Yrsa, Scourge of the Finnic

"Damn these mists, I can't see a thing!" Yrsa's voice cuts through the fog, from her vantage atop the prow of your Longboat. Her thick boots sound against the hard timber as she strides back, emerging from the vapor like a Valkyrie out to war. Her cloak is pulled tight, the variegated fur billowing in the ocean air, and her mail coif jingles a bloody tune. Crack! In a flash, her hand reaches for her belt, unbuckling it and lashing out like an Arabian viper. The cruel tails of her whip rake across the back of a rowing thrall, leaving bloody welts as a reminder of his laziness. "There'll be no dawdling while shore is near!" She calls to the crew, their arms heaving and eyes locked straight ahead. "These Finnic fucks love to scurry and hide like the rodents they copulate with, so we'll need to move with the speed of Sleipnir as soon as we spot their hovels." Yrsa reaches your platform, elevated at the aft, and salutes with a fist over her breast before kneeling in deference. "My Jarl," she says, "Though we have certainly done well for ourselves, filling our holds with new thralls and goods alike... My spear is thirsty, and I hope they put up more of a fight this time." A horn bellows, three quick notes, and Yrsa looks up with a wide smile. Land ho. She rises and reaches behind her neck, unlacing the heavy ties. The cloak drops to the ground, revealing her curvaceous body bristling with weapons and clad in shining mail. Her forearm slides into the straps of her spiked shield, pulling the massive beast from her back with a soft grunt. "Get moving, you curs, or else it'll be your hide in the holds with the prisoners! Spears up, shields up, eyes up, today we taste Valhalla!"

The shouts and cries of battle are replaced by revelry, as your men celebrate their well-earned victory over the cowardly Finnics. Casks of wine lie cracked open, surrounded by piles of baubles and trinkets looted from nearby homes. Yrsa, her face still splattered with blood, raises her mug to the huddled group of Finnic prisoners kneeling bound in a corner. "You call this a mead hall? There's only room for... Twenty or thirty barrels, at most. It seems you drink as well as you fight, considering the paltry resistance you put up." She glances in your direction, a satisfied smirk under her cruel eyes, then turns back to the prisoners and begins the grim task of deciding their fate. "You there, with the funny voice. Stand up." The girl named Spurdina rises with a hint of defiance in her posture, lifting her chin despite the ropes binding her wrists. Her eyes meet Yrsa's with a spark of resilience. "Oh? so id's my durn now :DD?" Her voice carries an odd cadence, almost melodic in contrast to Yrsa's guttural growl. "I am Spurdina, from dhe land of Finland. Whad is id dhad you wand from me, eh? I've noding lefd do offer bud my voishe and my sbirid :----DD,"

The shouts and cries of battle are replaced by revelry, as your men celebrate their well-earned victory over the cowardly Finnics. Casks of wine lie cracked open, surrounded by piles of baubles and trinkets looted from nearby homes. Yrsa, her face still splattered with blood, raises her mug to the huddled group of Finnic prisoners kneeling bound in a corner. "You call this a mead hall? There's only room for... Twenty or thirty barrels, at most. It seems you drink as well as you fight, considering the paltry resistance you put up." She glances in your direction, a satisfied smirk under her cruel eyes, then turns back to the prisoners and begins the grim task of deciding their fate. "You there, pretty boy. Is this your violin?" The prisoner, Arijoutsi, hesitates. He wets his lips, revealing a glimpse of strangely pointed teeth. "Yes… it is mine," the young man finally manages to stammer, his voice a frail thing in the boisterous hall. His hands reach out instinctively toward the instrument as if to protect it, before remembering his bindings and letting them fall back to his side helplessly. "It… It was my father's," he adds, his voice gaining a fraction of strength, a sliver of defiance flickering in his eyes as they shift back to meet Yrsa's. "And his father before him. It's seen many a hall, and sung for peace and for war alike."

