Friday, 29 April 2016

Ragin' Roland IV: Marphisa!

The Myth: Legends of Charlemagne! Knights! Shining Armour! Magic swords! Magic horses! Quests, romance, adventure, monsters, violence, irresponsible magic, and a magnificent lack of self-control!
The Book: Orlando Furioso
The Author: Lodovico Ariosto (1532-ish)
This text: An etext of a set of poetry translations from 1823 to 1831 by William Stewart Rose.   
Price: Nothin'.

(Previously...)

This episode has Marphisa in it. Marphisa is entirely my favourite character in this entire poem.

Martano's capture
We're in Damascus, and Gryphon's rage has sent the Damascan townsfolk fleeing. Gryphon has found a defensible position - the bridge over a temple's moat - and is holding it against King Norandino's knights. As the bodies start to pile up, the king realises that he may have made an error - surely this valiant knight can't be the wretch he accused of cowardice! He shouts an apology, which Gryphon accepts. They embrace, and Norandino offers Gryphon the hospitality of the palace, and a doctor to see to his wounds.

Meanwhile, Aquilant has set out in pursuit of Origilla, reasoning that that's probably what Gryphon has done. He learns that she left the tournament in the direction of Aleppo. On reaching Aleppo, Aquilant is pleased to see his brothers arms and armour, especially since the tournament's prize in on extravagant display. He is rather less pleased to see that Gryphon's armour contains Martano. He asks for one good reason why he shouldn't gut both of them for murder.

The good reason that Martano tries is that Gryphon tried to force himself on his dear sister Origilla.

Uh-huh, says Aquilant.

Aquilant heads back to Damascus, dragging Martano behind him on a rope.

Norandino and Aquilant are all in favour of torture and death for both Martano and Origilla, but Gryphon begs clemency for them both.
"Seriously, brother?"
"Seriously!"
"You have a problem."
Norandino deliberates on what would be a suitable apology for someone you've unfairly maligned and had your townspeople abuse; he decides to host another tournament in Gryphon's honour.

Marphisa!
Astolpho is still waiting for Aquilant and Gryphon to get their shit together so that they can head back to France. When he hears about a tournament in Gryphon's honour, he decides he'd better check it out. He heads off with the (Christian) king of Jerusalem, Sansonnet, who he has been hanging with.

Along the way they are accosted by a woman in armour - but when she recognises Astolpho, she breaks into a broad grin. This is Marphisa, the Queen of India and one of the best knights in the world. They fought together back in the Inammorato days, defending Angelica's city of Albracca.
"Astolpho! How're you doing? I haven't seen you since Albracca!"
"Marphisa? Were we even on the same side at Albracca?"
"No idea, but you were awesome! Dude, there's a tournament, we should totally go!"
The prize at the tournament is the magic armour that Gryphon technically won last time that Martano stole, which is on display in Damascus. This causes problems when the trio of knights turns up. It turns out that it's Marphisa's armour...

"Hey, Marphisa, didn't you used to have a suit of magic armour?"
"I ditched it to chase Brunello."
"Hey, look - the prize for the tournament is a suit of magic armour..."
"Holy shit! Be right back!"
"Did...did Marphisa just start a war?"
Marphisa charges into the marketplace to get her armour back. Astolpho and Sansonnet lower their lances and ride in her defense. Norandino directs his own knights - plus Gryphon and Aquilant - to defend the prize. Astolpho knocks the brothers off their horses with his magic lance, and it turns out Sansonnet is no slouch in the jousting department himself. Marphisa is able to recover her armour, and the three retreat back towards their inn.

Norandino, Gryphon and Aquilant pursue, but Aquilant recognises Astolpho's arms and suggests that there might be something else going on. Also, Norandino's men realise that the woman that nicked the armour is Marphisa the famous terrifying warrior queen, and become reluctant to pursue. Norandino calls for a parley, and Astolpho and Sansonnet talk Marphisa down to the extent that she's willing to talk before gutting people.

This is my armour, she politely explains, and I'll gut anyone who tries to take it.

That seems fair, says Norandino.

