Right, we got that. It's the comparative pricing that's a tad confusing. The scholar is 40, the mother and kids (three thralls in one go) are 60, and yet this random girl who looks useless and/or troublesome is 80? That seems weird. The nobles being more expensive makes perfect sense, but her price specifically is strange.
If she were super pretty or something it'd make sense, but she's not described that way.
Not really? You can put kids to work immediately if you don't care much about their welfare. Even if you do, they're expected to help out...our 5 year olds are helping around the farm.
Right, we got that. It's the comparative pricing that's a tad confusing. The scholar is 40, the mother and kids (three thralls in one go) are 60, and yet this random girl who looks useless and/or troublesome is 80? That seems weird. The nobles being more expensive makes perfect sense, but her price is strange.
Absalom Careful-Stepper stands serene as five Jotnar bare their weapons and roar their rage. The staff of hickory in his hand hums with a calm certainty as Heklr takes the first swing. His axe leaves the air a sobbing mess as it descends upon the comparatively tiny man. The power radiating with every rampant motion denies the world its right to exists, a strike meant to sever both life from man and stability from reality.
Like a bird landing on a branch, however, the length of good, strong hickory darts into action mere moments before the axe connects with Absalom's skull. Wood meets iron and finds it wanting as Absalom hops and catches Heklr's axe on his staff. Twirling about, he presses a foot against an empty patch of ground as his staff flicks down, slips around Heklr's bootstrap, and upends him on the spot.
Heklr hits the ground with a heavy whomp as you struggle to follow the action past that point. Every motion perfectly precise and calculated, Careful-Stepper darts across the battlefield as he catches every single blow on the pristine, gnarled end of his hickory staff.
What stands out, though, is that Careful-Stepper never takes advantage of any opportunity that presents itself. He refuses to attack, to deal damage to his enemies as he flows over the ground like a gentle stream does the land. Not only does he not attack, but he never dodges either. Whenever a blow would've struck the grass, that same length of hickory is there to meet it.
"Halla!" Abjorn's shout draws you from your open-mouthed awe as you return to the present. Shaking your head free of stupor, you turn your attention to where your husband and the rest make their way down the path most took to reach the peak. The weak covered by the shields of the strong, they move as a pack as they head towards the beached ship.
Abjorn waves wildly at you as Drifa wrestles Eyvor away from his leg, fearful tears streaming down her face. With sword in trembling hand, his eyes beg for you to come with him. As you start towards him, a woman's voice whispers in the back of your head. It's familiar, yet alien. Close, yet distant. Warm, yet cold. A collection of impossibilities, the woman's words stop you in your tracks.
What is your strength for, O' Daughter of Ash, if not this?
Careful-Stepper won't win, not as long as he keeps declining offense. Eventually, the Jotnar will wear him down and deal him his death blow. Though you've known him for but a bare few minutes, he was already willing to battle five Jotnar so that you and yours could go free.
There comes a time in every life where you must make a choice that will define your entire existence. Today, as you look your husband in the eye, you make yours.
Careful-Stepper needs help. He needs someone to swing for him.
He needs you.
'Attagirl,' Blackhand's pride fills your heart with steely resolve as you ignore the fear in the hearts of all you love, grip Sagaseeker tight, and turn around.
You enter the fight with little fanfare as you catch a Jotun on an unguarded shoulder. Lulled into a false sense of security by Absalom refusing to attack, the Jotun makes no attempt to block your sudden swing as Sagaseeker connects with Jotun flesh. Unfortunately, despite the strength of the blow, it fails to even so much as depress his skin let alone break it!
The Jotun laughs and goes to backhand you away like you were an insect. His fist blurs towards your face at speeds you can barely even comprehend let alone react to! But even as your death approaches, it fails to make contact as a familiar length of hickory hovers before you. The strike had the weight of a mountain behind it, yet Careful-Stepper balances it on the end of his staff like it was the lightest feather in all of existence.
A pair of gentle eyes meets yours as Absalom greets you with a welcoming nod. As the corners of his lips hug his cheeks in a soft smile, you know that he won't let you come to harm. With Absalom guarding you, you're free to put your all into every strike.
The battle lasts for an eternity with neither side making progress. Though you connect blows, you struggle to do anything more than leave bruises in your wake. The skin of the Jotnar is just too strong for you to penetrate! It's like Sagaseeker lacks an edg-
You blink as an idea trickles in from the back of your mind, a lesson taught many years ago. The words of Blackhand fills your ears as you draw back for one, final strike. When your weapon fails to bite, bash your foe over the head with a rock.
