of the nunnery that the group of nuns my brother was with left, but he was not there."

"Your brother headed to Amesbury with a group of nuns?" Sir Aeddan exclaims, laughing lightly.  "You would know him far better than I, Sir Rhydwyn, but I have little hope for that vow of chastity he took.  So, if he never left Amesbury, then perhaps you should have lifted up some habits to see if one of them hid your brother!"  Considering how annoyed he was when his own younger brother made a major life decision without consulting him first, Sir Aeddan feels a new kinship with Sir Rhydwyn.

In reply to Sir Aeddan (msg # 16):

Rhydwyn glares at Aeddan. "Now is not the time for jests, Aeddan,", he snaps. "It's been several months - if I find him, then we can jest about his decisions. At this point, I don't know if he's alive or not - if I find him alive, then we can jest at his decisions. Until then, I am not in the mood."

The Marshal calls the knights to formation and the squires pack up the tents and supplies.  The grand army of Cornwall heads north into Somerset.  It takes a few days and then groups of knights are split off to hold a few castles and important towns, relieving the knights who had been on garrison duty for the prior few months.

As the army travels, word arrives that King Nanteleod of Escavalon is approaching Somerset from the North with a large army.  Countess Ellen of Salisbury accepted neither the offer of Prince Mark of Cornwall nor that of Prince Alain of Escavalon to ally.  Salisbury is remaining neutral, at least for the moment.

After a week, the army arrives outside of Bristol.  See Group 5 Map.  If it shows Salisbury, <Shift> Reload it.  A large garrison rides out and Earl Guinier's knights are sent in to relieve them.  The Earl speaks briefly with the outgoing commander before leading his men inside.  While the commanders are speaking, you overhear one of the knights mention that they believe that there is a tunnel under the wall somewhere near the Brass Tacks Tavern.  Another knight says that they were looking for a cache of arms near the Church of the Holy Mother on Highgate.

Sir Rhydwyn, rolled 11 using 1d20.  Intrigue.
Sir Daron, rolled 20 using 1d20.  Intrigue.
Sir Aeddan, rolled 10 using 1d20.  Intrigue.
Sir Abloc, rolled 1 using 1d20.  Intrigue.

Sir Daron Takes a point in Intrigue (fumble).  Sir Abloc takes a check in Intrigue.

Entering the city, it is much as you recall it from the prior summer.  One addition is that a wall has been built below the castle between the moat and the river, cutting between the green and brown areas on the map.  As you settle into quarters in town, you watch the remainder of the army march off to the east.

You are going to have some, or a lot, of time in Bristol.  Your job is to defend it in case of attack, be it by force or subterfuge.  You can use Intrigue to try to learn information, Courtesy to make friends with locals, etc.  Feel free to look at the map or go personally to examine places of interest (I will provide more details as necessary) in order to imagine how you might try to attack the town if you were King Nanteleod or Somerset terrorists Freedom Fighters.

"Sir Abloc," Sir Aeddan says, "what would you say to a visit to the Brass Tacks Tavern?  We may make the acquaintance of some locals there, and have a chance to see if the rumored tunnel exists."

"Of course my brother! We will most likely be stuck here all summer so we might as well try out the local taverns and see what they have to offer." he replies with a grin before whispering to his friend "Perhaps we should not speak so loudly about the tunnel. I much rather have the enemy not know what we know."

He instructs his squire to find a place for them to stay and make his quarters as comfortably as possible. If Sir Abloc is to stay in Bristol for weeks if not more then he might as well get the best out of it.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:12, Sun 07 Nov 2021.

"Right you are, then," Sir Aeddan replies with a conspiratorial grin. "Voices low, money out to ply the patrons with libations."

"It will be your money, my brother. I spend all mine chasing after a barstard with a pox-marked face." Sir Abloc replies with a grin before marching off to the tavern.

In reply to Sir Abloc (msg # 22):

"Don't forget about me, brothers," Rhydwyn teases as he playfully punches Aeddan in the arm.

"Or me," echoes Sir Daron, clearly somewhat put out at being forgotten. The young knight looks around him with obvious interest; being in a large town is a rare and exotic experience!

"Forget about you?" Sir Aeddan asks, puzzled.  "I assumed you two would work on tracking down the rumored cache of weapons," he adds in a low voice.  "Was I in error?"

"I think would be wise to spread out. We do not know when or how the enemy will strike. We should find the weapons and the tunnel and once that is done we should see to the defenses of this city. We stormed these walls not lang ago and by God this city will not fall again. Not while we man the walls."
This message was last edited by the player at 21:39, Tue 09 Nov 2021.

Sir Daron nods. "In that case maybe you have that right of it. I shall go and visit the church now."

"Please do that and then let us meet tonight and discuss our finds. Hopefully while enjoying some good wine and food - and I promise not to torture you with my harp playing" he grins.

Sir Abloc & Sir Aeddan

The pair of knights head off in search of the Brass Tacks Tavern.  Not really even sure where to begin to look, other than perhaps 'near the wall,' they ask around and Sir Abloc learns that it is in the bottom portion of the city, below the river.  Heading across the bridge spanning the river, they continue straight to the wall and turn to their right.  They find the tavern on their right a little over halfway down the block (just passed the tower on their left).

