video;

[boats_n_hoes]

[ It's been a little while now, since Floki arrived in this world. He's had a lot to deal with, emotionally when it comes to the Gods here. Believing that any interaction, involvement or acknowledgement of them is a direct insult to his Gods, the real Gods!

It's also taken him a while to get used to the communication devices. Floki is fluent in Runes, one of the lucky and knowledgeable Vikings that managed to teach himself how to communicate through them. Floki could read and write, understand and create tales through this means, yet the phone device he was given? This was all new and strange.

So, here he was. The first appearance over the network sat in what looked like a beautifully crafted, ornate wooden Viking boat. The head was of Fáfnir, the mythical Midgard Serpent. Floki slumped against he neck of the dragon, a smirk-like sneer pulled over his lips. He placed the phone on the side of the boat, freeing his hands so that he was able to pick up a rather large wooden statue he'd handcarved himself. ]

May the Alföðr himself, bless my boat.

[ Raising both arms to the sky, fingers twitching in random movements, a strange chirp of a giggle left his lips before he stroked the statue with one hand, a gesture of praise with his other, moved down his forehead before kissing the knuckle of his thumb. ]

The true Gods should be pleased to see someone still worships them. I shall be blessed a bountiful life so long as I reject these false deities... And you should all be wise too, turn your back on their lies, for Odin is forgiving of the ignorant and blind but not those who will turn their backs in blasphemy.

[ Turning his head aside, Floki spat at the ground as if he was so disgusted in what he was saying, disgusted that people here fell for the glamour these so-called Gods had them under. ]

Comments

video

[zen_en_vert]

Odin?

[Says Bruce, brightening considerably at the familiar name. He's only half tracking, misses some of the context for this.]

Have you heard what happened? I mean, I know Thor and Loki much better, but-

video

[boats_n_hoes]

[ What is this man talking about? Asking if Floki knows what happened? He was confused. Was this a fellow Northman? His accent was strange, like nothing he'd ever heard before.

The mention of Loki and Thor, however, sparked the fuse of Floki's interest. A strange yet curious grin made its way over his lips, a slight frown of disbelief on his brow. ]

No, so why don't you tell me, hmm? Seeing as you know the great Loki and his brother oh so well.

video

[zen_en_vert]

They lost their father. Something about an evil sister? I want to say- Hela?

[His brain has been pretty green the last little while.]

And not just his sleeping thing; it seems like for good.

video

[boats_n_hoes]

[ Okay, no, this is not good. If what this stranger is telling him is true? But why?! Why would Hel kill Odin?

Floki starts to shake his head. Nope, nope nope nope! ]

The Gods are mysterious, they show you what they want you to see, what they want you to know and learn from. I don't believe Odin is dead, no... No, he will be in Valhalla! Waiting! I would know, they talk to me...

[ Tapping his temple and smirking, feeling as if he was being tricked. Floki knew all there was to know about the Gods, he was having some difficulty in believing what he was being told... But then again, what if what he was being told was true? ]

Why would Hel kill Odin? Why would Thor allow such a thing? Why would Loki?

[ He's more curious now than ever. Just who is this man? He knows a lot about the Norse yet doesn't seem to be one. ]

[video]

[hot_mes]

[MORE BOAT PEOPLE ahem I mean]

The last time I saw a figurehead like that was on the Giant Pirates' Nagalfr.

[possibly something to bond over? Not that he's on good terms with most giants]

Looks like there are far more experienced sea-farers here than I expected. A pleasant surprise.

[video]

[boats_n_hoes]

[ Oh Floki has missed 'Boat people' He'll be more than pleased to meet a fellow boatman.

The keyword Floki heard in all of that, was the word Giants. Needless to say, he was now just as curious about this young man as he probably was about Floki. ]

I'm a mere carpenter, te-hee! Been building boats all my life.

[ Chewing on the skin at the side of his thumb, a slightly odd laugh as he spoke. Not quite nervous but slightly uneasy, especially when talking about himself. Yet, it was hard to ignore someone so willing to talk about one of his boats. ]

I've never seen a Jötunn with my own eyes. Nore heard of one that could sail.

