Chapter One
Arnbjorn Margrimur had his studded leather armor on and war equipped with his enchanted oak bow. He stalked through the woods with his special arrowheads, the ones that killed bears, especially Ice Bears. He walked up a wooded slope covered with huge aspens and firs. The air smelled like the trees around him and the dampness hung in the air. His hunting camp was ten miles away but he was used to traveling up to 100 miles a day to "bag a bear" he was intently focused on his quarry: He was tracking a male alpha Ice Bear, the most dangerous bears in Vyirlund. He smelled the musk of a bear and saw that it was a young sow and he left her alone, he needed bears and he considered himself a "bear manager" and in a way, he was. His Yarl knew he was a hunter and asked him to cull Ice Bears to reasonable numbers and to keep an eye on the land and make sure it remained healthy. He heard a noise behind him, he quickly turned and saw the male alpha almost on top of him, he pulled out his short sword and stabbed the bear in the heart for a clean kill. It fell dead and he began to skin it. He was going to sell the coat to a furrier and the rest of the bear he slaughtered for it's meat and intestines for bow-string, the rest of the bear he left for the carnivores of the woods. He left the site and traveled back to his hunting camp. He saw some Nords talking nearby and he became deeply concerned because Nords in the woods were usually bandits. "Hey!" he said in Vyir which most Nords understood if said slowly. "What are you doing in the forest of the Yarl?" asked Arnbjorn. "We are huscarls looking for a thief that killed a traveler in Nordlandia, we were told he lived at this camp." said the huscarl. "You were given false information." said the hunter. "This is a Ranger Camp, mine. I work for the Yarl." said Arnbjorn. The huscarls came over and looked him over. "He is a hunter alright, a bandit wouldn't be so well armed with these kinds of tools." said a huscarl. "Keep your eyes open. This Nord uses different names, he is 7'11, deep blue eyes, blonde hair. His real name is Alvis Djornsen. According to our laws, a man pays a fine on his first killing and on the second killing, he is declared outlaw and when caught, is beheaded after a fast but fair trial." said the huscarl. "This is his second killing, he is a useless bandit." said another huscarl. "Okay, I will keep my eyes open for him." said Arnbjorn. The huscarls left the camp and Arnbjorn took his man-killing arrows and went hunting for a criminal. It didn't take long to find the bandit's camp, he saw the bandit was asleep in the tent. He raised his bow and aimed the arrow at the bandit's head. "You are under arrest by the orders of the Yarl and the huscarls looking for you. The charge is second murder. You have the right to a fast and fair trial. What say you?" asked the hunter. "I didn't do it!" said the Nord. "Unlikely, there are witnesses to your crime." said Arnbjorn. "Let me tell my story. I was the son of a Thane in Nordlandia who was just minding his own business until I witnessed two huscarls murder a woman. I ran back to my Thane and reported it. He sent his huscarls but the huscarls never came back, then the bandit huscarls attacked our Hall and burnt it to the ground and killed the Thane! I went to the Yarl but the bandits went to him first and accused me of the crimes! The Yarl issued a warrant for my arrest and I have been on the run ever since." said the Nord. "The two huscarls I encountered. Come with me to my camp and I will explain your story to the Yarl. If these huscarls are indeed the real killers, then it can be proven." said the hunter. The huscarls reappeared. "Fool! You made up that story to escape the Yarl's justice! You are coming with us!" said the huscarls. "Let me examine you." said the hunter to the huscarls. "You better not." said one huscarl, going for his sword. "Just kill both the hunter and the Nord, I'm not about to be beheaded!" said the huscarl. "Then you are guilty, you just proved it." said Arnbjorn. Arnbjorn quickly disarmed both huscarls in a swift move and the Nord helped tie up the men. "In the name of the High Yarl, I charge you aliens with murder and attempt to cover up murder." said Arnbjorn. "I will take you to my Yarl "So the god of war more or less has us go against these Orcs, now I know why. He made them too powerful." said a Priest. "My tutor never taught me this!" "So the god of war more or less has us go against these Orcs, now I know why. He made them too powerful." said a Priest. "My tutor never taught me this!" and his huscarls will transport you to the High Yarl of Nordlandia for a speedy trial. He