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  The Training 
  Of A Knight
  The Knights of the Table Round 
  were universally regarded as 
  the finest collection of knights in 
  the world, and were composed of 
  knights from all over the known world. However, 
  before one could join the ranks of the Round Table, 
  one first had to become a knight, no easy task itself.
  A Page’s Life For Me?
  The first step toward knighthood was to become a 
  page, also called a valet or varlet (this is one reason 
  the word varlet is commonly used as a slander toward 
  another knight- essentially you are referring to him 
  as a boy who needs over 10 years of seasoning to 
  become a true knight).
  At age 7, a prospective knight was sent to live with 
  a governor or patron, to be introduced to life at court. 
  Their early education revolved around religion and 
  obedience to superiors, as well as education in the 
  history of England and all its kings and rulers. 
  Their duties involved waiting tables and carving 
  meat at meals, working in the kitchen and stables, 
  and generally performing all manner of menial tasks.
  During their free time, pages engaged in hunting, 
  falconry, fishing, wrestling, archery, horsemanship 
  and tilting (hitting a stationary object, such as a 
  wooden target with a spear on horseback). These 
  activities, while certainly fun and engaging to an 
  active young man, were also preparatory to the tasks 
  a knight would have to undertake in earnest later in 
  life.
  The Squire’s Tale
  At fourteen, if a page is worthy, he is elevated to 
  the rank of squire. Here, military training begins in 
  earnest, and almost all of a squire’s exercises were 
  performed in armor, in order that he could become 
  accustomed to its weight and carry it with ease in 
  battle.
  Horsemanship, vaulting into the saddle, running, 
  jumping ditches, climbing walls and fences, all in 
  full battle dress are performed by squires on a regular 
  basis. Older squires are assigned to assist knights 
  during tournaments and battles, carrying extra spears, 
  tending to horses, and the like.
  During a squire’s free time, his education 
  concentrated on refining the young man for his later 
  role, and a great deal of this “sensitivity training” 
  revolved around the opposite sex. When not on 
  campaign, squires were housed in castles thronging 
  with young girls of station undergoing a similar 
  training and refinement, and squires were encouraged 
  to choose a girl as an object of their affection, and to 
  wear some small token she would give them, such 
  as a scarf, during their jousting exercises against 
  other squires. Often these court dalliances turned into 
  wives, but this was seen as a secondary benefit to the 
  training of a young knight to fight on behalf of ladies 
  and treat them with gentleness.
  Dubbing
  A young squire’s entry into the honored station of 
  knighthood was handled with utmost solemnity. The 
  squire would fast and pray for days, take confession 
  and mass, and clothe himself in a pure white cloth. 
  Finally, a sword was blessed by the confessional 
  priest and tied around the squire’s neck. After this 
  was done, the squire made his way to a nearby 
  chapel.
  Waiting for the squire in the chapel would be 
  a full-fledged knight, and the squire would kneel 
  before him, arms folded over his chest. The knight 
  would then question the squire about his motives for 
  becoming a knight, after which the knight would take 
  the squire’s oath of allegiance and name him a knight.
  After this was done, the squire would remove the 
  white cloth and sword, and onlookers would assist 
  the squire in dressing as a knight: armor, spurs, 
  gauntlets, and finally the sword he had worn around 
  his neck would be belted to his waist. When this was 
  done, the squire would kneel before the presiding 
  knight once more, who would draw his own sword, 
  and perform “the accolade”, three strokes with the 
  flat of the blade on alternating shoulders, with each 
  stroke accompanying the words “In the name of God, 
  of Saint Michael, and St. George, I make thee knight; 
  be valiant, courteous, and loyal!”
  When this was done, the presiding knight would 
  then give the squire his helmet, lance, and shield. The 
  squire was now a knight.
  The History of 
  Arthurian Britain
  Age of Antiquity
  In the earliest times, Britain was not inhabited by 
  man at all, but by several races of giants (one reason 
  why giants abound in Britain even after the time of 
  Arthur) ruled by Albion, a son of Poseidon, and built 
  numerous stone circles in which to perform bizarre 
  rites of sacrifice and worship.
  After many millennia, Hercules came to the island 
  during his exploration of the world, seeking passage 
  to the mysterious west. When Albion opposed him, 
  Hercules killed him in an epic battle. After Hercules’ 
  departure, the giants set to tremendous wars with one 
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  Arthurian Legend
  
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  another over who would rule the island, and these 
  wars were so long and so terrible that the giants’ 
  numbers dwindled and dwindled, and the forests 
  reclaimed the island, and the land grew wild.
