Barad'Dun The Western Tower
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 Wolf Tales: The Black Ship.

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konradr

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Wolf Tales: The Black Ship. Empty
PostSubject: Wolf Tales: The Black Ship.   Wolf Tales: The Black Ship. I_icon_minitimeWed Sep 01, 2010 7:18 pm

THE BLACK SHIP


The sky was an angry gray as the sun rose slowly from a behind a curtain of rain clouds. A typical early fall day above the gray green ocean as her swells rolled in an ancient rhythm towards the land and the harbor of Barad'Dun.

The Golden Tower stood gleaming even in the cold, cloudy gray skies, her top studded by the flags and banners of the Realm, fluttering in the mighty fall breeze.

Behind the amber stoned walls of the Harbor breakwater, were hundreds of ships lying at piers or pulled up onto the gravel and red sand beaches. Some lay dormant, mast's bare or taken down and covered, while others, notably the small fishing ships, were bustling with activity as men hurried to get them ready to sail. The season on the Ocean was almost over, these men knew it, in another month it would be too dangerous to venture out onto the sea. Nature's Winter fury would brew the ocean into a monster of crashing, gray waves and hurricane force winds.

The fishermen were noisy as they loaded their few belongings into the ships. tossing nets into heaps in the stern and bow of their small long boats. Many carried jar's of ale or beer to help keep the cold at bay. The men's faces were heavily whiskered and reddend from sun and now from the cold.

Three men on the boat nearest the open sea, suddenly became quiet and stood, staring into the harbor opening.

A small rowboat, pushed relentlessly by the waves, appeared. It was of a white painted wood, longboat style. The wood was heavily scratched. There were no oars beating it in, it simply floated with the tide. And sitting in the middle, upright, and the only visible occupant, was a tiny girl. She was bundled in a gray blanket, her hair, blonde and braided into a ponytail, was flapping in the wind. She sat motionless, her blue eyes staring blankly ahead.



Last edited by konradr on Tue Aug 02, 2011 5:36 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Wolf Tales: The Black Ship. Empty
PostSubject: Re: Wolf Tales: The Black Ship.   Wolf Tales: The Black Ship. I_icon_minitimeWed Sep 01, 2010 7:41 pm

Tor felt the cold bite of the wind and shivered. He was wearing a brown wool and felt tunic, with a linen undertunic beneath it, but this was not enough. He was sweating heavily from his work applying horsehair and resin putty in between the wooden planks of a ship's hull. That ship was Raven's wind, a norse style long ship whose Shipmaster was none other than Konradr Greywolf, former Shepherd of Barad'Dun.

Tor was a Kolgan, a huge bear of a man from the far hinterlands of the Southern Continent. His face was hard and square, covered in thick red whisker's. But his head was bald, save for one long, braided lock of red that ran down the back from a spot on the very tip of his squared hed. He grunted as the cold wind tickled his scalp and made goosebumps sprout all over.

He knew he could put on his bear skin cloak and the hat made of rabbit fur, but it would not help him in his work. The others, about 25 of his fellow crewmen, were all along the sides of the ship doing the same work ,and toughing it out , to get Raven's Wind ready to sail again.

Suddenly there was a commotion from the beach. Fishermen and sailors began to bunch up as something was dragged ashore. Slowly the men of Raven's wind stopped their work and watched. Tor craned to see. It was not hard for him to look over the other men's heads as he clearly taller than any of them.

"What is it?" Helgot, the scrawney, brown haired lad beside him, asked. Helgot was from far away Dale and was of a related race as the Raven's Wind's Shipmaster, Konradr Who was a Norseman from the islands of Nor.

"It's a boat, with a little girl in it." The big man said. "It's a small boat, but its built like Raven's wind, with a long bow and stern post.

"A Norse boat." Helgot said. "Come, Tor, let's have a closer look."

Both men set down their buckets of resin and horsehair, and quickly gathered their cloaks and fur caps. Helgot's was a gray wolf skin cloak, but his hat was a plain felt style in bands of blue, red and gray.

The two hurried to the crowd of men. Several member's of the Barad'Dun Royal Militia began to appear as well, in their khaki and red tabards with the golden tower on the chest. These men were Barad'Dun's law enforcers. They were men, and women, retired from the Army or the Mercenary bands, and enlisted in the Militia to help keep the Adunakhor's peace. Each carried a spear, a sword and a small khaki covered buckler.

A large bodied, friendly faced, fisherman's wife was trying to coax the girl out of the boat. The child did not move, change her expression or speak.

"Hail girl." Helgot said loudly as he approached with Tor by his side. He said it in Dale, a language very similar to Norse.

The girl turned slightly. A gust of wind suddenly blew Helgot's cloak up and the gray wolf's fur fluffed in the breeze.

The girl's eyes widened and she began to scream as loud as she could.

"Wolf men! Wolf men!" She cried and she scrambled out of the boat and into the arms of the Fisherman's wife. She trembled and screamed, with tears streaking her tiny face. The woman did her best to comfort the girl.

The knot of fishermen, sailors and Royal Militiamen turned slowly and silently in the direction of Helgot and Tor. Helgot backed up slightly feeling the anger in these men's eyes.



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Wolf Tales: The Black Ship. Empty
PostSubject: Re: Wolf Tales: The Black Ship.   Wolf Tales: The Black Ship. I_icon_minitimeThu Sep 02, 2010 8:21 pm

The Palace of Barad'Dun, with its twenty foot walls of reddish orange stone work and black cobblestone courtyard, lay on a hill of black, glass like stone, in the shadow of the great Tower itself.

A clean shaven older man with a billowing mane of white hair, marched steadily forward up the winding stone stairway leading to the Palace. He wore a very old, fraying cloak of gray wolf fur, but its front was open revealing a fur lined gray tabard with four blood red slash marks across its chest. This was Konradr Greywolf, Shipmaster of the Raven's Wind, and leader of the War Wolves.

Following behind him, K'urn Blackwolf, Shipmaster of the Wyvern and fellow War Wolf, clad in a brown wool cloak over his leather armor with his usual floppy green hat pulled on tightly to fight the wind. Oddvar the Terrible, second in command of the War Wolves, strolled along next to K'urn, wearing his bear skin cloak wrapped about his great girth. Then came four other men all clad in the gray tabard of the War Wolves with fur cloaks, James 'Templar' Stoneheart, the ship's Helmsman, Christian, Tor and Helgot, all members of the crew and Wolf Brothers. Each man carried a Wolf dagger, but no other weapon's or shields. No other such weapons would be allowed in the palace.

The great wooden doors to the palace were guarded by a dozen soldiers of the Royal Guard. They quickly stepped aside and the doors were swung open allowing the group to pass.

"Hail Konradr." One said as the men marched by.

Konradr recognized the smiling face and long, blonde ponytail of Strider, Corsair of the Royal Army, and former thief of Barad'Dun.

"Golden Shadow!" Konradr said, letting a smile sneak out across his face despite the gravity of this summons to the palace. "Good to see you lad."

They marched on. Soldiers throughout the courtyard snapped to attention carrying spears or halbards.

A sparkle suddenly dazzled everyone's eyes as the few rays of sunlight that penetrated the gray screen of the clouds, managed to reflect blindingly off the shining plate metal armor of the Royal Scribe as he approached the group.
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Wolf Tales: The Black Ship. Empty
PostSubject: Re: Wolf Tales: The Black Ship.   Wolf Tales: The Black Ship. I_icon_minitimeFri Sep 03, 2010 8:23 pm

"War Wolves!" Lord Varno Anga said loudly as he approached. He wore a Maroon sash tied about his steel cuirass and carried the staff of the Royal Scribe. His black curly hair, thick beard and moustached echoed the fashion of distant Roma. "The Adunakhor awaits, but first..."

Knubbs, as he was known locally, snapped his fingers and the retinue of Royal Guardsmen in the courtyard began to encircle Konradr's group.

"We will have your weapons."

Konradr and his men tensed and instinctively their hands went to the hilt of their daggers.

"What? Who orders this? We have earned the right to carry our sidearms into the palace!" Konradr said. His men began to form a fighting circle as the guards spread around them.

"Not going to happen, knubbs." K'urn said in his soft but menacing way.

"Let them keep their weapons!" Came a shout. "They came here at my bidding, as friends, not prisoners."