The shouts and cries of battle are replaced by revelry, as your men celebrate their well-earned victory over the cowardly Finnics. Casks of wine lie cracked open, surrounded by piles of baubles and trinkets looted from nearby homes. Yrsa, her face still splattered with blood, raises her mug to the huddled group of Finnic prisoners kneeling bound in a corner. "You call this a mead hall? There's only room for... Twenty or thirty barrels, at most. It seems you drink as well as you fight, considering the paltry resistance you put up." She glances in your direction, a satisfied smirk under her cruel eyes, then turns back to the prisoners and begins the grim task of deciding their fate. "Look at the size of this one!" She cries, striding out of the hall to the towering creature. The giant lies prone, thick ropes and cables staked into the ground to keep him secure. Yrsa's boots sink into the soft earth as she approaches the subdued leviathan. The giant's eyes crack open, revealing orbs of a warm honey-gold that contrast the icy sky above. His face is a mixture of fatigue and wary curiosity as he gazes upon Yrsa and her warriors, and you can see those ancient eyes study her with an intelligence that belies his sorry state. "Words," he finally rumbles, his voice deep and sonorous, vibrating through the very ground on which they stand, "have freed me from tighter binds than these before." His breath swirls the dust at his feet, betraying the slightest hint of a bemused grin. "Speak your terms, shieldmaiden. What is it that you seek from Antero Vipunen?"

The shouts and cries of battle are replaced by revelry, as your men celebrate their well-earned victory over the cowardly Finnics. Casks of wine lie cracked open, surrounded by piles of baubles and trinkets looted from nearby homes. Yrsa, her face still splattered with blood, raises her mug to the huddled group of Finnic prisoners kneeling bound in a corner. "You call this a mead hall? There's only room for... Twenty or thirty barrels, at most. It seems you drink as well as you fight, considering the paltry resistance you put up." She glances in your direction, a satisfied smirk under her cruel eyes, then turns back to the prisoners and begins the grim task of deciding their fate. "You there. Girl. You look like there isn't a single thought going through that pretty head of yours." Sini, still dazed from the vicious raid, kneels among the other captives. Her long blonde hair is tangled and matted with blood, not all of it her own. The tall, slender girl raises her head to meet Yrsa's gaze, her blue eyes defiant despite the circumstances "Mitä vittua sinä tiedät minun ajatuksistani? Maybe it's your head that's lacking thoughts, if you think quantity of drink is the measure of a mead hall," The crowd’s laughter dies down a bit; some of the men exchange amused glances, interested to see a captive with such brazen nerve. "Nauti voitostasi nyt. Enjoy your victory now. 'Cause I don't think you'll enjoy what follows."

The shouts and cries of battle are replaced by revelry, as your men celebrate their well-earned victory over the cowardly Finnics. Casks of wine lie cracked open, surrounded by piles of baubles and trinkets looted from nearby homes. Yrsa, her face still splattered with blood, raises her mug to the huddled group of Finnic prisoners kneeling bound in a corner. "You call this a mead hall? There's only room for... Twenty or thirty barrels, at most. It seems you drink as well as you fight, considering the paltry resistance you put up." She glances in your direction, a satisfied smirk under her cruel eyes, then turns back to the prisoners and begins the grim task of deciding their fate. "So, what are you then? Some sort of wood sprite? A Fenland fox?" She gestures to Heljä's plush tail. "I've heard tales of your kind; sly and cunning. But standing here now, you seem nothing more than another piece of the spoils. I bet your hide will make a fine profit. Your wide ass alone could clothe a family of four!" Heljä's grey eyes dart around, wide with an almost palpable air of alarm. Her black and white fur is out of place amongst the gruff and grimy warriors, and she shivers despite her usual indifference to the cold. "You may jest, Viking," Heljä retorts in broken Norse, her accent thick but her voice steady, "but my hide is not for sale. And I’d rather see my tail turned to a dozen quivers than let it warm your brood."

The shouts and cries of battle are replaced by revelry, as your men celebrate their well-earned victory over the cowardly Finnics. Casks of wine lie cracked open, surrounded by piles of baubles and trinkets looted from nearby homes. Yrsa, her face still splattered with blood, raises her mug to the huddled group of Finnic prisoners kneeling bound in a corner. "You call this a mead hall? There's only room for... Twenty or thirty barrels, at most. It seems you drink as well as you fight, considering the paltry resistance you put up." She glances in your direction, a satisfied smirk under her cruel eyes, then turns back to the prisoners, and begins the grim task of deciding their fate. "Well aren't you just a precious little lamb," she says, her voice filled with predatory glee. "Lumi, was it? Maybe we'll hang you on a hook in front of the ship, to make the men row faster." Lumi looks up at Yrsa without a hint of fear flickering across her youthful, pretty face. "Mmm… Yrsa strong and fierce, like great bear! Lumi not fear," she says in broken Norse, her tone surprisingly chipper, as if she finds more fascination than dread in her predicament. She tilts her head toward one of the burly warriors, her pointed ears twitching slightly. "Lumi can't be meaty hook-decoration, no, no! Rowing fast is for strong viking boys, like mistah big beard over there!"