  Over time the northern part of the island became 
  occupied by the fierce men later known as the Picts 
  and the Scots, while the Western Isle was settled 
  by the Irish, for these areas had few giants, but the 
  central area in later times called Britain was still 
  too heavily populated by the giant folk for man to 
  inhabit.
  The coming of Brutus
  Brutus was the son of Silvius, who was the son of 
  Ascanius, who was the son of Aeneas. After killing 
  his father accidentally while hunting, he was forced 
  to flee Troy, and after seeking refuge in Greece, 
  Brutus and his followers fled west with his wife 
  Imogen. Seeking guidance at a temple of Diana, 
  Brutus receives this message:
  Brutus! Far to the west, in the ocean wide,
  Beyond the realm of Gaul, a land there lies,
  Seagirt it lies, where giants dwelt of old;
  Now, void, it fits thy people: thither bend
  Thy course; there shalt thou find a lasting seat;
  There to thy sons another Troy shall rise,
  And kings be born of thee, whose dreaded might
  Shall awe the world, and conquer nations bold
  -Bullfinch’s Mythology, Mythical History of 
  England
  After a long journey west, the rag-tag band of 
  refugees landed at what is now Devonshire on an isle 
  they called Albion after the giant king who formerly 
  ruled it. Moving inland, Brutus established a capital, 
  called Trojanova (New Troy), on the site of present 
  day London.
  After a reign of 24 years, Brutus died, leaving 
  England divided between his three sons, Locrine, 
  Albanect, and Camber.
  According to legend these events took place 
  approximate 1,000 years before the invasion of 
  England by Julius Caesar.
  The Conquest of 
  Britain
  After conquering Gaul, Julius Caesar cast his eye 
  across the English Channel to Britain, and boldly 
  embarked across the water, hoping to take the island 
  and add it to his growing list of conquests. He moved 
  his forces up the Thames, intending to take London, 
  thereby decapitating the island nation and conquering 
  it quickly and easily.
  Caesar was not destined to conquer Britain during 
  that campaign however, and was met with stiff 
  resistance by King Cassibellaunus. At one point 
  he engaged Prince Nennius in single combat, and 
  Caesar’s sword became stuck in the British prince’s 
  shield. When Caesar was forced to withdraw, his 
  sword remained behind, much to the delight of the 
  Britons.
  The famed Cassibelan, who was once at point
  (O giglot fortune!) to master Caesar’s sword,
  Made Lud’s town with rejoicing fires bright,
  And Britons strut with courage.
  -William Shakespeare, Cymbeline
  However, on a second try, Caesar conquered 
  Britain, and forced the island to pay tribute to the 
  Roman Empire, and took young prince Cymbeline 
  as ransom, to be raised in Rome. When Cymbeline 
  returned and took the throne, he was a very 
  sympathetic ruler to Rome.
  The Departure of the 
  Romans
  Although the invasion of Rome was resisted bitterly, 
  the two peoples became very close over time. And 
  when the Empire began to fall, and forces were called 
  back from frontiers such as Britain in order to protect 
  interior parts of the Empire from barbarian invasions, 
  the Arthurian Age officially begins, with a newly 
  independent, and newly defenseless, Britain at the 
  mercy of invading Picts, Scots, and Saxons.
  The Birth of Merlin
  Born of an incubus and a virtuous woman, Merlin 
  seemed destined for a life of wickedness and deceit. 
  However, his mother was able to avert most of his 
  father’s lineage through the help of a priest, who 
  baptized the child immediately after his birth.
  How Merlin began his career in the magical arts we 
  do not know, however we are given a brief glimpse of 
  his master and teacher, old Blaise by Malory:
  Then Merlin took his leave of Arthur and of the two 
  kings, for to go and see his master Blaise, that dwelt 
  in Northumberland; and so he departed and came to 
  his master, that was passing glad of his coming; and 
  there he told how Arthur and the two kings had sped 
  at the great battle, and how it was ended, and told the 
  names of every king and knight of worship that was 
  there. And so Blaise wrote the battle word by word, 
  as Merlin told him, how it began, and by whom, and 
  in likewise how it was ended, and who had the worse. 
