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- Under your couch
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- He/Him
Does artificial insemination exist in this world? Because if not i don't see many other ways of creating children, though maybe if you squint really hard, homunculi or golems might be like an artificial kid?
NorseQuest (A Norse Xianxia)
- Thread starter I.F. Ister
- Start date
- Original Fantasy Action
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- Tags
- norse mythology (mythology) original xianxia cultivation western cultivation ask sirihand did your mother tell you anything? discussion pleases yggdrasil farming gloating gets people killed granary management hubris is a coward's word you will die norsemen do not die when they are killed the qm has a bad memory the qm is bad at math viking courtroom drama (legal drama) vikings
Does artificial insemination exist in this world? Because if not i don't see many other ways of creating children, though maybe if you squint really hard, homunculi or golems might be like an artificial kid?
I.F. Ister
Fortifying The Thread
- Pronouns
- He/They
The social ladder isn't as strict in duty as it may appear. If work needs doing, then it gets done—one way or another. Even if that work is taking a pick to manure, somebody has to do it.
0~0~0
Finished the herd, moving on to social and playdate—which I've decided to combine into one. As such, I'll need someone to roll a 3d6 for Asgeirr, 6d6 for Sigurdr, and 4d6 for Eyvor. Hallbjorn as well with 4d6.
Current time: ~0:45
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I guess I'll roll for Asgeirr.
EDIT: 2 Successes, not bad.
EDIT: 2 Successes, not bad.
rolling for Hallbjorn
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So the numbers are as follows:
Asgeirr: 2
Sigurdr: 6
Eyvor: 4
Hallbjorn: 4
That should be enough for all of them to make friends given the lower difficulties with a smaller group. Dunno what additional bonus Sigurdr gets for being extra charming (as usual), if anything.
Asgeirr: 2
Sigurdr: 6
Eyvor: 4
Hallbjorn: 4
That should be enough for all of them to make friends given the lower difficulties with a smaller group. Dunno what additional bonus Sigurdr gets for being extra charming (as usual), if anything.
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You don't need to be a skald to have charisma. But yes, his charisma seems like it'll be notable when he's grown up.
I still really want to jump to Asveig
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- She/Her
I definitely felt like most of the kid scenes focused a lot on 'look how cool and special your kids are. They're so strong/smart/weird.' And I think that it's fair because as I stated above, they are incredibly strong/smart/weird! But it would be nice if we got a little more of their personality outside of trait lists and how exceptional they are as time went on. What does a family dinner look like?
They are all incredibly weird though. So there could also be value to playing up more how weird her family is, if we dont want second generation to just be a cakewalk locally/socially? Like Halla had three good positive traits to start, one of them being her Hugr boost that kinda lead to her being a genius and silver tongued ally maker. Her least trait'd kid has... 8? 9? One of them has like 13? She's basically giving birth to little demigods. That might scare people?
Halla's final kenning is gonna end up being Halla Herobearer, because every one of our kids is super protagonist graded.
That said, despite saying that I would like more non mechanical optimization stuff, and less focus on just how strong the kids areI think it would be cool to pump up our Design and construction skills, and build an awesome training building/yard/etc for our kids, family, and huskarls to use as the kids get older and need to start training. If they aren't already?
I'm not really certain how advanced the kids are tbh, in fluff terms. Like Asgeir got his first hugaredia at 4? (By trying to eat molten metal??? Kid you should have just died, you're lucky the norse are bullshit in this world, lol) When did he start speaking? I know one of the kids talked at like a year old. I know fluff wise we were told the initial triplets were as advanced as 2-3 year Olds when only a year old, but what does that mean? Especially comparatively nowadays?
We did a 'research' on our weird sword and found that one of our kids had talent for it, iirc? Are all our kids actively training and we just aren't around for most of it (at least on screen?) Or was that just a weird one off where we happened to be using the sword and handed it off to a child for fun? When will they start training? When do they start helping around the farm? What is our parenting style like? What is Abjorns? I'm guessing our daughters are going to have free rein to learn anything they want because we already did that, but what have they shown interest in thus far?
