The Long Way

[Franconicus]

THE LONG WAY

Chapter 1 - The Origin

It happened two weeks after Litha – the Midsummer festival. It was the day of the thunder god and Thor appeared himself. He was riding through the heavens on his chariot pulled by the goats Tanngrisni ("gap-tooth") and Tanngnost ("tooth grinder"). He was right above our hamlet - accompanied by thunder and lightning. It was the worst thunderstorm I had seen in my life. Evil spirits chased howling around the nave while big drops pound on the roof scaring the inhabitants of the hamlet. From time to time a flurry hit the walls and made the columns sigh. Then the clan members, who had taken shelter in the nave of Baldegg, our chief, moved together even tighter.

Baldegg sat on his chair, his famous sword lying across his knees. As legend had it the sword was a wedding present from Odin himself to his great-great-grandfather when he married a valkyrie. This union founded the fame of our clan. Since then we were known for being a family of heroes and magi, of sorceresses and seeresses. His head was hidden beneath his hands; I could not tell whether he fell asleep. Baldegg had already seen a lot of years and many thought that it was time that one of his sons became patriarch. Some said that even in his younger days peoples followed him because he had that magic sword, not because he had leadership skills.

At his side there were his two oldest sons, Glen and Glum. Although twins they had different appearance and different characters. Glen was a hand smaller than his father, but he had broad shoulders with strong arms and hands like shovels. He liked to work hard on the fields and was a gifted farmer. His brother Glum was tall, even taller than his father. Though he was strong, too, he was also very lissome. He never bothered with a plough; he was an excellent hunter and had the spirit of a warrior. Glum was always faster than his brother, in thinking and acting. However, he missed the staying power of his brother.

The three men were surrounded by the other members of the house, Baldegg’s wife Beyla, his nine daughters, and me, Gunnar, his youngest son. Both side aisles were filled with the occupants of the other naves. In the back room there were Baldegg’s animals.

Outside evil spirits were crying, inside women were whining and praying. The men sat and stared into space. Finally Glum stood up and said: “Bragi, our poet. Tell us the chronicle of our nation!”

At once everyone was quiet. Even the howling from outside seemed to soften. Bragi stood up and started his narrative:

”Listen to the story of our nation, as it has been given from generation to generation:
After Odin and his two brothers Ve and Vili had created the universe and the nine worlds, they walked on the beach where they came upon two logs of wood which were washed ashore. They picked the logs up and give them a humanoid shape. Odin breathed into them the spirit of live, Vili gave them sharp wits and feeling hearts; and Ve bestowed upon them the senses, expressive features and speech. Furthermore, the brothers provided them with names and clothes. The male they named Ask ("ash") and the female the named Embla ("elm"). Ask and Embla became the progenitors of the human race and Midgard was given to them as their residence.

When Loki heard the news he tried to imitate the three gods. All his attempts to create human beings were in vain. He finally tried to build men out of animals. He created the wild sow men, the cow men and the wolf men. Although they looked like human beings they lacked the godsend wits, the feeling heart and the fine senses.

In the beginning the human nation lived in the eastern part of Midgard. One day Odin decided to give them a new homeland. So the One-eyed called his people and guided them to the new place. On the way the humans said: ‘Look, this is a good place to live. Let’s stay here and build our houses!’ But Alfadir kept on marching, using his spear as a walking stick and the human nation followed. When they finally reached the Land between the Oceans Alfadir climbed on the hill Cimbaro and rammed Gungnir, his spear into ground. The spear stroke roots and became an enormous oak. This was the sign for the human race to settle down. The oak is the center of our homeland Cimbriheim.”

Bragi stopped and looked around. Everybody was attentive. Baldegg called: “Go on, Bragi! Tell us about the golden age!”

Bragi nodded: “After the human nation had settled they started to build acres. They found the ground fertile. Freyr, ‘God of the World’, ordered sun and rain to cultivate the plants and gave the human nation bountiful harvests.The sea gave them plenty of fish. Each clan built a hamlet.

Odin taught his people how to use metal; bronze, silver and gold. Now the humans could make tools, weapons and artworks. The population grew and we became rich. We had trade across the ocean with the lands of the north and even with the Western Island, where they swapped horses and honey for tin.

There was still much ground and Odin decided to bring another tribe of the human beings to the Land between the Oceans. The Teutons arrived and settled at the northern shore. After a while another tribe came from the south, the Ambrones. Although they were no human beings – their great mother was a wild sow – the humans had pity with them. They gave them a place to build their naves, taught them how to plant corn and how to appease gods. The Ambrones settled south of the humans.”

Glum shouted: “What about the cow men? Tell us about the cow men!”

