Rufus the Bald's Story

King Halfdan Svensson considered what to do with the murderer Erik Thorvaldsson as he consulted with Erik's father. King Halfdan needed to gather information about the Iskjerne Kingdom on the northern continent of Ellaria, but he couldn't just execute Thorvald Bloodyfist's son and risk having his ambassador to the north turn against him by joining his enemies. After some careful consideration, Halfdan the Great decided to exile the young man instead for three years, and sent him with his father Thorvald to the continent of Ellaria after branding him. Halfdan's guards pinned the murderer down and burned his cheek with the flat side of a white hot knife before casting him off of the Empyrean Sea Beach for a period of three years, warning him that if he returned before his sentence was finished, he would be executed.

Thorvald Asvaldsson and his branded son, now dubbed Erik the Red, then boarded a small karve boat and sailed off into the sea, heading for Iskjerne Bay, while King Halfdan and his champion Rufus the Bald watched from the shore. The Empyrean Norse Kingdom continued to prosper over the next few weeks while Thorvald and Erik were gone. Prince Logan Haakonsson taught his godfather how to speak and write in elvish tongue, and in turn, King Halfdan Svensson gave his adopted son his own daughter, a virgin maiden who had recently turned 14-years-old and, upon having her first menstrual cycle, was now ready to become a woman.

"Come my boy, I want you to meet someone. This is my daughter, Alruna, who is about your age now. She is ready to become a princess. I want you to marry her, and give me some grandchildren," King Halfdan said prudently.

Alruna would curtsey before the prince and smile with shyness in her expression. She was wearing a pastel blue dress with a white flower tiara. Her dress matched her blue eyes, and her blonde long hair had been braided specifically for this special occasion. Prince Logan would look up to King Halfdan nervously, before turning to gaze at the young pretty girl before him. He stood up from his chair and stepped over to her, flinging his cape behind him as he bowed to her respectfully.

"My lady," He said softly before standing upright to look into her eyes. "It's an honor to meet you, your grace, I have heard so much about you," Alruna responded, kissing the prince's ring as he extended his hand. It was obvious that this was a formal arrangement by King Halfdan, rather than a legitimate act of love and affection. But the two youngsters did indeed look very good together, and perhaps that love and affection would be kindled afterall as Prince Logan invited her to dance with him in the king's hall. That night, the two nobles were married and a great public feast would take place to honor their engagement. There was much drinking, dancing, music and eating as Norsemen came from miles away to offer gifts and service to the both of them as loyal vassals.

Many wedding games were played at the drunken festival, from board games like chess and hnefatafl, to maypole dancing and toga-honk. Children would pretend to duel with wooden swords. Men competed in drinking games of strength and wits, while the women competed in fast paced dancing competitions, all while getting drunk on mead, cisers, beer, vodka and other strong beverages such as grog and ale. King Halfdan also ordered a large black ibex to be sacrificed by having its throat slit with a dagger. The blood of the ibex was collected into a large golden bowl or dish, and with the branch from an evergreen tree, the blood was sprinkled over the statues of the gods and goddesses inside the sacred hóf.

At the end of the celebration, all the priestesses in the surrounding village, both young and old, would lead the prince and his princess to the hóf where Logan and Alruna were then stripped naked, and began to make love in the middle of the pagan circle as all of the priestesses watched to make sure that everything went according to plan. This very public, very crude display of Empyrean Norse revelry was not as barbaric or as savage and uncivilized as it may have seemed, for the priestesses were there to ensure that the prince was fertile and able to perform, and that the princess became pregnant. The oldest oracle among them would even be able to tell if the future infant would be a boy or a girl, judging by the young couple's love making positions and the way they reacted.

At the third dawn as the party died down and everyone fell asleep, or returned home, and all the fires had died out, Alruna suddenly woke up and sat up out of a dead sleep as if startled by a nightmare. Prince Logan was still snoring beside her, sleeping naked and face down in a pile of grass. She placed a bear-hide blanket over him and covered her own nakedness with a white linen sheet as she stood up and looked at the circle of statues gazing down at her before walking out of the hóf, squinting her eyes as she gazed out over the land. She was hungover, dazed and confused. Life itself now seemed so surreal to her as she stumbled down the hillside back towards the great hall, unaware at the moment that she was no longer a common maiden but now a royal princess with authority to rule.

King Halfdan was at the recession hall inside the Empyrean Castle located in the Ring Fortress, talking to his jarls and other noble aristocrats about ways to expand his kingdom. He was wearing a dark royal purple tunic with gold trim, long red trousers, black leather boots and a black leather belt. He was also wearing a grey wolf skinned cape attached to one shoulder by a golden brooch, and a red fox fur hat or turban fitted with a crown of gold, and decorated with many colorful gemstones. He wore the king's red ruby ring, a gold medallion necklace inlaid with blue sapphire, and a silver serpent-headed arm ring over his left upper arm. King Halfdan's long shoulder length dark brown hair and short bearded mustache were groomed neatly and he smelled of spices and perfume, a clear indication that this was the king.

