Part 35: 19-2: The Unkindness of Ravens

UPDATE 36: THE UNKINDNESS OF RAVENS

There is a LOT of voting at the end of this post. Please make sure you read the directions and don't miss a chance to vote on stuff!



I figured the vote would go this way.
Alfrun speaks to the dredge ag ain. It shows little emotion, but that may be just because it lacks facial expressions.
: Quite the motley crew you've gathered, Destroyer.
: Don't call me that. I'm serious.
Hilde pockets her heirloom, offering only low curses, angry that the dredge lives on.


We don't even leave. We make camp here so Hilde is just going to have to deal with the fact that Castaway, the slinger, isn't dead.





She's pretty good. Especially in a party that needs ranged fighters desperately. Like Oli, she doesn't get Puncture innately, so I give her the talent for it. She's got low enough armor that nothing that gets to her will attack armor--it'll go straight for the kill.


Here's the item we got from the last fight. Honestly...I don't think it's that great. It's a hard upgrade to Eyvind's item (he's still using the Puzzle Box of the Twin Rivers that we got waaaay back in BS1. It gives +3 willpower and regenerates +1 willpower per turn.) But Eyvind's level 8 and can't use this item.


We'll vote on some herotic titles, but as with making Alette "The Bloodletter," some of these titles are going to the heroes I'll always use.

Iver, or Yngvar, or "Destroyer," is now known as the Monster Killer. And, uh...it's an apt title as we'll see as we go along here.


: Everything alright?
: Yeah. We're doing great. Our leader is hunting us down, we've been kidnapped by witches, and now we're arguing about how many dredge we can save along the way. It's the kind of thing a little girl grows up dreaming about.
: I get your point.

: You sitll care about Bolverk.
: Are you trying to piss me off? Imagine little Alette hunting you through the darkness, trying to rip your throat out. Now imagine some arse accuses you of having feelings about it.
You notice Folka's hand instinctively go to the axe Bolverk had thrown at Eyvind a few days back.
: What do you plan to do with that axe?

: And what I plan to do with it is my business.
: Can we agree to keep it tucked away?
: If the sight of it scares you, then yes. I'll keep it safe and snug right here. I'm not suicidal, Iver. I'm not going to plant it in a Valka's skull. Not right now.
: How did a woman join up with the Ravens?
: Is this the part where you ask me about my past, we talk about family, and hug? Eat some black snow, varl. These guys all chose to be here, just like me. That's the truth. That's all the family you need to know about.
Considering you didn't even mention family, you doubt that's the whole story, but you let it drop.
: Are you always this pleasant to be around?
: I never asked to be around you. I always heard the varl like their space.
: You're not wrong.
: Must be nice, to be accepted for something like that. My kind treat you like you're diseased if you don't act right. But the Ravens...they don't judge.

: Go on.
: Oh, damn it all. You got me talking about mys-- are we done here?
: We should keep moving.
: I get why you came over now. Juno's ready to go.
: No, I came on my own.
: You know, I used to be great at telling when someone is lying. But these days it sure is harder, isn't it? You know what I mean? Let's get something straight: I'll take talking to you over Juno, but you're no Raven. And whatever happened to Bolverk, I'm not convinced that he doesn't have a good reason for what he's doing.

: Take it easy. I don't like this any more than you do.
: Take it easy? That's not part of the job. Bad things happen when I let my guard down. Now excuse me while I gather the unkindness.
: Unkindness?
: That's what they call a flock of ravens, Iver.
: Fitting.

So...we have an uneasy truce there. Let's go talk to Alfrun. It'll be nice to talk with someone who can tell us about dredge that isn't (we hope) someone who also has a history of lying and mind control.


: Why didn't you tell me, varl?
: Tell you what?
: About being the Destroyer!
: It isn't something that comes up often in conversation.
: You'll have to excuse me. I don't always know how to speak with people. I spend a lot of time alone. Or with the sculptors.
: Sculptors?
: Well, more precisely they say something like "We who shape the stone," but it's close enough.

: There's quite a lot I've learned from them. Some things you may know. Many secret.