“Yes, of cause there were other people, too. They are called cow men because their great mother was a cow. They were not a tribe ours. They had no villages, not even solid houses. They moved from place to place with their droves. They had no friends, no shelter and no god took care about them. They sneaked around our hamlets trying to scrounge or steal something. But when they saw a human being they ran away.
Those were the happy days. The human nation ruled Cimbriheim from shore to shore. We were rich, we lived in harmony with our gods; there was no hunger or pain.”

“Were there any other men on earth?”

“Yes, we know that there were another people. Once there was a trader, who came from far away. After his ship had stranded he came to us and stayed the whole winter. Obviously he was no human being, because he was terrible deformed. He was small, at least one instep smaller than a human being. He also had small hands and small feet, hands and feet of a child. He had dark hair and dark eyes. And he had the face of a child too, without a beard. Many believed that he was not grown up but he declared that he was 34 years old and that in his homeland all men looked like he did. Although he was abhorrent and ugly the humans treated him kind. When he talked about his country his story was unbelievable. He said that his nation was in the south, between two oceans just like Cimbriheim. At the northern side the country is limited by big mountains. The people there were small and they descend from wolves. Although they are tiny he told us that they were very powerful. They occupied 50 hamlets and ruled over the complete southern world. They were rich; they ruled the sea, too. They sent their traders all across the world.

The humans did not believe him. But a magus said that he knew this nation. Usually they were called dwarfs, their king was Alberich. They lived in the mountains - under ground. Although they were small and ugly they were magical creatures. They were fiendishly clever, very strong and they could anvil better than any other race. He strongly recommended to treat the dwarf right. Dwarfs are under Thor’s protection!

The magus probably was right; when the dwarf showed his sword everybody could see that it was made from an unknown material. Although it was not as shiny as bronze it was much stronger. When summer returned the dwarf repaired his ship and sailed away. He was never seen again.”

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Hi!
This is my first shot. I will be thankful for any feedback; even telling me that I should end it immediately-

[Ludens]

Welcome to the Mead Hall, Franconicus. I like your story. I think it could do with a bit more suspense, but most histories tend not to be very exciting.

Please continue .

[Franconicus]

Thank you, Ludens! A bit more suspense I could add misery and some alcohol.

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Chapter 2 - The Dark Age

The poet looked around.

“And then the Dark Age began!”

Another blast hit the house. This time it tore a hole in the roof, over the left aisle. A small waterfall was running down to the people sitting there.

“Our guardian spirits did not care any longer and Hod, the blind god of darkness and winter, began to rule over Cimbriheim. The weather began to change. Winters became longer and colder; the summers were filled with rain. Our fields turned into swamps. The seeresses had seen it coming but there was nothing the humans could do. The magi and sorceresses tried to find out what was going on. They made sacrifices to appease the gods and to regain their protection. They sacrificed things as well as animals; finally we even sacrificed men; all in vane. The weather did not change, the corn did not grow and a dearth afflicted Cimbriheim. Many humans died in those years. Our neighbors, the Teutons and the Ambrones suffered the same. Finally, when all our splendid fields had turned into swamps and meadows we had to leave them and build new ones on the stony hills, where the rainwater could run off. Here we harvested enough to survive. But the times were still hard.”

An old broad whispered: “Ragnarok, the Doom of the Gods!”

“Shut up, old witch!” Magni, the strongest man of our clan flew into her face. “Bragi, go on. Do not care about those hags!”

“I tell you, this is the end! This is Fimbulvetr, the winter of winters. As been told: Three such winters will follow each other with no summers in between. Conflicts and feuds will break out, even between families, and all morality will disappear. This is the beginning of the end.

The wolf Skoll will finally devour the sun, and his brother Hati will eat the moon, plunging the earth into darkness. The stars will vanish from the sky. The cock Fjalar will crow to the giants and the golden cock Gullinkambi will crow to the gods. A third cock will raise the dead.

The earth will shudder with earthquakes, and every bond and fetter will burst, freeing the terrible wolf Fenrir. The sea will rear up because Jormungand, the Midgard Serpent, is twisting and writhing in fury as he makes his way toward the land. With every breath, Jormungand will stain the soil and the sky with his poison. The waves caused by the serpent's emerging will set free the ship Naglfar, and with the giant Hymir as their commander, the giants will sail towards the battlefield. From the realm of the dead, a second ship will set sail, and this ship carries the inhabitants of hell, with Loki as their helmsman. The fire giants, led by the giant Surt, will leave Muspell in the south to join against the gods. Surt, carrying a sword that blazes like the sun itself, will scorch the earth. “

“Keep the old wife’s tale to yourself, virago. No one wants to listen! Go on Bragi!”

Another woman said: “Magni, you cannot talk to Gullveig like this! You know she is a seeress; she is the pet of the goddess Nott.”

Magni: “Pet of the goddess? Is this the reason why her words always stink? If she is a seeress, why didn’t she see this storm coming?”

