Chapter 3: Fallen Friends : Ingvar, Gaeirmund, Gudrun

[DSIGFUSS]

Logain bends down along with Tristan and begins to inspect the slain Skraelings. They are adorned heavily with bone and ivory carved jewelry of various descriptions. They all carry stone or ivory knives, fur skins and boots. Goggles of a kind neither Viking had ever seen made from Bone with a long narrow slit down the center from which the wearer can see. Tristan picks up one of their crude bows and pulls back the string. He's surprised at it's strength.



If they had proper materials... these skraelings might have been fine archers. Look at this place... there isn't a tree in sight. They've used driftwood of all things... treated the wood.

He then lays the bow down respectfully on the Skraeling's chest.

Then Melkorka the witch hobbles up behind Logain and Tristan. She bends in close. Her foul smelling hair brushing gently up against the back of Logain's neck.



You admire the Skraeling's? Good! Powerful magic flows through this land. Old magic.... Odin's magic!

She cackles and looks form Logain to Tristan her eyes darting back and forth, sizing the two up like some mad gull.

[DSIGFUSS]

Broddi looks up the coast and grunts.



I don't know how far we've been walking. We haven't left the shoreline though. Our ship the Nidhogg, still floats... We took some damage from whales of all things, when we first landed but once we were ashore, the Skraelings fell like old women or dogs... He looks at the witch and sniffs his disgust. Like there is a diference!

Broddi laughs and then stretches his back, his old bones sore from the long ride hunched over and bound to his own saddle

Some of the raiding party went North to seek stagglers and other Skraeling settlements. They left the rest of us behind to wait for you! I alone was taken on patrol so I imagine me mates are still holding the village.

ooc - you don't remember what happened exactly with the red eyed devils. You can barely picture them in your mind but the memory is still there. Not enough to talk about.. Just enough to know the danger is still there.

[mrcartoon]

"They died well..."

Logain letting out a breath, quickly glancing to the crone slouched behind him from his peripheral vision before back to the dead skraelings at his feet.

"...we should go to the village then...maybe send a scout north to the raiding party?"

[DSIGFUSS]

ooc- Sorry for the hold up! Your thread is about to get crowded! Maybe one of the new PC's will want to volunteer to ride to the Skraeling Village.

[Mi-Go Agent]

Skáldaspillir Gæirmund steps out of the group of survivors and speaks in a complete sentence for the first time since arriving on Helluland. He regards the Skraeling corpses.

"What about these? We can't just leave 'em out here like this-we should loot 'em or sacrifice them."

[Basketvector]

"Leave 'em for the mother-loving rats", Ingvar says with disgust and horks on the nearest one. "Look, if we bury every goddamn savage I kill we're going to be in Helluland forever." "We should light a pyre for our dead brother though - the smoke will serve as warning to the Skraelings. They'll come and see the slaughter that awaits them. HA HAARRGH!!"

"Then we should try to find the other ship, and our kin folk - we can do more damage that way."

Ingvar nods in agreement with himself, and takes a bite of frozen seal blubber.

[mrcartoon]

Logain clears his throat, coming to his feet. He continues to casually look from one dead Skraeling to another.

"it might be best not to draw attention to ourselves until we've regrouped with the others.."

[Mi-Go Agent]

Gaeirmund speaks slowly and angrily, "I didn't say we should bury them, fool. Why would we want to do that? I said we should loot them or sacrifice them."

[Basketvector]

Ingvar thinks with his usual gluteal growl. "Ja, take their skins and food. Strap them to the horse." He tries on one of their bone eye goggles. "Maybe you're right Logain, if they see the smoke they might track us, and our kinsfolk may be far or hard to find" "Let's just cast our comrade to the sea, Odin will understand. Agreed?"

Ingvar hurridley takes the extra skins off the eskimos and straps them to the horse.
"Make yourself useful Oddlog, you festering pile of horse shit."

"We should get moving soon. My father's axe grows cold."

