Indisla The Beautiful's Story

Fulgar Thornheim looked up to the thick clouds rolling in across the sky and accelerated his progress towards the Great Hall. He feared he was too late, but the happenings in the settlement seemed quite normal... Vikings moved freely throughout, a seemingly lively population. The entire army was settled in the harbor, so what of this summoning? Had something happened in Sigurd's kingdom which warranted the call of the ancients? Why were the warriors all still in the town, with no sign of threat on the horizon? Fulgar had questions for Sigurd, the great immortal King of the South. Furrowing his brow, he pressed onward. "Uh," exclaimed Indisla the Beautiful, as hundreds of Nordic vikings went about working in the hills and open fields. Queen Aslaug stood alone on top of a frozen burial mound, her gaze turning to Indisla the Beautiful. Aslaug was in plain sight, standing still as a statue whilst still holding the horn bugle in one hand, while clutching her long elmwood walking stick with the other. Her long blue catskin dress and black feathered cloak would wave and flow with the chilly wind, her wavey red hair and almost otherworldly bright blue eyes staring silently at the strangers in the distance, no doubt noticeable to Indisla as well. At the base of the mound, a circle of hooded women were gathered around and huddled together in a circle, spinning and weaving threads and making spindles of yarn to be used for future purposes. "I've not seen you before", one of the volvur said calmly to Indisla as she spun a web of tapestry, her long black hooded cloak concealing the volva's face. Her voice sounded older, perhaps belonging to an elderly woman, one of the grandmothers of the vikings. "She seems lost," another one of the thread spinners commented. This one sounded younger than the first hooded woman. "This is no place to get lost," a third volva added. "The earth beneath us is crawling with lost souls, never to find their way again" the older hooded woman commented. Meanwhile, back at the mead hall, Ivar's cavalry was still feasting when all of a sudden, Fulgar Thornheim and his band came storming into the great open hall. Ivar the Boneless was sitting on King Sigurd's throne, drinking wine from a long sheep horn, laughing and having a good time. But as the music stopped, and all of the soldiers in the great hall became quiet, Prince Ivar would set the horn down and grab his crutch, pulling himself to his feet to stand on his own two feet, his brittle ankles secretly strengthened by cast iron metal supports or leg braces which went up just above his knees. Ivar the Boneless was surprisingly tall for a cripple, with strong muscular arms and a broad chin. Ivar's icey blue sparkling eyes gazed soullessly at Fulgar and his crew as they entered the hall, Ivar's eyes reflecting for a brief second the light from the white snowy land outside.

High up on the stone watchtower to the east, a brief tiny glare was spotted over the horizon by one of those who was on guard duty. Bjorn Ironside felt a smack on his shoulder, causing him to turn around. There on the distant horizon, on the ridge of one of the mountains, Bjorn saw the reflective glare of what he could only presume was someone's telescope. Were they being watched? Bjorn ordered his berserkers to keep a sharp lookout while he gathered some of his crew together to form a small fighting force, prepared to defend the settlement if needed. Meanwhile, Fulgar Thornheim marched into the ring fort, which was still currently undergoing construction, and burst into the mead hall. Ivar the Boneless grabbed his crutch and pushed himself to his feet.

"Where's Sigurd? I demand his audience immediately!"

All of the vikings in the mead hall stopped what they were doing as the music died. Sigurd who? Fulgar had not specified which Sigurd, as there were several vikings named Sigurd in Ivar's settlement. The vikings just laughed and bellowed with laughter as the music started playing again. Prince Ivar chuckled and sat back down, picking up his mead horn and taking a drink. As the strange joker and his small crew scoffed and left the great hall, looking eagerly disappointed, the tagelharpa started playing again. Indisla The Beautiful was still outside looking around, unfamiliar with anything she was seeing for the first time. She overheard the women in the black hoods talking about her and scoffed, continuing to look around, unsure if she should continue walking or just stand there. Fulgar Thornheim stormed angrily out of the Ring Fort, eager to see what the commotion in the town was about, when he suddenly noticed Indisla standing there.

"Hey! You over there! What's going on here?