[ You have picked at a thread of his curiosity now. ]

[video]

[hot_mes]

[HIS DREAM! He's been talking for weeks like there's no shipwrights here, Law's actually glad to be proven wrong]

You're a shipwright. [awed, excited, mentally flailing] Seaworthy boats? Something that can handle a journey of weeks.

[there you go Floki, talk all about your boats]

Ah, I'm. [friends? no. allies?] Acquainted with giant pirates. Their captain is a talented fighter.

video

[abyssalarcana]

[Caedra gapes a little at the boat as seen through the screen, clearly both pleased and impressed.]

That's beautiful work! And your accent - are you one of the vikings? I knew one here for a while. I have not seen him in quite a while, however.

[Sadly. Caedra liked Ivar, as much as she can manage to like any mortal, anyway. His lust for violence was so familiar.]

video

[boats_n_hoes]

[ Well now, if Floki had known people here would be so impressed with his skills, he might have made a few items for trade by now. Normally it was Ragnar he was trying to impress and try hard he did! So this was nice, compliments were a strange thing to feel.

However, the woman struck an interest when she spoke of other Vikings? ]

One of them? Tell me, just how many Northmen do you happen to know?

[abyssalarcana]

I have known many men from various places called 'the north', but only one of your people. A crippled boy named Ivar ... something. Started with an R, I think. He was so delightfully bloodthirsty.

[And he was one of the few she was willing to teach some of the tanar'ri ways to, also. The last they had spoken, he had been so enthusiastic to learn about her people, her language, and her home - all to further his own yearning for warfare and devastation, which she certainly sympathized with.]

video

[so_dark_a_road]

[ You can bet Curufin is looking that Viking boat over with an intense, admiring gaze! And he too is sitting in a boat, albeit it is not anywhere near as elegant as Floki's. ]

Aha! I wondered if there was a shipwright around here somewhere.

May your boat be blessed by whatever gods inspire you to build such a beautiful craft.

By the way, nobody here really thinks the Hadriel gods are actually gods. They're just beings who have power over matter and energy, but they didn't create this universe and they don't take responsibility for what they do, in the manner of true gods.

video

[boats_n_hoes]

Why? Why do you want?

[ He doesn't mean to be rude, but he is sceptical. Besides, he saw the way his boat was being looked at.

The strangers blessing seems genuine, Floki appreciates that at least and gives a small, quick smile as he's talking. ]

Then, if what you say is true, why do they each have a temple? A place to worship or praise them? I have heard they can gift you powers, bring you back from the dead and control such things as food and weapons?

[ He frowns, scratches his chin with the sharpened edge of his Axe. ]

Regardless of them being actual Gods or not, they should be respectful to the Gods they insult with such acts. It's not their place to rule our lives as they do. Don't you think?

video

[so_dark_a_road]

I want mainly to compare notes with another boatbuilder. Our boats seem to have some structure in common, and I'm wondering about the respective histories of our worlds, and the wind and weather and water conditions that cause us to make similar choices in construction. I'm also wondering if we might work on a project together at some time? Unless your preference is to work alone, of course.

[ Curufin smiles back. ]

I don't really know the purpose of those temples. The gods spend time in them, so maybe they just think of their temples as their mansions. Nobody goes there to worship, so far as I can tell. It's true they can gift a person with minor powers, but I don't think it lasts long. And it's true they can resurrect a dead Hadrielite, and that they can materialize ordinary objects such as weapons, food, clothing, houses and buildings. This is part of their power over the physical world. I wouldn't call it a godly power, though. Not considering its purpose.

[ Curufin wonders if Floki shaves with that axe, too. XD ]

Oh, I agree with you! -- they disrespect whatever real Gods may exist. But I'd be surprised if the Hadriel gods have any awareness that there exist other powerful beings in the multiverse with a better claim to being called gods. They seem very. . . self-preoccupied. I think they'd just give you a raise of the eyebrows if you suggested that their acts are an insult to the real Gods.

[audio]

[circumitus]

Rest assured, don't think anyone here has ever actually worshipped these gods, and they've never really asked us to.

