• Author / Uploaded
• Gandalfina Ixtliyollotl Face-Heart

Citation preview

King Arthur

™ 5th Edition

Book of

FEASTS DAV I D L A R K I N S AND

JA M E S K N EV IT T

Published by Nocturnal Media MMXVIII

Acknowledgements The King Arthur Pendragon roleplaying game created by Greg Stafford Author: David Larkins Feast Deck System developed by James Knevitt and David Larkins Gaming Skill description by Greg Stafford Inebriation rules by Malcolm Wolter Editor:Scott Holden Managing Editor: Greg Stafford Proofreader: Roberto Mandrioli Art Director: Jennifer Wieck and Malcolm Wolter Design and Production: Malcolm Wolter Card Design: Clay Gardner Publishing: Alan Bahr, Stephan Wieck All other photos, pictures and illustrations are from royalty-free sources, such as DoverPictura.com, ClipArt.com, Liam’s Pictures from Old Books, and many and diverse other works in the public domain.

Published by Nocturnal Media, 2018 Book of Feasts v1.2. New version designations are editions that include corrections or additions. ©2018 Nocturnal Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction without the written permission of the publisher is expressly forbidden, except for the purposes of reviews, and for the blank record sheets, which may be reproduced for personal use only. Pendragon® is a registered trademark of Nocturnal. All rights reserved. All characters, names, places and text herein are copyright by Nocturnal Media. Join us on the forums at http://nocturnalmediaforum.com/iecarus/forum/forum.php

– ii –

Contents INTRODUCTION Small Cheer and Great Welcome. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

CH A PTER I Feasting Procedure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 The APP Roll. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Seating. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Effects on Honor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Ceding Your Position. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Interacting with Gamemaster Characters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Feast Rounds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Geniality. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Feast Round Procedure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 The Feast Deck. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Gossip, Indulge, Flirt, or Game. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Leaving the Feast. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 The End of the Feast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Playing the Host. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

CH A PTER II Eat, Drink, and Be Merry! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 The Spectacle of a Feast. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Guests’ Arrival. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Food. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Let’s Sup. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Other Temptations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hospitality and Manners. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Courtly Dances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Entertainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

15 16 17 18 20 23 24 24

CH A PTER III Scenarios . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 The Adventure of the Three Feasts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 The Marvels of Pentecost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

A PPENDICES Appendix A: Sample Dishes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Appendix B: Glossary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Appendix C: Bibliography. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

– iii –

In troduction

SMALL CHEER AND Great Welcome “For there the feast was held full fifteen days alike with all the meat and the mirth that men could devise. Such a merry tumult, glorious to hear; joyful din by day, dancing at night. All was high joy in hall and chambers with lords and ladies as pleased them best. With all the weal in the world they dwelt there together, the most famous knights save only Christ, the loveliest ladies that ever had life, and he, the comeliest of kings, who holds the court.” — Gawain and the Green Knight

he word “feast” carries many connotations for nobles and knights. It can mean an annual or periodic event, such as a holy day or market day; it might mean a day dedicated to a saint or ancient deity or spirit; it may connote a mostly secular event, such as a wedding or knighting. Then, of course, there is the meal itself and the people attending to dine and make merry. Feasts are held in public squares, the baileys of castles, great halls, and even private chambers. They involve hundreds of revelers or a handful of close intimates. The only requirement is an excuse for celebration. Whatever one’s social station, food is just as tightly regulated in medieval society as any other aspect of daily life. Church and custom alike dictate which foods may be eaten and when, which foods are inherently sinful, the amount of food and drink one may consume without risking censure or damnation. The cycles of the season create natural times of bounty and times of want. “You are what you eat” is a maxim that would be well understood by the folk of these times, for the general belief is that one’s personal relationship with eating reflects their higher selves as well as the overall health of the community they dwell in. All these proscriptions and mores go out the window when it comes to a feast, however. Feasts are excuses to transcend rigid social boundaries,

and they are all the more raucous and festive as a result. Indeed, some theologians hold that feasts are ultimately good for the soul, as it is only through the experience of sin that one may truly and virtuously resist it at other times. Beyond such philosophizing, there are overtly The social positive aspects of feasting as well: the bounty re- advantages quired to put on a feast stands as a sign of God’s of feasting. approval and blessing, and the lavish costs reinforce the power and prestige of the nobility. Only the great and the good can afford such luxury, and thus regular feasts remind everyone of why the nobles deserve their exalted status. For the nobility itself, feasts are a way of reinforcing divisions within their own class by way of publicly demonstrating who sits where, who is served, and in what order. In the game of King Arthur Pendragon, feasts represent an opportunity for the Gamemaster to spotlight banquets as the important and vital social events they are, on par with tournaments. Like tourneys, the feast is a vehicle for driving interactions, schemes, rivalries, and alliances between Player-knights and Gamemaster characters. Unlike tournaments, feasts are a feature of knightly life throughout the timeline, from Uther’s reign to the final twilight years of Arthur’s court. With the rules presented in this book and the companion Feast Deck, you can make banquets a regular feature of your game sessions, no matter the period. ❧

–1–

Chapter I

Feasting Procedure Then was the high feast made ready, and the king was wedded at Camelot unto Dame Guenever in the Church of Saint Stephen’s, with great solemnity. And as every man was set after his degree, Merlin went to all the knights of the Round Table, and bad them sit still, that none of them remove, ‘for ye shall see a strange and a marvellous adventure.’  — Roman de Brut, Wace

ombined, the Feast Deck and these rules constitute a card-driven, improvisational game-within-a-game in which no two feasts will ever be quite the same.

T

THE APP ROLL

he Appearance (APP) attribute comes into its Appearance is a crucial own during feasts. Knights and ladies who are attribute obviously wealthy, convivial, charming, and comely during feasts. tend to draw the attention of those around them,

Before each feast, each Player-knight and lady in The APP roll attendance must make a single unopposed APP determines roll. The score is modified by jewelry (+1 for every seating order. £1-value) and the Fashion Skill (see p. 102 of the King Arthur Pendragon 5.2 rulebook), to a maximum of +10. Compare results to the information given on Table 1.1: The APP Roll and in the “Seating” section (see p. 6).

Table 1.1: The app roll

thus finding the most opportunities to take advantage of interesting developments during the revels of the evening. In any group social activity, rank the Playerknights and ladies by their “natural” (unmodified) APP. Good things will always happen first to those with the highest unmodified APP value, while those with the lowest natural APP will always be singled out first for recriminations or accusations. Appearance is also hugely important in the pre-feast procedure of determining rank and precedence. As Chapter Two addresses further, one’s seating order relative to the high table can make or break a knight or lady’s reputation and provide fantastic opportunities for social drama.

–5–

Result

Effect

Critical

Above the Salt

Success

Near the Salt

Failure

Below the Salt

Fumble

“This is an outrage!” There is a problem with the seating chart. Roll APP again (this time treating a fumble as a simple failure), and take a seat one position further down from the spot by the second roll. If the result is Below the Salt, you must instead eat on the floor with the dogs and squires! See “On the Floor,” next page.

Book of Feasts

T

SEATING

here are four areas in any feast, as outlined Your proximity to the lord’s below, arranged in descending order predisalt cellar indi- cated on one’s position relative to “the salt” — that cates your is, the ornate silver or gold salt cellar which holds social position. the finest, purest salt in the household. The salt is always placed at the high table.

Above the Salt:A seat at the high table! Merely to be seen sitting in this exalted position earns a character +2 Geniality per round of the feast. However, characters seated Above the Salt cannot draw Feast Cards.

A

ny player character who is involuntarily seated in an area “below” a character with fewer Glory points must succeed at a Modest roll or lose 1 point of Honor. Characters who fumble their APP automatically suffer the Honor loss, as do characters with a Proud value of 16 or higher. Player-knights and ladies may decide to take up the social slight with the host at any point during the feast or afterwards.

CEDING YOUR POSITION

C

haracters may voluntarily cede their position to a lower area if they prefer to sit with their comrades or don’t want to sit at the high table. To do so requires a Modest roll. On a success, check the Trait, and gain 10 Glory (or 20 Glory with a critical success), then move your seat to a lower spot. Failure means that the intended move cannot be arranged. A fumbled roll indicates that the attempt at humility comes across as disingenuous and cynical, costing the character 1 point of Honor. Characters with a Proud value of 16 or higher may not voluntarily cede their position.

Near the Salt: You are seated near the high table — close enough to be noticed by those sitting there and perhaps engage them. You are physically seated at a lower table, but near its head and close to the high table. Basking in the glory of those seated before you suggests that you were very nearly important enough to earn a place there, thus granting +1 Geniality per round. Below the Salt: There is normally no shame in being seated below the salt for the average knight or lady, and the majority of Gamemaster character guests will be seated here. Here, far from the high table, food is a little colder and the salt a little coarser — but, some would argue, there is much more fun to be had.

Option: Stewardship Roll

On the Floor: Squires and dogs (and guests who are being deliberately snubbed) are not accorded a seat at table and are thus forced to find a place to eat elsewhere, somewhere, anywhere. If they are lucky, the lord has put down fresh rushes or straw… For Player-knights and ladies, such ignominy brings with it a -1 to Geniality per round (or -2 per round if seated here as the result of a Fumbled APP roll). Use the Feast Record to indicate where people are seated.

EFFECTS ON HONOR

T

The Gamemaster records everyone’s position along with their Glory on the Feast Record. Characters seated in adjacent areas are considered close enough to converse during the feast if they wish.

–6–

o reflect the high stakes involved with planning seating arrangements and such, player-characters in charge of planning a feast might be required to make a Stewardship roll. On a success, everyone is seated appropriately (that is, according to their Glory scores). A failed roll indicates a minor faux pas, which can be easily smoothed over with a successful Courtesy roll on the part of the host. A fumbled Stewardship roll, or a failed Courtesy roll following the failed Stewardship roll, indicates a major gaffe resulting in the loss of 1 point of Honor for both the host and also the guest in question (determined by the Gamemaster).

Being seated out of order can have a deleterious effect on your Honor...or make you look a properly Modest knight!

King Arthur Pendragon

INTERACTING WITH GAMEMASTER CHARACTERS

O

nce Player-knights and ladies have been assigned their seats, the Gamemaster should fill in the remaining blanks on the Feast Record. Any named Gamemaster characters, such as famous knights, eligible bachelors or heiresses, other characters important to the scenario, and so forth, go in first. The remaining blanks are filled in as the Gamemaster wishes; these “generic” characters may prove useful as the feast progresses, for many Feast Cards dictate some sort of interaction with another nameless reveler. Knights may Gamemasters should also note the person with sup with whom each Player-knight or lady is sharing a place knights, ladies setting (called a “mess”). Player-knights and ladies with ladies, or may be paired with one another, or with a Gameknights and master character, with no regard to gender. ladies may Player characters are always free to interact with sup together. a Gamemaster character during a feast round if their cards do not direct them otherwise. Those who choose to Gossip, Indulge, or Flirt are practically required to do so with a fellow feaster. Play these interactions out as much or as little Use the Feast Record to as you please. They may consist of something as guide interac- simple as an unopposed Flirting roll or an extions with tended in-character discussion. Any rolls resulting Gamemaster from these interactions should be affected by the characters Player-knight or lady’s accumulated Geniality. Even during the if no rolls are involved, Geniality should be taken feast. into account. Over the course of the feast, player characters accumulate Geniality (see p. 8), which may help or hinder their interactions with other guests at the banquet and could earn Glory.

L

FEAST ROUNDS

ike hunts, tournaments, and battles, feasts too are played out in a serious of abstract rounds. Consider each feast round to cover approximately one to two hours of game time, including time for eating and drinking, getting up and mixing with other guests and engaging in revels, and seeking out private conversation. An event described on a given Feast Card constitutes the highlight of that period of merriment. The number of rounds in a feast is set by the Gamemaster at the outset and is based on the size of the event. Suggested minimums are provided on Table 1.2: Feast Rounds.

Table 1.2: Feast Rounds

–7–

Size

Example

Minimum # Rounds

Small Feast

A vassal knight’s wedding

2

A neighborhood tournaMedium Feast ment’s concluding feast

3

Large Feast

Easter feast at Sarum

4

Royal Feast

Arthur’s Pentecost feast

5

A feast round represents one to two hours of time.

