Verve watched all of this without comment or accepting any of the money.
I'm a college student, not an assassin. she thought as she watched the others interact with the Danes and tell the story of their 'great triumph'.
Nissa’s glowing eyes meet the woman’s.
She slowly lets her facade melt away and finishes her speech.
“And when he called out to his mother, ‘help me!’ …my exact words to him were:
“‘Is that what the children cried when you hauled them here to eat them?!”
Nissa is no longer acting. She doesn’t have to—not while she’s being, like, for real.
She gets down from her high horse and approaches the woman—
—looking confident, serious, like someone who sees past all this treasure and glory crap.
“Nissa van Donk at your service. I have a question, but before I ask it, I would like to address you by name.”
“Nissa van Donk at your service. I have a question, but before I ask it, I would like to address you by name.”
The woman does not appear to be a shieldmaiden as she is armed only with a staff and a dagger.
"Do you have any children Nissa van Donk?" the woman asks instead of answering your question.
Before you can answer or repeat your question, Wealhtheow screams.
Valerie frowns as she assesses the woman's strange (compared to the other Danes) appearance, only to notice too late Nissa approaching her to be able to issue a warning with any obviousness.
Nissa is already talking to her by the time she casts telepathic message, targeting Nissa and the two nearest people to her. (Probably Verve and Charles.) :Be careful, that woman's a witch.:
Then Wealhtheow screams.
Valerie moves toward the queen.
Nissa steps back, toward the scream, drawing her guns but not pointing it at the woman—even as it dawns on her (just now!) that Grendel was probably born human, altered by PhDestruction. His mother, then, is human. Which means…
Oh, dear…
☀️
“No.” Nissa says, “Which means I cannot truly feel the depth of pain that Grendel’s mother must now feel. But answer my question. Do you think Grendel’s mother ever gave a damn about the parents who mourned his child victims? Do you think Grendel gave a damn as small, helpless boys and girls begged and cried as he tore them apart and ate the flesh off their tiny bones? Where were his mother’s bold words then! I’ll bet my companions and I put more effort into trying to talk Grendel down peacefully then his own mother! Tell me, am I inaccurate?!”
With Nissa's supermodel performances, half of the thanes are watching her and half are watching the Queen.
Nissa is already talking to her by the time she casts telepathic message, targeting Nissa and the two nearest people to her. (Probably Verve and Charles.) :Be careful, that woman's a witch.:
Then Wealhtheow screams.
Valerie moves toward the queen.
Everyone turns their head to see the queen scream.
Verve was outside trying to figure out what they were going to do next when she heard the scream. She immediately moved back into the hall and stopped just inside the door as Nissa began to speak. She did not, however, immediately jump into the situation.
Nissa is already talking to her by the time she casts telepathic message, targeting Nissa and the two nearest people to her. (Probably Verve and Charles.) :Be careful, that woman's a witch.:
Then Wealhtheow screams.
Valerie moves toward the queen.
Everyone turns their head to see the queen scream.
Charles accepts the cloak with as much dignity as he can muster. When the queen screams, he immediately looks around, searching for a cause, especially looking at the woman Valerie telepathically pointed out.
“... Tell me, am I inaccurate?!” [/b]
The strange woman ignores the righteously pissed off supermodel's question and, instead, asks in what is an obvious bluff, "Should you not see to your Queen?"
Meanwhile, on the other side of gathering space, the Queen points at the cup on Theo's belt and explains her over-dramatic scream, "The cursed chalice! I drank from it once and the things it showed me almost destroyed me ... . My mind is still unseated! I was happy the day Grendel stole that from Heorot!"
She then steps closer to Theo and whispers ...
The Queen looks disconcerted for a while and then suddenly relieved, "It cannot be true though, because, if all I see and know were a bubble of myth than where would you have come from? Would you not have pierced the bubble on entry in your boat?"
"Your Highness, please", Theo said in a calm but firm tone. "All is well, enjoy the victory. I swear not harm shall come to you from this cup. I shall take it with me when I journey home."
