Lost Scrolls of BuK
Chronicles of JAG
…Quest for the Quebec Grail…
“ So all day long the noise of battle rolled
Among the mountains by the winter sea.”
Alfred, Lord Tennyson – Idylls of the King ‘The Passing of Arthur’
Once, a very, very long time ago in a land of rain and wind and bright sun there lived a very, very, old man. If you happened to live in this very long ago time and in that very same far away land of bright sunlight and high wind (and were also lucky or perhaps even very, very, clever) you might have found the small hidden glen in which this very, very old man lived. And if you had found this glen and walked amongst its thickets of splintered paddles festooned with the remnants of ancient PFD’s all covered with hummocky bushes and cushioning moss (much like one would think a battleground might look if one left all the abandoned swords and armour and whatnot for fifty years or so), you might even find the tiny turf hut overhung by ancient willows in which this very, very, old man lived. If you were very, very, very, lucky (or at least quite clever), you might have caught this very, very, old man. And if you were very lucky or clever and did catch him, this is the story he would tell:
The Tale of the Companions of JAG, Sir Jodeogrance, Sir Iravaine, and the Quebec Grail
One rainy fall day, having had quite enough of friendly Jousting at Canalot, the Companions of JAG resolved to seek adventure farther afield. Their leader, the Lady Ys proposed: “Hark unto me, O faithful friends! I have heard tell a tale of a Vessel, and whosoever shall find this Vessel shall have all that their Heart desires. What say you, Companions of JAG, shall we seek this Quebec Grail?” To which all the companions present replied: “ Forsooth! This is indeed a Quest worthy of our mettle. Let us go together and seek after this Grail”. So, gathering their paddles of wood and fiber and donning their buoyant hauberks of many gay hues over mail shirts of midnight piped in purest white, they set off to seek the fabled Cup after fortifying themselves with little chocolate cakes. Along their chosen path lay many perils, but always in their hour of darkest need were they able to call upon the valiant Sir Jodeogrance and his equally valiant brother, Sir Iravaine. The first test of their courage came when they encountered a force of Giant Amazons garbed in oxblood armour. These Elite warriors were accompanied by a troupe of Chicks and a Fei Long Dragon. Though not victorious, the Companions were allowed to continue their Quest under an uneasy truce. They wandered some time in a strange land of stone steps and incomprehensible iron structures, where, lashed by driving rain and tortured by damp and cold, they came upon the second task to be completed before their Quest could continue. In this, the second task, guided by the wisdom of Sir Jodeogrance, they met at sea and defeated with finality, Two Abreast, a Phoenix of the Wind’s four Quarters, and the Ephedrines sent against them. These two tasks behind them, courage undimmed, their Leader, the Lady Ys, declared: “ These worthy foes have wearied us greatly, let us seek shelter from the rain and rest ourselves, for the greater test lies before us, methinks!”. To which the Companions replied: “Gladly shall we rest and tend our wounds, the better to seek the Grail on the morrow!”. Thus, wet and weary they went to their separate rest.
The following day dawned bright and clear, with a mischievous wind whipping the Companions’ tents with such vigour that they were obliged to strike camp with great haste. Having struck camp they armed themselves with their paddles, and clad anew in their buoyant hauberks they departed to seek their third test. Once again along the path to the Quebec Grail were they overcome by the encountered foe. The combined strength of a force of Not so Giant Amazons (sisters to the Elite force encountered earlier in their Quest), three Arr Dragons and a flock of Redoubtable Ravens beat them back and they were forced to regroup. Undismayed under the guidance of Sir Iravaine they overcame once again the Ephedrines and Two Abreast, but were ultimately defeated at sea in an Eye Catching final contest on Basin field. Valiantly summoning Sir Iravaine to their guidance (Sir Jodeogrance having chivalrously elected to assist their fallen foe the Ephedrines), they gathered themselves to the last task. Wandering in this distant place in search of the Quebec Grail, the Lady Ys was granted a Vision of the Castle Touquay upon whose highest tower glowed, veiled in a many splendoured light, the object of their Quest. Overwhelmed by this Seeing, the Lady Ys spoke to the Companions thus: “ O my company of brave paddlers! I see such a sight as would quench the thirst of one dying. Can it be that this is meant for us, unworthy though we are?” To which the companions cried: “If your Seeing is true then the end of our Quest is nigh! Let us push on to this next task and test our mettle against the Fortress Touquay! If we are proven worthy, may God grant us our most fervent desire.” The battle raged long and wearyingly, and though the companions of JAG fought bravely unto the end of their strength, the fabled Chalice remained ever too distant to grasp. Summoning the Companions to her side, the Lady Ys declared: “ Fair Company of Friends, be not downcast, for all have fought bravely and well! Mayhap there is still some further test required of us before we may accede to our heart’s desire. Let us return to Canalot with the fire of this granted Vision to stoke our courage for the next attempt.” To which the Companions replied: “This is wisdom indeed! Let us go, for we are greatly wearied.”
And so they returned to Canalot.
Did they return to that strange land of stone and steel, there to seek the Grail once more? That I cannot tell , for that is another tale. This alone can I tell you: that the Companions of JAG returned from their Grail Quest with a great treasure, though it was not the Quebec Grail. The treasure they found is simply these few words: She who seeks the Grail must seek it with a pure heart, and seek it within herself. The journey of the Quest has its own gifts whose worth by far exceeds the value of the Prize.
Now where did that very, very, very old and quite clever man go?
