《Reading the Saga of Thorvaldhr》 Sagamo Torvaler - Chapter 1 Norway is a myth. People who believe this also think Greenland is the last land in the world. Of course it''s not true, as the sagas about the settling of Vi''nland are clear that Norway is a real place far, far to the east, beyond Iceland. Norway is just the western edge of Miegartt, homeland of the humans, but the northern part of the world is where the orc-men made their home. It''s a land of rocky coasts and long, narrow fjords. Inland, the mountains stand tall; and between them, the grassy dales. In the far north, there lived a reindeer herder whose name was Akeho''ksaw1, but the Norwegians called him Ulvrin'', which means The He-Wolf. He had a wife named Jo''fava, who was called Ylgrin'', or The She-Wolf. Over one of the many dales, a raven flew. She carefully scanned the ground as she went. At length, it seemed the raven found what she was looking for, as she swooped down to land in front of what appeared to be a grassy mound with a door in it and cawed. A man opened the door and, upon seeing the raven, invited her in with a friendly smile. The raven grew in height, taller and taller until she was bigger than the man in the door; as she did so, her wings turned into arms, her talons became feet, and cloth grew out of her feathers. When the transformation was complete, an orc-woman stood in front of the doorway with staff in hand, wearing a dress and hooded cloak and a bag over her shoulder. Her hair was blond, her eyes dark green, her skin pale green. She stood nearly a head taller than the pale and fair-haired man in front of her. ¡°Good day, Ulvrin''.¡± She said and went inside; ¡°How''s Gi''sli?¡± asked Ulvrin'', ¡°Oh, fine, fine. He said to send his regards.¡± Si''gvejg looked around the house. It was a single room roundhouse with an interior made of small logs and a floor made of tiny sticks. There was a fire pit in the centre with a smooth stone slab next to it serving as a table. A frail-looking and very thin young girl lying on a reindeer skin sat up as soon as the orc-woman stepped inside; ¡°Si''gvejg!¡± She said with as much excitement as she could muster in her current condition: ¡°Hey Gi''eesa! How''re you doing?¡± ¡°Dad says I''m getting better, but I''m not feeling much better.¡± the girl muttered, ¡°She still has a fever,¡± Ulvrin'' explained, ¡°but she''s been coughing up less blood and has been regaining some of her weight.¡± Si''gvejg removed her shoes and cloak before kneeling next to the girl to check her temperature. She was indeed running a fever, and her breathing was ragged. Ylgrin'' came into the house then, and the woman and orc-woman prepared tea while Ulvrin'' went outside to work in the yard. Si''gvejg measured herbs and poured them into bowls to be crushed and mixed in the proper manner before adding them to the kettle of water on the fire. She sang this song: That little thing, this little bit too I differently mixing am, this drink mine To thy better care, this my kettle So do thou drink with care, this morsel from me2 Just then, Gi''eesa''s ragged breathing turned into a violent cough. The orc-woman turned around and hummed a tune, putting her right hand between the girl''s shoulders and laying the left on her chest. Quickly, the cough subsided and her breathing returned to normal. Gi''eesa thanked Si''gvejg and the potion brewing went on. Si''gvejg added each ingredient in turn, humming as she stirred them together. At length, the process was finished and Si''gvejg took a cupful of the steaming liquid to her mouth. She breathed in deeply to take in the scent, then blew over it once. Immediately, it cooled to a comfortable drinking temperature. ¡°Now, drink.¡± she said, and Gi''eesa did so. Si''gvejg checked her temperature again and smiled. ¡°Feeling better now?¡± ¡°I think so.¡± ¡°That''s great! With the luck of the gods, you''ll be well soon!¡± ¡°Pity your king has been doing everything he can to break the power of your gods.¡± remarked Ylgrin''. The three jumped when the door suddenly swung open and Ulvrin'' rushed inside, closing it behind him. ¡°What''s wrong Akeho''ksaw?¡± asked Ylgrin'' in alarm; ¡°It''s Chief Haraler. He''s coming with some of his huskatnar3.¡± ¡°What? I should warn Gjorbu!¡± Ylgrin'' made for the door to put her shoes on, but Ulvrin'' said, ¡°It''s too late. They''re almost here¡ªthey came from downwind, so I didn''t notice them until just now.¡± ¡°Doesn''t he have better things to do?¡± Si''gvejg asked, ¡°He knows you''ve been visiting us and he... suspects we''ve been breaking the new laws.¡± There was no time to say anything else, as there came a knock at the door. Ulvrin'' opened it to see Haraler outside flanked by half a dozen well-armed orc-men. ¡°Good day, Ulvrin''¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡°Good day, Haraler. Uh, come on in.¡± The chief, who was almost head and shoulders taller than Ulvrin'', stooped to get through the door and walked right into the middle of the house without taking off his shoes. ¡°Si''gvejg, what a surprise!¡± he said with thinly veiled sarcasm, ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°I''m here to help Gi''eesa. She''s sick with consumption, as you can see.¡± Haraler looked down at the girl, whose ragged breathing returned as she looked up at him in fear. ¡°Oh?¡± he asked Si''gvejg, ¡°And it''s all strictly mundane medicine, right?¡± ¡°Of course. I no longer practice magic, as you know.¡± ¡°And that?¡± Haraler nodded at the pot on the rocks next to the fire, ¡°Herbal tea. For the fever, and the cough.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Haraler looked at Gi''eesa again. ¡°There''s no need to be afraid of me, girl. I''m an agent of our good king O''l?''vr. He only wants what''s best for Norsemen and Finns4 alike in his lands.¡± When he finished talking, an awkward silence fell over the house. After a few moments, the chief turned to Ulvrin'' and said, ¡°Ulvrin'', where''s your son?¡± ¡°Uh¡ªhe''s around here somewhere, I''m sure. Probably out in the woods¡ªyou know how young boys are.¡± ¡°I believe I saw reindeer nearby on the way in. Those are yours, aren''t they?¡± ¡°Well, yes, but¡ª¡± ¡°Then he must be watching them, right?¡± Without another word, Haraler went outside. ¡°Jo''fava, stay with Gi''eesa.¡± Ulvrin'' ordered and followed the chief. Si''gvejg put on her shoes and hurried after them. They crested a hill near the house and found the small herd of reindeer. Laying down nearby was a wolf. The wolf raised his head when he saw them approach but otherwise didn''t move. ¡°Oh look,¡± Said Haraler with mock concern, ¡°A wolf near your reindeer. We''d better take care of that one, hadn''t we?¡± He nodded at one of his huskatnar, who pulled out a bow, nocked an arrow, and took aim. Ulvrin'' let loose a scream of rage and launched himself at the orc-man: as he did so, his skin and clothes turned into grey fur, his hands and feet became paws, and his face elongated into a wolf''s snout. The man with the bow yelled and just managed to get one arm up in time to keep Ulvrin'' from tearing his neck open. ¡°Get him off!¡± shouted Haraler; one of the other huskatnar grabbed his shield from his back and rammed Ulvrin'' with it, tossing him away. The Finn quickly got back to his feet and started snarling fiercely at the six orc-men arrayed in front of him, with the seventh hanging in the back cradling his mangled arm. Gjorbu, the other wolf, started towards his father, but Ulvrin'' barked at him and the boy stopped. ¡°Ulvrin'', Ulvrin'', Ulvrin''.¡± sighed Haraler as he unsheathed his sword, slowly walking toward the Finn, ¡°You know shapeshifting is illegal without special permission from the king.¡± He stopped several paces from Ulvrin'', who was growling louder, looking from one to another, waiting for them to make the first move. ¡°I know shifting comes as naturally to your kind as running does to us, but... law and order must be upheld.¡± Before the chief could give the order to attack, there was a howl from the direction of the house. He turned around to see another wolf running up from behind. Ylgrin'' stopped next to her husband and faced the orc-men. ¡°You''re a bold woman Ylgrin'', but stupid. Who''ll take care of your sick daughter? Get back inside now!¡± Ylgrin'' growled. ¡°So be it.¡± Haraler swung his sword, but as Ulvrin'' moved out of the way, there was a flash of light, temporarily blinding all the orc-men; when Haraler looked up again, he saw Si''gvejg in front of the two wolves. Her eyes were closed; she twirled her staff while muttering to herself until terror fell on the huskatnar and they started backing away. One, however, bravely stepped forward, thrusting at Si''gvejg with a spear, but she knocked it aside with her staff and, stretching out her fingers toward his chest, she clenched them together tightly. The huskater''s eyes opened wide as if he saw something coming towards him: he shrieked, clutched at his heart, and fell backward dead. Si''gvejg opened her eyes and locked them on Haraler; ¡°Leave now, and no else needs to get hurt.¡± The chief grunted; ¡°I''ll let you live for now. But we''ll be back.¡± Two huskatnar picked up their dead comrade and the group left. As they went, they passed the house and Si''gvejg saw Gi''eesa had been watching. ¡°Gi''eesa, you shouldn''t be out here!¡± Si''gvejg ran over to the girl, ¡°What... what did you do to that orc-man?¡± She asked with a shaky voice; her eyes were wide in fear, but she didn''t try to get away when Si''gvejg kneeled and put her big hands on the girl''s tiny, frail shoulders. ¡°I did what I had to do.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Si''gvejg heard Ulvrin'' say from behind her. He added a curse with a drawn-out sigh. ¡°Um... Dad?¡± ¡°What is it Gjorbu?¡± Gjorbu, who was now in his human form along with his parents, said; ¡°I''m... I''m sorry.¡± ¡°How many times do I have to tell you, you can''t shift anymore. What were you thinking?¡± ¡°I... know, but... I can''t help myself.¡± Ulvrin'' sighed again, ¡°I know, son. You''re at that age.¡± he looked at Si''gvejg and cursed the king. Si''gvejg said; ¡°Haraler will be back with more orc-men, and in only a few days, no doubt.¡± she stood as she went on, ¡°You should leave. You have kin in the mountains, don''t you? That''s where the rest of your people are.¡± ¡°Ah, the passes are still blocked this early in the year, and besides, Gi''eesa can''t travel over the mountains in her state.¡± ¡°I''m fine!¡± Gi''eesa lied, ¡°Really, I am!¡± ¡°Of course you are, sweetie.¡± Yglrin went to her daughter''s side and ran her fingers through her hair. ¡°Come stay with me and Gi''sli then. We''ll protect you.¡± ¡°Oh, we couldn''t do that.¡± ¡°Why? You won''t be a burden, we''d be glad to have you. And in these times...¡± Si''gvejg sighed, ¡°King O''l?''vr is threatening the old gods and the old ways of both your people and mine. We need to stand together in times like these.¡± Ulvrin'' stared out at the mountains longingly for a while. ¡°I settled here ten years ago when Gjorbu was just an infant. It was profitable here,¡± he chuckled bitterly, ¡°you Norwegians really like reindeer sausages.¡± Still gazing at the snowy peaks, he finally added, ¡°I always thought I''d go back one day to die in the land of my fathers.¡± ¡°Maybe you still will. The fate of mortals is in the hands of the gods, whatever O''l?''vr''s Frankish priests might say about their god.¡± Sagamo Torvaler - Chapter 2 Gi''sli To''rvales''on was an orc-man of means who lived at the edge of a fjord in a place called Hj?nda''ta1. Gi''sli had his hall on top of a hill at the centre of the village, but little else has been told about the village except that it was surrounded by a palisade that was, perhaps, twice the height of an orc-man, and there were many homesteads in the surrounding dale. Much of the land around the fjord was owned by Gi''sli, and he had many huskatnar to work it: the rest was rented out. He owned a boatyard and a ship which he often used to go south with. Gi''sli had two sons and five daughters. To''rvaler was the oldest, being near the age of wisdom2. His twin had died in infancy, but he loved his brother He''lgi like a twin ever since the younger had been born. However, He''lgi had been abroad for some years. On a certain day, To''rvaler was told of a ship coming up the fjord, so he went down to where the boathouses were, together with He''lgi''s twin sister, whose name was Ro''n''og. Ro''n''og lived with her husband in one of the nearby homesteads. She and To''rvaler waited on the pier as the ship docked. When it had, He''lgi disembarked and to greet and embrace his two siblings warmly. ¡°Is this your ship?¡± asked To''rvaler; ¡°Yes it is.¡± Replied He''lgi, ¡°I take it your trip went well, then?¡± ¡°Very well.¡± ¡°What did you learn?¡± Ro''n''og asked, ¡°Didn''t you hear? I was learning all about rune lore.¡± Ro''n''og rolled her eyes; ¡°I know that! So if you had to spend so long abroad, why don''t you show us something you learned?¡± ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°I don''t know. You''re the expert!¡± ¡°Alright, then in that case...¡± He''lgi reached into his bag to pull out a whalebone. He etched a rune into it and handed it to Ro''n''og. ¡°What''s this for?¡± ¡°Hold on to it. It''ll become clear in time.¡± To''rvaler, meanwhile, was watching the ship''s crew unloading the cargo. The crew consisted of both men and orc-men. ¡°Who are these men on your crew, Hel''gi?¡± ¡°Englishmen.¡± ¡°Did you find what you were looking for in England then?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He''lgi nodded and crossed his arms, ¡°It wasn''t easy finding an English rune loremaster.¡± Ro''n''og sneezed. ¡°There aren''t many of them left, and those that are still around have to be cautious.¡± The siblings went on talking about Hel''gi''s travels in England and Sweden and of how things had been in Hj?nda''ta. When they finished speaking, they went up to the hall, where He''lgi greeted Gi''sli. ¡°It''s great to see you again!¡± Gi''sli said after the two had embraced, ¡°Where''s Mother?¡± Asked He''lgi, ¡°She went to Ulvrin''''s place to help his daughter. She''s been sick.¡± ¡°Is Mother still there? Shouldn''t she have been back yesterday?¡± Ro''n''og asked, ¡°Yes, but it wouldn''t be the first time she''s stayed longer than she initially thought necessary. But enough of that¡ªas soon as she gets back, we must have a feast to celebrate your return!¡± Gi''sli set about making preparations as news spread of He''lgi''s return, and all were glad of it. Late that evening, Si''gvejg arrived at the hall together with Ulvrin'' and his family, his herd, and their belongings. Si''gvejg was happy to see He''lgi, but the cheerful mood dropped when they heard what she had to say about her run-in with Haraler. They stayed up into the night talking in the hall. ¡°This is disastrous news.¡± Gi''sli said; ¡°Indeed. This just keeps getting worse and worse. Ever since O''l?''vr took power, and what he did to To''rgerer...¡± ¡°What happened to Aunt To''rgerer?¡± Asked He''lgi,Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. Si''gvejg sighed; ¡°What have you heard about O''l?''vr Tryg''ves''on while you''ve been abroad?¡± ¡°Only that he''s a staunch Christian and seeks to convert Norway, by the sword if necessary.¡± ¡°You heard correctly. To''rgerer was one of a group of v?lvar who were arrested for practicing sejer without permission. They were tied to poles at ebb-tide and left to drown. I managed to escape by pretending to give it up, but now they know the truth. Actually, I''m not sure Haraler ever believed I truly gave it up.¡± ¡°They didn''t mark you with the... sign?¡± ¡°What sign?¡± ¡°I saw a priest do it to a woman in England. He tattooed a circle with a cross inside it and a Latin inscription around the circumference on the woman''s neck. She couldn''t practice magic after that. As far as I know, she could never practice again.¡± It was silent in the hall for some minutes. ¡°He''lgi, what other sorts of things did you see in England?¡± Asked Gi''sli; ¡°Of the priests? Not much. I tried to avoid them, to be honest. The Church has a complete monopoly over the practicing of magic. They tolerate the use of runes, but not the lore of the runes. Only a few people still dare practice it in secret.¡± ¡°And now that king of yours is trying to do the same here.¡± said Ulvrin'', ¡°It''s not natural. You can''t force a wolf to stop shifting. You might as well tell a reindeer to stop shedding his antlers in the winter.¡± The others nodded solemnly. Gi''sli looked around at them and said, ¡°Well, we''ve got plenty of good orc-men who''ll come to our aid. We''ve got a wolf, a rune-master, and a v?lva. And I''ve got that steel-weave tunic To''rgerer made before she died. I''d say we''ve got a decent chance.¡± They continued talking far into the night, but nothing more is told of what they said. * * * As the next few days passed on, news spread quickly that Haraler wanted to kill Si''gvejg, and many orc-men came to Hj?nda''ta to offer their support because Si''gvejg was well-known throughout the area for helping those in need of a v?lva. Gi''sli said they must prepare for an attack, but Si''gvejg decided to consult the spirits about what the future might bring. She seated herself in her seer''s chair, which was so high she had to climb a ladder to reach it. From her seer''s chair, on top of Hj?nda''ta''s hill, she could look out over the whole fjord. She put her staff between her legs and started spinning yarn with a handspindle. The twins So''lbj?rt and Kolterna, two more of Si''gvejg''s daughters who were learning her craft, stood below the seer''s chair and sang. As they continued doing so, Si''gvejg entered a trance-like state and said: ¡°I think I know that battle: it will be killing with weapons, but not completely. I think I know that fire: it will be burning fiercely, and yet, can it consume cloth? I think I know that arrow: he will shoot, and yet, can he hit the one with the cloth?¡±3 When she finished speaking, Si''gvejg went and recited it to Gi''sli. ¡°That''s a bizarre prophecy.¡± he said, ¡°What does it mean?¡± Si''gvejg did not answer immediately. She looked over the fjord for several moments. ¡°I think it means we''ve got a tough battle ahead of us.¡± Meanwhile, the people of the dale were preparing to fight Haraler when he came. He''lgi took staves and carved a series of runes down the length of them. He then sharpened one end of each and put a bull skull on the other end, facing the same direction as the runes. When these were made, he went outside the palisade with Ro''n''og and To''rvaler. To''rvaler carried the rune-staves and He''lgi drove them into the ground. They went in a circle around the palisade. As they went, Ro''n''og often sniffled and periodically coughed or sneezed. ¡°You catch something?¡± asked To''rvaler, ¡°Yeah, I''ve had a cold the past few days.¡± She replied and sneezed again; Nothing was said for a minute. Then To''rvaler asked; ¡°When did it start?¡± ¡°Oh, about the time He''lgi came back.¡± To''rvaler paused a second time before saying, ¡°Do you still have that bone He''lgi gave you?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Would you let me see it?¡± Ro''n''og took the bone from a pouch at her waist and gave it to To''rvaler, who glanced at it and, seeing the rune ?, he asked, ¡°Do you know what rune this is?¡± ¡°Of course, it''s kawn.¡± ¡°Do you know the meaning behind it?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°He''lgi,¡± To''rvaler handed the bone to his brother, ¡°tell her what the rune means.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Replied He''lgi, ¡°It means ''ill-health''.¡± Ro''n''og''s jaw fell open as she stared at He''lgi in disbelief. ¡°You cast an enchantment of ill-health on your own twin?!¡± She took a rune-staff from To''rvaler and would''ve hit He''lgi with it, but he said, ¡°Wow, wow, that thing''s dangerous! If you''re gonna hit me, hit me with something else.¡± ¡°Give me your bag then.¡± He''lgi sighed, dropped his bag on the ground, and ran away. ¡°To''rvaler, you''ll finish up for me right? Just finish the circle!¡± He called over his shoulder as Ro''n''og chased him away whilst twirling the bag above her head; ¡°Hey! Are you ten years old? Get back here, this is no time to be goofing off!¡± To''rvaler called after them, ¡°Oh, let them have fun.¡± Si''gvejg said from behind him, ¡°They''re still young. Just because you''ve nearly reached the age of wisdom doesn''t mean you should forget the impetuousity of youth.¡± To''rvaler agreed reluctantly and the two finished setting up the rune-staves. Reference Guide: Pronunciation, Glossary, and People This is meant as a reference guide for both pronunciation and the many unique Vi''nlandisk terms used in this saga. It also includes a character list in case you forget who someone was. I''ll be updating this with new terms and characters as they come up in the story. Pronunciation Guide
