[center][h2]Saga of Astrid - Year 0 Day 124[/h2][/center]

In Sardinia, winter is usually mild and balmy, this one was no exception, but it was longer than average as Astrid had been told by Amatro the Priest, which she had gotten very friendly with. It turns out in this day and age, those with a penchant to question the universe were attracted to the divine as proto-philosophers of sort. It also turns out their astronomy was more advanced than Astrid would have expected and could calculate time of the year by measuring shadows with painted sticks. 

Painted sticks... Astrid was not satisfied by such a unit of measurement. Even in her commercial business this had caused problems, people who argued about buying a foot or a hand's length of something, with weight it was even worst and it was often measured at the eye and the feel! Initially she figured screw it, she'd make up a decimal system based on what 'felt' like a gram, a centimeter, etc. But then as she had a lot of time to contemplate life without the distraction of screens around her, her mind wandered... Decimals had the unfortunate problem of not liking to be divided and introduced fractions. 10 has the factors 1, 2, 5 and 10... But 12 on the other hand? 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 12! A third being 4 instead of 0.3333 ad infinitum. Sure the human had 5 fingers, but she saw the locals count not with their fingers, but instead the phalanx of their fingers (excluding their thumbs), 3-3-3-3, so 12!

Astrid was grinning to herself like an idiot as she thought up those things, feeling the closest she had to doing her morning crosswords and sudoku. Yes. [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6xJfP7-HCc]A Dozenal system[/url] would work nicely.

This would somehow prove to be the most annoying thing Astrid had done yet to the villagers. She had her containers, her rulers, her weights and her balance, if you wanted to buy from her that precious soap or delicious spirit, you would trade using her instruments. But little did she know, it was something else that would cause the most controversy of her stay, something she had decided to do as a favor for someone in need even.

[center][h2]Saga of Astrid - Year 0 Day 127[/h2][/center]

"So we are clear: As everyone here is my witness, I, Astrid Palmkvist, am buying all of your future barley harvest for this year in exchange for this copper now. Press your thumb on the slate as your signature and the deal will be done."

Indeed the winter had been long and spring was the time of struggle. People planting their seeds and having to tilt the field and wait for the next crops to grow. Some had saved up less than others and now paid the price in starvation. It was not a general famine, thank god, but there it was. If he had gone around and asked for charity, Astrid was quite certain no one would have let this poor farmer and his family starve of course, but there was an element of pride. Here, Astrid gave him the coin to provide for his own family in exchange for future labor, not only that but she took the risk: Would this crop be good? Bad? Who knew! The man was all smile as he eagerly pressed his thumb on the clay tablet and took her copper. All around her however, those she had brought to be witness to the contract looked at each other with incredulity. A 'future's contract' was a novel idea after all! 

[center][h2]Saga of Astrid - Year 0 Day 301[/h2][/center]

"You signed a contract Uris, I have your mark, I have 3 witnesses who will agree: Your crop, good or bad, is mine by right."

"Y-you fleeced me! How was I supposed to know this year's harvest was going to be exceptional? A-and she wants all of it! Not even leaving me anything to feed my children during the winter, nothing to put into the ground for the next harvest!"

"And the witnesses will testify this was explained to you, you were told to manage your coin to have some left to buy food for your family once the harvest began, but you squandered it all. Yet the contract remains, you agreed to this, you were warned."

Chief Vilkas was holding a court of law in front of his longhouse, Uris the farmer begging him and insulting Astrid, calling her a witch who cast a spell on him, something that thankfully was ignored since Astrid was friend with the priests and contributed generously to religious festivals. She ultimately rolled her eyes and waited patiently. She had already won, he had admitted to signing the contract! Now this was all a waste of time.

"Hm... The amount of coins paid is rather low for such a bountiful harvest." The chief declared.

Immediately Astrid began to blink and look around in confusion as everyone around her nodded in agreement. Even one of her witness! What was going on here?!

"What does this have to do with anything?" Astrid spat out. "The contract did not state any amount of barley, it stated all of the barley. What if the harvest had been poor? What if his field had been... flooded or something?" The blonde immortal frowned, for the first time wondering if these people were all too stupid to understand the nature of a contract. 

Then, Amatro the priest, one of her witness to the contract and one she judged to be a personal friend placed a hand on her shoulder. "Please, Strid. If it had happened, we would have worked something out between the two of you. Uris was a fool and mismanaged the coins you gave him, that we all agree on-" The people around them nodded in agreement. "-and for this he should be punished. Take the excess of his harvest this year and the next one in compensation, but his family should not suffer for his foolishness."

This seemed to make consensus in the crowd, but Astrid was mad like she had never been since she came here. This was a contract freely made! And it's not like Uris was left destitute, he had land he could sell! Oh sure it would force him to become a thrall, a landless worker which was a huge step down in this day and place, but that was HIS business! Suddenly however she noticed the looks people around her gave her. Contempt, for everyone else around her, her logic was cold and cruel, evil. She understood that in the court of public opinion she had lost.