Book of Feasts

Geniality represents a character's regard accumulated over the course of the feast.

A

GENIALITY

character’s standing at a feast is tracked by their accumulated Geniality points. Characters earn Geniality in one of two ways: ◆◆according to their seating area ◆◆by drawing certain Feast Cards

Geniality is awarded at the end of each feast round. Everyone, regardless of rank or Glory, starts with 0 Geniality. Geniality may be positive or negative. Geniality Geniality modifies APP and any Courtly Skill modifies APP (see below) used during the feast, to a maximum and Courtly +/-10 modifier. At the Gamemaster’s option, it may Skill values. modify Trait rolls called for by certain Feast Card results. This modification is in addition to any modifiers from Glory or other sources. Courtly Skills: Courtly Skills are those modified by either your own Glory or another character’s Glory. (See “Skill Modifier” on p. 127 of King Arthur Pendragon 5.2.) It may also include Skills like Dancing and Romance. Here’s a comprehensive list of what should qualify: Compose, Courtesy, Dancing, Falconry, Flirting, Gaming, Heraldry, Intrigue, Orate, Play (Instrument), Romance, Singing, Tourney.

FEAST ROUND PROCEDURE

Each round, choose between drawing cards, gossiping, indulging, flirting, or gaming.

A

t the beginning of each round, players declare their character’s activity for that round. There are five activities to choose from: Draw Cards (unless disallowed — see below), Gossip, Indulge, Flirt, or Game. Characters with an Indulgent value of 16 or greater must succeed at a Temperate roll to attempt any activity other than Indulge on the first round. Likewise, characters with a Lustful of 16 or greater must succeed on a Chaste roll to do anything other than Flirt on the first round.

T

THE FEAST DECK

The Feast he Feast Deck drives gameplay during feasts. Deck produces Consisting of 155 cards, each describing an interesting event ranging from the mundane to the memochallenges rable. Some cards present once-in-a-lifetime opand unique portunities to truly make a mark or forge a lasting opportunities.

connection with a key Gamemaster character.

The Feast Deck should be re-shuffled before each feast.

Who Can Draw Feast Cards? Some card results are beneficial, others detrimental. Feast Cards represent the “anything goes” atmosphere of wild fêtes. Sitting at the high table means every eye is on you, and you cannot afford to look the fool. Thus, characters seated Above the Salt cannot draw Feast Cards, but must choose from among Gossip, Indulge, and Flirt, whose results are more staid and predictable. (This is one of the reasons a Player-knight or lady may choose to give up a seat of honor.) Further, squires and handmaidens are too lowly for any truly momentous events to happen to them. Thus, characters with Glory values of 1,000 or less cannot draw Feast Cards, but may only Gossip, Indulge, and Flirt.

Characters sitting Above the Salt, and those with less than 1,000 Glory, may not draw Feast Cards.

Drawing Feast Cards Players entitled to draw Feast Cards (i.e., those not seated Above the Salt, those having Glory of 1,000 or more, and those who are not forced to take some other action based on their Traits) do so in descending order according to their character’s modified APP roll, as determined at the beginning of the feast. Knights and ladies with high Glory values may draw more than one card at a time based on their Quality (see Table 1.3: Drawing Feast Cards). However, each character may play only one card per round, regardless of how many they draw. Any unused cards are placed into the discard pile at the end of the round. If the Feast Deck runs out of cards (unlikely, except for large groups of extraordinarily Glorious characters), then players can choose only Gossip, Indulge, and Flirt for the remainder of the feast. After drawing one or more cards, the player chooses one and follows the instructions on the card. Some cards call for the player to make an opposed roll against one or more Gamemaster characters. In such cases, Gamemasters may generate the appropriate opposed Skill, Trait, or Passion as directed on the card, randomly, or by fiat.

–8–

Draw from the deck from highest to lowest on the Feast Record.

King Arthur Pendragon

In addition to other benefits listed on the card, Glory from successful Skill rolls is awarded as normal.

Table 1.3: Drawing Feast Cards Number of Cards Drawn per Round

Quality

Knights and ladies with enough Glory may draw more than one card and choose among them.

Squire/Handmaiden1 (less than 1,000 Glory)

0

Knight/Lady (1,000+ Glory)

1

Respected (2,000+ Glory)

2

Notable (4,000+ Glory)

3

Famous (8,000+ Glory)

4

Extraordinary (16,000+ Glory)

5

Legendary (32,000+ Glory)

6

1

Options for those not allowed, or not wishing, to draw from the Feast Deck.

Squires and handmaidens may not draw Feast Cards

GOSSIP, INDULGE, FLIRT, OR GAME

T

he four activities outlined below are all represented to some extent as well in the Feast Deck. Yet by choosing one of these activities instead of drawing cards, the player is (1) ensuring a chance for a certain desired outcome, such as seduction, finding information, merrymaking, or gaming, and (2) avoiding the potentially bad outcomes lurking in the Feast Deck. Geniality: A successful roll on any of these activities earns +1 Geniality, or +2 Geniality with a critical success. A fumble costs -1 Geniality.

Gossip To Gossip is to engage in idle (or not-so-idle) chitchat with those nearby. The player makes an Intrigue roll. On a success, the character gains a check on Intrigue, and the Gamemaster reveals a tidbit of information. When making this roll, the player should be clear about what sort of information they’re seeking.

One might desire simply to hear what everyone’s talking about at the moment — the zeitgeist, if you will, such as the latest news on Saxon ambitions, thoughts on courtly love, discussion of upcoming tournaments, and so forth. Alternately, one might seek specific information: facts germane to that session’s adventure, information of concern to one or more of the Player-knights or ladies (such as scandalous rumors from the Winter Phase, for example), and so on. If the specific information a player seeks is something the other guests at the feast would rather not talk about, the Gamemaster should feel free to impose a suitable penalty (anything from -5 to -20).

Indulge “More ale! More roast mutton! More, I say!” Characters who drink and eat to excess this round (or who encourage others to do so) may earn the esteem of their host. Roll your choice of Temperate or Indulgent; in the former case, you are making sure everyone else has enough to eat and

–9–

Gossip may be used to glean specific information.

Book of Feasts

A set of printand-play cards are included with this book. The Feast Card Deck may also be purchased separatly.

READING FEAST CARDS

Cards are divided into three categories: Test, Event, or Keeper cards. Test cards require one or more ◆◆For £10 (20with Glory), hostopportunity. a grand feast for opposed or unopposed diceYOUR rolls. Event cards present your character a unique Keeper HOSTING cards are held in hand to be used at a later point in the feast.

300 nobles or 1,000 commoners. Check

OWN FEAST

Base Geniality: 

Generous.

Card Title:A pithy description of the card’s contents.

Flavor Text: A narrative of the event. feastthat forspecify just 30 ◆◆For £10 (20 Glory), host of Geniality (if any) (For acards To keepe high dayes and solemne festivals: added to your total a gender, such as Check “a nobles, serving only imported meats. simply for drawing lady” or the like, the Then, to set their magnificence to view,A Lady Departs player may, with the Worldly. this card. Gamemaster’s To frolick open with the favorites, permission, ◆ ◆ For £50 (100 Glory), host a feast substitute for just 30 A lady is preparing to leave the feast and Results: If theneighbours card a character of another you may escort her to her chambers. And use their with all curtesie. nobles, consisting only ofinstead.) spices. Check involved a die roll, the gender outcomes are given — Thomas Nash Indulgent. here. Other special COURTESY Test or Task: Some instructions may be cards will ask for one given here as well. If a Knights with annual incomes of £50 or more are layer characters who reach a certain level Success: Theof lady thanks you for or more dice rolls card involves a knightare expectedyour kindness. Gain 1 Glory. Skill √. wealth and prestige to host their a Skill, Those Trait, orwho obligated to host feasts against periodically. challenging another Critical success: You may roll Passion. Roll as knight to a duel, it is own feasts. This recurring expense is Lustful factored into vs her Chaste (3d6 + 3,to if unrefuse do so may save indicated. a considerable sum: disIn some assumed the duel is to known). On a success, you depart with cases, a roll may have overall cost of maintenance take place the follow- at Rich and her;Superlative roll on Childbirthcretionary this Winter income for that year rises to 20 percent an inherent bonus or Phase. ing day (although it penalty, indicated in levels. ThebeBook for of the estate’s assized value! could set forofa the laterEstate outlines costs The social consequencMandatory (Lustful 16+) parentheses here. If date depending on the particularly lavish feasts — the sort that get you es, however, are severe: For more thanyear one player is a every in which campaign’s needs). affected, that informaGlory — and the costs and examples are repeated feast is not held, check Selfish, andappears lose 2 here. points of tion also

ItThe is the honor ofamount Nobility minimum

2

P

Honor and 3 points of Hospitality. ❧

here for ease of reference.

“Host” cards and “Mandatory” cards must be played, even if multiple cards are drawn.

Special: A result on the card, as indicated here, might require you to depart the feast entirely, miss a round, or interact directly with the host. If a player draws more than one card per turn and one of them is a Host card, they must play that card. (If two or more Host cards are drawn, the player may choose among them.) Other cards are intended only for particular types of characters (Christians or pagans, for example) and cannot be played by characters of a different type. If that is the only card drawn and it cannot be played, discard and draw another.

Leave Feast Miss Round

Host

Religious

“Mandatory” cards require characters having certain Trait, Passion, or Skill values of 16 or higher to play this card before all others if they draw more than one. Drawing a Host card (as described above) supersedes this rule. Some events create short-term or long-lasting effects. If a roll potentially needs to be made in the Winter Phase because of this card, for example, it is noted here. Some cards result in a duel, or at least the possibility of one in the days following the feast. These results are noted here as well.

Religious

– 10 –

Keeper

Duel

Winter Phase

King Arthur Pendragon

drink through your own self-denial. On a success, gain a check on the relevant Trait. If you fumble Temperate or fail Indulgent, you have overindulged on drink and run the risk of public drunkenness. See the “Dronke Is as a Mous…” section in Chapter Two. For more on the role of temperance at feasts generally, see “Food and Gluttony,” p. 21.

Flirt The character makes a Flirting roll. The player may choose to have their character flirt with a named Gamemaster character. Success on the roll grants a Flirting check. A critical success scores 10 Glory as well. Flirt to start a If the flirting characters are in the same or adconversation jacent seating areas, a success also opens up the with a Game- opportunity for conversation or further rolls on master the character’s part, perhaps ultimately leading to character or a romance. indulge your Optionally, if the player character simply wishes Lustful side. to find a serving maid or squire to fool around with, the Gamemaster may allow this option for that purpose as well. If so, on a successful Flirting roll, the object of the flirtation must roll Chaste/Lustful. (Generate Chaste for Christian characters by rolling 1d6+10 if otherwise unknown; random pagan characters have a Chaste of 2d6.) If Lustful succeeds, the Gamemaster character is amenable to a bit of fun in the stables or some other out-of-the-way area. The player character misses the next round of the feast and, as appropriate, remember to roll for Childbirth in the Winter Phase.

Critical: The winner won handily and quickly Win: The winner defeats his opponent Tie: The game is a draw, with neither player winning or losing Lose: The loser is defeated Fumble: The loser suffers a humiliating loss, either by being beaten quickly or by some especially clever play Glory: Glory may be gained from success with the Game Skill only if the situation is unusually dangerous; ordinary gaming or gambling never gains Glory.

Gambling, Betting Gambling in King Arthur Pendragon is a simple process. If it is a game of skill then the player(s) make a wager. An Opposed Resolution determines who wins, and the winner takes the bets. A game of total chance, like knucklebones, makes bets the same way, but the winner is determined by each player rolling a 1d20 — high number wins the pot. If the player wishes his character to cheat, he may attempt a Deceitful roll and, if successful, gain a +2 bonus to the roll (+5 on a Critical), but he is caught if he fails his Skill roll.

Game

The Gaming Skill is revised slightly here from the version found in the King Arthur Pendragon 5.2 rulebook (see p 103).

Gaming (Courtly Skill)

Games Common games include: ◆◆Arabian: Shantraj (basic chess) ◆◆Continental: Four Seasons Chess (four players) ◆◆Continental: Les Dames (checkers) ◆◆Cymric: Gwyddbwyll (wooden wisdom) ◆◆Roman: Tabula (backgammon)

This Skill allows the user to play various games effectively and with aplomb, whether in competition or for entertainment. It is always an Opposed Roll. This skill does not include ability in physical sports such as wrestling and jousting, and has nothing to do with them.

