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The Legend

Excalibur V (Current)

Excalibur IV (2013)

Excalibur III (2000)

Excalibur II (1939-1945)

Excalibur I (1914 -1918)

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THE LEGEND OF EXCALIBUR

For generations, Britain has entrusted its most celebrated knightly champion with a sword called Excalibur, a shield called Pridwen and an enchanted scabbard. Together, these artifacts have protected soldiers and civilians through world wars, alien invasion and the troubled years that followed. Their bearers have become symbols of courage, sacrifice and service. Yet the history of the weapons is more complicated than the legend attached to them.

Relics beneath the Tower

By the sixteenth century, the artifacts were held under the protection of the Crown and the Church of England. Their custodians believed them to be the sword and shield of Arthurian legend. Preserved within a concealed priory beneath the Tower of London, they were guarded as sacred relics and powerful instruments whose use demanded extraordinary responsibility.

The surviving records did not establish an unbroken history from their creation to their arrival in royal custody. Nevertheless, their extraordinary properties lent credibility to the Arthurian attribution. Over generations, that attribution became accepted tradition. Ceremonies and religious observances reinforced their standing as holy relics, while knowledge of their practical capabilities remained confined to a small circle of custodians.

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The lost expedition

In 1776, as the American colonies declared independence, George III authorized a secret expedition intended to restore British control. An unnamed knight was entrusted with the sword, shield and scabbard and dispatched across the Atlantic aboard the British vessel Allice, accompanied by a military escort.

The expedition never reached its objective. The vessel was lost at sea, and the artifacts disappeared with it. The knight's identity was not preserved in the surviving accessible records. He belongs to the equipment's earlier history; the numbered Excalibur lineage recognized today begins with the First World War.

For 129 years, the weapons remained beyond the reach of their custodians. In 1905, the wreck was located and the artifacts recovered. Returned to the Tower's concealed priory, they were conserved, examined and placed once more under close protection.

Project: Excalibur

By 1914, selected government officials had learned of the artifacts and sought a role in deciding how they should be used. Inspection and controlled testing established that the equipment could provide a trained bearer with exceptional protection and formidable combat capabilities. Discussions between the Crown, government and custodians were overtaken by the outbreak of the Great War.

Project: Excalibur was activated to select, train and deploy a bearer. Herbert Lancaster became the first of the modern numbered Excaliburs. His service established the mantle as a battlefield identity, and the name of his sword became the name by which soldiers remembered their champion.

A legacy of five bearers

Lancaster's death in 1918 ended his service, but the artifacts survived. During the Second World War, Bartholomew Richards inherited the mantle through Project: Camelot. The wartime loss and recovery of the equipment exposed the danger of allowing such weapons to fall into enemy hands. After the war, the Excalibur Accord restricted their deployment and established safeguards for selecting future bearers.

Those restrictions were lifted during the Soltan Invasion of 2000. Rory Cavendish took up the equipment amid an immediate threat to the Crown and the nation, then fought until his death defending others. In the aftermath, the artifacts were transferred from the compromised Tower facility to secure custody at Camelot, a British G.U.A.R.D. installation.

In 2013, public pressure prompted a new selection process and a change in the mantle's purpose: Britain sought a protector available beyond the confines of a declared wartime emergency. The process was corrupted, and Carlton Carrington's brief tenure ended in disgrace. The subsequent investigation cleared the path for Arthur Mattocks, who accepted the responsibility in 2014.

Across these five lives, the mantle acquired a history of its own. Each bearer faced a different test of duty, judgment and personal sacrifice. Their stories form the modern legend of Excalibur.

The truth behind the legend

The artifacts' earliest history remains partly concealed. Britain’s accepted account, the beliefs of its custodians and the knowledge held by certain ancient magical authorities do not fully agree. The significance of that difference becomes clear during the story of Excalibur V.

Whatever their original names, the weapons have been carried by people whose decisions shaped the lives of those around them. The legacy of Britain's Excaliburs rests in those decisions and in the people they chose to protect.

