Chaosium Digest Volume 4, Number 6 Date: Sunday, October 17, 1993 Number: 1 of 2 Contents: Sir Lancelot: A Chronology [Part I] (Peter Corless) PENDRAGON Editor's Note: Two great new releases hit the shelves this week. Players of Elric! will be pleased to hear that the long delayed Melnibone! suplement (Chaosium, 128pp, $20.95) is finally out. I haven't had a chance to do more than skim it, but it looks really good. If you'd like a hint of what's in Melnibone!, take a look at V3.3 of the Digest, which has an excerpt. Also out this week was Devil's Children (Pagan Publishing, 52pp, $7.95). It's a fun Call of Cthulhu adventure, in two parts, with the first half set in Salem, 1692, and the second half set in Arkham, 1992. I just finished this book, and found it very interesting. Submissions have been very light of late, so I'm definitely looking for articles right now, if you were considering writing something. Shannon -------------------- From: Peter Corless Subject: Sir Lancelot: A Chronology [Part I] System: Pendragon This is an excerpt from the work in progress "The Knights of King Arthur", Copyright 1993, Peter Corless (written under contract for future publication by the Chaosium). Please pass along any corrections or feedback to me directly. I can be reached at: pcorless@cisco.com -or- HARDRADA@aol.com All suggestions and comments that I use will be properly creditted! Sincerely, -Peter Corless Sir Lancelot du Lake, Knight of the Round Table Clan: de Ganis Chronology: 508 - A son is born to King Ban and Elaine of Benwick, who christen him Galahad, and later confirm him Lancelot 518 - King Claudas overruns Ganis; young Lancelot is taken away by Viviane, the French Lady of the Lake; instructs him in the manner of knighthood 524 - Lancelot first comes to Arthur's court and meets Guenever; he immediately falls in love and vows to become her champion; is knighted by Arthur, but later girded by Guenever 524 - Comes to aid of the Queen of Nohaut, and defeats many opponents including the King of Northumberland and Sir Alibon of Queen's Ford; sends them all to Guenever as his prisoners; rescues Gawaine, Ywaine and Galegantis in process; takes the castle of Dolorous Garde and renames it Joyous Garde 525 - Dagonet, near Joyous Garde, espies Lancelot staring enraptured at Guenever while his horse wanders off 525 - Imprisoned by the Lady of Malahaut for killing her son; allows him to leave for a tourney, then falls in love with him 526 - Lancelot joins Arthur's armies against the French and Romans; with Sir Cador, valiantly commands ten thousand soldiers in defense against Roman ambush near Paris; assigned to Arthur's bodyguard at Battle of Saussy 527 - Travels to Rome and back with army 528 - Lancelot adventures away from court as much as possible to avoid encountering Guenever, to little avail 528 - Drives out the Bronze Swans of Essex; rescues Countess of Hertford; subdued the bandits of Cheshire and saved the Countess of Cheshire; killed the White Bear of Garloth and defeated the Dwarf Knight 529 - Intercedes in Arthur's favor with the Duke of Galeholt; brings peace between them 529 - Around this time, Lancelot and Guenever begin their affair, with the aid of Viviane and Duke Galeholt 529 - Kills Sir Turquine, rescuing Sir Kay, Gawaine, Sagramore, Agravaine, Dodinas, Lionel, Ector de Maris and many other knights 530 - Lancelot rides away again; Gawaine and Kay set out to look for him 531 - Captured along with Arthur, Gawaine, Galeholt, Ector and others by Lady Camille of Anglia; escapes and rescues Arthur by sieging her fortress at La Roche 533 - Sets out to rescue Gawaine from Carados of the Dolorous Tower; meets the maiden Amable, who cures him of a sickness, and becomes his chaste love 533 - Captured by Morgan Le Fay in Cambria, escapes to rescue Gawaine, succeeds in killing Carados, and is captured again 534 - Escapes Morgan again; accompanies Mordred to Peningues Tournament and learns of Mordred's origin; shocked by Mordred's murder of the prophetic monk 534 - Visits Listeneisse, rescues Elaine of Carbonek, meets King Pellam, and is tricked into sleeping with Elaine; they beget Galahad 534 - Saves Duke Rochedon's daughter and forces the Queen of Sorestan to return her lands 535 - Lancelot returns to court for a time and is inducted into the Round Table; Guenever and Amable meet and become friends 535 - Morgan Le Fay creates the drinking Horn of Chastity to divulge the Lancelot/Guenever affair; fails when Lamorak sends the horn to King Mark's court instead. 