threw the men on his pony and led the felons back to the Yarl. "Good work. I will send these dishonored men back to their Yarl for trial. The Nord"So the god of war more or less has us go against these Orcs, now I know why. He made them too powerful." said a Priest. "My tutor never taught me this!" they were hunting is cleared of all charges." said the Yarl. "I would like to remain up here as a warrior." said the Nord. "After I settle the matter with these wolvesheads." he said, motioning to the Yarl. "Sure, fine. You can fight on my shield wall if you have a head for battle." said the Yarl. The Yarls huscarls led the disgraced men off on the narrow horsepath south to Nordlandia. The Nord followed in order to give evidence against the murderers. The Nord Yarl listened to the account from both the Nord and Arnbjorn and found the disgraced, rogue huscarls guilty of multiple murder. They were lead out and beheaded outside. "Thank you for helping me settle this matter, here is a 1 million gelder bounty for you two to share." said the Nord Yarl. The men both accepted the money and walked out of the Hall and past the headless bodies of the murderers. It was raining. "I am going to ride back to Vyirlundia if you still want to join us." said Arnbjorn to Alvis Djornsen. "I have to settle things with my Yarl here about getting the Thanedom transfered to my uncle." said the Nord. "Tell your Yarl I will see him in a month or less." said the Nord. "Fine." said Arnbjorn. He got on his pony and rode back to Vyirlundia. Arnbjorn never saw the Nord again and he assumed that the Nord probably was killed in battle or was killed by the family of the dead huscarls. Months passed and he continued to hunt Ice Bears and he was surprised to see some Royal Rangers at his hunters camp. "Stop, in the name of the High Yarl you are poaching on the land of the High Yarl." said the lead Ranger. "Wait. This land belongs to Yarl Edvin Aeolbergsen. I am hunting and managing this land by his lease." said Arnbjorn. "We will take you to the Yarl to see if this is true." said a huscarl. Arnbjorn took a deerskin parchment letter from his satchel and gave it to the huscarl. "This letter confirms the lease for Arnbjorn Margrimur to hunt on the Yarl's lands and to manage the resources thereof." read the huscarl out loud. "Alright, this matter is between the High Yarl and the Yarl then." said the huscarls and they rode off to see the Yarl. After a few weeks of messages going back and forth, the scribes of both Yarls redrew the maps to correct the error and Arnbjorn was given a copy of the map.
Chapter Two
Arnbjorn rode into a camp of Orcs one day and saw three Orc bashers, all drunk and asleep. He drew his blade and quickly dispatched the Orcs and burnt their camp with fire. We rode off to warn the Yarl about the Orc movements in the wilderness. "Probably Frost Orc rebels." said the Yarl. "If you can report anymore camps, I would be in your debt." said the Yarl. The Yarl gave him an 800 guilder bounty for killing the Orcs. The hunter went for a ride around his large territory and discovered three more Frost Orc rebel camps. He rode back to the Yarl and reported their locations. The Yarl sent his warriors and huscarls to kill the Orcs and the hunter was given another 1,500 guilders for the service. As he continued to patrol his lands under his watch, he found several Kelti runaway camps. He reported the runaways to the Yarl and the Yarl sent some huscarls to round up the slaves and send them back to their villages. One day he happened upon a camp of lizard-men who appeared to be mages. He left them alone since they were not breaking any laws. In exchange for his kindness, the lizard-men gave him some fireball and ice scrolls in case of an emergency. One thing he saw on a regular basis was thirteen year old Vyir boys on their Wilderness Trial. He left them alone because giving aid would render the test void. He slept at night but he knew that the most criminal activity occurred at night. One day he rode into a camp of rebel Vyir. They explained that a neighboring Yarl and tried to unjustly strip their Thane of his title because of a Clan dispute. The Thane was there and confirmed their story. "So we wait outside of his reach. When he dies or retires, we'll return to our land." said the Thane. "Come to my Yarl, he will settle the matter with the other Yarl." said Arnbjorn. The Thane and his followers broke camp and followed the hunter back to his Yarl. "I will settle the matter with the other Yarl." said the Yarl to the Thane and his warriors. The two Yarls met and discussed the matter and finally the other Yarl restored the Thane to his position.
