Dragons of Britain

The

THE JOURNAL OF GAMING IN ARTHURS BRITAIN

Caves of the Circind

An Arthurian Adventure for RuneQuest 6/Mythic Britain

Chester: The City of Legions
Pendragon Adventure: The Dragon Hoard
Whispers Around The Realm

Autumn 2014

STYGIAN FOX

T.H. White, The Once and Future King

Contents
2
3
4
5
35
36


40

Night of the Long Knives

Contents
Noble Edicts
Editorial by Steff Worthington
The Caves of the Circind
A Mythic Britain Adventure
by Lawrence Whitaker
Knightly Quests
The Bound Rose A mini-adventure
by Chad Bowser
A Seat At The High Table
An Article on Court Admittance
by Steff. Worthington
The City of Legions
A location for Pendragon, Age of
Arthur, and Cthulhu Invictus
by Steff. Worthington

50

Whispers Around The Realm

Plot nuggets and ideas
by Steff. Worthington

53

Ring Design
Jewellery Crafting
by Daniel Neugebauer

56

The Dragons Hoard

A Dangerous Pendragon Adventure
by Weli-Matti Pelkonen

65

Gratitudes & Complimentaries

Links to our contributors

Writers

Steff. J Worthington,
Lawrence Whitaker,
Chad Bowser,
Daniel Neugebauer,
Weli-Matti Pelkonen

Artists

Steff. J Worthington,
Colin Driver, Mike Wolmarens,
Outland Creative, Anodyne,
Ashensorrow, Take27 Ltd,
Atistatplay, Elevit Stock,
Indeed Stock.
Cover art:
Powerful Knight
by Dmitry Tereschenko

Direction & Editing

Steff. J. Worthington

Copyright
Dragons of Britain is a magazine dedicated to the
world of Arthurian gaming & RPGs King Arthur:
Pendragon is copyright 2013 Greg Stafford &
Nocturnal Media. Age of Arthur is copyright 2013
Wordplay Games. Mythic Britain is copyright
2014 The Design Mechanism. This free fan based
magazine is not for sale and is a work of fiction.
No similarities to real world people (still living or
sleeping underneath a hill) or events are intended.

Submissions & Contact

steffworthington@hotmail.com
We are eager for submissions and this magazine
can only continue with your help. Please e-mail
your submission idea to the address above.

Noble Edicts
Some of you may have noticed this
issue is late. Very late actually. I
tried my best to get the issue out in
time but unfortunately there wasnt
enough content to fill an issue. This
issue wouldnt have happened at all
without the likes of Loz Whitaker,
Chad Bowser, Daniel Neugebauer,
and Weli-Matti Pelkonen stepping in
at the last minute.
I doff my cap to you Sirs! Seriously,
thank you for helping out.
In terms of things that have happened since last issue, my own gaming group are hooked on Pendragon
and love the generational aspect of
it. Mythic Britain teasers have been
released (which are included in this
issue) and that looks amazing.
Ive also decided to step back from
my own Arthurian RPG project for
good. The Bear of Britain was instigated from a desire to have a nonmagical, mostly historical Arthurian
game based around the KeatmanPhilips theory of Arthur, but it seems
like Mythic Britain may be close to
that so it makes sense to enjoy that,
tweak it where I need to to fit my
idea of Arthur, and focus on other
projects.

As for the next issue, well that remains to be seen. I have a great
scenario from Ben Quant to place in
next issue but I need more content.
Im happy to receive fiction, adventures, articles, and art. Im also
happy to feature ads for any events
or companies (no matter the size of
the company) to promote their Arthurian products. They will be free
(due to the restrictions on the art I
use) so if you have anything please
send it me in a form I can use (Adobe
or Word with art/images separately)
to the e-mail address on the contents
page. The average downloads for
each issue is roughly 100 per month
(so issue 1 has been downloaded
about 900 times)
Also, if you have had any thrilling
adventures that youd like to share
with the readership then send them
to me and Ill write a summary
page!
Until then, Ill keep the marsh light
on so you dont get lost out there
while searching for weird swords
held aloft by scantily clad maidens.
Steff. Worthington

Caves

of the

Circind

A Mythic Britain adventure by

Lawrence Whitaker

This scenario is taken from the

forthcoming RuneQuest supplement, Mythic Britain. It
acts as a sampler for the book
but is also complete and playable in its own right, with maps
and Non-Player Character statistics provided. Do note that it
is intended for a party of about
6, reasonably competent characters, with combat-related
skills in the 80% or higher area.
If used with beginning, lesserskilled, or fewer characters,
then the skills and numbers of
the foes should be adjusted accordingly.
About Mythic Britain
Mythic Britain is a forthcoming sourcebook for RuneQuest
6 that details the lives and
heroic exploits of post-Roman
Britain. It is darker and more
gritty than Pendragon and
promises savage warfare and
legendary exploits.
This scenario can be played
with RQ6 and Mythic Britain
is out in November. See more
here:
http://goo.gl/hFDQdy

Caves of the Circind

A Mythic Britain adventure
by Lawrence Whitaker

Merlin, the High Druid of Britain,

sends the characters to retrieve the
fabled Coat of Beisrydd, one of the
Thirteen Treasures of Britain. To
succeed they must find the help
of the hero, Gawain, uncover the
mysteries of Lindisfarena, and defy
the wrath of Mawgaus, Druid-King
of the fierce Circind Votadini - a
powerful animist known to eat the
brains of his enemies.

The

search for the Treasures of

Britain continues as Merlin sends
the characters into the Pictish
lands in a bid to retrieve the Coat
of Beisrydd. Here they will encounter the Druid-King Mawgaus and
his brutal Pitcish tribe, the Circind.
They also gain an ally in the form
of Gawain, son of King Lot, the
Votadini ruler of the Gododdin
kingdom. Gawain knows where
Mawgaus has hidden the Coat of
Beisrydd and, being a northerner
himself, knows the wild country of
Circind.
The Coat Of Beisrydd

The

full name of Beisrydd is Padarn Beisrydd ap Tegid. The name

translates as Paternus of the Scarlet
Robe, son of Tegid, and the name
Tegid is a Goidelic pronunciation
of the Roman name Tacitus. Beisrydd hails from a Roman family that
was among the first to come to Brit-

ain, settle, and learn the way of the

Celts rather than subjugate them,
as was the general tradition. Beisrydds ancestors learned the ways
of the Old Gods, married into the
local clans and, although they remained Roman, were accepted as
Britons becoming very much like
them. Beisrydd lived two hundred
years ago and, accompanied by a
druid of the north, went in to the
Otherworld where he performed a
great service for Arawn, the King
of the Otherworld. Beisrydd was
noted for the scarlet cloak and tunic of his family, and was known
as the Prince in Scarlet: such was
his service to Arawn that he was
rewarded with a coat of armour
impervious to rust, mortal weapons, and which will fit any person,
of any size, who is deemed suitable
to wear it. The Coat passed into the
hands of the Votadini tribe and became a treasure in the care of the
southern Votadini who would become the kingdom of Gododdin.
However, the coat was stolen by the
Circind Votadini who claimed it
rightly belonged to them. It was
hidden by the Druid-Kings and is
said to be well-protected. Only a
handful of Circind Votadini know
the coats true whereabouts, and
they are not going to surrender it
to anyone, even someone as powerful and influential as Merlin.
Merlins Instruction
It is likely that several weeks - if not
several months - have passed since
the previous scenario, allowing the

characters time to rest, heal possi- in its retrieval. I do not expect Mawbly, and catch-up with their more gaus to be persuaded either: he has
routine lives.
a habit of eating those who displease
him. No, I rather think youre going
The High Druid gathers the char- to have to steal it...
acters together at wherever is
convenient to the campaign. This The coats location is protected by
could be at Ynys Wydryn, but Mer- certain Votadini ancestor spirits and
lin is prepared to travel to engage even Merlin has been unable to dethe characters in this latest quest termine its precise whereabouts. But,
for a Treasure of Britain. He re- he says, there is one who is willing to
counts the above history of the help: the warrior known as Gawain.
Coat of Beisrydd to the characters,
and concludes by saying ;
Gawain is the son of Lot, king of the
Gododdin Votadini. Lots ancesMawgaus rules the Circind and tors let the coat be stolen into the
he and I have always been ene- keeping of the Circind and, because
mies. He denies Britain this treas- Gawain has no love for his father, he
ure out of hatred for me, so there is prepared to help us steal the Coat
is no way that I can be involved of Beisrydd from Mawgaus. It will

chwedlonol Prydain

The Coat Of Beisrydd

chwedlonol Prydain
8

not be easy, but Gawain claims

to know where the coat has been
hidden, and he knows the Circind
lands. You will travel into Brigantia first and meet with Gawain; he
will then be your guide as you go
beyond the Great Wall and into
the Pictish lands of the north.
After that, it is up to you. If you
recover the coat, bring it to me at
Caer Ysc, capital of the Brigantes
lands.
Journeying to Brigantia
The lands of Middle Britain are
a mixture of deep forests, rolling hills, sheltered valleys, and
wide pastureland. Merlin tells
the characters to go to Caer Ysc to
find Gawain; the hill fort of Queen
Elliw of the Brigantes, the ruler
Gawain has chosen to serve as a
hired sword. The journey to Caer
Ysc should be uneventful and reasonably easy going. At this time
of year the weather is more agreeable and may even be warm and
sunny for the most part, making travel a pleasure more than
a chore. The characters pass to
the north west of the old Roman
city of Eboracum and must cross
several rivers before picking their
way through the deep woodlands
that make up the northern part of
the Brigantes territory. They frequently see the old, pagan markers of the Brigantes: leering and
ominous faces carved into both
rocks and tree-trunks, often with
swirling designs.
With a little less frequency the

characters
encounter
hamlets
and villages: simple collections of
roundhouses with corrals and pens
for livestock and peopled with wary,
but welcoming, locals who are happy to offer a little food, a little ale or
mead, and a dry roof to sleep under.
The Christian religion has taken
firm root in Brigantia: the signs of
the cross are everywhere and some
of the villages have crude chapels
and a priest or two. These Brigantes
Christians do not seem too perturbed by Pagans: clearly something
of the Old Gods still lingers in their
hearts although the blessed Saint
Brigid has replaced the propitiation
of the local forest spirits, and there
are no druids to be seen.
Eventually the characters reach Caer
Ysc, the sprawling hill fort built long
ago by the founders of the Brigantes
tribe. Caer Ysc encompasses several
low hills and is more an enclosed
town than a hill fort in its strictest
sense. The characters are intercepted by mounted patrols several miles
before reaching Caer Yscs boundary
ditches but once it is established that
the character are coming peacefully,
the Brigantes war band patrol provides an escort into Caer Yscs heart.
Given Yscs area, there are several
small villages, all a part of Caer Ysc,
inside the palisade. Lodging and
other amenities can be easily found,
and the Brigantes prove to be very
hospitable people. They are keen for
news from the south and God and
Jesus are praised as news of victories over the Saxons is delivered. If

anyone asks about Gawain it is eight, and then one is added every
clear the name is known - as is year: many are completely covered
that of Teneu, his sister.
in tattoos, and this why the Romans
called them picts, or painted ones.
It transpires that Gawain has trav- Gawains tattoos though, only cover
elled much throughout Britain,
his upper body; elsewhere he is free
hiring his sword to Dumnonia, of them. His hair is dark, coarse, and
Powys and Gwent in recent years. tied in a severe ponytail. His beard
is neatly trimmed though, and his
He is a good servant of Christ, brown eyes have a softness to them.
now, someone tells the charac- He pauses in his work as the characters. But he still hates the Saxons ters approach and nods when they
and the Picts. With a little ques- ask if he is the Gawain they seek.
tioning the characters can learn a
little more about Gawains hatred And youll be the ones the druid
from his kinsmen - and the way sent, Gawain says. Whether you
his own father tried to murder his are or not, well not be idle while
sister.
we talk; find axes and help
me finish this lot. He inGawain has now sworn his service dicates the pile of logs
to Queen Elliw and has quarters
that need splitting
near her hall. Gaining introduc- and it is obvious the
tions isnt difficult: successful characters have
Customs or Influence rolls are to assist if they
enough to gain the right level of need to earn
assistance.
his trust.

Teneu
If the characters ask Gawain
about his sister, Teneu, he remains silent and flashes an
angry look. Gawain suspects
that King Lot still wants Teneu
dead for shaming him: she lives
under Queen Elliws protection now, and has a new name.
Gawain is not about to reveal
it to anyone. When he leaves
with the characters he doesnt
even let his sister know that he
is going - just in case the characters are spies for his father
and try to follow him.

Gawain of the Votadini

The man the characters seek can
be found chopping firewood
outside a modest roundhouse not
very far from the Great Hall of
Queen Elliw. Gawain is not especially tall or broad; in fact, he is
quite unassuming, but, stripped
to the waist, his athletic physique
is unmistakable: he is muscled, fit
and, most likely, fast. His chest,
back and arms are coated in swirling black and red tattoos typical
of the Votadini tribe. Votadini
get their first tattoo at the age of
The Warrior
Gawain

chwedlonol Prydain
10

While they work Gawain listens to

what the characters say or ask and
replies that he does, indeed, know
where the Coat of Beisrydd is located.

Gawain invites the characters into the

Great Hall of Queen Elliw. It seems
Gawains status as a warrior grants
him the privilege of dining amongst
the queens people and, with Gawain,
the characters are made welcome.
The food is good, and prayers precede
each course. Finally, Gawain is called
to the high bench where it is obvious
he is explaining who the characters
are to Queen Elliw. She talks earnestly with Gawain but does not acknowledge the characters. When he returns,
Gawain explains.

I fought with the Circind against

the Caledonii for a time, Gawain
says. Several of them bragged
about this coat of mail made by
the gods and how it was now a
Circind prize and treasure. All of
them claimed they touched it, or
wore it. When drunk, a couple told
me where its meant to be. No reason not to believe them. Manys the I told them Id agreed to help Arthur.
truth uttered through drink.
The queen does not like or trust Merlin so, if she asks you, youve come
If asked why he wants to help take from Arthur and its because I owe
it from the Votadini, he shrugs. him a service in the south. Do you unMy father tried to murder my sis- derstand?
ter. Hes tried to murder me. He
had Circind help both times. If I Insight rolls, successfully made,
can take something of theirs, its gather that either Queen Elliw would
fair compensation for them trying disapprove of Gawain leading the
to take my life.
characters in search of the Coat of
Beisrydd: critical successes go deeper
After finishing the wood splitting, and gather that Queen Elliw would
Gawain fetches a pale of water, probably want the coat for herself, if
washes, then dons a simple tunic she knew the truth of this mission.
that he fetches from his round- Despite the Thirteen Treasures being
house.
of pagan importance, there is still
enough belief in the old magic of BritIm going to pray now, before sup- ain for Christians to want these treasper. Come, if you want.
ures - perhaps to deny the pagans any
chance of accruing power.
He then disappears in the direction
of the impressive wood and stone Journeying to Circind
chapel where others are going for
early evening prayers. Christians, Gawain tells the characters that, to
naturally, will join the assembly, find the Coat of Beisrydd, they need
but there does not seem to be any to travel far north, to the Pictish kingadmonition for pagans who choose dom of Circind.
to remain behind. After prayers We can go overland, but it is long and

many scouts. Instead, I suggest we go

by boat. Faster, safer. If any characters
object to a sea journey, Gawain merely shrugs: Then good luck in finding
what the druid wants. Im risking my
life helping you as it is; I shant risk it
any more than I need to by traipsing
through my fathers lands.

chwedlonol Prydain

dangerous. We have to cross the

Great Wall the Romans built and
then venture through my fathers
lands of Gododdin. After that we
have to either head west around the
firth, which crosses into the lands
of the Caledonii; then we have to
travel back east and close to where
Mawgaus, king of the Circind, has

11

chwedlonol Prydain
12

He cannot be swayed and neither

will he reveal the coats location:
the characters have to do as he
says. The closest place to obtain a
boat is at the fishing village of Red
Marsh, a days ride to the west.
From there, it is a 160 mile sea
journey around the western coast,
turning due west into the huge
firth, or bay, Gawain referred to.

