The epic conclusion! Charlemagne’s army comes under treacherous attack in the Vale of Thorns, and our intrepid heroes earn their place in the pantheon of legends.
This session was run literally right after Larkins and Desiree got back from attending Greg Stafford’s memorial in Berkeley, and they brought back some of the same fun, chaotic energy that always surrounded Greg. In this, our penultimate session of this campaign arc, we bounce through a wild Winter Phase and begin tying up loose ends in an abbreviated but satisfying session revolving around Bradamant’s search for decent husband material.
After a year of fussin’ & feudin’, the rival Claremont and Baldwin clans assemble under the watchful eye of Charlemagne, who has brought in his lifelong friend Ganelon to work out a long-term solution for peace. But will everyone go along with the plan?
We raise a glass to Greg Stafford and his legacy at the top of the session, then take on the final act of the the first adventure out of the Paladin Scenarios book, “The Gardens of Fortune.”
An action-packed session sees jousts, judicial combats, enchanted fountains, magical rings, enchanted weapons, tense standoffs, and earnest debates on the nature of honor and justice. Oh, and someone goes mad and runs off into the woods!
An abbreviated session this week, owing to the Order convening its very own real-life Michaelmas feast! (See the link to our food blog below for pictures.) In the end, we had just enough time to get through Winter Phase for 774 and tease an intro for the following year’s adventure.
We pick up where we left off last time, with a Saxon attack on the frontier village of Fritzlar imminent and help on the way from Mort. Can the rest of our heroic knights survive long enough to see the light once again?
After a particularly juicy winter phase, we move into the year with an exorcism and a dangerous mission to Saxony—in other words, a pretty tame year for the Baldwin clan.
Charlemagne’s armies march south once more to Lombardy, risking the hazardous Alps yet again—with bloody consequences for our knights…and yet more surprises await outside the walls of Verona…
Bradamant becomes a knight, but Avissa remains the lady-knight to watch this year as she works towards fulfilling her outré ambition, culminating in an unforgettable Good Friday at Reims.
We get our Winter Phase on before joining the knights in media res, and in the middle of a Saxon forest, where a certain axis mundi is being set alight. Old feuds are resolved amidst much bloodshed as Maugis pulls the last of his tricks…for now.
The fight against Sir Renaud and his rebellious brothers takes a dirty turn, and our heroes are caught up in the middle of it. What better ways to forget your troubles than with an awesome feast?
Charlemagne’s army is on the march, and our knights are along for the fun! But will they ever wet their blades with the blood of their enemies? I hear northern Spain is nice this time of year…
The knights pass a fairly uneventful winter outside the gates of Vienne, gossiping about their king’s love life. But when summer arrives, things turn very bloody indeed…
In the wake of Pippin’s disastrous wedding feast, the group embarks (along with Charlemagne and his Paladins) on a pilgrimage to the east. After a brief shopping trip in Jerusalem, they travel north to Constantinople, where they encounter the legendary Emperor Hugo the Strong at last. We wrap up the session with a Winter Phase.
Things take a turn for the strange this session as the player-knights wrap up their delicate negotiations with the Clermonts, get lost in an enchanted forest, and attend the most uncomfortable wedding ever…hosted by one of them!
The feud with House Clermont reaches new heights and high drama ensues at Charlemagne’s coronation tournament, with repercussions that reverberate through the winter and into the following year, but it’s not just the Clermonts who are targeted by our knights…
The knights gather for their big family feast day, Michaelmas. Unfortunately, ill portents abound, and things just keep getting worse. And that’s even before the haslet is served…
The party has been split! Some of the knights have been taken captive by the Saracens, while others languish back at camp. How will they get out of this sticky situation?
The Battle of the Humble Squires continues, and there is much peril still to face. Later, the survivors of the battle learn a little more about their foes, and even find some common ground…before everything is swept out from under their feet.
War in the south puts Prince Charlemagne (and our humble squires) on the march across the Alps. What deadly hazards will they encounter in those snow-capped peaks, and what opportunities for heroism await them on the blood-soaked fields beyond?
We continue with “The Adventure of the Jewel” as the young squires encounter a mysterious hermit, some angry villagers, and a dastardly lord. But no challenge is greater than that which confronts them from within the group…
In which four squires do their part at a feast for Prince Charlemagne and are then dispatched upon a mission of some importance in Liege, only to encounter bandits upon the road on the journey home.
In which four young squires, descendants all of Sir Baldwin of Bastogne, recount their family histories, including the triumphs, tragedies, rivalries, and friendships forged by those who came before.
