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 open voting
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Okay current results:
Abjorn: 10
Stigmar: 20
Tryggr: 17
Kurt: 20 (+1 Fight)
Kare: 25 (+1 Fight)
Ingolf: 3
Eysteinn: 21
Alvis: 23 (Nat 20)
Magni: 13
Jordan: 21
Joarr: 7
Halfdan: 24
Eric: 14
Sten: 13
Steve: 20
Bob: 20 (+1 Fight)
Phil: 13
Abjorn: 10
Stigmar: 20
Tryggr: 17
Kurt: 20 (+1 Fight)
Kare: 25 (+1 Fight)
Ingolf: 3
Eysteinn: 21
Alvis: 23 (Nat 20)
Magni: 13
Jordan: 21
Joarr: 7
Halfdan: 24
Eric: 14
Sten: 13
Steve: 20
Bob: 20 (+1 Fight)
Phil: 13
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- Location
- San Ramon, CA
I'll take Alvis.
Natural 20!
Natural 20!
- Location
- San Ramon, CA
I'll take Steve.
Still a high roll.
Still a high roll.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Well, someone still needs to roll for Phil, but we're otherwise done. Which brings up the question for @Imperial Fister:
What happens to Joarr and Ingolf (and I guess Phil, if he rolls badly) if their rolls are not improved? Does someone save them, or do they get injured or even taken out? Ingolf has excellent armor and a shield, so he should be able to tank a single loss like this. Phil and Joarr are not as well protected, though.
Do we need to spend Reward Dice or are the good rolls compensating?
What happens to Joarr and Ingolf (and I guess Phil, if he rolls badly) if their rolls are not improved? Does someone save them, or do they get injured or even taken out? Ingolf has excellent armor and a shield, so he should be able to tank a single loss like this. Phil and Joarr are not as well protected, though.
Do we need to spend Reward Dice or are the good rolls compensating?
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I.F. Ister
Fortifying The Thread
- Pronouns
- He/They
If Phil fails his roll here, he's dead.
Joarr has a save left in him, though.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Alright. Cool. Well, since Phil rolled decently, we now need not spend any more Reward Dice. The post above has the final totals now.
Unless someone wants to boost Stigmar or Tryggr, I guess, though we're doing fine this turn, I think.
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Boosting stigmar because it's my job
Edit: stigmar is now at 20. Job fulfilled.
Edit: stigmar is now at 20. Job fulfilled.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Added to the above post.
I.F. Ister
Fortifying The Thread
- Pronouns
- He/They
Blood not his own coats Kurt Frogtongue's face as his lungs empty of breath in sharp, staccato bursts. Staggering to the side as his sword nearly slips free of weary fingers, a last surge of strength from the depths of his being keeps it in his hand. Swallowing the burning bile in his throat, he breathes heavy as Halla's brother, Sten Iskearauta, wipes his hand clean on the headless corpse of the man he had just killed.
Glancing away from the body, Kurt's eyes find the grim-set face of the man next to be his foe. A shorter man of good posture, blonde curls fall from under the dented helmet upon his head. The top half of a broken spear sits in his sword hand while his off-hand holds a battle-worn shield. Kurt and the man had clashed once before—with Kurt giving him that dent on his helmet and the man nearly taking his leg below the knee in return—so it wasn't fear of the unknown that kept him from engaging as soon as he locked eyes.
It certainly wasn't cowardice, either, for he had fought as hard as any man on this day and none could challenge that claim. To put it as simply as possible, Kurt was tired, exhausted, and nearly spent. Were he any other man, in any other position in the fight, he'd have tapped out long ago. It isn't wise to push yourself to your absolute limits, after all. His father had told him as much when he married sweet Haydis.
Oh, Haydis... She wasn't happy at all with Kurt swearing himself into Halla's service, even with the fertility ritual in mind. If it weren't for Hallotta and Little Diggy, she may very well have divorced him on the spot! But, despite her anger, she held her tongue and kept her silence, not wanting to rip a nascent family apart.
Despite what some others may say, Haydis didn't marry him for his tongue. No, she married him—for it was clear as day that she was the one who initiated talks—for another reason entirely.
'I married you because you're safe, because you're not someone who goes out and gets killed on some distant beach, never to be heard from again. And then you go and do this, swear yourself into the service of a warrior so far beyond you that she may as well be a mountain to your pebble. What could she possibly need your sword and shield to do that she could not herself?'
It was a good question, one he still couldn't answer. But it was a question that he didn't need to answer, for he spoke the same words he had on their wedding night, when Haydis told him the truth.
'Haydis... I promise you that I'll come home, always. No matter what, I'll come home.'
But just as he promised Haydis that he'd return, he promised Halla Sunshine his service. He would be her sword and her shield till death or loss of service. Her enemies were his enemies, her fights were his fights, and her will was as his own.
Were he any other man, in any other situation, he'd have pulled back and let someone else take his place. But, he was himself and he was the only thing stopping the foe-men from having free access to the men on the boulder, from being able to put a stop to Alvis' skaldcraft.
