The Norsemen Cometh

[Gandalfus]

The Danes have come. No ships were raised, so they sailed right up the Humber Valley and landed near the sleepy port town of Hull. Or at least, most of them did - a few were sighted having run aground near Holderness, a few hundred Danes now establishing a beachhead and hurrying to join their brethren. Waltheof quickly learns that a vast host of vikings has arrived within his lands, though by their numbers they are prepared to do a little more than pillage.

[Pericles of Athens]

The dame Flem had failed to show, and now thousands of Danes were on his shore, or so the scouts reported. His force numbered under a thousand and could not possibly hope to repel them, especially now, as they had already established a beachhead all along the shoreline. He penned missives quickly and set about readying his men for the retreat towards York. However he would leave an additional 28 Archers and 28 Footmen to supplement the castles garrison before retreating. He cursed his luck, completely unable to resist the Danish incursion into his own lands.

[Gandalfus]

News comes to Waltheof that Hull has surrendered, and that the Danes are now using the port to moor their ships in. The rest are apparently marching west towards York itself.

[Sudden Death]

Baldwin de Clare, baron of Ware in his first command rides north with his retinue and the king's mercenaries to eliminate the Danish threat now centered around York.

Personal Forces
25 Knights
75 Serjeants

Royal Army

50 Frankish Knights
50 English Housecarls
100 Flemish Spearmen
100 Welsh Longbows

Baldwin marches in column through the English countryside. He posts the serjeants in front of the column, followed by the 25 knights of his household. The infantry follow in their respective regiments, and are brought up by the 50 Frankish mercenaries on horse.

[Barry Goldwater]

Battle of York orders

Right flank

Richard Perceval, Earl of Northumbria +3 Charisma (+2 base, +1 from temperament) +2 Personal Combat +2 Battles Gerbod de Oosterzele (Skills: Battles +1(+2 total), personal combat +3, survival +2) Clais de Yshoute (Skills: Battles +1, personal combat +2, survival +2, scout +1) 208 Norman Knights 300 Hobelars 86 Housecarls 180 Thegns 250 Serjeants 350 Fyrd 250 English Foot 250 English Archers Perceval masses most of the North's strength on the right, intending on using an oblique attack to nullify the Danes' numerical superiority and crush the Danish left first after achieving localized superiority. While his huscarls, thegns and serjeants form an offensive wedge at the spearhead of the infantry formation, the fyrd and levied footsoldiers will form a shield-wall (like a usual shield-wall, the better men of the fyrd will form front and center with the common levies supporting them) behind them, following the former as they pierce the Danish line; driving the wedge deeper into the Danish formation; and hopefully bulldozing a broken opposing shield-wall or mob, courtesy of said wedge. Meanwhile, the cavalry posted to this flank will ride out from behind the infantry as they near the Danes and race to drive off any Danish cavalry present. Once that's been done, or if there are no horsemen in the Danish left, they will reform their lines and charge at the flanks and rear of the Danish left. The knights will form the front ranks of the charge, flinging their javelins at the foe before crashing home with lance and sword. If they don't quickly break the foe, they're to withdraw and charge again & again until that has been accomplished. All this time, the archers are to hold back and fire on the Danes in general while everyone else advances. They're to cease fire once the two armies have collided: if the Danes have no reserve and their cavalry has been put to flight then they'll instead maneuver to a place where they can try shooting at the enemy's flanks. If the Danes do have a reserve or their cavalry has yet to be driven away at this point, the English archers are to concentrate their fire on said reserve, if possible; if not, then they're just to exchange fire with the Danish bowmen instead. Whenever the Danish left is broken, the English right wing will move on to attack and roll up the Danish center. And after that the Danish left, naturally enough, with the victorious center's support.

Center

Waltheof (+2 Battles, +3 Survival) Hereward 120 Housecarls 150 Thegns 100 Serjeants 250 Fyrd 300 English Foot 300 English Archers The all-infantry center is placed under Northampton's command and directed to advance against the enemy center in shield-wall formation. Like in a classic Saxon shield-wall, the huscarls and thegns (being the best men present) will stand front and center, supported by the better-trained men of the fyrd behind & beside them and finally with the weakest of the levies forming the wall's rear ranks and extreme edges. Moving forward as part of the English army's echelon advance, they will slightly lag behind the right wing's own infantry. Once battle is joined, Waltheof must pin the Danish center down long enough for Richard Perceval to defeat their right and roll up the opposing battle line. The archers are to fire on the Danes' lines until both armies have collided, at which point they're to switch to targeting the Danish bowmen and reserve (if there is one and they can reach it with their bows).

