The foundation we build upon

I fought as hard as I could, endured as much as I could, but I failed again.

My right arm burned, exhausted from the effort from trying to overpower that branded specter. I felt better losing the arm wrestling than when I lost the foot race. He even praised me for fighting well, but I still had lost. Another warning. Do not disappoint. I will not be kind a third time.

I had intended to build up the existing graveyard, but that I think will take far too long and involve too many others. I need to do something to honor the fallen. Something I can do on my own.

Something I’ve been neglecting for far too long… A Runespeaker tradition.

I will find some suitable large stones and ask Tove or Tora to help me shape them into tablets.

I will collect the stories of those who fell in service of Runeheim.

Speak with Java about the Grey Wolves, she knew them more closely than I did…

Speak with Ragnar about Brenna to learn her story…

Think back on Hakon and all he’s taught me…

Put those stories to ink upon the stones, so that all who come after us can learn lessons from those heroes.

Vogel, who survived the onslaught of many Skógerblóði spawn so that the other Beastwise may slay Skógerblóði…
Gisla, who’s iron will in combat let no blade nor claw reach her companions…
Vestri, who took to the duties of Beastwise without hesitation…
Vergil, who faced the challenges of daily life with a smile…
Olaf, who I did not know that well, but I can only assume he stood with the rest Grey Wolves until the very end…

They Grey Wolves taught us that our bonds with kith and kin are our greatest strength.

Brenna, a resolute woman whom even the yoke of fate could not restrain, taught us that we are who we choose to be even if the gods and demons of the world conspire against us.

Hakon taught me being brave does not mean that you feel no fear. Cowards lets fear control them, brave men spit in the face of fear and command it to stand aside.

You branded specter whose name I will recover from the mists of history…

You have taught me what it means to be heroic…

Heroes are the foundation we built our society upon.

We must never forget them nor the lessons they have imparted onto us.

Through the ashen looking glass

I was told once by my father

“The only difference between Respect and Fear, is how one presents their blade to others”

Just visiting Sistegard now would tell any young magician why the common people hate and fear magic.

I can still hear the crackling of the earth beneath my feet and feel the unnatural heat through my shoes and clothes.

I can still see the remains of the people of Sistegrad. The souls are gone, but the bodies are still mangled and manipulated by rampant energies. Every movement cracking their skin and bones just a little more.

The anacrusis here will likely persist for centuries.

There is no village called Sistegrad here.

Not anymore.

I know we are at war, but…

These were people…

They had families…

Was it truly necessary to destroy Sistegrad so thoroughly?

If this is a war for the soul of Njordr…

What soul will be left when the wages of war have been paid?

To Honor the Lost

My mentor once said “The past cannot be erased, merely hidden away waiting to be uncovered once again.”

He said this both as an encouragement for my archaeology training and a warning to be careful and considerate when exploring unknown ruins.

Normally this was just to encourage making sure the local wildlife hadn’t taken up old buildings or caves as their home. I didn’t ever think he meant ghosts as well.

My veins turned to ice as he approached. I didn’t know his name, no one probably could, but something told me deep down that a mistake I made long ago in my younger days was here to claim dues.

Thank Benalus, Knut was their to negotiate nameless branded ghost to named branded man, otherwise I’d probably be a ghost writing this to parchment now.

The foot race was a farce. There was no way I could win against a specter over a foot my height, the crow creatures suddenly appearing halfway didn’t help either

No excuses from me however. I made a promise to a branded man that I intended to keep.

A monument for those fallen in service to Runeheim and its people.

As for the first name on that monument…

The name I lost and will find again.

I promise you. All will know your name.

From Atop the Summit, I Vow To Those I Could Not Save…

Hakon is gone.

I knew it would happen someday. A violent man usually meets a violent end, but should not have been like that.

Vulnerable, alone, ambushed not by men but monsters in the bunks we sleep in.

Sigi slit the throat of one of the vampire spawn. The other tried to charge at me but Sigi held it at bay.