Character IPA Rough pronunciation
'' : An apostrophe usually means the preceding letter is held longer than normal, exceptions below
t ¦È ''th'' as in ''thing''
e e ''th'' as in ''this''
a ¨» ''o'' as in ''mock''
a'' a: Something between the ''o'' in ''block'' and the ''a'' in ''fan''
r ? A rolled ''r'', much as it''s pronounced in Spanish
n'' ?n ''rn'' as in ''barn''
i ? ''i'' as in ''bin''
i'' i: ''ee'' as in ''keen''
j j ''y'' as in ''yes''
? ? ''a'' as in ''can''
o o ''oa'' as in ''boat''
y y ''ee'' as in ''been'', but with the lips rounded
? ? ''e'' as in ''bet'', but with the lips rounded
? ? ''o'' as in ''bot'', but with the lips rounded
? ? ''r'' as in ''ran''
eh ? A sort of short, half-hearted moan, like the second ''a'' in ''Canada''
q k? ''qu'' as in quest
sc ? ''sh'' as in shot
zc ? ''g'' as in beige
tc t?? ''ch'' as in choose
dg d?? ''dg'' as in bridge
Glossary Age of wisdom (aldartals spekta) Years 45-75 of an orc-man''s or orc-woman''s life, considered to be the prime of life both physically and mentally. Since half-orcs develop slower than full-blooded humans, the mid-forties is the age when they become fully mature mentally. Still full of youthful vigour but tempered by experience, it''s considered to be the time for a half-orc to fulfill his or her purpose in life. Al''ting (All-Assembly) The Al''ting is the national parliament, supreme court, and yearly festival of Iceland all rolled into one. Like Vi''nland, Iceland traditionally had no king or any executive branch of government to speak of. Instead, they had a well-defined legal code enforced by community pressure and blood feuds. Bjarknf?''gr (Bark-Artist) He''lgi Gi''sls''on earned this nickname by carving a message and a picture in a tree in a Holtmaer summer camp that had been abandoned for the winter. Dale (d?lt) A type of grassy valley typically centred on a river. Dreer The best compliment an orc-man can give someone. It describes a person who is honest and upright, fair in all their dealings, who only picks fights with equals and never with the weak. An honourable and masculine man or orc-man. Usually used of males, but it can be used of females as well. The closest equivalent in modern English would be badass. England (England) England is said to be an island, or part of an island, in the western part of Miegartt. According to legend, it''s inhabited by pale men who speak like Norwegians do, but who adopted Christianity much earlier. Sometimes dominated by Norway or Denmark, parts of England seem to have been colonised by orc-men. Fjord (fj?rtt) A type of long, skinny bay or inlet, typically featuring a high coastline or cliffs. Fj?''reritir, or Fj?''reritir (The Fjords) A part of Vi''nland passed over by the first wave of settlers, Fj?''reritir is defined by its erratic coastline, many fjords, and treacherous waters broken by innumerable islands. The lands immediately adjacent to the water are rocky and largely unsuitable for farming, although there are thick forests and verdant river valleys a bit further inland. Greenland (Gr?''nland) An island mostly covered in glaciers located northeast of Vi''nland and inhabited by orcs. The Dyrmaear hadn''t been enountered yet at the time of this saga. Franks (Frankir) and Frankland Franks appear very rarely in a few of the earliest sagas. From the little that can be gleaned, they seem to have been from a country in Miegartt. Franks are known to have been devout Christians whose priests aided in the conversion of Norway. Latin is thought by some to have originated with them, but Christian Vi''nlandiskar maintain a tradition of Latin originating with a separate people called the Romanir, who once ruled all of Miegartt. Another school of thought contends that Franks and Romanir were one and the same. Gi''sls''tae (Gi''sli''s Place) When Si''gvejg and her family built themselves a new home near Tcise''gawting, she decided to name it after her late husband. It was a homestead like any other, and would have consisted of a longhouse and a number of out-buildings¡ªbarns, sheds, and such¡ªsurrounded by a fence. In the early days, however, it would have been little more than a small log-framed shack. Gorm?''nt (Gore-month, or Slaughter-month) Gorm?''nt is the first month of winter on the pagan Vi''nlandisk calendar. It runs roughly from late October to late November. The name is indeed a macabre one, as it is during this month that farmers cull their herds and preserve the meat for use over the coming year. Harpa Harpa is the first month of summer on the pagan Vi''nlandisk calendar. It runs roughly from late April to late May. Hj?nda''ta A term for ''village'' used mostly in the Ve''strlandisk dialect of Vi''nlandisk Ajmun. It came into Sagamo To''rvaler as the name of the village the titular character grew up in, but it couldn''t possibly have been the original name of the village. The word itself came into Vi''nlandisk fairly late the language''s development, as it comes originally from the Hwendat language, spoken by men living along the Great River. Holtmaear (Hillmen) The Holtmaear are a group of humans who originally inhabited the whole eastern coast of Vi''nland all the way down to the shores of the Mikil''hjandwaw, and deep into the interior. They are a traditionally a nomadic people who followed a seasonal migration pattern. Summers are spent fishing at the sea shore or on the edge of one of the innumerable lakes in their homeland. In the winter, they go inland and hunt caribou. They are noted for their hospitality, and rarely engage in warfare except in self-defence. The arrival of the Vi''nlandiskar did not immediately disrupt this pattern, but it has had a profound long-term affect. Over time, many Holtmaear adopted aspects of Vi''nlandisk culture and ways of life, and intermarriage is still common to this day. Nowadays, most Vi''nlandiskar have Holtmaer blood in them, especially those north of Vi''ns?r. Huskater (plural: huskatnar), feminine form: huskona(r) A paid, live-in servant. Huskatnar and huskonar do whatever their employer requires them to do. They usually do housework or farm work, and take care of any sort of repairs or other heavy labour that needs doing. They also support their employer in any feuds he may get involved in. Those who can afford it often hire huskatnar specifically as household guards or professional soldiers. Iceland (I''sland) An island far to the northeast of Vi''nland and inhabited by orcs. Erroneously thought by some to be the original homeland of the orcs. Iceland continued to have very limited contact with Vi''nland, such that many in later generations would not believe it ever existed, but those on the east coast would trade with them occasionally. I''ngr, ? The runic equivalent of "ng". I''ngr is another name for the god Fr?yr, who''s generally associated with fertility and thus with wealth. The rune itself represents abundance. Ka''nehda Ka''nehda is the name of the whole continent of which Vi''nland is a part. The word itself comes from the Holtmaer word "Ka''nehdaw", which means "hunter". Kawn, ? The runic equivalent of "k". Kawn represents ill-health.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Miegartt (Middle-Enclosure) A land far, far to the east, beyond Iceland, a land believed by many to exist only in mythology. Said to be home to a race of pale men, as well as orc-men and shapshifters. Norway (No''rvekt) The western edge of Miegartt, inhabited by orc-men. It''s said to have been the homeland of the first settlers of Vi''nland, and is also postulated as the first place orcs and men began to intermingle. Orc-man (orkamaer), or orc-woman (orkakona), also called half-orcs (h?''lvorkar) Orc-men are, as the name suggests, the descendants of both orcs and men. The precise mixture depends on the individual, as the term covers the whole spectrum from those with only a pinch of orc blood, to those with only a speck of human. They''re often a full head taller than men, and build and retain muscles much easier. Their skin ranges from light brown, to pale green, to dark green, their ears are pointed. Most have an underbite, and often have fangs on the lower jaw that peek above the lip when closed. In later generations, orc blood would wane, especially in the west, to the extent that many could barely be called orc-men at all. But in the days of To''rvaler, most orc-men were around a half-and-half mix. R?ykjarvi''k (Smokey Bay) R?ykjarvi''k, or R?ykjarvi''ka is a bay in Iceland near which the Al''ting is convened. In To''rvaler''s day, there were no towns or cities in Iceland, but eventually R?ykjarvi''ka would grow into the only real city on the island. Runes Runes are both the primary alphabet of Vi''nlandisk Ajmun and a means of enchantment. It was He''lgi Bjarknf?''gr who created the first runic alphabet tailor-made for use in Vi''nlandisk. Since he studied runes in both Sweden and England, Bjarknf?''gr''s alphabet contained symbols from multiple runic alphabets. The Latin alphabet can be used for writing Vi''nlandisk as well, but is almost exclusively used in the Fjords, and mostly only by Christians, so it''s often called the Christian alphabet. No one has ever used the Christian alphabet for enchantments, and while Latin inscriptions can be used for this purpose, there are very few people able to do that. Sagamo To''rvaler (Reading the Saga of To''rvaler: or, more literally, Watch Sagafication To''rvaler) This saga tells the story of To''rvaler Gi''sls''on and his brother He''lgi as they and others established the first settlement in Vi''nland. It discusses the building of the first homesteads, the establishment of relations with the Holtmaear, the workings of the earliest ting, the beginnings of Vi''nlandisk Ajmun, and the first feud in Vi''nland. Sa''mi (plural: Sa''mir) (also called Finns, or Fin''ir) Sa''mir are full-blooded humans with the natural capability to transform themselves into a wolf. Sa''mir in Vi''nland are very few in number, but continue to exist to this day. They''re said to be descended from men who lived next to the orc-men back in Miegartt, and are known for keeping reindeer. A Sa''mi''s most notable feature is his pale skin compared to other men of Vi''nland, even with a tan. As with other humans, Sa''mir have an odd biological quirk: most pregnancies result in the birth of a single child. Steel-weave tunic (st?''lveva kyrtil''t) An specially crafted tunic with magic weaved into its threads to make it invulnerable to steel¡ªand, by extension, any material related to steel, such as iron or bone. Only a highly skilled v?lva can make one. Tcise''gawting (Cliff-Assembly) The first half-orc settlement in Vi''nland was originally called Bjargan Ting (Boulder Assembly, but "bjarg" can mean "cliff" as well). At some point, probably as the Danish tongue started morphing into Vi''nlandisk Ajmun, "bjarg" was replaced by the more precise "tcise''gaw", which refers to a cliff specifically. Tcise''gawting''s status as a cultural icon and major court-city as well as a trade hub ensured it would grow become the most important city on the east coast of Vi''nland, but it would eventually be eclipsed by some of the cities to the south around Vi''ns?r. Tvi''m?''nt (Two-Month) Tvi''m?''nt is the 5th month of summer on the pagan Vi''nlandisk calendar. It runs roughly from late August to late September. Ve''strland, or Ve''stland The westernmost region of Vi''nland, centred on the Mikil''jhahndwaw (Great-River). It was yet to be explored by orc-men at the time of Sagamo To''rvaler. Vi''nland (Wine-Land) Vi''nland was originally the name given by Lejvr the Lucky to Rawe?yta (The Red Isle). However, it was quickly applied more generally and came to refer to all the lands in Ka''nehda settled by half-orcs. Vi''nlandisk (Vinlandic, or Vinlandish) Of or having to do with Vi''nland. Vi''nlandisk Ajmun (Vinlandic Speech) A term encompassing the many dialects of the language that resulted from the intermingling of orc-men and Holtmaear. V?lva (plural: v?lvar) V?lvar are orc-women, and sometimes women, skilled in the sejera school of magic. Typically worshippers of the goddess Fr?yja (Freyja) and most closely associated with prophecy. V?lvar can and often do branch into other forms of magic, most commonly weaving enchantments, as sejera is closely associated with the concept of weaving. Other common forms of magic are those of potion-making and healing. Wigwam (wiqak) A type of primitive, but effective dwelling used by cutlures all over northeastern Ka''nehda. A wigwam is a circular structure made of sticks, often built over a shallow pit. The frame is then covered in sheets of birch bark or animal skins, usually caribou or moose. The frame is wider than it is tall, and the tip is left uncovered to allow smoke to escape. Wunjo, ? The runic equivalent of "w". It represents joy, happiness, and good times. Characters Gi''skynir (Gi''sli''s kin) Gi''sli To''rvales''on: A wealthy landowner who functioned as the leader of Hj?nda''ta. He was married to Si''gvejg, and fathered To''rvaler, So''lbj?rta and Kolterna, Ro''n''og and He''lgi, and To''rdi''s and Erma. Si''gvejg Halto''rsdot''ir: Twin of To''rgerer, she was a v?lva skilled in healing and prophecy. Wife of Gi''sli To''rvales''on and mother of To''rvaler, So''lbj?rta and Kolterna, Ro''n''og and He''lgi, and To''rdi''s and Erma. To''rvaler Gi''sls''on: Eldest child of Gi''sli and Si''gvejg, To''rvaler was coming the age of wisdom at the beginning of the saga. Known to be fiercely loyal to his family and friends, and skilled in both the sword and bow. So''lbj?rta Gi''slsdot''ir: Known to study magic under her mother, together with her twin Kolterna. Kolterna Gi''slsdot''ir: Known to study magic under her mother, together with her twin So''lbj?rta. Ro''n''og Gi''slsdot''ir: Twin of He''lgi. Known to have been married with a family of her own, who lived in a homestead near Hj?nda''ta. He''lgi Gi''sls''on: A very bright orc-man with a promising aptitude for magic, He''lgi went abroad years before the saga began to study runes in Sweden and England. He returned a true runemaster, with probably more knowledge of runic enchantments than any other single individual then living. Although intelligent beyond his years, his young age shows in the occasional immature prank. To''rei''s Gi''slsdot''ir: Barely a teenager at the beginning of the saga, To''rei''s and her twin are the youngest children of Gi''sli and Si''gvejg. Known to have a fountain of infinite energy deep down inside that constantly overflowed the confines of her person. Erma Gi''slsdot''ir: Younger twin of To''rei''s. Less energetic, but only in the most relativistic terms possible. Known to shadow To''rei''s and fight as often as play with her, but always in good fun. Other Vi''nlandiskar Bj?rnar Ejri''ks''on: Bj?rnar is a full-blooded orc from Greenland, and a devotee of Fr?yr. Never one to back down from a fight or an insult, he''s known for being proud, ornery, and quick to anger. Agvaler Bj?rnas''on: Son of Bj?rnar and elder twin of Halto''r. Known to be very responsible with property, but also austere and boring. Halto''r Bj?rnas''on: Son of Bj?rnar and younger twin of Agvaler. Known to be irresponsible and a copious drinker. Si''gsteler: An obscure farmer from the area around Tcise''gawting, Si''gsteler is known as an ally of Bj?rnar Ejri''ks''on who was killed by the bear while out hunting. Holtmaear (Hillmen) Ma''sci''dgew: A young man from the band led by Wa''bu''n. He''s an excellent hunter and has a strong protective instinct for his band. Known to be a relative of Na''n?myswa''t, but their relationship is unclear. M?nu''tjew: An extroverted young woman full of energy and looking forward with her whole life ahead of her. Daughter of U''scna''bew and Scu''myna''mo. Na''n?myswa''t: A young man and prominent member of U''scna''bew''s band. Known for being laid-back and cool-headed with a teasing sense of humour. Scu''myna''mo: Wife of U''scna''bew and respected elder of the band. U''scna''bew: A respected elder and recognised leader of his band, U''scna''bew cares deeply about the well-being of his people. Although he''s in his fifties, his health has yet to seriously decline and he''s still able to hunt caribou with the younger men. He''s married to Scu''myna''mo and has several grown-up daughters, one of whom is named M?nu''tjew. Wa''bu''n: An elderly woman, powerful shaman, and leader of her band. Known for her cool temperment and for using the diplomatic approach rather than resorting to violence if at all possible. Ulvritir (The Wolves) Akeho''ksaw ¡°Ulvrin''¡±: The He-Wolf was a reindeer herder who settled next to an area of Norwegian habitation. Unlike most of his people, Ulvrin'' settled permanently in one place, specifically to sell his specialty reindeer sausages. Known for his casual attitude and dry humour. Jo''fava ¡°Ylgrin''¡±: The She-Wolf was married to Ulvrin''. Known to be resolute in her sense of justice and fiercely protective of her children, but also emotionally sensitive. Gjorbu Ulvs''on: Son of Ulvrin'' and Ylgrin''. At the start of the saga, he was at an age when young Sa''mir typically begin to experiment with shapeshifting on their own. During this time, most find it difficult if not impossible to refrain from spending long periods of time exploring their abilities. Gi''eesa Ulvsdot''ir: Daughter of Ulfrin'' and Ylgrin''. Known to have been sick and nearly died of consumption before being nursed back to health by Si''gvejg. Miegartiskar (Midgarders) Chief Haraler: A chief in northern Norway, whose seat of power was not far from Hj?nda''ta. Known to be a strict adherant and enforcer of King O''l?''vr''s policies. King O''l?''vr Tryg''ves''on: King of Norway at the beginning of the saga. Known to be a devout Christian determined to convert Norway and all its inhabitants by any and all means necessary. To''rgerer Halto''rsdot''ir was executed under his orders. To''rgerer Halto''rsdot''ir: Twin of Si''gvejg. Known to have been a powerful v?lva, so skilled in enchantment that she made a steel-weave tunic for her brother-in-law Gi''sli. She was executed for unlawful practice of magic under King O''l?''vr''s orders at some point before the beginning of the saga. Sagamo Torvaler - Chapter 3 It''s said of the day Haraler arrived, that before the battle began Si''gvejg was seen talking to Gi''sli with tears in her eyes. He stood resolute and patted her hand. No one knows what they spoke of, but they say she was warning him of his fate in the coming confrontation. Gi''sli wore his steel-weave tunic and a helmet. A shepherd was the first to see the ships sailing up the fjord and he ran to tell Gi''sli, who called all the inhabitants of Hj?nda''ta together. He put the orc-women and children in his hall at the top of the hill while those who could fight stood on the palisade. Some orc-men had their bows ready while others held javelins or throwing axes, but the main body of orc-men stood on the ground by the gate, along with Ulvrin'' and the men He''lgi had brought from England. To''rvaler stood on the wall with his bow at the ready, standing next to Gi''sli, He''lgi, and Si''gvejg. No one now knows for sure how many orc-men Gi''sli had gathered together, but some say it was no more than a hundred, and Haraler had as many or more. The ships landed at the boatyard, which was well outside the range of the archers. Haraler wore a helmet and chainmail armour as he approached the wall and called out: ¡°Gi''sli To''rvales''on! There''s no need for us to fight today. Hand over Si''gvejg Halto''rsdot''ir and the Finns they call Ulvrin'', Ylgrin'', and Gjorbu and we''ll be on our way in peace.¡± Haraler went on trying with words of this kind to convince Gi''sli to peacefully hand over the wanted persons, but Gi''sli would hear none of it. At last, the chief gave up and went back to the boatyard. Then, Haraler''s warriors came forward carrying ladders. Some held shields up and behind them came the ladder-bearers with still more orc-men advancing behind them while the rest waited in reserve. Archers loosed several volleys of arrows, but most hit the shields. ¡°He''lgi.¡± Gi''sli said, ¡°On my mark.