Two Picts bring trade goods from their fortress to the village:
Life in this lovely countryside would be very nice …without two unexpected invaders!
–
Eogan mac Fintain, a Scot (Irish) chieftain who acquired some boggy lands in a previous game when he defeated Talorc mac Uirp (brother of
Nectan mac Uirp the Pictish chief). However the lands near the border village seem more fertile and not well defended; and his men are complaining about the lack of women. He also heard of a monastery near the coast, he knows that Christian priests often have golden artifacts.
Scot-Irish pony riders and skirmishers come soon near the village; but
Eogan hesitates a long time before bringing his main force to attack the inhabitants (he wants to understand first what the other chiefs are doing – and that's not easy).
–
Edwin and his troop of Angles enter the valley from the south-east, looking for adventure, for gold, and for lands to conquer if the British clans stay divided. Most Angle warriors are on foot, a few are mounted (but not well trained to fight on horseback). They pass near a pond where an old carved statue stands; they decide to to ignore the idol, but they catch and kill two British bowmen who were patrolling the area.
Some time later the Pictish druid comes to pray the Goddess of Water. The Pictish chief,
Nectan, is under a magical obligation to protect the sacred springs: if he fails the wine he drinks will for ever turn to vinegar and his mead will taste like piss.
In his travel the druid visits the village healer, an old woman in the forest. They are good friends since a very long time and when they meet they have important and secret magical matters to talk about.
Three little red hearts above the forest probably mean a three-game-turns blessing of the ancient gods.
The two Sub-Roman British chieftains are watching each other.
Drustan manages to convince
Grima to cross the wooden bridge first with all his troop. Then he places his own troop on the bridge and tells
Grima there is no way back.
After short clashes with Irish-Scot scouts near the monastery,
Edwin see monks walking in the plain undefended. The monks let the Angles come towards them. The Angles capture the monks and push them before their first rank as human shields towards
Grima's men.
A cloaked man in
Grima's troop moves his hands and a wall of fog appears around the monks, who try to run away from the Angles (some very limited "legendary magic" was authorized in the game, only once per magic-user each day). The Angles kill some of the monks, others can escape.
The Angles then go to the monastery to pillage it. They don't find much, it's only a very modest monastery.
Edwin says that religious architectural names are too complicated, he believed it could be a rich cathedral or something.
Grima attacks the Angles at the monastery, thinking that
Drustan would come too. But
Drustan doesn't want to help him!
Grima fights a duel with
Edwin, and is killed.
Edwin cuts his head and is happy to embellish the monastery with ...a player's head display.
Unexpected events also happen elsewhere.
The Scots-Irish attack the village, defended by its inhabitants and by Pictish warriors led by
Nectan mac Uirp who comes hastily from his fortress. The Scots-Irish are cautious and move very slowly, waiting for an opening which happens when
Nectan and his pony cavalry boldly pass too close of the few Scots-Irish bowmen and lose some men. The Picts must retreat; the Scots-Irish enter the village. The inhabitants run into the houses, but the Scots-Irish threaten to burn the houses if they are not given money and women. The inhabitants try to gain time; they give trade goods, but it's not enough; then some money; and later, female slaves.
Gueltaz and Gweninn (NPCs played by "
Marwena" player, Gueltaz's mother) had been told by the healer that to have children they must go to pray the idol at the pond; they do it; and also that they should rub themselves to a standing stone on the moor in the north. As they walk on the northern moor with only two guards, a small group of mounted Picts (but not
Nectan's men) arrive and surround them. They tell Gueltaz and Gweninn to follow them. One of
Nectan's men, who was passing by, wants to interfere. The mounted Picts tell him that they belong to
Bran mac Taloirc the son of Talorc mac Uirp (late brother of
Nectan mac Uirp) and that he must tell
Nectan that Gueltaz and Gweninn are now his prisoners, because the clan of
Bran needs land to live on, so they will be released only if
Nectan gives his fortress to
Bran (who thinks his father Talorc should have inherited it) or if he helps
Bran to take the broch from the Scots-Irish.