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Post by Fálki Pórbrandr on Mar 13, 2011 13:01:49 GMT -5
The sun was bright and there was only the slightest hint of chill in the air as the men set out. With every raid onto d'Angeline soil the ease of the venture became more and more obvious. True, some died, but we killed far more of them than they did of us and that was a strong point in our favor. Even more, they didn't seem to increase their guard at all and a good deal of their lands were simply waiting to be taken. Maybe there was some sort of upheaval that made them vulnerable but that wasn't my concern.
Today the chosen target was a large estate and vineyard, close enough to the border to be easily reached but not on it, so the guards were minimal to nonexistant, at least as far as could be told. d'Angelines did love their drink, even if it was the weaker sort made of rotting fruit, and the chance to grab some of it to bring back to our own steadings would be well appreciated. There were even stories of this place producing the strong joie that they drank on their special occasions. And with a home like this there would be gold aplenty as well as pretty lasses to make brides for some of the younger men.
Smiling widely but still with a look of calm on my features I glanced over at our noble leader from where we sat watching the border to the estate and waited for him to give the signal to begin the attack. Likely it wouldn't take long, but the younger Skaldi warriors tended to go berserk and had to be reined in from time to time before they simply ran amok. "Everything seems as it should be unless there's something I'm missing, Eirik. Are you thinking of finally finding a bride out of these chits?" A light tease, because there was likely no way he'd do such a thing, but jokes between friends lightened the tension.
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Post by Eirik Reyksol on Mar 13, 2011 14:15:33 GMT -5
We were ranged around the estate in a half moon formation, though in all honesty I was probably taking more precautions than necessary. We'd avoided the border guard with a well-placed feint, while the rest of us moved silently through the more deeply wooded areas into Terre d'Ange proper. Normally I might not have gone in for a raid like this, I was so accustomed to simply poking away at their borders, but Falki had been right about this place - it was ripe for the picking.
The sun had barely cleared the horizon and the farmhands were just beginning to flow into the vineyard, unaware of the fate that likely awaited them. Ah well, this would likely be the most exciting day of their pitiful lives. I glanced at Falki and snorted derisively, though I knew he jested.
"A wife among these soft flowers? Hardly likely! However, I'm not against taking one or five to my bed, eh?" It was time, on that note, to take what we could. "Ready?" I knew he was, and so I didn't wait for a response before I gave a war cry that sent us running down from our vantage point and in among the unsuspecting farmers.
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Post by Fálki Pórbrandr on Mar 13, 2011 14:31:18 GMT -5
"As long as you save a couple for the rest of us, eh?" I said with a low chuckle, then pulled my two axes, my preferred weapons, and at his cry stormed with the rest down the hillside. we had the place half-surrounded and in the chaos there was no telling which way these soft, silly people would bolt- and as they became aware of us they did just that, screaming as they ran in the first direction they could think of. These weak, thin-blooded people had no idea of the strength of the blood that ran in Skaldic veins, but they'd know now.
The warriors to my left quickly took to dispatching those too in shock to move anywhere and the few female tenders were quickly swept off of their feet, some to die from their wounds and some merely knocked out for a bit of enjoyment later. A few seemed inclined to take their bounties right now but with a sharp word and a blow they were quickly reminded of what had to happen first. The fields were nice, but there would be storehouses and the house itself to secure.
One man holding a pitchfork seemed to rally just enough dumb courage to race at me and I quickly embedded the blade of one ax in his chest with a hearty crunch before I pulled it free and took another quick look around to find any stragglers and begin dispatching them, all of the while keeping an eye where Eirik was and ready to follow his command when he decided it was time to move forward.
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Post by Islief Halvdan on Mar 14, 2011 22:36:24 GMT -5
It was time, finally. I had thought Eirik would never give the order, but when he did, I rushed forth with the rest, screaming a battle cry as ancient as the ground upon which we stood. I had no heed for the plants, or the people, cutting down anything in my path to the house. That was where I truly wanted to be, where the women were, and the wine, and whatever riches we could carry home. My brother was on the border, buying us time and occupying the D'angelines, but it was only a matter of time before they arrived.
I carried a torch and as I passed, I set fire to every plant that I could. A farmhand seemed to rise up out of nowhere, shouting something and waving a sword at me - did this man think himself a warrior? With one sweep of my axe, I sent his head rolling without even giving him enough time to realize that he was nothing. I realized that I was moving too far ahead of the rest of our men, and I forced myself to pull back, dispatching several more farmhands as I did. Impatiently, I waited for Eirik to decide that this area was secure and that we could move on to the house.
