Thursday 29 September 2016

Lady Hilda's hearthguard ...

After the battle at Piggesforde, Lady Hilda had returned to Wuduceastre.  In order to provide more fighting power she decides on 'arming up' her hearthguard.

Lady Hilda and some of the women watch as the newly equipped female warriors practice....
[ new items: female warriors - 6 valkyries from ShadowForge; 5 assorted females (Captain Bill's, Hinchcliffe medievals); 4 male warriors from Steve Barber miniatures.]

Saturday 3 September 2016

The Battle at Piggesford ...

The saxon fyrd approach the river Wendsum,  the largest group are sent on to block the ford, while a small group crosses downstream, a couple of men have taken control of the small islet....
The saxons have reached the ford, the vikings approach ....
a little skirmishing starts ...
The vikings form up, preparing to attack across the ford, while the saxons position the rest of their troops, placing some men into their left flank in the pig pens and in the wood ...
The vikings cross the ford and attack the saxons, meanwhile the saxons attack the viking left flank guard ....
The saxons have held the viking attack, but have been pushed back; more vikings cross the ford while some of them also slowly wade across the deeper river upstream of the ford ....
The vikings are across the river and into the woods while the fighting at the ford continues ....
The saxon troops fall back from the ford after losing many men ..
The vikings surge forward again ....fighting in and around the pig pens is fierce ....
the unit of fyrd which had held the ford breaks and runs, the vikings form a shield wall ..
The vikings have won the battle for the pig pens and attack the rear of the nearest saxons; the rest of the fyrd are unsteady but they hold their ground...
The rest of the vikings charge forward ........
the saxons left flank fails completely and the vikings move on to attack the saxon centre ...
The viking attack is repulsed, but the saxons fall back; the rest of the fyrd is in disarray....
Only Lady Hilda and her female hearthguard remain intact - they retire some distance from the enemy trying to rally the fyrd to the standard.  The vikings continue their march back to their ships.

Tuesday 30 August 2016

The vikings head back to their ships ....

The Vikings are busy pillaging the priory of St Wendreda .....
when they've got all they can find, they form up to return to their ships moving down into the valley ......
seeing the smoke in the distance the fyrd march as fast as they can, heading for Piggesford on the river Wendsum...

Monday 29 August 2016

The Fyrd gathers ...

Earldorman Rodor  has taken the men from the northern hundreds to deal with a viking raid. His wife Lady Hilda has been left in charge..... more viking ships have been seen in the estuary to the south-west of Wuduceastre ....

a couple of farmers spot that the local beacon is alight ....
 villagers are called to arms ....
 the men from the village and other local hamlets assemble on a nearby hill ....
they set off to join with the rest of the fyrd ...
the fyrd assembles at great oak .... men join with warriors from Wuduceastre led by Lady Hilda
 As the fyrd assembles Lady Hilda decides where to try and intercept the vikings ....


Sunday 21 August 2016

On Watch ....

The men on watch at a beacon, get some well earned refreshment...

 [new items: 3 oddment figures picked up at Bovington wargames show]

Monday 6 June 2016

The Search for Odins Oak ...

Sven Eriksen continues his search for clues to help him find the fabled Whorled Cup and its treasure. He has five clues already, two more to go ... The monk had told him "At Odins Oak, in the cold blue flame you will find the way".

---oXo---

Sven and his men have sailed east for seven days and landed on the shores of a large island. They move inland.....
After moving through a marsh they come under fire from archers concealed in the rocks ahead...
as they move forward a pack of wolves attacks ....
they make short work of the wolves and the archers and attack a nearby farmstead
Meanwhile in  the settlement of Odensvi, the alarm has been raised - the men have been roused and march up to protect the sanctuary
while others ensure the entrance is well defended...
Sven's vikings attack the main entrance as others try and find a way in round the side...
  The attack continues, but Sven's men are finding it hard work...

Sven has managed to get round the back and studies the place and the strength of its defence...
Reluctantly he orders his men to fall back; there are too many defenders and Sven feels that something about the place is wrong - almost like a trap; the flame in the sanctuary is a fiery red...

Sven and his men return to the ships, picking up a few things from the farmstead as they go ....


Sunday 1 May 2016

Wolves are about ...

A large pack of wolves are about....
 The locals discuss what to do about the wolves ...
 meanwhile the cattle seem unperturbed ....
[new items - wolves - mix of Warbases, Irregular and Ral Partha; cattle from Warbases]

Wednesday 6 April 2016

bags of swag ...

raiders carrying bags of pillaged swag , on their way back to a boat ....
[new items: 5 converted chaps: 2 Gripping Beast figs from the Trader set with added shields slung over shoulder; plus 3 converted Foundry vikings].

Thursday 24 March 2016

At the local tavern ...

At the local tavern a wandering friendly dragon asks for a cask of ale, saying his throat is a little dry ...
Tavern owner: sorry, house rule - I don't serve dragons - try the Red Dragon on the other side of town ...