– 11 –

◆◆Roman: Tali, “knucklebones” (dice) ◆◆Saxon: Hnaeftaf l (swords-andshields) Playing cards have not yet been invented.

Use Deceitful to gain a bonus on the Gaming roll. The consequences of cheating are determined through roleplaying — though Trait (Just, Forgiving, Merciful, Suspicious) rolls may be appropriate.

Book of Feasts

F

LEAVING THE FEAST

THE END OF THE FEAST

ailing to attend a feast at all when one has been invited is a grave insult to the host. For any feast to which the player characters are invited, they must attend, even if only for one round, or risk suffering dire social and political consequences. However, once the first round of the feast takes place, a Player-knight or lady may reasonably retire. Make a To do so requires the character to go before the Courtesy roll host and make the proper obeisance and excuses, to leave the reflected by a Courtesy roll. On a success, the charfeast early. acter gains a check; on a critical success, they also gain 10 Glory. In either case, they earn the host’s gratitude for their aplomb and etiquette. On a failed roll, the character is dismissed with an impatient wave of the hand, but suffers no further ill effects. On a fumble, the character left the feast without asking permission and their departure was noted by the host, or else they offered some slight or insult to the host, whether real, imagined, or feigned, intentional or accidental; in any case, the host now thinks less of them. At a royal feast, a fumble also results in the loss of 1 point of Honor.

Forced Departure Some die rolls and cards may also force a character to leave the feast ahead of schedule. There might be any number of reasons. Player-knights or ladies who overindulge in ale and wine might pass out, to be dragged from the hall by their attendant or companions. Some cards present the opportunity to eat to excess, after which one might find a quiet corner in which to nap. Amorous characters may leave the feast arm-in-arm with a young lover, promising to return a little later. If necessitated by a die roll or a card, none of these results require a Courtesy roll to earn the host’s permission to depart, though all will be noted by the host and others in attendance and Leaving a might still affect the knight’s or lady’s reputation feast for any in the future. reason Note: Characters who leave the feast for any reason reduces all automatically lose all accumulated positive Genialaccumulated ity. If they return for a later round, they start again positive Geniality to from 0. Characters with negative Geniality retain zero. their accumulated negative score upon returning.

O

nce the last round of the feast is played, a trumpet fanfare sounds and the Gamemaster ascertains which Player-knight or lady has accumulated the most Geniality. That character is considered the most notable attendee and receives Glory equal to their final Geniality score multiplied by 10. All other characters earn Glory equal to their final Geniality, if positive. Add 100 Glory each if the feast was a royal one, and a further 100 for any character who sat Above the Salt.

PLAYING THE HOST It is the honor of Nobility To keepe high dayes and solemne festivals: Then, to set their magnificence to view, To frolick open with the favorites, And use their neighbours with all curtesie.

P

— Thomas Nash

layer characters who reach a certain level of wealth and prestige are expected to host their own feasts. This recurring expense is factored into overall cost of maintenance at Rich and Superlative levels. The Book of the Estate outlines costs for particularly lavish feasts — the sort that get you Glory — and the costs and examples are repeated here for ease of reference. ◆◆For £10 (20 Glory), host a grand feast for three hundred nobles or a thousand commoners. Check Generous. ◆◆For £10 (20 Glory), host a feast for just thirty nobles, serving only imported meats. Check Worldly. ◆◆For £50 (100 Glory), host a feast consisting only of spices for thirty nobles. Check Indulgent. Knights with annual incomes of £50 or more are obligated to host feasts periodically. Those who refuse to do so may save a considerable sum: discretionary income for that year rises to twenty percent of the estate’s assized value! The social consequences, however, are severe: For every year in which a feast is not held, check Selfish, and lose 2 points of Honor and 3 points of Hospitality. ❧

– 12 –

Player-knights and ladies receive Glory according to their final Geniality scores.

King Arthur Pendragon

I

Hosts and Hospitality

f a Player-knight or lady is hosting the feast, the player should roll the character’s Hospitality Passion, with a successful roll granting a check to the Passion and a critical gaining 20 Glory. As noted previously, the Gamemaster may call for a Stewardship roll, as well, to see how wellprepared the affair is, possibly requiring a further Courtesy roll to gauge the geniality of the host’s manner. See “Option: Stewardship Roll” (p. 6) for more details.

– 13 –

Chapter II

Eat, Drink, and Be Merry! “Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry. . .” — Ecclesiastes 8:15

his chapter examines, from an historical perspective, the importance of feasts and feasting among the nobility of medieval Britain, often broken down by period. Food and drink, along with music, dances, and other entertainments, are discussed with an eye to providing Gamemasters with a means for bringing their feasts to life within the current game period. As well, the oppositional Trait pairs of Temperate/Indulgent and Chaste/Lustful are given due consideration, for the feast is an environment that sorely tests each. This chapter also introduces rules for overindulging in food, drink, and other worldly pleasures. Occasional sidebars give other rule options that can occur during the running of a feast.

T

THE SPECTACLE OF A FEAST

he visual experience and ritual of the feast is just as important as the food to be served. Every step is a highly formalized display meant to communicate the importance of the nobility. The act of providing hospitality for a gaggle of guests is understood, deep down, to be an assertion of personal power.

Setting Up the Feast The process begins with creating a convivial space to host the feast. Most feasts are held in the great hall of a manor or castle; it is expected that the floor will be strewn with green rushes in the summer or fresh hay in the winter. Benches and tables are wiped down and cleaned so as not to stain or sully noble clothing. If the feast is instead to be held out-of-doors, a pavilion is erected over the tables to provide protection from the elements; tents should become increasingly ornate and luxurious over the course of the campaign until they begin to constitute small halls in their own right. Around noon, the designated space is cleared and the household staff enters, grunting under the weight of heavy trestles, silver services, and reams of linen. The trestles are laid out, generally in a U-shaped configuration, but sometimes in a Tpattern or oval. The high table is always obvious by its placement, forming the bottom of the U or the cross of the T, for example. The linen sanaps —  brilliant white cloths — are unfurled and laid over the rough trestles; a sanap is protected by an overcloth while the servants put out the accoutrements of the table. Colorful tapestries are hung from the walls, and flower petals are strewn across the snowwhite linen.

– 15 –

Feasts are held in great halls or else outside underneath pavilion tents.

Book of Feasts

The salt cellar is called "the salt" and is ornate and beautiful in its craftsmanship.

The salt cellar, often simply called “the salt,” is set upon the high table. This is invariably a masterwork of the silversmith’s art, and often the most valuable item in a lord’s hall. From the Romance period onward, a table fountain may be brought out as well. This silver sculpture, cunningly crafted to serve various wines and fragrant waters from a variety of spigots, is fed by internal piping and hidden reservoirs. On side tables called surveying boards or dressers, more silver is put down: pewter goblets and ewers, glass stemware, mazers and hanaps (large bowls and cups, respectively, used for communal drinking), and gold or silver spoons and knives for those few guests who didn’t bring their own. There is likely a special cupboard called an aumbry, used to display the household’s most elegant platters and pitchers. Often, these aren’t even used during the feast, but rather stand as works of art in their own right — guests can gauge a host’s fortunes by the addition or disappearance of items in the aumbry between feasts, as pieces are hocked for spare cash or acquired during shopping trips to London or Camelot. The pieces are sometimes named by the lord; examples of names for actual favorite platters include “the grete grubbe,” “Peregrin,” “Christmas,” “Benison,” and “Crumpledud.”

THE GUESTS’ ARRIVAL

W

ith everything laid out and the food in the kitchen nearly ready for serving, a great fanfare of trumpets announces the arrival of the guests. If the feast is being held on a holy day, they are coming straight from the chapel, having said their prayers and given thanks for the bounty they are about to receive. There is much mingling, conversation, and laughter. Another fanfare announces the arrival of the hosts, who proceed to the high table as everyone else rises and bows. If the hosts hold the rank of Count and Countess or higher, their seats are likely to be quite ornate. Queen Guenever always sits in a great canopied seat called a baldaquin at the very center of the high table, for example. Once the hosts are seated, the guests proceed to wash their hands in silver basins of scented water, and they then take their seats. Excitedly, they lay out their personal knives and cups, which most have brought with them. The cup, in particular, says much about its owner. The most elaborate cups are wrought from gold and silver and may include some exotic material, such as a hollowed coconut from the Indies or an ostrich egg from Africa. Knives are similarly as elaborate as station allows. Occasionally one finds knives with handles carved from unicorn horn; this is usually a sign that its original owner was a suspicious or unpopular man, for it is said that no food cut with a unicorn-hornhandled knife can poison the one who eats it.

– 16 –

Much can be discerned about a guest by the utensils they use to eat and drink.

King Arthur Pendragon

There is a fine art to cutting and serving meat, and the position of carver is an honored one.

Trenchers are "plates" made of several pieces of stale bread.

A third trumpet fanfare announces the arrival of the first course, brought in by a train of pages under the watchful eye of the seneschal and surveyer. The food, conveyed on large serving platters called chargers, is taken to the dressers, where it is carved and cut up for service. In larger and more prosperous households, special members of the household’s staff are called carvers. The carver will have a selection of specialized knives for each type of animal, as well as appropriate hand and finger positions for cutting, and an understanding of which parts to serve the lord first: the left wing of a capon, minced with wine and spiced sauce; the kidney and a single rib of a fawn. The panter (keeper of the pantry), too, cuts the choicest part of the bread — the “upper crust” — for presentation to the lord before anyone else is served. The hall is now a beehive of activity, as the staff busies itself with disseminating the dozen or so dishes that make up each course. Those who sit at the high table are served first and receive doublesized portions. Food is proffered on platters or in tureens, set before the matched pairs of guests who are to share a trencher and perhaps, if they are close intimates, a type of double-handled goblet called a loving cup. Trenchers are usually four squares of bread topped with a fifth square to cover the seams in the middle. There is a practical reason for all this highlyritualized ceremony of presentation: it is imperative

S

Guest Carvers

ometimes, a prestigious guest may be called upon to do the carving. To be asked is a great honor, and all eyes are on the carver as he sets about his task. A successful Hunting roll cuts up the meat in a satisfactory manner, earning 10 Glory. A critical success indicates a masterful job, earning 20 Glory and a check to Honor. A fumble, on the other hand, results in a hack job or similarly embarrassing slip — perhaps spilling the meat’s juices onto the sanap or staining the cuffs of one’s sleeves — costing the carver 1 point of Honor.

to ensure that the lord gets the best food, for his health reflects the health of his domain. The last thing anyone wants is for the lord to choke on an errant bone or eat a bad whelk!

F

FOOD

easts are served in courses. Unlike modern dinner courses, each consists of not one but many dishes, all of which are brought out at the same time and laid along the table for guests to pick and choose from. Quantity is valued in the number of different dishes available, not so much in the amount of food in each dish. The more dishes a lord can lay out, the more prosperous he is adjudged by his guests. The dishes presented in each course are intended to induce an overall effect, contrasting sweet and savory, moist and dry, cold and hot. Truly ambitious hosts plan feasts with a symbolic or allegorical theme, such as the three ages of life, with dishes meant to evoke each age served as the feast moves along. Every course ends with a “subtlety.” Initially simply an elaborate sweet dish, by the Tournament Period these constitute intricate food sculptures that aren’t even intended for consumption! Gamemasters need not burden themselves with drawing up a full menu for every feast. Rather, pepper your descriptions with mentions of choice dishes served at each course. For smaller feasts, roll once on each column in Table 2.1: Random Feast Courses. The largest feasts merit at least a few rolls from each column. Keep in mind that feasts traditionally begin and end with the service of fruits or nuts (dates, figs, nutmegs, cloves, pomegranates). Otherwise, anything goes. Feasts are an excuse to rise above the usual fare of roast meats and day-old breads. Even the simplest recipes are dressed up with spices or sauces. Spices are treasured ingredients and are never wasted on trying to mask doubtful meat. Color is as much a weapon in the cook’s arsenal as flavorful ingredients. Breads are green, rose, or gold. Eggshells are golden-colored. Sauces, pastries, confections — even meat — all might come out to hall in some color other than what one might

– 17 –

Every course presents a wide variety of many dishes to choose from.