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Astride Schevlok
Military
Warrior of Skaldia
You may not be interested in strategy, but strategy is interested in you. - Leon Trotsky
Posts: 41
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Post by Astride Schevlok on Mar 15, 2011 17:38:46 GMT -5
My war cry was no less loud as I followed my brethren, my axe swinging and soon running red with the blood of soft, worthless d'Angeline farmhands. I flanked the left side of our group and, finding a pretty wench hiding behind a bale of hay, I tapped her lightly on the temple. She was a tempting thing, with ample curves and a head of thick brown hair. She would make a good treat for later, and I hoisted her over my shoulder to take her with me.
As we reached the house itself, some of the men going toward the other buildings, I spied the stable and, with a nod from my honored leader, I made for it, finding rope to tie the beautiful young thing's wrists and ankles before carelessly dropping her on a wagon I'd seen. Perfect; the wagon could be used to cart the wine and joie my brethren would likely find, as well as more women. One could never have too many of those in his bed.
Grinning, I stomped into the stables and stopped at the sight of a man waving a pitchfork at me. I roared at him and knocked the pitchfork out of his hand as if it were nothing more than a child's toy and buried the blade of my ax into his skull. The wet thunk it made only caused my happiness to grow, and I used my boot to push the worthless lump off of my axe in case any others decided they would try and trifle with me.
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Post by Eirik Reyksol on Mar 16, 2011 21:03:43 GMT -5
We all raced forward and for a few minutes I was lost in the maze of grapevines, blood spattering against me as I killed a man who dared do more than flee in terror. I could see some of the men racing ahead, and I hollered out the order to take the house and the stable and whatever else we could find. We'd take what we wanted and fire the rest. I saw Astride had already found something that caught his fancy and as I kicked opened the front door I was minded to find a little something of my own.
For the hell of it I broke anything that looked breakable, despite that it might be valuable, because the point of a raid like this was more to terrify than for profit. I found a woman sobbing behind the sofa, a dark haired beauty that was all the more exotic for that thick black hair and big doe eyes. I snatched her by the wrist and thrust her toward one of the men to my right.
"Get her on bound and on a horse, Astride is securing the stables. Take what you can on the way, and then start burning the fields."
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Post by Fálki Pórbrandr on Mar 20, 2011 16:55:18 GMT -5
Battles were always short and messy, at least as long as they were going well, and it was that indeed. There was nothing to stop us on our way, the men who ran toward or past us falling dead under our blades and the women quickly dealt with, either killed if they were too old to please the eye or bundled off to be brought back with the rest of the wealth. Already some of the men were setting fire to the various hanging vines and their racks between grabbing handfuls of grapes to eat between sneers at their fallen foes or the women who didn't seem to appreciate their attention.
Eirik had made his way toward the house and I moved steadily in that direction as well, stepping in the door after him and taking a passage to the left into a room with a low table and chairs that was filled with various ledgers. I couldn't have guessed what they said but the d'Angelines were always writing something down, not that it would matter anymore. With the flat of my ax I knocked aside a set of glass tumblers and picked up the bottle that had gone with them before I started pulling out the various cabinets. A locked chest- that would have the money, or at least it always had before.
Calling over two of the younger warriors I directed them to have the money-box taken out to the cart, then walked into the main room where Eirik had found a prize and gave him a grin, tossing him the bottle. "Here, this is thirsty work," I said simply as I brought my ax down through a portrait that hung on the wall, then another.
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Post by Agmar Friedgeir on Mar 20, 2011 17:53:11 GMT -5
I didn't like raiding as much as the others did, and I liked the way they treated the women even less. Still, duty and honor demanded that I obey Eirik and Falki, and I took the money-box out as they demanded. Dimly I could see some people fleeing the estate, but I made no move to go after them. They'd meet their end if not from a blade, then the elements.
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Post by Quinten du Rolieu on Mar 25, 2011 0:02:36 GMT -5
We were on a regular patrol when the Skaldi seemed to come out of nowhere, screaming their obscene war cries and falling upon us like the fur-clad devils they were. Those of us with more experience were soon drawing our swords and giving chase, because we had the advantage of horseback, though we lost young Rousseaux almost immediately. I didn't have time to grieve however, as the Skaldi led us deeper into the wooded area that ran along our borders.
They fought well, but long years of fighting against them alerted me that there was something off about this attack. The Skaldi were usually ferocious, fearless beasts, but this time, they fought and then fell back and I worried that they were leading us into a trap, though none was forthcoming. What other reason could there be for this feint and parry game they played?
I tried to get closer to my commanding officer, hoping to catch his eye, but there was never a moment to do more than fight, sword meeting axe even as my horse's legs were cut out beneath. Cursing, I leapt free of him, before my legs could be crushed beneath the falling beast.
The man I fought was strong, and as he forced my back up against a tree, splintering my shield in the process, I thought that this could be it - the last Skaldi I would ever meet. I was preparing myself for it, for the fatal blow, when a bright fountain of blood suddenly spouted forth from the Skaldian's mouth. When he fell, I saw my commander standing there, pulling his sword out of the man's neck.
