Some time after rescuingSigurd, Eivor went to Gunnar's forge in Ravensthorpe and found a woman standing at his stall.
Rima:Hello. Need something forged?
Eivor:Good day. Is Gunnar about or... did he leave and not mention it?
Rima:My name is Rima, and Gunnar is a good friend of mine. Asked me to run his shop while he's away.
Eivor:It is good to meet you, and strange to see Gunnar away from his forge.
Rima:Well, as far as I know, he's got a very compelling—and beautiful—reason for his abscence. So here I am.
Eivor:Well, if Gunnar has faith in you, I do too.
Rima:Then I'd say you have fine taste. Have a look at what I've got.
Eivor perused Rima's wares and services before taking her leave.
Eivor:I'll see you later, friend.
Rima:Farewell, Eivor.
Later, Eivor returned to the Alliance map room and spoke to Randvi about pledging to Glowecestrescire.
Eivor:What transpires in Glowecestrescire?
Randvi:You may have noticed that Gunnar has disappeared from his forge. He has traveled to Glowecestrescire in search of a wife.
Eivor:A wife?
Randvi:He is in love.
Eivor:When did this happen?
Randvi:When doesn't this happen with our dear, lovelorn blacksmith? But there is a bright side. He has asked you to join him.
Eivor:Join his search for a wife?
Randvi:And see that he does not make a fool of himself. I believe he thinks that your presence would bolster his image.
Eivor pledged to Glowecestrescire.
Eivor:All right. I'll be Gunnar's keeper. If only to bring him back in one piece.
Randvi:Very generous of you. Make for the town of Glowecestre. You will find him there.
Eivor traveled to Glowecestre and arrived to find Gunnar. Looking at the western part of town, Eivor spotted Gunnar with his love, Brigid, besides a house.
Eivor:There you are, Gunnar. And with a smile like I haven't seen in some time.
Gunnar caught sight of an incoming Eivor.
Gunnar:Eivor, over here!
Eivor meeting Gunnar and Brigid
Eivor spoke with Gunnar.
Gunnar:Eivor! Thought I smelt you on the wind!
Eivor:Gunnar, with the speed you left home, I thought you've been carried off by Valkyries.
Gunnar:I have. This Valkyrie right here. Brigid, my heart's root, meet Eivor.
Eivor:It takes a rare woman to nail down our Gunnar.
Brigid: (unintelligible) (He's a good man. One who admires you greatly.)
Eivor blinked in confusion.
Eivor:Uh, good to meet you as well.
Eivor:How did you find a woman in these backwoods?
Gunnar:She came through the settlement selling runes. Outshone every stone in her satchel. She offered me a trade, a rune for the brooch I was making. I got the better deal, but she loves the ugly little thing.
Eivor:What do you do around here, Brigid? Except keep Gunnar out of mischief.
Brigid: (unintelligible) I specialize in runes, spells, and charms.
Eivor:And my Gunnar? What are you gonna do with him?
Eivor:So, is the wedding here? When you spoke of a wedding feast, Gunnar, I hoped it would be at home.
Gunnar:No, no, no, we're here for the festival and blessings. Brigid's hand must be given. You know me, Eivor, I'm forged in honor.
Eivor:Whose blessing? I see no pitchfork-shaking father or weeping mother.
Gunnar:Ha! Glowecestre's ealdorman, Cynon. He helped raise Brig since she was a pup.
Eivor:Have you a family, Brigid?
Brigid: (unintelligible) (My mother and father walk together in Annwn. Cynon helped raise me.}
Gunnar:Brig's Ma and Pa were the last high priestess and ealdorman. They've since passed on, but the current ealdorman looks out for her.
Eivor:I should like to meet this ealdorman of yours, if our kinfolk are to be joined.
Gunnar:A union forged in love! Come, we'll go find him. O, and don't blame me if he's heard a tale or two about you. What about it, Brig?
Brigid: (unintelligible) (No thanks, you two are bags of hot air around each other. Let Eivor get the earful.)
Eivor looked puzzled.
Gunnar:Right. No daylight to waste then, eh?
Eivor following Gunnar into the town
Brigid went inside her house as Eivor followed Gunnar.
