Ryons, The High King
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Author: Karl Rodriguez
Homepage: http://
System: Pendragon
Type: Campaign
Category: Fantasy
Requirements:

(Year 1)

GAMEMASTER'S NOTES

In the chaos after the fall of Uther Pendragon, several warlords attempt to consolidate power over large stretches of territory. Lot gathers the Pictish Tribes in the extreme North, while Uriens does this a bit further south among the Cymric tribes.

Ryons has done the same in northern Cambria to create Norgales. Over the last several years he has wooed the tribes of the Rhufoniog, Tegeingl, Dyffryn Clywd, Edeirnion, Rhos, Amans, Pase, and the small tribes of the Peaks in the south-western Pennines. Finally, he has put enough pressure on young Dux Randle for him to pay tribute from Chesire. To the northwest, the kingdom of Gomeret is struggling, as supporters of the de Gales clan attempt to hold the tribes in line despite the repeated absence of their king. The only tribal area that resists Ryons is Penllyn. While not forced to recognize Ryons as overlord, it is has been rendered a non-factor in his next phase due to repeated raids by its Ryons-allied neighbors.

King Ryons broods from Dinas Bran, overlooking the Dee River. He formulates his next plan with the help of his mother's Raven witch coven. He must strike into Cameliard in order to begin his bid to become High King of the Cymric tribes. He needs the small kingdom as a jumping point into the fertile south. So, like Vortigern, he strikes from Cambria.

However, King Ryons knows that Cameliard has many allies to the south. He would like to divert the attention away from him to these southern counties on the east of the Severn River by possibly creating bad blood between his southeastern neighbor Orofoise and one or more of these counties.

The Raven witches have used their glamour to control the wills of a number of men. One of these men is sent to the court of the one of these Logrian lords.

The referee will find _Savage Mountains_ very helpful for running this adventure, but hopefully there is enough information here to run without the book.

This adventure takes place in phase 1, c.501. However, it does work as late as 505 (to end in 507 before the Battle of Winchester in 508). It is best suited for characters who have notable knight skills from serving time fighting Saxons in the south or east or in the Clarence-Glouster War. Ideally, the characters are from or at court in Glouster, Clarence or Wurensis. Lambor is also a possibility, however until the de Ganis clan is given these lands, this area would probably be pretty lawless, filled with petty robber barons.

THE SPY AT COURT

The adventure begins when a Ryons spy introduces himself to the court as Anelius, messenger from Orofoise. He is wholly loyal to Ryons and the Raven witches of Dinas Bran. He asks the lord for help (even providing a sealed message if asked) against the raids on the old Roman city. The raiders are from hill tribes to the north and west of Oroquelenes. He claims not to know which ones and suggests an alliance of several tribes.

Players may roll [Intrigue (opposed to Anelius's score of 15). Success = Something is amiss. Critical = The messenger stares off at nothing now and again and is overly zealous in asking the lord for help]. In any case, the Lord of the PCs does not notice this and sends the PCs if they are household knights or vassal knights presently in court. Visitors have a choice.

THE BATTLE IN OROFOISE

If a PC has a Battle skill of 15 or greater, that PC is the leader of a token force of strength to scare the raiders away. If not, the lord sends a banneret knight (3 KV) with the skills of a notable knight as the leader. The force consists of 10 ordinary knights (20KV), 20 armored footsoldiers (20KV), all outfitted as phase 1 troops. The PCs round out the force.

If all goes as planned, the spy leads the PCs through and past the village of Quatford along the Severn River (K-16 on the Savage Mountains Map) to camp at a burned-out hill fort across the river (the future site of Brignorth Castle). The next day, the guide leads the PCs and their force into a canyon. Here, the PCs can roll Battle skill before they enter the canyon, if they ask [Battle. Success = this would be a good place for an ambush. Critical = as above, plus horses would have a very hard time going up the slope (-10 penlty to Horsemanship)].

If the force proceeds, have the following occur:

You see Anelius raise his blade and yell "Ambush!" He rears his horse and yells, "For Orofoise!". Then, to your suprise, he strikes Sir _____ (Anelius will have +10 to his skill for inspiration Loyalty (Ryons) and a +5 for suprise. He may well fell the PC or the banneret). Then, it begins to rain rocks and javelins...

The Ambush occurs as follows using the skirmish rules:

Army Sizes:

PCs group: 10 knights (20 KV), 20 armored footsoldiers (20 KV), PCs and/or Banneret Knight (3 KV).