I invoked stone spear after stone spear at the thing. Each laced with hatred and fury at the beast that feasted upon my friend. Eventually one hit the beast in the heart and it went limp.

But it was far too late. Hakon was barely alive. Paler than I’ver ever seen him. He only had enough time to gasp his last words to Brother Erasmus.

I slammed a wall with my fist. Tears welling up. Fury roiling. Despair grasping at mind.

I didn’t have time though. I had a mountain to conquer. Miva could see it painted on my face. She handed me a small bottle. I knew what is was. It wasn’t an ordinary brew. Something to cope with the suffering.

I chugged the thing. It tasted awful, but I barely noticed. I left the bunk and went through the tavern. I must have terrified the Eparch as she nearly drew her sword upon me. Clearly the death of a friend casted a darkness over me. I suppose it was a natural reaction, as in that moment I was a good man preparing to war with demons. I had a mountain to climb.

The archmage tasked us with a mystery. A complex ritual of magic that required skilled use of both incantation and hand signs to channel great arcane power. He provided us the material for the circle and instructions. Java and Sygrun constructed the sigil. I volunteered to perform the ritual.

When the circle was ready. I took a deep breath. I had the steps clearly in mind, the incantion on my tongue, and my hands flowed from sign to sign with a grace I didn’t know I had. An twisted thing appeared, incomphrensible shape and arcane light. The archmage asked it questions I had no understanding of. Then when he finished he gestured to me to ask my questions.

I had none… I had climbed the mountain to save my friend from his curse. I failed. Why was I here? Facing this arcane thing?

Then it tried to pry into my head. Tried to surface old fears. I grit my teeth and barked a snippy question to halt its advances into my mind, binding it with the circle. Eventually Java suggested a question and I asked it. I got an answer I didn’t understand. I sure hope Sygrun remembers what that thing said.

We no longer had questions. We really should have thought harder before we started the mystery. I starting to channel energy to dismiss this thing and end the ritual, but I was weary from it’s psychic assault. I had to beg Sygrun to enter the circle and lend me just another ounce of strength. She did, and the beast vanished into the evening air.

The Archmage was impressed with me despite me berating myself for my recklessness. “You’ve become very adept despite your short tenure as a wizard”

He remarked at Java knowing the boundaries of her ability and lightly scolded Sygrun for not being brave enough to enter the circle with me. He made it clear that together we three mages can do much more together than we ever could alone. We had reached the summit and impressed its owner.

If only Hakon could see me now. I wonder what he’d say? I think he’d be proud of me.

I think he is proud of me. I’m am a talented mage.

I am one of the best mages in Runeheim.

I vow to all those I could not save,

The Night Malefic will run when the good man goes to war

The Mark of Recognition

During court it was decided that Mages would be required to wear an armband that signifies them as a member of one of the Guilds recognized by the Gothic empire. This edict was in response to complaints from some peasants that blamed mages for crops growing weird and other odd happenings.

While I agreed, that maybe a mage could be responsible for those things, this edict seemed like a poor way to handle this. It was reasoned that if Knights and Priests have to wear marks of their order, why shouldn’t mages? While I had some small pride in becoming a mage, others were concerned that marking mages would make them easy targets for malice.

It is a foolish thing, choosing to inflict violence upon a Knight or Priest is unthinkable for most of the citizens in Runeheim. Who would dare to incur the wrath of the powerful knight houses or go against the words of Benalus by attacking his devoted?

But mages are sometimes not afforded this protection. Some view mages as either heretics or heretics waiting to happen. Some view mages as perverters of the natural order, greedy men and women who defile the land with every breath they take. If a peasant decides to blame a mage for his crop failing and decides he has nothing to lose by stabbing the mage in the back, Would the guild swear vengeance for their fallen comrade? Or would a rival mage just see a threat to their power removed without their hands being dirtied?

I worry that this edict puts myself and the other mages dedicated to Runeheim in danger. I can only hope I fostered enough good will amongst the people in my Woodwise duties and my efforts in defending the town from the undead to feel safe with my back turned on people I’m trying to protect.

