Open Threads & Mysteries

Rolling list of unresolved mysteries and active campaign threads. Keep this page broad; use Current Status for “where we are right now.”

Active / high-priority as of end of Session 036

• Loch Lomond fountain visions: Geraint, Millicent, and Asterius entered the Loch Lomond Fountain and are now separated in dream/death spaces. (Source: Session 036 - The Sun-Water of Loch Lomond and the Road to Merlin)
• Crown/Grail at Loch Lomond: the questers reached the lake from Dubricus’ vision, found a supernatural fountain and altar, and suspect the crown may be Grail-like. (Source: Session 036 - The Sun-Water of Loch Lomond and the Road to Merlin)
• Merlin at Exmoor: Drustin learned Merlin can be found at the Standing Stones of Exmoor, but must not be awakened unless the realm depends upon it. (Source: Session 036 - The Sun-Water of Loch Lomond and the Road to Merlin)
• Tintagel siege: Uther remains entangled at Tintagel, while Exeter is empty and movements suggest forces circled back toward Tintagel. (Sources: Session 035 - The Battle of Tintagel and the Brownies of Appleby, Session 036 - The Sun-Water of Loch Lomond and the Road to Merlin)
• Wells closed to Uther’s men: maidens of the lake bar Liam and Drustin from Wells because of Uther allegiance. (Source: Session 036 - The Sun-Water of Loch Lomond and the Road to Merlin)
• Geraint and Asterius need restoration: Geraint remains the Nameless Knight and Asterius remains the Homeless Knight; the Loch Lomond fountain may be part of that restoration. (Sources: Session 032 - Madoc’s Funeral and the Question of Britain’s Crown, Session 036 - The Sun-Water of Loch Lomond and the Road to Merlin)

Open threads / mysteries (in session order)

• (480 / S05) Winchbank dragon egg & the women-in-white thread: what was Lady Niev really doing when she sold/provided the “fairy dragon” egg (via Sir Blaine) that nearly killed people at Winchbank? (Source: Session 005 - The Fairy Dragon and the Ogre’s Return).

• (481 / S06–S09) The wyvern hunt is still open: Merlin’s wyvern quest wasn’t conclusively closed; the local name “Wyvern of Idris” may refer to the same ongoing threat as Wyvern (escaped). (Sources: Session 006 - The Shield of St. Crispin and the Fall of the Wyvern, Session 008 - The Giant King of Deira and the Fairy Road, Session 009 - The Death of Aurelius and the Fall of Bedegraine).

• (482 / S11) Glastonbury tunnels: dverga/smithy presence: the hidden underworld complex suggests something (tracks/smithy/hatchery) beyond the Red Cultists — and these dverga have raven feet. Who else is down there, and what do they want? (Source: Session 011 - The Hag of the Passage and the Lady of the Well).

• (482 / S12) The Dunkerton giant: the giant that slaughtered Caradoc’s conroi—dead, escaped, or still roaming? (Source: Session 012 - The Burning of Dunkerton and the Peace of Summerland).

• (482 / S11–S12) Escaped Red Sorceress: Red Sorceress (Glastonbury) escaped custody by swapping places with Brother Maynard; possible link to Children of Shepton.

• (482 / S12) Children of Shepton: why they appeared with the horses; who “led” them.

• (482 / S11) Liam’s bargain: Lady of the Well + Chest of Rubies (Liam) + future debt.

• (484 / S13) False-flag raids: False-Flag Raiders (Deiran Shields) (fresh overpainted shields; Silchestrian accent).

• (484 / S15) Yellow-and-red shields: Yellow-and-Red Shields (unknown) — who are they and why are they hitting “Saxons”?

• (484 / S15) Women in white: Lady Niev, The Woman in White (Silchester), Unknown name - Woman in White (White Stag).

  • Niev sub-thread: if Niev is one of the “women in white,” does the Winchbank dragon egg incident connect to the wider white-cloaked network? (Source: Session 005 - The Fairy Dragon and the Ogre’s Return).

