War in the North

War in the North was a virtual representation of one of Eivor Varinsdottir's genetic memories, relived by Layla Hassan through the Portable Animus HR-8.5.

Description

Eivor began her journey to meet with the lord of Northumbria, Halfdan Ragnarsson.

Dialogue

At Ravensthorpe, Eivor talked about pledging to Eurvicscire with Randvi.

• Eivor: What awaits in Eurvicscire?
• Randvi: Halfdan Ragnarsson, Conqueror of the North, sends his greeting. He wishes to meet with Eivor Wolf-Kissed personally.
• Eivor: Halfdan Jarl. I have heard the man's name so often, I feel as though I know him already.
• Randvi: He is currently tangled in a war with the Picts of the northern hills. I suspect he wants your council. Or your axe. If you are keen to meet him, he asks that you join him at his war camp. I have the location here.

Eivor pledged to Eurvicscire.

• Eivor: I will go at once.
• Randvi: With caution, Eivor. Eurvicscire is currently at war with the Picts, a proud clan that lives just beyond the Roman wall.

Eivor left Randvi and once again sailed and rode north of Mercia into the kingdom of Northumbria, entering Eurvicscire proper and proceeded to Anlaf's Lookout. When she arrived, Eivor noted the outpost was abandoned in a hurry and looked around.

• Eivor: Signs of battle.

Eivor investigating the bodies and signs of battle around the outpost

As Eivor investigated, she noticed bodies and blood around.

• Eivor: Hard fought on both sides.

Atop the outpost's main viewpoint, Eivor found two notes.

Guard's Scribble

Too many travelers have vanished near the waterfall for my liking.

Lookout's Note

Trygve,

The men north of the wall grow bolder as winter grows deeper.

They now cross the wall, pushing far into Northumbrian territory.

Beg Hemming Jarl to send more men to—

She followed the trail of carnage leading away from the outpost.

• Eivor: The battle climbed into the hills.

As she climbed the hills, Eivor noticed the remaining army of Halfdan and Faravid leading them.

• Norse Warrior 1: Hey, who's that?
• Norse Warrior 2: Everyone all right?

Near the cliff's edge, Faravid gave orders to another warrior.

• Faravid: Help the wounded. And get every man's name. We leave none behind.

Eivor greeting Faravid near the cliffs

Eivor approached Faravid, and he recognized her at once.

• Faravid: Well met, Eivor Raven-Friend.

Eivor spoke to Faravid.

• Faravid: Now there's a face I've seen before.
• Eivor: Faravid. We met in Jorvik, the Yuletide feast.
• Faravid: The Yuletide massacre, I remember. What brings you here?
• Eivor: Halfdan Jarl, he summoned me. Is he near?
• Faravid: He was, but the Picts hit us hard. We were separated.

Within their conversation, Faravid overheard the screams of the enemy Picts as Eivor unsheathed her weapon.

• Eivor: Fresh attack, from the hills!

As the fighting began, Faravid ordered his men.

• Faravid: Circle round! Watch your backs!
• Eivor: Picts. They won't be happy to see the likes of me.

Eivor and Faravid fighting against the Picts

Eivor fought with Faravid and his group against the Picts. Eivor shouted at the Picts while fighting.

• Eivor: Odin take you all!

After disposing of the first wave, Eivor regrouped with Faravid.

• Faravid: The Picts are just ahead. Lead the way and we'll watch your back.
• Eivor: Are you wounded?
• Faravid: I'll live. But my men...

Eivor looked atop of the hill, where the Picts stood, as she and Faravid readied themselves for another fight.

• Faravid: If we die today, tonight we drink with Odin. Either way, we claim victory.

Out of view, a battle horn blew as Halfdan shouted a battle cry.

• Halfdan: For Thor!

Halfdan arriving with his men, claiming victory for the Vikings

Halfdan came behind the Picts and single-handedly took out two men. Halfdan threw his hammer as he yelled.

• Halfdan: For Ragnar!

After taking out the rest of the Picts, Halfdan roared his victory cry.

• Halfdan: For Halfdan!

