Sven the Viking

Chapter 1

`Woodsman, we need more timber,` shouted Brent, `Those Gauls will be back soon enough. By Odeon, we must be ready.`
`The woodsman may not come my Lord,` replied the maiden. `He is still injured, and in need of care. I have him deep in the hold with our beloved leader, Sven. We are tending their wounds and feeding them the best horsemeat and mead.`

The first attack from the Gauls of the dark green Southern forest came the week after Pat the Red went off to raid the highlands of Brittania. He should not have gone. Many had witnessed blue creatures of the deep tussling in a seemingly unending battle out in the cold sea. It was a bad omen (Though one whale did emerge victorious over a Kracken). Now Red was tied up with some highlanders on a distant shore, and the hold was lacking its best swordsman. Sven, the keeper of the hold, was in the process of building a long house of beautiful dark wood, tar and stones outside the protective hold when the attack came. The Gauls sent savage dogs ahead of them and Sven was mauled. The woodsman, just coming back from the forest, saw the end of the mauling so he came at the dog with his axe, but the dog retreated into the woods. As he was dragging Sven`s limp body back to the hold, he spotted a pack of men dressed in green coming out of the forest. He sounded the alarm, but too late — he was shot by several arrows all at once. Brent the Purple and Gold was near the gate and was able to drag Sven in. The woodsman was still able to walk. Brent closed the gate, and in Red`s absence, and Sven`s incapacity, took over.

`Women and children, in the cellar,` he barked.
One pregnant woman didn`t want to go, so he pushed her down the cellar. There was no time for niceties.
`Keep your swords handy, but exhaust your arrows first,` rang another command.

The Gauls of green had cut down pine trees and cut branches to about a foot outside of the trunk to use as ladders. They were now carrying these make-shift ladders to the walls of the hold. The first flight of arrows came upon them like a wave of fierce flying birds looking for prey. They struck again and again. The Gauls holding the ladders could not effectively hold their shields and they were all struck down. A volley of arrows returned. Fortunately, the arc of the arrows could not reach the inner wall where Sven`s (now Brent`s) men were. More Gauls picked up ladders, more were shot. Just as the Vikings were running out of arrows, the Gauls seemed to run out of men. They hadn`t, but they could see that this tack was not working. Perhaps the cover of darkness would have worked better. They`d be back, and the Vikings of Sven`s hold knew it.

Co-missioner,
Brian