One Brief Shining Moment

[Bob of Beleriand]

Alain relished the opportunity to face his friend, Tinian, in combat. Remounting his charger, Alain waited in the wings, jousting lance in-hand. Not being the first or even the second to square gave him the chance to witness the blossoming capabilities of his companion-squires. Upon their turn, Alain took his place opposite of Tinian. Catching his friend and opponent's eye, Alain dipped his lance slightly in salute.

OOC: So sorry, Anarion, I rolled a 15. Don't punish me in Tales!

[Anarion]

Tinian waved cheerfully. He knew Alain was martially more capable perhaps than he was, but as with the other exercises they'd just done, you never knew what could happen. He'd been unhorsed before, it really didn't hurt that much. And maybe, just maybe Alain would be overconfident. He sometimes was.

OOC: rolled a 2. You'll pay for this Bob.

[Krusader]

The thought of facing Saxons if the peasants' tales of maneating bears were false sent a shiver through Gaius, as much because of fear as of anticipation. He rode his horse opposite John and gave a salute before starting to charge towards him, trying to aim his lance at John's shoulder, which he found a not so easy task to do. Trying to keep his posture he continued aiming, while John and he thundered towards eachother...

OOC: 11 on roll. Had to post quick otherwise Cal would come with his deviled rolls and rolled a 20 for me.

[Calarion Sapherior]

The two squires clashed together in a cacophony of steel. Alain's lance was perfectly aimed, and struck with so much force that Tinian dropped his spear at the shock. Somehow, despite the force of the blow, the son of Sir Hectimere managed to keep his saddle, and the two continued to their opposite ends of the yard. Alain's spear was unbroken; Tinian was given a new one.

ooc: Normally, blunted weapons do no damage, but when you get a critical hit, you do damage like normal. Tinian took 20 damage. Fortunately, I said that you were training with armour! Because Tinian did succeed with his roll, he is able to use his shield as well as his armour to negate damage, so 20 - 16 = 4 actual damage only. Meanwhile, to decide if he stayed mounted... the total unmodified damage was more than Tinian's SIZ, but not twice his SIZ, so Tinian made a Horsemanship roll. (On foot it's a DEX roll.) Tinian succeeded by rolling a 7, so he stays mounted.

The two galloped towards one another again, and this time the wound which Tinian had suffered (which will surely give him a beautiful bruise!) meant his lance was not perfectly aimed, while that of Alain was completely centred. This time, there was nothing that Tinian can do: he was flung from his saddle and crashed to the ground.

ooc: When you fall from your horse, you take 1d6 damage which armour cannot help with. Tinian takes another 1 damage from the fall.

[Calarion Sapherior]

The next squires to joust are John and Gaius. This is a shorter match; John's despondant thoughts mean he is not paying sufficient attention, and so Gaius' spear bursts asunder as it bears him over the end of his horse's rump.

ooc: John takes 4 damage from the fall.

[Anarion]

Tinian stood up ruefully, wincing at the pain of the fall and the impact of Alain's lance. He staggered off to look for someone to give him a hand with the injury, slight as it was. Mentally he made a note to pay back Alain for his precision.

[Calarion Sapherior]

The third joust of the morning was between Meuric and Aldrydd. Aldrydd's spear wastrue, and he easily bore Meuric from his saddle.

As there were now three contestents left, one of the squires would be forced to joust twice. Sir Elad cleared his throat and said, "Gaius, you stand back for a while. After all, yours was the fastest horse. You other two, joust again to see who will joust with Gaius."

Aldrydd and Alain began to joust again. On the first pass, Aldrydd wobbled in his saddle alarmingly, but managed to keep his balance. On the second, Alain struck Aldrydd clear over his crupper. The squire hit the ground heavily and rolled backwards across the turf from the force of the blow.

The final joust was between Alain and Gaius. All the squires knew of Alain's incredible skill as a rider: unseating him would be nearly impossible. The two squires set the shields. Their chargers snorted and stamped, impatient to charge. The sun passed behind a cloud, and the field was cast into shadows. The two urged their horses onwards, and lowered their spears across their horses' necks to aim at the other shield... On the first pass, both spears burst into splinters. Gaius reeled back from the impact, but did not leave his saddle, and soon righted himself. The squires received new spears and charged again. On the second charge, only Gaius' spear broke. This time it was Alain who swayed in the saddle, but he easily regained his balance. On the third pass, both spears missed altogether, and the two continued to opposite ends of the list. The sun had emerged from behind its cloud, and both squires were now sweating heavily.