  All the battles that were done in Arthur’s days Merlin 
  did his master Blaise do write; also he did do write 
  all the battles that every worthy knight did of Arthur’s 
  court.
  
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  Vortigern the 
  Usurper 
  At the time Merlin was entering into the height of 
  his power, Vortigern killed the King, Moines, and 
  had driven his brothers, Pendragon and Uther into 
  exile. Vortigern was Moines’ Seneschal, and had 
  made a black bargain with the Saxons, allowing them 
  to entrench themselves throughout Britain in return 
  for a small piece of it which he could rule as a petty 
  fiefdom.
  Vortigern was constantly afraid the brothers, who 
  were mighty knights of great renown, would return 
  and reclaim their birthright, so he tried to build 
  a mighty tower for his defense the like of which 
  the world had never seen. Three times the tower 
  collapsed to the ground of its own weight.
  Vortigern consulted his court astrologer, who told 
  him that only the blood of a child born without a 
  mortal father poured into the foundation of the tower 
  would make it stand. After much searching, Merlin, 
  who seemed to fit the prophecy, was brought before 
  Vortigern. 
  However, the young magician proclaimed this 
  prophecy false, and countered with one of his own. 
  The cause for the tower’s threefold collapse was that 
  it was built over the lairs of two dragons, constantly 
  at war with one another. And Merlin offered to prove 
  his prophecy, telling Vortigern where he should 
  dig. When the workers dug where he specified, two 
  mighty dragons, one red, and one white, flew into the 
  air, continuing their battle above the ruined tower.
  Vortigern and all his subjects fled, while Merlin 
  stayed, merrily clapping and cheering the dragons on, 
  eager to see the winner. As the red dragon fell, no one 
  had remained to hear Merlin’s next prophecy, that the 
  dragons represented the brothers-in-exile Pendragon 
  and Uther, but that one brother, the red dragon, would 
  not survive long after his return.
  While Vortigern and his men fled the dragons, 
  they were greeted by Pendragon and Uther, who had 
  landed from Brittany with a mighty army, and who 
  quickly killed the usurper and his advisors, burning 
  them in the tower Vortigern had hoped would provide 
  him with sanctuary.
  The Brother Kings, 
  Saxon Counterattack
  Pendragon, the eldest of the two brothers, took 
  Merlin as his advisor, and Merlin first advised him to 
  rule jointly with his brother, and for the two knights 
  to swear an oath of mutual fidelity. However, the 
  two brothers were not long to rule, as the Saxons 
  immediately launched a full scale attack, seeking to 
  snuff out the native Briton kings before they had a 
  chance to grow in power or reputation. 
  During the battle, the Saxons were repelled, but 
  Pendragon was killed, as Merlin had predicted. Uther, 
  assuming full kingship alone, nonetheless assumed 
  the surname Pendragon, forever remembering his 
  oath to rule Britain jointly with Pendragon.
  Merlin, during this time, performs one of his 
  greatest miracles, bringing the most powerful stone 
  circle across the waters from Ireland to England and 
  forming Stonehenge. This massive giant’s circle 
  forms a magical hub for Britain, strengthening the 
  magic of the land and allowing Merlin to perform 
  magical feats never known before in the history of 
  the world. As a final solemnity, Uther buries his 
  brother in the center of the great stone circle.
  Under Merlin’s wise counsel, which included 
  securing for him the sword Excalibur from the 
  Ladies of the Lake, Uther unites the bickering British 
  warlords under his banner, and eventually drives all 
  the Saxon, Pict, and Scot invaders north of Hadrian’s 
  Wall, making the land free, and united. It should have 
  been the beginning of a golden age for Britain, but 
  fate then did something that not even mighty Merlin 
  could foresee.
  At a mighty castle in Carlisle, Merlin unveils 
  another of his great miracles, the Table Round, and 
  advises Uther to invite all the kings and barons united 
  under him to join a great fellowship and permanently 
  unite Britain under his rule. All the lords and their 
  wives attend, and at this council, Uther falls in love 
  with Igraine, wife of the second most powerful lord 
  in attendance, Gorloise of Cornwall, and makes an 
  advance toward her, offering to make her his queen. 
  She spurns him, and when her husband learns of 
  Uther’s treachery, he immediately leaves, and begins 
  to prepare for war. Worse still, seeing that Uther is 
  not a man to be trusted, the other warlords withdraw 
  as well, and the golden age ends in the preparation 
  for civil war before a single council is held at the 
  Round Table. 
