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The others are wise about the monks, and the thrall. We'll tell him not to proselytize, though. A poem is perfect, maybe tie in the fact that the gods help those who help themselves. We have visible knowledge of that with our fight with the draugr.
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Jul 28, 2013 14:08
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I'm loving this CYOA. I vote for trading for beer and composing a poem satirizing the priestess but paying respect to the gods.
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Jul 28, 2013 16:39
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1. A 2. Have them petition their god to protect our land and our people. 3. A 4. E--If the monks' god won't protect us, Solva can sacrifice one of them to regain the favor of the gods of our fathers. If the monks' god does protect us, we can sacrifice Solva to our new, more bountiful god.
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Jul 28, 2013 20:27
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Slightly Lions posted:We will protect the monks as long as they continue to pay their 'rent'. We should have them do so in booze, food, and beeswax. It may seem strange, but beeswax is super loving useful. It makes candles, goes in poultices, seals gaps in houses and ships, insulates bowstrings, it's generally an amazing substance. I also say we should let Fearghas worship as he pleases. He has served us loyally and well, I feel like this is the least we can do for him. Besides, it's ill luck to stand between a man and his gods. Speak of gods, ridicule Solva a bit. Preferably in a poem about practicality. The gods will get no sacrifices from corpses, so it's in their best interests that we see to our own survival. I agree about offering the first lamb and sheaf to the gods, it should make her feel a bit better. Don't actively exile her, but if she can't deal with how we choose to run our settlement, she's free to start her own. Then she'll truly see how much the gods love her. Basically this. We also want to expand our colony once we are stable! It would be ill-advised to take the monks as wives for the single dudes in our colony, but maybe they know of other people in the area! Also I guess we could convince some norsemen raiders to join up when they come a-lootin'.
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Jul 28, 2013 20:43
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Trading, Farming, and Praying - Saga of the Northman [Viking Age CYOA] 1. Will you protect the Monks? Yes - 7 No - 0 2. What do you want from the monks? In order of Importance 1 - Beer 2 - Labor 3 - Food 4 - Beewax 5 - Prayers for their Christan God, just in case. 3. Wll we get Fearghas attend mass? Yes - 7 No - 0 4. What do you do after Solva's hissy fit? Drop the mic with poetic burn. - 6 Put the moves on her, it might just work. - 1 Let her kill a monk to get it out of her system, jeez. - 1 Ok, I've been in a car for four hours and have nothing written. Update will be coming late tonight. Sorry every one!
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Jul 28, 2013 22:47
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Solva's Poem, Bjorn's Sheep The longhouse is silent. After a moment you stand up and, looking directly at Solva, begain to speak a verse. "True, the minder of the harvest plants the grain. But he must let the meal of Sleipnir grow. True, the caster of the bait-gallows catches his fish. But if the sea-wheat is too small, he puts back. True, the rider of amber waves brews his beer. But to sooth all torments, the balm just ripen. True, the helmsmen of sheep shears his flock. But the field-rippers must grow their wool. True, all things happen. But only a fool happens all things before their time. Will Thor give us rain, if we have no crops? Will Odin bless us in war, when we have no weapons? Will Freya protect our stead, if it is unsettled? Will Njord settle the sea, if we have no boats? True, the children of Odin build their temple. But only when they have fortunes to bless." At this Solva says nothing. She still looks on at you with anger, though she is mollified enough not to say anything. And so, you make a proclamation. “Hear this, the gods must be given the first of our successes. The first sheaf of grain, and the first born lamb will be given as sacrifices for the Blót*. Further more, no one in Höggormsinsfjörður is to stop Solva from building her temple. But, no one is to help Solva as well, until I deem it appropriate.” There is much nodding and agreement over this, even Solva gives you a curt nod before she turns and exits the long house. So be it, you can enjoy the night without her. “Ware husband,” Nauma whispers to you as she gives you another horn of ale. “ Young though she is, that one is a learned gothi. Cracking the whip on her is good, but be mindful not to crack too hard, lest she bolts.” There is more, but the ale is sweet and Nauma’s lips are sweeter still. The rest of the night fades into blissful nothingness. Over the next days, Fearghas takes it upon himself to help with the monks. Though they are small in number they are very eager to help you, both to keep you happy and ensure you keep your promise about protection. They bring casks of ale, some hard cheese and raw honeycomb. The comb is loved by everyone save Myrun, who hates sweet things. They send over a stonemason named Horas to help shore up the longhouse and assist Lambi it building his forge. The monk is quite skilled and together the men make good progress, though they have not made a kiln yet. Horas’ love of mead also endears him to both Lambi and Ásúlf.  