The Annals of SalisburyIn 410 AD, your grandfathers were born, in the final year of the Roman presence in Britain. Beset by threats both internal and external, the Emperor Honorius withdrew his forces from the rainy island, leaving the British to fend for themselves. Irish, Picts and Saxons raided the country mercilessly. The Supreme Collegium, the high council of British nobility, selected Constantin to become the King of the British. Then they scoured the land, and amongst every thousand men, they found the best one: the strongest, the wisest, the hardiest, the fastest, the most skilled. This man, they dubbed a
knight. Your great-grandfathers were all selected amongst the first knights, and so your grandfathers were raised as knights. Around 431, they were knighted...
439 AD: The Saxon raiders landed again upon the coast of Britain. In this year, your fathers were born. All six of your grandfathers went forth to fight against Irish invaders who were ravaging the countryside near Carlion, but tragically, Gaius' grandfather Sir Peregrin became ill with the shaking sickness, and perished before the dawn of the battle. This was seen as a bad omen; but the British knights won the battle, and all of your grandfathers acquitted themselves honourably upon the field that day. John's grandfather, Sir Issac, did mighty deeds of arms that day, excelled only by the fiery valour of Meuric's grandfather, who drove the enemy before them. Between the actions of this pair of paragons, the Battle of Carlion was won, and the Irish repelled. Sir Issac also nursed a grudge against the Irish, which he passed down to his descendents.
440 AD: In this year, many tears were spilt in Salisbury, for of the five heroes, only one returned alive. The knights had journeyed north to fight against the Pictish raiders along the great wall of the Emperor Hadrian, but the blue-dyed warriors were vicious fighters, and only Alain's grandfather, Sir Elias, returned alive at the end of that year. When he returned to Salisbury, he was beset by a new tragedy: one of King Constantin's bodyguard had murdered the King. You can never trust those knights of Silchester...
441 AD: The Supreme Collegium, swayed by the honeyed tongue of Duke Vortigern, chose to make Constantine's young son Constans the new King. Constans had lived in a monastery, and had little experience of the world, and so he relied upon Duke Vortigern's guidance. Sir Elias returned to the north to serve garrison duty against the Picts. This year, Fortune did not smile upon him, and his corpse was conveyed back to Salisbury to be buried with all due honour.
442 AD: In this year, Duke Vortigern hired Pictish mercenaries to serve as King Constans' bodyguard.
443 AD: In this year, the Pictish bodyguard proved to be treacherous and murdered the King. Duke Vortigern put them to death, and then became king himself. Alarmed by this, loyalists smuggled Constans' young brothers, Aurelius Ambrosius and Uther, to Brittany.
444 AD: The Picts launched a massive invasion from the north, and drove back all who stand in their way.
445 AD: The armies of the Picts reached the heartland of Britain, and so King Vortigern ordered the British armies to entrench themselves and garrison their homes.
446 AD: King Vortigern realised that he needed help to defeat the Picts, and so hired the Saxons kings Hengest and Horsa. The two led an army of Saxons against the Picts in the Battle of Lincoln, and the Picts were defeated. Sir Berel, grandfather of Sir Perin, was made a knight in this year, and fought in the battle.
447-449 AD: The Saxons continued to drive the Picts forth from Britain. More and more Saxons arrived in Britain, where they were welcomed with all honour by the King.
450 AD: In this year, King Vortigern took a bride - the beautiful Rowena, daughter of the Saxon king Hengest. Sir Berel attended the wedding.
451-453 AD: News came to Britain that a new group of barbarians, known as the Huns, were ravaging the Roman Empire. According to rumour, Rome itself, the Eternal City, came under attack by their ravening hordes. Britain itself was peaceful, although many complained about the favours that King Vortigern lavishly bestowed upon the Saxons.
454 AD: In this year, the Hun army marched north into Gaul, where they fought the Romans at the Battle of Chalons. The power of Attila was broken, and the Huns defeated. Many British knights and lords who disapproved with Vortigern's treatment of the Saxons were sent to the battle, amongst them Sir Berel.
455-6 AD: The flames of war spread further across the world. Rome itself, recently attacked by the Huns, was besieged by the Germanic barbarians and sacked. The great Western Empire which has dominated the world for a thousand years has fallen. Rumour spreads that the end is surely nigh.