"On foot!" Sir Elad shouted. It was customary, when two knights fought each other in a formal situation, that they should have three passes on horseback, and that if neither had dismounted the other after those three passes, that they should fight with swords on foot. Of course, here the goal was merely to knock the other over rather than to kill him. Other, younger squires help the two dismount, and brought them rebated (blunt) weapons. The two squires circled each other, and then darted together, shields raised and swords flying. Gaius struck Alain a mighty blow, which the other caught upon his shield, and then riposted; Gaius had to leap back to avoid it. Gaius then lay about him with a series of mighty blows, forcing Alain to retreat under the flurry of steel. Sir Elad looked on approvingly; the two squires are fighting like young lions. At that moment, Gaius let forth a particularly strong blow and Alain's blade flew from his hand.

[Krusader]

"Since you are no Saxon and one I will ride into battles with in the future, I will allow you to reclaim your weapon so this can be settled honorably". Gaius said to Alain and tried to control his breath. He could have claimed victory as was his right, but he had no wish to lead, not now. But neither would he forfeit or lose on purpose, there would be no honour in that.

[Bob of Beleriand]

Breathing heavily, Alain bowed slightly to his opponent, "your valour and your heart are most true, dear brother*, I thank you for the opportunity to continue." Alain shuffled over to retrieve his sword, ready to being their melee anew.


OOC: *In the sense of a brother-in-arms/fellow knight (or squire as it may be)

[Calarion Sapherior]

The two squires flung themselves together again, blunted blades flashing in the sunlight. Their swords locked and each strained against the other, and then Gaius disengaged and struck again, quickly, making Alain's sword drop from his hand again. Sir Elad began to rise and opened his mouth, but the young man shook his head and waited for Alain to retrieve his sword a second time. Again sword and shield struck against one another, and Alain found himself forced backwards by a hail of blows. With a final burst of effort, Alain struck with his shield against Gaius' shield, sending the startled squire staggering, and then struck a second blow with his sword, catching Gaius in the stomach. Sir Meriadoc's son fell as the air flew out of his stomach, leaving Alain the victor.

[Bob of Beleriand]

Alain took a step back, drawing deep breaths from his exertion. With the rush that accompanied battle fading Alain was able to fully grasp what had occurred. The blow he had dealt to Gaius had been quite significant, even with blunted swords and armour. As such his first thoughts were to check that he had not seriously injured Gaius, especially given the kindness and mercy he had shown. Satisfied he had done no serious damage, Alain turned to face Sir Elad.

"The spoils are of course yours to award as you see fit, Sir Elad, nor would I presume to know better than you. But instead, if you will allow it, I might offer my own counsel. Whilst I may have won the contest through strength of arms, Gaius, to me is the true victor," Alain continued having fully recovered his breath and composure. "It is my reasoning that he demonstrated perhaps, the truer measure of a leader. Decisions reached and tempered in both great valour and mercy."

[Krusader]

Gaius laid on his back gasping for air, trying to seem as dignified as he could, although failing miserably. The punch had been a hard one and Gaius could feel how the pain throbbed from where Alain had hit him and it felt like waves of pain washed out from his stomach and up into his torso and down into his legs.
The pain abated somewhat when Gaius got his breathing under control, but it was still painful enough that he let out a groan when he stood up. It would definitely leave a bruise he knew.
When Gaius heard Alain speak to Sir Elad, he had to smile although he felt Alain should be the leader as he had won the duel.
'And I know that mercy can be a double-edged sword...no Saxon or enemy of my liege will be granted mercy or it can be used against me' Gaius thought to himself, while he waited to hear how Sir Elad would reply to Alain's speech.

[Calarion Sapherior]

"Nay, Alain: the title of leader is yours for this day. I congratulate you both, though - you both have shown true knightly ardour through arms and words. Gaius, you may have been overcome through your honour, but you've proven yourself to all of us. Woe betide any Saxon who faces your doughty sword-arm!"

The Marshal smiled faintly. "Alain, go to Imber and ask for Old Garr, the priest. It is a half day ride to Imber. Do you want to leave this afternoon, or tomorrow morning? Do any of you have any questions?"

ooc: If you look at the map on the first page, Sarum (capital of Salisbury) is in the centre at the bottom. Vagon Castle, where you are now, is a short way west of it. Imber is not marked, but it's near Tilshead, which is directly north of Vagon Castle. Imber is just over the hills, on the edge of the forest, to the west of Tilshead. The easiest way to get there is to ride north-east from Vagon Castle up the Salisbury Main, a very old road, and then to take the path north-west to Tilshead, and across the hills.