536 - Accompanies Arthur to Ganis to reconquer it from King Claudas of France and rescue Dame Elyzabel, Guenever's cousin; reunited with mother, Queen Elaine of Benwick 537 - Duke Galeholt dies upon hearing false reports of Lancelot's death; Lancelot almost dies when he learns of Galeholt's death, but is saved by Seriade, one of Viviane's Ladies of the Lake 542 - Lancelot wounds Tristram at the Castle of Maidens tourney 543 - Morgan Le Fay tries to kill Lancelot by ambushment of thirty knights 543 - Lancelot finds and befriends Sir Tristram; convinces Tristram to join Round Table 547 - Bors brings Elaine of Carbonek to visit court with Lancelot's son, Galahad; Elaine tricks Lancelot into bed again; Guenever finds out and drives him insane with scorn 548 - Lancelot wanders as a wild man throughout Logres; befriended by Sir Bliant and brought to Castle Blank to be nursed to health; saves Bliant from Sirs Breunis Sans Pite and Bertelot 548 - Knights of the Round Table, including Sir Bors, Ector, Lionel, Gawaine, Ywaine, Sagramore, Aglovale, Percival and eighteen others, are sent by Guenever to look for Lancelot 549 - Still mad, chases a boar and is wounded; nursed by a hermit, but runs away; wanders to the city of Carbonek, and is given alms and shelter 550 - Lancelot identified by Elaine of Carbonek; healed by the Holy Grail back to health and sanity; given the Castle of Bliant on Joyous Isle to live within 551- Calling himself "Le Chevalier Mal Fet" ("The Knight Who Trespassed"), offers to joust all comers; during the tourney, is discovered by Percival and Ector 551 - Lancelot is persuaded by Ector to return to Camelot; leaves Elaine of Carbonek forever; affair is renewed with Guenever 554 - Galahad is knighted by Lancelot; Lancelot leaves Guenever to partake in the Grail Quest 555 - Lancelot unhorsed by Galahad; views the Grail heal a sick knight while half-sleeping, and vows to forgo his sinful affair with Guenever, but is rebuked by a hermit 556 - Guenever and Lancelot renew affair after his return 558 - Guenever kidnapped by Meliagaunt; rescued by Lancelot 559 - Lancelot takes mockery of Guenever seriously; rides across country in a cart for a year doing deeds for her honor 560 - Lancelot champions many ladies to throw off rumors of affair; Guenever banishes Lancelot out of jealousy of them 561 - Lancelot rescues Guenever after she is wrongly impeached for death of Sir Patrice; defeats Sir Mador 562 - Champions Elaine of Astolat at the Winchester Tournament by wearing her token; is wounded and nursed back to health by her, but refuses her advances; she dies of unrequited love; all mourn her death when a barge carrying her lands at Winchester 563 - Lancelot and Guenever caught by Mordred, Agravaine and twelve others; Lancelot slays all but Mordred; Arthur condemns Guenever, but Lancelot recuses her ; they flee to Joyous Garde; she eventually returns to Arthur in return for a truce (arranged by the Pope) and Lancelot's safe passage to France 564 - Lancelot grants lands to his kinsmen, and prepares for war with Arthur; endures siege, but refuses to join open battle; leaders on both sides issue challenges; Lancelot wounds Gawaine 566 - Receives letter regarding Gawaine's death and Mordred's treachery; returns to Logres with army too late to aid Arthur at Camlann; speaks to Guenever for the last time at Almesbury; he becomes a brother under the Archbishop of Canterbury 572 - Becomes a priest at Glastonbury after six years of penance; sang mass for a full year 573 - Receives a vision that Guenever is dying; she expires just before Lancelot arrives at her deathbed; he has her buried at Glastonbury next to Arthur; six weeks thereafter Lancelot dies; the Archbishop of Canterbury, Sir Bors, Ector, Blamor, Bleoberis and five other de Ganis knights bear him to Joyous Garde for burial and then leave for the Holy Land Character