Summer 9/Voyage 1.2 | A 'Chance' Encounter 4
[X] Plan Saying Hello
-[X] "My name is Halla Skyfire, and I think we're family. We seem to have both been named after Hallr Blackhand, my grandfather. Nice to meet you, kinsman."
-[X] Just ask about who he is, where he's from, his family, his life. Basic stuff. We'd potentially be willing to share the same kind of info, though we won't mention Halfdan or the fact that his son is right here and married to our sister (mentioning Jordan as our brother in law would be fine, we just won't mention his father's name).
-[X] Once we feel him out, if it seems like a reasonable option, ask via Eyetalking in veiled terms about Odr Cultivation (ie: 'We have both started on the same path'), specifically if he'd like to trade secrets. We do know a few. If he can't Eyetalk back we'd have a slight issue here, but we can have a private discussion if needed.
-[X] In terms of openness, we're being very open with everything but Odr secrets and Charred Soul, we're sort of feeling him out on that stuff via Eyetalking.
0~0~0

"My name is Halla Skyfire, and I think we're family." The last syllable barely manages to leave your mouth before Hal leaps upon it like a wolf hunting its prey. The entire semi-relaxed demeanor vanishes as his eyes sharpen and muscles tense. The scent of readying orthstirr fills the air as steel locks with steel. "Looks like we're both named after Hallr Blackhand, my grandfather."

Hal is silent for a long time, his unblinking eyes locked to yours. You can almost hear the oars of his mind's ship making waves in the ocean of thought as he considers what that means. He's tensed, ready for battle, but not hostile just yet.

"My great-grandfather," Hal's sudden words catch you off-guard, "Hallr Blackhand, had a damn good reason for not rescuing my mother. So, the only question—the question bouncing around my skull from sun up to sun down—" he taps his head meaningfully, "why didn't her family save her from Hake?"

You were not ready for this, not at all.

"I, uh," you blink, mentally reeling from the metaphorical blow-to-the-ear, "I don't know the timing of all this, but my father was far away from his extended family for a long time."

It feels more like you're covering your ass then actually offering an explanation, but Hal sighs and seemingly accepts it. His muscles slacken as his eyes lose that lethal edge, "Guess it was a bit much for me to assume you'd know." He pauses before adding a belated, "Sorry."

"It's whatever," you wave it off with a shrug, "But, uh, if you don't mind me asking, you said something about your mother...?"

"Stolen away from her home by a Berserk named Hake, who won her in a duel. She and a fellow victim were then stolen from Hake by a man of King Halfdan the Black's hird. The King married the man, my father, to my mother while taking Ragnhild for himself." As you open your mouth to ask another question, Hal cuts you off with a raised hand. "It's my turn to ask a question, cousin-aunt, and that question is where, exactly, does our family live? I have some questions to ask them, you see."

And if he doesn't like the answers... Well, it's pretty clear what his plan is.

However, keeping something like that from him would be undeniably nid.

[ ] Tell him
[ ] Don't tell him

0~0~0

AN: An interesting predicament you've ended up in

No moratorium, very short vote, you will continue asking and answering questions after this vote.
 
[X] Tell him

"I mean, my father lives in the Hading Valley along with the rest of our growing branch, but he mostly spent his life chasing after a nidingir who had murdered his brothers, and did a tour of duty in Miklagaard on the way, before settling down around those parts, I think we've also got relatives in Skane, but I've never met them myself."
 
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Should we try to extract an oath of nonviolence or something out of him first? Not that our father couldn't smack him down but if a fight happens the collateral damage might be messy.
 
"I mean, my father lives in the Hading Valley, but he mostly spent his life chasing after a nidingir who had murdered his brothers, and did a tour of duty in Miklagaard on the way, before settling down around those parts, I think we've also got relatives in Skane, but I've never met them myself."

We actually met the Skane relatives at the wedding, but we were distracted and it was brief.

Should we try to extract an oath of nonviolence or something out of him first? Not that our father couldn't smack him down but if a fight happens the collateral damage might be messy.

Nonviolence is a bit much to ask for given what he's asking. But asking for assurances is reasonable.

