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NorseQuest (A Norse Xianxia)

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Voting is now closed.

Thank you for placing your trust in me, for this will be good.
Scheduled vote count started by Imperial Fister on Nov 26, 2023 at 5:41 PM, finished with 47 posts and 16 votes.
  • [X] Just give Imperial Fister his perfect ending
    [X] Imperial Fister
    [X] Plan: Our Duty to the Living
    -[X] Trigger Banish the Night with Fight of Our Lives. Use a Rewrite to apply the full bonus dice to everyone.
    -[X] This is not a battle in our league, trust Careful-Stepper to defeat the foe, our duty is to survive. Get everyone together, get on the Ship, and Go, using the buffs as required to hasten the loading/rowing/so forth.
    -[X] Remain on standby to intercept any stray attacks that come our way and coordinate the evacuation. Use Sailwind and other Tricks as required to hasten the escape and guard against stray attacks or pot-shots of opportunity, spending freely to bolster our defenses. If another Rewrite is required at some point to hedge our bets, don't be shy about using it.
    -[X] If one of the Jotnar tries to do a Thunder Run, use Thermic Reckoning to discourage them. Our job is to escape, not to fight here. Our duty is to our family and our fellow travelers, not violence today.
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CoatRackRanger said:
🤞 Halla and/or Abjorn dies in front of their kids 🤞

Am I a monsters?
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Yes. Them dying in front of the kids is certainly not outside the bounds of possibility, but it happening here with no recourse seems really dramatically unsatisfying even if you like tragedies (which I, at least, do not).

Well, a bodily death might be fine, but that doesn't seem to be what you're talking about.
 
I strongly doubt that this is going to be a game over for Halla or even for this expedition. Halla still has Vestfold and the war arc before her narrative can be considered done and on this expedition, we still need to go to Uppsala to return Thievesbane and go back to the Baltic to complete our job for Johannes.
 
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Gotland Calls Final
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    • [X] Just give Imperial Fister his perfect ending
    0~0~0

    Absalom Careful-Stepper stands serene as five Jotnar bare their weapons and roar their rage. The staff of hickory in his hand hums with a calm certainty as Heklr takes the first swing. His axe leaves the air a sobbing mess as it descends upon the comparatively tiny man. The power radiating with every rampant motion denies the world its right to exists, a strike meant to sever both life from man and stability from reality.

    Like a bird landing on a branch, however, the length of good, strong hickory darts into action mere moments before the axe connects with Absalom's skull. Wood meets iron and finds it wanting as Absalom hops and catches Heklr's axe on his staff. Twirling about, he presses a foot against an empty patch of ground as his staff flicks down, slips around Heklr's bootstrap, and upends him on the spot.

    Heklr hits the ground with a heavy whomp as you struggle to follow the action past that point. Every motion perfectly precise and calculated, Careful-Stepper darts across the battlefield as he catches every single blow on the pristine, gnarled end of his hickory staff.

    What stands out, though, is that Careful-Stepper never takes advantage of any opportunity that presents itself. He refuses to attack, to deal damage to his enemies as he flows over the ground like a gentle stream does the land. Not only does he not attack, but he never dodges either. Whenever a blow would've struck the grass, that same length of hickory is there to meet it.

    "Halla!" Abjorn's shout draws you from your open-mouthed awe as you return to the present. Shaking your head free of stupor, you turn your attention to where your husband and the rest make their way down the path most took to reach the peak. The weak covered by the shields of the strong, they move as a pack as they head towards the beached ship.

    Abjorn waves wildly at you as Drifa wrestles Eyvor away from his leg, fearful tears streaming down her face. With sword in trembling hand, his eyes beg for you to come with him. As you start towards him, a woman's voice whispers in the back of your head. It's familiar, yet alien. Close, yet distant. Warm, yet cold. A collection of impossibilities, the woman's words stop you in your tracks.

    What is your strength for, O' Daughter of Ash, if not this?