• (484 / S14) Court intrigue: Lady Rhianneth and the death of Sir Marius of Caerwent.

• (484 / S15) York siege strategy: River drain weakness at River Foss.

• (484 / S15) Black Dog omen: Black Dog of the Moors (Drimant’s warning).

• (484 / S15) Drimant’s allegiance (really): Drimant presents himself as a “neutral chronicler,” yet he:

  • gives omen-level warnings (the Black Dog of the Moors)
  • suggests York’s defenses may be magically strengthened
  • and intervenes directly in the Sherwood ambush (vanishes/reappears behind Ælflaed and knocks her unconscious while chanting)

  Is he neutral only between kings, but protecting a chosen conroi (or Millicent specifically)? Or is he “helping” to steer the party into a larger plan/trap? (Source: Session 015 - The Road to York and the Ambush in Sherwood; see also Drimant).

• (484 / S16) Merlin thread: Merlin was caged by cult activity; Eosa claims a Merlin-like Cymric man suggested taking York.

• (484 / S15) Lincoln under siege: Lincoln threatened by the Angles of Anglia.

• (484 / S16–S17) Wilderspool / Wyrd Pool: what is the underlying power, and what was the sacrifice meant to accomplish? (Sources: Session 016 - The Centurion-King, the Well of Wilderspool, and the Hag of the Dead, Session 017 - The Wyrd Pool of Wilderspool).

• (484 / S18) Serpent Lodge aftermath: the surgeons/serpent-things are slain and the lodge is destroyed, but what was the broader cult network, what became of any survivors, and what consequences follow Ælflaed’s death? (Source: Session 018 - The Serpent Lodge and the Fall of Ælflaed).

• (485–486 / S19) The true well’s bargain + the impostor: what did the Wilderspool true well actually demand/accept, what answered from below, and how did the false Ælflaed manifest in York (and what was it)? (Source: Session 019 - The Well of Bargains and the Demon Princess).

• (485–486 / S19) Political blowback in York: the conroi accepted a pact of friendship with Eosa, then killed the “princess” revenant in his hall—what retaliation or pursuit follows? (Source: Session 019 - The Well of Bargains and the Demon Princess).

• (487 / S20–S21) Otherworld crossing + Guido: What was Guido (guide vs trap vs transformed), and what does his death imply about Lady Wells / the Ladies of the Lake? (Sources: Session 020 - The Road Beneath the World, Session 021 - The Glass City and the Man in Vitriol).

• (487 / S20–S21) Merlin’s fate & the “save him” plan: Merlin is dead in this future (body preserved in vitriol; dissection imminent). How can the conroi intervene—likely by going back before that endpoint? (Sources: Session 020 - The Road Beneath the World, Session 021 - The Glass City and the Man in Vitriol).

• (487 / S23) Parallel Britain and Prince Uther: the conroi has confirmed at least one alternate Britain ruled by Prince Uther, with its own Merlin and true Excalibur; the conroi refused to steal either. (Source: Session 023 - The Dragon Beneath the Mine).

• (487 / S23) Dragon guardian resolved: the Dragon of the Roman Mine was slain, and its death freed the parallel-world Merlin from crystal. (Source: Session 023 - The Dragon Beneath the Mine).

• (487 / S23) Gate-creature fallout: Merlin says killing the Gate-creature (fey) was probably catastrophic; consequences remain unknown. (Source: Session 023 - The Dragon Beneath the Mine).

• (488 / S26) Wildenburg shrine and ancient script: the Wildenburg Pagan Shrine has a bloodied stone table and ancient writing that is neither Latin nor Greek. (Source: Session 026 - The Wolves of Wildenburg).

• (488 / S27) Pomponia’s child: Baroness Pomponia is carrying Assterius’s bastard child; political and dynastic consequences are unknown. (Source: Session 027 - The House of Constantine and the Return to Wells).

