Well that's really just one of the natures of Orthstirr, isn't it? And, Xianxia in general. When the exceptional are adored, what happens when you're *not* exceptional?
It's also sort of a comparative problem in some ways. By reasonable standards, I'm pretty sure Stigmar is scary as shit. He's got Hamingja 18 when an 8 is the average and trains a lot, and has at least one pretty solid Hugareida, excellent weapons and armor, has shapecrafting to permanently boost his speed and Hamr Infusion making him more durable and giving him an extra shapeshifting slot, and is likely at least approaching Hamr 10.
In Alectai's combat rankings some quick math says he's probably in Expert Class at the very least, and I suspect vs. most random warriors he's gonna wreck them. That's just not as impressive in the league Halla is playing in as it is in the world as a whole.
None of which makes his problem any less real, of course, and particularly not the feelings it evokes, but it's worth keeping in mind.
Also, I just wanted to note with this - if things seem awkward and bad religiously I'm very very sorry. I was actually raised Muslim, I've never heard a Christian prayer, so that stuff was kind of just Googled. I hope I didn't inadvertently offend anyone.
Well that's really just one of the natures of Orthstirr, isn't it? And, Xianxia in general. When the exceptional are adored, what happens when you're *not* exceptional?
Also, I just wanted to note with this - if things seem awkward and bad religiously I'm very very sorry. I was actually raised Muslim, I've never heard a Christian prayer, so that stuff was kind of just Googled. I hope I didn't inadvertently offend anyone.
Everyone should donate their reward dice to our main man. If the gods will not patron him with their blessings of luck and talent, we, the readership shall!
Everyone should donate their reward dice to our main man. If the gods will not patron him with their blessings of luck and talent, we, the readership shall!
Everyone should donate their reward dice to our main man. If the gods will not patron him with their blessings of luck and talent, we, the readership shall!
Also, I just wanted to note with this - if things seem awkward and bad religiously I'm very very sorry. I was actually raised Muslim, I've never heard a Christian prayer, so that stuff was kind of just Googled. I hope I didn't inadvertently offend anyone.
This sounds a little off, the sacrament of forgiveness is for repentance of sin (evildoing), not mere failure. OTOH, I imagine he might feel guilty about failing.
This is the really weird bit IMO. Gabriel would not have heard that saying, unless he attends a really strange and heretical church. The Christian teaching has long said that some men are to be killed.
The idea of "not kill man", I think, is partly contemporary values being projected onto the past, and partly people mixing two different Bible translations from different centuries without accounting for linguistic drift.
Contemporary English Bible says you shall not murder, and David killed Goliath.
Archaic English Bible says you shall not kill, and David slew Goliath, because "kill" used to mean back then what "murder" means now, and the other way for "slay". Which makes this a funny coincidence:
A piece of general advice in case you feel like writing another omake along these lines: Someone in Gabriel's position would likely be somewhat fatalistic, both from the general culture and his own experience of "then I got enslaved, then I got released" with him having little to no say in what happens. He might lean towards the sort of prayer that goes: Lord fight for us, Lord give us grace, Lord give us strength, Lord give us victory, because we can't control what happens, only You can.
This sounds a little off, the sacrament of forgiveness is for repentance of sin (evildoing), not mere failure. OTOH, I imagine he might feel guilty about failing.
"Mary", capital letter for names
This is the really weird bit IMO. Gabriel would not have heard that saying, unless he attends a really strange and heretical church. The Christian teaching has long said that some men are to be killed.
The idea of "not kill man", I think, is partly contemporary values being projected onto the past, and partly people mixing two different Bible translations from different centuries without accounting for linguistic drift.
Contemporary English Bible says you shall not murder, and David killed Goliath.
Archaic English Bible says you shall not kill, and David slew Goliath, because "kill" used to mean back then what "murder" means now, and the other way for "slay". Which makes this a funny coincidence:
IIRC this has been cyclical. The early Christians were big on non-violence, then with Constantine and the rise of the organized church they changed their tune, and then during the early medieval they again leaned pacifistic. The next turning were the crusades, with religious violence intensifying during the early modern period. Then, the church shattered and the different denominations all had their own take on the issue. The Catholics have been mixed, but basically lost the last of their martiallity with the Second Vatican Council, essentially formally abdicating their claim to the status of world religion and officially embracing tolerence (sedevacantists represent the holdouts of that tradition).
