Looks as though the Saxons could strike back, but I think that with the mighty Cthulhu on their side, the Ragnarites shall prevail.
Looks as though the Saxons could strike back, but I think that with the mighty Cthulhu on their side, the Ragnarites shall prevail.
I enjoyed the graphic description of Snake-in-the-eye's fighting, and the image of Halfdan looking over the aftermath of the battle. You're writing really is very emersive!
Looks as though the Saxons could strike back, but I think that with the mighty Cthulhu on their side, the Ragnarites shall prevail.
Not to mention Halfdan got a big Axe and a very nice army
Wow!
Using some 'near rhythmic' phrasing yourself here, I see - has a drum-like quality that brings Beowulf in its original, or Dream of the Rood, readily to mind (or folk-metal bands like Forefather and Svartsot). It almost gets to be too much, practically a run-on, when you're describing Bacsecg the Jute in battle, though. Interestingly (I don't know if you intended this or not), the description of ropy entrails sliding to the ground between grasping fingers, and Sigurðr striking his opponents and watching them bleed slowly to death, both supports the serpentine imagery you keep playing with regarding Sigurðr Snake-in-the-Eye and adds to the general ominousness surrounding him, without belabouring or distracting from the flow of your narration.
Did the Saxons have a particular reputation for cunning, though, or is that just Halfdan slighting them with faint praise?
I see also that you're keeping the fault-lines between Sigurðr and Halfdan visible in the battle's aftermath (with Halfdan looking grimly on as Sigurðr leads them to their fate, presumably too horrible even for a Viking fond of blood-eagles to mention) even though they aren't of particular importance this chapter.
Great stuff, Lord Durham; I always look forward to more!
ABBA? Pffff! I was thinking about Amon Amarth, Nightwish, Hammerfall or In Flames... Or even Skolldir's theme from Awesomenauts!
When I saw Muspelheim, the realm of fire, I then thought about Valkyrie Profile. You ever play that game?
Sigurd might be a right bastard, but he clearly knows how to fight. Or should I say that he knows how to kill - his fights are very one-sided. Then again, so are Halfdan's and Bagsecg's, so perhaps it's not all down to Sigurd's corruption. I liked how you write "it is said that vipers coiled by his feet", leaving it ambiguous: they might have been there (they probably were), they might not have been there.
In the Secret History, I like the somewhat snooty offhanded remark from Geoffrey Monmouth: "Indeed, I have wrote the true account of King Arturus in my Historia Regum Britannia." Nothing like being a self-promoter and cocksure to boot.
Except for Sigurd's wanton excesses, this is essentially a Cthulhu-free zone. Halfdan will have to earn his victories with his axe. Expect a lot of marching and counter-marching.
Indeed, rather light on explicit reference, but Cthulhu always has his noodly appendages nudging the action, however subtle.
As for your remarks on the next update, I rather like the Monmouth bits, but I don't know what information you plan to convey in the next update, so all I can say is that he is a cool individual.
Do you know Apoptose, LD?
They make me think of your vikings a little bit (they're German alas). Here's a sample.
Can the next update handle being broken up into multiple smaller packages, or is it too tangled to do so?
I've caught up with reading these AAR, and I must say that before I started I wasn't sure if I would enjoy it all that much, not being my area of interest and all. However, after I had started, I realized that I was going to enjoy this very much indeed!
Nice read. I like your twist with Cthulhu as on of the 'Old Gods'. It's different from other AAR's I've read, but really good.
I liked how you write "it is said that vipers coiled by his feet", leaving it ambiguous: they might have been there (they probably were), they might not have been there.
... the true account of King Arturus ...
Always great to see the AI making itself useful to add even more flavour to the story Looking forward to the next chapter(s).
I'd take any of his accounts with several (un)healthy doses of salt. But then history in those days was far more about the embellishment than about the facts.
Well, I've certainly missed quite a bit – though I must admit, given my general feelings towards creatures of a serpentine nature I'm somewhat half that I was well-hidden in Greece
Sigurd (I don't even want to think about how he acquired his cognomen) seems quite the dislikeable character – even for a Viking. I'm wondering if his entrance is some sort of foreshadowing for more ominous things. Perhaps we'll be seeing some noodly appendages soon?
And, as Revan noted: nicely done with the serpentine semantic field. When done with just the right amount of subtlety, it's a technique I enjoy reading and utilising.
Looking forward to murdering some Saxons! (Or rather, seeing some Saxons murdered...)
Oh, and my musical library is 'sadly' lacking of anything even vaguely relating to Swedish culture. I'll just have to put on James – again
Are you saying there are no snakes in Greece?
Are you saying there are no snakes in Greece?
It's clear that he ironed out the last few kinks between Greece (some snakes left) and Ireland (100% success rate). Proving once again that good QA is worth its weight in gold.St. Patrick beta tested his snake removal practices in Greece before driving the snakes out of Ireland. Probably all the snakes ended up with our heroes.