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Britain. 400 AD. There is only one last Roman military unit -- The Legion. |
 The Rood and the Raven
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In the year 793 as the followers of Jesus the Christ reckon time, Danish marauders descended upon the peaceful monastery of Lindisfarne. Thus began the invasion of the lands of the Seaxa that continues today. The early sea pirates gave way to invaders who hungered for land as well as booty. The kings of the Cumbrians and the Northumbrians, the lords of Mercia and East Anglia could not withstand the might of the Danes.
The gods of the north rewarded those who went forth valiantly to conquer. The Christian ideals of meekness, resignation and suffering in patience held no appeal for the northmen--except insofar as such virtues rendered Christian slaves easier to rule.
And slowly, over the years, the territories claimed by the Danes grew and the power of the Christian kings waned and disappeared in the north and east of the Britannic Isle.
In the fullness of time, one Guthrum proved himself as the ablest and most commanding leader of the Danish host. Only once surpassed on the field of battle Guthrum yet prevailed in the peace that followed. In the year 878 by the Christian reckoning, Alfred King of Wessex blockaded Guthrum and the Danes at the fortress of Chippenham. Guthrum yielded himself and his men up to Alfred. In exchange for promises of peace with the men of Wessex and Baptism into the Christian faith, Guthrum was recognized as King in a new territory called the Danelaw. It was victory and loss for both rulers.
Guthrum and his grandson, Ragnar, were baptized along with the men of their households. Alfred stood sponsor to both Guthrum and Ragnar, accepting them from the Baptismal font as his new sons in Christ. The Danes departed to strengthen their hold on East Anglia and the men of Wessex returned to their homes… both sides knowing in their hearts that the uneasy peace hung by a thread.
In the years that followed, the fighting resumed once more. But final victory eluded both Alfred and Guthrum and neither was able to crush the other. At length, both men once again entered into a treaty. The year 886 marked the final division of the land into two territories bifurcated by a line that ran "along the River Thames then along the River Lea to its source then direct to Bedford then along the Ouse to Watling Street."
The time had come for both sides to consolidate and build. Guthrum of the Danelaw welcomed those of his countrymen willing to settle… to take wives and rear children in their image and occupy the land in perpetuity. And the men of Wessex nursed their grievances and dreamed of the day they would oust the Danes and retake what had once been their own…
Our saga commences in the year 886 of the Christian calendar.
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6 Threads Viewing 6 - 1 |
The Viking Lands (23 posts)
Thor's Hammer (* Buliwyf Gunthigg, Feb 1, 2004 - 18:10 ) Improper Introductions? (* Arnulf Kjalarson Hasding, Jul 14, 2003 - 22:50 ) Closer Inspection (* Sigyn Larsdatter Chattian, Jul 12, 2003 - 03:01 ) Wessex: The Countryside (29 posts)
Warm Embrace (* Anya Gepid, Nov 27, 2003 - 01:35 ) Wet & glum (* Cuthbert Hasding, Sep 25, 2003 - 07:34 ) Torment (* Anya Gepid, Aug 28, 2003 - 23:04 ) The Danelaw (20 posts)
A Confrontation (* Leofric Eforwic Siling, Jun 2, 2003 - 01:44 ) A New Arrival (* Leofric Eforwic Siling, May 19, 2003 - 19:45 ) Speaking with Ragnar (* Haakon Larson Chattian, May 16, 2003 - 21:44 ) Flanders and the Lands of the Franks (8 posts)
Another way. (* Dagbert Burgundian, May 30, 2003 - 02:25 ) Feasts and Furies (* Baldwin II Belgae, May 28, 2003 - 00:36 ) Marvelous Mechanizations (* Baldwin II Belgae, May 11, 2003 - 21:32 ) Wessex: Oxford (8 posts)
At Oxford Town (* Ethelm Jarle of Wuffing, May 10, 2003 - 19:14 ) of scholars & monks (* Irward Volcae, Apr 30, 2003 - 20:17 ) The Lord High Abbot of Oxford (* CathBran Niall, Apr 30, 2003 - 20:14 ) Wessex: The King's Court (24 posts)
Arnhand & Stormbringer (* CathBran Niall, Apr 29, 2003 - 18:21 ) A Chance Encounter (* Thane Oswald Chattian, Apr 28, 2003 - 18:04 ) Launching the Arrows (* Alfred of Wessex Chattian, Apr 28, 2003 - 16:00 )|
6 Threads Viewing 6 - 1 |
