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.