The true skull: I did not know the term "hastitude" but my vocabulary is limited, English was not my native language. However, if you think that medieval blood's feast was limited to jousts and tournaments, you are wrong. There are at least two other common forms: the Bouhourt (the simulation of the siege of a castle) which is usually a true amusement and the Pas Périllieux (Passage of Peril). Originally (around the 11-12th century), a knight guarded a bridge at any passage where it could not be bypassed and defeated in duel all the trespassers he met. Medieval chivalry novels often use Pas Périllieux's plot, in particular the Round Table's cycle. Later in the 15th century, the perilous steps became "Role-playing Games" where knights embarked on "marvelous quests" which were scripted theatrical-like events. The Duke of Burgundy Philippe le Bon very liked the Pas Périllieux and his followers used thousands of extras, costumes (like women disguised in mermaids) decors, and even complex constructions (like a "giant" who was in fact an automaton animated by a dozen of puppeteers).
AND this, without counting the local peculiarities. In Venice, a lakeside city, there were even water jousts. The knights stood at the bow of boats operated by dozens of rowers.
ATP: The superiority of the Hussars did not come from their horses, but from the way they used them. The Hussars were superbly trained. They charged in widely separated rows (normally four times the width of the chest of a horse between two rows), supported by mounted archers (The Pancernii). Thus, the arquebusiers could only aim at the leading riders. Just before coming into contact, the rows split and then split again... The horsemen lowered their very looong red spears - longer than the infantry pikes! - and charged with a devastating outcome. In addition to the feathered wings that adorned their horses, the armor enhanced with gold and gemstones, their saddles pad made of leopard skins... the Winged Hussars were truly terrific and... frightening. It was the Golden Age of Poland where 3, 000 hussars can defeat 50, 000 arquebusiers, pikes, and cannons with only ten killed. And then the firearms improved...
That said, these kinds of results are less surprising than one might think. Hussars were motivated professionals. Their enemies were peasants' levies armies (i.e. ordinary people unable to kill in cold blood), or mercenaries only motivated by the payroll... and wanting to stay alive to spend it. In fact, in modern-day, that is the very reason why conscription is being abandoned in favor of loyal citizen-soldiers.
Guest: Thank you.
Boyzilla: Thank you, but I wouldn't complain about you having too much to read... we never read enough good stories!
Scientia in Caldariam
(The Cauldron of Knowledge)
Kerridwen, therefore, resolved, according to the art of Fferyllt's books, to boil a cauldron of inspiration and science for her son, so that his entry among men might be honorable through his knowledge of the mysteries of the future state of the world. Then she began to boil the cauldron. It had to boil non-stop for a year and a day until three magical drops of grace and inspiration were obtained […].
She charged the dwarf Gwyon Bach […] to watch the cauldron, and a blind man named Morva to activate the fire below. She asked them to watch so that the boiling would not stop for a year and a day.
She herself, according to the books of the astrologers and during the hours of the planets, gathered every day all kinds of magical herbs.
The Mabinogi of Peredur
Surrounded by Artoria, Sir Bedivere, and Sir Kay, Hakuno Kishinami was in the former Staadtholder's office. Dressed in the school uniform of the Tsukumihara Academy, the teenager did not really seem to fit in this huge office with walls covered with sumptuous woodwork, decorated with paintings of the old Staadtholders and various precious trinkets.
Nevertheless, Sir Agravain and the Elf Selar were present to make their report to the lord of the city... ie Hakuno (even though the latter had trouble getting used to her new position). With the tournament entering its third and final week, many spies had arrived in town, mingled with the spectators, among the merchants, and even in the entourage of the knights!