Eivor:So, the ealdorman may have heard a tale or two about my exploits?
Gunnar:Not all from me! Your name will be on the lips of every skald for years to come.
Eivor:Hm. And the Mercians here are not unsettled by lurking vikingr?
Gunnar:They came from all over to celebrate Samhain. Most are too busy with the festivities to pay us mind.
Eivor:Samhain? Is that what these carved roots are for, this tradition?
Gunnar:Aye! Faces cut into lanterns to ward off evil spirits and guide children home.
Eivor:They have a haunted look about them. Let's bring a few back.
Gunnar and Eivor arrived at the center of the Samhain preparations to meet with the ealdorman Cynon.
Gunnar:There's the ealdorman. Cynon!
Cynon noticed Gunnar and went back to his constiuents.
Eivor:A good leader, seeing to his people's needs. Let us join hands when his task is done.
Gunnar:Hands as clammy as a dead haddock, but his heart is in the right place. And he'll be ealdorman after Cynon.
Gunnar introducing Eivor to Tewdwr
Tewdwr came into the conversation.
Gunnar:Tewdwr! This is Eivor, my chieftain.
Tewdwr:Ah, yes. The way Gunnar speaks, I expected—
Eivor:Me to ride in on a winged horse? Cure the sick and the blind? His compliments are as blunt as his hammer.
Tewdwr:Ah, more pagans crowding our table. Just lovely. What brings you here?
Eivor:I am here to hasten my friend's marriage and drink my weight in ale. If friendship comes afterwards, then all the better.
Eivor:Have I wronged you? I am here only for the wedding. Where I come from, we do not poison the well of friendship so swiftly.
Eivor:The way people hear talk, Cynon's boots are hard to fill, and your feet look small.
Gunnar:Ha! All good friendships start with wit-battles.
Tewdwr:And what has Dane friendship done for Christian Mercia? Unseated God-right kings for puppet rulers?
Eivor:So-called puppet kings keep your lands safe and your bellies full. I ask no thanks, only hospitality.
Eivor:I am here as a friend to Gunnar. I do not like to make enemies when breaking bread. So tread careful, boy.
Eivor looked down and then glared at Tewdwr.
Gunnar:Apples! Eivor, wait until you try the cider. You like cider, eh, Tewdwr? Cider?
Cynon joining the group conversation
Ealdorman Cynon walked into the conversation.
Cynon:Ahh! You must be Eivor? Tewdwr, I see you've welcomed our honored guest! Come just in time for my last Samhain!
Tewdwr:At your behest, we welcome all pagans set upon God's own Glowecestre.
Cynon:Tewdwr, as your Harvest King, I demand that you remove the turnip from your arse and be merry.
Eivor smiled at Cynon's remark.
Cynon:So you've come to meet the family? Before you whisk my Brigid away to her life as a smithy's bride?
Eivor:We're honored to have her join the Raven Clan. But your lush landscape will be hard to match.
Cynon:I must give away girl and land in the misty season. But Gunnar is a good man, and he speaks tirelessly of you.
Tewdwr:If you will excuse me... I have matters to attend to.
Cynon:Ah, yes, the shrine! And with so many thieves and fangs on the path. A fellow may fall in God's service.
Cynon looked to Eivor to escort Tewdwr and she agreed.
Tewdwr:Cynon! I do not need a heathen escort!
Cynon:Youth cut down in its prime. Without even the memory of warm thighs and cider to sustain him in the afterlife.
Eivor:Then, by my honor, I shall not rest until I return him to you safely. Aye, Tewdwr?
Tewdwr:I see I'm outmatched. Though a Dane joining in praise to Saint Kenhelm? God will weep.
Gunnar:My ladylove calls, Eivor. O, if you'd like to join us later, we're going hoodening this eve.
Cynon:Go. May you have a fire-forged friendship. Watch for fairies, fen-folk, and fiends. I have a hand-fastening to oversee, an apprenticeship to officiate, and a pig to slaughter.
Cynon bowed and left.
Tewdwr:Shall we, then?
Eivor escorting Tewdwr to Saint Kenhelm's shrine in the woods
Eivor escorted Tewdwr to his shrine.