¡± Gi''sli ran down to the ground to join the orc-men by the gate before waving his sword at his son. He''lgi held a rune-staff in his hands and stood over the gate. He raised the rune-staff high, then brought it down with full force on the walkway. Suddenly, a blazing fire ignited in the circle of rune-staves around Hj?nda''ta. With the fire behind them, the forward element of Haraler''s force were now cut off from the rest of them. ¡°Now!!¡± Shouted He''lgi: two orc-men opened the gates and the Hj?nda''taskar streamed out, screaming as they charged into the enemy line ahead of them. A confused melee ensued as Gi''sli''s warriors cut down the shieldbearers in front while those with the ladders dropped them and retreated into their own lines, breaking up their ranks just as the Hj?nda''taskar hit them. Orc-men and men fought as individuals and small packs as any sense of group cohesion quickly devolved into a brawl. To''rvaler and the other archers pelted the enemy with arrows; now that their formation was broken, many more arrows hit flesh instead of wood and leather. From behind the cluster of buildings at the waterfront, a man approached the battle. He wore a black cloak over a white robe and the hair on the middle of his head was shaved bald, leaving the edges growing short. In one hand, he carried a staff with a cross fixed to the top of it, hanging from his belt was a book, and around his neck a circular amulet. The sight of the man, who was nearly head and shoulders shorter than the orc-men around him, caused To''rvaler to stop. Although there was nothing obviously intimidating about him, the man gave To''rvaler an uneasy feeling. ¡°Who''s that?¡± he asked He''lgi, ¡°What''s he doing?¡± ¡°Oh no...¡± He''lgi murmured in response. The strange man was chanting in Latin and walked straight into the fire. Without showing any hint of pain, he picked up the nearest rune-staff and pressed his amulet against it. As one, the runes on all the staves glowed pure white and all of them¡ªincluding the one in Hel''gi''s hands¡ªbroke in two. Burn marks were now where the runes had been. ¡°The one with the cloth!¡± shouted Si''gvejg; ¡°To''rvaler, you have to shoot him!¡± To''rvaler loosed an arrow at the man, but missed. He loosed another, and another, but they also missed. ¡°What''s happening? Why can''t you hit him?¡± Si''gvejg demanded, ¡°I don''t know.¡± To''rvaler said, ¡°I aim at him, but my arrows veer off as if they have a mind of their own.¡± As this was going on, the battle continued unfolding below them. With the fire out of the way, the rest of Haraler''s orc-men surged forward, but were slowed by arrows from the wall. The Hj?nda''taskar broke off and fled for the gate. Only a few, including Gi''sli, stood their ground to allow the others to escape. One orc-man charged at Gi''sli. Drawing his sword-arm back for an attack, he hit Gi''sli''s arm directly with the edge of his short sword, but it didn''t cut through the sleeve. Gi''sli cut off his weapon-arm before running him through. Another thrust at Gi''sli with a spear, but it glanced off Gi''sli''s tunic and he slashed the orc-man across the belly. A third went for Gi''sli as well, but Ulvrin'' pounced from behind and killed him. The man in the robe continued forward, still chanting in Latin, until he was only a few paces from Gi''sli. On the wall, Si''gvejg raised her hand toward the man, who snapped his gaze up toward her. His amulet was decorated with a cross and a Latin inscription around its circumference: he grabbed it and held it out toward Si''gvejg: a white light erupted from in front of her along with a loud boom that knocked her backward. Seeing this from below, Gi''sli swung at the man, who raised his staff. When the sword hit the staff, it bounced off as if the staff was made of steel. While Gi''sli recovered his balance, the man stepped forward and, taking his amulet in his palm, placed his hand on Gi''sli''s chest. There was a flash of light around Gi''sli and his arms fell to his sides as he stood staring forward in a daze. Haraler himself threw a javelin which impaled Gi''sli through the chest. ¡°Father!¡± To''rvaler and He''lgi shouted at once: as To''rvaler nocked another arrow, however, Ulvrin'' lunged at the man in the robe, knocking him over, while a Hj?nda''task dragged Gi''sli toward the gate. The man in the robe brought up his staff in time to hold Ulvrin'' at bay with it, and the rest of Haraler''s warriors were almost on top of them. Ulvrin'' jumped off the man and ran for the gate.His teeth left deep marks on the staff where Gi''sli''s sword couldn''t cut. However, the gate was still some distance away and Haraler''s orc-men were following closely and hurling javelins at the Hj?nda''taskar still outside. As they all converged on the open gate, though, Si''gvejg stepped in the way. The remaining Hj?nda''taskar ran past her, and when the last one was in, she threw up her hands: the charging orc-men stopped in their tracks, buying just enough time for the gates to be closed and barred.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Haraler recalled his force for the day and they retreated back to the boatyard, taking the siege ladders with them and leaving only the scattered dead on the field. * * * Gi''sli was brought to the hall, but by then he''d breathed his last. They laid him in a bed and his family mourned him. As they were gathered around they body, Si''vejga stripped off his tunic and felt the fabric. She took a knife and cut through it. ¡°I''ve never seen anything cut through an steel-weave tunic like that.¡± Said He''lgi, ¡°It''s lost its weave. Here, can you feel it?¡± Si''gvejg handed it to him. He just nodded. It''s said that when a v?lva-weaved tunic is held in the hands, it feels like a living thing in some inexplicable way. So many arrows had been spent in the day''s fighting that they spent the evening and into the night making more. He''lgi took a straight piece of wood and fletched it. He then prepared the arrowhead. To''rvaler offered him an iron arrowhead, but He''lgi took a bone from his bag instead and pared it to a sharp point. He then carved two runes into it. On one side, he carved the rune ?, called Os''r. On the other side, He''lgi carved ?, called Ty''r. ¡°This is a message from Ty''r.¡± he said, and handed it to To''rvaler, ¡°Tomorrow, when the moment is right, I''ll call on V?''li. You''ll use this arrow, and this time it won''t miss.¡± ¡°What kind of sorcerer was that?¡± To''rvaler asked as he took it, He''lgi didn''t answer immediately. ¡°That was a Frankish priest.¡± He said at last; ¡°I''ve never seen anything that can just knock arrows out of the way like that.¡± ¡°They have powerful lore. The realms to the south are all beholden to the Christian Church, and they''ll allow no one to use lore except their own clergy members.¡± ¡°What he used on me wasn''t lore.¡± said Si''gvejg, ¡°It was... like a hole sucking up my energy and throwing it back in my face. I suspect that''s what he did to Gi''sli''s tunic, too.¡± ¡°You remember that woman I mentioned, the one they made powerless by tattooing her?¡± He''lgi said, ¡°The Church has a lore that can break the power of the gods.¡± ¡°What makes you think this arrow will do any good then?¡± asked To''rvaler; ¡°Because I have a plan. It''ll take all three of us working together, but we should be able to pull it off.¡± In the evening, guards on the walls saw some of the besiegers go up to the forest to cut trees and bring them back to the boatyard. Early in the morning, they built mantlets. It was early afternoon by the time they were finished, at which point besiegers and besieged alike made ready for another assault. The bulk of the force stood at a safe distance. Among them were the Frankish priest and Haraler. They watched as the vanguard wheeled the mantlets forward with the ladders carried behind them. The two sides exchanged arrows, most of them hitting the mantlets or ramparts. When the mantlets came close, most of the vanguard stayed behind them while the ladders were brought up to the walls. Two orc-men carried each ladder, with two more protecting them with shields. The ladders'' feet were spiked so they bit into the ground: one orc-man drove a metal spike with a loop on one end into the wall. There was a rope tied to each ladder. The ropes were threaded through the loops as the ladders came down and tied there. With the ladders secured, Haraler and the rest of his orc-men hurried forward to join the fray as the vanguard climbed the ladders. A fight broke out on the battlements when they reached the top. It didn''t take long before the defenders were pulling back, trying to form a shieldwall as Haraler''s reinforcements came up and pushed harder against them. In the claustrophobic chaos of shields clanging and bodies pressing toward one another, many dropped their spears and surged forward with their knives instead. Mad with bloodlust, they shoved and pushed against each other with their shields, lashing out savagely with their knives until they and the battlements were soaked with blood. The attackers had to step over the bodies of the dead as the Hj?nda''taskar retreated further. It was then that Si''gvejg came up to the battlement. She stretched out her hand toward the battle and spoke words that have not been recorded. Those who were there that day thought the sun shone a little dimmer when she did so, and the attackers stopped pushing forward. Fear showed in their eyes¡ªall except for Haraler''s¡ªand they looked around as if seeing something no one else could. A cloud of sheer darkness appeared above their heads, starting small but growing slowly. As soon as Si''gvejg came into view, the Frankish priest strode forward confidently, once again chanting in Latin. Haraler urged him not to rush forward so hastily, or at least to find some cover, but the man paid him no heed. He stopped near one of the mantlets, took off his amulet, and flung it into the air above the heads of the attackers on the wall. Instantly, the cloud of darkness dissipated in a flash of light and the sun shone like it should. As the amulet left the priest''s fingers, however, To''rvaler and He''lgi sprung up from behind the rampart. To''rvaler already had the rune-bone arrow knocked so it took only a second to draw, aim, and release it. As he did so, He''lgi said this poem: O V?''li Son of O''eiler: god of yew and bowmen. Behold I call on thee: instead of this common archer. O Ty''r toward thee I turn my gaze: now come here. Deliver our message by your power: increase the renown of us and yourselves both.1 The priest raised his voice and his staff, with the cross pointed toward To''rvaler and He''lgi. The rune-bone arrow slowed to a crawl, then stopped mid-flight. With each word spoken by He''lgi, it jerked forward just a little, but it seemed it would not make it through the priest''s barrier. Then, there was a shout from Si''gvejg: the priest looked up and saw she had his amulet, which she threw back at him. Before it even hit him, there was a bright flash of light and a loud boom. When the stars had ceased dancing in everyone''s eyes, they looked down to see the man laying on the ground with the arrow sticking out of his heart. Si''gvejg stretched out her hand again and the darkness returned. Filled with renewed vigour, the Hj?nda''taskar charged, stabbing bellies and slashing throats, forcing the disheartened foe back to their ladders, but they didn''t break. Chief Haraler stood at their head. Sword in hand, he reached over one orc-man''s shield to cleave his skull in two and slammed into another, knocking him off the wall. ¡°You think to bewitch me heathen, but I''m not afraid of your spells!¡± The chief shouted at Si''gvejg. Hearing this, To''rvaler dropped his bow and took his sword and shield, pushing his way through the crowd of Hj?nda''taskar until he came face to face with Haraler. Others continued fighting around them as the two traded blows tersely. To the right, two orc-men, shields pressed together, tried to stab each other and to the left, one orc-man who''d kept hold of his spear was keeping another at bay. Haraler swung high and would have chopped To''rvaler''s head off, but the latter ducked and cut into his opponent''s leg below the shield. The chief fell to his knees and tried to raise his shield, but To''rvaler knocked it away with his own, then decapitated Haraler. As the head flew through the air and landed on the battlement, a terrible cry arose from the besiegers, and they started jumping off the wall to flee for their ships with the Hj?nda''taskar on their heels. It''s said that out of every ten orc-men who attacked Hj?nda''ta, nine never left. Sagamo Torvaler - Chapter 4 News spread quickly that the inhabitants of Hj?nda''ta Dale had killed a chief and a priest. Si''gvejg said, ¡°Haraler''s brothers will make sure none of us see another winter in Norway.¡± Therefore, To''rvaler prepared ships for a voyage. Gi''sli and others in Hj?nda''ta had ships of their own, and some of Haraler''s ships had been left behind. Word went out that the inhabitants of Hj?nda''ta Dale were getting ready to leave Norway, and many more people from the surrounding fjords and mountains came to join them: outlaws, practicers of lore, those who still served the old gods, Finns banned from shapeshifting, and all those who hated the rule of O''l?''vr Tryg''ves''on. It''s said that over three dozen ships left Norway that summer, late in the month of Harpa1, bringing with them all the livestock and seed grain they could carry. To''rvaler asked Si''gvejg how the future looked, and to what land they should set sail. She answered, ¡°We sail for the land where the inhabitants are the most free.¡± And so it was that they arrived in R?ykjarvi''k at around the time the Icelanders gathered for the Al''ting. Iceland is a cold island out in the Ocean with a rocky coast where orcs live. It has many fjords like Norway, snow-capped mountains, and dales scattered with farms. But all the land was already settled. There was a heated controversy at the Al''ting that year over the taking of Christianity and it almost came to violence. However, it was decided that Iceland would take Christianity peacefully. Again, To''rvaler asked Si''gvejg, ¡°What land should we sail to?¡± And she said, ¡°We sail for the last land in the world.¡± So they set sail for Greenland. Many Icelanders were unhappy with the taking of Christianity and sailed with them. Greenland did not live up to its name: only a part of the southern coast was habitable. There were very few trees and the soil was infertile, barely suitable for farming during the short summer months while the sun held close to the horizon. Beyond the narrow band of green on the coast were giant, blue-white mountains of ice that glowered over the sea, from which icebergs were born. There was not enough land for the new arrivals, and so To''rvaler asked a third time, ¡°Where should we sail to next? There are no lands left in Miegartt.¡± Si''gvejg replied, ¡°We''ve sailed beyond the boundaries of Miegartt and arrived in a new world.¡± not long afterward, a Greenlander named Lejvr Eiri''ks''on returned home from a voyage that took him far to the south. They called him Lejvr the Lucky, because he''d rescued some shipwrecked sailors and discovered the place he called Vi''nland. The fleet followed Lejvr''s directions and came first to Hel''uland, that island of ice and flat rocks. They kept heading south and came to a coast perforated by innumerable fjords with countless islands that made those waters treacherous. This coast they called Fj?''reritir2. Onward they went, with the land on the starboard side. Leaving Fj?''reritir behind, they came to a strait between the mainland and two islands, which they called Sundi Tvejr ?ylandit3. On the other side, the fleet passed two fjords and a bay travelling southwest until the coast turned to the right. Off the starboard side, then, was an imposing cliff wall where every kind of bird made its nest. Following the cliff, they came to a cove. Inside, the cliff walls were more like a steep hill and at the water there was ample space to build a town. ¡°Is there anything stopping us from mooring here?¡± Si''gvejg asked: none had any objection, so the fleet moored there. The inhabitants spilled out and a party was sent up to look at the land atop the cliff. To''rvaler and He''lgi led them to the top and saw a wide open meadow stretching out before them. It was well-watered and the land looked good. In the distance, off to the west, there was a thick forest. They went back down the hill and To''rvaler addressed the crowd: ¡°The land here is good and plenty. This cove will make a perfect harbour for our ships, the sea will provide fish, and there''s a forest not too far from here for lumber. I propose every household go up and mark out land for themselves so we can build shelter before winter arrives.¡± This sounded good to everyone present, so they all gave their assent. That was the first meeting of a ting in Vi''nland, so the cove was called Bjargan Ting4, but was later called Tcise''gawting5. It was Tvi''m?''nt6 when the fleet arrived at last, and the leaves were beginning to turn colour. A winter chill was in the air, and the Vi''nlandiskar knew snow was not far away. Orcs and orcesses, orc-men and orc-women, and the few men and women who came with them, all worked together to build houses for everyone and their livestock. It took from dawn till dusk every day. Snow came and went more than once, but the homesteads were finished by the middle of Gorm?''nt7, when the snow fell in earnest. Si''gvejg called her homestead Gi''sls''tae8. To''rvaler and He''lgi stood outside next to the door in the evening and watched the snow come down. ¡°It''s hard to believe it''s been half a year.¡± He''lgi said, ¡°I think I''m only beginning to miss Father now.¡± To''rvaler said nothing. ¡°Strange how it happens so fast, but it takes so long to sink in.¡± ¡°It''s done. We avenged him and that''s that.¡± They went silent and watched the snow fall for some time. Their peaceful musings were interrupted when the door swung open and their two youngest sisters ran outside to play in snow. ¡°To''rei''s, were you born in a barn? Get back here and close the door!¡± Shouted To''rvaler, ¡°You''re closer, you close it!¡± The girls didn''t bother looking his way as they frolicked in the white fluff; ¡°I didn''t open it. Get back here!¡± ¡°Why me? Erma came out second!¡± ¡°You''re older, you''re supposed to be more mature!¡± ¡°Older by like, five minutes.¡± To''rei''s answered as she tripped Erma, who fell face-first into the gathering snow. ¡°Hey!¡± the younger twin yelled as she grabbed a handful of snow and threw it at her sister. At that point, trying to get their attention was useless. Smiling, He''lgi closed the door himself and asked; ¡°What do you think is out there?¡± ¡°Out where?¡± ¡°Out there. It''s a whole new world we''ve stumbled into. What''s different about it? What''s the same?¡±Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. To''rvaler shrugged, ¡°Looks a lot like the old one to me.¡± ¡°Aren''t you even a little curious about whether it''s inhabited, if nothing else?¡± ¡°It is now.¡± He''lgi sighed and shook his head. * * * Months passed and as winter wore on, food became scarce. Vi''nlandiskar often had to go to the forest to cut firewood or to hunt, but they avoided going in too far. Some said it may be cursed or that there could be trolls living out there. In any case, the forest was trackless except for the paths of wild animals, making it easy to get lost. One morning, while Si''gvejg was making breakfast, Ylgrin'' came to the house, her hair messy and eyes bloodshot from crying. ¡°What''s the matter, Ylgrin''?¡± asked Si''gvejg, ¡°Yesterday, Akeho''ksaw went out hunting and he hasn''t been back since. I stayed up all night waiting¡ªsomething terrible must''ve happened to him! Please, can you tell me if he''s still alive?¡± Si''gvejg left cooking breakfast to To''rei''s and sat down on a bench with her staff between her legs. ¡°Tell me, why did Ulvrin'' leave?¡± ¡°I already said he left to go hunting.¡± ¡°Please elaborate.¡± ¡°He didn''t want to slaughter any more of our reindeer and our food stores are going faster than we were hoping.¡± ¡°What was he doing the last time you saw him?¡± ¡°He was walking toward the woods. Then he waved at me, transformed, and ran off into the trees.¡± Si''gvejg was silent for some time, holding her staff with both hands and concentrating with her eyes closed. ¡°I can''t tell you if he''s alive. It''s likely that he''s outside my reach.¡± ¡°He''lgi, let''s go!¡± said To''rvaler, who went to get his bow, ¡°What about breakfast?¡± To''rei''s asked, ¡°Just give us some dried meat and cheese.