The Adunakhor, Surt, stepped from the shadows wearing a khaki quilted jerkin trimmed in red, with a red star on the upper chest. He was a tall, thin man with short cropped black hair and a gleaming smile, even now.

"But your majesty, the situation demands...." Knubbs began but Surt held up his hand and the words trailed off.

"Come gentlemen, I need to speak with you in private, follow me to the hall of the War Stag." With that Surt turned and began to lead the way across to the far side of the Courtyard. Konradr and his men followed suit. Oddvar smiling at the guards as knubbs dismissed them.

"Raincheck on that tussle fellas" Oddvar said with a chuckle.

The hall of the War Stag had a set of double wooden doors leading into it. Above the doors was mounted the giant stuffed head of a War Stag. These stags lived out in the grasslands of the Talath Gaya. They grew to the size of horses and were much sought after by hunters, but very few were ever killed. Often as not, it was the hunter that was killed. War Stags had huge racks of horns on each side of their heads, like normal deer, but unlike normal deer, they grew a horn out of the center of their heads as well. Unlike a unicorn's horn, these horns were long, sharp and as deadly as a spear. During mating season, normal stag's fight til one or the other quits and runs away, but War Stag's fight to the death. It was the fourth Adunakhor, Arundel, who, with a contingent of the Royal Army, went hunting for this stag. He caught him, but in the stuggle, Arundel was mortally wounded. Before dying he decreed that a hall would be built for this magnificent animal that brought low an Adunakhor of mighty barad'Dun.

The doors were swung open by the guards, and the group passed within, followed by knubbs.
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Wolf Tales: The Black Ship. Empty
PostSubject: Re: Wolf Tales: The Black Ship.   Wolf Tales: The Black Ship. I_icon_minitimeWed Sep 08, 2010 7:43 am

The heads of mighty beasts hunted from all over the Southern continent, as well as from the distant middle Earth, lined the expanse of the hall.

Animal skins lined the floor, bear, Antelope, lion, and wolves. Konradr's men did not defile the wolf skins by stepping on them.

The room was lit by sunlight gleaming in from a great glass dome in the center of the hall. At the far end was a huge red stoned fireplace. In front of that were several plush leather covered chairs made of dark, spiralling woodwork of Elvish make. Very ornate, yet stately at the same time.

Firalis Nostarios, otherwise known as Smithy, and Kilanos were seated at two of the chairs, already in some sort of discussion. Smihty wore a leather vest over his khaki Royal Army tunic, and Kilanos wore the Royal Army Khaki and red tabard over his black tunic and trousers. A chest sat between them with two silver goblets on top and between these was a deck of red cards, and stacks of coins, Golden Denarii's, Silver Florins, and Bronze farthings. Both were Officers of the Realm, Smithy being the High Marshall, and Kilanos the Shepherd.

When the two men saw the Adunakhor coming near, smithy grabbed the goblets and hid them behind the chest, while Kilanos removed the cards. Both men then stood silently and waited.

"I will dispense with the introductions." Surt said as he stood in the center of the chairs which were arranged in a circle. "Since we all know eachother too well."

Smithy and Kilanos knodded to the group.

Knubbs stood silently aloof, behind him were the shadows of several Royal Guardsmen.

Konradr took a step forward.

"Your majesty, as much as I love your company, I have much work getting my ship ready to sail. Why have we been summoned?"

Surt paced back and forth for a moment rubbing his chin while in thought. He looked at Kilanos, then Smithy and finally knubbs, before speaking.

"Have you heard about the girl they found in the harbour?" He asked, carefully studying each of the War Wolves before him.

"Yes." Konradr said, "My men Tor and Helgot," He motioned towards the hulk and the twig that stood at the back of his group. "Were there when she arrived. They said she was hysterical."

"To say the least." Smithy said. "I looked in on her and have put my finest healer and nurse in the room with her."

"What have they learned so far?" Surt asked of the Marshall.

"Hardly anything. She is Norse. She keeps babbling about...." He looked squarely at Konradr and his group. "Wolf men."

Konradr and his men exchanged glances, but remained silent.

"To the best of our knowledge," Kilanos interjected, "She's from a ship or an island, that has been attacked."

Surt began pacing again, rubbing his chin and looking from one War Wolf to another.

"What happens in the Far North Western Seas, is really none of Barad'Dun's concern, unless it involves you War Wolves."

"What d'ya mean, US?!" Oddvar blurted out in a rising tone. Konradr put a hand up and the big man bite his lip.

"Let the Adunakhor finish." K'urn grumbled.

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Wolf Tales: The Black Ship. Empty
PostSubject: Re: Wolf Tales: The Black Ship.   Wolf Tales: The Black Ship. I_icon_minitimeWed Sep 08, 2010 8:27 am

Surt paced again but continued to speak.

"Your band is contracted by letter of Marque for raids only in the name of the Realm. None of the Norse islands are enemies of Barad'Dun. A few we are even friends with."

Surt stopped walking back and forth and stood directly before Konradr.

"Old friend, tell me now, did you or any of your War Wolves lead a raid to the distant Northern islands?"

Each of the War Wolves, except for Konradr, began to curse and grumble.

"No your Majesty." Konradr said calmly, "Raven's Wind last patrolled far to the South near Ered Falas. We had no engagements and no raids. My ship has been on the beach for two weeks now being refitted to sail again before the winter sets in."

The old man smiled. "You know this."

"I know, forgive me, but I had to ask." Surt then turned and looked at K'urn.

"What of you, K'urn Blackwolf? Where is your ship, Wyvern and her War Wolf crew?"

"She waits out the winter back home, in Middle Earth. I won't see her again til sometime in the Spring." He said with a longful twinkle in his eye at the thought of his ship and his far off home.

Surt shook his head and began to pace again.

"How do you know they are not roaming the sea's right now, pillaging without you?" Kilanos asked

"They're not." K'urn said calmly. "I know they are not, they would not."

"How do you know, what, a raven flew in and told you?" Smithy interjected.

"Precisely." K'urn said with a Smile. "Praise be to Odin for such gifts."

Smithy and Kilanos looked to Surt, who stopped his pacing.

"I would say, their is some doubt." Smithy said. Kilanos nodded in agreement.

"We can not take the word of a Raven." Knubbs said. "We need proof."

Surt looked at his two officers and then to his Royal Scribe. "Very well." He stepped before Konradr and pointed a finger at him.

"You, Konradr Greywolf, will sail from Barad'Dun to the Northern Islands and find the answer to this mystery. Manwe has brought this little girl to us, we will do his bidding and avenge her. Do you accept?"

"On behalf of the War Wolves, I do." He said. "What say you War Wolves?" His men yelled "Aye" in unison.

Knubbs stepped forward shaking his head.

"Your majesty, respectfully, I must disagree. You are sending the War Wolves? You should send the Royal Navy."

"No," Surt Said, "It takes a Wolf to hunt down rogue wolves." There was a sparkle in his eyes.

"Then we should require a hostage." Knubbs said, sighing in exasperation. Smithy and kilanos both spoke in agreement with this.

Surt looked at the assemblage of War Wolves.

"Very well. Konradr, you will have to leave Templar as a guest of the Realm. He will not be imprisoned, he will have a shadow of Royal Militia, and can not leave the city."

Templar gasped. Oddvar chuckled and slapped the boy on the back. "That's what ya get for jumpin' ship."

Konradr nodded. "Okay, but in return, I want an Officer of the Tribunal along as a 'Guest of the War Wolves.'"

Surt paced a moment or two before answering. "If I could go, I would."

Kilanos and Smithy suddenly pointed at one another. "He'll go." They said in unison.

"Sorry Smithy," Surt said. "But I need Kilanos here to get one of Royal Navy ships up to speed so it can patrol the harbor while the Raven's Wind is away."

"Damn." Smithy muttered. "I hate boats."

"Their called Long Ships." K'urn said.

"I'll only go if I can bring a few of my little friends..." Smithy said, and then he reached down behind the chest and pulled up a large, thick bottle of a clear liquid.

Surt looked at Konradr. Konradr shrugged. "Sure. Will that be all your Majesty?"

"Yes." Surt Said, and with that, he finally took a seat in one of the plush, elven chairs.

"Marshall, you and your little friends be at the ship within the hour." Konradr spoke to Smithy, who nodded and sighed. He punched Kilanos in the arm, then stalked away.

