What to do?
The two would-be heroes, Gargud and Edfre, discussed what adventures they might have to take them away from the dullness of their everyday lives, what wealth they might gain beyond the miserable 120 pennies, or 6 shillings' worth of salt fish one had saved aside, and furs the other. Edfre expressed his desire to find a fine battleaxe, as the one the Maccus the armourer-smith had made was, at a whole pound in price, far beyond his means. They had of course heard of the Forsleanax, held by the Eorl Osric as inheritance from his foster-uncle the deceased Eorl Godmund, that famous axe which had been wielded for many a year by Thane Osric two generations ago, and had been used by Godmund to slay the Hengebeast and win the Maestgold. They considered its theft, but as it was part of the land's history, and as Osric seemed not a bad leader, only submitted to the manipulative wife Gerda, they coud not bring themselves to it. Or rather, Edfre didn't give a damn, but Gargud hesitated, and since Gargud was the one who wanted the thing anyway, they didn't bother.

They remembered then the town of Barrenkeep, the old capital of the Eorldom of Grene, destroyed and despoiled in the days of the civil war which brought the Cyning Berchtwald to the throne. Surely the ruins would hold still some loot? They resolved to journey south and see for themselves, for even if they found no loot, they would in any event see the world. They left the village on market-day after selling off their salt fish and furs, and acquiring their stiff leather byrnies and helms.

Down the river
Edfre rowed his boat with Gargud acting only as counterweight, down the Ochre Stream, heavy and deep with the cool waters of spring. They stuck on some rocks, and chose to make camp on the shore nearby. As the evening came, a farmer passed carrying fodder on his wagon, leading his bullock. They questioned him and invited him to share their fire. He told them that he must be on his way, as he had promised to take the fodder to another farm that day, and had set out only in the afternoon and was late. They asked him if he knew of Barrenkeep. "Aye," he said, "I was among those who looted it, forty years gone now." They asked if it had any loot left, and was populated by monsters. "No loot, I would think. And monsters? Only the ghosts of the slain!" They thanked him and he went on his way.

The next day they went on, and made the great River Alness, even this high in the land some two hundred yards across. It carried them aong swiftly with little need for rowing, only guiding. In the afternoon they made camp on the eastern or Tiwesdaeg side of the river, Edfre putting out nets for fish, and Gargud putting out traps for rabbits and such. As they feasted on their dried fruit and jerky and salt fish, they saw a barge poling along towards them, coming from downstream. A banner of some noble, they knew not whom, flew from one corner. Perhaps a dozen people and several animals were seen on its deck. They saw it pull aside and rope up and its members make camp on the western side. They decided to row across and have a chat.

The Cyning's Thane
When they went across and beached their boat, they saw that the group consisted of twelve people. Six were thralls, roughly-clad and with iron collars. Two were warriors wearing leather armour with metal plates sewn in, and pot helms, carrying spears and seaxes. Another two seemed attendants to the last two, a nobleman and his attractive wife. The nobleman turned out to be Thane Caelin, one of the Cyning's Thanes, sent to check on the Cyning's son, Eorl Osric of Tiwesdaeg.

"Oh we can tell you that he's doing alright, everything is fine, you have a hard day's rowing and then ride from here, you should take it easy." said Edfre.

"Forgive me, but after a journey of ten days' poling upstream agaisnt the spring Alness, now only one or two days away from the Eorl, I think the Cyning would not be satisfied merely with the word of some fisherman I met, worthy as you are. I think perhaps he will wish for a more personal observation from me."

Behind the Thane Edfre and Gargud could see the barge being unloaded, a large tent being set up, a pig being butchered for dinner. They lurked about offering to play the flute and sing, and hoping to be invited to dinner, but Thane Caelin explained he already had a fine scop and turned away. The lack of dinner invitation combined with Caelin's generally haughty and miserable demeanour made them rather annoyed, and they contemplated killing him and taking his stuff. After a quick whispered discussion, they decided that the two warriors would probably outclass them, so they shouldn't try, and should just return to their own camp across the river.

While Edfre prepared the boat to row out, Gargud casually strolled over to the large crate of bottles of wine. He tried to stuff a couple of bottles under his leather byrnie, but found that he could only get one at a time, he had to have one hand to hold it open and the other to stuff a bottle in. "Hey!" cried some thrall as he saw Gargud struggling with the bottles. Gargud turned and ran over to the boat, a bottle in each hand, hotly pursued by the swift-running but slightly-built thrall. The thrall caught up to him, and put one hand on his should to stop him. Gargud took a swipe at him with his elbow, and missed. He then droped one of the bottles as a distraction, and the thrall let go of his shoulder to reach and pick the bottle up. Gargud ran on. Hearing the commotion, one of the two warriors looked around and saw the trouble, and stood to come over. Gargud leapt into the boat and cried, "row!" As Edfre's oars struggled against the rocks by the side of the river, the warrior came up and grabbed one end of the boat. Now it was the warrior's strength against Edfre's, and Edfre's broad shoulders won the contest, the boat slipping from the warrior's hands and sploshing out into the river. The warrior forbore from wandering into the river merely for the sake of a stolen bottle of wine.

The two rowed away across the river Alness shouting jeers back at the Cyning's Thane and his men.

What adventures await our stout heroes next week? Shall they be joined by some others?