Shortly after waking, you come up from the hold of the Delphin, glad to be out of the cramped, stench-filled lower deck of the cog, crammed as it is with passengers, livestock and cargo. Up on deck, the weather is fair, with just a gentle breeze filling the sail as the ship continues on its journey towards Riga. The sun is just starting to break through the clouds as you see that Gotland is just a speck on the western horizon now.

You head up to the forecastle in the hope that the fresh air will waken you up a little. You are not alone though as a small group of passengers are also there. You have seen the others before – after all, it’s impossible to lose anyone in the confines of the small ship, but you have only exchanged polite nods with the others so far.

As the silence starts to become uncomfortable, one of the group speaks:

“Guten Morgen, allerseits,” the grizzled man says to you. " Klaus von Stuhr. Pleased to make your acquaintances."

He pauses for a moment as he looks eastwards, in the direction of Livonia.

“So we’re all heading to Riga,” Klaus continues. “I wasn’t sure who was getting off at Visby and who was continuing onwards to journey’s end.”

“I don’t recognize any of you from last year’s campaign. Is this the first time for all of you? So what takes you all to Riga? Are you all answering the Good Bishop’s call to bring God into the dark world of the pagans, or for some other reason?”

“Well, Remus,” Franco says, “I’m glad you don’t get seasick. You’ve never been on the water before, so I wasn’t sure…”

“Which one of you is Rasmus?” Klaus asks, looking around the small group on the forecastle.

“Are the rumors true?”, Eskil asks a trifle uncertainly. “Did the pagans really roast and eat a Christian priest?”

Klaus nods his head slowly and crosses himself.

“That’s what Arnwald said he’d seen,” Klaus replies, “Although I did not see it with mine own eyes.”

“But it’s certainly true that Albrecht’s predecessor, Berthold of Hanover, was cruelly pierced by a lance by a heathen with the name of Ymants. And if the heathens delight in the murder of an Archbishop of Livonia, there’s no telling what they are capable of doing to a lesser man of the cloth … or any of us.”

“I fought these pagans before. A bit further up north, but they weren’t so bad,” Toke says while looking towards their destination.

Eskil pales and swallows nervously. “Well, anyone who tries that around me will have to answer to Raven’s Beak!”

Thietmar strokes his beard. “Well, we should certainly watch our backs around the heathens. They’re a sneaky lot. It will be a hard fight, but I’m confident they will see the light eventually. And by my experience, once they do, they will be loyal subjects to the bishop.”

Eskil nods and then looks worried again. “Do you think they’ll have armor of my size?”

Klaus looks the giant up and down and grins. “I don’t think there’s an armorer in Christendom who’ll have armor in stock big enough to fit a Gigant like you! Theobald the armorer in Riga knows his craft though – he’ll be able to fix you up. It’s not going to be cheap, mind. He’s going need an awful lot of steel for the job!”

{Franco pats Remus on the head and sizes up his fellow passengers. The huge fellow with the axe looked like someone who could pull up an oak tree with his hands.}

“I wish to register an objection, beforehand as it were. No one should have to be in line for dinner behind the giant here, or there’ll be nothing left and the unlucky bastard will starve. In fact, just to be safe, he should eat after the animals to protect their fodder, as well…”

“Aha, Remus ist der Hund!” Klaus says as he realizes who Franco was referring to. He gives the dog a gentle tickle behind his ear.

“He will enjoy running through the forests of Livonia,” Klaus says. “It is a good place for animals – maybe better for them than it is for us two-legged creatures.”

He smiles as he looks up at the impressive form of Eskil once more. “It is good that we will be in Riga in less than two days now. Much longer and your Hund might have to be the Gigant’s breakfast!”

Komtar leans over the rails and throws his stomach up again “I’ll go after Eskil. It might save me some time at the rails. I wish I had your good fortune Remus”

Thietmar laughs at Komtar: “At least we can be sure you’ll be defending every last bit of Livonian soil, rather than take to sea again.” Turning to Klaus, he inquires: “I heard Livonia was a rough land. And hearing you speak that was not all rumors. How does one fight in such wilderness?”

“With God on your side!” Eskil interjects. “How else does a Christian fight?”

“Well spoken, Goliath.” Thietmar chuckles. “Consider me chastised. Still, at the risk of you taking me for a man of small faith, I like to know the lay of the land.”

“Oh, right.” Eskil looks a little embarassed.

“Give Remus and I a week and we’ll know every rabbit hole and fox burrow in the country. After that it’s a simple matter to find the heathen bastards who hunt them for food…Isn’t that right, boy?” says Franco. Remus wags his tail.

