Quote:1. The Scourge of Brenland

In the stormswept northern reaches of the Cold Sea, a string of large, rocky islands jut from the gray waters like the spine of some slumbering sea-drake. This is Ulvheim, home to a proud race of pale-skinned and fair-haired seafarers. Only a century ago the Ulvar were known as the Scourge of Brenland, and where their wolf-prowed ships made landfall, high and lowborn alike would flee in terror. To this day the relations between the two realms are sometimes uneasy, even though the Ulvar have long since abandoned their warlike ways and turned to craft and trade instead of war and plunder.

Ulvheim is divided into twelve provinces, or Harads, each ruled by a jarl. The jarls in turn answer to the king, who reigns over all of Ulvheim from the capital of Jarnport. On the main island of ? lies Steindal, a wealthy Harad rich in iron ore and good lumber, and in the very heart of this region stands the mountain keep of Halda, hewn from the world's bones by the Dvyrnir in ancient times. For generations, Halda has been home to the jarl, his family and his warriors, and it is there our story begins.

2. The Anvil of the Blind God

In the distant age when king Ragni Land-Founder still sat on the Ulvheim throne, there was born a child to jarl Bern of Steindal and his wife Ause. But unlike her mother, father and two older brothers, her hair was neither mead-golden nor chestnut brown, but the deep black of a Midwinter sky. The seer present at the child's birth recognized this as a strong portent, and thus she was named Ravnir -- the Raven. For it is known that ravens are the messengers of Uthûn, the Blind God under the mountains who forges the destinies of all.

-- The Annals of Steindal

3. A Raven among Hawks

From the day she was old enough to watch her brothers Enghald and Alfbern practice with sword, axe and shield in the courtyard, Ravnir too wanted to become a warrior more than anything else. And while it was no less common for Ulvheim women than men to be skilled in combat, Ravnir was neither as tall or as strong as other children her age. This caused her much grief and made her prone to moods as black as her hair. When her brothers were not around, the stronger children would make fun of her, calling her "little crow", or "soot-head". They would laugh when she flung herself at them, crying with rage. But as she grew older, she learned that the size and strength bullies often rely on is not everything. Soon, Ravnir became formidable in using her own diminutive size to her advantage. 

She was like a black cat among wolves; a raven among hawks. When they bit, she leapt out of the way. When they clawed, she clawed back in places they could not reach. But despite her ferocity she could not become as proficient as the others in the use of the heavy Ulvheim weapons.

4. A Time of War

In Ravnir's ninth year, king Ragni went to his forefathers without having sired an heir. Civil war soon broke out as several pretenders to the throne emerged among his vassals. Jarl Bern, a distant relative of king Ragni on his mother's side, found himself fighting a war on two fronts. In the south against jarl Skold, a claimant himself, and in the east against jarl Helgrim, who was Skold's strongest supporter. 

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Upon his return to Halda after the first six months of fruitless conflict, Bern brought with him a prisoner of war: Thunni, an artisan weaponsmith from the eastern land of Khai, who had been in service of jarl Skold. 

6. Outsiders

Having never met an outlander as strangely foreign as Thunni, Ravnir became fascinated with the man. She started visiting him in Halda's smithy to watch him work. Thunni was a quiet, reclusive man, resentful of the northern barbarians who held him captive. But in time, a bond of friendship began to form between him and the girl. In Thunni, Ravnir sensed a kinship, as they both were black-haired outsiders in a land of pale giants. And in Ravnir, Thunni felt an echo of his own daughter whom he had not seen in many years. The girl helped him become more fluent in the Ulvar tongue, and in return Thunni told her of his distant homeland and taught her how to craft small, simple things in the smithy.

Ause, at first apprehensive of this relationship, kept a close eye on Ravnir. But as the months went by she became aware that the Khai meant her daughter no harm. In fact, their friendship seemed to make Thunni more acceptant of his captivity. And in Ravnir, a newfound confidence could be sensed. As both were welcome developments, Ause and her husband quiely agreed not to interfere.

