Knight of Wessex (A Written World Quest)

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It is said that the Scourge of God himself is buried—trapped, or maybe dead—beneath the Iron Hill of Bornholm, and boy does it look it.

Were it not for the passage of time dulling its luster, the hill would blind all who would look upon its sun-reflecting surface. Thankfully, sea-salt and rust have had their say and so Audrey Eotenslaga does not have to debase herself by turning her head away from the towering structure.

Calling it a 'hill' is a great disservice, for it encompasses nearly the entirety of Bornholm's surface area, save for a scant few fields and beaches. The residents of Bornholm are renowned smiths, using the metal they mine as they carve away homes and houses to practice their craft. Many famous blades and pieces of armor can trace their origins all the way to the forges of Bornholm.

Said to have been formed during the battle of Hallr Blackhand and Bram Ironjaw against the Scourge of God, Attila the Hun, the Iron Hill stands tall over what remains of Bornholm after that titanic day, when the Scourge breathed his last breath. Conjured by Ironjaw through use of pagan kunna, the hill restricts the vast majority of his might by keeping it in existence.

As Audrey stands before one of the entrances to the winding labyrinths of Bornholm, as she breathes deep of the scent of power, of the wellspring of strength that it took to conjure such a structure, she can't help but feel...

What's the word?

Small? Inadequate? No, not ever.

When one finds themselves at the foot of a ladder, a ladder that must be climbed no matter the path life takes, why should the climber fear the rungs? Is a man somehow made inferior simply because the ladder is taller than he, that it is a better way to climb than with one's bare hands?

No, of course not. A man is a man even when outclassed. Likewise, Audrey Eotenslaga is still Audrey Eotenslaga and, thus, the best.

Audrey nods to herself, a smile on her face

"You see that elf yet?" A sudden intrusion yanks Audrey from her thoughts, the voice of Margh Grouse rattling in her ears. Margh chews on a collection of salted nuts, his eyes scanning the crowds of people going about their business.

"Elf?" Audrey quickly collects herself and turns a raised brow at her fellow... Fellow what? Margh isn't from Wessex, nor is he a Squire or a Knight. Fellow competitor, perhaps? But that feels a little too impersonal, no? Certainly for the level of friendship she and he have achieved.

Regardless, Margh pops another nut into his mouth as he nods, "Supposedly, there's an elf here to compete in the tournament. A Norse elf, for the record," he snorts, "I somehow doubt that one of the Fair Folk would debase themselves for human entertainment."

A frown crosses Audrey's face as she searches her memories for any information on this so-called 'elf' only to source little on the subject. Unlike with dwarves, it seems that elvish interaction is rare enough that it hasn't crossed the border, "What makes a Norse elf different from one of the Fair Folk?"

Margh shrugs, dashing Audrey's hopes of a swift resolution, "Not sure, not yet, anyways. All I know is that they have something to do with having multiple bodies." He and Audrey share a brief hum before he continues on, "How goes your investigation?"

Audrey clicks her tongue against the roof of her mouth, "Not well, I'm afraid. I found out that a Finn and a Slav are here as well, but that it's mostly Norsemen besides those two."

Margh's brows lift, "A Slav? They're not too common beyond their region, are they?"

"Neither are Finns, I hear."

"Either way, I'm excited to see what they have to work with!"

Audrey smiles, "On that, we agree."

(As early as you are in the contest, and with how many contestants there still are, it's difficult to find any real information on your opponents. Regardless, you still managed to learn of a few more standout participants, and will have better information should you encounter them in the tournament..)

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The Markets of Bornholm yawn wide open, full of treasures for Audrey to sift through! Admittedly, little of it is especially useful to her, given the proliferation of runic enchantments on many of the examples–the pagan magic being unresponsive to her no matter how much paint she poured into them!

Irritating, but there were still plenty of options for her to indulge in.

One stall held a weaponsmith who had gone on a journey in his youth, all the way to Iberia! He had plenty of interesting foreign weapons–but what caught Audrey's eye were the pair of finely balanced Franciscas hung up on the wall. The one she had been using up until now was effective enough, she supposed, but a quick test of the weapons proved to show them a cut above in quality–and finding anything better back in Wessex would be a tall order. They weren't too expensive either! Relative to everything else of course.

