Bretonnia Tales: Coda

The game is over, but the characters and the stories live on. Included below are some of my (non-canonical) thoughts on where the company go, and what they do, now that their grand pilgrimage has come to a conclusion.

Coda

As one final “gift,” the Stranger provided the members of the company a glimpse of the future. The Stranger smiled as he did this, and warned the company that the future, like the best laid plans, are easily changed.

The company’s return journey to Brionne is pleasant and without incident. The company is glad for the peace and quiet. Upon arrival in Brionne, Henri the innkeeper treats them all to a final, lavish meal at the Surcoat Inn. Henri first toasts his nephew, who has managed to keep the Surcoat running in his absence, and then the company. He knows that they must all go back to their own lives now, but he hopes that they will keep in touch.

Garnier, Pierre, and Maurice travel together, heading south to the mountains to pick up some mercenary work. Garnier tells the tales of his (and the company’s, but mostly his) exploits on his pilgrimage, winning coin, fame, and acclaim wherever he goes. His stories become increasingly embellished, but the trio are able to back up his more improbable claims with their skills, which only improves their reputations.

Pierre becomes well known throughout Carcassonne as a great healer. The talisman he received from the Lady allows him to brew a curative nostrum that can cure nearly any wound. His skills are much in demand for the next year or so, as mercenaries and shepherds of Bretonnia fight the orkish hordes in the southern mountains.

Maurice, too, wins himself fame as an eagle-eyed archer and slayer of many orks. There are whispers that he is responsible for breaking an orkish siege on a mountain fortress by poisoning the orks’ water supply, but one can give little heed to such idle gossip.

The trio run across Garnier and Maurice’s old companion, Maurice the Toothless. They find that he has finally bought himself a nice set of dentures.

Sabina and Frieda go off together, continuing to travel the land, fighting the odd group of bandits, and having adventures. At some point in the future, Frieda invites Sabina to come with her to the Empire. They marry, but do not settle down even slightly. The taverns near their home in Altdorf become significantly rowdier. 

Late at night, Frieda uses her diary entries from the pilgrimage as a reference to write a book. Five hundred years later, it is still widely read throughout the Empire, though largely by those who pursue classical literature degrees.

Renee goes off on her own, using her newfound skills to collect increasingly dangerous and rewarding bounties. She surprises and terrifies everyone when she drags a Chaos fish demon from the River Brienne to a shrine of Mannann fifteen miles away. Alive. And in her net. She is rewarded handsomely, but it is not enough. She still needs money to travel to Araby and buy one of those golden horses.

Sir Jean-Marc and Sir Henri continue to travel the land, righting wrongs, fighting the good fight, and honoring the Lady. With them go their squires, Jim and Jules. With sufficient time and instruction--and without Garnier to constantly bother him, Jules becomes slightly less of a dink. This is not enough to elevate him to knighthood, alas, but it is an improvement.

Several years later, Sir Henri knights the now Sir James in a ceremony at the Shrine of Saint Maxense in Poissy. Sir James takes Jules to be his squire. Jules accepts, which draws applause and tears from his mother.

Antonella and Andre continue their beautiful friendship and continue to improve the landship. They soon outfit it with cannons, as well as some custom modifications that allows it to travel the water as well as on the land. Andre spends some time sailing at speed down the Brienne, swamping small boats and splashing anyone fool enough to be standing on the shore.

Andre’s collection of fanciful hats grows. One day, he purchases an antique hat that once belonged to the explorer Pysarrew. Stitched into the lining, Andre finds yet another treasure map, though this one seems genuine and seems to lead to some place called “Ye Cittey of Gold.” Andre hires a crew and sets sail across the ocean, looking for this mythical city of riches and magic.

Arnaulf the cook periodically contacts the company and the other pilgrims by mail. He mostly asks for drinking money.

The Surcoat Inn becomes one of the most famous inns in Brionne, thanks to Henri the innkeeper and his seemingly endless tales from his pilgrimage. He has set up a shadow box at his bar that holds numerous keepsakes from his pilgrimage, including a monogrammed comb, a notion bought from the Tilean merchant, Lucovido Giallo, numerous pilgrimage badges, and a slightly rusty tinderbox with "GR” engraved on it.

Henri also wins great acclaim for his cooking. It was already excellent before, but now it has gained the reptation of being able to heal various minor ailments. Henri chalks it up to having been permitted to touch the Shroud of King Gilles, and profusely thanks his friend, Sir Henri, for making it possible.

And What of Magnus?

What, Indeed?

Magnus travels Bretonnia for a while with his mercenaries. His reputation as a fearsome warrior precedes him, and he soon gathers many sellswords to his banner. He and his company acquit themselves very well in the recent orkish uprisings in the south, giving no quarter or mercy to the greenskins they encounter.

Maurice, Garnier, and Pierre encounter Magnus during this campaign. They find Magnus much changed. He is harder, colder, more prone to outbursts of sudden violence. Some of his mercenaries confide to the trio that they fear that Magnus is mad. They tell tales of him leaping from his horse to fight squads of orks by himself, armed only with a dagger.

Yes. That Dagger.

When the orks are at last driven back to their mountain strongholds, Magnus returns to Maisy and, somehow, successfully woos the Lady Josephine. The two marry later that year.

Magnus’ mercenary company become permanent residents of Castle Maisy, significantly adding to its fighting strength. Over time, several of the sellswords depart Maisy. Most claim that they have itching feet, or that they are looking for battles to win. Others claim that they have grown too afraid of the increasingly dark moods of their lord and lady…

The Coda to the Coda

In the canonical Warhammer Fantasy universe, the End Times are fast approaching. What happens in this timeline is that Chaos attacks the entire world at the same time. Then they win. Then they destroy the world.

Before it is destroyed, Sigmar rescues as many people as he can and moves them to the Realms of Magic, where he creates a new world and rules over it as one of the biggest and most powerful gods. He also takes the opportunity to create a new setting and a new product line.

This ending is too grimdark for me and, since my version of Bretonnia is decidedly not canon, I’ve decided to make some changes.

In keeping with the original canon, there is a climactic battle against the forces of Chaos, and King Gilles returns to Bretonnia in its darkest hour. He is incarnated as the Green Knight and fights evil on behalf of the Lady.

In the Geoffian canon, the company successfully protects the Shroud, which is Gilles’ link to the physical world that allows him to manifest. When he does, he takes down the tarnished copper panoply from the inner sanctum of the Temple of Myrmidia, gears up, and rides forth. He wields Loren, the Verdant Blade, which has been further empowered by Sir Jean-Marc’s battles against Chaos Undivided.

This, plus other small things, prevents (or at least postpones) the End Times. There’s still Chaos, and the world is still kind of messy and ugly, but it’s still there. A blow to Games Workshop’s bottom line? Perhaps, but eeeeh?

After all, the Chaos god of Chaos can foil any plans. Even those of a multinational gaming company.

 Fin