During the ride the characters

have an opportunity to try to get to
know Gawain better. He is a very
quiet, thoughtful man; he rarely
speaks and it requires a Hard Influence roll to get more than oneword answers from him. If the
characters do encourage him to
talk, they learn 1d6 of the following:

The boats in these parts are simple

fishing vessels that are not capable of travelling too far from
the shore; but, with a good wind
and a decent captain, it should
take no more than two days to
reach wherever it is Gawain has in
mind. Once agreement is reached,
Gawain recommends leaving at
dawn the next day.

1. The Votadini are split into two

factions: north and south. The
northern tribe is known as the
Circind and that is also the name
of their kingdom. The southern
tribe, ruled by King Lot, controls
Gododdin. There is no love lost between Circind and Gododdin: the
Circind are barbarians, murderers and cannibals. The Gododdin
are more like the Caledonii.

Caer Ysc to Red Marsh

The journey to Red Marsh takes
around a day by horse, and
mounts from Caer Ysc are provided. It is a gentle journey that follows well defined trails through
the surrounding forest, eventually
winding into the hills to the west.
The hills are sparse moorland and
from the summit the characters
can see across to the west coast
of Britain. Gawain reins his horse
and points-out the village of Red
Marsh.
Village is too grand a name, he
says. A group of hovels is more
like it. If we pay the people in silver, they will be grateful. You do
have silver, dont you?

2. It was the Votadini that conducted the raids south of the wall
that triggered Vortigerns desire to
conquer the Picts once and for all.
The Votadini defeated the Roman
9th Legion, Gawain says. What
hope did Vortigern and a few Saxons have?
3. King Lot has a fierce temper and
hates the Celts of the south, especially the Brigantes. But he hates
the Caledonii just as much.
His rule is based on hate, Gawain
says. He even hates himself.
4. Gawain became a Christian
only recently. Before that, the Old
Gods had been strong with him.

5. He owes Merlin a debt.

The druid helped me in a time
when I needed help the most: If I
help get him the armour, my debt
is paid. I look forward to that day.
(Merlin helped hide Teneu and
Gawain when they fled Gododdin;
he created certain spirit charms
that ensured King Lot could not
easily find them south of the Great
Wall).
6. Where they are heading is on
the coast.
This is one of the reasons why a
ship is better. Along with everything else I told you.
By the late afternoon the party
reaches Red Marsh. It is aptly
named: the coastland hereabouts
is low-lying and waterlogged.
Horses have to be led through narrow, raised trails and across makeshift firm ways made of logs and
reed mats. The group of reed, wattle and daub and moss-roofed huts
stands back from the sandy beach,
crouching behind grassy dunes
that offer the only shelter from
the northerly winds. Three simple
boats are pulled onto the shore:
long, wide-beamed boats with oars
and a single mast - typical fishing

vessels: leaky, uncomfortable, but

sturdy. The horses will need to be
left at Red Marsh, but the boats are
large enough to accommodate up
to 18 people.
The locals are nervous and wary.
Although Brigantes they have little communication with Caer Ysc,
and worship both the Christian
God and the Celtic God of the sea,
Manawydan, just for good measure. They are scared of warriors
and do nothing to upset the characters. There are twenty villagers
altogether - a mix of ages, but with
men dominating. Over a simple
meal of fish stew, Gawain tells the
villagers a boat is needed. We will
pay 1 piece of silver for each day we
keep the boat away from fishing.
We pay another silver piece to the
people who sail it for us. We pay
another silver piece for you to look
after the horses while we are gone.
We will pay a silver piece for their
safe return when we get back. We
pay one last silver piece for your silence. We were not here. We never
came. That is about 10 pieces of
silver you can earn by helping us more than you would make in a
month.
The Red Marsh villagers readily
agree. If the characters want to try
to barter, Gawain flashes them a
dangerous look. On the waves, they
will be at the boat captains mercy;
if they are generous now, they are
ensured safe passage home. Upset them or insult them, and they
might find the boat gone after they

chwedlonol Prydain

I still feel the presence of the spirits, and I know that the Old Gods
exist. But the One God is real also,
and this is the time of his power.
Does it matter which god we worship as long as we are sincere?

13

chwedlonol Prydain

have finished their task in Circind.

14

By the time the arrangements have

been made, it is too late to sail, and
the owner of the boat nominated to
take them north says it will be better to sail at dawn.
We will pass the isle of Lindisfarena, he says. The currents are
strong and the winds tough. Better
to sail at dawn and reach Lindisfarena by dusk where we can make
shore for the night.
Lindisfarena
The next morning, the sky is overcast and the winds strong. The
boat owner, Nubh, is reluctant to
sail but conducts a short ritual
that involves reading various pebbles thrown onto the sand and
claims it is safe enough - although
hard work. Supplies are loaded Gawain says it will take two days
to reach where they are going, and
take two days to return, with perhaps two days there - and the ship
is dragged down to the sea by the
villagers and the characters scramble aboard.
The sea is, indeed, rough. Unless the characters have a previous occupation as fishermen, the
chances of sea-sickness are high.
The ship sails for six hours before
reaching Lindisfarena; each character must make a Hard Endurance roll. If the roll is successful,
then seasickness is kept at bay. If
the roll is failed, then 1d6 hours
is spent hanging over the edge of

the boat, vomiting and wishing for

death.
Every 3 hours so afflicted imposes
a level of Fatigue on the character.
This is recovered after a decent
nights sleep. Gawain and Nubh
are unaffected: clearly Gawain,
who grew-up near the sea, has robust sea legs, and Nubh concentrates on guiding the ship. He always keeps land in sight, but the
shore is still distant and the waves
pummel the small craft as it rises
and falls with the sharp swells.
As the light begins to fade, Lindisfarena appears ahead. A small,
rocky island, it is separated from
the main shoreline by a narrow
causeway of sand which is only accessible at low tide. The western
end of the island is dominated by
a large tor of rock overlooking the
sea. Nubh steers the boat north
of the island and then tacks hard
around to find a sheltered cove not
far from where the ground slopes
towards the sandbank causeway.
The characters and Gawain have
to disembark and guide the boat
onto the shore, wading waist and
knee-deep through the surf, until
the ship is secure. Nubh says that
island is home to a druid who lives
in the caves on the south side of the
tor; if they give him some food and
ale (which they have brought), hell
be happy enough and may even
call on the local spirits to calm the
seas the next day.
Camp is made in the shelter of the
rocky cove. Within an hour or so,

A single figure, quite tubby, waddles across the rocks. He is dressed

in shabby, threadbare robes that
are barely held together, has bare
feet, and short hair, shaved at the
front in the familiar tonsure of a
druid. He waves his arms frantically and, in thick northern accent,
calls out in Brythonic, Im peaceful! Im a druid! Im hungry!
Ofydd
The druid is called Ofydd and he
has lived, alone, on Lindisfarena
longer than he can remember.
The island is alive you see, the
Great Spirit Lindis is all around
and she called to me to be her
guardian, so here I am. I cannot
leave, not until she tells me to, and
I shall most likely die here. Have
you any ale?
Given food and, especially ale, Ofydd becomes effusive company. Occasionally, the Votadini from Gododdin come to Lindisfarena but
they havent been here for several
years. Only local fishing vessels
make any stops, and then only to
shelter for the night and to ask Ofydd to call on Lindis to grant calm
seas.
A Christian priest came to drive
me out two years ago, Offyd says,
but Lindis took offence. He slipped
on the kelp and dashed his brains
out just over there. He points to

a small cairn marking the priests

burial site. Therell be no Christian churches on Lindisfarena, you
mark my words!
It seems customary for Ofydd to
repay any small kindness by communing with Lindis and requesting calm seas. Once hes eaten and
drunk his fill, he sprawls out on
his back, arms and legs spread,
staring at the sky, and lapses into a
trance, calling Lindiss name over
and over. His eyes roll back into
his head and he passes into the
Spirit World. Any druid character
can accompany Ofydd if they wish:
Lindisfarena is intensely magical
and the links with the Spirit World
are strong: attaining a trance is at
an Easy grade of success.
The passage below describes what
happens to Ofydd on the Spirit
World: those observing in the Mortal World see the druid start to
spasm and fit, his lips foaming,
limbs flailing violently: he is under assault in the Spirit World and
there is nothing the characters can
do to save him. A druid might be
able to summon spirit help of his or
her own to assist Ofydd - although
the spirit attack is very powerful.
The Ancestors
On the spirit world, Lindisfarena
is a wide, grassy, peaceful island
filled with buttercups and birdsong. Lindis herself appears as a
dark-haired maiden sitting by the
sea strumming a harp and calming the local natural spirits with

chwedlonol Prydain

Perception rolls pick-up movement coming from the south.

15

chwedlonol Prydain
16

her songs. Ofydd, tall and handsome, presents her with gifts of food
and drink brought from the Mortal
World. Suddenly, from the north,
the sky grows dark and rapidly becomes black. Thunderheads roll
across the waves, turning the peaceful sea into a roiling storm. Two
chariots are born over the waves,
bearing-down on the small island.
Each chariot is driven by a fierce,
tattooed, scarred, spiky-haired warrior, eyes blazing with fury. Spears
are hurled as the chariots close on
the beach: one strikes Lindis and
the second strikes Ofydd. The warriors laugh and spur their chariots
forward so that the wheels crush
the bodies of Lindis and Ofydd; then
they wheel and ride north, back the
way they came.
Druid characters can try to attack
the charioteers with any spirit allies
they might have, but both ancestor
spirits are Intensity 5 creatures and
likely to shrug-off any damage that
might be done to them before killing any lesser foes.
These are Votadini ancestor spirits - Cing and Cruithne - who guard
the spirit borders of Votadini lands
against those who would steal and
pillage. The Spirit World is aware
that someone is coming to steal the
Coat of Beisrydd and this is a warning from the Spirit World that the
Circind Votadini will defend what is
theirs.
The spirit Lindis has the recurring
trait and so will eventually recover
from her ordeal, but Ofydd perishes
on the Mortal World, although, in

time, his spirit will come to live

with Lindis once the correct burial
rites are performed.
If the characters bury Ofydd (Customs rolls help determine the
correct rites in this part of the
world) correctly - and not merely
bury his remains under rocks, as
he buried the Christian priest
- Lindis herself manifests on the
Mortal World as the rites for Ofydds burial conclude. She appears
now as a black-haired young
woman, clad in black robes, her
feet merging with the substance of
the island as though she has grown
from it. She manifests high on the
rocks, overlooking where Ofydd is
laid to rest. She calls down to the
characters and beckons for one of
them to ascend.
Ofydd served me well and he will
come to me, in time, in my golden realm. I give this to you with
thanks from Lord Arawn: it should
be taken to the High Druid, for it
is something he has long-sought.
She hands over a stone knife. It
does not appear to be anything
special: a flint blade with a crude
bone handle wrapped in old,
frayed leather. However, a successful Pagan Lore roll by a druid
(or Formidable Pagan Lore roll
by an non-druid character) recognizes this as the Knife of Farchog,
one of the Thirteen Treasures of
Britain and a knife that, with one
cut, can serve twenty at a feasting
table. Even though it is a simple,
mundane-looking thing, a Trance
roll or Formidable Insight roll

picks-up on the natural, magical aura it radiates. Viewed in the

Spirit World the knife gleams and
appears as though newly-made
(although is still a simple tool of
flint, bone and leather). Once the
knife is passed to the characters,
Lindis fades from view, returning
to the Spirit World.
Gawain understands the ominous
events that befall poor, hapless
Ofydd:
The spirits of the Votadini ancestors know we are coming. This is
a warning to stay away. Mawgaus
and his headtakers will be ready
for us.
If the characters investigate the
cairn where the Christian priest
is buried, they find the skeletal remains of a man, his brown robes
rotting away, clinging to the bones,
and a wooden crucifix around the
neck. The skull has been caved-in,
but a successful First Aid roll indicates that this was no fall: the back
of his head is completely crushed
- the result of a repeated battering
by some blunt object. Ofydd most
likely did it using a nearby rock.
Gawain insists that the Christian
priest should be reburied and a
cross placed to mark his grave
(there is plenty of driftwood on the
beach to fashion a crude cross).
Gawain buries the priest himself if
no one else will help, and he kneels
and prays for the mans soul, begging God to forgive his murderer.
There is also the opportunity to
investigate the caves where Ofydd made his home. Across a nar-

row cave mouth at the base of the

southern cliff is a make-shift screen
of dried seaweed, grass, reeds and
packed mud. Inside the cave (which
extends about 20 feet into the cliff)
is a stinking bed, made from more
rushes, reeds and dried weed,
cooking utensils, a hearth close
to the cave entrance, and, hidden
in a niche, covered by a carefully
placed stone, various items of jewellery, some coins, and a few trinkets that have been scrounged or
given to the druid over the years.

As an alternative way of
handling this whole encounter, the characters
could simply find the Knife
of Farchog on Ofydds body,
or hidden amongst his possessions if they search his
cave.
Indeed, they could even arrive in Lindisfarna just after the Ancestor Warriors
of the Votadini send their
warning against helping the
characters, leaving behind
Ofydds corpse for the characters to find.

They come to about 30 Silver Pieces in total, and amongst the treasures, if it has not already been
given to the characters, is the Knife
of Farchog. Customs rolls remember that stealing from a druid is
forbidden, and these items should
be either left or interred with his
remains. Only the knife, which is
clearly magical, can be safely taken, although a Pagan may need to
successfully overcome his Pagan
passion with Willpower to have
the strength of will take the knife.
Nubh, having witnessed these
weird and sinister events, is terrified. He is all for turning back to
Red Marsh and the characters will
need to convince him otherwise by
overcoming his Willpower with
their own Influence rolls. Offering him an additional 1d4 Silver
makes the Influence roll one grade
easier.
The Firth
The next days sailing is as rough
as the previous day. The waves roll

17

chwedlonol Prydain

and rain lashes the deck. There is

no shelter from wind or rain, and,
as well as feeling sea-sick, characters are cold and miserable.
The mood is sombre. Both Nubh
and Gawain pray frequently and
every lurch of the boat is enough
to have Nubh calling to both Jesus
and Manawydan for mercy. Towards dusk the sea begins to grow
calmer and Gawain goes to the
prow of the boat and squints into
the distance. The headland is visible, and before it the sea cuts into
the land to the west, forming the
wide, jagged bay Gawain calls The
Firth.
To the south is Gododdin, my
home. He says. North is Circind.
The Firth marks the division between the two clans of the Votadini.
We head now to the north shore.
Gawain tells Nubh to head for the
northern bay but to keep following
it on the sea-ward side. He wants
to find a safe and secluded landing
place where Nubh can wait.
We will head west to where we
need to be, but there are many hiding places along this coast where
Nubh can stay safe.
Gawain is also pleased because
they have arrived at their destination at night. He explains that there
are Votadini patrols along the various coastal paths to protect against
raids from Gododdin.
I doubt they will have seen our

18

little ship approaching, but Mawgaus will know thieves are coming
because the ancestors spirits he
worships will have told him. Perhaps though, we may be lucky and
he wont be expecting our arrival
just yet.
The characters have to help row
the boat while Nubh steers and
Gawain watches for somewhere
suitable, squinting into the half
light. Eventually, after perhaps an
hour, he sees somewhere suitable
and guides Nubh towards it. A narrow, gravelly cove has been carved
into the landscape. The upper
part is covered with undergrowth,
obscuring anything below from
casual sight. Once more the characters have to wade into the water
to guide the boat safely aground,
but once this is done, it is clear that
the hiding place is good enough.
The boat is tough to see from either
above or from the water.
Gawain suggests a few hours
sleep, but that they should leave
before dawn, making the most of
the darkness to keep out of sight of
the Circind. Now, he reveals a little
more about where they are headed.
If we follow the northern coast of
the firth we come to a beach and
cliffs. In the cliffs are several caves.
On the land above them is a broch,
used by the Circind patrols as shelter and watch tower for the coast.
That is where we search for the
Coat of Beisrydd, for that is where
Mawgaus has hidden it.

