For all that messing with outlier situations is fun, I suspect 99% of the time, if you get decapitated, it turns out it was your time to die after all. As noted, a system that worked otherwise would be kind of crazy in ways that would quickly warp society. Situations where it isn't means something is messing with Fate, perhaps conflicts with other fate gods or cultivation systems.

One also recalls that there are 3 Fates - with the Greek system, one measures, one cuts. The Norns may be similar If one's thread runs out, then your thread runs out. Usually that corresponds with the Fate's foretelling of your death, but it might not.
 
Yet Norse society upholds Drengskapr a lot, which includes things like saving your enemy from being frozen to death (doing so is Dreng because it's magnanimous). But with the Norns around you would think, well that doesn't matter they're gonna die anyway right?

Except it does, because the Norn's definition of death is not 'your body physically dies'. They don't actually care about that.

So you can 'die' before your time. For practical purpose you've suffered a fate worse than death + deferred execution since it's unlikely people are going to actually fix you up.
 
So for the average person, date-of-death provides little protection, unless one knows a healer of sufficient power, but it remaind a hard limit.

The unsolved question is *why* the Norns do this. 🤔. Do the Norns just get a cut of the Orthstirr by 'killing' every Norseperson?

One also wonders how Draugr and other undead interact with this system, and animals and mythic beasts too.
 
So for the average person, date-of-death provides little protection, unless one knows a healer of sufficient power, but it remaind a hard limit.

The unsolved question is *why* the Norns do this. 🤔. Do the Norns just get a cut of the Orthstirr by 'killing' every Norseperson?

One also wonders how Draugr and other undead interact with this system, and animals and mythic beasts too.
Or maybe they have their reason to want Orthstirr worthy things to happen and give out Orthstirr as a reward.
 
So for the average person, date-of-death provides little protection, unless one knows a healer of sufficient power, but it remaind a hard limit.

The unsolved question is *why* the Norns do this. 🤔. Do the Norns just get a cut of the Orthstirr by 'killing' every Norseperson?

One also wonders how Draugr and other undead interact with this system, and animals and mythic beasts too.

I mean it could be a feedback loop thing. People are protected until the time of their fated death and when you die your orthstirr keeps that engine running. Gaining orthstirr is encouraged because you need a lot when you die to feed the system. And the nornir are just the "admins" for the system making sure it keeps running.

thats my guess at least lols.
 
I mean it could be a feedback loop thing. People are protected until the time of their fated death and when you die your orthstirr keeps that engine running. Gaining orthstirr is encouraged because you need a lot when you die to feed the system. And the nornir are just the "admins" for the system making sure it keeps running.

thats my guess at least lols.
I could believe that the Nornir are using the lives of every single viking cultivator as a vast cultivation engine for their own benefit. It would certainly fit the xianxia side of the genre.

It would also neatly explain the "it is not reasonably possible to kill them" feature... an the fact that orthstirr is a liquid makes it make that much more sense.

If that were what was going on, though, I wouldn't expect the orthstirr to continue on after death. Like, that's exactly what I wouldn't expect it to do.
 
I could believe that the Nornir are using the lives of every single viking cultivator as a vast cultivation engine for their own benefit. It would certainly fit the xianxia side of the genre.

It would also neatly explain the "it is not reasonably possible to kill them" feature... an the fact that orthstirr is a liquid makes it make that much more sense.

If that were what was going on, though, I wouldn't expect the orthstirr to continue on after death. Like, that's exactly what I wouldn't expect it to do.
Ah, but remember, when a viking dies you only get like 20 to 40% of their orthstirr, the rest dissapates or goes elsewhere. Also, if your goal is to build the system, having rewards for internal conflict for the victors helps there be less waste when your chess pieces knock eachother over in civil wars.
 