457 AD: In this year, many of the British rebelled against King Vortigern. The King led the Saxons against his own people and devastated them, before giving the lands of Kent to the Saxons. Sir Berel took part in this battle and gained great glory.
458-459 AD: Many of the British began to leave, dissatisfied with Vortigern's policies. However, in Salisbury, your fathers were nearing the cusp of adulthood...
460 AD: In this year, Sirs Arthgog, Hectimere, Meriadoc, Pedivere, Thomas and Vitgil won their spurs, and were knighted with due ceremony in Salisbury.
461-2 AD: Dissatisfied with King Vortigern's rule, many nobles began an open rebellion against him and his Saxon allies, led by Vortigern's oldest son (by his first marriage), Vortimer. The Earl of Salisbury led his vassal knights to war, but your fathers were left behind to defend Salisbury in his absence. The rebels, with Sir Berel amongst their number, fought against Vortigern's army in the Battle of Cambridge, and many brave men lost their lives.
463 AD: Vortigern and Hengest, who most believe now to be the true ruler as Vortigern before him had been during King Constans' reign, called for reconciliation and held a great feast on Salisbury Plain. However, the Saxons proved themselves worthy of the suspicion and mistrust that they had received, and more: for Hengest's Saxons murdered the assembled nobles. The Earl of Salisbury was amongst the slain, as was Sir Berel!
464 AD: By this year, all of the young knights of Salisbury had become married. Many of them were able to marry widows, due to the carnage of the Night of Long Knives, and so they gained their first manorial estates. Alone amongst the knights, Sir Elias, Alain's father, married for love rather than wealth, while Gaius' father, Sir Peregrin, married an aristocratic widow who could trace her lineage back to the Romans.
465 AD: Vortigern and his Saxons gave up any pretense of ruling fairly, and instead goverend the land tyrannically. In Salisbury, six children were born...
466 AD: Many years earlier, King Constans' infant brothers had been smuggled away to Brittany for their own safety. Aurelius Ambrosius returned to Britain, leading an army of expatriates determined to defeat Vortigern and his Saxons. Vortigern's allies abandoned him, and a sizeable portion of his army was caught and besieged in Carlion. Sir Hectimere remained in Salisbury on garrison duty, but Sirs Pedivere, Arthgog, Meriadoc, Thomas and Vitgil were all present at the Siege of Carlion. Sir Vitgil was amongst the first to breach the castle's defences, and fell with a score of bodies around his feet, but Vortigern's forces were destroyed. Sir Arthgog's younger brother, Sir Phillip, also perished during the battle.
467 AD: Vortigern himself fled north and created a new castle to hide in. Nobody knows exactly what happened next, but whispers say that the son of the Devil himself came to Vortigern there and showed him a mighty portent, of two dragons that slept in a lake underneath the castle, and thrashed about, destroying the fortifications. The boy woke the dragons, which fought each other and destroyed the castle, before he vanished. Vortigern himself retreated north to Mount Snowdon.
The boy's name was Merlin.
468 AD: Sir Meriadoc and Sir Arthgog remained in Salisbury this year, serving garrison duty, while the armies of Aurelius Ambrosius reached Mount Snowdon and attacked Vortigern, slaying him and his followers. Sir Driant, son of the murdered Sir Berel, fought in this battle as well. In Salisbury, Sir Meriadoc and Sir Arthgog were responsible for fending off a band of marauding Irish raiders, although Sir Arthgog perished in the fighting. Upon his return from the Battle of Snowdon, Aurelius Ambrosius summoned the Supreme Collegium, which unanimously elected him the next High King. He adopted a new title: Pendragon, the 'head dragon', derived from the emblem on his battle standard.
469 AD - 472 AD: Many more Saxons came to settle in Kent with Hengist. Hengist himself was captured and slain, and his son and nephew, Octa and Eosa, swore fealty to the King. High King Aurelius Ambrosius Pendragon maintained an unsteady peace with them, while his younger brother Uther established a reputation as a mighty warrior as he led the defence against raids from the Saxons, Irish and Picts. Sir Meriadoc and Sir Driant in particular distinguished themselves at Uther's side during this time.
473 AD: In this year, the Saxons marched into the heart of England, sweeping all opposition before them. High King Aurelius Ambrosius mustered an army, which fought the Saxons at Windsor, but even his forces could not stand against their might. In the retinue of Uther, Sir Meriadoc fought bravely, but his great valour did not avail him. The wound that he took in that battle festered, and he died a week later, far from home.