Wednesday 16 March 2016

Warriors with flaming torches ....

I used a little of the Flames of war 'XX601 Smoke and Flames' stuff to make up three warriors with flaming torches

Tuesday 15 March 2016

Warriors with booty (WIP)

Doing some conversions for warriors carrying booty of some form - I've opted for sacks of swag using green stuff,  re-positioning arms as needed. Three spare foundry vikings get the treatment ...


Friday 4 March 2016

The Island of Temples


Svens' Quest continues,  hearing of an island nearby that matches a description in the Chronicles of the Cup. He decides to leave the bulk of his men resting and takes a small boat to investigate.

     As they approach they can make out a small jetty and a path leading inland between two strange statues.

 

 A birds eye view would tell them more, but denied this they approach cautiously.



     

     Seeing nothing untoward they moor at the jetty, and move inland.



       As Sven and his men pass between the twin statues, a growling dog emerges from the undergrowth, followed by two others.
      One leaps, and a man goes down with a dog at his throat, he will not rise again.
   Two of the dogs are killed by the spears of the Vikings and the third slinks away,
          Pausing to dress the bite and scratch wounds, and fearful of the madness disease carried but such animals, They read the inscription carved beneath the statues.

It tells that there are more gods than they might know of and to survive they must pay tribute to each of the shrines upon the island.

    Moving inland they come across a small house with rounded door and windows, men whisper that it is the home of the Halfpeople of legend.
     As the door opens the men stop and huddle fearfully in a poor semblance of  a shieldwall.

     The door opens fully and out steps a young looking woman dressed in a snake and little else.

Whilst Sven gazes thoughtfully at a circle of standing stones, his shipmaster speaks with the snake lady.
 She tells that each of the altars holds a secret, a gift for the humble and a danger for the unbeliever.
  Taking her words to heart, Sven picks a small bunch of yellow flowers and gifts them to the lady.
She thanks him for his courtesy, unusual in one of his race and adds that each temple holds the key to the next, so a widdershins sequence must be followed.


 The men move on uphill and come upon a crystal skull resting atop a stone altar, Sven believes this is the gift and places an offering of wild flowers in its place. As he does so he notices an inscription which reads "Five Stones you see, but six there be. Kneel upon the sixth and the earth will yield its secrets.

 Advancing further into the woods, expecting an attack at any moment, they find they have reached the end of the island, and turn back along the coast to the stone circle they observed earlier.
    As they approach, Sven can indeed see that there are only five stones, he approaches the centre of the circle carefully lest his next step set off some awful trap, His   men arrayed in a defensive circle of their own, beneath his feet, he feels another stone beneath the turf and kneels to face the northernmost stone. From this position he can just make out a line of Runes, making no sense of them, he decides to copy them for later study, then before he leaves he removes his cloak and leaves it as an offering to the spirit of the stones
  The party moves downhill, expecting misfortune at every step, so far they feel the gods have been smiling on them
   Hugging the coast, they press onwards, until they reach a small forest.
  From which leap three large hairy apemen.
  Leofric raises his bow and fires hitting one and then another, but the barbs do no damage and the further enraged beasts spring forward with a roar,
   Svens men form a hasty battleline and roar out their own challenge, which seems to have some effect and the beasts amble off.
  Shaken by the confrontation and eager to depart the island the band head towards the last idol, a stone statue of a lady dressed in flowing robes.
  They are too eager, the ground gives way beneath leofrics feet and he plunges into a hunters trap, breaking his neck, Geofric is luckier and sustains only a broken arm.
     Hauling him out and roughly binding the injury Sven decides the island has had enough of he and his men, and decides to return to the boat. The Gods have stopped smiling.
   On their way the are shadowed by the great apes and pass by the surviving dog standing guard over his prey. But pass on without incident.
  They are just approaching the jetty when they are challenged by alone warrior who seems to have sprung from the very soil.
  He announces that he will fight their champion, if he loses the contest they must stay on the island forever, unless they can defeat the next arrival. He has been waiting seven long year.
    Ulfric Hagarsson leaps forward, whilst not the best fighter he is desperate to leave.
 The contest flows back and forth no man able to strike a telling blow, soon both are running with sweat and rivulets of blood.
   Ulfric leaps forward again, but slips, is it all over?

  But NO, the Lady is smiling on him, the Hero, flustered by this and blinded by the sweat stumbles forward to impale himself on Ulrics desperately poised sword.

They waste no further time embarking, and leave the island, The blood attracts some ocean predators, but they sail past, relieved at their escape.
  Nearly exhausted they narrowly miss striking a rock.

  But their exhaustion has its benefits, No man has the strength to answer the sirens call.


      As the sail is raised, Sven reflects that it is time he returned home,
   There are artifacts to decipher, Tall Tales to be told and Ale and Mead to be quaffed.