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(2014-Present)

Excalibur V

Arthur before he was Excalibur V

Excalibur V

1/11

Worthy of the Day (Excalibur V Theme)Don "Major Deej" Finger

00:00 / 02:38

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Info

REAL NAME:

IDENTITY:

AFFILIATION:

REGISTERED?:

RELATIVE AGE:

SERVICE AS EXCALIBUR:

MARITAL STATUS:

HOME:

ALIAS(ES):

TEAMS:

FIRST APPEARANCE:

APPEARANCE DATE:

CREATED BY:

CREATION DATE:

Arthur Mattocks

Known

British/Hero

Yes

40 as of 2026

23 April 2014 - present

Single

London, United Kingdom; residence near Westminster Abbey

Sir Mattocks

Knights Arcanus;
Commonwealth

MDU Halloween Special 2016

30 Oct 2016

Don "Major Deej" Finger

12 July 2011

RELATIONS:

Tom Thatcher — close friend

No other family identified

History

The swordsman behind the spectacle

Before he became Excalibur, Arthur Mattocks worked at the London Medieval Renaissance Faire. Swordsmanship was his practiced craft, used in performances, instruction and supervised contests. His colleague and close friend Tom Thatcher shared the work of presenting medieval combat to a modern audience.

In late 2013, Thatcher publicly challenged Carlton Carrington's claimed association with the Faire. Arthur agreed to face Britain's appointed champion in a supervised contest. On 15 December, in an arena muddied by rain, he demonstrated the difference between a reputation promoted through publicity and skill developed through practice.

Arthur won the first two rounds and offered his opponent assistance and advice. Carrington responded with anger, eventually attempting a potentially lethal strike outside the rules. Arthur avoided it and disarmed him. His brief contact with the enchanted blade did not complete the six-second transfer of armor control. Designated personnel secured the sword, shield and scabbard; full resheathing dismissed Carrington's armor. Officials disqualified Carrington, who later departed into nearby woodland and disappeared from the established record.

Arthur left the encounter as its better swordsman, not as the new owner of the artifacts or the next appointed Excalibur.

The selection that had been stolen

In March 2014, the investigation into the Hastings Data Center established that the 2013 selection had been manipulated. Documents, technical examination and evidence disclosed by the Virtual Corsairs exposed false accounts and the removal of genuine candidates. Sir Bernard Hastings was arrested, but died before arraignment.

When the tainted results were examined, Arthur emerged as the legitimate leading candidate. His name had been excluded from the published selection. Legal review corrected that injustice and restored his place in the process; it could not make him accept the responsibility.

Arthur initially refused. He respected the previous bearers and doubted whether his experience qualified him to represent their legacy. The next two candidates also declined: a young medieval-history student with film swordsmanship experience, and a former Royal Navy woman whose ceremonial sword work had benefited from Arthur's instruction. Their decisions deepened the public disappointment surrounding the failed appointment.

Thatcher continued urging his friend to reconsider. Arthur had already shown restraint under pressure and could teach others to handle a blade. Tom believed that those qualities deserved more weight than Arthur's reluctance to call himself worthy.

Tea with the sovereign

One evening, Tom arranged for Arthur to enter a nearby flat, where Queen Elizabeth II and her security detail waited privately. Surprised and embarrassed, Arthur bowed before joining her for tea.

Elizabeth acknowledged the failure of Carrington's appointment and asked Arthur to help restore confidence. He initially answered in the formal language of knightly loyalty. The Queen redirected the conversation toward the people who would depend on him. Ceremony mattered less than his willingness to protect them and accept the risks that duty would bring.

Arthur recognized the distinction. He was being asked to serve people, including those who might never see a royal ceremony or care about a legendary sword. He accepted that responsibility without claiming certainty about his own worth.

On 23 April 2014, under the applicable government authorization, Elizabeth II knighted Arthur and appointed him Excalibur V. Designated custodians released the sword, shield and scabbard from secure custody at Camelot. Their transfer followed the authorized appointment; drawing the sword manifested his armor without delivering any supernatural verdict on his character.

The appointment was announced, and a public investiture followed approximately two weeks later. Arthur's service began with his acceptance and lawful appointment, rather than with the later publicity.

Learning the work of a champion

Arthur received a residence near Westminster Abbey and a ten-person support staff. Their responsibilities included security, meals, transport, government liaison, conservation of the physical relics and assessment of enchantments. The core armor was magically manifested; the staff did not routinely manufacture and rebuild a separate suit.