From here-on, the characters need

to plan how they intend to locate
and steal the Coat of Beisrydd.
Gawain knows the coat is kept
here, but he does not know if it is
kept in one of the caves (and if so,
which one) or in the Broch. In actual fact, the coat is held in a secret
cave beneath the broch and is accessible either from the broch or
from the Spring Cave.
About the Area
The Circind call this is area Aywell
Uamh, which means Aywells
Caves. Aywell is one of the chief
gods of the north and these caves,
the druids hold, lead into his lands
in the Realm of the Gods. For generations the Votadini of Circind have
made sacrifices to Aywell in the
caves and inscribed many charms,
prayers and symbols into the cave
walls. Given the sacred nature of
the caves, hiding the Coat of Beisrydd here makes sense, although
one would never leave it completely unguarded. So the broch that has
been built above one of the caves is
a permanent garrison for the war
band chosen by the Druid Kings to
protect the coat from intruders
- not that any intruders have ever
come before.
The countryside inland from the
caves is relatively flat, reasonably
well-wooded, and within a days
ride of three Votadini hill forts, to
the north-west and west. These hill

forts supply the warriors who patrol

the Gododdin border and also supply the warriors who guard the Coat
and watch the coast for potential
sea-raids.
The caves are cut from sandstone.
The rock is soft and easily worked,
and this has allowed the Votadini to
carve a secret tunnel and chamber
between the broch and the Spring
Cave. It is here that the coat is hidden. The caves are close to the beach,
which is a wide plateau of wave-cut
rock; the Spring Cave is 90 feet from
the low-tide mark, whereas the other caves are only 30 feet or so from
the water. The sea no longer reaches
into the caves, although it did at one
time, and the druids have carved inscriptions to Manawydan - fish - into
the cave walls to act as wards against
the seas intrusion.
No one lives in the caves, but once a
year, at high summer, Mawgaus
leads a ritual where animal and human sacrifices are made to Aywell
in the Cave of Serpents. This perpetuates the magical links between
Aywells realm and the Mortal World
and also pleases the ancestor spirits
charged by Aywell to protect these
caves. These spirits are Cing and
Cruithne, the ones sent to kill Ofydd
and subdue Lindis. They watch the
coasts from the Spirit World constantly and provide Mawgaus with
warnings of likely attacks. They can
only bring direct harm to those who
are in the Spirit World, or passing
into Aywells Realm: but they can
forewarn the Votadini, ensuring
they are always ready for their enemies - no matter what precautions

chwedlonol Prydain

The Caves, The Broch

and The Coat

19

chwedlonol Prydain
20

those enemies might have taken.

over the Circind.

The Caves

The Cave of Serpents stinks of

death: ancient blood that has
seeped into the earth, old bone,
and the fear of the creatures and
men who were sacrificed. It is also
magical. A druid lapsing into a
trance sees that the rear wall of the
cave disappears (although it looks,
and feels, quite physical to anyone
not viewing the cave from the Spirit
World) and a long, sloping tunnel
replaces it. This tunnel leads into
the Realm of the Gods and emerges
in the feasting hall of Aywell where
the Votadini ancestors celebrate
their immortality with song, war,
drinking, hunting and tormenting
their enemies. To non-Votadini the
tunnel represents a terrifying passageway into a ghastly, barbaric
and enemy realm: not that non-

There are three main caves.

The Cave of Serpents
The Cave of Serpents is a long, narrow cave (30 feet in diameter) that
penetrates 150 feet into the rock
and slopes steeply downward before levelling. It is high-ceilinged;
9 feet high overall and 12 feet at
its highest point. Halfway into the
cave is a hand dug pit where the
ritual sacrifices are carried out.
Bones - animal and human - are
strewn all around the pit and extend almost to its back wall. Next
to the pit are carved two serpents,
one above the other, and these represent the rule of the Druid Kings

Manawydan's Cave
This cave is a third of the length of
the Cave of Serpents and is kept
sacred to two gods: Manawydan,
God of the Sea, and Mm, the Votadini Goddess of Fertility. Inscriptions of fish, animals, doublecircle
charms and other carvings are all
over the walls of the cave, protecting it from the sea and calling for
blessings for the farmland further
inland. The Druid Kings do not lead
the rituals here; that is left to the female druids and druids-in-training
to do. Although Manawydan and
Mm are important gods, Aywell is
the most important and so requires
the attention of the Druid Kings.
Aside from food remains and general detritus, there is nothing else
to be found in here.
The Spring Cave
The Spring Cave is 36 feet in diameter and 90 feet long. Like the
other two, its walls are etched with

Pictish symbols recognising the

power of the local water spirit, who
manifests in this cave as a natural
spring of fresh water in the far corner. The water spirit is a daughter
of Mm but has no name mortals
can pronounce.
The general magical nature of all
the caves allows her to take shape
in the Mortal World, forming from
the water into a child-sized, aqueous creature with wide eyes, long,
watery hair, and a curious expression.
Mortals fascinate her, but they
rarely come, save to leave a few offerings of fruit and ale. She is childlike and adores games - especially
riddles and guessing games. If a
mortal plays a game with her and
wins, she provides three truthful
answers to three questions relating to the caves, the broch or the
nearby countryside. Abstract the
games as a Social Conflict test.
The water spirit uses her Spectral
Riddling skill of 77% while the
character chosen (and there can be
only one) uses Insight to guess the
riddles she sets. If she loses, she
disappears into her pool in a petulant tantrum, causing the water to
boil and hiss angrily.
On the other side of the cave to the
spring is the entrance to the tunnel leading both to the broch and
the cavern where Beisrydds Coat
is hidden. The entrance is blocked
by a massive slab of sandstone
set flush with the cave floor. It requires a successful opposed test of

chwedlonol Prydain

Votadini can reach it: Cing and

Cruithne guard the tunnel - they
ride up from Aywells hall in the
chariots and hurl spears at, or ride
over, intruders. They can be engaged in Spirit Combat, but they
are extremely tough opponents.
Their spirit statistics can be found
on page 34. Note also that Cing has
the Demoralise Folk Magic spell:
if he strikes with his spear, the Demoralise spell also takes effect, as
well as any Spirit Damage from the
weapon itself.

21

chwedlonol Prydain
22

Perception versus the Craft skill

of the tunnels creator (74%) to detect. It then requires three successful Brawn rolls to clear enough dirt
and dust away from the edges to
gain a reasonable purchase and
lever the slab up. Beneath it is a
12 foot drop into the tunnel, which
leads deeper into the bedrock. The
shaft is only 3 feet wide and can be
climbed down easily enough with
Easy Athletics rolls. Once inside
the tunnel though, it is pitch-black.
The tunnel is a three and a half feet

wide, but high enough for anyone

of SIZ 15 or lower to walk upright;
SIZ 16 or higher must stoop, and
all physical skills undertaken while
stooped are one grade harder.
The passage runs for 150 feet in a
straight line before widening into a
man-made chamber. This is where
the Coat of Beisrydd is kept: on the
northern wall of the chamber is a
hand dug niche, 3 feet above the
floor, 3 feet high, one and a half
feet wide and 3 feet deep.
The Coat of Beisrydd
Inside, wrapped in a bear skin, is a
coat of finely woven iron mail that
gleams as though newly forged
and crafted. It is heavy when lifted,
but when donned it fits every size
and seems to weigh nothing at all.
No mortal weapon can damage the
armour and it never rusts and never needs polishing. It protects just
as any coat of mail does, providing
5 Armour Points to the Chest, Arms
and Abdomen, but it does not contribute its ENC to the Strike Rank
penalty.
Furthermore, it looks like no armour anyone has ever seen. Its
links are so finely forged and
tightly woven that it seems to shimmer and flow, almost like water.
Certainly no human smith could
make such a wonderful suit of armour and it was, indeed, crafted
by Gorfannon the Smith for the
Prince Beisrydd in the Scarlet Robe
as thanks for his service to Arawn
of the Other World.

Located atop the sandstone shelf,

60 feet above the Spring Cave, the
broch is built 30 feet high, 45 feet
in diameter, and built with two
concentric walls of stone, with a
stairway within the gap created
by the two walls leading to the upper floors. The roof is made from a
cone of trimmed logs with a smoke
hole at the apex for the central fire
that is kept burning on the brochs
ground floor.
Slits in the outer wall allow the
warriors who form the garrison to
keep watch across both the coast
and inland. Where the outer wall
meets the wooden roof, a sturdy
wooden platform has been built
around the circumference allowing for proper watch patrols at the
brochs summit.
Inside the broch is divided into
three levels (see page 34).
The ground floor is the living
area; the first floor is the sleeping
gallery and the upper floor is storage - mostly for weapons and gear.
The brochs warriors hunt for food
every week, finding deer in the
nearby forests, and there are plentiful fresh water sources, including
the spring in Spring Cave. The
ground floor has a vertical tunnel leading down, directly into the
secret chamber where the Coat
of Beisrydd is held. The warriors
are forbidden to enter the chamber unless directly instructed by

The broch is home to a war band of

20 Circind Votadini, chosen from
among the clans of the nearby hill
forts. To protect the Coat of Beisrydd they deploy thus:
Six come down from the broch to
the mouth of the Spring Cave and
form a small shield wall across the
entrance, preventing escape (without a fight) along the coast.
Four warriors are present in the
chamber to directly protect the armour.
Six more warriors watch the coast
from cliffs above the caves, using
bows and spears to attack anyone
fleeing along the beach.
Four more warriors remain inside the broch to attack anyone
who overcomes the guards in the
armour chamber and tries to escape through the broch itself.
All the Votadini warriors are under orders to take these intruders
alive. Mawgaus wants them so
they can be sacrificed to the ancestors, their brains eaten by himself

chwedlonol Prydain

The Broch

Mawgaus and, terrified of what

the Druid King would do to them
if he were disobeyed, keep to their
instructions: however, because the
ancestor spirits Cing and Cruithne
have warned Mawgaus of enemies
approaching the caves, Mawgaus
has sent orders for the armour to
be protected while he and his war
band ride for the broch from the
north.

23

chwedlonol Prydain
24

and his personal retinue,

and their blood used as ink for
more tattoos.
Capture!
If the characters are captured they
are held in the broch on the ground
level until Mawgaus arrives, approximately 8 hours after their
capture. The Votadini confiscate
weapons and armour, stripping
the characters as much to humiliate them as anything else.
Their hands and feet are bound
with long, strong, leather thongs
which are tied tightly enough to cut
into the flesh. Four warriors guard
the prisoners while the rest go
about their usual chores: patrols,
hunting and fetching water. This
may offer the characters a chance
to escape, if they can break their
bonds (Herculean Brawn rolls or
Herculean Sleight rolls to untie the
knots somehow) and overwhelm
the guards. Their equipment is
thrown into the storage area on the
top floor of the broch.
Mawgaus, when he arrives, is a
terrifying sight. He comes with his
personal retinue of twelve warriors.
All of them are heavily tattooed,
but Mawgaus stands-out. Tall and
imposing, his long hair is spiked
and bleached white. His body is a
mass of red, blue and black swirling designs and it seems that no
part of his flesh is unadorned: he
truly is a pictii - a painted one. His
eyes are dark and piercing and he
radiates power. There is no mistak-

ing that he is a formidable druid even though he is like no druid any

of the characters are likely to have
seen before. He hunkers down before the characters, staring at them
for a long time. He tells the guards,
using Goidelic, to give them food
and water, but he does not order
their bonds to be released. Then,
he changes to flawless Brythonic.
Merlin sent you to steal the armour. I know this. I am friends
with many spirits who watch our
borders and our treasures. They
told me through dreams and
omens. Merlin sent you because he
fears my power. He cowers, like a
Christian, behind the Great Wall
and sends his puppy dogs to do
what he is afraid to do. This is why
Britain is broken: because Merlin
is unfit to mend it. Here is what I
will do. One of you will live and not
be harmed. The rest of you shall be
sliced open, your blood drained
for ink for my tattoos, your bones
broken and your heads boiled until
your brains shrink and I can swallow them whole. The one who lives
will watch all of this. Then he will
be given your skulls in a sack to
take back to Merlin as message
from his friend Mawgaus. This is
what we Votadini of Circind do
to thieves. You have until dawn.
Choose which of you will live. The
rest can prepare for your painful
passing into the Other World.
Mawgaus is icily calm as he delivers this speech. There can be
no doubting that he means every
word, and his retinue of warriors,

standing behind him, leer and grin

as he describes their fate. Then,
he goes to the upper level to sleep
leaving four of his personal warriors to guard the characters and
observe as they make their choice
of survivor.
Escaping from Mawgaus and the
Votadini will not be easy, but it can
be done with some ingenuity and
help from the circumstances of the
scenario. The following are options and tools that can be used to
help the characters survive the fate
Mawgaus has promised them.

he will call on Mawgaus to let the

characters survive and take him as
a sacrifice instead. Gawain does
not fear death. His faith in Christ
is all he needs. If this is agreed to,
Gawain insists that the characters
find his sister, Teneu, at Caer Ysc
and tell her what has happened,
not to be upset, and that he will
wait for her in Gods Kingdom. It
will require the characters to succeed in a Herculean Influence roll
to convince Mawgaus to accept
one sacrifice, but when the Druid
King learns it is King Lots son, he
is open to persuasion.

Gawain
volunteers
himself.
Gawain is a noble warrior and

Gawain as a rescuer. If the Games

Master has decided to let Gawain

25

chwedlonol Prydain
26

escape (see boxed text on page 15)

and return later to help the characters, he is able to sneak into the
broch, or create a suitable diversion outside, giving the characters
the chance to flee Mawgaus and
his men. Games Masters should
improvise the nature of the diversionary tactics.
Working a miracle. Christians can
call upon God to work a miracle
(and if there was any time to call
for a miracle, then this might be it).
If no priest is present, then the roll
is made against the Christian Passion score. Gawain can also help
by calling for a miracle too. If successfully called for, God sends an
immense storm during the night.
Thunder cracks the heavens and
lightning lashes the countryside,
striking the brochs roof and causing it to cave-in. The characters
must make Formidable Athletics
or Evade rolls to avoid taking 1d10
damage from falling wood and masonry, but this plunges the broch
into chaos as men fall through the
broken upper storey and crash to
their deaths on the stone floor below. The characters have a chance
to make their escape as the Circind
forget their immediate orders and
try to save themselves.
Help from the Spirit of the Spring.
If the characters encountered, were
polite to, charmed, or let the Spirit
of the Spring Cave win the riddling
contest, she is aware of their predicament and prepared to help.
She causes the waters of her spring
to build-up in the sandstone layers beneath the broch and then ex-

plode through the floor and walls

in a similar manner to the broch
being hit by lightning. The result is
enough confusion for the characters to take advantage and make
their escape.
The Knife of Farchog. One of the
knifes powers is to serve twenty
people at a feast: while it is not designed as a weapon, it can be used
to help escape. If a character successfully makes a Pagan Passion
roll, the knifes power can be activated - with one slice it can sever
up to 20 bonds with a single cut.
An Insight or appropriate Lore roll
might be necessary to work-out
that the knife can be used in this
way. And, although not intended
to be as an offensive weapon, it
is capable of inflicting 1d2 points
of damage and the Bleed Special
Effect; if the wielder of the knife
successfully inflicts a cut on one
enemy, up to 20 enemies also suffer the same cut, in the same place,
for the same damage. The character uses a Combat Style involving
knife, or uses Unarmed.
Resisting the Bleed Special Effect
is handled as a Group Sorting Roll
(page 79 of RuneQuest).
The Sacrifice
Escape need not come in the time
between Mawgauss ultimatum
and dawn; it can come in the preparation for the promised sacrifice.
The characters, if they have not
escaped, are dragged down to the
Cave of Serpents. This is where

Gawain as the Escape

Card
Games Masters might
contrive to have Gawain
escape if the characters
are overwhelmed and
taken prisoner. He can
be used as a deus-exmachina to help the
characters escape at a
later point, appearing at
just the right time in the
scenario.

