496 - The Anarchy Era

Owain's got his banded mail, nasal helm and shield.

"Hantonne, they attacked Hantonne, that's where they are from!" stammers the commoner, and as he does so, twelve Saxon warriors, fully armed and armoured jog around a corner in the trail the rider had followed. They stop as they see you and one, from the middle of the group steps forward. He lays his double handed axe down on the river bank and makes his way towards you, arms outstretched. "Knights of Salisbury" he calls. "I approach in peace will you talk with me?"

(Just to confirm, are they on the Salisbury side of the border?)

No, they've come form Hampshire, the border here is marked by the river which they haven't crossed. There is no crossing here, you would have to wade, and there was a large ship here. Saxon ships have a shallow draft, but not that shallow! They can cross the border without crossing the river by simply following it West, where the border crosses the river, but there isn't a strong line if they do this, the border follows no liner feature, and so is open to interpretation.

Sir Ullin rides forward.  He hands his spear to Crendor as he does so, saying, "I am Sir Ullin, may I ask who wishes to speak to us?"

"King Cerdic of the newly formed Kingdom of Wessex wishes to speak with the knights of his neighbours. We have been sent to invite you."

Dylan will approach behind Ullin. "And what assurances will we have for our safety?"

"If Salisbury no longer trusts in the laws of hospitality, then we can arrange to have one of the King's sons sent to Sarum, where he shall be your hostage, your guide through our lands and your guarantee of safe passage. The Prince shall arrive one week after the Solstice, the feast two weeks after."

Umm. Will. Does Balen need to roll anything at this point?

Owain will speak quietly with the others. "Customs of Hospitality mean as much to the Saxons as they do to us. Prince Aescwine would not have travelled to Sarum unaccompanied if that wasn't the case. I think we should go and see who this King Cerdic is. We were preparing to ride into Hantonne to see what had happened anyway. Why change that plan just because we've been invited to do so?"

If Balen's family sided with Vortigern, then at this point, no... unless you want him too. But if they sided with Aurelius, then yes, I think that from the mention of Wessex, he would have the rejection of this Saxon tribe and the Kingdom created by Vortigern so imbued into his psychology that he would have to make that check, yes. That goes for any player knight with a hatred of Saxons over 16.

(" The Prince shall arrive one week after the Solstice, the feast two weeks after." - Isn't he implying that the invite is a while in the future - not this instant?)

Correct, he's invited you to a feast with enough of a time gap for you to report back to Sarum if you wish and he's not offering to escort you, but he's the messenger ahead of the actual envoy who will be one of the sons of King Cerdic

Dylan will speak to the others. "Let us return to Sarum and inform the countess what is going on. She can take whatever preparation she feels is necessary, decide if she would like to 'host' Cerdic's son, and then we can ride out to meet this new King and see what it is he wishes to discuss."

(Slightly confused; I thought that the time delay was only if we don't trust them and want a hostage for guarantee of safety?)

(( Sorry, my fault - painkiller comedown - he's inviting you to a feast being held in Hantonne two weeks after the solstice, so late June, and has promised you will recieve the hospitality of the Kingdom of Wessex, the name given to Hampshire by the Saxon King of the Gewessi tribe when High King Vortigern, (or Vortigern the betrayer if you don't recognise his claim to the title) gifted them the county. When the rebellion started, Salisbury was key in driving the Gewessi from the land back to the continent. If your ancestors sided with Aurelius, then you would not recognise the Kingdom of Wessex as legitimate, otherwise if your ancestors sided with Vortigern, then it's more likely that you will understand that they have a legitimate claim to the land. Obviously, if you don't recognise Wessex as a legal claim, then their offer of hospitality is meaningless, in the same way that you couldn't offer hospitality at another knight's home, they would face no consequences for breaking it. Of course if they believe their claim is legitimate, then they believe they would be punished by the Gods for breaking hospitality, whether it is actually legitimate or not. They weren't here to meet you and invite you in to Hampshire/Wessex now, on the spot, they were the messenger to pre-invite you, in lieu of the actual envoy, the king's son to officially invite you - which is a very formal way of doing things - more formal that Salisbury is used too. A King, even a Saxon King would not cause offence by being less formal, and could in theory just send a summons without being a courtesy outrage. This is how they would have to approach a Duchy or another Kingdom ))

(Welp, Hate Saxons is 15, so safe on that front; but I am not sure about the siding thing as it was not specifically stated in character generation {lucky for me, I had copied and pasted to a Word Doc, as it was posted in a PM}.  However, I am rather sure the family sided with Aurelius given what happened to his grandfather...)

Yep Will, can you check the posts. I don’t think they sided with them.

Checked, neither of you sided with Vortigern!

My ancestors sided against Vortigern...

Speaking to his fellow knights, "I am of two minds on this matter.  I feel we should return to Sarum and keep them informed of what has occurred and to learn of how we are to address the diplomacy.  The question is whether to have them bother with the Prince journeying to our border.  I feel it is our liege's choice to make but would feel better if he was sent to Sarum... Just as an assurance..."

But with a hatred of 19 I have to check anyway.

Apologies, work got busy, yes I would say that you need to check anyway!

Got a 15!

So, how does Balen's hatred manifest!

Balen Outbursts. “To claim a king, even a kingdom is ludicrous. They smile like saviours as our fleet burns. There must be retaliation...”

Dylan rounds on Balen, placing himself between Balen and the envoys, grasping the favor of the Ordo given to him by Sir Hogarth, and in his fiercest tongue says... “Control your passions and your  tongue, Sir. You speak beyond your station. We will take these matters back to Lady Ellen.”

