After many days of traveling from the frigid northern Viking kingdom at Iskjerne Bay, over the icey snow-capped Weargtooth Mountains, battling the frozen dangers and unknown threats on the continent of Ellaria, and the wider world of Gaia, the small gang of Viking explorers led by Hrafn-Floki, Halfdan the Black and Erik the Red finally reached their destination: the Crystal Nexus of Gaia.
There had been other, easier ways to get off the planet, but those options were limited to the gods and spirits, and to people who had the capability of space-faring ships. The only way for Hrafn-Floki and his gang to get to the red moon was to take the harder, longer, more treacherous journey by land and sea in hopes of reaching the Nexus, where Floki the Vitki had a plan. It was a long shot in the dark, but worth a try, as Floki the raven master and his band of hardened Vikings arrived at the Nexus, being led by their gods and the spirits of their dead ancestors, guided by the titans and celestial beings like Sigurd Hring, and motivated by their own will-power and determination. The journey was tough, the weather was harsh and the terrain was rugged. But the Vikings arrived, nevertheless, conquering the trials before them just as they had done time and time again in their distant past.
Once they reached the portal at the top of the highest mountain peak, the gang would all but collapse, taking a moment to sit on the rocks and rest their wearisome feet, regaining their breaths. Each of them had provisions, walking sticks and backpacks or knapsacks which they set beside them as they sat in a circle, planning their next move. It was winter time again. For veterans like Hrafn-Floki, this would be their third consecutive winter on the planet. For others like Halfdan Halfdansson, this would be their second winter. But for the newcomer, Erik Thorvaldsson, this would be his first winter, and he would have to rely heavily on the wisdom and experience of the gang's leader Floki in order to survive on Gaia during these perilous and desperate times.
This small band of diehard Viking pagans had a dream, and were inspired by a blind faith in the belief that there would be something greater in store for them on the red moon. Hrafn-Floki had served Sigurd the Ringtaker with loyalty and honor, right up until the day that the great king and founder of Iskjerne Kingdom had died. Floki had fought in dozens of battles; against the Christian crusaders under Erling Snake, against spectral Deathweaver ghost pirates led by Robert the Butcher, against the Taiyou Empire and their emperor Shimizu Takayama, against the towering jotunn Asvith Thrym, and even against his own Norse Pagan fellowmen. Hrafn-Floki was now a legend in his own right, having lost his only daughter Angrboda to the freezing cold pestilence at Iskjerne Bay under the neglectful but temporary rule of Ivar the Boneless, who had also succumbed to the wrath of the titans and eventually died.
So much death, so much pain, so many memories lingered in Floki's mind as he sat on the rocks, looking out over the mountaintop to all of the lands below. This was not the same place he remembered. Everything just looked so gloomy to him now, and Floki couldn't wait to leave Gaia and make a new home for himself elsewhere, with his faithful wife Helga, starting a fresh slate and perhaps, just maybe, having more children before they got too old. Hrafn-Floki fiddled with the small milky white transparent sunstone in his pocket, contemplating whether or not it would work, as his small group started to setup camp, pitch their weatherproof portable tents in a circle and build a small fire pit within a ring of stones.
Halfdan the Black was on another mission. His brother, Harald Finehair, had been married to the former shield-maiden Queen Lagertha and was now competing against Duke Rollo for control of Iskjerne Bay, following the death of Ivar the Boneless, and the consequential raid of Thorvald the Great and Fulgor's leidang. Halfdan the Black had fought beside Ivar the Boneless against many foreign powers involving elves, vampires, werewolves and other human races. Halfdan was also a good friend of Floki, and at one time he had been friends with Hrollaug the Walker, before Duke Rollo had converted to Christendom and been baptized. This political and religious division among the Iskjerne Vikings was more than Halfdan could bear. So rather than butting heads with his old friend Duke Rollo, or with his own brother King Harald, he had decided to join Floki the Ghostslayer's expedition instead, and was planning to part ways with him once they reached their destination on Colossa, the red moon.
Erik Thorvaldsson, similar to Halfdan Halfdansson, had his own personal ambitions. Unlike the others around him who had been former Iskjerne Vikings, however, this young red-headed exile had come from somewhere else across the sea. Erik the Red had been banished to Iskjerne Bay on the continent of Ellaria by the Empyrean Norse konung, King Halfdan Svensson, the ruler of the Empyrean Sea Beach to the far south of Iskjerne Kingdom across the open waters. Erik the Red had killed one of his fellowmen at the local tavern over a board game, and would have been sentenced to hang if it had not been for the fact that Erik's father, Thorvald Asvaldsson had been on good terms with the king and delivered errands for him. Erik's father Thorvald Bloodyfist was also a convicted murderer who had been exiled to the Empyrean Norse Kingdom when Erik was just a boy. Thorvald settled down eventually and became a farmer, and a respectable member of Empyrean Norse society.
