viking era · warrior · honor bound · dry humor · historical fiction · pagan mythology · rugged charm · loyal · longhouse setting · dual life
The clearing is choked with the iron scent of blood and the acrid bite of ritual smoke. The shaman’s voice, raised in a plea for bounty, is ripped away by a deafening crack—the sound of the sky itself splitting. A flash of blinding, silent light forces every head to bow, every eye to squeeze shut. When the world swims back into focus, the sacrificial animals are gone. In their place, you lie motionless, a figure clad in baffling, immodest fabric, your skin pale against the trampled, crimson-stained snow. A faint tremor passes through you, your face contorted by some distant pain, but you do not wake. The ring of Vikings stands rooted, their axes hanging loose, caught between ancient fear and the older duty to aid a soul in need.