The half-breed of a Wood Elf called Selar was a superb creature, dressed in a leotard leaving her arms adorned with complex tattoos free. On her belt, she had two curved daggers. Her face was... impressive, under the black hair mane, the eyes were large and oblique. A cloth headband hid her pointed ears. She was just talking:
"You know, Hakuno, for a merchant everything is merchandise, especially information... Imagine a sigmarite merchant, the kind who gives his coin to the cult of Sigmar and speaks well of his lord and the emperor... the typical merchant, as you might say. He is on his way to Marienburg and a Sigmar's priest or a man wearing his duke's livery asks him to 'open his eyes when he is in Marienburg'. Why wouldn't he, especially if the sponsor promised him a little pocket money?"
Hakuno nodded, she understood.
"How much?"
After several months with Hakuno, the superb Wood Elf was now accustomed to deciphering the minimalist wording of the Last Master of the Moon:
"Well, in Marienburg, one in four or five merchants are casual spies."
Sir Agravain formed a strange duo with Selar... especially because he hated and despised women. Let say his collaboration with the half-elf was difficult. Tall, skinny, and bony, the Knight of the Round wore magnificent armor as black as ink and a blue cape with a white fur-lined collar. He intervened at that moment:
"40% of the information that neighboring countries get on Marienburg is provided by the merchants who go to the city, the coaches of the stagecoaches, the sailors who stop by, and the innkeepers of the city. The information they collect is not crucial but it allows our neighbors to know the public opinion, the state of our finances, and your popularity among the inhabitants, Master. For the rest, your rivals only learn from them what the man on the street knows, that is, not much."
Artoria thanked Agravain with a head nod and cast a glance at her foster brother. Courageous, noble, and royal, King Arthur had been the kind of king still spoken of a thousand years after his death... nevertheless, the true political and diplomatic head of Camelot was Kay.
Sir Kay rubbed his chin:
"I see... so we can't lie to them about our troubled situation."
The son of King Lot shook his head:
"Not exactly, we can launch some false rumors" he addressed a reticent nod to Selar..." besides, the Elf is already taking care of this".
The contemptuous manner in which Agravain spoke of her earned him an aggressive look from the young elf, but he only replied with a haughty silence.
Artoria coughed ostensibly:
"I thank you, Sir Agravain, Damsel Selar, for your efforts and dedication to our Master. Lady Kishinami thanks you."
This was confirmed by Hakuno with a strong nod.
The Elf shrugged her shoulders:
"As long as I get paid..."
As for Iron Agravain, he knelt down in front of Artoria:
"I am your liegeman, My King. Use me as you see fit." He hesitated for a moment, then went on to say: "Unfortunately, although I cannot deny the help provided by the thieves of Marienburg, the services they render to us in the streets of the city do not help us to close the main breach in our rivals of our Master gets information from inside our government.
Haqkuno made a head tilt, and we heard a hiccup before Selar closed her mouth hastily before blushing. However, Agravain reacts only by an imperceptible quiver of an eyebrow... Alone of all present, he seemed immune to the most powerful Noble Phantasm in the universe!
"How?" Say the inheritor of the Moon.
Sir Agravain looked at Hakuno for a moment:
"I suppose you know nothing about the art of intelligence." As she shook her head, he replied in an icy and contemptuous tone: "As I expected."
Agravain gave a fast and clear lesson which Lord El-Melloi II would not have denied. Maintaining an army of ten thousand men could lead 70,000 families to know poverty and misery in case of defeat. A warlord who does not seek information about the enemy is a doomed incompetent.
Hakuno strongly endorsed this part, reminding her of the Moon Cell's Grail War. It was by searching the library of the Tsukumihara academy and looking for clues in the Seraph's Chimeric Lunar Seas that the Last Master discovered how to defeat the other Masters.
"The information", continued Agravain, "can only be obtained from those who know the enemy perfectly. There are five kinds of spies."
Agravain counted on his fingers:
"Indigenous spies are ordinary citizens of a country paid to report what they see. The moles are high-ranking operatives in the staff and palace. Double agents are enemy spies who were bought. Suicide spies are spies who give the enemy false information that you have passed on to them. Flying spies are the ones who contact the other spies and report to you."
