The voyage of a Lifetime Begins, so do the struggles.

A few days after the arguement with Ase, Balder and his crew are preparing to Board the ship and leave to sail west. Last minute prepartions are underway. " We need caged ravens and our anchor. Gourm where is our anchor" said Balder as he pulled a knife to Gourm's neck. "it was promised for today " said Gourm as he chuckled. " Maybe your blacksmith's a liar" said Balder. ( Gourm pulls out a bunch of women hair)" oh no, i don't think he is Balder. I told him that i would find a way to kill his daughter if he told the Earl Haraldson " said Gourm as they both started laughing. Balder notices something " I don't see halfdan Gourm". "Well that's because he isn't here, He hasn't sent word either " said Gourm as he laughed in Balder's face." That troubles me " said Balder as he looked toward the ship. " We live in a sea of trouble my friend, but look, some are ended" said Gourm as he points at the blacksmith dragging the anchor on his horse. I believe this is mine blacksmith (takes the anchor, give the hair back) and this yours, Blacksmith have a good day. "All aboard the ship, pack the oars, the food and the weapons we are leaving without Halfdan" Said Balder strolling on the docks. Cover the Ravens. " Feel that breeze, we should start sail now" said Asmund as the crew grabbed the oars. " Ready men !" shouted Balder as he got excited. Heave- ho! heave-ho! Meanwhile back in Uppakra, Halfdan goes to the Earl. " they have set sail my lord" said Halfdan. " Good , they will never be heard from again" Said the drunken Earl Haraldson. "But, my lord. what if they find lands to the west" said Halfdan. (Haraldson walks up to Halfdan) " HOW MANY TIMES DO YOU IDIOTS NEED TO KNOW! THERE ARE NO LANDS TO THE WEST! NONE ! " Said Haraldson as he slammed his glass of wine into Halfdan's face. " LEAVE ! HALFDAN ! ". " yes, my lord." said an embarrassed Halfdan and left, Meanwhile back at the ship. "it's noon, put the sunboard in the water" said Asmund as Balder grabbed the sunboard and placed it in a bucket of water. " not to far south, Nor too far north. the board works ! " said Balder as he laughed in excitement. Meanwhile Ase tell the kids a story as they sleep "The great sea is held in place by Jormungandr, whose giant body encircles it, and who keeps his tail in his mouth to complete the circle and stop the waves breaking lose. but one day, the god Thor, son of earth, was fishing in the sea for the serpent, using a bull's head for bait. Jormungandr reared up and the waves pummeled the shores as he twisted and writhed in fury. They were well matched, serpent and god, in the furious fight. The seas boiled around them, but then the hook became dislodged, and the serpent slithered free and sank again, so quickly, beneath the waves. and soon, the sea was calm once more, as if nothing had disturbed it." (Thunder starts Rumbling) Storms coming ! should we let down the sail Balder? Don't ask me, Gourm should we let down the sail ? GOURM !"Yes, yes, we have to take the sail down, and then we must row. if we're not moving forward then we will be soaked by the waves and sink." said Gourm as the norsemen grabbed the oars. Ready ! shovel the oars ! Row ! Row ! " what has made Thor so angry (THUNDER RUMBLING) He is striking his anvil" said Asmund as Gourm covers himself with the sail. " Are you scared Gourm " said Balder as he laughs at Gourm. "yes, I am scared. Balder Asger, not for me for my ship" proclaimed Gourm as Balder continued to laugh at him. Man 1 : Thor is angry with us, he wants to sink us, he is striking his anvil. " it's true, Thor is beating his hammer. The lightning is the sparks from his anvil. But he is not angry with us. I understand now. Why should he be angry with us ? Why should he want to sink our boat ?don't you understand? He is celebrating. He is full of good news. he wants to show everybody that he can't sink this boat. He loves this boat" Shouted Gourm as he climbed the mast. "sit down, you idiot! " said Balder as they laughed. It's my boat, and the gods love my boat. why should I (WAVE SPLASHES ONTO GOURM) not be happy? "Gourm, sit down. you'll fall over, remember you can't swim ! " said Balder as he chuckled. A few hours later morale in the crew is low. " there is no west ! we are not sailing rowards any new country, but just into an empty ocean,utterly and completely lost. Kaufo, Leif we have been persuaded by mad men and fools! the god Loki is behind this voyage. That scoundrel, that sly one. trouble and suffering are meat and drink to him " said Knut a rowmen on the boat. "If anyone here is mad, it's you." proclaimed Balder. " I am not the one who convinced all these good men to sacrifice their life for a dream, an illusion. It wasn't me who joined forces with the sly one to get us to sail west into nothing, nowhere. oh, and here we are, lost and certain to die. for what" Said knut as he marched towards Balder. "sit down and shut up Knut" said Balder. " you sound like the sly one. Perhaps you are the god of mischief who sends men mad and sends them to their deaths. I curse the day I ever agreed to come with you, Balder Asger" said Knut as Balder marched towards him with a knife. For this ship is cursed, and we ar... (Balder stabs Knut in the neck mutiple times) I told you to shup up! and sit down ! said Balder as he kicked the lifeless corpse of Knut. " Release the Ravens Asmund." said Balder as he tossed Knut's body into the ocean." Listen everyone ! if the Ravens do not return, there is land. but if they do, then there is no Land" said Baldur as everyone silently went back to rowing uncertain of their fates. A few hours later, the hear squawking." The Ravens have returned, there is no land brother." said Asmund in a terrified voice. ( Balder climbs the mast of the ship to have a better look) " Those aren't our Ravens! those are seagulls ! " said Balder as the ship overflowed with joy and cheering. " Balder you did it, we made it, row men ! " said Asmund as the morale of the group increased, as the once feared leader Balder became the first Norsemen to sail west and find the westlands. Balder's ambition to sail west had finally been realized, the once war hardened man was so overcome with joy, tears started flowing " 10 years, 10 years brother I have been waiting for this moment" said Balder as the crew cheered him on and praised him. " the trip is not done yet, don't forget we need to bring back hoards of gold to prove our point to Earl Haraldson" said Gourm. The crew looked at the shores of the westlands and they heard someone echo, they were all singing in a foreign language. A man with a strange appeareance spotted them and ringed the bells of a settlement nearby." there is a strange man< on the beach, brother he is wearing a black cloak and he is bald from the middle and has hair on the sides" said Asmund as the crew laughed at the man's appeareance. " he might be a monk, the wanderer didn't tell me much about this new god, but these monks are supposed to worship him." said Balder in a very intriguied manner. " and does this god have gold Balder" said Gourm as the crew landed on the beach, and charged towards the weird looking town.

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