Session Fifteen: The Cook’s Tale

A Bonus Payment

Just after the company patches themselves up and collects the bounty from their fallen foe, Monsieur Corentin arrives with several very ashamed guards and a reinvigorated cook. The cook immediately throws herself upon Pierre, hugging him and thanking him, and the company, for freeing her from Amelia’s servitude. Pierre is taken quite aback.

Corentin applauds the company for getting rid of a daemon problem he didn’t know he had, but also demands that they leave the property as soon as possible. Garnier says that he will, and he will surely tell everyone how they defeated a daemon on the property of an otherwise reputable establishment, unless Corentin pays them to keep quiet. They earn another 100 Crown from Corentin before they are escorted off the premises.

Monsieur Corentin 

A Quiet Evening

The company stops in the markets of Poissy to spend some of their wealth. Frieda travels to the booth of a bowyer and hands over the bows and remaining arrows that she, Jim, and Jules used in the recent battle. The company soon learns that Frieda stopped by the bowyer’s and left one of her books as collateral to better arm herself and the two Poissy boys.

Frieda apologizes about the loss of several arrows, but makes it up to the bowyer by leaping onto one of his tables and spending the next few minutes proudly advertising for him. Among other things, Frieda mentions that the bowyer’s goods are of fine workmanship and are battle-tested against the forces of the Ruinous Powers. Business for the bowyer booms.

A little later, the company returns Echarde to the Reverend Father and goes back to the Corbin farm for a rest. The company takes turns bathing—with Sir Jean-Marc going first, of course, and watch the family drama play out between Lunette and her son Jules. Lunette is delighted that Jim and Jules have become squires to Sir Henri. Jules begs her to stop making a fuss about it.

Maurice pays some Crown to Henri the Innkeeper, who is appreciative, but confused. Maurice says that he earned the money improperly, and wanted to pay the innkeeper for his kindness. Henri seems reluctant to accept the money, until Sabina confirms that the money was won at gambling and not stolen. Henri promises to spend the money on good foodstuffs the next time he gets the opportunity.

The company gathers for an evening meal and recounts their exploits, to the horror and delight of Henri and Lunette. They then go to the Corbin barn, pass out on the hay, and get a decent night’s sleep.

Setting Out

Pierre tends to everyone’s wounds as Henri packs up his cart and prepares to set off. Lunette further embarrasses her son by presenting him with a gaudy red capelet to wear. When he resists, she tells him that she’s worried his neck will be cold—to the amusement of all and sundry.

The company sets off eastward to their next stop, the Valley of Grandcamp-Maisy. Along the way, they encounter other travelers, including a troupe of costumed mummers who accost them with a song and a brief slapstick performance.

The Yellow Knight

The company is approaching the bridge that will take them across a river and into Grandcamp-Maisy when they are accosted by a man of good Bretonnian serf stock. He introduces himself as Onzel, and says that he is in the service of the Yellow Knight, a Knight of the Grail. He goes on to say that his master was bid by the Lady to encamp near this bridge, and to duel any knight who passed by. Onzel then asks if Sir Henri and Sir Jean-Marc would be so kind as to duel his master. Sir Henri agrees readily, but Sir Jean-Marc seems skeptical.

Onzel, Servant of the Yellow Knight

The company is led to a large tree near the bridge, beneath which can be found a beautiful pavilion and the equipage, arms, and trappings of a knight. There is also a golden horse of singular stature and beauty, that Renee immediately covets. Moments after they arrive, a large man helmed, fully armored, and wearing a yellow surcoat strides forth from the pavilion. He introduces himself as the Yellow Knight and bids the company welcome.

The Yellow Knight seems to recognize Sir Jean-Marc’s heraldry and asks for him to lift his visor and to give his name. Sir Jean-Marc reluctantly acquiesces, to which the Yellow Knight responds by saying that he “has not seen Sir Jean-Marc in a very long time” and that “he is glad the rumors of Sir Jean-Marc’s death were exaggerated.” Both of these comments worry Sir Jean-Marc a great deal.

Onzel informs his master that Sir Henri will fight him first, and the Yellow Knight asks if Sir Henri would prefer to duel with lance or sword. Sir Henri picks the lance, and the Yellow Knight allows him to equip himself with one of the blunted lances leaning up against the tree. While Sir Henri picks out his weapon, Onzel saddles the golden horse, whom the Yellow Knight addresses as “Lightbringer.” He tells the company that he acquired the horse from a trader in Tilea, and that Lightbringer’s name in Tilean is much prettier than its Bretonnian name.

