September 1155 – Times are changing for Robin Hood and the Merry
Men. You’ve spent many years in
Sherwood Forest, doing your part to tweak the noses of nobles and combat unfair
rule. The dark seasons that brought you
together have somewhat brightened with the coming of a new king, but the
Sheriff of Nottingham will make the coming winter harsh.
Many of the Merry Men have returned home, but a small core will remain together until the first snow. The plan is to have one more big score and distract the Sheriff from his more nefarious activities. When that first flake falls, you’ll part to make new lives as well, but for now it’s a fine fall season with good mates.
It goes unspoken, but many worry somewhat for Robin, the only one with no place to go and a price on his head. Robin himself is as carefree as usual, making and discarding travel plans weekly. Chat around the evening fire often looks forward to the next trick or run-in with the Sheriff, but just as often lingers fondly on the past:
A decade ago, poor addled King Stephen had not long regained his throne from the terrible one-year reign of Empress Matilda, but he never regained his country. Nobles were ignoring royal decrees and expanding personal domains. The bickering hit the people of Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire particularly hard, with the Dukes engaged in power plays just this side of war. The neighbors threw tariffs on once thriving trade and taxed the people for horses, hay, blacksmithy, and whatever else made times tougher.
In the midst of this, Robin, once a fletcher in York, lost his father’s home to St. Peter’s. He’s always stuck to his ‘donation’ story, but others have whispered about trumped-up charges. He met Willyam, and together they spent a couple years in Forest Barnesdale making trouble for rich priests and nobles. Eventually their renown brought the undesirable attention of the Sheriff of York, who drove them out. Seeking a new place with less cunning law enforcement, they found Nottingham and nearby Sherwood.
Meeting up with Little John and his small band of outlaws, Robin quickly won them over and the group grew in size and local legend. Each man had his own reasons for leaving home, but all were welcome for the skills they had, without regard to their money or ancestry. The more the nobles mistreated their subjects, the more the word of Merry generosity spread; and soon the camp grew into a small town. The Sheriff bothered you sporadically, finding your camps every month or so, and forcing periodic relocations. It was quite tolerable, though, until the beginning of the year when Stephen died and King Henry II ascended the throne.
Almost immediately Henry declared a castle in Essex illegally built; it was burned in mid-April. Minor nobles started playing by the rules. Several castles and other iron-fisted enforcements later, even the Dukes and Barons started taking leave of the transgressions they’d previously enjoyed.
At first the men of Sherwood were glad for a strong King, especially when, in early summer, the old women whispered that the signs portend a harsh winter, with biting cold and oceans of snow. Most villagers haven’t enough time to recover from the years of lean times: there will not be enough wood to burn or patch houses, enough dried food, candles, or blankets. In late June, Robin decided it was time to dismantle the Merry Men, sending 50 men home to rejoin their families and prepare for winter.
Then the Sheriff made his move. The Duke of Nottingham died, some say through treachery. Early in August, after weeks of political intrigue, the Duchess fled for London and the Sheriff’s lackeys ruled Nottingham. They are greedy men with more of an eye on their purses than towards helping people. The villages that have remained loyal to the Merry Men will be the hardest hit; the Sheriff will pass them over when distributing what few goods he and the Church might make available.
The Sheriff’s power is illegal, but the King will likely be too busy to deal with such infractions before winter makes moving an army too risky and expensive. He won’t be able to take action until spring. In the meantime, the price on Robin’s head is now 500 pounds.
Just the five of you remain now, preparing to move the camp again, staying one step ahead of the Sheriff’s men. This Fall is seemingly the final chapter of the Merry Men; most assuredly an adventurous one.
The island of Britain is comprised of several kingdoms and a mix of people:
· Picts – claiming to be the original inhabitants of the island, there are stories of warrior Picts known for ferocity and intimidating body paint. They now live mostly in Scotland.
· Britons – also an early people, not much is known about them. Many people assume to have some Briton blood.
· Celts (pronounced ‘Kelts’) – Longtime inhabitants of the islands, the Celts came in several waves, bringing their religion and language (Gaelic). Wales, Ireland, and Scotland are mostly Celtic.
· Romans – the glory days of Rome extended to the border of Scotland. They left behind roads, buildings, laws, and some mixed ancestry.
· Vikings – From 400 to 1000, the Norsemen conducted periodic invasions and built settlements along the coasts.
· Scots – The Highlanders are a mix of Celts and Picts. The region is sometimes referred to as Caledonia.
· Angle, Saxon, Jute – Helping push the Romans out, these peoples from central Europe invaded and settled the south and east, also pushing back the Celts. They are a majority in England.
· Normans – recent invaders from France, and the ruling ethnicity. Not all are rich, but in general a Norman’s word is held over others.
King Arthur – An ancient Saxon king who united a large part of the island through honesty, law, good tactics, and skillful negotiating.
William the Conqueror – in 1066, the he defeated King Harold at Hastings, joining the Anglo-Saxon part of the island with northern France under the Normans.
St. George the Dragon Slayer – Patron saint of England. Rescued a Libyan princess who was to be sacrificed to a dragon. He refused the offer of the kingdom as compensation, preferring to have the King swear to defend Christian churches. Died in 303AD.
