Fiscbryne

The Unknown Lands: A Viking Saga

Would we write the additional characters’ CSes in the same fashion as the ones up right now or would we do them differently? I’m not sure who I might make at the moment, but I’ll chew on it and say when I come up with something!

And @Lord Pie, a more religious character sounds really cool! I admit that I’m not especially well-read so take it with a grain of salt, but if I remember correctly, Norse religious leadership is tied to political leadership (at least in an Icelandic context from what we can tell in the Sagas of Icelanders) so that priestly role (referring to goðar) might already be fulfilled by Åse—if of course that is the model we’re going with. If we do go with that, then your character could be a seeress (völva, spækona, seiðkona) instead perhaps, seeing the future through magic. I would also be curious how you might play it! I do think that being a seeress does perhaps lack the narrative ‘oomph’ of a more priestly role in terms of creating conflict, but that option might be something to chew on.

Given that we are eschewing magic and myth, a quick look on Wikipedia cites from the National Museum of Denmark a possibility of seeresses using henbane based on archaeological finds; that might be of interest to you!

Regarding the character’s cruelty, I think that would be interesting too, but I’m wondering to what extent that might be less impactful given our characters’ predispositions to violence if not outright cruelty—how would you play it? And one thing nagging in the back of my mind is how would you keep her from being too dark? But I’m really interested to see what you might come up with!

(As for pies, my personal favorite has always been pecan pie—though there are many delicious pies in the world.)

The Unknown Lands: A Viking Saga

Segrim the Black

SEGRIM the BLACK

---

Base pleasures had always dulled the ache of shame. It was no surprise to anyone that Segrim greedily revelled in them after the Battle of Thetford as he had many times before, only leaving the company of carousing warriors to watch his lord’s broken body burn to ash. He sat apart from Erik Lord’s close kinsmen as he nursed a half-finished cup of wine, more lost in his own thoughts than mourning the loss of his lord. It was colder away from the fire, but his blue cloak of rich fabric warded off much of the night’s chill.

The cloak was a last gift from a girl back home, he had said, though like many of the things he said about his past, that wasn’t the exact truth. Other men said that she must have liked Segrim well to give as rich a gift as that—but Segrim was always as tight-lipped on the matter as he was about the rest of his past. Once, the cloak had been his sole possession of value, but he had other treasures now: Christian baubles of gold and silver; a fine comb of ivory; a glittering byrnie looted off a Saxon’s corpse; and, most dearly, the Mjölnir pendant his brother Semund had given him the night before Segrim fled from the homestead.

It was no secret that Segrim was an exile, but men questioned him little for he had both fighting prowess and proven loyalty to his new lord. He had gained a measure of fame among them and a new epithet to come with it: Segrim the Black they had begun to call him, so named for the hair that hung dark and lank past his ears. It pleased him well to be rid of his father's name and to come a step farther from his ignoble past—a step farther from the murder he had committed in Denmark. Segrim had joined Erik’s host soon before the fighting began, swearing himself to Erik’s service soon before they had left Denmark. Service to his new lord made him glad, for it allowed him to escape the possibility of becoming a wolfshead in the wilderness of Denmark. Still, the memory of the secret killing Segrim had committed burned in his memory. The night’s revelry had dulled his senses but did little to soothe his guilty soul.

Freedom. Segrim decided that freedom was what he sought. He had no desire to return to Denmark, to be among those who would—if they suspected his involvement in the crime—pursue him as they would a savage wolf and slay him. Neither did he wish to be in a land so deeply tied to his guilt. But too there was little freedom to be had in the land of the Saxons where the law of Denmark drew all too close for his liking. He needed to escape, to go elsewhere, but where to he did not yet know.

Segrim rose to his feet and ambled towards the pyre of his dead lord, his face lit strangely by the red firelight. He drained his cup and wiped the wine from his dark moustache as Erik's body dwindled to nothing.

“Erik Lord died with honour, Åse,” Segrim said, his dark eyes upon the man's widow, “and that is more than many men receive.” Or deserve, he added darkly in his mind. The man's gaze turned to Kjartan, the dead lord's brother, and he took a deep breath.

“Too it is painful, losing a brother,” he told the man, speaking slowly. “But at times like these, I recall the wisdom of ancient verses:

Cattle die, kindred die,
we ourselves also die;
but the fair fame never dies
of him who has earned it.

