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Pathfinder 1E Crowns of Ice - A Tale of Blood and Betrayal - Chapter I - The Isle of Heildam
Queenie
Queen of Everything
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Queenie
Queen of Everything
The next morning Astrid was awoken by a cold wolf nose in her face. She had slept fitfully on the couch, though was surprised to wake to a warm, soft blanket wrapped around her and a stuffed pillow under her head. She slowly roused from sleep to find a light breakfast waiting for her as well.
She spent the morning preparing for what was to come. Her trunk of fancy wedding-week-dresses had shown up in her tent, and she carefully chose an emerald dress with the most amount of silver threads woven through it she could find, along with all the proper princessy accessories. She assumed whatever was going to happen was going to happen this day, and she intended to be ready.
She made her way to one of the natural waterfalls and the small pool of clear, crisp water at the bottom to wash up. It took a very long time on her own to unbraid all the complicated braids her two maids had woven into her hair and it was quite a relief to her scalp to release the tension there. After finishing re-dressing, she left her hair mostly unbound, which was unusual, just one simple braid on each temple to hold her crown in. After that she spent a little time exploring the island and interacting with its inhabitants; the animals here had no fear of her or her wolf, in fact, they seemed to be drawn to her singing.
When she returned to camp she felt considerably better, much more like herself. Holding her head high, she joined the Sea King at the table he’d set up in a pretty open area and waited. They chatted amiably, though the air did get a little tenser once Eben also arrived.
Astrid watched the brothers interact closely. It felt a little odd to her, she’d never known anyone back in their village to treat Eben in such a way, with such respect, other than his mother. It made her heart happy that he had found such a relationship but also made her sad that he’d had to abandon her to find it. She quietly pondered the fate of hearts as time passed for them all.
A goodly amount of time went by before there was a flurry of activity and there were boats on the horizon. It was confirmed there were flags flying of both the MacTier’s and the Vouldson’s, together. Astrid couldn’t help but feel nerves at the waiting and the wondering. It was not often that a woman’s word had much say in these kinds of things, but she was hoping at least her sway with her father and her shared history and bond with Eben would help smooth things over and she would end up with what she wanted.
Einar’s head on a platter.
It felt like it took forever for the boats to come close enough for the men to come ashore. Astrid paced around the table while this happened, she was not used to having to wait on such a tense situation, not one involving herself. The Sea King laughed at her lightly while Eben squeezed her shoulder sympathetically, she could only assume they were both used to worse situations than this.
Finally the men left to retrieve her father, and possibly Einar too, and she sat at the table and waited. They returned but her father did not follow, no one did. They waited some more.
Astrid furrowed her brow. "I do not know what your men said to my father, but I hope you have not offended him. He is an honorable man and…” she locked eyes with Eben knowing he would confirm what she was about to say, “He does not have a lot of patience for trickery.”
She twisted her delicate fingers together. “But perhaps it is just better that angry warriors have not come charging into this place.” She tried to see through the trees down to the beach to get a better view of what was happening.
“Why has he not come yet?” She gnawed a little bit on her lower lip, trying to keep her nervousness at bay.
She spent the morning preparing for what was to come. Her trunk of fancy wedding-week-dresses had shown up in her tent, and she carefully chose an emerald dress with the most amount of silver threads woven through it she could find, along with all the proper princessy accessories. She assumed whatever was going to happen was going to happen this day, and she intended to be ready.
She made her way to one of the natural waterfalls and the small pool of clear, crisp water at the bottom to wash up. It took a very long time on her own to unbraid all the complicated braids her two maids had woven into her hair and it was quite a relief to her scalp to release the tension there. After finishing re-dressing, she left her hair mostly unbound, which was unusual, just one simple braid on each temple to hold her crown in. After that she spent a little time exploring the island and interacting with its inhabitants; the animals here had no fear of her or her wolf, in fact, they seemed to be drawn to her singing.
