Upon arrival at Glorantha guru David Dunhams house we drank plenty of Guest Right beverages and waged verbal warfare over many issues of importance.
Neil, Richard and I then departed for Pams house where all the actual events of the weekend were held. Needless to say, Pams understanding of the forms of guesting was so acute that our stay was memorable and comfortable (Thanks Pam).
Then we got down to business. First was Jeff Richards cleverly balanced and created farmer quest freeform "Volunds Bull" in which I played steadholder Vargast. I will narrate the story from Vargast grandsons point of view:
I am Vargast Vargavargastsson, third to bear that proud name. My stead lies burning and our clan is devestated. Lismelder warriors areeverywhere and I lie bleeding to death with a ring of my fallen men and foes aorund me. How did this great evil come to pass? Even in my semi-delirium I see it so clearly: It was Korgall, all Korgall......
It began with my grandfathers dear friend Hardenstan losing his prize bull to cowardly raiders. Then word came to Hardenstan (a mighty Thane within our Clan) that steadholder Volund had aquired a new bull from Clearwine. Upon seeing this bull Hardenstan knew immediately that he had been wronged for it was _his_ bull and Volund was a mere thief and a liar to claim otherwise.
Naturally my grandfather, being a man who stood ever by his friends, went to prove this untruth with my father and his brother and several of our strongest menfolk. My grandfather was not a warlike man but he was fearful of the violent nature of Volund and his friends so took some small armed strength to protect himself, a recognised precaution by Heorts law.
Alas for our family and ultimately for our clan, Volunds' warrior friend Korgall was at his stead. Korgall and his men didn't even attempt to greet us or to hear our words. Instead they attack even as we saw that the bull truly was Hardestans. A violent struggle began and my grandfather, who had not been harnessed for war, unlike the killer Korgall, ordered a withdrawl. As we moved back Korgall pursued and struck down Borast, eldest son of Vargast, my great uncle.
We grieved but we knew the way of Orlanth on this issue. We demanded weregild for the death of the steads eldest son. Grandfather knew we could take no less than 20 cows or be shamed forever for our weakness. Korgall seemed willing at first to settle and my grandfather held out some hope that a feud could be avoided. We hoped also that Hardenstans bull would be returned to him via peacable methods.
At that time our clan was troubled and weak as the offices of Priestess and Godi were unfilled. My grandfather supported Kvedulf the warrior as Godi and Tarkalor the steadholder as priestess. In two moots called by Chief Amund we (Hardestans faction and allies) nearly elected both Tarkolar and Kvedulf but were thwarted by the pointless quibbling of Korgall and his sister Arinea who strove at every turn to anger my family and disrupt the Clan. In the end and after several stymied moots Kvedulf became Godi and Arinea achieved Priestesshood with our family and Hardenstans faction's support on the condition that she support our claim for weregild.
My grandfather asked her to propose to the moot that her brother pay the 20 cow weregild or be declared outlaw. She attempted to squirm out of this with slippery words but my grandfather reminded her of his many manful efforts with her in the past and swore to tell her brother of her free use of Ulerias blessing unless she stuck to her word. Daunted, she did as she'd promised.
Sensing defeat, evil Korgall stepped in to remind Tarkalor of a similar indescretion with him and prevailed upon her to use her wiles upon my granfather to seduce him to give up his claim. My grandfather was sorely tempted but stood by his principles and his dead son with a will of iron and the vote occured.
We won the vote handily but before it could be ratified by the chief, Korgall, with his mind full of evil twistings of Heorts law, pointed out that Wildsday not Deathday was the correct day to raise an issue of outlawry and the Lawspeaker agreed after consulting precedent and the will of Orlanth. The moot was over.
Reeling from our sudden defeat we did not see the pact forming between Chief Amund and Korgall. We should have suspected for my grandfather had seen much suuport in the Clan for Amunds removal though inertia among the independants stalled any actual attempt to remove him. Amund summond another moot as was his right as Chief.
In this moot Korgall came prepared and with a great oratory persuaded the fickle and self-seeking clan members to vote on his propasal to pay a pitiful weregild of only 10 cows for my grandfathers eldest son. Driven by his fiery words the Clan voted with him and my grandfather was forced to accept the 10 cows or face outlawry for his whole family.
Enraged by such ignominious treatment my grandfather led his warriors across the moot to deal with Korgall once and for all but Chief Amund showed his clear affiliation by placing his Huscarls between my grandfather and his vengence.
Though halted through overt action the burning anger we felt at such injustice was such that grandfather struck a double blow. He sent men to set fire to Korgalls stead and stole a large amount of his herd. Korgalls men fought off the stead burning party though not without damage and Korgall came looking for revenge. With the Chiefs aid he summoned the clan to see the formal duel between Korgall and my granfather.
It was a mighty fight but Korgall was strong in the ways of the sword and even all my grandfathers great heart and spirit were not enough for him to prevail. He died fighting to the last.
Our family mourned and my father took over vowing vengence for his father and brother. We summoned our friends and exchanged many cows for men and weapons of war and prepared to settle it once and for all.
We raided and stole more of Korgalls herd and made another attempt upon his stead. Anger by this and calling for another duel Korgall fought and killed my father as he had my grandfather and earned the fearsome name Korgall VargastBane.
Devestated by our losses we husbanded our strength while the feud between Hardestan and Volund over the bull led to Volunds death at Hardestans hands after the warlike Godi declared it a death match.
Kvedulf the Godi then led the Clan on a mighty raid against the Lismelder though our family stayed out of it, reduced as we were.
Returning victorious, Korgall and his allies drove us to violence once more by proposing to the moot that my family, of which I was now head, should be declared outlaw and our herd and lands would be fair game for the VargastBane. Enraged beyond all measure at our foul treatment I challenged him there and then and such was my anger and recklessness in that moment that many held that Urox had come to me for the fury of my attack broke even Korgalls great skill and I slew him. So ended the VargastBane.
After that we had three feuds in our small clan and an angry Lismelder tribe as our neighbours. As I lie here dying, I reflect bitterly on what we have lost and how no-one shall sing of the Vargast saga anymore....
I'll write about the other events at the mini-con in a later post.
Martin Laurie
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