Cornwellia. Norman Occupied Wales 1076
(A battle report from the Houston Texas SAGA group with Jim Johnson and Jesse Seals)
Jesseals the Welsh Warlord arose early on a beautiful fall day in the village of Cornwellia. Walking to the newly constructed Norman church he noticed a boy running from the road leading to the coastal watchtower. He had not yet accepted the Norman religion, but was happy to have a another building in the village, not to mention the new Norman keep which provided employment for the Welsh craftsman in the village.
The boy, gasping from his run, merely pointed in the direction of the coast and breathlessly uttered "NORSEMEN"! Jesseseals had fought many battles in the past, and knew that if it was the brutal men from the north. Today was going to be a very long day with the tranquil fields around Cornwellia stained red with brave men's blood. "To ARMS, to ARMS!" Jesseals shouted and all able bodied men grabbed their Javelins, swords and shields and assembled in the square in front of St Basil's Norman Church. Potentially outnumbered, the men were all muttering that the Norman Lord had certainly picked an inconvenient time to leave the Castle to collect taxes around the countryside. Marquis Jimston and his mounted Norman knights would certainly had been useful against the foot mobile Norsemen. Perhaps the riders dispatched can find them and they can return in time.
The Welsh host deployed in front of the church and awaited the Norsemen's arrival. They didn't have long to wait. Breaking out of the forest were over twenty-five Norse giants bursting out onto the field in front of the church flailing their Dane axes in broad circular swings over their heads like some infernal machine of death. Their blood-curdling enthusiasm was no match for the wall of Javelins held by strong men and led by an experienced Welsh Warlord. The first wave of Norse-Gaels took horrendous casualties and recoiled back losing many a brave Hearthguard in the process. There was no time for rest, for the Welsh however, for on the road through the village the Norse Warlord had taken two groups of warriors and were pushing to capture the wagons loaded with the harvest in the village square. The Norse Warlord, now identified as the notorious Burk the Wall, uttered a challenge to the Welsh warriors formed to stop them. Welsh honor being at stake, they accepted and were defeated in a series of back and forth close combats. Meanwhile the Welsh warlord, Jesseseals was fighting not only for Welsh honor, but for his own life as the relentless Norsemen cut and hacked their way through his men at arms, landing a fatal blow thus ending 120 years of his house's rule of Cornwellia. The Norman's when they return will not only have to stop the Norsemen, but also find a new Welsh leader to administer their subjects.
At the last possible moment a cloud of dust appeared on the west road. It was the Marquis and his hearthguard! Blowing past the wagon loaded with booty and a squad of disoriented and demoralized Welsh Levy archers, the Marquis charged the Norsemen at a gallop. Hacking and thrusting the already fatigued warlord and his lead knights, sent many a Norseman to Valhalla that day. Back and forth they fought in the village square, and in the end all that was left was the Norse warlord and four Norman Knights. Norman Marquis Jimston perished accepting a challenge from a Norse-Gael champion and despite having five time the odds to defeat him, was killed. His body was laid carefully on the steps of the Church he had built, even the Norse respecting that perhaps Odon himself had intervened on their behalf, so best to respect a fellow fallen hero than upset the Gods with hubris.
As night fell all that was left in Cornwellia was a few scattered and exhausted Norsemen in the fields south of town and four Norman Knights led by a mere boy and the now leaderless Welsh archers mourning the death of their warlord. Young Petoyr Griffen, the young Norman knight raised his sword, pointing to the Norse Warlord Burk the Wall, and shouted, "Today is your day barbarian, you will not see your homeland again!". The Wall shouted back, "Perhaps yearling, but you will not be the one to make it so!".
With that the Normans spurred their steeds and charged the "Wall". Throwing down his shield, The Wall started to rotate his axe over his head. Gaining speed and crouching ready to spring upwards as the Normans charged. When the Normans hit him, his axe hit and killed two of the knights one on both sides of him. But Petoyr raised his 4 ft long Norman broadsword over his head striking down "the Wall" with a stroke. Dismounting he kneeled down and cradled the fallen Norseman's head. The fatally wounded Viking Chief just looked to the now twilight sky and said "VALHALLA, ODON…! And he was gone.
As sun set on the bloodstained fields the exhausted Norse Gael warband made their way back to the Longship. Leaving many a brave Viking in Norman held Wales. In the village the new Marquis Petoyr watched as the Norsemen's bodies were loaded onto a cart for burning using Norse traditions. He wondered which one of the surviving Welsh soldiers would be the new Welsh Warlord. In some ways administration of a conquered people is more difficult than combat.