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NorseQuest (A Norse Xianxia)

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"Hey, Blackhand, what can you tell me about the uses of Hugr? Anything obvious I missed, for example?
Or this idea with thinking differently about my hugreidas?
Perhaps something you heard about and wanted to try but never had the opportunity for?"
 
TheCount said:
"Hey, Blackhand, what can you tell me about the uses of Hugr? Anything obvious I missed, for example?
Or this idea with thinking differently about my hugreidas?
Perhaps something you heard about and wanted to try but never had the opportunity for?"
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
'You're on the cusp of the final echelon of hugr strength, but I can't tell you more then that. Unfortunately, it's very difficult to explain without having reached that point yourself.'
 
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Summer 9/Voyage 1.12 Part 2
  • Threadmarks
    • [X] Yes
    -[X] Buy 2400 oz. Forged Iron (Cost 1350 oz. silver)
    -[X] Sell 110 Water wolf Pelts (Gain 385 oz. silver)
    0~0~0
    Bo Burisson (Silver-Tongue: 6x2, 5x3, 4x1, 3x3, 2x2, 1x4)8+1(Friendly)+1(First Impressions)+1(Goal-Tell)=11 Successes
    Pebbles crunch under your shoes as you try your damndest to avoid slipping off to the cliff-battering waves below. While you can fly if you fall, you'd still rather not have to resort to that when you've got a pair of perfectly good legs.

    While Denmark is a fine land—even if the Danish accent is more then a little difficult to parse at times—you were only intending to spend a couple days here at most. Unfortunately, the weather had different plans.

    Reaching the designated lookout spot—a shallow hole in the wall with an overhang protecting it from the elements—you find it empty. A frown tugs at your face as your predecessor is nowhere to be seen.

    Hands cupped, you have to shout to be heard over the harsh, southeasterly winds,
    "Bo! You there? You didn't fall off and die or anything, did you?"

    The wind picks your words up and carries them far away while leaving you in relative silence. Seconds pass as still no answers reach your ears, which sets your teeth to grinding—an awful habit that you, for some horrid reason, developed recently.

    A heavy thump to your rear sends a jolt up your spine as you whirl around to face the source. You breathe a sigh of relief as you lay eyes on Bo Burisson, the man you were to replace on today's weather-watch.

    Bo Burisson is an average-looking man with a blonde beard ending in a tied-off puffball. He's thick of limb and broad of shoulder, but that's not exactly a stand-out trait amongst your fellow Norse. While only a middle-of-the-road warrior, he is rather talented in riddles and wordplay. Supposedly, he's planning on trying his hand at Skald's work after this adventure concludes.

    "I'm here, Halla," Bo says as he rises from where he'd dropped down. Nodding towards the ledge, he answers the question on your mind, "I was up above, getting a better look at some storms heading our way."

    "Well," a grimace flashes across your face, "at least we're not at sea!"

    "There's that, yeah," Bo nods in agreement as he points a thumb back the way you came. "It'll hit us in the night, probably, but you be sure to let us know if anything changes, yeah?"

    Your brows furrow alongside your narrowing eyes, "I know how to keep a watch, Bo."

    He takes a step back while raising his arms, "Just saying in case you didn't."

    You hold his gaze for a beat before huffing and waving it off. As he nods and turns to leave, a thought springs to mind. "Hey, Bo, before you leave I have a thing I need to ask you."

    "The closer the cloud is, the bigger it'll be."

    A scowl starts tugging at your face, "I'm not an idiot."

    His brows furrow as he tilts his head and looks back your way, "I didn't say you were?"

    You manage to suppress the urge to chuck him off the cliff with a sighed grunt. There's no malice in his gaze, after all, and you've got better things to do then feud with the Burissons. "Just, look, you know the lake with the island that's part of your family's land?"

    "Where Lori died," you wince at the flatness in his stare.

    "Yeah..." You won't apologize for what you did, not to a Burisson and not when you were in the right. "Well, uh, I spotted something valuable on the island and was wondering if it was possible for me to buy it from you or your family."

    Bo hums as he taps his foot against the ground, "Well, it's not my land so you'll have to ask Dad about it, but I'll put in a good word for you." He pauses as something occurs to him, "Hey, what were you doing on that island anyways?"

    You blink, "I, uh, I was just exploring."

    He stares at you for a long moment, "'Exploring', huh?"