Enemy Group: 70 Hillmen Warriors (35 KV), Anelius (1 KV).

The Battle Skill for the enemy is 12.

Modifiers: PCs outnumbered     -5/+5
           Unfavorable terrain -5/+5
           Ambush              -5/+5
           Superior Troops     +5/-5
          ___________________________
           Total               -10/+10

The Fight:

Round 1: Hillmen throw rocks (doing sling damage) and hurl javelins from high positions with modifiers from commander roll and +5 for high ground.

* Roll 3X for each mounted knight (1-3 knight, 4-6 horse)
* Roll 2x for any one on the ground
* Take losses from NPCs for a failed or successful Battle roll

Round 2: Wild, screaming Hillmen pour from all sides. Three attack knights, two attack ground troops. Use melee rules to play out combat.

Skirmish continues until PCs are dead, captured, or have finished foes.

If all PCs survive their individual combats, then their small force carries the day and the rest of the Hillmen rout into the hills. Pursuit is possible but at a -10 for Riding through treacherous terrain [Horsemanship. Failure = Horse roll CON or break leg. Fumble = Automatic Horse Loss]. If successful pursuit for two rounds or more, then another Ambush by multiple opponents occurs. Knight must make [Awareness] to see the attack (if failed, enemy gets a +5 as well).

AFTERMATH

Undoubtedly, the players will be quite upset. Maybe some Hatred passions and definitely some Suspicious traits will be in order. This is the GMs call.

If the PCs win, they may want to lick their wounds and return directly with all haste to their home county. If they ask, most of the Hillmen retreat to the Northwest, but following them is nearly impossible (-15 to [Hunting]). Instead steer them back towards the hillfort and run the following encounter:

As the player group is recovering and getting ready to move on, they are hailed by a patrol of 5 knights with 15 mounted hillmen as auxillaries (Use Cymric warrior stats and equip them as on page 24 of Savage Mountains: sword, 2 spears, leather armor, shield, metal helmet, riding Celtic ponies). They are led by a notable knight, Sir Tathan of Oroquelenes who regularly patrol the hillfort area. They are truly from Orofoise and know nothing of the Ambush.

If questioned they will say: Yes, there are raids all the time. No, they did not send a messenger for help. They do not remember seeing anyone resembling Anelius at court.

A fight may ensue for less diplomatic characters, creating a feud. The patrol will defend itself and attempt to retreat from this treachery to tell their lord back in Oroquelenes.

If the PCs survive, they may spend the rest of the year convincing their lord to attack Orofoise, or advise him that something strange is amiss. Orofoise is not the culprit of the dastardly ambush, and we must wait to see what happens.

NPCs

ANELIUS THE SPY

Use Sergeant Stats [Pendragon, pg. 330].

WILD CYMRIC WARRIORS

These guys are tougher than Picts to reflect King Ryons' and his witch mother's heavy recruitment and training of elite warriors. Leader or chieftan stats are in parentheses. There will be only one leader at the ambush.

SIZ 13 (15)        MOVE: 3 [+1 or +2 if no armor]
DEX 14             Damage: 5d6
STR 14             Hit points: 27 (30)
CON 14 (15)        Armor: 7, 4, or 3 + shield if one-handed weapon*
APP  7             Knockdown: 14
                   Major Wound: 15
                   Unconcious: 7 (8)

Attacks: Great Spear 14, Rock or Javelin 18, Mace or sword 14

Chieftan has +5 to melee skill. Against knights, one of the three foes uses Great Spear. Randomly determine the others arms. These warriors will employ Double Feint tactic against armoured opponents.

Passions: Hate (Logrians) 14
Traits: Valorous 16

*Armor 3=tattooes, 4=leather, 7=leather + tattooes. Distribution 60%, 30%, 10% respectively.

End Year One

(Year 2)

WINTER DECISIONS

If Year One was played, it is likely that during the Winter Phase the players may well be brooding and using any courtly influence they have to provoke their lord into mounting a punitive strike against Orofoise. The referee is encouraged to play this interaction as a solo or to start the new campaign year.

At this point, the GM can take the campaign in one of two directions. He can let the player characters take action against Orofoise or decide as the players' lord that such an expedition is unwarranted or unprofitable.