"Templar, be a good hostage, and behave yourself." Konradr said with a smile as he patted his friend, the Templar, on the shoulder. "You can make the next trip." Templar nodded then gave the old Norsemen a warrior's hug.

Knubbs and the Royal Guard motioned for Templar to follow and slowly he left with them.

"Oddvar," Konradr continued, looking to his Bro. "You take Tor and Christian, and get back to the ship. I want her in the water and oared up." Oddvar nooded.

"Let's go big guy." Oddvar said to Tor, who towered above him and everyone else in the room. Tor grabbed the rookie by the arm and tugged him along as they left.

Without further ado, Konradr spun about and headed for the door as well, "K'urn, you and Helgot come with me. I want to look at this little girl's boat and see if we can figure out which islands she came from."

Surt watched them leave and silently said. "Good hunting old friend."





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Wolf Tales: The Black Ship. Empty
PostSubject: Re: Wolf Tales: The Black Ship.   Wolf Tales: The Black Ship. I_icon_minitimeWed Sep 08, 2010 8:40 am

The small long boat, with its high stem and stern prow, lay on the beach where it had been pulled up earlier in the morning. Someone had thrown an old, torn sail over it to protect it.

Konradr motioned to Helgot to pull the sail away, and this he did.

The boat's planks were painted white.

"White boat." K'urn said.

"Svedda." Konradr said, looking at a confused Helgot. "The Svedda tribe from the Eastern Nor islands. They paint their fishing boat's white."

Helgot ran a hand over the top gunwale of the side facing them. It was covered in nicks, and scratches.

"Look at all these marks." He said. "What do you make of them?"

K'urn pointed to a spot that had huge chunks of splintered wood ripped away. "That looks like someone took a bite out of her."

Konradr leaned over to look into the tiny hull. Not much inside. Some clay jars that once held water, a woven basket, empty, and a brown wool cloak. He picked up the cloak to examine it, but instead stared at what was revealed below.

"Aha!"

"What is it?" K'urn asked. He and Helgot leaned over to look.

On the forward oar bench was carved a line of Norse Runes.

'I belong to Skarl Bjornson of the Geldborg'

Konradr looked to his men.

"Let's go Brothers, we now have a destination. Geldborg." With that they marched away, heading for Raven's Wind.
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Wolf Tales: The Black Ship. Empty
PostSubject: Re: Wolf Tales: The Black Ship.   Wolf Tales: The Black Ship. I_icon_minitimeFri Sep 10, 2010 6:17 pm

The harbor of Barad'Dun was busy this afternoon. Fishing ships were coming in from their early morning work out at sea. Other ships too, filled with cargo destined for the great city or beyond, were coming in. Only Raven's Wind was making her way towards the gray green waves of the open sea.

She had a full crew, forty men at the oars, all sitting on their wooden sea chests, which were designed to be both a place to keep their belongings and weapons, and a bench for rowing.

K'urn, bundled in his great, shaggy Musk Ox cloak, was at the Steering Oar, as Raven's Wind's Helmsman, Templar, was not aboard. Konradr stood beside him at the Stern, with the cold sea breeze whipping his white hair around like a pennant. Oddvar was at his post in the bow, staring past the Raven headed bow post, at the expanse of the sea that awaited them beyond the harbor mouth.

Smithy was at the stern as well, wearing his green, wool cloak, clinging as best he could to the gunwale and one of his 'little friends'.

"We're in luck." K'urn cried out. "The wind is strong, and blowing North! Odin is pleased." He smiled.

"Yes, as soon as we clear harbor, we'll put up sail." Konradr said. The massive mast pole was in the center of the ship, but the sail was still wrapped tightly around the yardarm and held parallel with the ship in two wooden clamps.

"H..h..how long will it take?" Smithy said, bobbing slightly with the swell as the ship broached each wave. "to get to the Islands?" His face was already looking a little green.

"With this wind, maybe a week and a half." Konradr said.

To the far right of the ship stood the black, glass rock of the tower hill, and above it the great, golden tower itself. To the left was the reddishgolden stoned wall of the harbor break. At the end of which was a small tower with a burning flame in its top to act as lighthouse. Once they passed that, they would leave the harbor, and Barad'Dun, behind.

One of the incoming cargo ships pulled close to them. It was a Knarr, a Norse style ship which looked like a fat longship, but who's sail was larger.

The Shipmaster of the Knarr raised a cowhorn to his mouth and yelled out.

"Hail Raven's Wind!"

Konradr knew the ship and the voice of its shipmaster.

"Hail Gunnolf, how was your journey?" Konradr replied loudly.

"A fair trip, the wind was good, but cold." Gunnolf said into his horn, as the ship's passed one another. "But beware, I've heard others speak of Sea Goblins on the prowl."

"Maybe they should beware of us!" Oddvar hollered out from his bow position.

Konradr waved. "Thanks for the warning Gunnolf, enjoy the city's hospitality." And with that the Knarr was gone, heading into port. Raven's wind closed near the lighthouse tower.

The men rowed hard and evenly, no one chanting, no one calling time. The ship plowed through the gray green waves rolling in from the open sea. Spray splashed over the bow and Oddvar relished its salty, cool taste upon his face.

As they neared the Lighthouse tower, K'urn pulled hard on the steering oar and the ship began to turn into open water.

A figure emerged from the Lighthouse wall. He was clad in Gray, with four blood red slash marks across the chest. The figure pulled his gray wool hood from his head. It was Templar. He raised a spear high above his head.

"BODULFAR!!!!" he yelled the War Wolves battle cry as loud as he could.

"BODULFAR!!!" Came the return cry from every Wolf Brother aboard the Raven's Wind. The sound echoed throughout the harbor and made flocks of seagulls take flight in fear.

Templar continued to wave his spear as the ship nosed out into the open Ocean, raised its Gray sail and began its long journey North.

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Wolf Tales: The Black Ship. Empty
PostSubject: Re: Wolf Tales: The Black Ship.   Wolf Tales: The Black Ship. I_icon_minitimeSun Sep 12, 2010 6:58 am

Night slowly took hold of the city, the sun's last rays glowing on the roof of the Tower and its fluttering flags and pennants.

Akeria, the Elf archer, came out of the Stone house she shared with her mate, who was non other than the Mountain Troll, Taco. There were two entrance doors to their home, one for her, a normal sized affair, and a larger, wider and taller, barn door for the Taco.

She stepped out into the falling light and noticed the sky was turning orange as the sun died beyond the distant mountains.

"Taco?" She called out. There was no reply. But she heard the sound of wood being worked. It came from beyond the stone wall that bordered the front of their house from the beach of the harbor. She stepped up to it and looked over, then shook her head.

"What are you doing? They've already gone, they sailed this afternoon." Akeria said.

Taco squatted on the sand, with a huge, long tree trunk lain across his front. He eyed the wood, then with a scraper, shaved more wood out of a hole that ran the length of its center.

"Me catch up." Taco said.

"In that thing?" Akeria smiled at the ridiculous thought. Taco looked at her and fumed.

"Canoe!" He said as he pointed to the tree trunk and then smiled. "She will float."

"She may, but you won't." Akeria said. "Come on, soup's on." She then turned and went back into their house.

"I come, I come." Taco said. He then looked at his creation and patted it affectionately. "Soon I go to sea." He then took his scraper and carved out another chunk of wood. "Soon as I done."
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Wolf Tales: The Black Ship. Empty
PostSubject: Re: Wolf Tales: The Black Ship.   Wolf Tales: The Black Ship. I_icon_minitimeTue Sep 14, 2010 5:20 pm

Templar was sullen as he watched Raven's Wind pulling far out to sea. She had pulled in her oars and raised her square, gray sail with its four Wolf marks slashed across the center in blood red paint.

He turned about and could see a the end of the stone walkway atop the harbor wall, two Royal Militiamen waiting for him. His babysitters. He cursed and began to walk slowly their way, his spear dragging limply behind him.

Something; however, caught his eye. There on the beach, a large, solitary figure, squatting beside what looked like the trunk of a tree! He stared harder and recognized Taco, Adze in hand as he scooped out the pulp from the inside of the tree.

"I'll be a Raven's uncle!" He said. "Taco's building a boat!" Now a smile broadened across the young man's face, and he stepped up his pace, and shouldered his spear.