Gullveig: “I can only see what the goddess shows.”

Magni: “You can only see what dementia shows! Bragi, go on!”

“As I said, hard times. However, the Norns decided to make them even harder. I told you about the cowmen. When the times began to turn harder, they drove their cattle on the marsh areas. During winter, they went south and returned only during summer. While the humans suffered from hunger the cowmen became stronger and numerous.

During their migrations, they mingled with southern tribes. They traded with acquired salt, new customs and new tools. One summer when they returned from their winter camps, the cowmen were even more numerous. They behaved like kings, not like tramps. When they started to cheek, the humans wanted to chase them away, as they had done many times before. However, the cowmen did not retread. They stayed on their horses and unsheathed the swords. They were from a different material. Not shining like the bronze swords of the humans. They shimmered a bit like silver. While the humans still marveled at the swords, the cowmen attacked. The swords were longer than any sword before, so they could use them from the backs of their horses. Although the humans fought bravely, they could not resist the new metal swords. The cowmen were able to beat the bronze swords and helmets into pieces. Therefore, the new metal swords beat the humans. The cowmen seized power in the Land between the Oceans. The humans had to give them a part of the harvest. They claimed the best acres for their cattle and they built a castle at the top of the hill right on the other side of Cimbaro. And there they live today and worship their Barbarian gods.”

“Why were they able to defeat us?”

Gullveig: “It was an ordeal. We have to pray and repent.”

Magni: “No, it was because of iron swords. We have to arm and fight.”

Gullveig: “No one can fight against the anger of the gods.”

Magni: “No one can fight against the gutlessness of crones. We have iron swords too!”

Baldegg raised his head: “Magni, you know very well that we cannot mess with them. We were able to buy iron artifacts; we know how to form simple objects like spearheads or arrowheads. However, we do not know how to make a good iron sword. We can buy them, but they are more expensive than gold. Look around you. We have maybe a dozen iron swords. Do you think that is enough to fight the cowmen? Each of them has a sword of his own; best quality. They even brought some armourers – magical dwarfs - from the south. They are now working on the castle. They all have horses and can use them as weapon too. No, Magni, we cannot fight the cowmen!”

After this disputation the clan was silent again. So everyone could hear the rain turning into hail: the gods had decided to ruin the corn on the fields. The humans would have to face another long winter.

Gullveig mumbled: “This is the beginning of the end!”

Baldegg: “Maids, bring beer!”

[Franconicus]

Not enough? Maybe I could add some crime

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Chapter 3 – Baldegg’s End

It was three weeks before Haustblot, the day when Mani and Sol have an equal share of the day. This is also the day for the human beings to thank their gods for the harvest. This year, however, the joy at the harbor was not gushy; the hailstorm had ruined the corn almost completely. Although the harvest was nearly over the magazines at Baldegg’s hamlet were still only half-full.

Something had to happen or many human beings would die of hunger this winter. Therefore, Glen and Glum were looking for food. Glen took some men and women and went into the forest to collect acorns, roots, berries and fungi. Glum gathered the young men and went for fish. Due to the rough sea, this was not innocuous. Glum swore not to return before he caught as many fishes as they could carry.

While they were gone, the cowmen came. Before someone saw them, they were already between the houses. The cowmen occupied the hamlet and their chief Eligor turned straight to Baldegg’s nave. Sitting on his horse, he demanded to get his toll. Baldegg tried to explain that the harvest was much smaller than usually and that therefore the human beings were not able to pay anything. Eligor gave a shrug and ordered his men to search the village. They cornered the human beings in front of their chief’s house and started then to depredate the settlement. When Baldegg saw this, he cried aloud and pulled out his sword. Later his following said that they never had seen him braver before. When he rushed, forward Eligor made his horse jump. It knocked over Baldegg. When he was laying on the ground Eligor took his lance and pinned the shoulder of his enemy to the ground. Then the cowmen drove all the cattle together and cleared the magazines. They even snaped up the children between 5 and ten year.

When they began to enter the naves, too, Gullveig stepped outside, supported by her 17 year old daughter Velleda. The seeress shot a bane in the face of the intruders: “Cowmen, in the name of Nott, goddess of the night, I execrate you!”

The cowman who was next to her lifted his sword. However, he hesitated to beat her. He looked around and saw that his comrades had stopped too. Eligor gave a signal and the cowmen turned away and disappeared. Before they moved away with their haul, they threw torches to the magazines.

When the Glen and Glum returned to the hamlet, the fire was out. Due to Gullveig’s intervention, the naves were almost undamaged, but the magazines were burned off. Baldegg lay in his house. Pain and fever agitated him.
When Glum heard the news he wanted to chase the cow men. However, his mother stopped him: “Glum, there is nothing you can do. They are far too strong. Your place is here, at the side of your father.” Glum replied: “I cannot help him now. However, we have to do something! Summer is almost gone and we have no food left for the winter. Who is willing to follow me and call the cow men to account?” Some of the younger men came forward, but the rest kept pulled back.

