(Writer's note: Accidentally put the 29th of February rather than the 1st of March, oops! Also, removed mention of the song type used during the 'Tournament (4 / 4),' as it would be unlikely for Heath to have heard it.)
POV: Goldie Dollen.
Date: Góa 19th, 798 AD. (Alt: 2nd March, 799 AD.) Location: Götaland (Ancient Sweden.)
More work to do, many sights to see. Goldie, in his quietness of searching for answers, has been miring through knowledge and history abundant in Heath's part of his 'Mythology' runic injector.
While others are afraid of even touching it in worry of incurring the characters of the Nornir or greater in learning what may as well be forbidden, our chap here feels there is no point in fearing what will soon be broken, something downright arrogant if not for all his prepping.
"Y'gonna be pied-piping it, then?" His sister Rhoyna mocks with a 'really?' face, lips puffed in believing that music would not calm whatever may exist in the caves below the mountain by Járnviðr, a half-realm that is split between Miðgarðr and Jǫtunheimr, where some secrets may lie that could fore grave costs unto his work. "Know that f'this goes up shits-creek, Dad will have y'managing the simulation alone for a few thousand years, 'kay?" Goldie looked to her with a dead ring to his cheeks, tapyric nose "*Puffing*" after in annoyance.
"Some of the people there, the trǫllkonur (Troll women,) are described with what we'd assume to be a lie, 'fiends,' 'þursr (Hostile monsters,)' the same as the jǫtunn were said to be 'etinmennska (Norse people devourers,)' yet as of now, they're an otherwise peaceful, but isolationist part in this world who use that ruse to keep to themselves." . . .
"Wouldn't you wish to learn what the mythological birthing place of Loki could be like? Where Laufey, Fárbauti and Angrboða were said to have been brought to the world, too?" Sterling questions her sister, who sided with their brother in choosing this option. 2 vs 1 in votes, the last one to find themselves being Valyria to break it to a stalemate. "And what f'Býleistr's guarding o'those woods would then vole 'is 'sly brother' of all your actions,*Hm?*" Her jaw clenched as she tried to steer him away from what she believed was a risky mission.
"None will." Goldie's voice turned raspingly slow, both in tiredness of this back and forth and in not turning on his vocal acceleration magic. "Says who?" A commanding voice spoke through behind them, Valyria, who was talking with Grandma, in her turn coming back.
"Even Papa, in all of his knowledge, gets hurt due to his
"Trust me, please." He scrounges for courage, as one of the few people who can terrify him would be his sister. The space of the stars shifts as asteroids and debris swoosh past one another or over the glass window and behind the ship's walls.
Valyria grabbed his still-dangling arm and placed an item into his palm, a small 'ring-portal' that is always kept on, powered by a magic battery that could last for half a day within its mainframe. "From when Papa had realised our birth, -" Valyria began her sentence. "-he planned, including the hope of any of his children finding a 'spiritual awakening,' as he called it." She taps a button with her fingernail without pressing it down, a sudden sense of holy fire conveying their thoughts to a solaric simmer.
"If you are ever in true danger, release the holy grenades in a click, and run." Valyria walked away, that as best of a vote they could get, which she agreed. The guardian Goddess returns to her post, planning a stellar charting towards fragmentary collection, by manually creating a 3rd star system with the ship's external upgrades, making it only need a single user input.
"3 to 1, Sis." Sterling notches his fingers onto the bridge of his nose in an intellectual smugness, earning a flying thaumo-reforging auto-anvil to the back of his torso, his body clattering onto the ground with a *CRASH!* fracking throughout the ship, the *Ĥstḗrium coated *Dyḗusium construct heavy enough to make Sterling's Deific skin indentally puncture. He self-warps out of the knockout, shadows coating his eyes as his head now hung low. He heals near immediately after, having felt no pain, yet his body language gave away betrayal. Equally, Rhoyna realised she FUCKED up!