7. The Raven Finds its Claws

The war went on, but so did life in Halda's keep. As a gift for Ravnir's eleventh Uthûnsday, Thunni crafted for her a light, curved blade in the manner of his native Khai, a weapon before unseen in the land of Ulvheim. With Ause's permission, Thunni began instructing Ravnir in its use. The Eastlander was a merciless teacher and Ravnir's resolve wavered many times. But at the same rate as the snickers from fellow youths and other onlookers faded into silence, she grew more and more determined. Before long the silence became gasps of awe, then cheers.

Upon returning home for winter that year, it was not long before the jarl realized that his daughter's prowess with the peculiar weapon had exposed many weaknesses in the traditional Ulvheim fighting style. Bern summoned Thunni and respectfully asked if the Khai would help train his men and instruct his armorsmiths, so that his warriors could be made more agile and mobile. In exchange, Thunni would be made a free man just like any other in the jarl's service. Thunni was no fool and understood this gesture for what it was: an opportunity for the jarl to gain the upper hand in the ongoing war. But as a pragmatic man himself, he accepted without hesitation.

8. Skold's Surrender

Years passed, and with Thunni's help the fortunes of war slowly turned in jarl Bern's favor. In time, the Eastlander went from being a mere instructor of warriors to an advisor to the jarl himself. Under Thunni's supervision, Bern humbly and eagerly studied the eastern arts of war. The jarl began using cavalry, pikemen, and formations -- all unheard of in Ulvheim -- and before Bern's army his opponents' forces dispersed like chaff to the wind. When king Ragni's nephew fell at the battle of Ulnavad, jarl Bern was suddenly the man with the strongest claim to the Ulvheim throne.

Thus it came to pass that in the summer of Ravnir's sixteenth year, jarl Skold sent a messenger to Bern's encampment offering his unconditional surrender. All Skold asked was that the two jarls meet like the Ulvheim chieftains of old, to drink to their agreement with only the gods and their closest men as their witnesses. Thunni as well as Bern's sons -- now grown men and commanders themselves -- immediately objected to this. The offer reeked of treachery, they said. Skold was a proud man and his distaste for Bern's newfangled style of warfare was no secret. Surely jarl Bern could not expect Skold to honor the agreement? But their protests fell on deaf ears. Were he to be king, jarl Bern reasoned, he must be prepared to show a king's trust and mercy. Disgusted, Thunni bade his leave and went to return to Halda. Being a free man who now remained in the jarl's service of his own volition, Bern could not stop him.

9. The Table of Treachery

The jarls agreed to meet upon the shores of Vidalva, the great river that separates the Harads of Steindal and [Skold's harad]. As was the custom a plain table was set under open sky, a cloth with Uthûns embroidered hammer and anvil draped across it, and none but the jarls and their captains were allowed within a stone's throw. At a distance their larger forces waited under orders not to interfere, in honor of this ancient tradition. The day was overcast but hot, and warriors on both sides were sweating under their chainmail. Jarl Bern and his men arrived first, Skold and his retinue soon after. 

Skold, uncharacteristically subdued, sat down with jarl Bern at the table. Each had brought with them a drinking horn and a flagon of mead, which they exchanged. They poured the mead, raised the horns, and jarl Bern held out his hand. Jarl Skold smiled. And then he drove a dagger into Bern's heart. A cry of dismay went up from Bern's sons and his captains. Skold fell back, putting his own captains between him and jarl Bern's enraged men. Moments later Bern's forces realized something was wrong. With a roar they charged on the river bank and the treacherous jarl. But from the reeds of the river rose line upon line of Brennish longbowmen, unleashing death upon the approaching host. Before the pale sun had passed a fingerbreadth across the sky, jarl Bern's forces were either dead or fleeing towards the safety of Halda, half a day away.

10. The Fall of Halda

Thunni arrived at Halda later the same day. He had not remained to see what transpired, but in his heart he knew. The Eastlander went to Ause and explained that her husband, and most likely Enghald and Alfbern as well, were dead. He begged her to take Ravnir, her baby brother Jarno and as many of the remaining men she needed, and flee from the keep. Ause refused to believe him. How could he know this to be true when he had not stayed to witness it? Silently cursing all pigheaded northerners, Thunni bowed and took his leave.

