[Charlemagne] Chapter Four: Teutoburg Forest

[Lev Lafayette]

To: His Holiness, The Pope Adrian I

Most Holy Father,

It has been a most extraordinary winter of which I must relay to you,
which all started when I was kidnapped by Saxon pagans. My vassals were
wise enough to read the poorly written random note to bring 1,000 silver
pennies to a place known as Irminsul. Naturally, they had no idea where in
pagan lands this was located, but they did find a local soldier who
suggested Baderic a former knight and now retired as a monk, at Saint-Géry
Island, at a small trading town surrounded by swampland called Brussels.

It took a few days travel through the misty weather to reach the
iris-covered Saint-Géry Island and enter the monastry. The meeting with
Baderic was difficult; he noted that the forest where Irminsul was located
was dangerous full of ghosts and monsters from Roman times, especially
vicious wolves, and of course Saxon rebels. Nevertheless, an appeal to his
religious duty made him forthcoming, and with some consideration he
provided the vassals a map to the location. Rainer tells the an
interesting tell of an interesting enounter with Baderic however that
night, as his transformed into a savage wolf! Despite escaping and running
rampant through the monsastry, he was eventually recaptured. Such stories
be told, that men can transform into wolves! Fortunatey a holy relic, the
lamp of Gudula, prevents the wolf from leaving the monastry.

Following Baderic's advice, the vassals entered Teutoburg Forest, and
enountered a group of Saxon bandits, who were quickly defeated. That night
they stayed at a small hamlet, and traded for lodgings at Lar's household.
Merde noted the sounds of awakened spirits that night, who turned out to
be Roman and Germanic ghosts, fighting out the the old battle which the
died in have been doing so for years. Merde approached them, and inquired
for their actions - it turned out that they were from The Battle of the
Teutoburg Forest, when the Germanic tribes decisively destroyed three
Roman legions. A headless Roman ghost, in a splendid outfit and cape,
introduced himself as Publius Quinctilius Varus, and said the warriors
would remain until the third legion's Eagle is found and returned to Rome,
and the Germans will keep fighting until the Romans are gone. Amazingly
Merde swore an oath to discover the Eagle and return it to Rome. This may
be a problem in the future.

As the vassals travelled deep into the forest the density of the woods
became greater and more confusing to travel. They were attacked by an
animated plant, but bested it. At a point they found themselves followed
by wolves; first one, then an entire pack. The wolves seemed to be
directing the party, and led them out the dense woods into a clearing. In
the clearing was a massive Yew tree that has been chopped down and burnt.
Various pagan standing stones surrounding it have been smashed or pushed
over. Broken swords, spears, bow, shield, and even bones lay about. When
the vassals reached the centre eight eagles landed on the compass points
of the forest, and between them, eight wolves. Then, through the mist on
the north, came King Widukind to parley with the party.

Widukind explained how Emperor Charlemagne destroyed the Irminsul, and how
it was once a gateway to the nine worlds, a pagan superstition of some
sort, and how Charlemagne engaged in a great execution of pagans, the
Massacre of Verden. Widukind will ask the vassals to join him in his fight
against Charlemagne for this action, but fortunately they resisted his
offer; he accepted the thousand silver coins and his underlings brought me
to them.

Bishop Giselbert, Cathedral of Tournai, Anno Domini, May 775.

Some notes:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint-G%C3%A9ry_Island
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gudula
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Teutoburg_Forest
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massacre_of_Verden



-- 
Lev Lafayette, BA (Hons), GradCertTerAdEd (Murdoch), GradCertPM, MBA (Tech
Mngmnt) (Chifley)
mobile:  0432 255 208
RFC 1855 Netiquette Guidelines
http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc1855.txt
http://www.quicksales.com.au/shop/RPG-Review.aspx