  King Uther  
  It befell in the days of Uther Pendragon, when he 
  was King of all England, and so reigned, that there 
  was a mighty duke in Cornwall that held war against 
  him long time. 
  -Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte d’Arthur Book I 
  Chapter I
  The war between Uther and Cornwall provides the 
  backdrop of Arthur’s birth, and as Uther marches 
  south to Cornwall, Gorloise puts himself in the 
  second most powerful castle in Cornwall, Terrabil, 
  and his wife in the most powerful, the legendary 
  Tintagel.
  During the battle, when Uther falls sick with love, 
  his attendant knight, Ulfius, seeks out the wizard 
  Merlin, who promises to aid Uther, changing him into 
  the likeness of Cornwall so he may have one night 
  with Igraine. 
  
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  A Pact With Merlin
  Sir, said Merlin, I know all your heart; so ye will 
  be sworn to me as ye be a true king anointed, to fulfill 
  my desire, ye shall have your desire. 
  Soon came Merlin unto the king, and said, Sir, ye 
  must purvey you for the nourishing of your child. 
  As thou wilt, said the king, be it. Well, said Merlin, 
  I know a lord of yours in this land, that is a passing 
  true man and a faithful, and he shall have the 
  nourishing of your child, and his name is Sir Ector…
  -Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte d’Arthur 
  Merlin changes Uther’s form to that of the Duke of 
  Cornwall, and Uther travels the ten miles to Tintagel 
  castle where he lay for a night with Igraine.
  Cornwall, seeing what he thinks is Uther fleeing 
  the siege of Terrabil, leaves his castle with a group of 
  men and attacks Uther’s troops in an attempt to break 
  the siege. During this battle, while Uther lays with 
  the unsuspecting Igraine, Cornwall is killed.
  When it is learned that Cornwall has died during 
  the night, Igraine realizes the man she slept with was 
  not her husband, however she tells no one. Soon after, 
  Uther offers to marry Igraine, and end the siege. 
  At a group wedding, Uther marries Igraine, and 
  arranges the marriages of her daughters by Gorloise 
  like so many trophy pieces to reward nobles who 
  have been loyal to him in the past. King Lot of 
  Lothian marries Morgawse, King Nentres of Garlot 
  marries Elaine, and Morgan le Fay, who is not yet of 
  age, is sent to a nunnery. 
  Lot and Morgawse are the parents of Sir Gawain, 
  who will become one of the greatest of Arthur’s 
  knights. 
  In this way, Uther ends the war with Gorloise and 
  brings peace anew to Britain, however, his reign will 
  find no peace between rebellion, sickness, and new 
  barbarian invasions.
  The Death of Uther
  Then within two years King Uther fell sick of a 
  great malady. 
  -Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte d’Arthur Book I 
  Chapter IV
  When Uther falls sick, in Arthur’s second year, the 
  barbarians attack again, moving swiftly from the 
  north. Merlin advises Uther that he must take the 
  field, even though he is too sick to ride, so Uther is 
  carried out to St. Albans, where his army has a final 
  confrontation with the barbarian host. Sir Ulfius and 
  Sir Brastias are especially heroic and pivotal figures 
  in the battle, which sees the defeat of the barbarians.
  After the battle, Uther becomes even more sick, 
  unable to speak, but Merlin calls all the barons loyal 
  to Uther before him, and, after declaring Arthur heir 
  to the throne of Britain, Uther dies, and is mourned 
  by all his subjects.
  Between Uther and 
  Arthur
  For many a petty king ere Arthur came
  Ruled in this isle and, ever waging war
  Each upon the other, wasted all the land;
  And still from time to time the heathen host
   Swarm’d over-seas and harried what was left.
  And so there grew great tracts of wilderness, 
  Wherein the beast was ever more and more,
  But man was less and less… 
  -Alfred Lord Tennyson, Idylls of the King 
  After the death of Uther, a new dark age descends 
  upon Britain, with each petty warlord styling himself 
  a king, numerous barbarian incursions, and the rise 
  of monsters and wild beasts with no fear of mankind. 
