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).
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| 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.
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)
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| 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.
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| Damiana |
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.
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| Orla and Baron |
"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.
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