A running start was played by Sterling, where just before he knocked some sense into her for that physical remark, she warped away with the hurry of a scurrying mouse. "
"*Hgh*." Goldie scrawled his encumberance away, leaving his customised Uni-pod and seeing the same portal device left upon his table beside him. Getting up and out of his living space in the newly built Dollen Mansion, he passes by a few of the maids and servants who greet him eagerly in wanting to be helpful, of course, nothing much they could do with the job he is required to finish, so he thanks them but follows with a shrugging that tells it is a job best reserved for him.
The Hafgufa is also checked upon, seeing that with the recepticled feeding that met its needs allowed it to calm enough into acting as a water husky, swimming and dashing around Grandma with boundless energy that was by all means cute if not for its terrifying maw. Though he did love giving our golem licks to his face.
Next, seeing Egill, he asks about any news involving the crew that had left in the morning with the goods needed to persuade people into joining the Cavern. Enough materials, food and seed to drown out their stores with monthly stipends that made it a show of power of buying their dead, beggared and slaves back into freedom, rightfully homed. After finishing their talks, Goldie leaves, slinking furtively with all measures involving both the grenade cover and stealth systems towards reaching his goal.
Low observability became a forte he could get behind, careening across the landscape until reaching an ineffable barrier that led to a woods that is bathed in spiritual shadows only the magically adept could perceive.
Through a trees' crossing under a mushroom/flower-bordered platform, he enters the half-realm. It appeared a normal forest with slightly larger trees and more winding roots that would jut half above the ground, but otherwise be indistinguishable in their arcanic prevalence, if not for the invisible creatures that dotted the landscape. Arcanosynthetic chemiluminescent creatures run across the landscape as a proto-version of the Will-o'-the-wisp, insects and reptiles of impossible reptiles warbled through the grass and leaves. . .
And as expected, the nykur (Nixies) within and around the water, appearing as quadrupedal blobs that make it understandable how one could confuse it as a horse, kelp and moss covered many that watched for any that pass around the lake, for them to try and drown their next victim, reminding of Heath's talks about the instincts of wild kangaroos.
Passing past Járnviðr's hilled 'barrier' that transitted through a nimbus tune of mildewed fog and forest-floored light bugs, Goldie reaches a breakthrough that leads to the most northern part of Sweden which is named by the Davvisámegiella (Northern Sámi) as Giebmegáisi, or more specifically, the split mountain from the river's erosion known as Duolbagorni. But from what his father believed, this may also be the current mythical mountain of Hnitbjǫrg, that opens to a hidden home chamber where who he was looking for lived.
Through where the currently frozen riverbed runs, he reaches a point in between the 2 peaks that flows through to multiple hidden caves by the base of the many underground aquifers, yet what he looks for is none of those. He finds a collection of rounded flagboulders that the average man would otherwise have ignored, yet if one knew their geology:
It was made of slightly lighter rock, a slacked diorite, a texture and slight visual difference that would have most look over in their rush compared to the mountain's spackled amphibolite. He grasps below in finding a natural handle from its constant use, shuffling it over the gravel bed flooring and leaving a door gap, stepping over the run to respectfully cover the path line that aired into the cave. 'May this work.' He sits down by the revealed entrance, crossing his legs and closing his eyes as to follow his idea in showing he meant no harm.
His nose altered into a similar double-split flute channelling to when he played the pan pipes, running his hands over and creating a suction force through his mouth and into his chest cavity to set an outway as to play a constant tune. He began, a drone over the cove.
(Goldie flautists a tune similar to the Mountain Call by Luka Lesnik)[1]
Calming was the word that best described it, the echoing over the mountainous valley ran through with a wisdom of ancient wonder, with a flanging cadence of audio occlusion that flowered over the plants with its soul-enhanced vigour.
In tune, the nectars and pollenous smells were enhanced from promoting the fertility of all flora in his surroundings, a cold spring that once hibernated life luring into a music-kissed vibrant ecology, fellowing forward, the Rock and Willow Ptarmigans, Dotterels and common Bluethroats finding the song irresistible to a listen. A swarming mass of birds sat now by the GLVs and petrichor of the once indingently fertile meadow. Model minutes pass at this time, many of the more courageous avians sitting near to him or even upon him, over his lap, shoulders and head.
