Pendragon: Crown of Winter, Cup of Spring

A Pendragon campaign of late-Arthurian Britain

Introduction

It is 554 AD, forty-four years after Arthur first drew the Sword of Victory from the stone in the courtyard of St. Paul's cathedral, thus declaring himself to be King of the Britons. Thirty-four years have passed since Arthur first ordered the construction of the great city of Camelot, and now, the city and the Pendragon's Castle are marvels to behold. Under Arthur's Pax Britannica, the customs of chivalry and romance are spreading throughout the civilized world.

Yet, as ever, perfection has not been attained. Two years ago, the Yellow Plague swept across Europe, killing thousands. There are rifts and rivalries between the knights of the Round Table. Arthur is growing old, and Queen Guenever is still incaapable of bearing him an heir. The old magician Merlin is gone, and a mischevious boy-wizard called Talilesin has taken his place. Prosperity is beginning to make men soft, and wealth breeds the desire for more wealth. Arthur's empire is at its height, but the seeds of discontent, the darkness that will lead to the Fall, is already beginning to creep upon Britannia.

But there is one great glory left... The Quest for the Grail.

Campaign Arc

The campaign follows the story of a group of young people, just coming of age in the year 554. The intended story arc takes the characters through the events surrounding the Grail Quest, and the subsequent shattering of Camelot by treachery and jealousy, culminating with Arthur's fall at the Battle of Camlann in 565; the actual story arc may have very different events, depending on the choices made by the players.

The campaign will primarily proceed at the rate of one main adventure per year of game time. It is expected that during the decade or so of the story arc, many characters will settle down, raise families, and rise to positions of importance within the court at Camelot.

This is a character-interaction game, with the traditional Pendragon emphasis upon characters of deep convictions and violent passions, and those characters in the context of their families and histories.

Introduction

Campaign Arc

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