Session 2 Report: Her Father's Blade

General Summary

Though we began our tale 20 years prior with Le Morte D’Arthur, we return in this chapter to the present day in the land of Albion, the 16th of April 20 AA. For several weeks the Kingdom of Camelot has been awash in excitement and the anticipation of the yearly Festival of the Heiress, during which the kingdom celebrates the birth of the heirs to the throne, Princesses Absabeth and Godiva Pendragon.The capital city of Caerleon is filled to brimming with merry makers, members of the peerage and commonfolk shoulder to shoulder in the exquisitely paved stone streets, vendors and mages and hawking their wares, shouted and vague promises of cures for all ills and glamorstones, the smell of spiced meat, vintage wine, and bloodblooms like a heady red cloud of perfume in the air. A cake the size of a small statue has been brought before the royal family, and like its myriad replicas that have been delivered to all the villages of Camelot each layer is a different tier beautifully decorated with intricately painted scenes of Camelot’s history.     An assortment of Knights of the Round Table and Spellswords are present as a formality and as slices are being doled out first to the birthday girls and then to their surrounding entourage, a few present have just enough time to recognize an oncoming and historically out of season approach Caerleon before being blinded in a flash of bright light. When their vision clears they’re met with the sight of a black-clad knight who, after a tense conversation with the Queen herself accompanied by the background screams of bewitched dangers, declares himself to be none other than Duke Mordred of Orkney and claims that it is in fact he that has right to the throne. Before he can sit upon the Empty Throne, which has sat as such for the last 20 years, Guinevere shows a rather unqueenly side of herself and Knights and Spellswords move in. Merlin issues a simple, chilling order to our young protagonists: get the royal family to safety.   Led by Lady Lake and pursued by an onslaught of bone homunculi, we follow our not-yet heroes as they move in formation and shield the royal family with their own bodies. Ser Eleanor De Gales and Ser Malcolm clear a path with zweihander and greatsword, Malcolm’s brand new armor glinting in the high morning sun; Ser Grifflynn Toussaint trails only slightly behind wielding her father’s sword as if an extension of her own limbs; Maven Spellsword Adaleis Lake keeps close to the side of the Pendragon twins, particularly heir apparent and best friend Absabeth, and speaking of Absabeth, she hurries alongside her sister and mother toward the castle doors, which have been flung wide by an unseen source when the party rounds a sharp corner out of the courtyard and they come swimming into view. Just as Malcolm and Lady come barrelling across the threshold and abruptly turn to provide cover, a high, hoarse whinny that could could and does shatter glass echoes through the air at an incredible volume rivaling a dragon’s roar and the very foundations of Camelot begin to shake.     Confronted with the increasingly real threat Camelot now faces, the upper echelons of Camelot's ruling class converge upon Castle Caerleon. As they break for the doors, the whinny seems to bewitch a few members of their harried party, none more so than young Ser Eleanor de Gales who finds that the taste of iron in her mouth is becoming hauntingly familiar. Nonetheless, the years of training amongst the combined party members kick in and all present make it through the doors to Caerleon's Great Hall, followed shortly by Merlin, Dame Andsware Osbourne, and the assorted members of the Knights of the Round and Order of the Spellsword who have managed to escape from the courtyard. As Queen Guinevere leaves briefly in the escort of Queen Ena and Dulcibelle Den Mil Nimhe, Archmage Merlin addresses the crowd gathered: he attributes the terrible whinny to a creature largely believed to be one entirely of myth - Le Malicorne, a black unicorn whose presence 20 years prior directly contributed to the death of King Arthur and thousands of others. If she has returned in alliance with Duke Mordred of Orkney, the fate of Camelot and the land of Albion at large hang precariously in the balance.

Something must be done.

Merlin's plan is simple: his own daughters, Lady and Adaleis, must travel as part of a group to their home realm of Broceliande and its capital of Esse to request the use of the realm's army in Camelot's defense before traveling on to Albion with the twin princesses in tow to appeal to their aunt Morgana and her sisterhood for assistance in defeating the Black Unicorn. Dame Andsware assigns Knights 2nd Class Le Deux, Toussaint, and De Gales to round out the group. The entourage must move quickly - once they leave Camelot will be effectively sealed in amber, preventing resources from getting out or in for either side. Time is of the essence, as even now the people of Camelot are under siege.

The party takes a short time to collect their belongings and say their goodbyes: Malcolm visits first with Galadad, who promises to pass on goodbyes to Godwine in his stead, and Oswine, who shares the last of his illicit birthday cake and assures his little brother of his capabilities before pointing out a safety feature in his new armor; Grifflynn terse exchange with Sir Kay yields information about Le Malicorne and a number of awkward emotions; Eleanor finally encounters the family secret and the truth behind her trusty zweihander and learns that the mortal identity of Le Malicorne hits much closer to home than she would ever have dreamed; Aleydis argues with her father about remaining behind in Camelot, asserts that if forced to go on this quest with a group of strangers she will not return to Camelot in the end, and is ultimately bribed into participation with a mysterious egg that is clearly magical and likely not a bomb; Adaleis assures her father she will take care of her friends and her sister and most importantly, herself during the long journey; Absabeth and Godiva share a moment with their mother now clad in red armor and Camelot's famed Scarlet Veil of War before grandmother Ena draws tarot cards to guide them through their separation. Finally, time is up and the group must depart. The castle doors are once again flung wide and our young adventurers are confronted for the first time with the full scale of warfare as it ravages greater Camelot, Le Malicorne's haunting song echoing all the while in the distance. Absabeth, Adaleis, Grifflynn, and Malcolm find themselves permanently shaken by the sight, but find the strength to move on.
  Assorted steeds in tow the group sprints at full bore for the westernmost border of Camelot, a small prairie village called Occasus. Ena manages to slip in a last message to her granddaughters, urging them to seek out an entity in the region named Vermilia. Just as they step into the treeline marking the beginnings of the Uncanny Valley, a brilliant blast of light is seen from the general direction of Castle Caerleon and thousands of windows and glass doors shatter only for the glass to rise as if on the wind, magically knitting themselves together to form an impenetrable dome. There is no turning back now. The only way over, it seems, is through. As they turn to face the journey forward, a cracking sound is heard from the egg Lady now carries with her.

Rewards Granted

Absabeth

• Ten of Wands (Reversed)
•  Six of Swords

• Judgment (Reversed)
• King of Cups

• Unmarked egg (hatching)

Related Reports

Quest: Her Father's Blade

Notes

CONDITIONS ACQUIRED

Absabeth (1):
Frightened, –2 to Fight

Adaleis (1):
Guilty, –2 to Emotional Support

Grifflynn (1):
Insecure, -2 to Entice

Malcolm (1):
Guilty, –2 to Emotional Support (Note - failed Emotional Support rolls represent consumption by guilt and will result in acquisition of +1 Feral)