Players can take their own initiative, however, and mount raids against Orofoise. The political ramifications will occur in the years to come as the rulers of Orofoise will petition their powerful neighbor Powys, where the young King Belinans has been successfully uniting the tribes of the central Cambrian mountains. The players will have started a bloody feud between their county and Sugales.

ASSAULT ON OROFOISE

This year, the GM can let the players attack Oroquelenes and Shrewsbury. According to Savage Mountains (pg. 20), Orofoise has a standing army of 75 knights and 150 soldiers (225 KV). You could divide this force between Oroquelenes (7/10/5 Defensive Value; old Roman Walls in general disrepair and no towers with a Reinforced Motte and Bailey inside the city) and Shrewsbury (8 or 12/9/10; a fortress of stone surrounded by a pallisade on a hill with water on three sides, the fourth side has a double ditch). However, if a siege lasts as long as a fortnight, these forces will be supplemented by neighboring tribes in northeastern Powys with a force of 4 knights and a teuleu of 12 sergeants and 125 warriors (83 KV) from the Gordower commote and 8 knights and a teuleu of 16 sergeants and 200 warriors (148 KV) from the large Clun cantrev.

Meanwhile, King Belinans, who is courting Elidia about this time (see Tournament of Dreams adventure book c.1983), will not mobilize his 1000 KV army (Savage Mountains, "The Cambrian War") until next year. This is another adventure altogether and beyond the scope of the present scenario.

KING RYONS INVADES CAMELIARD

King Ryons of Norgales will be quite pleased with the above scenario and will negotiate non-aggression pacts with Orofoise and Powys and aligned tribes this year. Players with characters from Cameliard will feel the brunt of his next strike. (Of note, the castles of Dudley, Terrabel, or Caverswall do not exist yet. They are built as a result of this war to guard better against Ryons' aggression in years to come.)

Supplemented with equites from Chesire and his own elite knights, he sends his brother Nero, along with his uncle Idurans into Cameliard. The army splits with Nero, taking the bulk towards Stafford, the stronghold of Leodegrance. The other force, with only a few knights and a lot of Hillmen seek plunder to the southeast in and around the Arden Forest. Among other things, Idurans raises the towns of Matchley and Dudley (which has no castle at this time) in Cameliard (L-16 on Savage Mountains map).

King Leodegrance gets wind of an invasion. He calls for the bulk of his force to muster quickly and draws from the garrisons of his southern castles Penkridge and Carohaise, leaving a skeleton force behind. Player characters from Cameliard easily be in this battle and visitors to the king's court are asked (and perhaps bribed or hired for [Selfish] and [Worldly] checks - hiring is per the standard rates in _Boy King_, phase one, pg. 16) to help. He maneuvers his army in time to meet Nero outside the town of Market Drayton. A battle ensues:

Battle of Market Drayton

Commanders:

King Leodegrance = 18
Nero = 15

Battle Size: Small

Army Sizes:

Cameliard: 50 knights, 150 footsoldiers (175 KV) + players.

Norgales: 75 knights, 100 horse hillwarriors, 250 hill warriors (375 KV).

Modifiers: Nero Outnumbers +5/-5

Length of Battle: 6 rounds. The army with less KV at that point will sound a retreat.

The Fight:

Round 1: Glamour on first lance charge gives players a -5 to lance skill for first round only [Pious. Success = Negates penalty. Critical = +5 bonus.]

Round 2-6: Normal.

Glory = 15/rd

Battle Modules (from _Beyond the Wall_ appendix)

ACB Roll 

C   +4  No losses
S   +2  10% losses, 2% killed, 8% wounded
PS  +0  25% losses, 5% killed, 16% wounded, 4% captured
F   -2  50% losses, 10% killed, 25% wounded, 15% captured
Fum -4  75% losses, 50% killed, 25% captured

Foe Table

03-12  Hillmen Foot (see Year One for stats)
13-15  Hillmen Horse (use chieftan stats for Year One, Wild Hillman)
16-17  Knights (1-4 Ordinary, 5-6 Notable)
18     Command Unit (Nero = Notable Knight with the physical stats of
       a small giant, guarded by four Notable and four Famous knights.)

No plunder is taken, even if it is Nero who retreats. Leodegrance sends messengers to his southern allies for help and marches back to defend Stafford. He also calls for more reserve force from Tarnworth Castle on his eastern border.

