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.”
