The Trial (Tristan)

[DSIGFUSS]

The seal Ijiraat Dalia-Zob nods approvingly and again contradicts Tristan's words. It was difficult to to see which side of the fence Dalia-Zob rested her loyalties on.



I am glad to hear you say such things Tristan Odin's son. But have you not heard of the tale of our creation. Perhaps then you will change your mind on who Odin will or will not welcome into his hall. The men of these lands know the story well... but they do not know the whole story!

The whale Ijiraat Balok splashes the seal with his massive tail.



It is forbidden. This is Sedna's secret!

Tristan sees the Norse fish swim quickly to the side of the pool to avoid the thrashing of the whale, the light from the ice cavern catching its scales. It pokes its head slightly out of the water and watches the seal.

Dalia-zob scoffs at the whale.

This whole trial is against the will of the godess. if she were to know that we were meeting like this, she would cast out our entire race.

The owl Vorgabagomon raises his wings.



I will allow for the story to be told if you will hear it, Tristan Son of Odin. Though this knowledge may bring you death or much worse from your own kind as well as those men that reside here. It is this secret to which binds your people to this place. I would not force it on you son of Odin.

[Voodoo]

Tristan bows respectfully in the direction of the Owl, "I would be most honored to hear the origins of such a mighty and proud people. While there may be a danger in knowing these things the honor far out ways the risk."

[DSIGFUSS]

Vary well.. then Listen to our secret. If it means your death... at least let it serve you in deciding your fate here today.

Vorgabagomon clears his throat and begins.

Long before the children of the frozen rain and the sons of Odin… long before the sun and the moon took refuge in the sky…. and just before the creation of the animals of the sea. the Inuit gods and all who served them lived in the Spirit World. The Ijirrat, the Quallipuk and the great bear god Nanook all wandered the bewildering planes of the Spirit World, disconnected from the land your gods called Midgard.

Odin and his sons and daughters had vanquished the Frost Giant Y’mer and created their 9 realms to rule from the giant’s slaughtered carcass. Y’mer’s death created powerful rifts in the spirit world; so catastrophic was the making of the 9 worlds. The rifts allowed us to cross over into Midgard, but with little guidance in this place, we were considered monsters… outcasts to be hunted by gods and giants alike.

As animal spirits and totems began to cross over into Midgard they gave birth to many of the creatures that we now live amongst and feed on today. The Raven, however, sought comforts of the flesh, finding great pleasure in taking the shape of the Asgardian gods to trick and play with their pride and their hearts. For this, we blame the Raven for all the troubles of the world.

For it is a secret that Odin has kept from his people for as long as the world has been the world. A secret for which he has killed gods and men alike. Odin has a sister…

The Raven would visit Odin’s sister in Odin’s own city of Asgard. Under the guise of a black haired Asgardian, the Raven would play with her flesh with no concern for consequences or retribution from the king of gods. Odin’s sister bore two sons by the Raven and hid them from the god king. She named the black birds Hugin and Mudin. As they came of age they grew jealous of their father the Raven and no longer wished to hide from the world of gods. They came to Odin and whispered in his ear that his sister had laid with the Raven god and that they would serve the god king forevermore if they could only be free to roam the world. They would gather information for Odin and they would never lie to him again.

Outraged, Odin accepted Hugin and Mudin’s offer and raced to his sister’s chambers where he caught the Raven in the act of defiling his sister for the last time. He cast out the Raven to the west of Midgard, never to return to the land of ice. To his sister, he was not so generous…

Odin rowed his sister out to sea and tossed her into the water to drown. She clung to the side of the kayak and with hate filled eyes, Odin cut off her fingers. She sunk slowly into the freezing water and from her severed fingers were born all the animals of the sea.

You would not recognize this tale, but perhaps you know some of it. The Inuit tribes of this land know the end and perhaps your people know the beginning. For Odin’s sister is our goddess Sedna and she made the children of the frozen rain in her image to comb her hair… For she had no fingers to do so herself.. so was her vanity.
She found and ruled over the spirit world with a ferocity we had never seen before. With more power than we had ever seen, we followed her back to Midgard, never to return to the spirit world. She gave us our gift to change our shape in exchange for our loyalty.

Do you think that your god king will see us in his hall now Tristan, son of Odin? When we once worshipped that which he hates most in all of the 9 realms? Sedna, godess of the sea… Odin’s sister…..

Tristan looks down momentarily and sees the fish staring at him and Tristan could swear the fish was smiling.

[DSIGFUSS]

ooc- If you don't already know.. Tristan would know that Odin has two ravens that fly about the world of Midgard to act as his eyes and ears. They are named Hugin and Mudin and a very famous in Norse mythology.

ooc- Also please roll Viking Mythos (+10%)

[Voodoo]

You had no choice in your creator, Odin is not in the habit of punishing chldren for the crimes of their parents. I find little reason to believe he would hold that against you all. Children spurned by their parent are also known for being strong allies when met by a common enemy.