: The "sculptors" see you as an ally?
: You all need to stop looking at everything as "us and them." Some of them are friends. Others are not. The same as any people anywhere.
She calls her dredge ally to join you.
: Kivi is one of the new breed. He's a diplomat, like me.
: New?
: The first "dredge" were all made by a real bastard of a god, to kill and to destroy. But they learned to make their own kind. A second generation of sculptors who see a different fate. They can change, varl. And even the first dredge see this change.

: Chime wanted a peaceful resolution, to turn back the darkness and save them. She was killed at Grofheim in the calamity.

: We decided to carry on her mission.

: He says he has no hatred of you, Iver. And no fear.
: What kind of secrets were you talking about?
: What, for nothing? I'm nothing if not a trader of knowledge, you know. The rarest secrets don't come cheap. How about this? In exchange for telling me how you became the Destroyer, I'll tell you something you may find quite important.

: If you promise to keep it to yourself.
: I do.
: The Sundr I killed, Raze...it was no legendary battle. When I brought her head back to the other varl, they invented their own stories. The truth is I got separated from my allies and found her out in a snowstorm, alone. She was cradling an infant. My axe accidentally killed the child. She didn't even put up a fight after that.

: How can you...are you certain?
: Completely. Consider that our trade. There is more to tell...at another time, maybe.
: How did you learn mending out here on your own?
: Mending? Bah, call it what it is. We pluck at the threads of reality. Almost anyone can see them, if you know how to look. Who do you think taught the teachers?
: The gods.
: And who taught the gods? Even godlier gods? Anyway, you see my point. Don't think so highly of your mender friends. They're more dangerous than they let on.
: How do you mean?
: I trained to be a mender, when I was just a girl. They tried to kill me. Believe it or not, the varl right there was the one sent to do it.
She points to the figure of Bersi snoozing on the hard ground.
: I don't think he even remembers me. I looked a little different back then. But I escaped. Not before learning some things.

: But if an apprentice doesn't have the skill to control their powers, they're a threat to the mender's reputation. And if you show too much skill? Well, you're an even bigger threat.
: We should be going soon.
: After you.
: Just one more thing...
Alfrun looks at you with curiosity.
: Are those varl horns on your staff?
Alfrun laughs with genuine mirth.

: You see, I have friends of all sorts. But as you said, we should be going. Another story for another time, perhaps?

I wish Alfrun had a bit more screen time, because there's a lot to unpack here.

Kivi being part of a more peaceful dredge faction is pretty interesting. He's not Sundr (that was not the spoiler I took issue with; it was people mentioning "hey there's a dude called Kivi that we haven't met yet and you have him turned off!"). But he does seem to have some leadership ability as a dredge diplomat.

Bellower, on the other hand, is almost certainly one of the first-generation dredge. And even if he were inclined to peace, it's understandable that he wants vengeance on Iver, who killed his child. And his...mate, I guess? I'm not quite sure how dredge procreate. The parallel is stronger in Rook's game: Iver kills Bellower's child. Bellower kills Iver's child. One grieving parent swears vengeance. The other does too, but has a chance to move past it. Bellower never really gets that chance, what with being carted around by an asshole and either thrown into the ocean or freed with the first thing he sees is Iver running away.

And then there's the Valka, who don't seem nearly as benevolent as we'd have thought. Eyvind and Juno we already were inclined to mistrust by now. But if they were killing children as Alfrun implies, then maybe all the Valka that Juno and Eyvind were fighting weren't necessarily in the right, either.

All told, it's quite a lot. And we won't get much more of a chance to explore it for a bit.


The will resist of "The Unbent is enormously important, as it allows Krumr to walk right through the warped ashes.


Kivi will become "The Mountain". Among Kivi, Iver, and Krumr, most battles should be pretty easy thanks to the support of Apostate's umbrage spam.


One dredge slinger heavier, we depart.


: They don't need rest. Bolverk can't confront us directly, not while the Valka live. He's going to thin the herd all the way to Ridgehorn.
: Faen. It's exactly what we'd do, isn't it? I hate it.

You all voted on this already.
: If it were us, we'd lure 'em across, lay archers to hit them from the wings while spears come up to fill the retreat. Something tells me the warped can't coordinate like Ravens, though. But what would Bolverk do with a bunch of drunk idiots? He'd make it look like a trap so we try to get fancy. My gut says we just rush it.
Oli has already drawn an axe.