I don't think that's how it works, because Hallr doesn't have his own Orthstirr, which is the only thing of yours that's truly yours. If he was just a shade stuck in Ginnungagap that accidentally is re-emboided in Halla, he'd have his own supply. He doesn't, he can guide, he can give information--but he doesn't have any power of his own.
This reminded me of Hallr waking up....
I am here, girl. Let go of your fear.
Crimson orthstirr coats your body in a blazing inferno. Your cloak turns to a fine material you can't place. Your teeth grind together so hard you're almost scared they'll break. Your breathing is deep and your mind is sharpened to a fine edge as knowledge beyond your years fills your thoughts.
Namely, it wasn't Halla who stroked Frami and virthig.
Nor was it her who activated Hone on the axe....
You pivot on your heel and face Abjorn's body as he lies face-up on the ice. He's still alive, if only just. His chest barely rising and falling as his life leaks from his body in splashes of red.
This is not his time.
You walk to him, feeling like a prisoner in your own body. Crimson orthstirr that both is and isn't yours coats the palm of your hand. You press it against Abjorn's chest and his breathing steadies, the wound in his side stitching up before your eyes.
nor did Halla knew how to use Mending Palm before this...
You stand up straight. Your hand falls to your side. The orthstirr leaves your body.
Goodbye, girl.
And you are in control of your limbs again.
Now, i am not saying Hallr took over, more that he nudged Halla and let what little orthstirr he had to her, with some of his knowledge.
if we could access that knowledge on that same depth again...
probably part of finding out what the hell Charred Soul can do.
When you reach the Crucifix, Knightly Armor stops being Knightly and turns into Crucifixion Armor.
....do they get sealed in their own armor.... or does it becomes a part of them?
The end result is similar i imagine, what with a perpetual motion monster being born, but still....
...oooooooooh fuck. The Vatican and royal castles must have some squirreled away, for the rainy days, aren't they?
To clarify the first and second quotes that Slickji nabbed;

If your body were to be completely annihilated and it wasn't your fated day, you wouldn't be dead. Well, your body would be but your consciousness would simply be trapped in Ginnungagap until your fated day, when you can finally die and escape that hell.

Fates worse than death are rather common for Norse cultivators, when you get down to it.

But the body can be healed from anything, even completely regrown, as long as your time has not come to pass. And if the body is regrown, you're freed from Ginnungagap!

Ain't that nifty?
oooch.
So, If we go down the mending palm tree, we might get a regrowth spell as well? that's neat.
Curious if knowing healing (what with the medicine maker and the surgeon in the village) Improves the result of healing magic....
Also makes you wonder if the Norms wanted the Slagson dead at Halfdan's for a reason...
 
I have to ask two things; we were told to keep Steinarr away from Horra, like keep him unaware that Horra lives nearby. But we fought Hod Horrasson, and Steinarr went to the judges where it was decided that it was not our fault. So did nobody in that tribunal mention Hod Horrasson in front of Steinarr, or did he just overlook the name?
Also, how strong was the first putlaw, that Steinarr "I kill a hundred enemies with one swing of my sword" Hallrson had trouble fighting him, and how did we even get to nutshot that guy? Was it just early installment weirdness that borked the power scales?
 
I have to ask two things; we were told to keep Steinarr away from Horra, like keep him unaware that Horra lives nearby. But we fought Hod Horrasson, and Steinarr went to the judges where it was decided that it was not our fault. So did nobody in that tribunal mention Hod Horrasson in front of Steinarr, or did he just overlook the name?
Also, how strong was the first putlaw, that Steinarr "I kill a hundred enemies with one swing of my sword" Hallrson had trouble fighting him, and how did we even get to nutshot that guy? Was it just early installment weirdness that borked the power scales?
Partly that, yes.
But also the fact Steinar was kinda retired for long long time. He got rusty
He also wanted to give our brother a chance for the kill.... which we kinda stole :V
As for the Horrason, he was probably left out, because it was Lori Burisson who died, and the Burison clan asked for compensation.
Which was the reason Steinar went to raid and dusted off the rust.

Now, keep it in mind, despite all of the above, he is STILL not to know Horra lives. Most likely because it WILL break not only the delicate power balance in the village (almost everyone against the Burisons) but also because the whole village will be redistributed in the clash, as Horra is a fucking weasel who will try to flee while using dirty tricks.
And that's without the Burisons getting involved.

There is also the fact Horra will most likely come after our family, just to ensure Steinar has no heir to come and haunt him.
 
I have to ask two things; we were told to keep Steinarr away from Horra, like keep him unaware that Horra lives nearby. But we fought Hod Horrasson, and Steinarr went to the judges where it was decided that it was not our fault. So did nobody in that tribunal mention Hod Horrasson in front of Steinarr, or did he just overlook the name?

We fought several people and the one who died wasn't related to Horra, I think Hod got left out of the account...or his name did anyway.

Like, Buri, the father of the guy we killed, is the one who brought it to court, and I don't see why he'd mention which of his son's friends were there...and it's not like Horra wants Steinarr to know he's around either. Like, per prophecy that may not end well for Steinarr, but it probably wouldn't be great for Horra either...and Horra is kind of a coward and definitely still hiding from him either way.

Also, how strong was the first putlaw, that Steinarr "I kill a hundred enemies with one swing of my sword" Hallrson had trouble fighting him, and how did we even get to nutshot that guy? Was it just early installment weirdness that borked the power scales?

Per the QM explicitly early installment weirdness. The in-universe explanation is that Steinarr was rusty and not trying hard at first.
 
