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THE TALE OF OSMUND Art depicting Osmund hearing admonitions from his people. DIE GESCHICHTE VON OSMUND | THE TALE OF OSMUND Raised by Owinrich Eadlacsson, Chieftain of the Eadlkin In the Age of Frost Transcribed by Aelfwin von Kretzen In the year of our Lord 1973 Medieval II Total War Music "The Widow" ÖHNE UND TÖCHTER VON REINMAR, HARK THESE TALES INSCRIBED ON STONE, KINSMEN. I have transcribed the Runespire of Osmund, one of the earliest known chieftains to undergo baptism and convert to the One True Faith. Formerly a mighty, prideful, and boastful chieftain, he found the Lord after committing a great sin and was granted salvation following a most divine punishment. THE TALE OF THE MARTYR Art depicting Leofred ‘The Martyr’. Long ago, when my son was but a babe and my people still praised the spirits of the forests, rivers, and sky, my hirdman and brother, Leofred, approached me after a great battle amid my feast. "Brother, brother!" he exclaimed as he entered my hall. "What? Come forth and partake of your bread!" I called back, eager to receive him. "The herder Alfgar recounted a most wondrous tale! He spoke of an ancient king, Goswin, if memory serves? How steadfast he remained in his faith even amidst defeat by his foe, Harwin." He shared the tale with me as he accepted my bread and seated himself beside me at my lengthy table. "Bah! Alfgar must be weaving foreign fables and myths. Why does this Goswin captivate you, brother? He was forsaken by his gods and met defeat," I inquired, scoffing at the account of what I would later come to know as the tale of the illustrious Godwin of Aaun. "Was it not honorable to remain loyal to his gods even in the face of defeat?" Replied Leofred with a curious expression. "I suppose..." I responded with a thoughtful hum before shifting the conversation to the spoils we had garnered from our triumph. It wasn't until a fortnight had passed that Leofred broached the topic of his tales once more. This time, during one of our hunts, he spoke to me of Horen. "Brother, have you ever heard of the chief of chiefs Hörn? A man of such magnitude that he held authority over all others? A trader came to our mead hall and spoke of him, mentioning how Hörn was bestowed power by a singular god. Have you encountered a god so mighty as to elevate a man to such heights?" I grunted in response, my focus consumed by the hunt, and in my ignorance, I harbored disdain for such tales. "If there truly exists a deity of such magnitude, why bother with any others?" I retorted mockingly. Leofred remained silent regarding this god until the arrival of summer and the resurgence of our campaign against the Joreksson clan. Following a skirmish with our enemy's warband, I was informed that my hirdmen had vanquished the most foes and seized the greatest number of steeds. "I beseeched the god of Hörn and Goswin ere the battle, and he granted me strength!" Leofred exclaimed joyously when I inquired about his newfound prowess in combat. "Brother, we must invoke this god; he shall shield us! His might surpasses that of the spirits!" he urged earnestly. "No. You shall not lead me or our brethren astray from our allegiance to the spirits. Keep your tongue still concerning this foreign deity, Leofred," I retorted with disdain, my fear of the retribution of the false spirits and gods palpable, fueled by envy and ignorance. I cautioned my brother, and he held his tongue. ! He gazed at me with apprehension, though at the time I mistook it for fear of my anger, only to realize later that it stemmed from his concern for my well-being. As days turned into months, Leofred's valor on the battlefield became legendary within our clan. Yet, with each triumph, I witnessed his inner struggle, the torment of not being able to attribute his victories to his deity. And with each pang of his heart, mine grew colder. Though I was mistaken, I persisted in my condemnation. Then came the moment when he could no longer bear the weight of my persecution. Amidst an assembly, he boldly declared that his triumphs were bestowed by the god of Hörn and