After leaving my family in the crags to seek adventure, I arrived in Ercongotastead after a journey containing no notable experiences, to find preparations underway for an expedition to find some bandits and was very happy to volunteer to join them. The company was led by Lyttleman, and included Cynewulf, Stigand, Nothgyth and Herewulf along with his dog. With them was a bandit who had been captured in a previous expedition and had promised to lead them to his erstwhile companions.
We set out on a beautiful morning and in the early afternoon were accosted by a nicor or water sprite, on a rock in a stream, as we crossed. She warned Lyttleman not to misuse the helmet he had received as part of his share from the previous expedition. She said that if he gave her one of his companions, even the prisoner, she would tell him something of value. She was hungry for more than kisses and I carefully avoided catching her eye. When Lyttleman refused to hand over any of his companions she slipped off her rock and disappeared into the stream.
At the end of the day we found a cave with a low entrance to shelter for the night. The captured bandit was named Higebryght and he told Lyttleman that he thought there were three hard men, friends of the deceased leader, Redmond, and three lesser fighters remaining of his former band. Watches were set but the night passed uneventfully.
The weather continued fair and we approached Frithistead near the end of the day, where the bandits were holed up. Myself and Herewulf crept into position to try to give covering fire and once we were in place the rest of our companions headed towards a bothie a short distance away from the settlement with Higebryght ahead to hail his former companions. There was no-one there so we continued on to Frithistead. There was some smoke from what looked like the great hall and a stream running through palisaded compounds, along with the charred remains of a tithe barn and some outbuildings round the edge.
Lyttleman decided on a night attack in the hopes of taking the bandits by surprise, so in the darkness we crossed the palisade. There were two figures on the porch at the front of hall, one was slumped forward and plaintive song could be heard, perhaps from inside the hall. Herewulf and I positioned ourselves as before to give covering fire. The attack went perfectly, the two drunken men outside were captured before they knew what had happened and Nothgyth and I watched them, while Lyttleman, Stigand and then Cynewulf and Herewulf headed into the hall.
The three men inside were quickly dealt with; one was drunk, one was wounded and the other died in the attack. Lyttleman was also wounded. The wounded were quickly treated and the captives hog-tied. There was no sign of anyone else in the settlement, just chickens, pigs and a couple of cows.
Higebryght identified the captives. Cynewyrd and Alred were two of the inner circle of Redmond. Stigand and Cynewulf took some studded leather armour, while Herewulf took a war-axe and I took a war shield to enable me to stand in the shield wall. There were two bandits unaccounted for – Cynestin and Kirkpatrick had left we were told. Cynestin had folk in the small lands far to the south, the little kingdoms, so it was assumed this was their probable destination.
The rest of the night passed uneventfully and, in the morning, we found nine marks of silver from various chests and the captives and bodies. Lyttleman sent Higebryght back to Ercongotastead to get a healer and he was given a weapon and told that he had fulfilled his obligation. There was a large store of mead and some provisions. We drank a little mead in celebration of our success and then milked the cows and gathered some eggs.
One of the captives, Bede, told us that would take us to the pukelmen’s nest, in exchange for his freedom. He said that it would be a week’s trip – a long 3 days each way. Bede thought there had been 3 or 4 dozen pukelmen involved in their attack on Frithistead, much of their strength, and just one thurr. We learned that Redmond had been a local boy whose mother had been a witch and had taught him things. Redmond never used a sword but always wore a helmet – he was never seen without it.
On the fifth day a party including Higebryght, Osric (the headman), Cyneberg and Reinmelth (two walcyrige) and Hildilith the healer arrived from Ercongotastead. Osric was happy with the proposal to give Bede and the other two men their freedom in exchange for Bede showing the party the location of the pukelman nest. After a couple of days Lyttleman had been healed and we were ready to set off.
Osric and Lyttleman questioned the recovered, wounded prisoner, Bede – he had been once to the pukelmen’s nest but didn’t think he would be able to find it; however, he was able to describe the approach. There was a cave, he said, but he didn’t think they all lived there. He thought the smaller pukelmen joined from other places, but the bigger ones, along with the thurse, lived in the cave.
Osric and Lyttleman agreed to set the other bandits free, with belt weapons, while Bede identified the pukelmen’s nest. Higebryght agreed to join our party; Bede and the others swore oaths to leave the area and would be killed if seen again.
Lyttleman, Herewulf, Stigand, Cynewulf, Hrothgar, Nothgyth, Higebryght, Osric, Cyneberg, Reinmelth, and Hildilith along with Bede as a guide headed off. It was a beautiful morning again. We followed a trail from Frithistead, heading south. We were in undulating land, with scattered woodland, generally heading upwards. We arrived at a small deserted steading for the evening, called Egbalfsteading. There was a small main building and some outbuildings. The door had been stoved in and Bede looked sheepish – evidently this was Redmond and his thurr’s work. The night passed uneventfully and we headed off the next morning, a harder uphill march. The day was uneventful and we spent the night in a bothie which Bede managed to find.