When she returned to camp she felt considerably better, much more like herself. Holding her head high, she joined the Sea King at the table he’d set up in a pretty open area and waited. They chatted amiably, though the air did get a little tenser once Eben also arrived.
Astrid watched the brothers interact closely. It felt a little odd to her, she’d never known anyone back in their village to treat Eben in such a way, with such respect, other than his mother. It made her heart happy that he had found such a relationship but also made her sad that he’d had to abandon her to find it. She quietly pondered the fate of hearts as time passed for them all.
A goodly amount of time went by before there was a flurry of activity and there were boats on the horizon. It was confirmed there were flags flying of both the MacTier’s and the Vouldson’s, together. Astrid couldn’t help but feel nerves at the waiting and the wondering. It was not often that a woman’s word had much say in these kinds of things, but she was hoping at least her sway with her father and her shared history and bond with Eben would help smooth things over and she would end up with what she wanted.
Einar’s head on a platter.
It felt like it took forever for the boats to come close enough for the men to come ashore. Astrid paced around the table while this happened, she was not used to having to wait on such a tense situation, not one involving herself. The Sea King laughed at her lightly while Eben squeezed her shoulder sympathetically, she could only assume they were both used to worse situations than this.
Finally the men left to retrieve her father, and possibly Einar too, and she sat at the table and waited. They returned but her father did not follow, no one did. They waited some more.
Astrid furrowed her brow. "I do not know what your men said to my father, but I hope you have not offended him. He is an honorable man and…” she locked eyes with Eben knowing he would confirm what she was about to say, “He does not have a lot of patience for trickery.”
She twisted her delicate fingers together. “But perhaps it is just better that angry warriors have not come charging into this place.” She tried to see through the trees down to the beach to get a better view of what was happening.
“Why has he not come yet?” She gnawed a little bit on her lower lip, trying to keep her nervousness at bay.
Neurotic
I plan on living forever. Or die trying.
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[MENTION=8058]Queenie[/MENTION]: Yes, I assumed we're playing co-op game since you guys agreed to that before I came into it. I simply adapted to that decision by including in the story parts with links to other characters and motivation against Einar and the cult.
[MENTION=6855204]tglassy[/MENTION], no hard feelings, your character, your decision. Just don't get us killed
I'm sorry Jago and I changed the conditions and you cannot do in full what you prepared
Fenris
Adventurer
Thorir waited patiently for the arrival of his guests. He talked and chatted with Eben and Astrid while they waited. His men returned and came and gave him a quiet report of the beach and the scouts around the island. Thorir whispered some instructions to one of his men who left and returned in a short time with a small box that he set down before Thorir. They sat and talked and waited yet longer.
Finally in response to Astrid's query he responded with a sigh "I fear your fifl of a father loves his pride more than he loves his daughter. You have spoken of how much he loves you. Yet he traveled leagues on the water but will not walk a league on the earth. Go, let him see you, and carry my invitation to him. Let him return that we can drink and eat, and speak of all that must be heard. I am of half a mind to let you go to him and leave myself to not deal with such a fool. Yet, this matter concerns my blood now, and I cannot let the actions of my brother stand."
Finally in response to Astrid's query he responded with a sigh "I fear your fifl of a father loves his pride more than he loves his daughter. You have spoken of how much he loves you. Yet he traveled leagues on the water but will not walk a league on the earth. Go, let him see you, and carry my invitation to him. Let him return that we can drink and eat, and speak of all that must be heard. I am of half a mind to let you go to him and leave myself to not deal with such a fool. Yet, this matter concerns my blood now, and I cannot let the actions of my brother stand."
Queenie
Queen of Everything
Astrid clenched her jaw and bit back the first comment that wanted to spring from her lips. This man, if he could be called that, knew no tact, no diplomacy, no manners whatsoever. Still, she needed him, and her father, to get along, as much as it pained her. How him and her poet shared blood was beyond her.