Chronicles of JAG
…Quest for the Quebec Grail…
“ So all day long the noise of battle rolled
Among the mountains by the winter sea.”
Alfred, Lord Tennyson – Idylls of the King ‘The Passing of Arthur’
Once, a very, very long time ago in a land of rain and wind and bright sun there lived a very, very, old man. If you happened to live in this very long ago time and in that very same far away land of bright sunlight and high wind (and were also lucky or perhaps even very, very, clever) you might have found the small hidden glen in which this very, very old man lived. And if you had found this glen and walked amongst its thickets of splintered paddles festooned with the remnants of ancient PFD’s all covered with hummocky bushes and cushioning moss (much like one would think a battleground might look if one left all the abandoned swords and armour and whatnot for fifty years or so), you might even find the tiny turf hut overhung by ancient willows in which this very, very, old man lived. If you were very, very, very, lucky (or at least quite clever), you might have caught this very, very, old man. And if you were very lucky or clever and did catch him, this is the story he would tell:
The Tale of the Companions of JAG, Sir Jodeogrance, Sir Iravaine, and the Quebec Grail
One rainy fall day, having had quite enough of friendly Jousting at Canalot, the Companions of JAG resolved to seek adventure farther afield. Their leader, the Lady Ys proposed: “Hark unto me, O faithful friends! I have heard tell a tale of a Vessel, and whosoever shall find this Vessel shall have all that their Heart desires. What say you, Companions of JAG, shall we seek this Quebec Grail?” To which all the companions present replied: “ Forsooth! This is indeed a Quest worthy of our mettle. Let us go together and seek after this Grail”. So, gathering their paddles of wood and fiber and donning their buoyant hauberks of many gay hues over mail shirts of midnight piped in purest white, they set off to seek the fabled Cup after fortifying themselves with little chocolate cakes. Along their chosen path lay many perils, but always in their hour of darkest need were they able to call upon the valiant Sir Jodeogrance and his equally valiant brother, Sir Iravaine. The first test of their courage came when they encountered a force of Giant Amazons garbed in oxblood armour. These Elite warriors were accompanied by a troupe of Chicks and a Fei Long Dragon. Though not victorious, the Companions were allowed to continue their Quest under an uneasy truce. They wandered some time in a strange land of stone steps and incomprehensible iron structures, where, lashed by driving rain and tortured by damp and cold, they came upon the second task to be completed before their Quest could continue. In this, the second task, guided by the wisdom of Sir Jodeogrance, they met at sea and defeated with finality, Two Abreast, a Phoenix of the Wind’s four Quarters, and the Ephedrines sent against them. These two tasks behind them, courage undimmed, their Leader, the Lady Ys, declared: “ These worthy foes have wearied us greatly, let us seek shelter from the rain and rest ourselves, for the greater test lies before us, methinks!”. To which the Companions replied: “Gladly shall we rest and tend our wounds, the better to seek the Grail on the morrow!”. Thus, wet and weary they went to their separate rest.
The following day dawned bright and clear, with a mischievous wind whipping the Companions’ tents with such vigour that they were obliged to strike camp with great haste. Having struck camp they armed themselves with their paddles, and clad anew in their buoyant hauberks they departed to seek their third test. Once again along the path to the Quebec Grail were they overcome by the encountered foe. The combined strength of a force of Not so Giant Amazons (sisters to the Elite force encountered earlier in their Quest), three Arr Dragons and a flock of Redoubtable Ravens beat them back and they were forced to regroup. Undismayed under the guidance of Sir Iravaine they overcame once again the Ephedrines and Two Abreast, but were ultimately defeated at sea in an Eye Catching final contest on Basin field. Valiantly summoning Sir Iravaine to their guidance (Sir Jodeogrance having chivalrously elected to assist their fallen foe the Ephedrines), they gathered themselves to the last task. Wandering in this distant place in search of the Quebec Grail, the Lady Ys was granted a Vision of the Castle Touquay upon whose highest tower glowed, veiled in a many splendoured light, the object of their Quest. Overwhelmed by this Seeing, the Lady Ys spoke to the Companions thus: “ O my company of brave paddlers! I see such a sight as would quench the thirst of one dying. Can it be that this is meant for us, unworthy though we are?” To which the companions cried: “If your Seeing is true then the end of our Quest is nigh! Let us push on to this next task and test our mettle against the Fortress Touquay! If we are proven worthy, may God grant us our most fervent desire.” The battle raged long and wearyingly, and though the companions of JAG fought bravely unto the end of their strength, the fabled Chalice remained ever too distant to grasp. Summoning the Companions to her side, the Lady Ys declared: “ Fair Company of Friends, be not downcast, for all have fought bravely and well! Mayhap there is still some further test required of us before we may accede to our heart’s desire. Let us return to Canalot with the fire of this granted Vision to stoke our courage for the next attempt.” To which the Companions replied: “This is wisdom indeed! Let us go, for we are greatly wearied.”
And so they returned to Canalot.
Did they return to that strange land of stone and steel, there to seek the Grail once more? That I cannot tell , for that is another tale. This alone can I tell you: that the Companions of JAG returned from their Grail Quest with a great treasure, though it was not the Quebec Grail. The treasure they found is simply these few words: She who seeks the Grail must seek it with a pure heart, and seek it within herself. The journey of the Quest has its own gifts whose worth by far exceeds the value of the Prize.
Now where did that very, very, very old and quite clever man go?
No comments:
Post a Comment