It was just an ordinary night in Ye Mug in Camelot. Mimr the minstrel had been entertaining the patrons with song and story for hours, pausing occasionally to whet his whistle with some of the finer ales that the establishment had to offer. He had just finished a particularly rowdy ballad about a Mysterious Lurikeen with a penchant for terrorizing local craftsmen: a popular folktale in Camelot. As the din died away, a young armswoman dressed in the red and blue garb of the city watch, and who had been making eyes at him all evening, called out.
"Tell us a story! A true story!"
Mimr smiled as he placed his emptied mug on the table and picked up his lute. Voices fell silent as his nimble fingers gently strumming the strings and coaxed out a low, slow melody.
'I will regale ye with a tale of bravery and sacrifice. A tale of a Fellowship that saved the very scabbard of Excalibur from being carried off captive to Hibernia! There may be a bit of romance therein, as well", he winked at the woman who blushed visibly.
"In the Dark Age, before liveness came to Camelot, the Hibernians had laid their covetous eyes on the jewels of the realms, the relics of strength and power.
Facing no opposition from the fractured and disorganized realms of Albion and Midgard, the Hibernians had seized these fables objects and carried them into captivity. All save one, the Scabbard of Excaliber. The scabbard lay enshrined and protected in the Castle that bore its name, in the heart of the Forest Sauvage."
His voice raised slightly and the pace of the intonations increased,
"One day, the Hibernians came a'calling, their greedy eyes set on claiming this final prize. Our brave warriors were busy fighting in faraway Emain Macha, and thus distracted, there was no one to opposed them and their evil machinations. No one except for Albions' brave Hospitallers."
Mimr nodded towards his shield which bore the emblem of the fabled Order.
"The Hospitallers were out defending the realm when the invaders first came to Albion, and they hastily threw themselves against the vile Hibernians. Mighty though the Hospitallers were, the Invaders were more numerous and more puissant in arms than Talman's small band. One by one, our Keeps were surrounded and taken by the Invaders, and the Hospitallers could do little to stem the advance. As soon as Caer Renaris fell, the Invaders made their move and drew unto Excaliber to begin their siege. But the alarm was raised and some Albionians responded. The Hospitallers and those brave defenders dug in and prepared for a sore battle."
"Tamlan herself, running out from Castle Sauvage was waylaid by a Midgardian Dwarf on her way to join the battle. Alone, she surely would have been killed had the Dwarf Warlord not recognized her insignia and showed mercy. With a wave and the furl of his cloak, he disappeared and allowed Tamlan to reach Excalibur, bruised but alive."
"At Excalibur, the battle was joined and raged for hours. The Albionian defenders were unable to dislodge the enemy from the gates, and the Invaders were unable to press into the reliquary while it was being defended. For a while, it looked like the Hibernians could be denied their prize. But the crafty Hibernians soon changed their tactic."
The tune turned more menacing and low.
"The Invaders withdrew, but it was a feint. They made their way to Caer Boldiam, the home of the Hospitallers. They reasoned that Tamlan would not let Boldiam fall without challenge. It was a sore choice: stay and defend the Scabbard, and doom their home to deprivation at the hands of the Hibernians, or move to Boldiam and attempt a defense, but leaving Excalibur open for attack. The choice was agony. Tamlan looked at her companions and weighed the choice. Finally, she gave the order: move to defend Boldiam. Her love of home overcoming, but only just, her desire to stay and protect the Excaliber."
"In moving to Boldiam, she was playing right into the Invaders' hands. Despite strong fortifications and well-equipped retainers, they could only delay, but not prevent the fall of Boldiam. Further, once Boldiam fell, the spirits of the Hospitallers and those few remaining defenders at Excaliber fell also. Many of Tamlans companions were called away and the defenders' strength and numbers dwindled. Flush with victory, the Invaders returned to Excaliber and continued their sanguine work."
Mimr paused the story, though the melody continued. He noted many eyes in the crowd glistening with tears as he finally continued.
"Tamlan and Menwyn the Magician stood alone at Castle Excaliber. Before long some additional help from the Defenders of Albion arrived, but it could not stop the Invaders from breaking down the doors one by one. At the climax of the battle, only Tamlan, Menwyn, a stalwart Scout and a brave Friar held the entryway to the Reliquary."
A mercenary bearing the emblem of the Defenders of Albion on his tunic cheered loudly at the mention and hoisted his mug into the air. He was promptly shushed by those around him as they turned back towards Mimr so he could complete the tale.
"Not once, but twice the Invaders came. Each time, they battered the doors down, and each time Tamlan repaired them and destroyed their siege engines. Menwyns magic roasted and blasted; The scout peppered the oncoming Hibernians with accurate, stinging arrows; The friar's staff cracked both limb and skull of any Hibernian that chanced entry; Tamlan called down the healing power of God on the injured and dying. The outcome of the battle balanced on the knife's edge."
Everyone in the pub was held in rapt silence and hung on Mimr's every word.
"And then, the scales of fate swung in Albion's favor. Reinforcements from Sauvage arrived and rushed into the fray. Menwyn's magic incinerated the Druid who was supporting the Invaders push, and their line crumbled for the final time," the melody turning into a triumphant dirge.
"Excalibur was saved and the Scabbard secure. A great victory had been eked out by a small band against great odds. For some, it had been just another night in the realm, but for those who were there, those who stood should-to-shoulder with those heroes, who bled and died holding the Invaders back, it was nothing short of a miracle."
Mimr looked down and blinked away a tear as if reliving the moment. There was a long pause as the music faded. No one made a sound; all were lost in thought at the story they had heard.