¡± To''rvaler and He''lgi went with Ylgrin'' to her and Ulvrin''''s homestead and followed Ulvrin''''s tracks to the place where his human tracks turned into wolf tracks. ¡°Please find him quickly!¡± Ylgrin'' begged, ¡°If he''s hurt, the wolves may come for him!¡± ¡°Would wolves attack a Finn in wolf form?¡± Asked He''lgi, ¡°Yes.¡± Ylgrin'' answered instantly, ¡°A Sa''mi in wolf form doesn''t smell or behave like a natural-born wolf. They can tell something''s off, so they usually attack on sight¡ªand he won''t be able to get away if he''s hurt!¡± The two orc-men trudged through thigh-high snow following Ulvrin''''s tracks into the forest. Once in the woods, the snow level went down to just below the knees, the canopy having partially shielded the trackless woods. They went deeper and deeper until they reached a spot where Ulvrin''''s tracks came alongside a reindeer''s tracks. Their strides became longer and they went even deeper into the trees. ¡°How far are these tracks going to go?¡± He''lgi asked, ¡°How should I know?¡± answered To''rvaler, ¡°I''ve never been this deep before.¡± ¡°Neither have I. You''re not scared are you?¡± ¡°No, of course not.¡± He''lgi answered quickly, ¡°But what if no people live in these woods? The wolves will think we''re another animal for them to hunt. And what if there are people who live in these woods? They''d consider us to be trespassers.¡± ¡°Don''t worry,¡± To''rvaler assured him, ¡°If the wolves have no fear of orc-men, I''ll teach it to them. And inhabitants can be reasoned with¡ªor I''ll teach them to fear orc-men too.¡± Suddenly, To''rvaler stopped and He''lgi ran into his back. ¡°What is it?¡± He''lgi asked, ¡°I see what happened to Ulvrin''. Look.¡± He''lgi stepped around his brother. In front of them was a row of bushes which To''rvaler was holding open and in front of the that was a steep decline. Ulvrin''s tracks turned into a tumbling roll. ¡°As you can see, Ulvrin'' fell here, not seeing the drop in time. And there¡ª¡± To''rvaler slid down and stopped where the crushed snow from Ulvrin''''s fall passed over some twisted tree roots and stopped. When they started again afterward, they were human. ¡°Why would he transform again?¡± To''rvaler asked, ¡°It looks to me like his ankle got caught on these roots and broke. If it was his front ankle, then he could transform back and walk like a man with only a broken wrist.¡± ¡°That''s great To''rvaler. Maybe if you examine the tracks closely enough, they''ll tell you where that smoke is coming from.¡± He''lgi pointed at the column of smoke in the sky. Through the trees, it was just possible to make out the shapes of what looked like buildings that blended into the landscape. ¡°The tracks are headed straight there¡ªcome on, hurry up!¡± To''rvaler ran ahead. When they reached the village, they found it completely empty except for the smoke rising from one house. The buildings were made from a frame of sticks arranged in a circle, then covered in birch bark. Each had a reindeer skin covering the entrance for a door and a smoke-hole at the top, leaving the tips of the stick frame visible. They were short and squat, shaped like an up-side down bowl, and were definitely designed for people much shorter than orc-men. When He''lgi caught up, he said, ¡°What did I tell you? There are trolls in these woods, and for all we know, they''re cooking Ulvrin'' over that fire!¡± ¡°I don''t think so. There are no tracks here but Ulvrin''''s and they go right into that house.¡± To''rvaler replied. The two approached the house cautiously. ¡°Hello?¡± Called a voice from inside; ¡°It''s Ulvrin''!¡± To''rvaler said; they rounded the house and pulled aside the reindeer skin door to see Ulvrin'' sitting comfortably by a fire. ¡°Welcome to my abode.¡± He said, ¡°I''d offer you mead and sausages, but I''m all out.¡± ¡°Ulvrin'', what happened? What are you doing out here?¡± asked To''rvaler as he and He''lgi came inside, ¡°Hey, take off your boots!¡± Ulvrin'' exclaimed, ¡°By the spirits, don''t you Norwegians have any decency?¡± ¡°What do you care? This isn''t even your house.¡± said To''rvaler, ¡°That''s not the point.¡± The two orc-men took off their boots and sat down. They offered meat and cheese to Ulvrin'', which he gratefully accepted before telling what had happened: ¡°As you probably already know, I went out hunting yesterday after lunch. I found a reindeer and was chasing it when suddenly the ground was gone from under my feet and I was tumbling down a slope. I broke my front right ankle,¡± he held up his right arm, the wrist of which was badly swollen, ¡°so I transformed back into human form so I could walk. I was going to retrace my steps back home, but then I found this place. It was late, so I decided to stay.¡± ¡°Ylgrin'' has been worried sick about you.¡± said To''rvaler, ¡°She didn''t sleep last night.¡± He''lgi added. ¡°I figured as much.¡± Ulvrin'' nodded. He''lgi went outside to look around the village while the other two finished eating. When they were done, they went outside. ¡°Well,¡± said To''rvaler to He''lgi, ¡°what''ve you deduced from staring at the birch bark huts?¡± ¡°The firepits are still in the houses but haven''t been used in months. There''s a stream just over there. When it''s not frozen over, you could travel to the coast or further inland easily. There''s a lot of fishing equipment in one of the huts. I don''t think this place is abandoned, I think it''s a summer camp. And I think they''ll be back when the snow''s gone.¡± ¡°Come on, it''s time to go. Ulvrin''''s wrist needs to be set properly.¡± ¡°Not yet.¡± Helgi took out a knife and started carving in the bark of the closest tree. ¡°Helgi, what are you doing?¡± A minute later, he stood aside to reveal a picture of two figures holding hands. Above them was written, vertically from top to bottom, ???????¡ªor felakar in Latin letters¡ªwhich is the old spelling of ???????, or fe''lagar9. ¡°Great. Now that you''re done vandalising their tree, can we get back home?¡± ¡°Fine, fine, I''m coming.¡± The three made their way uneventfully back home, where they were met in the yard of Gi''sls''tae by the others. Ulvrin''''s wrist was set and He''lgi made a brace for it out of sticks and a cord. In one of the sticks, he carved the runes ??10. ¡°These are for abundant joy.¡± He said. Ulvrin''''s wrist healed in a few weeks. When To''rvaler told everyone about He''lgi carving a picture in a birch tree, everyone started calling him He''lgi Bjarknf?''gr11. Sagamo Torvaler - Chapter 5 Now, in those days, the territory of the Holtmaear1 , as they call themselves, extended from the hills and lakes of the interior all the way to the coast. They spent every winter in the interior hunting caribou and in the summer went down to the coast to fish. There was a band of thirty or forty Holtmaear led by a man named U''scna''bew2. His wife''s name was Scu''myna''mo3, and they had a several daughters, one of whom was named M?nu''tjew4. U''scna''bew was in his early fifties, which for full-blooded humans is the age at which their health begins to seriously decline, but he was an experienced hunter and fisher, and his years had made him a well-respected wise man among his people. When the time of year came, they travelled by canoe downstream to their summer camp, where they pulled their canoes onto the beach and started unpacking their things. U''scna''bew went to his wigwam and came back to the boats, ¡°Did you clean out the ashes in our wigwam when we left?¡± he asked Scu''myna''mo, who was taking a bundle of spears out of one of the canoes; ¡°Of course I did.¡± She replied, ¡°Well, someone left the fireplace full of ashes.¡± ¡°It wasn''t me.¡± ¡°Dad, Mom!¡± M?nu''tjew called to them from the tree line, ¡°You should come see this!¡± They came over and M?nu''tjew showed them a tree with pictures carved into it. ¡°What''s this?¡± U''scna''bew asked. The bottom part was very clearly two humans or human-like figures shaking hands, but the figures above were much harder to interpret. ¡°It looks like people waving their arms around.¡± mused Scu''myna''mo, ¡°It''s a series of dance moves!¡± M?nu''tjew insisted, ¡°Look, this one''s throwing his arms down to the left,¡± she pantomimed what she was saying as she spoke, going from each figure to the next down the line: ¡°then like this,¡± she splayed both legs and arms out wildly, ¡°then one arm with the elbow up, then both arms up to the left, then one arm up and one down, then both again, and finally ending like this!¡± She stood with her weight on her right leg with the left extended, while her right arm was held close to her body and her left fist was resting on her hip with the elbow sticking out. ¡°Then the dancers shake hands and part as friends.¡± U''scna''bew laughed and said, ¡°Interesting theory, but why would someone want to carve dance moves on a tree?¡± ¡°Maybe it was the same person who left a pile of ashes in our wigwam.¡± Scu''myna''mo suggested, ¡°But why? Where did this person come from and did they really come here just to teach us some dance moves?¡± When the snow melted, it came time for the Vi''nlandiskar to plough the fields and plant the seeds they''d brought from Norway. Now, Gi''sls''tae was not far from the tree line where the forest stretched on for what seemed like an eternity. At that homestead, there lived Si''gvejg, To''rvaler, and He''lgi, and their two younger sisters To''rei''s and Erma. The other three sisters lived with their husbands, and the huskatnar who''d lived in Gi''sli''s house in Norway all had farms of their own in Vi''nland. To''rvaler marked out a field with wooden stakes. He''lgi carved the runes ??5 (*5: ?? are called fe'' and l?''kt, the runic equivalents of ''F'' and ''L''. /fe''/ [fe:]: cattle, livestock, or wealth in general. /l?''kt/ [l?:kt]: a body of water, can imply the concept of getting lost.*) into each one. To''rvaler asked what was the meaning of defacing his field markers, to which He''lgi replied, ¡°Haven''t you got better things to do than pester me?¡± To''rei''s and Erma then set to work picking rocks out of the field while the two orc-men got a plough and a pair of oxen. Tilling land that had never been tilled before took days of hard work. One day, as the two were toiling away, Ulvrin'' came riding on a reindeer. The orc-men paused with their backs to the forest and He''lgi said to To''rvaler, ¡°Hey, check this out.¡± ¡°Check what out?¡± To''rvaler watched as Ulvrin'' attempted to ride up to them, but as his reindeer approached the invisible line between two of the field markers, she veered to the side. Ulvrin'' tried to make the reindeer ride into the untilled part of the field, but she wouldn''t do it. After trying several times, Ulvrin'' dismounted and approached on foot. ¡°I can''t understand it. She''s never been afraid of oxen before.¡± He said with a glance back at his reindeer. To''rvaler looked at He''lgi, who looked back with a gleam his eye. ¡°Anyway,¡± Ulvrin'' went on, ¡°I was just on my way to see if Si''gvejg has any spare seeds Jo''fava could use for her garden this year and I stopped by to see how things are going over here.¡± ¡°Oh fine, fine.¡± Replied To''rvaler. They looked over the field and chatted amiably for a few minutes until a breeze came from the forest and washed over them. Ulvrin'' fell silent and sniffed the air. ¡°Don''t look now,¡± he said, ¡°but we''re being watched by two men in the trees.¡±Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ¡°What? Where?¡± Asked He''lgi; ¡°Just behind you.¡± To''rvaler turned around and, going to edge of the field, shouted, ¡°Hey! Come and watch us face to face, if you''re man enough!¡± He''lgi sighed and rubbed his forehead, but Ulvrin'' said, ¡°Oh well. If they intended to attack us, I suspect they would have done so already.¡± Minutes passed, but To''rvaler didn''t take his eyes off the trees. Finally, two men emerged and approached them. They were beardless, but had hair that brushed their shoulders, and their skin was dark from the sun. They wore pants and long tunics that touched their knees, both white and made from animal skins with coloured lines and other patterns adorning them. Each man carried a bow and managed to look relaxed but also prepared to use it at a moment''s notice. They looked To''rvaler and He''lgi over carefully, then looked behind them at the plough and oxen. ¡°U''scna''bew.¡± One them introduced himself, ¡°U''sn?''be''.¡± To''rvaler said; the man shook his head and repeated slowly: ¡°U''scna''bew.¡± ¡°U''sn?''be''.¡± To''rvaler repeated. The man shook his head but said nothing, so To''rvaler introduced himself: ¡°To''rvaler.¡± ¡°Shu''dehsan.¡± The man said and smiled. The other man called himself Na''n?myswa''t6. When introductions were finished, the two beardless men relaxed somewhat and U''scna''bew went over to examine the plough, oxen, and furrows. He asked many questions in the Holtmaer language which He''lgi tried to answer. He pointed at the furrows and pantomimed spreading seeds into them. ¡°He''lgi, stop throwing your arms around in the air, you look like a fool.¡± said To''rvaler, ¡°Well, I should be going.¡± Ulvrin'' announced; ¡°Tell Mother we''re going to have three extra mouths for lunch!¡± To''rvaler told him, ¡°Oh, I can''t stay for lunch, I need to get back home, but thanks for the offer. I''ll tell her you''re having two guests over though.¡± Ulvrin'' went outside the field and whistled, whereupon his reindeer came over. He mounted and left. U''scna''bew and Na''n?myswa''t stared in shock and spoke to each other at length after he was gone. He''lgi then explained with hand signals that soon they would have lunch and the two of them were invited. They seemed to get the message, so To''rvaler and He''lgi went back to tilling the field while the two men watched. Na''n?myswa''t leaned down and picked some chives to chew on. When lunch time came, they stopped working and led the two beardless men to the house where they washed their hands and faces in a barrel of water. As they were doing so, the door opened and Si''gvejg glared at them; ¡°You invited two strange men to lunch without asking, and intend to bring them in here with my daughters?¡± She asked; ¡°Yes.¡± Said To''rvaler, ¡°Mother, it''s the hospitable thing to do.¡± He''lgi added, ¡°Besides, they wouldn''t try anything with To''rvaler and me watching them.¡± Si''gvejg sighed, ¡°Very well. Come on in.¡± To''rvaler waved at the two beardless men and followed them inside. They looked around the inside with interest: the house the Vi''nlandiskar had built the previous fall was small and had only one room. It was long and made from logs with a fireplace in the centre of it. Next to that were roughly-built table and benches and along the length of the house were shelves and piles of dried grass and blankets where the family slept. For food, Si''gvejg had only watery soup with a little bread and cheese, which the beardless men eyes with suspicion, but ate when the Vi''nlandiskar did. Na''n?myswa''t took the chives he''d picked and put them on the bread and cheese, but before he could take a bite, U''scna''bew snatched them away. Holding the chives in a clump, he pointed at the Vi''nlandiskar, then at the clump, which he then held below the table and slowly rose them up and stopped with the bottom ends level with the table. He was speaking the whole time and seemed to be emphasising the word ¡°Kaja''si''dge''sct.¡± He pointed at the Vi''nlandiskar and repeated, ¡°Kaja''si''dge''sct.¡± ¡°What''s he trying to say?¡± asked Si''gvejg, ¡°I think he''s trying to say that we grow plants.¡± He''lgi suggested. U''scna''bew went on, pointing to himself and saying, ¡°Ka''nehdaw.¡± then to Na''n?myswa''t and said it again, then he waved his arm expansively out the window toward the tree line and said, ¡°Ka''nehdawt.¡± and went on with other words while gesticulating incoherently. ¡°What''s he saying now?¡± asked Si''gvejg, ¡°He must be saying this land is called Ka''nehda.¡± He''lgi said conclusively. And so the land west of Miegartt became known as Ka''nehda to this day, although the part of it that was settled by orc-men continued to be called Vi''nland. U''scna''bew and Na''n?myswa''t parted with the strangers on good terms and returned home where the entire band gathered together to hear what they had to say of the newcomers. ¡°It seems they make a living by planting seeds in the ground and harvesting the plants.¡± U''scna''bew said, ¡°So they''re farmers. Like the Nehd?mjun''or7?¡± asked M?nu''tjew, ¡°They''re farmers, I think, but not like the Nehd?mjun''or. They were digging trenches in the ground with a contraption being pulled by two monstrous beasts like nothing I''ve ever seen.¡± U''scna''bew went on to describe the oxen and Na''n?myswa''t told them about the pale man with colourful clothing who''d ridden a caribou, which everyone found hard to believe. ¡°I explained to them that they''re farmers and we''re hunters, we need the forest to hunt in, but they''re welcome to use the plains for farming on.¡± U''scna''bew finished. That night and the following day, U''scna''bew and Na''n?myswa''t became very sick. The healer couldn''t identify the illness definitely, but thought it to be food poisoning. In those days, they didn''t know that Holtmaear can''t drink milk or eat milk products. Sagamo Torvaler - Chapter 6 When U''scna''bew and Na''n?myswa''t had gotten better, they went back to see the Vi''nlandiskar again and had lunch with them, but avoided the bread and cheese. ¡°I can''t help noticing they don''t have much food here.¡± Na''n?myswa''t surmised after the meal; ¡°Yes.¡± U''scna''bew agreed, ¡°I''ve heard farmers only gather food once in an entire year and have to make that last until the next time the plants grow ripe. It must be a hard way to live.¡± ¡°Yet they share their food with us.¡± ¡°They must have a strong tradition of hospitality.¡± They fell silent for a moment before Na''n?myswa''t went on; ¡°You know, since they''re showing kindness to us, we should do a a good turn for them.¡± ¡°What do you have in mind?¡± ¡°There are plenty of streams around here full of trout. We should show them how to catch trout in a weir.¡± ¡°You''re right. Let''s do it then!¡± The two stood up and U''scna''bew announced they''d be going and beckoned the Vi''nlandiskar to follow. To''rvaler and He''lgi went outside with them. U''scna''bew tried to use hand signals to communicate they were headed into the woods to find a stream and build a weir for catching fish. The two orc-men stayed by the door. ¡°What is it you suppose they want?¡± He''lgi asked To''rvaler, who replied; ¡°Perhaps they mean to to draw us into the forest and kill us.¡± ¡°Why would they want to do that?¡± ¡°I don''t know. Why are you asking me these questions?¡± ¡°Talking helps me think.¡± ¡°Inane questions help me lose my mind.¡± ¡°Fine. Get a sword if it makes you feel better, I''m going with them.¡± He''lgi and To''rvaler went back inside, He''lgi to get his rune bag and To''rvaler to get his sword and bow. U''scna''bew led the way to a stream of a good width and depth and rocky embankments, then he and Na''n?myswa''t got to work building a weir. ¡°Ah, they didn''t bring us out here to kill us, they just want to play with rocks in the water.¡± Said To''rvaler, ¡°Hey He''lgi, you''re not even thirty yet¡ªyou''re mentally younger than that young fellow, Nana-what''s-his-name. I''m sure you''ll fit right in with them!¡± ¡°Oh, there you go with the age thing again. Just because you''re only a few years away from the age of wisdom doesn''t mean you have the right to make fun of everyone who''s still over a decade away.¡± To''rvaler started walking home. ¡°Hey, listen to me when I''m complaining to you!¡± ¡°Goodbye, He''lgi.¡± ¡°But they wouldn''t have brought us out here if they weren''t showing us something important!¡±This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. ¡°It''s just rocks in a stream, He''lgi. Get over yourself: you may have wits beyond your age, but not everything has a special meaning.¡± As To''rvaler receded into the trees, He''lgi called, ¡°But what if they still mean to kill me?¡± ¡°Don''t be sad: if they do that, I''ll avenge you!¡± And with that, he was gone. He''lgi stayed and watched the two men building the weir, but to him it just looked like some rocks piled up in a funny pattern. When they finished, U''scna''bew beckoned He''lgi down to the water and explained to him that when the fish passes through the funnel, it becomes trapped and that''s when you catch him, but He''lgi didn''t understand at all. ¡°I''ll check on it and when it traps some fish we''ll bring them back, and then they''ll understand.