His most trusted nobles were with him. Fudørn Auricsson, the great descendant of Fudørn the Wise, was sitting to his right. Engrel Korrisson, the great descendant of Engöll the Archer, was sitting to his left. These were the jarls or earls of the Empyrean Norse Kingdom, dressed in bright red uniforms, wearing chainmail hauberks with lamellar cuirasses, metal stripped greaves and vambraces, their armor emblazoned with the logo of the famous dragon which also appeared on the banner and flags decorating the great kingdom, a sharp contrast to the Iskjerne Viking's raven banner, further across the seas to the north.

Snorri Jonasson was also sitting at the king's round table, only his uniform was bright blue instead of red, signifying that he was a man of lesser rank and status, but he was still privy enough to sit with the king and enjoy vintage wine in the company of great leaders. Rufus the Bald was also at the table, only he was not sitting, but rather, standing behind the king's throne. Rufus was also wearing a blue uniform, only his tunic was much darker than Snorri's, being a lesser bright, almost midnight or navy blue. Rufus the Bald had a long white wooly beard and a brown bear-hide fluffy cape which flowed over his broad shoulders, his completely bald head covered in tattoos with a stern fierce gaze on his face, signifying that this was the king's royal champion and bodyguard.

Other karls and freemen were also in the recession hall of the castle, though these were less famous Norsemen dressed in blue garbs who sat further down at the other side of the king's table. There were also three empty seats which had been designated for nobles, and which nobody else dared to sit in. Everyone else in the great gathering hall was either standing, or sitting on the matted flooring around the table. Some wore blue, some wore green, but apart from their attire, everyone in the castle looked pretty much the same. Young maids in pastel green dresses or long tunicas and aprons would walk around through the crowded chamber with silver pitchers, filling everyone's bolvine horned drinking cups and silver mugs.

Jarl Goffre had been away for some time, leading an expedition to the stars. Goffre's seat remained empty, for he had taken a fleet with him to another planet in a different arm of the galaxy, hoping to expand the kingdom and make it an empire. Prince Logan's and Princess Alruna's seats were also empty, for they were now handling other affairs inside the kingdom. Prince Logan was going around throughout the village on horseback, ensuring law and order, and gathering intelligence about the local community, accompanied by his elvish bodyguards, while Princess Alruna, now two weeks pregnant, would see to the temples, forests and gardens, accompanied by her closest hand-maidens as they left offerings for the gods and land spirits, ensuring peace and blessings throughout the marvelous kingdom.

Just as expected, a knarr would appear on the horizon of the sea, carrying merchants and sailors from the continent of Ellaria, bringing with them the merchandise they had gathered and purchased legally from trading and buying. The knarr was much smaller than the Norse drakkar longships, being roughly the same size as the karvis, only with a broader and wider hull which made it slower, but enabled it to carry more luggage. It was not a war ship, but a merchant ship, yet few were those who did not recognize its Empyrean dragon banner, or dared to commit piracy against it for fear of the consequences. The Empyrean Norsemen had been a decent, civilized and peaceful people for centuries, providing sanctuary to their neighbors and other Gaian peoples, and there was no need to provoke the Norsemen to war, especially after word had already spread across the lands about the fervor and violence of their northern cousins.

As the knarr reached the shores, it made its way to the docks and was roped off to keep it from drifting away as the small crew worked together with the other workers on the docks to setup a ramp on to the boat's deck. Soon, an assembly line was formed as the crew started handing down large wooden chests filled with merchandise and treasure, new furs and animal skins. They also unloaded some horses and goats, leading them off the docks and over towards the pastors near the farming village. Finally, a small mule cart wagon would descend down the ramp slowly and head for the ring fort, being driven by a familiar face. One of the guards would enter the king's hall and approach King Halfdan, whispering into his ear.

"Your majesty, I bring word from the shipyard. Thorvald Asvaldsson has returned from Iskjerne," the messenger whispered softly. King Halfdan nodded quietly and smiled, raising his silver wine goblet and offering a toast to the other nobles and freemen in the recession hall. "Skál!" the king shouted with glee. "Skál!" the Norsemen shouted back at him joyfully as they all proceeded to down the contents in their drinking horns. Everything was going smoothly according to plan. Little did any of them know at the time that Thorvald's message from the north would be a cause for great concern.

The Great King Halfdan Svensson was still feasting and enjoying the company of the other nobles when Thorvald "Bloodyfist" Asvaldsson walked into the great hall and stood quietly by one of the posts, joining the rest of the crowd who had come to feast with the king. King Halfdan the Great would glance over to Thorvald once he noticed him and signalled for him to approach the king's table and join him. "What news do you bring from the north?" Halfdan asked, offering him a seat across the table from himself. "Nothing you want to hear, your grace" Thorvald answered, removing his hat and sitting down.