Glen: “We can do nothing about it. You know very well that the cow men are stronger than we are.”
Glum: “We only know if we try.”
Glen: “Don’t you see that the god’s are not on our side? Besides that, we have to think how we can survive this winter – without supply. I do not see any good in wasting time and spending more lives. Let us send messengers to the other naves. Maybe they will help us.”
Glum: “The god’s are always on the sides of the strong ones! What about the abducted children?”
Some women started crying. The men looked sheepish. Then Glen murmeled: “Maybe they are better off than we are. They will have something to eat this winter.” Glum turned round and went into his father’s house.

This night Baldegg died. Before he did, he opened his eyes and looked at his wife and his oldest sons who were sittting at the side of his bed. Then he looked at Odin’s sword, which was lying at his side. Beyla took the sword and laid it on the blanket. Baldegg slowly raised his head, and then he said with a low voice: “Glum, my son!” Glum bent forward to hear the words of his father. “Glum, I am leaving. I died in war; tomorrow Odin will greet me. Glum, I want you to take the Odin’s sword.” Glum took the weapon, with a proud expression on his face. Then his father spoke again: “Glen, my son, come closer.” Glen did as hs father had told him. Baldegg laid his hand on the hand of his son. “Glen, I want you to care about the clan. Hard times will come. They need a strong leader.”

After these words, he laid back and closed his eyes. Glum sallied out. Two hours later Baldegg was dead.

[Ludens]

Nice. I like the element of Norman mythology. But the switch from history to present tale came a bit abruptly.

[Franconicus]

Nice. I like the element of Norman mythology. But the switch from history to present tale came a bit abruptly.

I wanted to have the story teller as an introduction for the story. I chosed the situation with the thunderstorm to have an appropriate frame. I hoped this would induce the story, obviously it was too abrupt.

I plan to keep the act associated with the German myth.

[Franconicus]

Chapter 10 – The long way

This was our first battle. In retrospect, I say that our change began then.

We moved further south to reach Alberich’s realm. We were bent on going to the end of the world, if necessary. Then, we did not now how far the end was.

Magni was the hero of our volk. Magni knew about his new reputation and he took it very seriously. From now on Magni used every opportunity to exercise and to improve his strength and his fighting skills. Many young men gathered around Magni and tried to become as he was. They painted their faces black and red and called themselves ‘werewolves’.

Summer came, summer went, and still we did not reach our target. We pitched a camp at a river, close to several hamlets. We sacked them and had enough supply for winter. One moon after Jul, Velleta gave birth to our first daughter. We called her Idun.

Early next spring we decamped again and advanced south. One day we received the message that an army was waiting for us. Glum gave his orders and soon we were ready for combat. Glum had given our army a new organization. He divided the cavalry into two goups; one placed at our left, another one at our right side. The swordsmen and germen formed several units and gave our army stability. In the center there was Glum himself with our Cimbri. Behind the lines, there were our archers.

As soon as we reached the battleground, the enemy started to howl and scream. They had painted their faces in lurid colors. The battle began. Our centre was very strong. Magni and his werewolves attacked the enemy without thoughts. Glum brandished Odin’s sword and the enemy shay at him. No armor could stand this divine weapon. However, on our flanks the Ambrones and Teutons had to draw back from the furious attacks of the enemies. I was close to Glum and I called his attention to the thread on our left flank. Immediately he turned left and fought his way to our threatened flank. I tried hard to keep contact and to cover his back. A giant with a shining bronze helmet led the enemies on this side. Glum saw our comrades falling and headed for the bronze helmeted giant. After a short fight Glum’s sword split helmet and head. Glum had no time to rest. The giant was the son of the enemy’s chief. As soon as he had seen his son falling, he called his other three sons and together they impinged Glum. I placed myself at the side of my brother and called Magni to join us. Soon we three pit our strength against the four enemies. They were no smaller than the dead one and the thirst for revenge increased their strength. We needed all our sleight of hand and our experience to keep them at bay. Repeatedly they pressed us, each time with increased anger. We started getting tired and our line began to lose ground. Glum pressed on the chief. His sword blocked a flourish aimed at his head. Sparks stroke out of the steel. The enemy’s sword came apart and the next flourish cut off the chief’s head. His sons were shocked and wanted to take revenge. They bristled with anger. They were blind with rage and soon their blood-soaked bodies lay beside their father and their brother. The enemies were horrified by the fall of their chief and his sons. They turned and fled from our warriors.

