Sir Edar here - although my friends have been calling me "Count Edar" now... but I will get to that shortly.
As the winter in Alington drew to a close, my fellow Iron men came to me to discuss our course for the coming year. I was set to look for Sir Brastius and the rest of our troops, but my fellows pointed out that we knew not where to begin to search. We believed him to be in the forest Sauvage, but it is a fairy place, and vast - we could search for months and not find him. Instead they suggested that we see what had happened to the city of Leicester. We knew that it had withstood the Saxons, but knew nothing more other than Sir Gweir reported that the Countess had died giving birth to a child - one of his no doubt. Gweir has pointed out that my family is vast, but I know where all of my offspring are. Still, he is a Pagan, and we must not judge him to harshly since he doesn't understand that what he does is not right.
For some reason, Gweir allowed his wife Lilly to acompany us, and we set off to Leicester, spending the night in a Saxon hall where we were welcomed and granted hospitality. It pains me to think that with all of the troubles we have had with the lords of Briton, the Saxons have always been true to us. When we took our leave in the morning, we travelled south on the road towards Leicester. We passed by a sentry station a half day from the city with all of the Saxons watching the city. They were so intent that had there been two more of us, we could have ridden through their garrison and dispatched them all. When they found we were travelling to the city, we were warned to be cautious, but allowed to pass - most curious.
The city gates of Leicester were open and the city abandoned. We passed through to the keep and entered to see what was once the countess in her seat in the hall. When she recognized Gweir, she called to him. It was terrible. What acts she commited to return from the grave are too horible to contemplate. We were forced to fight and destroy her minions, but they kept rising as we smote them. Our squires were forced to burn the remains, and then we realized that the castle and the city was ours!
It was here that I received a great suprise.. My fellow knights had determined that the city was to be mine and that I would rule it! I am unclear of the details, as I was severly wounded in the battle, and learned about it only when Sir Brandegoris returned with men from the Count of Lambor. His chirgeon tended to my wounds and said a holy mass over the site of our fire. He counselled that the mass may need to be repeated or she could rise. I offered him the position as my chief priest in the city, and he said he would need to speak with his lord.
I learned from Sir Brandegoris that the lord of Lambor was very interested in how we took and would hold the city. After our previous experiences he and Sir Padern believed that the count would try to take the city from us. I looked at the condition we were in and beleived that this would be little contest. Still, my heart turned cold when the Count himself approached at the head of a column of men. He accepted my hospitality and that night we spoke. He offered me the opportunity to swear to him and hold the city. The alternative was not stated, but I believed he would either take the city from us, or wait for the saxons to do it. In exchange, he provided the armed men sufficient to protect the city. After much counsel with Padern and the others, I agreed to his terms.
I then made the hardest decision of my life, and may my father forgive me for it. I sent word to Allington, to my wife and household, to bring everyone to Leicester. We would scatter the stones of Allington manor and burn what could not be taken so that the Saxons would not get it. I swear that some day my family will return and reclaim the manor.
Winter comes again, and I will soon see my family and the families of the people of Allington. There will be much adjustment to being in this city, but I think that they will appreciate the greater security of city walls.
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Sir Brandegoris here...
I can only imagine how hard it must have been for Idar to burn his family manor to the ground.As was stated previously, it was a eutopia. It was a bright ray of sunshine in an otherwise cold and dreary Britian. But as we all know he did the right thing. Perhaps the only thing he could do.
It was no tough decision to make him the holder of the city. He had been not only the richest knight left in Lindsey, but also the most generous, as he was supporting all of his fellow Lindseymen and our famalies. The choice seemed only natural. There is a little regret however that the brave sir Padern and the fruitful sir Gwair do not yet hold any real properties or wealth to go with the glory that they have garnered over the years. I am continually troubled when I see my older and wiser companions who have lived good and honest lives, mostly(HEY Padern? WINK WINK!), and have fought so often and so well, have so little to show for it. I wonder when I am on in my years if I will sit in a comfortable hall next to a fire with a mulled glass of wine while my little ones run all around me, or if I will toil in service to these saxon dogs. I have tried to be tolerant and accept that Britian is inevitabely going to be taken by these invaders, so we must learn to deal with them, however the more I am around these barbarians the more I wonder how such a goup of foolish and superstitious pigs could find the might to destroy my homeland.I do not wish to be filled with this hatred and every day i attempt to do as the priests have suggested and turn the other cheek and forgive my enemies, but i find that as of late I am too filled with rage, and the more I learn of these saxons the less I fear them. I begin to realize they are just men. Men, like me and my fellows, and they CAN be defeated. Thankfully Father Merle has come to put all of this in perspective for me. He says that christians need only forgive OTHER CHRISTIANS for their trespasses, and that God not only supports my hatred of these saxons, but that he expects it. Thank God for an Honest priest to guide my soul in these dark times.
So now we wait In Leicester and decide what to do in the coming year. There have been reports that the Black witch that lived near here was not killed by Idar and that she will again need to be dealt with. It was this fiend that slew Rhun, my sisters husband, and so It is I who particularly crave vengance upon it. Perhaps when there is time we might kill the thing and father Merle who is favored by God will be able to send its dark soul back to hell.
Still everday I hope that we will have word from Sir Brastias, but as it is now early December I must believe that this will be yet another year without any word. Are the Ironmen destroyed? Let us all pray that it is not so.
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