Lightbringer, the Yellow Knight's Steed

Magnus, who knows some Tilean, spends an agonizingly long amount of time trying to remember how to say “Lightbringer” in that language.

The contest with Sir Henri is over almost as quickly as it began, with the young knight unhorsed on the first pass. The Yellow Knight offers a hand and thanks Sir Henri for agreeing to duel him. He then asks Sir Jean-Marc if he would like to duel next.

Sir Henri, realizing that he has not gotten the name of the Yellow Knight, now asks it. The knight, for his part, seems ashamed that he has asked for the names of Sir Henri and Sir Jean-Marc without giving his own. He removes his helm, revealing himself to be an elderly man with a long, white beard. He says that he is, “Nikodemas de la Tour, the Yellow Knight, the Knight of the Fallen Tower.”

Sir Jean-Marc also chooses to duel Sir Nikodemas with lances. He fares better than his former squire, striking Sir Nikodemas on the first pass and breaking his lance upon him in the second. Alas, he, too, is unhorsed and defeated.

The company spends some more time speaking to Sir Nikodemas. He tells them that he has been tasked by the Lady to be a shining example of honor and virtue to the people of Bretonnia, and that there are too many people in the world who are cruel liars who lack a direction in life.

Hearing his words, Sir Henri kneels before Sir Nikodemas and asks him to bless him in the Lady’s name. Maurice also steps forward, and asks for Sir Nikodemas to bless his bow. Sir Nikodemas blesses both, “in the name of the one that I serve.”

The company bids farewell to the Yellow Knight and rides off, crossing the long bridge into Grandcamp-Maisy. On their way across, Garnier notices that Sir Jean-Marc has stayed behind to talk privately to the Yellow Knight.

Nikodemas de la Tour, the Yellow Knight

Wild Mass Guessing

When Sir Jean-Marc rejoins them, the company begins a hasty conversation about their opinions of the Yellow Knight. To a person, they do not trust him. Sabina points out that the Yellow Knight did not use the Lady’s name in his blessing, and suspects that he may be a servant of Chaos. Garnier also noticed this and agrees with Sabina. Maurice and Sir Henri are now concerned about what the Yellow Knight’s blessing might actually entail. Other things the company noticed include:

• That they have seen the Yellow Knight’s blazon before, but they don’t know where.
• That the Knight of the Fallen Tower was known to keep a monster or daemon in his tower, and when he and the daemon were defeated, he hung upside down and beheaded.
  
• Renee suspects that the Yellow Knight might be Umbrian, the horse thief mentioned in Berjols.
• That the Yellow Knight seems to know Sir Jean-Marc, though Sir Jean-Marc is sure he has never met the man before. 

At this point, Sir Jean-Marc, clearly ashamed, tells the company that he needs to tell them something that will likely destroy their opinion of him. He explains that he, not the Yellow Knight, is the “Umbrian” mentioned in the wanted poster. The company presses him for details and he explains, haltingly, that he found the real Sir Jean-Marc dead on the day of his knighting and took the man’s armor, equipage, and peerage for himself. He says that the horse he rides was originally called Jules, which explains a small mystery that the company has been wondering about.

Just as the company begins to ask whether Sir Jean-Marc is really a knight, or if Sir Henri is even a knight at all, Magnus erupts:

“I remembered! ‘Lightbringer’ in Tilean is ‘Deluca.’”

Though the rest of the company is baffled, Magnus is delighted.

The company decide to return to the tree and press the Yellow Knight for answers. When they cross the bridge, they find that knight, horse, pavilion, equipment, and humble servant are all gone, leaving no sign other than flattened grass and hoofprints that they were there at all.

The Blazon of the Yellow Knight

Grandcamp-Maisy

The company recrosses the river and approaches Paix and the Truce Inn, the first settlement in the valley. There, they encounter several murmuring commonfolk, who seem to be talking about them. When approached, the commonfolk say that the company should ride on without stopping, otherwise they might be impressed to serve as warriors in a growing conflict.

Apparently, two noble families live in the valley, and have kept a tenuous peace for years thanks to the Miracle of the Lake. Unfortunately, intrigues and murders have recently occurred, and now the two houses are at one another’s throats again. Because the company seems to be comprised of hardy warriors, the commonfolk will be recruited—or forced—to serve one or the other house until the conflict is resolved.