Mawgaus intends to sacrifice

them, one-by-one, with the nominated character to be saved watching. The intention is to stake-out
each character, in a spread-eagle
position, on the floor of the cave
in a line. Mawgaus then slices the
throat of each victim and sets a
bowl (made from a human skull)
by each neck to collect the blood.
As he moves to the next character,
one of his warriors slices-open the
belly of the previous one and carefully arranges the entrails so that
they can be seen by all watching.
Once the characters are dead, their
heads are severed and plunged into
a cauldron of boiling sea water,
and left to cook until all the flesh
has been cleaned from the bone.
The shrunken brains are extracted
and served to Mawgaus and his
warriors: the remaining skulls are
given to the character nominated
to return to Merlin.

This is, of course, a ghastly situation for the characters to find themselves in and, unless a swift (and
miserable) end to the campaign is
needed, then some last-ditch escape attempt should come at this
point.
Fleeing the Caves
The ideal scenario is that the characters retrieve the Coat of Beisrydd, evade capture and hightail
it to their hidden ship. Mawgaus
and his warriors will give chase,
hurling spears and loosing arrows
at the characters as they make for
the secret cove where Nubh waits
for them. Conduct the chase as a
desperate flight for survival but
an opportunity for combat. Mawgauss warriors are far more competent than those who garrison
the broch, and Mawgaus will not

27

chwedlonol Prydain
28

let the characters run-off with the

Coat of Beirydd without a strong
fight; it is possible the characters
will be injured and some may even
be killed in attempting to get away,
but, once Nubhs boat puts to sea,
the Circind must abandon the pursuit and let the characters go.
Mawgaus though, is not without one, last, trick. Watching the
characters flee, he curses them,
howling his curse so loudly that
it carries across the waves to the
characters ears. He curses their
loved-ones to die within a year
and a day, and promises that the
lord Aywell, God of the Votadini,
will deny them - and the characters - the right to the Other World
for all eternity. Have the characters
make Willpower rolls modified
by their Superstition. If the Willpower roll is failed, then the characters believe the curse. It is up to
the Games Master how the curse
then manifests (and whether it is,
in fact, real), but Mawgaus intends
its effects to be long-term, subtle,
and a slow retribution for their
theft of the Circinds treasure.
Concluding the Scenario
Gawain is quiet and reflective on
the journey back to Red Marsh.
The sea is still as rough as before,
but this time Nubh avoids Lindisfarena and beaches for the night
in a small, secluded cove. Gawain
prays, alone, and only speaks if
questioned - and then only gives
the briefest of answers.

The return to Red Marsh is uneventful. The people of the fishing

village have kept their side of the
bargain and expect payment as
promised, which Gawain ensures
the characters pay, if they seem reluctant.
As the characters make their way
back to Caer Ysc, a lone figure
can be seen on the path ahead,
stumping determinedly along. It
does not take long to recognize the
figure of Merlin, even though he
wears a hood over his head and
has changed from his usual druid
robes into less recognizable travelling garb. He greets the characters,
insists they dismount, make camp,
and tell him what happened. Naturally he wants to see the Coat of
Beisrydd and is delighted when the
characters display it. But, if they
also bring forth the Knife of Farchog, he is overjoyed.
So Ofydd had it all along, did
he? The sly old goat. I suspected
as much but couldnt be sure. I
thought perhaps Lot had it. But
this is splendid! Splendid! I had
not expected you to bring-back one
treasure, let alone two
Gawain watches Merlin sullenly
and, finally, asks the druid if his
bargain is now repaid. To me?
Merlin asks. Of course. You owe
me nothing. Never did. You simply
used this debt as an excuse to get
back at your tribe. But Im grateful for your help. Even if you are a
Christian these days.

I can tell you now, though, that Arthur wants you. Or if he doesnt, he
soon will. Come to Caer Cadbryg.
Bring Teneu and dont leave it any
later than when the first leaves fall
from the oak trees. But, for now,
go home. Go to Caer Ysc and rest. I
have work to do
The characters are urged to return
to Caer Ysc with Gawain. Merlin
says he needs no accompaniment,
but if they want something to do,
they should go to Caer Cadbryg
without delay.
Arthur will have work for you, he
says. Things are getting interesting
About Gawain
The youngest of Lots children,
Gawain is extremely close to his
siblings but especially so to Teneu,
his sister. When his father threw
Teneu to her death, the spirits of
Curia saved her and brought that
news to Gawain in a dream. The
young warrior knew he must get
Teneu to safety and, although he
had been a loyal Votadini warrior,
serving in Curias warbands, he
was certain Teneu would never be
safe while in the Pictish lands.
He therefore brought her south,
to the land of the Brigantes, and
foreswore his oath to his father
and Curia, becoming a wandering Pictish mercenary, prepared to
fight for whichever chieftain might
need his spear and sword. In the
ten years since he fled Gododdin,

The bounty on Gawains head is

substantial: a mans weight in silver, so it is said, or half his weight
in gold.
Full NPC stats follow at the end of
this section.
We hope youve enjoyed this taster
for Mythic Britain. The book will
be on sale in November 2014.
In the meantime, if you have not
discovered RuneQuest yet, theres
plenty available...

chwedlonol Prydain

Gawain is angered at this, but Merlin doesnt care.

Gawain has never remained in the

same community for very long, flitting between Powys, Gwent, Elmet,
Dumnonia, and even Kernow. He
knows he is hunted, and he knows
Uidre the Warrior in Green hunts
him. Soon there must be a reckoning, but for now he has been able
to keep himself several steps ahead
of Uidre, using a variety of names
(Gwalchmei, Gualguanus, and
Gauvain, for instance) and invented histories.

29

chwedlonol Prydain
30

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chwedlonol Prydain

Ships & Shield Walls

31

chwedlonol Prydain

Non-Player Characters

32

Gawain-ap-Lot
Characteristics
Attributes
STR: 16
Action Points: 2
CON: 11
Damage Modifier: +1d4
SIZ: 17
Magic Points: 13
DEX: 10
Movement: 6 metres
INT: 11
Strike Rank: 7
POW: 13
Armour: Leather
CHA: 13

1d20 Location
13 Right Leg
46 Left Leg
79 Abdomen
1012 Chest
1315 Right Arm
1618 Left Arm
1920 Head

AP/HP
2 /6
2 /6
2 /7
2 /8
0 /5
0 /5
0 /6

Skills: Athletics 55%, Brawn 62%, Customs (Celt) 75%, Endurance 54%,
Evade 44%, Insight 52%, Language (Brythonic) 45%, Language (Goidelic)
90%, Lore (Strategy and Tactics) 46%, Perception 53%, Survival 65%,
Unarmed 57%, Willpower 45%, Stealth 59%
Passions: Love Teneu 90%, Loyalty to Queen Elliw 70%, Oath to Merlin75%,
Distrust Merlin 77%, Christian 59%
Combat Style: Gododdin Warrior (Spear, Sword and Shield: Trait,

Mounted Combat) 81%
Weapon
Shortspear
Longsword
Celtic Shield

Size/Force
M
M
H

Reach
L
M
S

Damage
1d8+1d4
1d6+2+1d4
1d3+1+1d4

AP/HP
4/5
6/10
4/15

Typical Circind Votadini Warrior

Attributes 1d20
Location
AP/HP
Action Points: 2
13 Right Leg 2 /6
Damage Modifier: +1d2
46 Left Leg
2 /6
Magic Points: 11
79 Abdomen 2 /7
Movement: 6 metres
1012 Chest
2 /8
Strike Rank:10
1315 Right Arm 2 /5
Armour: Leather
1618 Left Arm 2 /5
1920 Head 2 /6
Skills: Athletics 59%, Brawn 62%, Endurance 62%, Evade 56%, Locale 66%,
Perception 64%, Ride 85%, Survival 67%, Unarmed 59%, Willpower 62%
Passions: Loyalty to Mawgaus 80%, Love Battle 70%
Combat Style: Circind Warrior (Sword, Spear, Sling, Shield: Trait,
Skirmishing) 75%

Size/Force
M
M
H

Reach
L
M
S

Damage
1d8+1d4
1d6+2+1d4
1d3+1+1d4

AP/HP
4/5
6/10
4/15

Mawgaus, Druid-King of the Circind Votadini

Characteristics
Attributes
STR: 13
Action Points: 3
CON: 14
Damage Modifier: +1d2
SIZ: 14
Magic Points: 18
DEX: 10
Movement: 6 metres
INT: 18
Strike Rank: 14
POW: 18
Armour: Leather
CHA: 14

1d20 Location
13 Right Leg
46 Left Leg
79 Abdomen
1012 Chest
1315 Right Arm
1618 Left Arm
1920 Head

AP/HP
0 /6
0 /6
2 /7
0 /8
0 /5
0 /5
0 /6

Skills: Athletics 37%, Brawn 33%, Customs (Celt) 100%, Endurance 49%,
Evade 44%, Insight 95%, Language (Brythonic) 90%, Language (Goidelic)
100%, Lore (Ancestor Spirits) 90%, Perception 84%, Unarmed 46%,
Willpower 85%
Magical Skills: Binding 90%, Trance 95%
Passions: Loyalty to Circind 100%, Pagan 100%, Hate Christians 90%
Combat Style: Gododdin Warrior (Spear, Sword and Shield: Trait, Mounted
Combat) 81%
Weapon
Shortspear
Longsword
Celtic Shield

Size/Force
M
M
H

Reach
L
M
S

Damage
1d8+1d2
1d6+2+1d2
1d3+1+1d2

AP/HP
4/5
6/10
4/15

Mawgaus is a potent druid. Although he has no bound spirits, he has powerful spirit allies in the form of a High-Wing, an eagle Predator Spirit who
hunts for knowledge whenever Mawgaus consumes a new brain, and Luithna, his personal Ancestor spirit who grants the druid several spells.
Mawgaus can easily enter the Spirit World and command other spirits as
he so needs, but High-Wing and Luithna are his trusted and most favoured
spirit allies.
High Wing (Intensity 4 Predator Spirit) Spectral Claws and Beak 98%, Stealth
98%, Willpower 88%

chwedlonol Prydain

Weapon
Shortspear
Longsword
Celtic Shield

Luithna (Intensity 5 Ancestor Spirit) INT 17, POW 34, CHA 12

33

chwedlonol Prydain
34

Lore (Celt) 134%, Spectral Circind Warrior 96%, Willpower 74%

Luithna knows the Theism miracles Corruption, Fear and Heart Seizure. They
are cast at Intensity 5 and on a successful roll of 50% or less. Although Luithne
provides the magic, Mawgaus channels it, using his own Magic Points to do
so.
Cing and Cruithne: Ancestor Guardians of the Circind
This malign pair are two of the Great Ancestors of the Votadini, heroes from
ancient times who have pledged to guard Circinds borders and destroy its
enemies.
Both are Intensity 5 Ancestor spirits, and Cing commands Folk Magic spells
that can be cast are their enemies in the Spirit World.
Cruithne has the Discorporate ability at 70%.
Mawgaus can call upon both spirits to aid him, if needed.
Ancestor
INT, POW, CHA Customs & Lore
Spectral Combat &
Abilities
(Intensity) Willpower

Cing (5)
10, 31, 14
120%
95%, 111% Folk Magic 124%
(Bladesharp,
Demoralise,
Fanaticism)
Cruithne (5) 12, 33, 8
124%
70%, 116% Insight 120%,
Discorporate 70%

Knightly Quests
by

Chad Bowser

The Bound Rose

and DrivethruRPG!
Setting: A ruined castle deep within the Forest Sauvage
Problem: Inside a keep covered in
thorn bushes, a beautiful maiden
lies trapped on a bier, surrounded
by a blanket of thorns. Anytime a
knight tries to remove a branch,
the thorns push closer on her skin.
While the maidens eyes are open,
and she takes breath, she responds
to no stimuli other than the thorns.
As the thorns push against her
skin, she moans in pain.
Secrets: The maiden, although human, grew up in Fairy under the
guidance of an Elf. She was recently
kidnapped by another elf lord and
is being held hostage until her foster father can pay for her release.
Solutions: If the knights try to remove the thorns, the hostage taker appears from the shadows and

warns them that a curse has been

placed on the young woman and
only if the ransom of seven fairy
steeds is paid, will she be freed. If
the elf lord is attacked, he shimmers away to Fairy. An alternate
plan exists, however. A successful
Awareness roll reveals a portion of
a carving on a wall behind thorn
bushes. Clearing away the thorn
bushes reveals text carved into the
wall, Only those able to look past
the misdeeds of others may succeed. The most Forgiving knight
must be the one to remove the
blanket.
Glory: 50 Glory per knight for
rescuing the maiden.

Magna draconis arturius rex

Short Adventures

35

dracones britanniae
36

A Seat At
The High
Table
One of the benefits of knighthood,

nobility, or fame of skill is that in

most civilised places across Britannia, a wanderer is sure to find a
bed to sleep in, a hearth to warm
their bones on a chilly Winters
night, and hearty fare to ease his
hunger. While this is more likely
to be the case in Pendragon than
Age of Arthur or Mythic Britain, it
depends on who the visitor is and
what their reason for seeking an
audience with the king, lord, earl,
or chieftan is.
The following knotwork diagram
shows exactly who can gain access
easily to the local ruler depending
on their standing and role in society. While it is fair to say that each
situation is different, Cambrian
hill chieftains or the Gaels of Dal
Riada may be far less welcoming
than Arthur at Camelot for example, its a good generalisation to
keep in mind when Player Characters arrive in a new settlement. Of

course, if a Gamesmaster has an

ulterior motive to progress an adventure or intrigue then this advice
can be thrown out of the window.
The plays the thing!
Whether the local ruler is the chieftain of the Gododdin or Earl Robert
of Salisbury, the British seem to all
have a trait in common; the sanctity of hospitality. Some civilised
Earls may wish to be chivalrous
and have their king think well of
them, some Christian homesteaders may see it as a duty to help
strangers, but even Pagan barbarians see the benefit in letting strangers, and their own people, see the
value of their largesse.
Not all settlements contain a welcome. The Votadini Circind are a
notable example (see this issues
Mythic Britain adventure) and a
local lords reaction may depend
on the setting and if you are a traditional enemy, but by and large,

an enemy wont harm you while

in his stead or mead hall. He may
do all he can to make you feel uncomfortable, but he wont actually
harm you until youve left his castle surrounds. At that point, he is
released from the bonds of hospitality and may do as he pleases.
Killing a guest is such a nefarious

act that it is left to Saxons. The

Night of the Long Knives/Brad y
Cyllyll Hirion, where Saxons drew
their hidden daggers against their
British counterparts at a feast during peace negotiations, is seen as
one of the most despicable and
treacherous acts of British history.
The Rings and Bars

Rings

The Wheel Explained

The image to the left shows 3
concentric circles, or rings, depicting the various distance
from the lords table. The importance of the individual is indicated by how near their position
is to the centre and at the top.
Therefore, Foreign Dignitaries,
while being on the same bar as
Famous Merchants are seen as
much more important.
Consult the Rings when the
player characters are at home
or have settled into somewhere
new, and consult the bars when
visiting a lord or chieftain for
the first time. Entry onto the
wheel itself is decided by the
guards or chastelain when your
player characters first arrive.

Bars

F
Foreig
nD
ig n

Her
alds

Trusted Slaves

&

ffs

ti
n
i
a
Pl

Famo
us

Me
rch
a

s
nt

Trusted
Aides

The Peasantr y

Noble
Families

The
Leaders
Table

s
ou
Fam

Cr
ans
a
ft
s
men & Men of Me

Ba
se

es

ita Family in Adoption,

ri
Marriage, &
Blood

Household
Guard

W
arr
ior
s

Oth
er Slave d Ser vants
s an

& Ba
rds

Likely entry point for

Player Characters

37

dracones britanniae
38

Starting

at the outer ring we see

there seats furthest away from the
lord belonging to Trusted Slaves
(those such as wet nurses and
educators who have served their
masters for many years and are
treated as extended family), Other
Slaves & Servants are at the lower
end of the wheel and therefore are
of least importance in the lords
household, or village (these are the
people who serve food and drink
at feasts or till the land and keep
the beasts. Normal slaves would
not be allowed in the hall or keep
so if these are present, they are the
cooks and servers. Despite being
on the wheel, their position shows
their relative importance in society, not their position in the hall),
The Peasantry are those villagers
without a specific and valued trade
but who are free men. Seen as
higher than Other Slaves, equal to
Craftsmen, and lower than Trusted Slaves they run the bawdy
house, are town militia, or farmers. Craftsmen & Men of Means
are essentially the middle class of
feudal society. They are the metalsmith, the Fletcher, the Clergy
not from noble families, and Shipwrights.

