Back to Corke

Thu 26-Jun-1603 cont... (16-Jun)

In Killrea, Baron [Deacon] finished consummating his wife Orla while the rest of the group (Art [Jeff], Ab Siddy [Darryl], Thomas [Kevin], Brigid, and Sean [Shane, absent]) got the wagon loaded for the muddy trip to Corke.

Elrick [Ian] had already arrived in Corke with Eileen, having travelled by shallop up the Corke harbour from Terryhaven (from Fallis). He had the dory in tow with the intention of selling it in Corke.

At noon on the road to Corke, Thomas and Art were sitting on the bench seat of the TTTT wagon and watching the country side drift by.  Art now had the teamster skill, so they no longer needed Baron to walk next to the horses to whisper at them and keep them controlled. Baron had stopped taking the Clough Caint each morning since his accident. Roma now had it.

Suddenly, there was a flash up ahead and two musket balls struck home. One knocked Thomas into the back of the wagon, and one winged Art. Art decided a charge was in order, so ran down the road towards the shooters. He was hit again; a severe wound this time. Ab melted off to the side and camouflaged using his spell, and got into a position to use his bow. Roma, helped by Brigid, started loading the many muskets they had in storage.

Sean climbed onto the roof of the wagon and shot at the bandits with his heavy crossbow, and took one down. [ This was a major mistake; Sean should have been marmalading. A character whose player is not present can not do anything pro-actively. He is magically safe from injury too (unless total-party-kill). ]

There were eight malcontents and a short missile battle ensued. Two of the men were dropped [ was three, but the one Sean shot was resurrected ]. And the rest scattered over the country-side. Mention in dispatches to Ab Siddy and Art. But the group had suffered some major wounds. With no curing in the party now, apart from Ab's healing potions (of which there were none), it would be a long road to recovery [ scratch =15mins, wound=day, major wound=week ]. The bodies were looted and slung in the back.

Healing with gunpowder

An hour later they met an English patrol. These ones knew the TTTT and offered to cure the wounds. So, the soldiers sprinkled some gunpowder on each of Art and Thomas's wounds, held them down, and ignited the powder. There was a bright flash and ... each received another major wound.

"Gee, thanks."

"You are very welcome," said the friendly Sergeant. "I am sure."

The party showed the bodies of the two bandits to the patrol. They had anchor tattoos on their arms.

"Oh, those are from Fallis," said the knowledgeable Sergeant. "The Fallis Outlaws, in fact."

That was valuable information.

"Do you want the bodies?"

"Just their ears." The soldiers hacked off the ears, and chucked the corpses over the bank.

Another hour later, they got to Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, where Tess was residing. So they drove into the convent and met some old faces.

Mother Superior (OLoPS)

Tess managed to convince the Mother Superior to bless the wounds of Art, Thomas and Baron (his wrist wound from that unfortunate crossbow accident). So, in the chapel, the Mother poured stinging holy water on each wound, in turn, and said some prayers over them (2nd Thess 2:9), and lo and behold, with a bit of spectacular luck, all three wounds were healed! Sadly, only the recent gunpowder wounds for Art and Thomas - they still had their shot wounds. But Baron was happy to get his left hand back

"One miracle per wound," said the Mother Superior bluntly.

"But I have several separate wounds," protested Art.

"Then one miracle per person," she said, holding out her hand. "Mark six five."

They gave the nuns all the money they had looted from the bandits: 12 pennies [ $120 ].

"I cin see that the good Lord hasn't blessed ye with generosity," sniffed the Mother. Then added: "First Peter four ten."

Later that afternoon, they arrived in Corke. The gate guards were more than happy to usher them and their cargo of gunpowder and arms inside. They went to Ye Docks Lookout and met up again with Esther.

Elrick and Eileen were already here since yesterday. He had failed to sell the Dory.

A shady looking man approached them: "The eagle has landed."

powder barrels

Was that a password? They suspected this man was Catriona's contact. He knew about the four smuggled gunpowder barrels, and said he'd bring a wagon to the stables, to load, tonight "when the moon is highest in the sky".

Moon tables and nautical almanacs weren't in proliferation in 1603, and anyway, none of the party could read, but Esther, the font of all knowledge, seemed to know: "The moon was full on the thirteenth; three days ago. Full moons are highest at midnight, and the moon rises about an hour later every day. So, work it out."

