Wondering at Lady Morgana's intentions, and assuming that he is dead wrong in reading them, Sir Aeddan turns bright red, all the way to the tips of his ears.  He hopes that the moonlight doesn't betray this.

"To me, the priority is making a friend -- or at least an ally -- of Robert.  If you know of any way the four of us could ingratiate ourselves to him, then I would be very grateful.  I noticed that your honored mother did not favor Robert with her blessing the other day, which made me wonder whether we could try to intercede.

"On the other hand, Prince Mark seems to feel strongly that having some way to be privy to the meeting between Countess Ellen and her knights tomorrow would be best for Cornwall, by way of being best for his suit of the Countess.  And of course," he admits, "our fealty must be to his father, the Duke of Cornwall, as our liege.  But is it best to try to gain favor -- or advantage -- with Countess Ellen, or with her son and heir?"

Rhydwyn nods. "Aye, we should get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning." He'll keep his ears open for anything on Daron's sister, though he doubts he'll hear anything.

"Well, I am sure that mother would be willing to show the earl-to-be some favor if it would help your cause.  You would probably want to suggest to them first, in a subtle way, that you could cause such a thing to happen as a gesture of good will.  Just let me know and I will set it up for the feast tomorrow," Morgana replies.

"As to the other thing, I can get one of you into the meeting if you are willing.  Just as I could have done with the Saxon camp," she says.  Perhaps to reassure Aeddan, she adds, "I would not do anything to any of you of course, I would just sort of convince the Salisbury knights that you belong or at the least to take no notice of you.  Probably best to send in whomever is the best at gathering information (Intrigue)."

There is something about the way she says this last bit that strikes Sir Aeddan.  Almost as if she knows which of the four of them that would be.

Sir Aeddan, rolled 14 using 1d20.  Awareness.

Sir Aeddan takes a check in Awareness.

"So, do you dance, Sir Aeddan?  Did you want to practice a little before doing so in front of all of those knights tomorrow?" she offers, standing and putting out a hand.

Sir Aeddan blushes again.  "My lady wife teases me for my poor dancing, but in a way that makes me desperate to dance with her more.  It would be an honor to misstep with such a lovely partner, on such a beautiful moonlit night."  In an attempt to appear gallant and graceful, Sir Aeddan sweeps up his hand, which then gets tangled in a low-hanging tree branch.

The wind picks up a little and some crickets chirp, bells ring and before Sir Aeddan knows it, it is like they are being accompanied by light music.  Holding the Princess and dancing turns out to be rather more enticing than simply sitting next to her.  The intoxicating smell, the softness of her skin.

Sir Aeddan is not, by a long shot, an accomplished dancer but he manages to move with something approaching grace, despite the occasional misstep.  Morgana, meanwhile, moves effortlessly and seems to almost float.  At least up until the point where Sir Aeddan turns in the wrong direction and Morgana over corrects and the pair end up tumbling to the ground, with Morgana lying on top of Sir Aeddan.

Despite the rather intimate position they find themselves in, Morgana does not appear in the least bit flustered, merely noting, "well that needs a bit of work."  She does not immediately get up and Sir Aeddan is left to wonder if this too was planned.  But of course, she is a Princess and powerful, beautiful woman.  What possible interest could she have in him . . . right?

Sir Aeddan, rolled 5 using 1d20.  Dancing.
Morgana rolled 20 using 1d20.  Dancing.

Mortified, Sir Aeddan stammers, "my lady, I am so sorry, I hope my clumsiness has not injured you."  Why, he wonders, can I not get anything right?  He helps her to her feet, bows deeply, and continues to bluster through an apology while bidding her good night and promising to reply via a note once he has conferred with his brother knights and communicated with Prince Mark.

Sir Abloc is about to retire for the evening unsure of how to deal with the task at hand. He is quite clueless really but decides to seek out a member of the clergy. Priests, monks and bishops often know more than anyone else - their information network is better and they can move in circles others can not. He asks the man to pray with him and in doing so make inquiries about Countess Ellen and her knights. Perhaps ... just perhaps ... will he find information that can be of use to his companions and himself.

---

Intrigue I suppose?

Morgana does not appear to be harmed.  She watches Sir Aeddan depart with an amused smile.

Sir Abloc makes his prayers and speaks a bit with the priest but does not gather any useful information.  He gets the sense that the priest is quite close to the countess and seems disinclined to let anything slip to a foreign knight.

Sir Abloc, rolled 11 using 1d20.  Pious.
Sir Abloc, rolled 11 using 1d20.  Intigue.