Faravid and Eivor rejoiced as Halfdan came down to meet.

• Halfdan: You owe me your life, old friend. Once again.
• Eivor: Halfdan Ragnarsson, we meet in the forge of battle. Surely a good sign.
• Halfdan: I don't know you. One of Faravid's new dogs?
• Eivor: I am Eivor of the Raven Clan.

Halfdan meeting with Eivor and Faravid

• Halfdan: Eivor, yes. Down in Mercia. Kingmaker with my brothers Ivarr and Ubba. And Finnr in East Anglia. From the tales I hear, I feared you might be taller.
• Eivor: That's not a fear you feel often, I imagine.
• Halfdan: So you answered my summons. But the timing is poor as you can see. Too many here are spent ... battle-sore ... thirsty. Faravid. Have your men build field pyres for the dead.
• Faravid: At once, my jarl.

Halfdan hinting to speak with Eivor privately

As Faravid left, Halfdan's demeanor changed as he whispered to Eivor.

• Halfdan: Not here. Not now.

Eivor nodded as Halfdan left.

• Halfdan: Then to Donecaestre for a victory feast!

Faravid came back to talk with Eivor.

• Faravid: The oldest son of Ragnar Lothbrok, so he says. What do you make of him?

An impressive manA man like the restIt's what his men think that matters

• Eivor: Heroic display. He makes a powerful first impression.
• Faravid: Just the way he likes it. Welcome to Eurvicscire, friend.
• Eivor: Well met, Faravid. I was hoping your jarl would be as welcoming. But I suppose I must earn his trust.

• Eivor: Kings and jarls, bishops and earls, I've met them all. Halfdan is but a man like all the rest.
• Faravid: He conquered East Anglia, took Northumbria for his own, and sacked Lunden. What warrior could claim more?
• Eivor: Winning battles is easy. It's winning trust that brings an end of war.

• Halfdan: What I think does not matter. I'm interested in what his men think of him. Is he honest, trustworthy, loyal?

• Faravid: Is that why you've come here? To earn Halfdan's trust? To find a seat at his table?
• Eivor: I have my own table. What I want is a bond of friendship between the new lords of England.
• Faravid: Among whom you count yourself, I suppose.
• Eivor: It is an ally I seek, not a master.
• Faravid: Well, there is one Lord of Northumbria.

Faravid took his leave as Eivor looked at Donecaestre, her next destination. Faravid ordered his men to follow Halfdan's previous command.

• Faravid: You heard the jarl. Take the gear and start digging.

Before leaving, Eivor could speak to Faravid once more.

• Faravid: He's at Donecaestre, the towering castle by the river.

Eivor then left and descended the mountain to meet with Halfdan. As she arrived at Donecaestre, Eivor marvelled at the fortress.

• Eivor: The Roman giants outdid themselves with this fortress.

Within the settlement grounds, Eivor wondered where Halfdan might be.

• Eivor: Where would Halfdan Jarl hold court?

Eivor ascended the steps to the castle of Donecaestre, where a feast full of activities took place. In the entryway, she overheard a nun consoling a patron.

• Anglo-Saxon Man 1: Please, Lady Moira. My wife grows ill.
• Moira: I will attend to her soon, I promise. But Halfdan needs me now.

Eivor may have taken some time to speak to Moira.

Eivor speaking to Moira, Halfdan's healer

• Eivor: Are you a nun? I thought nuns dressed like geese.
• Moira: Nothing of the sort. I am Moira of Wyke, Halfdan's herbalist. He is an ill man, and I do what I can to give succor and hope.
• Eivor: I saw him fight. He was in fine health then.
• Moira: Thanks in part to my soothing tonics. Would you pardon me?

Eivor caught sight of King Ricsige speaking to Halfdan

As Eivor entered the main audience chamber to meet Halfdan, King Ricsige was already arguing with him.

• Halfdan: We crush them in spring. No sooner. That is the plan.
• Ricsige: Yet my people suffer day by day—
• Halfdan: Your people? Do you rule a shadow kingdom under my nose?
• Ricsige: Our people suffer from these brutal winter raids.

Eivor then joined the conversation.

