The Bone of St Lancelot

My medieval setting of the Cestria borderlands is based on the premise that Bishop Athelwine of Durham resisted a little more and lived a little longer in captivity following his part in the rebellion of the North and killing of the appointed Norman Earl.  William the Conquerer appointed his old teacher as the replacement Bishop.  After the revolt of the Northern Earl's the new Bishop was also appointed Earl of Northumbria, something never done before or after.  History glosses over the fact that the Bishop bought his new Earldom and proceeded to snap up any vacant Saxon lands in the name of the Church.

Durham, and the far north had been spared the destruction of the harrying of the north, being Church lands.  Indeed if Durham had been more damaged during the fighting, the new Bishop may well have moved his seat to Cestria.   St Cuthbert's body had been sent north to safety as the Normans burnt the North in retaliation for insurrection, but as the only Saint's body in England it was always a major pilgrim lure and control of the Saint's remains were important.

In my version of history the Earldom passes to the family of the new Earl,  and the tradition of an Earl Bishop is established.  Meanwhile a new Bishop is eventually sent to Durham, as Prince Bishop, and a rivalry springs up between the two Sees.  At this time the Scots King held Britain north of the Tyne, making Cestria the effective Borderlands of the Kingdom.  Even after the defeat of the Scots at the battle of the Standard in 1138 they still retained control of England beyond the Tyne and Cumbria.  

1184 and the destruction of Glastonbury Abbey

The Pilgrim trail of the North leads through Dyrham to Cestria, and the relocated remains of St Cuthbert.  When King William appointed the Earl Bishop of the North he did not anticipate that he was in effect creating a new Bishopric at Cestria,  not that a great rivalry would grow between this and the Bishopric in Dyrham.  Both incumbents seek to maximise their profits from pilgrims, or tourists as they commonly call visitors to the County.

In 1184 AD the rivalry between the two Bishops was becoming serious.  Richard, Bishop of Dyrham had learned that a great Relic was on its way north to Cestria, escorted by Earl Bishop Gilbert and only a handful of his knights.  This Relic was rumoured to be the bone of St Lancelot, taken from Glastonbury Abbey before (or during) the huge fire that had just destroyed almost all of its buildings.

Bishop Richard sent out his own men, posing as torn flags, to take the Relic by force.  With St Cuthbert having been kidnapped to Cestria, Dyrham was much in need of relics to impress the pilgrims.  If the Bishop of Cestria were to be injured or killed so much the better.

At the Bishop's Cross, West of the city the party from Cestria are accosted by "brigands" from Dyrham.  Will justice be done for the theft of St Lancelot bone and probable arson at Glastonbury to cover their tracks, or will the Earl Bishop and his men defeat the thieves from the Prince Bishop?

The Game

The Bishop and his two knights activate, as does the Sergeant commanding the spears.  The archers however move in the slow movement phase.

Long shot of the table.  Six possible appearance points for the enemy.

The enemy archers appear in the (as yet unpainted) village.

The Bishop goes for the archers.

He kills one whips his horse around and lashes down on a second.  Turns out the Bish is hard as...

The enemy roll 6 and don't appear this turn.  The Bishops knights cover the likely appearance points within charge reach.

In among the archers the Bishop is a real killer.

The enemy turn up and face the charge of the knights.

A back and forth but the Bishops men have the best of it.

Phallus de Farthingale knocked from his horse and stunned.

But the enemy are broken, with all but one of their archers killed, and the knights breaking the Spearmen.

When the enemy horsemen turn up it's all over, they break off.  The Bishop gets to keep the relic.

A Writ has been issued for the arrest of one "Master Gimpe the Archer." Last survivor of the enemy.

First test in period of 28mm.  It looks great.  Still working on the rules but getting there.