474 AD - 476 AD: The Saxons raided throughout England. Only fortified places were safe, due to the strength of such knights as Sir Pedivere, Sir Driant, Sir Thomas and Sir Hectimere. Through their valour, the city of Sarum was kept safe, but their manors were raided.
477 AD: A new Saxon king arrived in Britain: Aelle, who called himself 'Bretwalda' - high chief. Aurelius Ambrosius again mustered an army to face him, but Aelle was reinforced by Hengest and Ambrosius and his army barely managed to escape.
478 AD - 479 AD: Aurelius Ambrosius has been building a fleet of ships to take the fight to the Saxons. The great fleet sailed to attack the ships of the Saxons and destroyed them, then landed and won a great battle at Frisia. Sir Pedivere and Sir Driant were amongst them there, and they fought with distinction at the Battle of Frisia. Meanwhile, Sir Thomas and Sir Hectimere defended Salisbury against Saxon raids, and were lauded for their deeds.
480 AD: The Saxons invaded Salisbury in force, and were met by Aurelius Ambrosius and Uther at Menevia. Before the battle, the High King became deathly ill - his doctor was discovered to be in the employ of the Saxons, and had poisoned him. Despite this, Aurelius Ambrosius led his forces in battle personally, but perished in the battle. However, due to his bravery, the Saxon army was wiped out. He was not the only casualty of the day: at Sir Hectimere's eulogy, the brave knight was accredited with rallying the British ranks and leading the charge which finally broke the Saxon lines. The High King was buried on Salisbury Plain, where the mysterious Merlin appeared and with his magic transported a ring of standing stones that had been constructed by giants from Ireland to serve as a grave monument: this ring is now called Stonehenge. Uther was unanimously chosen as the next Pendragon, although he did not become the High King at that time.
481 AD - 483 AD: In the wake of the Battle of Salisbury, the Saxons are quiet and the Kingdom of Logres is peaceful. Sir Pedivere and Sir Thomas served in garrison duty and watched their sons grow up.
484 AD: Another wave of Saxons arrived in Britain, and attacked in the north, besieging the city of Eburacum. Octa, the son of Hengist, and his cousin Eosa abandoned their oaths to lead this army. King Uther Pendragon mustered his army and hastened north to its defense, but was drawn into a trap by the Saxons. There Sir Thomas fell in the rearguard, as did many other valiant knights. The Pendragon withdrew, but refused to admit defeat; he led his army north and attacked the celebrating Saxon camp at Mount Damen that night. The slaughter was great, but amongst the British dead was Sir Pedivere. Following the battle, Octa and Eosa tried to flee, but a group of knights led by Sir Driant captured them - although Sir Driant perished in the endeavour. Captured, the two renewed their oaths to the King.
Squires Alain, Aldrydd, Gaius, John, Meuric, and Tinian fought a bear and bandits in Salisbury. Meuric was slain, and squire Alain abducted the Marshall of Salisbury's daughter Adelle at her request to help heal Tinian, who was grievously wounded. Aldrydd, Gaius, John and Tinian were dubbed knights.
485 AD: The knights led an embassy to Levcomagus to protest about raiders, and discovered evidence suggesting that Sir Rhisiart, the Steward of Levcomagus, was in league with the Saxons. Sir Aldrydd was almost slain during the escape from Levcomagus and was rescued by a mysterious witch, who demanded a favour in the future in return, and stole part of Sir Aldrydd's soul as surety. King Uther battled the Saxons of King Aelle at Mearcred Creek: the battle was a draw. Alain acquitted himself with distinction during the battle and was knighted. More Saxons under King Aethelswith landed in Kent, and won a major victory in Caercolun.
486 AD: The knights traveled to London to search for Sir Gaius' missing cousin, Elissa. En route, the knights encountered various adventures: they were robbed in Winchester, helped the magician Merlin retrieve a Faerie sword, found treasure in the shrine of an ancient god, recruited Irish mercenaries to bolster Salisbury's defenses, and befriended a giant with an obsession for all things Roman. Eventually, the knights discovered that Elissa had brought Praetor Syagrius and his entourage to Britain after Soissons was overrun by the Franks. The knights rescued them. Upon their return home, Sir Alain was driven mad when he discovered that his lady love had been married as part of an alliance with Somerset. Meanwhile, fighting continued in Caercolun; Prince Madoc raided the Saxons there, and following his successes, Duke Lucius of Caercolun sallied forth and was slain in battle. The Saxons advanced, and turned back after an indecisive battle against an army led by Sir Brastias, the King's bodyguard.
