Log:SinLore, Part 5

SinLore 2020/08/02 Arthur Aevus Porter|Jinx 5

Tales of the Skald!

Arthur would honestly prefer to be near the warmth of the fire along with Jinxy to stay warm, but his polite protests fall on deaf ears.

It's the scent of food that makes him change his mind. His stomach rumbles in agreement with the viking. It's time for tales.

Jinx doesn't need to be at the fire to stay warm. He has fur, afterall! And a warm Arthur from whom to leech any and all body heat. Because that's what kittens do.

To be fair, the food is not very distant from the roaring fires at the rear of the boat. Vikings crowd around, passing bowls of fish stew and flagons of mead and goblets of water around to ensure that everyone has food and drink. An older viking - the navigator with whom the Captain had been talking earlier? - climbs free of the crowd to stand before them all, in front of the flames.

"Tonight we feast! Tonight we remember the life and crimes of The Pale Cinder Queen! We renew ourselves in anticipation of the fight to come. We honor the gods this night and steel ourselves to defeat our mortalest foe!"

A cheer rises from the gathered vikings in a long, slow wave. It crescendos in a roar of fury and ecstasy, the vikings lifting high their flagons.

Arthur offers a cheer to fit in, but he's wondering what they're getting into. He accepts a bowl when passed to him, and the flagon of mead when it's shoved into his hand.

"Long have been the days since Weyland the Smith was captured and imprisoned unjustly by King Nidhad of the far Danes. Nidhad's crimes against Weyland were many; not just imprisonment, but tortures most foul. Crippled and imprisoned upon Saevarstoo, Weyland was forced to smithy the finest jewelry and trinkets for Nidhad and his family. Of course the King Nidhad's greed was insatiable and he took freely of the fine baubles that Weyland had crafted for his absent wife," rumbles the skald.

Behind the skald, the flames dance and swirl in the ocean winds. It seems to slowly meet the cadence of the skald's voice. Tongues of flame lash at the sky, casting embers toward the stars.

"One ring Nidhad gave to his wife, but the Queen gave the ring to her daugther, Bodvild, because the ring had caught the princess' eye. She longed for it and beseeched her mother for it daily until, at long last, the Queen gave in."

Arthur starts to spoon some of the fish stew into his mouth. It's rustic, and surprisingly tasty. He pulls out a piece of cooked fish and holds it in front of Jinxy to eat as he listens to the tale. The talk of jewelry is not what he was expecting, and he wonders what it has to do with the Pale Cinder Queen, or Ms. Talia Sintergaard.

"Crippled and imprisoned though he may have been, Weyland was not idle. Weyland the Smith was a man of great intellect, great wit, and great faith in the gods. He plotted and planned, prepared many great baubles to draw the eye of King Nidhad and all of Nidhad's vile brood. Then Weyland prayed to the gods, asking for them to bless his plan, and Vidar smiled down upon Weyland from Asgard."

The skald shakes his head. He takes a sip of his mead, strolling around the fire's base while he engages the gathered crew with eye contact.

"So it was that Nidhad's four sons set upon Saevarstoo to investigate the many wonders of Weyland's smithy. One by one, each of Nidhad's sons were taken - enchanted and enthralled - by the sight of the rings and torqs and wondrous pieces of gold and silver on display. While they were under the spell woven upon his goods, Weyland slew each of King Nidhad's sons. From their skulls, Weyland cast fine goblets. From the bones of their hands and feet, Weyland cast many fine pieces to display jewels and finish necklaces.

"But the blessings of Vidar were not to end there. No. After Weyland sent such fine makings to King Nidhad, Bodvild accidentally broke her ring. Ashamed, she hid it from her mother and her father. Instead, Bodvild stole from the castle in the night and rowed across the lake to the island of Saevarstoo just as Weyland finished hiding the remains of Nidhad's sons. There, Bodvild begged Weyland to fix the ring in secret."

Jinx would comment on the interesting tale, or possibly ask for the skald to continue, but that would be ...conspicuous. Also, it would require him to stop nomming on fish. Either thing would be terrible. Thus, he eats and listens like a good semi-captive audience.

