The Seas of Fate

The Seas of Fate was a virtual representation of one of Eivor Varinsdottir's genetic memories, relived by Layla Hassan in 2020 through the Portable Animus HR-8.5.
==Description==
The Raven Clan were left to decide their fate following King Styrbjorn's decision to serve under King Harald.
==Dialogue==
As Eivor arrived back to Fornburg, she noticed new banners.
*Eivor: Harald's colors. He is already marking his territory.
*Dag: Marking? Gods, he's spraying like a horny pup.
*Eivor: Harald may be young, but he is clever. Do not underestimate him. He came of age very quickly.
As she made her way off the docks, she was stopped by a Norseman.
*Norse Warrior: You, there, what are you doing? If you wish to have words, come closer.
*Eivor: Are you one of Harald's men?
*Norse Warrior: I am. The king wishes to make a survey of the land he now rules. Nothing more.
*Eivor: Let me ask, are you one of the conquered? Did Harald take your lands as well?
*Norse Warrior: No. My family has lived under his banner since the days of his father, Halfdan the Black.
*Eivor: Well, welcome to Fornburg, warrior.
She came across Hytham on her way to the longhouse and spoke to him.
*Eivor: How are you doing, Hytham? You survived a serious blow.
*Hytham: I am mending. I will never be the warrior Basim wishes me to be, but I can serve my brotherhood in many other ways.
*Eivor: With Kjotve dead, will you return to the south?
*Hytham: We are going west, in fact. Basim is a tireless crusader.
*Eivor: Get some rest before you set out, then. Injured men do not fare well on the open ocean.
*Hytham: Of course. Thank you.
Leaving Hytham, she passed two men talking.
*Norse Man 1: You heard that Harald is banning raids in all of Norway?
*Norse Man 2: I did.
*Norse Man 1: Does that not bother you?
*Norse Man 2: If we cannot raid anyone, they cannot raid us.
*Norse Man 1: O! A fair thought.
She passed by Svend's hut and heard him shouting.
*Svend: First they will demand taxes, and soon after they will be living in our homes!
*Tove: Keep your voice down! They will hear you!
*Svend: Fine by me! If those bacrauts (assholes) come to our door, I will carve them new shit holes!
She visited Gunnar at his forge, now obliged to serve Harald's soldiers.
*Gunnar: How can I help?
Leaving his shop, Eivor promised to liberate him.
*Eivor: I will free you from this bond.
*Gunnar: And I will be ready when you need me.
Finally heading to the the long house, Eivor knocked on the door.
*Eivor: It's Eivor. Open the door.
*Alvis: Come in, but keep your voice down. You will alert Harald's men.
Upon entering, she saw a crowd of people around Sigurd Styrbjornsson.
*Tekla: Where will we live?
*Holger: The English will fight back! The wars will never end!
*Gudrun: Or they will push us into the Christian ways.
*Sigurd: Quiet! All! Give me a chance to speak! Two days ago, we rid this land of Kjotve and his dogs. Yet today we do not celebrate. Today we cower under a cloud of fear. But it need not be like this. We are not the heel-trodden subjects of a boy-king! We are the Raven Clan. Our destiny is our own!
*Tekla: Did you know about your father's oath to Harald?
*Sigurd: I did not. And for that, my anger burns hotter than any man's here. But I will not let that drive me into despair. We cannot stay in Norway, not under Harald's boot, not without fueling more war. So we push forward. To newer lands.
He shared a nod with Basim Ibn Ishaq.
*Sigurd: To England! And there make a new home. A kingdom of our own.
*Randvi: The Sons of Ragnar Lothbrok have been in England eight winters already. Is there any land left for a clan of our size?
*Sigurd: More than enough, wife. Of the four kingdoms of England, only one is truly pacified.
*Dag: I have no desire to wear Harald's leash. I like this idea.
*Alvis: A for the ages, I agree!
*Gudmund: It will take time and resources to build ourselves a new home. But the riches taken from Kjotve's raid would suffice.
*Sigurd: No. That belongs to my father, as a fair compensation. In England, we must start anew.
*Bragi: You would start us with nothing, in a land we do not know, among people who hate us?
*Eivor: Kjotve's riches would go some way to easing our passage, Sigurd. I bested him. It is within my rights to claim his goods.
*Sigurd: Our leaving must not be an assault on my father. It is a time of renewal for us.
<tabber>
|-|We take the resources to England.=
*Eivor: If we go, we will need all the help we can get. I saw we take Kjotve's spoils for our own.
*Sigurd: I abhor such theft. But if this is what it takes to sway you to my cause, I accept.
*Eivor: Styrbjorn will prosper by the generosity of his new king. Kjotve's riches belong to us.
|-|We leave the resources to Styrbjorn.=
*Eivor: If you object, I understand. Let your father keep Kjotve's riches. England will have riches and cargo enough for us.
*Sigurd: Good. I did not want this cloud hanging over us. It is a wise leader who considers the need of others.
</tabber>
*Randvi: To England then, before the day is out. Pack what you need, but no more than that.
*Eivor: And tighten your lips. The last thing we need is the attention of Harald's troops.
As the crowd dispersed, Eivor noticed Valka leaning on a post nearby.
*Eivor: How much did you hear?
*Valka: Enough. A new path is revealed and your journey will be challenging.
*Eivor: Will you not join us?
*Valka: For my mother's sake, I cannot, but our threads will cross again before the final day. Until then, farewell.
