Expeditioning once more on Sequarl’s western marches, the party encounter two trolls. They slay one and track the other to its den where it took dies. The party then return to Sequarl Castle to examine the considerable quatities of loot.
Back at Sequarl Aradan suddenly decides to quaff a potion from the loot. Perhaps he was making a point about Grettir drinking the liquid oozing from the Black Rock. Unfortunately for Aradan the potion’s virtue was to turn its drinker berserk. The Elf immediately draws his two deadly blades, Foe-Biter and Lightning Flash of Blood and starts laying about him. Most of those present keep their cool and strike to subdue Aradan. However, one of Grettir’s huscarles called Hogarth the Red, is a berserk and wades in with his axe. Eventually Aradan is overcome but Hogarth lies dead at his hands.
When Aradan comes to his senses, Grettir demands a weregild for the slaying of his man. It is not a small weregild but most agree that the death was a direct result of Aradan’s actions and most of the party were wroth at him drinking the potion in the first place. Aradan was in Grettir’s stronghold, surrounded by Sequarl men many of whom were angry at the death of Hogarth, a popular comrade. Instead of paying Aradan challenges Grettir to a holmgang to decide the matter. Aradan gives Grettir the option of a fight with blunted weapons or to the death. Grettir opts for the blunted weapons. There were many times in the ensuing years that Grettir regretted this decision. However, he was not quite ruthless enough to wish the death of his friend and rival. Moreover, there was always the possibility he might lose. Though Grettir was accounted the better all-round warrior, the Elf was notoriously deadly with swords – particularly those swords. Thus agreed two antagonists retired to prepare themselves.
Aradan came to the holmgang wearing his mithril mail shirt and carrying his swords, their blades bated and wrapped in leather. Grettir surprised everyone by eschewing his magic mail, wearing instead the Imperial field plate from the Sequarl Dungeon. Instead of Troll-biter, he carried a dark metal morning-star from the same source as the plate along with a great iron shield. In the end it was a mismatch. Aradan simply could not get past Grettir’s shield with enough force to dent his armour. Meanwhile the Elf had few defensive options to counter blows from the morning-star that were interspersed with shield bashes from a much bigger opponent.
As Aradan hit the deck his retainer Uisge rushed forward apparently preparing to give his master the coup de grace. Grettir brushed him aside. On being asked what he was doing Uisge said that he was obeying orders. For his master said he could not live with the shame of defeat. This was confirmed by his master when he recovered consciousness. Grettir was puzzled but took this at face value. There were others who were less convinced, taking the view that Aradan was known for his cunning and not considered to have a chivalrous bone in his body. Aradan paid the weregild.
Ref: A24
OE Date: March 677
Characters: Aradan, Sho Rembo, Gadan, Silden, Grettir, Salrod, Meldor, Quonrill, Eric Psychoson. NPCs: Eargh, Huron the Steady, Hogarth the Red, Uisge
Real World: When – 2nd Term 1981 ; Where – St Andrews (Hepburn Hall)