Wednesday Pendragon Campaign

Session 033 - The Crown Quest, the Siege of Exeter, and the Giant Erge

8 min read

In-game year: 490

Summary

After Sir Madoc’s funeral, the conroi split between duty to Uther and Dubricus’ sacred quest. Liam and Drustin rode west with Uther’s army to avoid suspicion and cover for the absent companions, while Millicent, Geraint, and Asterius remained at Sarum to hear Dubricus’ promised answer. Dubricus described a vision of a dutiful fisherman taking a brilliant golden “crown” from Glastonbury, carrying it north past forests, mountains, and two walls, and casting it into an elm-shaded lake. The questers followed that clue through Glastonbury and Bath, where Asterius identified Loch Lomond through the River Leven / “Elm-water” clue.

Meanwhile, Uther’s war against Cornwall proved as ugly as feared: march to Exeter, kill Gorlois, and seize Ygraine. At Jagent, Drustin noticed the Earl’s daughter locked in a tower after an oracle foretold she would be abducted by a dragon. At Exeter, Liam and Drustin discovered the surrounding town had been deliberately emptied before Uther arrived. When Drustin volunteered the suspicion that Gorlois might not be inside, Uther ordered an immediate assault. Far north, the questers recruited Brother Nerovens at the Castle of Salt, diverted to help Stafford against Giant Erge, and discovered two giant trails before ending at the edge of a giant’s lair.

Scene/Beat Log

  • Choice after Madoc’s funeral: The conroi debates whether to follow Uther’s campaign or wait for Dubricus’ promised guidance. They know refusal could be read as treason, but Millicent refuses to follow what she sees as a madman’s lust so soon after burying her husband.
  • The conroi splits: Liam and Drustin ride with Uther to keep the company represented and cover for the others; Millicent, Geraint, and Asterius remain in Sarum for Dubricus.
  • Cover story: Liam and Drustin carry some of the absent companions’ belongings and imply the others are sick, busy, or temporarily away.
  • Dubricus’ vision: In the chapel at Sarum, Dubricus says a dutiful fisherman took a brilliant golden “crown” from Glastonbury, carried it north through forests and mountains past two walls, and threw it into an elm-shaded lake. The fisherman never wore the object.
  • Meredith left in care: Millicent leaves her newborn daughter Meredith in the care of her father before departing.
  • Glastonbury clue: At Glastonbury, the questers learn the Spear of Longinus and piece of the True Cross remain there, but the Holy Grail was taken north about a century ago by a descendant of Joseph of Arimathea.
  • Jagent muster: Uther’s army musters at Jagent, a Pictish-dominated border county. At Lindinis, Drustin sees the Earl of Jagent’s daughter locked in a tower after an oracle foretold a dragon would abduct her.
  • Uther’s plan: Liam learns the campaign plan is to march to Exeter, break the castle, kill Gorlois, and take Ygraine.
  • Horse arrangements: Drustin lacks a warhorse; Liam buys a fast hobby horse named Rabbit and lends Drustin his warhorse Clover.
  • Bath research and healing: The questers travel through Bath. Asterius researches in the Bath Scriptorium, Millicent takes the waters and gains a healing benefit for the quest, and Geraint trades his small charger for a proper warhorse.
  • Loch Lomond identified: Asterius finds that the River Leven means something like “Elm-water” and flows into Loch Lomond, matching Dubricus’ lake clue.
  • Exeter siege stalls: At Exeter, the siege drags on. Liam trains with Rabbit rather than energetically helping Uther’s campaign; Drustin learns there is no real plan beyond waiting for the castle to fall.
  • Roderick’s counsel: Liam asks Roderick how long such a campaign might last and is told that vassal knights endure when the king calls; such campaigns rarely last more than a year or two.
  • Drustin hunts for Uther: Drustin receives Uther’s permission to hunt the Duke’s game, kills a deer, and offers the venison to the king.
  • Castle of Salt: The questers reach Galvoie and the Castle of Salt, where Geraint convinces Brother Nerovens, a holy man with chirurgery, to join the quest.
  • Joseph’s northern lineage: Brother Nerovens knows a tradition that one of Joseph of Arimathea’s descendants traveled into Cumbria and founded a kingdom in the mountains.
  • Empty Exeter town: After about six weeks of siege, Liam and Drustin notice the town by Exeter is empty, not merely deserted but deliberately cleared out before Uther’s army arrived.
  • Parley at the gate: Drustin brings the suspicion to Uther, who sends him and Liam under a white flag to demand proof the Duke is inside. An elderly man in a duck-like tabard says the Duke is definitely there doing “ducal things.”
  • Assault ordered: Liam reports the answer as given, but Drustin volunteers that the castle seems almost empty and Gorlois may not be inside. Uther seizes on this and orders an immediate assault; Liam and Drustin are sent to the siege ladders.
  • Stafford and Erge: The questers find Stafford emptied by Giant Erge, who first ate livestock and then began taking people. A boy in an oversized helmet explains the local warriors are away answering Uther’s call.
  • Two giant trails: Geraint tracks Erge northeast. After detouring south through Carohaise for a bridge, the questers discover two sets of giant tracks: one huge, one larger still.
  • Cliffhanger: The session ends with Liam and Drustin about to climb the siege ladders at Exeter, while Millicent, Geraint, Asterius, and Brother Nerovens see a giant’s head above the treeline.

