"Helga... Helga I can't see!" Hrafn-Floki the Vitki said panickly while looking around with pure white eyes. As he fell to his knees, Helga quickly knelt beside him, throwing a dark grey hooded cloak over his shoulders before lifting his chin up to examine his face.
"Floki, your eyes have changed!" Helga exclaimed, a bit shocked to see that her husband no longer had bright blue irises. Instead, his eyes were milky white and had no irises or noticeable pupils at all. Just solid white, with no discolored rings or red veins which could be seen. Floki had failed to close his eyes during the teleportation to Colossa, his curiosity getting the better of him as he was now completely blind, perhaps even permanently. It was a small price to pay however, for the clever Floki had gained a wisdom and knowledge that very few others possessed. He had witnessed the wormhole, and the distortion of space-time firsthand with his own two eyes as he peered into the bright spectrum of rainbow colored white blinding light before going through it.
Helga looked around the immediate area, searching for something useful. She found a very old petrified piece of smooth salt dried driftwood which looked like it had once been washed ashore by the waves. But there was not an inch of water in sight, as the oddly curved stick appeared to just be laying out in the open on a vast barren desert of bright red, orange, brown, white and black sand that was so fine and dry that it seemed like powder or dust. Helga quickly picked up the driftwood and brought it to Floki, placing it into one of his hands as a walking stick before helping him to stand up. Floki appeared much different now, with his white eyes, long crooked shepherd staff and dark grey hooded cloak, which was already turning orange from the collecting red dust.
"Tell me Helga, what does it look like? Was I right or wrong about this place?" Floki the Ghostslayer asked curiously, staring off into the distance at the great void of space, unable to see a thing. All the aging middle aged partially balding auburn haired Viking leader could see was a bright white blinding light surrounded by a circle of rainbow colored rays, like stained glass or a crystal prism of sorts resembling a halo or ring. It was like looking directly into the sun itself.
Helga looked out over the horizon. There was nothing to see at first glance. There was no forest, no grasses, no rivers or lakes. Just a vast bright red desert of mixed dust with deep red mountains and low laying wavy red hills of sand. There were no signs of intelligent life, if life even existed at all. The surface of Colossa was very similar to Mars, apart from having a breathable atmosphere capable of supporting carbon-based lifeforms, and perhaps even more obscure alien species. But there was nothing. The sky was thick and orangish brown, with purplish red clouds and windy dust storms. It looked like a desolate wasteland.
"It's... amazing. It's absolutely gorgeous. The most beautiful landscape I've ever seen," Helga reassured Floki before glancing at the others around them and motioning for them to play along. Erik the Red wasn't scathed at all however as he knelt down and picked up a handful of the red dust, letting it sift through his fingers. He sniffed the sand and tasted it with the tip of his tongue before nodding quietly. He was not from Iskjerne Bay, but from the Empyrean Norse Empire, and his advanced knowledge would prove to be a great asset on this unremarkable red moon.
"The soil is rich with salt, iron, and black powder. I think it contains quartz, charcoal, sulphur, gold, zinc, and sandstone as well." Erik "the Red" Thorvaldsson explained. Of course, there was much to be learned from the moon's mostly uncharted surface. As he drew his name in the sand using Futhark runic script, the young red haired outlaw noticed very fine small reflective particles of gold and other elements which he knew could be exploited with a little bit of knowledge and industrial mining. It was very fine though, and Erik knew from his father and grandfather before him what it would take to separate all of the elements and make something of it. But he was sure he could do it. He just needed some time to setup shop and get things going.
Meanwhile, Halfdan the Black didn't even know it yet, but his brother Harald Finehair had just become the legitimate King of Iskjerne Bay, following through with his plan to defeat Duke Rollo, eliminate all foreign influence and restore the Iskjerne Viking Kingdom to its original Norse Pagan independence and glory. Halfdan was now directly akin to the most famous Viking chieftain since Sigurd Hring, and unbeknownst to him, Halfdan the Black was now in danger of being powerful. He wasted no time in trying to establish a moon colony for his new comrades, as he began barking orders to Thodhilda and the other thralls.