Left flank

William Perceval, Earl of Nottingham +3 Battles (+2 base, +1 temperament) +2 Personal Combat +2 Charisma 70 Norman Knights 149 Hobelars 157 Serjeants 163 Fyrd 143 English Foot 143 English Archers As the weakest division, the English left wing will be the last to meet their enemy counterpart, per the oblique order advance of the English army as a whole. The Serjeants, Fyrd and common footmen on this flank are to form a shield-wall, as usual with the best elements standing front and center, and to move to engage the Danish right and ideally pin it down long enough for the rest of the English strategy to come together, lagging behind the center in doing so just as the center lags behind the right. The cavalry posted to this division will guard the army's leftmost flank against attack until and unless the infantry on the English left/Danish right have met, at which point they're to detach and try to push off any Danish cavalry they meet off the field before turning to attack the flank/rear of the Danish right wing. At this point, like the horsemen on the English right, they will reform their conventional lines with the knights out front and hobelars backing them, and the knights are to throw their javelins at the Danes before charging home with lance, blade and ax. If they don't break the Danish line on their first charge, then also like the right wing's cavalry they're to fall back, regroup and try again and again. Also like the archers in the center, the archers on the left are to fire on the Danes' lines until both armies have collided, at which point they're to switch to targeting the Danish bowmen and reserve (if there is one and they can reach it with their bows).

English echelon/oblique advance map

Red: Heavy infantry wedge on the right Blue: Infantry divisions Purple: Cavalry divisions

Perceval will not bother with a reserve for this battle: outnumbered as he is, he has no choice but to commit everything he's got to an attack in a desperate attempt to hurl Canute off the field before the latter's weight of numbers does him in, and even a properly staged withdrawal would leave York wide open to attack - or more likely, the city's (possibly enthusiastic) surrender. The young new Earl of Northumbria deems that any men he assigns to a reserve are men who can't strengthen his main battle line; in case he is defeated this day, a small reserve would be of little help in even slowing the Danish pursuit down, while keeping a large reserve would fatally weaken his main divisions and doom him to defeat (and therefore, York to fall) before the battle even begins.

[Gandalfus]

Battle at the Derwent

On the plains adjacent to the river Derwent, the Danes and the English clashed.
The English decided that their best chance of victory was a full scale advance. Their power on the left flank told, although the cunning Asbjorn placed a trap that even the great Pompey Magnus did not foresee a thousand years earlier at Pharsalus: with Canute's blessing he placed the Danish reserve behind his cavalry, and so the Normans on the right - traditionally the strongest flank - were shocked when their heavy horse crashed into several lines of infantry as well as the Danish horse. They did not fare well, and Gerbod was forced to quit the field with the heavy horse.
Perceval fared much better. He had begun to punch through the Danish shield wall and so when the cavalry gave way it did not matter, for the Danish left was divided and picked apart piecemeal. Though this was the best of the fighting the English were to have all day. Waltheof quickly broke in the centre under the onslaught of the Danish housecarls, with many believing the Earl erroneously dead and so did quit the field. Perceval came to meet the Danes that stepped into their place, and fought a superior force to a standstill. Both sides quit the field, exhausted and demoralised.
During this heavy fighting, the English left under the senior Perceval met with Canute himself. Canute's heavy infantry ultimately told, and they pushed back the English. Fortunately for Perceval, the Danes did not have two reserved to deploy to trick the cavalry with, and so on this flank the Norman knights quite easily swept aside the Danish light horse. It was a good thing they did, too, for otherwise the Danes would have been free to run them down and make the day worse than it already needed to be.

Casualties and PBR

86 Serjeants 26 Knights 45 Thegns 16 Huscarls 83 Fyrd 92 Footmen 15 Archers 36 Hobilars Total: 399 men All are fine save Gerbod's right hand man, who suffers a severe wound to the leg from a Danish spear.

Conclusion: Close Danish victory.


The English retreat, presumably north. The Danes advance upon the walls of York and lay siege after licking their wounds.