Norandino arranges a face-saving interpretation: had Gryphon won the tournament as expected, he had always intended to give it back to Marphisa, and anyway if Marphisa was competing she'd probably have won it anyway, so how about Marphisa keeps the armour and no-one gets gutted?

Whatever, says Gryphon. Fair enough, says Marphisa.

And Sansonnet goes on to win the tournament, mostly because Astolpho, Marphisa, Gryphon and Aquilant decide to sit watching from a hillside.

The Battle of Paris: Aftermath, with Angelica
The Saracens have retreated, but their encampment is within sight of Paris. While they don't have the will to continue the assault, Charlemagne doesn't have the forces to clear them out. It's a tense situation as night falls.

Two of Dardinello's most loyal followers - Cloridane and Medoro - decide that they can't possibly leave their king's body where it fell after Rinaldo killed him. Under cover of darkness they sneak back to the battlefield to find the corpse. Unfortunately, as they try to carry it back to the Saracen camp, they are discovered by Zerbino and his patrol. Cloridane drops the body and runs, figuring Medoro must do the same. However, Medoro is the tiniest bit more loyal to his dead king, and holds on. From the treeline, Cloridane sees Medoro cornered; he launches some arrows at the Scots. It's in vain, however, and Medoro is captured.

Please don't kill me, says Medoro, and explains his mission. Zerbino is moved by his loyalty, but one of his men stabs Medoro in the chest. Zerbino strikes the churl down, and Cloridane, believing Medoro murdered, draws his sword and charges in. Cloridane is killed, and Zerbino's squad leaves Medoro for dead.

And so he would be, were it not for a kindly invisible maiden passing by. Angelica, entirely fed up with knights and cursing a bunch of them under her breath, comes across the wounded warrior. Moved to pity, she pulls out some healing herbs and starts seeing to his wounds. She flags down a passing shepherd to help, but Medoro refuses to leave the plain until Dardinello and Cloridane are buried, a task he accomplishes with some difficulty. Then Angelica puts him to bed in the shepherd's shed, and decides to stay with him until he's well.

(Angelica's rescue count: +1 heavily wounded, very pretty soldier)

It is some days before Medoro is well again, and Angelica has time to do some thinking. This man is clearly brave, noble, and very, very, pretty. Most importantly, he is not a complete arse. As he recovers he thanks her for her efforts on his behalf, and is never anything but polite and gentle.

Angelica falls totally in love with him.
"Can there be anything a humble soldier can do to repay the kindness you have shown me?"
"I can think of something."
Angelica is not a terribly subtle person, and she makes her feelings known. Medoro, rescued from certain death by one of the most beautiful women in the world, responds enthusiastically.

The two are married - possibly by the shepherdess - and spend a month honeymooning in the shed.

It's a pleasant month, and the two spend it (a) delighting in each others' company and (b) carving "ANGELICA LOVES MEDORO" on everything, "...in divers cyphers quaintly interlaced."

Eventually, however, Angelica decides that it's time to return to China. She pays the Shepherd with an expensive bracelet that Orlando apparently gave her and that she didn't lose when stripped naked and tied to a rock.

And off they head.

Marphisa and the City of Bloodthirsty Women
Astolpho, Marphisa, Gryphon, Aquilant and Sansonnet set said for France. However, after several days of fair sailing, a gale blows up and drives them towards the African coast. They see a citadel, but the ship's master tells Astolpho that he doesn't want to take harbour there because it's full of violent women who kill or enslave people that can't meet their challenge.

What's the challenge, asks Astolpho.

Well, explains the master, first someone has to defeat the city's ten champions.

Right, says Astolpho, that seems within our capabilities.

And then, says the master, they have to satisfy ten women. 

Um, says Astolpho.

And if they can do that, continues the master, they have to marry all ten women, and if they fail, they and everyone with them will be enslaved or executed.

I see the problem, says Astolpho. Gryphon, Aquilant and Sansonnet concur. Marphisa doesn't, exactly.

But none of them really want to drown, so they head for the coast.

