A Night on Glastonbury
A Night on Glastonbury
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A Night on Glastonbury |
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It was a dark and stormy night.... There isn't much in the way of game mechanics or adventure seeds in the Introduction, obviously. Our cast of characters is assembled and stories begin to be told. There are a few minor points, of course, to be addressed here.
Cai, in his Role as Mister Kane, appears to be a man in his sixties, generally dressed as an academic might be (tweed, sweater, slacks, coat and the like). His Role is as a caretaker of the grounds and maintenance man for Glastonbury Abbey -- having 'retired' from being a Religious History instructor and Arthurian expert to the historical site. Cai has been the Seneschal of Glastonbury Abbey since it first became a Tether to Dreams in the Twelfth Century. Indeed, Cai may have been the one who came up with the false cross (see Glastonbury Abbey below) in the first place. At the time, he had been a Servitor of the Sword -- Laurence quite willingly and amiably released Cai to Blandine's service to allow the Cherub to serve the Abbey -- and more importantly, the legend of the King. As a result, Cai still retains some attunements from his days as a Servitor of the Sword. Laurence's intercession also led Blandine to match Cai's existing distinction from his Service to the Sword -- explaining how such a powerful Cherub would be the Seneschal to a relatively unimportant Tether. Cai is somewhat older than Laurence's Archangel stature -- indeed, he knew Laurence before the Malakite became Wordbound. It is not known if Cai retains any attunements or rites from his time as a Servitor of Purity.
Helsa is a favored Servitor of Laurence's -- her strength is growing and her dedication is obvious. While she is a Seraph, she has something of the monofocus of a Malakite in her devotion to destroying evil and breaking Infernal powers. This can lead her to missing 'the forest for the trees.' This is likely part of why Laurence has required her to stay and listen to his story. Helsa believes strongly that the War is fought one battle at a time -- she has a certain difficulty letting go of her own projects to support someone else's. In a way, she is closer to a Servitor of War than of the Sword -- she has a tendency to lose sight of the 'big picture.' She is also somewhat rude and overbearing, especially in her dealings with humanity. This led her to taking a Servant (Drake Fuller, below), in hopes that his perspective can facilitate her mission. She has found it to be... mixed in result. As Laurence has ordered her to stay and listen to his story, Helsa is quietly listening. However, in her heart she feels that the Infernal forces she is preparing to fight (leading her to come to Glastonbury Abbey to recruit resources) are considerably more important than drinking fermented honey and listening to stories of humans dead for nearly two thousand years.
Drake Fuller has recently been recruited by Helsa for the War. It is a grand crusade to Drake -- who had been a martial artist and amatur folklorist before being approached to fight a real War on behalf of Heaven. He is thrilled by the nature of the conflict and not particularly scared -- he isn't a fool, but once he realized Helsa was serious, he expected combat with Demons and with Soldiers of Hell would come with the territory. In many ways, he is living out his dreams of romantic heroism. Dreams largely founded on legends of the Round Table. Being predisposed to expect wonders, Drake doesn't see a huge difference between meeting a Seraph and meeting that Seraph's Superior. He is far more impressed and excited to meet people who were actually a part of King Arthur's Court, whether those 'people' are angels or not.
Laurence needs no introduction. However, this is a different side of Helsa's superior than she has seen before. On this night, the Archangel of the Sword remembers a simpler time, when the Hunter of Demons was not the Player of Chess. He is especially interested in the fire of Drake, and in Helsa's reaction to the story -- and what it can teach her.
Glastonbury Abbey, in England's West Somerset, has been home to a monestary offically since 673 AD, when a Benedictine Order officially took residence. Many believe that it had been a center of Christianity for centuries before that, however, and that Christianity on the British Isles first began there when Joseph of Arimathea landed his boat Wearyall Hill just outside of the modern town, bearing the gospel and the Holy Grail. In modern times, it is more famous for being the resting place of King Arthur (both metaphorically, as his grave is alleged to be there, and literally, as he is said to be asleep beneath the hill at Cadbury Castle, which itself has been believed to be Camelot itself). It is said that Glastonbury is the Island of Avelon, that the Holy Grail still rests here (perhaps in a well), and that the trees themselves are holy. What is known is that the monks of Glastonbury Abbey claimed to find the grave of Arthur in the Twelfth Century, finding a marker that is obviously a fake. However, attentions fixated on Glastonbury as both a holy place and as a place of deliverance from rebellion (as it was during this time that Prince John made his ill-fated attempt to seize the throne of England from Richard the Lionheart.) This marker was placed by Cai, a Cherub of the Sword who centuries before had the role of Sir Kay, 'foster brother' to King Arthur. Cai erected a False Cross to Arthur following the encroachment of Demonic forces on the area. The place had been a scion of Christian activity and was in danger of becoming a Tether to Laurence (it had been on the cusp of this for centuries). Servitors of Belial burned the "Old Church" (made of wattle and daub by Joseph of Armathea himself, according to legend) to the ground in 1184, and infernal activity threatened to overwhelm the land. Cai, desperate to preserve Arthur's resting place and his Superior's interests, erected the False Cross of Arthur and managed to direct attention to it. To his joy and his enemies' rage, a Tether was produced. However, to his amazement the Teather was not to Laurence but to Blandine, for Camelot and the High King had become legendary dreams for all of England -- the King who would return one day when England needed her most. The "finding" of the Grave during times of turmoil created a groundswell of hope and pilgrimages to the area, and invigorated the dream of the Once and Future King Blandine was pleased enough with her new Tether, though Corporeal Tethers have never been much of her concern. That it was a Servitor of the Sword who catalyzed its creation -- especially one who had been a Servitor of Purity -- amused her. Laurence, himself well acquainted with Glastonbury, arranged for Cai to be released from his service and entered into hers, and the two Archangels sponsered the Cherub to be Seneschal of Glastonbury Abbey. Cai has been a good protector of the site, managing to weather and adapt to many shifts and changes (the worst being when Henry VIII reduced the Monestaries and delivered Glastonbury Abbey to the nobility. Where other Servitors might have tried to force a showdown, Cai quietly shifted his Role from a religious one to a Secular one, becoming a servant to the Master of the Abbey. He has remained such ever since, culminating in his becoming a Civil Servant for the Abbey as Mister Kane, the Groundskeeper. He lives on the Abbey grounds and never leaves at this time, quietly promoting the legends that surround the area, and remembering the truths behind them. Today, Glastonbury Abbey is a small but stable Tether of some repute, and thousands of pilgrims (and far more tourists) come to Glastonbury to see the sights and dream of ancient kings.
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