What kinds of mundane things do our kids do in their day to day? Are they just always balls of wrestlers contending to be the strongest? What do their relationships with Halla and Abjorn look like? They definitely have a weird family set up since their Mom is out in her forge, training, meditating, or fighting for what seems to be 90% of their lives. Does this cause any tensions, or are they all just cool with it?
Having some more mundane down to earth things that come with having a family might be useful for grounding and making me care more about the kids. No offense meant when I say this, but I genuinely couldn't remember Halla's kids names until I went to search it up, because they kinda feel like non-entities besides as 'generic wunderkind who Halla every so often has an existential crisis as she imagines them in danger'.
A lot of this will probably pass as the kids grow and start having real demands and goals of their own.
They are all incredibly weird though. So there could also be value to playing up more how weird her family is, if we dont want second generation to just be a cakewalk locally/socially? Like Halla had three good positive traits to start, one of them being her Hugr boost that kinda lead to her being a genius and silver tongued ally maker. Her least trait'd kid has... 8? 9? One of them has like 13? She's basically giving birth to little demigods. That might scare people?
Halla's final kenning is gonna end up being Halla Herobearer, because every one of our kids is super protagonist graded.
That said, despite saying that I would like more non mechanical optimization stuff, and less focus on just how strong the kids areI think it would be cool to pump up our Design and construction skills, and build an awesome training building/yard/etc for our kids, family, and huskarls to use as the kids get older and need to start training. If they aren't already?
I'm not really certain how advanced the kids are tbh, in fluff terms. Like Asgeir got his first hugaredia at 4? (By trying to eat molten metal??? Kid you should have just died, you're lucky the norse are bullshit in this world, lol) When did he start speaking? I know one of the kids talked at like a year old. I know fluff wise we were told the initial triplets were as advanced as 2-3 year Olds when only a year old, but what does that mean? Especially comparatively nowadays?
We did a 'research' on our weird sword and found that one of our kids had talent for it, iirc? Are all our kids actively training and we just aren't around for most of it (at least on screen?) Or was that just a weird one off where we happened to be using the sword and handed it off to a child for fun? When will they start training? When do they start helping around the farm? What is our parenting style like? What is Abjorns? I'm guessing our daughters are going to have free rein to learn anything they want because we already did that, but what have they shown interest in thus far?
What kinds of mundane things do our kids do in their day to day? Are they just always balls of wrestlers contending to be the strongest? What do their relationships with Halla and Abjorn look like? They definitely have a weird family set up since their Mom is out in her forge, training, meditating, or fighting for what seems to be 90% of their lives. Does this cause any tensions, or are they all just cool with it?
Having some more mundane down to earth things that come with having a family might be useful for grounding and making me care more about the kids. No offense meant when I say this, but I genuinely couldn't remember Halla's kids names until I went to search it up, because they kinda feel like non-entities besides as 'generic wunderkind who Halla every so often has an existential crisis as she imagines them in danger'.
A lot of this will probably pass as the kids grow and start having real demands and goals of their own.
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I'd like some more domesticity myself. It's hard to fit in with more active turn, though, and we've had a bunch of those in the last little while.
We do know some of this. In order:
1. The kids start helping around the farm at 4, so Hallbjorn isn't doing so usefully yet (though he should start next turn), but the older three are.
2. They're not doing any formal training yet, though they may be hitting things with sticks and similar stuff. We've been told we can start them on actual training at the age of 6.
3. Eyvor, our older daughter, is the one with the sword aptitude, so she's shown interest in that.
More on parenting styles and stuff would be great, though, I agree.
I mean, all parents tend to be busy doing stuff in this kind of tech level. Halla is no busier than anyone else, I don't think. The things she's busy with are weirder, but she spends as much time with the kids as most parents do, I think. More about their lives would be good but that's a meta-issue, not an in-universe one.
