While still winter the player knights hear from Friar Stephen of Cameliard (via messengers Sir Alfred and Sir Bruce) the location that Sir Gregory of Stafford, turned satanist is torturing their friend Sir Gilmere. Sir Anerin, Sir Hannibal, Sir Gato, Spurius and Mathuin ride to the rescue.
Sir Renauld and Sir Piran stay in Chester to see the City suffer a surprise attack by an Irish armada sailing up the Dee having sank the Cheshire fleet. Steadying the defence Piran, custodian of King Pellinore leads the former King of Norgales out to suffer one of his ‘battle sanitys’ that gives Sir Renauld and other riders a chance to break out the seige. Sir Renauld orders the swords of Cheshire to muster at Caveley while he rides to enlist the aid of King Rhyons of Norgales, Dux Randle’s leige – who has offered Renauld a daughters hand in marriage.
Sir Piran rides with King Pellinore who on breaking the Irish line hears the Questing Beast and pursues it into the Wirral. There are attempts of ambush by Monro, last believed dead and her minions attempting to capture both King and Questing Beast. Most seriously Sir Piran has to battle a green giant knight which he beheads but simply laughs and recovers its head. Through fleet footedness he manages to escapes the machinations of Monro with his charge – but not before learning the reason Pellinore pursues the beast – it his wife – cursed by some action by King the guilt causing his lunacy.
Meanwhile in Stokesay Sir Gilmore suffers sundry tortured at the hands of Sir Gregory and the brothers Cerebus while the rescue party ride. The rescue happens in the face of the Brothers Cerebus, Sir Gregory’s mercenaries and the hated Wizard Silenus last seen leading cultists around Oswestry. Sir Anerin dispatching the Brother Cerebus. Sir Gregory being away with the wars escapes their vengeance. Sore from their wounds they ride North.
Sir Renauld aware of Sugales and Cameliard invading from the south in alliance with the Irish. He is unable to entreat King Rhyons to ride against Sugales in Winter but marrying the Princess Blonwed persuades the cannibal to unleash his javelin raiders on Sugales ally Orofoise. He does so with a heavy heart aware of the savage ways of the raiders. Riding under a flag of truce for the Sugales-Orofoise army besieging Malpas he informs them of the raid and with bitter threats the Orofoise contingent returns to defend farms & families.
The rescue party passes by the besieging forces discovering they are able to campaign in winter thanks to carrying stores of Logres grain. They rest a little at Sir Gato’s manor Crewe by Farndon and then travelling to Cavaley to join the Cheshire Army witnesses a council between the Irish and Sugales Kings. Kidnapping foraging Squires they find Sugales is relying on further supplies bought from the Franks and shipped to Chester but now sitting in Irish hands as the City did not fall to the lightening attack. Sir Renauld joins his comrades and they all join the Army at Cavaley and ride to relieve Chester and seize the grain.
Smashing the Irish on the east bank of the Dee they have to raise swords to force their way through the liberating Cesterians to engage the Irish on the West. Sir Piran joins his brother knights having ridden to the sounds of battle. While they break through their efforts to sweep away the Irish leadership are blocked by a counter charge of the knights of Red Branch and then a steadied Irish spearwall. The surviving raiders escape up the Norgales coast.
The remainder of the year Sir Anerin and Mathuin clear the north Wirral of Irish raiders. Sir Hannibal, Sir Gilmere and Sir Gato besiege the Sugales forces who occupied Malpas while Sir Renauld and Sir Piran lead counter raids again the Cameliardians who have ravaged east Cheshire all this year in grim ambush and counter ambush.
The year ends on a bitter note as freeing Malpas from the Sugales yoke the men of Chester seeing their Norgales allies pouring a broken and bent river of human misery from Orofoise to Dinas Bran for King Rhyon’s pleasure and profit.
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