[Prince_Asuryan]

Glancing round his companions, John spoke softly. 'I can think of no questions that Father Garr can not provide the answer for.' He stroked his chin. 'As for when we should depart. While leaving now would mean we can help the people of Imber sooner, it would mean we travel at night and be vulnerable to an ambush of sorts. I would rather be sure we arrive and leave tomorrow morning. A good nights sleep can only help matters.'

[Anarion]

"It matters not to me when we depart, let Alain decide," opined Tinian as he cast an eye at the early afternoon sun. "We could maybe make it to Imber before dark, at a guess." He rubbed his ribs gingerly.

"Sir Elad," he continued. "How are we to catch this bear? We can track it perhaps, but will we have a hunting party? Hounds?"

[Calarion Sapherior]

"The village will be able to round up some hunting dogs, I'm sure. They won't be the match of the Earl's kennels, but they should suffice, I ween."

[cidracin]

"If it were up to me I would leave now and not wait for morning. The sooner we get there the sooner we can complete our task and make Imber safe again. I do not fear for our safety for the journey is short. I highly doubht that we will encounter any foe on the road to Imberthat the six of us armed and armoured cannot defeat."

[Krusader]

"If we travel now or in the morning is either way good for me" Gaius said, before went and collected his horse. The pain was still throbbing, but he felt it recede ever so slightly by each minute or so. He also made sure he had all his equipment and weapons ready for when they would travel.

[Bob of Beleriand]

Setting his jaw, Alain nodded slightly in acknowledgement of Sir Elad. Leadership was his now, for a time at least. So busy was he lost in introspection, that discussion regarding the course of action occurred, reaching conclusion without him.

"Whilst we may be sore and weary from our trials here today, t'would be better for us to depart now. Were we to delay and leave fresh in the morn, we would arrive at our destination with the most part of a day wasted and the combined freshness of us and our steeds, wasted. Were we to leave now, make the harder journey, tomorrow morning we seek our quarry as fresh as the morning sun that would greet us."

[Calarion Sapherior]

Sir Elad nodded. "You may return to the castle if there is anything that you need to collect. Elsewise, Godspeed, and I shall see you on your return."

Shortly thereafter, the line of six squires left Vagon Castle and made for the Salisbury Main. The weather was changing: the clouds growing thicker and the sun fainter, and a wind beginning to whip the grass around the hooves of the horses. The road rose up the side of a hill, and light raindrops began to sporadically come stinging down from the white sky. Here, the fields were cultivated, and the riders could see peasants labouring in the field as they went by. In one of the farms, a child stopped what he was doing to gaze at the squires and to wave merrily at them. The rain increased as the squires left civilisation behind them, and fell more consistently, though still little more than a light liquid mist. The wind also increased, for the Salisbury Main led across the tops of gently rolling hills. To one side of the road, you can see the ancient hill fort of Hanbury.

After a while the rain stopped, although the sky remained cloudy and began to darken. A pair of birds darted and danced across the sky overhead. A short way before the path to Tilshead, the squires passed another traveller riding a sumpter in the opposite direction, whose garb, shaved forehead and harp proclaim him to be a bard, an itinerant pagan musician and storyteller. The bard, Evyn, paused briefly to tell the squires that parties of brigands had been seen in the east of Salisbury, and that settlements around the Chute Forest had been raided, before continuing on his way. Shortly after passing him, the squires reached a ford over a sluggishly flowing tributary of the Wylie River. Just downstream from their location lay the manor of Winterborne Stoke, which would belong to Aldrydd when he reached his majority and was knighted. It had been some time since he had last been there, but there was no time to visit now.

Continuing along the path, the knights soon came upon the track that would lead them to Tilshead. For a moment they paused: from their vantage point, to the east they can just make out the strange sight of Stonehenge. The massive ring of standing stones had been erected only a few years earlier by the fabled Merlin: it was said that Irish giants had built it a thousand years earlier, and that Merlin had used strange supernatural forces to move the immense monument from Ireland to Salisbury Plain in a single night, where it now stood as a marker over the grave of the last High King, Aurelius Ambrosius. The squires turned their horses and began to ride to the northwest now. Progress was slower due to the rougher nature of the track, and the sky began to turn dark as dusk settled upon the land. A badger emerged from its den and snuffled about briefly. After a while the riders could see signs of habitation and cultivated land as they drew nearer to Tilshead. By the time that the squires reached Tilshead, a small fortified city which served as the market town for the nearby farmers, the sky had grown dark: night had fallen. It was not so dark that they could not find their way onwards, over the steeper hills on the other side of Tilshead. Birdsong and the chirping of crickets echoed around them as they continued to ride. The moon finally emerged from behind the cloudy skies as the squires crested another hill and saw the sprawling Blakemore Wood before them, and the few dark and disheveled cottages that made up the village of Imber.