Following in his father's footsteps, however, Erik the Red had gotten himself banned from the flourishing tropical golden kingdom, and upon arriving at the plagued and freezing cold political disarray in Iskjerne Bay, the red-headed Empyrean outcast had decided to follow Hrafn-Floki and make a new name for himself. Erik knew that if he could start his own colony somewhere else, then he could regain the respect of the Empyrean Norsemen, and perhaps even return some day to conquer the throne for himself. Erik the Red was a very ambitious young man, filled to the bones with hatred, fury and suppressed hidden agendas. He found himself in good company, though, as a young Gaelic girl named Thódhilda seemed to be taking a liking to the foreign red-haired exile.
Thódhilda was a thrall, a Celtic Irish servant girl who had been captured by Halfdan the Black during the time of Ivar the Boneless, and was now a sort of slave or paid servant who was hoping to earn back her freedom by serving her master well. Thódhilda gathered wooden sticks for the camp, going up and down the mountain, accompanied by a small clique of 3-5 other thralls that Hrafn-Floki and his party had brought with them. Floki himself was opposed to slavery, and had promised to free his own servants once they had reached the moon. Halfdan the Black, however, had made no such promises, and was actually hoping to make a profit by selling Thódhilda and the other thralls to someone else who could afford them once they reached their destination. Erik the Red, having already accumulated a handsome sum of silver dinarii from Livia the Argosian Legata, was already beginning to think about buying Halfdan's thralls to aid him on his own quest after they had arrived on the red moon.
Even now, in the midst of the small Viking gang of travelers at the Crystal Nexus, far away from the politics of the Iskjerne Viking Kingdom, and the expansion of the Empyrean Norse Kingdom, even here there was a lot of ambitious behavior, and much to be left to their imaginations as they all sat around the camp fire, enjoying each other's food and company, passing the mead horn around while talking and telling stories, getting to know each other better. It wasn't very often when any of them were able to sit in one place for very long. The Vikings were always traveling, always raiding or fighting, it seemed, and although Hrafn-Floki and Halfdan had been familiar with each other for many years, they had never really spoken much with each other until now. It was a great opportunity for them to get to know each other better, and to discuss their individual plans and ideas with one another. Thódhilda sat next to Erik the Red after her chores were finished, smiling to him silently as Erik listened to the former jarl's conversations over the crackling and sizzling campfire.
There had been other, easier ways to get off the planet, but those options were limited to the gods and spirits, and to people who had the capability of space-faring ships. The only way for Hrafn-Floki and his gang to get to the red moon was to take the harder, longer, more treacherous journey by land and sea in hopes of reaching the Nexus, where Floki the Vitki had a plan. It was a long shot in the dark, but worth a try, as Floki the raven master and his band of hardened Vikings arrived at the Nexus, being led by their gods and the spirits of their dead ancestors, guided by the titans and celestial beings like Sigurd Hring, and motivated by their own will-power and determination. The journey was tough, the weather was harsh and the terrain was rugged. But the Vikings arrived, nevertheless, conquering the trials before them just as they had done time and time again in their distant past.
Once they reached the portal at the top of the highest mountain peak, the gang would all but collapse, taking a moment to sit on the rocks and rest their wearisome feet, regaining their breaths. Each of them had provisions, walking sticks and backpacks or knapsacks which they set beside them as they sat in a circle, planning their next move. It was winter time again. For veterans like Hrafn-Floki, this would be their third consecutive winter on the planet. For others like Halfdan Halfdansson, this would be their second winter. But for the newcomer, Erik Thorvaldsson, this would be his first winter, and he would have to rely heavily on the wisdom and experience of the gang's leader Floki in order to survive on Gaia during these perilous and desperate times.
This small band of diehard Viking pagans had a dream, and were inspired by a blind faith in the belief that there would be something greater in store for them on the red moon. Hrafn-Floki had served Sigurd the Ringtaker with loyalty and honor, right up until the day that the great king and founder of Iskjerne Kingdom had died. Floki had fought in dozens of battles; against the Christian crusaders under Erling Snake, against spectral Deathweaver ghost pirates led by Robert the Butcher, against the Taiyou Empire and their emperor Shimizu Takayama, against the towering jotunn Asvith Thrym, and even against his own Norse Pagan fellowmen. Hrafn-Floki was now a legend in his own right, having lost his only daughter Angrboda to the freezing cold pestilence at Iskjerne Bay under the neglectful but temporary rule of Ivar the Boneless, who had also succumbed to the wrath of the titans and eventually died.