Just before sunset, jarl Skold and his forces rode up to Halda's gates. From Skold's saddle hung jarl Bern's head. A howl of outrage and sorrow echoed from the wall. A bound figure was led forth, a sword against his throat. It was Alfbern. Shortly after this, Halda's gates were opened and Skold's men marched in. From a mountain path not far from Halda, Ravnir watched all this with a growing numbness in her chest. Only an hour earlier Thunni had come to her, carrying her infant brother, and told her to gather her belongings and come with him. Though hesitant at first, something in the Eastlander's dark eyes had convinced her. Thunni stood beside her now, a swaddled Jarno fast asleep on his arm, and his face as unreadable as ever. Moments later he put a hand on Ravnir's shoulder. It was time to go.

(07-05-2017, 08:23 PM)Mattias Westlund Wrote: I have no idea what dwarven music sounds like.

(07-05-2017, 09:31 PM)Michael Willis Wrote: For what it's worth, there seems to be very little connection between the two suites, so I'm wondering why this is being labelled a "prequel"? My guess is that you have become attached to this fantasy world of your own creation and want to further develop its history, rather than any tie-in between the two stories.

(07-05-2017, 09:31 PM)Michael Willis Wrote:

(07-05-2017, 08:23 PM)Mattias Westlund Wrote: I have no idea what dwarven music sounds like.

When in doubt, spend a lot of time listening to faux celtic soundtracks and use that as reference material.

(07-06-2017, 09:31 PM)Viktor Wrote: I like your story so far, I got goosebumps reading it at some points. I think some of the characters have a lot of potential for inner conflict. Bern for example seems be very unconventional in using new military techniques, but is so convinced by traditions, that he goes to a meeting that everyone warns him of. I think telling that he dies must be pretty hard, since everyone knows it's gonna happen but it still has to be interresting. I think Berns intentions are really interresting here, because he just tries to be a fair and good ruler.

(07-06-2017, 09:31 PM)Viktor Wrote: Ravnir could also have some inner conflicts. One the one hand she seems to have negative assicioations regarding Huldar considering she was always an outsider, but I could imagine she also feels massive guilt fleeing Huldar after her father gets killed. I could imagine seeing her mature trough this after the quick changes that turn her into an adult very quickly could be quite interresting.

(07-06-2017, 09:31 PM)Viktor Wrote: I liked the Huldar theme, while I think you're right regarding the "size" of the sound, might be too small. If Hulda has a theme I could imagine it would be cool when it has two very distinctive versions from each other, one before and one after the military techniques introduced by Thunni. One more rural sounding like this with deep drums and pedal tons in fifhts and one more militaric sounding.

(07-06-2017, 09:31 PM)Viktor Wrote: I like the idea of having a poppy outro tune and I liked the song, about how many songs do you want to do in the end of that? Ten chapters already seems like quit a bunch and the story seems to just have started at that point
Anyway, I like what you got so far and good luck.

(07-09-2017, 05:50 PM)Mattias Westlund Wrote: ... dwarves are metalworkers.

(07-09-2017, 08:59 PM)Michael Willis Wrote: That leads me to think of percussive sounds inspired by the rhythmic pounding of a hammer on heated steel right out of a forge.

(07-09-2017, 08:59 PM)Michael Willis Wrote: Of course there is also a certain Tolkien novel with a vivid description of dwavish instruments and music at the beginning.

(07-09-2017, 09:06 PM)Mattias Westlund Wrote: I haven't read any Tolkien for like 15 years or more. What novel would that be?

Quote:"Now for some music!" said Thorin. "Bring out the instruments!"

Kili and Fili rushed for their bags and brought back little fiddles; Dori, Nori, and Ori brought out flutes from somewhere inside their coats; Bombur produced a drum from the hall; Bifur and Bofur went out too, and came back with clarinets that they had left among the walking-sticks Dwalin and Balin said: "Excuse me, I left mine in the porch!" "Just bring mine in with you," said Thorin. They came back with viols as big as themselves, and with Thorin’s harp wrapped in a green cloth. It was a beautiful golden harp, and when Thorin struck it the music began all at once, so sudden and sweet that Bilbo forgot everything else, and was swept away into dark lands under strange moons, far over The Water and very far from his hobbit-hole under The Hill.