Chapter 1 - Change

Gawen nods. "A name not to be said lightly then. But perhaps a good omen too - that such an artefact should emerge now must surely be a sign that the gods support our cause. Thank you, Elder Ædelflæd. For your knowledge, and for your healing. Is there anything we can do to repay you?"

"Protect our way of life,"  Ædelflæd declares simply. "The signs that the Gods are with you are clear. Let their blessings guide you on your path eastwards."

Kara frowns at these new developments, but was pleased her journey would not take them so far out of the way. But the news about the dog she had carried troubled her. Did Isolde intend for her to carry it, or was the group supposed to? Surely this was not planned, but it was not unheard of for Freya to have many strands of fate working and tied together at once for certain moments. While pondering this something tugs at her mind, as if an unseen piece was fit into this. She takes out the silver raven she found and shows it to Ædelflæd, asking " Elder, does this also play a part? It was found when we found the child a few nights ago, and in most everything I forget I carry it. Tis not seem so special now, but talking about the All-father's ravens, they are called.. oh.. umm.. "  She was unsure the word exactly in the language spoken currently, and instead calls them " Huginn, and the other is Muninn if I recall correctly."

As Kara speaks, the silver slowly fades to black and the statue twitches and shudders and shakes out its feathers, growing until the shield maiden has a life-size raven perched upon her hand. It blinks and tilts its head at her, as though awaiting something, and Ædelflæd takes a step back in shock, muttering a prayer to the Gods.

Glöyn doesn't quite understand everything being discussed by those assembled, but the longer she listened, the more awed and frightened she becomes. So much that when the small metal raven turns and becomes a creature, she lets out a small cry and leaps backwards as she brandishes her spear. "What is this witchcraft?!"

Gann had stood alone under the veil of silvery moonlight while others made themselves useful, collecting his thoughts. On the uneasy road to the village, while fighting both the wormfire in his leg and the desperation, he almost imagined himself tied and burned alive as a blood sacrifice to save a woman's life. How wrong he was after all he witnessed! The way the wise men welcomed them, the magnificence of the moment had humbled him. His plight felt insignificant in comparison, like a speck of dirt. As the group gathered and moved towards the longhouse Gann followed from behind, silent for the most part. He stole every moment to observe Kara without intruding, the wonderment still fresh with him. Once inside, he could not resist but check for any remains of food and leave not a crumb behind. He found himself a place by the dull warmth of the dead hearth, trying to make sense from the wisdom of the young Ædelflæd. Until the conversation abruptly ceases and his eyes open wide to witness a rock figurine give birth to sacred life. He finds composure only to slowly rise from his seat and gently touch Glöyn's shoulder with his large hand. "Ease your voice, Glöyn." His eyes dart past her shoulders towards Tucker and the rest who they have just met today, trying to read past their surprise. He traces his parched lip with a tongue, then almost whispers to her. "We witness miracles tonight. To brand them witchcraft is to insult the spirits, and those among them gods."

Gawen takes a step backwards as he realises what has transpired. "Kara...!" he exclaims under his breath in surprise and wonderment.

Kara steps back in surprise, though it does little good as the raven is perched onto her. Clearly this raven was one of the two she has named, but without any idea, she was not able to contain her surprise. "Blessed be Freya. This must surely show her favor to us. Look! Magan! Magan I have a friend!" She is excited as a young girl, clearly excited by what she feels is favor by her Goddess for the group. It could be a good sign or not, but she wasn't concerned by that. It was proof that they were in fact on the right path, and nothing would stop their mission, for it was clearly blessed.

Where a few days previously Magan would have been astonished, he now sits, arm around Theli a look of comfortable confidence on his face. One leg up on the bench he raises an eyebrow but nothing more at the transformation. As Kara turns to him he puts his foot back to the floor and stands. His voice echoes out, strong and authoritative in a way it has not been before.  "Indeed. Another sign of the gods' blessing on our mission. What we cannot do though, is take this for granted. We must not become arrogant or presumptive of this favour. It is a responsibility we must shoulder. The time for darrying is done, no more distractions or stops. We must gather numbers and march on these christians without delay. Our mission carries more urgency than we have previously given it. No longer. What do you say? Will you follow me?" He reaches out, first to Kara, to touch the bird gently, before offering his arm to her. 

Guthric treated the night as cause for celebration. The gods themselves came to make their presence known, healing had been done, and he felt renewed in purpose. He'd already been a few drinks in when Kara summoned her new friend. The minor ruckus caused a stir, but the Pict only laughed and laughed. When the excitement had faded, he listened to Magan with a strange, overly determined focus. The man's hamd went out in offer, but Guthric was first to take it, "No more, you already have my word to follow you." He never even noticed Magan's arm went in the complete opposite direction from where he sat...