"...I suppose we did things differently back in my home." She simply declared, trying to handwave this away as cultural miscommunication.

"Strid. Join me in my house." Chief Vilkas suddenly commanded her.

Still mad as hell, Astrid walked through the circle at the center of the crowd and into the house of the chief, closing the door behind her. Vilkas looked into her eyes, he was taller than most so he didn't have to crank his head up as much as the others to do that. "You've been with us for a year now, Strid."

There was a couple months missing of course, but she knew better than be nitpicky with this man. Where was he going with this though?

"You made quite the name for yourself. No words from your father yet however... I was waiting for him to come rescue you to ask him for you to be mine." He casually declared. Astrid frowned as her mind raced, what the hell did that mean? Vilkas was married already! Twice in fact, so then again why not trice.

"A very... flattering proposition, Chief Vilkas, but-" He nodded, as if her calling his proposition flattering somehow meant she agreed with it.

"That would make things much simpler for you. You like to play merchant, but you do not have a husband to back you up, as we're seeing right now with this Uris business. I suppose this is a little bit direct but I think you're a woman who appreciates directness so here it is: Marry me, Strid, and your interests shall be mine. You can focus on your numbers and your crafting and I will handle the people aspect of things."

Astrid simply looked at Vilkas silently. From the outside she was as cryptic as ever, but from the inside, ohhhh, she was boiling with rage. How dared he, wanting to pull everything she had accomplished under her? Treat her like she was his inferior?!

"Of course you can chose to refuse, I understand that without your father's blessing this is a bit awkward. But in this case I'd say its time for you to look for him. I'll have passage on a ship prepared for you for wherever you want to go and I'll even give you some coins, if that's how it has to be."

She stared at him some more, calculating if he was bluffing or not. But by god, to endure living at the mercy of someone who thought he controlled her like that...

"How... generous. But I can charter my own ships, I have accumulated quite some things during my stay here."

"What? Hahaha, you won't be leaving with all of the tools! Strid, you're a woman and I welcomed you here, that makes me your guardian! You can't just leave with my stuff!"

Astrid suddenly went from boiling to terrified.

"You can't-"

"I can't what, Strid? What can't the chief do?"

...If she left, she left with nothing. Hell, this was actually a generous offer, Vilkas gave her a choice, something he didn't even have to do. Astrid had tried so hard in these last months to rebuild modern amenities and comfort that she had forgotten that the greatest gift of modern society was nothing so material, it was the law. Neutrality of the state, a socially upheld idea of justice and a world where arbitrary lords with powers of life and death over others didn't exist anymore.

She considered making a point and leaving, but she knew it wouldn't be as easy anywhere else. She had taken the low hanging fruits and now she would have to compete against her own old operation in Sardinia. And anyways, would wherever she end up be any different? Would it be worst than here?

Astrid vowed this was not the end of it, she would not stand for an arbitrary lawless world and one day, she would change things. But for now... She raised her head and pouted, cocking her hip girlishly as she crossed her arms. 

"You can't possibly ask me to be a concubine."

Dodge and deflect, if Vilkas understood how much she hated his offer he'd put a leash on her, she had to negotiate in a way that she could fake being satisfied with the result.

"Of course not, our children will be equal to my others."

Children? Astrid did her best not to shudder.

"I am also a chief's daughter and I built all I did to provide for them, the son I'll give you deserves to be your heir."

She studied Vilkas' features. He was annoyed, but he seemed to take it seriously. This was his language, these demands he understood.

"Your children will inherit what you've built, you have my word, but my eldest will rule."

As if she cared about inheritance, Astrid had no plan to have any kids! But she rolled her eyes and sighed, as if displeased of the answer, squirming for the satisfaction of the chief to know he held her in the palm of her hands, that she danced to his tune and that 'inheritance' was a string he could pull to manage her in the future. This was the best bluff she could manage.

"Alright, then so be it... dear husband. Now, on the subject of Uris~" It took all the mental fortitude of Astrid to manage a smirk and Vilkas laughed it off, signaling her to follow him as he walked out.

The chief stood in front of the tribal assembly with a big smile. "I have come to a decision! Uris, as you have failed to heed your own word, your lands are now forfeit." Whispers of surprise and outrage came from the crowd, this was harsh! "They will instead be managed by my wife, Strid. Obviously she'll make them more prosperous than you ever could."

There was a moment of silence and suddenly someone cheered, then others followed as they realized this whole judgement thing had just moved on to the chief marrying Astrid and so, the sycophants congratulated him.

Astrid turned her eyes to Uris with pity. Even if she had won, this was not justice.

[b]TL;DR
- Astrid creates a measuring system for her own use but imposes it on others who want to do business with her.
- She makes friends with the village priest over a common passion for Astronomy.
- She creates a 'Future's Contract' with a farmer but has to go to the Chief for judgement when the farmer refuses to honor it during the harvest.
- Chief Vilkas asks Astrid to marry her or leave the village, leaving everything she's built behind. Astrid agrees to the marriage but vows to make a world without petty tyrants like him.[/b]