Linda and Yves played the invading Vikings, Evelyne and I the Anglo-Saxons. The game remained exciting until the last turn and it was always hard to tell which side had the upper hand. The fact that the next player was chosen at random added to the tension. In fact, it was so rousing that after the last battle we were no longer sure which side had more points and agreed on a draw. What happened in our round, or at least how it felt for us, is described in the following lines:

In this year of our Lord 875, dreadful fore-warnings over the land of the Northumbrians terrified the people most woefully. These were immense sheets of light rushing through the air, and whirlwinds, and fiery dragons flying across the firmament. These tremendous tokens were soon followed by a great famine: and not long after, on the sixth day before the ides of January in the same year, the harrowing inroads of heathen men made lamentable havoc in the church of God in Holy-island.

The year 875 marked the arrival of Halfdan's great heathen host in East Anglia, where they sacked Elmhelm and Theeford despite the fierce resistance of the Anglo-Saxon Housecarls and Thegn defenders, as well as the brave Fyrd that rose up to protect their lands.

Zwei Jahre später, im Jahr 877 unseres Herren, landete Bjorn Eisenseites Heer an der Nordküste von Mercia und marschierte nach Norden in Richtung Nordumbrien, um York zu plündern. In der Zwischenzeit belagerte Halfdans grosses heidnisches Heer Lundenwic, allerdings unter grossen Verlusten. At this battle, the Anglo-Saxon Housecarl Evelyne, known for her bravery and strategic prowess, faced the dreaded berserker Yves, who fought like a wolf. But not even Evelyn's heroism could repel the invaders, and so Lundenwic fell to the heathens.

In the year 879, the Anglo-Saxons rejoiced as no Viking host landed on their shores, and they could retake some territory. Bjorn's host moved east through Northumbria, and Halfdan made his winter quarters in Lundenwic, awaiting direly needed reinforcements.

In the year 881, Ivar the Boneless' band of marauders ravaged Mercia, and a force of mighty Thegns led by Fredy, known for his luck, attempted to liberate York, which had been all but abandoned after the defeat of Bjorn Ironsides' army. Despite their valiant efforts, they failed as the Norsemen, led by Linda the Dane, a fierce and cunning leader, fought like bears.

England in the year 883

In the year 883, King Alfred of Wessex rallied a great host in Oxford against the heathen invaders. He managed to take much-lost territory, but due to the surprise landing of Rollos Host in Exeter and the successful sacking of the city, the hearts of the Anglo-Saxon people trembled.

In the year 885, the Anglo-Saxon navy managed to block the whole southern shore of England, which forced Ubbe Ragnarson to land his host elsewhere, unable to support Rollo in Exeter. And in the year 887, the Treaty of Wedmore was signed between King Alfred the Great of Wessex and King Guthrum the Old. No clear victor of the war could be made out. Guthrum was baptized and adopted the Christian name Athelstan and moved out of Wessex to form his Norseman kingdom of the Danelaw in East Anglia, but the heroic deeds of Evelyne, Linda, Yves an Fredy were remembered for generations to come.

For the next CU, on 30.04.2023 we leave the time when the Vikings invaded England and turn to the tactical battles of World War II with the games in the Undaunted series...