Arthur's Tale

Item: On losses

By the late spring of 1345, the king’s forces had suffered grievously at the hands of their enemies. None knew how but whilst the king’s ability continually to put large numbers of men in the field was increasingly restricted, the infidel were able to produce prodigious armies despite being so far from their heartland. In almost every battle King Phillippe’s beleaguered troops were outnumbered. It was a testimony to the king’s martial prowess that he not only won several encounters but even pushed he infidel back over the Loire for a short while. But the inevitable could not be postponed indefinitely, and at length, defeated in the field and unable to raise an army to defend it, in August, the king surrendered Anjou to the heathens and fell back upon Nantes.

Hither was he chased by his foes, and fighting a rearguard action throughout the county, the king’s forces held the enemy at bay until Advent Sunday, when faced with the inevitable, and in order to spare his people further suffering, with a heavy heart the king surrendered his great castle of Nantes to the infidel.

But these losses were as naught to that which befell the kingdom on the very eve before Christmas when it pleased the Almighty to take into his tender care the infant prince Edward. This was the most shocking news for the whole kingdom. The king sent a proclamation out to all religious houses and cathedrals up and down the land. The lord abbot showed me the manuscript and bade me lodge it safe within the abbey’s library. This is what it said:

Phillippe, by the grace of God king of England, Ireland and Scotland duke of Brittany et cetera earnestly require and ask your friendship now that we are solemnly and with devotion celebrating the obsequies of our beloved child, Edward, late prince. We require and request that you commend his soul to the most High God, with singing of masses and other aids of devout prayers, specially enjoining the same upon all the religious under your charge. Given under our signet this thirty first day of December in the year of our Lord 1345 at our royal city of York.

The lord abbot did as he was bidden and we sang a full requiem mass daily for three weeks, save on holy days, when prayers were offered for the soul of the infant prince at each of the divine offices. Our period of mourning ended at Candlemas but I am sure I was not the only brother who continued to remember prince Edward in our personal devotions for some time.

Item: Terra firma?

In the year of Grace 1346, towards the end of the month of February, there was a violent tremor that shook our house at Kirkstall. I had experienced a similar event in my youth, but this was a much more alarming experience. It was sometime between Vigils and Prime that I and the whole community were awoken by a violent disturbance that shook the whole of the dormitory. My cot was moved several feet toward that of my neighbour and books and other impedimenta were thrown to the floor from the stools on which they had so solidly rested but seconds beforehand. The movement was accompanied by a loud rushing sound, similar to that of a mighty wind. The phenomenon lasted no more than 10 or 15 seconds, but at the time it seemed to go on for ever. I am ashamed to relate that several of us broke the vow of silence such was our consternation. We confessed later that day at Chapter and were given but a light penance, for the lord abbot said that it was human nature to speculate upon the mysteries of God’s universe, and besides, there was nothing in the Rule that covered such an unearthly experience.

Item: An ailment

It was in this same year of our Lord that news reached us at Kirkstall of a strange ailment that was sweeping across Europe. People in their scores were succumbing to a most unpleasant illness from which it seemed once caught there was no escape. The symptoms were an initial rash, followed by sneezing and then the rash turned into sinister black swellings called buboes, which gave the illness its nickname of the Black Death. I pray earnestly that we will be spared this on our island kingdom, for maybe the ill humours will not be able to carry over the water.

With the losses in France, the sudden death of the heir to Phillippe’s throne, the earth tremor and now this deadly disease afflicting our brothers and sisters in Christ over the water, truly it seemed as if God and all his angels slept.

Domine Jesu Christi, qui me creasti, redemesti at preordinasti ad hoc quod sum, tu scis quid de me facere vis: fac de me secundum voluntatem tuam cum misericordia. Amen

Stnylan, Doesn't it just! I am intrigued that in others' games the horde seems sometimes to get nowhere. Every game I've played they rampage across Europe and the AI falls before it. I know that the game has to have some challenge to it but I feel that the horde are way overpowered. It is ludicrous that they can field and support such large armies juts about as far as they can get from their heartland! I have to say it does take some of teh edge off he game for me. Maybe next game will be different... it will be my first full DV one when I get aroudn to starting it. Thanks for popping by again.

