Vic The Viking

Gilby challenges Vic: whoever can reach the highest point on the Drakkar will accompany the Vikings on this year’s expedition. With his scrawny arms, Vic has no chance. Unless he freely interprets the rules. In fact, there are no restrictions about how to climb. Vic will build special shoes with crampons before realizing that, by making the Drakkar list, the mast will become a nearly horizontal pole, much easier to climb!

The Drakkar runs aground on a reef in the fog! When they call for help, the Vikings only draw the attention of Sven and his men, who steal their cargo. Vic manages to recover the goods by making it appear like the pirates have been cursed. To do this, he uses bamboo sticks (bartered with a Chinese merchant during their last stop) that are actually filled in with gunpowder (kind of crafted firecrackers). These are loud enough to sound like the god Thor’s thunder, and also explode with an unbelievable show of fireworks.

In order to scare away tax collectors sent by Eric the Greedy, Vic invents a magic lantern (from flat pieces of translucent stones painted by Ulme and mirrors that focus the sun’s light). He uses this to project “monsters” at the entrance to a cave (where the villagers have hidden all their wealth), frightening the tax collectors away.

Halvar, his men and the Drakkar are kidnapped by Sven! In order to catch up with them, Vic whips up some kitesurfing gear with a board and burlap bags. With Snorre and Tjure, he manages to get his father’s Drakkar back. Since the sail is ripped, Vic has the idea of making it move by building two large paddle wheels built with the help of Tjure, the crew’s carpenter, and Snorre. Astounded by this boat with wheels, Sven’s men take their eyes off of their prisoners and don’t see Vic climb on board and cut the prisoners’ ropes. The prisoners take the opportunity to attack and Vic helps them imprison their kidnappers by trapping them in the middle of the paddle wheels.

Drawn to a shooting star that has fallen on an ice field, Halvar and his men are convinced they have found a fabulous treasure. Sven the Terrible, who is also floating in the neighborhood, has the same thought. But the heavenly debris turns out to be nothing more than ugly, charred stones. Certainly not jewels worthy of taking home to Ylva! Only Vic understands the magnetic value of the meteorite stones: he first uses them as a compass to find their way back to the Drakkar, then again as magnets when Sven the Terrible tries to attack and reclaim his “treasure .

An old shipwrecked sailor is the accomplice and bait for a group of pirates, who use the tempting prospect of a fabulous treasure to lure sailors in order to seize their riches more easily. Our Vikings fall into the trap, but Vic and Ulme use their talents as puppeteers to scare the brigands of the seas and send them packing.

A series of messages sent by a damsel in distress are floating wooden bottles offering a reward to anyone who will rescue her. Vic identifies the wood from the bottles as Bird Cherry so the crew set out for Bird Cherry Island. But when they get there the damsel tied to the only tree on the island looks familiar and as Halvar tries to turn the Drakkar around, there is Sven’s ship, blocking their path!

The Vikings sail home through Scottish Waters after a successful voyage. They happily celebrate until night falls when talk of monsters generates fear amongst the Vikings. As a thunderstorm closes in, the ghostly light causes the Vikings to mistake a shipwreck for the hideous monster and they throw 'the monster' all of their food. As morning approaches, they are now starving and have nothing to eat. They will need to go ashore if they don’t want to starve to death, but this means they must sail close to where they last saw Sven who they know will try to take everything that they have collected on their journey. Vic has an idea! They will disguise the Drakkar as a sea monster! Sven and the pirates are petrified and much like our Vikings, throw their food at the ‘sea monster’ while trying to escape.

Powerful winds coming from all directions, created by giant bellows, are keeping our Vikings from landing on the Celtic shores of the self proclaimed kingdom of 'The Wind Queen'. Only Vic is able to reach the shore, thanks to a kite. The natives believe that Vic is a messenger from Kirk, the Celtic god of the winds. He is going to connive and offer the Queen his talents in order create winds of varying amplitude and color. Then he pours a 'magical' powder into the bellows. The powder is none other than itching powder and white pepper. The Queen’s army is thrown into fits of scratching and sneezing and can no longer work the bellows.

Vic and his friends are in the forest when Faxe finds a wolf cub. Soon after, a couple of angry wolves attack them and force them into a cave: against Vic’s advice, Faxe has taken the wolf cub with him. Vic convinces Faxe to give the cub back to its mother. Meanwhile, Halvar, worried about his son's delay, tries to find him in the forest. When he sees Vic in danger, he gets ready to fight the wolves. Vic uses the cave echo to frighten the wolf mother, giving him time to rescue the cub and release it back to its mother.

Our Vikings are captured because Faxe has stolen and eaten an Icelandic Viking clan’s sausage stash. The Icelanders, thinking the Vikings are bearing treasure from their expedition, hold them ransom. Vic convinces them they have Dagda’s Cauldron, a sort of cornucopia that contains an unending supply of food... But the Icelanders discover this trick because of Faxe again and Vic has the idea of using a geyser’s pressure to escape and reach the Drakkar.

On a trip to Britain, Halvar and his men are captured by fierce Celtic women warriors who accuse them of plundering their kingdom. For once, Halvar is innocent but the Britons insist that he must prove his innocence by undergoing four trials by ordeal. Only after Halvar has successfully passed through trials involving earth, wind, fire and water can he and the Vikings be freed. Thankfully Vic’S experience at making the Drakkar sea-worthy has given him lots of ideas on how to outwit the Britons.

When a runic shape appears on the side of Halvar’s face, Urobe convinces everyone that he has been visited by the Gods, and soon the whole village thinks that he has the power to take the shape of any animal or person. Halvar disappears, and a duck takes his place as captain of the ship. To avoid disaster, Vic has to pretend to be Halvar, and restore his father to his rightful position of captain.