Ab Siddy, El gato and Roma were set to guard the wagon. Baron was in a separate room with his beloved. Art was too sick to do anything, still wounded, so wasn't on watch. Sean was poorly with marmalade. That left Elrick, Thomas, Eileen and Brigid to be available for extra support during the night, if needed.

Some time after dark, there were some suspicious noises at the stable door. It was way too early for Catriona's man, so Ab and Roma set a trap, They caught two malcontents breaking and entering; both were dropped by Ab's bow. Ab was about to cut their throats and dump the bodies in the Lee, but Roma noticed one was of Romany extraction. So, still unconscious, the two thieves were spared and reunited with the other Romanies in Corke. Roma was wanting to stay on good terms with that group anyway.

Fri 27-Jun (17-Jun)

Catriona's contact's wagon did eventually arrive. They unloaded all the arms and munitions into it.

In the morning, the TTTT planned a show for tonight. Esther was happy to cater and liquor it again and the party would get the usual 20% cut. Roma invited his pikey mates in to work the crowd, for his usual cut.

The day was uneventful, and it was soon show time.

After a terrible start, the show went surprisingly well, better than Bannon Bridge three nights ago.

• Thomas's flageolet playing was the worst it had ever been. Vaudeville critics described it later as "two enraged cats fightin' in a bag". 
• But Roma's mad king Charles VI went well and his talking goose head managed its witty ad-libs with aplomb. 
• Art was too sick for the interpretive dance this eve, so Sean stood in for him, taking Brigid's hand. Surprisingly, the trio (Sean, Elrick & Baron) danced with grace and style, and managed to get the interpretive meaning across to the audience with alacrity.
• The marksmanship exhibition was Sean only (he seemed to rise above his marmalade malaise), and he shot the apple off Elrick's hand, pinning it to the far wall, with no problems. 
• Roma had the Clough Caint and he ordered the greased pig to bite Sean. So, it ended up dragging the shrieking Sean about the stage by his beard, then it squatted on him and emptied its foul pig bowels all over him. This brought the house down.

Takings were good: 315 pennies (incl Esther's share).

Colonel Cholmondeley, commander of the New Fort, was in attendance, with his entourage and adjutants. He had taken a liking to the rotund Sean last time the party was in Corke ("Got to love the beard! Something to hang on to.") so he graciously offered to take the injured Sean back to the barracks to tend his wounds ("sans gunpowder"). Roma graciously agreed in Sean's stead.

lavender oil

Later on that night, Sean was returned to the inn, still bearing the pig bruises and pig bites, and now bearing some other bites. He walked gingerly and had trouble sitting too. But at least he had been bathed, and reeked no longer of sweat, lard and pig faeces, but of carbolic soap and lavender.

On the Road

Wed 18-Jun-1603 (8-Jun)

The party (Art [Jeff], Roma [Chris], Sean [Shane, absent], Thomas [Kevin], Ab Siddy [Darryl], Baron [Deacon], and Elrick [Ian]) was in the Rebels' secret Rinalmead Fort. Catriona wanted them to  embark on smuggling missions for the rebels, because the English patrols were happy to let the party's T.T.T.T. wagon into towns unsearched. (T.T.T.T. was, of course, Thomas's Travelling Troupe of Tempests). But TTTT needed to increase their repertoire and needed a new show, so Thomas set to work and brainstormed with the others. After a bit of thought, they settled upon a mash-up between the battle of Agincourt, 1415, and the story of St Crispin (after all, the actual battle took place on St Crispin's day, 25th October).

St Crispin & Crispinian

Twins Crispin and Crispinian were born in Faversham, Kent, about 260 AD. They were Christians and fled persecution for their faith, ending up at Noviodunum in Gaul (now Soissons near Paris), where they preached Christianity to the Gauls whilst making shoes by night. They became superb cobblers and got rich, and gave aid to the poor. Their success attracted jealous ire of Rictus Varus, governor of Belgic Gaul, who had them tortured, but the first miracle occurred and the torturers' weapons magically attacked the torturers (see right). Then the governor had the twins boiled in tar, but the second miracle occurred and they survived. Then he had them thrown into the river with millstones around their necks, when the third miracle happened and they survived that too. But then they were finally beheaded in 25-Oct 286.

Thu 19-Jun

Catriona gave them their first mission. To smuggle all the gunpowder and arms from Fallis (from the Spanish which the party had helped land two weeks ago) into Corke. It would be enough to fill their cart. She wrote them a letter to give to the headman of Fallis, to explain this.