With the help of Fearghas, you ask Brenden about other farmers in the area. Brenden says that once the land started to be settled the monks retreated to the birch forest, for they are not warriors. Brenden knows that the land to the south of yours is farmed by a man called Sorkell. Sorkell is a old and bitter man and has killed several monks who have trespassed on his land over the years. Sorkell’s land always produces a large crop and his sheep are fat and plentiful. Brenden says the man is a heathen sorcerer, but he says the same of your wife so he cannot be trusted in matters as this. To your west is the land of Bjorn Wood-Nose. Bjorn has sent many raiders to come and steal from the monks. Brenden says that Bjorn gets most of his money from sheep and the small mine he owns, as his land fails in its crops every year. To the north, Brenden knows nothing. He hears tell that the land is owned by two brothers who are wild man-eating pagan. He says that they dance naked in the moonlight and they turn into whales. But he is a silly Christian. 1. Whose land would you like to travel to for trade first? A. Sorkell B. Bjorn Wood-Nose C. The Brothers to the North. Though she has yet to apologize or admit her error, Solva has not bothered you. Instead she spends her time up near the great waterfall, planning where to build her temple. She has also willingly assisted with the milking and construction of the forge. This is good.  Nauma has finished with the daugr skull. She has carved runes into the head and pulled the teeth from its jaws. These teeth she has buried along your property-line, including along the mission though she has not told the monks this. Nauma says that Höggormsinsfjörður is protected from evil magics, at least more so than it was at first. One day, while you are holding Donar and telling him stories to sooth him to bed, a man appears on your property. He is intercepted by Domarr who brings him to you. The man explains that he is a farm hand for Bjorn Wood-Nose. He is a shepherd and says that more than a week ago he had two sheep go missing. This was not extraordinary, as sheep vanish or are killed all the time. But the next day four sheep went missing. This is not normal. He looked high and low for the sheep but could not find them. Bjorn yelled and beat him. Today, he noticed for the first time the bonfires that had been built through the grazing land he uses for his sheep. He came here and, you have exactly six sheep. He swears that these sheep belong to Bjorn Wood-Nose. He demands you return this sheep that are his. If you do not, he will go and tell Bjorn what you have done, and Bjorn will be very very angry. 2. What should you do? A.You should apologize and give him the sheep. B. Perhaps you can give him half the sheep. C. Best to kill him before he tells anyone about the sheep. D. Other. (What? He is quite insistent he get those sheep you horrible thief you..) * The blót ( Old Norse "Neuter") was a huge feast that was part equinoctial celebration and part sacrament to the gods. It was a complex celebration and the customs changed depending on where it was being held, but the basics were the same. Very roughly: Show up with a bunch of horses and pigs and cows and barrels of booze. Sacrifice those animals to the gods, eating their meat and painting yourself with their blood. Then get black-out drunk for as long as possible Sorry if there are a ton of spelling errors, I wrote this in one go.
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Jul 29, 2013 02:00
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Visit Sorkell with Nauma. If he really is a magician, it would be nice to have someone around that understands such. As for the sheep, we had not yet performed landnám when the first two were taken. In light of this, two will be returned. However, the other four were grazing on our rightful land. Those we will keep as gifts to the new landlord. Offer some of the honeycomb, cheese, and ale as reciprocal gifts.
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Jul 29, 2013 02:59
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Tran posted:Visit Sorkell with Nauma. If he really is a magician, it would be nice to have someone around that understands such. I agree with this post. It's rightly said that the sheep were stolen, but after the first few we'd put up markers and it's about fair to call it our land. Give them some gifts not to be a dick though, and I might change my vote to go and visit Wood-nose himself to have a talk about it face to face once I've thought on the matter some more. Can anyone make a particularly moving argument one way or the other here? I'm leaning towards Sorkel because he's probably a better trading partner and may be generous too if we manage to become buds, but I guess if Wood-nose has crappy land he won't hardly mind getting gifts and trading with us either. That mine he's on is probably all sorts of useful.