"Your Highness, please", Theo said in a calm but firm tone. "All is well, enjoy the victory. I swear not harm shall come to you from this cup. I shall take it with me when I journey home."
[dice=Diplomacy]1d20 + 9
"And where would that be, I wonder?" says the Queen, but, her mind turns back to the gathering and she ceases wondering, perhaps relieved by Theo's promise to remove the offending object.
Nissa does not flinch. Oh, you wanna play me, lady? Bluffing’s a two-player game. She decides the truth, peppered with a stretch that can’t be debunked, will be her bluff. The goal is to dissuade Grendel’s mother from starting a fight she won’t win.
“I AM seeing to the queen. You’re Grendel’s mother. Think I’m gonna take my eyes offa you? Oh, and notice I said the queen, not my queen. Why would I have a queen? I answer to my goddess.
“And lemme tell you something, I took no pleasure taking your son’s soul. The only reason I partake in this”—Nissa gestures, with her recessive hand, in the general direction of Grendel’s head—“showmanship is because it will unite the Thanes, sparing US—me and my Valkyrie sisters—from taking more children from the battlefield!
“Yeah, I know your story. You were screwed over by the king’s dad, your ex-BF. Your son’s dead and you want revenge. For what? It won’t bring him back, same as his death didn’t bring back the children he killed. There isn’t a single grieving mother on this island who feels good about this. My companions don’t either, especially the women. They tried to persuade Grendel to be peaceful, but he said he would never stop and he attacked us! We weren’t going to lay down and die for him, and we won’t for you either.
“So what’s your move, then? Kill as many as you can until you die? Or let me do my job: persuade the Thanes to be peaceful to each other, and you—another mother in mourning—and build a future so the next generation won’t suffer.
“If you’re interested in a peaceful future—and being treated with dignity—there are a couple ways I can help you. Both are, in a sense, for your son as well.”
Nissa waits patiently for the woman to respond. (And of course, she is armed.)
The woman seems genuinely confused by the offer of peace and help, but is also buying Nissa's act, while not being intimidated.
She shakes off the confusion and says, "I will eat your horse before this is through, Nissavandonk."
She backs into the crowd of thanes.
Charles accepts the cloak with as much dignity as he can muster. When the queen screams, he immediately looks around, searching for a cause, especially looking at the woman Valerie telepathically pointed out.
Those who are looking at Charles might see a human, where they saw a monster before.
Charles notices the woman's ice blue eyes and white hair. He might even notice they looked just like Grendel's. He smells the same kind of troll-stink he smelled on Grendel. It's more subtle, but somethings don't wash off.
"You should quit while you're ahead. It should be obvious at this point that you have little play here and, more importantly, Nissa doesn't have a horse."
Theo sighs. "Pardon me, your majesty. It looks like my fellow cohorts are gonna fight something. Perhaps you and the king should find a safe place."
The Olympian casually walks through the group to the commotion, slipping his hammer from his belt and shield from his back.
Nissa contemplates following the witch, but as her allies step in, she decides it’s best to stay put. Best that the Thanes see her standing as one of a team when speaking of unity.
Nissa retorts to Grendel’s mother, “This is exactly the problem we’re trying to solve—an endless cycle of revenge! And who eats horsemeat for revenge, anyway?” she asks to keep the men engaged, “Like seriously?
“My only interest is aligned with the king’s—the people of this land gotta unite, so never again will a mother mourn a son or daughter who died young from a grudge that’s older then the people fighting over it!”
She doesn’t even care if Grendel’s mother disappears in the crowd and escapes. If the men were enraptured by her show, now’s the time to talk unity. Hrothgar wants it, after all.
Nissa contemplates following the witch, but as her allies step in, she decides it’s best to stay put. Best that the Thanes see her standing as one of a team when speaking of unity.
[dice=Supermodel: Unity is Radiant]...
