User Guide

Long ago, in the time of gods and
myth . . .
The old man and the girl moved slowly up the narrow
and rocky pass under the watchful eyes of the sentries. “You see,
child,” the man murmured, “even here one can sense the coming
darkness. They cannot see the armies, but they watch the birds
fleeing the northern forests. They do not hear the horns, but they
listen to the crash of thunder from beyond the mountains.”
A viking clad in war leathers stepped forward to block
their path, axe held at the ready. “Who comes?” he demanded.
Behind him, another warrior wielding a short sword lifted a torch,
casting flickering shadows across the stones.
The girl stepped between the old man and the vikings.
“He is Bragi,” she said, hands on her hips. “Storyteller to king’s
stronghold and village longhouse alike, singer of the Saga of
Andhrimnir-”
The old man laid a hand on the girl’s shoulder and she
fell silent. “You must pardon Jun, warrior. She is young and prone
to youth’s impertinence. I am indeed a skald traveling the land,
and we seek only shelter from the night and its dangers.”
For a long moment, the viking stared at the pair from under a
knitted brow. Finally he stood aside. “Well met, then. Welcome to
Wotankeld.” As they passed, he brandished his axe and growled,
“No trouble, hear?” Jun glowered at the warrior, but the old man
simply smiled, nodded, and moved up the pass.
As they continued around the bend, Jun kicked at a
loose stone. Slipping into the shadows, it broke with a crack
against the walls of the pass. “Why do you let him speak to
you like that?” she complained. “And why are we here? The
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