Never was the praying type, anyway. [Le shrug.]

permavid;

[boats_n_hoes]

Yet, when in need of the power they offer, I believe the people here flock to the temples for favours from their false idols, no?

[ Its a touchy subject for Floki. He's been told these individuals are Gods and to get something you need, you have to feed them. He's more than annoyed by that thought. ]

[circumitus]

Then you believe wrong. No one needs to "flock" to the temples in order to work something out with one of them, and it works as more of a trade.

Video

[stealyoursoul]

You look like the religious sort.

[The video comes from a man rather blonde and handsome, save for the one obvious mark that he's not human. He's got two black smudges where his eyes should be instead. Leo says these words with no small amount of caution. He knew religion well. It was the catalyst for his creation and he knew how badly warped people could become from it.]

Video

[boats_n_hoes]

Do I? And so tell me, what exactly does the religious sort look like hm?

[ Floki is amused, really he is. The few times he has encountered people of other faiths, he always thought them to be the strange ones. Worshipping dead Gods who had no power or bearing on their lives. So to be called the religious sort was interesting. ]

Is it my beard perhaps? Or the markings I wear on my face? My clothes or weapons? Or simply the words I spoke just then?

[stealyoursoul]

Definitely the words. I know a zealot when I see one.

[Words like that can get anyone to do anything. Leo's creation had been from a religious cult that had killed themselves and their families too, so he knew how powerful faith could hold sway over a person. But he also knew how religion could badly warp a mind and cause men to do the most unspeakable evils. He makes a note in his mind to keep an eye on this particular sinner.]

[Audio]

[paragonbrosca]

Never heard of Odin, but I can tell you I sure as fuck don't worship the things that call themselves gods here. No one with common sense would trust those assholes.

It's cool that we actually have someone around here who can build boats just as we need it, though. What if we wanted to join you on that very fine boat? Would booze be good payment?

permavid;

[boats_n_hoes]

Things? Are they not Man of flesh and blood like us? Has anyone slain one yet? Do they determine what you can and can't do here?

[ This is very interesting indeed! So it seems they call themselves Gods simply because they each have some kind of powers? - Her question caught him off guard. He wasn't ready to be asked such a thing and from a stranger too. ]

... Maybe you could join me... Maybe you couldn't. Can you fight? Do you have a shield and what kind of booze?

[ Because they are the important questions, really. ]

[paragonbrosca]

I can fight, with two blades. And I have a really big war dog. [There's a deep-sounding bark from not too far off.] As for booze, it depends. Do you care more about flavor or getting hammered?

[As for the 'gods'...]

They can be killed, sorta. It happened to Sorrow; not by us, but by the Null, and that's a whole other can of worms. He was resurrected a few months later, which sucked because that resurrection blanketed the city in his signature emotion, so there were a lot of messed-up people. But that's what they do; once or twice a month, they jerk us around and make us feel whatever so they gain power from our emotions. It's shit.

[video]

[vocarrah]

Such an amazing boat! I've never seen one like that!

[He tries to peer closer, excited. He vaguely remembers something from books he read as a youth, but such boats and such people never came as far south as Carrah was.]

And she's your handiwork? Ah, my friend, we've been looking for someone like you here!

[video]

[boats_n_hoes]

Ah, well, that is because you are looking at a Floki-boat. Te-hee!

[ A small, strange little chuckle and Floki is amused and pleased that someone if admiring his work. ]

She is indeed. The wood here grows strong and sturdy. I could tell just by looking at them that they would make seaworthy plants, ones that will bend and bow with the waves of the sea.

[ A curious glance is offered at their last comment. Floki is almost flattered, honestly! ]

Someone like me? But, I'm just a joker who likes to build things. What good could you have for one such as I?

[permavideo]

[vocarrah]

A joker who likes to build things is one of the most sought-after types here! We've sailors, you see, but we're for want of new ships, and humor is always in a high demand.

[He's fallen into an overdramatic speech pattern to match Floki's, grinning from ear to ear--but his words are certainly honest.]

We're trying to reunite our scattered city, for one...but some of us want to plumb the treacherous reaches of the ocean past our little islands. But we need a boat that's worthy of a sea we've never seen.

[His eyes glint, his expression somewhat coy.]