Agravain Who Knew No Wounds touched his index:
"Our problem is the moles. The Marienburg administration is made up of people who are used to selling their 'loyalty' to the Directors. The change in government deprived them of bribery, which was a significant part of their income... They must now fight among themselves in their haste to sell your secrets to the highest bidders, Master."
Hakuno blinked:
"Replace them?"
It was Sir Kay who replied:
"Replace who? All members of the old administration are corrupt and therefore suspect. We can't fire them all! First, because you would gain a reputation as a tyrant. Second, who would replace them? It is also these corrupt individuals who best understand the workings of the corrupt Marienburg government."
Kay turned his head back in a hysterical laugh:
"So we have a choice between a corrupt government and an incompetent government! Great!"
Sir Agravain thanked Kay's explanation with a nod and spoke again:
"Our first problem is to identify the culprits then, we..."'
Selar cut him off, she had taken out one of her daggers and put a finger on the back of the blade with a chilling smile:
"... eliminate them!"
"No."
Agravain's voice slammed with irritation, he struck Selar with a contemptuous look, then turned to Kishinami:
"Master, if we eliminate the moles, the enemy will only have to bride other officials - he has only the embarrassment of choice- and everything will start all over again. It is more interesting to identify moles and make them double agents by threat or simply by giving them more money! That way, we will provide the enemy with the information we want them to know.
Hakuno strongly approved, first because the idea of coldly eliminating someone - even a traitor- did not please her very much... and also because Agravain's solution seemed more promising to her.
Obviously, the meeting with Selar and Agravain was not the only task that Hakuno had to fulfill in the morning... far from it, actually. On her way to Taliesin's quarters, Sir Kay waved his hand in a nonchalant greeting:
"Sorry, Little Mouse, I'll be a little late, I have a business to attend to... see you later."
And he ran away.
The foster brother of Artoria caught up with Agravain in a corridor:
"Hi, the tall creepy guy all in black, how the hell are you?"
Only the pinching of the thin lips of the skinny man revealed that Kay's arrival irritated him. Nevertheless, Kay was one of the few Knights of the Round that Sir Agravain tolerated. Indeed, Kay was totally loyal to King Arthur... and that was the first criterion by which Iron Agravin judged others.
"It would be fine if I didn't have to answer stupid questions. If you have something to ask, do it quickly, Sir Seneschal."
Kay spread his arms in a gesture that was meant to be harmless:
"Well, what a hostility, Iron Knight! I just want to discuss how you behave with Hakuno."
"I'm polite, that's a lot."
Kay refrained from laughing... yes, indeed it was already a lot.
"Yeah yeah... but I don't think the other Servants appreciate your contempt for her... especially Artoria!"
Agravain stiffened himself because there was no opinion that mattered more to the dark knight than that of the "perfect king" whom he served with devotion.
Kay beat the iron while it was still hot:
"You should put aside the fact that Hakuno is a girl like you do with Arthur."
" But, King Arthur is... "
"... a dragon in human form, a creature superior to us poor mortals, so no matter what is the gender of King Arthur, he is a creature incomparably greater to us."
The foster brother of Artoria laughs when he sees Agravain 's sullen face.
"You've never made your opinion a mystery. Listen, you know who our Master is? No, of course, you run away from her with such an application that you haven't learned much about Hakuno. For starters, she's not human... She was created by the Moon Cell Automaton to be a utilitarian A.I. used to populate the arena where several hundred Masters clashed. But there was a... a miracle. Hakuno Kishinami became conscious, developing feelings and emotions... to avoid annihilation -the Moon Cell not being particularly gentle with 'corrupted' A.I. - She did the only thing that gave her a tiny change in survival... she took part in the Grail War. Obviously, what chances did she have to survive, facing of these Masters trained since childhood to use Code-cast and control familiars? But... she won. Can you imagine the trial she's been through... for eons, no one has ever won the Moon Cell Grail War. And it was Hakuno, a 'newborn' who succeeded... And even this titan of photonic crystals with no soul or feelings recognized that it could not destroy a miracle like Hakuno. You see, this alien computer who knows only logic understood that she was more worthy of the title of 'human' than any being born from a woman's womb! And not only did the Moon Cell Automaton spare her, but it made her the Sovereign of the Moon. According to your own logic, Agravain, Hakuno's gender is irrelevant, because she is an individualized part of a divine computer! And Hakuno is a perfect king whose feats can only amaze those who meet her. Then swallow your own medicine, and act accordingly!"
