Upon a Pale Steed, Part IV
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Cast
- Sir Houdouyn, the Gazer Knight, whose horse a finer knight would make.
- Sir Taurebon, the Tankard Knight, called Sir Twaban in the Welsh rendition.
Death on the Walls
In great haste did sir Houdouyn ride down from the hills at that time, for the undead pursued him, and had the dead not paused to feast on the marrow of the knight's old mate, that errant's bones as well would be cracked and sucked.
Sir Houdouyn beat upon the academy's gate, and the scholarsāas well as Taurebonāgave him passage into their haven. The knights were fast friends, as their fathers before them, and their friendship was soon tested, for the undead smelled blood on the far side of the wall, and began to climb, brick by brick.
Together the knights took the wall, and fought off the hungering dead as they climbed the unsteady facade. With bladesāshining and toothedāthe knights did fight, pushing back the undead, yet one leapt down from the walls andātaking a scholar in his unfleshed hand, did unflesh that unfortunate man's face with his yellowed teeth.
So Taurebon too leapt from the walls, to defend the students of that fine institution, and there he held those demons, three to one.
But Houdouyn, not easily out-done, took his foe in hand, and leapt from the wall, to fall upon the foes below. In a clatter and crash, and from the blade of St. Brandon, a flash! The last of those skeletal fiends was laid low.
The Trial
Leaving the students to bury their dead, and seeking further answers, the knights rode north. They came upon a ring of black and white stones, and great empty stone seats from which bellowed voices all in disagreement.
"Off with his head!" "Nay, give mercy!" "A second chance, then let it be decided!" "SILENCE!"
The knights saw in the center of the stonework a young man, all dressed in a knight's cape, but seeming too young to be knighted in earnest.
"What is the crime?" Taurebon asked.
"Patricide. By his own confession he has taken the life of his father, and stolen his knightly raiments."
"If a father cannot raise a son, it is no sin of the son's. Give me a chance!" So spoke Taurebon.
"Then one year hence, if he yet proves unworthy of the knighthood, his life and yours will be the price."
And so the circle of stones disappeared, and young Ruskyn came into Taurebon's tutelage. "Horses, and swords, and hawks you shall learn!" And one member richer, the party traveled on.
Then Houdouyn worked a strange magic, and slit the boys hand to foresee his future. Three signs were given: A gate half-open, a figure full-veiled, and a song of strange notes.
To Togsden
The company rode to Togsden, a castle of beggars, with an ungreased gateāstuck at half-closed, the sight of which did pale sir Houdouyn.
Unmounted, the company walked in, and beggars did accost them, pleading for coin to "buy from the market." No coin was given, and the company stopped at the lowly, overgrown chapel.
Yet within that lowly house, great beauty was found. Gold-trimmed candles, velvet tapestries, and a holy-man saying prayers over the carefully carved pillars.
The priest gave little aid, but offered to purchase the sword of St. Brandon.
"God's mercy is my every supply, and this is the blade He has given me." So said Taurebon, and the priest relented.
Outside, the beggars closed in on young Ruskyn, "Silver! Gold! We must buy from the wood!" And one dared to touch the flank of Taurebon's steed. Baring his fists, Ruskyn drove them away in a pummeling rage.
In firmness Taurebon stepped down, "We are knights, young Ruskyn. We are the hands of the queen, sent in mercy to her people."
Wise words Houdouyn offered, as the beggar-sea parted. "Blood washes away, but the stains remain."
"My hands are not clean," The page answered, "and beggar's blood is nobler than the stains they bear already."
... To be continued.
Referee Notes
Today we were joined by a new player who really made himself comfortable at the table in the best of ways. Houdouyn's player added little details here and there that gave me some fun chances to improvise. I've long had the belief that players are world-builders too, and Houdouyn had a nice soft way of doing this, never to make himself more powerful or gain the upper hand, just to tie himself to the world in interesting ways.
I'll repeat for Mythic Bastionland: Trust the Game. It really does an excellent job at providing interesting content and unique choices.
I did prep a small dungeon that the players have not yet found. MB has a very quick method for creating these, and that was handy in the ten minutes or so of prep time I had between work and gaming.
As a side note, when "rolling for a treasure hoard" in Mythic Bastionland, no specific numbers are given. You could do something very simple though, like: d4 mundane treasures (bag of silver, bejeweled goblet, emerald ring, etc) and roll a d6. On a 4+ roll a knightly treasure (d6+d12, reference the rolled knight's property). On a 6, roll 2 such treasures. I can do this quickly to get:
- 4 Mundane Treasures, Let's just say a small chest of silver and jewelry.
- 1 Knightly Treasure, 3-2 Drinking Horn, Runic Carvings, Makes anything within taste like warm berries.
Followers, the party now has technically 3 followers, sort of 2.5 as one is a ghost. I almost want a "campfire" mechanic of some kind. A simple "check for drama" with a follower. I'll have to consider this further...