    Careful-Stepper won't win, not as long as he keeps declining offense. Eventually, the Jotnar will wear him down and deal him his death blow. Though you've known him for but a bare few minutes, he was already willing to battle five Jotnar so that you and yours could go free.

    There comes a time in every life where you must make a choice that will define your entire existence. Today, as you look your husband in the eye, you make yours.

    Careful-Stepper needs help. He needs someone to swing for him.

    He needs you.

    'Attagirl,' Blackhand's pride fills your heart with steely resolve as you ignore the fear in the hearts of all you love, grip Sagaseeker tight, and turn around.

    You enter the fight with little fanfare as you catch a Jotun on an unguarded shoulder. Lulled into a false sense of security by Absalom refusing to attack, the Jotun makes no attempt to block your sudden swing as Sagaseeker connects with Jotun flesh. Unfortunately, despite the strength of the blow, it fails to even so much as depress his skin let alone break it!

    The Jotun laughs and goes to backhand you away like you were an insect. His fist blurs towards your face at speeds you can barely even comprehend let alone react to! But even as your death approaches, it fails to make contact as a familiar length of hickory hovers before you. The strike had the weight of a mountain behind it, yet Careful-Stepper balances it on the end of his staff like it was the lightest feather in all of existence.

    A pair of gentle eyes meets yours as Absalom greets you with a welcoming nod. As the corners of his lips hug his cheeks in a soft smile, you know that he won't let you come to harm. With Absalom guarding you, you're free to put your all into every strike.

    The battle lasts for an eternity with neither side making progress. Though you connect blows, you struggle to do anything more than leave bruises in your wake. The skin of the Jotnar is just too strong for you to penetrate! It's like Sagaseeker lacks an edg-

    You blink as an idea trickles in from the back of your mind, a lesson taught many years ago. The words of Blackhand fills your ears as you draw back for one, final strike. When your weapon fails to bite, bash your foe over the head with a rock.

    Scooping a rock up from the ground, you pour all you have into this attack. Every drop of orthstirr, every splash of odr, every ounce of strength in your heart's roaring furnace, all of it! Every last bit! It all floods to your arm as you leap into the fray once more.

    The rock collides with Heklr's skull hard enough to shatter into dust. Heklr's head snaps back as blood sprays out and he stumbles back a half-step. For a moment, your heart surges as he sways from side-to-side. There, that's the opportunity that Careful-Stepper's been waiting for! It has to be!

    And yet, as Heklr shakes his head free of the stupor, Careful-Stepper makes no move to capitalize. You watch in horror as he merely keeps the Jotnar from landing blows on you, him, or the ground. You put everything you had into that strike, every Aspect in your soul, yet it was for nothing.

    Spent, you collapse to your knees as Sagaseeker slips free of your fingers. Was this it? Was this the perfect ending you'd been promised? Was your trust misplaced?

    No, it wasn't.

    A warm purring reaches your ears as Sagaseeker nuzzles your hand. Your fingers twitch as your husband's power surges through your limbs, his Aspects giving you just enough strength for one, final blow.

    Staggering to your feet, you turn your gaze to Heklr as he stands silhouetted by the rising sun. The fingers of fate's keepers work their magic as the established pattern falls away for the new writer's hand. Heklr takes a step, sure of the status of the grass beneath his feet, yet it was not to be the case. Morning dew coats every blade of grass, turning what was once a stable surface to a frictionless nightmare.

    The skin of a bear clings to your shoulders as you drive Sagaseeker forward. His strength coats his blade in thunder and lighting as you add your voice to the roar. Stomping with all your might, your boot finds the surface of the grass to be made of hickory as Careful-Stepper helps you along.

    As Heklr collapses against the ground, Sagaseeker's shining point does the impossible. He slides through skin and slips through bone as he finds a home in a God's beating heart.

    Heklr freezes as the fingers of fate's keepers work once more. Threads are cut as his fate is spun anew. As Sagaseeker pulls free, Heklr falls flat on his back as his last breath leaves his lungs. His death blow dealt, there's nothing his brothers can do but turn and run away.