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Jul 29, 2013 03:29
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Tran posted:As for the sheep, we had not yet performed landnám when the first two were taken. In light of this, two will be returned. However, the other four were grazing on our rightful land. Those we will keep as gifts to the new landlord. Offer some of the honeycomb, cheese, and ale as reciprocal gifts. This sounds pretty good. I was worried about the sheep issue, but this seems like an equitable solution. If our harvest is good enough, we would be glad to make up the difference in grain or other trade goods. If Bjorn is unsatisfied he can take up his argument with Dvegrvatn, who is a very good listener. I think we should Visit Bjorn to personally clear this issue up. I also want to know why he's called Wood-Nose. It's also important the other lords learn that the monks are under our protection now. I would feel bad if they were massacred to make a point to us.
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Jul 29, 2013 03:42
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B. Visit Wood-Nose. I'm bandwagoning on the 2 sheep solution.
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Jul 29, 2013 05:54
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1. C 2. B
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Jul 29, 2013 10:21
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A part of me wants to just sacrifice this dude to the gods, but that would be ill done. We have indeed wronged him by stealing two sheep, before we had properly laid claim to this land. So return two as suggested, keep four. Visit Wood-nose as well.
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Jul 29, 2013 12:43
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Tran posted:Visit Sorkell with Nauma. If he really is a magician, it would be nice to have someone around that understands such. I agree. Also, as Slightly Lions mentions, we should visit Bjorn and let the lords know the monks are our tenants now.
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Jul 29, 2013 15:30
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1: Sorkell! We got any bits of draugr left that we can offer him? 2: First two sheep returned! Also if we have to use his rams for stud service in future he can have a quarter of the lambs once they are weaned. Throw him a bone! A short-term, herd-increasing bone!
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Jul 29, 2013 18:26
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The Plan: Return the two sheep we took before claiming land. We will personally return these to Bjorn Wood-Nose and give him gifts so that his temper may be cooled and his whining stopped. When we will go and attempt trade with Sorkell. The update will again be later than normal due to travel reasons. On the plus side I'm learning a lot about Icelandic sheep. A lot.
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Jul 29, 2013 20:07
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Yeah I'm skeptical this Bjorn fellow's going to take the loss of any of his property in good graces, just because we're giving a third of it back. Especially when we're also claiming dominion over his favorite punching bags. Better bring the whole leidang with us for the friendly "chat".
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Jul 30, 2013 01:16
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Those Living on the Surrounding Land: Bjorn Wood-Nose.  You inform the farm-hand that you will only return the two sheep Ásúlf took before landnám had been completed. The other four were rightfully on your property that thus were forfeit. The man does not like this and he stresses that Bjorn will not be pleased. You tell him that you will accompany him back to Bjorn and will make your case to the man’s master in person. The farm-hand accepts this and goes to gather the sheep. This is something of an ordeal for two reasons. The sheep are both ewes and one of them is pregnant. The farm-hand will not accept another sheep in the pregnant one’s place and thus you are forced to part with it. Of your two remaining ewes, one is pregnant with a lamb slated to be sacrificed and the other has yet to become pregnant, you will need to wait at least six months before lambs are born. Steinbjorn is also difficult as he has grown attached to the sheep and has named them. Steinbjorn troubles you. You pack a cask of ale, some honeycomb, and a crate of fish. Nauma dresses you in the rainbow serpent-skin cloak and gives you a number of small charms meant to protect you. You polish your axe and set off on your journey. You take Fearghas and Myrun with you as you travel to Bjorn’s home, the journey takes two days.  