There wasn't much to work with, but between the Empyrean Norseman and the Iskjerne Vikings, they would find a way to survive on this desolate Mars-like landscape and thrive by any means necessary, even if it meant they had to improvise by building an earthware settlement and terraforming their own backyards. It didn't take long for them to come up with a plan. They were Nordic peoples, after all, and had learned to survive in some of the harshest lands imaginable. It didn't matter much where the Vikings had landed. They were warriors by nature, and extremely resilient for what limited technology they had. It only took a week for Floki the Blind's group of seven diehard explorers to build a ring fortress out of nothing at all but natural sand.
A sand castle? A life-size replica. Was it even possible? Hrafn-Floki was blind, but not deaf, mute or stupid. As soon as the project was presented to him, Floki began to contemplate a way. Floki had no limitations apart from his own imagination, which had helped him succeed in times long since forgotten. Within a few days, Floki had Halfdan working on building a sustainable development. With no sign of an oceanic presence, Halfdan the Black started using Norse magic and science to make Floki's dream a reality.
The Vikings were already aware that the air itself was breathable. Halfdan the Black experimented with alchemy and studied Colossa's natural resources, while Erik the Red led the expedition party, surveying the area and determining the proper location of the first settlement. Floki himself, although blind, would orchestrate the whole project and he was very keen in doing so. Since there were no obvious natural resources like wood and water, the Vikings instead began studying the soil and red dust beneath their feet.
The red dust, although insignificant to many other nations in the history of the Multiverse, turned out to be quite fertile and full of natural elements which the Vikings themselves took full advantage of. Two weeks or so after their arrival on the red moon, the Vikings were already developing artificial structures and technology. Sigurd Hring the Titan had already controlled the planet Gaia herself. He had sworn to protect Gaia, and now, as nothing less than a god himself who had somehow merged and became One with Gaia, the great Sigurd Hring, known officially as the "Ringtaker", had already subjectated himself to a higher power.
There were many Titans on Gaia in those days. Even the gods themselves were not immune to Gaia's divine council. It had seemed that, despite the power of the Titans, the gods of the solar system still operated under a Council Republic where freedom was preserved, and Medieval Paganism was still the main authority. This meant Freedom, or what was left of it, as the gods themselves operated semi-democratically, with understandable limitations. Sigurd Hring had ascended completely to godhood. But by his own words, he was still limited and unable to leave the planet, bound by an unwritten, unspoken code of honour. The Vikings on the red moon Colossa did not have his direct presence, for the godhood that had been Sigurd Hring could never leave Gaia, and could only observe from Gaia's exosphere.
Hrafn-Floki had taken the Vikings above and beyond Gaia, to a very foreign place within the cosmos. Colossa was a very underestimated, very uninhabited red moon. There were flying translucent jellyfish on Colossa, but no sign at all of Intelligent life. That is, until the Vikings arrived. Two weeks in, Hrafn-Floki and his new gang had accomplished what Hethel Svensson had accomplished years before. Despite being as blind as an Earthworm, the great Raven Floki had established a colony on the red moon.
The moon. A natural satellite for Gaia, one of the overlooked main forces which had driven the gravity, and controlled the tides of Gaia itself, had now been colonized by none other than Iskjerne Vikings, led by a blind prophet. Floki no doubt had concerns for Iskjerne Bay, and despite having only partial awareness of King Harald Finehair's plans to perform a cultural ethnic cleansing of the planet, Hrafn-Floki was intelligent enough at least to put some thought and effort into protecting his homeland and furthering Gaia's security.
Floki the Blind considered every option in his free time, as most of the work on terraforming had been left in the hands of his subservient followers and thralls, or slaves, who worked tirelessly for over a week or two to turn his dreams into a reality. It was at that time that Floki the Ghostslayer developed a secret colony, naturally camouflaged by the red landscape, and a secret weapon designed specifically for the protection of the planet Gaia herself, from the Viking base on Gaia's insignificant red moon.
