[X] Weird plants and seeds
[X] Interesting magic stuff that isn't just really good weapons and armour
[X] Would he be interested in a magic whetstone or two?
[X] Weird plants and seeds
[X] Interesting magic stuff that isn't just really good weapons and armour
[X] Would he be interested in a magic whetstone or two?
Although... I guess it depends how much the shaft counts as being a part of Sagaseeker, so maybe that's not the best idea? Spear shafts IRL often have to get replaced, but maybe it's a different deal.
When you picture yourself/a human in your head, it is with clothes on in at least a vague sense, yes? The clothes are replaceable in much the same way the spear shaft is
[X] Weird plants and seeds
[X] Interesting magic stuff that isn't just really good weapons and armour
[X] Would he be interested in a magic whetstone or two?
oh, neat, i might be able to vote on shopping!
Edit: Oh, right!
Hey, Blackhand, do you think we should visit the Jarl again before we leave or its not necessary, what with the deal we made with him last time?
[X] Weird plants and seeds
[X] Interesting magic stuff that isn't just really good weapons and armour
[X] Would he be interested in a magic whetstone or two?
How did Johannes' Frisian cultivation 'feel' like?
Did Johannes have multiple cultivation 'types' or just one?
Do people know that Sagaseeker and Shadeclaw are Realized, or do they assume they're 'just' really well made?
Has Asva remarked on the fact that the gift you gave her is, well, sapient?
Bjorney, does the rest of your family know that he's sapient and can eyetalk?
===
Hey Blackhand,
Do you know if there are any unique effects of getting your mastery of a Hugareida 'high' enough? (Read: Rank 9)
What about skills, or Martial Styles?
Does anything happen to Frenzy after enough Hugr Infusions?
They don't by default. We could probably make them with an Alloy. I don't think having multiple follow-up attacks per single normal attacks is a good mechanic or precedent to set though...that gets messy.
When you picture yourself/a human in your head, it is with clothes on in at least a vague sense, yes? The clothes are replaceable in much the same way the spear shaft is
Though you know not who, exactly, Skavidr is reporting to, it's clear that there's a spy in your midst. What luck, really, that you were awake to see him at work!
Meanwhile, Skavidr: Why am I being rejected??? Halla wants every Huskarl available!
Halla: I cast Seidr, and the omens were poor. Sorry.
Skavidr: (Of course. Divination. FFS.)
Halla: (By which I mean, Blackhand and I agreed, lolno on hiring a spy. Talking to spirits is Seidr.)
===
Skavidr the Spy
Slanting tree[1], ash [2] most sly.
Spying as a spirit.
He offers to Huskarl,
Household to tread within.
One err sees odreng caught,
Our seeress spots the truth.
Scorning she claims seidr,
Spinning thin truths to tell.
[1] Kenning for Skavidr
[2] Since warriors are usually referred to as son/daughter of Ash, Norsemen are trees, so ash is a valid way to refer to a norseman..right?
So, I think the next priority has to be finding actual actionable proof that Dorri is responsible for our father's assassination, and/or of his involvement with Drysalt. I also very strongly suspect that we won't have as much time to do this as we did to investigate Horra, back in the day.
Realistically what we know already is that:
(1) Dorri was suspicious enough of us to place a spy in our midst, and may know we're suspicious of him.
(2) Dorri knows we've been to Skane, the logical place we would go to seek military aid from our kin.
(3) Dorri almost certainly knows we've had an additional meeting with Corpsemaker.
(4) Dorri has recently hired invisible spirits and placed them near our farm, and possesses unknown levels of spiritual aid.
(5) Dorri is not obliged to wait until we're ready to deal with him.
This being true, and given the gravity of the situation, we kind of have to assume the worst-case scenario is possible, and we do not have very long to plan against Dorri before he makes his move.
Next turn we've got two actions already tied up in Latin lessons, so I think our other main action should be on surveilling Dorri. (It's sort of an Explore action given we will be leaving home to do it.) Furthermore, for our free personal action, I think we should speak to Solrun and brief her, then ask for her help on magical means of surveillance. Her Seersight might well allow her to simply observe Dorri and Drysalt, simplifying things immediately - her witness testimony could probably sway the Thing by itself.
But even if it's more complex than that, I think that between the two of us, we should be able to contrive a lot of magical means of information-gathering. Hiring spirits, magical scrying rituals, enhancing our own invisibility for Dressed In Rags, that sort of thing. Once we think we have enough evidence to sway the Thing, and more information about what Dorri/Drysalt are planning generally, I think we should aim gather our allies and act before Dorri is able to finish making his own preparations.