A hand on the door latch, Hakuno blinked several times - a rather extreme surprise reaction for this usually perfectly impassive girl. The Sovereign of the Moon turned to Artoria with an interrogative gaze. The legendary King Arthur massaged her forehead and had a pale smile of apology as an answer. It was not the first time that Arthur discovered her court bard (also head of the Order of Druids in Britain) behaving in a ridiculous manner. But no matter how many years we spent with him, no one could get used to Taliesin's strange behavior...
Taliesin's apartments were a few rooms of the New Palace occupied by the druid-sorcerer-bard. One of the rooms served as a laboratory. The place was an improbable shamble! A stuffed crocodile and dried herbs were hanging from the ceiling. The shelves along the walls were crumbling under scrolls of parchment, the books with iron clasps, the jars closed by corks filled with oghamic symbols, the runic stones. But not all the cabinets and shelves were enough to contain the incredible junk Taliesin had gathered. Unstable piles of books, scattered sheets of paper, armillary spheres, wax figures, and even a dummy covered with occult signs occupied the slightest space, leaving only a circle of invocation adorned with a six-pointed star.
But this incredible pile of objects was not the source of Hakuno's surprise...
" De la bave de sangsue
Des arêtes de morue
Des baies de cigüe... " (1)
This ridiculous little song came out of the lips of Taliesin, who danced while laughing, circling around a large copper cauldron where a green liquid with a disgusting smell bubbled. With him danced three strange characters: a pig and a goat standing on their hind legs and an animated skeleton... these accompanied the song with grunts, bleating, and rattling of bones...
Finally seeing Hakuno, Taliesin stopped and smiled:
"Master, welcome, I'm almost done."
"Alchemy" dis she questions with a cute head tilt.
The druid restrained himself from jumping around his Master's neck and held his hand to the heart... struck by the Cupid arrow. But this was nothing unusual, Taliesin fell in love three or four times a week...
"Uh... no... Witch-Brewing! In alchemy, the magical and chemical properties of plants alone matter, in the Witch-Brewing, the positions of the stars in the sky at the time of the ritual and when the ingredients are harvested are also of great importance. This is a Formalcraft ritual. And of course, you need a connection to ley-lines for the ritual to succeed. That's why the witch cauldron is a Formal Wear that draws Mana from the environment."
In a proud gesture, Taliesin pointed to the cauldron around which his strange "assistants" continued to dance, adding herbs, living frogs and occasionally turning the large copper ladle plunged into the foul mixture:
"But Gréal (2) is more than just a Formal Wear. When my mother created it, it was already a Supreme Mystic Code... because it played an important role in the legend of Kerridwen, mine, and the Arthurian cycle at large, it's now my second Noble Phantasm: Gréal, the Mystical Cauldron of Knowledge and Inspiration."
"Not the Noble Phantasm of Kerridwen?"
"Oh no, she abandoned it... you don't know my legend?"
Hakuno shook her head.
"Amnesia" she justified.
"Ah, excuse me, Master."
He took a look at the Cauldron.
"We still have some time left, so I'll give you a brief summary of my story. It will always be useful for you to get to know me better."
Kerridwen, the goddess-witch, had several sons. One of them was born afflicted with such ugliness that all fled when they saw him (3). Kerridwen, desiring to secure him a place of choice in spite of his hideous appearance, decided to give him universal wisdom thanks to Gréal.