"You ought to learn to watch your tongue, Sea King. You may be used to dealing with pirates and rogues, but nobility does not suffer actual fools lightly. I know not why my father is not here right now, but he has his reasons. You should consider that you might need what he offers in your plans going forward and act accordingly."
Astrid excused herself and walked down towards the beach until she caught a glimpse of her father, her wolf following close behind. Once she did see him, she lifted her skirts and ran towards him, right into his arms. Ruby yipped and playfully ran alongside the girl like nothing was amiss at all.
"Daddy, you came!"
Even though the previous night and this morning she had felt much less a prisoner, she felt a wave of relief come over her once she was in her father's presence.
"I knew you would come yourself, I told them you would."
"You ought to learn to watch your tongue, Sea King. You may be used to dealing with pirates and rogues, but nobility does not suffer actual fools lightly. I know not why my father is not here right now, but he has his reasons. You should consider that you might need what he offers in your plans going forward and act accordingly."
Astrid excused herself and walked down towards the beach until she caught a glimpse of her father, her wolf following close behind. Once she did see him, she lifted her skirts and ran towards him, right into his arms. Ruby yipped and playfully ran alongside the girl like nothing was amiss at all.
"Daddy, you came!"
Even though the previous night and this morning she had felt much less a prisoner, she felt a wave of relief come over her once she was in her father's presence.
"I knew you would come yourself, I told them you would."
Fenris
Adventurer
Thorir merely grinned his wolfish grin, unperturbed by Astrid's dig. "As you wish jarlinna" was all he said as she excused herself.
Alec had the spell on his lips as he waited for the first person to come to him, likely the Sea King himself. It was a passive spell, a simple one, one he had used many times on many a noble, in order to always seem one step ahead of them. It merely scanned their thoughts for information on their next of kin. Their location, and the target's current disposition for them. Simple, but could tell much.
Alec cast the spell the moment he saw movement, and his surprise was palpable as he cast it and found Astrid standing before him! He did not expect his daughter to be the one greeting him, away from her captors no less. With a glance back to his boat, his first instinct indeed was to whisk her away and be done with these damned pirates.
But a moment later, his spell told him much. He felt six people in her mind. Six who qualified as "Next of Kin." There was himself, of course, and her sister Sylvia, and her missing daughter. As for their location, Astrid believed her daughter lost and Sylvia to be home, which was true. Obviously she knew her father was right there. Her love for all three shone through brightly, though the pain of her daughter's loss echoed through his mind. He had never before cast such a spell on her, always leaving her privacy to herself.
But the other three. Her former lover, Eban, the boy who had sired her daughter. The fact he was her daughter's father made him next of kin in her mind. And beyond that, she knew of two of his brothers, Thorir...and Einar?
Two of which were here! Eban, and his brother Thorir, were on this island! From her emotional state towards them, he felt she still cared for her old lover, but was not mad about him as she once was, much to Alec's relief. But this other man...there was fear. There was a grudging respect, a recent understanding. There was...something else. She thought he a beast of a man, an uncouth Sea King.
The Sea King. His eyes narrowed. The man who kidnapped his daughter was brother to the man she was to marry, and in tow was her old lover. The sheer insanity of this one sentence almost had him shake it off as the fantasies of some old story his gram used to tell the children.
Only moments passed as he learned all this information, simply holding her in his arms as he processed it all. She did not seem to be a captive. She did not think she was a captive. But that something else that he had felt towards Thorir...it was trust. No. Not trust. A need for cooperation. Something had changed. She had a tale to tell, his daughter did, and he needed to let her tell it.
He held her back and looked at her, "You're not hurt. Good. Now take me to Thorir. I would hear what he has to say."
Alec cast the spell the moment he saw movement, and his surprise was palpable as he cast it and found Astrid standing before him! He did not expect his daughter to be the one greeting him, away from her captors no less. With a glance back to his boat, his first instinct indeed was to whisk her away and be done with these damned pirates.