“Your brother, Kjartan, was no unknown man, and he will go to Valhalla without shame in his heart. There are many men who could not say the same.” And Segrim the Black is chief among them. But Segrim was never one for idleness, and he would leave soon for some new couuntry if he could, perhaps to Iceland or to Greenland or to fabled lands further west—and perhaps on those distant shores he could at last leave his troubled past behind.

The Unknown Lands: A Viking Saga

CS updated per your request! @Pagemaster

Segrim the Black

SEGRIM the BLACK

---

Base pleasures had always dulled the ache of shame. It was no surprise to anyone that Segrim greedily revelled in them after the Battle of Thetford as he had many times before, only leaving the company of carousing warriors to watch his lord’s broken body burn to ash. He sat apart from Erik Lord’s close kinsmen as he nursed a half-finished cup of wine, more lost in his own thoughts than mourning the loss of his lord. It was colder away from the fire, but his blue cloak of rich fabric warded off much of the night’s chill.

The cloak was a last gift from a girl back home, he had said, though like many of the things he said about his past, that wasn’t the exact truth. Other men said that she must have liked Segrim well to give as rich a gift as that—but Segrim was always as tight-lipped on the matter as he was about the rest of his past. Once, the cloak had been his sole possession of value, but he had other treasures now: Christian baubles of gold and silver; a fine comb of ivory; a glittering byrnie looted off a Saxon’s corpse; and, most dearly, the Mjölnir pendant his brother Semund had given him the night before Segrim fled from the homestead.

It was no secret that Segrim was an exile, but men questioned him little for he had both fighting prowess and proven loyalty to his new lord. He had gained a measure of fame among them and a new epithet to come with it: Segrim the Black they had begun to call him, so named for the hair that hung dark and lank past his ears. It pleased him well to be rid of his father's name and to come a step farther from his ignoble past—a step farther from the murder he had committed in Denmark. Segrim had joined Erik’s host soon before the fighting began, swearing himself to Erik’s service soon before they had left Denmark. Service to his new lord made him glad, for it allowed him to escape the possibility of becoming a wolfshead in the wilderness of Denmark. Still, the memory of the secret killing Segrim had committed burned in his memory. The night’s revelry had dulled his senses but did little to soothe his guilty soul.

Freedom. Segrim decided that freedom was what he sought. He had no desire to return to Denmark, to be among those who would—if they suspected his involvement in the crime—pursue him as they would a savage wolf and slay him. Neither did he wish to be in a land so deeply tied to his guilt. But too there was little freedom to be had in the land of the Saxons where the law of Denmark drew all too close for his liking. He needed to escape, to go elsewhere, but where to he did not yet know.

Segrim rose to his feet and ambled towards the pyre of his dead lord, his face lit strangely by the red firelight. He drained his cup and wiped the wine from his dark moustache as Erik's body dwindled to nothing.

“Erik Lord died with honour, Åse,” Segrim said, his dark eyes upon the man's widow, “and that is more than many men receive.” Or deserve, he added darkly in his mind. The man's gaze turned to Kjartan, the dead lord's brother, and he took a deep breath.

“Too it is painful, losing a brother,” he told the man, speaking slowly. “But at times like these, I recall the wisdom of ancient verses:

Cattle die and kinsmen die;
The self will die the same—
But I know one thing never dies:
Dead men's famous deeds.

“Your brother, Kjartan, was no unknown man, and he will go to Valhalla without shame in his heart. There are many men who could not say the same.” And Segrim the Black is chief among them. But Segrim was never one for idleness, and he would leave soon for some new couuntry if he could, perhaps to Iceland or to Greenland or to fabled lands further west—and perhaps on those distant shores he could at last leave his troubled past behind.

The Unknown Lands: A Viking Saga

That makes sense! Cheers.

Here's my CS draft submission:

Segrim the Black

SEGRIM the BLACK

---

Base pleasures had always dulled the ache of shame. It was no surprise to anyone that Segrim greedily revelled in them after the Battle of Thetford as he had many times before, only leaving the company of carousing warriors to watch his lord’s broken body burn to ash. He sat apart from Erik Lord’s close kinsmen as he nursed a half-finished cup of wine, more lost in his own thoughts than mourning the loss of his lord. It was colder away from the fire, but his blue cloak of rich fabric warded off much of the night’s chill.

