After a long hiatus due to plague and other events in the modern world, the DAS chronicle resumed in 883 CE (2023 in modern parlance). The events described below took place at Horley, near the border of Wessex and Mercia.
Early in 883, rumours reached the courts of Alfred and Ceolwulf that a band of unknown Danes had been seen in woods near Horley, close to the border between Wessex and Mercia.
Alfred knew that Ceolwulf was losing the support of his own people and was increasingly reliant on Viking mercenaries to maintain his power. Alfred was concerned that this incursion may be a sign that Ceolwulf was finally losing control and that the increasingly uneasy peace between the two kingdoms was about to end. Ceolwulf couldn’t afford to offend his more powerful neighbour and was desperate to prove that he was not to blame.
An exchange of messages resulted in the two kings agreeing to send armed men to investigate, remove any Danes from the woods and, if necessary, bring them back to face justice.
In May of 883, a party of Alfred’s Saxon warriors arrived at Horley to meet with a group of Ceolwulf’s Viking mercenaries.
They were met by a nun from a local monastery, who had a long and rambling tale to tell: the land is cursed, crops have failed, milk is sour, horrific things have been found in eggs, a shepherd, guarding his sheep overnight saw a mounted party of Danes travel down the lane to the wood and then return later. He thought they may have been carrying less than they had before, but it was dark and he wasn’t really certain.
She doesn’t know what the Danes were up to. People have speculated that they might have been visiting the irascible Hermit who lives there, but why would they do that? Some people even think that they were hiding treasure, but that’s clearly silly!
It’s all very worrying and now she thinks about it, the troubles all began shortly after the Danes were seen.
The nuns provide the hermit with the small amount of food that he needs to survive and they have seen him and know that he is alive and well and still as tetchy as ever.
The two warbands set off into the woods, hunting for Danes – or possibly for treasure? Matters were confused by the finding of golden and silver hares, perhaps representing the two kingdoms? But eventually three hoards of treasure were indeed found, buried under cairns topped by strange carved stones.

The hermit appeared as the treasures were being counted (he had been visiting the local priest to ask for a message to be sent to the bishop) and noticed the treasure and the “foul pagan stones”. He berated both sides asking them why they are there and what have they done. He was very unhappy when he realised that some of the party were Norse flotmen and deeply unimpressed when they said they represent Ceolwulf, or “Churl-wolf, that usurper”, as he refers to him.

While he was talking, a terrible curse awoke! One after the other, the finders of the hoards were possessed by the spirit of a Danish king and attacked their own comrades. This spirit had been bound by the buried treasures and marked stones but was now free. Eventually the possessed warriors were cured by means of surrounding them by the marked stones.

One of the Vikings, Leif, told this tale of their search:

“There was a little scuffle about who was in charge of the unit going into the woods to find reports of Treasure from a band of Danes and a Hermit, which ended in two different parties entering under tense terms.

As us brave Vikings were walking into the woods there was an argument between Ejolfr and Oswyn which ensued a small 1 on 1 combat leading to Oswyn getting slightly wounded in the leg.

Throughout the woods we found many cairns but a lot of them led to nothing. It was at this time the Saxon group caught up and some skirmishes were fought but us Vikings were usually out numbered.

In one of these skirmishes we managed to defeat the saxons and capture Oswyn but not before they managed to hand over the treasure to Edwin who made a run for it which ensued a chase.

Once captured we Traded our hostage for the treasure and I vaguely remember at some point finding a golden bunny.

We then made our way to a spiritual/ritual site and at some point found Brenda the silver bunny.

Once lunch was over we found the Hermit who told us there was a great darkness in those woods that we uncontained by taken some treasure. At this point someone wandered off into the woods.

Once found him he turned out to be possessed but we managed to unposses him with 3 rune stones but the darkness jumped to Eyjolfr who became a howling beast of some kind it seems.

Eyjolfr then fell flat on his ass and the possession transferred once again.”

In preparation for the evening’s banquet, a duel was held to determine who would be lord of the hall. Aethelwine the Saxon triumphed over Eyjolfr the Viking, but spared his life and the company sat down in temporary peace in the hall.

But the banquet was disturbed by further strange occurances; the finders of the treasures were filled with a strange urge to act in the manner of the animals carved on the stones they had disturbed. One meowed like a cat – another cawed as a raven – and a third howled like a wolf. Unknown to them, the stones had been dedicated to the old Norse gods Freyja, Odin and Tyr, and the gods were angry at their treasures being stolen. Only when Christian prayers were uttered and the blessing of St Rumwold sought, did the guests return to their rightful minds.