Stone Circle ᛋᚢᚾᛁᚾᛁᛏᛁᚾ

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ᚦ — dark foot falls lead him from barrow to stone circle. a rabid mind convinced he is led by the old, northern gods; a blessing, a spiritual call. they speak.
they say that he is not yet forsaken. they say—
he draws breath, deep into his lungs. a barrel chest between two thick shoulders expands and the northman takes a weighted footstep forward, letting eyes asmolder settle onto what dawns before him.
it is glorious. draugr grins; teeth still touched in the grime of his last kill lathered upon bridgework and tongue. it rolls from between the cage of his teeth and laps generously upon his face. his breath comes in the sound of a grizzled voice, but a song to him:
ég heyri í þér.
he cannot ignore the remnants of old wolf scent. they had been here once. he smells the thick coatings of history etched upon each stone, as he passes by. letting his nose touch to cold stone, as he ventures closer and closer to the fallen. a long stride. his tongue rolls thickly upon the center stone and he exhales.

Keeping vague re: the broken crown thread. tags for visibility of ujurak's wanderings

Mind your step, you walk upon graves.

Ujurak's voice barked from outside the circle. Firm and direct. The expression upon his face was carefully neutral, but the narrowing of his eyes spoke of his displeasure.

The stone prince had temporarily departed from @Sven and @Coväh to visit the stones. A need deep within his being to apologize to the dead. For he abandoned them just as much as he did Sven. Reasons be damned.

His travels worn upon his flanks, Ujurak still held his chin high. He was born of the Stone Circle, this land would always hold claim on his heart.

But Ujurak was a Loðbrók. A son to Gunnar.

His step into the hallowed circle held no malice, merely intent. Turquoise eyes held firm upon the northman.

This is the Stone Circle. It took his entire being not to add "of Kvarsheim."

Where do you hail from, traveler?

---

ᚦ — eyes turn swift. the voice is young, and has no such effect on the man. his paws do not move from where they stand; it is disrespect, to graves not his, people not his. draugr holds no reverence for them. he will make this clear.
the words are understood, but draugr gives no sign that they are. his ears only pull up, teeth coming to be visible beneath a twitching top lip. tail flagging instinctively above his pelvis; the gray stone man walked as if these were his pillars.
he would learn quickly it was now otherwise. his voice comes heavily and gruff. draugr af níunda barrow. he encourages the boy with an introduction, but cuts it down swiftly. stepping forward as he does, eyes threading with warning. þetta er mitt, a grin, stone circle.

Hover text in use for any mobile readers btw

The older man speaks in a nordic tongue. Ujurak replies in his native Icelandic, Ég er Ujurak Baldir Loðbrók, fæddur úr Steinhringnum.

The stone prince halts several strides from the man. Draugr. Ujurak did not know of the ninth barrow. He did not recall the name coming from Eivor either. He was dealing with the unknown.

What was know, was the intent of the man before him. It was spoken both in action and in word. Ujurak's head leveled with his chest, guarding the soft skin of his throat. Hackles rise in jagged peaks along his spine. His tail held stiffly behind him.

Kvarsheim was no more. He was no longer responsible for wolves beyond himself. Ujurak faced the northman alone.

A small voice within his mind warned him that the stones belonged to none. That even when he too was nothing but bone beneath the soil, that the stones would still stand tall.

He supposed it was what remained of his father's wisdom. That to spill blood here would be reckless.

The stone prince was not without pride. He would not stand idly by as some stranger strayed into this sacred place. One who would piss upon the graves of his father and grandparents. One who believed he owned them.

Ujurak's lip curled into reply, challenge in his eye.

Þú virðir ekki hina látnu. Steinarnir tilheyra þeim einum.

---

ᚦ — draugr watches as stone boy changes before his eyes. hackles bristling with sudden vigor, a foolish boy's anger. the northman responds in turn, paws thudding against the earthen ground of the stone circle now, shoulders squaring.
ég virði hina látnu. draugr responds with muffled words that are grizzled by clenched teeth. lips curling upwards, baring teeth stained by plaque and blood. bara ekki þitt. he would dig them up from their graves and piss upon their corpses; this one should not test him.
draugr could be quite petty when made an enemy of.
he maimed his father; maimed his mother. he could not bring himself to maim his brother; a brother still a boy by his eyes. he was not in the habit of killing boys. however—
draugr takes a sudden leap forwards. closing what remains of distance, letting his teeth gnash in warning, rolling shoulders to shove the gray wolf back past the pillars.
leggja fram. carrion breath pours from flaring jaws.

