Hi Guys,

2 Questions:-

1. Who is poisoned, I guess it mainly cream of Britain, all the King and lords. Most of the normal knights and footman are ok, just leaderless.

2. Did you murder your players, if not how did you handle this, if you was there outrage?

Cheers,

BigSteveUK

Good point. It seems unless you make a critical temperate roll you're a dead man. And as harsh as Pendragon is, I'm thinking that's a little too extreme.

1. Who is poisoned, I guess it mainly cream of Britain, all the King and lords. Most of the normal knights and footman are ok, just leaderless.


Yes, that is the intent. That's how I interpret this story to occur, in large part because it perfectly matches the players at this stage: they sort of understand how everything works, but not quite qualified to make command decisions.



2. Did you murder your players, if not how did you handle this, if you was there outrage?



I don't think I've ever killed a player knight at this time, though my players may correct me. As I said, the intent is to kill the lords, not the player knights. The hard part is to also still follow medieval protocol, where victorious and glorious knights would eat at the High Table.
By this time the GM ought to have run several feasts, and know some character weaknesses (there's always one Pagan horn dog, for the easy example) and strengths (a serving maid says her sister says the knight can not be as Modest as he says, and she can prove it with one question, and won't he come to see her just for one moment between dishes she is serving?) Use these to temporarily lure player knights out when the poison is served.

Frankly, considering that these are probably first PCs, who have lived this far, I'd make dispensations from my usual "dice rule" law here (maybe not later!) if the PC "great hero of the fight" didn't budge from the High Table no matter what temptation comes. I'd tell him something like, "If you don't visit the guarderobe right now you will shit in your chair, losing Honor and so on. Also, if he sits there, I'm going to kill him. Your choice this time. This is your only chance." :)

--G

Also a very very easy way to assure that even Pc heros are not present is to take those who were hurt and make them spend the evening in the temporary Hospital next to sir Brastias and sir Ulfius. This I assume is how those two honorouble knights survived the poisioning. It shouldnt be too hard to hurt your players significantly in the battle of st. Albans. Sooo ::)

My view is that IF the PCs are in the room at the time the poison occurs, then they suffer the consequences. The Lords are all there, so the PCs must have a reason to be gone: a tryst, in the hospital, refraining from all food and drink (critical temperate), not being invited in the first place are all good reasons.

I like the idea of having a few feasts beforehand so the Players know what to expect. If this is the first time you have ever run a feast, then the PCs will do everything possible to be there, as you have made it extraordinary by running it.

I had the room be to full of lords, and others of higher stature (none of my players was more than mere vassal knights). I had two of my players being in the room, standing honour gaurd for the earl (having to wait to eat) And then see all the great lords drop one after the other. The looks on their faces was awsome

In our game, all but one escaped poisoning: http://www.pendragonchronicles.org.uk/uther/495.html. If I recall correctly I was very careful to state that they had to consider their actions in and around the feast very carefully - I gave plenty of hints that something critical was about to happen... Actually, it worked well that one died, it underlined for the group the severity of the situation, and the player concerned was alright with it - again, I've always tried to make clear that in Pendragon your knights will die, but that this is not the end of the game.

Firstly thanks for the replies and it's really interesting to see how everyone has handled the situation.

I like the idea of the honour guard, I don't want to kill of my group, but I do want to impart the gravity of the situation.

I am also going too big up the Earl in the next few years so he's a really great guy and they actually care when he dies.

Lets see if I recall what happened in our campaign...

First of all, we had one Roman knight, who had opted to stay behind and help Syagrius of Soissons against the Franks. He managed to show up in the Battle of St. Albans and save the life of Earl Roderick, for which act the Earl promised to reconsider his rash decision to exile the knight for disobeying his Lord (i.e. the Earl, in commanding everyone out of Gaul). What Earl Roderick didn't know was that this knight was part of Syagrius' retinue, and Syagrius was in Britain as well, seething and wanting revenge against Uther and other British nobles for their treachery (in Syagrius' mind). So, instead of it having been a Saxon who poisoned the nobles in the victory feast, it was actually a Roman knight (non-PC) acting under Syagrius' orders.

Two of the other PCs were wounded and resting in the hospital with Ulfius and Brastias. The fourth and final PC absented himself from the feast to check up on his companions. And while the nobles were dropping like flies, some footmen and knights in the employ of Syagrius stormed the hospital to finish off Ulfius and Brastias. The PCs fought them off.

Syagrius had an ambitious plan. After having killed the British nobility, he intended to install himself as an Earl (he chose Salisbury, figuring that his PC advisor could identify the troublemakers for him to get rid off, as well as having knowledge of the defenses of Sarum's castle), and then expand his influence in the typical Anarchy fashion. The player in question was just brimming with good ideas ICly (arrange an ambush along the road to prevent messengers from reaching Sarum and warning the garrison, as well as painting their shields with Salisbury's colors, pretending to return from the war), while groaning OOCly that he is helping the bad guys to succeed.

Merlin intervened by healing the three loyal knights, and warning them of Syagrius' intent against the widowed Countess and the rightful Heir, Robert. What followed was an epic ride, to catch up with Syagrius and his cronies... taking the long route around to avoid the ambushes of footmen along the way. They arrived just in time to save Robert (who was being rescued by a knight on horseback, chased by three other knights), and then fought their way into the Castle to save the Countess and Lady Jenna. But they knew they would be too late for that...

Meanwhile, in the castle, the party of Syagrius managed to bluff their way in thanks to the Roman Knight. And before the defenders knew what was happening, the mercenaries started to cut them down. Sir Jaradan, reputed to be the best blade in Salisbury, held the staircase against all comers, until brought down by a hail of crossbow bolts ordered by the PC. With the last defender slain, Syagrius and the PC forced their way into the Countess bedchamber, where the Countess was trying to console her crying daughter. And seeing the desperate look in their eyes, the PC sighed. "I am sorry, m'lord, by I cannot do this." he said, turning to face Syagrius with his sword. "I have betrayed so many a lord, so what is one more?" He then proceeded to kill Syagrius in a duel, saving the Countess and Lady Jenna. The arrival of the other PCs completed the victory over the mercenaries, and Salisbury was saved, for the time being...

For saving the Countess and Lady Jenna, the Roman Knight was pardoned for breaking his exile. But for participating in the plot of Syagrius, he was sentenced to death, at the Countess' pleasure, and to wear black as symbol of his status as a dead man walking. Of course, it wasn't her pleasure to kill this handsome (APP 21, a major reason why the Earl was so keen to exile the man years ago), skilled, battle-wise knight any time soon... so he became the Black Knight of Salibury, acting as the enforcer for the Countess and was instrumental in foiling the next plot that came to threaten Salisbury... By two of the PC knights who saved Robert in the first place!


Yeah, we had plenty of fun with that part of the storyline. :)
Alas, the group disintegrated later, so we never got much past 500 AD. But it was fun while it lasted.

Nice twist Morien.

I too intend to bring Syagrius back, but in the anarchy period for a bit of warmongering!!