Mordred’s Knighthood and the Not-The-Great-Rite rite.
Acquired Autumn 1126
Journal entries of Avery Felbourne-Winterheart, Blood of Morgana, written at Caer Avalon.
I had been reading Ser Kaiya’s research again as we planned to re-enact (un-enact?) The Great Rite in a new rite. I can see Ash glaring at me again as I even write those words. Kaiya’s questions kept going over in my mind – what do we know of Mordred’s younger years? Of the deeds that got him knighted? Before he was pulled in to the Mists by Vortigern. Who was the Mordred we could have, should have, had? It would help inform how we approached the Rite to pull him out of Vortigern’s grasp.
I started digging in the library again.
It’s no surprise that Mordred’s name appears in many records throughout the ages. In the years that followed the saga of the Champion, Arthur was absent from court for very long periods. This left the day-to-day running of Albion in the hands of his most trusted advisors and Knights. This included the Lady Morgana, when she was not nursing the young Mordred. Once old enough, the Lady began to school him in the subjects he would need to follow Arthur, if he bore no heir. Morgana was well versed in many subjects – mathematics, history, courtly behaviour and magics. If Mordred excelled at these, it is not known, I couldn’t find much more.
A book, gifted by the Lady Morgana and recently repaired, sees her reminisce that had things turned out differently, her son would have been taught combat skills by the Champion, but fate had decided otherwise.
Mordred was not a squire to a single knight but rather a number of knights. This was at the suggestion of Merlyn, rather than learn one style or set of principles, but to learn many. The knights that taught him were Sers Bedivere, Gawain, Bors, Percival and Dinadan. Each had their unique style and teaching. They would have provided the young Mordred with a varied base to forge his style.
The teaching of the five Knights gave him a well-balanced outlook on life, the land, the people and the spirit of Albion. Which he put to good use in the service of Albion and the throne. Some even saw him as a worthy heir to Arthur.
The book goes on to list events that defined him at the time as a gracious, polite, thoughtful, and understanding young man of Albion. He had the respect of many citizens of Albion. One tale tells that raiders had been attacking the southern coast of the Duchy of Winchester. There were no other available knights in the capital. Mordred gathered a handful of senior squires, spoke to them in his eloquent tones, and inspired them with his words. Kitting them out from the armoury, they made haste for the area where the raider had been seen. Mordred, using his expert knowledge of battle tactics, formed the group up and marched on the raiders. Outnumbered but inspired by the words he had spoken to them, the squires fought like knights of the Round Table. Mordred leading the way, sword flashing in the light. He gave no quarter, and the squires followed his lead and did likewise. The battle was swiftly over, once Mordred took the head of the raid leader, the remaining pleaded for mercy. Mercy was indeed given – Mordred dispensed justice in the name of Arthur, and the local people left in awe of his knowledge and words. The raiders were put to work helping the locals undo the damage they had inflicted, but Mordred would suffer no one to be slaves and said the locals had to welcome them in once their penance was complete. This left everyone gaining but not losing. On his return to court, Arthur, having heard of his deed, drew Excalibur and knighted him. The squires who had accompanied him would follow him in a few short years and become knights, in fact, they would follow him for the rest of their lives: Sers Azrael, Degrave, Oswyn, Maleagant, Ywain and Marrock.
It was not too many a year after this event that Mordred would go on the ill-fated patrol at the edges of the mists that saw him fall in to Vortigern’s clutches.
After this the deeds mentioned in other texts are the deeds of the Mordred we have now, not the deeds of one who could have been.
We need to do the Rite.
~ ~ ~
Gathering, 1125.
We did the Rite.
The Not The Great Rite. The … I don’t even know what to call it anymore to stop Ash glaring.
The original participants were represented by those of their bloodlines or close followers, with the Merlyn Ark reliving it and Hawthorne directing us according to her memory of the first time around. Together we told the story of the Great Rite and the early life of Mordred leading up to his fall into the Mists. We told it anew, with Merlyn this time able to grasp him back and plant a seed of hope that Vortigern’s vines could be shrugged off.
Jocasta – Ritemaster
Hawthorne – herself
Raykav – Arthur
Avery – Morgana
Kaiya – Nimue
Thorin – Mordred
Ark – himself, the Merlyn
That evening all of us dreamed the same dream, of the rite again, the faces blur between our own and those who stood in the original rite.
We dreamed of Mordred’s tree in the Grove, the gnarled hawthorne. The image of the tree changed in to an image of Mordred battling Mordred, a struggle as each fought for dominance. We dreamed of the fruits on his tree and the three aspects which he was now beginning to split in to – the Mordred as we have known him, a strong impression of chaos; a young black dragon, playful and happy, snorting fire with a sinister look behind the eyes; and Ser Mordred in his glory, a shining knight of the Round Table, honourable. This is the Mordred we should have had.
~~~
Fayre, 1126.
We had a visitor to camp. A young man in a yellow surcoat with a black dragon on his chest, and little knowledge of who he was. Brand new. Identifying strongly with the knightly virtues.
That’s probably fine…