"He'll need a helmsman for sure." Was all he said as he hurried his way along.
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Wolf Tales: The Black Ship. Empty
PostSubject: Re: Wolf Tales: The Black Ship.   Wolf Tales: The Black Ship. I_icon_minitimeThu Sep 23, 2010 7:44 am

The wind continued to blow hard and strong, driving Raven's Wind North at a fast clip. By the end of the first week, the skies began to darken, and the wind grew colder. The waves turned grayer and began to heave and roll the ship up and over, up and over, slewing into the trough and rising into the crest with a spray of cold, salty froth over the Raven's headed prow.

The Sail puffed out hard and tugged at its line's, as the wind blew harder and in gusts. The hull timbers creaked and groaned, as did the men huddled between their sea chests, bundled in wook cloaks, blankets and even seal skins, to stave off the cold, finger's of the wind, and the wet spray of the sea.

The men on duty watched the sail and the mast to make sure she wasn't stressed to breaking and that the lines weren't fraying. Others were sliding across the deck, buckets in hand, trying to bail out the small riverlet of water that had formed in the v of the lowest part of the deck.

K'urn fought with the steering oar to keep the ship heading into the trough's of the waves, and not let them broadside the ship and capsize her.

Oddvar stole a glance to the sky. Clouds were everywhere, growing thicker and darker.

"I can't see the sun, are you sure we're still going north west?" He asked, gritting his teeth against the sting of a spray of salt water that burst over the gunwales and hit him in the face.

"It's a Northerly wind, aye," K'urn said, taking one hand off the oar long enough to pull his Musk Ox hide more tighter against his chest. He looked like a great, wooly beast. "We're headed in the right direction."

Konradr stepped over to them. He had on several fur and wool cloaks and a seal skin hood.

"It's going to shit on us tonight." he said staring up at the nasty clouds. "Make sure everyone not on watch is sleeping in the center of the boat under Walrus skins." Oddvar nodded.

"Better have the watch tie safety lines to the Mast." K'urn said.

"I got plenty of...(Hic) rope in my... (hic) kit bag." Came a voice from inside a bundle of wool and sealskin beside the gunwale. A flap of the cloth fell away, revealing a very green skinned Marshall of Barad'Dun.

"You okay Smithy?" Konradr asked.

"Never better..." he said weakly. Then he pulled something from inside his cloaks, a bottle, topper off. He drank heavily. "Thank the gods for my little friends." With that, he slouched back into his bundle of wet wool.

Oddvar chuckled. "Maybe we should pass one of his little friends around to the lads."

A crackle of thunder could be heard from the clouds far to the North, and a flash of lighting sparkled in the sky.

"Can't avoid it." K'urn said. "Its moving in on us fast."

The wind began to howl like a banshee.

"Reef the sails halfway Oddvar!" Konradr yelled over the roar. "We'll have to ride her out."

Waves began to grow larger, and the ship rolled over to the side and slid in between them helplessly.

The sailors began to haul in the sail lines to make the sail smaller so that the wind didn't tear it to pieces.

"Pull hard lads, let's not loose the sail!" Oddvar said as he pushed on by K'urn so that he could help pull in the sail lines. "We are Norsemen and will fight this angry sea!"

"Bodulfar!" Oddvar yelled loudly as he pulled on a thick sail line made of twisted rope.

"Bodulfar!!!" Came the cries of the crew.

A huge gray wave suddenly smashed over the prow and sprayed salty froth over everyone and Raven's Wind bucked hard to the side. K'urn held the steering oar firm and she slid into the Trough and righted herself.

K'urn pulled out the Thor's hammer amulet he always wore around his thick, grizzled neck.

"Thor," K'urn said quietly, "Hear me, God of War, tell your father that if our journey is just and it would please him to see the War Wolves fill Valhalla with more souls, then guide us safely through to the morrow."

A shower of cold rain began to fall, and lightning flashed through the clouds followed by a loud, angry rumble.

"Is that a yes or no?" K'urn asked as the ship began to buck hard against the waves.
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Wolf Tales: The Black Ship. Empty
PostSubject: Re: Wolf Tales: The Black Ship.   Wolf Tales: The Black Ship. I_icon_minitimeThu Sep 30, 2010 7:00 am

SQAWK, SQAWK, SQAWWWWWWKKK, Came an irritating sound from the depths of darkness.

Smithy shook his head and wearily opened his eyes. Sunlight burned into them and he squinted in pain. A shadow loomed above him. Slowly, his vision cleared and he saw that a Seagull with a gnarled beak was staring down at him.

"What the...." He groaned.

"Shoo!" Came a cry and a motion nearby. The bird flew off in a sudden flutter of feathers. Tor bent over the Marshall.

"Excuse me Marshall," He said in his thickly accented common speech. "You are lying in the bilge water." Tor was carrying a wooden bucket in his hands.

Smithy looked down and found that indeed, he was lying in the lowest point of the keel, and was butt deep in sea water. He groggily sat up, and unfolded his wet, woolen cloaks.

"Damn," He mumbled, smacking his lips. "I need some smoke weed."

"Me too." Tor said with a smile on his big, square chinned face, "But the casque got soaked last night. It'll take awhile to dry out."

"Tor, you are not full of good news this morning, not at all." With that the Marshall stood and got out of the way so that Tor and two other men could continue to bail out the water.

All around him, hanging on sail lines, where blankets, cloaks, and clothing drying in the cold, sea Breeze.

Raven Wind's sail was up and filled out fully as she cruised on at full speed, rising and lowering into the waves with a hard splash of spray coming over the bow. Everywhere, men were either working at repairs, or huddled together at dry spots, sleeping.

"Smithy!" Came a cry from behind. The Marshall spun about to see K'urn still braced against the gunwale with the steering oar in his hands. His eyes, however, were red and tired.

"Yes K'urn." Smithy said as he worked his way around the drying laundry towards the stern.

"Take over the Steering oar for a bit while I get some sleep." The big man said. "I'm beat."

"Me?" Smithy said, pointing at himself and looking around him for another man, a sailor or something that he could bring to K'urn's attention.

"Yes, YOU!" K'urn said, slightly irritated, "You a strong man, you can hold this girl on course."

Smithy reached him and looked disdainly at the large handle of the steering oar.

"I'm no sailor, how would I know if we are on course." The marshall said.

"Come here." He stepped forward and K'urn held out the handle of the Steering Oar. Smithy looked at it and sighed before taking it. K'urn stepped clear.

"Just hold on to her tight, don't let her get out of your hands, even a little." Fishing into a leather pouch at his waist, K'urn produced a small wooden disk on top of a handle. In the center of the wooden disk was a bronze pin. Around its edges were tick marks and writing in Runes. He held it up so that the sun shown on the disk and the pin left a shadow pointing to one of the markings.

"The left side of this disk represents the day." He said. "See this mark here." He pointed at it and Smithy nodded. "That's North. Keep the bow pointed that way. As long as the shadow is pointing at one of these day marks, you will be heading in the right direction."

K'urn handed Smithy the wooden disc. He looked at it.

"I can make a nicer one." He said.

"That one is fine. Just check it now and then. I won't be long. I just got to get some sleep."

And with that K'urn stepped to the opposite gunwale, kicked open a wooden chest, and pulled out a bed roll. It consisted of a seal skin, and several wool blankets. He unrolled the bundle against the wall, seal skin on the bottom, and then curled up into blankets.

Smithy watched him.

"Don't watch me." K'urn said. "Watch the bow. Don't steer us into a whale or anything."

"Aye aye, shipmaster." Smithy grunted, then looked out at the sea before them. It was a clear day, no clouds at all in the sky, and a cool, Northly wind pushing them along. Seagulls squawked above the flapping sail and the mast.

"Beautiful day." Smithy said. But K'urn had already pulled the brim of his hat over his eyes and began to snore. Loudly.

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Wolf Tales: The Black Ship. Empty
PostSubject: Re: Wolf Tales: The Black Ship.   Wolf Tales: The Black Ship. I_icon_minitimeSun Oct 03, 2010 8:24 am

Raven's Wind sailed on with a good Northerly wind pushing her at a fast clip. Most of the crew finished their repairs, bailing, and tidying up from the nights storm, and were fast asleep. A few were about checking lines and watching the sea.

Later in the morning, the waves began to increase, making the ship roll up and down valleys of gray green water.

Smithy was getting bored and kept looking towards the sleeping figure of K'urn, bundled in his blankets and snoring away by the far gunwale.