[Pericles of Athens]

Many of Waltheof’s men had mixed feels they would march, they would follow their Earl, but they had mixed feelings about fighting alongside the newcomer Normans against a people they shared both a history and culture with. The Scandinavians had the advantage in both quality and number, but the Earl of Northampton would face them all the same. Waltheof ordered the advance, shield locked with those of his neighbors in the line, the center of the line advancing in practiced uniform fashion. The disorganized rabble of Footmen filling out their ranks. The battle began with an exchange of arrows, and soon the lines were locked in combat. The center began to be pushed back under the weight of the Danish line. At some in the early stages of the fighting one of Waltheof huscarls fell, the man was broad, bearded, and scarred like the Earl himself. Someone in the line, presumably a Norman or a foot soldier unacquainted with the Earl’s visage, believed the fallen warrior to be the Earl himself. Those not already pulling back began to do so, others quitting the field entirely. “Stand your ground!” Siwardson thundered again and again, but his words fell of deaf ears. Eventually his own guard had to pull him from the field, lest his army evaporate and leave him open to capture.

[Adamat]

Gerbod's charge began routine and rehearsed, the product of years of training and cavalry tradition. He'd been instructed to deal with the Danish cavalry before tearing apart the infantry, but the light horse of a footman-oriented army should have been easy enough to deal with. Except it wasn't. There were many, far more than expected. The knights dueled with the Danish horse, trading evenly and in some instances even favorably, but there was no breaking the torrent of mounted Danes. Gerbod's men were being outmaneuvered, the Danish infantry on one side and the rapid horse on another. Their window to charge and destroy the footmen was closing as rapidly as the chance of a successful retreat was falling.

He chose his next target, determined to have not only the Danes but also the Saxons under Waltheof know the Frankish heavy horse was not to be trifled with. A jab with a javelin, a parry with his shield. An opening, and the Norseman he'd been fighting lay unhorsed, his chain broken, twisted and turning crimson where it had been pierced. He wasted no more time contemplating the foeman's fate, instead once more surveying the battlefield. "Retreat," he muttered softly, before increasing the volume of his voice. "Retreat, Knights of England! Live to fight another day!"

The absence of a reserve would have meant an ensuing massacre for the failing infantry, were it not for the hobilars. The knights and their warhorses were spent, and had no choice but to fall back themselves, but those brave men on lighter, faster steeds seemed tireless, time and again harassing the Danes struggling to catch up, creating a buffer between the fleeing English and Canute's exhausted and bloodied army. If the retreat looked organised, it was only through their efforts, and the fact that all of Edgar's vassals were running in the same direction.

-----

The men had tasted of battle, and were chased from the battlefield. Yet, after setting up camp some miles north of York, morale seemed to be on the rise again. The Saxons especially seemed ready to move once again at a moment's notice, perhaps driven by some feeling of patriottic duty in their defense of the city. The knights, on the other hand, seemed to grow more disinterested by the day. Their honor had been slighted, and now there were only two options. Go home, or butt heads with Canute once again. "Clais," Gerbod called to his companion. "I'm going to find the Earls. Try to keep an eye on the men for me," he said, before adding with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes, "And don't end up running away now." The retainer mustered up a polite laugh, before telling the physician he needed more wine.

[Barry Goldwater]

From atop his white horse, the Earl of Northumbria had led a five-hundred-strong wedge composed of his heaviest foot-soldiers ahead of the shield-wall of the lesser English troops, directly into the teeth of the Norsemen ahead. Arrows, javelins and axes alike flew through the air, yet miraculously none had so much as scratched the younger Perceval even as he broke his lance in the chest of some bearded Viking and brought his sword down over and over on the heads, arms, shields and shoulders of those who dared stand against him. Even when Gerbod's horsemen were put to flight, having failed to dent the enemy formation significantly, and "My lord, shall we retreat?" or some variation thereof was the question all of his officers and household knights asked around him, Richard did not relent, and his response was always one of two things: a simple shake of his head or a curt, "Nay, now go and see to your duties."

Improbably, despite the defeat of their cavalry - without a doubt the best fighters in the English army, or so all had thought until this day - Perceval's men not only stuck around, but won, at least on their end of the battlefield. The shield-wall of mailed fyrdmen and common footmen armored in at best simple helms behind them pushed them onward, driving them into the Danish left, and they utterly crushed both the main Danish division and also the previously hidden reserve that had plagued Gerbod so, sweeping them all off the battlefield with great loss of life and limb. In the minutes following the collapse of the Danish left wing, standing amidst a chaotic circle of dead and dying Danish housecarls, lethingsmen and light cavalrymen who outnumbered his own dead, Perceval turned his battalion around to see off the center in conjunction with Waltheof...only to find the center falling apart in that instant, the footsoldiers fleeing in a blind panic amidst claims of the Earl of Northampton's death echoing through the air.

