We don't really know what it does, basically. Speaking of which, @Imperial Fister to reiterate my question, what does Halla know about Woad? Also, could we use Experiences as incontrovertible proof of things we witness? Does Experience imprinting work like that?
Woad, Madder, and Weld are the three staples of dying. All three are utilized in the strongest of runestones and other dyeing ventures. The more complex the dyeing, the more prestigious something is.
(b) We could technically do the same thing by contracting a spirit, but that's just a lot more hassle. So an item that does the same thing in a convenient way feels roughly within bounds, and I expect @Imperial Fister to hence lean on the side of being generous when adjudicating its abilities.
Yeah, I'll be generous here. Bugs, by nature, are also technically spirits. You'd be making a contract with the hive as a whole for it, should you be using bees or something.
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Voting is now closed
Scheduled vote count started by Imperial Fister on Dec 14, 2023 at 5:13 PM, finished with 29 posts and 6 votes.
[X] Plan We Want It All
-[X] Yes
--[X] Hashish Seeds (25oz Silver for one field's worth)
--[X] Unprocessed Woad (30oz Silver for 2 units)
--[X] Sundry Seeds (100oz Silver for 20 units)
--[X] Magical Item (3 Whetstones for 3 items)
---[X] A scrying crystal that allows for seeing through magical concealment when scrying or otherwise using magic to spy on people
---[X] A rune-worked amulet to help avoid magical detection for a person, allowing them to not be spotted by perception-enhancing magic or scrying effects (if we have to pick one, the perception-enhancing magic is more important to avoid)
---[X] An old and somewhat battered wooden box holding a collection of beautifully carved beetles, made of a strange dark stone with that seems to drink light. When these beetles are taken out of the box, they come to life and begin recording what they see and hear. Whilst not especially intelligent, they can be given simple instructions, and are capable of flying surprisingly long distances. Putting them back in the box transfers their memories to the owner.
Yeah, I'll be generous here. Bugs, by nature, are also technically spirits. You'd be making a contract with the hive as a whole for it, should you be using bees or something.
Honestly I kinda like the idea of them being bees. It's not quite what the write-in says, but if we could amend it to that, and @DeadmanwalkingXI is amenable, then I'd like to change it to that?
A hive of friendly spirit-bees who do little jobs for us and can act as scouts and spies sounds awesome. We can feed them Odr-infused honey as a treat!
Honestly I kinda like the idea of them being bees. It's not quite what the write-in says, but if we could amend it to that, and @DeadmanwalkingXI is amenable, then I'd like to change it to that?
A hive of friendly spirit-bees who do little jobs for us and can act as scouts and spies sounds awesome. We can feed them Odr-infused honey as a treat!
Honestly I kinda like the idea of them being bees. It's not quite what the write-in says, but if we could amend it to that, and @DeadmanwalkingXI is amenable, then I'd like to change it to that?
Switched from beetles to bees on the character sheet with no other changes as of yet. All three items obviously subject to whatever other changes the QM feels are needed.
Twenty-five ounces of silver for a plant that quiets your mind? That could be quite a boon for anything requiring intensive focus, let alone if you simply need a break from the constant assault of curiosity upon your mental fortitude.
'I believe I may have encountered this substance during one of my travels,' Blackhand recalls with a chin-tapping finger as you turn your mind to other matters, 'I found it quite useful for easing some of the aches and pains my crumbling bones gave me later in life.'
"As for other oddities," the chair holding Johannes' weight doesn't so much as squeak as he leans back, his writing hand still pressed to the paper, "I have reason to believe that I will acquire a large assortment of strange sundry seeds. Should it proceed as expected, I will certainly send a ship to Asvir with seed in store. Unfortunately," his head droops with a sigh, "I cannot tell you of what contents that ship shall have, for I know not myself."
Twisting your lips into a frown, you bite back a swear as your curiosity bemoans the mystery. Adding a second sigh to the air, you shake your mind free of the thought-choked mire and direct the conversation down a new route, "Do you happen to have any magical items of a less violent purpose?"
"My dear Sunshine," Johannes' slash of a smile matches your own crescent-moon, "you must have studied Frisian since last we met, for now you're speaking my language!"