"Dammit man, aren't you ever going to wake up?" He said loud enough to hopefully do just that, wake the man up. But the man didn't stir. Smithy returned his gaze to the bow. After a moment, he began to whistle a tune. An old Royal Army marching song. Slowly he whistled louder, then louder. A few men nearby stirred from their own slumber and stared at him. He smiled and kept on whistling, now and then stealing a glance at his quarry. Wake up damn you, he thought.

He stared at the sea before the bow. The waves were large and he was getting nervous everytime the Raven's headed prow stem dipped between two walls of water that blotted out the horizon.

A sudden CLUNK could be heard from Smithy's left side and he smiled.

"Sorry, Old boy, did my whistling wake you?" He asked as he turned in that direction. K'urn was still bundled up and snoring. He had not made the sound. Instead, there was a black object with several hooked claws embedded in the wood of the gunwale.

"Grappling hook?" Smithy wondered aloud. Just then a second black Iron claw, trailing a thick, twisted rope, flew from somewhere behind the ship and CLANKED down over the gunwale. The rope was pulled taut and the Claw bit into the wood and held firm.

K'urn suddenly snapped out of his bundle of wool and jerked his head up.

"What was that?" He said, pulling his hat back and quickly rising.

"Grappling hooks!" Smithy pointed while still holding the steering oar.

The Archer rose and looked over the gunwale. ZZZZZZIIINNNGGGGG! A black arrow flew past his head. He ducked an inch as it buzzed on by and then stared into the valley of the waves. Trailing Raven's wind was another ship, a smaller, sleeker one, with a devil headed prow. Within the hull were many, small, squat figures, dressed in black leather or dull, mail armor, with helmets, spears, shields, axes, and other weapons at the ready. Their skin was a mottled blue-green, and their eyes were red and burning with blood lust. Already the hull of this ship began to scratch against Raven's wind pulled by the ropes of the grappling hooks.

"Sea Goblins!!!" K'urn yelled as he backed away from the gunwale. "All hands to arms! All hands to arms!"

He began to race forward, kicking at groups of sleeping men.

"Arm up, Sea Goblins are boarding!" He yelled franticly.

Smithy heard the hard crunch of wood as the enemy prow scraped along the left side of the ship.

"What do I do?" He yelled out after K'urn as he looked first to the enemy bow and then to the steering oar.

"Leave the Oar and get your weapons!" K'urn said as he himself began to loot his sea chest for his bow 'Stormbringer'. Men everywhere were waking and rushing for their weapons and shields. "We'll trust in Thor to guide us now!"

"Indeed." Smithy said. He let go the oar and ran for his own sea chest, just as an arrow, shot down from the enemy ship's mast, struck the spot where he had been standing.

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Wolf Tales: The Black Ship. Empty
PostSubject: Re: Wolf Tales: The Black Ship.   Wolf Tales: The Black Ship. I_icon_minitimeFri Oct 29, 2010 7:15 am

"BODULFAR!!!!!" Came the cry and hue as Konradr stormed to the center of the ship, His square shield set to his front, and a heavy headed mace in his right hand. His white mane was now hidden beneath a black spangenhelm with iron eye guards and a wolf's head adorning its top.

"War Wolves, line up on me!" He stood just in front of the mast, in the center of the ship.

Tor scrambled up beside the shipmaster, round shield ready and a sword. Huge Kolgan on the otherside, carrying a small buckler strapped to his right arm, while his two giant fists were wrapped around the haft of a long, bearded, Norse War axe that he called "Bloodgusher". Spears protruded from behind the men. Pheasant, skinniest of the lads, stood resolute between Kolgan and Konradr.

A chuckle came from behind and Oddvar pushed into the line.

"Give me room to kill boys." He said with a smile as he produced two red bladed axes, one in each hand. "This is 'He said' and 'she said' and they got some talkin' to do."

Other men began to form a solid line of Round shields, swords, axes, maces and spears. K'urn and Smithy worked their way to the rear and stood on sea chests so that they could aim over the heads of the men in the line.

"BODULFAR!" Konradr cried again. This time his men answered loudly and clearly. "BODULFAR!!!" They began to beat their weapons on their shields. Corunn, the crazy one, with his wild eyes and bushy red hair, began to froth at the mouth and beat his head against the rim of his shield.

"uh oh, you buggars are in trouble now. You've pissed off crazy red." Oddvar said, and the whole line chuckled.

The Goblins quickly scrambled over the gunwale at the stern and formed a knot of squat greenishblue bodies in black leather armor and round, spiked shields. Some wore spiked metal helmets as well. They began to hiss and jeer at the Norsemen.

"Prepare to die War Whelps!" Their leader hissed out in the common tounge, followed in their own language with a battle cry.

The Sea Goblin's surged forward in a loping, scrambling charge over sea chests and the rolling deck of the Raven's Wind.

"War Wolves, Counter charge!" Konradr yelled out, but his men were already rushing forward.

Norse Curses and Goblin jeers drowned out the sounds of the sea and the wind as the two lines rushed at eachother. The collision was worse. Bone's crunched, Metal clanged, Wood cracked, Arrows Zipped, Blood gushed, and the dead thunked onto the deck like cold, wet clay.
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Wolf Tales: The Black Ship. Empty
PostSubject: Re: Wolf Tales: The Black Ship.   Wolf Tales: The Black Ship. I_icon_minitimeThu Mar 03, 2011 7:25 pm

The world was a soft, comforting blackness until that voice speared through it.

"Wake up!" The black world began to shake. "Wake up old man!"

light peered in, a flickering orange light. Flames! A campfire, and around it, many faces, young and old. They wore cloaks and stared at him as his eyes slowly opened. They all smiled and cheered when he did so.

Konradr rubbed the sleep from his eyes and wiped the drool from the gray whiskers around his chin.

"Sorry, did I nodd off?" He said with a yawn.

"Yes, you did." Said a large, smiling form beside him. It was Taco the Troll in his blue cloak. "Here drink some of this, it'll get your old blood flowing." He held out a large ceramic mug with steam rising from it.

Konradr shook his mane of white hair and slid an arm out of his burgundy wool cloak. He took the mug and sniffed it.

"Ah, hot mead. Deliscious." He took a gulp and shook and grimaced. "Right to the spot."

"Come on old man." A young fellow in a Royal Army cloak said from the opposite side of the fire. "Finish your tale."

"Yes, yes." Konradr said, setting the mug down and reaching out to warm his hands over the fire. "Where was I?"

"The sea goblins had boarded the Raven's Wind." Taco said.

"Oh yes. " The old warrior bundled up again, took a sip from his hot mead and began speaking.

"There we were, two lines drawn across the center of my long ship Raven's Wind. One of Sea Goblins, nasty, squat brutes with rotting, black armor and yellow eyes filled with bloodlust, and the other, my War Wolves clad in gray and red. We traded insults and jeers at eachother, and then......
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Wolf Tales: The Black Ship. Empty
PostSubject: Re: Wolf Tales: The Black Ship.   Wolf Tales: The Black Ship. I_icon_minitimeFri Aug 05, 2011 6:35 pm

The Goblin, one of the largest of the Breed that Konradr have ever seen, leapt through the air, hissing like a banshee. He flew directly towards him. Up went the Red shield to deflect this beast when a timely spear thrust forth, met the Goblin in the middle and hefted him sideways and overboard in a howl of bloody pain.

Konradr glanced over quickly to spy a smiling Convel, one of the newer recruits, smiling. Both men nodded then pushed forward into the throng of men and Goblins.

A snarling green face was no match for a hard punch of Tor's round shield. The edge of which nearly ripped the Goblin's jaw off. A second pounding and the little mongrel's head shattered and his body fell to the deck like a wet sack of flour. In his other hand he held Fjornir, the mighty hammer Templar the Dwarf had forged for him. It too shattered Goblin head's with ease. Suddenly black arrows whipped through the air, and two thudded into Tor's right shoulder. He grunted, but it did not stop his mighty swings. He smashed his way through the line of Sea Goblins. Suddenly one of the Archer's loomed ahead of him. The Goblin feebly tried to avert his doom by holding his bow out like a shield, but the Hammer smashed it to kindling, then followed on, caving in the Green varmit's chest. Tor hammered the dying goblin repeatedly, mashing him in to green goo.

