Biggus d’Fatuus Mousillon “Grail Knight”

Here is my fluff/story on my Bretonnian warband

My first campaign with Biggus was with TC 12 Bretonnians Rules, now in Campaign 2 the warband is following Marienburg warband rules. The change to warband style is due to the story and I love Marienburg.


This is a historically correct battle report and commentary.




Bretonnian Mousillon Warband-Mordheim (the beginning)
Biggus d’Fatuus

Mousillon is the Lost Child of Bretonnia, the Land of Despair. It suffers under a terrible curse that renders its land poor, its people fearful and ignorant, and its nobles wicked. Ravaged in recent times by plague, war, and abandonment, Mousillon is grim and ugly. It is a land where few sane men go.

Much of its land was taken by Lyonesse in 836 (1814), after the corruption of Duke Merovech was revealed. The Duke of Mousillon slew the King of Bretonnia and drank his blood before the assembled nobles. War was the only solution.

Biggus d’Fatuus family once was one of the greatest noble households in the Mousillon Dukedom. After Duke Mervocech killed the King of Bretonnia many a noble households were unable to keep their family lands and or their lands swallowed them up with chaos and evil. D’Fatuus family fell rapidly from the graces of the Bretonnian empire and nobility. They lost their lands to the swamp and decay and to other nobles who had survived the Merovech wars but ended upon seizing other nobles property. The d’Fatuus’s fought for their land and their honor but it was no longer enough.

Biggus’s father died attempting to keep the undead from eating their family but Biggus’s father and his small retinue of knights, squires were overran and the entire family and retinue were slain.

Biggus survived the massacre as he was off looking at his reflection in a local stream when the attack had occurred at his family’s castle. During this time, Biggus was given a vision by the Lady of the Lake to leave Mousillon and regain honor to his family by becoming a Questing Knight and overcome great odds.

Biggus left his family’s home with his trusted war horse. The war horse was known for his temper and glaring red eyes. Biggus’s war horse had been with him many years and followed Biggus around where ever he went. Biggus affectionally called “Coconut.” Biggus and coconut set was remained of the castle and local hovels aflame and are leaving their home for good and embark on an adventure. Two squires were found hiding in the cellar along with a couple of bowmen and men at arms. Biggus took the men with them and told them that by going on this adventure they will be able to regain honor once more.

Just a few days travel from leaving his family’s castle Biggus came across a lonely Knight. It was a knight in all black and would never raise his visor. Biggus asked the lonely black knight to accompany him on his quest as his was given a vision by the Lady of the Lake. The black knight said, “Sure, why not?”.

More to come later.


Part 2
Biggus d’Fatuus-Land of the Dead-Khemri

Biggus d’Fatuus had traveled far from Mousillon. His retinue grew over time. There were always knights looking to regain honor, squires looking for new knights to assist as their knights were killed and or men at arms looking to make a few gold coins to scrap by a living.

Biggus was on a quest, a quest from the “Lady of the Lake”. Biggus would keep looking into a stream, river, lake or goblet to see his own reflection. He was also attempting to see what if any further instructions there were from the Lady of the Lake. On a rare occasion the same image would appear, shifting sands, pyramids, great structures, and then at the end a tomb…..a tomb that had a sacrofagues in it and the sacrofagues was glowing….and the glow got brighter and brighter until their was an explosion of lights and a giant ancient Khemri skull flew out of the explosion.

Biggus felt, he was being sent on a mission to stop this “thing” this sarcophagus from becoming something evil. It was his job to travel to Khemri to save the world. The King and Fay Enchantress can also raise a peasant to the nobility, but in this case, they must both agree. In theory, the Lady of the Lake could raise anyone she wanted to any position she wanted, but she never has. MMM…..so if she never has then who is this “Lady of the Lake” Biggus is telling everyone about or is this really a quest from the Lady of the Lake? Inquiring minds want to know.

Biggus and his retinue had made it to a Khemri port. They went there to gain information and gather supplies. He and his men where low on money and food. While Biggus was taking a drink from a local water fountain, he was gazing at his reflection. Biggus was transfixed upon his beauty (or what he thought was beauty) and was delighted with it. Then his reflection was fading out and he saw a ship that had just moored to the port and he saw the ship had supplies and resources. It was like is was there but wasn’t there. He could sense and hear the chatter or teh sailers unloading their cargo and their conversations. In one moment, Biggus felt and smelt the ocean breeze on his face and the salty taste of sea water.

Biggus knew what to do, this was a sign from the “Lady of the Lake”, he must gather his retinue and go take his supplies from this ship. Biggus needed the supplies for his men and to gain honor for his family name and Mousillon. No longer will the d’Fatuus name be mocked.
Retinue
Questing Knight: Biggus d’Fatuus

Knight Errant: “Black Kight” Caro Vulnus

Knight Errant: “Yellow Flower” Luteus D'Flos

Squire 1: Qui Saltat Pullis “He who Dances with Chickens” or “Q” for short.

Squire 2: Mater Troglodytarum “Mother was Troll” or “Trogo” for short.

Squire 3: Fractum L’Pedem “Broken Leg” or “Gimp” for short.

