Post by Dennis of Ravenscar on Sept 23, 2018 16:11:53 GMT
Robin of Sherwood Audio adventure
Sanctuary
Original Release Date: 22nd December 2017
Written by Paul Birch
Story
Whilst on a hunting trip the Sheriff, Gisburne and several other knights discover Robin on the eastern edge of Sherwood Forest. One of the knights shoots at Loxley with a crossbow but narrowly misses.
Fleeing from his pursuers Robin tries to escape and lose them but he is weary and footsore and it is winter with snow on the ground so his footprints make him easily tracked. Robin reaches the edge of the forest and notices a crudely constructed church on an island surrounded by a frozen river. He decides to head for it and claim sanctuary from his pursuers. As he approaches Robin hears a priest shouting from the bell tower but whether it is to encourage him or to alert his pursuers it is not clear.
De Rainault notices Loxley out in the open and chases him on his horse hoping to intercept him before he reaches the church. Realising that he will never make it to safety Loxley drops his bow and arrows, turns around and manages to pull de Rainault from his horse. Their momentum makes both of them fall onto the frozen river, breaking the ice and into the freezing water beneath. As they sink into the water with a bell tolling in the background Robin dreams, or thinks he dreams, a message from Herne.
“In the season of the Christ Child, the eel, the wolf and the hawk did dance a furious jig. But where one finished and the other began no man could tell, and in that dance there was a kiss and a death and a saving. But who did what to whom no man could tell”
Robin wakes to a huge man staring at him, and realises that it is the priest, who has tended to his wounds with a herbal mixture. He mutters that he has barred the doors and says that they won’t be easily disturbed. Robin sees that the priest has a roaring brazier drying the outlaw’s clothes.
“God has surely placed you in my care.”
Robin is a little unnerved by the priest's presence and appearance, but he offers him a blanket to keep warm. Robin thanks the priest for saving him but the priest warns that the waters can still kill with their cold ‘kiss’, “Get warm Loxley. Christmas is coming and we have work to do.”
Fatigued with his experiences Loxley soon falls back asleep. Sometime later, waking with a start, Robin reaches for his sword before realising that he is safe in the church. The priest is watching him and passes him some soup. Robin asks about the knights and notices that they haven’t come to the church. The priest tells him that when the river floods the church becomes as an island and they are alone. He adds that if the knights did decide to cross they would invariably end up in his care. The priest muses that perhaps they have more sense than the outlaw and the Sheriff.
Robin says he wants to return to the forest but the priest snorts and says, "Return to your folly you mean!" He then likens Robin to a dog returning to its own vomit and attacks him for being a thief and a devil worshipper. Robin says that he is trying to save his people but the priest doesn't listen and says that God has brought him there for a purpose. Robin notices that the priest is covered in scars and wounds and is a man who has known violence.
Robin asks again to be released to go to his friends but the priest pulls up close to him and compares him to the caught eels trying to avoid their fate of being a meal. He says that a man will never be at peace until he fulfills God’s purpose. Robin reminds the priest that the Sheriff and his knights will ultimately come and take them both. The priest laughs and Robin asks about the fate of the Sheriff. The priest answers that he is already here and that it is his destiny to reconcile them to each other. The priest then leads Robin to de Rainault in the adjacent room.
The Sheriff is bound to a pillar and gagged at the mouth. The priest explains to him that his horse is lost to the river and his men to the woods. He tells him that no one knows that he is there and that he is quite safe. The priest then leans over De Rainault and kisses his forehead. “I greet you my brother with a holy kiss!”
Suddenly, without any warning, the priest swings around and punches Robin to the ground. Loxley is then tied to another pillar opposite the Sheriff. The priest says to Robin, “Forgive me brother, I must leave you to confess your sins to each other.” He apologises to them, saying he has to restrain them both to prevent them from killing each other. He then ungags the Sheriff before leaving the two bound guests to talk.
