Shenanigans were the order of the day this Pennsic. After sending a general invite to all the queens of the Known World, I received responses back from seven Kingdoms. Seven! In the end many of the teams could not get together to play due to busy schedules at Pennsic and I was left with four: Æthelmearc, East Kingdom Royal, East Kingdom Rogue, and Atlantia.

I scheduled them all to meet me at some point during the five-hour long Arts and Sciences Display. I designed belt flashes for each to wear while on their journey. Then I designed four mini-games to challenge their skills.

They were given a background story: At one time we were ONE.

In commemoration, a special token was made from the Dream, along with a ring. As time passed these gifts were separated and lost. The lands were divided.

Recently, a rumor was heard that the Elfrida Brooch and the Ring of Dreaming have been located again. Legends say these tokens can re-unite the Kingdoms…or allow one to rule over them all. The tokens are on their way to a Dark Lord who intends to use them to wrest control of all the lands of the Known World. 

The Kings are at war but each Queen recognizes the threat and has summoned their own personal agents and spies to track down and capture the prize …

But will the successful Queen use the these tokens to re-unite the lands?

Or does she intend to control all the Kingdoms? 

Then they were given a package and a letter with a cypher around the borders, appearing as scrollwork. The code gave them the location to deliver the package (a ceramic egg) the next day.

So Monday rolls around and finds me at the Bartertown in the Great Hall at noon. East Kingdom Royal is right there first thing and an hour later EK Rogue stops by as well. Each is given a picture that indicates they are to go to the archery range, thus beginning a scavenger hunt that would take them all over Pennsic while describing the brooch and ring.

HOWEVER, just as I go find Æthelmearc and Atlantia to tell them to start the scavenger hunt, it becomes clear that EK Royal misunderstood the directions and took the pieces, ensuring that the other teams would be unable to partake of the hunt as well. Things happen, and I reset the four teams at the next game at the Blue Feather Ball, Tuesday night.

Here there was a lady (not a lady) with veils and sashes all about her waist. Each sash was a scytale (strip of fabric that wraps around to line up the words). They had to sneak these sashes off of the “lady” without being caught. Æthelmearc was there and the fastest, followed by Atlantia, then EK Royal, then EK Rogue.

The scytale led to the finale: “Kill the Man with the Basket”. A brightly decorated basket was dropped in the middle of Midnight Madness and contained several items all tied to the basket. Each item (and the basket itself) had words attached to them, creating two sentences: “The Tree on the Path of Cariodoc” and “The bridge where a Kingdom Used to Be”. Whoever had the basket could not kill and once killed the basket had to be dropped while the person resurrected at me, the Resurrection Point. There were 27 kills in one hour, with EK Royal Leading on most kills and least deaths. EK Rogue was killed the most, Æthelmearc had the least kills (Atlantia did not show up for this final battle).

So EK Royal was the clear winner in being assassins.

But Æthelmearc figured out the two codes and was able to bring her Majesty Gabrielle the brooch and the ring, which she rewarded to her faithful servants. So Æthelmearc’s diligence and hard work was rewarded.

Congratulations to all who played, and I hope we have more teams next year.

Your in Service,
Lady Rue, Spokesperson for the Known World Assassins Guild