By Odin's Throne

[RiahB]

The market place was crowded with withe people and the stench of musk is all but numb in your senses. The wooden stands and straw stored inside smell of urine and animal feces, but you don't differentiate it from the odor of anything else. It all blends together in onebog stench. The sounds of goat and swine echo through the air. The neighing of horses and the mooing of cows mis into a symphony of noise. But most noticeable are the people. Their babbling voices are nothing but a buzz, like bees in a beehive. Their appearance is gigantic. Men tower to seven feet tall and women range from five to six feet. The men are burly, with beards to their chest and long, half shaved hair on their heads. Tattoos carved in their skin is raised a centemeter from their actual flesh, the dye permanent. Scars riddle their worked hands, weathered faces and chiseled chests. The woman also have worked hands, but more gentle faces. Stern, but maternal. They too bear the body of athleticism, fighting and working along side the men for anything he can do she can do too. Except have a real say in the monthly votes.


Every beginning of the full moon, viking men travel from around the land to meet with their leader, punish the criminals, and decide their next raid. If you are a man (12 years and older) you witness the sex filled, rage feuled, food ridden hassle that is the meets. All votes must be unanimous or it is thrown from the room, not to be brought up again until next month.


Then, when all is done, you travel back home to your village, filled with wooden houses, wooden furniture, wooden everything. The only metal and steel insight is that of your sword, axe, or mace. Even your sheild is made of wood. Your clothes are wool and so are your blankets. Everythin gis made form your hand or bought from market. There are no factories, no stores, and the money system is trade. One goat for two months supply of rice. Unless you grow your own. In which case, you need a goat. So, you sell your rice. Everything is sytematic.


Finally you have your God's. Real all powerful beings that play hand in your everyday life, from the pregnancy of your wife to the fire that took your sons. They are as follows:

• Baldur - God of beauty, innocence, peace, and rebirth. Consort: Nanna. Dead, Killed by Loki, who tricked his blind brother Hodr into killing him with a spear of mistletoe.
  
• Borr - Father of Óðinn, Vili and Ve. Consort: Bestla
  
• Bragi - God of poetry, music and the harp. Consort: Iðunn.
  
• Búri - Ruler of Prehistory, the first god and father of Borr.
  
• Dagur - God of the daytime, son of Delling and Nótt.
  
• Delling - God of dawn and father of Dagur by Nótt.
  
• Eir - Goddess of healing.
  
• Ēostre - Goddess of spring.
  
• Elli - Goddess of old age.
  
• Forseti - God of justice, peace and truth. Son of Baldr and Nanna.
  
• Freyja - Goddess of love, fertility, and battle. Consort: Óður.
  
• Freyr - God of fertility. Consort: Gerð.
  
• Frigg - Goddess of marriage and motherhood. Consort: Óðinn. Can also be pronounced "Frigga".
  
• Fulla - Frigg´s handmaid.
  
• Gefjun - Goddess of fertility and plough.
  
• Hel - Queen of Helheim, the Norse underworld.
  
• Heimdallur - One of the Æsir and guardian of Ásgarð, their realm.
  
• Hermóður - The heroic son of Odin.Tried to rescue Baldur.
  
• Hlín - Goddess of consolation and protection.
  
• Höðr - God of winter. Killed by Vali.
  
• Hœnir - The silent god.
  
• Iðunn - Goddess of youth. Consort: Bragi.
  
• Jörð - Goddess of the Earth. Mother of Þórr by Óðinn.
  
• Kvasir - God of inspiration. Killed by Dwarves.
  
• Lofn - Goddess of forbidden loves.
  
• Loki - Trickster and god of mischief . Consort: Sigyn (also called Saeter).
  
• Magni - God of strength. Son of Thor.
  
• Máni - God of Moon.
  
• Mímir - Óðinn´s uncle. Decapitated by Vanir.
  
• Nanna - Goddess of joy and peace, an Ásynja married with Baldr and mother to Forseti. Died because of Baldur's death.
  
• Nerþus - A goddess mentioned by Tacitus. Her name is connected to that of Njörðr.
  
• Njörður - God of sea, wind, fish, and wealth. Killed in Ragnarok.
  
• Nótt - Goddess of night, daughter of Narvi and mother of Auð, Jörð and Dagur by Naglfari, Annar and Delling, respectively.
  
• Óðinn - The "All Father" God of war, associated with wisdom, poetry, and magic (The Ruler of the gods).
  
• Sága - An obscure goddess, possibly another name for Frigg.
  
• Rán - Goddess of the sea.
  
• Sif - Wife of Thor. Goddess of harvest.
  
• Sjöfn - Goddess of love.
  
