The king stablished all his knights, and gave them that were of lands not rich, he gave them lands, and charged

Transcription

1 The king stablished all his knights, and gave them that were of lands not rich, he gave them lands, and charged them never to do outrageousity nor murder, and always to flee treason; also, by no mean to be cruel, but to give mercy unto him that asketh mercy, upon pain of forfeiture of their worship and lordship of King Arthur forevermore; and always to do ladies, damosels, and gentlewomen succor upon pain of death. Also, that no man take no battles in a wrongful quarrel for no law, ne for no world s goods. Unto this were all the knights sworn of the Table Round, both old and young. And every year were they sworn at the high feast of Pentecost. - Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte d Arthur.

2 Contents The Pentecostal Oath Contents Noble Edicts Editorial by Steff Worthington The Birthday Hunt A Pendragon Adventure by Dave Elrick Pendragon Through The Ages A look at the various editions of Pendragon by George Quail The Otherworld A look at Arthurian links out in Internet-land Hammer To Fall An Age of Arthur adventure by Paul Mitchener Ganieda, sister to Merlin An NPC for Pendragon by George Quail Gildas & Britain s Dark Ages Article by Paul Mitchener Gawain s Tale Verse by Steff. J. Worthington Around The Table Greg Stafford & Steff Worthington Whispers Around The Realm Plot nuggets and ideas Gratitudes & Complimentaries Links to our contributors Writers Steff. J Worthington, Dave Elrick, George Quail, & Paul Mitchener. Artists Steff. J Worthington, Pareeerica, starscoldnight, AnaRasha-stock, John Atkinson Grimshaw, ITSDura, Lor Myers, & Misty Patricia. A sincere thanks to all the artists who have contributed to the past and present art of Pendragon. Cover art: Woods by Jessica Dueck com/ Direction & Editing Steff. J. Worthington Copyright Dragons of Britain is a magazine dedicated to the world of Arthurian gaming & RPGs King Arthur: Pendragon is copyright 2013 Greg Stafford & Nocturnal Media. Age of Arthur is copyright 2013 Wordplay Games. This free fan based magazine is not for sale and is a work of fiction. No similarities to real world people (still living or sleeping underneath a hill) or events are intended. Submissions & Contact steffworthington@hotmail. com 3

3 Noble Edicts I grew up with the tales of King Arthur and his knights (although I don t remember him being referred to as King ) and from an early age began to wonder who this leader of battles, this Dux Bellorum, actually was. I d spend hours in Mold Library (one of the largest Arthurian collections in existence) breathing in the dust from old volumes and wrestling with French names which seemed so incongruous next the Welsh names I was used to from the tales I had been told. Part of the charm of these investigations was deciphering who was who and what was what. Myrddin, or Emrys, was Merlin. Cai was Kay. Afallan was Avalon. But it was only when my beloved aunty bought me a copy of RISK when I was young that I started to get into gaming. In time, progression to role-playing games, and thence to Pendragon, was only natural for me. The hobby and the Matter of Britain still hold sway for me. I m currently writing my own non-magical RPG version of the Welsh Arthur (The Bear of Britain), I now draw maps professionally (and some of these appear within this issue), and my knowledge of Arthur has widened. Still, I cannot claim to be an expert. If anyone does claim to be, they are mistaken. So little is known of the great warlord that it almost impossible to rely on any facts with any certainty. His reputation, personage, and deeds are so vague as to be considered myth by some (not a view I hold). I sometimes wonder what will happen if we find Arthur. Will we find him in a sunken field that was once a pool near Baschurch in Shropshire? Buried in a wall as part of Chester s amphitheatre? (A candidate for Camelot), in a mountainside cairn in Snowdonia? Or under the grass on Salisbury Plain? Will we wish we d not gone looking? I think sometimes that people need to reveal the truth more than know the truth. That finding him and having the fame is more interesting than learning who he was. Will we look down into that shallow grave in the earth, at the detritus, rotted fabric, hiltless sword, and old bones and think we should ve have left him undiscovered? That our dream of Arthur can t possibly match up to the reality? I would counsel caution. I want to know who he really was too, but in doing so we could unravel the greatest wonder and relic this island of the mighty has to offer. Yet still we seek him. - Steff. Worthington 4

4 The Birthday Hunt A Pendragon adventure by David Elrick during the Period of Unification

5 Magna draconis arturius rex 6 The Birthday Hunt A Pendragon adventure by David Elrick The following adventure was originally written to be run at games conventions and so was designed to fit into a four-hour slot. I set it in 514AD, immediately after the wedding of Arthur and Guinevere and before the military campaign against Maelgywn of Gwynedd. With a little work (mainly changing background details) it should be easy enough to place almost anywhere during the Pendragon period. A mix of Pagan and Christian knights works best with this adventure, although an all-christian group would be interesting too. At least one knight should have a reasonable Faerie Lore score (or the equivalent if you are using a system other than Pendragon). Some maps are provided with the adventure. They were not needed any time I ran this adventure but If you need to map the woods, it should have a river running through it and a long meadow (picnic field) at one side. Location/Date This adventure is set in the summer of the year 514 AD, although this can be changed to suit your campaign. It begins at the court of the Earl of Tewkesbury (a kinsman of the Earl of Salisbury) and takes place in woodlands along the Gloucester/ Sugales border and in the fringes of the Dean Forest (the border of the realm of Faerie). Plot Summary The PCs are knights of Salisbury who have come north ahead of the main army ready for the new campaign. They are at the home of their Lord s brother in law, so they are among friends and can therefore relax. Their role is to arrange temporary quarters for the army and prepare their host and his household for its arrival. This is a double celebration - the arrival of old friends, heralding the arrival of the Lord s kin, plus the Lord s eldest son is 21 and ready to be knighted. There will be a celebration feast followed by a hunt the next day. Part 1 is the feast and gives the players opportunities to test skills such as dancing, orate, sing and others (the lord has a couple of beautiful daughters too). Friendships may be made/renewed or spoiled as the night pans out. Part 2 is the start of the hunt. The hunt goes slowly initially. Apart from the PCs, the Lord and the birthday boy, there are several knights of the Lord s household and a couple of other guests. Plus ladies, squires, beaters, dogs and assorted servants with the picnic