You arrive Eitrisadal, the farm of Bjorn Wood-Nose. From what you can see there are twenty to thirty people here, many of them freemen and women. They do not have the look of hardened warriors but they are all fit, and all eye you warily as you are brought into the large longhouse in the center of the farm. This house is much nicer than yours, though you see that many of the furs are worn and patched crudely, and the wood is splintering. This was a fine building, but the upkeep of it has waned. It is obvious who is Bjorn Wood-Nose. Aside from him sitting in the high seat, he is the only man in the house with a piece of wood, fashioned roughly into a nose, strapped onto his face. An old battle injury, your farm-hand guide whispers, from an axe blow his helmet failed to deflect. Please don’t stare at it. The farm-hand relays your offer to return only the two sheep. At this Wood-Nose bristles and a younger man who stands near Wood-Nose steps forward, murder in his eyes. This, you are hold, is Faraldr, the eldest son. Wood-Nose waves the boy back, hissing at him. “So,” Wood Nose says to you. “This land has not been kind to me. First the womanly sorcerer Sorkell tricks me out of much gold and now you choose to use the law to steal sheep from me? Do not think you will step away so easily from this. I will take back my two sheep. And I will take all of the gifts you have brought. But I do not consider them payment for the other sheep you have stolen, not yet. I consider them an apology. I will bring this matter up at the Thing this autumn. Should the speaker side with you, so be it, should he side with me, then I trust you will follow the law and allow me my reparations. The law must be followed before acting..rashly...which is the only reason I have not done as my son has suggested and killed you all for your thievery. If we are to be neighbors we must be..law abiding.” “Who are you anyway?” Faraldr sniffs. “I’ve yet to hear your name?” Wood-Nose waves his son off. “More to the point. What is it you want? What are you willing to give?”  1. What epithet do you give? (This will be your default “title”. Though through the course of the game you will likely gain many titles. You are free to offer specific suggestions as well) A. Something that reflects your skill as a warrior. B. Something that reflects your abilities as a poet. C. Something that mentions your Luck D. Something that mentions your axe, the Dwarf Tear. E. Something that mentions your battle with the Rainbow Serpent. F. Something else (Specify) 2.What do you want? What will you offer? (Eitrisadal is rich in metal and sheep and all the products produced by them. Though, from what you have seen, his land has recently become nearly fallow and he will likely have difficulty feeding all the sheep he has. ) -------------------------------- Cut up your journey into two parts, we will be visiting Sorkell after this unless something horrible happens. Also, you know what doesn't exist on the internet? Pictures of awesome nose-less vikings. NinjaPete fucked around with this message at 03:48 on Jul 30, 2013 |
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Jul 30, 2013 03:34
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We are Toke Serpent-Breaker. Other ideas: King-Maker, the Clever, or Crow-Feeder. When our harvest comes in we can trade grain and some of the monk's tithe.
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Jul 30, 2013 03:43
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Ambivalent toward our title, but it's obvious that they need grain and access to some of our grazing land. We can always renegotiate later as our own herds grow to fill those pastures.
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Jul 30, 2013 10:01
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I really like making you write poems. As they are very cool. So I say poem up our accomplishments and then finish with our chosen title. NinjaPete, you're doing a really awesome job here, really cool story.
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Jul 30, 2013 15:22
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Wentley posted:I really like making you write poems. As they are very cool. So I say poem up our accomplishments and then finish with our chosen title. Yeah, no matter what we better poem up what we've done.
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Jul 30, 2013 15:43
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I like Toke Serpent Breaker as a title, and I like the idea of offering grazing rights on our land, perhaps in exchange for some metal tools?
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Jul 30, 2013 20:04
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Squalid posted:I like Toke Serpent Breaker as a title, and I like the idea of offering grazing rights on our land, perhaps in exchange for some metal tools? While grazing rights might very well be something he wants, I can only imagine that stealing his sheep, claiming the land, and stealing some more of his sheep before offering to trade him for the privilege of grazing his remaining sheep on it might seem a bit... kind of like a slap to the wooden nose. Instead I propose we trade him fine booze, fish, and grain when we get it in exchange for more sheep and maybe the promise of some metal once we get that forge up and running. He's got a lot of sheep and will probably be pleased if we buy them off him for a good price since he can't feed them all anyway, and who doesn't like booze? Also deferred payment in the form of future trades can only serve to soften relations between us in the long run, because I'm guessing he's a prideful oul git and will be better disposed in future trades if we get him drunk and give him a cash money now. edit: Oh yes and I also like the idea of being a Serpent Breaker. It's all phallic and way GAR. We have even got (possibly) magical proof of the deed on hand right now if someone wants to call us out on it.