OK, Folka. You were right last time. Let's see how you do this time.
: Nobody stops until we're across!
The Ravens advance quickly, the warped are slow to respond. "Slingers!" shouts Folka, noting warped dredge hiding just over the ridge. "Rush 'em!"

"That could have gone worse": the motto of Iver's party.

You know how I skimped on a lot of screenshots in TBS2 when battles were just "and then Alette cast Overwatch and everything died?"




"Apostate cast Umbrage and Iver killed stuff and gained more strength, we repeated this, and everything died."


: That could have gone all wrong.
He looks over the bridge's edge at the twisted rocks far below.
: Yeah, we could all be dead. Come on, this isn't the place to give Bolverk another try.


We cross the rest of the bridge without further incident.




We could make this a vote, but if you voted to keep Castaway I imagine you'd vote to let her do whatever with the eggs, so...

Now Castaway can use "barbed stones" and hatch allied skulkers in battle.


The conversation turns toward some of Krumr's war exploits, and devolves quickly into a rowdy debate about who could beat who in a fight.
: Alright, how about Dytch and Bak?
: In a fair fight? Bak and his girlfriend, no question.
Dytch pouts and crosses his arms as everyone else laughs.
: But I'd put my gold on Folka over almost any of you spindly milk maids. Now, in a fight against a varl? None of you have a chance.
: Well, who could hope to stand against the unkillable Krumr?
: Nobody yet, but I hope to someday face down a Sundr.
: What about a Sundr slayer?
There's a long silence.

: I wouldn't even need both arms.
The others resopnd with delight.
: Now that's something I'd pay to see. But you know what I think? We need to get moving.
The others grumble and roll their eyes, but soon you're back on the road.

Interesting. In my Rook game, I think it was here that Krumr got his wish. He notices Bellower stalking you and goes out to face him one-on-one.

He does not return. Neither does Bellower.


We're not making particularly great time.
: Bolverk knew we'd have little choice but to pass through here. Going around would cost days.


Her tired head-shake is telling.
: They'll use the trees so we can't tell numbers or direction. They're not worried about losses. Once they start coming, I don't expect them to stop. Standing our ground is a sure way to be overrun. But we should go now, before they've really dug in.
She sighs, and then turns back to you.
: This is gonna suck.


Folka hasn't let us down yet.
: Shields!
The Ravens do their best, but progress is slow. Each fallen creature is replaced by two more. Eventually you find yourself stopped and surrounded.
: Cut a swathe! Before we can push any further. Watch the flanks!


Let's take Castaway out for a spin.


Again, Folka made the right choice. Given our situation, no choice is good but she knows Bolverk well enough to suggest the "less bad" choice.


The warped scourges (19 strength) are the most dangerous units on the field. Otherwise, it's not so bad.



He might not like the title, but Iver really is the Destroyer. This was a triple kill.


Kivi's good because he's tanky. But unlike Krumr and Iver, he can't use a strength attack on multiple units per turn.


Iver now has 39 strength. And that's before he gets credit for these two kills.


I gave Cataway an item to boost her ranged attack radius. She can snipe things to death from afar. Useful!


This is a no-brainer.


The longer a fight goes, the more absurd Iver gets.


I eventually decide I want to make Apostate eligible for level 11 (and a heroic title) so I take a break from umbrage spam to cast the spell that kills any dredge if they have < 10 health.


There is another wave to this fight. No reinforcements needed.


Iver hits a warped slinger for enough damage to bring it to -61 strength. Having 47 strength AND doing a critical hit will do that, I suppose.


This is a neat little item. It gives whoever's holding it the skald passive, where if a unit within 2 tiles makes a kill, you sing about it and give all allied units +1 willpower.


You break through miles of razor-edged boughs, gasping to catch your breath in the open air. On the hill ahead rises RIdgehorn. Finally.


We're not going to get there without a fight.
: Hard to know what he's thinking at this point. Expecting us to do what he'd do? Or the opposite? Or expecting that we'd expect him to...
: Know what I'd do? Cook some food. Sleep. Bet he won't see that coming!
: You're just tired of walking, old man.
: Sparr might be right. We'll make it look suspicious enough to throw him off, and everyone rests before Ridgehorn.