Magan readily takes Guthric's arm, not at all put off by the unexpected order of uptakers.  "Our cause is lucky to have one of your strength Guthric, and I am personally honoured and gladdened  to have you by my side in this."

Gann had been quietly awed by the wonder of the raven messenger but the speech of Magan pounded harder than the mighty will of gods so he almost forgot the creature existed. He had heard Magan's voice of authority only once before and almost through a haze, but what he remembered was only an echo of this newfound strength. Each word, its intent sharpened, cut into his ingrained sense of duty with the determination of a man's will moving mountain, if not breathing sacred life in them. It called for vows, reaffirming old ones and casting new ones. He felt a yearning to step forward, to raise his voice and be part of something great if only he could put his dance with the blade and what's left of his life to something that held meaning. Look at yourself. You are a limping dog. Gann blinks. He held his breath as Magan turned to shake hands with the large Pict. He knew that inner voice well, for he was the only one who held his company for most of his solitary life. Cast to die in the wilderness, living off the pity of others. You saw their greatness, so you tuck your tail and wish to follow. He does not address you. He speaks to greater people, to chosen people. Look at them. The wind guides them, the spirits gather and aid them. If you bark out of order, you will soil the moment. You are sick. Branded to snuff. Useless. They do not trust you and they will spit on your vow. if you cherish their moment, you shall not soil it. Gann grits his teeth hard and pushes back against the voice but unable to disagree with it. Then remains silent for the rest of the monumental moment, his glance cast aside.

As he looks away, his face cast into shadow, Gann feels the weight of an oversized hand gently placed upon his shoulder. "A wound has a way of making a man feel valueless. It can deprive him of that which he's previously taken for granted. And not all wounds are those of the flesh, and I do not presume to know all the wounds you have suffered." The firelight throws dancing shadows across the druid's rugged face and wild red hair as he stands behind Gann, looking into the flames. His voice is low and deep, a soft rumble against the excited clamour surrounding them, his words intended for Gann alone. "But overcoming a wound oft reveals strengths in a man he did not know he possessed. We will need all the strength we can muster in the journey ahead, and there's no doubt in my mind that Pen finding you and Gloyn in the woods was the work of the gods, just as much as the Raven that sits upon Kara's arm."

The raven cocks its head, watching Kara intently. Tucker and several other men stand abruptly when the figurine first transforms, watching it with wide eyes. However, Magan's speech draws cheers of support from he few left in the longhouse, and before long an uneasy quiet settles as Kara stands there with the bird.

Gann slumps by the hearth, silent and inconspicuous for the rest of the meeting. As others turn to leave, he helps himself up and follows until he feels a friendly hand on his shoulder. Gann raises his chin up to meet the druid's eyes and listens to his calm wisdom. "Ei worries not for the leg, it already serves me. Ei has years ahead of me yet and eh owe it all to you and Glöyn. No man can pass to the Great Beyond without repaying such debt," Gann scratches his overgrown beard, pausing to scour for words. His voice sounds distant and hoarse, but honest. "I am a man of mud and rock, a simple man. The wind and the stars have no use for me, for they seek out the greatness in the hearts of man. Miracles eh have witnessed tonight are the stuff of myths and songs. To sully such wyrd by leaving a mark of dirt on it, does not befit it." He pauses again, then nods firmly. "But for as long as my hand and my blade hold strong, you and Magan will have them both. Ei will follow if you'll have me."

Glöyn's widen eyes calm a bit as Gann's comforting words, feeling very foolish and very young for the first time in such a long time. She casts her eyes about sheepishly as she lowers the butt of her spear to the ground with a soft thud. She approaches Kara at the majestic bird carefully. "Lady Kara, I beseech your forgiveness for my rash words. I am... not accustomed to seeing such miracles in my time. I have spoken out of turn..." She glances back at Gann with a smile and nod. As Magan speaks about a crusade against the Christians, she feels a strange yearning and pulling on her heart, but one that is quickly cooled when he mentions not turning aside any longer. She steels herself against the words to come, but to her there was a quest of deeper import than preventing some foreign invaders from spreading. "Magan and the Red Wolves, I will accompany you on your journey as far as I can. I shall be a stalwart companion while we travel together, but... I too am on a quest of great import. One than I cannot turn aside from. One that is a matter of honor as well. Should our paths diverge, I must do so. There is someone I must save from a group of loathsome slavers. I made a pact with the Gods that demands their deaths. Should our paths split, once I have achieved my goal, then perhaps I can return to you and yours." She sits back quietly then and turns to Gann. "Simple men move the world, Gann. You think that the high lord can survive without his man of mud that tills the earth and grows the barley? The dirt man that raises his sheep and cattle? Nay, they would sit in the towers of stone and waste to nothing! I am the daughter of a one-armed warrior turned farmer. I would challenge anyone here to sully his honor or mine by saying we are nothing. I shall bloody mine Seax on any that dare. You are no less a man than my father was, Gann. I do not believe the words branded onto your chest. You say your's is a mark of dirt and I say, dirt is honor and life. I am young, but I am no foolish maiden lass who has a mind of woolen dresses and furs! I am spear-maiden and will defend your honor even if you shall not. I challenge anyone here to disagree!" The young Welsh lass' eyes flare with an angry and defiant fire of youth as she sets her jaw and slams her spear butt into the floor of the longhouse.