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Halla also had a lot of opportunities presented early on to earn Hamingja, training dice and Orth. which part of why she grew so fast. there is also the fact she is literally a descendent of a bloodline of great heroes, directly descended from the actual gods, and her most powerful traits that let her be so freaking powerful are those gained from that. our kids will be terrifying for sure, but much of it is expected for their lineage, and its not like tripling the traits are tripling the power. her most powerful traits that get passed on are those 3-4 traits(like born of fire and charred soul) and those stay the same.
Halla also got early access to an extremely rare and powerful Hugareida in Standstill. it can honestly be the most powerful Hugareida we heard of in this quest with the exception of Illimaren's fire, and she got it at 12. and we only know of one other person IC and two OOC that have it. our kids likely won't get it
we are building an arena for the tournament already, we can probably do it there
I wonder who of our kids is gonna get Sagaseeker. its a really powerful weapon, even by our standard, and is likely our family's greatest piece of equipment(sorry Emberguard and Shadeguard but you know its true). it might very well be more powerful then Crowfeeder too
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Eh, I think the things she's busy with are weird/out of the way enough that it's harder to say she's not at least a little more distant probably? I mean just on the basis that she's not the homebody mother, I assume the kids end up feeling more like a household with two Father's rather than a father and a mother.
Early in the story it was a big deal that Steinnar wasn't as active in Halla's life as he was her brothers, because she wasn't training with him and stuff and that was most of the time he spent with his kids, nor was she expected to be helping with the same duties he did as a Man. And it was noted that Steinnar was weird for how active he was in his kids life, despite doing so much work.
But Asveig was always working in the house, doing domestic work. Needlebinding, making clothes, cooking, and generally tending to the family. She was available for everyone and always around. I don't see Halla as having that same sort of energy.
Both Abjorn and Halla seem to tend towards focuses in life that are out of the house. When voting to find members for our household, one of the things we explicitly looked for was someone with experience raising kids to help because we thought Halla might be a little more busy.
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I mean, at quest start Steinnar was around 40. Halla is 22. she will be far more available when she is retired. tbh Steinnar did retire early, and only went into combat at three times we know of- the Horra fight, the Wolves, and now at the raid.
about that actually, do we thing Steinnar was stronger then Moonless night back then?
about that actually, do we thing Steinnar was stronger then Moonless night back then?
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This is true, but our kids probably get more of the first two than Halla ever did. They have the actual Trait to earn Hamingja quicker, and we're gonna start training them earlier than Steinarr did us. Dunno about Orthstirr, but the other two they'll likely gain more and faster than Halla.
I strongly disagree, actually. Halla's actual 'day to day' work outside of smithing (and casual smithing is something she does in half the normal time due to the owl, and the forge is part of the same building...it's a room not a different structure, so it is in fact in the home) is all very much this kind of thing. She's very explicitly the one who cooks and makes and repairs clothes for the family, for example, and is almost certainly the one who does most of the home repairs (anything not structural to the house, anyway...furniture and things like that). She doesn't go out to farm any more than most women. She's probably gone from the house very slightly more often in terms of weird experiments and expeditions, but that's a few days a month...it's not a very substantive difference most of the time (raids/trading expeditions are an obvious exception, but we've been on exactly one of those so far since having kids).
We wanted help raising the kids because we knew there were gonna be a lot of them and because we might want to travel occasionally, not because Halla wouldn't be there day to day.
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I.F. Ister
Fortifying The Thread
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I'm going to need a composure check, please. That'll be 16d6
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I guess I'll roll it.
EDIT: That's 6 successes. Low for the dice but should be sufficient to use our various Composure based Tricks if needed (ie: it should keep us coherent enough to use things like Cool Off or a Calm Charge if necessary).
