Brother Daniel

Voyages to distant lands!
When I turned 18, I set sail from the port of Brest on a trade
voyage to the fabled city of Constantinople!
We were only three days out of port when a storm drove us many
leagues off course and caused much damage to our trading cog. By the
time the storm abated the cog was low in the water with much
flooding. I can assure you that there was much prayers being said to
God with many promises to the Almighty if he would spare us. All day
we tossed cargo into the sea and bailed a river of buckets
overboard, but to no avail, the hull was rent below the water line
and we were surely doomed. Then when all seemed lost, the look-out
at the top of the mast shouted, "SAIL HO!" and knees hit the deck in
prayers of thanks. A square rigged sail hove into view, bobbing over
the still mountainous waves looking like a dark sea bird searching
for its' next meal. Alas, it was no mysterious sea bird. But, a
Viking longship, searching for prey! New prayers began on the
sinking cog, 'Deliver us from the Northmen O Lord' was heard in
several different tongues.
Several leapt into the sea rather than be taken by the dreaded foe!
The rest began to arm themselves, 'Take some of them with us",
became the battle-cry.
The raiders prow was a fiercely carved sea dragon, its' sail was
blood red with a black-winged daemon! The cogs captain cursed and
spat, "Drafn" he proclaimed. The raiders from The Isle of Iceland,
the stronghold of the last of the blood thirsty Vikings.
Drafn, I knew the stories of Drafn, my knight had told me of them,
he had said he was once a member of their mighty and feared warband,
in fact, he still was, by their law, once a member, always a member.
When the longship was close enough I hollard at them to parlay, but
was answered with a hail of arrows. In desperation I bellowed a war
cry I'd heard my Knight use on occasion, "Pona' Sah-pullya!!!"
The Vikings suddenly changed their demeanor, they lost their
vicious snarls, and one began to call out. Who is it that exclaims
the ancient War-cry of the mighty Drafn? as the cogs crew looked at
me in astonishment I answered the northman in his own tongue. I am
squire to Sir Nigal Grimsson, great warrior of the Drafn. We are his
men on a mission to Constantinople the city of marvels. There was a
moment of silence as both ships crews just stared at each other. The
longships captain broke the silence, I am Sir Trigvii Thorvalson, I
see that you are about to drown, You are friends of my friend, you
are welcome to safely passage with us, we too are going to the city
of gold, Constantinople. Will you join my crew?
The journey was long and crowded, but I made several good friends
amongst the northmen, Halfdan, Tanar, Scarpedon, Tungii and Greywolf
to name but a few. At several landings we had to fight to protect
our camp from hostile locals, the Drafn shield-wall was unbreakable!
By the time we reached The great city, the crew was nearly all
sworn Drafn. I was nearly Drafn due to my Knight, but after several
skirmishes with them I was given a cloak in a ceremony which made me
one of them for life, a Drafn shield-brother.
It was the desire of the northmen to seek employment with the
personal bodyguard of the Emperor who valued highly the sworn oath
of the mighty warriors of the northlands.
It wasn't long after we were moored in the Golden Horn that an
emissary from the Varangian Guard came swaggering up to our longship.
After much insults or possibly they were backhanded compliments as
were the custom of the Drafn we were challenged to a test of
strength and resolve before we could be considered as candidates to
the guard of the Emperor! It was a bridge fight, we had to hold back
an equal number of the guard from sunup to sundown. Wooden weapons
were substituted for our steel, but otherwise we were armored as
normal for battle. The Varangians fielded their biggest and best.
But we had just rowed half the way from the north sea and fought
several pitched battles along the way! The fight was vicious, if
steel had been used we surely would have all been killed outright or
died soon after from our wounds. Both sides charged several times,
then just the spear-men stepped forward and dueled with one another
for hours. Many men were knocked unconscious, bones were broken and
one lost an eye. But both sides still stood firm. It was late in the
day, and the Varangians were massing for a final assault on the
Drafn shieldwall. Lord Trigvee called for us to withdraw to the end
of the bridge and form a killing pocket when they charged. We
pummelled them so soundly from three sides that we drove them all
the way to the other side of the bridge and off the road. We had
won! Pona' Sha'pulya!! went up the victory cry. Their Duke Gregory,
(of York) stepped forward and proclaimed us Varangians, just as soon
as everyone converted to Christianity that is.

Second Adventure:
Family, Friends and the Companions.
After six years of campaigning in the vaunted Varangian Guards,
and reaching the rank of a Gold boarder,(Sargent of the line) I was
approached by Count Balin of Torr, the newly appointed Captain
General of the Army of the distant Kingdom Caid. He asked me to
assist him with the rebuilding of the Caidian Army, now a distant
ally of the (Byzantine) Roman Empire.
Upon accepting the position of Aide-de-camp to the Captain-General
of Caid I was tasked to create his personal bodyguard unit, the
Companions. This warband was patterned after Alexander the Greats
personal bodyguards.
It was also at this time that I married Katherine Sabine the
daughter of a merchant, and began the adventure of husband and
fatherhood. Together we had three children, first came my princess,
Paula the Fair. Then, Daniel the III, and finally James the innocent.
I am proud of each and love them all.

The Army of Caid was rebuilt, and to such a degree that no foe
could best it for five years of constant campaigns! The Companions
were equally respected. Many enemy units were destroyed by our
lances, maces, and swords.
The Companions, my family and the army all were too much for my
fair Katherine to cope with, she left us to live with a hermit in a
far off mountain retreat.
The Companions too, broke apart. I left the army and dedicated
myself to the church. It was a long 9 years before I returned to the
service of the Crowns of Caid.