Book of Feasts

LET’S SUP Table 2.1: Random Feast Courses d20

1st Course

2nd Course

3rd Course

1

Meat with mustard

Artichokes stuffed with blueberry rice

Herb fritters

2

Ale and cheese quiche

Broth with bacon and peas

Roasted chicken and pheasant wings (“the Duke’s Wings”)

3

Swan neck pudding

Meat tiles

A selection of cheeses

4

Beef marrow fritters

Roasted seal

Quinces stewed in wine

5

Eels in thick spicy puree

Honey-glazed roast chicken rolled with mustard and pine nuts

Roasted pigeon

6

Roast baby swan

Heraldic emblem in meat jelly

Elderberry divination cakes

7

Fat capon

Stuffed boar

Roast larks

8

Roast heron

Peacock (redressed in its feathers before service)

Venison in frumenty

9

Roast pheasant

Astrological temperament herb cakes and cheese

White poultry meat stewed in wine

10

Loach in cold green sauce

Capon pastries and chips

Almond cakes served on roundels

11

Fruit tarts

Roasted crane

Glazed eggs

12

Cold meat slices in ginger sauce

Roasted coney

Imported or baked fruits

13

Custard with dried fruit

Bream and eel pasties

Doucette (custard and bone marrow pie)

14

Porpoise and peas

Boiled bittern

Roast eagle

15

Parsley bread

Frumenty (boiled wheat custard)

Roast bream served in a dariole (pastry mold)

16

Haslet

Pullets (similar to Cornish game hen)

Turnips baked with cheese

17

Roasted salmon in wine sauce

Beaver tails

Hippocras

18

Almond omelet

Cockentrice

Mushroom tarts

19

Cod tails

Lampreys in hot sauce

Wafers

20

Pastries (plum, quince, and apple)

Fruit and salmon pie

Whole dry spices “to aid in digestion”

– 18 –

King Arthur Pendragon

Color is an essential component of medieval food presentation.

expect, sometimes even parti-colored. Flowers are also used to provide color and flavor to dishes: ordinary meatballs might be served with a flower poking out the top of each morsel; milk pudding is mixed with boiled, crushed violet petals; flowers, most often carnations, are sprinkled into drinks. Meat dishes can be quite spectacular. If the feast includes the spoils of a hunt from earlier in the day, the prize parts of the game are presented. A boar hunt, for example, means that the boar’s head and tusks are brought out as part of the first course and set at the high table for all to admire. Haslet, the roasted entrails and genitalia, are a particularly prized portion. Large birds such as swans, eagles, and peacocks are often roasted and then redressed with their feathers and plumage. Most spectacular of all is the “cockentrice” — the upper body of a young pig joined to the lower body of a chicken (or vice versa).

Subtleties Always rivaling the meat dishes are the subtleties, which are anything but subtle in their overall effect. Subtleties are so-named for their ability to evoke surprise and delight in the feasters either visually, through taste, or both. The first subtleties to appear are “illusion foods.” At its most basic, this means simply a food that looks inedible but is in fact not: eggs that look like they are made of gold, for example. In later game periods, these evolve into dishes which seem to promise one thing but deliver another. The most well-known examples are pies containing live birds or frogs which fly or leap out when the pie is cut, or ceramic pitchers that are set at the high table and then broken to reveal roasted meat inside (still in the shape of the pitcher). Another type of illusion food appears to be one thing but is actually another: fish eggs tinted green to look like boiled peas; pork meatballs shaped and Entremets are colored to look like apples. These are properly a type of subcalled entremets rather than subtleties. One entlety in which tremet often served during Lent is an egg, which one type of food appears is a forbidden food during the Lenten season, its as a different empty shell cleverly filled with perfectly edible almond cream. kind.

In contrast to these culinary excesses, it should be noted that throughout the campaign one of the favorite dishes of every reveler, regardless of age or class, is the humble wafer. Cooked over the hearth fire between two heated molds, the wafer is thin, Wafers are a buttery, and delicious. The classic recipe is made favorite dish with honey and sugar, but wafers come in all vari- at all feasts. eties, both sweet and savory. They are particularly favored at wedding feasts. In fact, so beloved are wafers that they are also called “angel bread,” and it is widely believed that the biblical “manna from heaven” could only have been honey wafers. The consumption of wafers also forms a class distinction, with lines being drawn between those who can afford to eat them every day and those who only get them when they attend feasts.

Boy King Period Beginning with the Boy King Period, subtleties change, becoming whimsical or ingenious foodsculpture. This starts with the baking of tiny hats or other objects sculpted from marrow, before moving on to actual meat and food sculptures — for example, a hedgehog made of meat and almonds, or a chessboard and chess pieces made entirely of two colors of sweetmeats. Other subtleties involve making a cooked animal look as if it is still living: roast fish are presented in a block of aspic, posed as if they are swimming through water, while cockentrices or other centerpiece roasts enter the hall “breathing fire” from a camphor-soaked cloth in their mouth. Most dramatic of all is the roasted chicken filled with quicksilver and sulphur, which causes it to dance and sing across the table. Such trickery, of course, renders the chicken unfit for eating, thus presaging the great age of inedible subtleties.

Conquest Period Inedible subtleties are accepted in earnest during the Conquest Period, when cooks discover how to make marzipan out of crushed almonds and pistachios bound with egg whites and imported cane sugar. This ingredient opens whole new worlds for ambitious food sculptors, who are soon busily creating ever more elaborate constructions: miniature

– 19 –

True subtleties appear after 510, during the Boy King Period.

Book of Feasts

Marzipan allows for truly remarkable sculptural subtleties.

castles with men defending the battlements; poured sugar molds to create a menagerie of animals — including elephants and lions — boarding a marzipan Noah’s ark. In this period, wedding feasts might feature a sculpture of the bride in her birthing bed, holding the soon-to-be-conceived heir of the household.

Romance Period Romance Period subtleties often center around themes of lovers, such as miniature gardens filled with a variety of tiny roses. Other themes include biblical or political allegories, Father Time, seasons, predatory animals (eagles, lions), and monsters (dragon a flambé). Here follows an example of the types of subtleties that might appear at a royal or ducal feast during the Romance Period or later. First Subtlety:A marzipan castle, surrounded by sculpted bears, deer, boar, goats, and hares. Its center tower is a wine fountain with five spigots, each spouting a different varietal. In the “bailey” of the castle repose full-sized roasted peacocks, pheasants, and partridges. Second Subtlety: Ten white caparisoned horses ridden by knights. The “horses” are made of wicker, each borne by six men underneath. Each knight carries a fresh dish for the next course. Third Subtlety: Two large sculpted trees, one green and one silver. The branches bear candied fruits of many types: apples, figs, peaches, and pears.

Twilight Period Subtleties made of spun sugar paste represent the pinnacle of the baker's art.

By the Twilight Period, the discovery of sugar paste gives way to culinary works of the most exquisite art: gilded sugar goblets that function perfectly well for drinking, chess sets made entirely of sugar, miniature sugar recreations of hunters and their dogs capturing the very quarry that forms the centerpiece of that day’s feast. Caravels made of sugar, marzipan, and wax cut through foaming frosted seas. Life-size trees produce as their fruit the heraldry of the guests in attendance.

The Twilight Period also brings its own feasting counterpart to the Blood Tournaments in the form of so-called Hell Banquets. These are put on with a purposely morbid theme, the hall draped in black, the servants dressed as devils proffering the dishes of each course on fiery shovels, as other servants lurking just outside the hall provide the “music” by way of pretending to scream in agony. Subtleties at these black banquets include serving containers crafted to look like scorpions and toads, break-away ceramic skulls containing roast pheasant, sausages made to look like limbs or bones, and marzipan skeletons.

Hell Banquets revel in the morbid, doomed air of the Twilight Period.

OTHER TEMPTATIONS “Gluttony and lust are concerned with pleasure of touch in matters of food and sex.” —Thomas Aquinas Nobles and commoners alike regularly imbibe intoxicating beverages. There is a practical reason for this: in this age of poor hygiene and polluted streams, ale, beer, mead, and wine are often safer to drink than water. So-called “small ale” may be brewed practically anywhere. Nearly every village and hamlet is likely to have an alewife — typically a widower or old maid — who brews this weak beverage, often right outside her front door, selling it by the cupful to tired laborers and overheated knights passing by. Strong ale, about three times more potent than small ale, is the sort served at the lord’s high table. Mead, made from fermented honey, is a favorite drink of the Saxons. Beer, which requires hops to brew, is more common in the Germanic lands of the continent, where such crops grow in profusion. The favored drink of the nobility is wine. On special occasions wine is served undiluted, but it is more typically mixed with water to cut its high alcohol content (and often to stretch the expensive beverage’s utility). Wine is also used to seal oaths and to welcome special guests. Drinks are occasionally mixed, as in the example of “posset:” heated, curdled milk combined with ale or wine. A special spiced variety of wine, called

– 20 –

Wine and ale are the most popular drinks at feast tables.

King Arthur Pendragon

hippocras, is particularly favored at Yuletide feasts and throughout the cold winter months. Spices are Spices are added everywhere, to food and drink used to dem- alike, but there is an awareness of overspicing the onstrate pudding, as it were. Spices, rather, serve to demonwealth. strate the power and wealth of the feast’s host: the taste of ginger, pepper, or cinnamon conveys a clear message of the ability to import and share costly spices from the eastern lands. So precious and revered are spices that they are said to grow only in the Garden of Paradise, where they fall into the headwaters of the Nile and float downstream to be gathered up by Saracen merchants. The most common spice is cinnamon, while the most treasured is saffron. Faeries are said to live off of saffron and little else. Tales are told of a boy who once visited a court of the Fair Folk and dined on naught but milk and saffron.

Eat This, Not That

P

hysicks and chirurgeons often prescribe a change in diet to help with common complaints. Suffering from excessive wind? Avoid cabbage, peas, beans, and raw fruits. Those suffering from gout or rheumatism, or given to seizures, should give up hard cheeses, fatty meats, turnips, and walnuts. Characters afflicted with Melancholy after failing a Passion roll should demur from consuming fried or salty foods, along with undiluted wine or anything charred or overly dried out. What to eat instead? Foods considered safe for consumption by the ailing include milk (from cows or almonds), egg yolks, boiled meats, “hot and moist” herbs (anything with fragrant leaves), and other easily digestible dishes.

Food and Sexuality A lecherous mouth, as the saying goes, has a lecherous tail. Medieval eating, with its emphasis on finger foods, is an inherently sensual experience, and it is closely linked to amorous adventures in popular tales and bawdy songs. However, certain foods are particularly associated with sex and sexual potency. There is a whole corpus of lore surrounding aphrodisiacs. To gain a young lady’s favor and attention, send her fine mead, spiced ale, allspice, or piping-hot wafers. Older lovers, particularly those with younger spouses, should “fortify their courage” with hippocras and a cheese containing “hot” herbs; the bedchamber should be scattered with spices as well. Eating cooked sparrow or sparrow eggs is wellknown to promote lust. Pears and pomegranates are considered the ultimate aphrodisiacs. Bath feasts The implicit connection between food and sex seat guests is sometimes made explicit in the form of “bath naked in feasts.” Held in outdoor bowers during the summer, large bath- or indoors any time of year, these scandalous feasts tubs. pair nude men and women together in great tubs of steaming hot scented water. A board laid across the tub serves as trestle, and the bathers are tended to by attentive servants with the same level of pomp and ceremony as if they were sitting at a high table.

The high-minded excuse for these feasts is that they offer a sensual juxtaposition between the “fire” of hot food and the “water” of the bath. Naturally, though, sexual hijinks are quite common during bath feasts, which often move from bath to bed before the feast has concluded.

Food and Gluttony The idea of exercising temperance at a feast that includes dozens of dishes might seem at first glance to be impossible. Yet, as has been noted elsewhere, each individual dish in a feast is generally rather small in terms of quantity of food. Taking just a bit from the already small portion is seen as the correct manner for a refined noble — and particularly for ladies, who will often have a proper meal in private immediately before a feast so that they may pick daintily at the offerings and not be seen to overindulge. Selection of viands and the manner of eating them is also a mark of temperance and refinement. The proper gentle person is thoughtfully selective in which foods are brought to their trencher. Once there, the food is consumed slowly and contemplatively, with much ritual.