Chapter Three
Arnbjorn found a Tomb that was previously undetected by him. He looked at it and it was the tomb of an ancient Frost Orc King, back when they still had a Kingdom up there. He went inside and was surprised that it was an open, unguarded room with the sarcophagus open, the bones long since gone and the room totally looted. The paintings on the walls where still there and he was surprised to see a symbol that humans had used thousands of years ago but no longer. "So the Orcs had the same symbol, humpf." said the hunter. He looked around and saw a grip on the wall, he grabbed the grip and a secret door opened. "What is down here?" he wondered out loud. He took a torch and walked down the winding stairs. He came to a room filled with gold coins, masks and bodies of noble Orcs, all mumified. He gathered the gold and put it in his bags and he memorized the masks and the paintings on the walls. He was shocked to see a painting of a human with Orcs in a line, all bowing to him. "Who was this?" he wondered. He left the tomb and closed the door and went to see the Yarl about his discovery. "Orcs bowing to a human? Perhaps there is a bit of their lore we do not know? I will put my scribe on it." said the Yarl. The scribe spoke. "I do not tell this story around the warriors. Long, long ago, when the Orcs were still a tribe, a man who was born of the war god and a human woman became the first Emperor of the Orcish Empire. He designed their entire civilization for them and they have more or less stuck with that pattern ever since. His name was Girgatha and his tribe is more or less extinct, they had been wiped out by the Kelti. His bloodline became extinct one thousand years ago when his last male heir was killed by angry Orcish nobles." said the scribe. "So the god of war more or less has us go against these Orcs, now I know why. He made them too powerful." said a Priest. "My tutor never taught me this!" said the Yarl. "There are a lot of things that are written down that no-one ever hears of." said the scribe. "Another thing that you men don't know. The Thaugmar taught the first tribe of men how to mine and smith weapons, and High Elves taught us language and how to make clothes. The Hill Dwarves taught us how to farm and raise cattle. The Orcs controlled the entire world at the time and they gave us government, in a way." said the scribe. "Amazing." said the men in the room.
Chapter Four.
The hunter was back in the woods, hunting Ice Bears and a bit more informed of the world around him. He learned from a High Elf ranger that Vyirlund had once been, before the Trolls and Orcs, the domain of the Frost Elves, who were now extinict. The ranger pointed out some tree burials to Arnbjorn when they were hunting for bears. "The Frost Elves lived simple lives, they were nomads, moving from place to place. They worshipped the gods in their way and the only thing they left were these tree burials." said the High Elf ranger. One of our great Druids was the last of the Frost Elves, he died 800 years ago." said the ranger. "They also left large oak circles. You can still see them if you know your trees." Lastly the two rode up to a large stone statue. "Do you know the origins of this?" asked Arnbjorn. "That stone statue was raised by the Orcs when the wiped out the Frost Elves. It was their King." said the High Elf ranger. "I wonder if the Vyir will suffer the same fate in this cruel and remorseless land." said Arnbjorn out loud. "Who knows." said the High Elf. "Who knows."
The End.
Arnbjorn Margrimur had his studded leather armor on and war equipped with his enchanted oak bow. He stalked through the woods with his special arrowheads, the ones that killed bears, especially Ice Bears. He walked up a wooded slope covered with huge aspens and firs. The air smelled like the trees around him and the dampness hung in the air. His hunting camp was ten miles away but he was used to traveling up to 100 miles a day to "bag a bear" he was intently focused on his quarry: He was tracking a male alpha Ice Bear, the most dangerous bears in Vyirlund. He smelled the musk of a bear and saw that it was a young sow and he left her alone, he needed bears and he considered himself a "bear manager" and in a way, he was. His Yarl knew he was a hunter and asked him to cull Ice Bears to reasonable numbers and to keep an eye on the land and make sure it remained healthy. He heard a noise behind him, he quickly turned and saw the male alpha almost on top of him, he pulled out his short sword and stabbed the bear in the heart for a clean kill. It fell dead and he began to skin it. He was going to sell the coat to a furrier and the rest of the bear he slaughtered for it's meat and intestines for bow-string, the rest of the bear he left for the carnivores of the woods. He left the site and traveled back to his hunting camp. He saw some Nords talking nearby and he became deeply concerned because Nords in the woods were usually bandits. "Hey!" he said in Vyir which most Nords understood if said slowly. "What are you doing in the forest of the Yarl?" asked Arnbjorn. "We are huscarls looking for a thief that killed a traveler in Nordlandia, we were told he lived at this camp." said the huscarl. "You were given false information." said the hunter. "This is a Ranger Camp, mine. I work for the Yarl." said Arnbjorn. The huscarls came over and looked him