Entry, Part I: Note: This section details mostly the knightly deeds of Sir Lancelot; for more information regarding Lancelot's affairs with Guenever, Morgan Le Fay and Elaine of Carbonek, see those ladies' entries. Sir Lancelot is well-regarded as the best knight in King Arthur's court and the paragon of chivalry. Next to Arthur himself, no one in all the lands more greatly inspires the loyalty and service of knights. Every good knight who meets him loves him like a brother; all knights of treachery fear him instinctively. For his deeds, his prowess, appearance and chivalry, he is loved and sought after by many women. Except for Galahad during the Grail Quest, or perhaps (on a good day) Sir Tristram or Lamorak, there is no knight in the world that can equal his abilities. There are a couple of known behaviors of Lancelot. Firstly, he never kills defeated knights who ask him for mercy, no matter how vile their crimes or offences. Secondly, he never wears any ladies' favors during tournaments -- not even Guenver's. (The few times when he differs from these patterns are treated as momentous -- almost scandalous -- occasions.) Along with Sir Gawaine, he is the closest friend to the High King. Although often less-reliable (being away from court frequently), he is always known for offering the most honorable advise. He is the secret lover of Guenever, and the openly self-declared Queen's Champion. (As such, he is head of the order of the Queen's Knights.) To protect him from magical foes, Lancelot carries a magical ring, given to him by Viviane, the Lady of the Lake, which warns him if there are any enchantments working upon him or near him. However, he has to ask the ring to make it work, and he often forgets he has it. Lancelot is not even born until late in Phase 1 (508 AD), and does not come to court until the last year of Phase 2 (524 AD). During these years, King Pellinore is considered the best knight in the land, and occupies the Siege Perilous (the seat reserved for the best knight) at Arthur's Round Table. Even upon his induction to the Round Table, Lancelot does not occupy the chair, although many ask him to. The chair remains vacant until Galahad (Lancelot's son) arrives at court for the beginning of the Grail Quest. Lancelot was born to King Ban of Benwick and his queen, Elaine. He was christened with the name Galahad, but was given the confirmation name of Lancelot. During his youth, King Claudas of France constantly threatened his father's realm, until 518 AD, when Claudas invaded and overran all of Ganis. (King Arthur, Ban's ally, was tied up fighting the Saxons at Badon, so was unable to come to his aid.) King Ban, his wife, and their child fled to escape the rampaging army. During their flight, King Ban swoons and dies, either of grief or illness. As Elaine rushed to her dying husband, Viviane, the French Lady of the Lake, secreted young Galahad off to her magical city at Bois en Val. (The city is hidden by an illusory lake, hence her title.) Lancelot is so traumatized by the events that, at first, he cannot remember anything about his parents or childhood. Viviane helps him recover from the incident by focusing his talents and instructing him in all the manners of chivalry. When he is but sixteen, Lancelot du Lak is ready to attain his knighthood. Although young, he is already extremely tall and strong. Viviane and young Lancelot arrive at Camolot on St. John's Day, 524. (The events of his arrival are covered in "The Boy King", pages 73-74.) In short, Launcelot is knighted by Arthur, and later secretly girded by Guenever -- which symbolizes the split loyalties he always has between his two most beloved friends. Upon seeing Guenever, he falls in love, and later that evening vows to be her champion. At his girding, he takes upon himself to do many adventures to become the Queen's Champion. His first adventure was to aid the Queen of Nohaut, who was being beseiged by the King of Northumberland. This begins a long-standing tradition for Lancelot: any quest that he sets himself to he accomplishes. (The notable exception being the acheivement of the Grail, see below.) He also defeats Sir Alibon of Queen's Ford. These two begin his