The next morning Sir Abloc seek out the priest to join him in his morning prayers. Afterwards Sir Abloc tells the priest that he wish for nothing but peace across the land so Albion can stand united against the wild marauding Saxons.

Later he hope his companions has found a way for one of them to join the Countess' meeting but if not he plans to talk more to the priest knowing well that if the priest is so close to the Countess then whatever Sir Abloc says will surely reach the Countess' ears.

Having discussed the issue with his brother knights early the next morning, Sir Aeddan realizes that he is probably the best remaining option for infiltrating Countess Ellen's meeting.  He decides that he will do nothing to draw attention to himself, but will try to blend in and hear as much as he can, to relay directly to Prince Mark.  His next task, then, is to visit Prince Mark with this urgent question: would the Prince be willing to incur a debt of gratitude to someone whose identity he doesn't know, in order to gain this intelligence?  The person responsible for the favor is someone Sir Aeddan trusts, but some of his brother knights do not; he makes that point clear.

In the meantime, Sir Aeddan proposes to his brother knights that the Queen may be willing to bend on her attitude toward Countess Ellen's son Robert, if the brother knights agree that it would be best to foster a relationship with the future liege of Salisbury.  The Queen could bestow her blessing -- or at least some warmth -- on Robert at the feast.  The matter is rather urgent, as Sir Aeddan would need to get the wheels in motion this morning.

Sir Abloc meets up with the priest in the morning and things seem to be going well until he mentions that it would be great if the priest mentions their conversation to Countess Ellen next time he sees her.  It takes a moment for him to realize what he just said out loud.

Sir Abloc, rolled 20 using 1d20.  Courtesy.

Sir Abloc takes a point in Courtesy (fumble).  Maybe I should stop rolling, that is 3 fumbles in 7 rolls.  :(

Prince Mark is definitely willing to move forward with the infiltration plan.  He is convinced that the information they could obtain would be worth the price and he authorizes Sir Aedden to make it happen.  If Sir Daron is unwilling to take on this task, Sir Rhydwyn is the next best at Intrigue.

Does anyone have any thoughts on Sir Aedden asking Queen Ygraine to acknowledge Earl-to-be Robert?

Note:  You are doing these things on behalf of Prince Mark.  If there are favors or debts to be collected, they will be from him not from you.

"I cannot agree to this plan," Sir Daron informs Sir Aedden once he reveals his (or rather Morgana's) infiltration. "Nor do I think we truly serve the Prince well by embroiling him in the plots and favours of Morgana."

The knight looks very grim and unhappy - he is clearly not enjoying his time in Salisbury.

"I am afraid of the Sorceress as well Sir Daron but I dont think we have any other choice and Sir Aeddan is right. Not that I am pleased to admit though but he has had more success than any of us in accomplishing what we were send here to do. And ... to be honest ... I have no better idea."

Sir Abloc turns to Sir Aeddan. "I trust in your plan, Sir Aeddan. What can possibly go wrong?" he adds with a wry grin.

In reply to Sir Abloc (msg # 44):

Rhydwyn nods at Sir Abloc and Sir Aeddan. "I agree. While I don't necessarily like the plan, Aeddan has had more success than the rest of us here, and we have no real other options."

Rhydwyn turned to Aeddan, taking a sip of his wine. "I would attend the queen's meeting with the knights and report back to hear what Mark has to say on the information, if anyone else would want to as well. It certainly doesn't hurt to know what the others think."

"Excellent! Brave man!" Sir Abloc pats Sir Rhydwyn's shoulder. Grateful that he at least doesnt have to attend the meeting.

Sir Aeddan smiles. "So glad to hear it, Sir Rhydwyn.  I think you will represent Prince Mark's interests far better than I could.  I will let the Lady Morgana know that you intend to be there, and she will pave the way for that.  If you can manage to simply blend in, I have every confidence that you will hear valuable information."

"At the same time," Sir Aeddan continues, "I will ask the Lady to talk to her mother the Queen about giving young Robert her blessing.  I think we could make a friend of the young man by doing so, and perhaps it could even improve Prince Mark's chances in his suit of Robert's mother."

Sir Rhydwyn and Sir Aeddan return to the courtyard with the garden at the appropriate time and find it empty.  So they sit on a bench and watch the birds and bees buzzing and chirping among the flowers and bushes and trees.  Not long after, Morgana appears from around one of the trees, although the pair are pretty sure that there was no one there a moment ago.

Both notice that Morgana seems to frown very slightly when she notices Sir Rhydwyn, although the gesture does not appear directed at him.  While still about the most beautiful person either has ever seen, she lacks a little of the luster that the moonlight brings.