• (488 / S28) Sword-swap fallout / White Tower departures: Drustin tells Merlin that Madoc has the false blade and that the runed blade was returned to the lake; Merlin warns Britain has no sword and no king, then leaves the feast before Ygraine, Uther Pendragon, and Sir Madoc. (Source: Session 028 - The Easter Feast at the White Tower).

• (488 / S28) Drustin and Ellen: Drustin nearly approaches Lady Ellen of Winchbank again, but Sir Geraint and Assterius intercept him and lock him in an outhouse before disaster repeats. (Source: Session 028 - The Easter Feast at the White Tower).

• (488–489 / S29) Madoc’s penance and madness: Sir Madoc’s St. Mary Bethlehem scene was with his mother Meredith, but his shame led to penance; by 489 he appears masked, silent, and mad. (Source: Session 029 - Madoc’s Penance, New Manors, and the March).

• (489 / S29) Lambor forest threat: the forest near Lambor Castle contains ogres and Angles; siege may be imminent. (Source: Session 029 - Madoc’s Penance, New Manors, and the March).

• (489 / S29) New vassal manors: the company now holds Yarnbrook, Heywood, Bratton, Edington, and Coulston, with famine and estate responsibilities already pressing. (Source: Session 029 - Madoc’s Penance, New Manors, and the March).

• (489 / S30) Wihtlaeg captured alive: King Wihtlaeg of the Angles is a child king captured alive at Peterborough after Sir Madoc chose mercy. What does his captivity do to Angle politics and the northern war? (Source: Session 030 - The Angel’s Command and the Child King).

• (489 / S30) Madoc’s angelic command: Sir Madoc claimed Archangel Michael commanded him to kill the King of the Angles, but the company captured the child king alive instead; whether the angel intended mercy, capture, or something darker remains unclear. (Source: Session 030 - The Angel’s Command and the Child King).

• (489 / S30) Drustin and Rosalyn: Drustin and Lady Rosalyn begin a courtship after saving refugees from the March. (Source: Session 030 - The Angel’s Command and the Child King).

• (489 / S30) Meredith, daughter of Madoc and Millicent: Millicent and Sir Madoc conceive Meredith, adding a new family and succession thread around Madoc. Advanced in Session 031 when Meredith is born at Lincoln. (Sources: Session 030 - The Angel’s Command and the Child King, Session 031 - The Battle of Lincoln and the Birth of Meredith).

• (490 / S30) Uther–Cornwall reconciliation: Uther and Duke Erof of Cornwall are reconciled by Merlin and march north together; whether this truly settles the Ygraine crisis is unknown. (Source: Session 030 - The Angel’s Command and the Child King).

• (490 / S31) Battle of Lincoln aftermath: Uther and Duke Erof of Cornwall win a joint victory at Lincoln, proving their reconciliation can hold in battle for now; whether it settles the deeper Ygraine crisis remains unknown. (Source: Session 031 - The Battle of Lincoln and the Birth of Meredith).

• (490 / S31) Meredith Battleborn: Meredith is born on the battlefield, battleborn with +2 STR and Alert, and publicly celebrated by Uther as his granddaughter. (Source: Session 031 - The Battle of Lincoln and the Birth of Meredith).

• (490 / S31) Brangolet missing: Brangolet, Millicent’s squire, disappears during the elite Saxon foot-knight encounter at Lincoln. (Source: Session 031 - The Battle of Lincoln and the Birth of Meredith).

• (490 / S31) Lincoln ransom follow-up: The captured enemy commander’s expected £173 ransom and the bodyguard’s £5 ransom remain to be distributed. (Source: Session 031 - The Battle of Lincoln and the Birth of Meredith).

• (490 / S32) Madoc dead and Meredith’s succession thread: Sir Madoc dies from his Lincoln wounds and is buried at Stonehenge, leaving Millicent widowed and Meredith as his infant daughter. What political weight does Uther place on her now? (Source: Session 032 - Madoc’s Funeral and the Question of Britain’s Crown).