A true nature-man is what he appears, unmindful of the risk and at peace with all around him. He calls louder, setting the note for all winged creatures to fly, making them soar back to their mountainous nests after realising a larger sensation that similarly covered Sigrid's jǫtunn soul form.
Goldie stops the music in a fade, reforming his nose back to normal and twisting his back in showing his white shield, showing he comes bearing no arms, then rolling a bag of rare berried snacks and decantered drinks that are unavailable in these parts down the cave channel. He takes his own hot drink in a thermos, showing himself drinking his sweetened tea and biting into his fruity cream biscuit. He hears her shoeless steps come beside him, sitting and drinking her newly provided mixed berry cider.
Smacking her lips at its sweetness in gratification, they stayed silent for a blink, before she asked her question towards the rather kind stranger. "How had you come to find me?" Gunnlǫð queries with a deepened feminine tone, direct and mannered. Matching her name as the 'War-invitation.'
He enforces his vocal acceleration magic, talking as normally as anyother. "I had dealings with my father, Heath Dollen, who knew of you and your own, Suttungr. I hope I did not come at a bad time?" His tapyric features showed themselves towards her, but she was unreactive, for this was not the strangest person she had seen in her existence. "You did not." The vǫrðpottar (Potskeeper (Name of pots: Óðrœrir, Boðn and Són)) exclaims, pulling her single braided lock with her father's pin onto her right shoulder, using his freely-shared information look into his name.
"I realise now your current name is Goldie Dollen." She exclaims, showing the fact that she had sipped the magiregenerated Kvasirsmjǫðr (Mead of Kvasir) that would give answers to questions not hidden. "What have you come for?" Her own quizzing was met with a focused look.
The golem single-mindedly stares, seeing that she gave a blink that it was 'not time' for him to find out what his new name would be yet. "What I have wished for is aid, in that I do not know of the trollr (Trolls)' culture and customs. I had hoped I could ask you for your guidance." Goldie sees her features calm. She cupped her hands together upon her dress as to push against her knees, guise showing she found him interesting. "For their knowledge of unique magic, a good choice. I can help." She gets up.
With her walking back into her cave, he realises that she gave a hospitable agreement in that he is allowed to enter her cavernous home. Unlit torches struck up after having a visitor, the walls and floor of rough ashlar giving the feeling they were in a dvergar keep.
There were shelves stacked with random wares and knick-knacks, at the end of it, 3 podiums that held the pots that contained the Mead of Poetry. He, of course, paid respect to the fact that it came from the now-dead, blood-drained Minor Deity of wisdom born of the saliva of the Æsir and the Vanir that was Kvasir. "I wondered many a time, how did your father save the remains of Kvasir from the jealous Fjalar and Galar? We had a version where you had held them upon a high rock point, where, before your father cast them below the sea, they had bargained for their lives with the mead."
His question was met with silence at first, her shock in realising that this story, which was once hidden, had already been seen through. However, rather than accusing them of stealing it off of those dvergar, Goldie asked with respect, which she chose to answer with equal measure.
"They had originally promised part in sharing with my Faðirbróðir Baugi after he had worked in making a Ráhpavágge (Rapa Valley)-hidden home by the Ráhpaądno (Rapa River,) east of the Badjelánnda (Padjelanta Highlands (National Park).)" She points to about the right direction from where they are. "They had skirted their duty, sealing away the reward for my uncle's hard-earned work." She sneered at the memories, finding them a bad sort. "As such, my father wished to help his brother, which is how it came to that point within the lake to its west." Gunnlǫð tells of unwritten history, with Goldie understanding it with sympathy.
"And it must have been hard? To replenish your mead, that is." His question was met with a bob of her hair in a 'yes.' "Does the Ráhpa home still exist, or was it destroyed as part of the bargaining?" He saw her face close in on itself, holding back laughter.