During the viking age, mainstream catholicism broadly preached non-violence. I think that insular/celtic variation (which was the branch that christened the english in turn) leaned even further in that direction? So, no, I think Gabriel would have been taught that violence is a necessary evil at best.
That said, knights being as religious as Gabriel is slightly anachronistic or very unusual. That only became the norm post-crusade non-coincidentally (it's difficult to be loyal to a religion that considers your profession somewhat gross).
I think you're drifting into another subject about the church's culture at large and I don't want to get too far off topic. My point was that specifically "Heavenly Father, you say that man should not kill man" is wrong because God does say to kill people, repeatedly, and there's a common conflation of "kill" with "murder" related to this.
(Unless perhaps IF has altered the canon for this setting, too.)
As far as I'm aware, the bible has always held that self-defense was okay. The original purpose of Knights in NQ is to protect pilgrims and priests as they journey to holy sites, often by taking up arms against those that would threaten those travelers. If a warrior sinned and desired penance, they'd become a Knight for a period of time—through paying for a sigil or token or other signifying item—and guard those travelers.
However, as Knights became more and more robust and their equipment's strength grew in leaps and bounds, the costs to become a Knight also grew in great strides. As such, Knights would often have to put themselves into debt in order to obtain proto-armor and the like, payment usually came in the form of service to someone who could pay for the armor. Obviously, you can't really do your penance if you're fighting for someone else, so Knights would wind up in long-term arrangements.
Eventually, this evolved into the system we know today.
I think you're drifting into another subject about the church's culture at large and I don't want to get too far off topic. My point was that specifically "Heavenly Father, you say that man should not kill man" is wrong because God does say to kill people, repeatedly, and there's a common conflation of "kill" with "murder" related to this.
(Unless perhaps IF has altered the canon for this setting, too.)
Early that morning, before the sun had even crested the horizon, you and Hasvir stand before the deceptively simplistic door of the Hadingshero's home. While your friends and companions sought out their kinsmen, you followed a boar here.
Exchanging a brief glance with Hasvir, you swallow the trepidation and ready your knuckles. A single sharp tap against the unpainted wood is all it takes for it to open and reveal the man you came here to see.
...
Hasvir Hadingshero blinks owlishly as you stare at him and his heavily receding hairline. His skull shines like light off a well-polished boulder as he stands with one hand on the door. He's a man of slight build and a wrinkled brow with a fatherly disposition to his mien. Just one look tells you all you need to know about this farmer of a man.
"Can I help you?" His voice is level and steady, like he's used to working long hours with minimal breaks. Enough time for water and relieving oneself, but not much more than that. This is a man who works until the job is done, whatever that job may be, no matter how long it takes.
Clearing his throat, Hasvir steps forward and extends his hand, "I'm Hasvir of the Hading, your grandson."
Hadingshero blinks again as his brows lift up, "Really?" His lips part into a grin as he takes Hasvir's hand and gives him a firm shake, "Well how about that, eh? Welcome to Sessrumnir, Hasvir!"
"Thank you, Grandfather," Hasvir nods his head, gaze full of respect for his namesake. Spreading an arm your way, he points you out to his grandfather, "This is Halla Sunshine, my neighbor and someone who wishes to speak with you."
"Nice to meet you, Hal-," Hadingshero's smile freezes as he sees your face, outstretched hand locked in the air.
"Halla Sunshine," you take his still hand and shake, "granddaughter of Hallr Blackhand."
"I see," Hadingshero's eyes flick back to his grandson as he mutters from the corner of his mouth, "Hasvir, why did you bring her here? I'm not exactly on good terms with her family, not after last week."
...Last week? Your brows furrow as you try to parse his words.
Hasvir, fortunately, seems to be of the same mind, "Last week?"
"Yes," Hasvir nods with solemn serenity as two of his fingertips poke together, "I accidentally spilled Ragnar Ultradeathkill's martini during mud volleyball last week and hadn't yet had a chance to apologize."
'I don't know half those words,' Blackhand mutters as Hasvir Hadingshero blinks once more.