Eivor made her way to the docks and overheard two women talking.
*Norse Woman 1: I don't like the way those soldiers watch me.
*Norse Woman 2: I find it flattering.
*Norse Woman 1: You think one will marry you and carry you off to the capital?
*Norse Woman 2: Would he?
*Norse Woman 1: He would take his pleasure and move on, you moon-eyed magpie. Leaving you with a little soldier to raise by yourself.
Eivor soon met Sigurd and the departing Clanmembers at the docks.
*Sigurd: Eivor, the wind favors us! We should set sail without delay.
*Eivor: You made quick work of packing. Well done.
*Randvi: The dream of new lands is a powerful lure.
*Eivor: As is the promise of glory. But the act of leaving so beloved a home, there is a sadness to it.
*Sigurd: Having doubts?
*Eivor: No. Not at all. The die is cast.
*Sigurd: Then let fate guide our journey. Are you ready?
(Accept – "I am ready")
*Eivor: I am ready. Let us take to the water and leave unbothered while we have the chance.
*Randvi: That chance has passed. Look.
Eivor looked to see a longship heading toward the docks.
*Eivor: Fate flies on swifter wings than we.
*Sigurd: King Harald's banner.
The longship pulled into port and docked. Styrbjorn stepped off the ship and approached Sigurd as he knelt at a crate reviewing a map.
*Styrbjorn: Sigurd, what is this assembly? What are you planning?
Sigurd stood and turned to Styrbjorn.
*Sigurd: An exit, Father. As graceful as I can. For if I cannot be king in the land of my birth, I will start a new saga. In England.
Sigurd sat back down.
*Styrbjorn: Nonsense. Your place is here, Son. At my side. There will be other victories soon, other glories.
<tabber>
|-|If Eivor said to leave Kjotve's spoils.=
*Sigurd: My choice is made, Father. Do not hope otherwise.
*Styrbjorn: It is easy to lose one's way on the road to glory. Do not let false victories blind you to what is true.
Insulted, Sigurd rose again, turned, and confronted his father up close.
*Sigurd: You talk of false victories to me, old man? A sad old bear who destroyed his honor with one bent knee? The further I sail from this place, the louder I will sing.
Sigurd stormed off as Eivor sidled up to her father.
*Eivor: I will be his anchor, lord.
*Styrbjorn: No, you must be his better half.
He sadly looked on as Sigurd boarded his ship.
*Styrbjorn: May Ægir bless your voyage.
|-|If Eivor said to take Kjotve's spoils.=
*Sigurd: My choice is made, Father. Do not hope otherwise. There is nothing for me here. I must go make my name in the world.
Sigurd rose and began walking to his ship. Eivor made to stand beside her father, only for him to quickly follow Sigurd, forcing her to trail him in turn. As the group walked along, Styrbjorn noticed a Clanmember carrying a crate of supplies.
*Styrbjorn: And you have plundered Fornburg's resources, I see. You leave nothing behind but your honor.
Sigurd stopped and turned, pointing his hand accusingly.
*Sigurd: You left me no choice. I entered the (clan meeting) a prince. I left the son of a jarl.
*Styrbjorn: There are always choices, Sigurd. I will not stand between you and yours, but I do not accept it.
Sigurd left to board his ship. Styrbjorn sighed at his son's inability to listen, then turned in disappointment to Eivor, who stood a few paces behind.
*Styrbjorn: Seventeen winters ago, I opened my door to you, Eivor. And now... your only thanks is to rob me? I should have left you to the wolves.
Styrbjorn walked back down the dock as Sigurd sidled up to Eivor.
*Sigurd: Sad old elk. Do not carry his words with you to England. He brought this day upon himself.
Eivor nodded.
*Eivor: I know.
</tabber>
Eivor boarded Sigurd's longship and set sail to England.
*Dag: The time for tears is over, you weeping sacks of wool! Put some muscle into those pulls!
*Bragi: Ration your strength, Dag. We have an ocean to cross.
*Dag: All right, you lazy bacraut (asshole). Sigurd, what's our course?
*Sigurd: The Sons of Ragnar established a settlement near the coast. We set sail for that. Bragi! Sing a song to lift our hugr (spirits)!
*Dag: To rouse the gods! Inspire a mighty fart from Thor to speed us on our way!
*Sigurd: An ocean lies before us, Eivor. And on its far side, a new kingdom awaits.
*Eivor: You know England well from your travels?
*Sigurd: I spend a season in their Kingdom of Mercia. A temperate land. Lush and wild. By now, the Sons of Ragnar will have claimed its heart.
*Eivor: Do we mean to join their army?
*Sigurd: They will join ours! In time, all of England will know of Raven Clan and the glory we brought to that fractured land. So to England, glory and destiny!
*Eivor: To England!
*Dag: To England! Or Valhalla!
==Outcome==
Eivor, Sigurd and their group of Raven Clan members departed from Norway for England.
==Gallery==
ACV The Seas of Fate 1.png|Sigurd speaking to the clan members
ACV The Seas of Fate 4.png|The crowd dispersing to pack their belongings
ACV The Seas of Fate 6.png|Randvi alerting Eivor and Sigurd of Styrbjorn's return
ACV The Seas of Fate 9.png|One of Halfdan's men questioning Eivor
ACV The Seas of Fate 7.png|Fornburg
==References==
*Assassin's Creed: Valhalla
Category:Memories of Eivor Varinsdottir
Category:Memories relived using the Animus HR-8.5