second tradition: the steady stream of prisoners sent by him to Guenever. Thousands show up at court over the years. He also rescues Gawaine, Ywaine and Galegantis in the process, setting another long-standing precedent for his rescuing good knights in danger. Of all the knights that owe their freedom to Lancelot, Gawaine is primarily beholden. Lancelot saves Gawaine on at least four separate occasions. They become fast friends. Also during this first year of adventuring, he takes the castle of Dolorous Garde and renames it Joyous Garde. Underneath a rock thereby, he finds his name and his origin written. Memories of who he is, and who his parents are, flood back to him. This castle becomes his retreat, and a favorite place for secret lovers. He gladly loans it to Tristram and Isolt when they flee King Mark, and Lancelot himself often stays there with Guenever during their affair. It was at Joyous Garde that someone (in this case Sir Dagonet the King's Fool) first notices Lancelot's more-than-chaste admiration of Guenever. Dagonet espies Lancelot staring enraptured up at Guenever in a castle window, while Lancelot's horse wanders around the field unattended. This is the sort of admiration that Lancelot shows throughout his life. (During his rescue of Guenever from Meliagaunt years later, he stares up at Guenever devotedly while fighting a furious and frustrated Meliagaunt literally behind his back, never taking his eyes off the queen!) Lancelot is just a year older (age 17) when he inspires the first of his many would-be paramours, the Lady of Malahaut. Even though he killed her son in combat, she forgives him, and asks to be his lover. Lancelot is beset by women throughout his life, but vows never to marry. Still, women never give up hope of catching the finest bachelor knight in the world. One year later, Lancelot proves his prowess as a leader of men against the French and Romans. In co-command with Sir Cador, he leads ten thousand de Ganis and Cornish soldiers. It is then that he first meets many of his kinsmen who are new knights: Lionel, Ector de Maris, and many others. His first engagement as an army leader comes during when his troops escort thousands of prisoners back towards Paris. He soundly defeats the Roman ambush, and collects even more prisoners! For his actions, Arthur asks him to join his personal bodyguard for the Battle of Saussy and the rest of the campaign. This is the time that Arthur comes to respect Lancelot as a soldier and companion. After returning to Logres from Rome, Lancelot turns down an offer to join the Round Table, and adventures away from court as much as possible to avoid encountering Guenever, to little avail. For none of the accomplishments that he adds to his resume can drive ideas of Guenever from his heart. Shortly after Lancelot's intercession to end the war between Arthur and Duke Galeholt of the Long Isles, Lancelot and Guenever begin their affair. They are brought together by Viviane, and Lancelot's new friend Galeholt. They spend many blissful days at Camelot and Joyous Garde. Still, not even Guenever's love can tame the adventurousness in Lancelot's heart. Romance, courtly entertainment, games and overly-orchestrated tourneys are exciting -- up to a point. He plots with his cousin Lionel, "for we two will seek adventures." They quietly ride away, adding another trick to Lancelot's book: leaving without telling anyone. During this adventure, Lancelot finds and kills the nefarious Sir Turquine who had as his prisoners Sirs Kay, Gawaine, Sagramore, Agravaine, Dodinas, Lionel, Ector de Maris and many others. After setting them free, he barely takes the time to return to court with the freed prisoners before he rides away again. This begins the next logical tradition, when Gawaine and Kay set out to follow him: Round Table knights searching throughout Logres to find Lancelot. [Sir Lancelot's History Continues in V4.7 of the Chaosium Digest] -------------------- The Chaosium Digest is an unofficial discussion forum for Chaosium's Games. To submit an article, mail to: appel@erzo.berkeley.edu. The old digests are archived on soda.berkeley.edu in the directory /pub/chaosium, and may be retrieved via FTP.