Cynan’s Tale of the Root of the Border Dispute:

You may have heard of the long years that our fair shire has been involved in a deadly duel with our neighbours, the Barony of Skraeling Althing over the eastern salient, and wondered how this came to be. I having been there, and being a bit of a storyteller will tell you what I know of this.

Now many of you have heard my previous tales of days gone by in the shire. Of how I came to be a proud member of the shire, and how we formed the dragon guard, and ultimately how we saved our beloved Squamifer and at the same times ourselves. This being so I will start off from there.

The Dragon Guard, the unit founded to defend the shire was indeed a noble band, but over the years our ranks thinned as members died, retired, or sought other more profitable employment. Two of our unit joined a pirate band to rove the seas in search of plunder. And the disintegration of the band was complete when our leader and founder lord Guilelmo, along with Lord Richard joined a mercenary company. No one thought anything ill of this, for truly what need did we have of protection? Sharing a home with a dragon has a way of deterring would be conquerors and invaders. We grew restive and complacent and turned our thoughts from defence to profit and personal ambition.

What we did not realize was that the tales of Dragons and of lands both sometimes span many years, and though we did not see the danger, it was closer than anyone would have dared to think!

Now I, like the others, had grown complacent. I saw no hidden threats, for all news from travelers told of content rural farmers, friendly neighbours, and general well being! I began to turn my gaze even further away than the others to the distant barony of Carolingia. Now Carolingia was then and is now, known as a center for the arts, for the sciences, and for culture. It was said that the maidens were fair and that the Baron Aquell paid his retainers very well. Drawn in by these tidings, I made plans to travel there, for my purse was growing light. I made a life there serving the Baron, and found joy in the wonders of the great Barony.

After the passing of a few months however, I was filled with a longing to see my home once again. The Baron seeing my want gave me leave in the fall to visit my home, my family, and my shire. And so it was that I was to visit just in time for the Fall Harvest celebration.

When I arrived I immediately heard the news that the Queen and her Entourage had also come to the shire to sample our hospitality and our wines. And so it was that fall that the celebration was like none I had ever witnessed before. Never before either had I seen any of our royalty. There were tournaments so large, swelled from distant knights that one could see no end to the contenders! It was good that we had been granted a bountiful harvest for surely we would have emptied our stores had the year been less prosperous with all the guests who were present, for the feasts were generously prepared. Alas the tournaments began. Scores of warriors eager to prove their mettle before the queen lead to hours upon hours of swordplay or jousting. It was not long however before in the swordplay tournament, which I was participating in, a few began to distinguish themselves. Lord Stephan von Hapsburg, with a darting blade that seemed impossible to stop. The Lord Arioch the Quick, of the queen’s household, who was well named, and who on foot was able to avoid any blow. And then there was Lord Larze! This foreign warlord hailed from the neighbouring Kingdom of Ealdomere. In the tournament his sword wrought a path of destruction! He managed to best me along with many others, and I would bear the wounds of that day for weeks to come! With him were a band of swordsmen from his own lands, the Barony of Skraeling Althing. They fought impressively and it was then that it occurred to us that the path to their lands was largely untraveled. We had not established diplomatic relations with them, and they indeed were loyal to a crown not our own. A crown that our own kings had faced many times as a foe at the Pennsic wars! We had not expected them to be so powerful so close to us until that day.

After the deeds of the field were done that day, the Queen held a court. It began pleasantly enough as she called forward people of our shire and our region forward to reward good service with honours, titles, and lands. When she was done with that business however her herald called forth those who had petitioned to speak unto her. Most of the business was of a minor sort, until the herald called forth the party from Scraeling Althing.

The foreign party came forward, after being disarmed, before the Queen. They waited politely to speak, and when they were invited to do so they began by speaking of their journey into our lands. They claimed that bandits had attacked them. We knew immediately that something was amiss, for we had heard no reports of bandits in years. They continued telling of how they defeated the bandits and left behind a party to police those lands, since they claimed we were unable to protect the roads through it properly! As sly and careful the words the worm tongued Ealdomeri speaker chose, the truth was plain to all who would look beyond his polite demeanour, they had invaded our lands! The champions of our own lands stood forward and pointed out that the bandits the Ealdomeri has spoken of were more likely unarmed, and helpless peasants who the Ealdomeri had attacked!

Their response was simple; If we wished to make a claim on the lands we would meet them early in the next summer in the eastern salient and settle the ownership of that territory for all times to come. Our gracious and honourable queen allowed the unarmed Ealdomeri to leave her court with there heads still attached (to the disappointment of some).

I returned to Carolingia, and the winter passed quickly amid preparations for the upcoming border battle. Thinking on our mighty foes I thought to recruit Carolingian mercenaries! Alas I had little success, for most of the Carolingians thought that everything north of their wonderful city was as cold as the winter snows and surely not worth the journey. I silently cursed my foul luck in this endevour, yet I was determined to add as much strength to my shire as I could. I honed my skills with the blade and received the Baron’s permission to leave him again for the appointed battle date. I knew that I at least would lend my blade to the frey.

That spring I received a letter reminding me of the shire’s need, and calling upon me to fulfill oaths I had sworn as a former member of the dragon guard. And though the weather seemed ominous, I faithfully set out determined in my task.

The journey however went as poorly as the worst of my fears! For while crossing the eastern mountains, a storm of wind and rain of terrible proportions struck me! The winds threatened to pull me from the highest summits, and the rivers swelled filling valley ways with rushing rivers! The mountain paths quickly turned into deep thick mudslides, which made footing treacherous for my steed. Often I was forced to travel a foot beside the beaten path where the roots, underbrush and mosses made for surer if slippery footing. At length, soaked and very cold from the howling winds and rains, I arrived home. It was a little later than I had hoped to arrive, but still I was in time to join with the shire’s forces.

I was not the only one made to look like a soggy rat by the weather, but as poor as we looked, our blood was filled with fire! We were determined to set out for our appointment with our foemen. Surely the journey could not be delayed if we wished to be at the agreed place by the agreed time.

During a pause in the storm we set out from our camp through the rain soaked fields after re-oiling our blades. Crossing the land the air was so moist that one felt wetter just riding! At least it wasn’t raining. Unfortunately as we neared the disputed lands it did began to rain again. At first the rain came down as a light drizzle, but eventually it picked up into a downpour!

Yet through it all we pressed on intent on our goal! Eventually it stopped raining and we made good, if dirty, progress through the soggy mud of the fields. Alas, we realized we were drawing near. The tension among the men could be felt all around. Finally we arrived ready to fight, ready for our worth foes! We looked around, yet all that we saw was an empty field. Then it began to rain again, at least this time we could take shelter in the hamlet over which we were disputing while waiting for our foes. At length, as the day wore on, we began to wonder if our foes would indeed be coming. There was no denying that the day was drawing to a close.

In the end we saw no Ealdomeri at all we rejoiced in our good fortune that we would not have to face their warlord once again. We drank well into the night revelling in our victory of default. Never before had a victory been as bloodless as this! Yet still it left me with an empty feeling, traveling so far to war never to bloody by blade! Also, knowing that the threat would not be dealt with until our foes were truly defeated.

Indeed it turned out that the shire saw no Ealdomeri force that year much to our shire’s relief, nor would we see their force for some time, and the attempted invasion slowly slipped from memory. I myself traveled ever farther into the principality of Northshield, and thought no more of the border threats, at least not for over a year. But that is as far as I will spin the yarn of my tale for now. Until next time!

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