Viking raid on Lindisfarne
A Viking raid on Lindisfarne Priory is in full swing, with longships beached and the monastery under attack. Monks are fleeing or being captured, buildings are burning, and the Vikings are reveling in
Setting
Lindisfarne Priory, Holy Island, Northumberland, England. The scene is set on the rocky coastline near the monastery, with Viking longships beached on the shore. The priory's stone buildings are visible in the background, smoke rising from some as they burn. The tide is low, exposing wet sand and seaweed-strewn rocks.
Characters
Viking Chieftain
primary
A towering figure with a muscular build, standing well over six feet tall. His long, braided beard is streaked with grey, and his face bears the scars of countless battles. Piercing blue eyes glare from beneath a furrowed brow. His arms are adorned with intricate Norse tattoos, and he wears a silver arm-ring denoting his status.
Monk Prior
primary
An elderly monk with a weathered face, deep-set eyes, and a thin frame. His hands are gnarled from years of labor and prayer, and his posture is slightly stooped. His white hair is tonsured, and his beard is neatly trimmed.
Young Monk
secondary
A slender novice monk in his late teens with close-cropped brown hair and wide, frightened eyes. His smooth face shows no beard, and his hands tremble as he clutches sacred texts to his chest. His fair skin is flushed with panic, and his thin frame suggests monastic asceticism.
Viking Warrior
secondary
A battle-hardened Norse raider in his late 30s, with a muscular build and weathered skin. His face bears several old scars, including a prominent one running from his left eyebrow to cheek. His unkempt, reddish-brown beard is matted with sea salt and soot. Pale blue eyes glint with predatory focus. Missing two fingers on his right hand from past battles.
Monk Scribe
background
A middle-aged monk with a slight frame, his face pale from pain and loss of blood. His tonsured head is streaked with sweat and soot, and his hands are stained dark with ink from interrupted work. A deep gash on his left leg leaves a trail of blood as he moves.
Dialog
Viking Chieftain
Your Christ cannot save you now, priest! By Odin's eye, these lands are ours!
Monk Prior
Take what you will from our stores, but spare those who cannot fight. Even your gods teach mercy.
Young Monk
Sancte Michael, defende nos in praelio! The manuscripts—we must save them!
Viking Chieftain
Mercy? *laughs darkly* I'll show you mercy when your silver fills our ships! Thor's hammer strikes where it wills!
Young Monk
Prior! They're coming from the west gate—*gasps*—we're surrounded!
Monk Prior
Run, child! The tide will cut off their ships soon. Save what you carry, and pray for our souls.
Viking Chieftain
After him! That vellum is worth thrice its weight in silver!