The Ossby Witan

The day before the full moon of the Aefter Lithe when king Wiglaf’s wyrd came upon him.

The fleet had rowed in slowly, from caution and from weariness of rowing and fighting for a day and a night.

The lookout at the masthead reported the beach ahead had both Eowan shells drawn up and Geatish longships and traders beached.

Pray Waid that this was sign that Ossby was in the hands of the independent force the nightrunners had brought word of while Wiglaf was snared at Borgholm.

“I see the Osprey and the Sea Otter and some lesser vessels,” from the masthead, “there has been a battle here. I see bodies and birds on the beach and outside the burgh. There are armed figures, but not formed up.”

“Hold water!”

“HAIL THE SHORE! WHO ARE YOU?”

“wiglaf’s geats! in osgar’s company! late of forchafn and sikvarp! who goes there?”

“WE ARE THE FLEET OF WIGLAF KING OF GEATS. BEORNFRITH OF NORDHEIM’S COMPANY. OUT OF TIMBERHITHE BY WAY OF MORBILANGE.”

“welcome, friends, come ashore!”

The brimwisa quietly let out a sigh. “Give way!… Take us in!”

A small energetic man with a big axe met them on the shore. With his gesiths at his shoulder, this must be the Osgar, thegn of some back country valley, and doubtless as much a robber as whoever he had replaced. But now the most successful Geatish commander of the Eoland campaign, who wasted no time getting down to business.

“Welcome to Ossby! I am Osgar, thegn of Gefndene. We have beer, food and shelter in the burgh. I’ll send food and beer out for your ship guards. Fresh water is that stream over there.”

“I am Beornfrith, Eorlderman of Nordheim. Well met. We have much to discuss.”

Later, as they walked about the Ossby burgh and talked

“What we know of the campaign, Eolderman? Well, we hear we’re rather lacking in the king department at present. We have an eye-witness to his final charge if not actually his joining Tiw’s heros.”

“A Wulfinga I don’t doubt.”

“Indeed, yes, one Sygbald, Wistan’s uncle. His family has been very helpful in putting us in touch with events at other branches of the campaign.”

“Wistan’s… You have a Wulfinga of your own, thegn Osgar?”

“Yes, a friend and companion. He seemed distanced from his family, set out to make his own way in the world, when we first met. The reconnection is a new thing, but very timely for us.”

“A curious chance, but such is the way of wyrd. Now, thegn, I propose to call a witan tomorrow to decide our next steps. What are your thoughts on our options?”

The Witan

There are many people of note at the Ossby Witan.

For the western fleet there are the brimwisas, the sea captains of the Ceol longships: Beornfrith of Nordhafn of the Walrus and the fleet leader, Seebert of the Wave Strider, Raedwald of the Storm Rider, Balde of the Delfin, Fraener of the Sea Mare, Bildrik the Dane of the Oaken Heart, Finlaff of the Selkie, Sigbald of the Sea Spear, Ede of the Mermaid, Aeata of the Ice Bear. The other ships of the fleet are represented by Arnwulf of the Sun Beam flotscip, Ingulf of the BrightStar and Cyleburgh of the Maidens Fancy ceapscips.

Also with the Fleet the notables Geatflede the former swan maiden of the Waylendings and her companion Ordlaf of the striking face, and others including the Frige priestesses Godmare and Saexburg, three Woden priests, four Wade priests, three Thunor priests, the Saetur priest Aetherberht and the rune mage Ecklaf.

Of the eastern fleet are thegn Osgar of the The Black Pig flotscip, Eoppa of the Osprey, Aelstan of the Sea Otter, both ceol longships, Beortulf of the Blue Fish, Saefrith of the Spearhafoc, both flotscips, and one Cwichelm late slave of the Eowan, now elected brimwisa of a captured Eowan skin-shell war boat.

With Osgar the Lytelman are the Wulfing aethelings Sygbald, Linda and Wistan, Osgar’s friend and once constant companion, now seemingly displaced into the bosom of his family by the exotic looks of the aetheling Genseric of the Vandals close at Osgar’s side.

After the introductions and recounting of lineages — fortunately the three Wulfingas share much and the younger ones can refer to their elder’s line — the sun is not yet at mid-heaven when Beornfrith of Nordhafn calls the meeting to order.

“We meet to decide what to do next. We are here in Ossby. There are enemies around us. Our king is dead. What are people’s thoughts?”