So much death, so much pain, so many memories lingered in Floki's mind as he sat on the rocks, looking out over the mountaintop to all of the lands below. This was not the same place he remembered. Everything just looked so gloomy to him now, and Floki couldn't wait to leave Gaia and make a new home for himself elsewhere, with his faithful wife Helga, starting a fresh slate and perhaps, just maybe, having more children before they got too old. Hrafn-Floki fiddled with the small milky white transparent sunstone in his pocket, contemplating whether or not it would work, as his small group started to setup camp, pitch their weatherproof portable tents in a circle and build a small fire pit within a ring of stones.
Halfdan the Black was on another mission. His brother, Harald Finehair, had been married to the former shield-maiden Queen Lagertha and was now competing against Duke Rollo for control of Iskjerne Bay, following the death of Ivar the Boneless, and the consequential raid of Thorvald the Great and Fulgor's leidang. Halfdan the Black had fought beside Ivar the Boneless against many foreign powers involving elves, vampires, werewolves and other human races. Halfdan was also a good friend of Floki, and at one time he had been friends with Hrollaug the Walker, before Duke Rollo had converted to Christendom and been baptized. This political and religious division among the Iskjerne Vikings was more than Halfdan could bear. So rather than butting heads with his old friend Duke Rollo, or with his own brother King Harald, he had decided to join Floki the Ghostslayer's expedition instead, and was planning to part ways with him once they reached their destination on Colossa, the red moon.
Erik Thorvaldsson, similar to Halfdan Halfdansson, had his own personal ambitions. Unlike the others around him who had been former Iskjerne Vikings, however, this young red-headed exile had come from somewhere else across the sea. Erik the Red had been banished to Iskjerne Bay on the continent of Ellaria by the Empyrean Norse konung, King Halfdan Svensson, the ruler of the Empyrean Sea Beach to the far south of Iskjerne Kingdom across the open waters. Erik the Red had killed one of his fellowmen at the local tavern over a board game, and would have been sentenced to hang if it had not been for the fact that Erik's father, Thorvald Asvaldsson had been on good terms with the king and delivered errands for him. Erik's father Thorvald Bloodyfist was also a convicted murderer who had been exiled to the Empyrean Norse Kingdom when Erik was just a boy. Thorvald settled down eventually and became a farmer, and a respectable member of Empyrean Norse society.
Following in his father's footsteps, however, Erik the Red had gotten himself banned from the flourishing tropical golden kingdom, and upon arriving at the plagued and freezing cold political disarray in Iskjerne Bay, the red-headed Empyrean outcast had decided to follow Hrafn-Floki and make a new name for himself. Erik knew that if he could start his own colony somewhere else, then he could regain the respect of the Empyrean Norsemen, and perhaps even return some day to conquer the throne for himself. Erik the Red was a very ambitious young man, filled to the bones with hatred, fury and suppressed hidden agendas. He found himself in good company, though, as a young Gaelic girl named Thódhilda seemed to be taking a liking to the foreign red-haired exile.
Thódhilda was a thrall, a Celtic Irish servant girl who had been captured by Halfdan the Black during the time of Ivar the Boneless, and was now a sort of slave or paid servant who was hoping to earn back her freedom by serving her master well. Thódhilda gathered wooden sticks for the camp, going up and down the mountain, accompanied by a small clique of 3-5 other thralls that Hrafn-Floki and his party had brought with them. Floki himself was opposed to slavery, and had promised to free his own servants once they had reached the moon. Halfdan the Black, however, had made no such promises, and was actually hoping to make a profit by selling Thódhilda and the other thralls to someone else who could afford them once they reached their destination. Erik the Red, having already accumulated a handsome sum of silver dinarii from Livia the Argosian Legata, was already beginning to think about buying Halfdan's thralls to aid him on his own quest after they had arrived on the red moon.
Even now, in the midst of the small Viking gang of travelers at the Crystal Nexus, far away from the politics of the Iskjerne Viking Kingdom, and the expansion of the Empyrean Norse Kingdom, even here there was a lot of ambitious behavior, and much to be left to their imaginations as they all sat around the camp fire, enjoying each other's food and company, passing the mead horn around while talking and telling stories, getting to know each other better. It wasn't very often when any of them were able to sit in one place for very long. The Vikings were always traveling, always raiding or fighting, it seemed, and although Hrafn-Floki and Halfdan had been familiar with each other for many years, they had never really spoken much with each other until now. It was a great opportunity for them to get to know each other better, and to discuss their individual plans and ideas with one another. Thódhilda sat next to Erik the Red after her chores were finished, smiling to him silently as Erik listened to the former jarl's conversations over the crackling and sizzling campfire.