"Sir, there is something wrong about this raid," I said, stepping over the fallen Skaldi. He nodded in agreement, and the two of us managed to gain mounts, the commander his own and for myself I took the fallen Rousseaux's.
"You're right, and if it's not a trap, it's more likely a diversion."
The full import of those words hit me like a blow. A diversion, meaning that a greater force was doing damage somewhere else, likely in the direction from which we'd just come.
"The Montblanc Estate," I realized, and the commander nodded.
"My thoughts as well." And with that, he rallied the men and we turned, leaving this battlefield for another, sending a runner out to any other troops he could find in the area, and hoping that he wasn't killed before he could send someone to our aid.
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Post by Islief Halvdan on Mar 31, 2011 17:20:26 GMT -5
The house held in it more wealth than should be allowed for one family, it was just the sort of excess that I hated about the D'angelines. Why did a person need candlesticks made of gold or dishes inlaid with it? It was stupid and wasteful and I killed a weeping servant for no other reason than my disdain for these soft idiots.
Back outside, I secured as many valuables as I could to my horse, and then strode over to the stables to see the true riches we would be bringing home: quality horseflesh that would help us more than all the gold in the world. That and food, for the hunting was only just beginning to look up in our wintry terrain, and good food was worth more than it's weight in jewels.
Long years of raiding sensitized me to the presence of D'angelines, and when I looked out across the fields, I saw the men riding in. I gave a holler of warning, leaping on to the back of the nearest mount. Some of us could ride out to meet them while the reswt escaped with the goods.
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Astride Schevlok
Military
Warrior of Skaldia
You may not be interested in strategy, but strategy is interested in you. - Leon Trotsky
Posts: 41
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Post by Astride Schevlok on Apr 5, 2011 9:11:08 GMT -5
I had two horses hitched up to the wagon and was bringing two more out from the stables for my brethren when I saw the d'Angeline soldiers riding across the field. I heard someone -- Islief?-- shout out a warning and I took it up as Islief mounted a horse near me and rode toward the soldiers, my loud cry echoing across the field to the soldiers and, I knew, into the house where Eirik and some of the others were. I knew they would come from the main house soon and so I raced to get more horses for the rest of the men. I ran into the stable once more for two more mounts and quickly brought them out to join the other horses. I wanted more than anything to ride out to meet the d'Angelines but I knew if no one tended to the horses they would meander off and be that much more difficult to get ahold of again, and so I stayed with the horses so that my brethren would have mounts when they needed them.
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Post by Fálki Pórbrandr on Apr 16, 2011 12:47:01 GMT -5
The shout of warning was clear and immediately my good-natured jibing stopped, my face and demeanor hardening as I gave another, clearer warning to those in the house. I trusted every man here to make a good accounting of himself in battle without panicking, but at times they did need direction so that something would actually get accomplished. "Take whatever you can grab and load it into the wagons. You lot ride with the loot and burn everything you pass, the rest ride out to deal a blow to those weak d'Angeline soldiers!" I roared and heard echoing shouts of understanding from across the house.
With a nod to those around me I took a torch from the fireplace in one hand and an axe in the other, then raced outside and put it to some of the dry wood that supported the grapevines, setting them ablaze and hopefully distracting the soldiers who were coming. If nothing else it would give them a moment's confusion and cover for my own men while they went about their duties. Eirik was our leader and the privilege of setting light to the house was his as far as I was concerned, or at least his to decide when it burned. We would have much to take back to our lands and that was enough for any man present.
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Post by Eirik Reyksol on Apr 18, 2011 23:22:08 GMT -5
Ah, the D'angelines had finally shown themselves. That meant either they had routed my men sent to distract them - doubtful - or they had figured out the ruse. Ah well, we had gained much already. I grinned and with a loud whoop, I set the house aflame, racing around to set my torch to as many flammable surfaces as I could find, before I tossed it into the vineyard and found a horse.
Pulling my sword from it's sheath, I yelled an ancient battle cry and rode into the fray, my blood singing from the exertion and yet loving every moment of it. I took a blow to the shoulder, but managed to unseat my opponent, though he still fought well. Truth be told, I had to admire the D'angelines, who fought as hard for their lands as we would for ours. What was it that made them so attractive to us? The land? It was fertile, true, but we Skaldics had a fierce love for the rocky land that gave us our livelihood, such as it was. I thought, truly, that it was merely the desire to grow, to expand in some way, and with such tempting neighbors, why not?
I killed the man in the midst of my philosophical thoughts, shaking my head slightly to clear my thoughts. The middle of battle was no place to get distracted, but I found that I had been thinking a lot on these things lately, while I went about banging my head against the same walls as my ancestors. Didn't there have to be a better way?
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