• (490 / S32) Crown that could unite Britain: Archbishop Dubricus offers or reveals a quest for the Crown that could unite Britain, potentially tied to restoring Geraint and Asterius after the House of Constantine. (Source: Session 032 - Madoc’s Funeral and the Question of Britain’s Crown).

• (490 / S32) Courtship obstacles: Drustin must become a banneret to pursue Lady Rosalyn, while Liam must court Damsel Diana properly and avoid further damage from the Ygraine/Gorlois misunderstanding. (Source: Session 032 - Madoc’s Funeral and the Question of Britain’s Crown).

• (490 / S33) Exeter ruse and assault: Liam and Drustin discovered Exeter’s town had been deliberately emptied; after Drustin reported that the castle seemed lightly held, Uther ordered an immediate assault. (Source: Session 033 - The Crown Quest, the Siege of Exeter, and the Giant Erge).

• (490 / S33) The fisherman, the crown, and Loch Lomond: Dubricus’ vision sends the questers from Glastonbury toward Loch Lomond, with the “crown” possibly tied to the missing Holy Grail and Joseph of Arimathea’s northern lineage. (Source: Session 033 - The Crown Quest, the Siege of Exeter, and the Giant Erge).

• (490 / S33) Giant Erge and the larger tracks: Giant Erge has attacked Stafford and Carohaise, but the questers discover a second, larger set of giant tracks. (Source: Session 033 - The Crown Quest, the Siege of Exeter, and the Giant Erge).

• (490 / S33) Daughter of Jagent’s dragon prophecy: the Daughter of the Earl of Jagent is locked in a tower because an oracle foretold a dragon would abduct her; Drustin’s dragon shield makes the omen pointed. (Source: Session 033 - The Crown Quest, the Siege of Exeter, and the Giant Erge).

• (490 / S34) Exeter falls but Tintagel rises: Exeter was lightly held and has fallen, but Gorlois and Ygraine were absent; Tintagel is now Uther’s target. (Source: Session 034 - Erge, Exeter, and the Hounds of Hecate).

• (490 / S34) Shrine of Hecate: the northern questers found the Shrine of Hecate, failed part of the maiden’s trial, and survived one of the Hounds of Hecate; the remaining phases and reward are unknown. (Source: Session 034 - Erge, Exeter, and the Hounds of Hecate).

• (490 / S35) Tintagel siege and escape routes: Uther’s army has begun the siege, but the war council worries Gorlois and Ygraine may escape by sea or secret route. (Source: Session 035 - The Battle of Tintagel and the Brownies of Appleby).

• (490 / S35) Appleby, Gore, and Malahaut: Lady Appleby says Gore killed her husband and Malahaut killed her sons; the political danger around Appleby remains active even after the auroch is slain. (Source: Session 035 - The Battle of Tintagel and the Brownies of Appleby).

• (490 / S35) Unicorn of Appleby: Sir Vardilain offers a unicorn horn if the questers kill the strawberry-eating Unicorn of Appleby and let him keep the meat. (Source: Session 035 - The Battle of Tintagel and the Brownies of Appleby).

• (490 / S36) Loch Lomond fountain and black glass dagger: the questers found a bottomless-looking fountain, stained altar, Love-Sun Water, and Black Glass Dagger near Loch Lomond; the site’s purpose remains unclear. (Source: Session 036 - The Sun-Water of Loch Lomond and the Road to Merlin).

• (490 / S36) Wolf in France: both Millicent and Geraint see life-visions ending in France with a wolf making eye contact. (Source: Session 036 - The Sun-Water of Loch Lomond and the Road to Merlin).

• (490 / S36) Merlin sleeping at Exmoor: Merlin can be found at the Standing Stones of Exmoor, but the maidens warn not to wake him unless the realm depends upon it. (Source: Session 036 - The Sun-Water of Loch Lomond and the Road to Merlin).

• (490 / S36) Duchess at Glastonbury: Liam sees the Duchess watching from shadows as he and Drustin leave cagey Glastonbury; her purpose is unknown. (Source: Session 036 - The Sun-Water of Loch Lomond and the Road to Merlin).