Bowmen: No names at this time. LOL

Men at Arm:Diem Unum Mortem “Day 1 Death
Part 3 Biggus Fatuus-Journey to Marienburg




Journey to Marienburg
A Historically Correct Narrative on Biggus Fatuus
A Narrative of Mousillon, Mordheim, and Khemri
Wojciech Podsiadły

Sunshine, what a sunshiny day. That was the only thought going through Biggus mind as he stood at the prow of the ship and looked at the beautiful sun and water. Biggus always felt happiness when close to water, though he could never understand why.

Biggus managed to get his core group of his warband passage on a ship leaving the port of Antioch and was heading to Marienburg. What a fortuitous event and the Captain of the ship only charged half the rate. Biggus thought, today the Lady of the Lake is looking out for us. The name of the ship is ‘Malus Aqua Daemonium.” Which in translated means “Bad Water Demon.”

What was only a week to travel from Antioch seemed like months on the melancholy ship. As the Malus Aqua Daemonium was within 3 days arrive to Marienburg a thick Fog began to rise directly behind them. The fog seemed to follow the ship. The captain of the ship was starting to get nervous as the fog continued to follow them. The captain has spent most of his adolescent years to adulthood on the sea, there was not much that worried or scared this sea fairing captain. The captain would have his helmsman change course several times a day to see if the fog was really following them, and it was. The captain’s stomach had knots and he started to let crazy ideas of doom enter his mind.

The Bretonnian’s had noticed the fog chasing them across the sea but they were not that worried. After spending 6 months on their last Khemri campaign that had already seen and witnessed unholy and scary events that no normal person would understand. The Bretonnians had been attacked by skeletons, tomb kings, scorpions, rampaging chickens, bone giants, skaven, giant eagles, rat swarms, boulders, traps, and more. And yet, the Bretonnians had mostly survived. Yes, they had members taken out of action (OOA) and maybe they were on their third or fourth damsel (warlock) due to dying after being taken OOA but that was just part of their life. Life was precious but short lived and they all understood that.

The ship was only a day away when the captain of the Malus thought the fog had left and disappeared.
For a split second the captain sighed a relief and patted the helmsman on the back several times. Then, everything stopped, literally, all time and movement stopped. The wind no longer moved, the ship was perfectly still, no crewman could move, but they could see see but unable to talk. The world as they knew it was frozen. The nemesis fog that the Malus and her crew and passengers thought they had evaded now was all around the ship. There were several seagulls flying around the masts and they too were frozen in mid air. The fog began to creep on this ship and it began it get very cold. The men while couldn’t move were able to breath and see their breath in the air as it got colder and colder. Ice began to freeze parts of the ship.

A figured could be made out in the dark mists, fear began to rise from the crew and passengers on the Malus. The figure enveloped in the deep dark fog could not be made out but all those that were on the main deck could see something was moving in the fog. The figure made it’s way to Biggus. Biggus started at the figure but was not unnecessarily scared, he was not worried. The figure appeared before Biggus (see picture below). Biggus’s eyes were still adjusting to the fog and the image spoke. “Biggus, you are my trusted Questing Knight, you are my only hope. It is you that will find the Holy Grail, it is you that will restore honor to the once fabled Fatuus family and to Mousillon.” Biggus was speechless which was ironic as normally you could never get him to shut up. The fogged image began to contrast and show more detail to Biggus and only Biggus was able to see more features of the fog thing. To everyone else on the ship, they could only see fringes of an outline of something in the fog.

Biggus wanted to kneel but was unable due to being frozen in place. He tried to speak but was unable. With a wave of her hand. Biggus fell to the deck and was able to move and talk. Biggus say, “My Lady, I serve you and only you.”The Lady” said, “You are on a mission, to Marienburg, there is a book there that needs recovered. It is the book you did not recover after your last battle in Khemri pyramid and you must get this book and prepare to go back to Khemri.” Biggus stated, “Yes, my Lady, I only serve you and will fulfill your tidings.” The specter (Lady) spoke again, “In Marienburg, you will train with merecesanires to train on other fighting skills and tactics. Some in Bretonnia may consider these trainings unchivalrous but I say it is chivalrous to make necessary adaptions to get the Holy Grail
back!!!!”

The fog and Lady “spectre” disappeared as fast as it appeared. Only Biggus has actually seen the Lady and heard the Lady. No man spoke till they reached the port of Marienburg. As the Bretonnians were disembarking from the ship Biggus went to shake the ship captain’s hand but as Biggus raised his hand the ship captain put a bag of coins in Biggus hand and said, “Keep your 600 gold coins, I want nothing to do with the evil blood money and whatever you are up to.” The 600 gold coins (starting coins for a Marienburg Warband) would help Biggus get with warband reequipped and supplied. Fatuus was never to look a “gift horse” in the mouth but there was that one time when he was at a local drinking establishment there was a horse at the bar talking to the patrons. But alas, that is another story…..

References:
Massacre in Marienburg Black Library
Multitude of Other WHFRP material

Public Notice: No talking horses were hurt or required to perform against their will.



Part 4 Biggus in Marienburg with Warband training and looking for book.



After stocking up on supplies and finding a Patreon to help pay for the next Khemri Campaign Biggus learned a great deal from the Marienburg Mercenaries and ware fare. Warfare is not fair.