[Anarion]

Tinian surveyed the tiny village with something less than an expression of admiration. "It's dark," he said, stating the obvious. "We should find Old Garr's and maybe a place to spend the evening. I doubt there is an inn in this hovel."

[Prince_Asuryan]

John glanced across to Tinian and chuckled. 'I'm sure that there is an Inn, though not that you'd recognise.' He said, jesting in a lighthearted fashion. 'Though I agree, nothing comfortable will be found here. Perhaps Old Garr can suggest suitable lodgings?'

[Bob of Beleriand]

The creeping darkness was not so overpowering yet that it could mask the lacklustre appearance of Imber. The extended physical trials and journey of their day had definitely taken their toll however, so Alain was eager to finally reach journey's end.

"Agreed, we should find Old Garr immediately."

[cidracin]

Aldrydd murmured his assent. His mind and thoughts were still lingering on the path behind them towards his home of Winterbourne Stokes. Perhaps we might have time to visit on the return journey if matters in Imber were resolved quickly thought Aldrydd, homesickness striking him keenly in his tired state.

[Krusader]

Gaius felt weary and tired and also murmured consent with the other squires. They should find lodgings for the night so the squires and their mounts would be refreshed for the trials that tomorrow would bring.

[Calarion Sapherior]

One of the buildings was slightly larger than the others. At first inspection it might have been a small barn; at second, it because obvious that this was the village's church. The squires rode towards it. The paths in the hamlet squelched under the horses' hooves from mud and excrement. Gaius was able to assess the village: he noticed that the fields around the village were small, but the many hides drying on stands outside hovels demonstrated that Imber's main income was from hunting. As villages went, it was larger than several that he had seen, but on the other hand poorer.

All of the squires were tired, but Aldrydd felt a burst of new energy through him as he gazed through the village. He was the first to reach the door of the small church, and knocked heavily on it. There were a few thumps from inside, the indistinct sound of voices - John and Meuric thought they could hear a woman's voice - and then the sound of footsteps, and the door flew open to reveal the priest, Old Garr. Garr was a big man, and the last of the hair on his red face was white, but despite his bulk he was still obviously physically powerful. "God bless!" he wheezed. "Squires from Salisbury, how splendid," and he chuckled slightly to himself. "Welcome to Imber, good masters."

ooc: A bit of rolling behind the scenes here. Aldrydd scored a critical on his Energetic roll!

[Prince_Asuryan]

'Good evening Father, our apologies for disturbing you at this late hour.' said John, bowing slightly to the priest, 'We were sent by Sir Elad in regard to a wild beast in the woods. My fellow squire Alaine can explain much better I am sure.'

[Bob of Beleriand]

"Good evening to you, priest. We have ridden for most of the day, to investigate and resolve your claims of danger amidst your fields. But we are tired and have ridden for most of the day. In the morning we can begin our task. Can you provide my fellows and I with accommodations for the night?"

[Calarion Sapherior]

"Oh, certainly. Follow me, I have a small stable where you can keep your horses for the night," Garr said. He came outside and, wheezing, led the squires to a small and empty cow byre, with the floor covered in dung and poor quality straw, which Aldrydd soon accidentally stepped in. "I can't, ah, offer you much in the shelter. But you can sleep in the barn here with your horses, or, ah, on the floor in the rectory. You'll want to, ah, look after your horses, and then, if you, ah, need some nourishment yourselves, I can prepare you a meal. Only a, ah, simple one, my repast is quite simple. But you'll need your, ah, strength for the morning, and hunting the bear!"

[cidracin]

"Thank you for your kindness Father. I am Aldrydd, son of Arthgog, of Winterbourne Stoke not far from here." Aldrydd said. "I at least will sleep in the rectory and would be most appreciative of a meal, simple as it may be. After we have eaten I would also like to hear more about this bear that we have come all this way to hunt." Aldrydd scrapes the dung off of his boots before he starts tending to his horse.