Even then, though, Northumbria did not yield to despair. Those of his retinue who had survived the frenzied charge that broke the Danish left saw that he simply inhaled deeply, closed his eyes and took a moment to...collect himself? Engage in introspection? Debate his option? Before he reopened his eyes and held his sword, already drenched from tip to guard in blood and gore, in the general direction of the Danes' central division. "We go forward," Richard commanded, simply, and even if it was against their better judgment, his men followed. What felt like half an eternity of frenzied fighting followed, as the English - driven by the sort of bravery that could only come from the potent combination of desperation at being boxed into a corner, despair at being so close to victory only to see it fading away, and residual bloodthirst from having carved up the Danish left already - fought like men possessed. Despite their difficult situation and the weight of numbers beginning to press hard against them, the English managed to grind the Danes to a bloody stalemate, and after witnessing his father's banners leaving the field Northumbria finally called it quits; his division withdrew from the field in good order, though not quite good spirits, bloodied and battered but (quite unlike the others) not broken.

-----

For his part, William Perceval had had a jolly time chopping up the Danish light cavalry with his knights. He had such fun, in fact, that he nearly forgot about his infantry, who by now were hard-pressed against Canute's own battle. Redirecting his horsemen there, Nottingham went on to lead his cavalry on several charges into Canute's flank and rear, but it was no use - the Danes were too many and the Englishmen, too few. After hearing of the collapse of Waltheof's division from a runner and witnessing for himself the departure of Northampton's few remaining banners, Perceval groaned in defeat. "Ah, ," he had grumbled to the same runner, "The day's lost, we must quit the field. Send word to my son to do the same. At least the Danes have no horsemen left with which to pursue us - praise God for the small things, I suppose."

-----

At the new English camp, a ways north of York, the survivors of the army that had fought at York bunkered down to recuperate. Their losses had not been as bad as feared and the men were in high spirits, at least as high as possible for a defeated force, for the soldiers of the right wing at least knew they'd fought like the blessed Hebrew warriors of Joshua and Gideon and struck fear into the hearts of the Danes before being forced to withdraw (in an orderly manner and after having so bloodied the opposing Danes that they faced little in the way of an effort to pursue, no less) by circumstance & weight of numbers.

Both Percevals had called another council of war. Gerbod was directed to their central pavilion by one of the younger Perceval's men, and once it had been confirmed that reports of Waltheof's death were greatly exaggerated, another messenger was sent to inform Northampton of the same thing.

[Pericles of Athens]

The half-Dane arrived to the war council, having shed his armor in favor of lighter clothing. The man wore a sour expression, they had lost the field, and he blamed the rumors of his death for the situation he now face. But luckily his own loses had not been grievous, and with any luck they would be readying themselves for a counter attack. Though it seemed likely York would surrender and join the Danes in short order.

[chesser2538]

Gerald was tired. He had been riding for weeks through gloomy stretches of sparce lands, where the people were inhospitable and the weather was dreadful. It was Wales all over again. Rain, winds, and thick fog that had thrown the convoy of men and wagons astray more than once. And when the weather was hospitable, the wildlife was not. At night, packs of wolves harassed their camp, despite numbering in the hundreds. It had eventually gotten so bad that Gerald had issued a bounty to then men; a silver per hide.

The only reprieve being when they finally reached the safety of Richmond, where the second half of their army had assembled. Staying only long enough to regroup and resupply, the men were soon off again. This time to the south where fleeing peasants reported a large number of men were gathering; likely at York or near to it. As they made their way further south the number of people fleeing past them grew. Some great conflict had happened at York. The English had gone up against the "great heathens" which Gerald took to be the Danes. The outcome being unclear.

Eventually they would come upon the English war camp, which seemed to have been hastily constructed, the men scattered about. Mixed around them an assortment of supply wagons and horses. At the center of the camp a large field tent was erected, half a dozen banners pitched outside. Slowing Gerald gives orders to his captains to organize the men and make camp.

Climbing down from the saddle he makes his way over to the command tent where the sound of voices can be heard inside. Taking a moment he straitens his clothes and dusts himself off the best he could before entering.