[dice=Perception: Grendel’s mother still here?]d20+2
As Grendel's mother slips back in the crowd, she whispers into an ear and does a little magic. Soon there is a thane opposing Nissa, and by extension Hrothgar, in ways he wouldn't normally dare. The thane yells, "What King? Hrothgar did not defeat Grendel, you did!"
"You're a fool." says Verve as she shakes her head at the Thane's outburst, before heading outside to try and find Grendel's mother.
Other thanes begin arguing with the charmed thane.
Grendel's mother whispers to another thane before she slips off. She's now left the safety of the crowd and heading away from Heorot, but, for how long?
Nissa replies to the… well yeah, the fool… in a pleasant tone, “Yes, we did. Thanks to King Hrothgar who welcomed us, told us of the deadly menace, and trusted us when we promised to end the attacks with Grendel’s surrender, or his head.”
The pleasant tone becomes accusatory.
“If you’re suggesting that we betray Hrothgar’s trust, destroy his dreams of unity by squabbling over the throne, then, like, lemme spell it out for you:
“I’m a f~~#ing Valkyrie.”
The Olympian finds the loud Nissa and leans down, ready for battle. "What's going on, sparkplug?"
“Oh, hey, Big O,” Nissa whispers in reply, “this guy’s under the influence. Not like, of mead or Nuke, but of Grendel’s mom. She whispered magic words in his ear, and now he’s, like, a total munch.
“Wanna help me win over the crowd?—in a non-hitty-shooty way? I mean, I didn’t win Miss Teen Massachusetts Featherweight Division by not prepping a World Peace speech, but still… a warrior-valkyrie combo’s perfect in a crowd of grunts.”*
Charles doesn't want to try his luck with the crowd. Instead he tries to make his way around them to a point he can watch the witch leave from.
Uncanny Valerie frowns as various events around her all at once. She finds as a being originally used to processing data, but not being an entity who was supposed to do something about it--even though she has metamorphosed, she finds herself overanalyzing the situation, trying to figure out what is the best thing to do. Then she realizes such hesitation itself may be dangerous.
Having moved toward the Queen already, she ultimately decides to stay close to the King and Queen, as the more brawny folk approach the witch, and make sure nothing untoward happens to them. While she's at it, she tries to look loyal to the King--indicating she is still acting in service of this realm and of Hrothgar rather than separate of him.
“Oh, hey, Big O,” Nissa whispers in reply, “this guy’s under the influence. Not like, of mead or Nuke, but of Grendel’s mom. She whispered magic words in his ear, and now he’s, like, a total munch.
“Wanna help me win over the crowd?—in a non-hitty-shooty way? I mean, I didn’t win Miss Teen Massachusetts Featherweight Division by not prepping a World Peace speech, but still… a warrior-valkyrie combo’s perfect in a crowd of grunts.”*
The godling's eyes widen and immediately started to sweep the crowd for 'Grendel's Mother', then leaned back down to Nissa. "Sounds good. Damn you smell nice!"
The Olympian stands and puts his weapons and shield away. "With the threat of Grendel gone, the Danes have a real chance at peace. And King Hrothgar seeks to unity his people. So the Danes can focus on more important things like preparing for the next winter, and raising our young! Why destroy all you've accomplished with sword-rattling!"
With Valerie, Theo, and Nissa supporting the King and Queen, any plan Grendel's mother had of sowing discord and conflict and further weakening the men is slipping away. They cheers for King Hrothgar are genuine this time.
The King seems ready to continue giving gifts, as showing off his gold keeps thanes loyal. He tries to offer you your choice of weapons from his armory () but you're possibly aware that at least one of your friends has slipped off after Grendel's mom.
Theo is lead to a medium sized armor. The Olympian was hestitat to take any weaponry made by Norse worshipers, on the off chance Theo might anger his exalted brother, Hephaestus. Among the weaponry, Theo noticed a dane axe that caught the light in interesting ways. The Olympian took it off the weapon rack and gave it a few tosses in the air.
Well-balanced by Danish standards, thought Theo, who turned to the attendant and said, "I claim this axe. Thank you." The godling then exited the armory to return to the others.