EDIT: That's 6 successes. Low for the dice but should be sufficient to use our various Composure based Tricks if needed (ie: it should keep us coherent enough to use things like Cool Off or a Calm Charge if necessary).
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I.F. Ister
Fortifying The Thread
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- He/They
Hmm, would you like to use a calm charge?
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Yes. Absolutely. They refresh at the end of the year and we have three. That gets us to 13 successes.
I.F. Ister
Fortifying The Thread
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Alrighty, then
Winter 10/Lost Herd? Finale
I.F. Ister
Fortifying The Thread
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- He/They
[X] Pump him for information
-[X] We're primarily trying to get info on who he paid to get left alone, that part seems relevant and like whoever he paid might've set this up. However, he's drunk, and there's no need to be rude, we'll use Light Touch if needed and gently guide the conversation in that direction rather than be impolite about it. We will also happily allow him to tell us things like where he's from and why his family moved here, whether they'd be open to trade in the future, things like that. That's all secondary to who they paid to be left alone, though.
-[X] Keep a careful eye out for when he tires of our company, make our goodbyes and get out of there before his mood shifts towards the truly unpleasant. Using Goal Tell and Lowest Limit to help with this inasmuch as they can.
-[X] We're primarily trying to get info on who he paid to get left alone, that part seems relevant and like whoever he paid might've set this up. However, he's drunk, and there's no need to be rude, we'll use Light Touch if needed and gently guide the conversation in that direction rather than be impolite about it. We will also happily allow him to tell us things like where he's from and why his family moved here, whether they'd be open to trade in the future, things like that. That's all secondary to who they paid to be left alone, though.
-[X] Keep a careful eye out for when he tires of our company, make our goodbyes and get out of there before his mood shifts towards the truly unpleasant. Using Goal Tell and Lowest Limit to help with this inasmuch as they can.
Silver-Tongue: 17 Successes
"So..." You purse your lips as you rock on your heels, "You said something about 'paying good silver to be left alone'?"
"I did, yes," the papa-vittra slurs his words as the hazy figure sways on unsteady feet. He slumps against a cow, which delivers an annoyed swish of the tail as he rests against its flank. "Land's owner bade me welcome, made certain I knew his trusted messenger-men, and accepted my service in exchange for a plot of land to call my own."
"Did this 'land's owner' have a name and what manner of service would you render him?" Your eyes narrow as you run thumb and forefinger across chin and jaw, thoughts running wild with possibility.
The obvious man to fit the role is none other than Jarl Erikaer Corpsemaker—the usual suspect in matters such as this. While you hate even the bastard's trodden footsteps, there are a number of other possibilities. Dorri, for one, may have recruited the vittror for his inevitable conflict with Corpsemaker—as could Corpsemaker in the reverse.
However, another potential name comes to mind as you consider it yet further. The name that brought terror to the hearts of men both strong and weak. A name that shook the very heavens and broke the rule of law over its knee.
Could Drysalt Hadingsbane have claimed the valley for his own? He spilled more than enough blood to win any wager of combat. That would, from a certain perspective, make him the 'land's owner.'
...You hate how much that makes sense.
"Do you not know the name of the one you live under? The one whose yoke you bear? The one who I shall fight alongside?" The vittra chuckles heartily as he paws at his mouth, seemingly finding the very idea of such a thing hilarious beyond compare. Turning to where his son presumably stands, the vittra waves a vague limb in your general direction, "Listen well, bothersome boy, for humans are always asking after those they can't see. From gods to grubs, they beckon for their presence alike—all the more foolish they are for it!"
Alcohol has loosened the vittra's tongue in more ways than one, it seems. Reading the situation for what it is, you deem it wise to bid farewell before iron must greet the sun.
Still, as you and your men turn back the way you came, you can't help but feel like you've learned more from this than what you know. Every time you speak with those beyond the law, you get more of a grasp on how to speak and conduct yourself.
Why, at this point, you're certain to have an easier time dealing with outsiders to the law!