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Jul 31, 2013 02:01
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Puppies are dicks posted:While grazing rights might very well be something he wants, I can only imagine that stealing his sheep, claiming the land, and stealing some more of his sheep before offering to trade him for the privilege of grazing his remaining sheep on it might seem a bit... kind of like a slap to the wooden nose. ^^^This is the correct answer. Better yet, let's make him a terrible offer and then a slightly better one.
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Jul 31, 2013 02:05
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Ok I just got out of a seven hour car trip and I am just exhausted. I will update tomorrow with whatever looks like consensus by then. And yes I will make sure to poem it up.
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Jul 31, 2013 03:49
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We are Toke Serpent-Breaker as most agreed on it. We will be offering him grain for sheep as the main trade. We will also attempt deals with the monk's tithe, grazing land, and metal works. Post/Poem incoming
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Jul 31, 2013 17:32
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A Trade is Made, a Warning is Given You answer in verse. “Lo, I do see the mead of Odin, and it has been drunk. I do see the spirit of fortune, and she stands beside. I do see the arm-fetter of all riddles, it has been won. I do see the descendants of Dúrnir, they have wept iron. I do see a circle of amber waves, it sits on a fair hair. All these lie behind me, but there is one before me. The future is is of more import than the pass, so it shall be. For, I do see Jörmungandr’s spawn, beaten, yet not broke. Though I am Poet-Giver , Luck-Haver, and King-Maker. In this new land, a new name, a new promise for Toke. Frod’s son shall be known by his vow as Serpent-Breaker!” At this Bjorn Wood-Nose laughs uproariously. He says that he hopes the law speaker sides with you and not him. It would be a shame to have to behead someone as witty and skilled as yourself for the common crime of sheep thievery. Faraldr just glowers. You and Bjorn set about the difficult challenge of trading. At first Bjorn does not seem interested in attempting trade with you and is just trying to be a courteous host. You mention that he seems to be well stocked in sheep. Wood-Nose agrees to this but says he is not so well off he can ignore the loss of oh say, six sheep. You are patent with Wood-Nose. You ask how his grain supplies are and he admits not well. It seems that fodder is the only thing that has been growing on his land for the past year, and even that not well. He has paid a large sum of silver to Sorkell to try to magic some luck back into the land, but no luck. You use this as an opportunity to mention that your hamingja* is very strong and you have been fortunate enough to have a fertile land. You expect that you will have enough grain to feed your settlement and much leftover besides. You are willing to trade this extra grain for some of Wood-Nose’s extra sheep.  Wood-Nose is intrigued by this. He set a price of one sheep per bushel of barley and two sheep per bushel of hay. This is a poor deal on your end. You instead suggest three sheep per bushel of barley and 5 per bushel of hay. He rightfully sees this as too much and comes to a more appropriate price. Two sheep for each bushel of barley, three for each bushel of hay. You agree, this is not the best deal you could have gotten, but he still views you as a thief so you do not press it.** 1. How many sheep do you want? (Your farm is still pretty tiny, taking out the bare minimum of food needed to feed everyone, the best case scenario is that you will have 10 extra bushels of barley and hay at harvest. How much of that you want to spend and how much you want to save is up to you) You suggest that perhaps you can take the sheep from Bjorn now, and save him the trouble of having to feed them in the interim. He says no to this as he does not want to accept a payment he doesn’t know will be harvested. But he is willing to trade you additional sheep for other items. He suggests a price of 1 sheep per pound of honey or barrel of ale. This is a steep price and you suspect you could only do with three sheep this way. And you would be out of trade-able honey and ale for some time. 2. Do you take this deal? A. Yes B. No C. Yes, but for fewer sheep (how many?)  Finally, you make mention that you have a well-made forge and a skilled blacksmith, but you’ve no raw metal. You are interested in trading for ore and ask Wood-Nose what he would take in such a deal. He asks for some use of your grazing land during the spring and summer, and use of your forge and blacksmith in the fall and winter. 3. Do you agree to this? A. Yes B. No C. Yes, with stipulations (What?) Your deals completed Wood-Nose acts as an appropriate host and feeds you and your companions. He regales you with a story on his he lost his nose (his version includes a jealous princess and a lusty peasant girl). He becomes nearly friendly throughout the meal, though his son Farladr (whom Fearghas has started to call Faraldr Thin-Mouth), is not so pleasant. He eventually leaves in a huff over the deal you have made. He sees you as more of a criminal that his father does. “Mind not the boy,” Bjorn says. “He is young and was not beaten properly as a child. You need not fear him. Though, this land is full of treacherous people. As my new business partner I must warn you about them. Our neighbor to the south is one of them. Sorkell the Sorcerer. What kind of man would use such womanly-arts? The man is shifty and not to be trusted. You would be wise to remember that, Serpent-Breaker. “ 4. Do you want to ask Bjorn Wood-Nose anything else? (If not then the next update will be going to see Sorkell.)  * hamingja is the old norse word for “luck”. But it’s a lot different than our idea of luck. Someone’s hamingja was almost like a personification of luck, like a guardian angel almost. You could give your hamingja to others and thus lose your luck to protect them. Sometimes whole families had hamingja. **In general 8 oz of silver was the standard unit of exchange in the Viking world before coins became common place. Silver jewelery was often chopped into these 8 oz peices - called “hack silver” and used. Almost all trade was barter with the real price of items changing from transaction to transaction. For this post I took the amount of sheep you could get for 8 oz on average (24 sheep) and compared to the amount of cows (1 cow). Then I found a listing telling me how many cows you could get per pound of barley, and how many pounds a bushel is. This is more math than I have done since college.
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Jul 31, 2013 17:56
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I think we can part with two bushels of barley (6 sheep), and two bushels of hay (10 sheep), combined with the four we have that gives a us a nice even twenty sheep, not bad for a starter herd. It should also leave us enough surplus that we won't have to worry about eating our seed grain if the winter runs long. I have no opinion on the ale/honey trade, though I'm leaning a bit towards no. I would take the deal of ore for land rights/blacksmith services. We need ore to make our forge worthwhile and we don't have anything like the manpower necessary to start our own mine, even if we found a good vein on our land. Edit VVV That's a good point, but neither of them are mentioned as having a mine. Slightly Lions fucked around with this message at 18:28 on Jul 31, 2013 |
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Jul 31, 2013 18:21
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I'd agree with Slightly Lions, but I'm iffy on the blacksmith deal. He has a pretty large community and may monopolize out blacksmith who is going to be very busy making everything we need for a new community. However, we do need ore. Don't forget, though we still have two more people to trade with and may get a better deal!
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Jul 31, 2013 18:26
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Slightly Lions posted:I think we can part with two bushels of barley (6 sheep), and two bushels of hay (10 sheep), combined with the four we have that gives a us a nice even twenty sheep, not bad for a starter herd. It should also leave us enough surplus that we won't have to worry about eating our seed grain if the winter runs long. I have no opinion on the ale/honey trade, though I'm leaning a bit towards no. I would take the deal of ore for land rights/blacksmith services. We need ore to make our forge worthwhile and we don't have anything like the manpower necessary to start our own mine, even if we found a good vein on our land. Go for this, with the extra stipulation re: the forge that he has to help us fuel it in autumn/winter, presumably by helping with making charcoal. Don't trade more honey/ale for extra sheep, but try and get a ram.
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Jul 31, 2013 19:04
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Slightly Lions posted:I think we can part with two bushels of barley (6 sheep), and two bushels of hay (10 sheep), combined with the four we have that gives a us a nice even twenty sheep, not bad for a starter herd. It should also leave us enough surplus that we won't have to worry about eating our seed grain if the winter runs long. I have no opinion on the ale/honey trade, though I'm leaning a bit towards no. I would take the deal of ore for land rights/blacksmith services. We need ore to make our forge worthwhile and we don't have anything like the manpower necessary to start our own mine, even if we found a good vein on our land. Agree with this
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Aug 1, 2013 01:36
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Slightly Lions posted:I think we can part with two bushels of barley (6 sheep), and two bushels of hay (10 sheep), combined with the four we have that gives a us a nice even twenty sheep, not bad for a starter herd. It should also leave us enough surplus that we won't have to worry about eating our seed grain if the winter runs long. I have no opinion on the ale/honey trade, though I'm leaning a bit towards no. I would take the deal of ore for land rights/blacksmith services. We need ore to make our forge worthwhile and we don't have anything like the manpower necessary to start our own mine, even if we found a good vein on our land. This sounds ok. But though we stole the sheep fair and square we did still steal them. Offer to pay Wood-nose back for the sheep we stole by the next thing, if he drops the charges. Explain we needed them after the shipwreck and hope he understands the position we were in. We need friends more than enemies and he's bigger than we are.