Verve approaches the woman who is clearly grieving and begins talking when they get within the range for normal speech:
"Look, I know that right now you're hurting. Your child has been killed, and those responsible are currently having a party. As much as I understand you might want vengeance, I have to ask: How do you see this going down? Do you think you'll walk back in there, use your magic to control one or two people, and then win? No, I think we both know what that road will lead to, and it's not a victory for you."
Shaking her head, Verve said "You should leave these shitty isles and find a new place to live, free from the curse of the Danes. You're caught in a cycle of violence, but you have the chance to break free right now: just leave. Be the bigger person."
Charles lingers a little bit behind Verve. He hopes her attempts at diplomacy work... but he also doesn't want Verve to be alone should Grendel's mother respond with violence. At the same time he didn't want to be so close that he seemed like he was trying to intimidate her, as she seemed the prideful sort that would attack any attempts to do so.
** spoiler omitted **
She then begins to grow and change in shape and form until her body resembles that of her son's.
Nissa is speechless when given the compliment about her apparent lack of BO, and remains that way as Theo’s words do the trick. She follows him to receive some new weapons, and while there, decides to speak up.
“So… Theo, fun fact about me: the folks at Boston Theoretical actually told me that shape-shifting into my stellar mote form has a cleansing effect. That combined with my armor made of sunlight saves me a fortune on perfume! Though bathing in a horn fulla mead might’ve made the difference between odorless and aromatic.
“Anyway, another fun fact: being in the supermodel biz, I’m also aware of how I look—my body, my face, my hair—and yeah, it helps me play the crowd. But every once in a while, I get a comment that makes me feel… cheap.
“So please, keep the nicknames coming—Fun Size, Sparkplug—I really get a kick out of it. But I don’t need to be told how I smell.”
She looks serious, and in fact, is, but in the interest of not being a Debbie Downer, she goes on, “If I didn’t respect you, or if I didn’t think you respected me, I wouldn’t be straight-up with you like this.
“We still cool, Big O?” Nissa asks with a smile.
"Yeah", Theo added, "just throwing out compliments."
“Good, ’cause I wanna give you one.
“You were really great snapping the men outta their funk.” Nissa offers a warm smile, adding, “So thanks for watching my back.”
She then turns to look at the weapons. From behind, Nissa’s valkyrian armor exposes most of her back, along with a few glowing feathers protruding from each shoulder blade.
She stands on her toes to reach something on the middle shelf. The weapon oddly resembles a spoon!
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Unferth leans over to Theo and says, "You smell nice, too. Damn nice."
Theo secretly appreciates the sight of Nissa's feather back. "Is it hard to sleep? With the wings, I mean", the godling asks.
Nissa turns and smiles mischievously. “Well… the real trick’s that I have all this armor from my goddess, and it doesn’t come off unless…”
Nissa’s armor crashes to the floor and dissipates in a burst of sparks, as the Valkyrie reduces her form to that of a fluttering mote!
“…I do this.”
Thinking on it, she adds, “So my choice is: sleep with fully formed wings, or sleep in clunky armor. The wings actually don’t disturb my sleep at all.”
But no armor or wings can ever be as disturbing as Unferth! Nissa fails to stifle a pixyish giggle as she replays the awkward exchange of unsolicited compliments in her head.
"If you do this, there is no turning back. You will die, and though you might kill some, it will not get you what you want. Your son has died for no reason; do you really want to add that tragedy?"
Verve closed her eyes for a moment, then reopened them and said "What has this really all been about? Why did you sacrifice your son? Was it worth it? Do you really think whatever plans you made were worth the life of your son?"
"You weren't working alone, were you? You met the man who did this to me." His growling voice somehow manages to make this half a statement and half a question.
"If you do this, there is no turning back. You will die, and though you might kill some, it will not get you what you want. Your son has died for no reason; do you really want to add that tragedy?"