So they left on foot, to pick up the TTTT cart in Bannon Bridge.

Then a hard day's ride from Bannon Bridge to Kinsale and then to Fallis.

When Art approached the Fallis headman, he refused to give over the arms, asking for a five poiund fee for the rent of the barn where the stuff was hdden.

He claimed that this was agreed by Catriona and that her letter confirmed this. No-one in the party could read, so they could not confirm this.

Fri 20-Jun

So Art grabbed a horse and left for the rebel fort, to get confirmation from Catriona herself.

He got to the fort just before dark. She confirmed that the headman was talking crap.

"You're a big boy, Art," she said. "Deal with it."

Sat 21-Jun

Art headed back to Fallis, but he thought he'd try a quicker a cross-country short-cut. But he got totally lost, so had to retrace his steps back to the main road. This wasted so much time that he had to spend the night in Bannon Bridge.

Sun 22-Jun

Art took the normal route, and got back to Fallis about lunch time.

Art, Elrick, Sean and Baron confronted the headman. He had two bully boys with clubs, but he soon backed down when confronted by the armed party.

So they loaded up the cart, ready for the morning. The four large barrels of gunpowder and 25 Spanish match-locks certainly filled up the cart. They painted the powder barrels in garish colours to make them look like stage props, in case they were searched by English patrols.

The party's shallop was docked here at the Fallis wharf, and Elrick planned to take it to Terryhaven to collect the dory in the morning. And then head to Corke where he would meet the party.

But Elrick's Weather Sense predicted a storm tomorrow.

Mon 23-Jun (Full moon)

Baron's wrist

Sure enough, a big storm arrived, with heavy rain and large seas. Not willing to travel today, they waited in the Fallis tavern all day. They practised their new show. Unfortunately, while doing marksmanship experimenting, Sean fired his heavy crossbow at Baron who was holding an apple, and missed. The heavy bolt passed right through Baron's left wrist [ -4 fumble ], blowing a hole the size of a fist.

Ab had two Heal potions he had brewed a few weeks ago, so Baron drank these to try to heal, but they had both degraded [ potions don't keep ] so there was no effect.

Tue 24-Jun

Elrick took Eileen to keep him company and help sail the shallop. They left at first light. The trip to Terryhaven was straight forward, and there were still two English warships at the heads of Corke harbour.

They stayed that night in the barn in Terryhaven.

The rest of the party travelled from Fallis through Kinsale to Bannon Bridge. They were met by English patrols on the road who insisted that they perform at Bannon Bridge that night. The group agreed as it would give them a chance to try out the new show.

• Thomas's flageolet playing went well and his voice was good. He set the scene of the Crispin twins and the french preparations for battle.
• Next came Roma's ventriloquism act. This time he was the mad French king Charles VI talking to the devil (skull on his shoulder) and goose head which stuck out his fly. (Thomas had seen Shakespeare's Henry V, from four years ago, so he couldn't help but take some ideas from that).
• Then Ab Siddy's Death, which was always a success.
• Interpretive dancing was the trademark of TTTT, so they made full use of it. The two rebel girls Brigid and Orla were good dancers, so took Art and Baron through their paces.
• Shooting and heavy crossbow marksmanship went well.
• The greased pig was always popular, so the show finished with Sean riding a rented pig.

They made 80 pennies.

Damiana

Wed 25-Jun

The roads were still muddy from the heavy raid two nights ago, so they could not get to Corke in a single day, and would thus make for half-way; Killrea instead.

During the trip, Orla was making doe eyes at Baron, sitting next to him, and whispering sweet nothings in his ears.

When they arrived in Killrea that afternoon, Ab Siddy went to the local midwife and got some damiana and hensbane. With this, he got out his cauldron and brewed up a Love Potion IX using his Magic Herb Lore spell. This was given to Baron under the pretense that it was a Heal potion to cure the wrecked wrist, and he happily drank it.

Orla and Baron

Ab made sure that it was Orla to be the very first person Baron saw after consuming the potion. This done, now Baron only had eyes for her. In order for them not to break Catriona's command, the group took the two lovers to the local priest from Killrea, and he was happy to perform the marriage ceremony.

"Now are they not twayne then, but one flesh. Let not man therfore put a sunder, yet which God hath coupled together," said the Priest. "I now pronounce you man and wife."

The priest found a house for the happy couple to spend the night in.