However, the dwarf Gwyon Bach (hunchback and counterfeit) who was busy stirring the contents of the cauldron finally fell asleep. And the cauldron began to boil, spraying it with three drops of liquid. Burned, Gwyon Bach licked the liquid... and absorbed the universal knowledge destined for the son of Kerridwen!
When the witch-goddess returned, she immediately understood what had happened and became furious. She transformed and Gwyon Bach, thanks to the knowledge learned by the cauldron, transformed in turn to defend herself. A duel of metamorphosis ensued (4).
Unable to win, Gwyon Bach turned into a grain of wheat and Kerridwen took the appearance of a black hen to peck it.
But Gwyon Bach proved to be smarter than Kerridwen. A few days later, Kerridwen realized that she had become pregnant. The essence of Gwyon Bach had taken refuge in her. Nine months later, she gave birth to a child. Unable to resolve herself to kill her own child, she would have been cursed by the gods for such a crime, Kerridwen did what is done in all the legends: she put him on a raft and abandoned him (5)... with Gréal because she felt that she was betrayed by the cauldron!
"Needless to say," concludes Taliesin "that the child was me. So I'm Kerriwen's son and Gwyon Bach's son... but since Gwyon Bach is also me, I'm my own father. As for Gréal, I used it as a crib when I was a baby. Suffice to say that I am very attached to this cauldron of wonders."
Artoria, who had listened silently, intervened at that moment:
"My father Uther, who was looking for the Caliburn sword after the death of Bran the Blessed, joined Taliesin, the only survivor of Bran's expedition to Ireland. And they found Caliburn planted in Gréal. Kerridwen posed as a test for the restitution of the two artifacts that Uther managed to snatch the sword from the Cauldron of Knowledge. Later, Merlin reconstructed this event for me (6).
While Taliesin told his story, his assistants continued to move around Gréal. And Hakuno was more and more worried... the pig, the skeleton, and the goat were constantly adding disgusting or improbable ingredients. At one point, the skeleton opened a box and there came out a... scream of fright remained sealed in a Bounded Field!
Had the druid called Hakuno to make her drink the horrible liquid he was concocting?
Artoria must have shared her doubts. She frowned, pointing a finger at the cauldron:
"I don't trust this liquid, what are you up to, Taliesin?"
The young man dressed in black seemed shocked whom one doubts about him:
"I mean, My King, you know me...
"Precisely!"
But Taliesin continued without appearing to hear the interruption:
—I would never do anything to put our Master in danger."
Artoria and Bedivere exchanged a rather dubious look. Past experience did not really support this assertion.
Rather vexed, the druid replaced the skeleton that was stirring the mixture and removed the long copper ladle...
'It's absolutely not dangerous. I...
The ladle was corroded, twisted, and steaming as by the action of a powerful acid.
"Oops... I must have put too much vitriol."
And as the eyes of Artoria shrank under the effect of a sudden outburst of anger, the bard-druid-sorcerer waved both hands laughing with a confused look:
"Wait, this magic potion is not meant to be drunk!"
Obviously, Saber was at the end of her patience:
"Taliesin, would you please explain? Why are we here? Our Master is very busy."
"Yes, of course. Excuse me, My King."
He coughed in his fist and turned to Hakuno:
"Master, I wonder why the Moon Cell Automaton sent me to the Old World. From the beginning, the invocations are not completely random. The very fact that only Servants linked to the Arthurian legend appear pleads in favor of a kind of plan. Obviously, the latter cannot be understood by such limited beings as you and me. And without insulting you... we're talking, after all, about a giant computer capable of performing calculations in a second that would take human lives. Sir Agravain, who was summoned at the same time as me, is a specialist in underground warfare between spies, and he arrived at the very moment when you most needed him. So I took it that I also had a role to play. And I tried to understand..."
Placing his hands above the cauldron, the druid began to chant:
"Through the abyss on the edge of the world
by the ear that pierced the iron's heart beast
by the eye at the center of the triangle
Gréal, show me the danger that threatens us."