The second ring shows those nearer to the lords table and those who
will eat in the mead hall or castle.
They will be a familiar sight to the
lord and will be known to him. The
Household Guard are soldiers or
warriors specifically chosen by the
lord or chieftain to protect his fam-

ily. The will be chosen from noble or

battle hardened families and would
normally reside in the quadrant Noble Families. Trusted Aides are those
valued counsellors who attend to the
needs of the kingdom or duchy on
behalf of the lord. They may be magicians, physicians, tax collectors, or
anyone who may prove useful and
trustworthy to their lord and be employed exclusively for that purpose.
Noble Families are those who have
no relation to the lord but are still part
of the hierarchy at play. They may be
very distantly related, were elevated
in the past through largesse, wealth,
or right of might. They may also be
rivals to the current rulers and may
supply endless intrigue. Family in
Adoption, Marriage, and Blood will
be the closest to the lord, chieftain, or
king. Their seats will be either side and
at right angles or in front of the king
or lords table in civilised/feudal societies, and will be alongside the walls
nearest the chieftains table in barbarian cultures. The lord can usually
trust those sat at these tables. Oaths
of fealty would still be given, like all
subjects, but theyre mostly redundant as the curse Kinslayer would
travel around the kingdom faster than
Shadowfax.
The King's Table would be the goal of
most visiting knights and warriors. In
some cases they may not actually have
a choice as any paranoid lords will require visitors to come before them in
their halls and explain their intent.
Getting to that table may depend on
who your player characters are. If we
take it for granted that the majority of

the mead hall as wanted men then

that very same peasantry may be an
angry mob with whom the player
characters will have to contend. Of
course, if the local leader treats his
peasantry terribly they may face
cheers or requests for help.
Similarly, if they have a dispute to put
before a lord and are base knights
or low clergy (or even just commoners) then they may use the Plaintiffs
& Base Heralds bar to approach
the lords table. They will pass via
the peasantry (entry is always via
the bar containing the script), they
would then meet with an appropriate Trusted Aide, who will then, if
necessary, take you before the lord.
After an audience, the player character may then be addressed, questioned, or helped by a member of
the lords extended family and may
learn intrigue or scandal, before
being escorted out of
the keep by one of the
Trusted Slaves.
Whilst it shouldnt be
set in stone and expected by the players, use
this diagram as a brief
guide on how nobility
and royal households
are built and organised. The king, lord, or
chieftain cant see just
anyone and unless it is
of vital importance the
second ring should be
able to deal with mundane matters.

dracones britanniae

their party is made up of Famous Warriors then their route to the local lord
will be via the bar that takes them past
the Other Slaves in the castle or mead
hall as they are taken through the
working parts of the keep and given
some meagre food and drink before
they are then vetted by the Household Guards for security reasons,
then taken to the Kings Table to speak
or perform in front of the lord. After
doing so, and if they intend to leave
and not stay as guests, they will then
be thanked, paid, or spoken to by the
lords Trusted Aides, They will then
pass the Peasantry who will no doubt
gaze in wonder as a bard or warrior of
notoriety passes through their ranks
based on gossip from the court/mead
hall. Bear in mind it is important how
the knights/warriors comport themselves. Passing through the peasantry
on the way out of the settlement may
not seem like much but if they leave

39

The

City
Legions
of

A Look at Chester Throughout the Ages

in Historical Terms, King Arthur Pendragon,
Cthulhu Invictus, and Age of Arthur
Chesters Naming

Before Rome...

The City of Chester has gone

through many name changes
in its history. In the main text
I use all the names equally
and frequently change names
to help the reader grow accustomed to how interchangeably the names were used.

Long before the Romans arrived 30

years after their invasion, there were
members of the Cornovii camped
along the estuary. They would have
fished with coracles and nets and
spear and have led a quiet life. What
happened to them once the Romans
arrived is not known but it is unlikely to have been violent as historical
records and stelae record that local
chieftains would often send their
sons to the fortress for military training. As the Roman fortress was also
known to have the largest non-military settlement attached to a fort in
Britain, it is likely the locals just lived
alongside the fortress. What better
way to protect your clan than live
next to a Roman fortress?

Deverdoeu - Brythonic
Deva - Roman (Latinised form)
Castra Legio - Roman
Caer Lleon - Cymric/Welsh
Legercyestre - Saxon
Caer - Modern Welsh
Chester - Modern English
Natives of Chester are called
Cestrians by both English and
Welsh people (the first C being
an S sound as in SESS-treeens).

The Roman Era

When the Romans established their

40

legionary fortress in AD79 a map

by Ptolemy noted it was in the lands
of the Cornovii and named Deva.
While the name stuck for centuries as
a name for the settlement, it is now
considered by many as the name of
the local river goddess. The word survives somewhat today in the Welsh
word Dyfrdwy (Eng: Dee) as the name
of the river that flows from Llyn Tegid (Bala Lake in Gwynedd) through
Llangollen, then Chester, and finally
past Parkgate on the Wirral before
it joins the Irish Sea, however in Roman Times the estuary started proper at Deva, or to give it the Roman
name at the time; Castra Legio.
While there were other legions on
ocassion based at Chester, it is the
twentieth legion for which the city
is known. With the legions II Pia Fidelis, then the XX Valeria Victrix stationed on the bluff that overlooked
the Dee, its easy to say why raiders

The Praetorium was the commanders residence and wouldve been the
single largest dwelling.

Roman Buildings

The Valetudinarium, or hospital,

was a large building behind the Principia and dealt with the legions medical needs.

As well as the normal buildings you

would expect to find in a Roman
town, there were also unusual differences. Worship of the local deity
(now Romanised as Minerva) was
present in temples and shrines and a
huge Amphitheatre was present.
The Forum a large public open space
usually used to trade goods and acted as a market. It also became a place
where public political discourse took
place and proclamations from at
home and the empire were read out.
The Principia is the administrative
headquarters of the fortress and
larger city. It would have looked like
a large courtyard surrounded by colonnaded offices and dealt with the
day to day needs of the legion and
the citizens nearby.
The Basilica was a great hall attached to the Principia and would
have been used to address soldiers
and to present promotions awards,
and news meant only for the troops.

The Thermae, or baths complex,

would have been enjoyed by many
who took advantage of the superior
technology enabling hot and cold water. There were two (that we know of)
in the city, One by the south gateway
of the Via Paraetoria (now Bridge
Street) and inside the city walls, and
one by the docks.

The Ludus and Amphitheatre was

the largest building of its kind in
Britain seating almost 10,000 people
and has recently been offered up as
the possible round table of Arthurian legend. This writer, and many
scholars, remain to be convinced.
The Portside would have been a lively place with sailors from as far as
Eastern Spain unloading their wares
here. While the area wouldve gained
a reputation for rowdy behaviour
and therefore leading to many adventures, it is worth bearing in mind
that this was a regimented military
camp and risky behaviour would
have been dealt with efficiently.
The Mansio is the official coaching
house and is a possible place for visiting PCs to stay. There is still an inn
on this site today known as the Golden Eagle. The sign over the door still
bears the Imperial Eagle.

dracones britanniae

from Ireland and the Pictish north

stayed away. The site grew prosperous, stable, and populated enough
to be considered as the Roman capital of Britannia Superior for two
years before the anticipated invasion
of Ireland was called off. The fortress
role was chiefly naval and was used
as a departure point for the Roman
expedition that circumnavigated the
north of Britain in AD84, and supplied the armies that subjugated the
north throughout those campaigns.

41

dracones britanniae
42

After AD122 Chesters importance

seemed to wax and wane depending
on the fortunes of the province and
the larger empire. Legions were taken away to war elsewhere in Britain
or in an attempt to seize the purple
(claim Emperorship) and either eventually returned in reduced numbers
or were roundly defeated and needed
reconstituting. In fact, for much of
the 2nd century, the city was quite
run down and some barracks were
used as open rubbish dumps despite
the large civilian settlement that had
grown at Heronbridge a few miles
down the road.

With shrines to Minerva (paying

tribute to Deva, who may have been
a local version of the British goddess
of wells and springs named Coventina) cemeteries, a parade ground,
houses, and stores, this would have
been a very active and busy city at the
height of the Roman occupation.
Initially the walls were wooden palisades built with a run on top and
complete with wooden gateways to
allow entry into the city until they
were replaced with stone after the
Twentieth Legion arrived in AD90
from the newly abandoned Viroconium (less suited for use now the
nearby tribes had been pacified). Viroconium has been proposed as the
site of Camelot in King Arthur: The
True Story by Graham Phillips and
Martin Keatman.

In 197 Emperor Septimius Severus

dispatched a new governor, Virius
Lupus, to Britain and Chester was
refurbished greatly during that time.
In time, the wolf (Lat. Lupus) would
come to represent the city and still
does today on its coat of arms. In the
third century Chester gained a mixed
garrison of the XXth, IInd, and Sarmatian cavalry but its military days
were numbered. It was occupied by
some soldiers and civilians up to 383
but the legions had left. Honorius
letter telling the Britons to look to
their own defences was just telling
Cestrians something they already
knew.
The region and the city would be
contested by Gwynedd, Powys, Mercia, and Northumbria and defended
from the Irish, Picts, and Saxons but
in reality, Chester never saw prosperity, or even a permanent population,
again until the late 7th century under the protection of King thelred of
Mercia.

The Legionary Fortress facing North West

43

A Cestrian Timeline
Year
Pre-Roman

The Roman
Arrival

Probable History

Pendragon

Members of the Cornovii tribe

move into the lower Dee Valley
and their worship of Cernnunos (the horned god) begins
to change to the river goddess
Deva. The settlement is named
Deverdoeu.

Age of Arthur

Cthulhu Invictus

Members of the Cornovii tribe

moving into the Dee Valley
cause the Fae to retreat deeper into the woods on The Wirral. Herne the hunter is seen
less and less and his worship is
replaced by Sulis.

Members of the Cornovii tribe

seize the degenerate Lacertii
lands and chase the tribe into
the dark forest. The Lloigor
deep in the Dee Valley are
temporarily without worshippers. The Lacertii begin to establish a new temple.

The Cornovii accept Roman rule around AD 79 after

Caratcos (Caratacus) of the
Catuvellaunii is defeated in
battle and the Druids of Ynys
Mon are wiped out. A town
begins to grow about the fortress. In AD61, Bwddica of the
Iceni revolts.

A Roman Commander establishes the fortress and a shrine

to Sulis in the hope that it will
wash away the corruption that
deforms the local children in
the forest to the north and
east of the city. This plague
is due to the Lloigor reaching
out to their old adherents and
an attempt to establish new
worshippers.

Deva is chosen as Britannia Superiors capital but only temporarily while plans are made
to invade Eire.
AD100 - 150

With Brigantia and Cambria

subdued interest in Deva
wanes in the empire. New
building is halted and a period
of decline sets in.

AD150 - 250

Emperor Severus travels to

Britain and orders the maintenance of Deva. Buildings once
restricted to the military (such
as Baths) become open to others. With a mixed legion, auxiliaries, and Sarmatian horsemen occupying the fort, the
city begins to transition into
a civilian settlement, especially after Severus death in
Eboracum in AD211. In AD184
Lucius Artorius Castus leaves

44

As Roman rule appears to slip,

local chieftains, once loyal
to or wary of Rome begin to
strengthen their rule. Gaels
and Picts begin to harrass the
Isle of the Mighty.
A local family rises to prominence. Rising within the Roman civilian structure with
their sons entering military
service, they would eventually
become the Randalls.

A party of Roman and Celtic

warriors from the Deceanglii
and Cornovii attempt to invade Faerie with disastrous results. The fort becomes poorly
manned and is threatened by
Irish raiders. Trust in its defences wanes.

After a raid on the hidden temple to the Lloigor (and possibly Ghatanathoa) by a party or
Celtic and Roman warriors in
the Wirral forest, word passes
around the Roman authority
that Deva is cursed and the
city becomes irrelevant to Roman plans.

While the Roman culture remains, the local citizenry start

to see themselves as communal defenders rather than relying on Roman legions.

Emperor Severus visits Deva

and uses a cursed druid to
commune with the Lloigor
in the Wirral forest, near the
overgrown temple. He imagines them to be dark Celtic
spirits and entreats them to
give him aid in his forthcoming war in Caledonia. Using
preternatural magicks his wish
is granted. However, Severus
dies of a strange corruption
before he can use his gift from
the Lloigor on the Picts.

Faith does not return until the

visit by Emperor Severus. He
brooks no talking of spirits or
the Fae and concerns himself
with the forthcoming invasion
of upper Caledonia.

Year

Probable History

Pendragon

Britain and leads his knights

into battle in Gaul creating a
tradition of horse borne warriors that lasts until well after
the legends of Owain Ddantgwyn, the Bear of Britain (a
possible candidate for Arthur)
rise.
AD250 - 350

AD350 - 400

Age of Arthur

Cthulhu Invictus

The Fae consider the Roman influence a blight upon

the land but aware of subtle
machinations that may bring
Romes downfall. The Fae bide
their time.

The resurfacing of ancient

treasures of the Britons lulls
the lloigor into a temporary
sleep.

The Fae of the Seelie Court encourage the Picts of the north
to forego their promises of
peace and invade. Part of the
Fae wants to manipulate the
Picts into freeing the Fae sites
currently taken by Romans
(such as Deva) but most fall
in line for sport. The Picts realise too late that they are just
pawns in a larger game that is
being played merely to pass
the time and relive boredom
in the Seelie Court.

The cult surrounding the

lloigor begins to grow even as
the Lacertii finally fade from
history. Birth defects and dark
forsworn magicks inflict their
toll on the people of the forest who begin to fade from
the mortal plane. Woodsmen
abandon the forest claiming
they are followed by shadows.

The slow demise of an empire

leaves ripples in its people.
While the garrison was still being paid in locally minted coins
and they may have referred to
themselves as members of the
XXth, they were a legion in
name only. Most of the fighting men had gone north to
fight the Picts in AD306 and
had died or just not returned
and the civilian population
were being pressed into militia service and to the upkeep
of the walls against Irish raiders who were becoming more
bold. Despite being known
as the city of the legion and
the city of eagles for 2 centuries, it was a poor reflection of
its heyday and had nowhere
near a legion of defenders. It
is at this point the citys civilian
population begins to outnumber the garrison.

At this time the City of Legions

is crying out for direction
and leadership. Discarded by
Rome , a member of the Helwyr Darian (The Shield Hunters ) family weds a Romanised
Germanic merchant based in
the city. In order to capitalise on the family name and
dowry, the merchant adopts
the Germanic version of his
wifes name, Randallfr. (Later
changed to Randall (Shield)).

The Romans inflict a heavy loss

(despite losing a legion) upon
the Picts and peace reigns for
a time. The Fae are both incensed at losing their pastime
but also filled with admiration
Many in the city, including at human tenacity.
some of the older soldiers, see
Randall as the future of the
city of legions and not the disinterested Roman Empire.

The locals see the manipulations of the Lloigor as a sign or

Roman decadence and greed
and begin to rebel against Roman excesses.

Deva continues to evolve

from a military fortress into a
civilian centre. When Magnus
Maximus (Macsen Wledig)
withdraws the remaining legionaries from Deva to fight
in Gaul in AD383, the civilians
take over the defence of the
city completely. Irish raids increase.

The local Roman commander

protests his orders from Maximus to leave the city and journey to the continent and is
replaced. Randall waves the
legion gleefully goodbye as
they leave knowing he will
soon be Dux and in sole command of the city. His son, who
was an auxiliary until he was

An Emissary enters the city

from the forest and claims to
speak for the ancient spirits who own this land and its
people. This cloak clad human
craves an audience with the
commander in the now dilapidated fortress. The civilians
fear the Emissary and beg the
remaining Romans to kill him

His name takes on a special

significance as he oversees the
civil defences while the legionary commander of the fortress
oversees the military fortifications.