Scooping a rock up from the ground, you pour all you have into this attack. Every drop of orthstirr, every splash of odr, every ounce of strength in your heart's roaring furnace, all of it! Every last bit! It all floods to your arm as you leap into the fray once more.
The rock collides with Heklr's skull hard enough to shatter into dust. Heklr's head snaps back as blood sprays out and he stumbles back a half-step. For a moment, your heart surges as he sways from side-to-side. There, that's the opportunity that Careful-Stepper's been waiting for! It has to be!
And yet, as Heklr shakes his head free of the stupor, Careful-Stepper makes no move to capitalize. You watch in horror as he merely keeps the Jotnar from landing blows on you, him, or the ground. You put everything you had into that strike, every Aspect in your soul, yet it was for nothing.
Spent, you collapse to your knees as Sagaseeker slips free of your fingers. Was this it? Was this the perfect ending you'd been promised? Was your trust misplaced?
No, it wasn't.
A warm purring reaches your ears as Sagaseeker nuzzles your hand. Your fingers twitch as your husband's power surges through your limbs, his Aspects giving you just enough strength for one, final blow.
Staggering to your feet, you turn your gaze to Heklr as he stands silhouetted by the rising sun. The fingers of fate's keepers work their magic as the established pattern falls away for the new writer's hand. Heklr takes a step, sure of the status of the grass beneath his feet, yet it was not to be the case. Morning dew coats every blade of grass, turning what was once a stable surface to a frictionless nightmare.
The skin of a bear clings to your shoulders as you drive Sagaseeker forward. His strength coats his blade in thunder and lighting as you add your voice to the roar. Stomping with all your might, your boot finds the surface of the grass to be made of hickory as Careful-Stepper helps you along.
As Heklr collapses against the ground, Sagaseeker's shining point does the impossible. He slides through skin and slips through bone as he finds a home in a God's beating heart.
Heklr freezes as the fingers of fate's keepers work once more. Threads are cut as his fate is spun anew. As Sagaseeker pulls free, Heklr falls flat on his back as his last breath leaves his lungs. His death blow dealt, there's nothing his brothers can do but turn and run away.
Sagaseeker slips free of your limp fingers as you collapse against the ground. Eyes turned towards the heavens, the last thing you see before darkness claims you is the smiling face of Absalom as he plucks the axe from your belt.
0~0~0
Your eyes flicker open to a familiar roof above and a familiar warmth to your side. Looking to the right, you find your Husband snoozing peacefully with his arms wrapped around you, your bed holding the both of you tight.
Beyond the closed doors of the sleeping closet, you heart the sounds of birds chirping and the denizens of your home start to stir. Extracting yourself from Abjorn's arms, you slip a pillow between his grasping hands as he snuggles up again. Unlatching the door, you greet the warm glow of the rising dawn as it peeks through your windows.
You're home, though that seems impossible given what just happened. Gotland... The pang of loss nearly drives you to tears, but you master yourself with a surge of ice-cold will. Gotland is gone, but despite that absolute fact, it isn't quite true.
For, you see, your soulscape now plays home to a sea and an all-too-familiar island. The valley of your soul opens up to greet the newly acquired territory as your soul grows yet again.
Taking a deep breath, you resolve to figure this all out after breakfast is made. In the meantime, you can do a quick inventory of-
...In the place Thievesbane normally sits on your wall, you find a note scrawled in runes on paper.
Thank you for finding my axe. I made sure to return you and yours home safe and sound, but that isn't near enough of a repayment for what you've done for me. Call for me and I will come -Absalom
'Well, damn,' Blackhand mutters as you snort.
(+100 Orthstirr)
(+1 Drengskapr)
(Sagaseeker has bathed in Godly Blood!)
(Thievesbane has been delivered to its rightful owner!)
(Your Soulscape has expanded!)
(Heroic Feat: The Slaying of Heklr! +9 Orthstirr a year!)
(Muna: Gotland's Call! Though you won't ever be able to return to Gotland, you still carry a piece of it in your soul. Expands your Soulscape to include a facsimile of Gotland)
0~0~0
Personal (Pick 2/3, if no Exploration is picked. 1 Free Social):
[ ] (Here, Kitty-Kitty) Attempt to make friends with the skogtatt
-[ ] (Write in) How do you go about this?