As the ship makes harbour the women of the city flock out to greet them. It's a terribly martial city, given over to arenas and tournament grounds. The only men are the champions - ten knights in armour - and the slaves, who wear dresses and made to do embroidery.

The city's rulers explain their custom.

Maybe we should draw lots, asks Astolpho, to determine our champion.

Nah, I'll do it, says Marphisa.

You're not really, uh, qualified for the second bit, says Astolpho.

I'm not trusting this to you boys, she replies.

Astolpho points out that he has both a magic horn and a magic lance.

Not magic enough, reckons Marphisa.

The next day Marphisa rides out in full armour, to face the ten champions. Nine of them lower their lances. The tenth, armoured in black, sits back and watches.

Marphisa is one of the world's finest warriors, and kills three of the champions on the first pass. Lances shatter on her magic armour. She draws her sword, and resolutely hacks the next six into pieces.

The tenth champion salutes her. He compliments her on her work. He held back, he says, because ten against one seemed terribly unsporting. Speaking of which, he adds that she must be pretty puffed after fighting off nine nasty knights, and maybe they should start again after a night's rest.

Marphisa says that she's barely been fighting for ten minutes and it hasn't exactly been arduous. Taking the afternoon off seems a bit lazy, to be honest.

Fair enough, says the champion, and promptly knocks her off her horse.

This doesn't happen often to Marphisa, and she's thoroughly impressed. 

She draws her sword, and the champion dismounts and does the same. They start fighting in earnest. They duel heavily and earnestly, and neither is able to gain advantage.

Lucky he wasn't fighting earlier, thinks Marphisa.

They end up fighting for the rest of the day, and as the sun starts to go down the champion suggests again that they take the fight up again in the morning. He says that he hates having become this city's champion, and that, honestly, she'll be doing him a favour if she kills him.

Marphisa agrees to a truce, and takes off her helmet.

Holy shit, says the champion, you're a chick!

I know that, says Marphisa. Why do people keep telling me?

Escape from the City of Bloodthirsty Women
The party retires to the champion's pavilion. The knight introduces himself as Guido the Savage. He is, it turns out, the illegitimate son of Duke Aymon, making him Rinaldo and Bradamante's half-brother and Astolpho's cousin. He was travelling to meet his father in France, but was shipwrecked here. He killed the ten champions and took ten wives according to the custom, but he doesn't feel quite right about it.

He also fills Marphisa in on the history of the city. It dates back to classical Greece and the aftermath of the Trojan war. Some Cretan women felt that if their menfolk were going to keep going off to war and leaving them, they may as well learn to cope. They took young lovers - but these lovers didn't turn out to be any more reliable than the last lot of menfolk, and they left. The Cretan women set off in pursuit, and ended up on this shore. Things were happy for a while, but then the men went off again in search of plunder and adventure.

So the Cretan women came up with an arrangement that let them have as many men as they needed, but not more. Surplus menfolk were killed or enslaved, and this fair city was established, with the women in control.

Marphisa listens with deep interest.

Guido ends up saying that all the sex and leisure is making him unmanly, and he wants to go to France to kill people.

Astolpho is delighted to meet a cousin, but Guido is concerned that (a) he'll win tomorrow and Astolpho will be enslaved or else (b) he'll be killed tomorrow, nullifying any particular pleasure he might derive from meeting a new family member.

Hey, says Marphisa, why don't you join us and make a break for it? You're currently a hundred percent of this city's knighthood.

Guido points out that the city is still full of heavily-armed and highly motivated women, including ninety new and angry widows and ten abandoned wives. Maybe nine, if he takes one with him.

But Astolpho has a plan.

The plan is to arm up and ride to the harbour. It is elegant in its simplicity. 

The next morning, the knights arm up. Guido assembles his men-at-arms and his favourite wife, and the party sets off for the harbour. They are assailed on all sides by archers, and Guido and Marphisa lose their horses. Desperate, Astolpho sounds his Horn of Terror.

The city's army is terrified by the sound, and routs. One woman doesn't stop running for days. Unfortunately, Astolpho hadn't been able to warn his comrades to block their ears, so they're all terrified too. Each and every knight fails their will save, and they all pissbolt for the harbour. They're already out to sea when they realise that Astolpho isn't with them.

