Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands

Heroic legend Beowulf (Kieran Bew) gallops through the epic and mythical Shieldlands, to his childhood home of Herot, hoping to set right past wrongs. Having left the rugged frontier town twenty years earlier, warrior come mercenary Beowulf, returns to pay his respects to ailing ward and Thane of Herot, Hrothgar (William Hurt). However, his gesture of goodwill soon opens old wounds. Beowulf is met with cold steel leaving him no choice but to fight his way into the Great Hall to be heard by new Thane Rheda (Joanne Whalley), wife of Hrothgar, whose appointment has caused controversy within Herot and afar. With its defences fast fading, Herot falls under attack from within and when Rheda’s loyal servant is killed, Beowulf vows to remain until the enemy is routed out, justice is served and Herot is safe once more. It’s a race against time for Beowulf as he seeks to protect the town and catch the killer, be it human or beast…

Herot is bustling as the town makes preparations for the Gathering at which the next ruler of the Shieldlands will be elected. With the other tribal leaders due to arrive in Herot at any moment however, the pressure mounts to catch Herot’s killer before another victim is claimed. In a bid to buy themselves more time and avoid panic amongst the tribe leaders, Rheda, Slean and Abrecan ride out to stall them whilst Beowulf begins his search. Keen not to let Beowulf investigate alone, Koll, the deputy Reeve, joins him in the hunt and their enquiries lead them from the working heart of Herot, the smelting pits, to the upper echelons of the Golden Hall. The discoveries they unravel shock Beowulf and those around him to the core. Meanwhile, a member of Rheda’s riding party - one of our heroes, fails to return to Herot, signalling further danger may be in their midst.

With Slean and Thane Scorann missing, Beowulf and Rate, Thane of the Varni, charge out into the forest in search of them. But with the Gathering fast approaching and Rheda’s bid for leadership depending on the hope of ever-loyal Scorann’s vote, Beowulf questions whether their disappearance might be more than a simple coincidence. Beowulf and Rate continue their journey, tracking deep into the forest and are soon reminded that the Shieldlands are a dangerous place when they are set upon by Warig creatures. With their pride firmly at stake, some one-upmanship ensues and the men race after the creature, which leads them to a bigger, more dangerous situation where their steel is put to the test. Having overcome the Mudborn who were baying for their blood, they soon close in on Slean and Scorann’s trail, and an Outcast straggling behind the main group holding the Thane and Rheda’s son Slean captive, leads them one-step closer to uncovering the truth behind the kidnapping. Now, almost in touching distance of their people, Beowulf hatches a plan to secure their release, however their success is not without injury or cost and one of our party pays with their life during the battle for freedom, whilst another realises the shocking truth of Herot’s traitor.

The day of the Gathering. The fate of the Shieldlands lies moments away, but having lost some of her closest allies, Rheda’s chances of becoming leader of these great realms and thus preventing civil war looks bleak and her worries escalate. With the odds against her, Rheda knows that if she loses, she must fight to the death. Meanwhile, a furious Slean must also make a sacrifice for his mother’s campaign and play his part, but in doing so, his loyalties become deeply conflicted. Later, at Rheda’s request, Beowulf and his gang are tasked with a mission to help cement Rheda’s position as Jarl of the Shieldlands, and they must make a significant journey across the epic landscape. En route, Beowulf’s party are ambushed, their mission is compromised and thus, Rheda’s leadership hangs in the balance.

Our group continue their perilous journey to Mere to bolster the new treaty, but now without Roth to guide them, the dangers they face look far from over. As they tackle various assaults the group’s situation goes from bad to desperate. For Elvina, this is a return to her homelands; she recalls her mother’s old tales of Mere as she guides them past the rivers and dunes towards the hidden tribe. Anticipating a warm welcome, our Herot heroes are shocked to be met with hostility by aging Thane Gorrik. Eventually however, as his icy demeanour slowly melts away, they are introduced to the tribe and Gorrik’s daughters Mara and Kela. Mara, the eldest of the two and Slean’s future bride, is taken ill and whilst Elvina tries to heal her, her attempts are redundant without the necessary cure. Only found within one of the Shieldlands’ most dangerous Mudborn creatures, retrieving the cure will take courage, stealth and no small amount of skill. With Gorrik unable and reluctant to risk his depleted warriors, even for his own daughter, Beowulf sets out with Breca to get the remedy on which Mara’s life depends. Rowan, Gorrik’s Reeve and Mara’s true love, joins them to help save her. But with Gorrik growing suspicious of the Herot party, fuelled by Rowan’s words of distrust, could his intensions in joining Beowulf and Breca be less than heroic, and will Mara get the antidote she desperately needs to save her life and to secure the marriage?

Beowulf gets to work re-building the town’s defences - a need that becomes even greater when iron-miner Greff, is attacked by one of the most dangerous Mudborn creatures known to humans – a Troll. Usually able to keep these deadly creatures at bay, such an unprovoked attack spells unquantifiable danger for the people of the Shieldlands and must therefore be investigated immediately by Beowulf. Elsewhere, Slean’s frustrations and impotence about his impending marriage to Kela escalate further when he misconstrues a private conversation between Elvina and Beowulf; tensions spill over, leading the men to blows. It’s the last straw for Slean who leaves for Bregan to see Abrecan - marking an end to his loyalties to Rheda. With the threat of the Mudborn creature looming, Beowulf heads to the forest with Breca and Greff to steer off any further attacks. Beowulf soon discovers that the Trolls, who are usually fed salt to keep them equable, have been deprived of it, in an act that reeks of treachery against Herot. First things first however, with the Trolls on the rampage thirsting for salt, they’ll soon come looking for human blood which means Beowulf must act now to placate the threat - and then unravel the traitor working against Rheda. Unaware of Beowulf’s revelation, Slean arrives in Bregan to meet with his uncle Abrecan. Tensions are high but their deliberations are cut short as Bregan falls under attack leaving Slean forced to pick where his loyalties lie…