"Oh, hey Blackhand! Didn't see you there!" Hadingshero's grin fades as you stare. "...What? Is there something on my face?"
'You're... not angry?' Blackhand winces as he waits for a response.
Hadingshero shrugs, "I've had a few decades and a dozen-or-so-thousands of deaths to get over it."
After taking a moment to make sense of his words, you find yourself nodding along. At the very least, you don't have to deal with somebody trying to break into your soulscape or something... That it would suck is something of an understatement, you fear.
"Blackhand?" Hasvir mutters to himself as his eyes linger on you, curiosity burning a hole through your head.
...Well, shit.
0~0~0
After following Hadingshero inside and sitting down in a stunningly well-furnished room—cushioned benches, fancy carpets, even some fun wall-paper-painting-things, you name it it's probably there!—he quickly whipped up a couple cups of 'coffee.'
Raising the warm liquid to your lips, you're met with an odd aroma of-
...
The coffee goes down your throat easy enough, but what keeps your attention is the fact that, well, that you have an attention in the first place. For as long as you can remember, you've had difficulties focusing on things you had little interest in. You can manage fine with things like fighting and working and other masculine activities, but when it comes to the more feminine, like weaving or cooking? Well, it's easier said than done and you'll just leave it at that.
As the coffee warms your chest with it's oddly bitter yet strangely enjoyable taste, your mind stops its ever-present buzzing. No more are your thoughts darting from this to that. No more does your mind add little bonus-thoughts to whatever topic drifts across your head. For the first time in your life, it's like you can think.
And then, just as quickly as it came, it's gone in the wind. It's gone save for the knowledge that coffee was responsible for what just happened.
You take another sip as you zone back into all the conversation that you missed.
"So, Drysalt has returned," Hadingshero frowns as he sighs. "I'd hoped that I'd managed to seal him away for good, but it seems that my hopes were misplaced."
"How did you do it?" You ask as coffee flows down your throat, "and where do you get this 'coffee' from?"
"You like it?" He grins as he pours your another cup, "I'm not super sure where it comes from, but I can have the cats prepare a package for you to take back."
"Please do," you nod eagerly before turning your mind back to the previous topic, "but, Drysalt?"
Hadingshero's grimace nearly breaks your heart as he sighs, "Do you know what 'The Weapon' is?"
"The Weapon?" Hasvir's eyes gleam with greed as he leans in. "Do tell."
"Well, The Weapon is able to kill anything, though that's all I know about it." Hadingshero purses his lips as he searches for the right words, "And, you know how a seal is only as strong as the lock, right? Well, I used the strongest thing I had on hand to lock Drysalt away. If you want to defeat Drysalt the way I did it, you're going to have to either find the part I used or a new one."
"Do you know where we could find a piece?" It's a long shot, but it's a question with no downsides to asking.
"I believe that Tyrfing bears a piece of The Weapon in it's make," Hadingshero sighs as he shakes his head, "Unfortunately, that's all I know regarding The Weapon. Knowing Drysalt, he's likely taken the piece from where I'd used it."
Tyrfing, huh? Yeah, that sounds about right...
"Hey, Halla?" Hasvir's voice pulls you from your thoughts before you can even really start, "I'd like to ask my grandfather some questions of a more..." He trails off as he searches for the right words, "personal nature and would like some privacy for it, please."
You blink as you nod and leap to your feet, "Oh, sure, yeah! It's not a big deal to me."
"Thank you," Hasvir says as you leave the house, the light of the ceiling-hanging-sun kissing your face as you do.
You'll have a little bit of time to kill before Hasvir is done, though it looks like Abjorn and Stigmar are done as well. You could talk to one of them, if you so wish, likely about whatever it is they learned from their ancestors.
[ ] Talk to Stigmar
[ ] Talk to Abjorn
[ ] You'll just wait for Hasvir to be done and then go home
Interesting. That was relatively painless, though we probably now need to answer some questions from Hasvir the Younger. This does also mean Dorri and/or Drysalt likely has a piece of The Weapon somewhere about the place, which is convenient in some ways...if we can get the one in Vestfold we can use one of the two on the seal and keep the other, at least in theory.
In terms of the vote:
[X] Talk to Stigmar
Stigmar is the one currently having a bit of an existential crisis.