"I learned that Iskjerne Bay is no longer a kingdom, but is composed of 3 kingdoms, 2 kings and 1 queen. There are no grasslands, no forests, and no sign of the land spirits. Cold and fever, sickness and death. There are many burial mounds, from the battles they have won. But Hel is like a silent hound, before it clicks its fangs. They are warriors, still, and I felt it better to leave before they started fighting, Thorvald recalled, telling the konung everything about the plague and division between the Iskjerne Vikings. People listened, and so did King Halfdan, who turned to look at Princess Alruna who was sitting beside him, next to Prince Logan, also listening. They had returned from their daily routines.

"You could have taken the throne for yourself," Logan said. King Halfdan glanced at Prince Logan, then turned to look at Thorvald again. "How about you, my daughter? What do you think?" he asked, as Thorvald glanced at King Halfdan before looking at the princess. "I, think... We should have a feast. Decorate our houses and celebrate" she said, smiling. King Halfdan grinned, glancing at the dome shaped rooftop high above the floor before nodding his head. "A feast... Yes. Invite messengers from every kingdom north and south, and send word that the leader of the Empyrean Norsemen is holding a feast, paid for by the king. It will last eleven days," the king said, looking at Prince Logan once again, before nodding his head.

Logan nodded to the sea elf standing beside him, who had purple and blue shiney, scaley skin, large black eyes with V-shaped reflective silver pupils, pointy ears, and long flowing green hair which looked like seaweed. The elf was wearing a dark midnight blue gambeson and a gem encrusted silver chestplate over the top of a silver hauberk and haubergeon, wearing a cone shaped gold-trimmed silver helmet, shoulder guards and arm plates, holding a double engrailed top shield similar to the shield of Tyrell in shape, only pure silver and gold in color and shine. As the elf walked away, King Halfdan ordered the preparations to be made for a feast. Soon everyone would start decorating the halls with boughs of holly leaves, placing mistletoe above the doorways, pine cones and berries intertwined with wreaths on the doors.

Logs were gathered and set by the fireplace, along with one log in particular which they had set aside from the others. Some people would pick mushrooms and decorate the pine trees, completely ignoring the other trees, while other Norsemen prepared centerpieces for the dining tables, each centerpiece having three candles. 1 large swine was prepared for the feast, along with 3 bulls, 6 goats, 9 squirrels, 1 fox, 1 horse and 1 bear. King Halfdan forbid the use of traps, making it illegal and unlawful to hunt anything with antlers. He insisted that they instead decorate their homes and the entire village with candles and magic tinsel, collecting berries and potatoes, carrots, walnuts, hazel nuts, almonds, cashews and pecans to share with everyone. Some of the maidens went to work making different kinds of breads and sweets for the the feast. Others would perform sacred cleansing rituals for the building, and the dining area inside of it.

King Halfdan the Great sent his messengers out into Ellaria and S'iven, and to the Álfaren kingdoms. Everyone was welcomed to participate, regardless of their race, gender, age, language or faith. He also invited other species, and left offerings all over the kingdom for the winter loving animals to eat freely. King Halfdan was hoping that his generous invitation would earn him a more connected, better relationship with his gods and neighbors. Apple and cinnamon, imported sugar and spice. There was ginger, peppermint and more to compliment different varieties of mead and beer, and plenty of food to go around as the fires burned and the Empyrean Norse Kingdom was lit up with lights. It wasn't snowing here like it was in Iskjerne Bay, but the wispy waves and southward winds made the Empyrean Sea Beach chilly at night, so iron chandeliers fitted with dozens of white and red candles would be hung in the recession hall, and above the dance floors and dining halls, along with portable torches, while the great hall and all the guest quarters were cleansed with burnt spices and incense, protecting the kingdom from an outbreak of the Viking Plague.

There was a knock on the door. Three consistent knocks in a row, simple and to the point. It was an elfen mercenary from the beach. He was wearing pure 999 golden reflective material, almost resembling aluminum foil and light metallic elven armor so shiny and perfect that it reflected like a gold mirror. His skin was iridescent and shiny with color changing hues of green, blue and purple like some kind of aquatic sea creature, and his scaley skin seemed to blend in and perhaps even merge with his scale breastplate and shoulder armor. The messenger had solid black eyes with V-shaped silver pupils, and at his side was a long curved sabre reminiscent of a silver scimitar.

"It's open..." Prince Logan responded from inside his private chamber. It was a rather basic room of antique design resembling something like a home office. The prince was sitting at his polished wooden desk, examining a tabletop miniature spinning globe of Gaia suspended by its axis points and connected to a bronze base, twirling it around with his fingertip.

