Iceland, 999
A world by Ari Weaver
Iceland, 999
Iceland, the winter of 999. Your brother Kolbein killed Onund of Bakki at a ford after a quarrel at the autumn horse fight, and Onund's widow wants him outlawed or dead. There's no king to appeal to. There's the law, and there's your mother Thorgerd, who knows it better than most chieftains do. Next summer the whole country votes on the Christian god, and every chieftain wants something from your family before then.
Playing as Traveler·
The horse fight is on the flat ground below the Thingnes slope, and half the valley is standing in the wet grass to watch. Kolbein's grey stallion, Fax, has the red stallion from Bakki by the neck and is driving it back toward the river. It's the first week of October, the light already going yellow at four, and somebody has brought a keg of whey and is selling cups of it for a fish apiece.
Each owner walks behind his horse with a long goad to keep it fighting. Kolbein is laughing, his red-blond hair stuck to his forehead, shouting at Fax like they're old drinking friends. Onund of Bakki isn't laughing. His stallion's front legs fold and the crowd groans. That's when Onund steps in and brings his goad down hard across Fax's face.
Fax screams. There's blood running from his left eye. The grey stallion breaks off and spins, and Kolbein drops his goad.
You're closest. You see Onund's brother-in-law Bersi start forward and then stop. You see Thorgerd, your mother, standing up on the slope in her blue cloak, too far away to do anything. Kolbein grabs Fax's halter rope and shoves it at you, and his other hand is already on the axe at his belt.
“You saw that. You saw him do it, everybody saw it. Hold him. Just hold the horse.”
The horse fight1 of 3