In-game year: 482
Player synopsis
Summary
With Uther established as ruler of Logres and preparing a campaign against Summerland, the royal host asserts authority in the south. From Sarum, the companions receive orders: ride to Wells and compel surrounding towns to swear allegiance to Uther—refusal means destruction.
To enforce discipline, their conroi is placed under Knight Commander Sir Kenian, operating as part of his enschild (additional knights/squires plus ~16 men-at-arms). Once separated from the main army, Sir Kenian has full command.
Into the silent forest
As the enschild enters the forest toward Wells, the road narrows to a single-wagon choke point. Drustin scouts ahead on foot while men-at-arms secure the flanks. Beonred (Beon) notices something wrong: the forest is unnaturally silent-no birds, no insects. Sir Kenian reluctantly dons armor and orders increased caution.
The empty town of Wells
The forest opens into a valley by a river: Wells, larger than expected (~1,000 people), is completely deserted. Doors stand open; food sits untouched; it looks like a calm departure rather than a panicked flight. Sir Kenian establishes HQ in the manor while the knights search.
Beonred (Beon) notices small food offerings near thresholds-likely gifts to fairies-and the knights leave them undisturbed. Drustin finds tracks leading into the swamps: the entire population left together with wagons.
The abbot’s warning
Searching the church, Liam finds Abbot of Wells hanging from a chandelier, an apple forced into his mouth. Cut down, the abbot explains: a messenger claiming to act in Uther’s name demanded the town’s boys muster at Sarum and threatened Lady Wells. The villagers killed the messenger and fled into the marshlands; the abbot was left behind as punishment.
Drustin later finds the messenger’s body at a pagan shrine: ritually strangled and bound upright. (See: Unnamed Messenger (Wells).)
Sir Kenian prays over the dead man and struggles with rage, briefly considering burning Wells in retaliation. After consulting the conroi, he chooses restraint and makes camp.
Horses vanish → gateway → Cu‑Sith
By morning, all the food offerings are gone—and so are the horses. Tracks show they wandered into the marsh. The knights follow, leaving most baggage behind. Torchlight flickers near an ancient stone gateway carved into a cliff.
There they face a terrifying faerie beast: an ox‑sized green wolf, a Cu‑Sith (Wells). The wolf attacks Sir Leo; despite wounding it, Sir Leo is mauled to death. Its howl sends fear through the company; Liam is briefly paralyzed before recovering. Drustin falters into melancholy, then rejoins the fight. Beonred (Beon) strikes repeatedly, and the wolf is finally brought down.
Sir Kenian confirms it is a Cu‑Sith—deadly servant of the faerie realm. Despite Sir Kenian’s disapproval, Beonred (Beon) takes the wolf’s teeth as trophies.
The ogre’s cave
Nearby is a cave entrance wide enough for wagons. Inside: a stench of rot and livestock, and an enormous ogre with a massive mace. The narrow tunnel forces Sir Kenian to order a fighting retreat back to the entrance to form a spear line.
Squire Aspara and Lycus join as the ogre presses forward. Beonred (Beon) knocks the mace away by striking the ogre’s wrist; in that instant, Liam drives a spear through the ogre’s eye, killing it. Sir Kenian is visibly proud of the knights’ performance.
The hidden passage (toward Glastonbury)
In the cavern, Lycus finds a concealed passage leading south-toward the marshlands around Glastonbury. Scholars speak of the nearby Tor of Glastonbury (Ynys Wydrin), a hill pagans call a gateway to the shadow world; Christian tradition connects Glastonbury with Joseph of Arimathea and the Holy Grail.
The companions realize their oath-compelling mission has carried them into a region where war, faith, and the supernatural intertwine.
Timeline entries to add
- (482) - Ordered to compel oaths at Wells; the town is found empty and the abbot reveals a forced-muster demand sparked flight into the marsh. (Source: Session 010 - The Silent Town of Wells and the Ogre of the Marsh)
- (482) - Horses vanish; the enschild fights and kills a Cu-Sith, then slays an ogre in its cave. (Source: Session 010 - The Silent Town of Wells and the Ogre of the Marsh)
- (482) - A hidden passage points south toward Glastonbury and Ynys Wydrin (Tor), hinting at a strategic supernatural “gate.” (Source: Session 010 - The Silent Town of Wells and the Ogre of the Marsh)
Next: Session 011 - The Hag of the Passage and the Lady of the Well