The saga of Ragnar Lothbrok

Vikings

Previously on the the war of the wolf…

...the Welsh warband lead by Rwy'n Hoffi Defaid had raided the Scots led by Keir McDougal. Rwy’n bested Keir in combat but the Scots managed to force passage across the boundary river and claim victory.

...More scots came raiding the lands of the Welsh  this led by Wulfen McLaglen.The Welsh warband tracked them down and in a bloody struggle decimated the Scottish warriors and hearthguard forcing Wulfen to flee for his life.

Year three of the war of the wolf finds the Welsh on the offense with a campaign to regain land lost to Vikings led by the upstart Ragner Lothbrok.

Ragnar's convoy on the move

Rwy’n’s warband tracked down the vikings and found them while they were escorting a goods convoy through the (stolen) Welsh lands. Lothbrok’s warband consist of himself accompanied by a unit of four hearthguard and two units of eight warriors.  Ragnar and his hearthguard were at the head of the convoy with the warriors on the flanks.  In response the Welsh levies and a unit of warriors blocked their path while the rest of the warband deployed on a wooded flank.

Welsh line out for battle

Vikings are not renowned for being subtle. And Ragnar band epitomised this by simply surging to charge forward to wipe out the offending Welsh. In the first clash the nine warriors of Powys were reduced to a single warrior who promptly moved as fast as possible away from Ragnar. Not yet finished Ragnar left his hearthguard behind and attack the six levy bowmen from Coed-duon and reduced them to three levy bowmen. Who again opted to put distance between them and the rampaging vikings. In a stroke, Ragnar’s scattered the blocking force reducing it to five nervous looking levy bowmen

Rwy’n and his hearthguard see off the viking hearthguard

But Ragnar’s attack while specular had left him and his hearthguard isolated and exhausted.  Sensing the time was now or never Rwy’n ordered the counter attack. Rwy’n and his hearthguard pounced on the exhausted viking hearthguard and routed them. The nine warriors of Ynys Môn taught Ragnar to fear Welsh spears as they swarmed him and bought him down through strength of numbers.

With their warlord and hearthguard gone the remaining vikings opted for a tactical withdrawal (ie ran away). Rwy’n shocked by the damage done to the blocking force opted to let them go but he may regret that later in the campaign.

While Ragnar falls to Welsh spears

After the battle the Vikings suffered one hearthguard dead and Ragnar has a serious wound to remind him what happens when you anger the Welsh.  For the Welsh the butcher bill was steeper with four warriors and one levy dead.  Ragnar recruited another band of farmers (levy) to booster his warband while the Welsh had to rebuild their damaged units.  

That is all for now thanks for stopping by