This week I umpired two games of Pillage the Middle Ages to culminate the Icelandic blood feud campaign. First, Orm the Overbearing ambushed Thorkel Crone-Nose.
Thorkel needed to cut his way to safety and moved his battle line out around a barrow to get off the board.
Orm (the bald guy in the foreground) ordered his men forward in pursuit.
A furious scrum erupted beside some large stones. Archers picked off supporting spearmen to even the odds. At times they threated Thorkel and Orm.
Thorkel made a break for it! He did get away but at quite a cost. Orm's warband, was mostly made up of serfs but these fought well to inflict many casualties on Thorkel. It was a very narrow result but Orm had regained some of his honour ... but he was still an outlaw.
So what does an Overbearing outlaw do? Burn Thorkel's long house to the ground with him inside. It didn't quite work and a fierce battle erupted around Thorkel's farm.
His men stoutly defened the hall.
Orm's men rushed onwards with murdered in the eyes and hearts.
Again, archers rained down shots. Both sides targeted the leaders.
By Odin! The hall of Thorkel was ablaze!
Scattered melee broke out across the farm as hatred surged in the hearts of all involved. Each side had suffered at the hands of the other. Both fought to end the feud once and for all.
Orm, in the background, has suffered a wound.
But so had Thorkel. Both reddened their axes slaying their foes but arrows whined again and again gnawing a shields and seeking a way between steel rings. Thorkel's forces were slowly being massacred. Finally, several arrows pierced his armour and this mighty warrior died. Orm was overjoyed but he was a hunted man.
Bards claimed that Thorkel did not die but he never recovered his former battle prowess or vigour. Orm lived long in the wilderness, his inner spite eventually turning him into a troll. Many had died and the kinsmen of each swore an oath before the local gothi to end the feud.
No comments:
Post a Comment