The pebble that dared to beseech the mountain

Approaching the mountain, once moved and back again it’s proper place, Clemens swallowed hard.

He had a suspicion who lived… No, who owned this mountain. Semira and Sygrun all but confirmed it.

This mountain belonged to a Archmage of the Earth Guild.

Hakon led the front, Rosto just behind him, Sygrun and Clemens in the middle of the formation, Sigi a reassuring and steady hand at the back.

But the dread was still there. He hadn’t really considered what he would say to the Archmage.

What does a pebble ask of a mountain? Why would a pebble ever deserve a favor from the mountain?

He was worried that this trek, far from Runeheim, was a folly. Nothing to be gained, but everything to lose.

But he had to try. He couldn’t turn back now.

Rosto, despite nearly being brought to death’s door by Hakon’s nightly condition was lending his eyes and crossbow to this endeavor.

Clemens couldn’t abandon such sincerity and willingness to trust even the man who nearly murdered him.

Clemens couldn’t abandon his closest friend, the one who gave him the courage to get this far to begin with.

Clemens meant it when he would do anything for Hakon when questioned by the Archmage.

Clemens didn’t care that the Archmage found his willingness to do anything for the life of a non-mage “worrisome”

Hakon had bowed before the Archmage. Hakon does not bow before men who simply ask.

Clemens knew that the wizard in front of him only saw Hakon as a curiosity, an potential experiment.

No different from the malformed animals and human bodies on the side of the trail his crew and carved through to get here.

The Archmage offered Clemens a challenge. “Scale my mountain, and maybe I can see if I can help your… friend”

How does a pebble demand a favor from the mountain?

The pebble scales the mountain, and proved that determination within will make him something more than just a pebble.

This mountain belongs to the Archmage.

But one day Runehiem will be a towering city that stands in defiance of the harsh lands the pebble calls home.

The earth mage may see the people and animals of Njordr as nothing more as stock and cattle for his experiments.

But for Clemens, the people of Runehiem would be his cherished flock.

He would do anything to see them live in peace and flourish.

He would do anything to cast out the wolves, monsters, and men of cruel ambition who dared to threaten his flock.

Finally a taste of strength, but an itch to prove it

He could still feel the vines that grasped at his throat, the stones that clenched his leg, and the voices that laughed at his feeble attempts to grasp at strength beyond his understanding.

Twice he had failed. Twice had had been cast down.
Twice he had nearly succeeded. Twice he had used all the strength his body could muster.
A failure thrice would be the end of him and his story.

But he had to try again. He had to stand once more and declare to all the powers that be that he would succeed or die trying.

But this time… It worked.

Something changed. The world seemed more clear. As if the schematics of reality were always around him in clear view. His eyes ran red with his blood, his throat hoarse and weak. But Clemens had never felt more in control of his fate.

He finally could truly do something. Could truly put himself between innocents and those who would harm and exploit them. He could do something worth remembering.

“But were any of your heroes… Mages?”

That last lingering question of those disembodied voices…

A warning?

No.

For Clemens it was a challenge.

He is now a mage.

He will be remembered as a hero.

Under the Weight

Under the weight, I shall become as incompressible as the Jewel.

“Relix… Narez…”

Under the weight, I shall grasp the Wheel of my destiny.

“Relit… Mamuri…”

Under the weight, I shall Seal away my doubts.

“Worum… Sicun…”

Under the weight, I shall be the Knot that holds tight to the bonds I’ve formed.

“Gundavult…”

Under the weight, I shall learn to Control my fears.

“Vorug… Ta…”

Under the weight, I shall hold my ground and be as steadfast as the Crown Tree.

“Verg… Tyra!”

Under the weight, I shall become the hero I always imagined I could be.

Trembling… From the Cold? Or Cowardice?

This winter was bitterly cold. Clemens still shivering as he sat down at his study. A window had blown open from the cold winds forcing themselves inside his humble abode. He gave the pane a slight shove and made sure the flimsy hinge was secure. He was growing quite tired of winter’s chilling touches on his cheeks.

