Rjukan falls ....

continued from the previous post ....

The battering ram crunches into the main gate, which starts to give way. The defenders try to shore it up...

The attack on the pallisade commences ....

 The attackers move up men with axes to the main gate ....

 The attack on the pallisade is repulsed .....

 The main gate fails and the attackers are in but held back by the defenders

 The defenders are pushed back from the gate ....

 The defence crumbles as more of the attackers move in ....

Rjukan is now in the hands of Angstromsen

Rjukan under attack ....

The viking usurper Angstrom Angstromsen has moved quickly and is launching an attack on Rjukan.

---oXo---

The defenders of Rjukan man the pallisade wall as the attackers come into view out of the forest ....

 Angstromsen watches the attack developing ...

The main attack will be on the gate of Rjukan, a battering ram on wheels is pulled forward at a pace

A party of men with improvised storming ladders move up ...

The attackers move in closer .....

to be continued ....

Beornwulf decides to assemble the army ....

Beornwulf  meets with the his commanders to decide their next course of action now the thaw is in full swing ....

He gives the order to assemble the army and move to block the Hessdalen valley, the only way into the northern hills of Oppland. From there they will try to get re-inforcements to the town of Rjukan a few miles from the entrance to the valley.

Wintertime ....

A week or so after the various contingents arrived in the northern hills of Oppland it started to snow; winter was setting in early.  The men were found places to stay in various villages and towns - they hunkered down. The land was soon covered in snow and ice

The winter was severe, men muttered that Niflheim was seeping into the land. Wolves were seen close to settlements....

but after a couple of months the thaw started - much to the relief of all...

Support arrives for Angstromsen ....

Having seen the Beacon fires, Angstrom Angstromsen had sent for his cousin to come and support his endeavours to conquer Oppland.

In the mean time, Angstromsen received some news to cheer him up - a contingent of Eastlanders responding to the beacon fires had been turned back with heavy losses

Sails were sighted a couple of weeks later, Harald Orsted had brought his men to help ...

Angstromsen shouts a greeting to his cousin as the ship rounds the headland...

the gathering commences ...

after seeing the beacon fires alight various contingents have set off to help the Opplanders...

The 'knights' of Krona...

 The warrior monks of St Olaf from Stavinga ...

 Erik Forkbeard and his men from Skienmark ...

 The Northlander's  took a couple days to muster their contingent.  Beornwulf the Bold leads the force off on the march ...

The King and Queen watch them file past ..... 

Northlanders on the march ...... 

Beacon fires burn ....

Men have been gathering in the northern hills of Oppland; a number camps have sprung up near settlements. One of the largest is at Arendal, near the first of the beacon signal fires.

After much deliberation it is decided that it is time to set the beacon signal fire....

 The beacon is lit and burns furiously giving out a warm red glow ...

 As the sun sets, they can see the next beacon a-blaze, soon a chain of beacon fires can be seen. The signal has been sent, now they must wait to see who will come to help them .....