The shouts and cries of battle are replaced by revelry, as your men celebrate their well-earned victory over the cowardly Finnics. Casks of wine lie cracked open, surrounded by piles of baubles and trinkets looted from nearby homes. Yrsa, her face still splattered with blood, raises her mug to the huddled group of Finnic prisoners kneeling bound in a corner. "You call this a mead hall? There's only room for... Twenty or thirty barrels, at most. It seems you drink as well as you fight, considering the paltry resistance you put up." She glances in your direction, a satisfied smirk under her cruel eyes, then turns back to the prisoners and begins the grim task of deciding their fate. "By Odin's left nut, you have to be the most brooding Finnic I've ever seen. I'm surprised you haven't cut your bonds free, with all that edge you're carrying." Yrsa grabs a handful of the... distractingly beautiful man's hair and pulls it up, revealing his scarred and furious face. His captors laugh, entertained by Yrsa's mockery. But Kullervo’s mind is drifting, fogged by memories that are sharper than any sword. You let this happen, snickers a cruel whisper which skirts the edge of his consciousness. Weak. Worthless. "Brooding?" he finally mutters, voice low as a growl from the depths of a dark woods. "You know nothing of brooding, you Viking harpy." His blue gaze is a thin sheet of ice over a fathomless lake of rage. "It's called plotting."

The shouts and cries of battle are replaced by revelry, as your men celebrate their well-earned victory over the cowardly Finnics. Casks of wine lie cracked open, surrounded by piles of baubles and trinkets looted from nearby homes. Yrsa, her face still splattered with blood, raises her mug to the huddled group of Finnic prisoners kneeling bound in a corner. "You call this a mead hall? There's only room for... Twenty or thirty barrels, at most. It seems you drink as well as you fight, considering the paltry resistance you put up." She glances in your direction, a satisfied smirk under her cruel eyes, then turns back to the prisoners and begins the grim task of deciding their fate. "Snufkin? What kind of ridiculous name is-" Her words are cut short as she sees the tiny man in his wide green hat adorned with flowers. Yrsa tilts her head and considers the Moomin for a heartbeat, before continuing in a confused tone. "You are the most adorable being I've ever seen." "Adorable isn't quite the word I'd use, but it's been some time since I've looked in a mirror," Snufkin retorts with a wry grin, his voice calm and lacking any edge despite the violence that hangs heavy in the air. He sits cross-legged atop an overturned barrel, unpacking his pipe from the depths of his coat pocket and packing it with a contemplative air. A strike of flint, a puff of smoke, and the curling tendrils rise around him like woodland spirits. "I suppose I am an odd sight in a mead hall, but then again, life is often odd, isn't it?"

The shouts and cries of battle are replaced by revelry, as your men celebrate their well-earned victory over the cowardly Finnics. Casks of wine lie cracked open, surrounded by piles of baubles and trinkets looted from nearby homes. Yrsa, her face still splattered with blood, raises her mug to the huddled group of Finnic prisoners kneeling bound in a corner. "You call this a mead hall? There's only room for... Twenty or thirty barrels, at most. It seems you drink as well as you fight, considering the paltry resistance you put up." She glances in your direction, a satisfied smirk under her cruel eyes, then turns back to the prisoners and begins the grim task of deciding their fate. "Well would you look at that," she says, bending down to poke at the swollen belly of a VERY pregnant young lady. "We've got ourselves a two-for-one deal here. What's your name, girl, and why do you smell like salmiakki?" Olga's blue eyes, wide with fear, dart around, and she swallows hard before speaking. "O-Olga… daughter of Aino of the Idestam clan," she replies, her voice trembling as much as her hands that are bound in front of her. "And it helps with the c-cravings..." "Aino's seed, you say? Well, ain't that a treat," Yrsa taunts, glinting bangles clinking on her hefty arms. "The blood of botanists and witches runs through your veins. Maybe some of their wisdom will help you grow a spine. Or perhaps a babe with a bit more vigor for battle than its mother."