Tewdwr:Samhain! Cynon humors these Pagans too much. It is the first thing gone when I am ealdorman. Fires and magic, spirits in the air, Glowecestrescire has strayed from God's light.
Eivor:People need carousing. Especially before the winter frost. A festival brings warmth and cheer.
Tewdwr:God's light does not dim as the nights chill. But the winters are hard upon the children. Seeing them run around...
Eivor:It lightens the heart. Are there priests in your lands? I have met a few, liked even fewer.
Tewdwr:The profane has gone unchallenged here. I alone am the reformation. They are a flock in need of the shepherding.
Eivor:And how will you lead this great renewal?
Tewdwr:They will fill the church's pews, and we will thank Him for the gifts He brings. Not false idols of wood and clay.
Eivor:And yet are we going to pray at the idol of another? Is this Saint Kenhelm your god?
Tewdwr:No. And we do not call him such. He is simply closer to the Lord's ear. Low in a mead of kine under a thorn, lieth poor Kenhelm king-born. Is this land not beautiful, Eivor?
Tewdwr:Look, the path is untouched by danger. So, your company is not needed.
Eivor:You're a kinder man than the mask you wear. You won't be rid of me. I'll keep my word to Cynon for your safe return.
Eivor stood by as Tewdwr prepared to pray to Saint Kenhelm
As Tewdwr prayed at the shrine, Eivor spoke to him.
Eivor:I don't understand this Christian praying. I thank Odin while standing. Why get your knees dirty?
Tewdwr:To humble ourselves before God. Besides, I've dirtied my knees doing worse.
Eivor:That sounds like a tale I'd like to lend my ear to.
Tewdwr:Please Eivor, I must pray.
Eivor:Should I watch or... turn my back?
Tewdwr:O Lord, gift upon this lowly servant your greatest gift. Patience.
Eivor:I will not have to interrupt your prayer to protect you, Tewdwr.
Tewdwr:And yet, you insist on doing so... What is it you're looking at? A hare?
Eivor and Tewdwr noticed a group of wild boars readying to attack.
Eivor:Tewdwr, get to safety!
Eivor fighting off the wild boars
Tewdwr hid away while Eivor fought the creatures.
Eivor:Find somewhere to hide!
Tewdwr:Where did they come from? Fell the swine!
Eivor killed all the wild boars.
Tewdwr:Whew, that was close.
Eivor spoke with Tewdwr.
Tewdwr:Eivor! Thank you... for saving my life.
Eivor:It is good I was here to protect you. Maybe Cynon has the eyes of prophecy.
Tewdwr:'sblood. Cloven hoofed and sent by Lucifer himself! This land must be returned to God's grace.
Eivor:More likely this shrine is in their territory.
Tewdwr:Lord, we thank thee for Your protection—
Eivor:It is not safe here.
TewdwrGive me my moment's prayer, Eivor. I ask only this.
Eivor:We should return to Glowecestre. Unless you'd like to thank the little martyr here for tonight's feast?
Tewdwr expressing his gratitude to Eivor
Tewdwr:I am not a babe in the woods in need of constant guard. Go on without me.
Eivor:I gave Cynon—
Tewdwr:Yes, yes, your word. And when I see him, I will say you protected me from being skewered upon those devils' tusks.
Eivor began to leave as Tewdwr began to pray.
Tewdwr:And Eivor? I owe you a drink at least, later, if you'd have one. Find me at the festivities.
Eivor met with Gunnar and Brigid upon her return to the town
Eivor left and went to meet with Gunnar. Eivor soon spoke with Gunnar.
Gunnar:Eivor! There you are.
Eivor:Here I am.
Gunnar:So! What adventures did you find in my absence?
Eivor:Escorted Tewdwr to the shrine of some Christian saint. Our path was not peaceful. Accosted by a singular of boars.
Brigid: (unintelligible) (Odd. That path is usually safe. Are you injured?)
Eivor looked perplexed.
Gunnar:But you saved his hide? I bet it was quite the sight, two of you as a pair.
Eivor:I kept my word to Cynon, and that spatchcock Tewdwr lives.
Gunnar:Restraint, Eivor? I was half-expecting you to wallop the lad round the head and arse.