6 Map of Sugales/Gloucester border train... At first, the hunt is pretty normal - plenty of hares, a few boar and a couple of stags. Some grouse and pheasants might be spotted too. They will also meet a hermit who will give them useful advice (hopefully they ll take it). In the middle of the day, the servants will set out the picnic lunch in a clearing and more social type stuff might ensue (Part 3). In the afternoon, the party splits up (deliberately or otherwise) and the hunt moves into thicker, wilder woods. Some more game is spotted and possibly hunted. Some of the game may be more fantastic creatures. Then the boy s horse is spooked and bolts... Chasing the horse leads the PCs into wilder areas of the woods and to a clearing where a tower stands. This is the border with Faerie and the PCs need to find the birthday boy. The boy lies in an enchanted swoon in the tower, attended by several Faerie maids who are holding him for their queen. They offer the PCs food and drink, hoping to ensnare them too. The boy can be released if the PCs leave an equal gift this could be someone else, or a song or poem. If the PCs escape back into the real world the tower is just a ruin... Magna draconis arturius rex 7

7 Magna draconis arturius rex 8 Part 1 The Feast Location: The Great Hall, Tewkesbury Castle Date: Late Summer, 514AD The game opens in the great hall at Tewkesbury castle. The hall is filling up and there is a buzz of conversation as the knights and ladies of the court discuss the news brought up from the South by the player characters. Most of the ladies want to hear about the wedding of Arthur and Guinevere which happened in Camelot at Pentecost (earlier this year roughly the beginning of May, or Beltane to the pagans). They will be eager for any news, especially the fashions of the ladies and what Queen Guinevere is like. If you are running this in another year, substitute whatever is the current news from Camelot. On the other hand, the men are mostly interested in the forthcoming campaign against Maelgywn of Gwynedd and whether the player characters think there will be war, or whether Maelgywn will back down when he sees the size of Arthur s forces. They will also speculate on the size of the army and what the Saxons will or won t do while Arthur is campaigning in Gwynedd. There are opportunities for Boastful and Modest checks are the player characters are questioned about their own experiences in the wars against the Saxons. This is also a good point for the player characters to learn about Maelgwyn and Gwynedd, Maelgwyn s renouncing of Arthur s rule, the recent raids into the borders of the Earl s domain and the forthcoming war. Answer any questions but don t force information on them. The hall will settle down as everyone finds their seats. As honoured guests (and representing members of the Countesses own family) the player characters are given places at the high table. Once everyone is seated, the pages blow the horns and Earl Gherard and his family enter and take their places. The Earl and his lady are accompanied by their three sons (Rhun who is 21 and the other two, Giles and Briant, who are around 12-13) and two daughters (Meraud who is 17 and Alys who is 18). It is a good feast, with plenty of rich food. Entertainment is provided at first by some of the Duke s own household, but one or more of the player characters might win some glory by performing a song or story. Orate and Perform rolls are suitable here. At some point during the feast, the Earl will rise and welcome his guests. He will also propose a toast to his eldest son who is to be made a knight tomorrow. Particularly keen or pious knights might offer to

8 share the boy s vigil in the chapel and will get smiles from the Earl s daughters and will be the first to get a chance to dance with the ladies (if they choose to do so). Once the feast is finished, the tables are cleared and moved back against the walls and the dancing begins. The player characters will probably want to dance with Meraud and Alys, the Earl s daughters, who will be delighted to agree. Any player knights who wish to roll an Amor passion for either young lady should be encouraged to do so. The girls have high Chaste scores, so they will be unlikely to agree to any improper suggestions, but will be delighted and flattered by any romantic gestures (songs, etc). Some of the Earl s own retinue however will be more than a little jealous and this might generate a little tension between some of the Earl s household and the player characters later out of earshot of the young ladies. The player characters are among friends and allies (the Earl is their Lord s brother-in-law) so there should be no serious problems or fights unless someone seriously oversteps the mark. If someone does over-indulge or go all out to cause offence, challenges will be issued, but the Earl is keen not to spoil his son s glory and will attempt to smooth over all but the most blatant transgressions. Eventually, the feast breaks up. Anyone who chooses to accompany the Earl s son will be shown to the chapel. The boy is armoured up for the vigil as is the custom, but the player characters don t have to be unless they choose to do so (they are already knights). They will be in for a sleepless night of prayers and will have -5 to their alertness rolls during the hunt the next day; however they will gain some glory for joining the boy s vigil. Part 2 The Birthday Hunt Sets Out Location: Woodlands near Tewkesbury Breakfast is a hearty affair in the great hall. The Earl and his knights and the player characters are all armoured up and ready and eager for the day ahead. Eventually the hunting party assemble in the main courtyard. Earl Gherard pulls aside the player knights and asks them a favour. His son is a bit reckless and accident-prone (think a sort of young Boris Johnson). Can they go with him and make sure he doesn t come to any harm and doesn t wind up looking like a fool. It doesn t matter if he isn t successful in the hunt, just that he has a good day and doesn t wind up doing anything stupid. The party will set off towards the forest, splitting into smaller groups along the way. The plan will be to Magna draconis arturius rex 9