– 21 –

Book of Feasts

Temperance, in the context of a feast, may mean generosity with one's food.

On the other hand, temperance need not mean abstemiousness. A guest may happily heap their trencher high with tasty vittles — if they then share the food with their fellow revelers, particularly their social betters. Courtesy holds that one’s dish “be so refilled and heaped up… that you may courteously give from your dish to all the high table.” There is a strange dichotomy on display at feasts. In spite of the great abundance of food, temperance and restraint are highly admired. Gluttony is held to be the true original sin, and the deadliest, for it was Adam’s indulgence in the apple that cast mankind out of Paradise. Eating is a gateway, both a path to Paradise (through the holy sacrament) and a trail to damnation, for he who gives in to gluttony finds himself susceptible to all further sins. Theologians describe indulgence as inordinate covetousness of food and drink: drunkenness, eating when not hungry or in between meals, overeating. Indulgence leads to selfishness; pious lords are known to hang tapestries in their dining halls graphically illustrating the fate of Dives, the rich man condemned to the torture of eternal thirst in Hell for his refusal to grant the beggar Lazarus a cup of water.

Dronke Is as a Mous… The following rules present a system for determining intoxication among characters who imbibe too much. Because the beverages served at feasts are often significantly more potent than the small ale most folk drink on a day-to-day basis, it is safe to assume that the majority of Gamemaster characters (and possibly Player-knights) at a feast are drunk at any given time. Levels of intoxication are determined by an An Indulgent roll deterIndulgent roll on the table below. Characters with mines level of Temperate values of 16 or higher never need to roll. intoxication. Conversely, characters with Indulgent values of 16 or higher are assumed to automatically become drunk without need for a roll. All others make this roll whenever the “More Drink!” card is played, or at the Gamemaster’s request.

Modifiers to Indulgent ◆◆Mead is served: +2 ◆◆Wine is served: +5 (or higher for exotic wines) ◆◆Feasting in the hall of a known enemy, or otherwise in the presence of enemies: -5 ◆◆Feast lasts 5 rounds or more: -2

Table 2.2: Intoxication Result

State

Effect

Critical Success

+10 to Lustful, Reckless, Roaring Indulgent, and Valorous; -10 drunk to everything else

Success

Drunk

+5 to Flirting, Orate, Lustful, Reckless, Indulgent, and Valorous; -5 to everything else

Failure

Sober

No modifiers

Fumble

Sober

No further Indulgent rolls need be made for the remainder of the feast

Passing Out A character’s intoxication normally lasts for the duration of the feast, although there is a chance one can sober up and rejoin the feast. Roll Energetic at the start of each feast round while a character is either drunk or roaring drunk. Always keep the worst result unless a critical success is rolled, in which case the character sobers up. Note: A character with an Energetic value of 16 or higher cannot be made to pass out from drunkenness and need never roll on Table 2.3, even if otherwise directed to do so. Conversely, a character with Lazy 16 or higher also need never roll on this table, but automatically passes out if directed to roll. Modifiers to Energetic ◆◆Roaring drunk: -10 ◆◆Drunk: -5 ◆◆Inadequate sleep in days prior: -5 Characters who pass out or become comatose must roll CON the next day with a -5 modifier (or -10 if comatose). Failure indicates a hangover that

– 22 –

Drunk characters must roll Energetic to stay conscious during the following rounds.

King Arthur Pendragon

Characters imposes a -5 to all Skills and Passions for the rewho pass out mainder of the day. must pass a CON roll or suffer a hang- Table 2.3: Passing Out over the following day. Result State Effect Critical Success

Sober

No modifiers; character has sobered up and can rejoin the feast

Success

Drunk

Apply drunk modifiers as normal

Failure

Pass out

No activity allowed; if forcibly awakened, -10 to all Skills

Fumble

Comatose

Will not awake under any circumstance until the next morning

T

HOSPITALITY AND MANNERS

he modern mind often equates “medieval dining” with atrocious table manners: loud belches, eating with your hands and then wiping them on a passing dog or the tablecloth, and other generally odious behavior. The fact of the matter is that medieval folk liked cleanliness just as much as we moderns. In short, standards of proper table behavior are expected — and transgressors punished. At the table, as everywhere else, one’s outward appearance and behavior reveals one’s inner virtue and character. Lancelot’s surpassing manners at the table are marked out by Sir Ector de Maris in his elegy for the departed knight: “thou was the meekest man and the gentlest that ever ate in hall among ladies.” Even when In the Arthurian period, food is indeed mostly eating with eaten with the fingers. However, diners are exyour fingers, pected to wash their hands in between courses and table manners not to lick or suck their fingers while eating. Furare expected. thermore, certain fingers are to be used for picking up certain foods. It is considered rude to use a finger covered in grease or sauce to pick out a different food. Furthermore, one shouldn’t root around for

the choicest vittles, or put back something taken from the communal dish. Spoons are on hand for soups and puddings, and knives are used to convey meat and other tasty bits to the trencher. Salt is to be taken in a dainty pile on the tip of the knife and dumped on the trencher, where it is then used to salt one’s own food in pinches. Lifting food to the mouth with a knife is considered somewhat uncouth. Even more uncouth is using dogs as furry napkins, though the presence of hounds in the hall is all but expected. Indeed, largesse and affection shown to the animals of the house is a mark of good character. Likewise, it is not enough for a lord to offer hospitality to his dinner guests: The diners’ horses are expected to be well-fed as well while their masters revel in the hall. Arthur’s porter in Culhwch and Olwen promises the weary traveler “meat for thy dogs and corn for thy horse, and hot peppered pork chops for thyself.”

“Blood Eats Better Than Money” Hospitality and manners are further demonstrated by how a host seats their guests. This is a matter of grave importance: to sit in a place beneath that appropriate to one’s station is seen as debasement. Context matters, however. If the seating occurs because of a faux pas on the host’s part, yet the affected individual does not attempt to remedy the oversight, then it reflects poorly on both host and guest. Conversely (and perhaps a bit perversely), an individual who voluntarily and publicly gives up their place to an inferior as an act of humility is accorded great respect. Where one sits in the hall is not just a matter of social pride; it has very real effects on one’s experience of the feast. For one thing, the further one sits from the high table, the coarser and dirtier the salt: the best salt is reserved for the high table, while that served at the far end of the hall might generally described with such insalubrious words as “black,” “gray,” “green,” “rough,” and “gross.” Worse, the food this ill-featured salt garnishes is likely to be cold once it arrives at the low ends of the table. The high table is served first, and kitchens are located far from the main hall to reduce

– 23 –

The quality of salt grows coarser and more dubious the further one sits from the table.

Book of Feasts

the risk of disastrous house fires. This means that even the food at the high table is likely to have lost some heat, and by the time the lesser guests are served it is likely to be downright chilly, particularly in the winter. Speaking of the winter, the high table is always the one situated closest to the hearth or fireplace, meaning that the lower one is in social precedence, quite literally, the further one is from the warmth. (Low-ranked guests attending a Yule feast are advised to bring a fur-lined cloak.) Appearance and Seating: As established in Chapter One, the APP roll figures into the overall impression one makes at the feast and dictates seating arrangements; player characters who fumble their APP roll are never seated at the high table.

D

COURTLY DANCES

ancing is divided into two broad types: courtly Dances are usually a dances and country dances. Both types follow group affair largely the same pattern, which involves groups of rather than people (sometimes all of the same gender, somepair dancing. times mixed) joining hands in a circle or line and going through the dance’s steps, which are usually quite simple and straightforward so that everyone may participate. The predominant courtly dance is called the “carol.” This dance is meant as musical accompani-

ment to a song. The song portion of the carol breaks down into stanzas and burdens. The stanzas are sung by a single person, often a professional entertainer, while the other dancers keep time by tapping feet. When the song comes to the burden, everyone sings and executes the steps of the dance. A typical carol has a dozen or more stanzas, each ending with a recitation of the burden. To reflect a carol in game terms, the person leading the dance (who is responsible for the stanzas) should make a Singing roll while everyone else makes a Dancing roll. Pairs dancing does occur, but it is highly informal and often simply the result of slightly tipsy revelers moving to the music of the minstrel troupe. An idea of what such dances look like may be gained from poets, who often describe the movements as those of a hawk swooping after a sparrow.

G

ENTERTAINMENT

ood food and good cheer are perfectly fine, but nothing is worth doing in the medieval mind if it is not done with proper fanfare and pageantry. If the entertainment is notable for being shocking, unexpected, or unnatural, so much the better. The type of entertainment on offer is what elevates a feast from a mere repast to a grand event.

– 24 –

King Arthur Pendragon

Feasts proceed at a leisurely pace, as a rule, and there is plenty of time in between courses or even between dishes for other sensory delights to play out before the appreciative audience. The ideal feast appeals to all five senses. Typically, an entertainment is held directly in front of the high table for the principal enjoyment of those seated there. If there is time, or the hall particularly capacious (as at Camelot), the lord may have the entertainers then make the rounds to other tables in the hall and repeat their performance there.

Musicians The most common entertainment to be found in even the most provincial hall and amongst the Professional smallest of feasts is music. Wealthy lords bring in minstrels and professional musicians to provide background acguests alike companiment, but guests are also expected to are expected perform, minstrels or no. All characters have to offer musical per- enough knowledge of music to sing and play a bit, formances at and they should be prepared for such a thing at any feast they attend. feasts. Many lords still engage in the ancient tradition of “passing the harp” at the end of a meal, enjoining guests to pick out a few notes and sing a favorite song. As feasts become more elaborate over the course of the campaign, so too do the forms of musical entertainment guests are expected to undertake. Group carols (see the courtly dance in the preceding section) are just one expression of musical entertainment. Around the time of Arthur’s campaign on the Continent, some ambitious party planners begin serving the final course of the feast on a roundel — a paper, wooden, or ceramic plate with a short ditty written on the underside. The idea is that when you finish the food served on the plate, you flip it over and perform the piece written there. Music is considered a whole-sensory experience. Professional minstrels wear gaudy costumes and carry striking banners announcing the name of their company; they are there to be seen as well as heard. Furthermore, minstrels’ music is often programmed to complement the progress and culinary delights of the feast. Special arrangements are written for the handwashing, for the presentation of each course, and for the interims in between.

Minstrel troupes become increasingly common after the ascension of the Boy King. They sport, at a minimum, a stringed instrument (lute, harp, dulcimer), a reed instrument (pipe or shawm), and a percussion instrument. The more prosperous companies include viols, horns, flutes and recorders, bells, and a selection of drums. The most famous groups have a veritable chamber orchestra with multiples of each instrument for the ultimate in dynamic sound. Beginning around the time of the Conquest Period, many halls are built or renovated to include a special gallery raised above the hall, opposite to where the high table sits, where the minstrel company performs, sending its tender notes wafting out over the diners below and addressing songs directly to those who sit above the salt.

Acrobats and Tumblers The medieval interest in shocking entertainment finds its greatest expression with the japeries of acrobats and tumblers. This category includes jesters, conjurers, and dwarves as well: any person or group who has the capacity to stand out from the ordinary and grab the revelers’ attention through their actions, their words, or simply their appearance. Acrobats can range from professional and precise choreographed routines to groups of “wildmen” who run around on all fours, wearing little else but leaves and fur, barking at guests and competing with the dogs for table scraps. A professional tumbling act typically features knife juggling, balancing acts (such as setting a goblet on a tall pole or carrying a long plank on the tip of the chin), tiny dogs jumping through hoops, and various dexterous acts featuring hoops and blades. Dancing girls sometimes feature in acrobat troupes, but their form of dance puts less emphasis on sensuality and more on flexibility; like their tumbling associates, the dancing girls turn somersaults and back flips and engage in other demonstrations of masterful gymnastics. To this is often added balancing or juggling of multiple sword blades. It is said that in this way Salomé first charmed King Herod. Tumblers are sometimes incorporated into subtleties as well. A variation on the blackbird pie

– 25 –

Tumblers and acrobats rely on their appearance and actions to grab and hold the attention of the audience.

Book of Feasts

has a tumbler dressed as an eagle leaping out of an enormous pastry shell and releasing a flock of doves from his arms. Crenellations of pastry are baked large enough for jugglers to stroll along. There is even a specific type of pudding, called the allemain, out of which acrobats leap as the pudding is presented in the hall. Jesters come out of the Cymric tradition of the lampoon. They are licensed by sacred custom to point out the foibles and failings of the nobility, and particularly of the host and his household. If these comic jibes are met with anything but good cheer, it will reflect badly on the lord. It is possible for jesters to cross the line, of course — many a fool has been turned out on his ear by a notably Proud knight!