over. "He is a hunter alright, a bandit wouldn't be so well armed with these kinds of tools." said a huscarl. "Keep your eyes open. This Nord uses different names, he is 7'11, deep blue eyes, blonde hair. His real name is Alvis Djornsen. According to our laws, a man pays a fine on his first killing and on the second killing, he is declared outlaw and when caught, is beheaded after a fast but fair trial." said the huscarl. "This is his second killing, he is a useless bandit." said another huscarl. "Okay, I will keep my eyes open for him." said Arnbjorn. The huscarls left the camp and Arnbjorn took his man-killing arrows and went hunting for a criminal. It didn't take long to find the bandit's camp, he saw the bandit was asleep in the tent. He raised his bow and aimed the arrow at the bandit's head. "You are under arrest by the orders of the Yarl and the huscarls looking for you. The charge is second murder. You have the right to a fast and fair trial. What say you?" asked the hunter. "I didn't do it!" said the Nord. "Unlikely, there are witnesses to your crime." said Arnbjorn. "Let me tell my story. I was the son of a Thane in Nordlandia who was just minding his own business until I witnessed two huscarls murder a woman. I ran back to my Thane and reported it. He sent his huscarls but the huscarls never came back, then the bandit huscarls attacked our Hall and burnt it to the ground and killed the Thane! I went to the Yarl but the bandits went to him first and accused me of the crimes! The Yarl issued a warrant for my arrest and I have been on the run ever since." said the Nord. "The two huscarls I encountered. Come with me to my camp and I will explain your story to the Yarl. If these huscarls are indeed the real killers, then it can be proven." said the hunter. The huscarls reappeared. "Fool! You made up that story to escape the Yarl's justice! You are coming with us!" said the huscarls. "Let me examine you." said the hunter to the huscarls. "You better not." said one huscarl, going for his sword. "Just kill both the hunter and the Nord, I'm not about to be beheaded!" said the huscarl. "Then you are guilty, you just proved it." said Arnbjorn. Arnbjorn quickly disarmed both huscarls in a swift move and the Nord helped tie up the men. "In the name of the High Yarl, I charge you aliens with murder and attempt to cover up murder." said Arnbjorn. "I will take you to my Yarl "So the god of war more or less has us go against these Orcs, now I know why. He made them too powerful." said a Priest. "My tutor never taught me this!" "So the god of war more or less has us go against these Orcs, now I know why. He made them too powerful." said a Priest. "My tutor never taught me this!" and his huscarls will transport you to the High Yarl of Nordlandia for a speedy trial. He threw the men on his pony and led the felons back to the Yarl. "Good work. I will send these dishonored men back to their Yarl for trial. The Nord"So the god of war more or less has us go against these Orcs, now I know why. He made them too powerful." said a Priest. "My tutor never taught me this!" they were hunting is cleared of all charges." said the Yarl. "I would like to remain up here as a warrior." said the Nord. "After I settle the matter with these wolvesheads." he said, motioning to the Yarl. "Sure, fine. You can fight on my shield wall if you have a head for battle." said the Yarl. The Yarls huscarls led the disgraced men off on the narrow horsepath south to Nordlandia. The Nord followed in order to give evidence against the murderers. The Nord Yarl listened to the account from both the Nord and Arnbjorn and found the disgraced, rogue huscarls guilty of multiple murder. They were lead out and beheaded outside. "Thank you for helping me settle this matter, here is a 1 million gelder bounty for you two to share." said the Nord Yarl. The men both accepted the money and walked out of the Hall and past the headless bodies of the murderers. It was raining. "I am going to ride back to Vyirlundia if you still want to join us." said Arnbjorn to Alvis Djornsen. "I have to settle things with my Yarl here about getting the Thanedom transfered to my uncle." said the Nord. "Tell your Yarl I will see him in a month or less." said the Nord. "Fine." said Arnbjorn. He got on his pony and rode back to Vyirlundia. Arnbjorn never saw the Nord again and he assumed that the Nord probably was killed in battle or was killed by the family of the dead huscarls. Months passed and he continued to hunt Ice Bears and he was surprised to see some Royal Rangers at his hunters camp. "Stop, in the name of the High Yarl you are poaching on the land of the High Yarl." said the lead Ranger. "Wait. This land belongs to Yarl Edvin Aeolbergsen. I am hunting and managing this land by his lease." said Arnbjorn. "We will take you to the Yarl to see if this is true." said a huscarl. Arnbjorn took a deerskin parchment letter from his satchel and gave it to the huscarl. "This letter confirms the lease for Arnbjorn Margrimur to hunt on the Yarl's lands and to manage the resources thereof." read the huscarl out loud. "Alright, this matter is between the High Yarl and the Yarl then." said the huscarls and they rode off to see the Yarl. After a few weeks of messages going back and forth, the scribes of both Yarls redrew the maps to correct the error and Arnbjorn was given a copy of the map.