Bede told us that we were about an hour short of the nest when we were ready to stop for the night, but Osric and Lyttleman decided that we should press on. As we crossed a stream, we were ambushed by pukelings. Cyneberg, Higebryght and Cynewulf were already across the stream and engaged the pukelings as the rest of the party tried to cross the river. Cyneberg was knocked down and hit on the head. Herewulf and I moved around the left flank and were attacked by a pukelman, the leader of the pukelings, and two pukelings. Cynewulf and Bede tried to come to Cyneberg’s aid and she managed to get back to her feet. Herewulf killed the pukelman and three pukelings ran away; the other 9 pukelings were killed. We garnered 17s, a one mark silver armring, a war shield, a langaseax and 2 francas from the bodies and headed on.
We headed up a steep path and a pukeling head poked out and threw a boulder that narrowly missed Nothgyth. I shielded off a boulder and we reached the top of a climb. There was a flat area ahead and then the gorse bushes where Bede said the pukeling nest was situated. We came to a line of gorse and Bede pointed out the way Redmond had gone.
Higebryght spotted a cleft ahead as described by Bede and spotted heads coming out. Lyttleman boldly led the way and was faced by a couple of pukelmen. Stigand with a spear struck over Lyttleman. Stigand struck one in the head and it went down. Lyttleman managed to shield bash a pukelman out of the way and pushed forward. Missiles were being fired from the gorse by pukelings.
Hildilith edged nearer the front and invoked Thunor, and we could hear rustling from the gorse. Another pukelman went down and was finished off by one of the Valkyries. Lyttleman was hit on the head and slightly stunned, but he shook his head and bravely carried on. The walcyriges killed another of the pukelmen. A pukelman backed away from Stigand, who followed up and then the pukelmen broke and fled and we pursued through the gorse. The path through the gorse zigzagged up the slope towards the cleft. The gorse opened out and we could see a cave ahead. Lyttleman continued to lead the way and came under missile attack as he waited for a light. Bede passed up two pine torches and Lyttleman headed on into a wider cave, filled with pukelings and pukelmen. Lyttleman was knocked down by a pukeling.
Hildilith invoked Thunor again and there was a glowing wave and the pukelmen shrank back. They were smoking from the divine glow. Herewulf helped Lyttleman along and Cynewulf led the party right at the fork then right at a T-junction into a cave with a few pukelings. Cynewulf was knocked down and Stigand stood over him. Two pukelmen attacked the rear of the party. Herewulf fought them, supported by Nothgyth, and was incapacitated by a blow in the guts. Nothgyth knocked one over and pushed past Herewulf. With the help of Higebryght she killed the two pukelmen.
Hildilith invoked Thunor once more in the cave. Her spell was effective; one of the pukelings tried to flee, but there was no exit. I managed to join the fighting and was able to knock down my opponent; aided by the effect of the spell, I managed to despatch two pukelings, and Stigand also killed one of the enemies.
The torch was passed back and forth as we changed direction to explore different parts of the caves. I led us into one cave and was attacked by two pukelmen, and was knocked down. Fortunately, Stigand stood over me and held the pukelmen back. Cynewulf worked her way up to us and was able to use her spear over Stigand and together they slew the pukelmen.
I was helped along with the party as we went through a passage to a leather curtain. From the back all I could hear was a ruckus at the front. Ahead, those still fit had gone up to the curtain and pushed it aside. In the centre of the room beyond was a pool, with a voluptuous female figure on a rock. Herewulf tried to shoot the female figure as Stigand with his shield and the two walcyriges faced the female figure. Cynewulf realised that Herewulf was actually aiming at Reinmelth, Cynewulf managed to deflect the shot, but Higebryght and Nothgyth came to blows. The female figure seemed to have bewitched the male fighters, but, fortunately, neither of the women were affected. Cyneberg came for Herewulf as he had tried to shoot Reinmelth; Cynewulf yelled at her to attack the sorceress. Herewulf hit Cyneberg and Cynewulf tried to bash him away. I tried to crawl towards the sorceress, as Stigand fought with Reinmelth and Herewulf hit Cynewulf and wounded him. The two walcyriges and Osric were able to slay the creature, which slumped into the pool. Her glamour then failed and the men recovered their wits and peace broke out.
We were masters of the field and set to looting. The corpse was dragged out of the pool, so that Osric could recover his spear. The corpse was an ugly and fat woman, with huge breasts and hips. The pool was dark and fetid but it appeared there might be treasure within. It was unpleasant task but between us we found enough within to make our trouble well worth our while. Osric shared out the spoils and I was delighted to receive 5 marks of silver and half a mark of gold, along with a rune marked slingshot, a strange gold disc and a stone with a hole in it. As for the strange stone, as Osric said “who knows what virtue it has, if any but it was clearly valued by the Pukelwife”. I was delighted both with the adventure and the rewards I received.