[X] Plan We Want It All
-[X] Yes
--[X] Hashish Seeds (25oz Silver for one field's worth)
--[X] Unprocessed Woad (30oz Silver for 2 units)
--[X] Sundry Seeds (100oz Silver for 20 units)
--[X] Magical Item (3 Whetstones for 3 items)
---[X] A scrying crystal that allows for seeing through magical concealment when scrying or otherwise using magic to spy on people
---[X] A rune-worked amulet to help avoid magical detection for a person, allowing them to not be spotted by perception-enhancing magic or scrying effects (if we have to pick one, the perception-enhancing magic is more important to avoid)
---[X] An old and somewhat battered wooden box holding a collection of beautifully carved beetles, made of a strange dark stone with that seems to drink light. When these beetles are taken out of the box, they come to life and begin recording what they see and hear. Whilst not especially intelligent, they can be given simple instructions, and are capable of flying surprisingly long distances. Putting them back in the box transfers their memories to the owner.
[X] Wander the roads, see what you can't find
0~0~0
"And do be sure to be careful with those items of yours, they're no simple matter to replace!" The parting words of Johannes of Frisia echo in your ears as the wood streets of Hedeby groan under your weight.
A city home to well over a thousand people, Hedeby is, without a doubt, one of the greatest city in all the Norselands. Feasting well off the constant wealth that trickles on down through the Schlei, the people of Hedeby regard the most marvelous of wonders as merely another part of their day. Batting no eyes as a womanly warrior such as yourself walks the street, the Hedebyrs get on with the business of their day-to-day. It's a pleasant change, all things considered, you'd long grown weary of the constant stares Sagaseeker draws from his place on your back in lands unfamiliar with you.
The only city you know of in the Norselands that rivals the glory of Hedeby is none other than Uppakra in Skane. With its positioning right near the tip of the southernmost point of Scandinavia, it feeds off the constant trade that passes through. While Uppakra does certainly rival—if not surpass—Hedeby, it's a oft-repeated fact that mentioning Uppakra in any context other than negative in front of a Hedebyr is an invitation for violence.
Regardless of the status of either Hedeby or Uppakra of 'greatest', it is undeniable that walking the streets of Hedeby is an experience bar none. Uppakra is a city of Norsemen while Hedeby is, by nature of its positioning right on the border between Denmark, the Christians, and the uncountable Slavic tribes, a melting pot of all manner of people. A Dane barters with a Slavic fur trader as a Frank argues with a Frisian over thralls of Anglo-Saxon, Irish, and Pictish origin while a bright-eyed Finn recites a lengthy poem for a crowd of all manner of people. Even a collection of the mysterious Magyar—fresh arrivals to the European scene—wander the plank-built roads of Hedeby with wonder on their handsome, gawking faces. With their characteristic sabers on their hips, bone-reinforced bows on their backs, and the products of their famed gold- and silver-smiths bedazzling their bodies, they're only slightly out of place in a land as mixed as this one. (Hamingja: 11) 11 Successes
One of the handsome young men catch your eye in a way most peculiar. As his head swivels around like a loose sail in shifting winds, his eyes glow with an all too familiar curiosity. While his fellow Magyar merely gawk and stare at the fascinating world they've crossed over into, he regards the oddities and marvels with a fascination revealing the true depths of his curious soul. Where his fellows merely look, he observes.
Taking a moment to observe for yourself the passage of the Magyar, you watch as the eldest man in the procession stops before a stall owned ultimately by Johannes. Turning his head, the man gestures for the young warrior—who, given the familial resemblance, must be his son—to come forward. Doing just that, you watch as the young man serves as translator as business begins.
Waiting until talk concludes with a shake of the hand sealing the exchange of goods and currency, you catch the young man's attention with a wide wave of the hand. Given how you stand out with your status as a woman warrior, you're sure to attract his curiosity.
Your assumptions are proven right when he strides your way with curiosity creasing his brow. He opens his mouth and greets you in some of the most broken Norse you've ever had the experience of hearing. So much so that it takes you a few moments to parse even the simplest of phrases, "Greetings! I was not aware women were warriors!"
Grinning to yourself, you decide that you might as well ask a few questions of the young man, at least until his services are needed once more.
What questions do you ask?
[ ] Write in
(Not all questions will be used, but feel free to go hog wild)
0~0~0
Turning his head, the man gestures for the young warrior—who, given the familial resemblance, must be his son—to come forward. Doing just that, you watch as the young man serves as translator as business begins.