[She Devil]

We don't have the time for this bickering!" Gudrun starts rummagin through the pockets of the eskimo's clothing, pulling something from one of their necks. "Besides, it is all useless. We don't need these ridiculous good luck charms!"

He mounts his horse, sheathes his sword, and nudges his horse in the side with a "Yah!"

[DSIGFUSS]

Gaeirmund finds the most interesting object as he searches the Skraelings. A long dagger shaped like a man carved from polished ivory. A treasure amongst these savages for sure, but the ivory wouldn't fetch much back home. Everything else can easily be considered junk unless a few Vikings want some keep sakes.

Oddlog grunts to Ingvar but does what he is told, gathering skins and furs and placing them in the saddle bags of their newly aquired horse.

As Gudrun mounts the horse.. Oddlog lays a hand on his thigh.



What makes you think you're riding dog?

[She Devil]

Gudrun snarls, and makes a low gutteral growl at Oddlog's pointed words. He shoves his hand away.

"I say I'm riding! I have walked for hours! If you have a problem with that....we will fight!"

He puts one hand on his sword as though to accentuate the point, and stares at him fiercely.

[DSIGFUSS]

Melkorka steps in between the two large Vikings and the stench of her forces both men to step back.



Logain was right! Yessss! We should send word that the Icebreaker is no more. Whoever rides... rides alone to find The Grendel. To tell Gelga she must wait for me!

Melkorka cackles quietly as she waits for the Vikings to make a decision.

Broddi shakes his head.



It is many miles up the coast. Half a days ride. I could not make it.

[She Devil]

Gudrun puts a gloved hand over his heart and stares fiercely, "I would be honoured!" He looks determined to ride that horse.

[Basketvector]

oc. we only have one horse here, which we just captured. It belonged to Broddi, the new NPC we just rescued (an old man). I wasn't sure if Gudrun realized he was starting a fight over the only horse or if he thought there was more than one horse. Either way, lets roll with the squabble, it's more viking that way.


Ingvar eggs on Oddlog. "You going to take that shit from him old man?"
"FIGHT!! FIGHT!!"

"Half my rations says Oddlog trounces 'em, who's in? Logain? Gaeirmund?"

[She Devil]

OC I had no idea there was one horse, actually. Which is hilarious! Although keeper mentioned whoever gets the horse goes alone up the coast, so the issue is only who's going.

Gudrun dismounts, pulls his sword from it's sheath but does not raise it in the air quite yet. He stands, chest heaving from adrenaline. "What say you??? Will you venture up the coast alone? I would be honoured to take up this quest and find Gelga. I swear I will on my father's sword!"
Is the horse that important? Probably not! But Gudrun could never back down from an adventure. It was a curse, really.

[mrcartoon]

Logain lets out a heavy sigh looking to the dead at his feet, before stepping away towards Gudrun and Oddlog. Approaching the two men, Logain tucks his thumbs beneath his belt, cocking out his elbows in an aggressive stance as his lips curl back to snarling teeth.

"Be quiet both of you, unless you wish to announce to the whole damned island of our location..." Logain says, calm and collected, studying the two with intense, unblinking eyes.

[She Devil]

Gudrun stares blankly at Logain, then takes a step back and stares at Ingvar and Oddlog. He then looks back at Logain and nods silently.

[Basketvector]

Ingvar mutters, disappointed that they're not going to fight.

"I don't think we should split up. Broddi was alone on horseback, and they caught him... besides, Broddi can't make it over the hills without the horse."

To Melkorka, Ingvar says "Grendel can just suck it until we get there, witch."

He lashes driftwood together to make a raft, and drags the slain Viking on top. "See you in Valhalla brother."

[Mi-Go Agent]

Gaeirmund stops his hand from checking his rations. He wishes he had gotten a chance to gamble.

"Well, then lets get going. I'm getting the feeling we won't find much loot in the village, but we came all this way-might as well get something.."