[Gandalfus]

After an exchange of hostages and some lengthy negotiations, York surrenders. The Danes have a base with which to resupply and regroup, albeit the royal castle within the city stays within English hands. Not that they can do much, though, other than watch Canute’s men garrison the city. Supplies and fresh troops would likely be brought up the Humber, and the Danish warlord would begin to press the surrounding peasants into his service.

[Barry Goldwater]

Gerbod's charge began routine and rehearsed, the product of years of training and cavalry tradition. He'd been instructed to deal with the Danish cavalry before tearing apart the infantry, but the light horse of a footman-oriented army should have been easy enough to deal with. Except it wasn't. There were many, far more than expected. The knights dueled with the Danish horse, trading evenly and in some instances even favorably, but there was no breaking the torrent of mounted Danes. Gerbod's men were being outmaneuvered, the Danish infantry on one side and the rapid horse on another. Their window to charge and destroy the footmen was closing as rapidly as the chance of a successful retreat was falling.

He chose his next target, determined to have not only the Danes but also the Saxons under Waltheof know the Frankish heavy horse was not to be trifled with. A jab with a javelin, a parry with his shield. An opening, and the Norseman he'd been fighting lay unhorsed, his chain broken, twisted and turning crimson where it had been pierced. He wasted no more time contemplating the foeman's fate, instead once more surveying the battlefield. "Retreat," he muttered softly, before increasing the volume of his voice. "Retreat, Knights of England! Live to fight another day!"

The absence of a reserve would have meant an ensuing massacre for the failing infantry, were it not for the hobilars. The knights and their warhorses were spent, and had no choice but to fall back themselves, but those brave men on lighter, faster steeds seemed tireless, time and again harassing the Danes struggling to catch up, creating a buffer between the fleeing English and Canute's exhausted and bloodied army. If the retreat looked organised, it was only through their efforts, and the fact that all of Edgar's vassals were running in the same direction.

-----

The men had tasted of battle, and were chased from the battlefield. Yet, after setting up camp some miles north of York, morale seemed to be on the rise again. The Saxons especially seemed ready to move once again at a moment's notice, perhaps driven by some feeling of patriottic duty in their defense of the city. The knights, on the other hand, seemed to grow more disinterested by the day. Their honor had been slighted, and now there were only two options. Go home, or butt heads with Canute once again. "Clais," Gerbod called to his companion. "I'm going to find the Earls. Try to keep an eye on the men for me," he said, before adding with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes, "And don't end up running away now." The retainer mustered up a polite laugh, before telling the physician he needed more wine.

The half-Dane arrived to the war council, having shed his armor in favor of lighter clothing. The man wore a sour expression, they had lost the field, and he blamed the rumors of his death for the situation he now face. But luckily his own loses had not been grievous, and with any luck they would be readying themselves for a counter attack. Though it seemed likely York would surrender and join the Danes in short order.

"What on Earth happened back there?" Perceval grumbled by way of greeting as the Earl of Northampton and Baron of Peveril entered. He didn't raise his voice much, but a combination of anger, determination and frustration patently blazed in his eyes. "My division broke the Danish left and stayed on the field to the very end, fighting even their center to a standstill. If you two had held, the victory would be ours."

Gerald was tired. He had been riding for weeks through gloomy stretches of sparce lands, where the people were inhospitable and the weather was dreadful. It was Wales all over again. Rain, winds, and thick fog that had thrown the convoy of men and wagons astray more than once. And when the weather was hospitable, the wildlife was not. At night, packs of wolves harassed their camp, despite numbering in the hundreds. It had eventually gotten so bad that Gerald had issued a bounty to then men; a silver per hide.

The only reprieve being when they finally reached the safety of Richmond, where the second half of their army had assembled. Staying only long enough to regroup and resupply, the men were soon off again. This time to the south where fleeing peasants reported a large number of men were gathering; likely at York or near to it. As they made their way further south the number of people fleeing past them grew. Some great conflict had happened at York. The English had gone up against the "great heathens" which Gerald took to be the Danes. The outcome being unclear.

Eventually they would come upon the English war camp, which seemed to have been hastily constructed, the men scattered about. Mixed around them an assortment of supply wagons and horses. At the center of the camp a large field tent was erected, half a dozen banners pitched outside. Slowing Gerald gives orders to his captains to organize the men and make camp.