This seems...really unwise. But OK. We'll get some sleep.
You put your trust in Folka's hands and lay on the hard ground. Time passes slowly.
Soft crunching grabs your attention. You swear under your breath, grabbing for your axe, but your hand finds empty air. In a panic, you jump to your feet and scan the ground. No axe.
The crunching gets louder, turning into thumping. Tree branches abandon cradled bundles of snow.
Like a blood moon, Bellower suddenly storms out of the darkness in gleaming red armor. There is your missing axe, jutting from a bleeding bundle in his arms. The ground shakes from his roar!



: Just dreams.
: Some people think dreams are omens. Those people are idiots. But they can certainly be a fine distraction from our troubles.
: Not my sort of distraction.
: I'm sorry if I dredged up old memories back at the godstone. So to speak.

: I think you should.
: You've heard one half already: how the Valka came forth during the second great war, with fire and fury, to push the sculptors to extinction.
She gestures theatrically.
: So I've heard.
: Perception. Paint themselves the heroes. What the Valka really did was make their foes a promise. Abandon the war and they'd share secret knowledge. The Valks taught them to write. They taught the stonesingers to weave. And for the first time the sculptors learned how to make more sculptors. To thrive. They kept their end of the bargain and remained hidden. At least, until recently.
: How do you know this?
: They have their own history, and carvings. I've read it on great black stones in their dark home.

: What I don't understand is why you trust these Valka.
You stare into the fire, and it shows you old shapes. WHen you speak, it's almost as if to yourself.
: When I killed Raze...when I returned to my kind with her head..."Yngvar!" they changed. None had slain a Sundr before. They wanted to make me the king's Kendr.

: Maybe it sounds like nothing, to have bad dreams, but it rubs you raw. It gets in your bones. So I left the varl. I found a small town of men, where nobody knew who I was. Nobody called me Yngvar. "Iver" never had dreams like that, in Skogr.
: So that's why you agreed to come with Juno and Eyvind.

: I asked her.
The flames continue to dance hypnotically.
: On that bridge in Einartoft...I stood before Bellower. I could have moved. But I just held up my shield...and waited for the end.
: What's that, Iver?
The name snaps you out of your trance. You stand, and stretch your legs. Your axe is where you left it, and the Ravens are beginning to stir in their tents.
: It's nothing.


Yet again, Folka (with an assist from Sparr) has made the right choice. We'll face Bolverk with full rest. Let's see what Bersi's up to.


: Trouble?
: I don't know how these damned Ravens do it. I can't just pass out at a moment's notice.
: Are you not one of the Ravens?
: I can see how you might get that impression. I joined Bolverk at Boersgard because the Valka asked me to, and when that went wrong I got roped into this like everyone else.
Bersi wears a frown and leans on his axe handle.
: Juno and Eyvind asked for you personally?
: Let's not turn this into something bigger than it is.

: Alfrun had something interesting to say about that. She said you tried to kill her, when she was training to be a mender.
: Gods, did I? I've tried to kill so many menders.

: The Valka have a pretty rigorous final test for new candidates. It involves some stabbing and some shouting. You know, to make sure the menders can do what they need to do under stress and pain. So they get some scary looking varl--me--to play the kidnapping brigand and rough 'em up. They don't all make it back.

: But anyway, Alfrun was one of those kids? I've been doing this longer than I thought. Hope she doesn't hold a grudge.
: So you work for yourself?

: Why should I care about the dredge, or dying in battle? I'd rather have the means to do what I want, live comfortably, and eat well. Turns out there's a lot of men out there thrilled to hire a varl for some blood work, so I thought I'd do that for a little while. Now it's a lifetime later, and I never got rich from it. Spent my whole life chasing work while others profited.

: Practically robbery. Eventually the cart fell over a cliff and exploded into a shower of gold coins, never to be seen again. I've never shed a tear over killing a man, but that? I cried like a lost baby bird.