Halfdan sending Ricsige away

• Ricsige: This war must end, that is my first concern. The time to strike is—
• Halfdan: Is when I say we strike. Halfdan's hammer protects this land. Tell my people that, King Ricsige.

Halfdan ordered King Ricsige to take leave.

• Ricsige: As you wish, my lord.

King Ricsige took leave and passed by Eivor. Halfdan looked over to her.

• Halfdan: Who is this? Come closer.
• Eivor: Halfdan Ragnarsson. My sword-arm answers your call.
• Halfdan: Thank you for your tribute, Eivor Wolf-Kissed. Your battles and deeds are well known to me.

Eivor smiled at the renowned jarl's praise.

• Halfdan: And you are the Hero of Jorvik, so sing my skalds.

Faravid walked into the conversation.

• Faravid: Not just any hero. Eivor brought order to the city when King Ricsige could not.
• Halfdan: They say you rooted a gang of thieves and traitors.
• Eivor: Not alone. But I led the charge.

Gave the stolen silver to the merchantsGave the stolen silver to the war effort

• Halfdan: You gifted my silver to the karls and ceorls of Jorvik.
• Eivor: To men and women who needed it most.
• Halfdan: A foolish choice. The coin never left King Ricsige's treasury.

• Faravid: The silver Eivor recovered there now pays for our war with the Picts.

Halfdan shook his head.

• Halfdan: It is wasted fighting Picts. It should be put to better use.

• Eivor: I try never to regret the decisions I make in a time of war.
• Halfdan: Agreed. To second guess ourselves would only stall the victory. I don't regret sending Faravid to lead our strike against the Picts... in spite of Eivor winning the day.
• Faravid: Eivor and I felled them, Halfdan Jarl, so you could sweep in, stab a few cold corpses, and claim a glorious victory.

Halfdan stood menacingly in response to Faravid's remark, then broke into laughter.

• Halfdan: Old friend, your jests hit like Odin's spear, always on the mark.
• Faravid: I would not be here without your hammer, great jarl. Please accept this, your share of the loot we won today.

Faravid handed Halfdan an ornate goblet.

• Halfdan: A thing of beauty. Frankish, I believe. What do you think, Eivor?

It's a good gobletIt's nothing specialGive me mead instead

• Eivor: A fine piece of work, fit for the lips of a king.
• Halfdan: Or a man who makes kings.

• Eivor: A cup is a cup. What matters is the brew that sloshes inside.

Halfdan nodded in agreement.

• Eivor: Wine goblets are for Roman kneelers. Give me a horn of mead any day.

Halfdan nodded in agreement.

• Halfdan: There's wisdom in the one, Faravid.

Faravid nodded.

• Faravid: By your leave, lord, I must return to my forward camp. It's a long, cold ride.

Halfdan nodded as Faravid left.

• Halfdan: A two-faced, smirking glory hound...
• Eivor: My lord, in your summons you said—

Halfdan asking Eivor to meet him atop of the tower

• Halfdan: Shhh, not here, not now. Dance, sing, and fill yourself with ale, then meet me atop this tower of stone.

Eivor nodded.

• Halfdan: There I will weave a tale of friendship and treachery. A tale as old as the world.

Halfdan took his leave as Eivor mingled with the occupants of Donecaestre.

Eivor may have tried to speak with Halfdan as he walked, though he was not ready to speak yet.

• Halfdan: Not here. Let's get away from envious ears.

Eivor participated in some of the activities Halfdan indicated while he made his way to the top of the castle.
In the main audience chamber, Eivor found a group a dancers and joined them briefly. In the side entry hall, Eivor overheard a comment from one of Halfdan's warriors about the war.

• Norse Warrior 3: Only a fool makes a long war in winter.

Outside on the ramparts, Eivor overheard a woman commenting on Halfdan's drink of choice.

• Norse Warrior 4: He should drink good honest mead, not that bitter Frankish wine.

Down below, Eivor found an Anglo-Saxon soldier brawling in a makeshift fighting ring. She approached him.

