The Bobcat Plot

Political event

Lord Adermere Longtail, the Dread Bobcat, attacks High King Edward VII in retaliation for his pursuit of anti-corruption laws. The King is saved by a squire called Cearbhall, who is knighted as Sir Cearbhall Kingshield.

King Edward VII had ruled from the Mithani Throne for about five years, and some elements of the criminal underworld were frustrated by his attempts to curtail crime in Forte. Under the leadership of Lord Ademere Longtail, the Dread Bobcat of the North (a noble and decorated soldier) they decided upon an audacious course of action – kill the king. During the King’s annual tournament, in which even the king participated, they struck.     The Dread Bobcat earned his way into the melee, opposite the king. However, his famous axe, Forlorn, was as sharp as ever and he sheared through the King’s armour, nearly reaching his heart. His fellows immediately set about massacring the guards and nobles who leapt to the king’s defence. It was only the actions of an unknown squire called Cearbhall who managed to reach the Dread Bobcat and stop the axe just before it struck the King’s head. He managed to hold off Lord Ademere long enough to bundle the King into the relative safety of his throne room. From there he defended the entrance against the allies of the Dread Bobcat until Lord Ademere himself reached them.   Cearbhall and the Dread Bobcat duelled and eventually the squire proved the victor, shocking everyone. He decapitated the cat right in front of the King, the stroke of his sword actually causing a scratch on the Mithanii Throne. For the damage to the King’s property, he confiscated the squire’s armour. For his bravery and valour, Edward knighted Cearbhall there and then, despite his poor background, making him a King’s Knight, granting him land and new armour to fit his station.   (Sir Cearbhall “Kingshield” went onto become one of the Realm’s most storied heroes, before his ignominious end after a spate in court led to his exile.)