    Sagaseeker slips free of your limp fingers as you collapse against the ground. Eyes turned towards the heavens, the last thing you see before darkness claims you is the smiling face of Absalom as he plucks the axe from your belt.

    0~0~0

    Your eyes flicker open to a familiar roof above and a familiar warmth to your side. Looking to the right, you find your Husband snoozing peacefully with his arms wrapped around you, your bed holding the both of you tight.

    Beyond the closed doors of the sleeping closet, you heart the sounds of birds chirping and the denizens of your home start to stir. Extracting yourself from Abjorn's arms, you slip a pillow between his grasping hands as he snuggles up again. Unlatching the door, you greet the warm glow of the rising dawn as it peeks through your windows.

    You're home, though that seems impossible given what just happened. Gotland... The pang of loss nearly drives you to tears, but you master yourself with a surge of ice-cold will. Gotland is gone, but despite that absolute fact, it isn't quite true.

    For, you see, your soulscape now plays home to a sea and an all-too-familiar island. The valley of your soul opens up to greet the newly acquired territory as your soul grows yet again.

    Taking a deep breath, you resolve to figure this all out after breakfast is made. In the meantime, you can do a quick inventory of-

    ...In the place Thievesbane normally sits on your wall, you find a note scrawled in runes on paper.

    Thank you for finding my axe. I made sure to return you and yours home safe and sound, but that isn't near enough of a repayment for what you've done for me. Call for me and I will come -Absalom

    'Well, damn,' Blackhand mutters as you snort.

    (+100 Orthstirr)
    (+1 Drengskapr)
    (Sagaseeker has bathed in Godly Blood!)
    (Thievesbane has been delivered to its rightful owner!)
    (Your Soulscape has expanded!)
    (Heroic Feat: The Slaying of Heklr! +9 Orthstirr a year!)
    (Muna: Gotland's Call! Though you won't ever be able to return to Gotland, you still carry a piece of it in your soul. Expands your Soulscape to include a facsimile of Gotland)
    0~0~0
    Personal (Pick 2/3, if no Exploration is picked. 1 Free Social):
    [ ] (Here, Kitty-Kitty) Attempt to make friends with the skogtatt
    -[ ] (Write in) How do you go about this?
    [ ] (Violent) Pick a fight or spar with... (Sparring with people reveals a summery of their character sheets)
    -[ ] Spar with Abjorn, your husband
    -[ ] Spar with Stigmar
    -[ ] Someone else (Write in)
    [ ] (Personal) Spend time with... (Write in)
    [ ] (Shopping) Ask Abjorn to buy something for you (Write in) (Can only be used to buy or sell things you are already aware of and cannot haggle)
    [ ] (Court) Send Abjorn to make a case at the Thing (Write in)
    [ ] (Crafting) Try to make something (Write in) (Hugr+Some kind of crafting skill)
    -[ ] (Optional) Focus on repairing something (Write in)
    [ ] (Poetry) Try to realize an Inspiration (Write in one of your Inspirations)
    0~0~0
    Exploration/Travel (Pick 1 or none):
    [ ] (Visit) Go visit... (1 Left)
    -[ ] The Witch... even though she's dead
    -[ ] Asvir!
    --[ ] (Optional) Attend the Thing
    -[ ] Buriby, Osborn's Farm
    -[ ] Glebby, Sverre's Farm
    -[ ] Hasviby, Hasvir's Farm
    -[ ] Halfdanby, Halfdan's Farm
    -[ ] Jurgen's Cave
    [ ] (Exploration) Go on a walk through...
    -[ ] The fields!
    --[ ] (Optional) Send your fylgja in your place (Does not cost an action)
    -[ ] The Hading!
    --[ ] (Optional) Send your fylgja in your place (Does not cost an action)
    --[ ] (Optional) Try to find the Heart of the Hading
    -[ ] The hills!
    --[ ] (Optional) Send your fylgja in your place (Does not cost an action)
    --[ ] (Optional) Range further from your home
    0~0~0
    Training: You have 71 XP to spend as you see fit.
    [ ] (Research) Try to figure out how things work (Write in)
    [ ] (Seeress) Learn seidr with the Seeress (Only available during Summer)
    -[ ] Write in up to 3 things to request of her
    [ ] (Drifa) Teach Drifa some of your tricks (Write in)
    [ ] (Blackhand) Try to develop old/train new hugareida tricks (Write in)
    [ ] (Training) Hamr (511 XP to rank up)
    -[ ] (Optional) Train a hamr skill or trick (Write in)
    [ ] (Training) Hugr (256 XP to rank up)
    -[ ] (Optional) Train a hugr skill or trick (Write in)
    [ ] (Training) Fylgja (256 XP to rank up)
    -[ ] (Optional) Train a fylgja skill or trick (Write in)
    0~0~0
    Orthstirr Available: 1478
    How do you want to use your orthstirr? You can turn on passive tricks here. (Leaving this blank is assumed to be boosting all your stats to max)
    [ ] (Orthstirr Usage) (Write in) (Optional)
    0~0~0
    Fylgja Capacity: 14/15
    Do you want to withdraw or deposit anything in your fylgja?
    [ ] Write in (Optional)
    0~0~0
    Equipment/Capacity/Shapeshifting/Alloy/Pocket/Whatever Management
    What do you want to have equipped on your person, in your capacity, or for your shapeshifting? Leaving this blank means that no changes are made.
    [ ] Write in (Optional)
    0~0~0
    Property Management: You have 114 Work Dice Available
    How do you want to use them? (Leaving this blank is assumed to be the same as last turn)
    [ ] Write in (Optional)
    0~0~0