[X] Tell him
-[X] If he swears to start by asking what happened, not go right to violence, and to leave noncombatants out of it as best he can.
-[X] Theorize that maybe whoever bet his mother (which is not okay) lied to the rest of the family. Anyone who'd do something like that is despicable, after all.

EDIT: Added my theory
 
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[X] Tell him
-[X] If he swears to start by asking what happened, not go right to violence, and to leave noncombatants out of it as best he can.
 
[X] Tell him
-[X] If he swears to start by asking what happened, not go right to violence, and to leave noncombatants out of it as best he can.
 
[X] Tell him
-[X] If he swears to start by asking what happened, not go right to violence, and to leave noncombatants out of it as best he can.
 
[X] Tell him
-[X] If he swears to start by asking what happened, not go right to violence, and to leave noncombatants out of it as best he can.
 
[X] Tell him
-[X] If he swears to start by asking what happened, not go right to violence, and to leave noncombatants out of it as best he can.
-[X] Of course, if it turns out that everything was totally true, well, seriously! That is not okay!
 
[X] Tell him
-[X] If he swears to start by asking what happened, not go right to violence, and to leave noncombatants out of it as best he can.

I really hope we can talk with him in a more peaceful setting next time... would be nice if it gets sorted out peacefully and we can talk shop about Odr and Blackhand's shards..... if it happens at Yule, that could make it better, perhaps?
 
We could also tell him an half truth. Didn't we have some distant relatives in Iceland? We could send him that way, it would be unlikely he finds them still there. And even if he does, the jounrey would be dangerous and we will propably never see him again.
 
[X] Tell him

I don't think we need to ask him to swear to start by talking. He started with talking already in a similar circumstance: right now when he met Halla
 
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We could also tell him an half truth. Didn't we have some distant relatives in Iceland? We could send him that way, it would be unlikely he finds them still there. And even if he does, the jounrey would be dangerous and we will propably never see him again.

Nah, this is the Skane family who were involved in this and he deserves actual answers. I suspect there was a communication issue (like whoever bet her claiming she died to the rest to avoid getting blamed), but he deserves to know.
 
Alright, I'm adding the theory that whoever bet her lied to my vote. I think mentioning that to him might be good. Dunno if there's time to change, but hey.
 
[X] Tell him
-[X] If he swears to start by asking what happened, not go right to violence, and to leave noncombatants out of it as best he can.
-[X] Theorize that maybe whoever bet his mother (which is not okay) lied to the rest of the family. Anyone who'd do something like that is despicable, after all.
 
[X] Tell him

Honestly, asking him to start with actual questions could be taken as an insult and really stainner would wipe the floor with both him and his raiding party so I'm not too worried
 
"Stolen away from her home by a Berserk named Hake, who won her in a duel. She and a fellow victim were then stolen from Hake by a man of King Halfdan the Black's hird. The King married the man, my father, to my mother while taking Ragnhild for himself
These names are ringing some serious alarm bells for me. As if so happens, Hake, Ragnhild and King Halfdan the Black are all individuals from the Norse Sagas and not OC's. They are more or less historical footnotes, but the son of King Halfdan and Ragnhild most certainly is not, despite the fact that much of his biography is uncertain. That's because said son was Harald Fairhair, the man who actually unified Norway!

If Hal is friends with said individual, then we really made the right choice by not going in swords swinging. A blood feud with such a legendary figure could have forced us out of Norway.

Also, certain sagas suggest that Ragnhild was also a descendant of the legendary Sigurd, so it's not inconceivable that we are actually cousins, which is its own flavor of nuts.

[X] Tell him
-[X] If he swears to start by asking what happened, not go right to violence, and to leave noncombatants out of it as best he can.
-[X] Theorize that maybe whoever bet his mother (which is not okay) lied to the rest of the family. Anyone who'd do something like that is despicable, after all.
 
Honestly, asking him to start with actual questions could be taken as an insult and really stainner would wipe the floor with both him and his raiding party so I'm not too worried

He's not gonna be asking questions of Steinarr (we can resolve those easily with 'he was in Miklagard' given the timeline, I think), he's gonna be sent to the family in Skane.
 
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[X] Tell him
-[X] If he swears to start by asking what happened, not go right to violence, and to leave noncombatants out of it as best he can.
-[X] Of course, if it turns out that everything was totally true, well, seriously! That is not okay!
 
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