He joined the Commonwealth but declined its leadership. Elizabeth encouraged him to remain available to the team and grow into wider responsibilities at his own pace. His exceptional swordsmanship gave him a useful foundation, but did not replace experience in field command, extraordinary threats or coordinated superhero operations.

Initially, a police chauffeur helped him reach assignments. Arthur disliked the dependence, yet accepted that getting to people who needed assistance mattered more than the appearance of his arrival. He began building the habits of service that Carrington had neglected.

A name challenged by the truth

Months after his accession, Arthur responded to an attack by shape-changing Fir Bolgs at a military base. Conventional weapons had proved insufficient to stop them. The Knights Arcanus were already engaged when he arrived, and he joined their successful defense.

Afterward, their leader, Samhain Knight, recognized Arthur's equipment and questioned its Arthurian attribution. Drawing on his former service as Master at Arms of the Conglomerate, Samhain identified the weapon as an enchanted Saxon War Sword. The shield's actual name was Valiance. Both were powerful, well-made artifacts, but they were distinct from the genuine Holy Excalibur and Pridwen.

Arthur challenged the explanation. Samhain supported it with an ancient illustrated record and translated its account of the genuine artifacts' association with the Holy. Those weapons remained secluded and beyond ordinary mortal use. Their precise location and ancient history were not established for Arthur through that conversation.

The discovery hurt. Arthur had accepted a burden attached to what he believed was Britain's greatest legendary sword. In his frustration, he asked Samhain and the Knights to leave England. Samhain recognized that he had delivered the truth too abruptly and apologized; he had assumed Arthur already knew the distinction.

Their conversation continued. Arthur accepted the evidence, even though acceptance did not immediately repair his confidence. The exchange did not become a public revelation, and it did not establish that Britain's officials had knowingly deceived him.

A gift between knights

Samhain offered Arthur a practical gift: a separate pair of enchanted armored boots, ornamented with small metal wings at the ankles. They enabled levitation and flight, giving Arthur greater independence in reaching emergencies.

After instruction in their use, Arthur thanked him. The gift did not change the origin of the sword, confer membership in the Holy or grant him a magical mount. It gave him another useful means of doing the work he had accepted.

Samhain also offered Arthur an unusual opportunity to train with the Knights Arcanus as a Knight Errant. Arthur accepted and became associated with their work while retaining Commonwealth membership. Objections from parliamentary and Conglomerate representatives did not persuade him to abandon the relationship, although his British appointment continued to carry its own operational responsibilities.

Service beyond the legend

Arthur continued carrying the public name Excalibur. He knew what the equipment was, and understood that it could still protect people regardless of the mistaken legend attached to it. His duties ranged from ordinary rescues to confrontations with dangerous magical creatures.

The discovery also drew him toward research into the genuine Holy artifacts. That search remains unresolved. He has not found them, claimed them or demonstrated that he could survive wielding them. His hope of testing his worth is a personal aspiration, not evidence that those weapons will accept him.

In the modern day, Arthur remains an active British champion, serving under the Crown and the authorized Excalibur framework while working with the Commonwealth and training with the Knights Arcanus. His story continues through the decisions he makes with the equipment he already carries: whom he protects, how he responds to difficult truths and whether he can learn to trust service as a measure of worth.

Powers

Power Origin: Normal human.

Arthur Mattocks has no established innate superhuman powers. His swordsmanship, coordination, judgment and practical knowledge are developed human abilities. Extraordinary protection, translation, magical detection and flight come from the equipment described below. Knights Arcanus training does not itself establish spellcasting.

Equipment

Excalibur — enchanted Saxon War Sword

Arthur carries the same sword used by the earlier numbered bearers. He initially accepted its Arthurian attribution; Samhain Knight later explained its Saxon identity. Excalibur remains its public name and the name of his mantle.

Unearthly material strength; attacks or magic capable of overcoming that strength remain consequential.
Drawing the blade manifests the core protective armor. A new wielder deliberately controlling an already drawn blade for six continuous seconds takes control of the manifestation.
Directional pull indicates nearby magical activity; it does not automatically identify spells, establish exact distance or reveal intent.
While actively wielded, it translates supported speech into English for the bearer and enables intelligible speech in the recipient's supported tongue.

