[X] Signy does not accept arbitration and Ulf drags the matter before the general assembly.
Tbh I'm not sure anyone has my sympathy here anymore, but Signy didn't basically plot a man's death just to sit idly by and let her livelihood be stolen from her.
Congratulations! You have killed your mother's first husband's best friend's son (who was also your cousin-in-law by her second marriage) over a dispute involving sheep, and now you will likely get involved in a lawsuit!
[ ] Signy does not accept arbitration and Ulf drags the matter before the general assembly.
[ ] To avoid dragging the matter before the general assembly, Signy accepts arbitration.
Hmmm, I'm honestly not sure what to vote so I think I'll abstain.
I can only hope that we might fulfill Egil's thwarted senile dream by throwing our accumulated treasure into the general assembly, so that it causes a riot and we can watch the bloodshed unfold as a glorious finale to our old age.
Congratulations! You have killed your mother's first husband's best friend's son (who was also your cousin-in-law by her second marriage) over a dispute involving sheep, and now you will likely get involved in a lawsuit!
Taking this case to the general assembly seems like most sensible move, both in terms of practicalities and Oddny's story.
Any good saga involves a contentious court case with a ruling that leaves some parties deeply unsatisfied, at some point along the road, so best to get it out of the way with. (Although great sagas often have more than one.) It is better that we risk lesser outlawry than force our mother to take on our burden for us, and live in penury in her old age. In the worst case, lesser outlawry means we become a kind of (wo)Man With No Name sort of figure, moving from place to place, hunted by our foes, living on our wits and our edge. Not a life free from worries or hardships, but a great starting point for the tale of a warrior.
All that being said, I'm instead going to vote for by far the least sensible option:
[X] Ulf goes straight for a fully-fledged blood-feud.
As I hope to update today (if I can actually find in my time and will to research the exact specifics of the lawsuit about to unfold - Icelandic law system was wild, even if this technically is not Iceland), I am closing the vote. Dragging the matter before the Assembly wins: prepare your gods, name your witnesses and remember: no compensation.
[X] Signy does not accept arbitration and Ulf drags the matter before the general assembly.
16. When Ulf Sharp-eyed learned of his son's killing, he took with him a number of men and drove to the seal-hunting spot. There, he uncovered the corpse and took it back to White Heath, where a mound was raised. He interred Mork in it, with his face towards the ground. Before the grave was closed, he said: "Harshly has my friendship with Thorolf been rewarded. Once I had a friend, a brother, and a son, and now I have none." Then the mound was finished. It was expected in the district that the slaying of Mork would not go unanswered, but matters did not proceed swiftly.
17. Seven days after the killing, Signy summoned Oddny, and said: "Now, you must go to White Heath and offer Ulf compensation."
Oddny had grown rather despondent at that, and responded: "I respect your commands, because you are my mother, but I do not think myself capable of doing that. I feel that my accomplishments come from luck more than ability. I think you are wiser than me, and more experienced, and you should go instead."
"Ulf will sooner hear from you than from me," Signy said. "I think he does not think very well of me. Also, your actions show to me that you do not know how to behave as a woman, and therefore must behave as a man. You will go and offer compensation, but you will not agree on anything unless I consent to it first."
Oddny was not too pleased to hear that, but she did as she was told to. She took a horse and rode to White Heath. There, she stopped at the hay-wall gate. As the day was very cold, there were no people outside, so no one noticed her. Since she did not know whether it was allowed for a man, or for a woman, to enter a home like that when seeking compensation, she waited. Although the wool of her cloak was thick, she grew very cold. Even then, she did not move past the gate.
Finally she was seen by a servant, who asked her if she was a beggar-woman. She said that she came to offer compensation for the slaying of Mork. Then she was led to the fire-hall, so that she could be warmed, and good hospitality was given to her. Afterwards, Ulf spoke to her, and said that he was willing to settle, and that the matter should be arbitrated by Gunnar the Chieftain, who was the fairest man in the district. On that they parted, and Signy was pleased to hear the news, because it seemed to her likely that the matter would be resolved in a peaceful manner.
18. After Oddny left, Ulf went to the sleeping closet to rest for the night. There he lay with his wife, but she turned his back towards him. He asked her what was the matter, and she said: "It appears to me plain as day that you treat the children of Signy the Black better than your own kin, even if they have done grievous harm to you."