Astolpho watches the ship sail off, and wonders how he's going to get back to France now.

(I'm crediting Marphisa with Guido's rescue from durance vile in the City of Bloodthirsty Women - Marphisa's rescue count: +1 knight)

The ship eventually makes it back to Marseilles, which is Bradamante's turf, but she's out questing.

The party decides where to go next: Gryphon, Aquilant, Sansonnet and Guido opt to head to Paris; Marphisa goes her own way.
"Hey, Marphisa, we're all going to save Paris. You want to come?"
"I'm a knight, not a herd animal. I'm going questing!"
Rescue tally: 
Melissa: 12
Angelica:7
Bradamante: 5
Orlando: 2
Rinaldo: 2
Marphisa: 1
Rogero: 0
Astolpho: 0


Next: Orlando goes mad. 

Thursday, 7 April 2016

Ragin' Roland III: The Battle of Paris!

The Myth: Legends of Charlemagne! Knights! Shining Armour! Magic swords! Magic horses! Quests, romance, adventure, monsters, violence, irresponsible magic, and a magnificent lack of self-control!
The Book: Orlando Furioso
The Author: Lodovico Ariosto (1532-ish)
This text: An etext of a set of poetry translations from 1823 to 1831 by William Stewart Rose.   
Price: Nothin'.



(http://mythicread.blogspot.com/2016/02/ragin-roland-ii-adventure-at-sea.html)

Enter Mandricardo
We meet Agramant, king of the Saracens, reviewing the troops. He won the last battle - technically - and has gathered the Moorish forces within striking distance of Paris. Nothing is going to stop him now.

The troops are in pretty good shape, although there are some gaps in the hero ranks after the last battle. Agramant (with his ally, Marsilius of Spain) does a bit of rearranging, promotes a few captains, wonders where Rogero is, and accepts Mandricardo, King of Tartary, into the ranks. Mandricardo is wearing the armour of Greek hero Hector, which he found in a fairy castle, and no sword. Mandricardo's main quest is to avenge his father, Agrican, and the first thing he needs to do is find out who killed him.

Everyone tells him: it was Orlando.

This suits Mandricardo, because the reason he has no sword is his other quest: he won't wear any sword but Durindana, Orlando's sword.

Mandricardo casts about for Orlando in an aimless sort of way, and comes across a party of armed knights. They tell him that they are escorting the daughter of the King of Granada to her betrothed, the Moorish champion Rodomont.

Can I meet her, says Mandricardo.

No you can't, say the guards.

Can you defend her, says Mandricardo.

Turns out they can't. Mandricardo kills a lot of them, and the rest flee. Mandricardo, covered in blood, introduces himself to Doralice, the princess.

She is beautiful, and he falls in love.

He is a bloody mess who's just murdered her escort. She doesn't.

But Mandricardo is opportunistic, suave and persistent. He dismisses the surviving Granadan servants and rides off with Doralice, explaining that, never mind what she might hear about quests and vengeance and swords and shit, he had in fact come to Spain for the express purpose of meeting and wooing her.

By nightfall, Doralice is smitten. They boot a shepherd out of his hut, and pass the night under a discreet veil.

Prayers and Allegories, and the Beginning of the Battle of Paris
Agramant hears that the English have landed, and decides he's out of time: he must attack.

Charlemagne, meanwhile, realises he's in a bit of a pickle, and retires to the cathedral to pray. This prompts God to look down, and realise there may be a bit of sorting out to do if Christendom is to be saved. He tells the archangel Michael to grab Silence and Discord - allegories, rather than angels - and do a bit of sorting out.

Michael spends quite a bit of time among allegories, but eventually finds Discord in a monastery, and Silence with Sleep (who is sleeping with Sloth).

Silence is dispatched to help Rinaldo and the English sneak into Paris, and Discord is sent into the Saracen camp to start fucking with them.

The Battle of Paris (Part I)
It's almost too late, though:  the Saracens have now arrived at Paris. Charlemagne has drawn his forces into the citadel. It's about to go off.