"I hate Archers!" Tor yelled as he pounded away, fjornir turning red with the goblin's blood.

Helgot, swinging two blades like lighting, suddenly ran for the gunwale. He put one blade between his teeth, and the other he swung. The keen bite of its steel snipped through an inch thick sail rope just as Helgot grabbed it with his free hand. The Rope flew free and Helgot jumped off the gunwale edge. He flew in an arc, first out to sea, high over the waves, then back towards deck. His feet slammed into three surprised Goblin's who were bowled over like wooden Kubbs. The blades now whirled and flew in crazy 8's, slashing and cutting at green flesh, rotted leather, and rusty chain mail. He had landed far behind the Goblin line. Soon it was becoming apparent it might not have been such a great move, as Goblins swarmed in and hemmed him against the side of the ship.

Suddenly a shadow loomed from behind, coming in, as he had, on a rope and a prayer. More Goblin's were bowled over, and another florentiner stood beside him, moving quick in a deadly windmill of flashing steel. One look at her large flappy, black hat with its peregrine feather stuck jauntily in its band, and Helgot knew who fought beside him.

"Had I welcomed you aboard yet lass?" Helgot smiled at another of the new War Wolves who had recently signed on.

"No, but I'll take a Kiss later after were done here, in lieau of a late welcome." Izmiranna said as she thrust her blade clean through a Goblin's neck.

"Take will you?" Helgot said, kicking a Goblin's shield and knocking the beast back over the corpse of one of his friends.

"Aye, we pirates of the Norhtern Seas take whatever we want."

"I might have something to say about that." Came the distant voice of Izzy's man, Convel, though he could not be seen amidst the throng of fighting bodies.

"I might have something to say about that too WENCH!" came another more closer voice, as a large, much scarred and chain mail clad Sea Goblin rushed in with shield and Axe. The chipped edge of the axe whistled through the air, but Izzy merely bent sideways, allowing it to whip down and thud into the wood. At the same moment she thrust hard with her right hand and a blade pierced the Goblin through his teeth, shattering Ivory, and thudding through the back of his skull.

"Not anymore friend." She said, pulling the blade free and allowing the mail clad body to slump to the deck in a mass of metal and blood.

A nimble Goblin began racing along the port Gunwale's edge. His broadsword cleaved through one man's head, and then into another's shoulder. He rushed on, screaming with bloodlust, spittle spraying his face as he made his way forward. He dodged spear thrust and Axe swing's. Smithy saw him coming.

"Be damned rat!" He said, raising his bow and letting fly with an arrow. The goblin dodged it and came on faster.

"Be damned!" Smithy said again, quickly notching and then letting loose another arrow. This one too whizzed on by the nimble mongrel.

"Fuck me!" Smithy said. He stopped, slowly notching another arrow, while breathing slowly. The Goblin roared and leapt off the Gunwale, broadsword raised and ready to cleave the Marshall in two.

A cork popped and Smithy took a swig of one of his 'Babies'.

"Ahh" he said in delight, then jumped back and let fly with a full draw. The arrow tore through the center of the Goblin's head and it crashed onto the deck and slid towards the starboard, smashing against the wood with a spray of blood.



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Wolf Tales: The Black Ship. Empty
PostSubject: Re: Wolf Tales: The Black Ship.   Wolf Tales: The Black Ship. I_icon_minitimeFri Aug 05, 2011 7:15 pm

Faolan rushed on with his war wolf round shield and bloodied axe. A Goblin roared in front of him, his two handed club held above him about to crash down but Faolan slammed his shield like a hard left hook, knocking the beast off balance as he swung. Faolan then stepped under the swing, and with the tip of his Norse axe, thrust it deeply into the Goblin's throat. The club fell from its hands, and the axe flicked out, and with a snap of the wrist, he brought the blade twirling over to cleave the beast from ear to chin. A second wrist snap and the head flew from its neck and warm blood fountained out. Faolan's tattooed face was now sporting a crimson slime. He yelled his wolve's curses in Norse and charged into the next Goblin.

K'urn stood against the Stern stem and held Stormbringer. He let arrow after arrow fly in a slow, steady, hunt for death. Goblin head's amidst the throng of fighting began to 'POP' as red hued arrows found their mark. The red arrows of death. Year's of practice shooting apples on the heads of his friends kids, had given him an eye for tight, snipering.

A javelin flew his way. K'urn sidestepped, letting it's iron tip bury into the wooden prow. As he did so, he instinctively nocked another arrow, pulled back quickly and let it go. It's whispering song of death was short as it found its mark deep in the armpit of the Goblin who had thrown the javelin. Every arrow stung its target. A head here, a throat there, a hand swinging a sword, or even a groin when one of the green nasties decided to jump over the line of War Wolves, trying to reach the archer.

Their overwhelming numbers were no longer, overwhelming. As the herd thinned, the lead Goblins began to back away, pushing back against the one's in the rear who, in turn were trying to climb over those who were still boarding. Panic had set in. The Goblin's were in retreat. The War Wolves sensed the kill and rushed at them hacking away at their backs.

Goblin's fell or jumped into their own ship, followed by a swarm of blood drenched men in Gray and red tabards.

"BODULFAR!" Came a shout. "BODULFAR!!!" was the answering roar.

"None shall be spared!"

And none were.
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Wolf Tales: The Black Ship. Empty
PostSubject: Re: Wolf Tales: The Black Ship.   Wolf Tales: The Black Ship. I_icon_minitimeSun Aug 07, 2011 8:22 pm

Oddvar strolled along the center aisle of the Goblin ship smashing in the skulls of any of them that still wiggled or moaned with life. The flat ends of his twin Axes were matted with hair and gore. In his mind, the fight was over too soon.

Tor, Helgot, Convel and Faolan were dragging several small, wooden chests out from under the eaves of the Stern steering deck.

Other crewmen were gently bringing theWar Wolf dead and laying them, wrapped in gray shrouds, in the center of the enemy ship. Six War Wolves had died in the fight. They were given a Mead, bread, smoked fish and two silver Barad'Dun Florins, one in each eye, for their journey to Valhalla. Bundles of scrap wood and cloth were set about them.

"So what do we have there?" Konradr said as he eyed the chests. He nodded to Tor and the big man brought his hammer smashing down on the iron locks on both chests. They broke instantly. Helgot kicked up the lid on one, and Convel the other. A silvery shine gleamed in the faces of all present.

"Silver Ingots." Helgot said with a smile. "Loaded with 'em."

Izzy stepped forward and lifted one of the Silver squares from the chest. She examined the Crest engraved on it and handed it to Konradr.

"Atalantean Silver. They must have caught a Merchant on his way to Aggelgorod or Barad'Dun." He dropped the silver back into the chest. "Their misfortune will be our gain. Haul this aboard Raven's Wind."

The four men closed the chests and gingerly walked up the wooden plank that had been lashed in place between the two ships.

"The dogs are all dead." Oddvar said, strolling back.

"Good." Konradr said. "Everyone aboard Raven's Wind." He watched as his Wolves scrambled back onto the long ship. He was the last. Once aboard he stood on the gunwale overlooking the battle ravaged remains of the Goblin ship.

"We lost good men in this fight. But they shall go with a True Norse fashion. A ship burial like Norse Kings, with the dead of their enemies at their feet. Bodulfar!"

"Bodulfar!!!" Came the War Wolves in unision, banging weapons on shields or against the ship's timbers. Some cheered, some cried, but all finished with a a hearty "To Valhalla Brothers!"

Konradr nodded to K'urn who stood at the Stern, with a fire arrow lit and notched in Stormbringer. He lifted the bow, took aim and let it fly. It's fiery head arced slightly, then struck the bundles of scrap at the feet of the dead. A fire took instantly and spread quickly. Soon the whole of the Goblin's deck was in flames.

"Shove off!" Konradr yelled, and several men used Oars to push Raven's Wind away from the burning hulk.

"Raise sail!" The ship's sailors began to haul on heavy ropes to bring the Gray sail back up the mast. "Templar!" Konradr shouted for his Helmsman, then remembered he wasn't with them. He looked back and saw that K'urn was still on the Steering deck.

"Sorry, K'urn, if you will, North by Northeast. We are close now."

K'urn looked up at the sun to get his bearings, and pulled the steering oar to the proper angle.

A long, high plume of black smoke rose like a beacon from the burning Goblin ship.