The cloak was a last gift from a girl back home, he had said, though like many of the things he said about his past, that wasn’t the exact truth. Other men said that she must have liked Segrim well to give as rich a gift as that—but Segrim was always as tight-lipped on the matter as he was about the rest of his past. Once, the cloak had been his sole possession of value, but he had other treasures now: Christian baubles of gold and silver; a fine comb of ivory; a glittering byrnie looted off a Saxon’s corpse; and, most dearly, the Mjölnir pendant his brother Semund had given him the night before Segrim fled from the homestead.

It was no secret that Segrim was an exile, but men questioned him little for he had both fighting prowess and proven loyalty to his new lord. He had gained a measure of fame among them and a new epithet to come with it: Segrim the Black they had begun to call him, so named for the hair that hung dark and lank past his ears. It pleased him well to be rid of his father's name and to come a step farther from his ignoble past—a step farther from the murder he had committed in Denmark. Segrim had joined Erik’s host soon before the fighting began, swearing himself to Erik’s service soon before they had left Denmark. Service to his new lord made him glad, for it allowed him to escape the possibility of becoming a wolfshead in the wilderness of Denmark. Still, the memory of the secret killing Segrim had committed burned in his memory. The night’s revelry had dulled his senses but did little to soothe his guilty soul.

Freedom. Segrim decided that freedom was what he sought. He had no desire to return to Denmark, to be among those who would—if they suspected his involvement in the crime—pursue him as they would a savage wolf and slay him. Neither did he wish to be in a land so deeply tied to his guilt. But too there was little freedom to be had in the land of the Saxons where the law of Denmark drew all too close for his liking. Åse’s longships would bear him across the waves to freedom, farther yet from those who might desire his death.

Segrim rose to his feet and ambled towards the pyre of his dead lord, his face strangely-lit by the red firelight. He drained his cup and wiped the wine from his dark moustache as Erik's body dwindled to nothing.

“Erik Lord died with honour, Åse,” Segrim said, his dark eyes upon the man's widow, “and that is more than many men receive.” Or deserve, he added darkly in his mind. The man's gaze turned to Kjartan, the dead lord's brother, and he took a deep breath.

“Too it is painful, losing a brother,” he told the man, speaking slowly. “But at times like these, I recall the wisdom of ancient verses:

Cattle die, kindred die,
we ourselves also die;
but the fair fame never dies
of him who has earned it.

“Your brother, Kjartan, was no unknown man, and he will go to Valhalla without shame in his heart. There are many men who could not say the same.” And Segrim the Black is chief among them. But Segrim would be a new man in the West, and perhaps on those distant shores he could at last leave his troubled past behind.

The Unknown Lands: A Viking Saga

I agree that it's common for non-Christian elements to be co-opted into Christian culture, but in this case it's the other way around. Johann/Johannes/John can be very clearly traced etymologically to Latin Iōhannēs to Greek Ἰωάννης to Hebrew יוֹחָנָן, roughly meaning 'God is gracious.' The name's of Danish origin, of course, but it comes into Danish because of Christian influences and distinctly arises from Christian mythos.

The Unknown Lands: A Viking Saga

@Pagemaster, I was curious and wanted to ask: if Kjartan isn't a Christian, why was his father named Johann? Was his father baptized or is there another reason for that?

And I'm still working on it, but with luck I should have a CS draft up within the next couple hours!

The Unknown Lands: A Viking Saga

Thanks! I appreciate the input and I’ll chew on it as I develop my character. Should we post our character sheets in the OOC before they go into the Character section?

The Unknown Lands: A Viking Saga

Hey! Before we start, I had a couple questions I wanted to ask:

• What language would you like us to use for naming? I noticed that Åse and Kjartan both have Danish names--would it be correct to assume that's expected?
• What is the current status of Christianization among Åse's people? Are there many converts? Have people fought against it?
• What should we be aiming for tonally and what are y'all comfortable with in terms of mature content?

Thanks in advance! I'm excited to begin.

The Unknown Lands: A Viking Saga

Sounds great! I’m definitely still interested.

The Unknown Lands: A Viking Saga

Thank you! That sounds really good to me. I had mainly been concerned with 'savagery' and that sort of stereotyping but it sounds like that won't be a problem! Much appreciated.