This battle is grand. Waves of Saracens hit the walls, and are rebuffed, easily to begin with.

And then Rodomont hits the scene. He hacks, he slashes. He cuts through Christian knights by the dozen, and cuts down any of his own men that are retreating. He scares his forces up siege ladders. He leaps the moat in a single bound, and clears a way for the invading horde. The Saracens force themselves into the inner moat.

And then the defenders set off the mines, and everything is on fire.

So what's Astolpho up to anyway?
Astolpho is preparing to return to Europe. Logistilla gives him a magic book that tells him how to protect himself from magic. She also gives him a horn that terrifies anyone who hears it. And then she puts him in a boat with her handmaiden, Andronica, and sends him back west. Astolpho asks Andronica if she knows the way back to Europe, and she tells him its entire future history.

It's one way to pass a voyage.

The boat deposits Astolpho in Arabia, from whence he is content to wend his way by land. He is riding Rabican, once Agrican's horse. Rabican is half horse, half wind-and-fire, and subsists on nothing but air. He's a good horse. Halfway down the Nile, a hermit in a boat tells him of a giant who has been terrorising the land and generally eating people, and politely suggests that he takes another route.

Astolpho says that the other route is the wrong direction - apart from anything, it takes him away from the wicked giant who's terrorising the land. There is heroism to be enacted!

He finds the place - it's the house in the swamp decorated with blood and body parts. The giant, Caligorant, hasn't seen a knight in months, and is thrilled to bits when Astolpho rides along. He lies in ambush, but Astolpho has been forewarned. He sounds his horn, and the terror-struck giant abandons his blind and runs into his own net.

Astolopho is all about dealing justice, but he baulks at killing a helpless foe. The net, it turns out, was made by Vulcan for Mercury, so that he could use it to catch the nymph Chloris. Caligorant had stolen it from a Greek temple. It's the good shit, and the giant is secure. So Astolpho rides off to Cairo, leading the giant along with him.

The giant is carrying his stuff.

In Cairo Astolpho hears tell of a great villain in Damietta, who can't be killed. This is once again the kind of challenge Astolpho is up for, so off he goes. He comes across the villain, Orillo, in combat with two Christian knights of his acquaintance: the brothers Gryphon and Aquilant. These two are chopping Orillo to bits, which does no good because all the pieces turn to quicksilver and rejoin with each other.

(There's also a dead sea monster, that Orillo had been using to terrorise people with.)

Orillo isn't being killed, but he's not winning, either, so he jumps into the river and swims off. Astolpho and the brothers retire to a pavilion, and Astolpho consults his book. The book says that there is one particular hair that needs to be cut in order to break the spell. Unfortunately, Orillo is a hirsute fellow, and the book doesn't say which one in particular needs to be lopped off.

Astolpho asks the brothers if they mind him having a go at Orillo. Be our guest, they say.

The next day Astolpho challenges Orillo to a duel. Astolpho chops of bits as quickly as he can, but they keep flowing back into Orillo. Eventually, though, he manages to cut off Orillo's head. Before the rogue can reassemble himself, Astolpho grabs the head and rides off with it, leaving Orillo's body fumbling about in the dust.

As Rabican rides off into the desert, Astolpho desperately tries to find the particular hair on Orillo's head. None of them stand out, leaving Astolpho with a last resort: he uses his sword to shave Orillo bald. One of the hairs is the fatal one, and Orillo's eyes roll back in his severed head as his body collapses.

Job done, says Astolpho. You boys want to head back to Paris with me and help save Christendom?

Sure, say the brothers, we've nothing better to do.

Gryphon, Origilla, and the Tournament at Damascus
The three soon meet the young Sir Sansonet of Mecca, who was converted by Orlando some time ago. Astolpho gives Sansonet his giant as a servant, and Sansonet gives Astolpho the golden spurs of St. George, which he found in Joppa after a siege one time.