¡± Na''n?myswa''t said, ¡°Good idea.¡± Replied U''scna''bew, ¡°These overseas people don''t understand anything outside of farming, do they?¡± * * * One day some time later, Na''n?myswa''t came to Gi''sls''tae and made Helgi and To''rvaler follow him. He took them to the stream where the weir was, where they found U''scna''bew waiting for them. U''scna''bew pointed at the weir, which had caught some trout. ¡°See!¡± Cried He''lgi, ¡°I told you they were showing us something important!¡± ¡°Yes, and if you held your head any higher, you''d be levitating.¡± To''rvaler replied. U''scna''bew had already taken a trout out of the water which he was holding by the ¡°neck,¡± just behind the eyes. He sat down on a bed of spruce branches and gutted the fish. He handed the guts to Na''n?myswa''t, who threw them in the stream, and handed the fish to He''lgi, who took it by the eyes. U''scna''bew snatched the trout back. ¡°No!¡± He said, ¡°Not like that!¡± He pointed at the trout he held just behind the eyes: ¡°Ku''gehme''s, trout. We always hold the trout like this to show respect to Mehs?na''qi, the Fish Chief.¡± He waved his free hand in the air in an attempt to convey the concept of deity. ¡°What''s he saying?¡± To''rvaler asked, ¡°Now who''s asking inane questions?¡± Replied He''lgi, ¡°Well, I just thought since you''re so smart even though you''re seventeen years from the age of wisdom, that you''d be able to somehow divine the meaning of the words our friend is saying.¡± ¡°I think he wants me to hold the fish the way he''s holding it, although I have no idea why.¡± He''lgi took the trout feom U''scna''bew the same way the man was holding it; just behind the eyes. U''scna''bew nodded, pleased, then he pointed at the open gut of the trout: ¡°The guts,¡± he said, ¡°always go back where you got the fish from.¡± He pointed at the stream, ¡°If you don''t follow these rules to show respect for the trout, Mehs?na''qi will direct them away from your weir and you''ll go hungry.¡± ¡°What''s he saying now?¡± To''rvaler asked, ¡°You don''t need to understand the words to know he''s saying to throw the guts in the stream. He seems to think it''s very important, but I can''t tell why. Here, take this back to Mother and tell her we have a fish trap here.¡± He''lgi handed the trout to To''rvaler, ¡°I''m going to stay here and see if I can make out anything he''s saying.¡± To''rvaler and Na''n?myswa''t went away but He''lgi stayed with U''scna''bew. They sat together on the rocky embankment and exchanged simple words, explaining their meaning. He''lgi wrote U''scna''bew''s words on sticks and tried to explain writing to him. * * * After that day, He''lgi would visit the Holtmaer camp for a few weeks every summer when there was no work on the farm, and in this way he began to develop a pidgin language using words and grammar from both languages and taught it to others so that the Holtmaear and Vi''nlandiskar could understand one another. Many of the Vi''nlandiskar were nearly out of food supplies and were starting to cull their livestock herds heavily. They may have starved before harvest, but thanks to the weir they had trout, and later some Holtmaear sold them lobster traps, nets, and harpoons in exchange for knives and other tools made of iron and steel, and showed them the best seal-hunting spot nearby, which provided more sources of food for them. Other Holtmaear bands in the area heard of the new settlers and traded with them. It was also around that time that Holtmaear began to get sick with diseases brought from Miegartt. Si''gvejg and other Vi''nlandiskar showed the Holtmaear healers everything they knew about healing such diseases, but many died. Sagamo Torvaler - Chapter 7 While these things happened in Vi''nland, events were continuing in Norway. O''l?''vr Tryg''ves''on, the king, had made enemies of the rulers of Denmark and Sweden, who were called heathens. In the fall of the year the Vi''nlandiskar left, O''l?''vr was at sea near the place called Sv?ler when one of his own jarls led him into an ambush. O''l?''vr''s ships were captured one by one. When the allies boarded his flagship and killed his huskatnar, O''l?''vr leapt into the sea and was believed to have drowned. However, when the victorious allies went to the fjords around Niearo''s'', the capital of Norway, they found O''l?''vr already waiting for them. Some said that God plucked him out of the sea and put him there. Others said that the orc-man in Niearo''s'' claiming to be O''l?''vr was an imposter. After his victory over the Danish and Swedish forces, O''l?''vr made himself king of Denmark. He continued to Christianise his realms. Those who were called heathens heard that there was a place far to the west called Ka''nehda where land was good and plentiful and where they would be free to worship as they pleased. Ships from Norway, Denmark, and Iceland started making the voyage to Vi''nland every year so that the plain above Tcise''gawting was quickly filling up. As the Vi''nlandiskar grew and thrived, they started building themselves bigger and better houses. To''rvaler and He''lgi built an addition to the house at Gi''sls''tae to turn it into a proper longhouse. They also built sheds and a barn and raised a fence around the place. Tcise''gawting itself became a flourishing port town as Greenlanders and Icelanders came to buy lumber, which has never been found in such abundance in their homelands as it was found on the coast of Vi''nland in those days. Men from the Holtmaear summer camp also visited Tcise''gawting often in the summer time. They traded animal skins, jewellery made from shells and bones, and other such things in exchange for iron tools and the like. News of the Vi''nlandiskar spread among the Holtmaear and people from other bands also started coming to trade. He''lgi expanded his pidgin and taught it to as many as wished to listen, and even those who tried to ignore him. Thanks to him, the Vi''nlandiskar and Holtmaear were able to communicate and began learning each other''s language and customs. * * * None of the first settlers had brought bees with them, and honey bees weren''t found in Ka''nehda before their arrival. This was known in Greenland. Si''gvejg sent To''rvaler out to cut lumber and store it in a warehouse on the waterfront. When ships from overseas arrived, he stood at the door of the warehouse but refused to sell lumber to any orc who didn''t have bees to sell. Finally, a Greenlander named Bj?rnar Ejri''ks''on1 came with bees in his cargo. He had many livestock in Greenland and intended to build a new barn for them. When he came to the warehouse where To''rvaler was leaning comfortably against the door, Bj?rnar asked, ¡°What are you willing to trade for that lumber?¡± ¡°Bees.¡± Replied To''rvaler, ¡°How many?¡± ¡°How many do you have?¡± Bj?rnar answered with how many boxes he had. To''rvaler said, ¡°Then that''s how many I want.¡± Bj?rnar brought the bees and the two shook hands. While his crew loaded the lumber, Bj?rnar asked, ¡°I''ve heard stories about Vi''nland, but I don''t know what''s true. Can an orc really just mark out a section of land and start farming it?¡± ¡°Not only orcs, but orc-men and men too have a place here.¡± To''rvaler said, ¡°You can build a homestead and farm wherever you fancy, if it''s not already taken. No one will fault you for how you keep your house and no king will tell you what god to devote yourself to.¡± ¡°This place sounds even better than the stories.¡± He clapped To''rvaler on the shoulder, ¡°My good orc-man, you may just find yourself with a new neighbour next summer, or the one after.¡± To''rvaler took the bees home and placed them near the house where Si''gvejg said was best. * * * Later that summer, U''scna''bew came to visit Gi''sls''tae. He''d learned a bit of Danish and To''rvaler had learned a bit of Holtmaer, so they were able to communicate. On his way, carrying a bag filled with shell beads to trade, U''scna''bew was stung in the neck by a bee. To''rei''s was in the yard carrying a bottle of milk when he arrived. She ran over to him excitedly and said, ¡°Have you got the shell beads?¡± U''scna''bew replied, ¡°Yes. Beads for a pot.¡± He put the bag down and To''rei''s plunged her hands in and let them fall out between her fingers. ¡°You have no idea the plans I have for these!¡± She announced with a cackle of maniacal laughter. ¡°Good morning!¡± To''rvaler greeted as he came out from behind a shed, ¡°To''rei''s, go get that pot.¡± ¡°You get it,¡± She said, ¡°I''m feeding Vri''nera!¡± To''rei''s jumped to her feet and ran for the barn with milk bottle in hand. ¡°You''re closer!¡± To''rvaler called, ¡°No I''m not!¡± ¡°That''s only because you''re running at top speed away from me!¡± Before he was done shouting, To''rei''s was inside the barn and shut the door behind her. ¡°Who''s Vri''nera?¡± asked U''scna''bew, ¡°A baby goat whose mother died last month. To''rei''s''s gotten entirely too attached to her.¡± To''rvaler looked at U''scna''bew and noticed the red spot on his neck. ¡°What''s that?¡± He asked, ¡°I got stung by something on the way here. It was a kind of wasp with a fat body.¡± he replied, ¡°I''ve never seen anything like it.¡± ¡°A fat-bodied wasp? I''ve never heard of anything like it either. It must have been a bee.¡± To''rvaler said. ¡°What''s a bee?¡± U''scna''bew asked, ¡°It''s what stung you. They''re like wasps, but their hives have lots more individuals in them.¡± ¡°Where did these ''bees'' come from?¡± ¡°Oh, we''ve got a hive of them just over there.¡± ¡°What?!¡± U''scna''bew looked at To''rvaler like he was insane; ¡°Why would you keep a giant hive of wasp-like creatures so close to your house?¡± ¡°Because they make honey. Honey is sweet and great to eat on its own, or to put on bread, or in tea. Best of all, you can make mead out of it.¡± ¡°What''s mead?¡± ¡°Mead is what makes life worth living. Mead is proof the gods want us to enjoy ourselves.¡± To''rvaler explained. U''scna''bew listened with interest and asked, ¡°How can I get my hands on some honey?¡± ¡°You can''t right now. We can''t harvest any honey yet or the bees will die in the winter, and then nobody would have any honey.¡± ¡°When can you get some honey?¡± ¡°Oh, next year maybe.¡± ¡°That long? Why not sooner, like the cows. Don''t you milk them every day?¡± ¡°That''s completely different. Cows only need their milk when they have calves, and it doesn''t keep for long so if they don''t use it, it''ll go sour. Bees on the other hand, are the biggest hoarders in the nine realms. Left to themselves, they''ll store up enough honey to last their whole hive for years and years, and honey never goes bad.¡± ¡°If they have so much honey, why can''t they share a little now?¡± ¡°Because they haven''t had the chance to make that much yet.¡± U''scna''bew grumbled, ¡°You farmers and your livestock.¡±The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Bees aren''t livestock.¡± To''rvaler corrected, ¡°I thought you said ''livestock'' meant anything you keep on your farm.¡± ¡°Sure, but that doesn''t include bees. Bees, you see, they''re not livestock, they''re... bees.¡± ¡°But why aren''t they livestock?¡± ¡°I don''t know, they just aren''t!¡± To''rvaler and U''scna''bew fell silent for some time. They could hear the bees buzzing from where they were. ¡°Are you sure they don''t have any to spare right now?¡± U''scna''bew asked, ¡°Well...¡± Answered To''rvaler, ¡°I suppose they could spare a little. Just don''t tell Mother.¡± ¡°Won''t she see us do it from a window?¡± ¡°She''s not home right now, she''s helping a sick neighbour.¡± To''rvaler put on gloves and a hood and wrapped his face in a cloth, then took a torch with dried cattle dung on the end and lit it on fire. He used this to smoke the bees out and collect some honey in a jar before returning to U''scna''bew. The man took some of the honey and ate it. His eyes shone as he said, ¡°This is amazing! You must tell me as soon as you start harvesting more!¡± ¡°Just wait until you try some mead. It''s even better!¡± To''rvaler grinned. ¡°I''m gonna tell Mother you''ve been getting into the honey and she''s not gonna be happy!¡± To''rei''s called from the barn door, ¡°You stay out of other people''s business you brat!¡± To''rvaler called back. * * * Every year, He''lgi would spend some time living with the Holtmaear and learned to speak their language. Not many summers passed like this when one summer, He''lgi made an extended stay. As the summer wore on, before it came to late summer2, they seemed to be preparing to leave. Then, as now, it was the custom among the Holtmaear for many bands to come together for a few weeks each summer before the leaves started to turn. They would trade, exchange news, settle disputes, and give their sons and daughters in marriage, much like Vi''nlandiskar do at the tingyt of today. But at that time, no Vi''nlandisk had ever been to one of these gatherings. This year, however, U''scna''bew told He''lgi that they should come. ¡°Some of the bands from far to the west have been wanting to trade, but it''s too far to come all the way here. Also, since we''ve known each other for some time now, it''d be rude not to invite you.¡± He''lgi went back to Gi''sls''tae and told them to make ready their ship. ¡°What''s so great about this gathering anyway?¡± Asked To''rvaler, ¡°I''d rather stay here and watch the farm.¡± ¡°Has U''scna''bew ever told you he has a young, pretty, and unmarried daughter?¡± He''lgi asked; ¡°No...¡± To''rvaler stared into the distance with a contemplative look in his eye, ¡°He hasn''t.¡± To''rvaler wore his green tunic and brown trousers for the occasion. He and the family prepared their ship, leaving behind a few huskatnar to watch Gi''sls''tae while To''rei''s and Erma were sent to Ro''n''og''s house. Among other Vi''nlandiskar, Ulvrin'' came with them along with his son and some reindeer. ¡°What are those for?¡± To''rvaler asked, ¡°One of the native bands wants to start a herd of their own. They''re intrigued by the idea of living with reindeer. You heard of Caribou Man?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Well, apparently he''s a guy who went off to live with reindeer a long time ago and became their chief. They think maybe my people learned about reindeer herding from him.¡± ¡°Did they?¡± ¡°I don''t know, I wasn''t alive back then.¡± The meeting place was in the end of a bay west of Tcise''gawting, at the mouth of the river now called Mikin''fljo''t3 at the place still called Ma''mwajtu''n4. When the Vi''nlandisk ship arrived at the mouth of Mikin''fljo''t, they found the gathering in full swing. Holtmaear from all around had come in canoes, which were drawn up on the beach. Each band had a cluster of wigwams made of sticks covered in caribou hides. People came out to watch as the longship anchored nearby. Ulvrin'' disembarked first, along with his son¡ªwho was in wolf form¡ªand their reindeer. To''rvaler, He''lgi, and Si''gvejg disembarked next and were greeted by U''scna''bew. In the centre of the camp there was ample open space where they brought their trade goods: knives, arrows, pots, axes, and other things made of metal. Si''gvejg stayed there a long time haggling over prices. Holtmaear would come to trade pelts, beads, and carved objects of wood and bone, and He''lgi would interpret for them. But To''rvaler went with U''scna''bew, chatting amiably with him as they sat outside his wigwam. They were sitting talking about this and that for some time when they were interrupted by people shouting and screaming in shock. They looked up and saw Ulvrin'' and his son Gjorbu, who was now in human form, surrounded by Holtmaear. Ulvrin'' was calmly explaining something to the crowd using the pidgin that was developing between the two peoples, but since neither language was his mother tongue, he was having a difficult time of it. The women were frightened and backing away and some of the men were fingering their weapons. ¡°What''s got those people riled up?¡± Asked U''scna''bew, ¡°I imagine Gjorbu just transformed.¡± To''rvaler answered, ¡°He what?¡± ¡°Transformed. His body went from the form of a wolf to the form of a boy.¡± ¡°How does that work? Are they close to the spirit of the Wolf Chief as well?¡± To''rvaler shrugged, ¡°I don''t know. Our two peoples may be neighbours back home, but the Finns have their own secrets, and they keep them well.¡± He went and helped Ulvrin'' calm people down before returning to U''scna''bew. He was only gone for a minute, but the man was suddenly nowhere to be seen. Instead, his daughter M?nu''tjew was there. She was wearing a white caribou hide dress that shone in the sunlight. It had red and blue patterns running in lines along length of it from neck to hem and on the sleeves too. The young woman was stitching pieces of caribou hide together. To''rvaler sat next to her and asked, ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°I''m making boots for the one I will marry.¡± ¡°Who''re you marrying? Is it that Na''n?myswa''t fellow?¡± ¡°He''s already married¡ªto my sister. I''m still looking for a man, I''m just starting on the boots now so I''m ready when the time comes.¡± ¡°A woman who can make a good pair of boots would be a valuable wife to any man or orc-man.¡± He said, ¡°Indeed.¡± She replied, ¡°In winter, they''ll keep him warm when he''s outside, and I''ll keep him warm when he''s inside.¡± ¡°That sounds great, but,¡± To''rvaler took the boot she was working on and compared it to his foot; ¡°I think it''s too small for my size.¡± M?nu''tjew looked him in the eye, then let her eyes wander lower; ¡°I think I''m too small for your size too.¡± She took the boot back and added, ¡°Why don''t you look to one of your own kind, orc-man? There must be a orc-woman for you.¡± ¡°I tried that already. Orc-women are bitches. Maybe a woman who can make a caribou boot will be different.¡± ¡°Why''s that?¡± ¡°There''s magic out of the shoe.¡± ¡°Oh really? What kind of magic?¡± To''rvaler said: ¡°There''s magic out of the shoe: the soul of the female. The orc-woman: her rigid foot-abode. The woman, her shoes are this way: and she now steps goodly. You witness the shoe: you witness the soul.¡±5 M?nu''tjew stopped stitching and looked at him. ¡°Give me that foot.¡± She said, ¡°Just for an entirely theoretical point of reference, of course.¡± They hit it off very well after that, talking on and on for hours. Evening came, but that didn''t end the event: on the contrary, things were just getting started. In the dying light of the sun, musical instruments were brought out and there were many songs and dances. Later, when everyone was tired, they sat down and stories were told about gods, heroes, beasts, and spirits as the Vi''nlandiskar and Holtmaear traded tales deep into the night. Vi''nlandiskar told tales of To''r''s mighty exploits: of his many killings of his enemies, of the time when he went fishing for the world-serpent, and of how he will meet his end fighting that same serpent. They told of the trickster Lo''ki, and of the time when he traded insults with all the gods and goddesses in ?gir''s hall. Holtmaear then got up and told stories of their own. There once was a man who was greeted by a passing caribou. The caribou asked if he would like to come and live with him and his herd, to see how he liked life as a caribou. The man said that he didn''t think he could do that. Men don''t have fur coats like caribou. How could he make it through the winter? Men don''t eat moss like caribou. How could he keep from starving? The caribou told him it would be fine, that he should take the risk and try the life of a caribou anyway. The man did, and eventually he became the chief of the caribou and all land animals, coming to be known as Caribou Man. Hunters must respect Caribou Man if they want to see any success in their endeavours. Then there was the story of Ni''ba''de''n U''tci''maw6. Ni''ba''de''n U''tci''maw took the form of a human skeleton, blacker than the sky on a starless night. He stalks the night in search of prey and will take those who wander too far from home, or may even take children in their beds. He often sends nightmares to disturb people and disrupt communication with the other world. Yet, as a master of stealth, those who want to set an ambush for an enemy or stalk their prey properly must see to it that he, too, is respected. M?nu''tjew leaned against To''rvaler as they sat together and soon fell asleep. When nearly everyone else had gone to bed, To''rvaler left her at the door to her family''s wigwam and went to his ship, which had been tented over for the night. On the second and third days, many weddings took place. These were extravagant affairs with excessive drum-playing, singing, and dancing. On the fourth day, To''rvaler wore a red tunic, green trousers, and a beaver felt hat. First thing in the morning, he went to U''scna''bew''s wigwam, where he found the family finishing breakfast at the door. ¡°U''scna''bew, I must propose to you,¡± he said, ¡°that I should marry your daughter M?nu''tjew next summer.