Fulgar demanded of the woman, Indisla, who was clearly minding her own business as if things were all well in the bay. The sound of the cornu horn cutting through the thick fog was enough to alert the vikings. Lagertha and some of her shield-maidens would gather together, approaching the area where Fulgar's crew was standing. Lagertha had a look of growing concern in her eyes, her blonde hair braided and ready for battle. Queen Aslaug was still standing still on the raised hill, never moving as she kept the sheep horn bugle at her side, clutching her walking stick whilst staring off into the distance. Fulgar Thornheim gripped his axe, the uncertainty unappealing as he still hadn't found Sigurd. Battle seemed eminent, and his warriors sensed the same.

"Well then, scurry back into your hut. No telling what these raiders will bring." Fulgar dismissed, hoping this town had more than maidens to deal with invaders. Queen Lagertha and her shield-maidens would glance at them quietly before walking by, heading slowly towards the sound of the cornu horn. Lagertha did not even seem overly nervous, for some reason, and there was no sign of fear in this elite band of women as they casually went to investigate, carrying their large round shields and long spears with them. The shield-maidens would make their way to the outer wall of the settlement, forming a phalanx of shields as the Argosians approached. The bay slowly came into sight, Uhtred at the helm of the frontmost ship as the bay slowly came into view.

"Good, the fort still stands, we are not too late." The horn-caller behind Uhtred let out a soft grunt as he pursed his lips and sounded the horn to announce their arrival. The sound of the second horn caught Ivar's attention, so he sent his scouts to see what all the noise was about. But when the errand returned with news of an impending raid, Ivar the Boneless snarled angrily and threw his mead horn aside, spilling wine everywhere before he slammed his fist down on the table. Uhtred's boat crunched as it beached itself on the sand, his men getting out to pull the boat the rest of the way onto shore.

"Where is the feckless mother who demanded we crawl all the way out here, and when can I get a flagon of something to wet my throat?" Behind Uhtred, the army quickly finished beaching their skips and began pouring into the Fort and surrounding settlement. Uhtred cast an eye towards Fulgar and Indisila. Something about Fulgar's grip on his axe screamed battle was imminent, so Uhtred turned to him.

"I didn't miss the fun?"

Suddenly a scroll appeared in front of Ivar the Boneless without warning. It materialized with a puff of fire and smoke, and it bore a glowing red and gold seal of a lion's head surrounded by strange runes. The scroll floated in the air before him until it would be claimed. A subtle hum of magic surrounded the scroll, and within was a letter written with a flowing well-practiced script in Ivar's native tongue. The vikings in the great hall would stare in awe, most of them frozen with shock at how such a scroll could just seem to magically appear out of nowhere. Ivar the Boneless slowly reached out and took the scroll, breaking the gold seal and unrolling it. He then proceeded to read it.

---

From the desk of Archmage Sheodin Thundermane, Chief Ambassador of the Khroniktan Alliance;

To Whom It May Concern,

Greetings, sovereign leaders of Gaia. May the Everlasting Flame of Ha’Ari, the King of Kings and Father of Creation, light your path and grant you the wisdom of Heaven. The prayers of our people have uplifted you during this trying time, and the upheaval of your world, caused by the wrath of Eras and its titans, has been felt by us despite the few short years we have walked on your soil and looked upon your skies.

It troubles us that the echoes of the All Consuming Darkness have been felt even here on these shores. Eyes born from the blackness between the stars have settled upon your world and have disrupted the delicate balance of power, and ancient malevolence has awoken that seeks to place you in eternal bondage. Take solace, though, that Ha’Ari has stretched out His mighty hand and offers you protection. It is through His power, and the might of the Khroniktan Alliance, that Eras’s wrath was abated and the formidable colossus Ni’Thorne met its demise.

We warmly invite you or a representative of your nation-state to visit our colony New Ketajhi, located in the region known as the Royale Prairies of Siv’en, in order to open diplomatic relations. Food and lodging will be provided.