• Anglo-Saxon Soldier 1: You? Care to test the speed of your fists?
• Eivor: Fair warning, ceorl. My fists have hammered nails and strangled sharks. Still care to brawl?
• Anglo-Saxon Soldier 1: Swift and strong you may be. It's the one most righteous who wins the fight.

Eivor fist-fought the feast brawler, who used a series of rapid strikes and poisoned fists to gain an edge.

Won the fightLost the fight

• Eivor: You fought well, warrior. But here your legend ends, bound to no name.

• Eivor: Feeble.

Upstairs, Eivor spoke with a woman near a table where a man played Orlog.

• Anglo-Saxon Soldier 2: Here, Dane. Try your luck at throwing bones.
• Eivor: My luck overspills like the ocean's tide. Only fate will keep me from winning.
• Anglo-Saxon Soldier 2: Then come and see! What fate do these dice hold for you?

Eivor accepted the Orlog challenge.
On the balcony outside from the Orlog player, Eivor joined a man for a drinking contest.

• Norse Man 1: Warrior! You can swing an axe, but can you lift a horn?
• Eivor: As Thor swallowed the ocean, I can lift many horns and drain them too.
• Norse Man 1: A bold claim! I'll drink to that.

Eivor completed the drinking contest.

If Eivor completed all of the activities, she realized how much time had passed since her arrival.

• Eivor: I've put off Halfdan for too long. Atop the tower of stone, he said.

Eivor looked around a busy table upstairs and found a note to Halfdan's staff.

Servant's Scribble

Mildreth dear,

Have a care when you serve Lord Halfdan. He grows wroth at the slightest thing these days and rages at all.

Last fortnight, he had a poor server tossed into a pig-sty for spilling a dash of wine out of his bloody unicorn's horn.

Further upstairs, Eivor overheard Ricsige conversing with one of his soldiers.

• Ricsige: How true! I shall send a strongly worded note in protest.
• Anglo-Saxon Soldier 3: But sir, I'm told Halfdan can't read.

Eivor spoke to Ricsige before continuing upstairs.

• Eivor: King Ricsige...
• Ricsige: Ah, Eivor. We have missed your wit on the Jorvik council.
• Eivor: I attend in spirit.
• Ricsige: Would you lend us your wisdom now, if possible? We are at pains to determine how to deal with the northern Picts.
• Eivor: Meet iron with iron, that is the way.
• Ricsige: And this feast is how the Danes prepare their blades?
• Eivor: We fought well, and won. Tomorrow we will fight again. But we must always make time for celebration.
• Ricsige: I defer to your expertise. Hacking, hewing, and the like. Enjoy the feast, counselor.

In the balcony on the other end of the upper audience chamber, Eivor heard another man complain about Halfdan's tactics.

• Norse Man 2: But Faravid is the one out there fighting.

Eivor climbed up the stairs to speak with Halfdan privately. There, Halfdan mumbled to himself.

• Halfdan: Dogs don't beg for silver. Dogs don't yearn to be jarls. But I'm a wolf. No, a wolf king.

Halfdan noticed Eivor approach.

• Halfdan: Ah, Eivor. Come, let me show you a wonder.

Both of them walkedout to the balcony to talk. Eivor admired the overlook of Eurvicscire's wintery landscape.

Halfdan reminiscing his battles with his brothers

• Halfdan: All this. We conquered this. He and I. Together.
• Eivor: You've earned great fame, won many battles across England.
• Halfdan: But not alone, no no. Björn Ironside, fearless Ubba, Ivarr the Boneless, Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye. Great warriors all. My brothers.
• Eivor: Gold is good and battle better, but glory never dies. Forever it lives in the hall of heroes, high on valor's steed.
• Halfdan: Together, we have conquered. Together with my friends, my clan. Faravid above all others. One sword is not an army, Eivor. Even a hero needs loyal friends. I have never lost sight of that. Never!
• Eivor: Have you room for one more among those you call friend?
• Halfdan: What does friendship mean to you, Eivor?

Friendship is sacredIt is but a wordYou talk in circles

• Eivor: Friendship goes beyond words. It is a solemn bond, a chain unbroken.
• Halfdan: Spoken like the volur. It is indeed a kind of magic.
• Eivor: You wriggle like an eel in a basket, Halfdan. What has caught you?