Climbing down from the saddle he makes his way over to the command tent where the sound of voices can be heard inside. Taking a moment he straitens his clothes and dusts himself off the best he could before entering.

Upon seeing the arrival of Avranches, father and son nod at the Earl of Chester. "Ah good, reinforcements. You were rather too slow on the draw to keep the Vikings from York, which I'd imagine has fallen already," Nottingham stated, stroking his fiery beard, "But not too late to help us win it back."

[Pericles of Athens]

“The center was undermanned for the enemy’s size.” Perceval after all had commanded the largest force by far, and even his was outnumbered in the center. “Though we may have held out if someone unfamiliar with my appearance hadn’t spread rumor of my death through the ranks.” He did not accuse directly, there was no point to it now, but the Earl of Northampton knew it must have been a Norman. His own men would have recognized their lord, going forward he would have to find a way to more readily distinguish his person. “But there’s nothing to be done of it now, and next to nothing to by gained by arguing over what could or might have been, we must focus on rallying the lords that have not shown themselves, De Tosny and De Champagne. Did Oswulf not call upon them to assemble before his death.”

[Barry Goldwater]

"Right. As I tell my brothers, we must strive to move ever forward." Richard sighed, shaking his head. "I have issued summons to Tosny, to bring his host here. Avranches of Chester comes too, for apparently the King has seen fit to give him some slice of Richmond after all and he has men to spare after the Welsh expedition. Odo of Champagne was ordered to come by Lord Osulf before his passing. And finally, I've sent a missive to the King, informing him of what has transpired and asking for whatever swords he can spare." Mercenaries or levied sons of the land, it mattered little to Richard, so long as they could fight and strengthen his army in the face of the Danes. "I propose that once our forces have been marshaled, we set out to confront the Danes again."

[Lucius Malfoy]

A missive comes from the South, indicating that William Giffard, Earl of Hereford, has been named commander of a relief force that is mustering at Lincoln within the coming days. Troops from across Mercia are being mustered for this force. Further word would come once the troops are ready to march north and aid in forcing the Danes back towards the seas.

[Pericles of Athens]

“There is a problem though, with York capitulating they are likely to grow in number and control of the city grants them a commanding presence over what forces can travel north or south.” He sighed. “I am uncertain we will be able to rely on reinforcements coming from the south, be it Champagne’s men or the King’s. More likely I think Canute would strike at them before our forces could unite.” Retreating north had allowed them an easy route to reinforcements from D’Avranches or De Tosny, but may have isolated them as well. “But I agree, once we’ve the men it would be best to strike with haste. If Canute spoke truthfully Sweyn will likely follow on the heels of his victory, if given the time.”

[Barry Goldwater]

"I agree." Richard answered, crossing his arms. "Better to strike now while we still have a shot at victory, and not after the Danes have landed their full power here." Nottingham, too, simply nodded, eager for a chance at avenging their previous defeat. Both Percevals now turned their gazes to Gerbod, awaiting the opinion of the only man in the tent who had not yet spoken.

-----

Later, with the letter from Hereford in hand, Northumbria called a second war council, to be attended not only by the first two earls & Gerbod but also the newcomers, Chester and the brothers Tosny. "As we all know now, York is fallen, save for the King's own central keep. But I have other news - the Earl of Hereford sends word from the south: he's marshaling the armies of Mercia and hopes to soon be ready to march against the Danes. Now, shall we still march to strike at Canute before his father Sweyn lands with the rest of the Danes' might, or hold out here and wait for Hereford to come up from the south at the risk of Sweyn's arrival occurring unimpeded?" Richard knew what he wanted to do, but figured he should at least inform the other commanders of Hereford's message and how it altered their choices.

[Pericles of Athens]

Waltheof’s face soured, Hereford, the bleeding bastard who made attempt on his life was coming north now? God must certainly have been testing him. “I say we push at them now, before they can be reinforced. Canute brought five thousand souls, who knows what his father might bring.” The Earl shared his piece, slamming his fist. “Though we may wish to scout ahead, make sure their numbers have not swollen greatly in our absence.”

[Adamat]

Gerbod shrugged. "We were bested by a trick, and even then we inflicted many casualties on the Danes. We have seen their host in person now, and know what they are capable of. I daresay we can take them on, if we move quickly. There's no telling if Canute has reinforcements coming his way, and waiting for ours will only serve to make our knowledge of the Dane host worse. We do not have need of southern lords."