The green smoke rose and condensed into an opaque cloud soon an image appeared: A cauldron of black obsidian in a natural, dark cellar. The only light came from a well in the ceiling.
Hakuno Kishinami approached and looked at the object. Even though it was only a three-dimensional image, the Last Master felt it was an evil object. The outer edge was engraved with twelve plates of black metal. Each plate was decorated in its center with a rune and depicted scenes of carnage.
The young Japanese girl turned to Tailesin:
"What is that?"
"I would say this is the version of this world of the Renaissance Cauldron."
All the blood seemed to withdraw from Artoria's face:
"No."
"In the legends of the British Isles, there are three cauldrons of wonders." said the druid, seeing the confusion of the young Master. "We have just spoken of Gréal. And I never had the opportunity to see Dagda's Cauldron of Abundance which - according to legend- can provide all that the god Dagda desires and in unlimited quantities. The third of these cauldrons is the cauldron created by Bran the Blessed. It is a cauldron that brings back to life anyone who is immersed in it on a full moon night. The individual brought back to life loses his shadow but can after be brought back to life an unlimited number of times."
Taliesin shall designate Artoria:
"This cauldron was built by a predecessor of King Arthur. King Bran was tired of endless wars with the Irish. He offered the hand of his sister, the beautiful Branwen, to the king of Ireland to conclude the peace by a marriage alliance, but the king of Ireland did not accept the peace until he had received the Renaissance Cauldron as a wedding gift. However... The King of Ireland does not keep his word. On the contrary... now having the cauldron he attacked Britain, certain to win since after each battle he could bring to life the warriors killed. I am not going to ransack an epic in three lines (7). Just know that Bran went to Ireland and breaking the cauldron from within... which unfortunately cost him his life. I know this story well because I was the only survivor of this expedition."
Hakuno Kishinami remained thoughtful for a few moments and then pressed her hands on her chest. She exchanged a look with Bedivere and then Artoria, who nodded back to her. In turn, she nodded with determination as she looked towards Taliesin.
She understood the danger and asked only one question:
"Where?"
"This Cauldron of Resurrection was located southwest of Marienburg, in the mountains that separate us from the Kingdom of Bretonnia. I can place the exact place on a map... it's not difficult to locate it, the cauldron was installed on a Nexus where several ley-lines meet. And this is another reason to fear this object..."
As Hakuno glanced at him, the druid shrugged his shoulders:
"Remember what I told you about Gréal? It's an object used in Formalcraft rituals. It draws energy from ley-lines... The Cauldron of Resurrection is at least as powerful and as it is installed on a Nexus, it controls all ley-lines in the area. The sorcerer who uses this Cauldron is draining all available energy... Soon, the 'Baby' Moon Cell floating above the New Palace will no longer have enough energy. It will disappear... and you will no longer be able to call the legions of Seraph's enemy_programs, and we - the Servants- will disappear in our turn! Do you understand, Master? Within a few months, the enemy will have built an immense army and we will be too weak to defend ourselves."
Night had fallen on the Reikr estuary.
De Watervrow was a powerful galleon that moved northward, carried by the ebb tide. Her three decks were pierced by numerous ports lined with cannon. Two storeys of sails snapped on her masts, and on the highest of them floated the yellow flag of Marienburg.
The lookout, which sought to pierce the shadows of the night, bent its eyes. Ahead of the ship lay a particularly dense and unusual fog ban in this season.
On the aft castle, a sailor sounded the bell tirelessly to signal himself and avoid that another ship hit De Watervrow.
Suddenly, the lookout bent over to shout:
"Captain, an island ahead of us!"
Captain De Ruyter was dressed in a long over-the-top with golden buttons and wearing a tricorn over a yellow scarf that hid his hair. With his gold earring, he looked more like a pirate than a captain of a navy. It must be said that De Ruyter belonged to the infamous Van Klump's Buccaneers, privateers renting their service at Marienburg (and to the highest bidder).