"You speak bad words, woman," said Ulf.
"It is unlikely that the man I married would have allowed the slaying of his son to be done away with silver," she said, "and so the man I share the bed with must not be him."
They did not speak further, and slept apart. In the morning, Ulf made the decision to go to Harsh-dale, where Gunnar the Chieftain had his farm. He took with himself two strong servants, and was received lavishly, as befitting his station. He then told Gunnar of the situation.
"It is true," said Gunnar, "that your reputation suffers and some in the district think your conduct is rather unmanly. It is unlikely that you will earn much praise with a settlement, and the opposite may be the case. But it is also true that if you have agreed to settle, then you must not go back on your word, or else you will be seen as a dishonest man."
"This is well spoken," said Ulf. "Now I will ask you for advice."
"What you must do is to follow with the settlement," said Gunnar. "If you appoint me as an arbitrator, I will set the terms of the settlement such that Signy will have to break settlement. Then, you will put a lawsuit against Oddny at the General Assembly."
Ulf did everything as Gunnar said, and made it known to Signy that he would settle with her, and that Gunnar the Chieftain would be naming the terms.
19. On the day of arbitration, Signy again commanded Oddny to go in her stead. So Oddny took with her men who were available, and went to a place called Fair-circle, where the arbitration was to take place. Ulf was there, as well as other men from the district, among them Hallfrad the Kind and Glum, son of Glum, and many others, all of them respectable. Then Gunnar named the terms of the settlement and awarded Ulf six hundreds for the slaying of his son, Mork. Everyone saw that the terms were excessive and rather unfair. Oddny said that she would not be agreeing to them without her mother's consent, and then departed.
"Now it is a done thing," said Gunnar to Ulf. "You must prepare the lawsuit now. I think that you should give it to Thrain, son of Thorolf, because there is no better man at law in the district, and I do not expect this suit to be easy to win."
When Signy learned of the terms, she made it known that the settlement was dropped. Although she was not well liked, all agreed that it was the proper course. It was also assumed that should the suit be pressed at the General Assembly, it would go in her favour.
20. Thrain, son of Throlof, lived at a farm that was called Bright Dale. He was a very powerful man, old but very active. He had two sons, Odd and Thrain, who were both capable men, and well liked. He was very skilled in law. There were some who were considered better lawyers than him, but not many. He was a very good friend of Gunnar the Chieftain and fostered two of his sons. They supported each other in all manners, and swore that they would never do anything that could harm the other.
Ulf came to him after the settlement was broken, and asked him to take the case from him, because he alone could win in the district. Thrain agreed, but he said: "I do that because you are a friend of Gunnar, and I promised to always help him. But I do not think this case will win you any recognition, and in fact it may turn quite bad for you."
Ulf rode with him to the seal-hunting spot, and there summoned a panel of night of nine neighbours who all lived close to the site of the murder. Then Thrain took his hand and named two witnesses - "to witness that Ulf Sharp-eyed turns over to me the murder suit against Oddny, daughter of Siny, together with all the evidence for the prosecution of this case, to prosecute her for the slaying of Mork, son of Ulf."
Thrain named witnesses for the second time - "to witness," he said "that I give notice of a punishable assault by Oddny, daughter of Signy, in which she inflicted on Mork, son of Ulf, a brain wound or internal wound or marrow wound which proved to be a fatal wound, and Mork died of it. I give this notice before five neighbours," and he named them all. "I give this lawful notice; I give notice that the suit was turned over to me by Ulf Sharp-eyed."
Then he said to Ulf: "Now that this matter is proceeding well, you must ride with me to the General Assembly. Take some men with you, but not that many; it is unlikely that Signy will have many men with her, because she has so few friends in the district."
They parted in friendship and did not see each other until it was time to go to the General Assembly.
21. When Signy learned that Thrain took the case over from Ulf, she summoned Oddny to her, and they went into the field to talk. Signy looked over Oddny to see if she was doomed, but it did not appear to be the case. She told her of that. Then Oddny said that it cheered her to know that she was not under a doom, but that she was concerned because it seemed to her that the way she was behaving would not win her any friends.
Spoke Signy: "You carry yourself in a very manly way, and make no effort to hide it. Now what is proper for a man is not proper for a woman, and you will not be respected because of that."
Oddny said: "I only do so because you have no son, and no brother, and no husband, and no father, and so you must command me to act unwomanly for your sake."
