Introducci´ on hist´ orica sobre la ac´ ustica

Iron Age Viking era Europe’s technology remained the same, with little change. Rome’s influences came but in small degrees and not times for his men and success. It would bring out the highly

energetic, restless, younger portion of the population from the tribe. The enemies knew well that if this paramount leader was slain in the course of a military campaign, the horde would crumble quickly.

Dissention and whatever feelings of unrest that were in the army, and there always were, would be fired up by the death of the leader. Ambitious and ruthless warriors of lesser rank would swiftly try to assume control. Chaos would erupt in the army unless another leader of equal power and charisma took control before too long. Every army or warband had its share of politics and competition, and this is one of the weaknesses of them. If this  was exploited by the foe, victory would come.

The order of combat typically seen by a Viking army or warband, as understood best from the sources, is thus:

1 Battle lines are placed in order as warriors assemble on both sides. Inspiring speeches by leaders are given and meant to cause a Heil, or ‘spirit’, to rise in the participants.

2 The throwing of Oðin’s Spear. One, or both, of the army’s leaders (or chosen warriors) will hurl a spear over the heads of the foe to signify that the Allfather has chosen them to be slain on this day.

3 Closing in of both sides. Shieldwalls are formed and miss- ile weapons are fired, hurled and flung at the opposing side. Battle cries will be beginning and the Berserkers will make themselves become frenzied before the forces meet.

4 Both sides clash shield to shield and begin the melee ex- change. This is fast and with the intent of breaking each other’s lines as soon as possible. The Berserkers will lunge into the shieldwall frenzied. Both sides will continually pound each other until something gives, either a banner is taken or a leader slain.

5 One side’s defense breaks eventually. Once this event does occur, a chase and slaughter will follow of the retreating force. Depending on the whim of the leaders, this can be merciless or simply a way to end the conflict. Warriors will fight individual combats without having to deal with larger numbers anymore.

The Castle Keeper can establish some quick and deadly rules for missile fire during these larger confrontations that can make these battles more realistic. Perhaps every round that the two forces are closing in one another but have not directly met in melee combat, there is a chance for arrows, javelins, spears and axes to hit them. This basic chance could be a 2 in 6, 8 or 10 each round.

in siege machines or other grand designs but, instead, in the arts of war concerning strategic matters, if fleeting and uncommon. Listed are the weaponry and armor that the peoples of Germania would have used (as found in the Player’s Handbook) below:

ARMOR: Padded Armor, Leather Coat, Leather Armor, Ring Mail, Hide, Studded Leather, Leather Laminar, Mail Shirt, Scale Mail, Cuir Bouille, Bronze Chestplate, Brigan- dine, Mail Hauberk, Greek Ensembles 1 & 2, Banded Mail, Splint Mail, Full Mail Suit, Roman Ensembles optional (if the Castle Keeper wishes to include the Roman aspect). SHIELDS: Buckler, Small Steel Shield, Small Wooden Shield, Steel Medium Shield, Wooden Medium Shield, Large Steel Shield, Large Wooden Shield.

WEAPONS: Battle Axe, Bearded Axe, Hand/Throw- ing Axe, Piercing Axe, Two Handed Axe, Cestus, Cleav- er, Club, Dagger, Fist, Spiked Gauntlet, Hatchet, Knife, Lances, Sap, Sickle, All Spears, Staff, Broad Sword, Long Sword, Short Sword, Two-Handed Sword.

MISSILE & RANGED: Arrows (all), Bolas, Bolts, Long Bow, Long Composite Bow, Short Bow, Short Com- posite Bow, Light & Hand Crossbows, Dart, Javelin, Rock, Sling, Whip.

TRANSPORT & TACK: Chain Barding, Full Plate Barding (if Roman), Leather Barding, Padded Barding, Studded Barding, Bit & Bridle, Long Boat, Row Boat, Skiff Boat, Small Boat, Coracle (canoe), Cart, Coach, Mule, Heavy Horse, Light Horse, Ox, Pony, Raft, Wagon, Heavy Warhorse, Light Warhorse, Warpony, War Chariot. During the many wars against Rome, Germanic tribes would often adapt Roman weaponry, such as the javelin, but likely followed the taboo of never choosing to use a dead man’s possessions because there was a reason why he failed. By the end of the ‘Viking’ era, European military and fortification technologies evolved due to the Crusades, and the Medieval period was established. This change brought an end to the earlier post-Roman methods of warfare and combat, and those who remained in such a system were quickly overwhelmed in time.

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Predatory warbands thrived on the lawless opportunities that raiding others could provide, but this was not the marauding behavior that the popular imagination claims it is.

The term Víkingr means someone that is going on an expedi- tion distantly down the river, near or far, for trade, explora- tion and, ultimately (by the 8th _{century on), raiding as well.} This tradition is not something exclusive to the Nordic peo- ples of Scandinavia but documented amongst all Germanic

peoples in the Late Roman Empire and Migration Period. Thus, the Migration Period could not have happened without these adventuring warriors.

The Saxons called this Wicing, but the basics are the same. The Germanic peoples going on these expeditions did not consider themselves ‘Vikings,’ and their cultures were not Viking peoples. The adoption of the word by the victims of their later predations and invasions simplified their nationalities by calling them Vikings.

These groups went (most often) from trading to raiding over time, tempted by the wealth and lands of other peoples. Sax- on, Vandal, Gothic and Nordic raiders used their longships, 

Knár (Norse) or Keel (Saxon) to travel up and down water-

ways, across the Channel or North Sea. Their attacks were sudden and unexpected, leaving people slain, structures burning and loot plundered.