De Rainault greets Loxley in a mocking tone saying how good it is seeing him a prisoner at last, but this wasn’t quite what he had in mind. Robin remains silent, loosening his bonds whilst the Sheriff berates him. Annoyed at his silence Robert attacks Robin for his motives and his disregarding of the law. Robin retorts that he helps the poor and that de Rainault is only interested in serving his rich friends. As Robin breaks free from his bonds he answers the Sheriff’s rant with “I should kill you now, you parasite.” However, the priest returns and Robin acts as if he was still bound. The priest puts on some Crusader armour over his naked torso, which cuts at his skin. "I am putting on my old life. You see how the armour causes me to bleed. The sins of the past, they do so hurt us, do they not my brothers?"
Robin asks what they can do for him in return for being freed. The priest starts to rant about men of violence saying that it is his duty to return them to innocence, starting with Loxley. Knowing that Robin has broken his bonds he slashes at him with a knife, cutting into his shoulder. De Rainault says the outlaw is not to be trusted and if the priest was to let him go Robin would be dealt with according to the law, and that he would be rewarded. The priest then turns to the Sheriff and says that he is no better, "Folly is your crown and your pride will be your fall." Robert tries to reason with the enraged priest and is prepared to forgive much due to the saving of his life. The priest replies with, “Any man that wishes to save his life must lose it!” The priest says that they are sick and he needs to care for them. Robin suggests that they might be cured, using this as a ploy as he tries to manoeuvre into a better position for the door. The priest retorts that they cannot be cured from the sickness of violence and it cannot be allowed to continue. Therefore he will make an atoning sacrifice and cut their throats! The priest moves the knife close to both of their throats but gets interrupted by a knocking at the door.
Two knights, Stephen of Wallingford and Nicholas Arrington, are at the gate and ask the priest about the Sheriff. The priest responds by offering benediction to which the knights bow down on bended knee.
Meanwhile de Rainault has come around to the idea that he needs Robin’s help. Robin however is sceptical saying he doesn’t trust him. However, with a sigh, he starts to cut the Sheriff’s bonds.
Back at the gates the knights demand entry, but the priest says they must leave their weapons outside. The knights hear some sounds inside and question the priest about the noise who replies that it’s just some sick pilgrims. Fearing infection, the knights hurridly mount their horses and ride away.
Returning to his guests the priest sees Robin lying in a pool of blood apparently stabbed by the Sheriff who is holding a blade. Angered at the defilement of the sanctuary the priest moves to deal with de Rainault, however Robin lashes out at the priest and disables him. Calling for de Rainault for help he realises that the Sheriff has abandoned him, so Robin leaves the room whilst the Priest recovers.
Whilst deliberating his next move in the room outside he is attacked by the Sheriff, however Robin overpowers him, and as he is about to strike he is interrupted by the priest who fears the desecration of his church. To stop Robin’s attack the priest douses the lights, plunging the room into darkness. In the confused melee de Rainault rolls away and Robin heads for the outside door.
Exiting the church Robin makes a bid for freedom, however he is stopped by the sound of approaching knights who, realising they have been tricked by the priest, have made their return. Robin notices his bow and arrows where he had dropped them earlier and goes to get them, but de Rainault is already there. Quickly the Sheriff grabs the bow, notches an arrow and looses a shot, which finds its mark on the priest who has left the church in pursuit, brandishing a sword. He collapses dead in the snow when the arrow hits him straight in the heart. Robin looks at the Sheriff in astonishment and thanks him. But de Rainault answers that he was aiming at Robin and that nothing was forgotten, nothing has changed between them and shoots at him again. His aim is terrible, and Robin is able to knock him unconscious.
Not noticing the scuffle outside, the knights approach and enter the church looking for the priest, Robin considers killing the prone sheriff but decides against it and wishes de Rainault a Merry Christmas. Leaving, Robin steals one of the knight’s horses and scatters the others making good his escape as snow starts to fall.