After this battle, we set off again. We still crossed the country of the wild saw men. However, they were not one strong nation. They were split in many tribes. Moreover, many smaller tribes did not belong to the wild saw men. While we marched through the countries, many men and women joined our volk. Men and women from repressed tribes, men and women that lived in hunger or fear. Or adventurers. In fact our number became bigger and bigger and our volk became more and more inhomogeneous. The vision of a new land, were everyone would live as free man stuck us together. However, I have to admit that there was a growing contingent of men who were only looking for easy pray.

We further we came the more difficulties we had to face. We came into the countries of the Boii. They were very martial and our march became an ordeal. Their army was strong and Glum decided to avoid them. Nevertheless, we had to fight to get through their countries. Finally, we came to the Scordii, a tribe of Celtic, Illyrian and Thracian origin. They were allies of a Celtic tribe called Eraviscii. Both tribes combined their armies and made a stand against us. The Teutons attacked them without waiting for the rest of our volk. However, the enemy was stronger than expected. They put the Teutons to flight.

Glum conferred with the other chiefs. He said that they were not able to go on this way. Everywhere they had turned had been enemies. Nowhere was good and empty land to settle. No sight of the dwarf people. Therefore, he assumed that they had lost their path. He had decided to turn around and move west. There should be big mountains and therefore this would be the realm of Alberich.

The others agreed and we changed our direction. We left the country of the Scordii and looked for another camp for winter.

[Franconicus]

Chapter 10 – The maidens

Winter was long and hard. Our volk was already very big and we had problems to get enough supply. Moreover there was a lot of snow, more snow than I had ever seen before. Many fell ill, especially the children and many died. Therefore, we were very glad to see the sun return. When the snow was gone, we were ready to continue our march.

During winter, we had picked up a trader who called himself Vindelicus. He told us that the big mountains were near. He did not know about dwarfs living in the earth, but we would find out.

After a couple of days, we had to cross a big river. Glum sent me to find a passage. Therefore, I rode along the river. However, there was no sign of a bridge or ford. As I went on searching, I saw three swans coming down. I hid in the woods. The swans landed and saw that they were three swan maidens. They took off their feather clothes and swam in the river. Silently I crawled closer and took possession of their magic clothes. When they ended to swim and returned to the bank, they found me there instead of their clothes. They were shy and wanted to run away, but of course, they could not without their feather clothes. Finally, the tallest one turned to me and said: “Gunnar, son of Baldegg, why do you steal our clothes? Give them back!”
I smiled and said: “I will, noble maiden, if you do me a favor. I know that you are wise and that you can see the future. So please tell me the fate of my people!”
She turned around and discussed my request with her friends. Then she turned to me again: “Gunnar, it is a case of Hobson’s choice. All right! I can tell you your future. You and your people are looking for new land. You hope to find it in Alberich’s realm. Do not worry, son of Baldegg. You will find what you are looking for, soon. Alberich will welcome you and he will lead you to a place were the son will always shine, where the harvests are rich and where your people will live in peace.”
“Thank you, swan maiden! Thank you very much! However, there is another request I would ask you. Tell me how we can cross the river.”
“That is easy. You have to ride 15 minutes upstream. There you will find a ferryboat. The ferryman is Honir. He has the order guard the frontier to Noricum. If you want to get across the river, you have to call him. Tell him that you are a Scordi and that you bring news about the hordes to his king. Then he will bring you to the other side.”
I thanked once again and gave the maidens their feather clothes. They dressed it hasty. While the other two took off the third one turned around and said: “Listen, son of Baldegg! All I told you about your future was a lie. I told you because I wanted you to give us back our feather clothes. Here is the truth: You will never find a place were you can live in peace. Your way is pain and struggle and at the end, there is dead. Not one of you will survive.” Having said these words, she turned around and followed her friends.

[Ludens]

I think the latest part a bit weak. You spend very little time on the troubles and a lot on the propecy, which I suspected to be false even before it was revealed so. However, I still enjoy the story and like the direction it is going.

[Franconicus]

Ludens,

You are right, although I think the Chapter before was even weaker.

When I started the story I wanted to work out why they started their migration. That is done and it is o.k.. I also have a clear concept about the end. However, now I stuck in the middle. I do not want to describe every battle in detail and I guess I have lost the characters somewhere. Last chapter was my attempt to get back to the roots. I wanted to get Gunnar acting again and I wanted to connect to the Germanian myths. Of course most of it is stolen from the Nibelungen. The last chapter is small. In fact it should be the introduction of a bigger one, the invasion of Noricum. Maybe things get better once I cross the Danuba.

[Ludens]

You are right, although I think the Chapter before was even weaker.

Perhaps, but at least something important is happening there. I tend to flounder as well when my stories reach their midpoint. I know where I am, and I know where I want to end, but what do I do in between? This area seems to be a problem for most writers. I guess you could fill it up with a few subplots. I was thinking of Gunnar's daughter, but no doubt you have your own ideas. Also, I would like to see a bit more details of Gunnar's life. The story was very much a personal account when it began, but that seems to be less so (though maybe it is just the second latest chapter that gives that impression).

