Date: Mon, 10 Mar 1997 23:49:34 -0600 To: Peter Corless From: Wil Radcliffe "King Lot of the Orkneys and Lothian" is copyright (c) 1996-1997 Wil Radcliffe. Excerpted from the work in progress "The Courts of King Arthur", Peter Corless, Editor. (Written for future publication by the Chaosium) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Revision History v1.0 - 10 Mar 1997 - Initial version - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - King Lot of the Orkneys and Lothian Perhaps no antagonist in the Arthurian legends enjoys as much honor and respect as King Lot of the Orkneys. His rebellion against the boy king's rule marks him as a troublemaker and a villain. Yet his fierce pride and independent nature cannot help but evoke admiration from his enemies and supporters alike. King Lot is the archetypal tragic hero... a man whose ideals are ironically both his greatest strength and his greatest weakness. Of all the kings who initially rebel against Arthur's rule, Lot possesses the most glorious and impressive lineage. He could trace his ancestry directly back to Petrus, the brother or companion to Joseph of Arimethea. Strangely enough, the Orkney clan itself was more partial to paganism over Christianity, no doubt due to their ruling of traditionally pagan lands. Perhaps because of these pagan influences and the fact that tribes of Caledonia had held out so long against invasions from Britons, Romans, and Northmen alike, Lot was far too proud and stubborn to submit his lands and his Kingship to a mere boy like Arthur. After all, Lot was a self-made king who had fought hard to tame the savage north and build his kingdom. His pride and stubbornness was not without cause. And so according to Malory in the year 510 at the London tournament, when young Arthur removed the sword from the stone, Lot was the first of the nobles to voice his outrage: "Are we to be ruled by a beardless bastard?" While other nobles acknowledged Arthur as the rightful king, Lot retired to Lothian to hold council with his advisors. He and other nobles decided to resist the boy king. Their forces first clashed in the Battle of Carlion in Escavalon. Lot initially gave Arthur's troops a solid drubbing. But the young King was fated to win, and showed the first sample of his rising greatness by rallying his troops, inspiring them with his gleaming Sword of Victory. Lot's men were beaten back, and even the citizens of Carlion rushed forth from the city to attack the Lothian army. Lot, stunned at the reversal, was forced to retreat. Lot and his men ranged about Logres for a time, plundering what they could from the locals to support their just cause. Arthur had surely only been lucky, and Lot went about to prove, though he had lost a battle, he still had the freedom of ranging the countryside. During this time, Lot planned for his next encounter with the Boy King. He knew that Arthur's cavalry was superior to his own Pictish foot soldiers... and so he knew if he was to win, he must eliminate them first. Arthur and Lot next faced off at the Battle of Bedegraine in northwest Logres along the Trent River. Arthur's was the superior position... he had better troops, higher ground, and of course, Merlin. However, Lot soon evened the odds by ordering his foot soldiers to attack the horses of Arthur's cavalry rather than the knights. By the end of the day, the outcome of the battle was undecided. Lot had considerably weakened Arthur's forces by all but destroying his cavalry. The next day the battle started anew. Slogging it out on foot, and with numbers on his side, Lot was certain of victory until reinforcements arrived from King Ban of Benwick and King Bors of Gaul. Lot was outnumbered and retreated. He returned to Lothian to rethink his opposition to the Boy King. As a sign of a newfound respect toward Arthur, Lot sent his Queen and his sons to the High King's court. The royal guests were well received, and his kin, particularly Gawaine, were impressed with Arthur's magnificent court and his ideals of chivalry. Lot had intended this visit as a both a chance to see if Arthur had become a worthy king and as a gesture of peace; to show that he might be willing to negotiate with Arthur. However, the visit would prove the downfall for Lot (and eventually years later, Arthur as well). For Lot's wife, Queen Margawse, was a lusty creature, enough to drive even the most chaste of men to passionate desire. And young Arthur was no more immune to her charms than any other man. Arthur lay with Margawse, and without knowing it impregnated her. Some months later after returning from some raids into Logres, Lot learned that Arthur's wizard, Merlin, had been in the area, bewitching the nobles and taking from them all the children born upon May Day. Among the babies was Lot's own newborn son. When Margawse used her magic to determine what exactly had been done with the children, it was discovered that they had been set adrift upon the sea in a small boat. Lot's hatred for Arthur was now complete. Any respect he had for the young King was now washed away by disgust and the desire for revenge. He quickly organized his allies King Ryons and Nero into a final attack on the upstart boy king. The Battle of Terrabel did not go well for the rebel Kings. Ryons was captured by Arthur's men before the battle even started. And