Sygbald Wulfinga speaks to confirm to all the events of the last hours of Wiglaf, king of the Geats, as he witnessed them: the drawing of 99 lots to accompany the king on his self-sacrifice to Tiw. The dedication by the Tiw priests and their decision to join the king’s hundred. The king’s death wish to those unfortunate enough to be left out that they should carry news of his end home, and the glory of Wiglaf’s last charge at the head of the svínfylking boar formation and the bloody carnage it wrought amongst the enemy until numbers told and the sacrifice was completed.

Strong women blink moist eyes at the telling, some men weep unashamedly. Many speak of the need to honour the king’s sacrifice, of the need to punish the Eowans for its necessity. The mood is very much ‘where do we strike next’ and thoughts turn to the Eowan Queen’s town of Ekeberg, not three miles distant from Ossby.

When it comes his turn, the victor of the storming of Forchafen, the holding of Forchafen, the siezing of Sikvarp from its nicor caretakers, and the storming of Ossby — Osgar, called Lytelman, says:

“Sore bitter tidings are these. Our king lost to us and so many kin. We all came here, far from our homes, to serve. We have fought as hard as we can, but now we must choose for ourselves the best course.

“We might attack inland, some say. My advice is that we risk much by this and gain little that we can hold. It gives me no joy to say so, but here, for this year, our cause is lost. But nor do I feel ready to tamely sail away without honour. Too many friends and comrades have I left here for that. Battle must be joined and this vile collection of sorcerers taught one more lesson.

“To me that must be to hurt their prideful ships. To leave them hearing our anger. We are the Geats. These deathblows on you are our vengeance for Wiglaf as they spin overboard and down to the realms of Ran. Already our fleet has shown them our steel, our skill. They liked it not. Now here reinforced we have the chance to make even harder havoc and show king Wiglaf, as he looks down from the mead-hall of Tiw, that if we cannot manage the manner of his passing it was not for want of trying.”

The clear words of one who has struck east Eoland wherever he willed are loudly supported, and not just by his own. He acknowledges the wide support of the meeting, then the Lytelman calls for his king’s portion chest to be brought forth. It needs two strong men to carryand is set at the feet of Beornfrith of Nordhafn.

“Eolderman,” says thegn Osgar, hight Lytelman, “this is our king’s share. We can’t give it to him — if only we could. Here, take it please.”

The lid thrown back and silver overflows onto the floor. The heavy chest, that two strong men sweated to carrry, is full to the very brim and more.

Beornfrith of Nordhafn’s eyes grow wide. “Let none doubt, by this honest accounting of the king’s share, that thegn Osgar and his companions were only pursuing the same goal as everybody else here.”

He bids his brimwisas send to their ships and bring forth their spare shields and spears and other weapons, to arm the brave people that Osgar has freed from the seith-drugged thralldom inflicted by the Eowan witches, that more of them might fight the Eowans, as many already have done through the foresighted policies of the thegn of Gefndene.

The talk turns to details: what can the combined fleets do to honour the sacrifce of their king, and also return to the lands of the Geats to bring word of their deeds honouring him?

Two woden priests, Saeric Raven’s Cloak of the Osprey and one Hrafn of the western fleet say they have found the Eowan fleet. It is not at sea. At the very southern tip of the island, at a place called Ottenby, there is an inlet much like a fork with a very sheltered spit where the Eowans have beached their fleet in secret, a place easy to sail past and not notice it. Barely 10 miles away across country as the raven flies, they note.

Then speaks Beornfrith of Nordhafn “So I would say, that if we wish to destroy the Eowan fleet utterly, we must lay some plan that prevents them from getting to sea before we arrive.”

After much discussion and assessing of capabilities and timing a plan is formed.

The fleet is to sail south towards the at first light, on the fair wind until rounding the tip of Eoland, hoping to take at least some Eowan picket boats keeping watch unawares and unable to pass their warnings back until too late Thus to bring the Eowan fleet to battle at their disadantage, penned in their hidey-hole and destroyed piecemeal as they try to escape.

First though, overland in the light of the night’s full moon, a small force of lightly armed warriors, many personally vengeance-motivated freed seith-thralls, to go secretly to Ottenby to disrupt the launching of the the Eowan fleet. Wistan Wulfinga is named leader of the land strike by Beornfrith of Nordhafn, ensuring the support of the other Wulfingers for the overland band. Wistan moves immediately, calling trusted member of the Gefndene company to his side, with the nod from thegn Osgar, and sets to preparing his “Wistan’s Wolves” while the combined fleet turn the discussion to their own arrangements for the coming morning’s battle.