[Franconicus]

Chapter 11 – The ferryman

I followed the advice of the swan maiden and went upstream. I found the ferryman at the other side of the river together with four menials.
I called him “Ferryman, come and take me cross the river!”
He replied: “Get along with you!”
“Is everyone in Noricum as friendly as you are?”
“I have order from the King of Noreia not to let any vagabonds pass our border!”
“Vagabonds? I am really looking forward to see if all Noricii are as cordial as you are.”
“You will not find out! You will never come into our realm!”
“That is a pitty! Then your king will never receive a warning about the hodes coming from the north.”
“The hordes? What do you know?”
“A lot! Even more than I’d like to! After all, they tried to invade my homecountry. However, we Scordii are watchfull; and we are not so bigheaded that we do not listen to a warning.”
I turned around.
“Stop! Wait a moment! You’re a Scordi? Why didn’t you say that at first? You have news about the Northmen?”
“I do, more than you may guess! And I will take them home again!”
“No, wait! I come and come for you.”
He jumped on the ferry and grabbed the helm. He was a giant; when he pushed the helm, the ferry made a leap. I placed my self near a bush so that the boughs covered most of me. When he almost reached the bank, I stepped out.
“Honir, thank you for your kindness!”
He looked at me. Something in my clothes made him realize that I was not the one I pretended to be.
“You damned liar. You’re not a Scordi. You are a cursed Barbarian yourself!”
“A liar? Didn’t I promise to give you news from the Barbarians? Here it is!”
I took my axe and jumped on the ferry. Honir was faster than giants usually are. Before I had a solid stand, he lifted the helm and punched my left side. I felt like hit by Thor’s hammer. I was sure that all bones on my left side were broken. I became unbalanced. I went on my knees and my axe fell into the water. I waited for his next strike, unable to do anything against it. Fortunatelly my guarding spirits helped me. In the few minites Honir got distracted the ferry had been drifted and was now in a small chute. It turned and rocked. Honir had to control it again; this gave me the opportunity to get on my feet again. As soon as the giant noticed me, he tried to beat me again. I bowed and he missed me. The momentum drove him forward, at my side. I gave him a kick and he fell into the water. When he went up again I had already taken the other helm and pushed him under the water again. For some neverending seconds we wrestled. Finally, his strength exhausted; he was dead.

I was at the end of my tether, too. I was sitting on the ferry with my aching side and my shivering muscels. His men at the other bank were shouting and waving, but I did not care. The stream carried me away from them.

After a while, I began to be active again. I paddled the ferry to the bank were I expected my people to come. After mooring, I sifted through the ferry. I found the belongings of the ferryman in one corner. Besides some worthless clothes, there was a sword. This sword attracted my attention. It was an armourer’s masterpiece. It had rich ornamentation and the blade was better than anyone I had ever seen before. I buckled it up and wondered how a ferryman could have such a noble weapon.

[Kommodus]

Hey Franc! Any plans to continue your intriguing story?

[Ludens]

Hey Franc! Any plans to continue your intriguing story?

Request seconded!

[matteus the inbred]

request thirded...

[Franconicus]

Don't know. I am just thinking about a new interactive. And I did not think that anybody would miss this story. Maybe I think again.

[Franconicus]

Chapter 14 – Crossroads

In the pouring rain, we were looking for the dead and wounded ones. I found Velleda. She was still unconscious, but she was alive. I urged a wise man to care for her, and then I started looking for Idun. It stopped raining. I saw a group of warriors carrying a dead body down the hill. I stepped closer. It was Magni. Wounds covered his body. His comrades told me that he had still fought even with three spears in his side. He had not surrendered; he had just disappeared among the enemies. Well, Magni’s wish had come true.

I went on looking for Idun. There were dead and wounded people everywhere, men, women and children. Then I saw her. She lay below two other bodies. I picked her up. So many times, I had complained that she was too heavy to carry; this time I did feel any weight at all. Her face was so pale and her dead eyes looked at me. It was more than I could stand. The crush had smothered her small body.

I had promised to tell the story as I saw it. From now on I can only tell what other people told me, because for a couple of weeks I was in trance and did hardly notice anything that was going on around me.

After we had bandaged the injured and buried the dead, the chiefs called a Thing. The volk had to decide what to do now.

First Ganglerix rose to speak.