Eivor:I've bridged hands with most of England, Gunnar. And, I've held my temper around worse than Tewdwr. I need a drink.
Eivor:How did Tewdwr become Cynon's successor? He speaks with his God's fire, but I do not quite believe it.
Brigid: (unintelligible) (I watched the church fathers harden Tewdwr's heart. He believes he is doing God's work.)
Gunnar:Hm. Tragic that is. I think the lad can still be molded, Eivor. You might be just the one to do that.
Eivor:I need a drink.
Eivor:I need a drink.
Gunnar:Try the cider. It's from last year's apple harvest.
Gunnar poured himself and Eivor two jugs of cider.
Gunnar:Skal.
Eivor:Skal.
Eivor and Gunnar having a drink
Gunnar and Eivor drank the cider.
Eivor:So, you invited me to a hoodening. What mischief is this?
Brigid: (unintelligible) (We dress up as spirits and creatures of the veil to beg for treats.)
Gunnar:Glowecestre gives their glut to otherworldly visitors. And, if you dress as one, you'll get that bounty yourself.
Eivor:Freely given? Hmph, I've only seen such a thing done at feasts.
Gunnar:Then we'll turn you into a beastie, and have you roam the hills braying for sweets and drinks.
Gunnar and Brigid dressed up Eivor in her disguise.
Eivor:It's hardly a disguise. Just a cloak and some bones.
Gunnar:Nonsense! You are the very spirit of the Mari Lwyd. Now, let's hooden!
Eivor left the house.
Gunnar:Become the Mari Lwyd, the spirit who sings for cake and ale! And you cannot have your cloak back until we leave.
Eivor:I'll keep this covering, but even a knife to my throat could not make me sing on command.
Gunnar:Shame. I've heard your voice. Clear as a bell. Larks fall from the sky in envy.
Eivor:Gunnar, if no one else is dressed this way, I will fill your shop with sheep.
Eivor approached the house across the street to begin trick-or-treating.
Gunnar:That house for sure.
Eivor visiting the first house for the festival
She knocked on the door, and it opened.
Eivor:Trick or treat.
Anglo-Saxon Man 1:What business have you? O, the Mari Lwyd. Right, right, we're doing cakes instead of beers this year. Samhain night and the moon is high, Mari Lwyd haunts my door...
Eivor:Give me sweets, and candied treats, the kind I most adore.
Anglo-Saxon Man 1:Haha! Here, then. Sweets for the Mari Lwyd, you've earned it.
Eivor received one cake.
Eivor:The air is chilling, and ghosts are spilling all across the misty moor.
Anglo-Saxon Man 1:Ooh, ghosts and beasties. Here, spirit, take your reward.
Eivor received two cakes.
Eivor and Gunnar looked around for other houses, heading up a hill.
Gunnar:Are you playing the role of trickster spirit?
Eivor:Can trickster spirits see? The eyeholes in this mask are terrible.
Gunnar:All it takes is a mask and some sweetcakes to turn you into a gentle skald.
Eivor:I am not going to sing, Gunnar.
Eivor knocked at another house. Its door opened.
Eivor:Are you ready to rhyme with me?
Anglo-Saxon Man 2:Down the road from my abode, there is an open veil...
Eivor:Hope to gods this Mari Lwyd doesn't fail.
Anglo-Saxon Man 2:Ah, have a cake for your troubles, then.
Eivor received one cake.
Eivor:I've been here knocking, and a-walking, now give me cake and ale.
Anglo-Saxon Man 2:Brilliant, that is.
Eivor received two cakes.
Gunnar:Lads getting into their cups scaring the wee ones. Eivor, mighty warrior, knocker of doors, victors of cakes. How does it feel to pillage what is freely given?
Eivor:A worthy haul. And a tradition worth keeping up!
Eivor and Gunnar passed a woman chanting.
Modron:Then... through the mist of the night, they saw a woman at the crossroads, dressed in all white. And the children knew they should not have been out in the late, and in the dark. So, they bent low to the ground.
Eivor:Only fiercer than fire among ill friends. I can be very as nice as a spring gale.
Tewdwr:And how nice is that?
Eivor:Very, very nice.