Supported tongues include English, Welsh, Scots, Ulster Scots, Irish, Angloromani, Scottish Gaelic, Cornish, Portuguese, Spanish and Shelta, together with the historical labels Insular Celtic, Anglic, Nordic, Indic, Latin and Romanaic.

Enchanted scabbard

The scabbard stores the sword and participates in the armor system. Fully resheathing the blade dismisses the core armor, regardless of who performs the action. No established healing, immortality or protection against bleeding is provided.

Manifested armor

Amazing protection against arcane energy and psychic attacks.
Incredible protection against physical impact, force, heat, cold, radiation, other energy, chemicals, toxins and acids.
Excellent protection for vision and hearing.
Ordinary equipment damage repairs at one percent of full condition per minute while active, up to its original condition.

Only one core manifestation exists. A completed transfer of sword control dismisses the previous manifestation and forms it on the new wielder. Brief contact, dropping the sword or unconsciousness does not immediately dismiss the armor; full resheathing does. Independently worn clothing and equipment remain.

Protection has limits. Overwhelming attacks, sustained pressure, magical suppression and loss of artifact control remain dangerous. Equipment repair never heals Arthur. Damaged enchantments and destroyed magical anchors require specialist assessment.

Pridwen — enchanted shield, actual name Valiance

Arthur inherited the same physical shield as the earlier bearers. Its British attribution was corrected through Samhain's explanation.

Unearthly protection against heat, fire, cold, energy, magic and radiation.
Strong protection against physical, force, toxic and acidic attacks.
Ordinary damage repairs at one percent of full condition per minute, capped at original condition and subject to the same enchantment limitations as the armor.
Its reflective face can redirect light and assist deflection when positioning permits.

Protection depends on placement; the shield does not form an all-direction barrier or automatically reflect every attack. Its physical shape and lion design remain controlling. Any repainting is a visual decision, not a new artifact or altered protection.

Enchanted flight boots — gift of Samhain Knight

These are separate physical equipment acquired after Arthur's appointment and the Saxon revelation. Their small metal ankle wings are ornamentation on armored boots.

Amazing material strength and protection.
Levitation and flight up to 40 miles per hour.
Maximum established height: 400 feet above local ground level.

Sheathing the sword does not erase the boots or automatically end their enchantment. Their protection is localized to the equipment; it does not raise every rating of the core armor. No extra speed, healing, duration, passenger capacity or independent self-repair rate is established. Arthur did not possess these boots during the 2013 duel or at his initial appointment.

Support and limits

Independent communications and transport are mission-dependent. Arthur has no established enchanted mount or possession of the genuine Holy artifacts. His modern armor appearance does not upgrade the shared protection inherited from I–IV.

Talents

Swordsmanship
- Mastery
- Exceptional blade handling, timing, distance and controlled exchanges; demonstrated against Carrington.

Armored Knight Combat
- Proficient
- Competent integration of sword, shield and protective armor; broader experience continues to develop.

Jousting
- Proficient
- Trained mounted-lance technique and supervised tournament practice.

Medieval Combat
- Professional
- Practiced historical fighting methods, distinct from general military command.
Horsemanship
- Professional
- Skilled riding and horse handling; no magical steed established.

Acrobatics
- Proficient
- Balance, controlled movement and agility developed through practice.

Renaissance Faire and Entertainment Operations
- Professional
- Performances, demonstrations, instruction and practical event work.

Cooking
- Proficient
- Established meal preparation; no professional chef career added.

Knightly History and Lore
- Professional
- Knowledge of knightly traditions and their historical context; does not confer complete magical knowledge.

Medieval Armor and Weapons
- Professional
- Practical knowledge of historical equipment, handling and care.

Medieval Dance
- Professional
- Skilled performance of period dance.

Video Production
- Proficient
- Working production knowledge associated with Faire entertainment; Tom retains authorship of his own challenge recording.