The knights finally find the Sheriff outside but the snow is falling more heavily now. De Rainault is suffering from a tremendous headache and needs to recover so he and his knights go inside the church to obtain sanctuary from the storm and wait for the weather to ease. Robin in the meantime rides back to Sherwood and safety.
Comments
The location for this story is a small rustic church on the River Idle and its surrounds, somewhere to the east of Sherwood near Martin(?) Moor. However, it is hard to hear the name of the Moor on the audio, and since in reality the River Idle flows from Markham Moor to the river Trent, it might be Markham rather than Martin.
The hunting down of Robin at the start of the story is reminiscent of The Greatest Enemy, and could help to show why he engaged quite so many knights and dogs to attempt to capture Robin in that episode. In Sanctuary one of the knights, John de st Calais, is knocked unconscious by a low hanging branch and an expensive horse is crippled, showing how dangerous it is hunting down an outlaw on horseback through a forest (particularly in the snow in this case).
The story is set, according to Spiteful Puppet, after Robin Hood and the Sorcerer. Given the apparent history between the Sheriff and Robin portrayed in the story, it feels like it fits a bit later in series one. It could possibly be placed in the winter following events seen in The Witch of Elsdon. The Sheriff refers to numerous men at arms that have been killed by the group of outlaws, with Robin equally indignant about the Sheriff’s behaviour too.
The location for this story is a small rustic church on the River Idle and its surrounds, somewhere to the east of Sherwood near Martin(?) Moor. However, it is hard to hear the name of the Moor on the audio, and since in reality the River Idle flows from Markham Moor to the river Trent, it might be Markham rather than Martin.
The hunting down of Robin at the start of the story is reminiscent of The Greatest Enemy, and could help to show why he engaged quite so many knights and dogs to attempt to capture Robin in that episode. In Sanctuary one of the knights, John de st Calais, is knocked unconscious by a low hanging branch and an expensive horse is crippled, showing how dangerous it is hunting down an outlaw on horseback through a forest (particularly in the snow in this case).
The story is set, according to Spiteful Puppet, after Robin Hood and the Sorcerer. Given the apparent history between the Sheriff and Robin portrayed in the story, it feels like it fits a bit later in series one. It could possibly be placed in the winter following events seen in The Witch of Elsdon. The Sheriff refers to numerous men at arms that have been killed by the group of outlaws, with Robin equally indignant about the Sheriff’s behaviour too.
Review
Sanctuary represents an interesting experiment from Spiteful Puppet and is quite a contrast to the full cast audio of The Knights of the Apocalypse. That story was designed to be a big epic with a large cast and a wide range of locations. The other audios from Spiteful Puppet narrated by a single person tend to follow the format of a typical episode, with all the outlaws involved, as well as several guest characters appearing in the story. Sanctuary, on the other hand, is very much a ‘bottle episode’, with a much more intimate and atmospheric feel. Set in and around a small, isolated church in the depths of winter, it focuses on the dialogue between the three main characters, rather than on action or plot.
As such, we are given an intense story that draws us in, to a cold and snowy winter, and a desperate chase across a frozen river. Michael Praed and Nickolas Grace easily reprise their familiar roles, with Robin approaching the situation carefully and the Sheriff given to his typical ranting and witty comments. Daniel Abineri again portrays Herne to perfection, with impressive sound effects and music scores giving his utterances the right ethereal feel. Barnaby Eaton-Jones is very good as the narrator, pulling us into the story and describing each scene very effectively. However, the story pivots around the unnamed priest, brought wonderfully to life by Andy Secombe. Starting off as a friendly Cadfael-esque eccentric hermit he then progresses into something much more sinister and menacing, a fanatic who represents an interesting and different kind of adversary. The writing is excellent, with many phrases that stick in the mind, particularly Herne's prophecy. The priest's description of the eels that he catches is very evocative, and his statements about the violent sickness that infects Robin and the Sheriff offers food for thought. At the end of the story, as Robin considers killing de Rainault, it is the thought of this 'sickness' that stops him, and we could see this as affecting his behaviour in the televised stories.