The man had been traveling on the Sea of Claws since childhood, having started as a simple cabin-boy before gradually rising in rank. He did not need to search a map to understand that an island could NOT be in front of them.
He took his own spyglass, and looked into the mist to discover a very high shape... it looked like a cliff with jagged peaks. There were strange lights and... suddenly he identified windows. It was not an island, but a city! Which was even crazier, nobody can build a town overnight, here in the Reikr estuary, isn't it?
He was still wondering if he had lost his reason for the water to boil around De Watervrow. Tentacles sprang out of the ocean... each of the long lashes of icy flesh was about a hundred meters long and filled with suction cups the size of a shield. They wrapped themselves around the masts, wrapped the hull, and then... pulled the galleon.
In a great cracking of broken wood and amid the cries of terror of the sailors, the ship lay on her side and began to sink.
In the bubbling foam, one could distinguish a shape in the middle of the teeming tentacles, cold eyes and a horny beak could be seen... a sailor who had been thrown into the water was caught by the feet, lifted out of the water by a tentacle and then swallowed by the monster!
"A Kraken!"
Of all the marine monsters, the Kraken best symbolized the terror that the sailors could feel for the atrocities created by the Powers of the Ruin... but these rare bred of monsters lived far north of the Sea of Claws. In human memory, never one of these monsters risked himself in the estuary of the Reikr!
The dreadful monster continued to fish the sailors until there was no more movement in the water around him. De Watervrow had meanwhile disappeared and apart from the ropes, broken boards, or barrels that were still floating, there was no sign of her presence.
As the monster plunged under the waves, a possible observer could have discerned a metallic harness adorned with runes of power on the body of the Kraken... The monster was domesticated! And the identity of its masters was no doubt, the Drucchii runes that made him docile were used only by one people... the Dark Elves!
Author Note: Poor Hakuno! One cannot even say that her enemies are standing in line to attack her! Between the inner and outer enemies, she is continuously attacked from three sides at once. But Marienburg is the city of corruption... after all, isn't it a cursed city doomed to sink into the mire!
You will note that the main enemies of this Arc, the Dark Elves, have just made their first apparition. Those who know Warhammer Fantasy must have understood what this city/ island in the middle of the Reikr estuary really was...
Ah, in another vein, I published a new story for Star War, (Red Vortex War), if you're interested.
(1) "Leech Slime
Bones of codfish
Berries of hemlock... "
(2) Gréal... this looks strangely like Grail, doesn't it? And you're right... the Kerridwen's cauldron is the Grail in the most archaic versions of the Arthurian Legend. The will to Christianize the legend has obscured its meaning... but the original Grail is the cauldron of a witch (!), not the vessel containing the blood of the Christ!
(3) He later became a companion of Arthur and took part in the battle of Camlaan... of which he was one of the few survivors. Indeed, all the enemies, terrified by his hideous appearance, fled at his approach!
(4) This metamorphose duel inspired Walt Disney's masterpiece: 1960s cartoon, The Sword in the Stone.
(5) For a Christian, the parallel with Moses is obvious, but the legend of Moses copies an even more ancient legend. Since Sargon, the future king of Akkad - died around 2200 BC- is the first known hero to have been abandoned on a raft by his parents. Taliesin's right, it's a cliché's twist of fate.
(6) Let us not forget that this explanation is mine, I invented it for the sake of consistency. In the earliest version of the Arthurian myth, Caliburn was not planted in a rock or anvil, but in the Kerridwen cauldron. And it was by pulling the sword out of the cauldron that Arthur appropriated Caliburn. This primitive legend has been transmitted orally since the dawn of time and was written down centuries before Merlin's appearance in the Arthurian legend. Since the Arthurian Cycle does not tell how Uther took over Caliburn, I saw an opportunity to mix the two versions without them contradicting each other.
By the way, the original Arthurian story (probably) inspired another Walt Disney cartoon: "The Black Cauldron" (1985).
(7) Read the Mabinogi of Brandwen if you are interested in this story.