Edit: Sorry so rough; it really needs a decent edit. Maybe when I get some time 
A light snow was falling over Caer Hurbury and provided a gentle frosting to the carnage. Hibernian and Albionian bodies lay strewn across the courtyard where they had fallen during the furious struggle. The heavy oaken doors to the keep were lying on the ground next to the doorway, splintered and cracked and still smoldering from the eldritch and primal assault they had sustained. The wreckage of a battering ram, which still bore the yellow and green markings of the Gold and Ale Warband, sat on the stoop to the inner door. The final door to the inner Keep and the Lord of Snowdonia beyond was in tatters. Chunks of wood and metal had been gouged out of it by the invaders. It appeared to Tamlan that it would not be able to sustain even a stiff breeze without repair. But the door had held the invaders back. The Lord of Snowdonia was safe, and with him, control of the surrounding lands would stay in Albionian hands.
Three days before, while the pride of the Albionian army was skirmishing in the Hibernian land of Emain Macha, the Golden and Ale clan had silently slipped into Albion to cause trouble. The scout posts near Hadrian's Wall were unmanned and so no warning about the incursion was raised. Quickly and deliberately, the Invaders had surrounded and sacked Caer Benowyc. The news of the invasion arrived at Constantine's court concurrently with the news of the fall of Benowyc. Constantine appointed Tamlan, the leader of his Hospitallers, to lead the defense of the frontiers. Despite not being an established leader, she gathered the available members of her Order and headed out to meet the enemy. She took with her Maen, the powerful Theurgist, and Mimr, her closest friend and seasoned Minstrel. She arrived at Caer Erasleigh coincidentally with the Golden Ale clan, but she underestimated the size of the horde. She barely managed to escape as Erasleigh fell to the invaders. Next, she took her band to Caer Boldiam, which was also the seat of the Hospitaller order. The Invaders, however, had decided on easier pickings and had moved on to Caer Berkstead. While Talman's scouts searched in vain for the location of the enemy, Berk was sieged and overwhelmed.
Realizing that she faced a determined and sizeable foe, Tamlan beseeched Constantine for more men to fight the invaders. Unfortunately for her, the eyes of the Crown were still on Emain Macha, and so no reinforcements were sent. Tamlan joined her scouts in the field and was nearly killed when the Invaders moved from Berk to Caer Renaris. After her narrow escape, she returned to Boldiam and repeated her call-to-arms. Once the Invaders raised the Hibernian standard over Renaris, they moved toward Boldiam, ambushing and killing many caravans carrying precious supplies to the isolated Keep, which further weakened its strength. After nightfall, the Invaders attacked. Tamlan, her companions, and retainers of the Hospitallers put up a spirited defense, but the outcome was decided, not by force of arms in the field, but the resolve of Constantine not to reinforce the frontier Keeps. Within a few short hours, Boldiam was in flames, and Tamlan was on the run again, this time headed for Caer Hurbury.
With her spirits flagging, she dismissed her companions and prepared for a final personal stand at Hurbury. The Invaders drew close to Snowdonia and sacked the last remaining Keep in the Pennines, Caer Sursbrooke. The stage was set for the last battle. In her final preparations, she penned desperate appeals for aid from anyone who would listen, bypassing Constantine and addressing company commanders and even individual soldiers. The line had been drawn at Caer Hurbury and she would either hold the Keep and prevent the Invaders from completing their conquest of the Albion frontier or die trying. She didn't wait long. The Invaders entered Snowdonia and drew nigh to Hurbury, engaging and overwhelming the outer pickets. Tamlan was alone in Hurbury. No aid had come, and none was promised. Her heart sank.
It was at that moment when she was resigned to her fate, and the fate of those who lived in Snowdonia, and maybe even the Black Mountains beyond that she came across the sleeping form of Menwyn. The mysterious mage had been snoring gently in an overstuffed chair in the Lord's very own chamber. He had awoken with a start as the hammer-like booms of the ram on the main gate echoed through the Keep.
"Hello, Tamlan! I was just napping! Goodness! Are we under attack? Can I see?"
