Session 032 - Madoc’s Funeral and the Question of Britain’s Crown

In-game year: 490

Summary

After the victory at Lincoln and the battlefield birth of Meredith, court gathered for a feast heavy with gossip, grief, and dangerous politics. Duchess Ygraine drew fascination and slander: some called her a peasant beauty raised by Gorlois, while others insisted she came from ancient noble blood, perhaps descended from the Queen of the Land Under the Waves. The same uneasy court that celebrated victory also watched the wounds of the House of Constantine linger: Geraint remained the Nameless Knight, and Asterius bore the burden of being “the Homeless.”

Madoc’s own wounds worsened during the journey south. At Ansty he was unwell; at Kineton his left leg was amputated; at Corinium his left arm followed; and at Bath he finally died. He was buried at Stonehenge beside his uncle, likely Aurelius. At the funeral feast in Sarum, hosted by Ellen, Millicent convinced the court of her sincere grief, while the conroi’s courtships and curses became fresh business for the living.

The feast ended under a cloud. Uther, disturbed but not broken by Madoc’s death, turned his hopes toward producing another heir and made his desire for Ygraine dangerously obvious. A misunderstanding involving Liam, Damsel Diana, Ygraine, and Gorlois nearly ruptured hospitality at Madoc’s own funeral before the conroi defused it. The company now faces a choice: follow Uther toward conflict with Cornwall, or take up Dubricus’ sacred quest for the Crown that could unite Britain.

Scene/Beat Log

• Victory feast after Lincoln: Court gathers after the Saxon defeat and Meredith’s battlefield birth; gossip about Ygraine’s origins and beauty spreads through the hall.
• Court assembled: The feast includes Rachel of Caer Bannog, Lady Triamors, Lady Rhianneth, Lady Llyla, Lady Rosalyn, Ygraine, Suadrix of Brittany, Lady Eadburh of the Vale, Brother Maynard, Sir Leodegrance, Sir Ector, Sir Corton, Archbishop Dubricus, and leading nobles including Uther, Gorlois, Duke Edaris of the March, Duke Ulfius, Roderick, and King Brodin.
• War news: Duke Ulfius reports the northern Saxons have been defeated, but Aescwine has consolidated power over the eastern Saxon tribes.
• House of Constantine fallout: Geraint is still not recognized; Asterius remains marked by his bargain. Dubricus compares Asterius’ condition to Job and says questioning the truth of the test is part of failing it.
• Madoc declines: The company travels south with Madoc. At Ansty he is unwell; at Kineton his left leg is cut off; at Corinium his left arm is cut off; at Bath he dies of his wounds.
• Burial at Stonehenge: Madoc is buried at Stonehenge beside his uncle, likely Aurelius.
• Funeral feast at Sarum: Ellen hosts the funeral feast with many of the same nobles, joined by Damsel Diana, Squire Aspara, Drimant, Lady Wulfrun, and Lady Elavane.
• Funeral toasts: The conroi offers toasts with mixed tact; Millicent persuades the court that her grief is sincere.
• Drustin and Rosalyn: Drustin tells Rosalyn a fairy tale; she admires his stubbornness and simple ways, but says he needs her father’s permission.
• Edaris’ condition: Drustin asks Duke Edaris for Rosalyn’s hand. Edaris refuses to marry his daughter to a commoner, but says he will consider Drustin if he becomes a banneret before Rosalyn finds another courtship.
• Liam and Diana: Liam jumps too quickly toward marriage with Damsel Diana. She reminds him to seek her father’s permission to court her first; Roderick has no objection but warns Uther may object because Diana is a foreign lord’s daughter.
• Geraint seeks restoration: Geraint appeals to Roderick, who cannot recognize him but senses he seems a good knight and advises him to seek Dubricus.
• Dubricus’ answer: Geraint asks Dubricus how to remove his sins and anonymity and asks for similar help for Asterius. Dubricus says a quest will be needed and promises to pray on it by morning.
• Side conversations: Millicent and Brother Maynard bond over first aid; Asterius flirts with Aspara over riding clothes; Liam is accidentally praised for modesty; Millicent asks Drimant about timelines and receives bardic banana wisdom.
• Uther’s speech: Uther speaks ostensibly about the southern Saxons, but the subtext is plainly his desire for Ygraine. Gorlois initially misses the danger.
• The Ygraine misunderstanding: Liam tries to discuss Diana while Uther is fixated on Ygraine. Ygraine and Uther misread Liam as intruding into the triangle, and Gorlois finally notices.
• Hospitality nearly breaks: Asterius and Liam fail to defuse the moment. Millicent invokes the funeral and their knightly duties; Drustin recites hospitality; Liam apologizes to Ygraine; Asterius urges focus on the Saxons.
• Geraint defuses the room: The Nameless Knight convinces everyone there is nothing to gain by fighting here. Gorlois and Ygraine leave hastily.
• Choice before the conroi: The company must decide whether to follow Uther toward Cornwall or pursue Dubricus’ quest for the crown that could unite Britain.