Chapter Two
Arnbjorn rode into a camp of Orcs one day and saw three Orc bashers, all drunk and asleep. He drew his blade and quickly dispatched the Orcs and burnt their camp with fire. We rode off to warn the Yarl about the Orc movements in the wilderness. "Probably Frost Orc rebels." said the Yarl. "If you can report anymore camps, I would be in your debt." said the Yarl. The Yarl gave him an 800 guilder bounty for killing the Orcs. The hunter went for a ride around his large territory and discovered three more Frost Orc rebel camps. He rode back to the Yarl and reported their locations. The Yarl sent his warriors and huscarls to kill the Orcs and the hunter was given another 1,500 guilders for the service. As he continued to patrol his lands under his watch, he found several Kelti runaway camps. He reported the runaways to the Yarl and the Yarl sent some huscarls to round up the slaves and send them back to their villages. One day he happened upon a camp of lizard-men who appeared to be mages. He left them alone since they were not breaking any laws. In exchange for his kindness, the lizard-men gave him some fireball and ice scrolls in case of an emergency. One thing he saw on a regular basis was thirteen year old Vyir boys on their Wilderness Trial. He left them alone because giving aid would render the test void. He slept at night but he knew that the most criminal activity occurred at night. One day he rode into a camp of rebel Vyir. They explained that a neighboring Yarl and tried to unjustly strip their Thane of his title because of a Clan dispute. The Thane was there and confirmed their story. "So we wait outside of his reach. When he dies or retires, we'll return to our land." said the Thane. "Come to my Yarl, he will settle the matter with the other Yarl." said Arnbjorn. The Thane and his followers broke camp and followed the hunter back to his Yarl. "I will settle the matter with the other Yarl." said the Yarl to the Thane and his warriors. The two Yarls met and discussed the matter and finally the other Yarl restored the Thane to his position.
Chapter Three
Arnbjorn found a Tomb that was previously undetected by him. He looked at it and it was the tomb of an ancient Frost Orc King, back when they still had a Kingdom up there. He went inside and was surprised that it was an open, unguarded room with the sarcophagus open, the bones long since gone and the room totally looted. The paintings on the walls where still there and he was surprised to see a symbol that humans had used thousands of years ago but no longer. "So the Orcs had the same symbol, humpf." said the hunter. He looked around and saw a grip on the wall, he grabbed the grip and a secret door opened. "What is down here?" he wondered out loud. He took a torch and walked down the winding stairs. He came to a room filled with gold coins, masks and bodies of noble Orcs, all mumified. He gathered the gold and put it in his bags and he memorized the masks and the paintings on the walls. He was shocked to see a painting of a human with Orcs in a line, all bowing to him. "Who was this?" he wondered. He left the tomb and closed the door and went to see the Yarl about his discovery. "Orcs bowing to a human? Perhaps there is a bit of their lore we do not know? I will put my scribe on it." said the Yarl. The scribe spoke. "I do not tell this story around the warriors. Long, long ago, when the Orcs were still a tribe, a man who was born of the war god and a human woman became the first Emperor of the Orcish Empire. He designed their entire civilization for them and they have more or less stuck with that pattern ever since. His name was Girgatha and his tribe is more or less extinct, they had been wiped out by the Kelti. His bloodline became extinct one thousand years ago when his last male heir was killed by angry Orcish nobles." said the scribe. "So the god of war more or less has us go against these Orcs, now I know why. He made them too powerful." said a Priest. "My tutor never taught me this!" said the Yarl. "There are a lot of things that are written down that no-one ever hears of." said the scribe. "Another thing that you men don't know. The Thaugmar taught the first tribe of men how to mine and smith weapons, and High Elves taught us language and how to make clothes. The Hill Dwarves taught us how to farm and raise cattle. The Orcs controlled the entire world at the time and they gave us government, in a way." said the scribe. "Amazing." said the men in the room.
Chapter Four.
The hunter was back in the woods, hunting Ice Bears and a bit more informed of the world around him. He learned from a High Elf ranger that Vyirlund had once been, before the Trolls and Orcs, the domain of the Frost Elves, who were now extinict. The ranger pointed out some tree burials to Arnbjorn when they were hunting for bears. "The Frost Elves lived simple lives, they were nomads, moving from place to place. They worshipped the gods in their way and the only thing they left were these tree burials." said the High Elf ranger. One of our great Druids was the last of the Frost Elves, he died 800 years ago." said the ranger. "They also left large oak circles. You can still see them if you know your trees." Lastly the two rode up to a large stone statue. "Do you know the origins of this?" asked Arnbjorn. "That stone statue was raised by the Orcs when the wiped out the Frost Elves. It was their King." said the High Elf ranger. "I wonder if the Vyir will suffer the same fate in this cruel and remorseless land." said Arnbjorn out loud. "Who knows." said the High Elf. "Who knows."
The End.
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