Meanwhile, Gryphon and Aquilant get some news: Origilla is in town. Gryphon and Aquilant have history with Origilla.
"Oh, man, Gryphon, this is bad news. The number of times that woman has left us betrayed, marooned, endangered, abandoned... I don't know why we keep falling for her bullshit."
"Aquilant! I love Origilla and I must be with her!"
"No, wait, I remember."
Aquilant has some brotherly advice...
"You know what I'm going to say."
"I don't know what you're going to say."
"You know exactly what I'm going to say."
"If you have something to say, brother, you should say it."
"You're going to make me say it? Ok. Don't go haring off after Origilla."
"
I am going haring off after Origilla!"
"
Don't go haring off after.. ah, fuck."
...but Gryphon sneaks out of town and heads to Damascus, where Origilla was last headed.

Gryphon catches up with Origilla outside of Damascus, where she's riding in state with another man: Martano. Origilla catches sight of Gryphon and freaks out a bit, because last time she saw him he was stranded on a rapidly receding island. She recovers quickly, however, and throws herself around his neck, saying how she's missed him terribly after accidentally leaving that last time. Martano? Martano's not her lover, no! Martano's her brother! And now here are her two favourite men, all ready to go to the tournament that's just been announced at Damascus!

This probably won't end badly.

The Battle of Paris (Part II)
Meanwhile, Agramant is facing off against Charlemagne, and Rodomont is on fire. With very little choice, Rodomont leaves his men to burn, and leaps over the inner wall. He finds himself in a courtyard where the people of Paris are gathering for safety. This turns out to have been an unlucky choice, as Rodomont came here to put Paris to the sword and now here is a whole bunch of Parisians. Rodomont rampages through the city, massacring the populace and setting fire to buildings and pushing down walls and pillars.

Outside the city, Rinaldo's British forces take up position. With the Scottish prince Zerbino at his side, Rinaldo leads a charge into the thick of the Saracen forces. Zerbino distinguishes himself against the Spanish, but is cut off. He's rescued by Ariodantes, the new Duke of Albany (for which, refer previous).

The battle on the plains ebbs and flows, with the Christian and Saracen forces well-matched. Agramant, frustrated at the walls of Paris, detaches a large force to secure the plains. The Scottish forces - led by Zerbino, Ariodantes and Lurcanio - are cut off and scattered. Rinaldo grabs a lance and defeats several Saracen heroes, shoring up the Scottish line and pressing back at Agramant. Rinaldo, already the biggest hero on the battlefield, decides that he needs to defeat the strongest of all the warriors on the battlefield, turns to face Agramant.

Rodomont is still kicking over buildings in Paris and dismembering Parisians. Seeing him as the biggest threat, Charlemagne rides over and berates him for terrorising civilians. In a towering rage, the king lowers his lance and charges.

So do the knights Ogier, Namus, Oliver, Avino, Avolio, Otho, and Berlinghier. 

That's a lot of knights.

A bit of Damascan history
Travelling through the festivities around the tournament in Damascus, Gryphon is met by a stranger knight who tells him all about the history of Damascus.

We have the young king, Norandino, who has just married a Cypriot princess, Lucina. On the way home from the wedding, though, the ship is wrecked in a storm, and a good portion of the crew captured by a blind cannibal ogre, known as the Orc (no relation to the sea-going Orc that Orlando and Rogero fought). And Lucina, too.

Noradino sets off in pursuit, and manages to sneak into the Orc's cave and make the acquaintance of his wife. Don't worry about your own wife, she says, because the Orc only eats men, never women. He just imprisons women. Speaking of which, she adds, you'd better get out of here before he smells you. Noradino refuses, saying he'd rather die by his wife than flee. The Orcwife sighs and goes with plan B, which is to use a goat carcass to make a convincing-smelling disguise for Norandino.

The Orc comes in and eats a couple of sailors, then wanders out again. Norandino sneaks up to Lucina's cage and says he's here to rescue her. And now, thanks to the Orcwife, Norandino has a plan. He instructs his men to kill the oldest, smelliest goats, one for each man and woman here. Then, with everyone disguised as old, smelly goats, they'll sneak out.

Lucina refuses to disguise herself as a goat.