(Boon: Speaking Out of Law is now unlocked)
0~0~0
Personal Time
With a light bit of feasting well underway and a frothing horn of beer in hand, you reckon that now is as good a time as any to check in with those under your care. Foam clings to your upper lip as you wander on over to where Kurt Frogtongue shows off his kenning-sake for the children—who watch with mixed faces of disgust and curiosity alike.
Sitting on a round stool not too far away from the door, Kurt keeps an eye on the hearth-flame as he lets his tongue hang down to his navel—only about two-thirds of its maximum reach. How he manages to keep such a behemoth in his mouth is a mystery known only to him, but you've certainly never seen Haydis angry with him so it's clearly working out in his favor.
Spotting your approach with a keen blue eye, Kurt retracts his tongue into a tight coil before tucking it into the inside of his jaw. Ignoring the protests of the children—who wander off in a huff, likely to get into some manner of trouble—Kurt shuffles around until he's facing you dead-on. Speaking around the wad of pick flesh filling his mouth, he nods well-wished greetings your way, "Hail, feasting-mistress of a warm hearth."
"A fine feast to you too, Kurt," you return the greeting with a broad, meat-speckled smile while handing him a spare beer mug. Hooking a foot around a nearby unoccupied stool, you beckon it your way in a deft show of skill. It comes to a teetering stop on unsteady legs, which you put an end to through making it your seat. Resting an ankle on a knee, you send a pointing finger his way while eyeing the dispersing children, "Say, I haven't seen a child on Haydis' hip in some time. Are you planning on having any more than Hallotta?"
Kurt makes a noise while scratching at his neck, "Well..." He breathes a heavy sigh as he gets on with it, "I was actually meaning to talk to you about that, as I fear that Haydis' wedding-dream may have been wrong on how many children we'd have."
"How many did she see?" You ask over the horn's rim, the trickle of beer a welcome-if-fleeting guest in your head's hearth.
"Three," Kurt answers as he visibly tries not to be jealous of your own household. "Haydis and I've been trying for the second for some time now, but haven't had much luck. Is there anything you can do for us? I know you're learning from the Seeress, after all."
Lifting brows to the hearth-smoke-choked ceiling, you hum to yourself while tapping the horn against your chin. After a moment's thought, you come to a conclusion, "I'll need time to set everything up, but I've got a few ideas that could help your predicament."
Sunshine would feel inadequate next to Kurt's beaming, face-splitting smile. "If you help us in this, I swear you'll have my service for the rest of our lives."
"In that case, my aid you shall have!" Matching his smile with one of your own, the deal is sealed with a locking of wrists. After sharing a drink with your farmhand, you bid him farewell as you turn your attention to all others in attendance.
The twins' towering presence immediately catches the eye as Asgeirr tries once more to convince Tryggr of how he should be given a chance at the drink in Tryggr's hand. Fortunately for both your sanity and Tryggr's hope of living a long life, Trausti is there to keep things civil. Oddly close to his side sits Vagn, who watches the goings-ons with humor in his gaze as his weapon-wheel hangs up on the wall behind him—alongside all the other weapons, as is the custom.
"Trust me, kid," Tryggr chuckles as he eyes your silent approach, a sneaky wink shot your way, "you won't like the taste of this. Your mother likes her beers bitter."
"But it smells so nice!" Asgeirr's petulant stomp fills your ears as you come to a stop behind him. "Just one sip, I promise I'll be good!"
Sensing an opportunity to both curb Asgeirr's alcoholic aspirations, teach a valuable lesson on meaning what you say, and extract good behavior for the coming playdate, you allow a grin to spread across your face as you make your presence known. "As my father once said to me, I now say to you, o' eldest child of mine: to be a man is to hold yourself accountable for everything you say and do." Asgeirr freezes at the sound of your voice, looking to all the world like a dog caught with something it shouldn't have in its mouth. "If I allow you a sip, can I trust you to act like a man?"