Sincerely,

Archmage Sheodin Thundermane, Chief Ambassador of the Khroniktan Alliance

---

Prince Ivar would slowly re-roll the fancy magical scroll and place it into a small lock box, before sending one of the riders to go inform Hrafn-Floki, who was still at the shipyard. Ivar then gripped his crutch and dragged his stiff-legged feet from around the tables, walking slowly towards the main hall's arched double doors while holding his helmet. His guards would fetch Ivar's horse-drawn war chariot as the lone rider galloped quickly to the docks to tell Floki about his crew's upcoming voyage to Siv'en, all this taking place as Livia and her army approached the ring fort.

Uhtred would stride forward, placing a comforting hand on Indisla's shoulder and consoling her just as Bjorn Ironside and his band of berserkers walked by. Bjorn looked furious, and ready for battle as well, with black claw-marks painted on his face and thick heavy bearskin cloak covering his broad muscular shoulders. Bjorn's berserkers would soon walk up and join Lagertha's shield-maidens at the outer gate. Bjorn hugged his mother Lagertha, who kissed him on the cheek, before their combined forces stood together on the hill, gazing at the Argosians who stood 100 feet across from them, holding a particular olive branch.

"What are they doing?" the large 6'5" berserker leader would ask his mother. "I'm not entirely sure," Lagertha responded prudently, standing considerably shorter than her giant son. The vikings at the outer wall of the settlement would stand there quietly, motionlesssly, holding their positions and formations. Within moments, Bjorn's younger half-brother Ivar the Boneless arrived, riding up in his chariot while accompanied by a band of riders on horseback. Ivar was smiling with anticipation, a look of hatred in his eyes as he peered over the viking troops in front of him to Livia and the Argosian company on the other side. The cornu horn had not gone unheard in the distance, yet Ubbe and his ulfhednar were nowhere to be found. All the while, the lady with the red hair never moved an inch. Aslaug was still standing on the earth mound holding her bugle and her walking stick, her face completely void of all expression or emotion as she watched all the happenings going on in the distance.

As the small contingent of Argosians and Iskjerne Bay's new Great Heathen Army stood in formations overlooking a small white plain covered in frozen grass and snow, Ivar the Boneless watched silently, leaning forward over his war chariot while folding his arms and resting his elbows. As the Argosian soldiers opened up, and Livia stepped forward, removing her silver and gold helmet, Ivar the Boneless gazed into her eyes, which were exactly the same as his.

"What color are my eyes?"

Ivar the Boneless calmly asked his troops. Bjorn Ironside would turn to look over his shoulder, with a confused look on his face. "What?" he raised an eyebrow at the sudden irrelevant question. "What color are my eyes?" insisted Ivar, as he kept his gaze on Livia, staring down at her from the top of the raised earth. Bjorn would glance up at Ivar before looking back at the praetorians. "Your eyes are bright blue," responded Bjorn, as a smile formed upon Ivar's lips. "Good," he replied. "What's it matter?" Bjorn inquired, still looking at the Argosian guards. "Father said that if my eyes were red, that I was in danger of breaking a bone" Ivar the Boneless said before lightly fwipping the reigns and riding his chariot forward. The vikings would move aside as Prince Ivar rode out to the front of the shield wall to get a closer look at the woman with the auburn flowing hair. Livia was holding her helmet under her arm.

Lagertha watched quietly from behind the shield wall, her pastel blue dress also flowing with the cold chilly breeze as she kept a grip on her spear. It was a long wooden spear with a metal spade-shaped spear head, having a spike on one side and a hook on the other. In her other hand, she held a greenish blue linden round shield with a conical pointed round metal boss at its centre. The shield had a black owl painted on the front in some elaborate Jellinge style tribal design, and she gripped the metal boss from the handle on its backside with additional support from the two leather straps which went around her arm when she needed to reposition herself. Bjorn would spit on the ground beside him, gripping his large bearded axe with both hands as Livia approached.

"Salve." Livia said, inclining her head respectfully. The berserkers and shield-maidens would glance at one another briefly, unsure of what Livia had said, for she was using a different lingo, albeit in their own Nordic language.

"I am Livia, first Legata of the Caesarian Legion, of the Argosian Empire. I bid you fair greetings, and good fortune." The Legata said, looking back up towards Ivar's chariot. Her words translated by the spell into fluent words the Vikings could understand in their own native tongues, yet she was also using a lingo that the Vikings were not familiar with. They had no concept of a Legata, or a Legion, but most of what Livia was saying, Ivar and his vikings understood.