Lot and his men were delayed by Merlin's enchantments. Nero faced Arthur alone with but half the rebel army at his command. Arthur's troops were victorious, but as Nero's troops fled, Lot's troops finally arrived. Battered and tired from battle already, Arthur regrouped and prepared to face Lot. However, another faction soon joined the fray: King Pellinore arrived with his own Welsh troops, offering his services to Arthur. Pellinore's men took a central position, refreshing and strengthening Arthur's own weary troops. The battle began, and Lot looked grimly at the odds he now faced. Inspired by their recent victory over Nero, Arthur's troops cleaved their way through the northern army. In the middle of the melee, the two great kings Lot and Pellinore clashed toe-to-toe in mortal combat. It was truly a battle of giants. Both men possessed fiercesome skill and cunning in combat, and for a long time they matched one another blow for blow. But ultimately Pellinore defeated Lot -- cleaving his skull and killing him. Lot's remaining troops fled and Arthur won the day. Thus ended the war of the rebel kings. And thus began the greatest feud of the Arthurian age, as afterward the sons of Lot would ever vow revenge upon the sons of King Pellinore de Gales. Sometime later it was discovered publically that Margawse was actually Arthur's half-sister. The tragedy of this discovery was that if Lot had known this, his love of family (clan) would most surely have caused him to change his mind, and perhaps might have made him one of Arthur's staunchest and strongest supporters. Lot is a key figure, both in the Arthurian legends and in Pendragon game play. Through his sons we are given three of Arthur's greatest knights (Gawaine, Gaheris, and Gareth) and two of his greatest villains (Agravaine and Mordred). And his actions indirectly result in the creation and destruction of the Round Table. Game masters should present Lot as a noble and admirable King. He fights not against Arthur as an oppressor or tyrant so much as for himself as an independent king in his own right. He seeks to preserve what he has secured for himself in the savage north. In many ways he resents Arthur for having the kingship handed to him so easily. A crown is something to be won through hard work and discipline, not through some wizard's magic tricks. Lot's bitterness toward Arthur is understandable if not unfortunate. Those players who encounter Lot will find him a man of extremes. His traits are almost all extremes: Lustful, Energetic, Vengeful, Generous, Honest, Proud, Worldly, Reckless, Indulgent, Suspicious, and Valorous are all at 16 or over. His Love of Family is perfect, and his Love for Margawse is high (although not perfect). He does have a Loyalty to Pendragon, reflecting his willingness at one point to negotiate with Arthur, but this loyalty is practically negligible. His Loyalty to his Vassals on the other hand, is quite high. Among his statistics, his Strength and his Appearance are his most obvious advantages. His warrior and leadership based skills are exceptional. Awareness, Intrigue, and First Aid are all at 17 or more. His cultured-based skills are very poor, however. His Battle skill was unequaled in its day... and many of his weapons skills including Sword and Lance, are very intimidating. Lot isn't just a typical villain to be fought and killed. Players who truly want to become great knights should seek to learn from him and understand his mind. His rise from a warrior's son to one of Arthur's greatest rivals, says a lot about both his strength of body and his strength of character. Name: King Lot Homeland: Orkney Culture: Pict Religion: Pagan Father's Name: Golidrust Father's Class: Warrior Son Number: 3 Lord: None Current Class: King Current Home: Lothian and the Orkneys Age Year Born 470 Personality Traits Chivalry Bonus [] (total =80+) No Religion Bonus: Yes (+2 healing) Chaste 2 / 18 Lustful Energetic 18 / 2 Lazy Forgiving 2 / 18 Vengeful Generous 17 / 3 Selfish Honest 16 / 4 Deceitful* Just 15 / 5 Arbitrary Merciful 6 / 14 Cruel Modest 0 / 20 Proud Pious 3 / 17 Worldly Prudent 3 / 17 Reckless Temperate 4 / 16 Indulgent Trusting 2 / 18 Suspicious** Valorous 21 / 0 Cowardly Directed Trait: * Deceitful to people of Logres +8 Directed Trait: ** Suspicious vs people of Logres +5 Passions Loyalty (Arthur) 2 Love (family) 20 Love (Margawse) 17 Hospitality 16 Honor 15 Loyalty Vassals 17 Equipment Carried Armor Type [10] Clothing [worth 7] Statistics SIZ 16 (Knockdown) DEX 12 STR 18 CON 15 (Major Wound) APP 17 Damage ((STR+SIZ)/6) 6d6 Healing Rate ((STR+CON)/10) 3 + 2 Movement Rate ((STR+DEX)/10) 3 Total Hit Points (SIZ+CON) 31 Unconscious (HP/4) 8 Distinctive Features: Steely eyes, loud voice, broad shoulders Skills Awareness 19 Boating 5 Chirurgery 5 Compose 0 Courtesy 5 Dancing 2 Faerie Lore 10 Falconry 2 First Aid 18 Flirting 3 Folk Lore 12 Gaming 2 Heraldry 10 Hunting 14 Industry 0 Intrigue 18 Orate 15 Play (-) 0 Read (Glyphs) 2 Recognize 14 Religion (Pagan) 2 Romance 0 Singing 2 Stewardship 16 Swimming 8 Tourney 2 Coat of Arms: A red square on the corner of a white shield Glory 8592 Combat Skills Battle 25 Horsemanship 21 Weapon Skills Sword 20 Lance 20 Dagger 1 Spear 10 Great Axe 17 Great Spear 18 Javelin 2 Horse Best Warhorse Type Charger Damage 6d6 Move 8 Armor 5 HP 46 SIZ 34 CON 12 DEX 17