Hey everyone,

So to get a bit of context, I am a storyteller who has always let the dice fall where they may and give players opportunities for great glory and heroic moments.

In 504-5 during Nantelod's extended war against Cerdic & Aelle, the player characters got the opportunity to fight against the Saxon Kings and their honour guards. I wanted them to perhaps get a chance to get a strike in before the flow of battle split them off from kings...but dice didn't fall that way. Between fumbles on my part and criticals on theirs...luck stated that the saxon kings lay dead at their feet and now I find myself written into a corner & totally off book.

Where would you go from here if you had Aelle & Cerdic dead? Would Nantelod rise to greater prominence, only to fight the remaining kings such as Eosa...or bring in new (worse) kings from the continent?
Would you go a different way and start to foreshadow Boy King period where the northern lords move against Nantelod and Britain starts to war against itself when there was was common threat to keep them from each other's throats?

Just looking for ideas & inspiration.

Sounds to me you have already gone off the book, since Aelle doesn't take arms against Nanteleod until 508 in GPC.

Easiest option:
Cynric steps up in Cerdic's place, and Cissa takes over for Aelle. With Aelle gone, it is likely that it is some other Saxon King who unifies the Saxons for the Battle of Badon. My bet would be Anglian King Cwichelm. Furthermore, this unification can actually happen earlier than normal, as the Saxons sit up and realize that they are in deep doo-doo if they don't unify and take Nanteleod out. Same is true for Cornwall, which in GPC distracts Nanteleod in 506-7. Thus, even though Wessex and Sussex are weakened, in 508 at Netley Marsh, the deficit is more than made up with Essex and Anglian warriors. Also, this might make the 509 even worse for the Cymri.

As an additional joker in the deck... Merlin might actually be actively working against Nanteleod at this point. After all, if Nanteleod goes on to kick the Saxons out, he is a shoo-in for King of Logres and after that, the High King. Where does that leave Arthur? So yes, Merlin could very easily be working behind the scenes to encourage Malahaut and why not the Northern Kings as well to start interfering in Logres against Nanteleod. Which would nicely explain why they are gathering in London in 510, too. (Which does not happen in Malory, the nobles gathered are simply the Barons of Logres, and Lot gets involved only as Arthur gets fast-tracked to High Kingship behind his back.)

Also, just because the Saxon Kings buy it doesn't mean some other Saxon ass-kicker didn't kill Nantleod, or doesn't in the next battle. Maybe the success is short-lived.

Also, just because the Saxon Kings buy it doesn't mean some other Saxon ass-kicker didn't kill Nantleod, or doesn't in the next battle. Maybe the success is short-lived.

Not to mention that it is CYNRIC, not Cerdic, who kills Nanteleod in GPC.

Really it seems like you have a good handle on how to resolve the deviation. The main points are: there are heirs, even for Saxons, and during this period everyone drags down the leader in hopes of gaining the top themselves.

The only difference when Arthur comes along is that he has an exhausted Logres which just wants a resolution, the backing of Merlin (including sword prophecy), and a string of victories over his opponents who attempted to, again, pull him down in the hopes of supplanting him.

So yeah, killing a couple Saxon kings will only stir them up, and there are always more keels of warriors from the Continent when you need 'em.

--Khanwulf