Wrapping himself in a blanket to warm up gave him time to ponder recent events. Most notably Stein. That man never failed to get under Clemens nerves. Mostly because the man wielded words of criticism like a master swordsman. Efficient, deadly to the ego, and unwaveringly correct.

Clemens had been doing what he could to leverage his knowledge to aid his friends in Runeheim, but clearly he needed to be doing more. Ask more questions, get to the heart of the matter, confront threats to the academic integrity of Runeheim… That last point made Clemens shiver. That entity made of pages troubled Clemens deeply, but what exactly did he do about it? He didn’t release it, so why should he have done anything? Wasn’t it Quill’s fault that thing went on a rampage stealing away knowledge from books and people?

Excuses. Clemens should have taken far more offense at that thing’s greed. Knowledge is meant to be shared and enrichen the lives of all; not hoarded like piles of coins or jewels. Clemens felt a fire rising in him; a twinge of anger and frustration. He was starting to become sickened by his own lack of willpower and courage.

“What would have Hakon done? He’d probably tear the thing to shreds with his bare hands if he could! Ha ha!”

Suddenly the window shuttered, a sudden gust of icy wind forcing it open again. Clemens yelped in surprise, then laughed.

“I guess I still have a long way to go before I can be as bold and fearless as my friends” he remarked, standing up to secure the window again, this time with just a bit more gusto. Then he sat at his study again, and returned to the archaeology report he was working on and noticed his handwriting seemed ever slightly more stable… As if his hands were shaking just a little bit less. Perhaps a sign that spring would return to Runeheim just a bit sooner.

How We Njords Will Remember

“What right do you have to tell their stories!?”

Those words still burned in Clemens’s mind like the midday sun upon his brow. Stienn had a point. No one in Runeheim asked him to record their tales in Gothic script. It doesn’t matter how many times Clemens could hear a saga sung, he could only record it as he heard it and understood it. His transcription could never perfectly capture the emotion emitted from the throats of the Skalds.

“Our stories must be remembered! When none of us remain, who will truly remember us as we are now!?”

Those words were like the sudden gust of cold air that breezed past Clemens. Saga’s counterpoint to Stienns argument stirred something in Clemens. He returned to his bunk and pulled out the portrait that artist had sketched of him. He stared at it for a while and pondered.

“One could describe me in words and might be able to tell someone else what I look like, but have they truly captured my visage and can share it accurately with others? Doesn’t that image of me only last as long as someone is willing to recount it? Isn’t that image only as accurate as the memory of the person who first described me? But this portrait will last so long as someone keeps it somewhere safe and it leaves no room for interpretation.”

Clemens paused on that thought and realized something he had not been considering. There is no reason that both a portrait and a spoken description of what he looked like could both exist at the same time. Both achieve the objective of capturing his image in different ways both with advantages and disadvantages. How are oral storytelling and written records any different? Just because a story is written down doesn’t mean must be told exactly as it is on the page. Can the two forms not coexist?

But he would need to put this idea to practice, Clemens needs something worth remembering to write and sing about…

“The Saga of the Unbroken Saint…” Clemens spoke under his breath.

Clemens quickly pulled out several sheets of ruffled paper and a quill. Nearly spilling an ink pot as he sat down and began scrawling out stanzas.

He had always considered himself more of a historian, dryly describing events that occurred, but inspiration had finally come to him like a spark lighting a forge. He had always enjoyed when his Skald mother recounted sagas of heroes, but it was now time to make her proud by penning a saga of his own.

When he was finished he would recount it to others who knew Rolf to hear their understanding and to gain their feedback, adding in details until everyone had the same image in their heads of who the Unbroken Saint was and the greatness of his deeds. When it was finalized he would transcribe that saga onto a stone memorial to place by the cairn where Rolf’s body had been reduced to ashes so that all that would come to Runeheim would be able to know the story of the Unbroken Saint and could recount that saga to all who would listen.

This is how we Njords will remember the Unbroken Saint.