The monster's voice is clearer than Grendel's was and she is clearly more intelligent, "You talk like I have a choice. I'm not sure that I do. I feel like I've been doing this over and over again for thousands of years. Hating, grieving, fighting, dying. There's not much left of me than that."
Verve closed her eyes for a moment, then reopened them and said "What has this really all been about? Why did you sacrifice your son? Was it worth it? Do you really think whatever plans you made were worth the life of your son?"
"My son? The plans I made? My son WAS the plan I made! He was to be King after Halfdane! What more use did I have for him after Hrothgar was born to Halfdane and a human queen? I left my puny son to destroy what should have been his."
"Halfdane came to me, his hands empty but a mouth full of promises ... a brave man to see a troll-witch alone in the woods ... But, you saw what I can do ... he begged me ... he bedded me ... he promised me ... I would be a queen." She roars with laughter.
"He ran from my bed naked and screaming when he saw what I was. The child he put in me was a weakling though ... too human ... Not much use." She isn't entirely convincing here. There was some emotion, but perhaps it is not emotion for her son. She concludes sadly, "We were giants once."
"You weren't working alone, were you? You met the man who did this to me."
She looks far away, lost, and reflective. "There was a man who came to see the monster --- There are always men who come to fight the monster ... some from the sea and some from somewhere else ... again and again the same story --- but this man came to see the monster and to take something. He took the monster's blood. He went with killers into my son's home and he left with pieces of him in jars!!!"
"My son cried for me before he died and I came to him, but it was too late. The stranger with the jars was there with the Queen and the King and the other strange ones! The were celebrating after killing my son ..." she pauses, looking confused. "How can this be happening more than once?"
She scowls angrily and says, "I feel like I am part of a larger story and I keep getting retold, but I only know my very small angry bit of it."
"It only seems like you don't have a choice because this is all you've ever known, as you said yourself." Verve's voice had a hint of desperation in it as she continued: "The fact that you're talking to us right now shows you have a choice. If you can talk to us without violence, you can do anything you really want; not what the anger is telling you to do, but what YOU want to do. There is a vast world out there, and this place is just a mote of sand compared to it. Go and see the world; I believe you're find someplace to truly call your own, a place that you feel you belong, somewhere out there."
Verve exhaled and said "Ultimately, the choice is yours; don't let the anger and hate choose for you."
But there was one detail his mind(s?) caught hold of.
"The fact that those jars were still there... the fact that you remember... isn't it proof that the story can still change? That it doesn't have to end the same way, every time?"
Nissa flutters alongside Theo. Should he see fit to find Uncanny Valerie, the king or the queen (all of whom may still be in the same vicinity), she joins him. If he wants to check on Verve and Charles, she tags along.
*
But there was one detail his mind(s?) caught hold of. "The fact that those jars were still there... the fact that you remember... isn't it proof that the story can still change? That it doesn't have to end the same way, every time?"
"The ending can still change? Do you think so, little fox?" asks the witch of Charles before looking at Verve and saying "I feel like I've been here before and I'll be here again and you won't be here and nothing will change ... but, you don't look good to eat and you're too strange to kill."
She steps back, one step, then two. "Curse your clever little tongues. I'm holding you to this, but if Hrothgar's men come for me again, I'll tear them limb from limb until not one remains."
She asks if he has drunk from it.
She then talks about the man who brought it to the hall. "I had quite lost the recollection of that night. A stranger had come to our hall--stranger than strange, like yourselves--and he carried that cup upon his belt, like you do. Like most who dare to brave the monster though, he died for his courage. Thank the Gods for you!"
She pauses and forgets she was telling a story and beams at Theo before remembering the cup.
"The cup remained behind, fallen from his belt in the fight, perhaps ... and it is a beautiful cup ... but when I drank my mead in it the drink became too strong ... my head spun and I saw the world and all I know as but a bubble of memory floating among a thousand thousand other bubbles none more or less real than mine. I saw all I know is fleeting and empty and nothing is real." She starts to get anxious at the end. "Never drink from that cup; the truth it showed me pierced my heart and ungrounded my reason."