Characters (appeared / impacted)

  • Millicent — Refuses Uther’s Cornwall campaign, leaves Meredith with her father, and follows Dubricus’ sacred quest north; gains a Bath healing benefit for the quest.
  • Liam — Covers for the questers, buys Rabbit, lends Clover to Drustin, grows miserable at Exeter, and ends at the siege ladders.
  • Drustin — Borrows Clover, notices the tower-bound daughter of Jagent, hunts for Uther, and accidentally-or-boldly gives Uther the suspicion that prompts the Exeter assault.
  • Sir Geraint — Continues the restoration quest, trades up to a proper warhorse, recruits Brother Nerovens, and tracks Erge.
  • Asterius — Pursues the restoration quest and identifies the Loch Lomond clue through the Bath scriptorium.
  • Archbishop Dubricus — Gives the vision that sends the questers after the crown/Grail trail.
  • Brother Nerovens — Holy man of the Castle of Salt with chirurgery; joins the quest and adds lore about Joseph’s northern lineage.
  • Uther — Marches on Exeter to kill Gorlois and seize Ygraine; orders an immediate assault after Drustin’s report.
  • Gorlois — Supposed target inside Exeter, though the emptied town and weak parley answer suggest he may have slipped away.
  • Ygraine — Uther’s desired prize and the cause of the campaign’s moral rot.
  • Meredith — Left in the care of Millicent’s father while Millicent quests north.

Loot / Rewards / Glory / Notable Rolls

  • Liam buys the hobby horse Rabbit.
  • Drustin borrows Liam’s warhorse Clover.
  • Geraint trades his small charger for a proper warhorse.
  • Millicent gains Bath’s healing benefit: a +5 bonus on one Constitution roll during the quest.
  • Drustin earns glory for feeding Uther venison.
  • Drustin gains/marks Deceitful while covering for the absent questers.

Consequences & New Facts

  • The conroi is physically split between Uther’s siege at Exeter and the sacred quest toward Loch Lomond.
  • Dubricus’ crown vision is now tied to Glastonbury, Joseph of Arimathea’s lineage, the missing Grail, and Loch Lomond.
  • Uther’s Cornwall campaign is explicitly driven by desire for Ygraine rather than clean justice.
  • Exeter may be a ruse: the surrounding town was cleared before the siege, and Gorlois may not be inside.
  • Liam and Drustin are about to participate in Uther’s night assault on Exeter.
  • Brother Nerovens has joined the questing party as a holy companion with chirurgery.
  • Stafford and Carohaise have been devastated by Giant Erge, and there is evidence of a second, larger giant.
  • The Earl of Jagent’s daughter is locked in a tower because of a dragon-abduction prophecy.

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