Point Debate
From EastKingdomWiki
Written by Grim the Skald in the Norse Meter fornythislag. These are the events of the last day of the 37th Pennsic War (AS 43)
1. Hear, oh warriors | of worlds so far, |
Vallhall’s bright fields | where fighters die |
And rise again | grasping wound-snakes. [1] |
Within this plain | are Pennsic’s lands. |
2. Bide for a tale | not of blunt cudgels |
But of sharpened steel, | striking as lightning,[2] |
Three flags planted | in Pennsic Woods, |
Fight that was lost, | and fame that was won |
2. Wise Alethea | waited for battle, |
The regal heir | to Eastern throne, |
Her head girded | with helm of steel, |
Natalia came, | quick and anxious. |
3. Small titan of blades[3] | Natalia spoke |
“Dire we need you | in deepest woods, |
Badly goes the talk | of battle’s rules. |
Helm from your head | I’ll help remove, |
For you’ll need to don | different brow-ring.” |
4. Tiger-adorned | to deep forest, |
The princess strode, | stern and angered. |
Middle-Realm Monarch | had made it known |
He’d spare no men | to match numbers. |
5. Alethea spoke | to spur-booted[4] king: |
“Are you not party | to Pennsic’s oath? |
Any piercing fight | for points of war |
No force may be | a fourth larger |
Yet you nigh double | our doughty blades.” |
6. So spoke Lutr, | Lord of the Mid-Realm: |
“When first we met | to match shield fire. [5] |
The East yielded | each battle to us. |
Points do not hang | on this host debate[6] – |
To fight allies | is foul to us. |
This I won’t order | for an empty fight. |
7. “Though I’ll not send | soldiers to you |
The Mid-Realm Knights | are my vassals |
Though sore they will miss | this sword-tussle[7] |
I’ll order a score | out of this forest.” |
8. Ogedai spoke, | East-Realm general |
“Deny no knight, | never mind this. |
The East will meet | each man as they come.” |
9. King and princess | then parted ways. |
The fair one felt | fury arise |
While her host waited | for word of this Thyng[8] – |
Alethea’s course | was clear to her |
10 Like an angel of wrath | the East-Heir spoke: |
“Brutal shall be | the battle to come |
Our foe’s leader | will lend us no men. |
Though we number | not even six score, |
Ten score Warriors | wait for our charge. |
11. “Bright blades alone | cannot beat these odds |
But arm yourselves | with honor as swords, |
Bear your bravery | as a buckler, your guard. |
Show the Mid-Realm | the mettle of the East” |
12. As one the East | and Allies cheered |
They bared their blades, | brought forth their arms |
Stalwart and stern | they strode to the woods |
Marched in to meet | a massive foe |
13. No sooner the last | left the safe-field, |
The first fighter | flew back to this place. |
Slain in the fighting | but sent back to life, |
Alphonso fleetly | faced back to the woods. |
14. Through forest his feet | fell with no noise, |
Stealthily stalked | the Storm-guard scout, |
Behind the line | held by the Dragon |
He spied a lone man | sporting a white belt |
15. Quietly Alphonso | crept to the knight |
He touched shoulder | with his shinning sword |
He said to the man | “Sir you are dead” [9] |
Swift turned Lutr, | Lord of the Mid-Realm! |
16. Dragon-King spoke | dark and angry: |
“Foully you struck | a flanking blow |
Hitting from behind | is hardly right |
It is not fitting | a fighter true.” |
17. Alphonso spoke | to fierce ring-thrower: [10] |
“The odds are ill | our army small |
My skill is strong | with stealth attacks – |
Best will I serve | with silent steel, |
And fencers are not | knightly battlers.” |
18. King Lutr spoke | calmer and thoughtful: |
“I’ll speak with you | on honor and swords |
But at another time, | Tiger’s armsman, |
For now my blade | is needed here.” |
19. Lutr then left | to lend blade elsewhere |
Alphonso found | foes aplenty, |
Endless in number | their enemy seemed |
But the East fought on | with fearsome skill |
20. About each banner | battle raged on |
Brave Tigers strove | to take each flag |
The Dragon’s weight | drove them from two |
The last they held | with line stretched thin |
21. The thyng of swords[11] | swelled even stronger |
The flank buckled, | faltered beneath |
From behind the foe | fleet princess struck |
The East pushed back, | battling anew. |
22. Hard struck their foe | hitting the left |
Storm-Guard stood there | to stop the charge |
Their bright piercers | a barrier made |
Though fiercely their foe | fell against them |
23. As iron-games[12] neared end | eager grew their foe. |
They struck the flank | stronger than before. |
Commander Caine | called out to Storm Guard |
“Flee not from this line, | you fatherless ones!” [13] |
24. Tyger-heart[14] laughed | loudly and crazed |
Flashed out his sword | falling like lightning |
Cackling, Caine | killed the Dragons |
Scales rained downward | a score or more. |
25. Forest was then filled | with a forceful sound, |
Horn of Heimdall[15] | halted the fighting, |
Both side’s warriors | from woods took leave |
Soldiers assembled | on the sun-lit fields |
26. Althea spoke | to her throng of swords: [16] |
“Fiercely you have fought | our foes this day, |
‘Gainst odds that seemed | sorely hopeless. |
Never you yielded | your honor to rage |
Nor fear showed you | in the face of odds. |
Battle has proved you | the best of folk.” |
27. Then Lutr spoke, | Lord of Mid-Kingdom, |
“Brave Crown-Follower | to Brenwen the Fair, |
Queenly cousin, | clear is your speech, |
Proudly you praise | your point-wielders. |
My eyes have seen | all you say is true. |
28. “Honor and courage | the East has shown, |
We are well served | to witness this |
I am glad my knights | your greatness saw, |
We of the Mid-Realm | reward these things. |
Take the Dragon’s | Teeth [17] from my hands – |
Eastern Army | and your allies true.” |
29. The Princess became | Queen of the East, |
She sought poets | to praise these blades: |
Hail the Eastern | Army of Fence! |
Who by honor took | Teeth of the Dragon. |
© 2009 Dan Marsh
Footnotes
- ↑ A Kenning for “sword”
- ↑ Making clear this is a tale about Fencing, rather than SCA Armored combat
- ↑ A Kenning for “Ogre” (sounding out OGR, Order of the Golden Rapier,) an expert fencer. Natalia is also somewhat short.
- ↑ A kenning for “knight”
- ↑ A Kenning for “battle.”
- ↑ A Kenning for “battle.”
- ↑ A Kenning for “battle.”
- ↑ “Thyng” is an Icelandic council, here I am alluding to the prior discussion.
- ↑ This is how fencers execute a “Death from Behind” or DFB.
- ↑ A Kenning for “king”
- ↑ A Kenning for “battle.”
- ↑ A Kenning for “battle.” Yes, the Norse have a lot of kennings for battle.
- ↑ To render in less poetic speech, “Stay the line you bastards!”
- ↑ Caine has a very large tattoo of an OGR medallion on his chest, which is a symbol of a tiger’s head being pierced by a golden rapier.
- ↑ A Pennsic battle is typically halted by a cannon, but as I am setting this in Vallhall I’m having one of the gods sound the horn.
- ↑ A kenning for “army.”
- ↑ The “Dragon’s Teeth” is a Middle Kingdom unit award for “excellence in martial prowess for the Kingdom.”