Magan nods at the conversation between Gann and Gawen, and stays silent while Gloyn speaks.  "Gawen, you and I have journeyed in this since the beginning, though we did not perhaps appreciate the depth of the task at first. I took this quest for money to feed my companions, and for a chance to battle the christians here as I did across the water. Now I think I truly understand the urgency of the gods behind us." He grasps his friend's shoulder, not seeking any declaration of support, for he knew they were in this together. His eyes are saddened though as he speaks to Gloyn.  " Gloyn, I will be glad for you to journey with us, and I am sorry that we will not divert to aid you. Perhaps, if the gods will it, we shall go through the men you seek anyway. If not, we will miss you and you will always be welcome to return. And you... " He turns to Gann." "I treated   you with suspicion and unkindness when we met. But now, if you will pledge to our cause I would have you stand with us when you are able. Treated as equal not captive." He offers his arm. "What do you say?" 

Glöyn gives Magan a nod of respect. "I would do that same, Magan. I respect your quest. Such is my hope as well, that mayhaps our paths are one and the same; that these men are journeying eastward to seek of these Christians with their ill-gotten 'goods'."

Gann had hoped his words were privy only to the druid and himself, but when he let his heart speak freely, his gravel voice was easily overheard. He did not expect such an outburst from Glöyn, and neither foresaw the heartfelt anger and personal affront. At first, like earlier, Gann took her blows with the obedience of a scolded træl bracing for each lash of the whip. He faced her, numb on the outside yet inside marveling at her passion and defiance, his mouth agape but speechless, until few words hammered through his defenses. "I do not believe the words branded onto your chest." Later, Gann seemed not to recall the rest of her speech. In his short but waning life, he could not remember anyone who had come up to lay trust in him with such ease, despite what eyes laid bare. He was used to the mistrust and fear of retribution among the folk, facing a man made of sinew and bone, and pain, and eager to take and dish more of it if pressed like a caged animal. But among fated strangers and those god-chosen, he was welcomed. He was trusted even when he was yet unable to trust himself. He turned aside to look at Gawen as if to seek understanding of an unfathomable secret of the human heart, then back at Glöyn that breathed hastily after her retort. "Glöyn." His words come rigid and fragmented, somewhat awkward. "Ei know not of your father, but I would never speak ill of a righteous man. He has given you life and the strength and the will to save the lives of others. You found and saved me when the only company I had was the beckoning spirits. Ei will not sully that gift with words, and I will earn that honor myself. Ei have a debt to you, and I will see your brother well, and those who took him away from you will become one with the worms. If that is what I was brought back to life, Ei will see it done." Gann turns towards Magan, not noticing when he had approached them as well. He was perhaps the last person he expected to face, the last person to put their trust in him. "As I said before, this life is new to me." His words waver at first, but then he bares teeth as he reaches to take Magan's wrist in a firm grip. His eyes, dark and hollow, meet Magan's with almost zealous determination. "Ei vow to earn every single breath as equal."

Guthric took advantage of the emotionally charged exchanges to excitedly gather every cup and mug from each participant at the table. With his own, he poored some liquid from each into the others, then back again, then to another, back and forth, until all were filled with some mixture of the others. "Friends, few know of my people. Fewer know our ways. We were gifted by the Great Wolf ages ago the spirit of a pack. Wolves are now our kin, and we come together as a greater pack. No one eats without the pack, and the pack suffers when one does." He pushes eat cup back across to their respective owners, "I carry my pack wherever I go, even as a new one grows with me. I hope I do not offend to say you are each like pack-mates to me now. I got where each of you do, and suffer as you each do too."