Other Amusements In addition to the programmed entertainments put on by the lord of the feast, revelers inevitably find their own fun. Much of this tomfoolery is reflected in the Feast Deck. Gaming in between dishes and courses is quite common at the feasting boards. Many a knight brings his own dice cup or traveling set of backgammon or chess pieces and sets something up amongst the trenchers. Any sort of game of chance or challenge is likely to attract enthusiastic participants. Drinking contests are, of course, the perennial favorite among pugnacious knights and boisterous pagans. Caroling sometimes carries an implicit wager: the leastentertaining member of the group, determined by a consensus vote after the music stopped, suffers some sort of forfeit, often specified in the carol:

– 26 –

The Feast Deck generates its own entertainments amongst attendees.

King Arthur Pendragon

Let no man come into this hall Groom, page, nor yet marshall But that some sport he bring withal For now is the time of Christmas. If that he say he cannot sing, Some other sport then let him bring, That yet may please at this feasting, For now is the time of Christmas. If he say that he cannot do, Then for my love ask him no more, But to the stocks then let him go, For now is the time of Christmas. Aside from games and wagers, high tales are the most popular of feast-time diversions. Raconteurs and storytellers are valued guests; bards can always count on fine food and drink in exchange for their tales, but knights and ladies may weave their own stories as well. The best can expect to hold the whole hall captive to their tales, often backed by some musical accompaniment. Canny storytellers leave off at a dramatic point in their narrative, thus ensuring they’ll get an invitation to the next feast so they can finish their tale! Many times, the tales are given a visual component by the tapestries hanging in the hall. In addition to providing warmth, woven or painted tapestries depict scenes, usually with some sort of explanatory text integrated into the image, that the knowledgeable tale-teller may extrapolate upon. The tapestry thus functions as both a spur to storytelling and a visual aide for the audience. “Disguising” Storytelling and visuals reach their greatest and “mummery” expression in the form of performance pieces rerepresent a sort ferred to variously as “disguising” and “mummery.” of proto-theatri- A disguising is a sort of costumed pageant in which cal experience. members of the court retire surreptitiously from the feast to don elaborate masks and costumes. A typical procession at a royal feast might consist of masks of angels’ heads, bearded male faces, delicate female faces, bird heads and wings (peacocks and swans), other animals (lions, elephants, bats), and dragon heads. More outré masks are sprinkled in as well: a headdress that makes it appear legs are growing out of the top of the head, or a mountain covered in rabbits.

Costumes are just as elaborate, being made of diverse colors, often in keeping with the season, such as red and green at Yule. The procession enters the hall in absolute silence, refusing to converse with any of the guests. They take up their positions and begin to dance and sing. Having done their part, they depart as mysteriously as they arrived. Mummery starts even before the Uther Period, but as a folk tradition. Gradually it makes its way into the halls of the lordly, and in its earliest form is indistinguishable from disguising. By the Romance Period, however, it takes on more elaborate forms. Rather than a procession of strange costumes that simply exist to marvel at, mummers take part in a themed presentation. They still refrain from speaking, but their roles and parts are explained by a Presenter, who reads aloud from a scroll as the mummers go about their silent movements, occasionally pausing to sing a song or perform a dance. Mummery soon takes on elaborately theatrical overtones, with massive props such as wheeled ships and other such set pieces. By the Twilight Period, mummery evolves into so-called “interludes” — short, but fully acted plays that take place between courses. The performers move among the tables, reciting dialogue and even interacting with the audience. It is the original dinner theater, and it is wildly popular. ❧

– 27 –

Chapter III

Scenarios ‘Sir,’ said Sir Kay the Steward, ‘if ye go now unto your meat ye shall break your old custom of your court, for ye have not used on this day to sit at your meat or that ye have seen some adventure.’ ‘Ye say sooth,’ said the king, ‘but I had so great joy of Sir Launcelot and of his cousins, which be come to the court whole and sound, so that I bethought me not of mine old custom.’ So, as they stood speaking, in came a squire and said unto the king, ‘Sir, I bring unto you marvelous tidings.’ —Le Morte d’Arthur, Book XIII: Chapter 2 Sir Thomas Malory

his chapter presents a scenario, “The Adventure of the Three Feasts,” adapted from a tale in the Mabinogion. It serves as an example of how to construct a feast-centric scenario of your own. Due to the nature of the Feast Deck, which tends to spin out its own small dramatic arcs, events happening around the feast are detailed with the assumption that the Feast Deck and your intrepid group of players will fill in your own festive details. Also featured in this chapter is a random table for generating Marvels for Pentecost and other grand feasts.

T

THE ADVENTURE OF THE THREE FEASTS

his adventure is suitable for any Period of The Great Pendragon Campaign. It assumes the Player-knights are subjects of Count Salisbury, although that need not be the case for the scenario to work. The scenario takes place in installments over the course of three game-years and should run alongside other intermittent activities and scenarios.

A Beginning It is Midsummer’s Day, and Lord Salisbury is holding a grand feast in the market town of Uffington. If the scenario takes place during Roderick’s time or prior to Count Robert’s marriage to Lady Katherine, then the count is here as a guest of the Sheriff of Gentian and Salisbury; after Robert’s marriage, this is merely a stop in the count’s annual progress. A large pavilion is erected in the market square of Uffington. Trestles are laid out under the flapping roof; a boar turns on a spit over a coal fire just outside. The high table sits upon a raised dais constructed for this very feast, and the count’s throne (carted along with the rest of his household), finely carved and larger than any other seat, sits atop the platform. Knights and ladies mingle, chatting excitedly, as peasants and townsfolk laugh and cavort nearby on this Market Day. The weather is breezy but sunny and everyone is in high spirits, not least the count.

The Feast The adventure starts with a simple three-round feast. Go through the feasting procedure, starting

– 29 –

Book of Feasts

with APP rolls. The Gamemaster should fill in the Feast Record, placing player-characters accordingly, then populating the blank spaces with Gamemaster characters: friendly and rival knights, ladies to woo, and established nobles, churchmen, and other notables. If you are running this scenario early in the campaign (during Roderick’s time), see pp. 71-72 of the King Arthur Pendragon 5.2 rulebook for a list of Gamemaster characters you can use. Play through the feast as normal, allowing for the improvisatorial nature of the system to produce interesting dramatic moments for the Playerknights.

To Dragon Hill As the feast wraps up, a thoroughly satiated Count Salisbury leans back in his throne. “The sun is just setting,” he observes. “Who fancies a ride up to Dragon Hill?” The count is referring to a conical, flat-topped hillock that sits just below the famous White Horse Hill. Successful Folk Lore or Religion (British Christian) rolls reveal that the hill has a sort of “bald patch” at the center of its summit where no vegetation grows; it is said that place is where St. George slew his dragon, whose steaming blood so poisoned the ground that nothing may live in the soil ever again. Any Player-knights not otherwise incapacitated by events of the feast are expected to go; the count isn’t so much suggesting as demanding company. It is about an hour’s walk up to the hill from Uffington, meaning that the horse ride will take about a half-hour. Once atop Dragon Hill, the party is treated to a truly spectacular view of the vale below. The setting sun, off to the left, paints the valley in pink and golden hues. It is a scene of breathtaking beauty, yet scarcely has any time passed before everyone’s vision is drawn to a singular sight down at the base Rhiannon of the hill: a woman, riding alone on a massive mare appears. of shimmering white. The lady wears a hooded cloak woven of glittering golden thread that sparkles in the dying light. Even from this distance, all can see her delicate hand lightly gripping the horse’s reins as it makes its way at a slow walk along the road.

“My soul,” mutters the count. “This is truly a marvel.” The figure on the horse is captivating enough, but to one observer on the hilltop she is everything. The Gamemaster must decide who this may be: are there any bachelor Player-knights in the group? If not, or if no one in the group seems like the sort to be interested by an extended romance, choose a Gamemaster character: the count if he is unmarried, and otherwise the most Glorious knight in his retinue who is also an ally of the Player-knights. For the remainder of this scenario, the chosen character is referred to as the Suitor. (We assume he is a Player-knight.) The Suitor immediately generates an Amor Passion of 3d6+10, which compels him to wish to meet the rider. If the Suitor is the count himself or another Gamemaster character, he asks the Playerknight present with the highest Glory to run down and fetch the lady for him. A Player-knight Suitor may, of course, ask leave to do so directly.

A Vain Pursuit The rider is progressing at a stately pace along the game trail at the base of the hill, and it should be no great task to catch her. Yet, as the knight gets closer, the rider seems to move farther away. Ask the Player-knight if they wish to start running after the horse. If they do, ask for a DEX roll. Even on a success, the lady’s horse seems to draw yet more distant. Ask the Player-knight if they wish to sprint, and then ask for a CON roll if they do. Even on a success, the lady’s distance increases unaccountably until she is just a small dot on the horizon. Slowing to a walk does little good, either, as the horse’s pace is faster. Eventually darkness falls and the rider is lost in the gloom. Successful rolls merely confirm that what is happening is clearly impossible! The correct course of action is to call out to the rider and ask her to stop and have a word for the sake of whomever she loves most in the world. Simply calling out and asking the lady to stop does not work; she must be asked to stop in the name of whom she loves most. A successful Amor (Lady) roll reveals that only that particular phrasing might arrest her progress. If the Suitor calls this out, she stops her horse and talks to him. If someone else

– 30 –

King Arthur Pendragon

speaks these words, she stops her horse and asks to be taken to the Suitor. If the pursuer does not think of what words to speak this evening, the Suitor desires to return to Dragon Hill the next night and look for the mysterious lady again; for a Player-knight Suitor, it is all they can think about. This action is rewarded, for indeed the mysterious rider appears at the same time and in the same manner. Pursuing on horseback is an obvious tactic, but riding is no more successful than running. Trying to ride out in front of the lady doesn’t work either — the space between the rider and the road seems to magically lengthen until the lady has passed. Camping out on the trail merely ensures that the lady does not appear that day. The rider appears on the trail no more than nine times and for no more than nine days. Should the Suitor and his companions fail to solve the riddle by then, she never appears again and the scenario ends here.

Rhiannon Ren ferch Hefeydd SIZ 10, DEX 16, STR 10, CON 15, APP 26, Move 2 (+2) Armor 2 (heavy robes), Unconscious 6, Major Wound 15, Knockdown 10, Hit Points: 25 Damage: 2d6 Glory: 545 Combat Skills: Dagger 10 Key Traits: Lustful 14, Energetic 17, Generous 16, Honest 18, Proud 16

Part 1. Meeting Rhiannon Speaking the correct words immediately halts the rider. If she appeared distant a moment ago, she now appears right next to her pursuer, who can see hair the color of honey spilling out from her golden hood, dark eyes gleaming. She has the bearing of a noblewoman. If it took more than a single pursuit to catch her, she answers the pursuer’s request to stop with a quip, something along the lines of, “Would that you had asked me straight away, and spared your horses.” The lady introduces herself as Rhiannon, daughter of Hefeydd Henn. Rhiannon explains that she is betrothed to marry a man she does not love, so she has been seeking someone worthier of her in her journeys through Britain. In the Suitor, she feels she has found such a man, and she wishes to marry him. Why would anyone turn down such an offer? Well, for one thing, this woman may very well be a goddess… Player-knights who succeed with a Religion (Pagan) or Folk Lore roll (+5 bonus) recognize the name, particularly in light of the location: Rhian-

Key Passions: Love (Goddess) 16, Amor (Suitor) 16 Key Skills: Chirurgery 15, Courtesy 14, Dancing 12, Faerie Lore 12, First Aid 12, Horsemanship 22, Industry 15, Read (Latin) 7, Religion (Pagan) 15, Stewardship 12 Holding: One manor Servants: Maid-in-waiting, two pages non is the name of the ancient Cymric goddess of horses. The White Horse of Uffington is said to have originally been cut out of the turf to mark the spot where the goddess once slept. A critical success recalls the tale of Pwyll and Rhiannon — one that is strangely similar to what is playing out here. Gamemasters may decide for themselves whether this is indeed the Rhiannon seeking out a new husband in her old way, a faerie woman emulating the old tale, or simply a young woman named in honor of the goddess applying a bit of her own hedge magic. (The statistics presented in the brief character sheet here assume a more

– 31 –

Book of Feasts

“mortal” take on the character.) Either way, some enchantment is certainly afoot. Assuming no one attempts to dissuade the Suitor from marriage, the date is set for one year hence from the day of meeting.