"That will be seen for miles." K'urn said as Konradr joined him at the stern.

"It's ok, it would be easier to find our prey, if they come to us first." He smiled, as did K'urn.

"Yes it would." The ship gained momentum quickly and the War Wolves began to sing an old Sailors song as they went about tidying up the ship. Goblin bits and pieces needed throwing overboard, damages to the hull, ropes and rigging needed fixing. Some men needed mending and weapons needed oil and cleaning.
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Wolf Tales: The Black Ship. Empty
PostSubject: Re: Wolf Tales: The Black Ship.   Wolf Tales: The Black Ship. I_icon_minitimeTue Aug 09, 2011 7:52 pm

Raven's Wind followed a Northerly Wind, making good time. Her Gray Sail out to the fullest. Atop the mast, a lookout had tied himself into a sitting position above the mainsail yardarm.

"Land!" He cried out and pointed towards the direction they were heading. "Black cliffs, an island."

"That should be Geldbjorg. One of the islands of the Svedda." Konradr said. K'urn nodded in agreement as he pulled the steering oar slightly out to follow the lookouts direction.

"What do we know of the Svedda?" Smithy asked as he joined them at the stern.

"An older race of Norse folk." Konradr replied. "Very tall, broad, pale skinned, blonde haired, blue eyed for the most part. They paint everything white. Odin is always painted with one blue eye."

"And the women..." K'urn began to chuckle.

"Let it out man." Smithy smiled. "D'edra is not on board, let it out."

"Nothing... I was just remembering a troupe of dancing Svedda girls one summer." He stopped talking and just smiled.

"Now I am curious to see this island." Smithy said. He took a drink from the bottle forever hanging in its corded basket slung around his shoulder. He offered to it to Konradr and K'urn, both of whom took a quick gulp. Konradr's eyes began to burn and water and he coughed.

"By the Gods man."

"Elixer of life." Smithy said. "Mere mortals such as yourself may find it a tad hot going down." He smiled.

High above them, the lookout was awkwardly trying to turn about and look far astern. He put a hand over his eyes to keep the glare out and strained t get a good look.

Konradr saw him rustling about and looked astern as well. He could see nothing but the distant plume of smoke from the burning Goblin ship.

"What is it Lookout?"

"Don't know shipmaster. I can't be sure but it might be another ship. It's, well, sort of a black spec, but looks to have a black sail." The man rubbed at his eyes, then looked again. "Not gaining on us, looks to be heading to the smoke."

Konradr nodded and looked at K'urn.

"I told you." K'urn said.

"We'll be at the island before they close." Konradr said. "Better fight on land."

"Much better." K'urn said. "More open, better tactics."

"Tactics hell." Oddvar said as he came to the rear of the ship. "We'll just rush 'em and smash them to pieces."

He pulled his great girth up onto the stern deck and smiled.

"Land ahead." He pointed to the bow and a faint dark line had appeared along the horizon of the sea.

The sky began to cloud up as well, and the waves seem to rise higher and slap the ship with more anger as they neared the cliffs of the island.

"Lookout? The ship?" Konradr yelled up at the man still sitting on the yardarm.

"I've lost them in the smoke."

"Come down then."

Konradr slapped Oddvar on the back.

"Get to the Bow, find me a Fjord entrance." Oddvar headed forward.

"Sailors!" Konradr shouted. "Bring down the sail. Stow the mast, Oarsmen, prepare your oars."

The ship became a hive of activity as some men pulled on the rigging, bringing the great sail down, while others began sliding nine foot oars out of racks against the sidewalls or in the center of the boat.

The ship began to buck slightly in the large swells as a black cliff, topped by a wind swept carpet of bright green grass, emerged from a light sea mist before them.

They had reached Geldbjorg.



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Wolf Tales: The Black Ship. Empty
PostSubject: Re: Wolf Tales: The Black Ship.   Wolf Tales: The Black Ship. I_icon_minitimeWed Aug 10, 2011 4:55 pm

Raven's Wind nosed in between two sentinel's of black granite. The water calmed as they entered the Fjord.

"No lookout." Konradr said looking at the walls of the cliff's on either side of the ship.

"There's a hut, with a wall and pile of signal fire wood, but no one standing there to light it." K'urn said.

Smithy walked slowly from one side of the ship, then the other, listening and looking. He then took a long pull of his bottle.

"y'know.." He said slowly, a little alcohol dribbling down his whiskered chin. "I don't see anything at all. Shouldn't there at least be birds?"

The men all shrugged shoulders. The fjord was so silent. Only the oars slapping the water could be heard.

"I mean, sea islands usually have hundreds of noisy gulls if anything." Smithy continued.

"And Puffin's." Konradr said. The cliff sides were dotted with empty nests and splattered with old white droppings. But there was not a single bird anywhere.

"K'urn, hand the Steering oar to Izmiranna, and get your bow. You too Smithy."

"Aye." Came their replies.

"Convel." Convel, rushed over to the Stern deck. Konradr spoke quietly to him.

"Gather every other Oarsman, get shields and weapons and form a line down the center of the ship. Tell Oddvar to be ready for anything as well."

"Aye Shipmaster." Convel said and then he hurried off.

"Oddvar!" Konradr shouted loudly. "Hold up the White shield!"

Oddvar slid under the Bow deck and pulled an object from a seal skin covering. It was a round shield, with metal boss and rim, but completely painted white. It was the Norse symbol of coming in peace. He returned to the bow stem and raised the shield high so anyone on the cliffs would see it clearly.

"We come in peace..." K'urn said as he lovingly pulled stormbringer from its leather sheath. "Yet we arm for war." looking at Convel and the knot of armed men in the center of the ship.

"I like to be practical." Konradr said.

"Aye, only way to be." K'urn said, nocking an arrow but not pulling the string back, letting the bow rest instead against his thigh.

With each stroke, Raven's Wind followed the narrow, silent passage of the fjord.
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Wolf Tales: The Black Ship. Empty
PostSubject: Re: Wolf Tales: The Black Ship.   Wolf Tales: The Black Ship. I_icon_minitimeWed Aug 10, 2011 5:43 pm

Wolf Tales: The Black Ship. Movies_Long_Ships_01612
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Wolf Tales: The Black Ship. Empty
PostSubject: Re: Wolf Tales: The Black Ship.   Wolf Tales: The Black Ship. I_icon_minitimeSun Aug 28, 2011 5:00 pm

The ship moved quickly over the calm glassy, gray waters of the Fjord. The cliffs edges soon spread away and banks of gravel began to show. Area's of flat land covered in grass and dotted with sod covered long houses began to appear.

No smoke rose from any of the houses. No one hailed them from the shores, or scattered from their work in the fields as they cruised along. Not a soul could be seen or a sound heard. The buildings were not damaged or burnt. No signs of battle or fire or of calamity of any kind was evident.

"No people." Someone muttered from the oar benches.

"No goats, sheep or pigs either." K'urn muttered, his sharp eyes spying stone walls surrounding empty pastures.

"Even the racks are empty." Konradr said. Each farm they passed had several wooden racks outside, set above ash pits. The ash was new, but no fire's were lit and no fish or meat of any kind hung from the racks to be smoked and dried for winter.

Smithy took a swig from one of his little friends and shook his head.

"Maybe they've been attacked and have moved everything to the main village." he said.

"Well," Konradr said as Oddvar waved back at him from the bow. "We're about to find out."

Raven's Wind passed a jutting rock and then found itself in a huge bowl of water where the fjord ended. On the north side was a village of wood houses above a large graveled beach. White painted fishing skulls and at least one Longship and knarr were pulled up onto the beach. There was no sign of a battle, and yet the village was silent and still as they approached.
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Wolf Tales: The Black Ship. Empty
PostSubject: Re: Wolf Tales: The Black Ship.   Wolf Tales: The Black Ship. I_icon_minitimeMon Sep 05, 2011 7:24 am

As the ship drew closer to the beach the oarsmen began to hesitate and stared over their shoulders to the quiet settlement. One thing Norse towns were not, is still or silent. Never.

"Don't stop rowing." Konradr called out. "Bring us onto the beach, hard."

He, K'urn and Smithy made their way along the center of the ship towards the knot of armed men waiting with Oddvar at the bow.

"Stroke!" Izmiranna took up the chant from her rower's bench. Twenty oar blades slapped the waves and pushed Raven's Wind directly to an open spot on shore.