Gawen raises the cup passed to him by Guthric. "Your words are as much a sign of hope to me as much as the raven that sits on Kara's hand. It is good to know I will be surrounded by such fine people during the trials that surely lay ahead." He drinks deeply from the mug, and sets it back on the table, before turning back to Kara, still standing with the bird on one hand. "Kara, that raven has a gleam in its eye I've not seen before in a bird. Will it serve you, as Ædelflæd said of the hound? What stories do your people tell of Huginn and Muninn?"

Kara shakes her head, not really sure. She was thinking about Magan speech, and the no delays. She was worried about how to best bring it up to him, but she was sure it was helpful to the fight. Just was unsure how, and her unease might come across as she answers Gawen. "Our people have many stories of how the ravens are both bold and cunning, yet both have similar functions. Muninn however goes for those slain in battle, and the other deaths are Huginn,"  She starts, then continues in about various stories she had heard, including how they are messengers who fly through all worlds and brings news to Odin.

When Kara utters the ravens' names once more, the bird slowly grows still and hardens. Black feathers turn to silver, and the figurine shrinks to its normal size.

"Quite the gift Kara, but for which raven do you hold the image?" Magan looks at the bird with reverence. Touching the head of the statue gently he says "Munnin perhaps?"

The raven is unmoved by Magan, and remains solid silver.

"Then Huginn, or do you only answer to her?" 

The figurine remains stubbornly immutable.

"Kara? Would you perhaps try one name at a time?"

Glöyn smiles sheepishly at Gann's words, but sets her jaw as he pledges an oath to help her recover her brother. "Thank you, Gann. When we have saved him, I shall call your oath fulfilled." She nods and then turns to Guthric as he begins passing around drinks she takes the cup. She holds the cup high with the others in a toast to camaraderie. She drinks slowly, as her constitution was not used to consuming libations... she would have a cup of barley wine with mother and father on special occasions like Alban Arthan, Calan Gaeaf. She couldn't recall the last time she'd had fermented drink now that she put her mind to it... It had been, well, years. She savored the taste, not knowing when she would get the chance again. When the bird suddenly reverts to stone she blinks as he stares at it. She swallows hard, looks down at her cup, and drains it rapidly. She wipes her lips as she slides it over to Guthric. “I’ll need more of that...”  She still couldn’t quite believe what her eyes were seeing...

Gann seems preoccupied with the suspense and frustration surrounding the raven's rather sudden reversal back to an unliving object though he looks back at Glöyn and nods to reaffirm his words, noting her smile. It felt good to see her like that and he had to admit to himself he recognized her beauty behind the armor of her resolve, but he knew happiness was fleeting and only oaths had weight and stood to time. He turned back to the rocky figurine that others called names he heard for the first time. Once he had seen it come alive, Gann couldn't shake the feeling it was still alive and still watching them. 

Kara stares at the bird, unsure why it does not answer to Magan calls. She takes it back from him, and calls out each name, first starting with Munnin, explaining before she does "Perhaps it is to remember where we are from?" However, if Munnin does not work, she would then try Huginn, though she would be confused if the bird only answers to her, since she was not exactly the best with magic.

Without any sign or word but close enough to overhear, Gann extends his rough hand holding a cup before Glöyn. Most of the ale in it is still intact in it. He still does not take his eyes off the raven statue. 

Glöyn frowns at the offered drink from Gann but then realizes his intention and her lips upturn into a smile. “Thank you.”  This mug is also quickly drained as she starts to feel a tingling in her fingertips and a slight headiness taking over her senses. It was a pleasant feeling, a warming of her belly and a filling of her senses. She felt oddly at ease with everything.

The raven no longer responds to Kara either.

Magan gives a frown. "It appears the gods do not appreciate their gifts being frivolously used in experiment. We should be less wasteful of such wonders." He stands on a table, ale horn in hand and raises it to the sky.  "I wish to give thanks to our hosts. For the gifts they have given us." He raises the horn before taking a deep swig. "For the gifts they helped us to realise we already had." He raises the hor again. "And for the gifts from the gods that they channeled, that will benefit us in days yet to come. Present past and future. We are grateful." He drinks a final time. "Now tonight my friends, drink and rest. For tomorrow we leave early and I hope not to stop in civilisation this long again. Our quest is urgent and our deeds will be glorious. Skal" He leaps from the table, a smile on his face and a scream of revalry. He leads a round of songs and merryment and drinking before settling quietly with Theli in a corner, his arms around her in a protective embrace. He kisses her passionately and sits to watch the revelry until the fires burn low and he takes her up to his room.