Part 2. First Wedding Feast A year passes. The wedding is to be held at the castle of Rhiannon’s father, Hefeydd Henn. Everyone present at last year’s feast, including the Count of Salisbury, is invited, and thus the groom’s party assembles at Sarum. If it hadn’t occurred to anyone by now, it becomes obvious that no one knows where the hall of Hefeydd Henn is located. As the sun sets on Midsummer’s Day, however, an answer presents itself: Three birds alight in the branches of an apple tree in the courtyard of Sarum Castle. All who hear the birds’ song know to follow the melody, and so the order goes out to mount up and ride. The birds fly west towards the setting sun. A fog soon gathers, glowing silver in the light of a rising moon. Onward the party rides. Many miles they seem to have traveled, yet still they feel compelled to ride on. Call for Awareness rolls; on a success, that Player-knight looks down at some point and notices that, through the swirling mist, the sea laps gently beneath his horse’s hooves, yet they seem to ride upon it as on solid ground. The castle of In time, the castle of Hefeydd Henn comes into Hefeydd view, situated on a great promontory, limned by Henn. moonlight. It is a cyclopean ring fort, its steps large and deep enough to accommodate the treads of giants. Huge mastiffs the size of ponies doze upon the steps leading up to the gate, but they offer no challenge to the party. Passing into the yard inside, everyone can make out giants manning the ramparts, but they too seem to know to expect the riders and merely nod their helmeted heads in greeting.

The Feast Inside the massive hall, many tables are laid out in readiness for the feast. Rhiannon is here, along with her father and other members of the court (all normal-sized). This feast is a grand affair, lasting four rounds.

Note that the Suitor, on this evening before his wedding, is offered the high seat at the table: Place him accordingly, without need for him to make an APP roll. Otherwise, play through the feast as normal. The same knights and ladies who attended the first feast also attend this one. The Gamemaster may wish to make some adjustments to these characters reflective of Player-knight interactions or intentions from the previous year’s feast or activities from the intervening year and its Winter Phase. Also feel free to add some extra characters from Hefeydd Henn’s court, including one or more enchanters, sorceresses, or druids. During the final round of the feast, around midnight, something strange occurs: the guard dogs on the stairs outside begin barking furiously. A horn sounds from the ramparts. Someone approaches.

Hefeyyd Henn's court is filled with pagans and strange folk.

A Newcomer Suddenly, the barking of the dogs ceases. There is no sound of challenge issuing from the ramparts or the porter. An uneasy hush settles over the revelers inside the hall. The doors swing open, and a The arrival of young man dressed in a fine tunic and cloak, strides Lord Gwawl. in. He is radiantly handsome, almost to the point of unearthliness. (If needed, use the stats for a Faerie Knight found on p. 214 of the King Arthur Pendragon 5.2 rulebook.) The newcomer bows before the high table and addresses the Suitor directly. “My lord,” he says. “On this, the eve of your wedding, I ask that you grant me a boon in accordance with the ancient traditions of the land.” A successful Courtesy or Folk Lore roll reveals that it is indeed traditional for a bridegroom to grant the wish of any who come to his hall and request such. A successful Awareness roll also indicates that Rhiannon appears tense and worried, her beautiful features a taut mask; however, the enrapt Suitor is at -10 to Awareness for this roll, as the stranger seems to have an unearthly hold on his attention. A Player-knight Suitor is faced with a tough decision. If he refuses to grant the boon, he loses 3 points of Honor and 5 points of Hospitality. In addition, everyone in the hall, including Hefeydd Henn,

– 32 –

King Arthur Pendragon

immediately takes a dim view of the Suitor. He loses any accumulated Geniality and will be remembered as a scoundrel in these lands until his dying day. On the other hand, granting the boon freely has disastrous consequences, as may soon be seen. The correct course of action is to grant a boon with conditions. If this doesn’t occur to the Playerknight, merciful Gamemasters may allow a Courtesy roll. A critical success allows the player to intuit this finer point of courtly etiquette. Making a conditional offer seems to upset the stranger, who nonetheless makes his request (see below). If the Suitor is a Gamemaster character, he makes the fatal mistake of granting the stranger anything he might ask. Player-knight Suitors may very well make this mistake as well. This earns a jab in the ribs from Rhiannon, but too late — the trap has been sprung!

The Request The radiant stranger smiles, his eyes glittering. “Very good. I request the hand of Rhiannon in marriage.” The hall reacts with a great gasp of shock. Rhiannon shoots the Suitor a look of despair. “This is the man I wished not to marry! He is the sorcerer, Lord Gwawl.” If the Player-knight granted a boon with conditions, he is free to name them, or even to turn down the boon as too outrageous to grant. Gwawl has been outmaneuvered, and the scenario ends here (though Gwawl makes an excellent ongoing adversary for the Player-knight and his allies). If, however, the Suitor granted a request without condition and now refuses it, he stands to lose 3 points of Honor and 5 points of Hospitality just as if he had refused the boon in the first place, as well as suffer the social repercussions. Assuming the boon is granted, Rhiannon, thinking fast, intervenes: “My Lord Gwawl, these men are guests in the hall of my father. Although your boon be granted, stay not long, for it is their night. Return in a year’s time and I shall give you my hand in marriage.”

Rhiannon and Pwyll

I

n the original tale of Rhiannon and her suitor, Prince Pwyll, the prince dresses as a beggar and comes to the feast begging to fill his bag with table scraps. With the bag seemingly taking forever to fill, Gwawl grows impatient and asks when the beggar will have enough. The prince replies that the lord of the hall must place both his feet in the bag and cry “Enough!” Gwawl obliges and falls into the bag. Pwyll then blows a hunting horn and his compatriots rush in, backing him up. Gwawl is compelled to renounce his claim on Rhiannon (although in some versions the knights first must beat the bag with the flat of their swords), and thus the feast becomes one for the original lovers.

Lord Gwawl is satisfied with this condition and departs the feast. Rhiannon turns to the Suitor and the other Player-knights. “As Lord Gwawl’s betrothed, I must sequester myself away from you, my beloved.” She calls a servant to her side and whispers in her ear, causing the servant to run off on some errand. The lady then continues. “I have in my possession a singular item: an enchanted bag that is never filled. I put it in your charge. One year from now, return with a company of your most trusted cohorts. You must convince Lord Gwawl to step into the bag of his own accord. You should return in disguise, or else he will never do it. Once he is in the bag, you can seal the top and compel him to renounce his claim.”

Expanding the Adventure Some versions of Rhiannon’s tale involve a quest to secure the magic bag (or, alternately, basket), a quest that consumes the interim year between Gwawl’s trickery and the second wedding feast. Gamemasters may wish to develop such a quest as an expanded component of this scenario. For more details, consult Kennith Morris’ The Fates of the Princes of Dyfed.

– 33 –

Ambitious Gamemasters may wish to add a yearlong quest element to this scenario.

Book of Feasts

Part 3. Second Wedding Feast A year passes. The birds once again come to Sarum to guide the Player-knights and the Suitor back to Hefeydd’s hall on Midsummer’s Day.

The Feast The wedding feast lasts for four rounds. Players are likely to come up with intricate schemes comparable to the original tale. Call for Deceitful rolls if they attempt a disguise or some form of subterfuge. Attempts to manipulate Gwawl into the bag require an opposed roll of the Player-knight’s Deceitful versus Gwawl’s Suspicious 14. Gwawl might also be physically forced into the bag, but remember that he is also a sorcerer of no Lord Gwawl small skill, and he has his own household here with has four him: four knights sit with him or else stand near knights and ten spearmen the high table, and there are ten more spearmen in the hall as well. Further, Gamemasters should dock at his disposal. at least 1 point of Hospitality from Player-knights

K

THE MARVELS OF PENTECOST

ing Arthur maintains a famous tradition at his annual Pentecost feast: he refuses to take so much as a nibble or a sip until he has witnessed a marvel. A “marvel,” in this context, is similar to that of Thomas Aquinas: “seeing an effect without knowing a cause.” Feast marvels are common throughout Arthurian literature, from the appearance of the Basket Knight at Guenever’s feast table to the challenge of the Green Knight at a Yuletide banquet, and the most famous of them all, the apparition of the Holy

who violate the sanctity of the feast hall with physical violence. With Gwawl in the bag, the final step is to get him to renounce his marital claims. Thankfully, doing so takes surprisingly little coercion. Gwawl must roll against his Proud 15, but with a -1 penalty for every point of damage he takes and also for every minute he has spent in the bag.

Glory Rewards ◆◆Glory gained as usual from participating in each of the three feasts ◆◆20 Glory for witnessing Rhiannon’s first appearance ◆◆50 Glory for convincing Rhiannon to stop and talk ◆◆250 Glory for besting Gwawl and getting him to renounce his claim ◆◆545 Glory for marrying Rhiannon

Grail in front of the knights of the Round Table, feast marvels run throughout the lore. Feast marvels range from barely more than mundane to clearly supernatural to downright otherworldly. The Gamemaster may Roll on Table 3.1: Feast Marvels to add color to any Pentecost feast or any other feast occasion of their choosing. These marvels tend towards the relatively mundane; truly miraculous marvels are well-documented and should be by design, not left to random rolls. References on this table to “a knight at the feast” and such are left deliberately vague. Gamemasters may decide or randomize who the knight in question may be; Player-knights are an obvious choice. ❧

– 34 –

King Arthur Pendragon

Table 3.1: Feast Marvels d20

Result

1

A knight rides into the hall on horseback and scoops up the nearest lady (or a particular one), and then rides off with her over his pommel.

2

A knight enters the hall and invokes his right to trial by combat against the lord of the feast (or a significant guest).

3

A knight staggers into the hall, covered in a bloodied and broken armor, warning of an unbeatable knight (perhaps a known figure, or else some mysterious one) guarding a nearby bridge.

4

A knight or lady comes to court searching for their one true love — whose name and face they cannot recall.

5

A knight who is normally well known to everyone in attendance comes disguised as a poor errant knight, asking leave to enter the upcoming tournament.

6

A knight enters the hall bearing the same arms as one of the knights in attendance and accuses that knight of being an imposter.

7

A lady presents herself before the lord, asking that a worthy knight be granted the honor of killing her father’s murderer, a wicked caitiff who dwells nearby.

8

A lady presents herself before the lord and says one of the knights present is her father’s murderer, whose identity will be revealed during the course of the feast when he spills wine upon himself (or via some other action or faux pas).

9

A lady dressed as a knight enters the hall and begs leave of the lord to avenge herself upon her father’s murderer in trial by combat.

10

A lady enters the hall leading a tame lion; she asks only for a joint of meat to feed her animal companion.

11

A lady presents herself before the lord, saying that, with his leave, she has come to marry the first knight who can beat her in a game of chess (her Gaming value is 2d6 + 15).

12

A lady comes into the hall bearing a finely wrought sword (+3 to Damage), which she will give to the knight who can successfully perform some arduous or difficult task or challenge (such as solving a very hard riddle or defeating a terrible giant).

13

A youth comes to the hall and claims to be the illegitimate offspring of one of the knights in attendance.

14

A youth enters the hall, goes before the high table, and begins insulting the lord and lady of the feast. Is he merely an insolent child, or a faerie in disguise? Courtesy or Loyalty rolls may be in order.

15

A dwarf arrives and announces that his lord has set up a tent at the nearest crossroads and wishes to meet the host and any other guests who wish to come. The dwarf’s lord is (roll 1d6): 1-2 a Faerie Knight; 3-4 an Enchantress; 5 a villainous knight or lady (perhaps even Sir Turquine or Morgan le Fay); or 6 a foreign king.

16

A druid or sorcerer (or the Lady of the Lake) appears and intones a prophecy. Roll 1d6: On an even result, it is a prophecy of weal, while on an odd result it is a prophecy of woe.

17

A miracle! The weather suddenly shifts dramatically and unnaturally (it begins snowing on a warm summer’s day, for example).