: It's probably all twisted up and dark as dog turds now anyway. Maybe there's a moral there, but I'm not digging for it.
: What do you think about this job?
: If you mean the Valka, you'd be a fool to trust them. I've done some questionable stuff on their behalf, let me tell you. And if you mean saving the world? I couldn't care less. What has the world ever done for me?

: Pretty bleak way to live.
: Nothing left to lose. Nothing but sleep, anyway.
You keep the rest of your thoughts to yourself. It'd be an awkward silence if you weren't both varl.
: Looks like it's time to get going. You know, Iver...
You can tell he's debating whether to get something off his chest.
: When I worked for the Valka, one of the jobs they paid me to do was to find you. You'd gone into hiding, and they wanted to know where.
: Do I dare ask why?
: Truth is, I don't know why. I don't ask questions. But I never found you. I have a feeling if I had, things would have ended up differently between us. So I'm glad I never sniffed around any small towns, like Skogr for example.



So here's that horn we just got. I'm not quite sure what to do with it, to be honest. Knockback isn't that helpful an effect. Maybe you all will vote for someone in this party that can make good use for it. Hrm. I wonder if it works with Juno's ghost.


We're almost there. To where Juno and Eyvind were first discovered.
: That means Bolverk's close too.
: Indeed. Bolverk is waiting ahead. He is patient, with dangerous allies. I believe he intends to stop us from entering Ridgehorn.


: How are you going to deal with Bolverk?
: He cannot be controlled, but he can be misled. He doesn't know where we're headed, and will believe he is pursuing us past Ridgehorn. I will return, one way or another.

: Folka hasn't been wrong about Bolverk yet.
You feel Juno's gaze weigh heavily, then lift.
: As you say. Prepare quickly.



Our decoy seems to've worked. Bolverk isn't here. Of course, we've lost Juno who was casting the protective light, so she'd better get back quickly before we get warped.
: I've been told this is where they found Juno the first time. Now they say it's the entrance to another world.



: None of them good.


And so we've reached the last place that Hakon's caravan was playable in the first Banner Saga. It was here that we rescued Eyvind, abandoned Juno (who everyone thought was dead), and then cut a path to a fallen Grofheim before ending up in Einartoft.


: There should be a door leading to...give me some time.
He runs off toward the base of the tower. You can see him waving his Valka staff, heaving enormous chunks of rock aside through sheer willpower.


Guess we'll have to do some fighting after all.


This is modestly more difficult: no Eyvind. (No Sparr, Oli, Folka, or Juno either, but I wasn't using them.)


There's a really strong warped bear back there: 22/23 stats. Otherwise, we'll need to take care of the warped warhawks, as a tempest from them would be REALLY bad news.


Off to a good start: both Iver and Krumr dodge the Umbrage armor penalty.


No crits, so neither falls, but one warhawk is neutered and the other one can't reach us.


This isn't a wave battle, but the enemy gets reinforcements: it's pretty similar to the horseborn fights in TBS2. Reinforcements enter from the edge of the map and get the next enemy turn, which is great.


Nothing outside our normal routine of umbrage and tempest happens for a while. Then Juno shows up.


With the rest of the decoy party.


And now we get to field 10 units. Which, honestly, is kind of bad. It means fewer turns for Iver and Krumr.


But hey, it gives Dytch a chance to backstab a warped spearman to death.


Krumr flattens a reinforcement before it even gets a turn.


This one got a little dicier just because we had no way to gain back our missing armor. But we still complete the map with everyone uninjured.


Juno weaves between the bodies of the fallen dredge, and catches your eye before she heads up the steps of Ridgehorn tower. In your head you hear her thin voice: "When you are ready, join me."


Let's talk to Sparr before we head up.


: Good a time as any to give you this, varl. I noticed you've got no drinking horn and that's no way to live.
: I don't care to drink from a yox horn, old man.
: Nei, nei, does this look like a sodding yox horn? It's carved from the tusk of a gold-boar. Shines, even in full black. OK, so I never seen a real gold-boar. But I did steal it long ago from a very rich man, and he seemed pretty convinced. Folka stabbed me with her eyes when I told her I was giving it to you.
: What made you think of this now?
: Oh, I don't know. Been down a lot of roads. Got a feeling that I might not see the end of this one.