Nero regroups, sends messengers to Ryons and Idurans. He continues towards Stafford, pillaging all the way. Meanwhile, Ryons orders Idurans to begin phase two of the invasion. Idurans marches towards Penkridge Castle and lays siege. Players may actually be at the castle or arrive there while it is beseiged.

Siege at Penkridge

Commanders:

Castellan, Sir Bulius (Old Knight) = 15

Idurans = 18 replaced by Llewbran, King of Rhos Tribe after four days (Battle = 14) Army Sizes:

Penkridge: 1/10/5 (a meager ditch with a Reinforced Motte and Bailey) and 6 knights with 20 soldiers (32 KV) and players if inside.

Norgales: 11 Elite Norgales Knights, 27 Equites, 30 mounted Hillmen, 192 Hillmen (215 KV, but only 126 KV committed to assault, namely the Hillmen and their mounted leaders, use the Wild Hillmen and Wild Hillmen Leader Stats from Year One)

Modifiers:

Force Assaulting Outnumbers 4 to 1 (+8/-8)
Siege Equipment on Initial Assault (+1)
Castle Defenses (-1, -10, or -5, As assaulting siege +10/-10 for
defenders on walls, +5/-5 for those in the Bailey)

Glory: as per skirmish

After four days, Idurans gets word that an army from the southern allies approaches. He takes a goodly amount of the assault force and travels directly south to intercept near the Avon River tributary of the Arden. Here, he lays ambush for the marching force. This is where the players can enter if they are not from Cameliard and were part of that force that was ambushed last year.

At most, the characters' lord will send the players with 25 knights and a like number of mounted sergeantry (75 KV). The message from Leodegrance emphasized haste, so the lord owing Leodegrance a favor sends cavalry only. If the players voice suspicion about another attempted ambush, they can roll their [Orate] versus the Lord's [Prudent] (13 or higher) to persuade him to send up to 10 more sergeants (10 KV). A player is the leader if he is of banneret status and has a battle of 16 or better. If this is not the case, a banneret of notable knight standing is added to the group. There is not enough time to call on family knights unless the GM rules that they are present in court.

More than likely, this will be the course of action for the players this year as they may not have a lot of influence in their local court. Once again, the hill tribes of Cambria lure them in, although this ambush is due more to gathered intelligence rather than trickery. Messages, however, travel fast when on the wing.

Before the Ambush, paranoid players can make very difficult Awareness rolls [Awareness at -10. Success = You see the column being trailed by a raven or two].

Ambush in Arden

Commanders:

Idurans = 18
Player's Group = 16 or better

Battle Size: Small Army Sizes:

Idurans: 11 Norgales Knights, 20 Equites, 25 Mounted Hillmen, 90 Hillmen (143 KV).

Players: 25 knights, 25-35 sergeants (75 to 85 KV). Modifiers:

Players outnumbered 2-1: +5/-5
Ambush: +5/-5 (see below) The Fight:

Have Idurans and the Relief Force leader roll opposed Battle Rolls, with Idurans at a +5 since he is setting the ambush. If he wins, he gets the ambush modifier above as this simulates the ensuing confusion of the strike.

Round 1: Javelins fly from the trees at a +5 (allow player to roll Awareness to cancel this modifier). The Cambrians aim at horses, but there is a 1/6 chance that the javelin flies at a player character. Throw three javelins per player.

Round 2: Hillmen on foot charge from the sides.

Round 3: As the column commits to the ground troops, mounted opposition attacks from positions in front and back. The knights encountered in this round use lances.

The battle becomes unit skirmishes or individual skirmishes, moving in and out of the trees. Players will be outnumbered two or three to one most of the time, until numbers dwindle to disallow this ratio. Idurans and his troops give no quarter and ask for none. Players can be captured, however. In particular if a player is captured by an Equites, there is a good chance he will not be killed.

Glory: As skirmish

Battle Modules:

ACB Roll

C    +4  No losses
S    +0  10% losses, 2% killed, 8% wounded
F    -2  50% losses, 25% killed, 25% wounded
Fum  -4  75% losses, 50% killed, 25% wounded

Foe Table

03-12 Hillmen, Foot (use Year One Wild Hillman stats)
13-15 Hillmen, mounted (use Year One Wild Hillman chieftan stats)
16-17 Equites (Ordinary (1-3), Mercenary (4-5), or Notable (6))
18    Norgales Knights and Idurans (Famous 1-4, or Extraordinary 5-6,
      Idurans is (in)Famous)

Battle Over?

