A Kidnapping
Our Pendragon campaign continues. We have arrived at the castle of King Leodegrance, and have had a grand feast. There is then some hunting to do, and some unexpected night time excitement. For combat, we have fallen back to just making skill checks, since we aren’t having much success with the combat system in Foundry.
We are at the castle of King Leodegrance. The following day, we have breakfast and have a choice between a hunt or bull baiting. The three of us decide to go hunting. Lupinus and myself decide to go on a proper hunt after a stag, whilst Maddog goes to try falconry because the young ladies will be prettier to look at.
Our hunting excursion initially isn’t entirely successful, but we also don’t embarrass ourselves. Eventually, after some effort, we manage to get the hounds together, and we head off. The hunting trails seem to be all over the place though, and the group gets split up trying to figure out which way to go. At last we find the stag, and I am with the King when it is found. King Leodegrance charges in and delivers a blow, but does not kill it. I charge in behind, and impale it with my spear, finishing it off.
Sir Lupinus doesn’t encounter the stag, but thinks he sees some strangers lurking around in the woods. The other Knights tell him not to worry – that they are probably just people on the way to the fair.
Apparently Maddog has less success, since he comes back from the falconry with a hand wound.
That afternoon there is a fair. I accompany Lady Petronelle, and offer to buy her a nice ribbon. However, she prefers a different ribbon, so I buy her that instead. She also tells me all about what happened with the falconry with Sir Maddog. Apparently he knocked Lady Elenor in the face with a falcon after it bit him.
That night, I sleep well. At least, until I am woken in the middle of the night by the shout of “fire” and “Saxons!”
I stumble out into the corridor, carrying my sword and wearing just a smock. The stables seem to be on fire, so both Maddog and myself head down that way to try and protect the Palfrey. Sir Lupinus seems to be elsewhere, raising the alarm about fire and Saxons.
Reaching the stable, we see that someone has set a fire at the door, and blocked it. Maddog and myself try to move the horse trough across, but it is too heavy. Something to do with it being full of water no doubt, but we have no buckers to had. Sir Lynel joins us though, and we are unable to shift it across to the stables and tip it over, putting out the fires on the stable door.
Eventually the rest of the fires on the stables are put out, and the noise of fighting abates. One of the Saxons has been captured by Sir Lupinus. He says that they have captured the King’s daughter. However, they haven’t. They have taken Lady Petronelle instead. My beloved! Or at least, my “young lady who will talk to me”.
I insist that we must ride out immediately and rescue her. We arm up, and the three of use plus Sir Tamuran and Sir Lynel head out to where we think they are. Eventually, as the moon rises and it becomes easier to see, we come across a Saxon camp at a river.
We charge across the river, at four Saxon warriors. My charge against one of the Saxons misses, and I try to wheel my horse around to attack again. Sir Tamuran rides up and clobbers him, distracting him enough that I ride in again and smite him with my sword, putting him down.
There are two other Saxons down at this point, and just one still standing. Sir Lupinus rides over one of the downed Saxons, finishing him off. I try to get the last Saxon to surrender. He refuses, so I clobber him with the flat of my blade and he goes down.
The fight is over. The Saxon says that the Lady has been taken to the Temple of the White Christ in the Swamp. It also looks like horses were being held here, and they have now ridden off.
So we head in the direction of the swamp. Well, more of a marsh since there aren’t too many trees. We see a building in the distance, which could be a church. We approach carefully, and leave our horses for our squires to look after before heading on to the temple on foot.