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I mean what sounds more impressive and gives out Orthsir. Awesome quest for knowledge or just heading to the local library. Like it seems a lot lamer unless you make the library harder to access somehow. Possibly by points system or something.
Itd be hard to do something impressive without the tricks needed to kick ass. Despite that I suggest an "honor" system where they have to go out and do something honorable to be trusted with the book since paper is not cheap. The life stories and other mundane stuff is free but tricks, seidr, and runes are not.
 
Itd be hard to do something impressive without the tricks needed to kick ass. Despite that I suggest an "honor" system where they have to go out and do something honorable to be trusted with the book since paper is not cheap. The life stories and other mundane stuff is free but tricks, seidr, and runes are not.

I feel like you should always be able to have precisely one trick on credit, including your first. Debt-sticks are a thing and that first trick gives you the ability to go out and earn the necessary stuff to pay it back. No more tricks if you haven't paid back your current debt, though.
 
One cheesy way we could deal with the Knight might be to IAT him with a shitton of Orthsirr while Abjorn stabs him to death.

Dunno if that would work though.
 
One cheesy way we could deal with the Knight might be to IAT him with a shitton of Orthsirr while Abjorn stabs him to death.

Dunno if that would work though.

It probably doesn't. Or, well, it can in theory but it's risky, as from previous experience hitting people while they're trapped in IAT generally breaks IAT, which means Abjorn would likely have to kill him in a single blow for this to work. That's not impossible, but I'd rather not count on it, especially given how Focus works.
 
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I feel like you should always be able to have precisely one trick on credit, including your first. Debt-sticks are a thing and that first trick gives you the ability to go out and earn the necessary stuff to pay it back. No more tricks if you haven't paid back your current debt, though.
Also credit for certain things like healing Seidr would be reasonable, but medicine for diseases would all be in the free section anyways. The honor system is really just a quest board, kill a monster in the Jarl's land and other stuff needed to keep the land safe.
 
Also credit for certain things like healing Seidr would be reasonable, but medicine for diseases would all be in the free section anyways. The honor system is really just a quest board, kill a monster in the Jarl's land and other stuff needed to keep the land safe.
Could probably take a page from Xianxia sects, have a contribution points system where you can earn points from the quest board and use them to rent access to technique books.
 
I have returned home, once more covered in soot and ash

Voting will be called in an hour and a half, so get voting while you can!
 
Definitely a good idea. No offense but xianxia knowledge is dangerous to share around carelessly without proper ways to keep it safe.
yeah thats why the quest board we will call the honor system comes in, we (the jarl) share cultivation knowledge if you provide a service to us like keeping our land safe of monsters, starting a business using that knowledge, and in the case of runes we could give some out in exchange for them setting up rune configurations for us (like like give out a security rune we want installed and in exchange they install it). Another way is obviously lend a book in exchange they record one of their own tricks onto a book to expand the library. Last one is important encourages strong warriors to share their strong powers with us, and encourages weaker cultivators to experiment with orthstirr to find new techniques which the Norse do not do often. The knowledge is given either for doing labor for us or growing the library. Books for smithing? free for anybody who sets up a store using that work! same with shipbuilding and medicine.

edit: Basically the labor they provide should be equal in part tot he damage they can do with the knowledge
 
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And voting is now closed
Scheduled vote count started by Imperial Fister on Apr 3, 2023 at 5:36 PM, finished with 102 posts and 5 votes.

  • [X] Plan Stand By Your Man
    -[X] 27d6 Attack (all tricks)
    -[X] 0d6 Defense
    -[X] 10d6 Intercept (all tricks)
    -[X] Launch a 15d6 Honed x6 Leaping Cleave Attack (-9 orthstirr) on the squire followed up by three 12d6 Honed x6 Power Chop attacks at him as well (-7 Orthstirr each).
    -[X] Prepare a 16d6 Honed x6 Reinforced Intercept (-7 Orthstirr) to protect Abjorn if Halting Vortex fails or is unavilable, or Audrikr if the attack looks lethal
    -[X] In response to any Trick Attack directly targeting us or Abjorn use Halting Vortex (-4 Orthstirr)...if an attack somehow gets through that attempt to Sidestep (-4 Orthstirr) if possible.
    -[X] Tactics – Tell Stigmar to go help Fabvir with the falcon, while moving to back up Abjorn in melee with the squire.
 
Let's hope we can resolve this now, I think we're in a good place, what with how we're doing a Leaping Cleave while neither of them are paying attention to us, which should be the best time to do it.

I hope the other side is holding on though, we should be able to pincer the Knight pretty good if the other side hasn't been wiped.
 
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