03-   Total defeat. Friendly knights all dead/unconscious.
04-05 Must Retreat, orderly withdrawl to the North.
06-15 Battle continues.
16-17 Foes retreat. No pursuit.
18+   Total Victory. Hillmen and Knights routed. Pursuit only invites
      further ambush by 3-6 more enemy.

The outcome of the Ambush above determines what comes next for this campaign season for most characters. If they win decisively, the next step is to march to Stafford. They are unopposed until they reach Penkridge, where they meet the siege force left by Idurans. They can attempt to relieve the siege or march on to Stafford. An alternate course involves marching through to Tarnworth and Carohaise and seeing the skeleton forces there and hearing of the siege at Penkridge and the impending siege of Stafford itself.

If the characters only forced a retreat or were forced to retreat, Idurans uses the guerilla tactics of the Cambrians to harass the column until it capitulates or returns home. He will then return his attention to Penkridge, hoping for a victory there and hence to Stafford to rejoin with Nero.

If the players are defeated, they may be captured and led by chain gang under guard to Chesire, watching Idurans destroy Penkridge in the process. They are held for ransom for the year in the City of Legions. If they showed very good battle prowess, they are taken to Dinas Bran to be housed instead. GMs should allow a reasonable chance for escape on the march, reminding characters that they should flee and live to fight another day instead of battling their way out. In many cases, they may be too wounded and malnourished to fight for the rest of the campaign year.

Finally, when the players arrive at Stafford, they find it besieged also. Nero has taken minimal losses or has been reinforced while he was waiting in siege. A successful unopposed Battle roll by the players' group leader puts Nero in a bad position. Seeing a relief force, Leodegrance takes heart and pours through the gates. Battle is joined.

Battle of Stafford

Commanders:

King Leodegrance = 18
Nero = 17
Player's group = 16+

Battle Size: Small Army Sizes:

Nero: 65 knights, 75 Mounted Hillmen, 200 Hillmen (305 KV)

Leodegrance: 50 knights, 140 footmen (175 KV)

Player's force: (varies)

Modifiers:

Nero fighting on two fronts -5/+5 (to both player and Cameliard) and he has to half his battle skill for the first round

The Fight:

Round One: The players arrive just in the nick of time and charge Nero's flank as he hastily prepares to meet both forces as once (see above).

Round Two-Six: Normal

Round Seven: Nero retreats seeing to much opposition and him caught between them. However, the Cambrians retreat in an orderly manner with cavalry holding the rear (mounted foes only).

King Leodegrance gains an indecisive victory.

Glory: 15/rd

Plunder: 1 charger, 1 hill pony, 1 Librum of goods

ACB and Foe Table are the same for the Battle of Market Drayton.

If the players do not take a decisive role in the above battle by attacking Nero's rear (ie, they were defeated by Idurans and captured) or they are all in Stafford itself as Cameliardian defenders use the following table to determine the outcome of the battle.

Battle Over?

03 Total defeat. Rout into Stafford or flee to Carohaise (50/50 of the forces)
04-05 Orderly retreat into Stafford.
06-15 Continue Battle
16-17 Foes retreat, no plunder
18+ Foes routed back to Norgales, plunder as above.

Be sure to add the force of Idurans if appropriate.

AFTERMATH AND ENDNOTES

The campaign season ends with Nero heading back for the border of Norgales, much of Cameliard torched and pillaged, but free still and with an army intact. Player groups are asked to stay in court for the winter or return in the spring, since to the wonder of King Leodegrance, Ryons has not yet taken the field. There is more to come from the fiend, undoubtedly. This is the best case. It is also possible that Leodegrance had to retreat back into Stafford and is stuck into a prolonged siege and it is possible that the players are prisoners.

During the course of the fighting this season, it is appropriate to ask for [Recognize] rolls for some of the devices the hillmen carry. About one in six is the same as those devices of the hillmen that ambushed the players last year.

If the players remain in Cameliard, they are treated with utmost respect and gratitude. There are chances here for meeting key players in later phases, so encourage interaction with the king and his family. Knights from Cameliard who showed great battle prowess are also given recognition. Perhaps mercenary knights or bachelors become landed.

