Fiction

The Story

There were three long boats who set out from the same port and sailed for eastern Britain what would later be known as the Danelaw. These ships were Managarm, Eyrgrafa and Módgudr — any of these three ships could with some difficulty carry 30 souls, but also make do with a crew of eight able bodied persons. 
On those far-away isles they raped, burned and pillaged villages, nunneries and monasteries. They came away with silver, gold, furs, glass, valuables and thralls. Some of the Vikings had been to the area before, made pacts and friendships and taken lovers; a few chose to remain. Not all had survived the battles. But the rest was ready to return home, following the words of their Hövdningar and the promises to their honour.

Locals burned one of the ships, The Managarm, on the beach where it lay tied. Its Hövding Æinridi Arnulfrsson perished in the flames. The three crews sailed home using only two ships.

On the seas, a ferocious storm sank the Eyrgjafa. The Vikings wailed and sang to the gods that would heard them, and some of them threw themself in the water to unburden the ship and maybe save it. Those who lived were fished out from the waves from the last ship that was afloat, The Móðguðr. But the Hövding of the Eyrgjafa, Leif, was lost in the black waters.

Sacrifices were made and the last Hövding, Hrapp, decided to set sail towards the village of Astfanginn and its wise women, the Völvas. It would do no good to bring this curse back home.

They had to bind the remaining ship and walk, with less provisions then mouths to feed, and when they reach Astfanginn they are dirty, torn, worn and hungry. A broken crew of battle-hardened male Vikings, ferocious Shieldmaidens, and freshly acquired thralls.

The Larp Starts

The Viking crews arrive in the late afternoon to find völvas, old and young, staring at them while the thralls of the village run and hide. The visitors are officially welcomed by the ruling Council of the Seven.

Thralls will help the guests clean up, and they will all be assigned a place to sleep, as long as they accept to share their spaces so it will not be as cold. As is customary, no one asks them their errand. Those kinds of conversations are for after the welcoming feast.

The kitchen fires up the kettles, meat is prepared, the vegetable stews smell delicious.

The feast will not end well.