[DSIGFUSS]

ooc- make a Viking Mythos check (+10%)

[Voodoo]

ooc- I can't get IC working right now. I hand rolled a 20 if that i acceptable.

[DSIGFUSS]

Yup... Acceptable.

Tristan remembers a line from the famous Epic Poem that speaks of the eighteen runes of Odin. There has been much controversy amongst Viking scholars of its meaning until now. Odin sacrificed his eye to gain the power of rune magic. 18 runes in total. He gave 17 runes to his fellow gods and men. He kept the 18th rune for himself. The Vikings are here on Helluland for the 18th rune because the witches have forseen that it is here. But they do not know how to find it.

The last verse of the poem says....

I know an eighteenth that I never tell
To maiden or wife of man,
A secret I hide from all
Except the love who lies in my arms,
Or else my own sister.

[Voodoo]

Sedna knows where Odin hid the Rune that my people are searching for, doesn't she? And if she knows then that means you all more tan likely know as well?

[DSIGFUSS]

There seems to be a long pause in the Ijiraat crowd as Tristan promises them acceptance by the Norse Gods.... by Odin himself, despite the treachery of their own godess. Then the hall fills with excitable chatter as Tristan brings up the rune.

The Owl raises his wings high into the air to silence them.



Rune? What Rune? Sedna does not deal in Viking magics and nor do we... yet! We know of no Runes, nor are we permitted to study such things. You insult us Odin's son!

Figg nods and tugs on Tristan's pant leg whispering...



What are you doing? You had them?

Then after the owl's outburst, the fish raises a fin out of the water and brings it inexplicably up to its face, seemingly saluting the Viking mountaineer. It then winks and dives below the surface of the pool.




None of the Ijiraat seem to notice or care if they had seen the strange looking fish but Tristan hard surely started something by bringing up the rune in this court.

[DSIGFUSS]

ooc- you'll need to make a Persuade check and a luck check along with your response.

[Voodoo]

ooc- Persuade was 11 and luck was 2 i'm lucky cause it seems I really screwed the pooch on that one.

My apologies, I ment no offense in my outburst. Your story simply reminded me of an ancient legend of my people I heard a long time ago.

[DSIGFUSS]

Kor-Gamon snarls a smile.



Tell us. You have heard of our godess in your own legend? Perhaps this secret was not as important as we suspected! Or more so! If we are to join your race in the afterlife then perhaps we should learn to trust each other now.

[Voodoo]

I know an eighteenth that I never tell
To maiden or wife of man,
A secret I hide from all
Except the love who lies in my arms,
Or else my own sister.

After reciting the poem Tristan says, "That is the only reference to your goddess we have in our legends. My people always thought it just an added line to give the poem a reference to family. To say it would only ever be revealed to someone as close to him as a sister."

[DSIGFUSS]

There is silence in the cavern. With Tristan's sudden poetic tongue, he seemed to have calmed the crowd.

All of the Den mothers stared questioningly at Tristan, soaking in the verse.

It was Dhalia-Zob that broke the silence first, nodding in that same confusing manner.




This eighteenth... What is it Odin-son? What has Sedna been told which is so important that Odin would keep it from everyone save her?

Dhalia-Zob stares up at Tristan like a child waiting for the answers to all the questions in the world.

[Voodoo]

According to our legends Odin sacrificed one of his eyes in order to gain Rune magic. There were 18 Runes in all, He distributed 17 between various gods and mortals before hiding away the 18th. From what I am starting to piece together there's only one person he told the location to.

[DSIGFUSS]

Now the owl Vorgabagomon interrupts. His head spins slowly in a full 360 degree turn. The Ijiraat gathered about the pool are silent hanging on Tristan's every word as if he himself were a god amongst lesser creatures.

Vorgabagomon's head stops turning and he rests his glowing red eyes on Tristan.



His sister. You are saying that Odin told this ancient rune to Sedna? Odin's sister? Our godess is the reason your people came to this island..... They wish for the 18th rune from your scripture? They wish to take it from Sedna herself? Is this why you have come Odin-Son? To steal that secret which was whispered between gods before the darkest times?

[Voodoo]

I do not believe your goddess to have any knowledge of this Rune. If there is any credit to the tales I at most believe that she knows the spot its hidden. Siblings have been known to share a common hiding spot. Perhaps this is the case and Odin never believed that your goddess would ever return to use the spot again.

[DSIGFUSS]

The Ijiraat lemming Figg handling Tristan's defence steps forward.



Let it be known great Vorgabagomon that Tristan's people had no idea that Odin's sister was our godess before today. If his people are here for the rune then the minions of Sedna are simply in their way.

[DSIGFUSS]

Then the great eye of the whale Baloik blinks slowly.



Now that you know Tristan son of Odin... Will you tell your people?