Sir Abloc, rolled 1 using 1d20.  Intrigue.
Sir Aeddan, rolled 8 using 1d20.  Intrigue.

Sir Abloc takes a check in Intrigue.

Having ridden through a few portions of the city already, the pair notice that this section of the city seems rather less . . . well-to-do than other sections they have seen.  Definitely the section above the bridge was markedly nicer.

Sir Abloc, rolled 8 using 1d20.  Awareness.
Sir Aeddan, rolled 1 using 1d20.  Awareness.

Sir Abloc and Sir Aeddan take a check in Awareness.

The pair suspect that this is a combination of factors.  First, this lower section appears to have been overflow from the original city.  Second, it is not nearly as well protected as the original city sections, and in fact act as a buffer in case of an attack.  Third, the proximity to the wall over which or through which any attacker is likely to come suggests the very real possibility that this whole area would get torched during a serious attack.

Sir Abloc, rolled 7 using 1d20.  Battle.
Sir Aeddan, rolled 8 using 1d20.  Battle.

Sit Abloc and Sir Aeddan take a check in Battle.

The tavern is a two-story building, which is a bit run down.  Hitching their horses outside, they enter the dimly-lit building.  To their right is a common room for nightly renters.  To the left is a bar with stools, some tables and chairs, and a few booths.  There are stairs going up to the next level ahead of you, between the two rooms.  There is probably a kitchen behind the stairs.

It is late afternoon, there are a half dozen patrons in the bar as well as the bartender and a bar maid.  There is room in the bar area for a few dozen people.  Basic food, as well as libations, are served in the bar.

Sir Daron & Sir Rhydwyn

The pair of knights struggle a bit more than their brothers in locating the Church of the Holy Mother on Highgate.  Asking around, they get little response and what response they get turns out not to be helpful.  They get the distinct feeling that their presence here is not viewed positively by the populace.

Eventually, using a bit of logic, they happen upon Highgate and eventually the Church of the Holy Mother.  Looking at the main portion of Bristol above the river, there is a cross in the center where two roads meet.  Around this there are a couple of ring roads or partial rings.  Going up from the cross to the first ring they discover that that portion of the ring road is Highgate . . . not far from the gate.  The Church of the Holy Mother is the steepled building just above that first ring.

Sir Daron, rolled 19 using 1d20.  Intrigue.
Sir Rhydwyn, rolled 12 using 1d20.  Intrigue.

Heading toward the church up the road from the cross, there is a wall above the ring road to the right and the church extends to the left.  Adjacent to the church are houses that face the ring road.  There are houses and shops to the right and left as they head toward the ring road and along the ring road itself.

The church appears to be open, as churches normally are, although there is no mass going on.

---

Notes:

Both rumors used the church and tavern as landmarks.  While they could also be the location of the alleged activity, they are not necessarily.

Let me know if there is anything specific you need information about.  For instance, you could ask if there is a stable nearby (this is an example not a suggestion) or additional information about type of construction or whatever.  Essentially I am only making up as much as someone asks about.  If no one talks to the bar maid, then I am probably not going to create a name or personality for her.

Sir Aeddan and Sir Abloc take a look around the bar, seeing no faces that seem particularly friendly or familiar.  Sir Aeddan beckons to the barmaid, and offers her a substantial tip if she can direct them toward a patron who is both talkative and a busybody (knows everyone's business).  Sir Aeddan will then purchase a round of ale for the patrons and see if he and Sir Abloc can initiate a friendly ale-related conversation with said busybody.

Rhydwyn nods to Sir Daron. "Lead the way then, if you want to try by the church first." Since Daron had wanted to go to the church, he'd let the other knight take lead.

"Perhaps we should have bought someone with knowledge about mining? I suppose it requires some knowledge to build a tunnel that lead under the walls without risking collapse." Sir Abloc whispers to Sir Aeddan only pausing when the bottles of ales are placed on their table.

"But .. let us see what we find." he continues and cheers when Sir Aeddan purchase a round of ale for the patrons.

Looking disconcerted, for in truth he has scant idea where to begin to look, Sir Daron strokes at his short beard.

"We'll begin by seeing if their a smithy near here," he indicated the church. "That might give us some clue."

Sir Aeddan & Sir Abloc

Sir Aeddan and Sir Abloc head to an empty table and call over the barmaid.  She is friendly enough in a 'server' sort of way.  A round of ale for the half dozen patrons and yourselves costs 2d.  Sir Aeddan notices that while the patrons viewed the knights at best suspiciously, they seem to become a bit more genial when free ale arrives.

How much would you like to tip the barmaid?

Sir Aeddan, rolled 13 using 1d20.  Courtesy.
Sir Aeddan, rolled 1 using 1d20.  Awareness.
Sir Abloc, rolled 12 using 1d20.  Awareness.

Sir Aeddan takes a check in Awareness.

Sir Daron & Sir Rhydwyn

There is, in fact, a smithy half-a-block from the Church.  As you approach the church from the central cross, it is on your right not far from the ring road where the church is located.  The business has a pair of horseshoes above the entrance and the sound of hammering can clearly be heard.  There is no door and a blast of heat hits you as you enter.

There is a rather large man with a ham-sized malus pounding out some nails on a forge.  He is wearing a leather apron and leather gloves.  There is no one else currently in the shop.