Hrothgar and the Battle with the Eowan
After the attack of the Undead the Black Pig along with the Osprey, the Bluefish and the Spearhafoc sailed on down the East Coast of the island, with Wistan on lookout up the mast, relaying what he saw to Ruric on deck. Ruric was trying to determine when we should approach the coast. The plan would then be to hug the coast southwards searching for Sikvarp, the harbour identified as our target.
By now the Atheling’s sharp sight had the shore in full view. He passed on the features he could make out to Ruric, who reckoned we had now arrived at the planned point. Suddenly there was a shout from the masthead. Wistan had discerned a fleet of a score or more ships strung out for a few miles along the coast ahead. They were mainly small, sleek craft, and they were heading North along the coast into the wind, just powered by oars. They were difficult to make out with their sails down, but it seemed likely they had spotted the Black Pig although none had altered course.
Lytelman called a speedy conference of the Brimwisas and Steormen of the four ships clustered around the Black Pig along with his own counsellors to decide the best course of action. A handful of the crew were for avoiding the Eowan fleet and heading in to Sikvarp, but the majority view was that this was a cowardly option and did not fit with our oaths to Wiglaf.
After discussions it was agreed that we should head to Sikvarp, but aiming to cut off the fleet of ships on the way, about a third of the way from the back, taking advantage of having the wind gauge. The ships would be full of Eowan fighters and maybe some of their witches, but we felt we were better armed and better fighters and would be confident of dealing with 10 or even more of the enemy ships. This would undermine their planned attack on Wiglaf at the northern end of the island, but then leave us free to continue with our original plan.
All four ships set off together but our crew was a man down after the fight with the undead and made some mistakes and the Black Pig ended up some way behind the others. The Osprey closely followed by the Bluefish led the way and the Spearhafoc was a little to the north. As we headed towards the enemy Wistan spotted many more Eowan ships, some emerging from inlets in the coast, others appearing from the south. Fortunately, most continued on their original course to the north, but well over a dozen, maybe 16 split off to attack us. Happily, they were in a disorganised array, so we did not have to face them all at once.
The Osprey was into battle first. It managed to evade one ship and then shear some oars off of two more, but two more came alongside and grappled. Like the Black Pig, the Osprey also had archers aboard, who managed to despatch many of the Eowan before they came into contact. Fierce fighting ensued on both sides of the Osprey. Two more Eowan ships arrived alongside the ship on one side of the Osprey and all were lashed together to form a fighting platform. One had a witch aboard who waved her broom and urged the Eowan on. Every time she pointed her broom at one of the Osprey men, her victim fell to the deck, or for the less fortunate into the sea to be dragged to the depths by their armour.
Soon, the Bluefish arrived in support. They managed to steer a clever course through the Eowan ships and caused to two of them to collide. Again, two ships eventually managed to draw alongside. The men of the Bluefish had a different approach to the Osprey, forming a shield wall. It was apparent that the lightly armed Eowan had little answer to this, but the Weather Geats on the Bluefish made slow progress and the Eowan were able to concentrate their forces against the wall and the Bluefish was hemmed in by Eowan ships.
The Spearhafoc being lighter and nimbler managed to easily outmanoeuvre the Eowan ships and we cheered to see two more of the Eowan fleet collide. The Spearhafoc lured a third ship after them and then turned to fight. Again, there was fierce fighting, but I saw no more as by now the Black Pig was approaching action.
As we arrived the scene was almost like a land battle as there were so many ships lashed together. We crashed into the mass and ran right over one smaller Eowan ship, splitting it asunder to sink beneath the waves. Thegn Osgar leapt down from the prow onto the deck of the next ship and we followed him.
Many of the enemy were near naked and daubed in paint. It was evident that they were overcome by their witches’ brew and gave scant consideration for defence or any wounds. Fortunately, our first wave was mainly clad in byrnie and helm and the Eowan found it very hard to strike through. I saw Lytelman strike his first opponent to his knees and then take his head off with his mighty axe. He was hard pressed by enemies but backed by Svipdag, Grimcytel and Alefrith, he soon had enough room to swing his axe. Wistan was also nearby and they soon pushed the enemy back.
Leofric and Ruric led more Geats including myself into the space cleared by Osgar and his Gesiths. We were soon hacking away hand to hand with the masses of crazed Eowan. I saw Port and Byrhtnoth hacked down by Eowan blows, but Sweyn left a swathe of hacked bodies in his wake as he laid about him with his axe until he buried it in deep into the planking. Unable to spare time to wrest it free he just grasped his foe in a wrestler’s grip and threw him into the briny depths. Tohrwulf and Herefrith were also nearby and I saw Tohrwulf display a battle-cunning I had rarely seen before. Herefrith bravely thrust with his spear, but was struck by a slingshot behind his ear and fell senseless to the deck.
