The Confrontation
Einar Ferocity: 1…uh oh
Sihylde: Resolve: 5
Sihylde laughs and raises her war hammer to the sky, “Now is the time, brothers! Take all you can! Burn what you can’t!” Her men raise their weapons with her and cheer.
Einar steps forward, “No, there is no need to destroy this town. We will loot what we can, but leave the town so we can return and loot it later as well!” His men cheer, though a bit less enthusiastically.
Sihylde’s eyes narrow. The battle rage boils through her blood. Who did Einar think he was?
“These people are weak, Einar, they deserve no mercy! They betrayed our people, and so they will receive their punishment of blood and fire!”
“No!” Einar shouts, “I am the captain, and you WILL OBEY me!”
The company goes silent. Sihylde glares back, “You are only the ACTING captain. I will teach these southern dogs how a true warrior does battle." She turns and orders her raiders to charge into the town. With a whoop, they obey. With them goes Frømund and some of Einar’s men. Four shield brothers remain with him. With a curse, he bangs his axe on his shield, “Follow me!” He growls angrily.
The Raid
Jóra Kolsdóttir: (6,4,1)
Frømund Thormodsson: Ferocity: (4,4,2)
Einar Kolsson: Resolve: (4,3,1)
Sihylde Norheim: (6,5,2)
The village was unprepared for the fury of the northern assault. The men of the village tried to defend their home, but were cut down easily. Jóra and her men tried to do the best they could, but Sihylde and her raider could not be tamed. Jóra was able to spare the women and children, and some of the men who were willing to surrender.
Sihylde was showered with Crom’s favor that night, and she repaid that favor with interest. Her hammer smashed heads, threw men around as if they were stalks of grass instead of flesh and bone. A gang of men rushed her, most armed with pitchforks, though one had a rusty axe. She merely laughed at the challenge. Side-stepping one attack, she smashed the pommel of her hammer into the man’s chest. The crack of his sternum made her attacks wince, but Sihylde used their hesitation to launch a furious barrage of blows, breaking bone with each attack. The axe man took a wild swing at her, but she caught it with her handle. She pushed, making him stumble. She raised her hammer, and screamed out to Crom as she crushed him.
Frømund cut his way through the crowds, though he took little joy in the slaughter. This was no honorable battle, but it was a job that needed doing. He took one blow on his shield, and a quick slash of the sword sent the attacker reeling. However, another farmer took advantage of this distraction and stabbed him in the leg with his pitchfork. Frømund cried out, then angrily cut through the pitchfork, and then stabbed the farmer through the throat. The man gurgled and fell. Frømund turned to the village, rage burning in his eyes, and all he saw was flames.
(LVl 2 injury: -3 fate points to resist, (your perk will take effect if you resist the injury)) Einar and his men fought their way to the center of the village, where the largest structure was standing. Einar was breathing hard, his axe dripping red from those foolish enough to attack him and his men. An old man stood before him dressed in flowing robes, surrounded by panicked militia men and a grizzled man armored in chain. He pointed at Einar, “Kill the raiders!”
The militia hesitated, and then charged at him. Einar smiled grimly, and pounded his axe on his shield and readied himself for a fight. The first man about to reach him raised his spear to attack, but an arrow caught him in the throat. Einar’s grin grew larger. Thanks, meyla. Then the battle was upon them.
Einar’s shield was a blur as he blocked attack after attack. Although tired, his men also held their ground. Through the fury of the guards’ assault, no one was hit. Then Einar saw an opportunity and struck with his axe, splitting the man’s head. He bashed another in the face with his shield, knocking him back in a spray of blood and tooth. Then the veteran, armed with a sword and in chain, attacked. His array of blows drove him back, and Einar gritted his teeth. He swung his axe at him, but the veteran dodged back, and slashed Einar across the chest with his sword.
(LVL 2 Injury, slashed chest, -3 fate to resist) Einar cried out in pain, but was able to deflect the veteran’s follow up blow. The veteran shoved into him with his shoulder, knocking Einar back onto the ground.
Then Sihylde came. With a mighty swing, she drove the veteran back. He desperately fell back; his sword flashing to meet and deflect each swing to the side. His blade flashed out, but she dodged it harmlessly. Her next blow caved in his chest, and he collapsed to the ground, wheezing and coughing up blood. The rest of the guard, the few standing, threw down their arms. Sihylde walked over to Einar, and hoisted him to his feet. The village elder looked around helplessly as the northern warriors surrounded him. A few fires had been started during the fighting, and smoke began to rise in the air. The warriors begin looting.
The captains organize the evacuation of the remaining prisoners. Jóra and Skjære do a masterful job of this, and an orderly line of warriors hauling loot and bound captives leave the village and assemble in a field outside. The fire consumes more and more, and has spread to at least 2/3 of the village. At least 70 women and children with a few men stand in the field, with the village elder separated from the rest.
The company has looted an additional 12 coins worth, along with an ornate silver chalice from the large center building.
What do you do now?
A. March back to the ship, we have enough loot for now.
B. Continue our pillaging of the countryside!
C. Something else
Daglar the Priest also recommends sacrificing a few prisoners to insure a safe journey home. (2 fate for the village elder, 1 for a common village person).
I was thinking it would be a combination of pacifying peasants and disciplining our fellow raiders. No unnecessary burning, lest the tavern incident repeat itself.On an unrelated note, how dissatisfied would you say the general population of this area is?
I was thinking it would be a combination of pacifying peasants and disciplining our fellow raiders. No unnecessary burning, lest the tavern incident repeat itself.On an unrelated note, how dissatisfied would you say the general population of this area is?
Fully with this too.
If I'd give my opinion, I'd say dissatisfied because they're generally being raided 
However I guess asking how they feel about their own lands is a good point too. We don't know the backstory of our connection to these southerners though.
You don't really know the mood of the population, but from what you have seen they are mostly content. There are also cultural differences between the Averlanders and yourselves, the Nords. The chances of recruiting Averlanders for raiding are pretty low. There are various pressures forcing your people to send out raiding parties, from harsh winters to hordes of monsters. The Averlanders had an alliance with some of the larger Nord clans, but refused the call to send aid when beastmen hordes came. Several clans were destroyed, and others lost many villages. So the Nords see themselves as fiercely independent, and trade and raid to support themselves. So there is some justification besides the joy of crushing your enemies, seeing them driven before you, and hearing the lamentations of their women.
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Topic: Viking: Sea Wolves-Chapter 1: Fur and Fang (Read 27203 times)