Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="PHDungeon" data-source="post: 5024251" data-attributes="member: 86320">The Skalds tell the following Story about Bryne Keep.It is well known that the skanzi are a warlike people and that they are sometimes prone to bloodlust and battle fervor. It is said that Gunder Swenson, who became the founder of what is now known as the Gunderson clan was a particularly violent man, and the night he led the attack on Bryne keep was a night of bloodshed and slaughter.It was yule in the year 623, and it had been one year since Jarl Gunder and his clan had defeated the Brynes and established themselves in Bryne Keep. They were feasting and drinking, as wealthy skanzi lords are wont to do on cold winter nights, particularly at yule, when it all began.Gunder Swenson’s third son, Olaf had retired upstairs to his chambers early for the night to be with his young new wife Bridda. The rest of the clan remained in the hall, content in their revelry. They were suddenly startled by a wailing shriek from one of the chambers above. Bridda came rushing down the stairs, naked and pale. So terrified was she that all she could muster was, “Olaf is dead.”As soon as she spoke these words, the fire and all the candles in the hall went out. All was dark, darker than the deepest night. The room grew cold. A single pair of heavy boot steps could be heard coming down the stairs. They were slow and purposefully, and with every step they got closer and closer. All stood still, for they were all blind in the darkness. They waited and they prayed.WhooshA cold blue fire erupted in the hearth, bathing the room in its chilling light. Standing at the entrance to the hall was the ghost of Lord Bryne. In one had he carried a blood soaked sword, and in the other he carried the head of Olaf Gunderson. He tossed the head into the air, and it rolled across the dining room table. The revelers were so terrified that they could not even scream.Little is known about exactly what happened next. It is said that furniture, dishware and food all began to whirl through the air battering the fear struck revelers. And Lord Bryne was in their midst, slashing with his blade, carving down man, woman and child; until only one remained.Had all of Jarl Gunder’s clan been present that night, Lord Bryne, would likely have had his revenge, and perhaps then his spirit would have rested peacefully. But the norns had decided otherwise.Gunder’s eldest and second eldest sons had been absent from the feast, for they were serving as warriors to King Bori Sturgleson in Grimsburg. And so it was that Lord Bryne’s vengeance against Jarl Gunder’s family was thwarted. Yet, there was one survivor, the one who is the source of so much of this tale. That survivor was Olaf’s wife Bridda. No one is certain exactly why she was allowed to leave when all others were killed, and this is not something she ever spoke of. What is known is that she eventually made her way to Grimsburg, and there she became the lover of Gunder’s eldest son- Steapa. The tale concludes later that same winter when Steapa awoke in the night to find Bridda hovering over him with a knife, ready to slit his throat. Tears were streaming down her face, and she hesitated. Steapa threw her off him, and for the second time that winter she ran off naked into the night- this time never to be seen again. Or so it would seem…  It is said that from time to time, on cold winter nights, on the streets near what is now Strugleson Castle, a tearful naked maiden has been seen running through the darkness only to vanish without a trace.</blockquote>

Verification