Rhydwyn nods at the Prince's command. He turns to Aeddan, and says, "Aye, you're right - we should pay our respects to the Queen." He takes a sip of wine.

The quartet of knights stow their gear in a corner, claiming a bit of space in the common room as their own, and greet the other knights and some lower nobles who arrive.  The knights come from Somerset, Escavalon, Estregales, Norgales, Lindsey, and Silchester.  They tend to be pretty well known and mostly know one another.  They seem a little surprised to find themselves in the company of unknown knights from Cornwall and act rather standoffish.

As the day wears on, the knights go to their packs to ready themselves for dinner when there is a bit of a commotion.  Countess Ellen appears with her teenage son Robert and approaches a pair of very familiar women who have just entered the hall.  It is Ygraine and her daughter Morgana.  Even in her later years, Ygraine is still breathtakingly beautiful.  Morgana, meanwhile, is silent as ever but her eyes watch everything.

The countess greets her guests and presents her son.  Ygraine smiles politely but the knights notice that she is rather neutral on Ellen and Robert, although she is quite tactful about it.  Sir Aeddan and Sir Daron can tell that Ellen was trying to get Ygraine's blessing for her son, perhaps something to do with him coming of age soon and taking his father's mantel as Earl of Salisbury.

Sir Rhydwyn, rolled 8 using 1d20.  Courtesy.
Sir Daron, rolled 5 using 1d20.  Courtesy.
Sir Aeddan, rolled 8 using 1d20.  Courtesy.
Sir Abloc, rolled 10 using 1d20.  Courtesy.

Sir Abloc and Sir Rhydwyn take a check in Courtesy, Sir Aeddan and Sir Daron take a point in Courtesy (Critical).

Instead, the Queen turns and heads toward the four knights in the corner.  The other knights in the room make a path and bow low.  With a more genuine smile, she says in a voice just for them, "sons of my most loyal knights, I am pleased to see you here.  We are living in dangerous times and the people of Cornwall will need to stick together if we are to survive and even thrive."

(OOC:  Normal etiquette is bowing and referring to her as Queen, Your Highness, or Your Majesty.)

"And it is our honor to serve, Your Majesty. It is indeed dangerous time and yet we may hope of one day living in a blessed realm of peace and prosperity, where neighbours dont wage war on neighbours and where people help those in need."

Sir Aeddan bows deeply.  "I am your humble servant, Your Majesty, and Cornwall is ever in our hearts."

Sir Daron bows to the Queen. "An honour Your Majesty," he says politely and formally.

The knight then falls silent, allowing his brothers to do the talking - and desperately wanting to be as far from Ygraine and Morgana as humanly possible.

The Queen shakes her head a bit sadly, "I fear peace is not in our immediate future."

The Queen and Morgana depart to their rooms.  The knights and nobles in the common room sit down to dinner.  The four Cornwall knights seem to garner quite a bit more respect than previously.

As best as you can tell, the other knights and nobles looked down on the four of you as unknowns, something that has now changed.  Queen Ygraine, being the widow of High King Uther, is held in very high regard and association with her elevates one's position.  Something the Saxons were looking for when they attempted to kidnap her and something Countess Ellen just attempted with her son.

However, you also have the disadvantage of being from Cornwall, who took over Jagent and Somerset and is threatening Logres.  So knights and nobles from Logres and Somerset are at best wary and knights from Escavalon and Estregales are generally hostile as they are rivals for Salisbury's alliance and generally have been assisting Logres against their foes.

While you may find out interesting information at dinner or elsewhere, most of those around you are going to be pretty careful about the information you are actually tasked with obtaining.  Just a note, historically you would not find anything useful to sway the Countess but maybe you not being part of history will find a way?  So there is no loss of honor for failing this it is just a potential way to shift history a bit.

So you have an opportunity to try something at dinner or come up with a plan for some other time, or practice other skills.  Mostly this is an opportunity to do things if there are things you want to do, or try to improve skills you want to improve.  You are under no obligation to do anything.  Arthur is showing up in a couple of years and I want you to be a bit more seasoned than first-year knights.  Figure that Ordinary knights (Young|Ordinary|Old|Notable|Famous|Extraordinary) have a 20 in Sword and 15 in Horsemanship and Lance.

Realizing that people are too suspicious to share any information or rumours Sir Abloc instead decides to simply appear as friendly as possible. People may not trust him but trust takes time to build and he can accept that.

So he spend the evening in light conversation, telling jokes - including about himself and the mistakes he has made - and occasionally playing the harp for entertainment.

Feeling a little lost in such company Sir Daron turns to a skill he knows already, offering to play a game of chess and perhaps strike up a conversation or two over the game.

Sir Rhydwyn would listen in to any rumors, but would also try to appear as friendly as possible.

The meal proceeds relatively well for (most of) the Cornish knights.  Sir Abloc plays a lively tune on the harp, Sir Daron wins a game of dice, and Sir Rhydwyn finds out that Countess Ellen is going to have a meeting with her knights tomorrow morning at 10 to discuss the situation with Cornwall and Escavalon.  Sir Aeddan, however, while trying to be amusing, makes an off-color joke about Countess Ellen.  Awkward.

Sir Abloc, rolled 1 using 1d20.  Play.
Sir Daron, rolled 7 using 1d20.  Game.
Sir Rhydwyn, rolled 3 using 1d20.  Intrigue.
Sir Aeddan, rolled 20 using 1d20.  Courtesy.

Sir Abloc takes a check in Play (Harp), Sir Daron takes a check in Gaming, Sir Rhydwyn takes a check in Intrigue, and Sir Aeddan takes a point in Courtesy (Fumble).