Ujurak did not know the word "sophmore," but its meaning of "wise fool" would be an apt descriptor of him in this moment. A boy too quickly given the responsibilities of a man, Ujurak held experiences that was were uncommon to those of his age. This of course was made at the sacrifice of his boyhood.

Ujurak would not turn over the stones so easily.

Draugr was quick to pick up on Ujurak's challenge and rushed him. The collision brought on by the larger man rang through stone prince's body. The bludgeon to Ujurak's shoulder throbbed deep within the muscle. His claws strained against the ground from being shoved back.

Submit.

Ujurak knew that it was a mercy to have not been rushed with teeth. The chance to submit was an olive branch to spare his body at the expense of his pride.

Ujurak cast the branch aside when he lunged for Draugr's exposed flank, teeth bared and a snarl erupting from his lunges like a warcry.

---

ᚦ — the wight had not expected the boy to fight back.
his surprise and amusement is what leaves him unprotected and unexpecting of the attack. teeth graze fur and hide and he reacts quickly, turning, surging, to snap teeth over exposed scruff.
if he finds purchase, seeking to end this fight quickly and shove the boy into the ground he dominates, spilling blood. the first blood that will wet the tongue of his steinhaugr.
ravenous and seeking to punish.

Sven was not far from his brother. And it was with a swiftness born of youth that he rushed to his aid. Someone was attacking Ujurak. The Stone Prince. It did not matter to Sven that another had tried mercy. All that mattered to him was someone was attacking his brother on his father's grave.

A growl and a snarl and he joined the fray. Starlight and Darkness body aimed for the wolf's shoulder. Hoping to unbalance and turn the tide of the battle.

Ujurak's blood boiled beneath his skin. He had called for this duel, and his mind rejoiced as his teeth grazed Draugr's hide. Only for his frustration to bloom when the barrow man rounded upon him, leaving only a tuft of ebony fur in Ujurak's teeth.

It was only when he was captured in Draugr's shadow that Ujurak fully realized the predicament he was in. The barrow man had the advantage of height, looming over him with jaws parted for his neck. The man was surprisingly agile for his size, or perhaps it was Ujurak's own inexperience in battle.

The heat in his blood ran cold as Sven surged forth. Ujurak's family claimed half his heart, and it skipped several beats the moment Sven entered the circle.

Time slowed.

Ujurak made his challenge on behalf of the Stone Circle. For those lived within its sanctum and have since passed. For the honor of his kin buried beneath. For the home in which he was born to, and was raised to protect. Ujurak had accepted that he may not make it from this fight unscathed the moment he stood his ground. If he lost to Draugr, it would have been earned by the barrow man.

The thought that Sven may take the wrath he rightfully incurred from Draugr was unbearable in comparison.

Ujurak's forepaws planted into the ground, rooting him in place to take the brunt of Draugr's teeth. Pain lit beneath the skin of his scruff, but Ujurak pressed himself upwards into the man's jaws. Nearly jumping into the man's mouth in order to occupy his teeth.

---

ᚦ — another rushes. he is prepared to strike this one just as brusquely when—
the boy throws himself upward, willingly caught—like prey that meets the blade on its own terms. flesh presses into his maw, skin stretches taut between his canines. northman recoils as reactionary; spinning away.
the actions do not succeed in their goal. and draugr is not shunned away, no. he reacts thusly, spinning upon thick paws. thudding, grunting a growl and heaving in heavy exhales. looking with fierce eyes between both boys. spitting fur and blood from jaws.
a standstill. momentary. draugr speaks, not as threat, but as older man.
vera vitur. farðu með líf þitt. he warns, blood of ujurak dribbling down dark jowls. it would be equally as wise for draugr to kill both now and end their bloodlines where they stand upon ancestors. it would secure the future of his bloodline in this stone circle permanently.
but the northman's mind does not fully yet belong to the allure of bloodshed—for this, they are lucky. fara! he roars now, bellowing with the full strength of his belly.
fara! again.