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(2013)

Excalibur IV

Excalibur IV_CHATGPT7

Excalibur IV

1/7

All Shine, No Shelter (Excalibur IV Theme)Don "Major Deej" Finger

00:00 / 03:09

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Info

REAL NAME:

IDENTITY:

AFFILIATION:

REGISTERED?:

HOME:

RELATIVE AGE:

SERVICE AS EXCALIBUR:

MARITAL STATUS:

Carlton Carrington

Known

British / Former Hero; Excalibur appointment ended in disgrace

Recorded with MI6 as an Excalibur bearer

Windsor, United Kingdom

early 30s during 2013

10 Aug - 15 Dec 2013

Single

ALIAS(ES):

TEAM:

FIRST APPEARANCE:

APPEARANCE DATE:

CREATED BY:

CREATION DATE:

STATUS:

Sir Carrington, The Unworthy

None

N/A

Don "Major Deej" Finger

12 July 2011

Missing after the Faire confrontation; subsequent fate unknown

RELATIONS:

None identified

History

A champion selected by public demand

In 2013, a growing public campaign demanded the return of Excalibur. Britain already had superhuman defenders, including the Commonwealth, but supporters wanted a national champion carrying the legacy of Herbert Lancaster, Bartholomew Richards and Rory Cavendish. Frustration with political leadership turned the proposed appointment into a larger argument over who could be trusted to represent the country.

The postwar Excalibur Accord had restricted the artifacts to extraordinary emergencies. The 2013 settlement amended that framework to permit continuing protective service against exceptional threats. Parliament and the Crown retained their respective responsibilities for authorization and appointment; public nominations would inform the selection rather than transfer the office themselves.

Initial online nominations were chaotic. Serious candidates competed for attention with jokes, fictional figures and campaigns organized chiefly to provoke opponents. Sir Bernard Hastings, a House of Commons Civil Chairman, proposed a managed process in which the public could nominate candidates and vote through the Hastings Data Center. The arrangement appeared to offer a compromise between popular participation and official oversight.

After two months, the published results placed Carlton Carrington ahead of the remaining finalists. The announced result was accepted before the underlying manipulation was exposed.

The biography and the man

Carrington was a former British Army serviceman who had left the military in 2008. His promoted biography presented him as a former special-forces officer awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross for classified operations in 2002. It also claimed years of dedicated sword training and work at the London Medieval Renaissance Faire between 2008 and 2011. These specialist and award claims were part of the public case for his selection; their repetition was not independent verification.

He presented himself as a man committed to becoming worthy of Rory Cavendish's legacy, emphasizing discipline, combat preparation and his Catholic faith. The combination of military credentials, patriotic language and an apparently decisive public vote made him an appealing choice to many supporters.

The selection process relied too heavily on the promoted record, curated demonstrations and the momentum of the public campaign.

Carrington's basic military competence did not establish that he possessed the swordsmanship, judgment or commitment required of Excalibur. Those distinctions received too little scrutiny before the office was conferred.

On 10 August 2013, Queen Elizabeth II knighted Carrington and appointed him Excalibur IV under the authorized program. The sword, shield and scabbard were released from secure custody. Drawing the blade manifested its armor; the equipment imposed no automatic test of his character.

Approximately two months of mandatory preparation followed. Carrington received combat instruction, government liaisons and a substantial support staff. Conservators assessed the relics, while other personnel organized transport, independent equipment and personal support. The magical armor was a manifestation, not a manufactured suit routinely rebuilt by designers. Increasing attention went to publicity, appearances and presentation.

A public figure without public service

During October and November, Carrington appeared at interviews, banquets, charities, sporting occasions and official events. His visibility grew, but evidence of protective service did not grow with it. When asked why he had performed so few heroic actions, he suggested that ordinary problems belonged to the police and that he should be reserved for a supervillain worthy of his attention.

The remark sharpened doubts about whether he understood the office. Two significant villainous incidents in November passed without his intervention. Supportive online accounts praised his restraint, while critics asked what Britain had gained beyond an expensive ceremonial celebrity.

The Virtual Corsairs then released documents exposing extensive use of false accounts and manipulated online activity associated with the selection and Carrington's promotion. Hastings rejected the allegations publicly. Denial did not settle the matter, and the gap between the official narrative and the available evidence became increasingly difficult to ignore.

Thatcher's challenge

In November, Tom Thatcher, a jouster, performer and video-maker at the London Medieval Renaissance Faire, challenged Carrington's claimed training record through Ya!Go! video. Thatcher and his fellow swordsman Arthur Mattocks had worked at the Faire during the years Carrington claimed to have trained there. Neither recognized him as a colleague or student.