    "It's the truth!"

    Bo sighs and rubs at an eye, "Look, I'm just gonna say that you had a dream about it and not mention the trespassing. The last thing either of us need right now is for bad blood to boil over."
    (Composure: 5x3, 4x2, 3x1, 2x4, 1x4) 1 Success
    The taste of iron fills your mouth as you bite your tongue, cutting yourself off before you can even start. It was a near thing, but you managed to stop yourself from blurting out something about how 'his family could never be a threat to yours'.

    Bo gives you an odd look but says nothing. After an exchange of goodbyes, he heads off while leaving you alone. A few hours later, the surprisingly slender Audman Audsson arrives to relieve you of your watch.

    Thanking him, you head off to where the crew is making the most of the time they have left before the storm hits.
    Swapping kenning-tales with the crew
    As you retrace your steps back to camp, you arrive just in time to catch the closing part of how Gorm Bloodslick got his kenning.

    "But with my blood making the ice even slipperier, Haklangr couldn't keep his balance and fell!" Gorm stands with one foot resting on a crate as he recounts his tale, "Scrambling to my feet, I grabbed my fallen axe and made to cleave his head from his shoulders, but he rolled away at the last second and my blow hit the ice! The ice cracked, plunging both of us into the freezing waters below! I hit my head on the way down, leaving me stunned as Haklangr made it safely to shore. But instead of leaving me to die, Haklangr instead dove in after!" He laughs as he shakes his head. He rises his mug in Hakon Thunderclap's direction, "Your brother was a good man, Hakon, they both were. It's a damn shame what happened to them."

    As you snuggle up with Abjorn and politely refuse an offered mug of mead, you're treated to several rounds of story-telling. Not all of the tales were as exciting as Gorm's—Oscar Sharphone, for example, was caught as a young boy trying to sharpen a large notch from the edge of his father's axe while Harold Hugehands, as another example, just has notably large hands—but some are stand-out.

    Roar Shiningspear earned his kenning from driving his spear into the heart of a sea monster. When he pulled it out, the blood covering his iron was alight with a magical glow. Randolf Well-Named, as his kenning implies, earned his kenning after using his shield to kill a wolf threatening his little niece. Apparently, he got his wolf fylgja and shield hugareida after the fact.

    After that, it falls to Arnfinn Heavystep to tell his tale.

    The boy is merely thirteen-years-old, but he walks like he has the weight of a man full-grown. Brown hair, brown eyes, and a little bit of the awkward, gangly stature that so often comes with youth. He killed a man and shared a wound on two more while fighting in sea-fort, but he looks no different to how he normally looks. In fact, he looks eager for more. He reminds you of yourself, in a rather bloodthirsty way.

    Arnfinn stands up, looks around the campfire, and says, "I have a weight hugareida."

    He sits back down as a cricket starts to creak. He doesn't seem to care much about the stares flying his way, merely ignoring them in favor of the drink in his hands.

    Unfortunately, before anyone can needle him for more, thunder calls in the distance and rain begins battering the camp. The men rush for cover from the sharp, needle-like droplets of rain.

    You simply hum as Abjorn shields you on your way to shelter.

    0~0~0
    Seidr Training
    With the wind going the right way following the storm, you were finally able to get back to sailing. With it being a couple days till Agder, you decided to spend the time practicing your seidr.

    "Divination is a complex art," the Seeress begins as she hops up onto the Wavedancer's railing, "that comes in many different forms. We've spoken of this before, so why don't you list the forms you remember and their strengths and weaknesses?"

    You narrow your eyes and smile, "Trick question, there are no standardized forms. Anything that involves luck can be used to divine information as long as the relevant Gods or spirits are alerted and have room to influence the outcome."

    "Very good!" The Seeress bobs her beak as you beam with pride, "It had been some time since we last covered this, so I wondered if you still recalled the truth of the matter. Fortunately, you do, so we can move on to the other lesson of the day: protecting oneself from hostile spirits while attempting to commune with them."

    "Does this have anything to do with that sword I looted?"

    "Maybe," the Seeress snickers and you grin, "regardless, it is important information for you to learn." Coughing into a wing, she begins the lesson, "Proper precautions must be made before dealing with any kind of potentially hostile spirit."