When the Orc comes home and discovers that he has (a) no humans to eat and (b) no goats, either, he blames the only person left to blame, which is Lucina, and chains her to a rock. Norandino is considering his options at this point and coming up with "suicide by Orc" and "continue pretending to be a goat." But his goat act is so effective that he misses Gradasso and Mandricardo, who turn up randomly and rescue the princess. Of course, since she's a princess of Cyprus, these two figure the best thing to do is to deliver her back to the King of Cyprus. On Cyprus.

When Norandino, still disguised as a goat, discovers that Lucina is missing, he decides to go looking for her. Unfortunately, he goes in the exact wrong direction, and ends up back in Syria. He sends messengers everywhere, and eventually hears from Cyprus that Lucina is heading to Damascus

So he holds a tournament in celebration. Which is where Gryphon comes in.

The Damascan tournament
The next morning, Gryphon and Martano head to the tournament. It turns out that there's a bit of a fad in Syria for French-style tournaments, so Gryphon feels right at home. The prize here is a suit of magic armour, which was presented to the king by a merchant who found it inexplicably by the road one day. Gryphon already has magical armour, however, so he's really only in it for the bragging rights.

Gryphon does really well at the tournament, distinguishing himself against any number of Saracen and Christian knights (the tournament is explicitly open to all), until he comes up against the final eight, close friends of the king's. Martano does less well - in fact, he disgraces himself by fleeing the battlefield. Shamed by his comrade's behaviour, Gryphon redoubles his efforts and defeats each of the eight champions, individually or in pairs. Noradino calls a halt to the proceedings, and Gryphon heads back to his inn, still feeling embarrassed at Martano's actions rather than valiant at more or less winning the tournament.

Not wanting to face Gryphon, Martano and Origilla sneak out of the inn. Gryphon is exhausted, and collapses into a deep sleep. Martano and Origilla sneak into his room and steal his arms and armour, leaving Martano's in their place.

The next morning, Gryphon wakes to find that his gear is missing, and is forced to wear Martano's armour. He rides into town to find Martano, in Gryphon's armour, accepting the king's accolades for Gryphon's victory yesterday. In Martano's armour, however, Gryphon finds himself mocked and jeered. Noradino asks Martano how he came to ride with such a coward. Martano says that he only met the guy yesterday and had no idea he was so crap; he suggests that Gryphon should be hung as a warning against cowardice.  Noradino thinks this is a bit harsh, and sentences him to public humiliation instead. Gryphon is overwhelmed by the guards and thrown into a cell.

The next day, Martano skips town before the deception is uncovered. Gryphon is stripped and chained to a cart, where the Damascan townsfolk berate and beat him. This goes well for the people of Damascus, until Gryphon is able to slip his bonds, grab a sword and shield, and start laying about him...

The Battle of Paris (Part III)
Eight lances thud into Rodomont, knocking him to the ground.

He gets up again.

Another dozen knights close in. No-one is able to actually pierce Rodomont's skin, but he's now on the defensive and can't get out from the press of bodies. More and more soldiers pour into the square. He slowly forces his way to the river wall, and throws himself over. He flows out with the Seine, and eventually drags himself onto the bank.

Just as he's looking at the walls of Paris and contemplating having another go, a dwarf turns up with a message from Doralice that says "Help, help, I've been captured by Mandricardo" - a message that was dispatched before she'd fallen in love with him. Charlemagne's allegorical army kicks in, and Discord convinces Rodomont to go in pursuit of Doralice.

Between Rodomont quitting the field, Charlemagne taking control of the city, and Rinaldo kicking arse on the plains, Marsilius decides to fall back with the Spanish forces. Agramant's knights fight on, led by Ferrau. In the skirmishes that follow, the young king Dardinello of Zumara kills Lurcanio and several other British knights, before being confronted and slain by Rinaldo. Agramant calls the retreat.

Charlemagne has won the day, if not the war.

Rescue tally (No change): 
Melissa: 12
Angelica: 6
Bradamante: 5
Orlando: 2
Rinaldo: 2
Rogero: 0
Astolpho: 0
 
Next: Enter Marphisa!