Thatcher compared Carrington's public sword demonstrations with the techniques taught at the Faire and identified visible weaknesses. He proposed a supervised contest against Mattocks so that the public could assess Carrington's abilities directly. This challenge questioned a specific claimed background and demonstrated skill; it did not by itself prove that every part of his military biography was false.

The video spread widely. Supporters of the museum founded around the Excalibur legacy joined calls for accountability. By early December, protests outside royal and government locations, transport disruption and confrontations with police made the dispute a national crisis of confidence. Parliamentary proponents of the appointment pressed for the contest, expecting it to vindicate their choice.

The contest in the mud

On 15 December 2013, after heavy rain, Carrington arrived at the Faire with his entourage to face Arthur Mattocks. The contest was supervised under exhibition rules prohibiting lethal strikes, with officials, medical personnel and designated custodial staff present. Those safeguards could not make an enchanted sword harmless if its bearer deliberately violated the rules.

Mattocks won the first two rounds decisively. He remained courteous, offering pointers and assistance when Carrington fell. Carrington treated those gestures as humiliation. As the contest continued, his frustration gave way to abusive language and increasingly reckless attacks.

The differences were plain: Mattocks controlled distance, timing and his own temper; Carrington relied on the protection of his equipment and the expectation that his opponent should submit to his reputation. Thatcher's recording documented techniques inconsistent with Carrington's claimed Faire training.

Finally, Carrington attempted a potentially lethal strike outside the agreed rules. Mattocks avoided it and disarmed him of the sword and shield. His brief handling of the drawn blade did not complete the deliberate six-second transfer required to take control of its manifested armor. He immediately passed the recovered weapons to a designated custodian. Security personnel secured the scabbard, and full resheathing dismissed Carrington's armor.

The officials declared Carrington disqualified. Mattocks withdrew from the contest, but Carrington pursued him in further unarmed attempts to attack. Mattocks avoided the charges and left him in the mud. An angry crowd jeered and threw food and mud as recordings captured the collapse of Carrington's public image.

The man who disappeared

Carrington left the field in the ordinary clothing that remained beneath the dismissed manifestation and walked into nearby woodland. He was not seen again in the established account. His disappearance did not establish his death, a new identity or the cancellation of his knighthood through a separate legal process.

The sword, shield and scabbard returned to secure custody at Camelot. The defeated bearer did not retain them, and Mattocks' victory did not automatically make him their owner or the next Excalibur. Investigators still had to resolve the corrupted selection, while any successor would require lawful authorization, Crown appointment and a willingness to accept the duty.

Carrington became remembered as The Unworthy. The name described his conduct, not a supernatural verdict delivered by the sword. His tenure demonstrated how public acclaim and protective equipment could conceal failures of accountability until a direct test exposed them. The subsequent investigation and Arthur Mattocks' appointment belong to the story of Excalibur V.

Powers

Power Origin: Normal human.

Carlton Carrington had no established innate superhuman powers. His exceptional protection and magical functions came from the enchanted equipment. His trained human abilities remained distinct from his promoted credentials. Neither activation of the armor nor formal appointment certified his competence or moral worth.

Equipment

Excalibur — enchanted sword

Carrington believed the weapon to be Arthurian Excalibur. It was the enchanted Saxon War Sword, whose true identity was later explained during Arthur Mattocks' tenure. Carrington is not known to have learned that distinction.

Unearthly material strength; attacks or magic capable of overcoming that strength remain consequential.
Drawing the sword manifests the core armor around its wielder. A new wielder deliberately controlling an already drawn blade for six continuous seconds takes control of the manifestation.
Directional pull indicates nearby magical activity; it does not automatically identify spells, determine exact distance or reveal intent.
While actively wielded, the sword translates supported speech into English for the bearer and enables him to speak intelligibly in the recipient's supported tongue.

Supported tongues include English, Welsh, Scots, Ulster Scots, Irish, Angloromani, Scottish Gaelic, Cornish, Portuguese, Spanish and Shelta, together with the historical language labels Insular Celtic, Anglic, Nordic, Indic, Latin and Romanaic.