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Banner Lord
Banner Lord
What we know of the Saes comes mostly from the accounts written in the time of Aurelius Pen Ddraig, of
his younger brother Uther, and Uther’s son Arthur. They came, through the Mists, at Vortigern’s call, from
another realm, and thus their histories are mostly unknown to us.
What we know can be found in various books, but of interest particularly, here, is Cerdyc. He was, to the
Saes, what we might call a king, and yet, he was not. Cerdyc led the Saes not through the will of the
ancestors, nor through the popular acclamation of the people, but by right of strength.
The Saes were a warring and disparate people - they had no singular, unifying leader. Each of the Hyrds was
a law unto itself, and more often than not they would be fighting amongst themselves. But the stories we
know tell us of a helm.
The Helm of the Bannerlord. They say that some Saes would take it upon themselves to quest for the
Helm, and that most would die in the attempt. Were the Helm to be found it was not guaranteed that the
finder could wear it, for the Helm itself required mastering and conquering.
But, in those rare times, perhaps once in a hundred years, the Helm would be found, and mastered, and for
a time the Saes would be united, for all would march behind the Bannerlord. The strongest of a people who
valued strength, it was the Bannerlord who could command the Warhyrd - the massing of the Saes.
Cerdyc was such a Saes, and using the helm he led his people through the Mists to conquer Albion. A great,
shining thing, the Helm, with a full face-plate that would hide the wearer’s own face - the purpose of this
was, we surmise, to show that the wearer was no longer an individual, but the avatar of the Saes as a
whole.
When Cerdyc was killed, the Helm was claimed by Uther, however, owing to the magic of the Helm, it
soon faded from his grip, for when the Helm’s wearer is defeated the Helm will shift itself, to be ready for
the seeking. Wherever that Helm lies it is somewhere within Albion, and should it be found, and
mastered, the Bannerlord may find themselves in command of the remaining Saes - for we know they are
out there still.
The Goldenblade
The sword of Hyrsa, daughter of Cerdyc the Bannerlord, Gesith to her father, a leader among the Saes. Little is
known of this blade, other than the fact it seemed to never need the touch of a whetstone, and even in
darkness the golden blade shimmered with light. Hyrsa wielded the blade when she rode forth from Avalon
once more - where the blade now lies, none know.