I have pretty much completed work on Act I of Le Morte D’Arthur, which is the expository section laying down the basic dramatic context and introducing the characters. I think that I need to add more material on the other characters, but for now I’m moving on to Act II, in which Arthur begins a series of raids into Saxon territory, culminating in a big battle with collected Saxon forces. The conclusion of this battle will end Act II.
Act II begins with deliberations over the question of initiating raids against the Saxons. The early raids are more tentative in nature, using smaller forces probing more isolated areas. Arthur leads every raid with his katerfaks, but each raid also uses troopers from one of the sub-kings. The purpose is to familiarize the troopers with the techniques used in this kind of fighting. Initially the number of troopers is small because each trooper must be equipped with footrings (stirrups) for greater stability while fighting. This also creates a big demand for iron, requiring additional miners, charcoal, and smiths. There were iron mines just west of the mouth of the Severn, close to Mordred’s lands. There were probably also smaller iron mines scattered through Cornwall.
Act II is just a sequence of larger raids penetrating deeper into Saxon territory. I have already written many of these encounters, but I’ll need to stitch them together more tightly. Along the way, Arthur will face disagreements with his sub-kings about who should participate, how many men should be contributed, and how to respond to casualties. There will also be timing problems; men of appropriate age for raiding will be busy all through the year with local tasks, giving sub-kings an excuse to refuse to participate. In some cases, Arthur may have to threaten reluctant sub-kings.