Sir Ullin looks sharply at Sir Balen. Quietly and firmly he states to his comrades, "They have not encroached on Salisbury's lands, and to cross over to engage them will set back Lady Ellen's plan which she had just paid for.  If you love your liege and Salisbury, you must stay your hands...  Now is not the time.  We must be patient and wait once we know what we are facing...  Yes, we would win the day; yet, we would lose everything..." Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:8.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:107%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} Speaking to the Saxons, "As you must follow the orders of your leaders, so we must follow the orders of our liege.  We are expected back sooner rather than later, and if we are delayed it will cause great suspicion.  We will convey the message of the arrival of the envoy in your stead to our liege and I hope not to hear from our scouts of any incursions across our borders before the envoy's expected arrival."   "By what road do they intend to cross into our lands?  That way, if our liege desires to have an escort waiting for them, they can make the appropriate arrangements."

"These are fresh invaders to our lands, and whatever bargain we have just struck with King Aethelswith of Essex does not mean a thing here. Salisbury has no claim on Hantonne, and whilst it pains me to see more of our country siezed by another warlord, now is not the time to draw blades. Let them send their emissary. But we should also look for refugees from Hantonne and see about settling them in Salisbury."

UllinBethalto said: "By what road do they intend to cross into our lands?  That way, if our liege desires to have an escort waiting for them, they can make the appropriate arrangements." "Our charts show this is the only road that links our lands without passing through another county, so we will meet our escort here, and have no fear, we come under a banner of peace with our neighbours. No scouts will cross your borders."

Scribbs said: " whatever bargain we have just struck with King Aethelswith of Essex does not mean a thing here." (Sorry, was tired last night.  He was referring to her plan of biding time, not necessarily the actual transaction which they just completed.) Scribbs said: "...we should also look for refugees from Hantonne and see about settling them in Salisbury." Sir Ullin replies, "I agree, Sir Owain.  We will start by taking this commoner back with us so he can relay what he saw." (I assumed he was on our side of the river...) (Unless anyone else has more to say, I imagine this would be said.  Obviously, I can delete it if anyone else has something they want to say or do.) He then says to the Saxons, "Very well.  I believe our business here is concluded, and we should go report to our respective leaders."

Balen grabs his squire. ”I will escort the commoners, ensure those that survived will at least be protected now...” He stomps away.

How long will Balen wait for refugees?

If there are people fleeing in an active manner he will stay, if no one is coming for say an hour, he assumes everyone who can flee, has.

No-one arrives at all, and indeed, over the next few weeks and months, there are no refugees at all. There is much speculation as to why this might be, the various methods in which the Saxons might have run them all down being the most popular, closely followed by the speculation that the Saxons may have slaughtered so many in the attack that there are no refugees surviving. Lady Ellen receives the news and shortly after, plans are put into place to have you travel to Hantonne and attend this feast. She requests that you return with as much intelligence as you dare gather, she wishes you to discover if there is a rebellion forming and if any knights survive and have joined the Saxons. Let me know what plans you make in advance, and when you are ready, we can jump to your arrival back at the trail that crosses the border.

Dylan is ready to leave, after procuring his wife’s latest attempt at feast clothes, when the others are. 

(Who in Sarum would be best to ask about the history of Wessex and those that hailed from there when Vortigern ruled?)

(( You'd probably want to find a supporter of Vortigern to ensure accuracy - though few would confess to this now, maybe someone who either wrote the history or can read what was written at the time, assuming it hasn't been destroyed. ))

Upon returning to Sarum and informing Lady Ellen of the tragedy which happened in the South, Sir Ullin finds himself struggling to come to terms with the mission they have been tasked.  He thinks it prudent to consult someone who may help him come to terms dealing with the Saxons who now claim the lands to the South of them, especially since they claim it as 'their kingdom'. (out of time, will post the second half after work.)

Owain will go and see Bishop Roger (assuming he is still around) to see if the church has any records with details of Salisbury's old neighbours under Vortigern.

Bishop Roger gives you access to the records and the church scribe to go through them with you. According to the church, Vortigern did indeed grant the land to a Saxon tribe known as the Gewessi. The records are light on details of who they were or where they came from. Interestingly, at several points in the records, Gloucester is mentioned as being their lands. The scribe is rather puzzled by this, but attributes it to an error. The next set of records uncovered take a very different tone. It is clear that whoever wrote these considered the Gewessi as invaders. It is hardly flattering in it's description of their departure from Britain, claiming that they fled like the cowards they are before the armies of the Pendragon had even left Snowdon after the battle that saw Vortigern defeated. Other than this, there is little of relevance.

((What date was the battle at Snowdon?))

(( Year 468 ))

(Oh man, Scribbs beat me to him...  In light of that, are there any other people of 'learnedness' in Sarum at present?  Example: the Armello.)

Balen does in depth research in the time allowed.  He drills his inexperienced squire in horsemanship, on the jousting list and in hand to hand combat. He works hard, he won’t be found wanting when they are inevitably betrayed.

The Armello is what I would consider "wise" but she is not "learned" in that she doesn't know about much that happens outside of the Tor Worshippers religion. Previous to becoming the adviser to Lady Ellen, she lived most of her live on Bodmin Moor, and travelled to Tisbury where she lived close to the standing stone there. She can tell you a lot about the internal politics of the various pagan factions of Cornwall, but would struggle to explain who Vortigern, or Uther were. As to who else there is, you could try asking someone who knows about heraldry, they tend to study up on old records.

Then Sir Ullin will seek out two individuals, the court Herald and the least popular storyteller in court.

The herald is a new appointment, Sir Benshaw. The least popular storyteller in court is a middle aged woman named Conwith who's only popular story involved being swallowed by a giant frog.

(Just out of curiosity, do we know what happened to the previous herald?)

(You do, but I think you may have forgotten it was Sir Elad!)