The Vikings were ready...
"Floki, your eyes have changed!" Helga exclaimed, a bit shocked to see that her husband no longer had bright blue irises. Instead, his eyes were milky white and had no irises or noticeable pupils at all. Just solid white, with no discolored rings or red veins which could be seen. Floki had failed to close his eyes during the teleportation to Colossa, his curiosity getting the better of him as he was now completely blind, perhaps even permanently. It was a small price to pay however, for the clever Floki had gained a wisdom and knowledge that very few others possessed. He had witnessed the wormhole, and the distortion of space-time firsthand with his own two eyes as he peered into the bright spectrum of rainbow colored white blinding light before going through it.
Helga looked around the immediate area, searching for something useful. She found a very old petrified piece of smooth salt dried driftwood which looked like it had once been washed ashore by the waves. But there was not an inch of water in sight, as the oddly curved stick appeared to just be laying out in the open on a vast barren desert of bright red, orange, brown, white and black sand that was so fine and dry that it seemed like powder or dust. Helga quickly picked up the driftwood and brought it to Floki, placing it into one of his hands as a walking stick before helping him to stand up. Floki appeared much different now, with his white eyes, long crooked shepherd staff and dark grey hooded cloak, which was already turning orange from the collecting red dust.
"Tell me Helga, what does it look like? Was I right or wrong about this place?" Floki the Ghostslayer asked curiously, staring off into the distance at the great void of space, unable to see a thing. All the aging middle aged partially balding auburn haired Viking leader could see was a bright white blinding light surrounded by a circle of rainbow colored rays, like stained glass or a crystal prism of sorts resembling a halo or ring. It was like looking directly into the sun itself.
Helga looked out over the horizon. There was nothing to see at first glance. There was no forest, no grasses, no rivers or lakes. Just a vast bright red desert of mixed dust with deep red mountains and low laying wavy red hills of sand. There were no signs of intelligent life, if life even existed at all. The surface of Colossa was very similar to Mars, apart from having a breathable atmosphere capable of supporting carbon-based lifeforms, and perhaps even more obscure alien species. But there was nothing. The sky was thick and orangish brown, with purplish red clouds and windy dust storms. It looked like a desolate wasteland.
"It's... amazing. It's absolutely gorgeous. The most beautiful landscape I've ever seen," Helga reassured Floki before glancing at the others around them and motioning for them to play along. Erik the Red wasn't scathed at all however as he knelt down and picked up a handful of the red dust, letting it sift through his fingers. He sniffed the sand and tasted it with the tip of his tongue before nodding quietly. He was not from Iskjerne Bay, but from the Empyrean Norse Empire, and his advanced knowledge would prove to be a great asset on this unremarkable red moon.
"The soil is rich with salt, iron, and black powder. I think it contains quartz, charcoal, sulphur, gold, zinc, and sandstone as well." Erik "the Red" Thorvaldsson explained. Of course, there was much to be learned from the moon's mostly uncharted surface. As he drew his name in the sand using Futhark runic script, the young red haired outlaw noticed very fine small reflective particles of gold and other elements which he knew could be exploited with a little bit of knowledge and industrial mining. It was very fine though, and Erik knew from his father and grandfather before him what it would take to separate all of the elements and make something of it. But he was sure he could do it. He just needed some time to setup shop and get things going.
Meanwhile, Halfdan the Black didn't even know it yet, but his brother Harald Finehair had just become the legitimate King of Iskjerne Bay, following through with his plan to defeat Duke Rollo, eliminate all foreign influence and restore the Iskjerne Viking Kingdom to its original Norse Pagan independence and glory. Halfdan was now directly akin to the most famous Viking chieftain since Sigurd Hring, and unbeknownst to him, Halfdan the Black was now in danger of being powerful. He wasted no time in trying to establish a moon colony for his new comrades, as he began barking orders to Thodhilda and the other thralls.