It was only him, and him alone. All others were locked in fights of their own. Tryggr was wrestling with the man who'd wounded his brother. Jordan was gutting the man who'd thrown a spear through Joarr's stomach. There was no one to take his place. There was no one to let him rest.
If he turned tail now... He'd be breaking his oath to Halla. But if he didn't... Haydis might never see him again. Oath vs oath, promise against promise. Which was worth keeping? Which was the right thing to do?
As Joarr cried out in pain, begging for his mother to take it away, Kurt's decision was made for him. He'd never be able to forgive himself if he let Joarr, little more than a fresh-faced man just leaving boyhood, fall prey to the foe before him.
His shield little more than a pile of splinters in the shape of a circle, Kurt tosses it aside in favor of taking his sword in both hands. His palms grip the sweat-drenched handle as his teeth chatter in his head, the exhaustion sending spasms shooting through his tense muscles. But yet he stands, firm and fearless, as his foe approaches him warily.
Curly-Hair takes the initiative—which Kurt could only thank him for—and lunges first with his spear-half and then with the shield. Orange orthstirr spills like liquid from the man's weapon and body, his strength a cloying, sticky thing as it splatters against grass and dirt alike.
The world falls away as Kurt stares the spear-head dead-on as it approaches his eyes. All there is in all existence is the spear, him, and his sword—and suddenly, none at all.
There was no swing. There was no cut. There was no sword.
One moment, the man with the curly hair was one. The next, he was two.
The world rushes back in as something slips from someone's numb fingers. It was only as somebody fell as well that Kurt realized what all three of those unknowns were.
His sword. His fingers. Himself.
Darkness.
0~0~0
AN: Here's a teaser for tomorrow's post, which'll consist of Stigmar's POV, Kare's, and then back to Halla to wrap it all up.
Glancing away from the body, Kurt's eyes find the grim-set face of the man next to be his foe. A shorter man of good posture, blonde curls fall from under the dented helmet upon his head. The top half of a broken spear sits in his sword hand while his off-hand holds a battle-worn shield. Kurt and the man had clashed once before—with Kurt giving him that dent on his helmet and the man nearly taking his leg below the knee in return—so it wasn't fear of the unknown that kept him from engaging as soon as he locked eyes.
It certainly wasn't cowardice, either, for he had fought as hard as any man on this day and none could challenge that claim. To put it as simply as possible, Kurt was tired, exhausted, and nearly spent. Were he any other man, in any other position in the fight, he'd have tapped out long ago. It isn't wise to push yourself to your absolute limits, after all. His father had told him as much when he married sweet Haydis.
Oh, Haydis... She wasn't happy at all with Kurt swearing himself into Halla's service, even with the fertility ritual in mind. If it weren't for Hallotta and Little Diggy, she may very well have divorced him on the spot! But, despite her anger, she held her tongue and kept her silence, not wanting to rip a nascent family apart.
Despite what some others may say, Haydis didn't marry him for his tongue. No, she married him—for it was clear as day that she was the one who initiated talks—for another reason entirely.
'I married you because you're safe, because you're not someone who goes out and gets killed on some distant beach, never to be heard from again. And then you go and do this, swear yourself into the service of a warrior so far beyond you that she may as well be a mountain to your pebble. What could she possibly need your sword and shield to do that she could not herself?'
It was a good question, one he still couldn't answer. But it was a question that he didn't need to answer, for he spoke the same words he had on their wedding night, when Haydis told him the truth.
'Haydis... I promise you that I'll come home, always. No matter what, I'll come home.'
But just as he promised Haydis that he'd return, he promised Halla Sunshine his service. He would be her sword and her shield till death or loss of service. Her enemies were his enemies, her fights were his fights, and her will was as his own.
Were he any other man, in any other situation, he'd have pulled back and let someone else take his place. But, he was himself and he was the only thing stopping the foe-men from having free access to the men on the boulder, from being able to put a stop to Alvis' skaldcraft.
It was only him, and him alone. All others were locked in fights of their own. Tryggr was wrestling with the man who'd wounded his brother. Jordan was gutting the man who'd thrown a spear through Joarr's stomach. There was no one to take his place. There was no one to let him rest.
If he turned tail now... He'd be breaking his oath to Halla. But if he didn't... Haydis might never see him again. Oath vs oath, promise against promise. Which was worth keeping? Which was the right thing to do?
As Joarr cried out in pain, begging for his mother to take it away, Kurt's decision was made for him. He'd never be able to forgive himself if he let Joarr, little more than a fresh-faced man just leaving boyhood, fall prey to the foe before him.
His shield little more than a pile of splinters in the shape of a circle, Kurt tosses it aside in favor of taking his sword in both hands. His palms grip the sweat-drenched handle as his teeth chatter in his head, the exhaustion sending spasms shooting through his tense muscles. But yet he stands, firm and fearless, as his foe approaches him warily.
Curly-Hair takes the initiative—which Kurt could only thank him for—and lunges first with his spear-half and then with the shield. Orange orthstirr spills like liquid from the man's weapon and body, his strength a cloying, sticky thing as it splatters against grass and dirt alike.