Clenching fists find iron in his spine as Asgeirr meets your steel gaze with one of his own. Red hair bobs as he nods, a fierce look in his polished eyes, "A man is only as good as his word."
Tryggr conceals a snort in his flagon's lip as Trausti sighs—the oft-repeated saying one of his favorites. "Seems he has a favorite uncle," Tryggr nudges his brother with a sharp elbow and pointed grin.
Ignoring the brotherly byplay, you answer Asgeirr's words with a solemn nod. Rising a palm before your eldest, you work your orthstirr to your will as you ready the horn. Crimson strength forms a fingernail-deep and knuckle-wide bowl in your palm's basin as a dark, frothy liquid fills it to the brim.
Asgeirr's eyes glow with eager delight as he carefully takes the thimble-sized cup in hand. Lifting it to his lips, the bitter drink soon finds a rest-stop on his tongue.
"That's good!" His eyes light up as his lips curl up into a broad smile, grubby fingers forming grabby-hands towards the horn in your hand, "More!"
As the twins and Vagn break out into a laughing fit, you can't help but feel you may have made a mistake here.
Regardless, as the feast progresses and you make your rounds, you keep a mental note of who would like their fylgjur unveiled as well as those who would be willing to participate in a certain experiment you have in mind.
Of your household, most everyone seems willing to have their fylgjur unveiled. The only one who seems at all apprehensive is Vagn, but that appears to be more from not being sure what to expect than any outright negative feelings towards the idea.
However, just as you started to ask about that certain experiment of yours, a frowning Abjorn grabs you by the arm and asks you to follow him outside.
Following him out into the cold, the door shuts in your wake as Abjorn wrings his fingers. Snow swirls around you in a thick flurry as the sun slips under the horizon like a hard-working farmer finds his blanket.
Taking a deep breath, Abjorn turns to you with a slightly distressed look in his eye, "Halla, I..." Taking another lungful of cold valley air, he swiftly finds his footing and barrels on like his namesake, "I'm not sure I'm comfortable with the things you're doing, with what it does to you."
Composure: 6 Successes. Calm Charge Used!
Your first instinct is to get mad at him, but a surge of coolness washes that feeling away as you stay in complete control of your emotions.
At your silence, he wrings his fingers harder as he starts to hunch in on himself. His breathing quickens as he stutters through his reasonings, "I-I just can't get the image of you w-writhing on the floor out of my head, o-or," he shudders, swaying slightly on the spot as sweat pours off his brow like a waterfall off a cliffside—your cold, unfeeling stare doing little good for his nerves. Gulping, he continues on with a whisper as his eyes find the ground, "o-or when you were trying to... t-to k-kill me."
...Shit, he has a point.
What do you do?
[ ] Write in
0~0~0
AN: I was meaning to finish off this turn today, but Abjorn said 'no' to that, lmao.
No moratorium, we'll see if we can't get another update out today, eh?
edit: I've been reading some of the sagas and I can feel them infecting my writing, lmao. If anything is weird, that's why.
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Abjorn definitely does have a point. But I don't think we can stop, there's far too much at stake. We need to figure out how to put that in a way that makes sense.
- Location
- Many Places
So did we get anything out of the vittra? Because I got nothing.
Alectai
Speaks Words of Wisdom... On occasion
I think it'd be better to establish that we're taking the risks so that others won't. Because we care, and we have the aptitude to minimize the risks, because the world won't wait for us to be good and ready when calamity strides. Even if we're bound from speaking without inviting a calamity in turn. Because surely, you feel that the day when you can speak freely will come someday, and when that comes, you want to have as many gifts to your family as you can.
EDIT: We soft confirmed it was Drysalt, and that he's advertised himself as Lord of the Hading. Corpsemaker doesn't need to be squirrelly over this .
EDIT: We soft confirmed it was Drysalt, and that he's advertised himself as Lord of the Hading. Corpsemaker doesn't need to be squirrelly over this .
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