“People of the allied tribes! We all suffered a bad surprise! Our so-called Roman friends betrayed us and tried to kill or enslave us! Many human beings died, many were injured. Glum had promised to lead us into a land where we could live in peace side by side with the Romans. He had told us the Romans were our friends. I had warned you before, but you had not listened. Now look around what Roman friendship gave us; blood and dead. You ask again: ‘What shall we do, now that our friends betrayed us, now that we stuck here in the middle of these cursed mountains?’ I tell you the same I had told you last time, the same words you should have followed last time: I will lead you to Rome! We will defeat the Romans as we did here, let us repay their friendship with the same coin they gave us, blood and dead. Do not listen to Glum’s silly dreams anymore. Let us get real. Let us burn down Rome!”
There was common consent with his ideas. Especially the younger warriors agreed to his plan. And those who had lost friends and relatives in the battle.
After Ganglerix an old magus stood up:
“Ganglerix, I hear your words and I hear dolor and frustration. We all share these feelings and because of that, we all would like to follow your words and punish the Romans. However, I am an old man and I had to learn that dolor and frustration are not the right advisors. We should rather rely on our keen mind than on our passions. So let us first analyze the facts. We relied on the Romans because we thought they were part of Thor’s promise. However, something went wrong and the Romans attacked us. Why? I do not know! Maybe our interpretation of Thor’s vision was wrong. Alternatively, we did something wrong and the God punished us. Please remember the moment when we defeated the Romans. We could have killed them all; however, right in that moment Thor sent his thunder and lightning to stop us. Obviously, He did not want us to kill them. I do not have an explanation for what happened, but I know that we must carefully analyze the will of Thor and the other gods before we make a decision. If we march to Rome against the will of Thor none of us will survive.”
Everybody had to agree that there was a lot of wisdom in these words. Obviously, Thor had changed his mind and it was essential to find out what he wanted now. Therefore, the magni sat together and discussed this issue. All the rest of the volk sat beside and waited for their advice. Finally, they stood up and the magus that had spoken before turned to the volk:
“We discussed our problem and we asked Thor for his advice. Finally, we all agreed that Thor did not want us to conquer Rome. His thunder and lightning was a sign that we had to leave these mountains and look for a land to live somewhere else.”

The volk discussed this proposal and at the end, it agreed. It had no other option, because we did not know how to cross the mountains or how long the way was and the supply was getting smaller. Therefore, we had to turn around and leave the mountains the way we had entered them.

Glum’s share to the discussion was very small. He just sat there and murmeled: “Something went wrong! Something must have gone wrong!”

[matteus the inbred]

Ah, tragedy. I like the interpretation of omens and signs, perhaps you are thinking of adding a scene where a ceremony to consult the Gods is held?

I am a bit confused though: Magni is a character (the leader of the berserks, although now dead); a magni or magnus is a wise man?

[Franconicus]

Chapter 14 – Westwards

We marched north until we left the mountains. Then we turned to the left and marched at the foothills of the Alps. There was no tribe big enough to challenge us. Therefore, our march was undisturbed.

Velleda was slowly recovering. However, the relationship between the two of us had changed. We never talked about Idun, but I saw the look in her eyes and I knew that she blamed me for what had happened. After all, she was probably right.

Sometimes at night when the wind was blowing outside the tent I often heard a voice, the tender voice of a child I knew so well. I could not understand the words, but I could hear them and I knew she was calling me. Then I stood up and strayed through the night. Usually I returned at the break of dawn. Then Velleda looked at me; she never said a word.

I always had had my share in the fate of the volk. Now, I only followed. Nevertheless, I could feel that many things were different, visible thinks as well as invisible. Many of the old comrades were dead now. I missed Magni. Glum had changed. Although he was still our leader, he had lost a big part of his authority. He had lost his spirit, his vision, and sometimes I had the impression that he asked himself constantly what went wrong with the Romans.

We had lost our mission, the reason why we were wandering. We kept on wandering, because we used to, because we had no other option, not because we had a target.

We finally reached a river called Rhine, which came from the Alps. We crossed it and found ourselves in the land of the Allobroges. Our chiefs tried to negotiate and get some land to settle down. However, they were allied with the cursed Romans. Their Roman friends told them to retard the negotiations. One day, while we still thought that we could find an agreement, we found the Allobroges in battle formation. Besides them, there was a huge Roman army under the command of Consul Marcus Junius Silanus.

We hurried to alert and then we assaulted. In the past, we had fought to win a passage, to get food or simply to defend ourselves. This time, with the hate against the Romans, pure lust to kill pushed us into the battle. Neither the Allobroges nor their Roman friends could stand our ferocity. We broke their lines and we slaughtered as many as possible. When we counted the dead enemies, we found alone 30,000 Roman soldiers.

Then we devastated the land of the Allobroges. I mean, we did not only maraud as we had done before. Yes, we marauded, but then we burned their houses, we killed the men, we raped the wives and then we sold them and their children into slavery. Those who were too old or too young to sell, we killed them too. We took all the domestic animals we could take and killed the rest. We burned the grain on the field; we destroyed the bridges and empoisoned wells. When we left, we left a desert.

