Safeguard our kin and cattle: a Sweboz AAR (Anglish)

[d'Arthez]

I am sure it will turn into a nice AAR :). Looking forward to this one.

[Cadwalader]

Thanks! It turned out to be harder using English without latinate words than I thought. I might have to use some invented terms from the dictionary.

I'll have another update up by tomorrow.

[Cadwalader]

Update time:

"When they go into battle, it is a disgrace for the chief to be surpassed in valour, a disgrace for his followers not to equal the valour of the chief.
And it is an infamy and a reproach for life to have survived the chief, and returned from the field.
To defend, to protect him, to ascribe one's own brave deeds to his renown, is the height of loyalty."
Tacitus' Germania

Germania
272 BC.

Come near the fire, wanderer. It is time you heard the tale of slaughter and great deeds from the land of the Rugejez to the north!
Since the lakes thawed many months ago, our great king's brothers have been leading their fyrds north, to the great salty sea of the Rugejez.
Long has our king willed its riches, from the golden burnstones, plentiful fish and trade with far-offs lands with which the northerly folk are blessed.
The young king of the Rugejez Harkilaz is weak and unproven. Our Druxtenoz Heruwulfaz the giving sent word to him last winter, that he would take his
great gifts and become his bondsman, or treat with our swords. But the youth did not heed his warning, so the matter must needs be decided by glinting swords! Wathonoz be with our warriors!

Wanderer, you are an outlander among us and do not know the great names of my kin. Of this I will now speak:

Athawulfaz is the next eldest brother; the strongest of the four. He is frightful to behold; red of hair, strong of gaze and body. He is known for his fearlessness; as he is
named for the wolf, so does he give his name-kin blood to drink. Of all our king's brothers he is the most headstrong, but not known for his cunning.

Ansuharjaz is the next youngest, and the most cunning. He worships Wathonoz, who gives our warriors the strength and wits to slay their foes. Although skilled with both the sword
and the spear, he is most happy when leading men into war.

The youngest, Hrabnaz, is also a sharp youth who already shows skill in warcraft. He has been leading a third fyrd south, yet we know little of his deeds there.

These are my kinsmen in blood, and great are they names among the Sweboz. Now hear of their war-deeds:


Ansuharjaz: I lead my men along the great sea of burnstones, following my bold brother's fyrd ahead of us. The Gods granted that I reached him outside the seat of Harkilaz.
The fool would have cost us our sig*! After our happy greeting, the red man gladly let me lead the fyrd into the home of our foe.



As soon as they knew we had come, the youngest and boldest of their warriors rushed out to meet our spears. They broke against our shields and our riders hounded them all the way to the reaches of their town.
I then let my brother loose upon the unhappy Harkilaz.

Athawulfaz: I was glad to see my little brother was there to bring us the sig. But while our warriors were breaking the hasty youths, I was unhappy and thirsty for battle.
I was much gladdened when it came to my part. My brother knows what I like best, and so it was I who would lead our men into the town. My warriors boldly set upon the Rugejez; shields and foemen
alike breaking before our arms.



Ansuharjaz: I knew it would gladden my big brother be first into the spear-din, yet I also knew he could not win on his own. Wothanaz brings sig to the
crafty fighter, so my plot was to bring some of our men into the town by another way and come up behind the foe. As the fools had not thought to guard
all ways into the town, our spears were soon boring into the backs of our foemen.

Athawulfaz: For a long time I was lost in the happy slaying, pushing the foemen before me and shattering skulls. But my men were falling in great amounts about me, and soon I
knew that we could not win. Harkilaz was ahorse a ways before me, hacking away at my warriors. Just then, my little brother's banner finally came into sight. Heartened by
his coming, we pushed harder against our foe. When Harkilaz unboldly fled, the Gods scolded him by giving the town to us. I took my bloody little brother into my arms.



Some say it was the strength of Athawulfaz that gave us sig, some say the cunning of Ansuharjaz and Wathonoz. No matter; as our lands were made more vast than they have
ever been!
Wanderer, do you see now the might of the Sweboz? Heruwulfaz let raise many holy stones for his brother, as well as many more fitting gifts to both his doughty kinsmen.

*Sig (archaic), victory.

[Titus Marcellus Scato]

Great stuff, keep going! Would be nice to see the size of the armies pre-battle, and the victory screen, but not essential. Those numbers could be worded into the text, alternatively.

[d'Arthez]

Good start, hope you can keep it up.

[Cadwalader]

Thanks for the feedback! I'll add more information about the battles, trying to keep the overall athmosphere.
I hesitated a bit before deciding to substitute "sig" for "victory". Another option would be "win", but I reckoned sig would sound better. Any suggestions on how to express "victory" in Anglish?

Looking back, I find the last post might seem a bit uninspired. I might rewrite it later on.
Unfortunately I lost a few years due to a crash, but I'll have another update ready by tomorrow.

[Cadwalader]

272 - 266 BC
Germania

"Let none put faith in the first sown fruit
nor yet in his son too soon;
whim rules the child, and weather the field,
each is open to chance."
Havamal

After making the Rugejez kneel, King Heruwulfaz let those of his fyrd who would settle in the fair lands of the slain foe. He wisely did not go to war for many winters,
and let his folk neet* the wealth of their new lands. From this wealth, our Dryhten** let build a great hall from which to oversee his new lands.

Shortly after the sig of Athawulfaz and Ansuharjaz, the youngest brother Hrabnaz at last returned from his foray in the south. He brought a deal of goods
taken from the southrons, but his men had taken no new land for the Sweboz. But Hrabnaz soon found use for his beknowned wits overseeing his great brother's
lands, and came to be a well-liked lord of our lands, although his mood came to darken with the years. Many great undertakings were begun in this time besides
the sturdy new hall, among them clearings and roads through the bogs and gloomy woods.

Three winters passed without happenings of note. However, in the third year of our giving king's lordship, he was becalled by the wandering knave known as Sikijaz of the
Mergomannom. Athawulfaz and Hrabnaz together went forth and came upon the bold cur as he was guesting a Kimbrian of his bondsman in winter. His band was then put to the sword. Sikijaz and his arms
were given to the Gods with all his followers.

With Sikijaz' blood watering the holy oaks of the north, none dared speak against Heruwulfaz' might.

Many more winters passed with no deeds that bear speaking.

In the sixth winter of Heruwulfaz' kinghood, his first and only son Harjawulfaz was given his first spear as a man of the Sweboz. A great feast was held in the freshly timbered hall,
and there was drink and foods there of all kinds. Yet even on this merry mal***, there were whispers and hidden sneers, as the lad was ill-liked by many of our warriors.
It is reckoned still as most quiet of feasts ever to be held in this hall.

Of the youth Harjawulfaz this is told: many said that the Gods had given him his far-warring father's flawless likeness. Of his bearing bearing however, it was often said (never before
the Druxtenoz), that it was as if he were of some other, lesser man's seed. His laziness was much talked of. He was happiest when inside and not often seen working
or taking part in manly war-games. When the name of Harjawulfaz was spoken, the King's eyes were said to darken. Worse still, his good wife was feeling her years and
not likely to bear any more children.

Two winters then came and passed, with no meaningful happenings to speak of...

*to neet, "to enjoy", "to savor" (OE neotan)
** Dryhten (OE), "king", descended from EB's *Druxtenoz
*** mal, "occasion" (OE mæl)

That was just a short (and late) chapter on the lull between the last conquest and the next.
The next part will have more action, I promise. Oh yes. There will be blood.