    AN: Thank you for letting me do that.

    25-minute moratorium.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Wow.

    I mean, on the one hand, we got diverted from getting that translator.

    But... Well, hahahaha.

    I'll call this worth it.

    Good gravy was it worth it.
     
    Wow. That was great. I don't really have a specific response beyond that because I'm bad at flowery language and that was really cool.

    On to logistical stuff: @Imperial Fister what's going on with our crew and cargo? Is it an action to recruit those we already talked to, what about to sell our full hull of stuff?
     
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    Imperial Fister said:
    Heklr freezes as the fingers of fate's keepers work once more. Threads are cut as his fate is spun anew. As Sagaseeker pulls free, Heklr falls flat on his back as his last breath leaves his lungs. His death blow dealt, there's nothing his brothers can do but turn and run away.
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    The Nornir be pissed at your antics, Heklr Heckling!
     
    It'll be better, I think, to just do a quick smash and grab without the whole family this time. Just a quick stop-over in Agder to drop our excess cargo and then high speed round trip.
     
    Imperial Fister said:
    (+100 Orthstirr)
    (+1 Drengskapr)
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    Love seeing the numbers go up.

    Imperial Fister said:
    (Sagaseeker has bathed in Godly Blood!)
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    This is going to be such a buff to Sagaseeker.

    Imperial Fister said:
    (Your Soulscape has expanded!)
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    Gotland is a part of Halla's soul now, we're going to have to research that.

    Imperial Fister said:
    (Heroic Feat: The Slaying of Heklr! +9 Orthstirr a year!)
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    Yeah this is a very important Feat.

    Imperial Fister said:
    (Muna: Gotland's Call! Though you won't ever be able to return to Gotland, you still carry a piece of it in your soul. Expands your Soulscape to include a facsimile of Gotland)
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    This is such an awesome Muna.
     
    Alectai said:
    It'll be better, I think, to just do a quick smash and grab without the whole family this time. Just a quick stop-over in Agder to drop our excess cargo and then high speed round trip.
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    Yeah. Lemme whip that up...we need to finish what we started, and it's not that far a trip.

    Imperial Fister said:
    You do, yes. Not yet, because extenuating circumstances, but if you don't complete it by the end of the year you will
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    Unrelated question: We never got our questions with Solrun last turn, are those just lost or do we get more than usual this turn or what?
     
    ...

    That Outlaw stole an axe from a God and then tried to fight Steinarr with it like it wouldn't betray him.

    Some people belong in backstories.
     
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