There wasn't much to work with, but between the Empyrean Norseman and the Iskjerne Vikings, they would find a way to survive on this desolate Mars-like landscape and thrive by any means necessary, even if it meant they had to improvise by building an earthware settlement and terraforming their own backyards. It didn't take long for them to come up with a plan. They were Nordic peoples, after all, and had learned to survive in some of the harshest lands imaginable. It didn't matter much where the Vikings had landed. They were warriors by nature, and extremely resilient for what limited technology they had. It only took a week for Floki the Blind's group of seven diehard explorers to build a ring fortress out of nothing at all but natural sand.
A sand castle? A life-size replica. Was it even possible? Hrafn-Floki was blind, but not deaf, mute or stupid. As soon as the project was presented to him, Floki began to contemplate a way. Floki had no limitations apart from his own imagination, which had helped him succeed in times long since forgotten. Within a few days, Floki had Halfdan working on building a sustainable development. With no sign of an oceanic presence, Halfdan the Black started using Norse magic and science to make Floki's dream a reality.
The Vikings were already aware that the air itself was breathable. Halfdan the Black experimented with alchemy and studied Colossa's natural resources, while Erik the Red led the expedition party, surveying the area and determining the proper location of the first settlement. Floki himself, although blind, would orchestrate the whole project and he was very keen in doing so. Since there were no obvious natural resources like wood and water, the Vikings instead began studying the soil and red dust beneath their feet.
The red dust, although insignificant to many other nations in the history of the Multiverse, turned out to be quite fertile and full of natural elements which the Vikings themselves took full advantage of. Two weeks or so after their arrival on the red moon, the Vikings were already developing artificial structures and technology. Sigurd Hring the Titan had already controlled the planet Gaia herself. He had sworn to protect Gaia, and now, as nothing less than a god himself who had somehow merged and became One with Gaia, the great Sigurd Hring, known officially as the "Ringtaker", had already subjectated himself to a higher power.
There were many Titans on Gaia in those days. Even the gods themselves were not immune to Gaia's divine council. It had seemed that, despite the power of the Titans, the gods of the solar system still operated under a Council Republic where freedom was preserved, and Medieval Paganism was still the main authority. This meant Freedom, or what was left of it, as the gods themselves operated semi-democratically, with understandable limitations. Sigurd Hring had ascended completely to godhood. But by his own words, he was still limited and unable to leave the planet, bound by an unwritten, unspoken code of honour. The Vikings on the red moon Colossa did not have his direct presence, for the godhood that had been Sigurd Hring could never leave Gaia, and could only observe from Gaia's exosphere.
Hrafn-Floki had taken the Vikings above and beyond Gaia, to a very foreign place within the cosmos. Colossa was a very underestimated, very uninhabited red moon. There were flying translucent jellyfish on Colossa, but no sign at all of Intelligent life. That is, until the Vikings arrived. Two weeks in, Hrafn-Floki and his new gang had accomplished what Hethel Svensson had accomplished years before. Despite being as blind as an Earthworm, the great Raven Floki had established a colony on the red moon.
The moon. A natural satellite for Gaia, one of the overlooked main forces which had driven the gravity, and controlled the tides of Gaia itself, had now been colonized by none other than Iskjerne Vikings, led by a blind prophet. Floki no doubt had concerns for Iskjerne Bay, and despite having only partial awareness of King Harald Finehair's plans to perform a cultural ethnic cleansing of the planet, Hrafn-Floki was intelligent enough at least to put some thought and effort into protecting his homeland and furthering Gaia's security.
Floki the Blind considered every option in his free time, as most of the work on terraforming had been left in the hands of his subservient followers and thralls, or slaves, who worked tirelessly for over a week or two to turn his dreams into a reality. It was at that time that Floki the Ghostslayer developed a secret colony, naturally camouflaged by the red landscape, and a secret weapon designed specifically for the protection of the planet Gaia herself, from the Viking base on Gaia's insignificant red moon.
The Vikings were ready...