At that Signy said: "Now if that is the case, I may help you."
Oddny asked how.
Signy explained that she - "is of the age when it is proper for a girl to become married, and that there are many men in the district who would be more than an even match for her."
Then Oddny said: "If that is what it means to be a daughter, then I would rather stay a son."
They returned to the farm, and there spent the rest of the winter, and the spring until it was time to go to the General Assembly. And in that time, Oddny grew very unruly. She loathed wearing dresses and did work that was fit for men. She would also go swimming often, and showed to be a very strong swimmer, and there was no one in the district, neither man, nor woman, who could swim as well as she did. Some said that her beauty suffered for that.
22. When the time came, Oddny rode to the General Assembly alone, because all hands were needed at the farm for work. She took with herself the spear that Ulf gave to Mork, and carried it as if it was hers. When she arrived at the place of the Assembly, she went to a booth and covered it. Many spoke about how strange it was for a lone woman to behave like that.
Ulf rode with Thrain, and he took with himself six men, among whom were his sons Gunnlaug and Hoskuld. When they arrived, they covered their booths. Then they went to other booths and asked for support in the case. They were favourably received, and many promised to be their allies. They also gave notice at the Law Rock, as was mandated, so that the case could be put to the court. The notice was that Oddny deserved full outlawry.
23. There was a woman from the southern Free Island who was named Saeunn the Good. She was married to Mord the Chieftain, and was known for this habit that she would always go to the General Assembly with her husband to support him in all the matters there. She had many children and all of them grew to be very accomplished. Mord the Chieftain was known for being skilled in law, but never pursuing lawsuits. In that he was compared to Gunnar of High Hill, who was the best warrior and athlete in the Free Islands, but never fought nor competed against anyone.
When she heard of the suit against Oddny, she said to Mord: "I think there is something evil happening here. If what they say about the case is true, then I do not think they have much chance to win it, so they must be preparing some kind of trick. I think they hope that Oddny is not very skilled in law, and they seek to exploit that. It is a very low thing to do, and I think you should not let that happen."
"You are correct," Mord said. "However it is too late for me to take defense from her."
"Then you must teach her all that she must know about the law," said Saeunn. Mord agreed, and he went to Oddny's booth, and there he asked her to be taught all about the law. She agreed, and he explained to her all that was there to know about taking a sign, and about selecting witnesses, and about dismissing judges. He taught her for so long that they both did not sleep that night. An evil rumor was then spread about him and Oddny, and prosecuted against it, as is told in another saga.
24. Then was the time for the courts to begin. Both sides made ready. Ulf and his men put signs on their helmets, and Signy, who did not have a helmet, put one on her veil. They all went to the place were the court was held.
Now to cut the matter short: the case was pleaded by Thrain, who did it excellently. He named witnesses to the panel. Then Oddny dismissed two witnesses because they were kin to Ulf. Many said it was unexpected of her to be able to do so. The witnesses swore their oaths, and there was no fault in them. Then they presented their findings, and they were that the panel found Oddny guilty of slaying Mork, son of Ulf, but also that Oddny had made it clear that Mork forfeited his immunity by attacking her.
"I think this case is going poorly for us," said Ulf. "Oddny had been taught law, and I think that Mord of the Chieftain is to blame for that."
"This is indeed a difficult situation," said Thrain, "but the matter is not yet fully resolved. Let us see if she knows how to dismiss judges."
Then came the time to name judges, and Signy dismissed six of them as was required by law. Thrain dismissed six of them also. Next all the testimonies that were pertinent to the prosecution were brought before them, as well as all the testimonies that were pertinent for the defense. It seemed clear to everyone that the case was not going in Ulf's favour, because Oddny had claimed that Mork forfeited immunity by attacking her, with accordance to law. People were already talking about whether a counter-suit would be pushed.
"This bodes badly for us, and I am starting to think your actions are no match for your reputation," said Ulf. But Thrain then warned him not to fall into despair, because there was still one more thing to do.
Before judges passed the judgement, Thrain said: "Now I want to make one more call, and that is that the claim of forfeited immunity by Oddny, daughter of Signy, should be rendered invalid."
Oddny protested that she had claimed that Mork forfeited immunity in attacking her before five witnesses as was ordained in the laws, and that it was thus assumed correctly.
Thrain said: "Let us ask the Lawspeaker about that, because I think otherwise."
