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This is a fictional accounting of my current game in Civ3, flavored with some Scandinavian/Norse Mythology.
There are several chapters planned, and here is just the first couple chapters. I should have chapter 3 wrapped up (lots of juicy description and detail in chapter 3 btw)
This is my first story on this forum, and I'd appreciate your comments
=====
The Bane of Scandinavia
“WAR be our bane and our best chance for glory!”-Great Chief Ragnborg
Chapter 1
Odin’s Council
Odin’s Mighty Thrown, Hlidskialf in Valaskjalf
Odin sits in deep thought on his great seat, Hlidskialf, listening to his ravens, Hugin and Munin, his one eye pensively closed. The news is worrisome as it usually is, but also full of proud triumphs and honorable deaths. After the ravens have finished their report, Odin signals them to their roost. Odin’s large fist grips his mighty spear, Grungir, transferring the weight of his weary thoughts on its strength as he rises to great his most trusted members of the pantheon.
In a voice laden with the wisdom of thousands of generations and the original spirit of the Viking King’s, Odin addresses his small audience. “Proud Thore, mighty Wodan, and gentle Fricco, through your actions have I guided our Children since the dawn of their minds, so many thousands of years ago. Great Chief Ragnborg, chosen by you, Thore, has lead his people with strength and wisdom, and has honored us with many proud victories. Wodan, you have gifted them with cunning generals and stout warriors. Saddly, there has not been much time for your gifts, Fricco, and I feel that our children are growing weary and their minds are souring with the taste of war.”
Observing the respectful nods and sensing their growing understanding, Odin continues. “ Our Children have been steeped in the industries of War almost since they breathed their first breaths. Ever since the people they call the English made contact and threatened to hold the hemmed to the southern Peninsula. Naturally, this was designed to test their strength and their worth as my children. However, the wars with the English took many long years and stalled more intellectual pursuits. Later, our battle thirsty children discovered the Japanese on a small continent to the south and immediately made haste to quench their thirst for battle. Many lives were lost and again, nothing but war filled their minds. The conquering of the Spanish, on another small continent, but to the West of their homelands, almost imeediately followed the fall of the Japanese, and was better executed. Now, they have set their sights on the Mongol, who are also a proud warrior people. These Mongols will be stronger than the Spanish, the Japanese, and the English. Their lands are a little larger than the Spanish, but they have also recently acquired weapons of black smoke and fire through contacts with the peoples living on a cluster of continents across the great ocean far from the lands of our children.”
Wodan comes to attention, steps forward and kneels, then speaks in a deep voice of subdued fury. “Great Father, our Children will succeed, I have blessed their armies with great leaders, and supreme hearts filled with courage, enough and more for this test.”
Odin’s eye opens and glares from beneath his hooded cowl to bore into Wodan. A rumbling thunder in his voice warning his audience to be silent, “Wodan, your fury and thoughts of war are well known to our Children, perhaps too well known, but I warn you that I just might allow these Mongols to have the upper hand, if only to force the Children into a wider view of their world!”
Wodan’s eyes flash open, and he glances up toward Odin from his kneeling position, his mouth grappling with the fury he battles to contain, but he lowers his head and eases back into his position at the right side of Thore.
Fricco pales for a second, contemplating the loss of life and destruction such action might bring to his people.
Thore simply grips his belt a little tighter, constraining his thoughts.
Satisfied by these reactions, Odin continues, with less thunder, but more pressure and wind of a building storm of portent. “Listen to my council, and guide our children to see the bigger schemes that swirl about them in their world. There are powers far stronger than them that fight angrily amongst themselves for the moment, who have recently used the Mongols as pawns in their ambitions. Our Children must pursue a great time of peace and prosperity after this last conquest. They have many new lands now to administer that are weekly defended and open for attack. Once the Mongols are beaten, our Children must stop, or there will be a horrible lesson of blood and fire upon the heads of all of their leaders and in their homes!”
Thore glances up into Odin’s eye, trying to pierce the mysteries of his father’s thoughts. His glare is returned ten fold and with a distant wrath and a forceful demand for obedience. Sensing Wodan’s mood, Thore breaks his gaze on Odin to glance toward Wodan, and raises his arms to push Wodan and Fricco back and away from Odin. “Father, as you command, it shall be done.”
Chapter 2:
News from distant Nations
King Ragnborg’s Council Room in the capitol, ____
King Thorgrim Ragnborg, chosen by Thore to lead his people, as proclaimed by the hammer birthmark discovered on the back of his right shoulder at birth, sat in his high backed leather padded oaken throne, with his mighty jaw resting on his fist staring out the castle window of his council room. Many visions of the glorious battles of the past, of the war that was coming with the Mongols, and of the even brighter future for Scandinavia danced in a frenzied melee in his mind. Yet, he wondered how these other nations from a cluster of lands, similar to the one, Scandinavia had been born to, would factor into his people’s future. As he continued to toy with a myriad of grim scenarios the doorman announced the entrance of his trusted advisor, Ragnfrid.