Some other possibilities exist for the characters. If they have discovered the culprit behind the ambush, it may be time to talk and maybe apologize to Orofoise or encourage them to avenge an insult to their good name. Other allies may need to be found to stop what could be a major drive by Ryons in the next year. Again, oppurtunity for winter solos and roleplaying abounds as the players call in favors from family and others.

Meanwhile, King Ryons plots his next move. His foray this year was a small expedition to test the water and hopefully weaken his foe. Next year he brings his full force to bear on a struggling Cameliard. Then the south will be his.

End Year Two.

(Year 3) MORE WINTER DECISIONS

What has happened before depends a lot on how well the player characters tackled Idurans and Nero in the previous year. The ideal for King Ryons is for Penkridge to have been destroyed, any southern allies smashed or occupied with his neighbors, and Stafford to be under siege. The ideal for the characters is for Cameliard to be injured but have its army intact and still based at Stafford.

During the Winter Phase, it is imperative that players call on all their resources available to combat Ryons, whether it be family knights or an army from their baronies. If the characters are within Stafford while it is besieged, perhaps a daring rush through the picket lines to allow the non-combatants to flee upriver and escape to gather reinforcements is in order. They should only fight Hillmen (one per character) led by a mercenary knight.

The players may have been driven off by Idurans. If this is the case, let them return to their respective lords, appear in court and report. Even if they are in the ideal situation, King Leodegrance will insist that any knight of vassal rank or higher appeal to his lord for aid. Players may also take the initiative in searching for reinforcements back at their own home or in neighboring baronies and dukedoms.

Gathering Reinforcements

Of the neighbors, only Lambor is wholly unable to send reinforcements as it is involved in internal conflict. Wurensis is relatively stable and has an army of 70 knights and 120 soldiers. Clarence has 100 knights and 300 soldiers available, and Gloucester also has 100 knights and 300 soldiers, although Duke Morvid regularly hires mercenaries (about 200 foot) to raid Clarence. Other places not connected to the characters will not send troops.

Obviously, some money may be needed to entice the Duke or Baron to act. A personal gift such as a charger (or the equivalent in librum) may grant an interview, but then it is up to role-play. The GM should adjudicate how well the player states his/her case and if undecided then roll an [Orate]. This goes for players going to their home county as well.

Wurensis, the next victim in line for Ryons will send all of its troops if the GM was moved by the oration (or on a Critical Succes if an [Orate] roll was used) or half on a normal success (this is up to 200KV). He will send a token force of 30 knights if the character fails to persuade. If the [Orate] roll is used, give players a +10 if they are from Wurensis.

Clarence will be tougher to persuade, sending at most 50 knights and 100 soldiers (which is up to 150 KV). Characters from Clarence will get a +5 on [Orate]. The Lord of Clarence will also ask foreign player characters for help in the following year against the evil Duke Morvid of Gloucester.

Duke Morvid of Gloucester is actually more generous. While he will at most send 50 knights and 100 soldiers like Clarence, he will turn over the command of up to all of his mercenaries if the players foot the bill at the rate of 5 librum/25 soldiers (13 KV). These are Irish Raiders looking for plunder but will still have a loyalty of 10 to their employer (+1d6 if of Irish origin). Likewise, a player from Gloucester gets a +5 to [Orate] and foreign players will be asked on oath to help against Clarence next year.

Players cannot get both Clarence and Gloucester to help. Both dukes will ask whether or not the other will be or has been recruited. If deceived [Deceitful check] and both send armies to the field, they will fight each other and end up quitting the field. Players will become persona non grata in both locations and vassals will be stripped of their lands or worse for such a deception.

Finally, players can attempt to get Orofoise to avenge its honor from year one. They command 75 knights and 150 soldiers. They will send all their troops if the GM likes the player's speech and players did not do any significant damage in an attack on Oroquelenes. If they did attack, they better bring lots of gifts. If the player truly succeeds (critical on an [Orate]) he impresses a local, tribal king who joins the cause (either Clun (148KV) or Godower (83 KV), but not both; see Year Two).

In all cases (except Orofoise who sends the wily Sir Tathal [Battle=17]), an Extraordinary Knight leads the force with players as unit commanders if they have a Battle of 16 or more. Characters with 18 or better at this skill may well lead the force if they are natives of the dukedom or earldom.