After we had left the former land of the Allobroges, we camped for winter. Glum sent delegates to the close-by tribes. He sent me to a tribe in the high mountains. The mission was not very important and I assume he chose me to get me out of my lethargy. Ten warriors accompanied me. After a four days journey through the superb scenery of the Alps we finally reached the territory of the Helvetici. The chief of this tribe was very friendly. The Allobroges and their Roman allies had always oppressed them and they were very glad that this threat was gone. Therefore, they treated us more as friends than as guests.

During my visit, I made several walking-tours to explore this extraordinary nature. I loved the loneliness and peacefulness of these tours. I tried to retard our descent as long as I could. When we finally left, Gomix, the young leader of the Helvetici, invited me to come and stay in their village whenever I wanted. We returned to our camp and I reported to Glum. The camp had grown. Several hundred thousand people camped there and the area was full of noise, dirt and quarrels. There was not a lot I could do there and I decided to return to that village in the mountains. Gomix welcomed me. He offered me a place in his own house, but I preferred a small cabin at the edge of the village. I started touring again. From time to time Gomix accompanied me. We climbed the mountains and enjoyed the view. Gomix was the right partner for me; often we climbed side by side without speaking a word for hours.

Snow came early this year and cut off the village of the Helvetici. I spent my life with my new friends and shared their life. It was hard and simple. In many ways, it reminded me to the life home at the sea. It was full of hard work, but also full of silence and peace.

Spring came and I knew that the volk was decamping again. I decided to stay with my friends. Nothing called me back!

I spent four years in the Alps. From time to time traveling traders brought news from the volk. The Cimbri, still not showing any desire to invade Rome, went about their own business, looking for land in Gaul. Again, another Roman army under the command of Longinus met up with them near Tolosa. He had under his command the veterans of Metellus army from Africa. Longinus was initially successful, but was eventually caught in an ambush. Killed in action, his subordinate, Laenas was forced to surrender his position and return to Rome with fewer than 4,000 survivors.

The next year the Romans sent another army under Quintus Servilius Caepio. Although he won a minor engagement, he let the Germanians move off and returned to Rome.

The volk was still wandering, still looking for a place to settle down. However, the Roman Senate was not willing to accept the presence of the wandering tribes along the northern border of Rome. It authorized another army to be raised. This time, a force of over 6 legions was hastily prepared under Mallius Maximus, and he was given imperium over both armies. He marched to join Caepio, but Caepio, feeling that Mallius was inferior in social position, refused to obey or join his command. Bitter in-fighting between the two men, and armies, would prove to be disastrous. In the Cimbri returned and came across the Romans arranged in two separate camps, with two full armies functioning completely independent of one another. At the battle of Aurasio, the Cimbri crushed both Roman armies, killing nearly 80,000 men while sustaining minimal losses of their own.

We received the news of the battle of Aurosia with two months delay. I had almost forgotten the volk. Now all the memories jumped at me. The departure from our homeland, the long march, the battle of Noreia, the Romans, the fighting in the mountains, all my friends and acquaintance, the dead ones and the living ones. I thought of Glum. And Velleda, my wife! Was she still alive? Did she think of me? I became more restless from day to day and one morning Gomix took me aside and said: “Gunnar, my friend. I see the struggling in your mind. I know that you had hard times and that you long for peace of mind. However, you cannot escape your fate. You cannot hide forever.”
I knew he was right, I had known it for a long time, although I had managed to ignore it for a long time. Gomix was right. I could not escape my fate.
The next morning hit the road. My restlessness even grew and I forced my horse to run as fast as possible. It was not hard to find the way. The volk had left a trace of destruction. I followed this trace, came through Gaul, and finally reached the Pyrenees. There I found a part of the volk. Glum was not there, neither was Velleda. I talked to a Celtic chief. Despite the monumental victory of Aurosia, and the opening of the doorway to invade Italy, the Cimbri were still only interested in finding new land. They divided their force, with the old and weak remaining in southern Gaul, but with the bulk moving on towards the Pyrenees and Hispania, trying to find a place were they could live in peace. I hurried and crossed the Pyrenees. There in Spain I finally met the volk again. There was Glum. I was home again.

[matteus the inbred]

More good stuff, although it's starting to feel a bit like a history from an outside point of view now, losing the human element somewhat. Mind you, your knowledge of the history is impressive, and it's building nicely to a finale.

I have to point this out though, cos it made me laugh a bit -

Then we devastated the land of the Allobroges...When we left, we left a dessert.

A dessert is a pudding. A desert with one 's' is a wasted land.
I had this vision of the Cimbri marching away from the Allobroges land with only a gigantic Black Forest Gateau smouldering sadly on the devastated land behind them.