Waiting until talk concludes with a shake of the hand sealing the exchange of goods and currency, you catch the young man's attention with a wide wave of the hand. Given how you stand out with your status as a woman warrior, you're sure to attract his curiosity.
Your assumptions are proven right when he strides your way with curiosity creasing his brow. He opens his mouth and greets you in some of the most broken Norse you've ever had the experience of hearing. So much so that it takes you a few moments to parse even the simplest of phrases, "Greetings! I was not aware women were warriors!"
Grinning to yourself, you decide that you might as well ask a few questions of the young man, at least until his services are needed once more.
[X] Ask him about his people. How do they travel on Sea of Grass without getting lost when it's all... grass?
[X] Ask him how many horses he has. Is it true that every Maygar warrior has to own at least four horses to be counted a member of their Jarl's hird?
[X] Is it true that a Maygar can throw a shield into the air and hit it with a hundred arrows before it falls?
[X] Would he like to arrange a friendly demonstration of our respective culture's martial skills?
These imply Halla has at least a little bit of contextual knowledge about the Maygar and steppe cultures generally. Butt given that the Norse have been trading and raiding along the Volga for millennia at this point and how curious Halla is, it would frankly be odd if she didn't.
The final one is a bit of a shock in the dark, but these guys sound cool, and I've wanted to meet Steppe Cultivators forever.
Keep in mind that since basically every Norse is a cultivator, that's a thousand cultivators right there, and with the whole warrior culture they have, at least half of them are probably experienced warriors of some kind, never mind the champions and graybeards they have. That's a force to be reckoned with, I'd say.
Keep in mind that since basically every Norse is a cultivator, that's a thousand cultivators right there, and with the whole warrior culture they have, at least half of them are probably experienced warriors of some kind, never mind the champions and graybeards they have. That's a force to be reckoned with, I'd say.
I mean...yeah. We can't count on the climate outside it. So this is happening.
[X] Ask him about his people. How do they travel on Sea of Grass without getting lost when it's all... grass?
[X] Ask him how many horses he has. Is it true that every Maygar warrior has to own at least four horses to be counted a member of their Jarl's hird?
[X] Is it true that a Maygar can throw a shield into the air and hit it with a hundred arrows before it falls?
[X] Would he like to arrange a friendly demonstration of our respective culture's martial skills?
[X] Ask his name, why he left home, the basic personal stuff that shows we're interested in him.
[X] Explain our situation in regards to being a warrior (including our husband), ask what women's lot is like back in his homeland.
I think Skippy's questions are good, but also wanted to ask about him personally, and explain our own situation.
This is an interesting sentiment from a Maygar warrior specifically.
Steppe cultures tend to be the most frequent in having women sometimes take up martial roles - probably both for demographic and lifestyle reasons and due to their general egalitarianism - whilst this is by no means universal of course. You've got the Scythians as probably the most famous example, probably inspiring the Amazons of Greek myth, but also the Saka, and various Turkic groups like the Kipchaks, Cumans, Oghuz , Goturks are mentioned in various sources as having women fighting, including prominently in Iranian art. Chinese records mention the Goturks sending seven female warriors to the Imperial court, and Procopius mentions women fighting amongst the Huns.
Some of these groups like the Huns, Cumans, Kipchaks (and probably other various Turkic groups) would be contemporaneous with Halla, going by NQ chronology. The Huns, Kipchaks and Cumans in particular would be abutting areas controlled by the Maygar - the Maygar origin story actually involves basically getting kicked out of Khzaaria - so our guy here would almost certainly know them intimately through relations in war, trade, and intermarriage. So it's odd that he wouldn't be familiar - even if he disapproved of the concept, he'd have seen or heard about women fighting.
Perhaps he means he wasn't aware that Norse women were warriors?
It's more that the population is simply extremely spread out and people are encouraged to go out and make their own home in the wilderness rather than go to a city and consolidate
These imply Halla has at least a little bit of contextual knowledge about the Maygar and steppe cultures generally. Butt given that the Norse have been trading and raiding along the Volga for millennia at this point and how curious Halla is, it would frankly be odd if she didn't.
The final one is a bit of a shock in the dark, but these guys sound cool, and I've wanted to meet Steppe Cultivators forever.
One thing to note is that the Magyar—or 'Hungarians' in the modern day and age—aren't your typical group of Steppe Cultivators. At least, not originally. They were a sedentary people first before they were forced on the move. Once they found a new home in the pannonian basin, they settled down again.
