A couple of additions ..

New boys awaiting painting, these are the Saxon King pack from Black Tree Design; nice set. I've given the harpist some more trouser like leggings and the king figure has had his crown removed replaced with some hair - he will represent Earldorman Rodor out of his fighting gear. 

Earldorman Rodor's armoured thegns..

A mix of figs finished off in a session yesterday - mostly Gripping Beast with a couple of Dixon and Redoubt; for a change I tried a bit of shading on faces/hands using dilute brown wash ( I bought a sheet of standards some time back - I think from Redoubt - from which I cut out the one shown)

A closer look at the archer ...

The above are the last ( of the currently planned) major additions to Saxon forces; there will be some more oddments. I'm looking to add some more 'personality' figures and have a small project in mind to model the characters from Noggin the Nog.

Thached stone building with enclosure

I bougth some bits recently from Gripping Beast and while having a browse (as you do), I took a fancy to a stone building so added it to the order.

I wanted to do soemthing a bit different with it so I based it with some hurdle fence pieces from the Games Workshop fence/wall set to make an enclosure; plus some plastic wood to blend it into the base ...

All finished and ready to takes it's place in a village, ham, tun or burgh...

A bit of cartage ...

A couple of carts. I re-based my existing one (on the left above), and I've added a new one - Celtic Cart from Warlord Games.

Looking for the Old Crone ...

Earldorman Rodor's wife Beornwyn, her female warriors, Bishop Wulfrum of Wuduceastre and some armed monks (and a dog called ?spot?) - are searching for the Old Crone, as the Bishop is trying to come to an understanding of the ways of old religion (they go armed as it is a dangerous time - you never know if there are vikings about)  ...

Beornwyn and the Bishop enquire at a village as to the whereabouts of the Old Crone, they are told to try a hut on the hill about a mile outside the village to the north.

They catch sight of the Old Crone in front of her hut ....

The Old Crone disappears in a puff of coloured smoke, and three other wispy smokelets appear ...

The old crone unsure of the reason for the visit has disappeared and has summoned some 'undead' to attack the visitors ..

 The skeleton undead attack, and the party do their best to defend themselves ...

The cowled monk throws back his hood and chants a prayer from the holy book of Crontarth..

The skeleton undead have turned back to dust - a narrow escape for all ...

Female warriors ..

Female warriors, converted Warload Games celts, as escort to Thegn Rodor's wife (centre).

A meeting of Mages in the forrest

Oswyn (Grey Coat) , Nerienda (known by most as Old Crone) and Hunwald (Black Staff)  have gathered for a meeting deep in the forest ..

Oswyn:  How goes our plan Nerienda ?
Nerienda: Well it goes. The viking Erikson has the book of Tanwold, and our friend Elfric will decipher the clues to the hiding place of the Whorled Cup and its treasure.
Hunwald: So we let those vikings do all our work for us and take the risks.
Nerienda: Yes they find what we seek and we will take it from them ("cackle")
Hunwald: Let us retire to my cave and have something to eat and drink.

 as they walked to the cave

Oswyn: Nerienda I hear that the Bishop of Wuduceastre is hunting for you
Nerienda: I will deal with him and whoever he sends, do not worry

---oXo---

Where is the Whorled Cup ?

After their victory at Drengham Sven Erikson looked at beginning of the the second chapter in the book of Tanwold, he new some latin but not enough to understand, he got Elfric (a monk they had captured) to translate. The information he was after was there - chapter two dealt with the history of the Whorled Cup.

Elfric told him the rest of the book contained 8 short chapters , 7 describing the locations of the 7 parts of the map showing the route to the location of the Whorled Cup and the last one special instructions on how to proceed at the site of the treasure.

Sven and Elfric settled down to decipher chapter 3, the location of the first part of the map ...

Isle of Sceapige (7) - The Fight for Drengham

The defenders of Drengham keep an eye out the for the vikings ...

The vikings start their approach ...

The scaling ladders are getting into place, one viking hacks at the gate with his axe while the battering ram is brought up ...

The battering ram starts pounding the gate, while attackers try to get over the pallisade using the ladders ...

Some vikings are over the wall, Leofric the archer fights hard, holding off a viking axeman ...

As the fight to cross the pallisade goes on, the battering ram continues hammering at the gate ...

More vikings are across the pallisade but the saxons are just holding them back ...

The gate gives way and the vikings pour in. Leofric the archer finally deals with his axeman opponent ..

With the vikings through the gate the resolve of the saxons falters, they fall back ....

The saxons make a desperate stand, but they cannot beat back the ferocious vikings ...

The saxons are pushed back towards the harbour, where the civilians are getting onto the ships ...

One of the ships is away while the saxons fight to hold the vikings so as many can get into the last ship as possible ....

The second ship gets away, not before the vikings cut many brave saxons down. Leofric the archer fires some parting shots from the stern of the ship at the vikings on the jetty ..

Isle of Sceapige (6) - Vikings on the move ...