• Eivor: It's but a name for an alliance. What matters is keeping your oath.
• Halfdan: A hard way to see the world. Hard, but fair.
• Eivor: You wriggle like an eel in a basket, Halfdan. What has caught you?

• Eivor: You wriggle like an eel in a basket, Halfdan. What has caught you?

Halfdan doubting Faravid's loyalty

• Halfdan: Friendship can also spoil, like rotten meat. After all these years, he dares to bite my hand.
• Eivor: Faravid? He seems a good and loyal man.
• Halfdan: Seems, yes. As a bright sky in winter seems warm. But rumors fly of little men plotting treason in the dark.
• Eivor: Have you proof of his treachery?
• Halfdan: Not yet. That is where you enter my saga. Prove this for me. Discover if Faravid has been disloyal. Then we shall talk of oaths.
• Eivor: Start me somewhere. Give me something to go on.

Halfdan nodded and showed Eivor a narwhal horn.

• Halfdan: You see this? From a sea unicorn. I filter my mead and wine with it.
• Eivor: I've heard of such beasts. They swim below the ice, beyond the world's edge.
• Halfdan: And their horns protect against poison.
• Eivor: You believe Faravid wants to poison you?
• Halfdan: I fear he has tried. Countless times. And failed them all. You don't believe me, but I know the man. His gifts of wine. His easy smile. His envy. His plots. Learn the truth. Dig up... unearth this treason.

Eivor agreeing to Halfdan's request

• Eivor: Why trust me with such a task?
• Halfdan: Jorvik. You stopped the ill deeds of Audun and his swarm of rats. You can do the same here.
• Eivor: Like a good sword, honor has two edges. I'll help you.
• Halfdan: Faravid has left the feast already, heading for his camp upriver. Join his war band. And behind his back, dig.
• Eivor: And if I find nothing? If he's a good and loyal man?
• Halfdan: Even better, even better.
• Eivor: Fair enough. I will find what I find, then return, my friend.

Eivor took her leave as Halfdan reiterated caution.

• Halfdan: Don't let Faravid fool you. He's hiding something.

Outcome

Halfdan tasked Eivor to investigate Faravid and learn of his schemes.

Behind the scenes

The only practical purpose of the four activities—dancing, the Orlog game, the drinking contest, and the fist fight—are simply to buy time for Halfdan's and Beonton's actors to walk from their starting positions to Halfdan's bedchamber. Beonton lags behind Halfdan when this process begins, thus it is possible to not get Halfdan's mutterings to the dog before he will speak to Eivor properly. Of the activities, the Orlog game, drinking contest, and fist fight do a partial "reset" of the castle and instantly move Halfdan and Beonton to the top floor. None of the activities are truly required—win or lose—if players simply wait long enough, and it is possible to quit out of the Orlog game and drinking contest and have them still count as "completed." Lastly, these activities can all be completed before ever talking to Halfdan and Faravid together, and Eivor's line of dialogue will still reference the top of the stone tower. For the purposes of this page, the memory has been arranged in the assumption that all activities are completed after talking to Halfdan in the main audience chamber but before joining him up top.

Sometimes while walking in Donecaestre, lines of dialogue from Faravid and Halfdan may trigger that are not conventionally triggered until Honor Has Two Edges and Road to Hamartia, when they briefly follow Eivor as allied NPCs.

The boundaries of the fist fight activity extend past the edge of the nearby low wall to the lower level of the castle. Thus, it is possible to knock the feast brawler over this wall with finished combos in its direction, letting fall damage grant an instant victory. This works regardless of difficulty setting. On this note, Eivor's win and lose comments are simply pulled from world events in other shires.

Gallery

• 
  Eivor arriving at the outpost
• 
  Eivor discovering the remains of Halfdan's army
• 
  The Picts surrounding Eivor and Faravid
• 
  Halfdan fending off the Picts
• 
• 
  Halfdan welcoming Eivor to the feast

References

• Assassin's Creed: Valhalla