Arthur eats pleasantly as he listens, making sure Jinx gets his share of fish stew as they sit and listen. His eyes go wide in horror as Weyland proves to be a serial killer, doing horrific things with the remains of Nidhad's sons. He keeps himself quiet by quickly forcing himself to sip some mead. It tastes sweet and delicious. Alas, Arthur hasn't realized he's inherited Porter's lightweight alcohol tolerance.

"Bodvild's wails fell upon indifferent ears in Weyland, until Weyland realized that he could use this to his advantage. Giving in to Bodvild's cries, Weyland told her to return the following night to recover her ring. And so Bodvild left, only to return the next night. Weyland didn't repair the ring; instead he laid another, more sinister trap for Bodvild.

"Upon Bodvild's return the next eve, Weyland led the poor woman through his smithy, promising that she would see her ring next. Eventually, Weyland plied her with drink as she tried to find her ring amongst a pile of rings. Weyland had poisoned the wine he presented her, eventually leading Bodvild to fall asleep. In her poisoned stupor, Weyland had his way with Bodvild and left her with child. He then finished assembling a pair of wings cast from the bones of King Nidhad's sons."

The skald frowns as he looks out across the assembled vikings. He clearly does not approve of Weyland's methods here.

Jinx isn't a smith, viking, or skald... but he doesn't really approve of Bodvild's methods, either. Wait. Bodvild. That sounds familiar. Was he a playwright, too? The name reminds him of musicals for some reason. Maybe it's just the skald telling it that inspires him.

Arthur shares in the frowning, and uses his flagon to cover up the scowl as he drinks. While Weyland was the prisoner and victim in this case, Arthur can't help but think him as a villain, or someone driven insane from his imprisonment.

"And that's where the tale should have ended, as the tale had ended the line of King Nidhad," intones the skald. A dull murmur echoes through the viking crowd around Arthur and Jinx. The skald resumes, "But we would not be here today were that truly the end."

"Bodvild was recovered from Saevarstoo and held in her room in Nidhad's castle. Her child was born and sent off with a servant to be raised in anonymity. During her misery and isolation, Bodvild was not idle. Each day, she would beseech the gods multiple times a day to relieve her of her burdens and to grant her vengeance against her most hated enemy.

"Vidar, the god of vengeance, could not aid her. He had already granted his blessing to Weyland in his own quest for recompense against King Nidhad. Despite this, Bodvild had Vidar's sympathies. Weyland had created far too much damage to the lives of those around King Nidhad. Vengeance, to Vidar, is a personal act and what Weyland had done was abhorrent in Vidar's eyes."

Arthur murmurs secretly into Jinx's ear while giving him a scritch, "At least the god had some conscience in what was done."

"Aye! The gods have conscience. They hold their own counsel and their own rules, they do have a conscience. They do feel badly when things go badly for the mortals in their purview."

The skald looks Arthur in the eye.

"With no justice to come to her from Vidar, Bodvild began to beseech Tyr One-Hand, god of justice and binder of pacts, to take her case. Unlike Vidar, Tyr accepted Bodvild's cries for justice. He let Bodvild plead her case and sought out Weyland to hear his side. Tyr One-Hand even visited with King Nidhad and his Queen, spoke with Vidar himself, and even journeyed into Helheimr to treat with Bodvild's brothers in the heart of Hel's hall, Eliudnir.

"What Tyr heard was compelling to him. Upon his conscience it weighed as heavily as it weighed upon the scales of Justice themselves. In Tyr's judgement, Weyland's revenge upon King Nidhad was well-founded and Vidar had sanctioned such vengeance well. However it was poorly executed, its methods abhorrent to the gods. Conflicted, Tyr said that it was not his place to levy penalties upon the parties involved. He suggested that Bodvild seek out another authority among the gods, one whose judgement would be final and decisive without need of contract or pledge to decide fates."

Arthur gulps and falls quiet as he's overheard, shrinking a little in his furs and holding Jinx closer.