    "For most spirits, a simple combination of Backlash Seals and Signpost will often be enough to stop spirits both hostile and opportunistic from attempting anything. Backlash Seals are seals that launch attacks when set parameters are met—such as a Signpost being ignored. They scale based on the power one uses during casting and are capable of not only unleashing raw power, but also of casting prepared spells of their own."

    "However, not all spirits will back off after triggering a Backlash Seal. In such a situation, it is often better to go on the offensive rather then remaining defensive. Most spirits are opportunistic, if prey fights back then that prey is often too much trouble to be worth it. A simple Probe spell can be enough to scare spirits away but if it isn't then you will need to utilize stronger spells. These often come in the forms of spells that Overwhelm, spells that Pierce and Cleave, spells that Crush, spells that Flank, and spells that Protect."

    She runs you through a number of different spells that correspond to the types she mentioned, but before you can ask any more questions, she freezes on the spot.
    Get Attacked? (33), so close to skating on by. Severity? (96) High... Severity... Location Coin-Flip? (Tails) You're at sea. Weather Coin-Flip? (Heads) The sea is calm, not that it matters.
    "Solrun?" You ask as you wave your hand in front of her glossed over eyes, "Are you oka-"

    "This is bad," her abrupt words send your brows shooting up your face.

    "What's bad?"

    She's struggling to speak, so she just points a wing out to sea. Following her direction, you see nothing but ripples on the shockingly calm sea...

    As you lay eyes on the ripples, a trickle of bubbles float towards the too-flat surface. Each popping bubble sends another ripple shooting out—each one larger, much more violent then the last. The rate of popping steadily increases as the Wavedancer starts to rock and the crew scramble oars in response.

    The water hums as unnaturally clear footsteps echo around you, all accompanying a shadow looming in the water. The sail drops as the wind dies and any oar in the rippling waves snaps like twigs. A man screams as a splinter gouges his cheek, but you've no presence of mind to recall his name.

    Laughter rings out, clearer than anything you've ever heard despite the waves that should be muffling the voice. Ever-present seabirds splash all around you—all dropping dead on the spot. Droplets of icy rain fall from clouds freezing in the suddenly dark skies.

    Your ears pop before every joint in your body cracks at once—similar events playing out for all the members of your crew.

    A man rises from the frighteningly-calm-yet-equally-violent waters and what a man he is. Every time you blink, his face changes. Every time you try to focus on one feature of his body, every other part of it shifts. The only constants he seems to have are the hunger in his eyes and the greedy smile peeling back his lips to reveal a set of perfectly-squared teeth.

    Water stops moving as he approaches your ship. Not a single man of your crew dares speak as the stranger makes a show of sniffing the air and rubbing his belly—a growl rumbling from its depths.

    His eyes fall on your ship and they widen as if surprised. "What luck have I to happen upon such morsels when hunger rears its ugly mane!" He grins as the faint echoes of forced laughter ring in from an unseen audience, "I greet you warmly, Children of Ash and Elm, for a feast you bring!" More of that forced laughter calls as he turns his eyes on every one of you at once, "Ah, I forget myself! My name is Heklr, I am a Jotun, and I desire the food of which you are laden!"

    Your heart sinks as that same laughter turns mocking. A Jotun... The only way it could be worse if he went straight to violence.

    "There is little point to resistance, so you can quit whatever thoughts of heroism bouncing off empty skulls!" Heklr announces with a wagging finger, like a parent disciplining their naughty child. "You may surrender your food and keep your lives, or give me both—the choice is yours!"

    The mocking laughter surrounds you in noise as all eyes turn your way.

    'I'm sorry this is happening, but we can, if we play our cards right, come out of this on top. We can't win a contest of arms against a Jotun, you simply are not there yet, but Jotnar can't help but accept an issued challenge. Beat him in a contest and we'll go free. If you don't think there's a way, then just give him the food.'

    What do you do?
    [ ] Surrender the food, but keep your lives
    [ ] Defy him with violence and die in the process
    [ ] Challenge him to a game or contest of your choosing (Write in)

    0~0~0

    AN: Good luck

    25-minute moratorium.
     
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  • Threadmarks
    • ... Well, I have one galaxy brained idea we could try.

    "Who can come closest to touching the Sun"

    We have very high DR to Fire and several things thematically related to it. Combine that with "The Sun is a friend to humans", and we might be able to outlast him in such a contest.
     