His new question was met with her "*Chuff*The latter. Made to look as if it were never there." She pointed towards the hole where Óðinn had entered through Bauri's unwitting help, passing the blessed auger drill Rati that had been left in shame by this family for not seeing his trick in play. Through to the other side of the open room, they reach a large columned bookshelf that was made a half-circle, holding enough knowledge to fill a sizable portion of their Internet's Wikipedia. "Everything that you will need can be read. I will be over here." She sits upon a leathered stool, comfortable for herself while drinking the rest of her cider.
Goldie went through the starter scroll at the top left part of the shelf, thickened and dusty with years of disuse. There were many a wording about the geopolitical discussions and theological development between the Norse and the Sámi's encyclopedic sortee, finding their own development with overlap in between.
He found much of it very interesting, and wherever he was confused, he asked her as a good student should towards reaching a development. He had also asked about how such knowledge came to be, and she pointed towards the bottom shelf, finding many of the sources by local scholars of both opposing cultures to reach an unbiased view. She warmed up to him quickly, finding him rather adorable and even patting his head once, easy with her being larger than him by over a head's height.
During some breaks, he also played more instrumentation, both the flute and all other parts, from the bells warped from his fingers, to the deep pan pipe of his altered nose in blips, her own introverted tendencies quashed after having the last visitor be that same uncle nearly a century ago.
"-What do you think happened to him?" Goldie followed through with a sense of loss, knowing how it is to lose family. She realised the same, looking down onto her own hands. "I believe he was met by Þórr. For he told me before he left that he would 'see to Ásgarðr's folly.'" She looks unto the chalk and painted wall drawings of her and her now gone family, memories that had felt faded falling clearly behind her greying, wrinkled scalp. "I see your own eyes betray much as well. What keeps you awake?" Gunnlǫð drinks the last of the alcohol, then provided with the soda types they had saved up since the show of 'The Equalizer.'[2]
"My father, he makes me afraid." He stirs his citron soda bottle, watching the carbonation rise and pop by the top of the drink. "His destruction of the Dróttningvættr (Queen Spirit) was a grand finisher, yet ever since, he has been chaotic." Goldie stops it from swirling.
"'She' has been killed?" Her isolation showed she had not heard the news. Yet the power of the Kvasirsmjǫðr (Mead of Kvasir) did not wane against pretences, showing he told the truth. "If he were so strong, why are you worried?" She tucks into the caramel soda, a sweet tooth that she could finally be made uncompromised. "You had not seen what he had done." He scrunches, his small trunk curling inwards with his shoulders tensing. "Neither do I believe it is my part in telling you." He sips, the lemony tinge lulling his tongue.
But it appears he did not need to, for her artificial power, in thanks to the mead, gave the knowledge of what happened for her with him unknowingly keeping it open to reading. A mistake that lets her realise more about their personalities and overall pure motives.
A rundown of what occurred, of the foolish self-sacrificing that led to him transferring half of his power as a blessing into 75 applicants, where even before that, he morphed and cut off his own flesh to the usage within a ritualistic circle for efficient transferrence with other 'super materials' she could not even comprehend in their make. Goldie realised he had been used as a faucet, then tightened his hold for her to not do so again. Luckily, she has not learned about their secrets well. Otherwise, there may have been no other choice but to take her with them.
"I am sorry you experienced that." She would commiserate with the fact that she saw a new Pantheon of Gods born not strange in the slightest with her worldly understanding. "But I see it as a blessing, as all of your people at the Cavern do." She leans back, closing her eyes in trusting he would not do anything.
"Coming to terms with that." He finally falls silent, reading the rest of the stories and account-tales with perfect collective clarity.
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iY7p5BoXOKI&list=LL&index=44
[2] From Chapter 30: There were other options too: Apple soda, caramel soda, bubble gum soda, sugar mint soda and citron soda (that was edited to taste similar to lemonade.)