Another stall was a stonecarver's den, with a rather fetching black stone native to the cliffs of Bornholm. It would prove an exciting accent to the Bargate Ironstone currently forming the Foundations of her Temple–and she had confirmed it was a cut above in quality as well. Not something she could use in the near future–but she should have the space to squeeze it in by the Fifth Decade–a threshold that drew closer every year! An offer to purchase the uncut stone drew a confused eyebrow from the Stonecutter, but he agreed to sell enough to meet her needs for a reasonable price. A rare opportunity! More importantly, as it was locally sourced, there was no urgent rush to pick it up right this second, she could get away with a modest down payment and cover the rest with any winnings earned during the tournament!

Definitely something for the list.

More importantly though were the treasures found across the world! While yes, it was assuredly true that many of these relics of good Christian folks had been taken on raids from who-knows-where, it also meant that Audrey was in a position to liberate them from the hands of Heathen merchants! With a fair ransom of course–though Audrey's definition of fair may not have been what they would consider as such.

Notably, she had found no less than Two solid Decorations found in the markets! And better still, the silly pagans had no idea the value of what they held, or they'd have presumably already ransomed them back to their prior owners for a solid sum. One was a rather handsome bell–stolen from the church that had been sacked on a raid somewhere in the Continent. Well wrought of solid bronze, decorated with images of saints and angels–it was a magnificent look! It wasn't thought of to be useful to be melted down–given the complexity of bronze to re-cast once melted–but the merchant who eventually happened upon it thought it would be a nice curio for an art piece.

The other option was clearly an attempt to scam you–an iron nail said to be "One of the ones used by Ironjaw Himself in his face!" This was obviously not the case, given the wisps of Faith it still emanated even now–he may be a paragon among the Heathens, but he still wasn't a Saint. Stolen, likely from a reliquary somewhere. But she could recover it at a price that the merchant was definitely trying to scam her on–and if he knew the actual value, would understand he was grossly underselling it.

So many options–all of them wonderful. Yet Audrey's purse only stretched so far–and she still has to commission a good Lance too! She couldn't possibly acquire everything, even if she tried.

She'd have to prioritize.

0~0~0

Audrey has 9 Wealth right now, it is a good idea for you to Vote By Plan

[ ] Purchase the Pair of Fine Franciscas, this will give you an additional threshold of damage on any Rotes using the throwing-axes, as well as a backup in case one is lost or broken. These weapons provide +10 damage when used with Knightly Armour, and only magical weapons would do more. (1 Wealth, likely still available after the tournament)

[ ] Put in an order for a shipment of Bornholm Shale–this is a Stone Foundation Material that will count as a Resilience material, raising your Damage Reduction by 10 for the cost of 2 Stone Slots. (2 Wealth now–2 more by the time you leave, for 4 total)

[ ] Purchase the Warrior Saint's Bell, a Growth Decoration that aids in coordinating allies and subordinates on the field of battle. Granting instinctual knowledge of your actions to up to (Decade) Allies, as well as more general transmission of your will to all allies in earshot. This allows for easy use of coordinated attacks, and raises the bar to suffer from collateral damage considerably. (5 Wealth, will not be available later)

[ ] Purchase the Nail of Martyrs, a Growth Decoration that aids in piercing even the toughest hides, reducing Damage Reduction against your attacks by (Decade x 5), as well as producing (Decade) Zeal per year. Also has an effect on Rebuke and other forms of Denial equal to (Decade/2), stacking with other effects. (3 Wealth, will not be available later)

[ ] Commission a Superior Lance–this is a simple enough project for the artisans in Bornholm, with most of the expense simply in having a material that can regrow when it's inevitably broken. You have a few options with this… (There's plenty of artisans in Bornholm, you'll get another chance before you leave–though certainly not at a discount, so expect a 2 Wealth cost)
-[ ] Order it now, have it ready in time for the tournament (2 Wealth)
-[ ] Order it now, with the understanding you'll collect it when you leave (1 Wealth)

[ ] If you really feel you need a little more coin, there's a fair resale market here too… You could sell one of the pieces of equipment you don't need, or potentially unload the full set and maybe get a little extra. Of course, you won't have these to distribute or sell elsewhere later in that case…
-[ ] Sell the Runed Helm (+1 Wealth)
-[ ] Sell the Superior Mail (+1 Wealth)
-[ ] Sell the full set, including the Axe (+3 Wealth)