Hroðgar, satisfied, nods farewell and returns to the head of the ship.
Hours pass. The sky is lightly overcast, the sun peeking through here and there; the seas are relatively calm. It is clear land is not that far off. The crewmen jest, tell stories, reminisce, and pray. The journey, a mere 2 days thus far, has not been the most exciting, but you wouldn't say that it's been a bad experience.
It is midday when land comes into sight.
Rognvaldr nudges Hroðgar, pointing off to the coast in the distance. Hroðgar stands up, squinting at the outline of the coast. "That's Righland, all right. I'd recognize that coast any day of the week." He and Rognvaldr speak with one another, consulting charts and maps and comparing them to what they can make of the distant beaches. Eventually, Halfiron turns and faces the crew.
"We make land at dusk! The gods are favorable to us, as by my reckoning, we will arrive at the outskirts of the Earldom of Thuadeir, in one of their small fishing villages by the sea; if I am not wrong, a village I know well. The people of Thuadeir know and fear the Northmen, so we must prepare for battle, as they will surely have a coast-guard, though at this place a small one." He indicates the front benches of the ship. "The thirteen of you sitting in the front, you are with Rognvaldr and I, as our vanguard. When we make land upon the beach outside the village, we will battle the coast guard." He pauses, and gestures to the benches in the middle of One-Wing. "The ten behind the vanguard, you are the rear guard. You will follow us at a distance. When we meet the coast guard in battle, circle around to their flank and charge the enemy. They will never see it coming."
He points to the five in the back: the shieldmaiden inquisitor, the warpriest's successor, the young sailor, the dragonslayer's kin, and the singsong slayer. "You five, you are in charge of taking the monastery. If I recall correctly, there is a hill beyond the deep forest near this village, and atop that hill is a building where men with strange hair and uncomfortable-looking clothes copy books and pray to their gods. There are many riches there, yet they are by and large unguarded. That is your duty."
Hroðgar raises his axe in the air. "Everyone! Ready your war-gear, your thick shields and gleaming battle-shirts, your steel-bladed war-swords and iron-tipped war-spears! Pray to the gods for luck, gold, and glory! And know that if you fall, you will feast with the gods in Valhalla! For Hafyrðar! For Odin! For glory!" The final lines of his speech are met with a return cry from the crew, a resounding "For glory!" loud as a warhorn and clear as the lakes of Vatnlið.
Just as Halfiron predicted, the One-Wing makes land as twilight begins to set in. The clouds have cleared, allowing a magnificent sunset to be seen across the stony hills of these parts of Righland. Once the ship has been beached and the crew disembarked, Hroðgar goes over the plan for the raid one more time. "The vanguard--my group and I--will march for the village, due north of here. The rear-guard will follow at a distance and take the enemy from their flank if and when battle occurs. The monastery party will head west for that hill." He points toward a tall hill surrounded by forest, upon which you can make out the outline of a building. "Lastly, I will remind you all of my code of honor, a code I expect every man in my crew to follow. Any man who kills another without allowing them a fair fight loses the hand he slew with. Any man who takes a woman by force loses his manhood. And try not to burn anything down unless you have to. We are here to challenge the Righlanders for their treasure and honor, not to pleasure ourselves on slaughter and suffering. Don't stain my honor with your own shame. Are we clear on that?" Murmurs of agreement can be heard throughout the crowd.
"Good! Monastery-raiders, any questions? Supplies you'll need, ideas you've had?"
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Topic: Valhalla-Bound (Pathfinder) (4/5) - IC Thread (Read 10935 times)