War in the North

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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 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.

At this moment, Eivor left and travelled to Anlaf's Lookout. When she arrived, Eivor looked around the abandoned area.

• Eivor: Signs of battle.

As Eivor investigated, she noticed bodies and blood around.

• Eivor: Hard fought on both sides.

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

• Norse Soldier 1: Hey, who's that?
• Norse Soldier 2: Everyone all right?
• Faravid: Help the wounded. And get every man's name. We leave none behind.

As Eivor approached, Faravid gave salutations as Eivor initiated their conversation.

• Faravid: Well met, Eivor Raven-Friend. 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 sheathed 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 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?
• Eivor: Gorm Kjotvesson.

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 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: 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.

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.
• Faravud: Well, there is one Lord of Northumbria.

Faravid left to do his duty 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.

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

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

Within the fortress, Eivor wondered where Halfdan might be.

• Eivor: Where would Halfdan Jarl hold court?

Within the castle of Donecaestre, Eivor could have done many activities. Eivor overheard some comments from his soldiers.

• Norse Soldier 3: Only a fool makes a long war in winter.
• Norse Soldier 4: He should drink good honest mead, not that bitter Frankish wine.

Eivor had a chance to meet Lady Moira, as Moira was 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 went up to Moira to talk.

• 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 interacted by dancing with people. Eivor may have done a fist-fight with Anglo-Saxon Soldier as 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 right.

Eivor fist-fought the soldier and won.

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

Upstairs, Eivor spoke with a woman near an Orlog table and Eivor accepted and won the Orlog challenge.

• Anglo-Saxon Woman 1: 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 Woman 1: Then come and see! What fate do these dice hold for you?

Outside from the Orlog table, there was a drinking contest with a man. Eivor joined and beat the man at this 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.

If Eivor looked around a busy table upstairs, she 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.

If Eivor did these tasks, she exclaimed her worries.

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

When Eivor decided to meet Halfdan, King Ricsige was already agruing with Halfdan.

• 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 conversation.

• 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.

• 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. 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.
• 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.
• 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: 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 a grail.

• 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.

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

Halfdan nodded.

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

Eivor, if not done so, did some of the activities and overheard King Ricsige's brief talk with a soldier.

• Ricsige: How true! I shall send a strongly worded note in protest.
• Anglo-Saxon Soldier 2: But sir, I'm told Halfdan can't read.

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

• 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 wanting to speak.

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

Both of them walk to a balcony to talk. Eivor admired the outlook of the wintery landscape.

• 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: 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: 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.

Halfdan left but then stated to Eivor.

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

Outcome

Halfdan tasked Eivor to investigate Faravid and learns of his allegiance.

Gallery

• Eivor and Faravid meet with Halfdan Ragnarsson
  Eivor and Faravid meet with Halfdan Ragnarsson
• Halfdan questions Faravid's loyalty
  Halfdan questions Faravid's loyalty

References

• Assassin's Creed: Valhalla