Meanwhile... King Ryons Moves

Meanwhile, King Ryons has not been sitting idle. During the Fall and Winter, he and some of his elite guard, important chieftans, and several women, including his mother, went on an expedition into the mountain reaches of Cambria. When he returns, the tale filters through the ranks that he has recovered the Crown of Ordovices from its magical site, the Court of the Crown. Whether, this is true or not, the tribes believe it and many of the reluctant tribesmen rush to fill the ranks of the King of Norgales. For gameplay, many of the warriors can now call in a Passion of Loyalty [King of Norgales] in a pinch. The value will be at 2d6+6 for warriors and at least 16 for elite knights.

A Last Chance for Captured Players

In the worst cast scenario where the players are captured, they will hear word of this while in the City of Legions and begin to feel the fervor in the air especially among the native warriors. If they are at Dinas Bran, the Raven witch Cabal attempts to seduce warriors to the cause. If successful, the players will have a high Love for the Raven witches and a Loyalty to Ryons. The referee should play this out as he or she deems appropriate. If the characters resist, give them one last chance to escape. If they botch this, their heads become the newest adornements on the walls at Dinas Bran.

The Fate of Stafford

If Stafford is beseiged, and the characters bring reinforcements, replay the Battle of Stafford with losses taken from both parties that occured in the last battle if appropriate. Of course, the players may have a large force. Nero has not been reinforced. In fact, he has been re-called to Dinas Bran. He will fight a few rounds and retreat if he still has a larger force (in KV) than the opposition. If he is outmatched, he retreats in orderly fashion with knights in the rearguard. There is only one round against mounted foes in this case.

In the best case, Leodegrance has mustered his forces and his allies at Stafford. He decides to take the initiative and lead his main force towards the City of Legions. He gathers his full strength (100 knights, 300 soldiers) leaving only the wounded and old behind. If Nero is forced to retreat, Leodegrance makes the next move and decides to lead the army in the same direction. He will only do this if he has significant reinforcements. This means at least half of Wurensis, and half of Clarence or Gloucester. Orofoise is a bonus. If not, he learns of the huge army of Ryons amassing and retreats to Carohaise, conceding Stafford. This would be the end of the scenario and Cameliard is subjected to raid after raid until 510, when Arthur comes to his aid.

RYONS MAKES HIS FINAL MOVE

Ryons regathers his army at the foot of the Castle of the Raven. However, Leodegrance almost ruins his plans by acting too quickly. Only the tribal warriors of Norgales reinforced by his knights, Cheshire (who only sends knights and warriors, footsoldiers remain at the City of Legions), and Pase gather to see Ryons raise the Crown of Ordovices. Fortunately, he has aerial messengers and sends these to Amans and the tribes of the Peaks. He orders them to harass northern Cameliard with due haste.

Although not at full strength, Ryons's army of conquest is still large. The forces meet on the grounds outside of the burned out motte and bailey castle of Malpas. At first only leading elements of the forces meet (players acting as scouts could skirmish with some mounted Hillmen). Ryons stalls so his army can cross the creeks that feed into the River Dee. Leodegrance falls back to some higher ground and makes a stand. Ryons with his numerical superiority and his army's battle fever, charges anyway.

Battle of Malpas

Commanders:

King Leodegrance (Battle = 18)
King Ryons (Battle = 19)

Battle Size: Medium

Army Sizes:

King Leodegrance: 165 knights, 438 footsoldiers. This could be more if players are really good at convincing lords or have money for mercenaries. This does not include players and their family knights either (589 KV minimum).

King Ryons: 135 knights, 300 mounted hillmen, 1300 warriors (1220 KV).

Modifiers:

King Leodegrance outnumbered -5/+5
King Leodegrance on higher ground +5/-5

The Fight:

Round 1: Hillmen charge up the hill throwing javelins against charging knights. Roll twice against the characters horse. If the player is still mounted he has a +5 on top of any other bonuses against his opponent.

Round 2-4: Normal.

Round 5: A dark fog encompasses King Leodegrance's Unit. -5 to Unit Events Table.

In the Fog: Players can attempt to enter the fog cloud if they are not engaged. Once there, they will see strangely clad knights enaging and driving King Leodegrance's command unit back. The characters are now involved in a skirmish between 10 farie knights and the 5 remaining Cameliard knights with their king. Conduct this as one round of heavy fighting. At one point, let the characters have the opportunity to take a blow for Leodegrance. If he or she does, let the farie battle end suddenly. Even the unseelie cannot fight such sacrificing foes.