“Finally, perhaps I’ll get some answers,” King Ragnborg muttered.
A tall thin man from the English plains and educated in London, wearing a noble’s tunic and trousers, in the purple and white of Scandinavia, quickly approached the King’s great council table, as the doorman quietly shut the great oaken door.
Ragnborg: “Yes, Ragnfrid, do you have a report?”
Ragnfrid: “Sire, the distant nations are all at war with eachother, but I fear for the Greeks. The Germans and Celts, and the Mongols have declared war on the Greeks. The Mongols, Ottomans, and Greeks have made peace with the Chinese, and the Carthaginians and Ottomans are still at war with the Germans.”
Ragnborg: “Good, mayhaps, that will buy us some time to enjoy peace for a change after our cluster is unified under our banner.”
Ragnfrid: “Sire, all of these nations, except the Mongols are far more advanced than we are. Many have already started a great wonder, called the Universal Suffrage! Additionally, some of our newer maps indicate an advanced form of transportation, that these other nations call railroads!”
Ragnborg: “Your news vexes me, Ragnfrid! Alas, our people have been locked in wars since time remembered…May Odin guide us and Thor save us!”
Ragnfrid: “Many of the major cities have only just recently completed great universities and our banks are only just starting to grant us the wealth we will need to bargain for the advancements our people need for our protection.”
Ragnborg: “Have you seen the knew mighty warriors glistening in their armor atop our strong horses? Have you heard the battle cry of our Berserks? We will have to depend on these tools for a while longer before our people can know peace…but how long will any peace last?”
Ragnfrid: “Sire, only Odin and Christ could know. Odin is less forthcoming these days or so say the leaders of the old faith, and this new faith may be too new to grant us much power yet.”
Ragnborg: “Yes, and even now, I send our strength against the last challenger for dominance in our piece of this world. That I do, against the grumbling from the leaders of the old faith.”
Ragnborg: “May Christ see us prevail, and may Thore and Wodan guide our swords against the troublesome Mongols!”
Ragnfrid: “For Scancinavia, for her King, and for her people!”
~Submitted by Warriorpoet, 16 APR 2004
There are several chapters planned, and here is just the first couple chapters. I should have chapter 3 wrapped up (lots of juicy description and detail in chapter 3 btw)
This is my first story on this forum, and I'd appreciate your comments
=====
The Bane of Scandinavia
“WAR be our bane and our best chance for glory!”-Great Chief Ragnborg
Chapter 1
Odin’s Council
Odin’s Mighty Thrown, Hlidskialf in Valaskjalf
Odin sits in deep thought on his great seat, Hlidskialf, listening to his ravens, Hugin and Munin, his one eye pensively closed. The news is worrisome as it usually is, but also full of proud triumphs and honorable deaths. After the ravens have finished their report, Odin signals them to their roost. Odin’s large fist grips his mighty spear, Grungir, transferring the weight of his weary thoughts on its strength as he rises to great his most trusted members of the pantheon.
In a voice laden with the wisdom of thousands of generations and the original spirit of the Viking King’s, Odin addresses his small audience. “Proud Thore, mighty Wodan, and gentle Fricco, through your actions have I guided our Children since the dawn of their minds, so many thousands of years ago. Great Chief Ragnborg, chosen by you, Thore, has lead his people with strength and wisdom, and has honored us with many proud victories. Wodan, you have gifted them with cunning generals and stout warriors. Saddly, there has not been much time for your gifts, Fricco, and I feel that our children are growing weary and their minds are souring with the taste of war.”
Observing the respectful nods and sensing their growing understanding, Odin continues. “ Our Children have been steeped in the industries of War almost since they breathed their first breaths. Ever since the people they call the English made contact and threatened to hold the hemmed to the southern Peninsula. Naturally, this was designed to test their strength and their worth as my children. However, the wars with the English took many long years and stalled more intellectual pursuits. Later, our battle thirsty children discovered the Japanese on a small continent to the south and immediately made haste to quench their thirst for battle. Many lives were lost and again, nothing but war filled their minds. The conquering of the Spanish, on another small continent, but to the West of their homelands, almost imeediately followed the fall of the Japanese, and was better executed. Now, they have set their sights on the Mongol, who are also a proud warrior people. These Mongols will be stronger than the Spanish, the Japanese, and the English. Their lands are a little larger than the Spanish, but they have also recently acquired weapons of black smoke and fire through contacts with the peoples living on a cluster of continents across the great ocean far from the lands of our children.”