"I beg your leave, and safe passage into your settlement so that I may retrieve one of our sisters who has fallen in battle, so that she may be returned to her people for an honorable burial, in accordance with their traditions. I humbly apologize for the intrusion, I did not expect this place to be inhabited." Livia added, keeping her gaze lowered as a sign of respect, and to display that she was not a threat.

Ivar the Boneless had suddenly lost his lust for battle, and was now just staring blankly at the beautiful older woman in front of him. Bjorn Ironside glanced down at his mother, Lagertha, who stood still in thought. "It could be a trap," Bjorn leaned over and whispered quietly into his mother's ear. Lagertha nodded quietly before stepping forward.

"Greetings and blessings First Legata, I am Queen Lagertha," she said as she gestured to her son and to her son-in-law. "These are the sons of King Ragnar, known as Bjorn and Ivar" she included. Ivar brought three fingers to his forehead and respectfully saluted Livia, nodding slightly with a smirk. Bjorn just stood there silently.

"We were not expecting an errand in this trying weather, we thought you might have been raiders. Our village will be quite gladdened to accomodate you and your company. Our fires will keep you warm. But you can not stay too long. We do not have much space in the great hall at the moment. Our settlement is currently undergoing construction," Lagertha informed her, looking back at her son.

Bjorn Ironside nodded, then waved all of his berserkers back to their stations. As the bear-skinned warriors walked away, Lagertha ordered her shield-maidens to part ways so that Livia and her company could pass.

"I am Ivar the Boneless," Ivar commented as he rode up next to Livia, obviously boasting about himself. He smiled down to her, admiring Livia's beauty and her fancy armor. Lagertha and her shield-maidens would wait patiently for them to join the vikings back to the innangard.

The tense moment was slowly beginning to fleet away, as each Argosian praetorian maintained his position with an almost precision like demeanor. None of them showed any expression, they were faceless legionaries that formed a cohesive contubernia. They moved only with orders from either Livia herself, or their Decanus.

Prince Ivar the Boneless seemed to barely notice the well-trained Praetorian Guard, showing almost no interest in them at all. Bjorn Ironside was still standing by the newly constructed outer wall, watching quietly and cautiously as his berserkers withdrew back to their posts. He took a silent mental note of how the Argosian legionaries marched, spoke and dressed. He was quite curious about them. Livia would glance at Prince Ivar, and for a brief moment he thought they had made a connection.

Livia then directed her gaze over to Queen Lagertha, as she stepped forward before slowly getting on one knee before the Queen, as an act of respect. This made Ivar snarl silently, his eyes narrowing in on his mother-in-law Lagertha for a second with utter hatred and contempt. Or was it jealously? Lagertha furrowed her brows, completely confused as to why Livia would take a knee. It was a custom the vikings were not used to, but she understood that it was a sign of respect, and stood there quietly waiting for her to rise.

"I am Honored, Your Majesty." Livia said before looking again at the crippled war leader. She returned Ivar's salute with one of her own, bringing her right hand into a fist, across her chest. Ivar the Boneless smiled quietly, concealing the fact that he was now mildly offended. Ivar would turn around and wave for his equestrians to stand down. The hestahars on horseback would nod, casually turning their horses around and withdrawing back to the newly built stables.

"These men are my Praetorian Guard, I hand selected them for their loyalty, and their prowess in combat, while we are guests of your settlement, they are at your disposal should you require their aid." Livia said, nodding back to the praetorians. "And I assure you, once we have retrieved our fallen charge, we will vacate your settlement in peace, and with all due haste." The Legata assured, gesturing to one of the servants with two fingers. He nodded, and reached into one of the leather pouches belonging to the pack mule.