The Seelie Court present in

Lyonnesse starts to become
inquisitive other realms, especially those that are showing
individuality from the Roman
Empire but also retain civilisation. It severs its ties with
the barbaric tribes and opens
talks with Armorica, Kernow,
and realms such as Urbe Le-

The lloigor refocus their attentions on the city in an effort to

expand their power further.

When 30 men from the XXth

try to escape to the woods
they are captured and put on
military trial for their lives. Locals threaten revolt if they are
not freed. The commander executes them and the ensuing
riot costs 120 more lives.

45

Year

Probable History

Pendragon

Age of Arthur

hobbled in a riding accident,

knows better and fears for
the citys safety now the soldiers have left. He instigates
a standing militia and tries
to instil Roman drill into his
men with only partial success
initially but eventually does
such a good job that when
Constantine III arrives in Castra
Legio in AD407 he takes the
militia with him. The city is left
undefended for a short time.

gionis using human agents.

The Seelie Court begins to engage with the world while the
Unseelie Court withdraws to
the forests.

Honorius sends a letter to the

British advising them to Look
to your own defences.
A powerful warlord, Gwrtheyrn (Vortigern), assumes control during a council meeting in London and begins
to organise the defences of
Britain against the Picts and
Gaels. Gwrtheyrn is the lord
of the region that will become
Gwynedd (which includes
Deva) and has experienced
their depredations first hand.

The Randalls pledge their fealty to Vortigern, high king of

Britain, and appeal for help
against the Irish raiders. Vortigern sends a small force but
is ultimately powerless to stop
their continued raiding. He
simply doesnt have the men
at hand to defend all of the
island of the mighty. Vortigern
begins to eliminate his rivals.

Honorius letter arrives to a

much depleted garrison and
the locals begin to organise a
defence to protect the city. A
riot causes the Sceptre of Lluw
to disappear. Predations by
foreigners increase dramatically. One of the last Roman
military leaders takes over
control of the city in a civilian
role and names himself Agricola after the past emperor.

Vortigern invites the warlord

Cunedda to move his tribe
from the lowlands of Scotland
to North Wales. When Cunedda takes up residence in Deva
(now called Caer Lleon and
Castra Legio) he orders repairs
and bolsters the defences
of the coast from Chester to
Caernarfon. Vortigern invites
the Saxons to Britain to defend
against the Picts. The Night
of the Long Knives occurs
and leaves a power vacuum
throughout the kingdoms.

Cunedda and his sons move

to northern Cambria to help
protect the region from Irish
raiders. His reputation, and
his treatment of Irish camps
in mainland Cambria, makes
the Gaels fearful of raiding.
The Picts are another matter.
Areas far to the north of Caer
that trade with the city suffer
predation by the Picts and Vortigern appeals for Saxon mercenaries to fight for him. He is
ultimately betrayed.

The Notitia Dignitatum, compiled c.AD400, lists no troops

in Deva nor the Twentieth anywhere else in Britannia. Any remaining Romans in Britain are
taken to fight on the continent
by Constantine III in AD407
and they never return.

Abandoned
by Rome
AD410

AD410 - 450

46

Cthulhu Invictus

and to burn the forest. The Roman Praetor is asked to leave

the city and take the soldiers
with him. The praetor denies
the demand from the Emissary
and is found dead the next
Lyonesse lends Urbe Legionis morning.
the sceptre of Lluw which protects the city from flooding The Roman garrison comand the river from silting up. mander hires Gael and Pict
mercenaries to destroy the
The Picts and Gaels attack in temple but after suffering horfear that the Britons have al- rific losses to the Shadows in
lied with the Fae and will be- the wood decide to raid the
city instead for some meagre
come unstoppable.
valuables.
With the city now defenceless after the withdrawal of
the remaining Roman troops,
the citizens abandon the city.
they move eastwards into the
newly established kingdom of
Tegeingl and south to Powys.
Many people set up farms a
few miles from the city and
take stone from the walls to
shore up their own dwellings.
After a brief period the city is
reoccupied but not by the living.

Vortigern invites Cunedda and

his clan down from Gododdin lands to take the city in his
name and to rule as a noble
house. Cunedda and his sons
lose many friends trying to
take the City of Ghosts from
While the population shrinks their cursed inhabitants.
marginally, the defences hold
and Agricola leaves the safety They are given shelter at Deof the city to his eldest on his gannwy by Vortigern and
death bed. The Fae begin to many civilians follow them as
take a more active role in the more and more of their kin are
human affairs of the city now abducted in the night from
that Christianity is embedded the nearby area only to reappear on the city walls as dark
Vortigern allies himself with in the city.
Agricola and his sons invite
the clergy to the city and make
peace with their neighbours.
The local tribes see the benefit
of trade and keeping a strong
ally in the area.

Year

AD450 - 500

Probable History

Pendragon

Age of Arthur

Gwerthefyr (Vortimer), Vortigerns son, rebels and fights

the Saxons but later dies and
Vortigern regains lordship
over Britain. He is eventually
overthrown and his castle in
Gwynedd is burned down
with him in it (possibly by a
reckless Einion).

the Saxons and gives them

more land. British nobles are
outraged and recall Ambrosius Aurelianus back from his
wars against the Goths on the
continent. Ambrosius realises
that there is no peace with the
tyrant Vortigern.

Worries in wider Britain avoid

the city and it grows in a
peaceful and stable manner.
Vortigern, now the high king,
places more troops and ships
at Urbe Legionis to defend
it against the attacks by the
Gaels and Picts. Word reaches
the city of a great druid born
elsewhere in Cambria. Attacks
by outsiders drop due to mercenaries.

guardians made of shadow.

Einion succedes his father in

AD470 and the governance of
the new kingdom of Gwynedd
is split into Gwynedd, Ceredigion, and Meirionydd. He acquires the kingdoms of Rhos,
Tegeingl (which contains
Deva/Caer), Powys, and Pengwern in the power struggle
after the Night of Long Knives.

The current Randall dies on

the Night of the Long Knives.
Ambrosius Aurelianus escapes
to Brittany.

The Saxon mercenaries rebel

and Arthur is born. The Night
of Long Knives robs Britain of
its finest marshals and lords.

The Lloigor possess a Saxon

chieftain and then murder all
the British guests at a peace
conference.

He raises an army and, with

his brother Uther, defeats
Vortigern who retreats to his
castle. A young Merlin demonstrates why Vortigerns castle
extensions keep falling down.
Contrary to advice he continues with the build but subsequently dies in a fire there.
Ambrosius becomes high king
briefly before he dies and the
title passes to Uthr.

Aurelius Ambrosius launches

a campaign from a staging
post at Urbe Legionis against
Vortigern and defeats him. He
names the city His war-like
capital and is crowned BenDdraig or Guletic (Pendragon)
of all Britain.

Aurelius, away fighting Cornwall at this time, rouses his

troops and prepares for the
ultimate battle against the
Shadow World present in
north western Britain. A young
Merlin begins to search the
land for the fabled Thirteen
Treasures of Britain to aid Aurelius in the fight. As they enter the region (around 50 miles
from Deva) they see desolation
and a blight that stunts crops
and kills livestock and farmers.
When they arrive at Deva they
find it is empty in the daylight.
A ruined ghost town, but as
night draws near the Britons
start to see shadows move
on their own. Aurelius utters
the words There is no life for
leagues all around, yet we are
not alone. and sends his herald to implore Uther to send
aid. Aurelius and his army are
never seen again.

The Fae begin their manipulations in an attempt to rid

Powys of Men but fail. Urbe
Legionis begins to become a
Arthur is conceived at Tintagel starting point for adventure
and is then hidden at Penllyn into the dark forests of north(Bala Lake, Gwynedd). Uthr is ern Britannia.
poisoned at St Albans leading
to his madness and death.
Ambrosius and Uther both die
fighting the Saxon at VerulaThe Randles (as they are now mium. The Boy King assumes
known) shows fealty to Nor- control and continues the
gales (Tegeingl) in order to fight.
bolster the defence of the City
of Legions. Norgales accepts Agricola (IV) of Urbe Legionis
responsibility for its protec- promises his daughter Guintion now that the Irish threat hyfar to Arthur to secure an
is much reduced. The sword in ally if Powys or the Gaels at-

Cthulhu Invictus

The Lloigor now has an unliving army with which to extend

their power. They move westward and eastward and Vortigern hires Saxons to fight the
menace. They betray Vortigern
and turn against the Britons
out of fear of the Lloigor. Vortigern sets fire to his own keep
and dies after a Shadow gains
control of his gatehouse.

47

Year

AD500 - 550

Probable History

Einion dies in AD500 and

is succeeded by Cadwallon
Lawhir (who assumes the rule
of traditional Gwynedd (from
Anglesey to Tegeingl (Flintshire) and his brother, Owain
Ddantgwyn, assumes lordship over Powys). Caer/Castra
passes into the hands of Powys at this time. It is in a much
reduced state and population.
In AD510, Owain relieves the
beleaguered king of Deheubarth (SW Wales) atop Baddan
Hill (nr Bath) and annihilates
the local Saxons. Afterwards,
Owain is referred to as The
Bear (cym. Arth, lat. Ursus).
His sword is named Dyrnwyn
(White Hilt) and takes on a sacred significance.
In AD534 Cadwallon, a few
years after destroying the
last Irish camps on Anglesey, dies. His son, Maelgwn,
is passed over for the crown
in Degannwy in favour of his
uncle, Owain, lord of Powys
and Rhos. At this point, Caer/
Castra is a frontier town, quiet
and poorly manned and maintained.
Some years later, Maelgwn
raises arms against his uncle
Owain (Arthur) in pursuance
of what he sees as his birthright. The battle of Camlann
takes place and Maelgwn kills
Arthur but his army is deci-

48

Pendragon

Age of Arthur

Cthulhu Invictus

the stone appears in London.

tack. Arthur has continuing Uther sends no aid and insuccess against the Saxons af- stead crowns himself High
ter raising the Sword of Albion. King. He begets Arthur on the
Enchantress Ygraine and kills
her husband Gorlois.

Saxons besiege London. Upon

hearing the news, Duke Randle repairs the walls of the City
of Legions and presses more
men into the militia. He uses
his grandfathers knowledge
of roman drill and the city begins to punch above its wait in
local skirmishes. London is recaptured. Picts begin raiding
again during the anarchy that
grows in a country without a
high king. In the chaos, Castra
(Cheshire) rises and provides
political and resource support
to Norgales and then surpasses it. While it is still a vassal to
Gomeret (Gwynedd), through
political and marriage alliances Cheshire acquires Dinas
Bran, home of the Norgales
nobility.

Arthur relieves Caradoc at

Mons Badonicus. Merlin disappears and goes mad from the
slaughter.
Picts and their Angle allies attack the city. Arthur has foreseen the citys vulnerabilities
and arrives just in time with an
army. He smashes the Pict and
Angle army.

The Fae who lent their power

on the side of the invaders
against Christian and Roman
Urbe Legionis in the battle
are destroyed and the woodland around the city is torched
and tilled for planting. The Fae
withdraw from the area and
create new Earthly holds over
the Mersey, Weaver, and the
Dux Randle follows his duty Wych Brook.
and oath to Norgales and reluctantly enters battle against The Mordred Rebellion takes
Arthur at Bedegraine. He suf- hold. Having lost faith in the
fers minor losses. Randle is dis- King, Agricola (V) sides with
gusted with the rapine and pil- Mordred in his dispute.
lage committed by Lots forces
elsewhere in Cambria.
Once again, the beauteous
In the Battle of Castle Terrabil, peace which has reigned over
Lot falls and Lothian and Nor- Britannia since the defeat of
gales sue for peace amid the the Saxons is broken by the
corpses of their kings. Randle war between the noble housfalls also and his son pledges es of Britain.
fealty to Galihodin, new king
of Norgales who, in turn, Mordred and Arthur meet
pledges to Arthur. The City at Camlann and destroy the
of Legions continues to grow hopes of the Britons. Arthur is
and rise in stature. It becomes

Arthur rises and defeats the

Saxons at Caer Baddan. Arthur
cannot extend his realm into
the Lloigor created area of
desolation so Merlin tells Arthur to march on Deva holding
the flaming sword Dyrnwyn
(Excalibur) to dispel the Shadows. Merlin goes ahead to dispel the Lloigor using magic to
avoid bloodshed on the British
side. Despite using the Ring of
Elenud which granted invisibility, to sneak into the forest, Merlin is never heard from
again.
Arthur leads his army to Deva
where the Shadow army is
waiting. Despite heavy losses
he is triumphant and burns
much of the Wirral forest. No
temple is ever found.
Arthurs nephew finds a
strange artifact in the burnt
wood and secretly withdraws
to Degannwy. Arthur names
him coward and traitor for
leaving the army and taking
home his men before he was
relieved.
Maelgwyn (Mordred) refuses
calls to return and begins to
worship the strange idol he
found near Deva. It tells him
secrets such as Arthur being
his incestuous father as well as
his uncle. It promises him all of
Britain and he would be called

Year

After Arthur

Probable History

Pendragon

Age of Arthur

Cthulhu Invictus

mated. He returns to Degannwy and later dies of plague

in AD547. He is succeeded by
his son Rhun Hir. From him,
the line of Gwynedd continues until 1719 and included
King Henry VII. The line ended
without issue. The line was
resurrected through marriage
(illegitimacy being allowable
terms of lordship in Welsh law)
and continues to this day with
the 11th Baronet of Bodelwyddan.

prosperous and moderately

independent. Its Roman ways
continue and the trade and security situation improves with
Arthurs invasion of Ireland.
The Wirral forest opens up to
adventure and many strange
beings are seen (including
Gawains Green Knight).

taken to Avalon to heal and to

be tended by the Fae in penitence for their interference in
mortal affairs. Their magicks
will assure Arthurs return
when Britain is once again under the heel of invaders.

Wledig and Pendragon, feared

among other nations. If only
he would remove Arthur and
replace him.

Arthur is survived by his son

Cynlas who frequently raids on
his neighbouring kingdoms.
The line ends with him sometime in the late 6th century. It
was at this point that the city
ceased to be referred to in any
Latin sense and was called
Caer and Legercyestre.

In AD564 Mordred stirs gossip

and the War of Britain begins.
Cheshire sides with Lancelot
and later, at Camlann, Dux
Randle dies fighting alongside
Mordred.

The magic of Britain begins

to disappear as the once and
future king leaves the Earthly
realm.

The Saxons capitalise on the

British infighting and take
lands that will one day become England. Every few
decades courageous adventurers search the ruins in the
day looking for Arthurs sword
but they are always anxious to
leave before sundown.

While Caer remained a city in

Powys it also remained a seat
for nobility, the Cadelling dynasty (tracing their line back to
before Cyngen and Vortigern).
Caer remained an important,
if poorly maintained settlement, until AD616. When Selyf
came to the throne of Powys
in AD613 he was a young boy
and this prompted Northumbria to attempt an invasion.
The young Selyf of Powys, Cadwal Crysban of Rhos (at that
point a Cantref of Gwynedd)
and possibly Mercia (led by
Cearl) faced an army of North-

In AD543 the Wasteland reaches Cheshire and causes great

hardship and a reversal of fortunes.

Mordred and Arthur meet in

battle in a valley near Llyn Ogwen and both die. The Lloigor
corruption fades away with
the Dee Valley now uninhabited. Locals regard the whole
region as haunted and say
that an undead Magician now
haunts the walls of the ancient Roman city on the Dee.
At night, even though many
miles away, there are some
who can still hear whispers
from the walled city.