  Merlin, having seen what is to come, begins to 
  prepare for the ascent of Arthur, having seen that vast 
  lands and fortunes were given to Sir Ector prior to 
  Uther’s death, having assigned Ulfius and Brastias 
  to the court of Ector to ensure the boy’s safety, and 
  lastly, preparing the sword Excalibur a new resting 
  place, where it would remain until the boy was ready 
  to become the king.
  The Sword in the 
  Stone
  And when matins and the first mass was done, there 
  was seen in the churchyard, against the high altar, 
  a great stone four square, like unto a marble stone; 
  and in midst thereof was like an anvil of steel a foot 
  on high, and therein stuck a fair sword naked by the 
  point, and letters there were written in gold about the 
  sword that said thus: Whoso pulleth out this sword 
  of this stone and anvil, is rightwise king born of all 
  England.  
  -Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte d’Arthur
  Around this stone, by the decree of the Archbishop 
  of Canterbury, forms a great tournament and joust, 
  held at New Year’s, at which ten knights will win the 
  right to attempt the sword. The Archbishop hopes that 
  this will cause some common ground to be forged 
  between the quarreling warlords.
  So upon New Year’s Day, when the service was 
  done, the barons unto the field, some to joust and 
  some to tourney, and so it happened that Sir Ector, 
  that had great livelihood about London, rode unto the 
  jousts, and with him rode Sir Kay his son, and young 
  
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  Arthur that was his nourished brother; and Sir Kay 
  was made knight at All Hallowmass afore. So as they 
  rode to the joustsward, Sir Kay lost his sword, for he 
  had left it at his father’s lodging, and so he prayed 
  young Arthur for to ride for his sword. I will well, 
  said Arthur, and rode fast after the sword, and when 
  he came home, the lady and all were out to see the 
  jousting. Then was Arthur wroth, and said to himself, 
  I will ride to the churchyard, and take the sword with 
  me that sticketh in the stone, for my brother Sir Kay 
  shall not be without a sword this day.
  -Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte d’Arthur
  After Arthur draws the sword, he is told to reinsert 
  it into the stone, and an ever-increasing line of 
  petty barons and warlords attempt to draw it from 
  the stone, to no avail. Finally, Merlin invites the 
  most powerful Barons to witness Arthur draw the 
  sword flanked by Sir Ulfius and Sir Brastias, the 
  two greatest living knights who served under Uther. 
  Unable to finally deny that the sword has chosen a 
  low-born boy, the robber barons go to war with the 
  fledgling king and his small group of knights.
  The Archbishop of Canterbury holds a small 
  coronation on the eve of war, at which Arthur names 
  Sir Kay Seneschal, Sir Baudwin Constable, Sir 
  Ulfius Chamberlain, and Sir Brastias Warden of the 
  Northlands.
  Guinevere; The Round 
  Table
  It is well your bounty and noblesse should not be 
  without a wife. Now is there any that ye love more 
  than another? Yea, said King Arthur, I love Guinevere 
  the king’s daughter, Leodegrance of the land of 
  Cameliard, the which holdeth in his house the Table 
  Round that ye told he had of my father Uther.
  -Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte d’Arthur, Book III, 
  Chapter I
  After uniting his realm, Arthur’s Dukes begin 
  requesting he take a wife, so the realm might have 
  an heir. Arthur still loves Guinevere and asks 
  Leodegrance for her hand. Leodegrance is pleased, 
  but concerned he will be unable to provide a dowry 
  for such a richly endowed King.  Leodegrance then 
  decides he will give Arthur the Round Table willed to 
  him upon Uther’s death, and his 100 greatest knights. 
  Since the table will hold 150 knights, a cry goes out 
  through the kingdom for the noblest knights of the 
  realm, and men come from near and far, drawn by a 
  table where all are equal.
  As a special present to his nephew, Gawaine, 
  Arthur knights him moments before he is wed to 
  Guinevere.
  Merlin declares that thirteen seats, called sieges, 
  are for the most holy knights, as these seats represent 
  the apostles and Christ. The thirteenth, the Siege 
  Perilous, represents Judas, as will any who sits in it, 
  save one. 
  The Passing of Merlin
  And so, soon after, the lady and Merlin departed, 
  and by the way Merlin showed her many wonders, 
  and came into Cornwall. And always Merlin lay 
  about the lady to have her maidenhood, and she was 
  ever passing weary of him, and fain would have been 
  delivered of him, for she was afeard of him because 
  he was a devil’s son, and she could not beskift him 
  by no mean. And so on a time it happed that Merlin 
  showed to her in a rock whereas was a great wonder, 
  and wrought by enchantment, that went under a 
  greatstone. So by her subtle working she made Merlin 
  to go under that stone to let her wit of the marvels 
  there; but she wrought so there for him that he came 
  never out for all the craft he could do. And so she 
  departed and left Merlin.