The style of the story telling is similar to the BBC’s presentation of Tolkein’s “The Hobbit” in the Jackanory series, where one narrator and three other actors fill in the many roles. It worked superbly then and works well in this example too, with the mix of narration and acted parts making the plot is very easy to follow, perhaps better than the expansive KoTA, which to be fair was intended for TV. Despite the difference in format to a typical Robin of Sherwood episode however, it matches the feel and the themes of the original show. Close your eyes while listening and you can be taken back in time quite easily, to imagine that Sanctuary is an experimental RoS story that perhaps got deleted from the HTV archives back in the 80s.
Sanctuary represents an interesting experiment from Spiteful Puppet and is quite a contrast to the full cast audio of The Knights of the Apocalypse. That story was designed to be a big epic with a large cast and a wide range of locations. The other audios from Spiteful Puppet narrated by a single person tend to follow the format of a typical episode, with all the outlaws involved, as well as several guest characters appearing in the story. Sanctuary, on the other hand, is very much a ‘bottle episode’, with a much more intimate and atmospheric feel. Set in and around a small, isolated church in the depths of winter, it focuses on the dialogue between the three main characters, rather than on action or plot.
As such, we are given an intense story that draws us in, to a cold and snowy winter, and a desperate chase across a frozen river. Michael Praed and Nickolas Grace easily reprise their familiar roles, with Robin approaching the situation carefully and the Sheriff given to his typical ranting and witty comments. Daniel Abineri again portrays Herne to perfection, with impressive sound effects and music scores giving his utterances the right ethereal feel. Barnaby Eaton-Jones is very good as the narrator, pulling us into the story and describing each scene very effectively. However, the story pivots around the unnamed priest, brought wonderfully to life by Andy Secombe. Starting off as a friendly Cadfael-esque eccentric hermit he then progresses into something much more sinister and menacing, a fanatic who represents an interesting and different kind of adversary. The writing is excellent, with many phrases that stick in the mind, particularly Herne's prophecy. The priest's description of the eels that he catches is very evocative, and his statements about the violent sickness that infects Robin and the Sheriff offers food for thought. At the end of the story, as Robin considers killing de Rainault, it is the thought of this 'sickness' that stops him, and we could see this as affecting his behaviour in the televised stories.
The style of the story telling is similar to the BBC’s presentation of Tolkein’s “The Hobbit” in the Jackanory series, where one narrator and three other actors fill in the many roles. It worked superbly then and works well in this example too, with the mix of narration and acted parts making the plot is very easy to follow, perhaps better than the expansive KoTA, which to be fair was intended for TV. Despite the difference in format to a typical Robin of Sherwood episode however, it matches the feel and the themes of the original show. Close your eyes while listening and you can be taken back in time quite easily, to imagine that Sanctuary is an experimental RoS story that perhaps got deleted from the HTV archives back in the 80s.
Cast
Robin - MICHAEL PRAED
Sheriff - NICKOLAS GRACE
Priest - ANDY SECOMBE
Herne - DANIEL ABINERI
Robin - MICHAEL PRAED
Sheriff - NICKOLAS GRACE
Priest - ANDY SECOMBE
Herne - DANIEL ABINERI
Narrator - BARNABY EATON-JONES
(Set during Series One, after ‘Robin Hood & The Sorcerer’)
Sound Design: Joseph Fox
Soundtrack: Arpeggio Creative
Produced & Directed by Barnaby Eaton-Jones
Sound Design: Joseph Fox
Soundtrack: Arpeggio Creative
Produced & Directed by Barnaby Eaton-Jones
Episode Guide written by Lucy and Dennis of Ravenscar
Images are from various RoS and Cadfael episodes