The Fae start to see their world

dwindle and power fade. BarThe King, his adversary, and barous men begin to chop
the dreams of the Britons are down their sacred places. The
now dead. History reasserts number of men begins to
itself.
warp reality away from magic Stirred on by stories of Arthurs
and wonder and to industry. exploits, his descendant, Selyf
of Powys, attempts to find the
In AD616 at the Battle of Chester (at the time known as Caer The Fae realise that it was Ar- blade with his uncle Cadwaland Legercyestre) the Hen thur and the Sword of Albion lon Crysban of Rhos. He jourGogledd, or Old North, is sep- that kept them in the mortal neys to the city with his army
arated from southern Britain. world and they begin to real- only to learn that the Angles
Cumbrian as a language and ise that it is time for the kings in Northumbria have thought
a people will die out and join of Men to rule without inter- the same and sent an army (to
deny the blade to Selyf if they
their ancestors.
ference by the Fae.
must, or retrieve it for King
Now only echoes of the Fae, thelfrith if they can.
coupled with the stories of
At this time Chester begins their exploits, remain. There Despite bringing 200 monks
its long decline as lesser men are shadows in forests, a blur to plead to God for victory, Sevie for lesser glories and king- in the corner of your eye, and lyf and Crysban are cut down.
doms. Players may wish to the feeling that you are being The monks share their fate.
followed but that is all that is

49

Year

Probable History
umbrians at Chester led by
thelfrith and were defeated.
thelfrith had the 1200 monks
who had arrived to pray for the
Britons executed before the
battle for praying for a British
victory. His troops would later
bury the monks heads under
the streets of Chester.

Pendragon

In time the city would be controlled by the Welsh, Danes,

Mercians,
Northumbrians,
Normans, and the English. It
has left the city today with an
enormous wealth of history
and an appreciation for ancient treasures.

50

Cthulhu Invictus

Feeling that Deva is somecontinue service to this city left of the Fae in our world.
how cursed, thelfrith has the
in order to rage against the
monks heads buried in the
dying of the light as Dylan
ground of the city in order to
Thomas puts it, but Greg Stafford fears it may become an Probable History reasserts it- hopefully cleanse the area of
its vile corruption. The blade
anti-climax to the great cam- self.
was never found and may rest
paign and who am I to argue?
their still. The Lloigor and other mythos entities and powers
remain quiet and hidden from
view and begin to plan their
long reprisal. For what is 1500
Apart from a brief time when
years to the Lloigor?
Cestrians sang Hallelujah from
the city walls managing to deter Dublin Vikings, the history
of the city is pretty much as
history has written.

The city would soon depopulate and stone taken from the
city walls to repair farmhouses
and wells nearby would give
the city a reputation as being
The City of Ghosts, partly because of the dead warriors and
monks who lay in and near
the city, but also because of It would not see a prominent
the wind howling through the role in British life until the Mergaps in the walls.
cian era.
Despite the Northumbrian victory, the city passed into Mercian hands but would remain
largely unoccupied (save for
a few squatters) until AD907
when it was re-fortified by
Queen thelfld against
Norse incursion (the Norse
had raided Chester in AD893
and had found it abandoned).

Age of Arthur

Realm

A look at some of the gossip, tales, and rumours around Arthurs realm

534

AD

In Camelot

squire from the

house of a Saxon outlaw arrived, rather
timidly, at court and
announced that Sir
Kay had been captured. This is seen as a direct challenge by the knights of the court
and nothing else, as the court regards well the words of Kay in latter
days that he If honour doth reside
in me, would not be ransomed.
The king did inform the squire
to leave in comfort and safety and to bear hence this message to he who sent him.
Tell your master that my knights
do lift themselves from their present labours and seek to escort Sir
Kay from his revelries and adventures in lesser lands.
Once the squire had departed, the
King then bade a company of good
knights to travel to this villains
land and to relieve this Turquine
of his prize and, if God wills it, to
visit upon him the Kings justice.

This past evensong a widow of the

town Mistress Bello, a seamstress

of the Jewish Quarter, was beaten

and robbed near to the City Cross.
It was daylight and she suffered
much indignity and shameful
treatment at the hands of her assailant. The city guard are looking
for a fair haired youth who may be
in the possession of a sum of gold
beyond his natural means. All who
encounter this base fellow are to
send word to the city guard.
Elsewhere In Logres

A strange beast has been seen wan-

dering the hills north of Windsor

and along the banks of the Thames.
Seemingly made of the bloody part
remains of a man which can detach its head and throw it after its
prey, the horrific creature has been
suspected in the disappearance of
3 landed knights. Travellers are
urged to take care on their journey
and to stick to the roads and paths
frequented by honest folk.

A mysterious portent has been

seen in the sky of northern Britain.
In the heavens was seen a great
mane of fire crossing the sky akin
to a red dragon in flight. It is unknown whether this be a portent
which reveals the doom or destiny
of the British people.

dracones britanniae

Whispers Around the

51

dracones britanniae
52

Sailors

in the Solent, who took

shelter in a tempest of seemingly
unnatural qualities, have reported
a most disconcerting sight. They allege that they suffered some small
waves that rocked their boats and
peered overboard to look down
upon the pate of huge blue giant,
some 20 feet down, as he was walking out to sea. Taking the depth of
the sea into account this would
mean the Blue Fathomed Giant
would be at least 50 feet high.
While there was no sight of a crown
or trident, the locals have taken to
believing the giant was Neptune
himself.

Of

late, the land of Hertford has

been doubly unfortunate being
prey to wandering Saxons and a
blight that has stolen the crops of
their health. The people are enfamished and the good people of
happier lands have offered meagre
portions to lessen the trials of the
good folk of Hertford. Earl Gilbert
has been chastised by the King for
not doing more to help his subjects.
Any knight wishing to do duty to
the King and the commonfolk can
offer their men-at-arms to protect
the grain leaving Camelot or can
give alms for poor relief at Hyde
Abbey in Camelot.

Every

week we hear more of the

treacherous and impious Saxon
raiding and razing villages in
the east. While feigning temporary loyalty to Arthur through his
lords, they continue their rampant
destruction of persons, chattel,
and hearth. Are they ever to be

trusted? Only this week 5 children

sought refuge in the keep of good
Duke Derfel of Lindsey. Their family had been murdered and their
farm burned as they hid. Luckily,
they ran from the farm as the Saxons left. The Duke has found them
a home with a childless couple of
Lindum, given them a small sum
for their welfare, and charged his
knights to seek out these foul brigands.
Outside Logres

Rumours

of a cessation to raids
by the Irish seem to be borne out
as King Mark has arranged a marriage for himself with the daughter
of King Anguish of Erin. It is said
that the princess Iseult is one of the
fairest women in the mortal realm
and it has only been Anguishs
wrath that has deterred some from
speculating that her fair visage
comes from consort with the Fae.

Those

knights not in current service or questing are invited to attend the Peningues Tournament
near the City of Legions. Duke Randle offers a wondrously bejewelled
and golden ring as prize goods and
asks that all knights bring their lineage and warrant to the Dukes pavilion in the small town so that he
may properly greet all worthy men.
He has regarded much of the bravery of Sir Mordred and Sir Lancelot
and much desires their company.

The bard Eifor has taken up an of-

fer of employment from Duke Escan of Cambenet as his personal

musician. Duke Escan will be no
doubt popular with his guests.

- Chaucer

Ring Design
By Daniel Neugebauer
Rings are one of the oldest items of
jewellery. The oldest known rings
are 21.000 years old. In Malorys
Le Morte DArthur rings are used
as tokens of love, distress or identification. The design could be very
simple or rather complex with different metals and fine craftsmanship. Whoever finds, inherits or
wins a ring (perhaps in a game
of riddles in the dark), could use
these generator tables to design it
very quickly and with some surprises.
This ring is made of
Just roll a D10 to find out of what
the ring is made of:

1 Wood
2 Iron
3 Bronze
4 Silver
5 Bones
6 Stone
7 Amber
8 Gold
9 Platinum
10 Glass

dracones britanniae

"But all things which that

shineth as the gold,
Ne'er is no gold, as I have
heard it told,"

53

dracones britanniae

1D10 Ornaments
Now the ring gets some ornamentation. Naturally there isnt much
space on a small ring, so you get
only one roll, but you could always
add an inscription on the inner
surface. Roll a D10.
1 True Gem.
Roll a D6: 1 = ruby

2 = emerald

3 = amethyst

4 = sapphire

5 = opal

6 = diamond.
2 Gem.
Roll a D6:

1 = quartz crystal
2 = turquoise
3 = obsidian
4 = tigers-eye
5 = lapis lazuli
6 = malachite.

3 Head of an animal made of

gold. Roll a D6:

1 boar

2 = falcon

3 = snake

4 = unicorn

5 = deer

6 = dragon.

6 Coat of arms.
Roll a D6: 1 = family of the king

2 = noble family

3= knight of the
round table

4 = notable knight

5 = poor knight

6 = extinguished
family line.
7 Religious symbol
Roll a D6:

1 = Christian

2 = roman

3 = pictish

4 Arabian

5 = saxon

6 druidic.
8 Inscription of a motto. Roll
again!
9 Pearl. Roll again:

Even: a white pearl;

Uneven = a black
pearl.
10 The ring is made of two different materials and is very artful.
Roll again on The ring is made
of.
1D10 Characteristics

4 Christian relic.
Roll 1D6: 1 = Ash

2 = drop of blood

3 = hair

4 = splinter of wood

5 = splinter of bone

6 = piece of cloth.

Now its time for something special.

Are there any characteristics on
that ring? Just roll a D10 to find it
out!

5 Inscription of a name. Roll

again!

2 The whole ring is just a cheap

copy.

1 A secret compartment for poison or medicine.

3 The ring is damaged or messy.

54

5 The ring is cursed! Once per

day the knight gets a -5 to a roll of
the gamemasters choice.
6 The ring was stolen in the last
D6 Days!
7 A lady far, far away has a copy
of the ring.
8 The ring could not be stolen. It
must be received as a gift or be won
in a fair fight, otherwise it finds its

way home.
9 The ring is blessed by a holy
person! Once per day the knight
gets a +5 on a roll of his choice by
invoking their deitys name.
10 The ring sends 1D6 strange
dreams in the night. After that, the
effect is gone.
For each night roll a D6:
1 = Bad dreams of dark woods (receive a check on cowardly)
2 = dreams of quiet lands (receive a
check on temperate)
3 = erotic dreams (receive a check
on lustful)
4 = religious dreams (receive a
check on pious)
5 = bad dreams of battles (receive a
check on cruel)
6 = Dreams of King Arthur (receive
a check on just).

dracones britanniae

4 A legend told that this is the

ring of
Roll a D6: 1 = a Christian
martyr

2 = a beautiful Lady

3 = a legendary
warrior

4 = a foreign king

5 = a wise scholar

6 = a Fae magician.

55

Magna draconis arturius rex

56

The

Dragons Hoard
An Adventure
by Weli-Matti Pelkonen
The Premise
The Player Knights Lord has heard
of a dragon guarding a pile of treasure in a cave in the Pennine mountains, near Leeds. He sends the
Knights off to kill the dragon and
claim the treasure for their Lord.
Needless to say, Loyalty 16+ Knights
should be jumping at the opportunity to serve their Lord, especially
since if they pull this off, there is
every expectation of gaining their
Lords (further) favor and rewards.
The Lord provides the Knights with
15 packhorses (sumpters) and 5
grooms on rouncies to look after
the packhorses. This is in addition
to the squires and any other entourage the Player Knights would take
with them.
Trouble along the way
These are some potential ideas
for the GM to throw at the Player
Knights along the way, if they wish

to extend the adventure and stretch

the encounters out.
A Suspicious Lord
Having a bunch of knight with a
caravan of packhorses moving
through ones territory can make
any lord to worry about a potential raid, let alone a suspicious
one. The Player Knights might have
to explain their purpose, and while
stopping them while they are on
the Kings Road is not an option,
the Lord can certainly make his
ill will known by barring them
from his hospitality or even sending knights to shadow the Player
Knights just to make sure that they
are not up to something.
Off the Kings Road, things might
escalate even more, even to violence. Explaining things to the Suspicious Lord might require Courtesy and Trusting vs. Suspicious
rolls. Lying to him would definitely
be a case for a Deceitful roll as
well, and on a failure, the reaction

Bandits
A big caravan like that will attract
attention from bandits as well.
This can range from large bandit
groups (probably at least 4 times
the Player Knights number, possibly led by a robber knight) attacking openly to smaller gangs (1d6
Bandits) trying to sneak in at night
to steal a couple of horses and
scamper (Horsemanship, Hunting to catch them).
Wrong location
Once the Player Knights reach
Leeds, none of the locals seems to
know what dragon they are talking about. Theyd be directed to
Old Neddig, who is a blind old storyteller. Old Neddig doesnt have
much respect for knights, but a successful Folk Lore roll and an ale or
two would get Old Neddig started
with his stories. On a failed Folk
Lore roll, Old Neddig might ask
the Player Knights why he should
help them? Payment is possible,
the size of which would determine
how much information Old Neddig would give (possibly a Generous check, if the Player Knights are
spending anywhere near to 1).
Threatening Old Neddig personally
would make him laugh bitterly and
ask if that makes the intimidating
knight feel brave, to be threatening
an old blind man (Proud check to
take offense, Cruel check if actu-

ally harming the old man). Threatening his granddaughter (a pretty

young lass, making an appearance
after a while to bring Old Neddig
something to eat and drink) would
be more efficient, but certainly not
very chivalrous (Honor penalty
is possible, as are Arbitrary and
Cruel checks).
Old Neddig knows the story of a
white dragon that used to roam
in these parts. Its lair is reputed to
be further north, in the mountains
west of Aldborough. He is able to
give an approximate location. If his
help was gained by Folk Lore or a
generous payment, he would warn
the knights that in the stories the
dragon knows magic, being able to
call shrouds of mist to rise to hide
it from the heroes seeking to slay it.
He also warns them that the dragon thinks naught for lying to the
heroes to get them to lower their
guard. Should he be asked about
the route over the mountains and
he is well-disposed towards the
PKs, he would tell him about the
Giant Huw who lives there (see below).
The Player Knights have a choice of
which route to take from Leeds:
1) Try to go over the mountains
(crosscountry, slow and hard traveling), or
2) Go back on the road and go via
Aldborough (easy riding).
Over the Mountains
This is a very difficult crossing
for horsemen, made all the more

Magna draconis arturius rex

would be bad, potentially causing

the Lord claim that they are liars
and thieves, which can escalate to
duels of Honor.