To go ‘a-Viking’ meant adventuring afar by the 9th _{century on.} Ambitious lords and leaders would prepare their warriors for extended journeys beyond their homelands with the expecta- tion of acquiring untold wealth and opportunities. They would leave for months to years at a time, and if they were lucky, they would return with a shipload of newly taken wealth, women and stories to tell.

Academically, the term ‘Viking’ has been under heated debate and scrutiny in some circles of academia. Its etymology and us- age is not completely understood. There is clear evidence that the equivalent term was used by other Germanic peoples – pri- marily among the West Germanic tribes. The Frisians, Western Goths, Franks, Angles, Jutes and others were sea- bound raiders and explorers.

In popular usage from the 10th _{century on, the Vikings were} seen as violent, pagan warriors in dragon-prowed longships that came for plunder and destruction. The Nordic Knár was a merchant ship able to hold a large cargo (24 tons) and was not built for war or too swift on the waves. These ships formed the majority of the initial explorers and remained long after the violent upheavals of raiding and invasions were over.

These merchant vessels could travel across the Atlantic to Ice- land, Greenland and the North American continent. The Nordic peoples had other ships that served other, similar functions, all smaller in size. The longship, Drekar, is the culmination of Germanic ship design. Well-built,  it  was able to serve several functions at once for raiding, mercantile and passengers. Drekar are richly decorated ships, large in size and always possessed elaborately made dragon and serpent-like prows.

Smaller in size is the Snekkjar that are built for war. These longships are able to hold forty benches of rowers at one time. They can traverse the deep fjords and do not need ports to land at a coast or shore. The raiders will come ashore fast, leap out

and charge toward the targeted land and its peoples (for more on the ships in Scandinavia, see Chapter 7).

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This legendary mercenary band of pagan warriors served only those that paid well for their services and based their headquarters at Jomsborg in an unknown location on the Baltic Sea. They chose to remain strongly loyal to their native gods, following Oðin and Thor, and rarely used their deadly skills to aid Christain rulers. Harald Bluetooth was reputed to be the founder of this elite fighting order during the 10th _century. Recruitment into the fighting order was very limited and re- quired the candidate to be between the ages of 18 and 50 and have proven their talents for combat to catch their attention. Once offered, the candidate had to go through further tasks to earn a permanent place in the Jomsvikings. This could vary between personal duels to raids elsewhere.

Like with most fighting orders, the Jomsvikings had strick rules and enforced them rigidly. If broken, depending on which rule it was, punishment could result in a duel to first blood, or even death, or, at the worst, expulsion from the order.

Jomsvikings remained inside the walls of Jomsborg when not in battle serving an employer. In the field, they had many strict rules that were sacred and could not be broken. Several of these rules were:

• Never show fear of the enemy.

• Never speak badly or negatively of a fellow warrior in the order.

• Avenge the slaying of another brother in the order. • Never stay away from Jomsborg for more than three days

at a time – unless the order says it is fine.

• Whatever spoils of battle and payment the order receives is divided equally among the entire order.

• Never take women captive or allow them inside the walls of Jomsborg.

• Kinship is not a consideration upon acceptance into the or- der.

• The leader has the final say on matters of kinslaying and other disputes outside the brotherhood, if it happens. Many Nordic rulers from all over Scandinavia and Viking settled Europe employed their services against foes and for purposes of political leverage (if they could pay the high fees). Unlike their founder, who converted to Christianity, they remained strongly pagan and loyal to the native gods, never willing to change their

ways. This issue with regards to religion sometimes got in the way of who employed them or who they chose to be employed by, but in war-torn Europe, there was never a lack of their bloody services.

The exact size of the Jomsvikings is not known and a well kept secret among the officers and chiefs. At the most, their fleet has been recorded being as large as 300 ships and their numbers possibly nearing 20,000 or more. Just as secret is kept the hier- archy of the order and the chain of command, but it is known that the warbands were structured similarly to the basic Drótt with a captain and officers that preside over them in authority. Who the officers answer to is not known, not by name or title. Jomsborg’s land was given by the Wendish King Burislav and the structure built and founded by the great chief Pálnatóki, son of Harald Bluetooth. The only leader’s name of the Jomsvikings ever documented was (Stryr)björn Olafsson who, unfortunately, led the army to the beginnings of its final defeat against the Swedish King Eric the Victorious. The Jomsvikings’ defeat was devastating during this battle  – the Battle of Fýrisvellir in the 980s.

This battle was just one of several to follow that would bring the order into its decline in the late 10th _{century and onto the} 11th_{. In 986, they met another defeat against the forces of Haa-} kon of Norway that hastened their end, but this was matched by their crucial hand in the the later Battle of Svolder around the year of 1000. It was a conflict between Danish and Norwegian forces in an attempt by King Sweyn Forkbeard of Denmark to gain control over the country. Religion was also at stake in this conflict as the two forces were mixed between Christian and pagan. The Jomsvikings aided the Danes during a crucial moment when they abandoned their employer, the Norwegian King Olaf, to surprise and destroy his own fleet under the lead- ership of the Danish Jarl Sigvald.

Jomsvikings were afield in England, participating in many bat- tles and political events between the Anglo-Saxons and the Vi- kings, even during their declining years, and were still a considerable threat. Their end came by the hand of King Magnus of Norway in 1043 who attacked them at Jomsborg and razed to the ground the stronghold, killing all of the members he could find and then executing the survivors later. Magnus looted their acquired wealth and assumed that the Jomsvikings were finished, never to be involved in Scandinavian affairs again in any form.

It isn’t impossible that many of the order survived beyond King Magnus’ assault elsewhere in Europe and relocated to another stronghold to regroup. The CK can decide to run the Jomsvikings during their peak in the middle to late 10th century or as another incarnation in the 11th _{for possibilities.}