Goswin, denouncing the spirits of the forest, rivers, and skies as false. He lamented my misguided convictions with sorrow in his voice. In a fit of fury, I rose from my seat and demanded of him, "Leofred, my brother! Renounce your god and embrace the spirits once more!" His response was a defiant shake of his head, unwavering in his faith. "Then face your end, brother! Renounce your god or meet death!" I demanded in return. In response to my ultimatum, he drew his seax and, with a solemn prayer on his lips, drove it into his own heart. I made a martyr of my brother, and the rebukes of my tribesmen fell upon me like thunder. "Silence!" I commanded, quelling their voices, before dismissing the assembly. I withdrew to the depths of our sacred forest, beseeching the spirits for solace, yet my soul found no rest. THE TALE OF CONVERSION Art depicting Osmund receiving a sign from God. On the night of my brother's passing, a mighty tempest descended upon my lands, wreaking havoc until I was granted mercy. This marked the beginning of God's retribution for my grievous transgression. My plains were submerged beneath floodwaters, and the ancient trees of our sacred forests were uprooted, the very shrines they guarded laid to ruin by the relentless storm. The following day, my adversaries, the Jorekssons, whom my brother had once vanquished with divine aid, triumphed over my forces on the battlefield, seizing our steeds and laying waste to our livestock. In the ensuing days, calamities befell my people, yet I remained obstinate in my defiance of God's will. Even as my tribesmen reproached me in assembly, I blasphemed against the Almighty, demanding their silence. But when the final blow of divine punishment struck, and my son fell gravely ill, I felt the fear of God grip my soul. With a heavy heart, I rode forth to the banks of the once-hallowed river, where I knelt in supplication, pleading for God's forgiveness and protection. I vowed that if He would spare my people and my son from His wrath, I would dedicate my life to His service, surrendering myself to the priesthood. As my entreaty reached its crescendo, I rose to my feet, and with me, the sun emerged from behind the clouds, the storms abated, and the trials ceased. God had bestowed upon me redemption and a divine purpose. My son and my people were spared, and together, we embraced the glory of God. He bestowed upon us priests and wise sages of the One True Faith, and at the hallowed place of my redemption, the sacred river, I underwent baptism. I took the name Owinrich, in honor of the renowned son of Goswin and nephew of Harwin. WER RASTET, DER ROSTET AELFWIN VON KRETZEN HER LADYSHIP, FREDERICA, Baroness of Sigradz, Seneschal of the Heather Court HIS EXCELLENCY, NIKOLAUS, Prelate of Reinmar, Chaplain of the Heather Court

EINE ANFRANGE VON AELFWIN Art depicting an ancient Reinmaren holdfast Medieval II Total War Music "The Widow" Oh kinsmen of mine, I, Aelfwin von Kretzen, have translated the remains of an ancient runestone from the times of Gelimar, Theoderic, and many of our venerable ancestors. The stone is one for the declaration of land ownership. Many warriors in service to chieftains during the conflicts of old received land taken from the enemy for their deeds, the writer of this runestone I’ve translated being one of them. The rune read as follows: “ᛚᛖᛟᚾ ᚪᚾᛞ ᚪᛞᛖᛚᛗᚪᚱ, ᛋᛏᚪᚠᚪᛋᛏ ᚠᚱᛁᛋᚪᚾᛞᛋ, ᛖᛏᚌᚻᛖᛞ ᚪᛗᛒᚩᚢᚾᛞ ᚪᛘᛚᛋ ᚠᚱᛁᛋᚪᚾᛞ. ᚌᚻᛖᛞ ᚪᛗᛒᚩᚢᚠᚱᛁᛋᚪᚾᛞᛋᚻᛁᛈ, ᛏᛁᛘᛖᛚᛖ ᛋᛋ ᚪᚾᛞ ᚢᚾᛒᚱᛟᚳᛖᚾ. ᛋᛏᚪᚾᛞᛋ ᚪᛋ ᚪ ᛚᚪᛋᛏᛁᛜ ᛏᛖᛋᛏᚪᛗᛖᚾᛏ. ᛞ ᚪᛞᛖᛚᛗᚪᚱ, ᛋᛏᚪᚠᚪᛋᛏᛞ ᚪᛞᛖᛚᛗᚪᚱ. ᛋᛏᚪᚠᚪᛋᛏ.” “I, Holgrum, son of Hod, own the lands from the northern river to the holdfast of Chief Logran. The Hodssons and our ancestors will forever till and defend these lands. Men of this land shall answer to my clan. The forests are to contain shrines to the spirits, so declares High Chief Jorsk.” My brethren, now that we have our own lands and a Reinmar for the Reinmaren, we should construct runestones as we did in the past. I implore you, kinsmen, that once you take farmsteads outside of the walls of Kretzen, you keep the runes and our tradition dear and mark our territory as the chieftains of old did.