GGGGGRRRRRSSSSHHHHHH came the long grinding of stone on wood as the ship's bow drove up onto the gravel beach.

"Stow Oars!" Konradr shouted. "Arm up."

The oarsmen pulled in their wooden oars and began a rush of stowing the 10 foot poles and then scrambling for their war gear. Konradr and the other men in the bow spied the shoreline left and right, the boats lined up there, a few empty boat huts and the closest long houses. These homes were at the top of a grassy slope with a rutted dirt track leading to them from the beach.

"No reception party, let's go." Oddvar said and he took a step up onto the gunwale and promptly tripped and fell with a hard thud, face first onto the gravel. "I'm okay." He winced and stood quickly waving his axe in the air. The others were more careful and soon formed a line just in front of the ship.

"Pheasant!" Konradr called as he paced through the men. A skinny, blonde kid carrying a spear, rushed forth.

"Aye shipmaster."

"You're quick and with good eyes. Take two others and head up to the top of that fjord wall." He pointed to the rocky outcropping from which they had passed when they came in. From the landside it was accessible via a narrow path of grass. "Keep a look out for that other ship."

Pheasant nodded and ran off, calling a two other young fighters to go with him.

"The rest of you, fan out, stay within sight of one another, and let's check this village out."

"Be prepared for anything." K'urn said calmly as he followed Oddvar, Konradr and Smithy. The men formed loose groups of twos and threes and began to spread out along the grassy slope heading upwards towards the long houses.

The old archer seemed edgy as he stared cautiously around as they moved.

"You okay?" Konradr asked, chancing a few glances at him. "I've never seen you nervous. Even that time in Balgadur when we were outnumbered by those Talageth Horsemen."

"I don't fear men, or orcs, or goblins. There's only one time in my life I can remember feeling the hair on my neck stand and now I got the same feeling." He shivered as he spoke.

"Ghosts?" Oddvar asked.

K'urn didn't reply right away. He stopped for a moment to look at a wicker basket that was tossed carelessly onto the grass. It was the kind fishermen used to haul their catch in. The basket had been scratched repeatedly and the rim appeared to have been chewed on.

"I wish..." He muttered, and then, taking a deep, calming breath, he followed the other's into the village.
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Wolf Tales: The Black Ship. Empty
PostSubject: Re: Wolf Tales: The Black Ship.   Wolf Tales: The Black Ship. I_icon_minitimeSun Oct 23, 2011 4:33 pm

The village was deserted. It was your normal Norse built community. There were Rows of long, narrow houses with fenced yards for animals. Totems in front of each house showing carved likeness's of Norse Gods. Odin being the most prevalent. The houses had short walls of stone and long A shaped roof's of sod. Several houses had wooden platforms over the door's. These were for holding sacrificed animals that were a gift to the Gods, but no carcass's littered any of the platforms, not even their weathered bone.

No livestock mooed, bleeted, or oinked from the pens. Each has a section of the wood or stone walls, torn away. No footprints of men were left in the dirt or muck, only that of animals. One type of print was everywhere, and it was clearly recognizable to every War Wolf crewman. Tor set his huge foot inside one of these prints and shuddered.

"That's a big dog!"

"Wolf." K'urn said walking past him. "It's a big nasty Wolf, and probably the pack leader."

Other familiar signs were scratched into the sod walls of the houses and the wood of the carved idols. They were Wolf Marks exactly like the one's that marked the chest of each of the War Wolves, only much bigger and deeper.

"What in all that is holy, happend here?" Izzy asked in astonishment as she viewed the village's main Hall. It had higher walls built of wood, with elegantly carved double doors and a beautiful sod roof. The walls were scractched and the doors smashed in. Spots in the roof had the appearance of being 'dug out.'

Everywhere, War Wolves came out of the houses shaking their heads and holding items of wealth. Gold, jewels, and fine cloth were left behind in abundance. Only the livestock and the people seem to be missing. Oddly enough there was no silver to be found either.
Konradr looked to his wiser friend, K'urn.

"So, what are we dealing with?"

"Wolf Skins." The old Archer said with a shiver. "A whole shipload at that."

He began to pace while Konradr waited for more.

"Legends call them Wolf Berserk's, Men who go into a wild frenzy during battle and bite on their shields and on their enemies flesh." He stopped pacing long enough to reach down and pick what was left of a child's wooden doll bedecked in tattered, wool clothes. It had been bitten in two.

"But they are not normal men. They are cursed. By night, any night with a moon, and they turn into Man Wolves, covered in fur and howling with a crazy lust for blood."

All the War Wolves within earshot had stopped to listen in silence.

"When they are men," K'urn continued, louder so that all could hear. "They can be killed like men. They are usually good and skillful warriors to be sure, but men can be killed by any weapon that will pierce their heart or crush their skulls. Thus they will not often show themselves til nightfall."

K'urn stared for a long moment at the shattered wooden door of the village Long house.

"I have never seen it, but I have heard of it. The moon changes them and then their skin's become fur and their faces become long toothed and Wolfish. Their strength is that of a Wolf. They fight just as well with Weapons of Man as they do with their teeth and claws. They also have no fear, for they can not be killed by normal weapons like normal men."

K'urn stood in the broken doorway and slowly turned to face the assembled crewmen of the Raven's Wind. Helgot began to tremble slightly as he looked up at the sky and guaged how late in the day it was.

"What will kill them?" Konradr asked.

"Weapons of silver. Silver will kill them."
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Wolf Tales: The Black Ship. Empty
PostSubject: Re: Wolf Tales: The Black Ship.   Wolf Tales: The Black Ship. I_icon_minitimeSun Oct 23, 2011 4:58 pm

Young, nimble Pheasant, who had been on an extended shore leave for so long but had lost none of his speed and youthful vigor, came running into the heart of the village.

"Black Ship!" He yelled as he approached his Shipmaster. He stopped before him, took a deep breath and said it again. "Black Ship approaching by sail."

"Where?" Konradr asked calmly.

"A few hours ou to sea. Big ship, Bigger than Raven's Wind, maybe 50 men. The ship is black, the sail is black, and the prow is carved in the face of a black..."

"Wolf" K'urn interrrupted.

"y,yes but how did you know?" Pheasant fumbled in his surprise.

"Come lad." K'urn said resting a hand on the young man's narrow shoulders. "I know everything." he smiled briefly, then faced Konradr with a more grimmer look.

"They would have seen our ship and guessed we have a smaller crew. They will probably come into the fjord and take a look."

"Will they attack or wait til nightfall?" Konradr wondered aloud.

"If they think we're easy pickings, they may rush right in. But it is getting very late in the day." K'urn said. "Very late."

Konradr paced for a moment stroking his white whiskered chin. The War Wolves waited quietly.

"We want them to attack us here, on land, before nightfall." He looked up at the sky then back as his men. "A few of you will be all that they see. The rest will be in ambush. Hopefully their blood lust will get the better of them."

"Shipmaster?" Helgot asked tentatively, "What if night falls while we are fighting them?"

"We will have an edge." Konradr said with a glint of hope in his eyes. He turned to K'urn.

"One of these houses must belong to a black smith, find it."

"Aye Shipmaster." K'urn said and he was off.

"Call in the War Wolves." He yelled at Convel. "I want all weapons brought in and piled by whichever house is the black smith's."

The men were motionless, confused. Some hugged their spears and axes with down right devotion. None wanted to give up his arms, not when a fight was brewing.

"Are we surrendering?" Pheasant asked meekly.

"Hell no man!" Konradr yelled out with a laugh. "We're War Wolves!"

A cheer rose from the formed men. He had about thirty of them. Good men, and one fine lady, who will fight to the death, he knew that.

"Now get on with it Quartermaster Convel!"

Convel snapped to attention and then began barking orders to the gathered men.

"Pheasant, leave your weapons here, but get back to the top of the cliff and send word when the black ship has reached the fjord."

"Aye Shipmaster." Pheasant said.

"Don't let them see you boy."

"Aye Shipmaster." and then he took off running back the way he had come.

Konradr took a deep breath and then bellowed loudly as he could.

"Someone find Smithy!!!"
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Wolf Tales: The Black Ship. Empty
PostSubject: Re: Wolf Tales: The Black Ship.   Wolf Tales: The Black Ship. I_icon_minitime

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