Of Blood and Gods
Of Blood and Gods was a virtual representation of one of Eivor Varinsdottir's genetic memories, relived by Layla Hassan through the Portable Animus HR-8.5.
Description[edit | edit source]
Eivor met with Hemming's seer to discuss who should become the next jarl.
Dialogue[edit | edit source]
Eivor traveled to the seer's house, with bystanders nearby.
Eivor entered the house and saw a note within her home.
Final Rites
Eivor soon talked with the seer.
- Norse Woman: You are the Wolf-Kissed one, the Raven of Battle whose fame grows with each waxing of the moon.
- Eivor: I struggle with the choice Hemming left for me. I would have your council on the matter.
- Norse Woman: A slaughter must be made. Many sheep at the bottom of the Sleeping Jotun, before the pyre is lit. Follow.
The seer stood up and led Eivor to her sheep outside.
- Norse Woman: Come creatures. You are to serve the gods and bid them welcome our beloved Hemming Jarl with ale and open arms.
The sheep followed the seer as well. Along their climb up the mountain, the seer talked with Eivor.
- Eivor: Do you have the gift of foresight, seer? Can you augur what is to come?
- Norse Woman: I see what need be seen, when it need be.
- Eivor: A great gift.
- Norse Woman: A great burden.
- Eivor: Did Hemming Jarl consult you often? Did he unburden his woes?
- Norse Woman: We spoke often. Yet too often he left with more burdens than he brought.
- Eivor: He worried about the future of his clan. About who would be jarl.
- Norse Woman: Speak less. Lest our words draw foul spirits to dog us.
- Eivor: As you wish.
The seer led Eivor and the sheep near the peak.
- Eivor: Volva, I—
- Norse Woman: Your heart is restless. Your mind is clouded. You seek more than a guarantee of good omens.
- Eivor: I seek the gods' wisdom.
- Norse Woman: You wish to know who would best serve this clan as jarl.
- Eivor: I do. Between Vili and Trygve there is no clear choice.
- Norse Woman: We stand in the shadow of the giant, the great keeper of secrets. Here you'll find a drink of the resounding sea. Ascend the Sleeping Jotun. Consume the waters. And meditate at its peak. Do not seek answers to your questions. They will find you.
Eivor climbed to the peak of The Sleeping Jotun.
- Eivor: This is the summit. To seek an answer I should clear my mind and still my heart.
Eivor sat and started to meditate at its summit. Time passed as night came. Eivor drank the waters and waited. Within a misty daze, Eivor turned around and saw the spirit of Hemming Jarl.
- Eivor: Hemming Jarl? Is it truly you?
- Hemming: Of spirit. Not of flesh.
- Eivor: Why have you not reached Odin's hall?
Hemming and Eivor walked to the edge of the summit.
- Hemming: I will in time. As the flames of my pyre burn, I will ride the path of wood-smoke to the All-Father's hall of champions.
- Eivor: I am grateful to see you once more, jarl. I struggle with the task you set before me. To choose your heir is not an easy thing. One man is beloved, but does not want the task. The other man is fit for the task, but is not favored.
Hemming nodded and turned to Eivor.
- Hemming: I could not give you any more counsel in life, Eivor. So too in death am I rendered silent.
- Eivor: Forget wise counsel and rational arguments. What does your heart tell you?
- Hemming: My heart is stopped. It says nothing.
- Eivor: This should not be my decision, Hemming. The choice was always yours to make! You were their chief.
- Hemming: As Sigurd is your chief! But that does not quench your appetite for glory, as you covet his place upon the high seat of your clan.
- Eivor: I do not seek to replace Sigurd! Fate weaved our futures long ago. We are only following its pattern!
- Hemming: Yet you see it coming. You welcome it.
- Eivor: Shall I renounce my fate, then? Abandon the path to glory I walk?
- Hemming: No. I want you to die in defense of it.
Eivor fought with the Draugr Hemming.
- Hemming: This is not how I remember you.
- Eivor: Aaah!
- If Draugr Hemming got the better of Eivor, Eivor's vision faded to white and the battle within her mind restarted, with the jarl's shade fully restored.
- Eivor: This is how I remember you.
- Hemming: This is why I fight so well.
- The battle continued thus until Eivor was able to power through his attacks.
Midway through the battle, Eivor garnered a lead against Hemming, driving him to flee to another peak of the mountain.
- Eivor: You left me too soon, Hemming Jarl. Your shire's fate is uncertain.
- Hemming: I trusted you to make the right decision. I still do.
Eivor wore him down further, driving him to retreat to the remaining peak. Eivor clambered across a tree to pursue him to where he made his final stand.
- Hemming: Your edge is blunted by indecision. You lead warriors now, never waver.
- Eivor: You did, Hemming Jarl. You did.
- Hemming: And that is why my words should land true. Trust your judgment.
Eivor defeated Draugr Hemming in combat.
- Eivor: You pushed me, Hemming. I never intended this.
Hemming chuckled.
- Hemming: Have no regrets, Eivor. You have given me the great battle-death I sought in life.
Eivor shook her head.
- Eivor: You old fox. Was that the point of riling me up?
Before Hemming could respond, a light appeared to him in the sky behind Eivor as a shadowy figure stood within.
- Hemming: Ah. The All-Father... he comes to welcome me to his wall. And I must follow. The choice you make will be the right one.
Hemming's shade left to join Odin in Valhalla. Later, Eivor awoke from her meditation.
- Eivor: The Althing (clan gathering) is tomorrow, and a jarl must be chosen. I should speak with Sunniva about this.
Eivor returned to the base of the mountain to speak to the seer.
- Norse Woman: You have seen what was needed?
- Eivor: I have. More than enough.
Outcome[edit | edit source]
Eivor met with Hemming's seer and meditated at The Sleeping Jotun before defeating a draugr apparition of Hemming in battle.
Behind the scenes[edit | edit source]
Unlike other fights in the game, Eivor does not "die" if she loses to her opponent here. Rather, the game will simply fade to white and restart the fight from the beginning without a save reload. However, any consumed resources will stay consumed, including Draugr Hemming's weak points, while he himself will be restored to full health and defense. This means the battle becomes progressively more difficult with every defeat. The battlefield itself is also not conducive to an easy victory; a nighttime blizzard obscures vision, and using abilities to throw Draugr Hemming off the edge for fall damage will often result in him simply teleporting back to the peaks, completely unharmed and an adrenaline point wasted.
The nature of the battle also means Eivor will not get the emergency "health gate" at 1 hp, which prevents sufficiently-powerful attacks from becoming one-hit KOs even at full health; Draugr Hemming will effectively bypass this mechanic, and his wielding of two spears gives him very fast attack animations that do not telegraph parry and dodge windows as obviously as other heavy weapon-wielding enemies. Combined with the enemy level-scaling and across-the-board damage increases of Drengir and Aesir difficulty, Draugr Hemming will effectively be able to defeat Eivor in a single hit with any attack, regardless of Eivor's own level, health or armor.
Gallery[edit | edit source]
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Eivor met with the Seer in her home -
Eivor with the Seer and her sheeps -
Eivor meditating on top of the mountain peak
