Legend and Myth

Rejik.

The sun set like a drop of crimson blood, its colour splashing all over the sky. Alone, a silhouetted figure sat atop a hill, marvelling at the glory. A second figure approached the silent watcher from behind, picking his way carefully up the rocky terrain. After a time he joined the silhouette, his tall, gaunt body small and spindly against the majesty of the sunset. Silence reigned for a time, as the pair sat and watched. After the last rays of the sun had sunk, the newcomer broke the silence. "Krajh, I have something I want to ask you." Krajh merely nodded, and after a moment held up his hand to stall any other comments the younger newcomer could ask.


"Rejik," He started, his deep voice sounding loud next to the post-dusk ambience. "Before the fight, I told you the story of Bjorn and Orik. However, that was only a partial telling of the tale. Let me tell you the complete version."

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Bjorn and Orik were half-brothers. Bjorn was the illegitimate son of the cheif, born to a slave woman but he was the oldest and was next in line to be cheif. Orik was barely a month younger, but was born to a tribe woman. Whereas Bjorn was from youth a giant of a man, Orik was smaller in stature. A mere six foot tall, he was fair of hair and form, where Bjorn was dark haired and built like a bear. Both were popular amonst the trive - Orik was evrey man's friend, and Bjorn was admired for his feats of strength. It is said that during his fifteenth winter he wrestled a wolf do death, and had already hunted his first great bear. The pair were rivals, but friends in all things. No sooner then one had acheived something, the other would set all his energy into surpassing his half brother.

Now it so happened that the tribes from the Green South were raiding the north, in preparation for a larger attack - not for land, but for valuables, slaves and tribute. Normally this would not worry the hardy people of the White North, but they were amassing under a great horse-chief, and the attacks would be on a scale unseen in the history of the Northern Tribes. Bjorn's and Orrik's father was away viking, and wouldn't return for half a season, so both Orrik and Bjorn attended the gathering of the tribes to see what would be done. Even amongst the other northern tribes the brothers were both well thought of, and it soon became clear that the smaller tribes would follow their decision. However, the brothers did not agree. Orrik thought it wise to take the tribes into the northern mountains and endure the harsh conditions where the Green Southerner's wouldn't follow. Bjorn thought that they must stand, and fight to discourage further raids. They argued, and soon it became clear that if they did not agree, the tribes would fragment, and individually be swept away by the raiding host.

The brothers soon agreed that either decision was better then death, but neither would back down. Orrik called Bjorn a simple baresark, and Bjorn called Orrik a craven. Soon their rivalry turned sour, to animosity, and the pair decided to settle this on the battlefield. Only in death would the pair accept defeat. Bjorn was the larger fighter, but Orrik was better with spear and bow. The pair wondered off into the wilderness to settle their score.

Different versions of the tale tell various things about the battle. That it lasted for days on end, that they fought through a blizzard, that each was wounded beyond the survival of an ordinary man. However, all versions agree on this: that Bjorn finally gained ascendancy, and pinned Orrik down with a knife against his throat. He gave his half-brother a chance to surrender and back down. Orrik spat in his face, called Bjorn a bloodthirsty berserker, and attempted to throw Bjorn off. Bjorn easily held him down, laughed and threw the dagger away, announcing that "You're no coward, I surrender to you. You were willing to throw your life away to make a point, consider it made." That night the pair both ritually scarred themself with the sign of the other, as traditional for a defeated warrior.

The tribes followed Orrik and moved north, where most the Southerons didn't follow. Some tribes did, and attempted to attack the Northern Tribes, who were spread out to find sufficaint food. The conditions almost destroyed them, and the Northerners won every engagement easily. Bringing such an army north without plundering anything meant that the army and empire of the great horse-chief soon fell apart. Their father had died in the raids, so the next year Orrik lead the gathering of tribes, and Bjorn lead the viking.