Viking raid on Lindisfarne
A group of Viking raiders lands on Holy Island, storming Lindisfarne Priory and shattering the peaceful monastic life with sudden violence. The monks, caught in prayer, scramble to defend their sacred
Setting
Lindisfarne Priory on Holy Island, Northumberland, England. The monastery is situated on a rocky outcrop overlooking the North Sea. The priory's stone buildings are surrounded by wooden outbuildings and a small settlement. The tide is low, revealing the causeway that connects the island to the mainland.
Characters
Prior Eadfrith
primary
An elderly man in his late 60s, with a gaunt frame and deeply lined face that speaks of years of ascetic devotion. His white hair is tonsured in the Roman style, and his pale blue eyes hold both wisdom and weariness. His hands, raised in a gesture of command, are veined and slightly trembling with age and the current crisis.
Brother Wulfstan
primary
A slender young man in his early twenties with close-cropped brown hair and pale skin flushed with exertion. His angular face is clean-shaven in monastic fashion, with wide-set blue eyes that dart nervously. His hands are ink-stained from manuscript work but show signs of recent manual labor.
Viking Raider
secondary
A tall, broad-shouldered Norse warrior in his late 30s with a thick, braided red beard and piercing blue eyes. His face bears several old battle scars, and his muscular arms are adorned with intricate Norse tattoos. His hair is long and unkempt, tied back with a leather cord.
Monastic Scribe
secondary
A middle-aged monk with a lean, scholarly build, sunken cheeks from years of fasting, and ink-stained fingers from endless copying of manuscripts. His thinning brown hair is tonsured in the Celtic monastic style, and his pale skin bears the pallor of one who spends most days indoors.
Viking Berserker
background
A hulking Norse warrior in his late 20s, with a muscular build and wild, unkempt blonde hair. His face is smeared with war paint, and his eyes are wide with battle frenzy. Scars crisscross his bare arms, and his teeth are bared in a snarl.
Dialog
Prior Eadfrith
Brethren, as the Psalmist foretold, the heathen rage and the people imagine vain things - yet fear not, for the Lord is our refuge.
Brother Wulfstan
Domine! The wave-wanderers come swift as gulls! Their dragon-prows breach the shallows!
Viking Raider
Silence, Christ-man! Your gold and silver for Odin's hall, or your blood for the ravens!
Prior Eadfrith
Take what earthly treasures you will, son of the north, but spare these holy places consecrated to the Prince of Peace.
Brother Wulfstan
The scriptorium! The illuminated gospels— Domine, they'll burn them all!
Viking Raider
Thor's hammer! More silver in your cross than in ten Norse farms! Hack it free!
Prior Eadfrith
Go now, Wulfstan - gather the infirm and the sacred relics. The tide will be God's messenger this day.