¡± They discussed the details then and there, and it was decided that two parties would be held. One would be at Ma''mwajtu''n the next year, the second would be a few weeks later at Gi''sls''tae. Sagamo Torvaler - Chapter 8 The Greenlander named Bj?rnar Ejri''ks''on used the lumber he bought to build a ship and came to Vi''nland with his family, where they built a homestead overlooking the cliff near Tcise''gawting. He called it Staes Dy''refaksr1, after the name of his favourite stallion. He had two sons, whose names were Agvaler2 and Halto''r3. Agvaler was older and more responsible with property, but Bj?rnar loved Halto''r more because Agvaler was boring at parties and drank too little mead. Bj?rnar was a devotee of Fr?yr4. Once he''d established his homestead, Bj?rnar sacrificed a horse to Fr?yr and built a temple on that spot. All those who devoted themselves to Fr?yr came to his temple. As each of them came, Bj?rnar suggested to each orc and orc-man that they should make an alliance. So, on an appointed day, they all gathered in the temple and swore an oath that every one of them would aid the others in feuds, in legal matters, and in any other situation where they required help. Bj?rnar built a large homestead: in addition to the longhouse and temple, there were also two barns, sheds, and a tower in which a signal fire could be lit to alert all the surrounding farms in an emergency. He was a man of substance on account of his large herds of cattle and sheep, but the most prized of his animals were his horses. Dy''refaksr was the alpha stallion of the herd and Bj?rnar always rode him wherever he went. *??*??* The same summer Bj?rnar came to Vi''nland, To''rei''s''s goat Vri''nera got sick. Every evening, the animals were taken in from the field and kept in the barn to keep them away from predators. To''rei''s was often found in the barn with Vri''nera. One night, To''rvaler awoke to the sound of something moving around outside and sniffing at the door of the house. It moved away after some time, and from its footfalls, it sounded big. To''rvaler heard Si''gvejg moving on the bed she shared with her younger daughters before she whispered, ¡°Erma, where''s To''rei''s?¡± There was no response. ¡°Where''s To''rei''s?¡± Si''gvejg repeated; ¡°Vri''nera''s been getting worse, so she wanted to keep an eye on her.¡± Si''gvejg got up and moved over to To''rvaler and He''lgi''s bed; ¡°To''rvaler! To''rei''s''s in the barn!¡± ¡°I heard.¡± To''rvaler replied, ¡°He''lgi, you awake?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± The two orc-men got up, put on their shoes, and He''lgi got their swords while To''rvaler lit up a torch. Si''gvejg got her staff and took To''rvaler by the shoulder; ¡°Whatever you do, don''t do anything stupid or threatening. Don''t start a fight if you don''t absolutely have to.¡± To''rvaler nodded. ¡°What about me?¡± Erma asked, ¡°You stay here, don''t come out for anything.¡± Si''gvejg told her, and To''rvaler led the way outside. They could hear sounds coming from the direction of the barn and followed them. The sound of a scuffle escalated as animals in the barn panicked and started up a din of terrified bleating, lowing and stamping of hooves. To''rvaler and company ran the rest of the way and were met by the sight of a very large brown posterior. They saw eyes gleaming as the animal twisted its head to look at them. Then, he turned around completely and reared up on his hind legs. The bear was nearly twice the height of a full-grown orc. He snarled at the little orc-men in front of him through the sheep in his mouth, which was very much alive and kicking. He was so tall, the light of the torch didn''t illuminate all of him, leaving most of his upper body shrouded in darkness and the sight of his eyes reflected in the torchlight would send shivers down the spine of the bravest orc-man. ¡°Tyr, To''r and Fr?yja.¡± To''rvaler breathed in awe and terror. ¡°Don''t move, don''t speak.¡± whispered Si''gveig. To''rvaler saw and smelled a fire starting to spread in the straw behind the bear. Si''gvejg stepped forward and raised her staff toward the bear. He stopped growling and sniffed the air. Then, he dropped to all fours and ran away. He didn''t seem to notice the fence in his way as he ploughed through it. To''rvaler and He''lgi rushed forward, To''rvaler stamping out the flame as He''lgi kicked away any straw near it that hadn''t caught fire yet. There was a candle on the floor where the fire had started. ¡°To''rei''s?¡± Si''gvejg called out, looking around at the animals cowering in terror in every corner, ¡°The bear''s gone, you can come out now!¡± To''rei''s peered out from behind two cows, holding Vri''nera in her arms. She ran into Si''gvejg''s embrace. ¡°What, in the name of all the gods, was that?¡± said He''lgi, ¡°What did you do to him?¡± To''rvaler asked Si''gvejg, who replied, ¡°I called his attention to the smell of the fire burning behind him until it was all he could think of.¡± ¡°Some spawn of Loki?¡± He''lgi was saying to himself, ¡°A brother of J?rmung?''ner and Fenrir?¡± ¡°He''s a big beast, but every beast still bleeds red.¡± To''rvaler assured him. Over the next several days, the bear caused problems on other farms nearby. One farmer''s wife left food out for the pigs which attracted the bear, and he mauled a pig. On another farm, he broke into a chicken house, destroying it to get at a few chickens and letting the rest run free into the wild. He broke down several fences and damaged people''s barns, sheds, and houses. At Ulvrin''''s farm, he ate one of the reindeer and nearly killed Gjorbu. There was a group of three orc-men who belonged to Bj?rnar''s group. One was a farmer named Si''gsteler, the other two were his son and a huskater. They were not wealthy and had very little to eat, so they went out hunting one day with spears and bows. As they passed by Gi''sls''tae, Si''gvejg called to them from the gate. They came to her, and she said, ¡°I see you''re going hunting.¡± ¡°Si''gsteler ¡°I must warn you there is a bear the size of two orcs prowling the woods.¡±Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°I know that, I''m not a hermit.¡± ¡°I must warn you he''s a massive beast who can knock over fences and break roof beams like twigs, and he''s nearly killed two people already.¡± ¡°I''m very well ware of that.¡± Si''gsteler said, ¡°Have you got something important to say, bitch, or will you stop pestering us?¡± Si''gvejg did not immediately reply. They turned and began walking away but at last she said, ¡°I must warn you that I have a bad feeling about today. I think you should go hunting tomorrow, or any other day, but not today.¡± Si''gsteler threw a glance her way, scoffed, and continued on into the woods. They spent most of the day searching, but eventually found and killed a moose. As they were preparing to take it with them, the bear came upon them to claim the carcass. He stood on his hind legs, easily several feet taller than any two of them together, and roared, the sound reverberating among the trees and leaving them half-deafened. The first to react to the bear''s presence was Si''gsteler''s son, who picked up his bow and shot an arrow at the bear''s chest. He failed to hit his heart, however, and the bear dropped to all fours. Si''gsteler and his huskater thrust at him with their spears, but he swiped them out of their hands. Then, he threw Si''gsteler''s son to the ground and stepped on his chest. Si''gsteler and his huskater could hear the ribs splintering and the son''s screaming was cut short. The huskater ran in terror, but Si''gsteler picked up his spear and thrust it into the bear''s neck. ¡°You left your master there and ran like a whipped dog?!¡± He shouted down at the orc-man; Bj?rnar was tall even for an orc, and towered over all orc-men. ¡°Take us back there immediately, if you''re not too moist!¡± ¡°I warned them not to go.¡± Si''gvejg said when she saw the bodies. ¡° ¡°This bear can''t be allowed to roam free. It''s a menace, and it''s only going to kill more people!¡± ¡°Do you expect me to take care of it myself?¡± ¡° ¡° The next morning, To''rvaler and He''lgi went to U''scna''bew''s camp. ¡°U''scna''bew, I have a question for you.¡± said To''rvaler. ¡°Walk with me.¡± U''scna''bew replied. He, Na''n?myswa''t, and some other men head out of the camp to check on their trap lines. ¡° ¡° ¡°What would you do if one was prowling around your home?¡± U''scna''bew snorted; ¡°Move.¡± ¡°can''t ¡°That''s why we''re nomads!¡± Na''n?myswa''t said and he and the other men laughed; ¡° ¡°Well...¡± U''scna''bew said thoughtfully, ¡°I''d find a way to trap it.¡± They approached the first trap in the line. It was a snare made from a string run through a hollowed-out stick, with a loop on one end of the stick. One end of the string was tied in a knot and the other was tied to the branch of a nearby bush. A fox had stepped in the snare, and the loop had tightened against his ankle so he couldn''t get out, nor could he free the string from the branch. He growled and barked at them, but one of the young men hit him with a club, then drew a knife across his throat. ¡°Obviously, you''d need a bigger trap.¡± U''scna''bew said, ¡°But you get the idea. The only other way I can see is to shoot it with arrows when it''s standing, but that''s risky. If you don''t get it in the heart right away, it''ll get down on all fours, and it''ll be angry. Of course, you''d have to find the thing first.¡± ¡° ¡°We ¡°you ¡°I already told you, I don''t know anything about these bears, I''ve never even seen one. You''ve seen one; you probably know more about them than I do!¡± ¡°can U''scna''bew sighed and thought for a minute. ¡°I know one person who was around the last time a bear like you''ve described had to be put down. I''ll get in touch with her.¡± ¡°Who is she?¡± ¡° To''rvaler and He''lgi finished checking the trap line with the men and went home. The next morning, U''scna''bew and Na''n?myswa''t showed up at Gi''sls''tae very early. ¡°I got in touch in with my friend and got some advice.¡± U''scna''bew said cheerfully; ¡°Already? I thought she was far away?¡± ¡°That''s got nothing to do with it. She told me all about the other time one of those giant bears showed up.¡± ¡°Hold on, what do you mean ''that''s got nothing to do with it''?¡± He''lgi asked, ¡°How does the fact that she''s miles and miles away at some lake not have anything to do with how she told you anything?¡± ¡°Um... well, it''s... you know...¡± U''scna''bew stammered. He seemed to be searching for the right words to use. ¡°Our spirits touched each other in the night and we spoke in a dream.¡± ¡°You don''t say...?¡± said To''rvaler with a raised eyebrow, ¡°Fr?yja!¡± mind ¡°Look, we can keep standing here chatting about inconsequential details, or I can tell you about what happened last time and how we might deal with the bear this time.¡± To''rvaler and Si''gvejg exchanged glances. ¡°You go on. We won''t interrupt anymore.¡± He said. Sagamo Torvaler - Chapter 9 About twenty of them set out early in the morning to hunt the dire bear. Bj?rnar brought his sons and some huskatnar; Si''gvejg came, along with To''rvaler To''rvaler ¡°That''s a very fine horse.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Bj?rnar replied with a proud smile, ¡°You won''t find a swifter or a stronger stallion in Iceland, Greenland, or now in Vi''nland!¡± ¡°Would you care to prove that?¡± ¡°What do you mean? You think he has anything to fear from any contenders?¡± ¡°My mother has several mares that''ll be going into heat soon. We should have a horse fight sometime, and then we''ll see if what you say about Dy''refaksr is true!¡± said ¡°him Si''gsteler ¡°He''s definitely been around here.¡± Ulvrin'' said. He dismounted and sniffed a tree. ¡°Recently.¡± ¡°Is that man sniffing a tree?¡± U''scna''bew asked He''lgi, ¡°Yes.¡± He''lgi nodded, ¡°Yes, he is.¡± ¡°Why?¡± He''lgi shrugged; ¡°Finns do that sometimes.¡± ¡°Sa''mir ¡°If you say so.¡± Said U''scna''bew, ¡°Says the man who holds conversations with his dreams.¡± said with amusement. U''scna''bew ignored him and said, ¡°Let''s get started digging this hole. We don''t use this trap very often. We''ve got better methods for hunting caribou, but for a bear, it should work.¡± Orc-men with shovels got to work digging a pit deep enough to trap the bear. It took all morning and part of the afternoon. When it was done, they lined the inside with sharpened stakes. Meanwhile, Si''gvejg killed the goat, skinned him, and mounted him on a double-tipped spear, which she drove into the ground in the centre of the pit. The spear was long enough that the goat was above ground level. Finally, they evacuated the pit and covered it with branches, leaves, and grass so only the goat was visible above the foliage before retreating into the trees upwind. Some of the orc-men took the horses away some distance while the rest settled in and waited. It took a long time for anything to happen. Some of them mimicked the sound of a dying animal. They had to chase off some foxes at one point, but nothing else of note took place until around sunset. As they lay in wait, Si''gvejg had hid next to Ulvrin''. ¡°I must tell you,¡± She said, ¡°that I feel the bear will be upon us soon. And I must tell you, I''ve had a bad feeling about your fate in this encounter.¡± ¡°I''ve had a bad feeling since I left my house back in Norway.¡± Ulvrin'' sighed and looked eastward; ¡°You Norwegians may be a seafaring people, but my people live in the forests and mountains. We weren''t meant to cross the ocean.¡± ¡°Hang back and don''t come close to the bear. Ylgrin'' won''t think any less of you.¡± ¡°Ylgrin'' didn''t want me coming. She''s incapable of imagining anything but the worst. She''d be happy if I didn''t put myself in danger.¡± ¡°Then you know what you have to do. I know it''s not... manly.¡± she put a hand on his shoulder, ¡°But you shouldn''t place yourself in danger tonight.¡± ¡°Yeah. I know what I have to do.¡± Ulvrin'' nodded. Si''gvejg smiled. ¡°I have to do everything in my power to kill our quarry. I can''t let the others down.¡± Si''gvejg''s smile disappeared and she nodded resignedly. ¡°Then make it count.¡± They were beginning to consider quitting for the night when the sun began dipping below the horizon, but that''s when they saw him come shambling out of the trees. He was huge and had the shortest face and longest legs of any bear any of them had ever seen. He went up to the edge of the pit, stopped, and started sniffing suspiciously the foliage that covered it. ¡°My friend did say they''re smart.¡± U''scna''bew whispered; ¡°What''s he saying?¡± Asked Bj?rnar, who didn''t speak the pidgin, ¡°He says the bear is smart.¡± replied ¡°I can see that.¡± Bj?rnar turned to Si''gvejg; ¡°Isn''t there something you can do? Give him a nudge or something?¡± ¡°Yes, but I can''t predict what he''ll do next.¡± She whispered ¡°Isn''t it your job to predict what happens next?¡± ¡°I can tell you a thousand things he might do, but at this point I can''t say with any certainty what he will do.¡± ¡°Focus his attention on the goat,¡± Si''gvejg closed her eyes and held a hand out toward the bear. ¡°Bj?rnar whispered to This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°Bj?rnar. He charged out of the trees and went right while Bj?rnar''s. The orc-men at the end of each line ran forward and stabbed him in the shoulders and sides, but he roared and swatted the spears away. One of the orc-men didn''t get away fast enough and the bear crushed him underfoot as he made a break for the treeline. It seemed he might get away, but a wolf¡ªUlvrin''¡ªleapt underneath the bear and locked his throat in his jaws. The hunting dogs leapt on him too so the bear had to stop and try to shake them off. One was snapping at his leg, so he hit the bitch with a paw and sent her flying into a tree. Ulvrin'' had his throat in a vice-grip and was shaking his head violently but his body was dragging on the ground, so the bear crushed Ulvrin''''s lower body under a paw. Ulvrin'' let go and yelped, and the bear snapped his jaws shut on Ulvrin''''s face. There were two more hounds on his back, so the bear stood and shook them off. As this was happening, the hunters ran around him and made a spear-wall between him and the treeline. Several archers shot at him when he stood, and one arrow sunk deep into his chest: he grunted and dropped again. He looked hurt, but he still had fight in him. Si''gvejg stood behind the spear-wall, looked him in the eyes, and stretched out her hand. The bear whimpered and backed away from the spears while they edged closer. The pained look on his face grew worse the longer Si''gvejg held his gaze, but as he continued backing up his paw touched the edge of the pit and he snapped out of it. He looked around at the spear-wall as if seeing them for the first time. Roaring, he swatted wildly at the speartips. Some cut his paws and some were thrust into his forelegs so he started bleeding profusely, but he snapped many of the shafts and the disarmed orc-men started running all directions. While others fled, Bj?rnar went forward and stabbed the bear in the neck. Si''gvejg shouted and raised her staff. The bear looked at her; she stretched a hand toward him and clenched her fingers tightly. He roared longer and louder than before and stood up; Bj?rnar pulled his spear back before he lost his grip on it. Bj?rnar thrust his spear into the bear''s belly and shoved with all his might. A pathetic sigh escaped the bear''s lips as he tumbled backward into the stakes waiting in the pit. ¡°Stop!¡± he cried, ¡°Stop it immediately! You''ll make Bear Chief angry, and then he might send another bear after you!¡± ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡°I don''t disagree with the need to put the bear down. I disagree with dancing in its corpse.¡± ¡°God of the bears? I serve Fr?yr, what do I care about some moist bear-god?¡± He and his huskatnar laughed at that, then he added, ¡°Hey, since he''s the god of my namesake, maybe he thinks I''m his long-lost son and he''ll forgive me!¡± They laughed louder at that, ¡°If he met Fr?yr though, he''d definitely be on the bottom.¡± They laughed loudest at that. ¡°What did he say?¡± U''scna''bew asked, U''scna''bew maintained his composure, but his fists were clenching and unclenching. ¡°Let me have the head. It should be left here to appease Bear Chief, and maybe he won''t be angry.¡± ¡°Tell him I claim the head as my prize for my part in taking the beast down!¡± U''scna''bew said, ¡°He''s not going to let you take it.¡± ¡°Tell him anyway!¡± ¡°No.¡± Bj?rnar replied without looking at him, ¡°II ¡°II''m ¡°You wouldn''t have gotten a chance at a killing blow if I hadn''t shot him next to the heart!¡± ¡°I said, little half-man,¡± the orc cracked his knuckles and rolled his huge shoulders. ¡°there''ll be no further discussion!¡± ¡°It''s late. You''re tired. It''s time for us all to have some rest.¡± Bj?rnar had a dazed look in his eyes. ¡°Yeah.¡± He nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡± He laid down at the foot of a tree and went to sleep. ¡° Sagamo Torvaler - Chapter 10 As T ¡°What''s he wearing blue for?¡± He''lgi asked, ¡°He''s going to ruin a good tunic!¡± It had rained all the day before and in the morning, so as the fights proceeded, the ground inside the corral was churned up and became a porridge-like quagmire of mud. The fights lasted all afternoon. Dy''refaksr did very well in the first tier and won the prize at the end. Bj?rnar let him rest for the second tier, which was won by another very impressive stallion. They were both left out of the third tier, but everyone wanted to see them face each other in the fourth, so they fought their way through it, and eventually were to face each other in the final round. ¡°I hope you all bet against me. That''d mean I''d get to collect that much more money at the end of this!¡± Everyone laughed at that. ¡° ¡°Son of a whore, I''ll show you moist!