“All this talk of rabbit holes and trees and burrows worries me” says Tarben, as he moves closer to the main group.

“Is countryside in Livonia not suited to cavalry then? I’d rather fight with a horse under me.”

Klaus nods, “It is true that Livonia is not the easiest terrain for mounted knights. Much of the land is covered by virgin forests which the pagans know very well. It’s easy for them to shoot with their bows and then disappear back into the forests.”

“Much of the land are not covered by forests are covered with marshland where horses just sink into the mud.”

He shakes his head wearily. “So it is not the easiest land for bringing the full power of our knights to bear. Riga is well protected and there are also a few castles now which are impenetrable by the heathens. Outside them though, you always need to be on your guard. Some of the tribes are friendly to us as they fear the other tribes more than they fear us. But they can often change their minds. Just because they were your friends who said that they had welcomed God into their hearts yesterday doesn’t mean that they will not go back to being murderous heathens again tomorrow.”

“No one ever said that this conquest was going to be easy. But we have God on our side so our victory is guaranteed. And if some of us may fall doing God’s work, then we will be welcoming into Heaven with all our past sins forgiven – such is God’s rewards for those who have crusaded in His Name.”

After a short pause, Eskil says “A dangerous country. Yet you bring your wife and daughters here?”

“Well”, Thietmar says, “as the Bible says: verumtamen neque vir sine muliere neque mulier sine viro in Domino. A wife must share her husbands hardship and peril, I think.” Then, realizing how patronizing he sounds, he looks at the deck. “Ahem, not that I have any first-hand experience of that.”

“Very true, Thietmar,” Klaus agrees with a nod. “I am sure that Our Father will be watching over them very carefully and, in any case, the will be staying in Riga where it is safe and well-fortified. Even if I have to spend time posted to one of the smaller, more isolated outposts, I will still see more of them than I have for the past couple of years. It was hard to be away from them for six or seven months at a time. I got the feeling that I was missing out on watching them grow up. They won’t be children much longer.”

“Enough talk of God and children. There is work ahead for neither, only work that men can do. It is well your children are growing up, we’ll need their help to carve out our new kingdom from this heathen wilderness in the coming years. But, if we wish to succeed this week or next, we’d better get at that food while we can.” Francesco looks at Eskil and takes three quick steps towards the herring barrels “Race you, gigant!”

Remus, catching the excited tone of his master’s voice, barks at Eskil and stands in front of him for a second, wagging his tail, then turns and races after Franco.

“Hey, that’s cheating!” Eskil laughs and runs after Franco.

The group goes below decks to find that the women on board have prepared bowls of porridge for everyone. As they start to devour the hot oats, they notice that a priest, aged in his late twenties, is looking on disapprovingly.

The priest calls over to you. “Beware the sin of Gluttony,” he warns you. “It is not His Lord’s Will that you should break your fast so early unless you are performing His Good Work with your hands.”

Another man who is with you who you know from sight to be the Captain of the ship, Dieter Landwirt , whispers to them conspiratorially, “Don’t you worry about him. These new priests are always the ones that like to preach the most, as if they have something to prove.”

“How are you enjoying the trip, anyway? Have you been at sea much before?”

Eskil looks up from his bowl. "No, but I come from a family of sailors. My grandfather went with Eric the Holy to Finland fifty years ago. He was as old as I am now, but no one faulted his courage or his piety.

At the mention of Eskil’s heritage, Franco frowns. “I’ve never had much use for the open water. I grew up hunting the forests of Lombardy for boar and rabbit.” the Hunter smiles,“I daresay the hund has had a similar experience of life.”

Thietmar munches his breakfast, quite unfazed by the preaching. “I never went to sea before, but I have often traveled by boat up and down the Elbe. It’s not that different, except you don’t see the land.”

Toke, mouth full of food, hurries in a comment: “The waves can be very harsh on open sea compared to them small rivers.”

“That may well be, but so far the ocean has been rather peaceful on this journey, and it’s not far to Riga now, so I shall hope we will be spared any unpleasantness. From what Klaus said so far I gather that there will be sufficient unpleasantness ashore, so let’s thank the Lord for small mercies.” Thietmar sets down his empty bowl and looks over at Francesco. “But say, Sir, if it is not too bold a question to ask: what brings you up here, to fight alongside us Saxons and Northmen? The good cause, I presume, but there are heathens closer to home, in the Holy Land, are there not?”

Franco looks up from his food and pauses. “It is too bold.”

Thietmar bows slightly. “Well, forgive me then. My curiosity got the better of me.”