Sir Aeddan, rolled 9 using 1d20.  Awareness.
Sir Rhydwyn, rolled 1 using 1d20.  Awareness.

Sir Aeddan and Sir Rhydwyn take checks in Awareness.

When informed of their desires, Morgana nods and starts chanting in a harsh, guttural voice that contrasts sharply with her beauty.  There is a feeling of gathering power that then disperses with a gesture and she grows silent. "It is done.  You have an hour or so, Sir Rhydwyn.  Probably best not to draw too much attention to yourself," she informs the young knight.  Turning her attention to Sir Aeddan, she adds, "I will talk to mother about the Earl.  I had best be getting back before I am missed."

With that, she heads back into the garden and is soon gone.

Sir Rhydwyn feels the same and looks no different than usual.  Sir Aeddan does not see how anyone would think that Sir Rhydwyn was anyone other than himself.

The bells rings 10 o'clock, it is time to get to the meeting.

Sir Rhydwyn walks toward the main hall, following several Salisbury knights.  There are a couple of guards at the doors to the hall and someone Sir Rhydwyn takes to be the Marshal.  The Knight greets each arriving knight by name and Sir Rhydwyn is apprehensive that there is no way that he will be allowed to pass.  However, as Sir Rhydwyn is getting to him, the marshal seems to notice someone coming behind him and Sir Rhydwyn passes without seemingly being seen.

The hall is filled with knights, Sir Rhydwyn guesses that there are close to 100 knights here, although some seem older and likely are more administrative than actual current fighters.  After a few stragglers arrive, the Countess calls the meeting to order.  "As you will see, Prince Mark of Cornwall and Prince Alain of Escavalon have joined us this year and both are interested in my hand in order to secure an alliance against the other.  We could decide the matter of this war if we allied with either Nanteleod or Cornwall.  We control the roads and could allow either army to outflank the other."

There is some general murmuring before the Countess settles things down once more.  "We have heard news that the King of Wessex and Chief Port have made an alliance. They cut a bull in half and stood between the parts to make a vow of friendship.  Meanwhile, King Nanteleod’s army is gathering in Cirencester, hoping to renew his attack in Somerset against Cornwall.  Duke Corneus, with a hefty number of Anglish mercenaries, is marching on London."

"I have decided not to entertain King Idres's (Cornwall) offer as a result of his crude behavior but I need to decide whether or not to allow King Nanteleod to pass through Salisbury and whether or not to send our own knights and footmen to assist them.  What think you?" she inquires of the assembled knights.

There is a great deal of discussion and one speaker after another.  Ultimately, it is decided that although King Nanteleod will be allowed to use Salisbury's roads, Salisbury will not send any knights or troops.  There is concern about the Saxons in the South as well as the possibility of London falling to the Angles.  It is hoped that King Nanteleod's surprise arrival from the East will doom the Cornish forces and Salisbury will not need to get 'their hands dirty.'

As the meeting breaks up, Sir Rhydwyn departs, making it back to the common room just before the clock strikes 11.

Sir Rhydwyn, rolled 1 using 1d20.  Intigue.

Sir Rhydyn takes a check in Intrigue.

Rhydwyn quickly returned to the group, speaking softly with them about the dire news. "I have found out some unfortunate news. Lady Ellen says due to Idres' 'crude behavior' that she will not ally herself or Salisbury with us, and that she is instead allying with Nanteleod, refusing to send troops but letting his troops use the roads to Salisbury. They seemed to hope that Nanteleod's appearance from the east would get Prince Mark to surrender quickly,and so that Salisbury wouldn't have to send men to fight, the damned cowards."

His voice grew angrier towards the end, but not at any of the men, but at the entire situation and at Salisbury's hubris.

"What on Earth did our King do to offend her so?" Sir Abloc says quietly.

"Well. Good work my Brother. It may not be the news we were hoping for. But we must pass the news on with all haste and prepare to meet the enemy."

"I wish I knew," Rhydwyn replies with a sigh. "I agree it is terrible news, but we must prepare for war." He takes a swig of wine.

Prince Mark receives the news with a frown.  "I will need to let my father know so that he can prepare.  I do not trust sending a messenger as he might be intercepted and reveal that we know what is to happen.  Knowing the plan, even if it will badly disadvantage us, should give us a huge advantage.  We will leave after the feast tonight," he decides.

"If the Countess is not going to seriously entertain our offer, is there any reason to put ourselves in Queen Ygraine's debt?" he asks.