  -Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte d’Arthur
  Merlin becomes enamored of a Lady of the Lake, 
  Nimue. He dotes on her, travels the world with her, 
  and teaches her all his secrets and magic arts. Then, 
  in Cornwall, she traps Merlin under a magic rock, 
  and leaves him to die. Before he leaves for his last 
  journey with Nimue, Merlin imparts a great number 
  of prophecies on Arthur to guide him through the 
  coming days alone.
  The Grail Quest
  The Holy Grail was the cup Christ used at the last 
  supper to drink his wine. As Christ lay dying on the 
  Cross, Joseph of Arimathea, the man also responsible 
  for wrapping Christ in the Shroud of Turin, used the 
  cup to catch some of his blood. 
  Following Christ’s death, Joseph journeyed to 
  Britain, founding Glastonbury Tor, the first Christian 
  monastery in Britain. However, he did not come to 
  Britain as a proselytizer, he came to hide the greatest 
  treasure in the world, the San Greal, the Holy Grail. 
  Journeying north, Joseph builds a castle, and 
  hides both the grail and the most terrible weapon, 
  the Lance of Longinus, which pierced the side of 
  Christ, a weapon that must never be used. Joseph’s 
  descendants, the so-called “Fisher Kings” carry out 
  this task faithfully for generations.
  However, a rash knight named Balin, after a series 
  of misadventures, uses the Lance to strike the Fisher 
  King, giving him a wound that will not heal, striking 
  all the people in the Fisher King’s kingdom dead, 
  and turning it and the surrounding kingdoms into the 
  Wasteland. Because of this transgression, the Grail, 
  the only way of returning life to the Wasteland also 
  disappears.
  
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  Arthur’s best knights search endlessly for the Grail, 
  whose disappearance plunges Arthur’s entire realm 
  into an ever-increasing cycle of discord and despair.
  Lancelot and 
  Guinevere: Betrayal 
  “O Lancelot get thee hence to thine own land,
  For if thou tarry we shall meet again,
  And if we meet again some evil chance
  Will make the smouldering scandal break and blaze
  Before the people and our lord the King.”
  And Lancelot ever promised, but remain’d,
  And still they met and met.
  -Alfred Lord Tennyson, Idylls of the King
  Foretold by Merlin, this betrayal of God, country, and 
  king, serves as the final blow that topples Arthur’s 
  already tilting reign. When the betrayal is revealed, 
  Arthur sends Agravaine and a dozen knights to arrest 
  Lancelot, who conducts a daring escape, killing 
  Agravaine and most of the knights sent to arrest him. 
  Pursued by the king and his men, Lancelot flees 
  to France, accompanied by several knights of the 
  Round Table, where Arthur lays siege to his castle, a 
  dark, bloody affair that sees the death of Sir Gawaine, 
  along with countless other knights of the Round 
  Table on both sides.
  Guinevere, in shame, retreats to the abbey of 
  Amesbury, where she becomes a nun, there to live 
  out the rest of her days.
  This moment of weakness, with all the realm in 
  disarray, provides Mordred with his chance to strike 
  for the crown. 
  Dark Alliances
  “Tell thou the King and all his liars that I
  Have founded my Round Table in the North,
  And whatsoever his own knights have sworn
  My knights have sworn to counter it- and say
  My tower is full of harlots, like his court,
  But mine are worthier, seeing they profess
  To be none other than themselves- and say
  My knights are all adulterers like his own,
  But mine are truer, seeing they profess
  To be none other: and say his hour is come,
  The heathen are upon him, his long lance
  Broken, and his Excalibur a straw.”
  -Alfred Lord Tennyson, Idylls of the King
  Mordred sets up his own Round Table in the north 
  of Arthur’s realm, allying with Morgan le Fey to 
  create the “Black Table”, his own twisted version of 
  Arthur’s court. He takes with him many of the Round 
  Table’s younger knights, disillusioned by the fall of 
  Lancelot and Guinevere. Worse, he makes a deal with 
  the barbarian hordes driven back behind Hadrian’s 
  Wall to divide Britain after Arthur’s death.