¡± Then he called to Bj?rnar, who whirled, swinging at Hro''eolvr again, but he ducked under the swing and the crowd gasped again as they saw the flash of a knife in Hro''eolvr''s hand, which he jabbed straight at Bj?rnar''s heart. The orc stumbled back, swayed, and the spectators thought he would fall over dead. Then he regained his balance. As Hro''eolvr stood back agape, the spectators could see the orc had no wound. The force of the thrust hadn''t scratched his tunic. Bj?rnar knocked Hro''eolvr off his feet and beat him until his stick was broken, then he pressed what was left of his face into the mud with his boot. Hro''eolvr didn''t move or breathe. * * * One day, not long after the horse fight, Bj?rnar was out riding Dy''refaksr by the cliff, riding between the edge and the treeline. At the point where the woods begin, the cliff starts to drop downward until it falls below the waves and a beach carries on from there. Bj?rnar went on the beach westward until he came to the mouth of a stream and followed it inland. Not far into the woods, he came upon a large, open dale between two hills. He rested in the dale before returning home. In the winter of the year they killed the dire bear, Bj?rnar''s stock of fodder ran low and he had to cull his herds. In Ejnm?''nt1, there was still snow on the ground around Bj?rnar''s homestead, so he sent two huskatnar with his cattle and horses to the dale he''d discovered the summer before. He reasoned that it was at a lower elevation and perhaps the snow there was already gone so the animals would be able to graze. The two orc-men he sent were twins named Bjarg2 and Hes`eri''er3 , sons of Randu''lvr4, who was the brother of Gi''sli To''rvales''on, father of To''rvaler and He''lgi. * * * The winter was hard on more people than just Bj?rnar. There was a band of Holtmaear whose annual caribou hunt had gone badly and winter hunting had been just as slim. The shaking tent ceremony was performed repeatedly, but it didn''t help. Food was so scarce some of the very young and the old died over the winter. Typically, the band spent the summer inland on the shores of one of the many lakes there, but this summer it was decided they would go to the coast and see if they might find more abundant fish there. Snow was still melting when the band encamped on the stream near the aforementioned dale and the shaman, a woman named Wa''bu''n5, said it was time to perform the shaking tent again. They set up a small tent for one person made of sticks with a flat top draped in caribou hide. Wa''bu''n sat inside the tent while the rest of the band sat outside in a circle with drums and sang.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. When the tent started to fill with energy, it began swaying. As the singing and drumming intensified, so too did the energy until the tent was shaking and swaying from side to side violently, but the sticks didn''t break. As energy overflowed the tent and washed over them, they thought they could hear the sound of caribou running in the woods. Wa''bu''n spent a long time inside the tent while those outside continued singing and drumming. At last, the energy dissipated and she emerged with a lore belt in hand. It was a wide strip of dyed skin with different coloured patterns stitched into it and strings of animal sinew flowing from it. Everyone stopped what they were doing and watched as the old shaman gave the lore belt to a young man named Ma''sci''dgew6, the best of the hunters. ¡°Take this and a friend will guide you where you need to go. The animals you hunt will come to you.¡± Ma''sci''dgew nodded. He slung the lore belt over his shoulder, took up his bow and arrows, and led the other men away. They went slowly at first, picking their way along the stream without sharing a word. Suddenly, Ma''sci''dgew cried, ¡°I see him! Our friend is guiding us downstream, come on!¡± * * * At that same moment, Bjarg and Hes`eri''er were watching over the cattle and horses in the dale when the horses, including Dy''refaksr, ran off upstream. ¡°By Fr?yr, where can they be headed?¡± Bjarg said; they ran off after the horses, but when they caught up to them, they''d all been shot with arrows. ¡°Get down!¡± Hes`eri''er hissed: as soon as they''d taken cover, they saw men come out of the forest carrying tree branches. They tied the horses to them by the ankles and carried the bodies away upstream. When the men had gone, the huskatnar rounded up the cattle and hurried home where they found Bj?rnar in the hall eating lunch with his family and male and female servants. Bj?rnar flew into a rage at the news: he flung a chair across the hall and said, ¡°Under Fr?yr''s gaze and with these orcs and orc-men as my witnesses, I will punish the gay dogs who murdered Dy''refaksr!¡± He went into Fr?yr''s temple and repeated the oath over the altar. Then he went around from neighbour to neighbour, all the orcs and orc-men who''d sworn together to support each other, and requested they make good on their oaths. Every one of them agreed the killing of the horses must be avenged, and they all agreed to meet the next morning at Bj?rnar''s homestead. When they gathered the next morning, farmers with their sons and huskatnar, they were twenty or thirty in all. Each orc and orc-man had a spear in one hand and a javelin in the other, a shield slung over his back, and a sword, axe, or knife girt at his side, and a few had bows. They rode their horses down to the mouth of the stream, with Bj?rnar riding a horse borrowed from one of his allies. The horses were left there with a few huskatnar, for they said the Holtmaear''s magic would surely bewitch the horses again if they came too close. On foot, they continued and knew they were close to a village when they heard the sound of people talking and laughing. Bj?rnar went ahead with a few others and, hiding behind some bushes, they saw the village with horse hides still on skin dryers in the sun. They went back to the others, and Bj?rnar said, ¡°This is certainly the place. Let''s fan out and attack.¡± The group spread out and attacked the village. Men scrambled to get their weapons, but those who didn''t flee were cut down. Several men held off the attackers while the people tried to get away. An orc was severely wounded by an arrow in the chest and wouldn''t survive the trip home, but four men and two elders were killed trying to escape. Three women and a girl were taken hostage. When the fight was over, the orcs and orc-men ransacked the village, taking everything that caught their eye before they set fire to the wigwams and left the place deserted. At Bj?rnar''s homestead, they divided the spoils between themselves but Bj?rnar kept the prettiest woman for himself. Her name was A''lawa7 and she was Ma''sci''dgew''s sister. * * * A few days afterward, U''scna''bew went to Gi''sls''tae and called To''rvaler into the yard. ¡°I have a problem I need to speak to you about.¡± He said, ¡°As you know, Na''n?myswa''t is married to my daughter. He''s originally from another band led by a shaman named Wa''bu''n, who''s camped near here this summer. She''s the friend who suggested we use a foot-trap on that bear.¡± U''scna''bew explained what had happened. He finished: ¡°The survivors fled and are now living with us.¡± ¡°What do you want me to do about it?¡± asked To''rvaler, ¡°You''re a friend to me and my people, and since you will soon be my son-in-law, it''s only right that you help us in this matter.¡± Replied U''scna''bew, ¡°Then take me to the survivors and we''ll have a talk.¡± U''scna''bew took To''rvaler back to the village, where he met Wa''bu''n, Ma''sci''dgew and the other surviving elders and young men. The members of Wa''bu''n''s band had had no direct contact with Vi''nlandiskar before now and weren''t familiar with the developing pidgin language, so U''scna''bew translated for them. ¡°Thank you for coming to hear us out.¡± Wa''bu''n said, ¡°If we had more warriors like you by our side, we''d make things right.¡± said Ma''sci''dgew as he looked To''rvaler up and down, ¡°We haven''t decided on a course of action yet.¡± Added Wa''bu''n quickly with a stern look at Ma''sci''dgew, ¡°The other elders and I are inclined to make an offer of peace before any further bloodshed, but we''d like to hear your opinion on the matter.¡± ¡°I say,¡± To''rvaler began, ¡°that the young man is right. Go to the bands you have connections with and gather as many warriors as you can. Strike back at your enemy. Take back those they took from you and kill one of them for each one of you they killed.¡± ¡°I like how you think!¡± Ma''sci''dgew said with a wicked smile, ¡°My mother is among those they killed and my sister is among those they captured. Let''s make them feel our pain!¡± ¡°So we should answer blood with blood?¡± Asked Wa''bu''n, ¡°We should honour the deaths of our loved ones by fighting a war in which more of our loved ones are likely to die?¡± ¡°You''re at war already.¡± said To''rvaler, ¡°We Vi''nlandiskar have a place where peace can be negotiated, and I can take up your case there. But the thing to do now is not to meekly accept defeat. You need to make a show of force before offering peace so you can bargain from a strong position. Otherwise, Bj?rnar will think you''re weak and will demand harsher terms. He may even attack again, if he thinks he can gain a profit with minimal risk. If you take back your women and show him you''re not to be taken lightly, he may back off.¡± Wa''bu''n shook her head slowly. ¡°All you speak of is power, force, revenge. Violence isn''t our way. We don''t want further bloodshed, we just want our women back.¡± ¡°I, for one, think he''s right.¡± Said Ma''sci''dgew, ¡°When you''re dealing with someone who only understands violence, violence is the only option.¡± ¡°You''ll listen to your elders, young man. We''ve heard enough. Thank you for your advice, but now we need to deliberate on the matter in private.¡± Sagamo Torvaler - Chapter 11 "To''rvaler went to Staes Dy''refaksr. He was greeted at the gate by his cousins Bjarg and Hes`eri''er, who said, ¡°Good morning To''rvaler, what business do you have here?¡± ¡°I''m here to call Bj?rnar to court at Tcise''gawting.¡± The twins looked at each other apprehensively. ¡°Are you sure you want to do this?¡± They asked, ¡°Don''t stand in my way, cousins, lest you get caught in my wake.¡± To''rvaler pushed past them to the middle of the farmyard and called Bj?rnar. He came out of his temple. ¡°Good morning To''rvaler. What do you want?¡± He asked; ¡°Bj?rnar Ejri''ks''on, I summon you to Tcise''gawting for the pillaging of Wa''bu''n''s village, for the manslaughter of six members of Wa''bu''n''s band, and for the kidnapping of four more.¡± ¡°Are you sure you want to take up this case against me, boy?¡± ¡°I''m betrothed to the sister-in-law of a member of Wa''bu''n''s band. I''ve taken up the case in his stead, and I''ll see it through to reconciliation.¡± ¡°Good! Then I look forward to meeting you and those Holtmaear at Tcise''gawting. Now get off my property.¡± * * * For two weeks, at the end of So''lm?''nt1, court cases were heard and judged at Tcise''gawting. It has been so ever since the first summer the settlers arrived in Vi''nland. There was a nook in the cliff at Tcise''gawting which opened into a semi-circular area. Here, a platform was raised, and railings were installed on the ledges in the cliff all around it. This was where the law was recited and court cases were heard, for it was the only place where one could stand in the middle of a group of people and be heard by all. In those days, the law wasn''t written down, but was instead memorised by the law-speaker. The law-speaker recited one-third of the law in front of the whole assembly each year of his three-year term, so that the whole law was recited by every law-speaker even if he served only one term. It was the fifth meeting of Tcise''gawting when To''rvaler summoned Bj?rnar to court (the year being 1004 on the Christian calendar). To''rvaler brought the elders and young men of Wa''bu''n''s band, along with U''scna''bew, Na''n?myswa''t, and some of the young men from their band. When the law-speaker was finished reciting the law, To''rvaler demanded their case be heard. ¡°I''m not sure,¡± said the law-speaker, ¡°if foreigners can bring a case before the ting. There''s no precedent.¡± ¡°According to my understanding,¡± said To''rvaler, ¡°this is the first and only ting in all of Ka''nehda. Every one of us here is a Ka''nehdask: orc, orc-man, or man. We left our precedents behind in Norway with the king, it''s time to make some new ones.¡± ¡°We may have left the king behind, but not the whole law. Law and order must be kept or society will fall apart.¡± ¡°Let them bring their case.¡± said Bj?rnar. The law-speaker thought on this and answered, ¡°Very well. Since the defendant agrees, we''ll hear the case.¡± Those involved in the case went out on the platform before the assembly. To''rvaler stated the case as it was: that Bj?rnar and his allies had looted and burned a Holtmaer village for the slaughter of his horses. There were six manslaughters and four kidnappings to answer for, as well as property damages. The members of Wa''bu''n''s band were called as witnesses, as well as Bjarg and Hes`eri''er. Bj?rnar and his allies acknowledged everything was done just as it was stated. Neither Bj?rnar nor Wa''bu''n''s band spoke the pidgin. He''lgi translated all Danish speech into the pidgin, which U''scna''bew translated into the Holtmaer tongue. ¡°Wa''bu''n''s band would like to sue for a peace with no award, except that the captives must be returned.¡± To''rvaler finished. Bj?rnar took up a response: ¡°The killing of the horses is a grave offence against me, and an offence against a priest of Fr?yr is an offence against Fr?yr himself. You all know that it''s legal to kill for horse theft. Surely you understand an offence of this magnitude must be repaid. I consider the deaths and the looting to be sufficient payment for the killing of the horses.¡± Ma''sci''dgew said, ¡°Caribou Man sent those animals to us because we were starving.¡± ¡°The law is the law, regarding horse theft.¡± Said Bj?rnar, ¡°Your grievance with Bear Chief is well known.¡± U''scna''bew said, ¡°Maybe Caribou Man took it upon himself to set it right. Maybe he led your horses to their death to make restitution for your crime.¡± ¡°Those animals belonged to Fr?yr!¡± Bj?rnar shouted, ¡°No god or mortal can steal them without facing the consequences!¡± ¡°But they came willingly. They gave themselves so we could eat because we''re good hunters who always respect the animals we hunt.¡± Answered Ma''sci''dgew, ¡°I don''t care about respect or wild gods¡ªwhen wild men attack and eat my livestock, I''ll do what I must to right that wrong!¡± To''rvaler stepped between them and said, ¡°Bj?rnar, what about the captives? Will you release the captives and send them back to their families? This is all the prosecution asks for peace to be made.¡± ¡°No.¡± Answered Bj?rnar, ¡°Although the killing of the horses has been avenged, how can it be guaranteed that they won''t do something like this again? These Holtmaear are nomads with no livestock. They don''t understand or recognise the difference between livestock and wild animals. If I let them do as they please, how can I be sure they won''t attack my herd again? They might attack anyone''s herd¡ªeven yours, To''rvaler. No, we''ll keep the captives as a guarantee of good behaviour.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. To''rvaler asked if the prosecution would accept this. ¡°We will never accept our women being held captive by an enemy.¡± Wa''bu''n replied, ¡°I''ll never accept A''lawa being held by the one who killed our mother!¡± Ma''sci''dgew added fiercely, ¡°Then I''m afraid no deal can be made.¡± Bj?rnar said when their words were translated to him; ¡°What if they paid a ransom for the captives?¡± suggested To''rvaler ¡°This might be acceptable, depending on the ransom.¡± Wa''bu''n and those of her band discussed this suggestion at length, but finally she said, ¡°We won''t stand for this. We''ll never pay for the return of those who rightfully belong to our band already.¡± Bj?rnar said to Ma''sci''dgew, ¡°That''s too bad. It looks like your sister will be staying with me, then.¡± Then he added, ¡°Don''t be sad. I treat my tral''ir2 better than many a man treats his huskatnar.¡± He''lgi translated for U''scna''bew: ¡°He treats his female slaves better than some treat their paid house servants.¡± ¡°He''lgi, tell him what he actually said.¡± To''rvaler commanded, ¡°That is what he said.¡± ¡°He''lgi, that''s not what he meant, and you know it.¡± ¡°Under the circumstances, To''rvaler¡ª¡± ¡°Under the circumstances, He''lgi, tell them what he actually meant.¡± He''lgi closed his eyes and sighed. Finally, he told U''scna''bew; ¡°He''s going to use A''lawa for his own pleasure, at his whim.¡± To''rvaler continued eyeing him; ¡°And probably already has.¡± He finished. When U''scna''bew translated this for Ma''sci''dgew, the young man flew into a rage. He reached for his bow, but To''rvaler grabbed his arm. ¡°Weapons must not be drawn at the ting.¡± He turned to Bj?rnar; ¡°Can I persuade you one last time to release the captives?¡± ¡°You cannot.¡± ¡°Very well. Then there''s nothing left to be said.¡± * * * When they left Tcise''gawting, Ma''sci''dgew and Na''n?myswa''t spoke in low tones in the Holtmaer tongue. To''rvaler walked close to them and understood enough to overhear them planning to attack Staes Dy''refaksr that night. ¡°You don''t want to do it at night.¡± He told them; ¡°Why not?¡± Na''n?myswa''t asked, ¡°Listen to me closely. No matter what comes of this feud, never kill a Vi''nlandisk at night. A killing at night is a murder, and murderers don''t get atoned for, they get outlawed. If you''re declared murderers, your chance at making peace at the ting will be gone.¡± ¡°We already had our chance and he refused it.¡± ¡°There''ll be another chance, but you must do exactly as I tell you.¡± At Ma''mwajtu''n that year, the marriage of To''rvaler and M?nu''tjew was postponed for one year, but they spent hours talking and walking around the camp together. Ma''sci''dgew and Na''n?myswa''t went around to the young men of all the bands there and gathered support. About thirty men joined them. The summer drew onward and it came near the time when Holtmaear move on for their late summer caribou hunt. One day, Bj?rnar went with Agvaler to Tcise''gawting to trade with merchants from overseas. He left Halto''r in charge of the homestead. Halto''r set an orc in the tower and Hes`eri''er at the fence gate, while he himself went into the longhouse to drink with his friends. Ma''sci''dgew had set a man to watch the homestead, and when he saw these things, he left and came back with the warriors. The women and girl taken in the raid were being kept in different homesteads. The warriors split up, eight men to each homestead. Ma''sci''dgew himself led the group attacking Staes Dy''refaksr, with Na''n?myswa''t and coming with him. They approached the homestead from the cover of the rye field nearby. One man went ahead when the sentry in the tower was looking in another direction. He climbed the fence and then climbed the tower and knocked the sentry unconscious with a club. The other men climbed the fence. One hit Hes`eri''er in the head from behind with a club, then they went into the longhouse. In the main room, lounging around the table, they came upon the Vi''nlandiskar. Halto''r was partying with three of his friends there, including Bjarg. Several orcesses and orc-women were there: some were Bj?rnar''s family, and others were huskonar serving them drinks. A''lawa was in Halto''r''s lap, and he was touching her. They all jumped and stared in shock when seven Holtmaear an an orc-man burst in the door. ¡°Holtmaear?!¡± Halto''r cried, ¡°Where''d you come from?¡± He drew his sword, but Ma''sci''dgew put an arrow through his neck before he got it out of its sheath. The three others grabbed axes or knives and charged. One fell with an arrow through the knee and beat another with his club until his brains spattered on the floor. Bjarg hacked one of the men''s arm off with his axe, then swung it wide and cut another''s head off. He swung at Na''n?myswa''t on the return stroke, but the man ducked and buried his tomahawk in Bjarg''s belly. The orc-man fell to his knees, and Na''n?myswa''t finished him with a knife across the throat. The orc-man who''d been shot through the knee was killed by one of the men. They took A''lawa and left. The other raids that day went similarly, and all four captive members of the band were rescued. In total, they lost three men killed and five wounded, but killed thirteen orcs and orc-men, and wounded seven more. All of this was done in daylight, and none of the females were violated or property stolen or damaged. When all was done, they retreated to U''scna''bew''s summer camp and left for the winter. Gi''sls''tae, a huskater called To''rvaler to the gate. ¡°What is it?