You retire for the evening (unless anyone has any nocturnal plans), and gather at breakfast a little away from the other knights, in case you want to discuss anything.

Sir Aeddan sends a message to the Lady Morgana, asking to speak with her briefly.  He'll tell her that he noticed her mother's coolness in greeting Robert, Countess Ellen's son, and Ellen's apparent disappointment in that.  That made Sir Aeddan feel a bit sorry for the boy, and for Ellen, too.

Sir Aeddan thinks that he and his brothers befriending Robert, or perhaps doing him some little kindness, might improve the boy's feelings toward Cornwall generally.  In the grander sense, more positive feelings toward Cornwall might improve Prince Mark's chances in winning Ellen's hand.  Even failing having any effect on the marriage negotiations, it seems to Sir Aeddan that friendly relations are simply a good idea.

But realizing that he has little understanding of greater issues, Sir Aeddan will ask the Lady Morgana's advice before trying to be introduced to Robert.

Having broken some of the ice at the dice table Sir Daron tries to steer the gossip towards more useful ends, trying to wheedle out news of Salisbury. For his part he carefully avoids talking much of Cornwall but does share the disappearance of his twin sister Aelwen in the hope that one of the foreign knights may have seen or heard something.

"She stands about so high with dark curled hair, a fair complexion and green eyes," Sir Daron describes, a note of worry entering his voice. "I hope she has run off with some dalliance that entered her empty head - the alternative is too awful to think of..."

After Rhydwyn overhears about the meeting Ellen will have with her knights, he would meet with the group.

"Brothers, I heard that Countess Ellen would be meeting with her knights tomorrow morning with regards to the situation in Cornwall and Escavalon. Shall we try to make ourselves available for that meeting to explain our perspectives, or shall we wait?"

ooc: sorry for delays, still getting back into things, especially with rhydwyn

Diplomacy has never been Sir Abloc's thing. Not that he doesnt value it. He has just never had the chance to practice it much. And now he is in foreign lands and forced to practice that which he knows nothing about and all he really wants is not to be noticed. Because if he isnt noticed he cant cause a major incident by accident and trigger a war.

So when Sir Rhydwyn suggests they try and attend Countess Ellen's meetings he sighs knowing in his his heart that now is the time for that incident. He nods like a doomed man and says "An excellent idea Sir Rhydwyn. Let us - what can possibly go wrong?"

Sir Aeddan nods in agreement.  "Because Prince Mark is Countess Ellen's suitor from Cornwall, I suggest we ask his approval.  If he is in favor, then he could tell us how we might go about participating in tomorrow's meeting.  I doubt we would be welcomed if we just barged in."

"Indeed. I have no intention of accidently bursting into their meeting. Yet it seems wrong to ask the Prince for permission to attend. Should we not instead wait for him to invite us to the meeting?"

In reply to Sir Abloc (msg # 21):

"Aye, I agree that waiting for the Prince's invitation would be best. However, I wanted to let you all know so that if you wanted to, we could gather some information."

Realization lights up Sir Aeddan's face.  "Prince Mark asked us to keep our eyes and ears open on his behalf," he remembers aloud.  "It's likely that Sir Rhydwyn has uncovered just the kind of information that would be helpful.  Sir Rhydwyn, do you want to report this to Prince Mark yourself, or do you want the rest of us to come with you?  You certainly deserve the credit."

Sir Rhydwyn locates Prince Mark and informs him of the meeting of Countess Ellen's knights on the following day.

The Prince is extremely interested in this revelation, "the Countess is well liked by her knights but as a woman, her regency is always a bit tenuous.  I had gathered that she seeks counsel from her knights on many of the important decisions for the County.  Obviously, being able to get someone there to raise our arguments would be the best but even hearing what the different sides have to say would be extremely useful.  We could use such information to try to sway her.  Alas I can't imagine how to get someone in there.  You can't just magic someone into an intimate gathering of knights.  If you figure anything out, bribes or blackmail, maybe? it would be quite a coup."

Sir Aeddan receives a short note to meet in the Garden at midnight.

He finds Lady Morgana sitting on a bench, admiring a rose bush.  As always, she looks extremely attractive at night with a hint of moonlight filtering through the trees.

Although none of the knights had seen Sir Daron's sister, they all promise to keep an eye out and let him know if they hear or see anything.  Unfortunately, in these chaotic times, such stories are not as uncommon as one would hope.

Sir Aeddan smiles and bows deeply.  "My lady," he says, "the moonlight shows you to advantage.  Thank you so much for meeting with me."  He sets forth the idea he's had about making a friendly gesture toward Robert, Countess Ellen's daughter, and also mentions that Prince Mark would dearly love to have an ally, or at least a willing ear, present at Ellen's meeting in the morning.

"The problem, my lady," he continues, "is that while my brethren and I think our motives are just and in the right, our understanding of the world and of regional politics leaves a lot to be desired.  I hope we will become wiser as time goes in, but in the meantime I would appreciate the advice of someone I have found to be so wise already, despite still being young.  Could you advise me?"

Sir Daron is disappointed but not surprised.

With little else to do he turns into bed early for a fresh start in the morning.

Morgana smiles, "that is kind of you to say, Sir Aeddan.  Come, sit," she pats the bench next to her.  She smells of oleander and Sir Aeddan can almost feel the warmth of her body.

"We all think our causes are just, as for my wisdom, I am happy to share what knowledge and advice I have or help in any other way I can.  What, in particular, are you interested in?"  Sir Aeddan is not used to sitting so close to a woman, even his wife.  Her scent is intoxicating and he wonders idly if she is coming on to him?