And if he hire him we're knowingly letting a spy into our house and giving him almost free rein to snoop, why do we need him nearby when we have Sedir?
And if he hire him we're knowingly letting a spy into our house and giving him almost free rein to snoop, why do we need him nearby when we have Sedir?
So, I think the next priority has to be finding actual actionable proof that Dorri is responsible for our father's assassination, and/or of his involvement with Drysalt. I also very strongly suspect that we won't have as much time to do this as we did to investigate Horra, back in the day.
Assuming its Dorri because rn we hate him is not the best path IMO. He is a suspect sure, but a few months ago we wouldnt suspect Dorri at all. There might be more things at play. It can also be corpsemaker, or even drysalt himself.
I think that letting Skavidr in to spy on us would be a great idea if we're able to turn him as a double agent. Having a mole inside Dorri's camp, and a way of feeding him false information, would be an incredible asset. It might single-handedly be the stroke that gives us victory here, honestly.
It's not certainly not impossible that we could turn or otherwise subvert Skavidr. He may not know, for example, that Dorri is working with Drysalt. That might well make him reconsider where his loyalties lie, given how feared and hated the memory of Drysalt is within the Hading. Or we could try using threats or bribery. He does not necessarily need to be willing in order to pass on false reports, as long as we can be sure he is not delivering a coded message.
However, this does expose us to an element of risk. If Skavidr isn't willing to turn his coat, or we don't think we can subvert him, then we'll have to kill him and make it look like a disappearance. That's potentially doable - we can burn the body and Sten could trap his soul. But it's going down a road I suspect many voters might be understandably anxious about.
Assuming its Dorri because rn we hate him is not the best path IMO. He is a suspect sure, but a few months ago we wouldnt suspect Dorri at all. There might be more things at play. It can also be corpsemaker, or even drysalt himself.
We know explicitly that it's Dorri working with Drysalt, that's what we found out during the scrying we did at Yule which kicked this whole plot arc off.
There's only so much you can do before he knows his covers been blown and that's not enough to avoid him snooping around any of our projects or getting close to the kids.
His smiles grows yet wider, "You have a certain reputation, Halla Sunshine, that of a woman of wealth with arms harder than steel, yet a heart softer than downy wool. You'd freed your Slavs, it didn't take much imagination to stretch that to the Latin-speaking thrall."
I'm not sure why Halla finds this a surprise, or why Johannes seems to think of this triumphantly.
But, anyway:
===
Who's Halla?
Wealth and plunder wonders [1],
Wears crafts [2] her own to flair.
Blood-hair floods battlefield,
Bringing death unerring.
From former foes forms friends [3],
Frees slaves and slavs alike.
Life rife grants asks little [4],
Lone to void makes whole soul [5].
[1] Specifically, the noun form. Halla's wealth and plunder causes wonder.
[2] Noun form. Halla's many pretty dresses, armor, and weapons.
[3] Tryggr and Trausti at the least, plus Gabriel and Halfdan. Raiko possibly.
[4] Halla casts raise dead all the damn time.
[5] Halla going to Ginnungagap just to bring her friend Aki back to life. And also Stigr, but that was mostly Solrun's work.
Wealth and plunder wonders [1], Wears crafts her own to flair.
Blood-hair floods battlefield,
Bringing death unerring.
From former foes forms friends,
Frees slaves and slavs alike.
Liferife grants asks little,
Lone to void makes wholesoul.
To be clear, the only reason I think we should accept Skavdir in is if we immediately want to try and turn him as a double agent, or coerce him into passing false information.
We know explicitly that it's Dorri working with Drysalt, that's what we found out during the scrying we did at Yule which kicked this whole plot arc off.
There's only so much you can do before he knows his covers been blown and that's not enough to avoid him snooping around any of our projects or getting close to the kids.
Further say we refuse him. Say Dorri hired him. Now he almost certainly knows we knew its his spy, and that its possible we know who sent him. And what stops him from sending another spy? One we might not detect?
Oh sorry, were you talking about who Skavdir was working for, rather than who was behind the assassination of our father? Apologies for the miscommunication, the part of my post which you were replying to was about finding evidence on Dorri, so I assumed you were replying about that.
No? Not if we do it right anyway, all we need to say it that we did a divination ritual and that the omens weren't good for him. That means we wouldn't hire him but it doesn't mean that we know he's a spy (There are a lot of reasons why someone might not be a good hire and plenty of those aren't even their own fault)