Round 6: The fog cloud disappears with either Leo badly wounded and alone, with dead knights all around him, or letting out a battle cry for victory. He fumbles or criticals his battle roll: -5 or +5 to Unit Events table.

Round 7: If Leodegrance criticals his battle roll above, King Ryons loses his crown. If not, Leo or the next in command calls a retreat to Carohaise.

Round 8: Rout of hill men. Enemy knights attack with a vengeance this round. One more round of purusit possible.

Glory: 30/rd.

Decisive Victory or Indecisive Defeat are possible.

Plunder: if a rout, 1-2 chargers, 1-2 hill ponies, 1 librum of goods.

Battle Modules:

ACB Roll:

C   +4  No losses
S   +2  10% losses, 2% killed, 8% wounded
PS  +0  25% losses, 5% killed, 16% wounded, 4% captured
F   -2  50% losses, 10% killed, 25% wounded, 15% captured
Fum -4  75% losses, 50% killed, 25% captured

Foe Table:

01-10 Hillmen, Foot (use Year One Wild Hillman stats)
11-13 Hillmen, mounted (use Year One Wild Hillman chieftan stats)
14-17 Equites (Ordinary (1-3), Mercenary (4-5), or Notable (6))
18-19 Norgales Knights (possibly Nero or Idurans if they still live)
20    Ryons and command group (Famous 1-4, or Extraordinary 5-6, Ryons
      is Extraordinary with the physical stats of a Small Giant, or one
      could use Sir Turquine's stats)

See above for battle outcome.

Now the players will return home, hopefully with victory. However, upon their return, they hear of raiding in northern Cameliard. They could mount up again to drive the raiders away. If they are healthy vassals of Cameliard they will be forced to do so. They may well lead a force of 20 knights and 30 footsoldiers (plus any other characters). Raiding forces can be hunted for and can be from Amans (5 knights, 25 warriors) or the Peaks (5 knights, 20 soldiers, and 25 warriors) or both as the GM wishes. Treat these encounters as skirmishes.

AFTERMATH

If Leodegrance is victorious, players may well be the heroes of the Battle. They may be offered lands if landless and asked for loyalty in return. All will definitely be allowed to recuperate and will always be welcome. Ryons will head home in disgust. He slays a few of the kings who fled early. Also, he can continue to harass Cameliard from the fringes. It takes him until 510 to re-amass an army and regain the Crown. Then, he attacks deep into Cameliard.

If Ryons is victorious, he consolidates his position, occupies Stafford and raids the interior of Cameliard. This continues until 510 where Ryons makes to finish Leodegrance once and for all. Of course, Arthur raised in Penylln comes to his aid.

APPENDIX

This Appendix outlines the events of "Ryons, the High King", to help the gamemaster keep a handle on the events.

Year One

* Ryons creates conflict between Orofoise and its neighbors.

Battle: Ambush in Orofoise

Year Two

* Players may lead attacks on Orofoise.

Optional Battles: Assaults on Oroquelenes and Shrewsbury

* King Ryons invades Cameliard. An army led by Nero marches South towards Stafford, and is met by King Leodegrance at Market Drayton.

Battle: Battle of Market Drayton

Afterwards, Leodegrance retreats to Stafford, and Nero continues his advance.

* Meanwhile, Idurans leads an army plundering the towns of Cameliard. After destroying several small towns, he sieges Penkridge.

Battle: Siege at Penkridge

After four days of siege, Idurans leads part of the army south to attack a relief force. This is likely the player's introduction for the year.

Battle: Ambush in Arden

* If the relief force survived the ambush, it may move to relieve the siege at Penkridge:

Optional Battle: Siege at Penkridge (cont.)

They can also continue on to Stafford, where they find that Nero has already laid siege:

Battle: Battle of Stafford

Year Three

* Cameliard seeks allies from its neighbors: Lambor, Wurensis, clarence, Gloucester and Orofoise.

* Ryons recovers the Crown of Ordovice.

* If Stafford is still sieged, reinforcements may try to free it:

Optional Battle: Battle of Stafford

* King Leodegrance begins moving his army North, forcing Ryons to act prematurely. The two armies meet outside the burned out castle of Malpas.

Battle: Battle of Malpas

* Afterwards, raiding continues in North Cameliard, due to Amans and Peaks forces.

* The campaign ends with either Ryons retreating, or Ryons occupying Stafford, depending on the results of the Battle of Malpas

The End for now...