[ ] (Violent) Pick a fight or spar with... (Sparring with people reveals a summery of their character sheets)
-[ ] Spar with Abjorn, your husband
-[ ] Spar with Stigmar
-[ ] Someone else (Write in)
[ ] (Personal) Spend time with... (Write in)
[ ] (Shopping) Ask Abjorn to buy something for you (Write in) (Can only be used to buy or sell things you are already aware of and cannot haggle)
[ ] (Court) Send Abjorn to make a case at the Thing (Write in)
[ ] (Crafting) Try to make something (Write in) (Hugr+Some kind of crafting skill)
-[ ] (Optional) Focus on repairing something (Write in)
[ ] (Poetry) Try to realize an Inspiration (Write in one of your Inspirations)
0~0~0
Exploration/Travel (Pick 1 or none):
[ ] (Visit) Go visit... (1 Left)
-[ ] The Witch... even though she's dead
-[ ] Asvir!
--[ ] (Optional) Attend the Thing
-[ ] Buriby, Osborn's Farm
-[ ] Glebby, Sverre's Farm
-[ ] Hasviby, Hasvir's Farm
-[ ] Halfdanby, Halfdan's Farm
-[ ] Jurgen's Cave
[ ] (Exploration) Go on a walk through...
-[ ] The fields!
--[ ] (Optional) Send your fylgja in your place (Does not cost an action)
-[ ] The Hading!
--[ ] (Optional) Send your fylgja in your place (Does not cost an action)
--[ ] (Optional) Try to find the Heart of the Hading
-[ ] The hills!
--[ ] (Optional) Send your fylgja in your place (Does not cost an action)
--[ ] (Optional) Range further from your home
0~0~0
Training: You have 71 XP to spend as you see fit.
[ ] (Research) Try to figure out how things work (Write in)
[ ] (Seeress) Learn seidr with the Seeress (Only available during Summer)
-[ ] Write in up to 3 things to request of her
[ ] (Drifa) Teach Drifa some of your tricks (Write in)
[ ] (Blackhand) Try to develop old/train new hugareida tricks (Write in)
[ ] (Training) Hamr (511 XP to rank up)
-[ ] (Optional) Train a hamr skill or trick (Write in)
[ ] (Training) Hugr (256 XP to rank up)
-[ ] (Optional) Train a hugr skill or trick (Write in)
[ ] (Training) Fylgja (256 XP to rank up)
-[ ] (Optional) Train a fylgja skill or trick (Write in)
0~0~0
Orthstirr Available: 1478
How do you want to use your orthstirr? You can turn on passive tricks here. (Leaving this blank is assumed to be boosting all your stats to max)
[ ] (Orthstirr Usage) (Write in) (Optional)
0~0~0
Fylgja Capacity: 14/15
Do you want to withdraw or deposit anything in your fylgja?
[ ] Write in (Optional)
0~0~0
Equipment/Capacity/Shapeshifting/Alloy/Pocket/Whatever Management
What do you want to have equipped on your person, in your capacity, or for your shapeshifting? Leaving this blank means that no changes are made.
[ ] Write in (Optional)
0~0~0
Property Management: You have 114 Work Dice Available
How do you want to use them? (Leaving this blank is assumed to be the same as last turn)
[ ] Write in (Optional)
I'm voting for these because they seem in rough shape and they seem like they could use some help. And I don't know if we going all in on abolition necessarily makes sense in character.
Yeah. Assuming the girl has Hamingja 7 (around average-ish), receives Halla's teachings, and we use our Training Items, we can get a girl from Hamr 3, Glima 1, a single combat Trick and Combat Pool 11 to Hamr 6, Glima 4, Fang 4, Combat Pool 60 (from every combat skill at 2 and one at 4), and about a dozen Combat Tricks in about a year.
I think their Hamingja is likely lower than that. Getting Hamingja requires getting out on adventures, and girls are not likely to be allowed to go out on adventures. So they don't have the opportunity to get Hamingja. There's also the actual danger of their adventures, but that's kind of a minor factor at this point really.
There's also that they're, also, you know, alliance-sealing individuals. Families will want their daughters married off to families they want an alliance with. Steinarr is unusual IMO in that he just about let all his children including daughters choose their marriage prospects (though he would have probably vetoed a Horrason marriage, even if he let Jordan Halfdanson marry Asva).
///
Speaking of Vagn, I think he made some polite moves towards us during the Wolf-Hunting adventure, so he's probably not gay, bisexual maybe.
I am fine with buying them all, yeah.
Although, @Imperial Fister , with the learned man getting the most of the votes, and the mother and the girl trembling in terror on second place, how will the vote be resolved?