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Aug 1, 2013 11:52
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Pfft, we stole nothing. Those four sheep were on our land. Unless we piss everyone else off the matter should be decided in our favor. Still, mollifying Wood-Nose is something we should do in the future. Not now, when we're desperately scrambling to try and secure enough resources to see us through the year.
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Aug 1, 2013 22:24
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Penguingo posted:Go for this, with the extra stipulation re: the forge that he has to help us fuel it in autumn/winter, presumably by helping with making charcoal. Having come late to the party on this one, I vote Penguingo/Slightly Lions. It's a good plan and helps to cement mutually beneficial relationships between the two of us in the mid-term. Although I think I we did clearly specify that Ásúlf bring back a ram (it's the one with the horns) and have two rams and two ewes still in our keeping. Do we have anybody who's good at sheep? It might be worth it to send them over and have them pick out some particularly hardy stock. I don't think we need to pay Wood-nose back to drop the charges, he's pretty chill about it now that we've broken bread and gotten boozy with each other. Gifting him their approximate cost later is probably a great way to stay good friends/neighbours, it's a much lower priority and can probably wait until this time again next year. Maybe we can invite him to a party some time when we're flush and throw in some righteous eats/drinks on top by way of apology payment?
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Aug 2, 2013 00:45
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1. How many sheep do you want? We will gift 2 bushels each of barley and hay, netting us 16 sheep total. (Basically Everyone) 2. Do you take this extra deal? No But we should think about paying him back later, as a gift. 3. Do we let him use the forge? Yes, but he also needs to help fuel the forge. Update coming like..right now
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Aug 2, 2013 01:30
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A Contract is Written and Toke Arrives at Sorkellrokk. Wood-Nose agrees to your stipulations regarding the forge. He promises that he won’t take much of your smith’s time. He even sends a small basket of iron ore and charcoal with you, which Fearghas dutifully carries. You leave with a contract for 16 sheep (of your own choosing) in exchange for bushels of barley and hay. The exchange will happen in the fall once the new lambs are born and your have harvested. Wood-Nose seems a bit disappointed you didn’t take his other offer but he is mollified by a chunk of honey comb you give him. As you leave Wood-Nose again professes that he hopes you will not be fined or executed for stealing his sheep and promises that if you are he will do his best to care for your people. He mentions he needs no thanks for this and it is simply a right and honorable thing to offer. You travel through Wood-Nose’s land, seeing strong signs blight on all his crops, for another day. After darkness falls you camp along a river bank. During the night you are surprised to see another fire lit in the distance, back where you came from. Myrun investigates and reports that the second fire is from Faraldr Thin-Mouth and a group of untrustworthy looking men. You leave your fire burning but you and the others move on in cover of darkness. A few hours later you make another camp with no fire and you fall asleep.  In the morning you awake up surrounded by greenery. You are in the middle of a grass sea, luscious and healthy. Your group travels through the land of Sorkell until you come to his farm. It lies on the top of a cliff face over-looking a deep fjord with steep sides. It is called Sorkellrokk and Sorkell himself greets you. Sorkell is a fat bald man with pale skin and a thin beard. He greets you warmly and takes you back to his longhouse. He carries with him a long staff with runes carved on it. “Seiðrmenn,” Myurn whispers. “He’s ergi*.” You silence her, even if it is true you are his guests and should act appropriately. Sorkellrokk seems to be populated with mostly thralls or freedmen. There are women and children but these too are slaves. You even note that some of them wear the same clothes of the monks on your land, something Fearghas notes as well. Still they do not seem maltreated, and Sorkell himself says that most of his people are his slaves, but he treats them as best he can. The longhouse is large and covered in intricate designs that you have seen only when Nauma weaves or carves her spells. Aside from Sorkell the other inhabitants of the house are - his wife Erna, who carries a large and ugly baby, and his mother Borga - a hideous crone. You are fed and given good drink as Borga croaks out a uninteresting tale about her life. After you have eaten, Sorkell mentions he has heard much about you, the Serpent-Breaker, and is pleased that you survived the sea-serpent. He is more so pleased that you are his neighbor, for you must be more gracious than Bjorn Wood-Nose. He asks if there is anything he can do for you. 1. What do you want from Sorkell? (He has more food and fodder than Wood-Nose, he also has quite a few slaves. Also, the man is more wise and knowledgeable than Wood-Nose and he can answer questions or give advice.) 