487 AD: King Uther was publically presented with Excalibur by the magician Merlin, a faerie sword of puissant power blessed to ensure that its wielder would never be defeated in battle so long as he remained virtuous. As a result, many of the recalcitrant nobles of Logres began to fall into line. Uther also decided to lend his support to Praetor Syagrius' attempt to reclaim his French homeland. As the first step in the campaign, Prince Madoc cleared the Channel of Saxon ships, to ensure a safe crossing to Soissons. Sir Tinian distinguished himself during the campaign in particular, while Sir Aldrydd married a French heiress and became rightful lord of a large area of French land that was currently under control of the Franks.
488 AD: Prince Madoc led an expedition to aid Praetor Syagrius in reclaiming Soissons. However, Sir Aldrydd discovered that the Prince intended to betray the Praetor. Sir Aldrydd confronted the Prince; in return, the Prince assigned the knights of Salisbury to the front lines when the British army attacked Bayeux. In the fighting, the Roman-loving giant Onion was slain, as was Sir Aldrydd. After the fall of Bayeux, Prince Madoc led the army back to Logres with sizeable amounts of loot. Praetor Syagrius, bereft of British assistance, was soon defeated by the Franks.
489 AD: King Uther led his army to confront the renegade Gorlois, Duke of Cornwall. Thanks to the presence of Excalibur and Merlin, the two were able to reconcile. Uther then led his armies north to fight a new wave of Saxons, led by the treacherous Octa and Eosa. The fighting was inconclusive. Salisbury and Hampshire were attacked by Saxons and betrayed by the Blackshield mercenaries. At the same time, Praetor Syagrius returned to Britain, seeking revenge for his betrayal. Syagrius and the Saxons were defeated; Countess Ellen was rescued from the Steward of Levcomagus, who was responsible for the attack; but Sir Tinian perished during the fighting.
490 AD: The Saxon Kings Octa and Eosa attacked Lindsey in northern Logres, but were defeated by King Uther and Duke Gorlois. Their army was destroyed and the knights were captured. The knights of Salisbury acquitted themselves well, and made a new friend: a Pictish mercenary called Galan. Following the fighting, the knights joined King Uther on a mission to the northern kingdom of Malahaut, where King Uther hoped to win further support from members of the Supreme Collegium to select him as the High King of Britain. The Pendragon was gravely wounded while hunting, and Galan thwarted an assassination attempt while he was recovering. The King assembled the Supreme Collegium at London that winter, but neglected his duties and promises after falling obsessively in love with Lady Igraine, the wife of Duke Gorlois. As a result, the Supreme Collegium disbanded in disgust, and King Uther lost the opportunity to unite Britain behind him.
491 AD: Disturbed by the King's obsession with his wife, Duke Gorlois quitted the court at London without permission and fled back to Cornwall. King Uther made war upon him. Duke Gorlois and Prince Madoc were slain in the siege of Castle Terrabil, while with the aid of Merlin, King Uther visited Lady Igraine in the guise of her dead husband and fathered a child on her. Following the news of the Duke's death, King Uther married Igraine. While the Pendragon was preoccupied in Cornwall, King Aelle of Sussex was reinforced by further Saxons from the continent and began to raid Silchester once again.
492 AD: Queen Igraine gave birth to a baby boy, who was taken by Merlin as part of his arrangement with King Uther. The knights of Salisbury split up for the year. Sir John attempted to find Merlin and the missing boy. Sidetracked by a rampaging giant, he failed to find Merlin but unknowingly encountered the missing heir. Sir Aaron and Galan travelled north and fought against deathless men and a cursed cauldron. Sir Aaron was slain and became one of the deathless men, but the cauldron was destroyed and the threat ended. Sir Alain mustered an army to take the fight to the Saxons, and captured the city of Magouns, but was unable to hold it. As a result of this unrest, the rule of King Uther continued to weaken across Logres.