: Why give it to me?
: Tradition, varl! These young folks don't know respect. They don't remember a time when it was right to honor a guest. I don't care what any of 'em say. You're doing a fine job.
He gestures to the horn.
: Look here, that's history carved there, before banners and tapestries. See the little armies?
The tusk does seem to shimmer on its own. Carved figures almost look like they move as you roll it in your hands.
: I can't keep this.
: Take it, take it. It's not getting me laid anymore. Not like this langspil, anyway.

: You don't seem too upset about facing death.
: Upset about dying?

: No, death sounds fine. It sounds fine. But I'll tell you what: I'll miss my life. The secret for us poor bastards with short lifespans: it's love. Sounds like a bunch of rot, I know. But if you don't love life, it'll make you miserable. Learned that from a lady friend.
: Where did you learn to play?
: What do you mean? Who taught me? Nei, nobody taught me. It was a festival...biggest of the year. By all rights too young to hold my drink, sipping from every unwatched cup I could find. There's a spat happening, one guy built like a bear, howling at another man over his girl or...I don't remember. Doesn't matter.

: The brute comes at him with the knife pulled right out of his dinner, and the mouse is soiling himself, climbing over tables to get away. Everyone's loving it, even the musicians stopped to watch. I'm off my head drunk, and I'm thinking "by the gods, this needs a good song!" so I grab the instrument and go wild, sawing and screaming. The thing just sings in my hand!

: The mountain of a main, he slowly looks over at me with the most complete confusion I've ever seen, and I Just remember...the next moment there's a knife in his neck. The mouse got him. Even drunk as I was, I knew it was because of me.

: Frankly, it's a damn tragedy. Wasting my talents on these ungrateful monsters.
: I better go and check on Juno.
: Ay, you better. If these two don't find this passage soon, Bolverk'll faen us right in our puckered asses.
: Yeah. Thanks for the horn. I'll make sure nobody does anything disgusting with it.
: And enjoy it, too. It's not a bloody decoration.



The Gold-Boar Tusk is a weird item. Strength resist is enormously powerful as we've seen, and adding +3 attack and +3 break is also awesome. But...having an 80% chance to hit seems really bad. Maybe it could be useful on Castaway or something. I don't know. We can try and figure out a use for it. Level 13 item, though.

BGM: Lightning and Stonework

Iver climbs the tower of Ridgehorn, to where Juno "died" long ago. The Serpent is out there in the distance, the only recognizable shape in this nightmare landscape.


: I had to check on something. Look to the horizon...the Serpent writhes in the distance.

: After the last two encounters, I can understand why.
: I doubt that is what holds it back. For now, it is just trying to discover what we will do next.
: I know the feeling.
: These "horn" towers are portals the menders built long ago. They allow us to enter the inner earth. The dredge home.
: I knew the dredge came from below, but...inner earth? Like caverns?

: This will be a dangerous path, but the quickest route to the place where Eyvind will undo all of this.
She sees the skepticism on your face, without looking.
: I also came to speak to you in private.

: You seem an unlikely pair.
: I can see why you'd think that. The fact is I saved him and he saved me. He is kind. And devoted.
There is a smile on her face and you realize that it may be the first you've seen.
: I don't know how to talk about it without sounding like an infatuated girl.

: I know it won't excuse things to say the Valka lead different lives, hard in their own way.

: We do.
: That means a lot to me. And Eyvind too. When you asked to come with us, I was uncertain. I didn't want to take you away from loved ones. But I'm glad to have you here. I consider you a friend. One of the few Eyvind and I have left.

: And I've decided that no matter what happens, I will not influence you again. I promise you that.

A whistle reaches you on the wind. You leave the churning coils of the serpent on the horizon and return to where the others have already entered the tower.


Oh no.


You join the others already waiting in an enormous chamber beneath the tower.
: So what do you expect to happen next?
: We jump.
He steps to the edge. Heavy footsteps echo off high walls, and a dreadful outline stands in the doorway.
: Well done, witch. Made a fool of me again.
Even from here you can tell he's shaking with rage. Eyvind screams for everyone to jump, but there is only hesitation. Folka turns, and walks to Bolverk.