¡± To''rvaler asked the huskater; ¡°It''s one rider.¡± He replied. An individual on horseback was riding toward the homestead from the direction of Staes Dy''refaksr. Hes`eri''er rode up to the gate and stopped. His saddlebags were full and he wore a sword at his side and a blue cloak around his shoulders. ¡°Welcome, Hes`eri''er.¡± To''rvaler said; ¡°Don''t stand in my way cousin, lest you get caught in my wake.¡± Hes`eri''er said. With that, he kicked his horse and rode into the woods. After news of Bjarg''s death, Hes`eri''er was called Ejneri''er3. It was almost sunset when a group of riders arrived at Gi''sls''tae led by Bj?rnar. ¡°Welcome, Bj?rnar.¡± To''rvaler said, ¡°Don''t play innocent with me, To''rvaler!¡± Bj?rnar roared, ¡°I know you put them up to this!¡± ¡°What do you intend to do about it?¡± Asked To''rvaler, one hand on his sword. ¡°Have you come to summon me to the ting?¡± ¡°No.¡± Replied Bj?rnar, ¡°Not yet.¡± Sagamo Torvaler - Chapter 12 This is what''s told of the orc-man Hes`eri''er Randu''lvs''on, who became known as Ejneri''er O''tamra1 (*1: /Ejn-dri''e-r O''tam-ra/ [''ejn.d?i:.e? ''o:.t¨».m.?a:]: Wild, Lonely Rider, or Lonely Rider the Untamed.*). When Ejneri''er awoke after being clubbed at Staes Dy''refaksr, he went in the house and found the carnage there. It''s said that he gazed silently at the corpse of his brother Bjarg for a long time before asking every person there for a detailed account of what happened, paying particular attention to the description each one gave of the one who killed Bjarg. Then, Ejneri''er took Halto''r''s sword and left. Bj?rnar had acquired a few horses since his were killed, and Ejneri''er took one of these and all the grain and dried meat he could fit in the saddlebags. He followed the trail of the Holtmaear into the woods to their camp. When the village left their summer camp behind, he followed, always staying just out of sight. While the trees were turning colour but had not yet shed their leaves, the band made camp and all the men left for the annual caribou hunt. As the men hunted caribou, so Ejneri''er hunted the men. The band was following a river, the men going upstream in canoes while Ejneri''er followed on land on his horse. There was a place where the river narrowed and then widened again, with the bottleneck covered by trees hanging over the water. Here, the Holtmaear waited in their canoes for the migrating caribou herd, which they knew must pass that way. On shore, Ejneri''er found fences on both embankments along the narrow part of the river, too high and too close to the water for the caribou to jump over. He waited behind the fence as the men waited for the caribou. They all heard the caribou swimming up the river before they saw them. Ejneri''er heard the men shouting and throwing their javelins. When the noise moved away, Ejneri''er went around the fence and saw a lone canoe near the opposite bank with a young man it, barely more than a boy. The man saw him too. Ejneri''er knew a little pidgin, and called, ¡°Throw that javelin at me, if you''re not moist!¡± The man hesitated, but threw his javelin at Ejneri''er, who allowed it to come without flinching. It cut a groove through the orc-man''s left shoulder, but it was only a flesh wound. ¡°Better luck next time, boy.¡± Ejneri''er shouted. He picked up the javelin, threw it back, and impaled the young man through the chest. Ejneri''er returned to the Holtmaear camp to watch from a distance and saw that only women, children, and elders were left behind. He stepped beyond the edge of the trees so those in the camp could see him. Those in the camp were paralysed in fear at the sight of him, but he merely said, ¡°I have killed a man by the caribou fences.¡± As soon as the manslaughter was announced, Ejneri''er disappeared again into the trees. When the men returned they posted guards around the village. Women in the village were busy preserving the meat to be kept over the winter. More herbs were needed for this, so a group of women went out to gather some, accompanied by two men. Ejneri''er followed them in the cover of the trees. They often cast furtive glances around them, and the men constantly scanned the bush in all directions. As the women found the herbs they were looking for, Ejneri''er threw a javelin at one of the men, piercing him through the upper right thigh. The other man threw a tomahawk back, which cut off Ejneri''er''s left ear, but missed his head. Ejneri''er fell back into the trees and the man, whose name was Nehdu''di''qe''w2, gave chase until the two met in a clearing. Ejneri''er removed his blue cloak and drew his sword while Nehdu''di''qe''w approached with tomahawk in hand. They fought for awhile with neither gaining the upper hand. Ejneri''er was much taller and had a longer weapon so Nehdu''di''qe''w couldn''t get close, but the latter was so nimble none of Ejneri''er''s swings hit flesh.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. This continued until Ejneri''er swung wide, missing Nehdu''di''qe''w by a significant margin. Nehdu''di''qe''w used this opportunity to come down with all his might on the end of Ejneri''er''s sword, knocking it right out of the orc-man''s hand. He then stepped forward to bury the tomahawk in Ejneri''er''s belly, but the orc-man caught his hand and slammed his other fist onto it, forcing Nehdu''di''qe''w to drop his weapon too. Weaponless, Nehdu''di''qe''w kicked Ejneri''er''s shin so he fell to the ground. He fell on him with a knee to the gut and tried to choke him, but Ejneri''er broke his hold. They grappled in the grass and fallen leaves for some time until Ejneri''er got the better of the smaller, weaker man. He threw the man onto his chest and put a knee to his neck. At that moment, they heard shouting coming from not far away. While they''d been fighting, the women had gone to get help. From where he was, Ejneri''er could reach both the sword and tomahawk, and he took each in one hand. ¡°You fought well.¡± He remarked, ¡°Not every man can hold his own for so long against an orc-man unarmed, even one with a bad arm. Yet you''re not the one I intend to kill. However, you did cut off my ear.¡± He brought down the tomahawk on Nehdu''di''qe''w''s ear, cutting it off cleanly. The man made no sound. Ejneri''er left him there and took the tomahawk with him. After that, Ejneri''er was barely seen all winter. It''s said that when a member of the band went outside the camp to relieve themselves, they would often catch sight of a lone rider watching them, or just passing by. Men went out to hunt him down many times, but none were successful. When Na''n?myswa''t went out, he would give them a good chase, but on his horse he was too fast to catch. None of their arrows ever hit him, but they ensured he couldn''t get close enough to get at Na''n?myswa''t. * * * Everything was quiet between Gi''sls''tae and Staes Dy''refaksr that winter. When summer came, To''rvaler went to Staes Dy''refaksr and summoned Bj?rnar to the ting. At Tcise''gawting, the two sides again assembled on the platform at the ting-place. Representatives from Wa''bu''n''s band were on one side with U''scna''bew and To''rvaler, while Bj?rnar and his allies stood on the other side. ¡°The ting will now hear the case of Bj?rnar and his allies against Wa''bu''n''s band.¡± The law-speaker announced. Bj?rnar began by calling out witnesses to the manslaughters by the Holtmaear and stating the case as it stood, all of which To''rvaler and the Holtmaear agreed was just as it had been stated. ¡°That is not correct.¡± Said a voice from the crowd. Ejneri''er then appeared from the midst of those watching and stepped up onto the platform, leading his horse behind him. His horse wore a caribou skin blanket, his own cloak was faded, his garments were torn, his left ear was missing, and he had a tomahawk in his belt. This was when people began calling him Ejneri''er O''tamra, for they said he looked and acted like a wild animal in the skin of an orc-man. ¡°I have killed one more man and injured another,¡± he continued, ¡°whether of Wa''bu''n''s band or of U''scna''bew''s, I cannot say. I got an injury from a third man, but I injured him back, so I consider that enough.¡± This was corroborated by U''scna''bew. Both sides agreed and accepted the case as it stood. ¡°You killed nine members of the prosecution''s side,¡± To''rvaler said, ¡°so they have killed eight of your people, and one more for the treatment of each of the captives. I would like to suggest that each manslaughter on one side stand for the manslaughters on the other side, and let those who were wounded stand for each other. The last four manslaughters should stand for the captives and their treatment. The last manslaughter should stand for the two wounded. That leaves the killing of the horses. If Bj?rnar will name a price for that, then the case can be settled.¡± When it was Bj?rnar''s turn, he said, ¡°I will never accept that this case be settled until the man who killed my son is dead.¡± ¡°And I,¡± added Ejneri''er, ¡°will not accept a settlement until the man who killed my twin is dead.¡± There was much talking back and forth after these things were said. Some of Bj?rnar''s allies thought they should settle the case by atonement, but many of Wa''bu''n''s band members maintained the horses were hunted fairly and paying for them was unacceptable. The end of the matter, then, was that everyone went home without anything being settled. Everyone except Ejneri''er, who rejected Bj?rnar''s offer of lodging and slept in the woods. Sagamo Torvaler - Chapter 13 Soon after the ting, it came time for the gathering at Ma''mwajtu''n. No sooner had To''rvaler arrived than Bj?rnar came in his ship wearing a blue tunic and blue trousers with a sword at his side. To''rvaler found Ma''sci''dgew and told him (with U''scna''bew translating), ¡°Bj?rnar is here to kill you.¡± ¡°How do you know his intentions?¡± Ma''sci''dgew asked, ¡°He was dressed all in blue.¡± To''rvaler answered; ¡°What does that have to do with anything?¡± ¡°When an orc or an orc-man has killing on his mind, he wears his good clothes, because killing is a special occasion.¡± As To''rvaler spoke, Bj?rnar came over. To''rvaler asked, ¡°What are you doing here, neighbour?¡± ¡°I''m here to kill the man who killed my son.¡± Bj?rnar replied, ¡°You know this is an assembly ground. Killing here would be like killing at the ting.¡± ¡°I never said I intended to kill him on neutral ground.¡± Bj?rnar said and he held up his sword. To''rvaler saw it had a peace string attached1. ¡°Your son died because of your own actions.¡± Ma''sci''dgew told him, ¡°It''s strange to hear such a thing coming from the man who killed my son with his own hands. You tell yourself whatever you like, just know that I''m coming for you.¡± ¡°Then come any time you like.¡± Ma''sci''dgew squared his shoulders and held out his chest; ¡°I''m waiting for you.¡± After this exchange, To''rvaler said to U''scna''bew, ¡°Talking to that orc leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Fortunately, I brought something to wash it out with.¡± ¡°Oh? Have you finally gotten some of that honey you promised?¡± ¡°Even better. Mother made mead out of it. We''ll serve it at the wedding.¡± ¡°Ah yes, the wedding. It''s, uh, maybe not the best time for a wedding...¡± U''scna''bew saw the look To''rvaler gave him and quickly added, ¡°But you''re right, it shouldn''t be postponed again. You may want to talk to M?nu''tjew about it. With all that''s been happening, she may not be all that keen on going ahead with it right now.¡± To''rvaler found M?nu''tjew by her family''s wigwam and sat down with her. ¡°There have been many killings lately.¡± He said, ¡°Yes. Some of them I''ve known my whole life.¡± She answered, not looking at him, ¡°Feuds like this are not uncommon where I''m from. Sometimes they go on much longer.¡± ¡°Your people sound very violent.¡± ¡°Miegartt is a violent place. A man or orc-man must be ready to defend his family, property, and honour at any time. I know I''ll protect mine. My farm, my mother and sisters, and my wife, once I have one.¡± M?nu''tjew looked at To''rvaler and smiled a little. ¡°I just don''t think now is the right time. I even heard Bj?rnar is here right now, looking for an opportunity to kill.¡± ¡°Even at the worst of times, life must go on.¡± To''rvaler said, ¡°Besides, this is a gathering place. Like the ting, violence here is illegal.¡± The two fell silent and looked up toward the centre of the camp. The most important reason the Holtmaear gather in summer and winter, both then and now, is so that young men can meet and woo young women from other bands. As such, these gatherings often hold weddings from early in the day until late at night. Sometimes, this happens every day of the gathering. One such wedding was being held as To''rvaler and M?nu''tjew looked on from a distance. There was singing and incessant dancing and beating of drums, and lots of food was set out on skins where people sat. They spent much of the rest of the day together. Late in the afternoon, To''rvaler was at the beach and saw Bj?rnar leave in his ship. He took this as a good sign and told U''scna''bew and Ma''sci''dgew. * * * The wedding was held the next day. To''rvaler wore his best red tunic for the occasion, as well as a beaver pelt hat. At his side, he had Gi''sli''s sword, and around his neck he wore a Mj?lnir amulet. M?nu''tjew wore a new dress with her family''s particular colours and designs on it. She also wore a new pair of shoes that had never been worn before. Her mother Scu''myna''mo gave her a lore belt blessed by the band shaman.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Bride and groom each washed themselves separately in nearby streams that morning. When the ceremony began, they each approached the camp centre with their close friends and siblings. To''rvaler came with He''lgi and sisters, among others, and M?nu''tjew came with her sisters, mother, and some of the band elders. In the camp centre there was a circle of people sitting cross-legged with drums, singing in the Holtmaer language. They drummed harder as the couple came together and continued when they went into a wigwam with the elder officiating the wedding. The bride and groom each took two friends who''d been married a long time with them into the wigwam. None can say what is said or done inside except those who went in. When they emerged, the couple held up two eagle feathers woven together in such a way they couldn''t be separated. Then it was time for the feast. Food was spread out on skins on the ground. There was an abundance of food available, mainly seafood given the season, but also wild plants like rhubarb. Food brought from Gi''sls''tae included a lot of beef, chicken, and pork, and the products of the field. To''rvaler and He''lgi brought out a blanket and set a barrel on it, alongside a bunch of drinking horns. He''lgi opened the barrel and stood next to it with a pitcher. ¡°What''s all this?¡± Asked U''scna''bew, ¡°It''s mead!¡± Beamed To''rvaler, ¡°Let me try some.¡± He''lgi filled a horn and handed it to U''scna''bew, who took a swig, choked, and almost spat it out. ¡°I thought you said this stuff was better than honey!¡± He wheezed, ¡°It is better than honey!¡± To''rvaler retorted. He took a horn of his own and drank it all at once. ¡°Let me try it.¡± Said Na''n?myswa''t, ¡°Here, you can have mine.¡± U''scna''bew offered. The younger man took it and tried a sip. He sipped some more. Then he drank it all. ¡°I think mead is excellent!¡± ¡°A man after my own taste!¡± Said To''rvaler, ¡°He''lgi, pour him some more!¡± Drinks were had all around, and many a man or woman said either that it was good or bad, but none said it was bad after they''d had a few. The barrel emptied quickly as people danced and made music that sounded like the lowing of a herd of cattle. Even those who were not part of the party came to try some mead or just to see what all the noise was about. After having a few, Ma''sci''dgew, along with Na''n?myswa''t and a handful of others wandered down to the water''s edge. They found people already there jumping into canoes and rowing out into the bay. When they looked up, they noticed a group of canoes in the bay on fire, so they ran for their own canoes. Ma''sci''dgew and his hunters made it first and rowed out onto the bay, but Na''n?myswa''t stumbled and fell behind the group. He got to his feet and kept running, but stopped at water''s edge when he heard a shout behind him. Na''n?myswa''t turned landward and saw Ejneri''er, partially obscured by some bushes, holding a sword in one hand and a tomahawk in the other. ¡°Come,¡± Said Ejneri''er, ¡°come kill me or be killed.¡± He threw the tomahawk into the ground at Na''n?myswa''t''s feet. The man took it and chased Ejneri''er, who retreated into the trees. They stopped in a clearing and circled one another. ¡°You will die for your crimes!¡± Na''n?myswa''t snarled fiercely, ¡°Words are weak. We''ll let our sword-arms decide which of us is a ereer2.¡± The two continued slowly circling. Occasionally, one would lash out and the other would parry or dodge the blow, and maybe launch a strike of his own. They continued like this for a while, each probing for weakness and learning his opponent''s movements. Na''n?myswa''t was at a major disadvantage because he had shorter arms and had a shorter weapon, but he held his own. But when it came to it, however, he couldn''t match Ejneri''er''s reach, so he threw his tomahawk, catching Ejneri''er in the hip, and charged in with a knife. However, Ejneri''er fell on him, throwing the man to the ground, and took hold of the wrist that held the knife. Na''n?myswa''t had to use both hands to keep the orc-man from wresting the knife from him. While he did this, Ejneri''er took the tomahawk out of his hip and brought it down on Na''n?myswa''t''s head, splitting his skull open. When men came to the scene, they found Na''n?myswa''t dead and a trail of blood leading into the woods but it quickly went cold. It''s said that Ejneri''er O''tamra left on his horse and continued haunting the region. There are many tales of his appearances thereafter, but none are verified as true. This account of the death of Na''n?myswa''t is said to have come from a shady traveller who stayed one night at a homestead. Meanwhile, Ma''sci''dgew and his men rowed out to the burning canoes. When they reached them, they found they were empty of people, but each had a burning haystack on the deck. As the men were shouting from boat to boat about what this could mean, a Vi''nlandisk ship rowed out from behind a small island nearby. They didn''t recognise the ship, but supposed it must have come for the same reason they had, so they hailed it as friends. But as the ship came closer, Ma''sci''dgew yelled, ¡°It''s Bj?rnar!¡± Then the orcs and orc-men on the ship let loose with arrows and javelins. Many men fell on the first volley. Those who remained threw javelins or harpoons back, but few had brought weapons with them, so most beat a hasty retreat for shore. Ma''sci''dgew was unhurt. He picked up a harpoon and threw it, wounding an orc-man next to Bj?rnar while the ship sped toward him. He and the others in his canoe each took a handful of harpoons and jumped from the boat as Bj?rnar''s ship rammed it, sending it to the bottom of the bay. From the water, Ma''sci''dgew flung another harpoon at the ship, and hit an orc in the chest, but Bj?rnar threw a rope with a noose at the end and caught Ma''sci''dgew around the neck with it. Others attempted to board the ship from the water or by canoe, but Bj?rnar''s shipmates fought them off. Bj?rnar pulled on the rope so the noose came tight around Ma''sci''dgew''s neck. Then, he signalled his shipmates to unfurl the sail. A strong wind was blowing eastward that day, and so it took them rapidly away and out of sight. When news of these things reached shore, the wedding party was over. All those present mourned those who died, which were six, and tended to the wounded, which were many. To''rvaler tried to comfort M?nu''tjew, but nothing could lighten her mood. People said their marriage was not consummated that night. The next day, To''rvaler and his family left Ma''mwajtu''n, but M?nu''tjew stayed with her family. When Bj?rnar got home, he hung Ma''sci''dgew from a tree outside Staes Dy''refaksr. When the body began to stink too much, he threw it from the cliff.