Also, do we talk with them at home? Or before we go home?
or train woman who are extremely talented, like Halla. Halla did start training 4 years later then the boys, and still outclasses the vast majority of her age group. so definitely not impossible to start at, say 16-20 and become at least a solid warriors. though probably most people arent as talented
The problem with that is that it makes the exception that proves the rule. "Women are not warriors, you need to be exceptional like Halla to be considered"
Also I feel that we forget that there does seem to be a path to power for women, seiðr. Our mother was one and apparently was quite capable of protecting her home and family with it.
Teaching our daughters magic should get less pushback, especially since it benefits from handiwork that is also traditionally "women's work"
Of course, I doubt we will stop them from picking up the sword if they wish, but they do have options.
I am fine with buyng and freeing them all. Congratulations again to Imperial Fister for begin so good at invoking emotions with their writing, i could physicaly feel how disgusting the whole slave market is, i felt my skin crawling while reading.
I would just like to point out that is a bit too late for Halla not contribuiting to slavery, since she assured herself that those raiders who attacked the Valley were all enslaved.
Also, buying the nobles makes sense because i doubt the peasants speak Norse. If we want to be able to talk with them or learn Slavic, we need the nobles.
Shame Steinarr died before he could teach us Greek, maybe we could ask Halfdan.
I mean, fighting with unusual weapons is going for debuffing via nid.Yq2
I can totally see someone who fights with ropes learn weaving/houscraft...
And we did use Clearwater to clean hooknail's runes of color.
So there is definitely use for them, even if not as apparent.
I suspect almost any domestic skill can be turned into Power as needed
Keeper of the hearth (cooking): "Oh god everything's on fire"
Logistics/rationing (keeping the larder and the accounts): the Nisse and other farm spirits just remembered an obligation they owe and are helping fight the invaders
Sewing: we already know this is powerful magic. It's very possible that it can fuck up others as well as yourself
I think their Hamingja is likely lower than that. Getting Hamingja requires getting out on adventures, and girls are not likely to be allowed to go out on adventures. So they don't have the opportunity to get Hamingja. There's also the actual danger of their adventures, but that's kind of a minor factor at this point really.
Per IF average Hamingja is between 7-9, so that's already the low end estimate. Also, it being, like, 5 instead doesn't change that much.
But more importantly, adventures are only one way to raise Hamingja. So are spending time around high Hamingja people and sacrifices to the gods, and there are likely other options as well. Like, the first Hamingja we ever got was for convincing Eric to do something sensible (and advising the men in their lives like that is definitely expected of women), and we gained more for hanging around Randi and Stigr (because they were lucky people, and thus had higher Hamingja than us). There are non-combat avenues, especially early on.
These days we need to be more extreme, but that's because the higher Hamingja is, the more you have to do to increase it. But getting to average is not quite that difficult.
There's also that they're, also, you know, alliance-sealing individuals. Families will want their daughters married off to families they want an alliance with. Steinarr is unusual IMO in that he just about let all his children including daughters choose their marriage prospects (though he would have probably vetoed a Horrason marriage, even if he let Jordan Halfdanson marry Asva).
This however is certainly a factor. Assuming that the daughters becoming warriors is an issue for this. Being politically powerful helps Halla a lot in teaching girls to fight here, inasmuch as it gives them access to someone important and likely doesn't damage
He dropped it quick so it could be a 'keeping up appearances' thing, but yes Vagn is also probably interested in women, it's just less of a sure thing than Stigmar.
Although, @Imperial Fister , with the learned man getting the most of the votes, and the mother and the girl trembling in terror on second place, how will the vote be resolved?
I just don't want to get involved in the anti slavery business. I've had too many historical based Quests lose themselves in trying to end slavery or similar historical problems, because people find them too horrifying. I know we aren't aiming too high to start, but I genuinely feel it's a slippery slope.
I just don't want to get involved in the anti slavery business. I've had too many historical based Quests lose themselves in trying to end slavery or similar historical problems, because people find them too horrifying. I know we aren't aiming too high to start, but I genuinely feel it's a slippery slope.
I'm very dubious of this. We'll almost certainly just go back to doing what we did before this and not engaging with slavery at all. We got involved at all for specific practical reasons this time and it's unlikely we'll do that again absent similar reasons in the future.
I don't want to interact with slavery. It's just a feelsbad situation all around, buying them and setting them free is still supporting the slaving institution, not buying and not setting them free is still leaving them to suffer. It's just, I don't want to interact at all with historical problems like this.
I don't want to interact with slavery. It's just a feelsbad situation all around, buying them and setting them free is still supporting the slaving institution, not buying and not setting them free is still leaving them to suffer. It's just, I don't want to interact at all with historical problems like this.
