Every time the Duke must replace a member the Brothers of the Lion, his elite entourage, he arranges a highly-exclusive tournament. He selects no more than five knights deemed worthiest in the land and brings them to the desolate hilltop called The Hill of Fist and Fang (17.21). He invokes a long-held pact between Thring and the lion prides of the Devil’s Fingers, which summons the land’s mightiest lions to the hill within a fortnight. The candidates must muzzle and mount the beast that they challenge. According to the terms of the pact, they may be armored, but wield no weapons.
The knight with the greatest prowess receives the lion he subdued as well as the coveted Brother of the Lion title. The lion remains loyal to its death. On the other hand, if any lion manages to defeat a candidate, the losing knight must spend the rest of his life among the prides of the Devil’s Fingers. The latter happens less often than would be expected. Still, any decent Thringish bard can sing at least a dozen laments over knights doomed to wander with lions.
Connections:
- Sister Nadela (18.19) is the most famous woman who have won a lion as her own.
- A Thringman named Sir Huw was one of those who lost his contest with a lion. He now roams with the lion prides with a nymph at his side (13.24 *and 18.28)*.
- One of the Brothers of the Lion has been killed for the crimes of his grandfather (23.11.03).
Hooks
- How did the Dukes of Thring make a pact with the lion prides?
- What are some effective lion-wrestling techniques? Who teaches them?
- Who are some current Brothers of the Lion?
- How do the lions get along with other mounts?
- When did the last death in this long tradition occur? What happened?