57

Magna draconis arturius rex

58

so by the fact that a Giant named

Huw lives in these parts. The trip is
about 30 miles of very bad terrain,
so it takes about a week for horsemen to cross it, if their guide rolls
a successful Hunting roll at -5.
Failure means that they are backtracking and take another week
to try and find their way through.
A critical Hunting roll allows the
Knights to avoid the Giant and get
through speedily, while a Fumble
means that they are lost, meet the
Giant and roll at -10 from now on
for all other Hunting rolls.
Each week of travel, each rider has
to roll Horsemanship. A failure
means that at some point, he takes
a fall from the horse, with 1d6 of
damage. A fumble will cause a catastrophic fall, 3d6 damage and a
lamed horse that needs to be put
down or an outright dead one.
Unridden horses roll their DEX
and on a Fumble, they lame themselves. If they are carrying a load
of 150 lbs, they fumble on 19-20,
and if 200 lbs, on 17-20. They are
likely to lose a couple of horses on
these hills, but they are likely to be
cheap sumpters.
Each week of travel, there is a
chance of meeting the Giant, Huw.
This chance is up to the GM, of
course, but a suggestion is to make
it 1-10 on 1d20.
Huw the Giant
(Standard Giant, Glory 250 for defeating him)
SIZ 40, DEX 5, CON 30, Armor: 25,
HP: 70

Club 15 (Damage 15d6)

Thrown Rock 10 (Damage 6d6,
a shield gives an armor bonus to
the defender, not a skill penalty to
the thrower, due to the size of the
rocks, the total armor is halved)
Valorous Modifier: -5 (divided
amongst the knights seeking to engage him)
When encountered, Huw is blocking the road and demanding a
toll. Huw does not like intruders
on his mountains, and he dislikes
knights, many of whom have tried
killing him before. Still, he is not a
total idiot, and if the Player Knights
try to negotiate with him, he would
demand half of their horses as his
price for allowing them to move on
unmolested. If the Player Knights
offer just sumpters, he would
complain that they are trying to
fool him by giving him the smallest horses, how about a couple
of those big ones (warhorses), instead? However, a couple of extra
sumpters would make him happy.
This might cost the Player Knights
most of their packhorse allowance,
or even more...
If the Knights refuse him and prepare for a fight or try to flee, he
would start throwing rocks at
them. At long distance, his aim is
not that good, but there is a lot of
horseflesh there to be hit, +5 to his
skill but the target is determined
randomly. Once the PKs ride closer
to engage him, he has two more
rounds to throw rocks at them.
The knights shields would give +6
to the knights armor rather than

Go via the Road

Theyd encounter a patrol of Malahaut knights (dozen or so) at the
crossing south of Tadcaster. The
Malahaut knights are suspicious
to see a group of knights with so
many empty packhorses, clearly
they are up to something. The Play-

er Knight spokesperson can roll

Courtesy to start with, and can
then come up with some innocuous reason why they are travelling
with so many packhorses (Deceitful vs. Suspicious 16 of the leader
of the Malahaut knights). Failure
in either, or telling the truth, or
having a Round Table Knight or a
Player Knight who is well-known
in Malahaut (let alone notorious)
will mean that they will be firmly
requested, by force of arms if necessary, to visit Eburacum to see the
King of Malahaut.
The King of Malahaut is a suspicious and greedy man, and if he
hears of a dragons treasure for
the taking, he claims that since it
is in Malahaut lands (even if that
is debatable), it belongs to him.
But if the Player Knights help, they
will certainly be richly rewarded.
He also sends some of his knights
and soldiers along (to ensure the
PKs dont try to abscond with the
treasure), as well as wagons for the
treasure. The Malahaut knights are
there mainly to see for the treasures safe arrival to the King, but
can be convinced to help against
the Dragon with good rolling.
If the Player Knights refuse to cooperate with the King of Malahaut (not smart), the King will be
unhappy with them, and will detain them at Eburacum. They are
treated according to their rank as
guests rather than flung into the
dungeons if they have already revealed the location of the dragons
lair. If they have not, they will get to
visit the dungeons of Eburacum until they are willing to be more rea-

Magna draconis arturius rex

-6 to Huws skill, as the rocks are

big and heavy enough that even
a hit on the shield might break
bones rather than just bounce off.
Remember that the total armor
is halved against rocks (Armor of
Honor protects at full +3 value).
If he hits a horse with a rider, roll
1d2 to see whether he hits the man
or the horse. If the horse is killed/
crippled from under a charging
knight, the knight takes 2d6 damage from the high-speed fall (armor doesnt protect). He can be attacked by two horsemen at once,
but he does not suffer any unmounted penalties nor do lances
get that +5 bonus, because of his
size and the length of his arms and
the club. Huws tactics depend on
the GM: he might easily split his
skill at first and then start concentrating on single opponents when
he gets frustrated. His high Damage and Armor values mean that
he is a very dangerous opponent,
and the knights likely need critical
hits to bring him down. If Huw gets
badly wounded (Major Wound,
half hit points), his morale may
shake, and he can try to flee. The
Player Knights have the option of
letting him go at that stage (and
gain Prudent checks). If they follow him, he would fight to the end
like a cornered (Giant) rat.

59

Malahaut escort:
3 knights, 3 mounted sergeants, 10 spearmen, 10 archers, 5 wagons.
Sir Rhun (Glory 5449)
A middle-aged, trusted rich
vassal knight of the King, leading the escort. He wouldnt
take risks.
Statistics: 13/7/12/12/9, DMG:
4d6, UNC: 6, HP: 25
Sword-20, Lance- 17, Horsemanship-16, Loyalty (King of
Malahaut)-16.
Sir Tudfwlch (Glory 2140)
An experienced household
knight. A reasonably gregarious man, he might even befriend the Player Knights if
they act friendly towards him,
and that would incline him
towards helping the Knights
against the Dragon.
Statistics:
18/10/13/15/14,
DMG: 5d6, UNC: 8, HP: 33
Sword-17, Lance-14, Horsemanship-13, Loyalty (King of
Malahaut)-17
Sir Aeddan (Glory 2060)
A young, household knight, a
recent addition. Cold, merciless eyes. Intrigue: Sir Tudfwlch
mentions that Sir Aeddan is
skilled for his age and got his
position by killing a knight
who insulted him in a duel.
He has a bit of a reputation
already for seeking Glory. He
would join the Player Knights
if offered a slice of the reward,
and might even turn against

60

sonable. The King will send some

of his knights after the Dragons
treasure. It is up to the GM whether
they manage to defeat the dragon
or if they fail (number of survivors
also up to the GM). If the attempt
is a failure, the King might attempt
to convince the Player Knights to
help, in return for their freedom,
requiring solemn oaths from them
to defeat the dragon and return
to Eburacum with its treasure.
Should they do this, the King sends
them on their way with the escort
of knights, soldiers and wagons for
the treasure, as above (see sidebar
for stats).
The Cave
The Player Knights no doubt wish
to try and time their arrival to the
morning, in order to have a full
day to do their thing. The cave is
up on a steep mountain side, horses would be likely to break a leg
going up, especially if it is faster
than on a walk. The cave itself has
a tunnel about two men wide, high
enough for people to walk upright.
It inclines downwards slightly. The
knights will have to carry torches
for light.
After maybe 100 paces, the tunnel opens up into a large cavern.
There, maybe another 20 paces
from the tunnel, is a pile of gold
and silver coins, upon which lays
a big, sinuous, winged dragon, its
white scales reflecting the torchlight. There is more gold there
than the Player Knights have ever
seen, or even thought existing in
the whole Britain! A kings ransom
and more!

The dragon welcomes the knights to

its lair (for it is an intelligent dragon, not a mere wyrm). It introduces
itself as Medreth the Many-Colored, and asks the Player Knights for
their names. It is quite willing to
talk with the Knights, claiming to
have been alive when the Romans
came for the first time.
It also claims that the hoard is
cursed, and will bring death and
destruction if stolen. The dragon
will happily lie about anything in
order to convince the Knights to go
away and leave it alone (Deceitful 20), making up stories of other
dragons and their hoards (some of
which might be correct, leading to
other Pennine Wyrm adventures in
the Perilous Forest book). It would
even let the Player Knights to take
a double handful of gold, each
(about 100), if they press enough.
Depending on its perceived chances, it might take an opportunity
to try and attack a Player Knight
who is bending down to pick up
his share of gold (thus without
shield and sword if he is using
both hands), netting the Dragon
a potentially unopposed attack at
+5 (if the Player Knight stated being careful, a DEX roll to evade;
if he had his weapon or shield in
hand, Weapon skill can be used at
-5 for combined action instead). If
the Player Knights are fooled/intimidated by the dragon, Medreth
is quite willing to let them depart...
for now. But do see Nocturnal visit,
below.

The Dragon
Medreth the Many-Colored
It is actually a smaller dragon than
it appears to be (thanks to the illusion magic of the lair), about the
size of a big wyrm. Unlike wyrms,
it doesnt regenerate.
Bite-20, 9d6 damage. Flame
breath-15, 3d6 damage, armor
doesnt protect. (Simultaneous
with the Bite; Shield protects on a
partial success. Can also be used
as the PKs are charging against
one opponent or to split the dice
against multiple opponents, forcing a Valorous roll.
Roll weapon skill to get the shield
armor bonus.) Armor: 20 HP: 100
DEX: 25 (Slippery rascal, will try
to evade and flee when at half hit
points. There is a tunnel leading
further down into an underground
river where the dragon will dive
into and swim to safety. If it manages to flee, it will cause problems
for the Players later on, especially
if it knows who they are.) Valorous -10 (divided by the number of
knights attacking)
Special: Should the Players decide
to attack, the lair of the dragon is
filled with magical mist. Roll the
Player Knights Honest vs. Deceitful 16. On a success, he is able to
see through the magical mist and
is able to attack the dragon; no further rolls are needed. On a partial
success, he cant see the dragon to
attack it, but can fight normally
if the dragon attacks him. On a
failure, he will fight at -5 if he is

attacked. He can continue rolling

each round. The dragon attacks
first those who can see it, of course.
The Hoard
There is around 240,000 silver denarii (weight around 1000 pounds,
worth 1000) in the pile and another 100,000 gold aurei (weight
around 2500 pounds, worth
50,000). The coins are from the
Roman era, mainly late first and
second centuries. Each sumpter
can carry 100lbs easily, 150lbs
OK enough and 200lbs in a pinch
for short distances. If the Player
Knights are planning on returning
across the mountains, they ought
to pack light (100 lbs) or their
horses will suffer penalties. Spare
rouncies manage around +50 lbs
in comparison to sumpters.
If the Malahaut knights are present, they are demanding that the
hoard should be returned to Eburacum so that the rightful owner,
the Centurion King, can divide
it. However, if the Player Knights
think of suggesting it, they would
be happy to let the Player Knights
take the silver and the Malahaut
Knights take the gold. Any 50/50
split is strenuously contested, by
force if need be. The wagons the
Malahaut knights have will easily
transport the loot.
If the Malahaut knights are not
present, but the Player Knights select the road through Aldborough
out of here, they will run into a
Malahaut patrol the next day and
get to explain the loot; a trip to
Eburacum would result, or a fight.

his compatriots if offered a

big chunk of gold. Needless to
say, if this happens, he would
expect to be compensated with
silver once the gold turns to
leaves. And well compensated
(100 at least), at that, given
that he just made himself a
pariah amongst the knights by
turning on his lord. If given the
silver, he would establish himself as a reasonably successful
robber knight with a band of
followers and potentially be an
object of a future adventure. If
he is not given the money, he
will blame the Player Knights
and plot revenge. They now
have a robber knight dedicated
towards raiding their manors
when he gets a chance.
Statistics:
16/10/18/13/9,
DMG: 6d6, UNC: 7, HP: 29
Sword-16, Lance-10, Horsemanship-14, Loyalty (King
of Malahaut)-13, Selfish-16,
Vengeful-16, Cruel-16, Honor-8
The knights equipment would
be average for the campaign
era, except for Rhun who
would have a slightly better
kit, if available. For instance,
in the Romance Era, everyone
might have reinforced chain
and chargers, while Rhun
might have partial plate armor
instead.
Sergeants: Sword-14, 5d6, armor 10+6, [14/10/14/14/10],
HP:
28
Spearmen:
Spear-12, 4d6, armor 4+6,
[11/10/12/13/10], HP: 24
Archers: Bow-14, 3d6, armor
4+6, [11/10/12/13/10], HP: 24

61

Magna draconis arturius rex

62

If they choose to go over the mountains, see the previous description

of that route. Of course, they may
have already slain the Giant and
thus will not meet him again.
Nocturnal visit
If the Player Knights were fooled/intimidated by the Dragon, it makes
an attack in the middle of the night,
wishing to wipe these interlopers
out rather than let them report
to their Lord; after all, that might
lead to more valorous knights being sent next! If Player Knights
have posted guards, Awareness at
-5 would give them a warning, albeit not a long one (no time to put
on armor). Thanks to the darkness
of the night, the Player Knights
would suffer -5/+5 modifier to the
dragons benefit, as the dragon has
much better night vision.
The Dragon would swoop in and
collapse tents in its first attack to
entangle knights (and soldiers, if
any), and then try to kill them one
by one as they struggle out. An advance warning would allow them
to rush out with their shields and
weapons, otherwise they have to
roll DEX each round to get out. It
will take at least a turn of movement for the knights to start converging on the Dragon, once they
are out of the tent. If they were
forewarned and manage to present
a solid front, the Dragon might instead attack their horses; it is a cunning, smart dragon with centuries
of experience at staying alive, and
the GM should play it like that. The
saving grace is that the Dragon is
very much not suicidal. If it seems

that the tide is turning against it or

if it is facing a coordinated attack
from numerous knights (and soldiers), it will prefer to flee and fight
another night! Of course, after this
surprise, the Player Knights are unlikely to sleep soundly again for a
while...
If the Dragon escaped during the
fighting in the cave, it is unlikely
to try attacking the Player Knights.
After all, it is now badly wounded
(half HP or even less?) and the they
have clearly shown themselves to
be capable of hurting it. Revenge is
a dish best served cold, they say...
(see The Aftermath, below).
The Twist
Of course the gold coins were faerie gold, turning to leaves after
a full day out of the cavern has
passed, in the following morning. If the Malahaut knights got
palmed off with the leaves, and
the Player Knights are still present,
they would demand to take the silver to Eburacum, never mind what
has been agreed before. If they
knew where Player Knights went,
they might give chase, knowing
that they will otherwise come off
very poorly when the King wishes
to know where his treasure is.
The Return
If the Player Knights are returning
with a caravan laden with silver,
they will need to be vary careful
with regards to bandits and especially robber knights. The word
would spread quickly, even outracing the Player Knights. As long as

See the previous chapter on Trouble along the road for some ideas.
The Reward
The rewards the Player Knights
gain depends on how they manage the adventure. The rewards are
roughly calculated for 3-5 Player
Knights. For 2 Player Knights, doubling the reward might be in order,
and for 1 Player Knight, tripling it
would not be out of place for such
heroism!
Option A:
The Player Knights return to their
Lord with the full silver amount.
The Lord is very pleased and gives
each of them 50 in silver, or an
enfeoffed manor, whichever each
Player Knight would prefer. If they
fought Malahaut knights to achieve
this, they are declared outlaws by
the King of Malahaut, and should
stay away from that Kingdom if
they know what is good for them.
Option B:
The Player Knights bring the silver to Malahaut, but did defeat
the dragon on their own. The King
of Malahaut claims the hoard for
himself, as the heir of the legions
of Eburacum, whose paychest this
hoard clearly comes from. And after all, his knights helped to secure

it, by safely transporting it to Eburacum. However, he will reward

each Player Knight with 20. He
is not concerned about the Player
Knights Lord, who, in turn, will be
a bit displeased by all of this. Courtesy and Loyalty Lord rolls might
blunt his ire, as well as giving some
of their reward to him. Good rolling would see his ire directed more
towards the King of Malahaut and
not his trusted knights, who have
deserved their reward.
Option C:
The Player Knights bring the silver
to Malahaut, but needed the help
of the Malahaut knights to defeat
the dragon. As such, the King decides to split the reward between
his men and the Player Knights,
and each Player Knight gets only
10. See Option B for the Player
Knights Lords reactions.
The Aftermath
The treasure should have been
good for at least a few hard fights.
Furthermore, if the King of Malahaut got the silver, he might hire
a big group of Mercenaries and
cause some trouble up in the North
by conquering some of those
small, independent Pennine lordships. Even if the dragon is gone,
the cursed treasure will still cause
death and destruction...
If the Dragon is still around, it
might become a recurring villain
for the Player Knights. Certainly,
any damsels of their acquaintance
might be targeted; it is practically a
tradition! Medreth might also raid

Magna draconis arturius rex

they manage to stay on the Kings

Road, the higher nobility would not
dare to upset King Arthur by robbing them, but individual knights
might decide that the loot is worth
it.

63

Magna draconis arturius rex

64

their manors, whether they are

present or not, depending on how
dangerous it feels the task is. Is it
trying to lure a Player Knight out to
duel (which the Dragon is likely to
win), or is it just trying to pester the
knights in order to punish them for
its losses? That is up to the GM.
Sir Aeddan could become a recurring foe for the Player Knights as
well, depending how the situation
was handled with him. See his de-

scription in the afore-mentioned

sidebar. GMs should feel free to let
him get beefed up a bit during a
year or two in order to make him
more equal to the Player Knights, if
necessary. A Hate (PKs) would be a
suitable Passion for him.

Gratitudes & Complimentaries

THE GENEROUS CONTRIBUTORS WHO HAVE MADE THIS ISSUE OF THE

DRAGONS OF BRITAIN POSSIBLE. THEY'VE STEPPED UP. NOW IT'S YOUR TURN.

Lawrence Whitaker
Writer
Contact: designmechanism@gmail.com

Colin Paul Driver

Artist and Cartographer
Contact: colinpdriver@gmail.com
Examples: www.bitbrush.net

Chad Bowser
Writer
Contact: http://www.chadbowser.com/

Daniel Neugebauer
Writer
Contact info is cdanielneugebauer82@gmail.com

Weli-Matti Pelkonen
Writer
Contact info is weli_matti@yahoo.com

65

STYGIAN FOX