Snippet #2768205

A small gang of Norsemen would descend from Kadota Peaks, staring down over the Ellarian Empyrian Coast from high up on one of the rocky cliffs next to a giant waterfall which could be seen from the islands below. Prince Hrollaug was leading the Norsemen on horseback down from the arctic regions of Ellaria far north from Iskjerne Bay in search of new lands to settle and people to trade with. Hrollaug was also known by his colleagues as Rollo the viking, the first jarl of Frankish Normandy, and the heir apparent of Sigurd Hring, the great legendary hero of the heathen tribes who was now the Dano-Swedish king. Hrollaug's band would notice Port Fate down in the distance, and immediately they deemed it worth some further inspection. Prince Hrollaug rode his horse slowly down from the mountain side, his gang of ten Vikings staying close together and trying their best to seem non-threatening to all of the local inhabitants and other foreign travelers as their woolly bearded horses kept a slow gait along the upper edge of the hills looking down over the coastline.

"This seems like a good place to camp," Prince Hrollaug said, as he stopped on the hilltop and looked down towards the coastline. There in the distance over the watery horizon, he could see a familiar longship sailing southwest into the Empyrean High Seas, waving the raven banner. Jarl Hethel and his leidang had been on the same mission and had taken to the sea instead. The ten riders on horseback would dismount their winterbred horses and setup camp on the hill. They pitched five small tents, built a rain catcher and a firepit before inspecting the area. They immediately noticed that the place they had decided to camp was warmer, greener and more forested. There were many different flowers and trees, and even some signs of long-term human trade ports and permanent settlements. The Norsemen had found what they were looking for. But it wasn't just the wood and other raw materials they wanted. Prince Hrollaug bent down and picked up a hand full of brown dirt, rubbing the rooty soil between his fingertips. Him and his small gang had found rich green earth, something which was good for farming, and something which the Norsemen lacked at their kingdom in Iskjerne Bay.