493 AD: The knights of Salisbury traveled north to Malahaut to meet the Centurion King, and forge an alliance with him against the Saxons. They failed, and the Centurion King allied instead with the Saxons. This choice was unpopular and led to strife, during which the Centurion King was killed by Sir Owen. Sir John struck a deal with the notorious Duke Claudius the Blacksnake, offering Logres' aid in a coup in exchange for assistance against the Saxons. Meanwhile, Galan travelled north to fight the Eosa and his Saxons, who raided his hometown to retrieve the bones of Eosa's father Oisc. The Badger samhladh was destroyed, but the Saxons repelled - though they claimed their prize.
494 AD: Sir John and Sir Perin travelled west to Estregales to negotiate a possible alliance with King Canan. They only managed to ally with the hill-tribe of Ystrad Twi; the King himself was murdered before his court, and the country dissolved into civil war. Sir John confronted Merlin in his crystal cave about the fate of Uther's child and received a prophecy of the future. Meanwhile, the Steward of Levcomagus sent killers after the Earl of Salisbury. The attempt failed, the assassins were caught by Sir Owen and Galan, and Sir Owen defeated the Steward's champion in a duel to prove Levcomagus' guilt. Meanwhile, the armies of Octa and Eosa came south into Logres and ravaged the duchy of Lindsey, and King Uther was dying.
495 AD: King Uther lay dying in London, and so the Supreme Collegium assembled to debate who should become the next king. As they squabbled, the Saxon army conquered Saint Albans, just two days outside of London itself. A hastily assembled army was mustered, and King Uther, faced to this threat, recovered enough to smash the Saxons. Both Octa and Eosa perished, and their army was destroyed, but at the victory feast afterwards, a Saxon survivor poisoned the well, killing King Uther and the assembled nobility of Britain. With no king, no heir, and no Supreme Collegium, the kingdom dissolved into anarchy. The widowed Countess Ellen became regent for Salisbury until young Robert could come of age and be the new Earl.
496 AD:Glory:Aldrydd's great-uncle, Sir Gavyn (Deceased): 2700
Perin's grandfather, Sir Berel (Deceased): 2149
Alain's grandfather, Sir Elias (Deceased): 1367
John's grandfather, Sir Issac (Deceased): 1358
Meuric's grandfather (Deceased): 1287
Tinian's grandfather, Sir Brandiles (Deceased): 1205
Aldrydd's grandfather, Sir Alaistair (Deceased): 1203
Gaius's grandfather, Sir Peregrin (Deceased): 1140
Perin's father, Sir Driant (Deceased): 3640
Tinian's father, Sir Hectimere (Deceased): 2835
Aldrydd's uncle once removed, Sir Elan: 2710
Alain's father, Sir Pedivere (Deceased): 2071
John's father, Sir Thomas (Deceased): 1745
Gaius' father, Sir Meriadoc (Deceased): 1534
Aldrydd's uncle, Sir Phillip, younger brother of Sir Arthgog (Deceased): 1260
Meuric's father, Sir Vitgil (Deceased): 1238
Aldrydd's father, Sir Arthgog (Deceased): 1235
Sir John: 8302
Sir Alain: 6731
Sir Owen, second cousin of Sir Aldrydd and Sir Aaron: 3665
Sir Tinian (Deceased): 3438
Sir Galan: 3433
Sir Perin: 3121
Sir Aaron, younger cousin of Sir Aldrydd (Deceased?): 2917
Sir Aldrydd (Deceased): 2381
Sir Gaius (Deceased): 1666
Sir Sheppard: 1149
Sir Eleanor: 1135
Squire Meuric (Deceased): 123
Alain's illegitimate son, Roland: 7 years old (dead)
Alain's illegitimate daughter, Wynne: 9 years old
Alain's son, Alexander: 0 years old
Aldrydd's illegitimate son, James: 10 years old
Aldrydd's daughter, Lorraine: 1 years old (dead)
Galan's son, Galam: 0 years old
John's adopted son, Aurelian: 11 years old
John's illegitimate son, Dalan: 4 years old (dead)
John's daughter, Gwendolin: 0 years old (dead)
John's illegitimate daughter, Amelia: 1 years old
Perin's daughter, Idain: 1 years old
Perin's daughter, Tryamore: 1 years old
Perin's daughter, Caryn: 0 years old
Perin's son, Perit: 0 years old
Tinian's son, Tinian: 7 years old
Salisbury's Assets:
War Chest: 28 libra
Knights: 9*
Men-at-Arms: 10
Peasants: 5