Post by Haldour on Jan 9, 2008 23:20:24 GMT -5
The fog had grown thicker and thicker for what seemed like days, but in all honesty it could have been only a few hours. Whatever the time span, Haldour was becoming impatient to clear the seemingly impenetrable blanket surrounding his small fleet of longships. He stood at the front of the lead ship, leaning on the long neck of the carved dragonhead bow. He strained his eyes yet again, hoping for a glimpse of something other than grey.
"This cursed fog is beginning to try my patience" he thought to himself. They had set out in their ships to raid some of the coastal towns only a short voyage away only a few days earlier. At least, he suspected it was a few days. No sooner had they reached the sea than the all-enveloping fog had enclosed around them. They had attempted to make for the shore that should have only been a few hundred yards away, but the land wasn't there. So they had simply sailed on, no oars, just allowing whatever unearthly wind propelled them to take them onward. Now, many of the men began to despair, fearing they would never come out of it.
Just as he was about to give in and try to get some sleep, the fog mysteriously vanished as quickly and unexpectedly as it had appeared. As soon as his eyes adjusted to the bright daylight that now assaulted them, he made a gesture and the oars were extended. In a matter of moments they had made land on the shore of the narrow inlet they now found themselves in. Haldour looking at his surroundings, and quickly realized that the land he was viewing was none he had ever seen before.
All at once he remembered the stories his father had told him when he was a small boy; stories of a mysterious land, ripe with plunder. Stories of arriving by mysterious means, meeting mysterious people and creatures, and finally returning through a mysterious gate. He had always dismissed these stories as little more than exaggerated tales designed to entertain him, but as he gazed at the horizon around him, he realized that this was that land. A smirk crept across the young Clanmaster's face at the thought of his father's tales being true. Now he could follow his father's footsteps yet again, and acquire great riches here.
As the last of his men's ships pulled up on shore and his warriors piled out of them, he set to work at once.
"Alright you men, get to work and gather some wood for fires. That stand of trees there looks good. You men there, bring out the food supplies. We'll see if we can't find something to eat in these woods for tonight, but if not we'll be at regular rations of salted pork and mead.
He turned to his trusted jarls with a smile. A hint of concern was in their eyes, but an eagerness and excitement were the dominant emotions on their faces. He nodded to them and they immediately set to work gathering their favorite troops and gearing up. Each of them headed in a different directions into the terrain. If the riches that his father spoke of existed in this land, he would soon know it...
"This cursed fog is beginning to try my patience" he thought to himself. They had set out in their ships to raid some of the coastal towns only a short voyage away only a few days earlier. At least, he suspected it was a few days. No sooner had they reached the sea than the all-enveloping fog had enclosed around them. They had attempted to make for the shore that should have only been a few hundred yards away, but the land wasn't there. So they had simply sailed on, no oars, just allowing whatever unearthly wind propelled them to take them onward. Now, many of the men began to despair, fearing they would never come out of it.
Just as he was about to give in and try to get some sleep, the fog mysteriously vanished as quickly and unexpectedly as it had appeared. As soon as his eyes adjusted to the bright daylight that now assaulted them, he made a gesture and the oars were extended. In a matter of moments they had made land on the shore of the narrow inlet they now found themselves in. Haldour looking at his surroundings, and quickly realized that the land he was viewing was none he had ever seen before.
All at once he remembered the stories his father had told him when he was a small boy; stories of a mysterious land, ripe with plunder. Stories of arriving by mysterious means, meeting mysterious people and creatures, and finally returning through a mysterious gate. He had always dismissed these stories as little more than exaggerated tales designed to entertain him, but as he gazed at the horizon around him, he realized that this was that land. A smirk crept across the young Clanmaster's face at the thought of his father's tales being true. Now he could follow his father's footsteps yet again, and acquire great riches here.
As the last of his men's ships pulled up on shore and his warriors piled out of them, he set to work at once.
"Alright you men, get to work and gather some wood for fires. That stand of trees there looks good. You men there, bring out the food supplies. We'll see if we can't find something to eat in these woods for tonight, but if not we'll be at regular rations of salted pork and mead.
He turned to his trusted jarls with a smile. A hint of concern was in their eyes, but an eagerness and excitement were the dominant emotions on their faces. He nodded to them and they immediately set to work gathering their favorite troops and gearing up. Each of them headed in a different directions into the terrain. If the riches that his father spoke of existed in this land, he would soon know it...
