video, un: wolfkissed

[raven_sage]

[A panning shot of the outdoors; it appears to be a meadow by the river to the west of Camelot. Eivor speaks from off-screen]

Yes...this will do.

[The screen turns to Eivor's face; she appears to be walking as she speaks.]

The Fae Queen makes her demands and Arthur would have us mired in endless debate, but I know my course of action. Our worlds are frozen in a moment without end; I have seen this calamity for myself thanks to Ardenbury-thegn's boon. I will not waste time on debate, or to submit to these demands of trials and trade.

In my world, the kings of Christian lands pay the Danegeld, tribute offered to raiders such as our own to keep their lands from becoming our hunting grounds. Even the great emperor of Miklagard who supposedly stands above those kings pays us our due. Those who do not, we overrun and take what we wish from them ourselves. As with them, so will this Queen Mab.

Here, in this field I will build a longship, with oars to row up-river, to Celliwig. I will have warriors with me. We will find a village, or some other gathering of Mab's Fae, and we will burn it. We will burn their homes, we will burn their fields and we shall take anything of value that we like. We will send a message to Queen Mab that she will pay our Danegeld; whatever relic, knowledge or power that she possesses that will help undo this calamity, she will surrender...or all of Celliwig becomes our hunting ground.

I need warriors for this raid, and to assist in the building of the longship. We must transport the materials from Camelot to this location to build the ship. The Fae are said to possess illusions, and I will need people with the ability to dispel this magic. I know such power exists, and we will need it for this venture to succeed.

Come with me, and your reward will be this; whatever you take, you keep. Your spoils will be your own. If any Fae draw their blades against you, deal with them as you like, as warriors, and take from them what you will. But know this, any Fae who flee or cower before us, they are to be left alone. Anyone who takes a life in such dishonour will forfeit their spoils and will answer to me, besides. This is about sending a message to Queen Mab that we will not submit to her demands or dance to her song. And we will need someone to deliver that message to her.

If you would join me, come to the docks at New Camelot. That is where the materials we will need for our longship are. And we will make ready to go a-viking.

Comments

[raven_sage]

War is expensive business my friend, in many respects. If she cannot pay, her rule will suffer and her people lose faith. A small raiding force will be difficult to track even through her own territory, and we can flee with impunity back to Camelot quickly. The more she spreads her forces thin to try and snare us, the easier it becomes for us to slip by. By the time they ride to meet us, we are already gone. How much fight will her people have when their stomachs are growling, and they have no protection from the sun's heat, the wind's bite, or the rain's chill? Easier to just give us what we want and be done with it, in that case.

[She shakes her head] No, that is not it. Honour comes from within, from one's actions and bearing. To kill a foe in battle is good; the valkyrja come to collect the fallen dead at battle's end and bear them away to Odin's mead hall. This is a good death, and brings honour to the one who did the slaying, for he has acted properly as a warrior should, and he will be celebrated by his men and his victories cheered.

To kill those who will not fight, who cower before you or flee, this is not a good death and consigns the soul to the freezing wastes of Helheim. It diminishes the warrior who makes the kill, and his men will lose respect for him and follow him no more. There is a way to do things and a way not to, even in raiding. And the Raven Clan keeps the old ways, even if all of Norway no longer does. This is what it means to act honourably.

You a fighter yourself? Could use some volunteers instead of these nay-saying milksops.

[ferrytale]

[ ledo considers her words, giving them careful thought. from off-screen, a mechanical voice chimes in. ]

Hypothesis: this concept was deemed unnecessary as a result of combating an enemy that neither tires nor flees.

I understand. In the Alliance, it makes no difference. The Hideauze are relentless and will never stop as long as there are humans left alive. It does not matter what tactics we employ because there is no desired outcome but annihilation. However, if the Fae are more similar to humans, then killing indiscriminately would make us no better than the Hideauze.

[ and he sounds incredibly disgusted at the idea. ]

You are correct, I am a soldier. [ and he has no idea what a 'nay-saying milksop' is but he doesn't even bother asking chamber to define it. he's certain they have nothing remotely approaching a comparable definition where he's from. ] I am prepared to assist you. Is that your wish?

[raven_sage]

This is not to be a case of indiscriminate killing. Only those who raise steel against us. The rest we leave be. We want to strike terror in these Fae's hearts, so that they will beg their queen to pay lest it happen across her land.

Soldier, eh? [She shrugs.] Everyone starts somewhere. We will make a proper vikingr of you yet, however. You sail with us!

[ferrytale]

Understood.

[ and of course he's pleased to have the opportunity; this is the first time since arriving here that he has some purpose and direction. ]

What does that mean? To be Vikingr?

[ he's almost guaranteed to have botched the pronunciation but tries his best. ]

You explain things well, much more clearly than some of the others.

[ he doesn't have anything against the other people he's spoken to personally, it's just that they seem to get hung up on details he considers meaningless. ]

[raven_sage]

Vikingr. [He did, but Eivor repeats the word more slowly so he can better understand it.

To be a vikingr is to be many things. A warrior for your clan, a raider and sea-wolf. A storyteller, singer, a poet and flyter. We seek our own wealth and glory in distant shores and far-off seas. And what we take, we use not only for ourselves but those who follow us. We answer insults with blood, and honour with feasting and celebration. And we build something for ourselves, taking the best of what we find and discarding what is useless.

It is a hard life, and often times a short one for the careless. But succeed, and survive, and your name will echo throughout history.

I can teach you, if you like.