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

[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.