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The brightly coloured heraldic pennants and livery of Sir Percival of Gisoreux's knightly retinue cuts a stark contrast to the bleak, rain soaked landscape of Albion as they traverse across it. Percival has travelled from the far-distant Bretonnian province of Gisoreux, determined to defend the cause of justice.
Sir Percival is a proud and noble Grail knight of Bretonnia, a well respected and honourable warrior who has spent many years in dutiful service to the Lady of the Lake. He achieved this highly esteemed position and title at an impressively young age; his youthful vigour and enthusiasm already tempered with a cool, clear head and an unquestionable code of honour. He drank deeply from the sacred chalice of the good Lady, and has since roamed Bretonnia and beyond, seeking to protect those who are unable to do so themselves, and to fight the enemies of virtue and order. He is utterly devoted to defending the cause of justice.
Sir Percival was in the midst of prayer, kneeling before the alter
within a small Grail chapel in the wilderness near the border of
Athel Loren, the realm of the Wood Elves, when a nervous squire
arrived, his horse lathered in sweat. The squire told the Grail
Knight that King Louen Leoncoeur requested his presence at court
to discuss a matter of dire importance.
Riding
hard, Sir Percival arrived at Couronne weary from his long journey.
He had slept barely enough to keep riding, and had acquired several
fresh horses along his way, riding each steed until it was exhausted.
Nevertheless, he insisted on being admitted to the King's presence
without delay. At the kings side stood a longhaired figure of barbaric
appearance. Looking into this stranger's eyes, Sir Percival recognised
a fierce pride that mirrored his own, and felt strongly the sincerity
behind the words the man spoke. The Truthsayer talked of a time
of strife, of a place beset by evil on all sides. King Louen Leoncoeur
implored Sir Percival to intervene, to aid the people of this unknown
land in fighting off these malign and dangerous forces that would
imperil the essential balance of the world. The King asked that
Sir Percival be his champion on Albion, and to uphold the honour
and pride of Bretonnia.
Gathering his brethren, the proud Sir Percival set out for the
fabled lands of Albion, the mysterious isle of legend. As the parade
of devoted Knights travelled across Bretonnia towards the port city
of Brionne, more knights flocked to his banner. Impetuous young
Knights Errant joined with the Grail knight, determined and eager
to prove themselves on the field of battle. More experienced Questing
Knights chose to ride at his side as a way of furthering their pursuit
for the grail and the Lady's blessing.
Arriving on the cold, wet isle, the Knights soon found themselves
embroiled in a number of running battles with marauding tribes of
Orcs and warbands of savage Beastmen. These brutal creatures were
intent only on destruction, and Sir Percival riled at the senseless
devastation they wreaked upon the mystical isle. The Bretonnian
troops suffered heavy casualties in these early melees, lured into
the fens where their heavy warhorses were next to useless. The cunning
creatures then set upon the Knights, ripping them from their saddles
and butchering them in the swampy water.
Since these early setbacks, the elderly Truthsayer who had spoken
to Percival in the King's court in Couronne has joined the Bretonnian
force. He had remained in Bretonnia, seeking additional support
among the Dukes and Barons, and returned to Albion at the head of
two supporting forces that have joined Sir Percival's army. The
powerful mystic has since acted as guide for the Knights, directing
them across the wide, fog covered grasslands and avoiding the heavy
swamps wherever possible. In these more open lands, the Knights
have proved their worth, crushing any force that stands before them.
Sir Percival has vowed to fight the darkness besetting Albion,
and he becomes increasingly devoted to this cause by the day. He
has since sworn on his honour that he will not step foot off the
isle until the menacing evil forces are wiped from the land.
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