Tewdwr:I think I might like you even better when you're mean.
Eivor:Tewdwr, with Gunnar and Brigid's marriage, our clans will unite. But we could join by oath as well.
Eivor:Nice enough to tell you that you are wrong for the ealdorman's seat.
Tewdwr:Maybe you are correct. I wanted to be a cardinal, but the men who raised me said I'd serve God better as an ealdorman.
Eivor:You are your own man. Not theirs. The only ones you should be serving are your people. Tewdwr, with Gunnar and Brigid's marriage, our clans will unite. But we could join by oath as well.
Eivor:Tewdwr, with Gunnar and Brigid's marriage, our clans will unite. But we could join by oath as well.
Tewdwr and Gwilim giving a toast to Eivor
Tewdwr:O! Yes. My first ally as ealdorman. I accept! We shall make an oath! How do we start?
Eivor:Ja! The greatest... greatest oath and the greatest union. To the oath!
Tewdwr:The treaty! The greatest!
All three drank as Gwilim left early. Shortly afterwards, Eivor and Tewdwr left their table in their drunken states.
Tewdwr:Shhh! People are sleeping! More ale to seal our friendship! This way, this way, look out for... the Black Sow.
Eivor:Sow? Like pig?
Tewdwr:Flaming pig. Chases you home at night. Silly words to scare silly children.
Eivor:Pfff... you see magic as the stuff of children's dreams?
Twedwr:Perhaps I judge too much... truths I half-believe. Foolishness sometimes take my tongue. I have to piss.
Eivor:A great blackness chases stars across the sky in great whorls of color and light. Whoosh!
Tewdwr:Here we are. Right inside here. I feel warm. Do you feel warm?
Eivor:Always warm here. It's a wonder you don't walk around naked.
Tewdwr:Yes... erm... well, come on in.
Tewdwr and Eivor arrived but soon they became separated.
Eivor:Tewdwr? Tewdwr!
Eivor went looking for Tewdwr.
Eivor:Tewdwr! Where are you?
Eivor laughed as Tewdwr passed out in his drunken state
Eivor found Tewdwr and drank again with him. Soon, both of them chased chickens around until the roles reversed with the hens chasing them. Tewdwr tried to walk up the stairs but passed out drunk as Eivor laughed. Eivor went inside his house and passed out drunk herself. The next morning came as Eivor woke up.
Eivor was on the bed but her hands were covered in blood.
Eivor:And the effects of that draught still cling.
Eivor stood up and saw a dead soldier on the floor.
Eivor:Tewdwr? Are you here?
Outcome
From escorting and protecting Tewdwr to trick-or-treating with Gunnar, Eivor drank and gained an alliance with Tewdwr during the Samhain festival. However, Eivor woke up the next morning in the middle of a haze and a bloody crime scene.
Behind the scenes
"The First Night of Samhain" is a memory which features a trick-or-treating segment, where the player as the costumed Eivor knocks on houses throughout Gloucester. Most of the residents test Eivor with rhymes in which the player has two options, one which yields a reward of one "cake", the other two "cakes".
Curiously, the "cakes" in question are actually wedges of moldy cheese, and the residents' reactions to the player's answers do not always match their reward. In one case, a woman dissatisfied with an answer gives Eivor two "cakes" despite telling her she would only give her "half a nettle-cake", whereas if the player impresses her, she only gives Eivor one. In another case, a boy gives Eivor only one "cake" while telling her he "likes" her answer, but he simply shuts the door on her if she gives a better one for two "cakes". Apart from this, there are a few houses which hand out two "cakes" freely.
The trick-or-treat houses may be knocked on in any order. Only three houses are needed to be treated from to progress in the memory, but the player may trick-or-treat at the remaining houses at their leisure even after the memory has been completed. For the purposes of this page, an order was chosen based on the most likely route a player would take according to the positions of the houses, and it is also assumed that the player visits all before meeting Tewdwr at the festival.
Gallery
Eivor arriving in Glowecestre
Eivor and Gunnar watched as Cynon greeted the residents
A pack of wild boars approaching Eivor and Tewdwr
Modron tasking Gwenydd to bring preperation items for Gunnar's wound