Money – only the King’s mints can make money. They chop hands off counterfeiters. Currency is useful and common, but barter is more practical and enjoyable. An average citizen rarely touches a pound, handling perhaps 8 pounds a year in the smaller coins.
1 pound = 20 shilling = 240 pence (pence is the plural form of ‘penny’)
the rare gold ‘denarius’ coins are worth 25 pounds. Only nobles use them.
Through your years together, many adventures and witticisms have entered the Lore of the Merry Men.
Origin of the group’s name - Even before Robin came, Allin was ever cheerful. John and his men would go into the villages for supplies, where often the townspeople were depressed by the Duke’s latest decree. Allin would coax the people with his lute to look skywards, sing and sometimes even dance. Since Willyam joined the group, the two bards have competed to out-Merry each other, to the delight of crowds. Even when there are no gifts from rich travelers, villagers look forward to visits from the Merry Men.
The Coming of Robin – One day on their flight from Barnesdale, Robin and Willyam rode through Sherwood singing. Upon trying to cross a ford over a small creek, Little John stepped out to block their way. “Toll Collector” he growled. Robin chuckled and leaned to Will… “Me thinks we found friends, friend.” Swinging off his horse into the creek, Robin brandished his staff and replied, “If I best you, good man, that is my toll.” The two fought for 10 minutes in the creek, each applying and receiving painful blows, and keeping up a lively stream of good-natured insults. Finally, Robin yielded. “I’ll do more than pay your toll, strong one. We’d be honored to join your band if you’d have us.”
Skunked Sheriff – one time a few years ago, the Sheriff of Nottingham himself got too close to the main camp, and got himself captured. Robin got him roaring drunk, then put him in a hut with a skunk for just long enough, and dropped the smelly sleeping package in a village far away.
Maid Marion – One time a young noble woman and two maids were traveling through Sherwood. Robin caught up to the ladies disguised as a fellow traveler. Had they been rude and rich, he’d have removed them of burdensome money, but all three were perfect ladies, and Marion ‘loovely and charming as be spring’ according to Robin. He escorted them personally to the next village and promised to guide them on their return trip. The men still tease Robin about the uncharacteristically shy anxiousness with which he awaited her return. Men were posted at the entrance to the forest road for weeks, awaiting “Robin’s Mistress”. Finally she did appear, but escorted by 10 of the Sheriff’s men. Robin was disappointed, some say brokenhearted. To let her know his pledge was not forgotten, he raced ahead, leaving his hat on the trail ahead of them with a small wildflower. Upon reaching the hat, Marion recognized it, bidding a man retrieve the package. Keeping the flower, she had the man replace the hat on the road. Raising her voice to the forest, she spoke gently “Peace to thee, Robin of Sherwood”.
Reunicon
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Terms
· Quarry – targeted rich traveler
· Fanged Quarry – one that looks like it’ll fight back
· Redistribution (or re-dist) – euphemism for stealing
· Duckling – a traveler who’s not a target for re-dist.
· Golden duckling – a special traveler who gets protective escort (often unknown to them) through the woods.
· Pile – the quarry’s money
· Wagon or Whale – a carriage
· Trick – the whole robbery, from plan to splitting the loot
· Beheaded Trick – an aborted robbery
· Leaf – a member of the outlaw side… leafies vs. quarry
· Stick – arrow
· Skunkling – one of the Sheriff’s men
· Black Mark – a person killed in a trick. Normally you try to subdue. Killing brings unwanted attention and loss of villager support.
Standard Plays
· Jack Run – one or more ‘bait’ leafies split a large group of quarry by appearing ahead, then running to pre-chosen hiding places while the remainder of the leafies deal with the rest.
· Fellow Traveler – pretend to be a slower moving traveler, conversing potential quarry to size them up, perhaps stopping for lunch with them.
· Wet Gold – rigging ropes to knock over travelers at river. They’ll often give up without a fight, sputtering and uncomfortable. It’s lovely.
· Merry Monkeys – dropping from trees onto unsuspecting quarry.
· Whale Tale – hooking a carriage’s axle to stop it. Sometimes this ruins the carriage. Which can be fun, but has to be cleaned up later.
· Faerie Curse – tricking a quarry into believing they’ve angered a faerie, extracting payment for lifting the curse. This is often done with lanterns on ropes and sound effects.
· Curiosity Robbed the Cat – drawing travelers off the road with movement, sound, footprints, etc.
· Over the Top – when entering a manor or dwelling, using grappling hooks to go over the walls or in through second-story windows; picking locked doors at the ground level when all else won’t work
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Get It
Job Frequency
It’s not uncommon to do 20 tricks in a year, mostly in the spring and summer. This yields about 200 pounds, of which about 85% is redistributed. Financial matters are always open to all interested, and a Counting meeting is held monthly.
Traveling
You all have horses, but they make a lot of noise, so they’re only used when necessary. Sherwood’s pretty big, though, so they’re necessary a lot. When you go into a town for supplies, some are safe, especially Headon and Worksop. When you travel to or towards Nottingham, though, extra caution is needed, especially since the reward for Robin attracts some attention. Just one disaffected townsperson could arouse the guards. On those rare occasions, then, you normally split up and disguise yourselves as merchants or visiting nobles.
[Copyright 2000]