18

A miracle! All the food and drink in the hall is suddenly transubstantiated (for example, the delicious food becomes inedible, water becomes wine and/or vice versa, all the food turns to gold, etc.).

19

A miracle! A golden eagle flies into the hall through a window, alights upon the high table, lays an egg, and then flies off. The first knight or lady to pick up the egg becomes the “parent” and must carry the egg in hand or in some special contraption at all times until it hatches one month later. (But what comes out of the egg?)

20

A miracle! A booming voice echoes through the hall, commanding all knights who hear it to take up a quest (Gamemaster’s choice).

– 35 –

For those of you using the expanded Loyalty Passion rules first presented in the Book of the Estate, choose Fealty or Homage in place of Loyalty, as appropriate.

Book of Feasts

Appendix A: Sample Dishes

F

or the truly ambitious Gamemaster or culinary-minded player, a trio of medieval recipes are presented here, updated for the modern kitchen. Adapted from Madeleine Pelner Cosman’s Fabulous Feasts, these dishes can be prepared in your own kitchen and brought to the game table to lend an exciting sensory dimension to your feast-centric scenarios. Because every group’s tastes and culinary needs will vary, the recipes presented here are non-alcoholic, meatless (although not vegan), and mostly dairy-free. Enterprising cooks will be able to modify these dishes to suit their tastes accordingly.

Parsley Bread This recipe makes a delicious loaf to eat warm from the oven, or you can let it sit for a couple days and then use it as a trencher (cut into 4-inch slices). ◆◆2 packages active dry yeast

◆◆1½ tsp. dried rosemary

◆◆1¾ cups warm water

◆◆1½ tsp. dried basil

◆◆6 tbsp. honey

◆◆⅔ cup finely chopped fresh parsley

◆◆7-8 cups (or more) unbleached white wheat bread flour

◆◆1½ tsp. cinnamon

◆◆6 small whole eggs plus one yolk, divided

◆◆Option: A few drops of green pigment (which you can prepare by boiling chopped mint or parsley leaves in 1 cup of dry white wine or water)

◆◆Butter for greasing bowls and cooking sheet

◆◆⅔ cup currants, softened in warm water ◆◆1⅔ tbsp. coarse sea salt ◆◆6 tbsp. melted butter or cooking oil

Sprinkle yeast into half a cup of warm water and stir in the honey. Leave for 5 minutes, then add the remaining warm water. Mix in about 2 ½ to 3 cups of flour. Beat with wooden spoon, about 200 strokes. Cover with damp towel, and set aside in a warm place. The dough should double in size, typically in about 35-45 minutes. Stir the dough down, then beat in 5 of the eggs, plus the one yolk. Stir in the currants. Beat in salt and melted butter or oil. Make sure the dough is thoroughly mixed. Crush the herbs and parsley with a mortar and pestle, then mix in cinnamon. Add crushed ingredients to the dough and mix in. Add green pigment, sparingly, only if the parsley does not naturally color the dough; you’ll want a delicate green hue. Add in the remaining flour a spoonful at a time, mixing it into dough until the dough comes away from the bowl. Put the dough onto a lightly floured board, and knead until smooth, shiny, and elastic; add flour sparingly as needed. Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with a damp towel, and set aside to rise and double in size. This should take about 50 minutes. Punch the dough down, then cover and let rise again to double-size, taking about another 30 minutes. Punch the dough down again, then turn out onto a floured surface. Let rest for 5 minutes, then shape into one or two free-form curls or twists. Place on a greased cooking sheet. Cover lightly with a damp towel and let rise in a warm place, once again to double size, about 25 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190° C). Brush loaf with remaining whole egg, beaten. Bake for about 50 minutes or until nicely browned. Cool on rack.

– 36 –

King Arthur Pendragon

Haslet Haslet was considered a delicacy after a day spent hunting: the entrails and genitalia of the quarry, roasted to succulent perfection. This recipe simulates the appearance of haslet, but uses fruits and nuts. Tools Needed ◆◆Heavy butcher’s thread or cooking twine

For Batter ◆◆1 cup flour

◆◆Trussing needle or other sturdy needle

◆◆¾ cup milk

Fruit & Nut “Entrails” ◆◆24 very large prunes, pits removed

◆◆1 beaten egg

◆◆24 very large dates, pits removed

◆◆1 tsp. sugar

◆◆24 dried figs, stems removed

◆◆½ tsp. cinnamon

◆◆24 almonds and filberts (the largest you can find)

◆◆1/4 tsp. saffron

◆◆1 tbsp. ginger ale or white grape juice

◆◆½ cup honey for garnish

◆◆4 dried pear halves ◆◆12 pineapple rings, dried and honeydipped, cut into quarters

Soak the dried fruit in water for 30 minutes, then drain and dry thoroughly. Cut several 12-inch strings out of heavy butcher’s thread. Knot the thread at one end and attach the other end to a stout needle. Thread the needle through the fruit and nuts, creating a consistent pattern on each string that alternates between nut and fruit. Knot the sewing end of the cord before you move on to the next. Prepare the batter mixture by mixing all ingredients until it is sufficient for a thick coating. Carefully dip each string of haslet into the batter, making sure that you are coating every piece of fruit and nut. Bake each string in a shallow, greased baking dish at 350 degrees F (175°C) for 12 minutes (or until golden brown). Drizzle honey over baked haslet and serve, preferably on a parsley bread trencher (see Parsley Bread recipe). Each serving should be one whole string.

Hippocras The classic spiced wine, hippocras was traditionally prepared in an elaborate series of steps involving three separate pewter basins and three separate straining bags. The recipe below has been simplified for ease of preparation — and without alcohol. You can substitute dry red wine for the grape juice if you like. ◆◆1 qt. grape juice, mixed with 2-3 tbsp. red wine vinegar for tartness (this is the “wine”)

◆◆1/2 cup sugar (reduce or eliminate based on sugar content of grape juice)

◆◆1/2 tsp. ginger powder (or 5 slivers of fresh ginger)

◆◆A pinch or two of ground pepper (optional, to taste)

◆◆4 cinnamon sticks, broken in thirds

◆◆4 blue heliotrope blossoms for coloring

◆◆4 grains of cardamom, coarsely ground

◆◆1 unblemished lemon, cut in small slivers

Mix spices in an enameled pot, then pour in the “wine.” Bring the liquid up to a boil, then simmer, covered, for 7 minutes. Add the heliotrope blossoms and reduce heat to a slow simmer for 3 minutes. Strain the spices and blossoms. Serve warm in goblets. Garnish each cup with a sliver of lemon.

– 37 –

Book of Feasts

Appendix B: Glossary Almoner:A member of the household put in charge of collecting and guarding the Alms Dish, a collection of sops for later distribution to the poor. Aquamanile:A covered jug for hand-washing, first appearing in the Boy King period. Always elaborately decorated, sometimes actually shaped to look like a lion, griffin, or mounted knight. Aumbry: A table or cupboard intended for conspicuous display of the household’s most precious cups and dishes. Baldaquin:A canopy covering the settle. Butler: A member of the household in charge of the buttery, where the beer and wine is kept. It is his responsibility to keep the cellar and its casks clean, make sure no one is pilfering from the stores, and select and present the potables for the feast. The butler “proves by mouth” all the drinks he serves, both to check for tampering and to see if additives need to be put in to adjust the taste or color of the wine. The butler is also the person who prepares the spiced concoction called hippocras. Carol:A type of courtly dance involving a group joining in a circle and singing, using the dance steps to keep time. Charger: A large serving platter used to convey food from the distant kitchen to the table. Chargers are carried by marshals, sergeants-at-arms, squires, and ushers. Chatelaine:A decorative clasp and chain worn off the belt and meant for holding one’s personal dining knife and often other tools such as files, keys, shears, and personal seal. Coffyn:An individual-sized whole pie. Cook: A member of the household in charge of selecting recipes and overseeing food preparation and the running of the kitchen in general. Note that the term “chef” is not used. Credence: The responsibility of the steward or chamberlain. Testing food by taste for poison or spoilage. Cumelin:A basin used for cooling flagons of wine. Doucette:A type of sweet tart. Dresser:Also called a surveying board. A side table

where dishes are “dressed” with sauces and garnish before presentation to the guests. Groaning Boards:Colloquial term for tables once they have been laden with the courses of a feast. Hanap:A type of “double cup” in two halves — the bowl and a cover — which both function as drinking vessels. High Table:The table where the most important guests of the feast sit, including the lord and lady of the hall. The high table is easily discernible from the other tables in the hall, usually set upon a raised dais. Mazer:A footed bowl used as a drinking vessel. A Saxon cup in the early years, in general usage after Badon Hill. Mess:A place setting shared between two (usually), but sometimes three or four diners. Nef: A salt fashioned into the shape of a sailing ship, complete with wire rigging and sometimes miniature men. Elaborate enough to be more ornamental than useful. First appearing in the Romance Period, common by the Twilight Period. Panter: A member of the household assigned to monitor the quality of the lord’s bread, and to cut it and present it at feasts. He carries the “portpayne,” a cloth for transporting loaves, and three or four special bread knives:the “chaffer,” the “parer,” and the trencher knife. He sometimes uses a fourth knife, the “mensal,” to slice the upper crust and present it to his lord at the beginning of every meal. Roundel: A plate made of wood, cardboard, or porcelain, served with the last course of a feast. A joke or verse is typically inscribed on the underside; when the guest finishes their food, they turn over the roundel and recite or sing the etched message. Sanap: A white cloth laid over the table’s surface before a feast. Salt:An elaborate salt cellar, always positioned at the high table. See also nef. Settle:The seat of honor at the high table. Sewer:A member of the household put in charge of arranging plates, cups, and other dishes in an aesthetically appealing tableau over the course of a feast.

– 38 –

King Arthur Pendragon

Sideboard:The name for all the other tables where guests sit aside from the high table.

Surveying Board:A staging area for dishes coming out of the kitchen.

Sop: A piece of bread torn from a trencher, likely used to “sop up” gravies or wine, or eaten as a snack on the morning after the feast. Sops are sometimes given to the household dogs or as alms for the poor.

Table Fountain:An intricately constructed centerpiece that dispenses wines and flavored water from a variety of spigots, first appearing in the Romance Period.

Stable Table:Also called a “table dormant.” A table, usually of heavy oak construction, intended to sit permanently in a hall. Much rarer than the collapsible trestle. The Round Table is the greatest table dormant in all the lands.

Trencher: A square-cut or circular slice of stale bread, about four inches thick and six inches square, often colored green, yellow, or pink; used as a platter and as a source for tearing off sops.

Surveyer:A member of the household in charge of the surveying board. The intermediary between the cook and the dinner guests.

Trestle:Also called a “horse-and-saddle table.” A table that can easily be taken down and set aside. The most common type of dining table.

Trencher Board:A side table for cutting breads.

Appendix C: Bibliography Cosman, Madeleine Pelner. Fabulous Feasts: Medieval Cookery and Ceremony. New York: G. Braziller, 1976.

Morris, Kenneth, and Machell, R. The Fates of the Princes of Dyfed. North Hollywood, CA: Newcastle Pub., 1978.

Fletcher, Nichola. Charlemagne’s Tablecloth: A Piquant History of Feasting. New York: St. Martin’s, 2005.

Oxford, Edward Harley, and Savage, Henry. “Two Fifteenth-century Cookery-books.” The Harleian Miscellany. London: C. Palmer, 1924.

Henisch, Bridget Ann. Fast and Feast: Food in Medieval Society. University Park: Pennsylvania State UP, 1976. Mitton, Tony, and Robins, Arthur. Gawain and the Green Knight. London: Orchard, 2003.

Strong, Roy C. Feast: A History of Grand Eating. Orlando, FL: Harcourt, 2002. ❧

A NOTE ON THE ART IN THIS BOOK

O

ur use of artwork from many differant historical eras in the King Arthur Pendragon line results in some interesting anomalies which are presented in the same spirit as the general anachronisms found in the game itself. Not surprisingly, very little art from the 10th and 11th century survives, and the era was seldom depicted by the great illustrators of the Victorian Age. So we have chosen pieces evocative of the general subject matter, if not the historical era. Alas, such is the flavor we must bring to the game, and we sincerely hope it does not spoil the overall taste. ❧

– 39 –

Book of Feasts

– 40 –

King Arthur Pendragon

– 41 –