Vann, thanks for your kind words (as usual!).

Item: Brittany

The mystery illness that afflicted the continent did not seem to affect the Horde. They were still able to put large numbers of men in the field and they continued to press the lord King across his Breton heartlands. Despite fighting valiantly, first Rennes and then Vannes were lost in quick succession, and the king took the inevitable decision to withdraw from his duchy and concentrate on the defence of his island kingdoms for the infidel were not known as great navigators and sailors and so he believed his kingdoms may be spared. I pray daily that this be the case.

Item: The Black Death

In the year of our Lord 1349 we heard of the first deaths in England, in far away Kent, that bore the unmistakable imprint of the plague. Although for the time being the water has kept the infidel at bay, the plague has crossed the narrow channel by some means. I pray to God that we be spared from its ravages.

Here there is a break in the manuscript. The next entry was clearly made some months later and in a very different hand. Ed.

Item: The end of days

There is no-one left. I Brother Stephen of the Cistercian house of Kirkstall make this entry with a sad and heavy heart at Brother Cuthbert’s last request. Cuthbert passed away yesterday, the latest and last of our brethren to be taken by the Black Death. Those who have not died have fled, and I am the last of our house to survive. I threw Cuthbert’s body into the plague pit that we had been forced to dig across the river when the plague first hit our community some months ago. I threw lime on to it and did my best to seal the pit with soil for there are none left to join that sad community of the dead, wherein lay the best and brightest of our community. Only the lord abbot, who was among the last to succumb, was buried separately, in the south transept of the abbey church.

I know not what will become of this chronicle. I shall place it securely within the abbey scriptorium in the hope that when this terror has departed this land, others will find it and continue to relate the history of king Phillippe and his descendants upon whom may the Lord look with favour and grant them the Grace of His blessing and protection.

Pater noster, qui es in caelis, sanctificetur nomen tuum. Adveniat regnum tuum. Fiat voluntas tua sicut in caelo et in terra. Panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie. Et dimitte nobis debita nostra sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris. Et ne nos inducas in tentationem sed libera nos a malo. Amen

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Thus ends Arthur's Tale. An irrecoverbale CTD means that the ending is a little contrived as I had to manufacture something. The plague had not in fact yet reached England but it seemed a timely and a fitting way to draw the tale to its unexpected close. I shall feel more than a litle lost without it for I have enjoyed writing it over many months. I shall be starting a new game soon with the DV expansion and I will undoubtedly be back with a new AAR but not sure in what style. I really fancy an epic rhyming saga but this would be difficult and I don't have the time these days to play or write as much as I would like. I'd just like to thank everyone who has read this work, and especially those who have commented so kindly upon my writing; I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. Rex.

Coz1, You are too kind, but sincere thanks. It was a sad way to end the tale but pleaeed that you found the ending fitting. I tried very hard throughout to use phraseology appropriate to the genre and whilst not exactly plagiarising actual historic texts I was able to weave some into the storyline quite nicely. The decree from the king towards the end about prayers for his dead son is drawn from an actual royal decree and comes from a Cistercian source. Other texts I picked up from a variety of sources. One of my personal favourites was the phrase "..[so and so] exchanged time for eternity on dd/mm/yy" I saw this on a tombstone in an English country churchyard and stored it up for use. Thanks again for your fantastic support throughout the tale and I'll hopefully get a new AAR up and running soon. RA

Stnylan and Vann, Thanks for all your support and encouragement throughout the tale. Glad you thought the ending fitting. New game underway - seeing if there's scope for an AAR. Playing as Duke of Burgundy DV 1066 scenario as this is the one era I've not done an AAR in. Looks promising but need to see if it's worthy of an AAR. Also not sure what style - maybe a comedy one!? Probably will be narrative though.