The Lawspeaker was called to tell of the law on immunity, and he said that to claim immunity, a man was to call five witnesses to the scene of the slaying, and declare that whoever prepared the attack or an ambush had forfeited his immunity in doing so.
Now Thrain said: "It is clear now that Oddny did not call for the forfeiting of immunity correctly, because no man spoke before witnesses, but a woman."
There was much uproar at that, because it seemed to many that it was a very underhanded trick. Oddny asked the Lawspeaker if that was correct, and the Lawspeaker said that it was, but he thought little of such actions. Many agreed with him. Then Oddny asked him about the law on punishable assault. Lawspeaker recited it thus: "If a man inflicts a brain wound or internal wound or marrow wound which proved to be a fatal wound, then he will be submitted to full outlawry." Signy then said that as she was not a man, she could not be persecuted for punishable assault either, and asked if the Lawspeaker thought it correct. He said that it was.
25. Oddny went before the court and named witnesses - "to witness that here is a legitimate objection in this case - that a woman was persecuted for punishable assault, and that the letter of the law does not allow for it. Here are two witnesses who will testify that I am a woman. I name this two witnesses for myself and for those who may need to use or benefit from this testimony."
Then she called on the court to judge her defense.
Thrain said: "Now this is a development I have not expected, but I should have had. I do not think this case can be won anymore, but I think that we will not leave without anything, either."
He then went before the court and said that it was the law that if someone who was not allowed to stand in court stood, then he would suffer from lesser outlawry and - "that testimony had been given to the court for Oddny and all those who may need to use or benefit from it, that she is a woman. And it is against the law of the court and of the General Assembly for women to stand."
Then the court passed the judgement, and they found that Oddny was guilty of slaying Mork, but Mork had forfeited his immunity and so no sentence was to be passed. But then the court also determined that for standing in a suit as a woman, she would be sentenced to lesser outlawry, to leave the Free Islands for three years, and that she would go from the General Assembly to no more than three different places on the Free Islands, and that she would not stay in any other for longer than one night, and that she would leave the Free Islands next, and for all that she would pay the chieftain to which she was pledged one mark silver. And she was also sentenced such that if she was to return to the Free Islands before three summers, she would be given full outlawry.
When the sentence was passed, Oddny spoke to all that may hear: "Now I see that I am neither a man, nor a woman, and that I suffer the worst of both, and the best of none. But the worst as man is still sweeter to me than the worst as woman, for I work better with a spear than with a spindle."
Then she took the veil from her head and never wore it again.
You have won the case! Your property is safe, and you are not made a full outlaw, not to be fed, nor helped on her way, nor given any assistance. Neither is all of your property declared forfeit, half to Ulf, and half to the men in the district who have the legal right to the forfeited property. Instead you only have to leave the Free Islands and go abroad as an angry butch wo/man, leaving your mother with even less people who want to work with her.
[ ] Leave for Solskjel, to seek to become a king's wo/man.
-Pros: the safest option, a lot of honour to be earned, as well as wealth. Least potential for doing awful things to innocent people.
-Cons: may be difficult to become a king's man when you are a woman. The king of Solskjel has no love for Oddny's family. The king may have plans for Oddny that doesn't necessarily align with Oddny's own.
[ ] Leave for the Grass Islands, to serve its many kings.
-Pros: easy employment, they always need more warriors. A lot of wealth to win. A good experience in war-making.
-Cons: moderately dangerous. Reputation won in the Grass Islands will not necessarily translate well back to the Free Islands. Potential for getting swept in politics.
[ ] Leave to become a raider, pillaging the lands of the Lief people.
-Pros: possibility for great wealth and honour. A ton of alliances to be made, with people who can help on the Free Islands. Most freedom, least oversight.
-Cons: very dangerous. Will have to spend months stuck on a boat with young, angry men of the pillaging disposition. The reputation for being a raider is not necessarily a positive thing.
Sorry this took so long - apparently writing courtroom drama is difficult.
[X] Leave for Solskjel, to seek to become a king's wo/man.
I think I would rather take the hardest road, and do little harm to others. Besides, that King is why things turned so badly for our family if I am correct.
[X] Leave for the Grass Islands, to serve its many kings.
We Huskarl/freyja now.
Hopefully we'll get the complementary two-handed axe no viking mercenary is complete without.