"You said there was romance?", the armswoman finally broken the silence and asked haltingly.
"Aye, lass, the romance comes after the story," he winked slyly at her again as the serving wench laid a fresh mug in front of him.
It was, after all, just an ordinary night in Ye Mug.
"Tell us a story! A true story!"
Mimr smiled as he placed his emptied mug on the table and picked up his lute. Voices fell silent as his nimble fingers gently strumming the strings and coaxed out a low, slow melody.
'I will regale ye with a tale of bravery and sacrifice. A tale of a Fellowship that saved the very scabbard of Excalibur from being carried off captive to Hibernia! There may be a bit of romance therein, as well", he winked at the woman who blushed visibly.
"In the Dark Age, before liveness came to Camelot, the Hibernians had laid their covetous eyes on the jewels of the realms, the relics of strength and power.
Facing no opposition from the fractured and disorganized realms of Albion and Midgard, the Hibernians had seized these fables objects and carried them into captivity. All save one, the Scabbard of Excaliber. The scabbard lay enshrined and protected in the Castle that bore its name, in the heart of the Forest Sauvage."
His voice raised slightly and the pace of the intonations increased,
"One day, the Hibernians came a'calling, their greedy eyes set on claiming this final prize. Our brave warriors were busy fighting in faraway Emain Macha, and thus distracted, there was no one to opposed them and their evil machinations. No one except for Albions' brave Hospitallers."
Mimr nodded towards his shield which bore the emblem of the fabled Order.
"The Hospitallers were out defending the realm when the invaders first came to Albion, and they hastily threw themselves against the vile Hibernians. Mighty though the Hospitallers were, the Invaders were more numerous and more puissant in arms than Talman's small band. One by one, our Keeps were surrounded and taken by the Invaders, and the Hospitallers could do little to stem the advance. As soon as Caer Renaris fell, the Invaders made their move and drew unto Excaliber to begin their siege. But the alarm was raised and some Albionians responded. The Hospitallers and those brave defenders dug in and prepared for a sore battle."
"Tamlan herself, running out from Castle Sauvage was waylaid by a Midgardian Dwarf on her way to join the battle. Alone, she surely would have been killed had the Dwarf Warlord not recognized her insignia and showed mercy. With a wave and the furl of his cloak, he disappeared and allowed Tamlan to reach Excalibur, bruised but alive."
"At Excalibur, the battle was joined and raged for hours. The Albionian defenders were unable to dislodge the enemy from the gates, and the Invaders were unable to press into the reliquary while it was being defended. For a while, it looked like the Hibernians could be denied their prize. But the crafty Hibernians soon changed their tactic."
The tune turned more menacing and low.
"The Invaders withdrew, but it was a feint. They made their way to Caer Boldiam, the home of the Hospitallers. They reasoned that Tamlan would not let Boldiam fall without challenge. It was a sore choice: stay and defend the Scabbard, and doom their home to deprivation at the hands of the Hibernians, or move to Boldiam and attempt a defense, but leaving Excalibur open for attack. The choice was agony. Tamlan looked at her companions and weighed the choice. Finally, she gave the order: move to defend Boldiam. Her love of home overcoming, but only just, her desire to stay and protect the Excaliber."
"In moving to Boldiam, she was playing right into the Invaders' hands. Despite strong fortifications and well-equipped retainers, they could only delay, but not prevent the fall of Boldiam. Further, once Boldiam fell, the spirits of the Hospitallers and those few remaining defenders at Excaliber fell also. Many of Tamlans companions were called away and the defenders' strength and numbers dwindled. Flush with victory, the Invaders returned to Excaliber and continued their sanguine work."
Mimr paused the story, though the melody continued. He noted many eyes in the crowd glistening with tears as he finally continued.
"Tamlan and Menwyn the Magician stood alone at Castle Excaliber. Before long some additional help from the Defenders of Albion arrived, but it could not stop the Invaders from breaking down the doors one by one. At the climax of the battle, only Tamlan, Menwyn, a stalwart Scout and a brave Friar held the entryway to the Reliquary."
A mercenary bearing the emblem of the Defenders of Albion on his tunic cheered loudly at the mention and hoisted his mug into the air. He was promptly shushed by those around him as they turned back towards Mimr so he could complete the tale.
"Not once, but twice the Invaders came. Each time, they battered the doors down, and each time Tamlan repaired them and destroyed their siege engines. Menwyns magic roasted and blasted; The scout peppered the oncoming Hibernians with accurate, stinging arrows; The friar's staff cracked both limb and skull of any Hibernian that chanced entry; Tamlan called down the healing power of God on the injured and dying. The outcome of the battle balanced on the knife's edge."
Everyone in the pub was held in rapt silence and hung on Mimr's every word.
"And then, the scales of fate swung in Albion's favor. Reinforcements from Sauvage arrived and rushed into the fray. Menwyn's magic incinerated the Druid who was supporting the Invaders push, and their line crumbled for the final time," the melody turning into a triumphant dirge.
"Excalibur was saved and the Scabbard secure. A great victory had been eked out by a small band against great odds. For some, it had been just another night in the realm, but for those who were there, those who stood should-to-shoulder with those heroes, who bled and died holding the Invaders back, it was nothing short of a miracle."
Mimr looked down and blinked away a tear as if reliving the moment. There was a long pause as the music faded. No one made a sound; all were lost in thought at the story they had heard.
"You said there was romance?", the armswoman finally broken the silence and asked haltingly.
"Aye, lass, the romance comes after the story," he winked slyly at her again as the serving wench laid a fresh mug in front of him.
It was, after all, just an ordinary night in Ye Mug.