Sven Erikson had a bad nights sleep. In the morning he felt that he needed to limber up and get some action - the rest of the men had been getting tetchy lately and there had been some squabbles recently in the camp which had turned into some nasty fights. So they are up for fighting he thought - we can't sit here any longer - time for action. 'To the ships' he bellowed loudly ...

The vikings scrambled aboard their ships and made their way up round the isle past Medham and along the coast towards Drengham - they beached their ships on the sandy cove about 3 miles from the saxon settlement (the other way was round the isle was a trickey route with dangerous rocks, especially near Drengham - where only the locals new the safe way through).

After getting ashore Sven Erikson ordered the battle standard to be unfurled.

He then ordered his mean to prepare some things to help in their attack on Drengham, after felling a few trees and some hard work they were ready to move,- a battering ram and some improvised ladders..

Ready for action the Vikings move off towards Drengham ...

---oXo---

 to be continued

Saxons make preparations ...

The Saxons on the island have been re-inforced by a small group of Warriors who arrived by boat a few days agos and some men who crossed to the island from the mainland using the old causeway at low tide.

Saxon scouts have been watching the Viking camp from woodland nearby and have reported what they have seen back to Drengham.   They must make decision soon as to whether to attack the vikings or not - before their camp becomes too strongly defended.

There is much discussion going on among the men
 

(image from http://www.regia.org/warfare/spear.htm )

Whilst this rural idyll goes on Sven is a worried man. Throughout the day the sound of axes ring through the forests, trees are cut, trimmed and dragged to his camp, shelters and palisading rises daily as his men enjoy the easy life.
This must soon end, The local fyrd are raising fresh troops from the countryside around, whilst he waits in vain for the arrival of Ivar Redbeard and his men, reports have arrived that the troops have arrived in the home vik, but troubles have arisen in equiping them and fitting out more longships.
More bad news arrives daily, today one of his scouts arrives with information that he has found a pathway to the mainland, this ford would seem only passably at extemely low tides, but these are approaching and his enemy must know of them and even now be preparing an attack.

Lost Monk ....

A touch of whimsy, prompted by finishing painting a ploughman figure ..

Monk: Excuse me kind sir, can you tell me the way to Wareham in the county of Wuduceastre ?

Ploughman: Same as you wears'em anywhere else

Here be the Isle of Sceapige ...

When the vikings landed they moved north and took the settlement of Medham, we have also seen their adventure in the forest where they retrieved the Book of Tanwold from the hermits island on Crawsmere (click map image to get larger version)

The vikings now control the island up to the long ridge hill of Segsden; although the Ufdenu (Owls den) Valley and nearby forested areas see incursions by the Saxons (mostly hunting for game).  The vikings have also recently raised Deorsingasham on the mainland to get St Wigberts relics, what will Sven Eriksen's next move be - more raiding or a another adventure looking for the treasure of the Whorled Cup ?

Bound for Sceapige ...

A small group of volunteers start their journey to the Isle of Sceapige to help the defenders against the vikings ...

[Boat constructed from Smer 1/60 kit as posted here]

Small Building - Plan Drawing

Plan layout of ends and sides of the above building with dimesions

Feel free to use copy amend as you like

Saxons - Thegns arrive to receive their weapons ...

Earldorman Rodor's loyal thegns: a mix of Gripping Beast packs and a couple of Dixon viking figures, are assembled and ready to paint.

Storage Crisis - resolved

Having accumulated my Dark Age collection and been adding new buildings, the space I had allocated in the cupboards under my wargame table had filled up. I was looking for a quick solution as I had no more room for any additional cupboards. Fortunately the trim under cupboard comes off and there is space underneath to put a reasonable sized box of figs or some houses - so I unscrewed the trim and added a door knob to it, found a suitable sized box and that has solved the space problem for now. All reorganised,

out of sight and safely stored ...

If I want to get to the buildings I can pull of the trim piece and get the tray out.

Trouble in Deorsingasham (part 2 or 2)

continued from trouble in Deorsingasham part 1

---oxo---

While Aelfric and his men hold off the main body of the vikings, more appear to the north of the town. The monks, followers of St Wigbert (an offshoot sect of the fighting monks of Wuduceastre), prepare to defend the church ...

The fight goes on, by the minster church and the great hall ...

Aelfric and a couple of men are left, they have pushed the vikings back but cannot hold them any longer (they run for the woods dodging in between the houses ..)

A group of vikings move up the main town street, the saxons who are left don't tarry and make for the woods ..

Only the monks remain, they will defend the minster church and the shrine of St Wigbert

The monks make their last stand in front of the minster ...

The vikings set about pillaging the town ...

Their main prize the reliquary of St Wigbert (this has to be returned un-opened for Sven Erikson to examine it).

The villagers wait in the woods, while the armed men look for evidence that the vikings have gone ..

The vikings make their way back to their ship, with booty and livestock ..

The vikings load up the boat (and then head out back to the Isle of Sceapige ...)

As the townfolk return to Deorsingasham and start to tidy up the mess, Earldoerman Rodor arrives, they are too late the vikings have gone. A woman shouts 'the Abbot is still alive, praise the lord !'