    DeadmanwalkingXI said:
    What about riddles? I think physical contests are out even in areas Halla is good at, given the power level, but riddles are a different matter.
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    We're not bad at those, certainly. What kind of dice pool would be involved with those?

    EDIT: Actually, that's a good bit, if we do this as a Puzzle Sequence, that gives us a chance to pull this off. We do have a very big brain collectively after all.
     
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    Alectai said:
    ... Well, I have one galaxy brained idea we could try.

    "Who can come closest to touching the Sun"

    We have very high DR to Fire and several things thematically related to it. Combine that with "The Sun is a friend to humans", and we might be able to outlast him in such a contest.
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    Our flight isn't free...his can be. This is a physical contest with a being who wins physical contests we will lose.

    Alectai said:
    We're not bad at those, certainly. What kind of dice pool would be involved with those?

    EDIT: Actually, that's a good stunt, if we do this as a Puzzle Sequence, that gives us a chance to pull this off.
    Click to expand...
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    That was my thought, yeah. Though even if it were a roll, it'd be Hugr-based plus either Wordplay or maybe a social skill? So something in an area we're likely as good at as we can arrange.

    A crafting contest is also possible, but I think riddles.

    wabbitking said:
    What about a quiz on bible knowledge? Not very Norse but we probably know more then him.
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    This can be used as part of a riddle-game...references are allowed. If we use one he doesn't know...
     
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    Forging is somethinga Halla is really good at. Are the jotun known for their skill at the forge?
    Needlework is something that the jotun is unlikely to be good in.
     
    Imperial Fister said:
    His eyes fall on your ship and they widen as if surprised. "What luck have I to happen upon such morsels when hunger rears its ugly mane!" He grins as the faint echoes of forced laughter ring in from an unseen audience, "I greet you warmly, Children of Ash and Elm, for a feast you bring!" More of that forced laughter calls as he turns his eyes on every one of you at once, "Ah, I forget myself! My name is Heklr, I am a Jotun, and I desire the food of which you are laden!"

    Your heart sinks as that same laughter turns mocking. A Jotun... The only way it could be worse if he went straight to violence.

    "There is little point to resistance, so you can quit whatever thoughts of heroism bouncing off empty skulls!" Heklr announces with a wagging finger, like a parent disciplining their naughty child. "You may surrender your food and keep your lives, or give me both—the choice is yours!"

    The mocking laughter surrounds you in noise as all eyes turn your way.

    'I'm sorry this is happening, but we can, if we play our cards right, come out of this on top. We can't win a contest of arms against a Jotun, you simply are not there yet, but Jotnar can't help but accept an issued challenge. Beat him in a contest and we'll go free. If you don't think there's a way, then just give him the food.'
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    A contest of patience?
    He seems a pre-humgered.

    Or a contest of luck. We devise a gambling game and quietly invoke the relevant gods. Odin seems to be very interested in our success, so if we could Devise something involving runecasting...
     
    Hm, this Jotun seems to be water or illusion aligned if it's appearance is any indication, which may influence the contests we choose.

    Would Jotnar be willing to sabotage the other party in contests? I also imagine choosing a contest obviously one-sided would risk Heklr's anger.
     
    fearsome hill said:
    Forging is somethinga Halla is really good at. Are the jotun known for their skill at the forge?
    Needlework is something that the jotun is unlikely to be good in.
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    The Jotnar are the same species as the Aesir, so he might be a brilliant smith or at any other craft (though if we have Forgefire and he doesn't we might pull it off)...though, given gender, the needlework is less likely.

    Alectai said:
    Can, and also should spend Odr like water here too, this is not the time to be stingy!
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    If it helps, absolutely yes. As much as is needed. On the other hand, he likely has more Odr than we do, so we want to avoid contests it can be spent on, if possible.

    Toboe said:
    A contest of patience?
    He seems a pre-humgered.

    Or a contest of luck. We devise a gambling game and quietly invoke the relevant gods. Odin seems to be very interested in our success, so if we could Devise something involving runecasting...
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    He's immortal, so patience seems risky...in terms of luck, that's likely Hamingja and ours is only okay as compared to powerful people. I wouldn't risk it.
     
    I enjoy the idea of a riddle contest (obviously from my joke post). It's something cool we players can take part in, and it's extremely fitting for a Saga. Giant unbeatable enemy suddenly shows up out of nowhere and must be outfoxed by the cunning hero.
     
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