But a moment later, his spell told him much. He felt six people in her mind. Six who qualified as "Next of Kin." There was himself, of course, and her sister Sylvia, and her missing daughter. As for their location, Astrid believed her daughter lost and Sylvia to be home, which was true. Obviously she knew her father was right there. Her love for all three shone through brightly, though the pain of her daughter's loss echoed through his mind. He had never before cast such a spell on her, always leaving her privacy to herself.
But the other three. Her former lover, Eban, the boy who had sired her daughter. The fact he was her daughter's father made him next of kin in her mind. And beyond that, she knew of two of his brothers, Thorir...and Einar?
Two of which were here! Eban, and his brother Thorir, were on this island! From her emotional state towards them, he felt she still cared for her old lover, but was not mad about him as she once was, much to Alec's relief. But this other man...there was fear. There was a grudging respect, a recent understanding. There was...something else. She thought he a beast of a man, an uncouth Sea King.
The Sea King. His eyes narrowed. The man who kidnapped his daughter was brother to the man she was to marry, and in tow was her old lover. The sheer insanity of this one sentence almost had him shake it off as the fantasies of some old story his gram used to tell the children.
Only moments passed as he learned all this information, simply holding her in his arms as he processed it all. She did not seem to be a captive. She did not think she was a captive. But that something else that he had felt towards Thorir...it was trust. No. Not trust. A need for cooperation. Something had changed. She had a tale to tell, his daughter did, and he needed to let her tell it.
He held her back and looked at her, "You're not hurt. Good. Now take me to Thorir. I would hear what he has to say."
Neurotic
I plan on living forever. Or die trying.
Arvid got up from his rock as he spied movement from the Island interior. He watched amazed as the captive ran free to greet them without any captors visible. That made him nervous as he scanned their surroundings.
As Jarl spoke he snapped back into happenings between daughter and father "Thorir? Thorir? You know his name?"
He shakes his head "Too many secrets."
"So, we're talking with the pirates now? Very good. Lady Astrid, I am Arvid Gunnar Ingvarson, Jarl Einars emissary in this unfortunate event. Nice to meet you in person, especially safe and sound. With your permission, I would like a word with you once we're on the ship."
He motions away from the beach.
"Lead the way."
As Jarl spoke he snapped back into happenings between daughter and father "Thorir? Thorir? You know his name?"
He shakes his head "Too many secrets."
"So, we're talking with the pirates now? Very good. Lady Astrid, I am Arvid Gunnar Ingvarson, Jarl Einars emissary in this unfortunate event. Nice to meet you in person, especially safe and sound. With your permission, I would like a word with you once we're on the ship."
He motions away from the beach.
"Lead the way."
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Queenie
Queen of Everything
She squeezed her father tight, "No, no I am not injured. All things considered I have been treated well."
She lifted her face to look in man's blue eyes. "But you will NEVER believe who is here Father! Eb-..."
She stopped short when she noticed the man she did not recognize. And then started processing her father knew Thorir ... he always had a way with knowing things.
Tension crept back into Astrid at learning the newcomer was one of Einar's men. It gave her a little bit of pleasure to think some of their plans would be thwarted and she finally understood some of what Thorir's feelings were on matters. Having Einar's man here would make it impossible to discuss matters openly, but Thorir would know what to do. She would have to play along until then. She untangled from her father and approached Arvid.
"Greetings Master Ingvarson, a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am sorry you had to come all this way to retrieve me. I do know of Thorir, as I know you do as well. I would speak with you, though you understand it's not proper for a Lady to be alone with a male not of her family. Perhaps you can speak with me here while my father is still present, before we set out for Grandael?"
Once they were finished speaking on the beach, Astrid led them all back to the cleaning, where Thorir had set up the grand table, and Thorir and Eben were waiting.
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