Wodan comes to attention, steps forward and kneels, then speaks in a deep voice of subdued fury. “Great Father, our Children will succeed, I have blessed their armies with great leaders, and supreme hearts filled with courage, enough and more for this test.”
Odin’s eye opens and glares from beneath his hooded cowl to bore into Wodan. A rumbling thunder in his voice warning his audience to be silent, “Wodan, your fury and thoughts of war are well known to our Children, perhaps too well known, but I warn you that I just might allow these Mongols to have the upper hand, if only to force the Children into a wider view of their world!”
Wodan’s eyes flash open, and he glances up toward Odin from his kneeling position, his mouth grappling with the fury he battles to contain, but he lowers his head and eases back into his position at the right side of Thore.
Fricco pales for a second, contemplating the loss of life and destruction such action might bring to his people.
Thore simply grips his belt a little tighter, constraining his thoughts.
Satisfied by these reactions, Odin continues, with less thunder, but more pressure and wind of a building storm of portent. “Listen to my council, and guide our children to see the bigger schemes that swirl about them in their world. There are powers far stronger than them that fight angrily amongst themselves for the moment, who have recently used the Mongols as pawns in their ambitions. Our Children must pursue a great time of peace and prosperity after this last conquest. They have many new lands now to administer that are weekly defended and open for attack. Once the Mongols are beaten, our Children must stop, or there will be a horrible lesson of blood and fire upon the heads of all of their leaders and in their homes!”
Thore glances up into Odin’s eye, trying to pierce the mysteries of his father’s thoughts. His glare is returned ten fold and with a distant wrath and a forceful demand for obedience. Sensing Wodan’s mood, Thore breaks his gaze on Odin to glance toward Wodan, and raises his arms to push Wodan and Fricco back and away from Odin. “Father, as you command, it shall be done.”
Chapter 2:
News from distant Nations
King Ragnborg’s Council Room in the capitol, ____
King Thorgrim Ragnborg, chosen by Thore to lead his people, as proclaimed by the hammer birthmark discovered on the back of his right shoulder at birth, sat in his high backed leather padded oaken throne, with his mighty jaw resting on his fist staring out the castle window of his council room. Many visions of the glorious battles of the past, of the war that was coming with the Mongols, and of the even brighter future for Scandinavia danced in a frenzied melee in his mind. Yet, he wondered how these other nations from a cluster of lands, similar to the one, Scandinavia had been born to, would factor into his people’s future. As he continued to toy with a myriad of grim scenarios the doorman announced the entrance of his trusted advisor, Ragnfrid.
“Finally, perhaps I’ll get some answers,” King Ragnborg muttered.
A tall thin man from the English plains and educated in London, wearing a noble’s tunic and trousers, in the purple and white of Scandinavia, quickly approached the King’s great council table, as the doorman quietly shut the great oaken door.
Ragnborg: “Yes, Ragnfrid, do you have a report?”
Ragnfrid: “Sire, the distant nations are all at war with eachother, but I fear for the Greeks. The Germans and Celts, and the Mongols have declared war on the Greeks. The Mongols, Ottomans, and Greeks have made peace with the Chinese, and the Carthaginians and Ottomans are still at war with the Germans.”
Ragnborg: “Good, mayhaps, that will buy us some time to enjoy peace for a change after our cluster is unified under our banner.”
Ragnfrid: “Sire, all of these nations, except the Mongols are far more advanced than we are. Many have already started a great wonder, called the Universal Suffrage! Additionally, some of our newer maps indicate an advanced form of transportation, that these other nations call railroads!”
Ragnborg: “Your news vexes me, Ragnfrid! Alas, our people have been locked in wars since time remembered…May Odin guide us and Thor save us!”
Ragnfrid: “Many of the major cities have only just recently completed great universities and our banks are only just starting to grant us the wealth we will need to bargain for the advancements our people need for our protection.”
Ragnborg: “Have you seen the knew mighty warriors glistening in their armor atop our strong horses? Have you heard the battle cry of our Berserks? We will have to depend on these tools for a while longer before our people can know peace…but how long will any peace last?”
Ragnfrid: “Sire, only Odin and Christ could know. Odin is less forthcoming these days or so say the leaders of the old faith, and this new faith may be too new to grant us much power yet.”
Ragnborg: “Yes, and even now, I send our strength against the last challenger for dominance in our piece of this world. That I do, against the grumbling from the leaders of the old faith.”
Ragnborg: “May Christ see us prevail, and may Thore and Wodan guide our swords against the troublesome Mongols!”
Ragnfrid: “For Scancinavia, for her King, and for her people!”
~Submitted by Warriorpoet, 16 APR 2004
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