As the tall elven naval officer opened the door, he held it open as another, much smaller figure entered the Prince's chamber and hobbled over to the chair on the other side of the prince's desk. Prince Logan could hear tiny footsteps approaching his desk, but whoever it was had been so small that he couldn't see the source of the footsteps over the edge of his desk as the chair across from him seemed to pull away and move on its own. A few seconds later, however, a small individual lifted himself into the chair and sat down, looking up at Prince Logan with just his eyes and ears showing, and the top of his long red cone shaped hat.

It was a garden gnome. But not just any garden gnome. It was the commander of the Empyrean Gnome Network, a sentient race of intelligence gathering little magical people who were native to the island and had somehow, despite the presence of the Norsemen, comically deemed themselves to be the sole rulers and guardians of the island, and the most powerful force in all of existence. This bold claim wasn't entirely true, but the Empyrean Norsemen respected the little gnomes and admired their fervor. Prince Logan had befriended the Empyrean Gnome Network, advised by his own elfish counsel, for the tiny domestic soldiers served a purpose and despite being very small, could be either a nuisance to the Norsemen, or a useful alliance. Their commander's name was Cloud Wrestler, and yet he only stood barely over 19 inches tall as he gazed up at Prince Logan with weariness in his tired eyes.

"Hello again young lad," the long grey bearded gnome said sluggishly, looking a bit dazed. The sea elf stepped into the prince's chamber and closed the door behind him, guarding the entrance.

"Oh, your excellency. I didn't know that was you. To what do I owe this great pleasure?" Prince Logan asked, sliding the model globe off to the side of his desk before pulling his seat forward and leaning in to get a better look at the little person sitting across from him.

"I've come to inform you that..." Cloud Wrestler leaned forward to peer into Prince Logan's eyes, raising his index finger to speak. But before he could, the old gnome closed his eyelids and lowered his hand again as his head started to hang forward and he suddenly fell asleep.

Prince Logan waited for a response, blinking as the commander started snoring loudly. "Commander Cloud..." the prince said calmly. But as the gnome started snoring more loudly, Logan slammed his fist down on the desk and spoke louder. "Commander!" he said affirmatively.

Commander Cloud jumped up and opened his eyes again, raising his index finger once more to finish his long lengthy speech, and make his demands. No way was some young punk Empyrean Norse prince going to try and startle him. Cloud Wrestler wasn't afraid of anybody or anything, as he tried to remember what he was saying.

"Um.. ah yes.. the Empyrean Gnome Network is proud to announce that our forces are in position." the commander said with authority, furrowing his hairy eyebrows. Prince Logan had no idea what Cloud Wrestler was talking about, but he was sure it was probably good news as he nodded quietly, listening to what the tiny fellow had to say.

"Zzz... Zzz..." the commander started to doze off and snore again. Prince Logan glanced up at the elven guardian at the door, who stood perfectly at attention, as still as a statue without flinching or even making a sound. Logan began to sympathize with the elven soldier for a moment, before slamming his fist down and calling his name again.

"Commander Cloud!" he shouted, causing the gnome to jump back in his seat and open his eyes again. Cloud Wrestler had to grab on to his red cone shaped hat and look around at first before he remembered where he was, or how he got there. But then it occurred to him. His army was all alone in the field. He had to get back to work.

"Hm? Oh yes, right... Carry on," the tiny leader commanded before hopping out of the chair and making his way back to the door. "Oh, and tell your king that last week's payment was short. He still owes us for the gardens," Cloud demanded. Prince Logan seemed confused.

"The payment was short? But that wasn't the - I had my own carrier deliver that basket..." Prince Logan assured him. But as the elfish warrior opened the door for him, Cloud Wrestler scoffed and retorted back to him.

"We agreed on 86 puffy marshmallows. I only counted 84, you owe us 5 more" the gnomish commander dictated as he scowled up at the much taller prince. Logan blinked again. He didn't understand the commander's logic, math or reasoning, but it actually amused him more than anything. Marshmallows of all things, in such a peculiar and specific amount. It was a small matter to the Empyrean Norsemen, but for some reason the gnomes were obsessed with marshmallows, something that the other Empyreans couldn't care less about. It seemed like a fair trade.

"My apologies, your excellency. I take full responsibility. I will have my servants double count the basket next time, and I will see to it that you are compensated..." the prince said.

As the commander of the Empyrean Gnome Network left the Prince's chamber, Logan would just smile quietly and shake his head while looking at the elfish warrior. The sea elf rolled his eyes and smiled also, saluting Prince Logan before leaving the room and closing the door behind him. Prince Logan leaned back in his chair, slid the model globe of Gaia back in front of himself on the desk and begin spinning it again. The life of an Empyrean Norse prince was interesting indeed.