2. What will you give Sorkell? (Though he is more friendly than Wood-Nose - he has yet to threaten you - he is all about business and expects gifts or payment for anything he is going to give you.) Sorkell laments Bjorn Wood-Nose’s luck. He says that Wood-Nose is far too prideful that that Sorkell offered to help Wood-Nose’s crops grow. But Wood-Nose refused offer and, well the man’s luck turned bad and look at his crops now. Sorkell shakes his head, all he was doing was trying to help a neighbor. Speaking of which, it is only fair that he offer you the same chance. This land is fickle during the growing season and a whole field can be turned sickly. Sorkell says he knows many fertility charms and spells and is willing to perform them for your fields. Though the price will be steep as they are very taxing for him. 3. Do you pay and take up Sorkell’s offer? (He admits this will be very expensive and the cost he gives you will pretty much wipe you out of the ale and honey reserves the monks have right now. Sorkell promises it is worth it.)  * Unlike the volva (the female users of seiðr) male users were not very well liked. In certain circles and certain professions it was okay (such as being a priest of Odin) but for a man to go and practice seiðr by himself is seen as unmanly at best and potentially evil at worst. Myrun uses the insult “ergi” which I am translated as “unmanly”. This is a pretty serious insult, calling someone ergi was acceptable grounds for a duel. Myrun kinda flew off the handle there.
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Aug 2, 2013 01:35
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1. Actually I think we're ok. I don't really need anything from him at this moment other than maybe friendship and information about the area if he's willing to give it. He's been a fair host and our original intent here was to set out and make friends with him, maybe drop off a gift or two along the way so stick with that. 2. & 3. Well, if I was a suspicious kind of man I'd think he was shaking us down in a shady Viking fertility magic protection racket, but as we're new to the area might as well give him the benefit of the doubt. My answer is maybe? What does the missus think? Could we do with some magic here? Puppies are dicks fucked around with this message at 01:53 on Aug 2, 2013 |
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Aug 2, 2013 01:47
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Puppies are dicks posted:1. Actually I think we're ok. I don't really need anything from him at this moment other than maybe friendship and information about the area if he's willing to give it. He's been a fair host and our original intent here was to set out and make friends with him, maybe drop off a gift or two along the way so stick with that. Yeah, I think he's shaking us down and he cursed Wood-Nose as well. We need to let our wife know that curses are likely on the way. Otherwise, I agree: Puppies are dicks, and also Puppies are dicks is right.
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Aug 2, 2013 03:13
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Puppies are dicks posted:1. Actually I think we're ok. I don't really need anything from him at this moment other than maybe friendship and information about the area if he's willing to give it. He's been a fair host and our original intent here was to set out and make friends with him, maybe drop off a gift or two along the way so stick with that. Agreein' with dis, all we really want from Sorkell right now is information and some guarantee he won't kill us in our sleep. We don't need his magical help, really. I agree this feels like a racket, and I bet the missus could whip this dork up and down the beach in magic terms. So refuse, but be polite about it, maybe defer momentarily rather than outright telling him to get stuffed. I would definitely like to leave things open for the possibility of a future alliance, but Sorkell seems kinda useless to us right now.
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Aug 2, 2013 03:48
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| # ? Apr 26, 2024 19:17 |
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I think it's a protection racket as well, though obviously don't bring it up. Besides, we are Toke Serpent-Breaker, Draugr-Slayer, King-Crowner. We fear no magic (and we have a wife to deal with that poo poo; discuss it with her). So I want nothing from him, we will give him a poem that shows him as a gracious host, and we do not take him up on his offer.
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Aug 2, 2013 03:54
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