The world falls away as Kurt stares the spear-head dead-on as it approaches his eyes. All there is in all existence is the spear, him, and his sword—and suddenly, none at all.
There was no swing. There was no cut. There was no sword.
One moment, the man with the curly hair was one. The next, he was two.
The world rushes back in as something slips from someone's numb fingers. It was only as somebody fell as well that Kurt realized what all three of those unknowns were.
His sword. His fingers. Himself.
Darkness.
0~0~0
AN: Here's a teaser for tomorrow's post, which'll consist of Stigmar's POV, Kare's, and then back to Halla to wrap it all up.
- Location
- Southampton, Great Britain
- Pronouns
- He/Him
She was and you remember correctly.
I.F. Ister
Fortifying The Thread
- Pronouns
- He/They
A thing that I forgot
Whoops
I'll have to change things in the post proper
Whoops
I'll have to change things in the post proper
Yeah, to me it looked like Haydis wanted Kurt to be more a warrior while Kurt was content with what he had.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Haydis having second thoughts when it comes down to it seems pretty plausible in context, but the specific wording definitely needs a bit of a touch up.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Hmmm. Off-topic, but it came up in Discord in passing and I realized there's an important bit of info we lack. Who actually is a member of Dorri's hird? We know the following people:
Logi Firehair is the leader, Nainn Rotting and Audrikr Fishfighter are members.
Heima Smiles is explicitly not a member (though he is one of the Kyrsvikingar), nor is Hasvir Horrasson. People who are unlikely due to circumstances include Faxi Bushybrows (newcomer, relatively speaking), Hjalmir Hammerhand (lives away from Asvir), Gunne Warstalker (staying with Dorri, but only for a bit...wouldn't have come with us if he had that sort of job lined up), and Griss Strongthrow (has his own farm and retainers), as well as basically all of our former crew-mates for various reasons (aside from maybe Ketill Farcaster?). But at Lower Top or better that still leaves the following people as unknowns:
Almost Peak
-Fastbiorn Very-Hairy (Third-Grade Berserk) (Giant-Blooded, Very Fast)
-Hymir Evershade (Giant-Blooded, Shadow Hugareida, Lynx Fylgja)
-Einarr Blurryblade (Second-Grade Berserk) (Sword)
Upper Top
-Grundi Grunting (Second-Grade Berserk)
-Kabeinn Steadystone (Second-Grade Berserk)
Top
-Ketill Farcaster (Wields a fishing pole as a weapon. Something of a jokester, but knows his way around herbs and plants)
-Sigbjorn Sliding-Strike (First-Grade Berserk)
Lower Top
-Hamod Bigchin
-Baugr Overledge
-Oddvak the Watchful
-Otkell Slippyshoes
-Radormr Doorcloser
So... @Imperial Fister how many of those people are actually in Dorri's hird? Who else is in it?
Logi Firehair is the leader, Nainn Rotting and Audrikr Fishfighter are members.
Heima Smiles is explicitly not a member (though he is one of the Kyrsvikingar), nor is Hasvir Horrasson. People who are unlikely due to circumstances include Faxi Bushybrows (newcomer, relatively speaking), Hjalmir Hammerhand (lives away from Asvir), Gunne Warstalker (staying with Dorri, but only for a bit...wouldn't have come with us if he had that sort of job lined up), and Griss Strongthrow (has his own farm and retainers), as well as basically all of our former crew-mates for various reasons (aside from maybe Ketill Farcaster?). But at Lower Top or better that still leaves the following people as unknowns:
Almost Peak
-Fastbiorn Very-Hairy (Third-Grade Berserk) (Giant-Blooded, Very Fast)
-Hymir Evershade (Giant-Blooded, Shadow Hugareida, Lynx Fylgja)
-Einarr Blurryblade (Second-Grade Berserk) (Sword)
Upper Top
-Grundi Grunting (Second-Grade Berserk)
-Kabeinn Steadystone (Second-Grade Berserk)
Top
-Ketill Farcaster (Wields a fishing pole as a weapon. Something of a jokester, but knows his way around herbs and plants)
-Sigbjorn Sliding-Strike (First-Grade Berserk)
Lower Top
-Hamod Bigchin
-Baugr Overledge
-Oddvak the Watchful
-Otkell Slippyshoes
-Radormr Doorcloser
So... @Imperial Fister how many of those people are actually in Dorri's hird? Who else is in it?
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I.F. Ister
Fortifying The Thread
- Pronouns
- He/They
That's a good question
Everyone here is in Dorri's Hird, as well as Faxi Bushybrows
- Pronouns
- He/Him
This is good information to have, and I'll add it to their listings in the Valley Power Rankings. Anyone else, or is that the whole Hird?
That last bit's inconvenient assuming he's really Kurt's father? That's always been a bit odd continuity-wise since his family was supposed to not be from around here...not impossible if he moved here after his son did, but odd.
- Location
- United States
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Hmm, annoying but not insurmountable.