• Skaði - Goddess of winter; Njörðr's wife.
  
• Snotra - Goddess of prudence.
  
• Sol (Sunna) - Goddess of Sun. Swallowed by Skoll.
  
• Thor - son of Óðinn God of thunder and battle. Consort: Sif.
  
• Thruer - daughter of Thor and Sif.
  
• Týr - God of war. Also the god of the skies.
  
• Ullr - God of ski/winter, hunt, and duel. Son of Sif.
  
• Váli - God of revenge.
  
• Vár - Goddess of contract.
  
• Vé - One of the three gods of creation. Brother of Óðinn and Vili.
  
• Víðarr - God of the forest, revenge and silence.
  
• Vör - Goddess of wisdom.
  
• Yggdrasil - Tree of life. Connects the 9 worlds.
  

Worship them or face the consequences.


@Qan

 

[Qan]

Haldor stroke his beard as he regarded the map laid out in front of him. He reached out a hand and traced a line between his own homeland to the southern lands. “Thralls”, he muttered to himself. “We’ll need thralls if we’re going to trade further south …”


He took a sip of his mead and looked up at the strange sight before him. He was sitting outside by the shore, overwatching the building process of a rather majestic ship. It was a long and sturdy vessel, although it looked a bit misplaced as it was currently on land and surrounded by workers and thralls. Haldor had not yet gone on any longer routes overseas, but after hearing about how lucrative the trades far south could be he had decided to take his chances. It just seemed to take forever to get the ship done, and to get together a bunch of men worthy to bring with him. Convincing his wife had been the easiest part; their home and grounds would be hers to rule over as soon as Haldor was away. He trusted her to run the household well. Perhaps his sons would be old enough to be taught how to fight properly once he was back home again.


Eventually, he’d have to convince a lot more people that his idea to leave with their men was good, but that was a problem he was saving for later. Councils and meetings could be quite entertaining, but the actual talking that was supposed to happen there bored Haldor.


Hopefully his status would help him in that regard; he came from a rather wealthy family, a fact which was made evident by his wellmade clothing and the pieces of jewelry he wore.


There were riches abroad that could not be obtained in his homelands, he knew. That if anything would be his way of convincing people to go with him. Silk and rare spices were highly sought after. Haldor was no merchant or strategical mastermind, but he was a very determined. He trusted that the gods would grant him good luck on his journey. At the very least, it’d be an adventure, something which he had been hungering after for quite a while. After all, the seas were the key to the rest of the entire world, and his people knew how to navigate them expertly. Perhaps he’d find lands that weren’t even mapped out yet, lands that could be full of marvellous new things to bring back home.

 

[RiahB]

Loki watched the humans with distaste. How.... lowly, but what wonderful mischief that they caused themselves. Quite entertaining if one really added a few good twists and turns. For example, a cheating wife? One threatening visit to Freyja and boom! Pregnant cheating wife. It was all quite fun when you had the power to destroy such .. things. In fact, he was looking quite hopefully for another being to wreak havoc on. Maybe with the unknowing help of Odin, he could cause the greatest mischief yet... in fact..


Loki watched the young female walk the shoreline, alone. She was quite beautiful for a beast and wondered exactly what he could do to make her entertain such a high being as himself? Have her be a mistress and murder her lover's wife? Bear a bastard child and have it die in her arms.. Oh! The possibilities.


The young woman in question sat by Haldor.


"Mother says she wished you home before dinner," Shera said boldly. She got the attitude from her mother, a very experienced and hot headed shield maiden. "She says watching the paint dry on your boat will not make it be finished any faster."


(I am so sorry. I have been extremely sick.)

 

[Qan]

(No worries, meanwhile I've been unexpectedly busy so I apologize for my own late reply! Also, what exactly is this Shera's relation to Haldor, just to make stuff clear before I post?))

 

[RiahB]

(eldest daughter.)

 

[Qan]

(alright!)


Haldor looked at Shera and was about to object, but closed his mouth again. Despite being a man of considerable size and strength, he knew better than to argue with his wife when it came to certain things. He knew Shera had inherited her mother's temperament to an extent as well. It seemed unneccessary to get into a fight with either of them, so he put down the mead on the pile of planks that he had been using as a table.


"Well then", he grumbled. He knew staring at his ship wouldn't do anything to speed up the process, of course, but he liked to try to be well prepared. He kept his eyes on Shera for a while. Who knew how long he would be away from home? Perhaps he'd have grandchildren by that time.


"Disobeying your mother would be the same as starting Ragnarök itself", he grinned. Then he raised his eyes towards the ship again. "It's finally starting to look like something though. What do you say?"


The ship was finally more than a skeleton, although it had a long way to go before it would be good to sail in.