Lagertha would hand her shield and spear over to one of her fellow shield-maidens, nodding to her before approaching Livia and standing in front of her. Lagertha still had her sword sheathed at her side, but seemed quite calm and uneager to use it as she placed a hand on the side of Ivar's war chariot, her fingers trailing gently over the intricate metal designs as she passed him by and approached the legata. Ivar and Bjorn just watched silently. "Praetorians you say. A fine guard indeed. I'm sure their presence at our settlement will be much appreciated." Queen Lagertha smiled softly, her northern accent showing mildly as she turned her attention first to the Praetorians, then to Livia's servant. Her expression was warm, motherly and un-threatening.

Livia's servant soon produced a glass bottle from the pack mule, and with his head held low, he passed the bottle to Livia, and she uncorked the bottle, and took the first drink to show her new friends that the whatever it was, was not poison. Purple liquid dripped slightly from the corner of her mouth, as she wiped the edge of her mouth clean. She offered the bottle first to Lagertha, and then Bjorn and Ivar. If they took a drink, they would find it sweet, much like mead, but made from dark grapes rather than honey.

Lagertha smiled again, nodding slightly as she was offered the bottle of wine. Ivar the Boneless watched with discontent as the shield-maiden took a swig of the purplish red sustenance, before handing it back. "Mmm," she groaned, obviously liking the taste of it. But as Livia then tried to offer the bottle to Bjorn Ironside, she was suddenly met with a different reaction. Bjorn did not approach Livia, or say anything. He just folded his arms quietly, still holding his axe, and spat on the ground without moving. He apparently had no interest in the wine at all, so Livia then offered the bottle to Ivar instead. Prince Ivar would approach Livia, taking the bottle in both hands and looking at it. He would take a swig before handing the bottle back to Livia and wiping his mouth on his sleeve. He scrunched his eyebrows, unsure of the new taste in his mouth, but seemed more curious than displeased.

When Ivar rode up next to her, and introduced himself as she began to walk towards the Settlement, her Praetorians behind her, Livia offered him a soft smile. "Ivar the Boneless, you may call me Livia." Livia said, as she unfurled a small laminated map. Strange symbols adorned the edges of the map, and labeled notable regions of northern Ellaria. The map looked like a picture taken from high above. Ivar furrowed his brows again, looking down at the map as their small group walked through the open aisle created by two flanks of shield-maidens and their human shield wall creating a pathway up to the outer gate. Lagertha and Ivar travelled beside Livia.

"The city looks like it will be grand." The Legata commented. The confused looks on the Viking's faces with some of her words were not lost on her either, so she tried to explain to Ivar as he rode next to her. "A Legatus is what you would call a war chief, or a General, I serve my Emperor, my King, in charge of his armies." Livia explained. "These men are my Praetorian Guard, skilled warriors who dedicate their lives to their king." Lagertha and Ivar listened quietly, both showing interest in what she was saying. Ivar seemed somewhat angry, but given his demeanor and appearance, it was difficult to tell whether he was always angry or if he just appeared to look that way.

Lagertha smiled softly, looking down at her own feet as she walked slowly and casually, escorting the Legata past the first wall into the outer settlement. "Ivar's father was a king," Lagertha said, smiling up to her son-in-law. Ivar just kept looking at the red symbols on the unfolded map. "Unfortunately he is no longer with us, so Prince Ivar here was chosen by lots to lead our current expedition." Lagertha explained as they made their way on to the first draw-bridge over the outer motte. Queen Aslaug watched from the mound in the distance, never budging from her position as the hornuglar waited for the dozen or so Praetorians and legionaries to cross the motte with their mule cart. Afterwards, the shield-maidens would close the aisle they had created by repositioning themselves into a square box formation, following behind everyone as the last to cross the bridge, staying several paces behind the mule cart.

"Domine, the air is frigid, and the ground frozen solid, it will take at least a day of digging to recover the body, depending on how deeply she is buried." Livia nodded at the sudden announcement. "All the more opportunity to get to know our new friends?" She said to the Decanus, his feathered helmet fluttering in the frigid cold. Queen Lagertha smiled again warmly, stopping before the second narrower gate by the wooden palisade to allow Ivar's chariot and the mule cart to enter first. There was still one more motte, crossed via second draw-bridge past a third palisade into the open bailey within. Then the raised scarp hill, a steep incline requiring them to walk up the suspension bridge to the last stone wall, behind which Livia and her Argosians would find the great hall.