  The Passing of Arthur
  “I found Him in the shining of the stars,
  I mark’d Him in the flowering of His fields,
  But in His ways with men I find Him not.
  I waged His wars, but now I pass and die. 
  …
  For I, being simple, thought to work His will,
  And have but stricken with the sword in vain,
  And all whereon I lean’d in wife and friend
  Is traitor to my peace, and all my realm
  Reels back into the beast, and is no more.
  My God, thou hast forgotten me in my death!
  Nay- God my Christ- I pass but shall not die.”
  -Alfred Lord Tennyson, Idylls of the King
  Arthur’s final battle with Mordred. Although sick 
  of heart, and feeling abandoned by all he loved: 
  Guinevere, Lancelot, and God, Arthur fights bravely 
  in the end, slaying Mordred and preventing England 
  from falling into his hands. Arthur and his knights 
  also break the back of the barbarian horde one last 
  time, giving England a final respite from the looting 
  and burning of the heathen horde.
  As he lies dying, Arthur casts Excalibur into the 
  sea, and is borne away on a barge to the isle of 
  Avalon. The last Quest Knights take the Grail to 
  Jerusalem.
  After Arthur’s death, Constantine, a lord of 
  Cornwall takes up the throne of England.
  Who’s Who in 
  Arthurian England
  Accolon, Sir 
  Consort of Morgan Le Fay.
  Arthur, King
  Arthur reigned for approximately 42 years, being 
  crowned King at 14, High King of all England, 
  Wales, and Cornwall at 18, and High Emperor of 
  all Europe after his campaign against the Romans. 
  Defeated in battle only once, by his bastard son 
  Mordred, the only real loss suffered by the Boy King 
  was when the two people he loved best in the world, 
  Lancelot and Guinevere, betrayed him, which sent his 
  Empire crashing down into ruin, and Britain “reeling 
  back into the beast”.
  
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  So great bards of him will sing
  Hereafter, and dark sayings from of old
  Ranging and ringing thro’ the minds of men,
  And echo’d by old folk beside their fires
  For comfort when their wage-work is done
  -Alfred Lord Tennyson, Idylls of the King
  Balin le Savage (The 
  Knight of Two Swords)
  Balan’s brother; smote the Dolorous Stroke, 
  creating the Wasteland and necessitating the Grail 
  Quest; banished from Arthur’s court for killing the 
  Lady of the Lake who repaired Excalibur for Arthur 
  after a disastrous battle with King Pellinore. 
  Blaise
  Merlin’s teacher and mentor; resides in 
  Northumberland.
  Dagonet (Sir Fool)
  Jester of Camelot; made an honorary knight of the 
  Round Table at Gawaine’s request.
  Being fool, and seeing too much wit
  Makes the world rotten, why belike I skip
  To know myself the wisest knight of all. 
  -Alfred Lord Tennyson, Idylls of the King
  Dubric, High Saint
  Leader of the Church of England during Arthur’s 
  reign.
  Ector, Sir
  Adopted father of King Arthur, father of Sir Kay.
  Edward and Hue, Sirs 
  (Knights Perilous)
  Robber knights who always fought together.
  Gaheris
  Younger brother of Gawain serves as his squire.
  Gawaine, Sir
  Son of Lot and Morgawse; slayer of King 
  Pellinore; knighted on Arthur’s wedding day; because 
  he accidentally killed a woman during a quest, Queen 
  Guinevere made Gawaine swear an oath to always 
  champion women and to never harm them.
  Then Sir Gawaine was all abashed, and with 
  Galatine his good sword he smote through shield and 
  thick hauberk made of thick mails, and all to-rushed 
  and break the precious stones, and made him a large 
  wound, that men might see both liver and lung.
  -Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte d’Arthur
  Kay, Sir
  Son of Sir Ector; Arthur’s adopted brother and 
  future Seneschal.
  But always Queen Guinevere praised Sir Kay 
  for his deeds, and said, What lady that ye love, and 
  she love you not again she were greatly to blame; 
  and among ladies, said the queen, I shall bear your 
  noble fame, for ye spake a great word, and fulfilled it 
  worshipfully.
