A Sad End

Being the 3rd Part of Sir Rudy's Adventures
(A Knight of Destiny Adventure)


Sir Rudy's elation at defeating a dragon and finding the Sword of the Fisher King were short-lived. Weakened by his wounds, he collapsed with the Sword in his hand. His companion, Mordret, tended to his wounds. Sir Rudy clearly needed rest so Edric bundled the unconscious knight onto a horse and took him to a nearby inn.

Sir Rudy rapidly healed but he was impatient to continue his quest. Despite Mordret's pleadings, our hero rose from bed determined to press forward. As he rode into the wilderness, he found a wounded paladin.

"Who did this?" Rudy asked.

The dying knight croaked out "Sir Turquine" just before he expired.

Rage filled Sir Rudy's breast. He would make Turquine pay for this outrage!

Rudy started to follow the signs of Turquine's passage, determined to catch the recreant knight. After several days, Rudy stopped near a placid lake. Suddenly, a bright light shone and ethereal music filed his ears. Seemingly out of the lake itself, a grand castle appeared. The Grail Castle!

The drawbridge opened and a shining knight strode forward. The figure spoke to Rudy. "Art thou worthy?"

"Yes!" Rudy boldly proclaimed.

"Look into thine heart. Does thou find hatred there?"

Rudy's face suddenly lost all color. He sank to his knees and began to weep, for he knew that his bold declaration was false.

The shining knight spoke again. "Cleanse thyself and return when thou art worthy." And with that, the knight and the castle disappeared like a mist dissipating in the morn.

Sir Rudy rode on pondering his failure and determined to confess his sin with the next priest. Suddenly, a figure on horseback appeared on the road.

"Another of Arthur's paltry minions. Prepare to die!"

Rudy could recognize the coat of arms. It was Turquine! With a roar of defiance, Rudy spurred his horse and leveled his lance. Turquine did likewise. The two collided with a loud crash. Both flew from their mounts.but they rose, drew their swords, and rushed at each other.

Turquine dealt a number of severe blows to Rudy. Blood gushed from numerous cuts. Rudy could feel his lifeblood and his energy waning away. Yet Rudy refused to yield to the evil foe. He fought back, striking a series of telling blows in succession. He battered Turquine to his knees.

"Yield, you miscreant, and I shall spare thy life." Rudy offered.

Turquine just sneered and leapt from his feet. Rudy dodged and landed a counter on Turquine. Turquine stumbled; Rudy followed and struck another blow. But before Rudy could strike again, Turquine disengaged.

Now both warriors circled each other warily. Their many wounds spouted blood; they only had enough strength for one final pass. Rudy spotted an opening. He lunged, and slipped on a patch of bloody soil. He fell to the ground, losing his grip on his sword. Turquine shuffled over to him and thrust his blade through Rudy's neck.

"Another paladin down." Sir Turquine growled as he stumbled to his horse, mounted, and rode off.

Notes

• I modified the events slightly for narrative coherence. For example, the game did not tell me that Sir Turquine killed the paladin that Rudy found. Instead, it made sense based on later evens.
• I made a big mistake in this session. I could have chosen to go on a pilgrimage but opted to confront a challenger instead. By ill luck, I ended up fighting Turquine.
• Nevertheless, I nearly had him. Both were down to 1 life and Rudy had the initiative. Naturally, I rolled a 1 for his attack. Turquine's attack was far more effective.