Characters (appeared / impacted)

• Sir Madoc — Dies of his Lincoln wounds after successive amputations; buried at Stonehenge beside his uncle, likely Aurelius.
• Millicent — Widowed by Madoc’s death; publicly convinces the court of sincere grief; remains mother of Meredith and tied to the royal succession.
• Meredith — Now fatherless after Madoc’s death, deepening her political significance as Uther’s granddaughter.
• Uther — Grieves Madoc but focuses on producing another heir; his desire for Ygraine becomes dangerously obvious at court.
• Ygraine — Subject of court gossip and Uther’s obsession; leaves the funeral feast with Gorlois after the scandal escalates.
• Duke Erof of Cornwall — Also called Gorlois; finally notices the impropriety around Uther/Ygraine and leaves in anger with Ygraine.
• Geraint — Still the Nameless Knight; seeks Dubricus’ help for a quest to restore his identity and remove sin.
• Asterius — Dubricus frames his Homeless condition as a Job-like test; flirts with Aspara.
• Drustin — Advances his courtship with Rosalyn, but must become a banneret before Edaris will consider the match.
• Lady Rosalyn — Shows interest in Drustin while deferring to her father’s permission.
• Liam — Mishandles courtship procedure with Damsel Diana and becomes entangled in the Ygraine/Gorlois misunderstanding.
• Damsel Diana — Corrects Liam’s premature proposal and remains a courtship thread.
• Archbishop Dubricus — Advises that Geraint’s anonymity and Asterius’ condition require a quest; will pray and answer in the morning.

Loot / Rewards / Glory / Notable Rolls

• Millicent successfully convinces the court of her sincere grief for Madoc.
• Drustin gains a conditional path toward Rosalyn: become a banneret before she accepts another courtship.
• Liam receives Roderick’s leave to court Diana, with the warning that Uther may object.
• Asterius gains flirtation progress with Aspara over practical riding clothes.

Consequences & New Facts

• Madoc is dead and buried at Stonehenge.
• Meredith is now Uther’s living granddaughter and Madoc’s posthumous heir-thread.
• Uther’s succession pressure has worsened; his desire for Ygraine is now openly destabilizing.
• Uther and Gorlois’ reconciliation is badly strained again.
• Geraint and Asterius have a potential sacred quest for restoration.
• The conroi must choose between Uther’s Cornwall path and Dubricus’ crown quest.
• Aescwine has consolidated power over the eastern Saxon tribes.

Timeline entries to add

• (490) — After the Battle of Lincoln, Sir Madoc’s wounds worsen during the journey south: at Ansty he is unwell, at Kineton his left leg is amputated, at Corinium his left arm is amputated, and at Bath he dies. (Source: Session 032 - Madoc’s Funeral and the Question of Britain’s Crown)
• (490) — Madoc is buried at Stonehenge beside his uncle, likely Aurelius, and Ellen hosts his funeral feast at Sarum. (Source: Session 032 - Madoc’s Funeral and the Question of Britain’s Crown)
• (490) — At Madoc’s funeral feast, Uther’s desire for Ygraine becomes dangerously obvious, rupturing his fragile reconciliation with Gorlois. (Source: Session 032 - Madoc’s Funeral and the Question of Britain’s Crown)
• (490) — Archbishop Dubricus indicates that Geraint and Asterius will need a quest to remove the consequences of the House of Constantine, while the conroi also hears of a crown that could unite Britain. (Source: Session 032 - Madoc’s Funeral and the Question of Britain’s Crown)