She had to restrain him from poking his head out the window to get a better look. Having Menwyn around is a bit of a good news, bad news affair: he was a powerful wizard and had been known to cook kobolds with his fire magic, but he was also completely unpredictable. He had once paid her for crafting a lime green cloth for him with a detached spider leg and a goblin's tooth. But with Menwyn on her side, she finally received word that help was coming. Soldiers, mages, and rogues had heard her call and were on their way if they could only hold out a little while longer.
To buy time, she built and sabotaged a siege ram on the platform on the inner door. Hopefully, it would buy a few precious minutes that they needed. She also threw herself out the door and called down a stunning flash of light that dazzled and stunned the Invaders that were hacking away at the door. It didn't do much, but it was all she could do. Once the outer door fell, she retreated to the inner Keep and watched as the door slowly but steadily cracked and fractured under the weight of blows. And then she heard them, the sound of Albionian horns. Faint at first, but growing in intensity. Albion had finally arrived! The fighting was fierce. Albionians were fighting for their homes, for their friends, for their homes and villages. It gave them a zeal that the Invaders could not hope to match here, so far from home. As the dawn broke over the Keep, the flag of Albion still hung from the parapets.
Tamlan looked up from the makeshift campfire at her companion, the mysterious wizard Menwyn, though he was known by many names in other lands. He was sitting on his hands and gazing into the dancing flames, seemingly oblivious that he was being observed. Tamlan considered her words carefully.
"I was fortunate that you were at Hurbury. How did you get here so quickly and so... unnoticed?"
Menwyn acted as though he hadn't heard the question.
"Did you see me kill that Firbolg on the stairs? He was huge! I wonder what they eat that makes them so big." his gaze drifting off into the distance.
Tamlan smiled. Good old Menwyn. Whatever cosmic forces had brought him here on this day, he had helped to save Albion, and she was in his debt. She opened her map of the Pennine mountains and spread it on her lap. As flakes landed gently on the stretched leather, she looked up purposefully at Menwyn.
"We have a lot of work to do."
For Phoenix! For Arthur! For Albion!
A light snow was falling over Caer Hurbury and provided a gentle frosting to the carnage. Hibernian and Albionian bodies lay strewn across the courtyard where they had fallen during the furious struggle. The heavy oaken doors to the keep were lying on the ground next to the doorway, splintered and cracked and still smoldering from the eldritch and primal assault they had sustained. The wreckage of a battering ram, which still bore the yellow and green markings of the Gold and Ale Warband, sat on the stoop to the inner door. The final door to the inner Keep and the Lord of Snowdonia beyond was in tatters. Chunks of wood and metal had been gouged out of it by the invaders. It appeared to Tamlan that it would not be able to sustain even a stiff breeze without repair. But the door had held the invaders back. The Lord of Snowdonia was safe, and with him, control of the surrounding lands would stay in Albionian hands.
Three days before, while the pride of the Albionian army was skirmishing in the Hibernian land of Emain Macha, the Golden and Ale clan had silently slipped into Albion to cause trouble. The scout posts near Hadrian's Wall were unmanned and so no warning about the incursion was raised. Quickly and deliberately, the Invaders had surrounded and sacked Caer Benowyc. The news of the invasion arrived at Constantine's court concurrently with the news of the fall of Benowyc. Constantine appointed Tamlan, the leader of his Hospitallers, to lead the defense of the frontiers. Despite not being an established leader, she gathered the available members of her Order and headed out to meet the enemy. She took with her Maen, the powerful Theurgist, and Mimr, her closest friend and seasoned Minstrel. She arrived at Caer Erasleigh coincidentally with the Golden Ale clan, but she underestimated the size of the horde. She barely managed to escape as Erasleigh fell to the invaders. Next, she took her band to Caer Boldiam, which was also the seat of the Hospitaller order. The Invaders, however, had decided on easier pickings and had moved on to Caer Berkstead. While Talman's scouts searched in vain for the location of the enemy, Berk was sieged and overwhelmed.