I came to a clear space and saw Herewulf and Beornfrith in the bows of the Black Pig nearby, pouring a deadly rain of arrows down upon the Eowan below them. They spotted a witch on the stern of the enemy ship and switched to target her. With a flick of her broom she swept their arrows aside and then with another gesture sent a tornado after the two archers. I also found myself swept up in the tornado unleashed by the witch. I managed to grab part of the rigging and tried to hang on while it passed but was spun off my feet and thrown heavily to the deck. I was luckier than Beornfrith next to me, who was taken unawares and pitched straight into the sea.
As I regained my wits and staggered to my feet, I saw Wistan pushing towards the witch with rune-marked spear poised, unhappily she spotted his move and locking eyes and a gesture from her broom swept him off his feet and towards the gunwale. Swift-handed Osgar was just in time to grasp him before he fell to a watery fate. Undeterred, they both pressed onwards towards the witch and the stern of the ship.
The witch screeched more galdor and the oar slaves, who had previously just been slumped, inert over their oars, leapt to their feet and interposed themselves between the two men and their quarry. The slaves did not do any more than stand in their way, but this gained sufficient time for the sorceress to take a mighty leap to the next ship. The steorman tried to follow her, but I grabbed a daroth and sent it unerringly into his back and he plummeted into the sea. The witch landed safely on the next ship, which was a mass of fighting Eowan and Geats, but she didn’t stop there, but took another enormous, galdor-aided leap on to a third ship.
She immediately had the ship cut loose and ordered the Eowan fighting thereabouts into the sea, from whence they then clambered abord this third vessel. To make room for them the oar slaves just threw themselves into the sea.
At this point there was a pause. We had smashed one Eowan ship beneath the bows of the Black Pig and cleared two others, but some of our number lay dead and many more were wounded or exhausted. There was still fighting around the Bluefish and the Osprey and some away off we could hear sounds of fighting from where the Spearhafoc was last seen. At this point we heard that One-Foot was down – he also had been knocked senseless by a slingshot, I regretted that the rigging prevented me from returning fire. At this point everyone looked to the Thegn for his orders.
Thegn Osgar did not disappoint. Grasping his axe and yelling “Attack”, he led his followers to the aid of the crew of the Osprey. We did not shirk from following him, exhausted as we were, for we could see that the Osprey’s attack had ground to a halt and the remnants were scattered in small groups fighting back to back against many foes. We were in two groups; myself, Osgar’s other gesiths and a few others following our liege lord and another larger group following Ruric. Our aim was the same, though to bring succour to our comrades from the Osprey. Osgar’s band came across two hearth-guards to the two Osframling lads. They were not grateful for our rescue but cursed their failure to die bravely on the bodies of their charges. Steadily we overcome the Eowan resistance and the remains of their forces ebbed away.
Meanwhile on the Black Pig, the crew freed the ship from the wreckage of the Eowan craft that had been crushed beneath her bows and got her underway once more. I could see Herewulf and Beornfrith standing upon her bow and looking for marks amongst the Eowan ships around the Bluefish. Their first target was a witch on the stern of the nearest ship. She seemed to be organising the folks around here and maybe this distracted her as she slumped motionless to the deck with two arrows in her back to the dismay of her adherents. The bowmen continue to fire death into the Eowan backs as they faced a renewed onslaught from the Bluefish warriors, encouraged by the demise of the witch. Soon an Eowan ship was cut loose and fled followed by more and more of the Eowan in what became a rout. Another ship fled but the third was swamped by the Weather Geats.
Finally, we were able to draw breath and take stock of the situation. Around us were several abandoned Eowan ships while several more were fleeing towards the coast. On the abandoned ships were slumped the abandoned oar slaves. To our dismay we soon realised that amongst the fleeing Eowan ships was the Spearhafoc.
There were five abandoned Eowan ships; four had about 12 slave rowers each, but the last only had four remaining from the crowd that tried to impede Lytelman and the Atheling; we managed to rescue another half a dozen from the sea. There were also three lightly wounded Eowan captives on the Black Pig. The Bluefish had no captives, but there were four Eowan hanging from the cross-trees – no doubt a sacrifice by their Woden-Priest, Saeric Raven’s Cloak. There were two more Eowan ships drifting near where the Spearhafoc had been, but both were damaged and completely empty.
Taking the roll-call, we found we had four dead – Byrhtnoth, Port, Ceadwalla and Heregils; two – Alefrith and Ealhere were badly wounded; three more had minor wounds, including One-foot; the rest of us were tired or exhausted but would be recovered by a night’s rest.
The Osprey had taken heavy casualties – ten dead and five badly wounded, nine more with minor wounds leaving around a score capable of fighting, but again most of these were exhausted. The Bluefish was better off with three dead, two badly wounded and four with minor wounds and the remaining dozen exhausted. The Spearhafoc had been captured and of its crew there was no sign.
Any loot was mainly on the bodies of the Eowan, but there was a rune-marked chest on the ship from which the witch had fled. Every ship had a barrel of liquor on board, which Ruric informed us was the seith-brew used by the Eowan to enslave the oarsmen.
So, we had been attacked by a total of around 16 ships, we had sunk one and captured another seven for the loss of the Spearhafoc – by my reckoning a very worth victory, but tempered by the sad loss of our comrades.