OOM: Taking Sameth to Gotland again

[ostro_goth]

Teja is in the forge, gathering a few things he is meaning to take to Gotland and show to Aligern -- for Adalgoth had told him that he would come to see them, soon.

It would, of course, be cheating history -- but then, Teja would gladly give his people any reasonable help he may.

No fire-arms, of course.

And then, of course, in the end, all his aid might result in could just as well be the development of the famous Ulberht swords that Teja has read about...

Comments

[gotland_npc]

Gotho shoos everybody towards the table; the kids jostle a little as everybody wants to sit near the king.

Isis, comfortable in Sameth's lap, won't get up, so he has to stay in the chair that he's already sitting in. Wachis ends up on one side of him, Aligern on the othe.

[makesthings]

He doesn't mind, he just turns a little so he's facing the table more.

[gotland_npc]

Liuta is slicing the bread, and Adalgoth is carving the meat while everybody passes around bowls and jugs, pours for the ones that are too little to hold a big jug steady, or cut up meat for the ones too young to have knives.

Teja, oddly enough, ends up buttering bread for several of the smaller children.

Then, Gotho says thanks to the deities of nature that feed mankind and all their children, Aligern says a toast before drinking the first sip of his wine, and then they all eat and drink.

[makesthings]

Its wonderful and the kind of meal that Sameth hasn't experienced a lot and helps a few of the children, maybe someday if things turn out, he and Kait might have this.

[gotland_npc]

"Have some more meat," Wachis says from the left, while on the right Aligern is arguing politics with Teja, speaking past Adalgoth.

"Forge-work is hungry work, and one must feed the apprentices, so they grow big and strong."

The cats are picking up crumbs; they like the bread and meat of the humans' table.

[makesthings]

"Thank you,"

He's a growing man so he's glad to take more and gives the cats a few pieces of things they don't have to reach for.

[gotland_npc]

"You are a kind young man," Wachis says, as he watches Sameth do that. "Would you like a kitten, when they are born and weaned? Isis is a great mouse-hunter, and all her sons and daughters have made good hunters so far. She even brings you the tails at times, so you may know she is hard at work and deserves her bowl of milk."

[makesthings]

"No, thank you. I'm not in the best place to raise one,"

Since whenever his door appears he's going to go through and not know when or if he'll come back.

[gotland_npc]

"What's wrong?" Wachis asks, simply.

Surely, an apprentice in a forge has a place where a cat might live?

[makesthings]

Sam looks over to Teja, he's really not sure how to explain his situation,

"I have other duties that might call me away."

[gotland_npc]

Such things happen.

"What are these?" Wachis asks.

[makesthings]

"In my home, there are various dangers and things happening. I have to help whenever I'm called to return."

[gotland_npc]

"Are you at war?" Wachis asks.

[makesthings]

"In many ways, yes, its a complicated situation,"

He's not good at explaining things especially not to people not used to magic.

[ostro_goth]

Teja turns his head and addresses Sameth, whose plight he has observed from a corner of his eye.

"You may trust Wachis with your tale and woes," he says to Sameth. "He is known for calmly accepting strangeness, even that which he has not heard of before. He is a steady friend."

Wachis gives a small but pleased smile at that praise.

[makesthings]

"I'm just not sure where to start. I'm from a place called the Old Kingdom and my parents are the kind and Abhorsen. As Abhorsen, its my mother's job to fight the Dead who necromancers use to try and gain power. I'll be Abhorsen after her and do what I can to keep the Old Kingdom safe,"

Sam takes a drink and waits, he's not sure if that was a good way to say things or not.

[ostro_goth]

Teja has turned his attention back to Aligern, asking, "And Haralda? What did she..." while Wachis on Sameth's other side asks, "We have tales of revenants, but they are but tales, current company excluded. So you have them, coming to your place, and you must go to war against them?"

By his tone of voice, fighting whatever danger seems facing one to be a natural thing, be it the zombie apocalypse or Byzantine mercenaries.

Little Witichis, opposite, has picked up on another thing. "Your father is a king? Does our king teach you kinging as well as smithing?"

[makesthings]

"Yes, there aren't many of them but the battles aren't easily one,"

He smiles at Witichis, "Yes, he does though my sister is going to be queen after my father."

[gotland_npc]

"How can a girl be queen when there is a male heir?" Witichis asks, incredulous. "No way would the fighting men acclaim a woman if there's anybody else."

"They do things in other ways, in other lands," Wachis says. "You've got the best teacher, boy; you'll be doing fine. Revenants are hard to kill, tales say; you need to use magic or destroy them in special ways, the tales say -- is that so?"

[makesthings]

"Yes, that's why I'm Abhorsen-in-Waiting and not the Heir, my magic is stronger. Also Ellimere's older and so it makes sense for her to be king after my father,"

Sam absently pats Isis and takes another drink,

"I've fought them and they're hard to kill but the most dangerous are the necromancers who control them and call them back to Life."

[gotland_npc]

"So once the necromancer falls, his creations will fall, also?" Wachis asks.

It makes sense to him.

[makesthings]

"Yes, but to make him fall you have to send him into Death itself,"

He's gone pale and tries to look braver than he feels,

"I.I fought one in Death when he attacked my friends."

[gotland_npc]

"In Death?" Wachis asks.

Fighting by any means when your friends are threatened goes without saying.

[makesthings]

"That's one of the things that only those of the Abhorsen line can do, walk in Death. To truly defeat them, you have to go into Death and send them past the Ninth Gate. I was lucky to survive fighting him."

[gotland_npc]

"Into the realm of Death herself, to push him over the border from which he may not return?" Wachis says. "That takes great courage. You are a worthy apprentice to our king."