532:part2; The Tower of Spite

Sir Arddur sadly reporting:
After my companions and I left Camelot and journeyed to Leicester, Prince Aedan recieved some type of message from an errant knight. He did not say what the message held, but immediately said he regretted that he would not be able to accompany me upon the quest for my son. As Aedon was leaving we noticed nearby, a knight that then eagerly came up to us and said that as a man of Leicester he would be happy to accompany us. His name, he said was Sir Quillam. Ahh I remembered the young man now. He has but lately been knighted, but if is heart was so stout then.... We welcomed his aid and we were off with our guide Sir Emelyn. He led us all the way to Carduel in Cambenet. And then to the forest of Inglewood. Cynfyn sent father Odio back to Carduel with one of his squires for company after he heard how treacherous the forest and mountains were. After a grueling time spent wandering aimlessly( Sir Emelyn left us at the forests edge!, even though Sir Bledri gave him a good tongue lashing. ) We finally came upon........ Peasants!!!!! We thought them bandits so Cynfyn immediately skewered one with his crossbow(seriously though, why were they skulking in the underbrush and hedges?). We gathered the two men up and we went to their village. We had to send a peasant search party out for Sir Gherrin, as he had lost himself in pursit of a peasant earlier.
The whole time we were at this dilapitated peasant village full of 3 walled hovels, we were miserable. These people had so little food that many of my companions felt it prudent to share some of their own rations with these dirty commoners lest they immediately faint from malnutrition. Cynfyn was especially gracious. The peasants Then said that the reason for their desolation was a beast. They could not describe it for it came in the night always, but it had eaten chickens by the score and whole oxen at a time, as well as knocked holes in buildings to get at small sheep which it devoured by the dozen!!!!!!! WOW! So now we were excited! Leicestermen HO!!!!!!!!!!!! Hazzah!
So we corraled our horses and set out the hunting dogs as bait/ a warning. Then a watch was set. Sometime after midnight I heard the dogs begin to whimper and pull away, and I knew the beast was coming. I awoke the others and then before they could even wipe the sleep from their eyes I saw it. Four hovels down and behind one. It seemed as big as a horse. So in the typical leicester way I charged. My companions bid me to wait for them but glory waits for no man!!!!!! So i set upon the beast and to my very great surprise it was quite a bit larger than a horse. I had heard Sir Priamus of Alexandria once tell the story of an Olyphant, and from the way he described it this beast was roughly the same size. It's legs were a little taller than the turf roof of the hovel! Not knowing what it was yet, and seeing only a snapping maw I struck and felt my battle axe bite deeply. It .... Yelped!..... Hmmm... But soon my companions had taken my example and thrown caution to the wind. They began hewing at the dastardly thing and soon, the beast was slain. I am not even certain weather one of us was touched by it. But we grabbed torches and we the went to see what we had slain. It was a .... HUGE FOX? So it was. An Hovel-sized fox. This forest wasnt cursed... it was tragically silly! We had a quick laugh, and Gherrin insisted on making a necklace out of one of the beasts 10-inch long canine teeth. CynFyn in his usual style declared that the tail would be fine for him as he would make it into a helmet plume. Or perhaps a Lance cozy. The tail is after all, about 10 feet long or so. But it will certainly distinguish our good friend on the field of battle. After the melee we noticed that Sir Bledri was no where to be seen and as we spoke of it, we all agreed that indeed , no one could say that he had battled the creature with us.......And then we all shook our heads ruefully and cursed our selfishness. Bledri had stayed behind with the mounts and performed the meager duties of a squire( as ours had no doubt run away at the sight of the beast) and he gad given all of us the honor and Glory to share. What a prince among men!!!!!! So we had the huntsman skin the creature and preserve the hide, then later we presented our generous companion with it in thanks for his modesty.
Next day we had some peasants lead us through the cursed mountains and there we saw the tracks of Giants! But we had no fear because we had our own Round table knight Sir Bledri among us. And we were hardy as well. We were unlucky this day however for we ran across no giant. Mores the pity.....