  -Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte d’Arthur
  Lancelot, Sir
  Son of Bans, King of France. When his father’s 
  kingdom was taken by the evil Claudas, Lancelot’s 
  mother, moments before being taken and killed by 
  the rebel forces, placed Lancelot in a basket and 
  pushed him out into a lake. Rather than sinking, the 
  basket was picked up by Vivien, a Lady of the Lake, 
  who raised Lancelot. As a man, Lancelot was called 
  Lancelot of the Lake, or Lancelot du Lac in France, 
  to commemorate his amazing childhood. The greatest 
  knight in the world, Lancelot’s only two defeats were 
  the failure to achieve the Grail and the failure to 
  control his disastrous passion for Guinevere.
  …for in all tournaments and jousts and deeds of 
  arms, both for life and death, he passed all other 
  knights, and at no time he was never overcome but if 
  it were by treason or enchantment…
  -Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte d’Arthur
  Mark, King
  King of Cornwall.
  Mordred
  Mordred is the bastard son of Arthur by his half 
  sister Morgawse. A knight of the Round Table as a 
  young man, Mordred was constantly scheming and 
  conspiring to achieve the throne from his father. 
  When Arthur goes to war with France and Lancelot 
  over his affair with Guinevere, Mordred sets up 
  a rebel kingdom in Lothian with Morgan le Fay, 
  and amasses a huge army of Saxons and young, 
  impressionable knights of Camelot. This draws 
  Arthur back to England, where he met with Mordred 
  in battle on the field of Salisbury Plain, near Camelot, 
  where both were killed.
  Sir Mordred; he that like a subtle beast
  Lay couchant with his eyes upon the throne,
  Ready to spring, waiting a chance.
  -Alfred Lord Tennyson, Idylls of the King 
  
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  Morgan le Fay
  Sorceress; wife of King Uriens; daughter of 
  Gorloise and Igraine; half-sister of Arthur; lover of 
  Accolon; after attempting to assassinate Arthur, steals 
  his magic scabbard and flees to Gore.
  Now, sir, said Accolon, I will tell you; this sword 
  hath been in my keeping the most part of this 
  twelvemonth; and Morgan le Fay, King Uriens’ wife, 
  sent it me yesterday by a dwarf, to this intent, that 
  I should slay King Arthur, her brother. For ye shall 
  understand King Arthur is the man in the world that 
  she most hateth, because he is most of worship and of 
  prowess of any of her blood; also she loveth me out 
  of measure as paramour, and I her again; and if she 
  might bring about to slay Arthur by her crafts, she 
  would slay her husband King Uriens lightly, and then 
  had she me devised to be king in this land, and so to 
  reign, and she to be my queen…
  -Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte d’Arthur
  Morgawse, Queen
  Daughter of Gorloise and Igraine, mother of 
  Mordred by her half-brother Arthur.
  Nimue, Lady
  Enchantress, Lady of the Lake; traps Merlin under 
  the Earth, killing him; later advisor to Arthur; wife of 
  King Pelleas.
  Palamides, Sir
  Son of King Pellinore; took up the hunt for the 
  Questing Beast after his father’s death
  Pellam, King (The Grail 
  King)
  Father of Garlon; descended from Joseph of 
  Arimathea; guardian of the Grail and the Lance of 
  Longinus
  Pellinore, King
  A king of Wales; pursues the Questing Beast; also 
  the Knight of the Pavilion, challenging all who pass; 
  during a fight with Arthur breaks Excalibur, which is 
  repaired by a Lady of the Lake. Father of Percival, 
  Lamerake, and Tor. Killed King Lot, Sir Gawaine’s 
  father, during his rebellion against Arthur. Gawaine 
  eventually revenges this death and kills Pellinore.
  He will not be lightly matched of one knight living, 
  and therefore it is my counsel, let him pass, for he
  shall do you good service in short time, and his 
  sons after his days.
  -Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte d’Arthur, Book I, 
  Chapter XXV
  Riens, King
  King of North Wales.
  Tor, Sir
  Illegitimate son of King Pellinore; raised by Aries 
  the cowherd; a great knight of Arthur’s court; later 
  made an Earl by Arthur.
  Ulfius, Sir
  One of the greatest knights to ever live; served Uther 
  Pendragon, and afterwards Arthur; was possibly the 
  greatest knight of Arthur’s early reign, before the 
  emergence of Pellinore, Lancelot, and Gawaine.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Legends of Excalibur/Legends of Excalibur A Players Guide to Arthurian Legend.pdf