Godwyn's Gauntlet
Date: Summer 1190
Characters
Synopsis
By the summer of 1190, Godwyn had begun to chafe at his pater Ricbert's authority. The frequent bickering and needle matches as Godwyn tried to assert his dominance had grown wearisome to both master and apprentice, so Ricbert declared it was time for Godwyn to face the Wizard's Gauntlet. Godwyn was to hunt and slay an enchanted white stag.
Having never hunted large game, Godwyn first decided to practice by hunting a mundane stag. This proved more that his novice hunting skills could manage: although he was able to track the beast in wolf form, he lacked the combat skill necessary to single-handedly kill it. He then attempted to recruit the other wolves of the forest to assist him in his hunting. He managed to befriend the wolves and spend a few days among them, but the difficulty was that he was new to the pack hierarchy. He didn't come in right at the top. Indeed, he was no match in combat for the pack leader, and chose not to resort to magic to browbeat the other wolves. After a while he abandoned his attempts to get the wolves to help him.
Next, Godwyn turned to Orwin, the chief huntsman of his pater's covenant. With Orwin and two other hunters, he set out to hunt the whte stag with hounds. The white stag's magical powers and speed enabled it to escape easily. Godywn tried to paralyze the stag using the Viper's Gaze, but was unable to overcome its Magic Resistance. The hunting party came near calamity when they crossed paths with a group of nobles hunting the same quarry, for the magus and his band were hunting illegally and the forest laws of England are famous for their harsh penalties. They managed to escape due to the timely appearance of the white stag, which distracted the Normans from dispensing "justice."
Godwyn was discouraged and about to admit defeat when, that night in camp, he used Eyes of the Cat so the grogs could watch for Normans. Godwyn realized that with magic, they could see in the dark better than the white stag could. He and his grogs decided to stalk it on foot, without hounds. They found the stag thanks to Orwin's hunting skills. Rather than fleeing, the stag stood its ground. A fierce battle ensuring, during which Orwin was badly wounded. After Robert the grog's arrows inflicted many minor wounds on the stag, Godwyn (in wolf form) was finally able to bring it down with his teeth. He used Bind Wound to get Orwin safely back to the covenant.
Godwyn feels a debt of gratitude to Orwin, who undertook the dangerous hunt and suffered serious wounds in order to help a young apprentice become a wizard. Orwin remained at Ricbert's covenant, but Godwyn promised the hunter future aid if ever he should need it.
What Godwyn Learned
- Being a wolf has advantages, but is not as impressive as it seems. Wolves are fairly small and their weapons are weak compared to man's.
- Godwyn presumed that because he was a wizard, he could walk into a wolf pack and easily assume leadership. The wolves thought differently. Leadership is not that easy. Authority must be earned, among the wolf pack no less than among the Order of Hermes.
- A young magus cannot overcome challenges by himself, any more than a lone wolf can bring down a mighty stag. Grogs and companions are essential. Their allegiance must not be taken for granted.
- Just as being a wolf is not as impressive as it seems, neither is being a young magus. Of all the spells in Godwyn's grimoire, it was a first-magnitude spell that won the day. Make full use of all one's abilities and do not make the mistake of thinking that brute power (The Viper's Gaze) is the answer.
All of this can be summed up in one word: humility. Ricbert may be a jerk sometimes, but he taught that final lesson well.