Finally after a grueling travel filled with quite a bit of trouble controlling our mounts, we made our way over a rise and there before us was an old and decrepit tower. Nasty place for a son of mine to be raised. I wouldn't have it. As we approached, a knight rode out of the keep and Introduced himself as the knight of Ash. Appropriate because on this desolate hilltop ash covered everything. I told him that I had brought my brothers in arms and come to this strange tower to claim my son who is being held captive here against his will. I know this because CynFyn professes a great knowledge of all things fairy, and said to me that this was an Unseelie group, which translates to Villanous. Very handy is sir CynFyn. The knight of ash politely refused me and so I politely rebuffed him and his four knights most impolitely road out as if to accost us. So we fought them. They were armed like no mortal man ever could be. Only Gofannon's smith's could have made such beautiful armour and such biting weapons. Actually beautiful even as they struck us. Their mounts were as wild beasts, huge and powerful, and evil. Our own mounts wanted very little to have ado with them but like all men of Leicester we were master horsemen, so our problems were not overmuch to deal with. We fought as demons and smote like boars such huge buffets that it was terrible to behold, and Had there been ladies present they would have wept for sheer pity to see such noble knights do so much in manly deeds at arms.
I fought the knight of ash and as i did so my blood boiled and my heart swelled and i thought of a child of mine and Fiona's locked in yon tower helpless and scared and mistreated and then I could contain my anger no longer, but as he grew faint I grew mighty And i told him that no one may mistreat a grandson of the great line of My father Brandegoris Scourge of the saxon wastes and so I slew him at the last.
As i looked up CynFyn was having ado with his in a most civil manner. Jousting! Ahh.. Dear CynFyn, what style. I then saw that Sir Gherrin was unhorsed and contending desperately with his own knight and that sir Quillam Was in the same plight. As I moved to aid them I spied sir Bledri and was reassured. He had slain his foe easily. He looked like the battle lord of old. Glorious to behold. I helped both Gherrin dispatch his foe and then saw that Bledri was coming to my other companion's aid. So I went to watch Sir CynFyn gain honor by destroying his knight foe. As i watched Cynfyn took a bad fall unfortunately, and so I came to his aid and dispatched the fool. KEEP MY SON FROM ME!!!!!!!!????? I yelled at the corpse as I turned to watch My other companions deal with the last fiend. I swear that I have never seen a more villanous sight then what I am about to tell you. Sir Bledri had clearly vanquished his foe and so asked him to surrender. The man said That he would not and so Bledri did as was his knightly duty and right and made to strike. Then Bledri in a moment of tender mercy hesitated, and it was that benevolent mercy that betrayed him, for in that moment of hesitation the villain struck my good Lord down..... We all pounced on the man and we were arguing over his fate. We wanted to hang him as a common thief, but in the end we had mercy and as Bledri showed us through his own mercy, and we forgave the foe, on the condition that he disarm and lead us to his master. The captive introduced himself as the knight of the raven and said he would take us to his lord master. He did so and we met the old master knight with the long gray hair and beard.
While speaking to the Lord of the spiteful Tower, we saw ushered before us tree children and two large green furred dogs.As I told him that I came for my son he said that one of the three children before me was my son, and that I would have to choose one child, then the other two would be devoured by his canines!!!! What a monsterous proposal. I nearly attacked the old Lord there, but refrained. Taking the advice of the pious sir Quillam, a most useful and knowledgeable lad, I allowed him to use his Cross and to examine the children. When the first two recoiled and the last was only mildly uncomfortable, I knew it was my child. Plus he was well made. I was confused though because instead of being 7 years old as he should have been , he was nearer 14 years old. I chalk it up to fey magic. True to his evil word the Lord let his dogs devour the other boys.
At the end I took my son, Gandid ,by name and vowed to never return to this place if he would allow us safe passage out of this realm. It was agreed and his huntsman led us by a different route to the castle of Penrith.There we sent for father Odio and had Sir Bledri's body blessed and packed in salt, then wrapped the coffin in the fox fur. It was a magnificent site. We then sent word all along the King's road and to all neighboring counties,of Our champion's death, and made a slow and glorious procession to Leicester to bury Sir Bledri and inscribe his name on the Pillar of resistance. The weeping of all the common folk and Lord's and Ladies alike was almost too much to behold. So sir Bledri gave his life ,that I may find my illigitemate child. What a faithful friend. My father no doubt greets him in heaven even now. I must go and concsole my 1/2 brother Extavias. Though he was not Bledri's true son he was raised at Tilton with His mother and Bledri since infancy. He is distraught. I will tell Gandid, my son, of this year whenever we celebrate a feastday so that he always remembers the lesson of faithfulness and friendship. Goodbye old friend and may God take you to paradise. When I return I will beg Lord Edar to make me a Candlebee So that I night Honor Bledri , my father and all the others who came before!