Realizing that she faced a determined and sizeable foe, Tamlan beseeched Constantine for more men to fight the invaders. Unfortunately for her, the eyes of the Crown were still on Emain Macha, and so no reinforcements were sent. Tamlan joined her scouts in the field and was nearly killed when the Invaders moved from Berk to Caer Renaris. After her narrow escape, she returned to Boldiam and repeated her call-to-arms. Once the Invaders raised the Hibernian standard over Renaris, they moved toward Boldiam, ambushing and killing many caravans carrying precious supplies to the isolated Keep, which further weakened its strength. After nightfall, the Invaders attacked. Tamlan, her companions, and retainers of the Hospitallers put up a spirited defense, but the outcome was decided, not by force of arms in the field, but the resolve of Constantine not to reinforce the frontier Keeps. Within a few short hours, Boldiam was in flames, and Tamlan was on the run again, this time headed for Caer Hurbury.
With her spirits flagging, she dismissed her companions and prepared for a final personal stand at Hurbury. The Invaders drew close to Snowdonia and sacked the last remaining Keep in the Pennines, Caer Sursbrooke. The stage was set for the last battle. In her final preparations, she penned desperate appeals for aid from anyone who would listen, bypassing Constantine and addressing company commanders and even individual soldiers. The line had been drawn at Caer Hurbury and she would either hold the Keep and prevent the Invaders from completing their conquest of the Albion frontier or die trying. She didn't wait long. The Invaders entered Snowdonia and drew nigh to Hurbury, engaging and overwhelming the outer pickets. Tamlan was alone in Hurbury. No aid had come, and none was promised. Her heart sank.
It was at that moment when she was resigned to her fate, and the fate of those who lived in Snowdonia, and maybe even the Black Mountains beyond that she came across the sleeping form of Menwyn. The mysterious mage had been snoring gently in an overstuffed chair in the Lord's very own chamber. He had awoken with a start as the hammer-like booms of the ram on the main gate echoed through the Keep.
"Hello, Tamlan! I was just napping! Goodness! Are we under attack? Can I see?"
She had to restrain him from poking his head out the window to get a better look. Having Menwyn around is a bit of a good news, bad news affair: he was a powerful wizard and had been known to cook kobolds with his fire magic, but he was also completely unpredictable. He had once paid her for crafting a lime green cloth for him with a detached spider leg and a goblin's tooth. But with Menwyn on her side, she finally received word that help was coming. Soldiers, mages, and rogues had heard her call and were on their way if they could only hold out a little while longer.
To buy time, she built and sabotaged a siege ram on the platform on the inner door. Hopefully, it would buy a few precious minutes that they needed. She also threw herself out the door and called down a stunning flash of light that dazzled and stunned the Invaders that were hacking away at the door. It didn't do much, but it was all she could do. Once the outer door fell, she retreated to the inner Keep and watched as the door slowly but steadily cracked and fractured under the weight of blows. And then she heard them, the sound of Albionian horns. Faint at first, but growing in intensity. Albion had finally arrived! The fighting was fierce. Albionians were fighting for their homes, for their friends, for their homes and villages. It gave them a zeal that the Invaders could not hope to match here, so far from home. As the dawn broke over the Keep, the flag of Albion still hung from the parapets.
Tamlan looked up from the makeshift campfire at her companion, the mysterious wizard Menwyn, though he was known by many names in other lands. He was sitting on his hands and gazing into the dancing flames, seemingly oblivious that he was being observed. Tamlan considered her words carefully.
"I was fortunate that you were at Hurbury. How did you get here so quickly and so... unnoticed?"
Menwyn acted as though he hadn't heard the question.
"Did you see me kill that Firbolg on the stairs? He was huge! I wonder what they eat that makes them so big." his gaze drifting off into the distance.
Tamlan smiled. Good old Menwyn. Whatever cosmic forces had brought him here on this day, he had helped to save Albion, and she was in his debt. She opened her map of the Pennine mountains and spread it on her lap. As flakes landed gently on the stretched leather, she looked up purposefully at Menwyn.
"We have a lot of work to do."
For Phoenix! For Arthur! For Albion!