: I doubt we'll get another chance to talk, Bolverk. So I had to know. Is there anything of you left in there?

: We thought it was what you wanted. I thought I was following orders.
: What's done is done.
: Yeah. That does sound like you.

You stand as transfixed as the rest of the Ravens as Bolverk and Folka continue, seemingly oblivious to the rest of the world.

: What if the Valka can undo this, Bolverk? What if they really can? It doesn't have to end like this, you stubborn dolt!
: They lied to you, Folka. They're lying still.
Bolverk points his axe at the Valka, and static flickers across Evyind's shaking hands.
: Those two took our reputations. They took our freedom! They took my life. They did all of this.

: Are you kidding me? Life's not fair, is that your argument? Even when I was eight years old I never gave you such sniveling drivel. Don't destroy everything we made eto save your pride! The Ravens need you. ...I need you.

: Jump down the rabbit hole, Folka. I won't stop coming until every one of you is dead.

Folka snatches Bolverk's axe from her belt, the one he threw near Strand, and pushes it into his hand.


VOTE TIME! Lots of things to vote for. I'll spoil a bit. This is the final portion of this chapter before we head back to Arberrang. So I need votes on a TON of things at once.

A.) Bolverk wants to kill all the Ravens, who he sees as having betrayed him. No secret here that Folka's life is in danger. But is it in danger because we'll do something stupid that gets her killed, or becuase she can estimate Bolverk's tactical mind but not his overriding sense of vengeance?
Do we:
1.) Trust her intuition. She's known Bolverk since she was eight years old. She's been right about him this entire chapter. If we intervene, we'll exacerbate things and get her killed.
2.) Intervene. She knows Bolverk and the Ravens, but she's got a blind spot thanks to her overriding love of Bolverk. She doesn't see what he's become--or perhaps what he's always been. If we don't step in, Bolverk will make good use of that axe.

B.) Apologies for the spoilers, but the Raven caravan isn't going to get any more heroes from here on in. So please vote for TWO HEROES that will be added to the roster of Iver, Krumr, Apostate, Eyvind. And give them a proposed heroic title (see C below).

Folka
Oli
Bersi
Juno
Dytch
Sparr
Sigbjorn
Mogun
Castaway
Valgard
Alfrun
Bak
Kivi

C.) Let's vote on some heroic titles! It looks like Oddleif and Hakon won the vote in Arberrang, with Canary and Yrsa available to tag in in case we lose someone.

Heroic Titles can only be used one time in the campaign. So the vote has to be combined--you can't have one person in Iver's group and one person in Alette's group with the same title.

So here are the titles still available to us:
Bloodletter (assigned to Alette): Puts a DOT on enemies that get hit by the unit.
Death's Messenger: Does +5 damage on consecutive attacks. REALLY damn good on Oddleif, the axe brothers, or Oli.
Monster Killer (assigned to Iver): Will and strength bonus per kill, goes over cap.
Oath-Maker: willpower and armor regen, critical hit chance.
Foolish: Strength and crit chance per adjacent enemy.
Forsaken: Strength and crit chance when NOT adjacent to anyone.
Mountain (assigned to Kivi): armor and strength bonuses, armor and strength resist
Unbent (assigned to Krumr): willpower, strength, and armor resists.
Unmoved: Strength and armor bonuses, strength resist, too.
Whisper: Move bonuses, dodge bonuses, removes aggro from the unit.
Twice-Born: Recovers from death with 5 armor/strength/willpower.
Wolf: Move bonuses, damage bonuses, much less aggro.
Hopeful: No bonuses to the unit itself, but gives adjacent allies armor and attack bonuses along with willpower. (this is ludicrously good on Ubin. Just saying.)
Last Standing: Armor bonuses and regen, doesn't take injuries when felled in battle.

When you vote, it should go something like:
I think (Yrsa/Hakon/Canary/Oddleif) should be <the so-and-so>. You can do this up to 4 times for the 4 Arberrang winners.
I think (2 of the darkness caravan team) should be <the so-and-so>. You can do this up to 2 times since we don't know who's won the vote yet.

If I've explained this poorly, just kinda do what you think I mean and I'll figure it out.