Perseus, Son Of Sir Bledri speaks: My father was a great man. Difficult times forged the steel of his blood thusly. Bardon, Bedigraine, Carrowhaise, so many great battles... Pain and loss and betrayals and triumphs. This is the man who brout back the Obelisk of Minerva and the statue of David back from Rome! Yes, that statue of David! This is the man who fought five elite banner guardsman and a battalion commander and slew them all...While majorly wounded! There are too many stories to recount. My father had his flaws, but he was always true to his lord and land. Even when Medbourne burned to the ground, and the peasants were on the brink of banditry, Bledri spent ten Librum to keep them fed! Perhaps King Edar had some influence there. I know he was sorely struck by the loss of Sir Amadis, as they were friends. The Candlebees meant a great deal to my father. I should like to be a Candlebee. Perhaps even more than a Round Table Knight. Well maybe. I think my father would be disapointed if I didn't become a Candlebee.Now, as they bring my fathers body to be buried and his name inscribed on the Pillar of Resistance, I see the evil his swordarm attacked and his shield guarded and the responsibility his tireless shoulders bore, and I wonder if I will not buckle under the pressure. Will I ever be equal to this great man? No. I must be better? He would expect it of me.
March 29, 2009 12:25 PM

Sir Cynfyn speaks...

Write that thing, about fightin’ Jesus and who I am and all.

Truthfully recorded by Brother Odio, servant.

Sir Bledri is dead. I can speak at all only because someone needs to faithfully record his last adventure.

Since he waits this long I will write. My lord sighs and stares at his fireplace. Not Lady Lizabet, young Cyngarn nor the newborn stir his melancholy. Christmas was miserab…

We are knights of Leicester first, bound together by duty. We are candlebees, together by virtue. We are friends, together by choice. When one of us is in need, we are all in need. And it was Sir Ardur who needed us, son of the great knight, Sir Brandegoris Hambone.

King Today’s court was here—pah. Weird looking foreigners, funny accents. Every meal was just decadence and gluttony. We were told to stay sober and not mingle with the foreigners. Most of us did just that. But the young are susceptible to the exotic, I hear, and the wine they say was exquisite, that piping music was a distraction. Many among us seemed agitated by them, others almost somnambulant. So it was the magic that made young Sir Ardur lead us, stumbling, among the foreigner’s side of the hall to where an old man sat with his daughters.

“You’re a wonderful old man,” said Ardur, and began addressing a girl who quickly flew into a rage and began striking him with the magical bag she was carrying, and all the other women at the table threw pieces of apple at him and young Sir Ardur flinching and enduring it as she screamed and the old man droned on but who could hear him anyway and finally we just grabbed Sir Ardur and dragged him away before the High King should see this disturbance.

“My son is a prisoner,” he said, “I am going to go get him.”

Beware of Listeneisse! Avoid that wasted land that took a man as great a Sir Bledri! Goblin knights, they were, monsters in human form scoffing at our sacred order with their perverse mockery of our ways. I killed them. They killed Bledri, my friend.

He weeps into his hands. L Lizabet touches him. He is like the stone effigy ordered for Sir Bledri’s grave. He rode like that the whole way back. It was at the Tower of Spite. He shakes off his wife.

We brought him back in a great procession, covered with the fur of the giant fox we slew, and whose tail will grace my helm ever after, in Sir Bledri’s memory. Crowds lined the streets and wept as we passed. He is to be buried in Leicester, but the priests are arguing about which cemetery he goes to. I told Odio to put him in Fighting Jesus’ cemetery, but he told me not to talk about that in the city, and that Count Edar would settle this, as Sir Bledri wanted.

Well, look, here is Lizabet weeping too. Why you hardly knew the man, wife! Come, up now and tell the girls to get supper on the table. Out of the way, Odio.

Later, by Odio. My lord is so struck with grief he does not even report that he has been granted three new manors and their knights as his gift for life, and also the title of Banneret. Despite the loss, Sir Ardur did collect his boy now. No wife, except that crazy apple woman if she comes back, FX say no. And apparently he’s still got plenty to learn that they didn’t teach him in the courts of Camelot.