Much like Ujurak, Sven was not battle tested. He was inexperienced in the realm of body to body to harm. However, unlike Ujurak he was not wholly inexperienced. While his brother had been away. Sven had sparred and hunted. Learned his worth and how paw and teeth met flesh and how best to handle oneself. And as such he thought of all those memories and skills and brought them forthwith as best as he could. Was he a match for the dark man. Heavens no. But he was a Lodbruk and he was not unlearned.

So he backed up eyes narrowed. And he stalked around the man. Watching for any weakness. Any path forward where teeth could meet flesh. Head low to protect his throat. Body coiled in ways of warriors.

Sven did not know exactly why his brother was fighting, but he could guess. Because only one thing, perhaps two would make his brother violent. A protection for family or the stone circle. And since Sven didn't know this man. He surmised it was a bid for stone circle. And it infuriated him.

Sven spoke his voice colder than it had ever been. 

leggurðu einhvern tíma þína eigin leið?

A lift of lip over teeth a deep seated snarl. Sven had fought for this land while Ujurak was gone. He had tended the hearth and kept his people fed. And he had not minded. Yet now another came and spilled his family's blood on his father's grave. Unacceptable! He continued to circle.

eða byggir þú alltaf á feðrabeinum og æskublóði?

I would like it known that the translation direct was much cooler lol.it said Do you always rely on ancestral bones and youthful blood

Draugr's teeth raked across his flesh, searing lines of pain across his nape. But Ujurak's bid paid off. The barrow man recoiled from him and space was made. Spinning to face Draugr, Ujurak's sides heaved. His torn skin ebbed with pain and burned. The loose skin of his scruff spared him from deep wounds, but the threat of infection lingered in the back of his mind.

Ujurak's blood fell to the grass. Spat from Dragur's teeth, and with spray of droplets as Ujurak gave himself a shake in the lull of battle. He was acutely aware of his fur being damp. Slick with saliva and blood, no doubt. Ujurak cast his attention forward, ignoring his pain to watch Draugr.

The man roared for them to leave with their lives. A second chance to yield the circle to him.

Sven made it clear that he felt that same as Ujurak had several seconds, no minutes, prior. The stones were theirs by right of birth. Passed to them by those that came before. This ground was ancestral to them, and deep within his marrow, Ujurak knew that he'd rise from the very earth before being buried anywhere else.

He also had no intentions of dying today.

Running would be the wise choice. How long could they last against Draugr? The answer would still be unclear even if Ujurak was in better health. His body had not fully recovered, and now it was injured. 

His brother's blood held fire, and his voice carried ice. Ujurak could feel the maelstrom from where he stood. Sven circled, and it reminded Ujurak of their previous hunts together. When his brother stood opposite to him, Ujurak held his gaze. His turquoise eyes spoke for him.

I will fight with you, brother. But you will not die for these stones.

So went the silent order made by the Stone Prince. For everything these stones were worth, Sven's life was worth far more.

With a stamp of his paw against the earth, Ujurak flagged his tail and bellowed in reply to the barrow man. Teeth bared, he would remind the man that he started this fight if need be.

Ujurak's will to fight at this point is dependent on how far Sven wishes to go. Ujurak will not leave him behind.

i’m good here! i dont have any preference how things go — of course draugr will try to kill them if they continue being persistent lol mean man
edit: removed him attacking to let the boys decide what they'll do!

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ᚦ — the younger one spits words like spears—and he is met with great bellowing laughter from the gut belly of a jarl drunk on mead.
but it is not mead. it is crimson. draugr raises his head, elder, seasoned warrior facing off with two greenhorns. unphased, unthreatened, unfearing of their meager threats.
his mercy has been spent. þá mun ég veita þér valhöll ungan.
he will allow them the next move. they will submit and leave his stone circle, or he will let their ichor spill beneath the steinhaugr and feed the soil of which his clan would thrive upon for generations.

So I think the easiest way to do that is to roll. I do rolls with HP of 30. So 1d10 is the roll i do. So you can hit up to 10 at most. and each hit takes away from their hp. So I rolled a 3 so that means Sven is aiming at Drougr. so it would be taken 3 away from 30. I also took away some points for Ujurak for already being wounded. I hope that is okay. Be clear who you are attacking in your rolls so first roll is like Sven 2nd roll is Ujurak and vice versa and stick to that so it's fair so every first roll is sven every 2nd is Ujurak or vice versa? Does that make sense and is that okay?

Drougr 27/30
Sven 30/30
Ujurak 25/30

Sven felt his brother's pain accutely and he shifted angrily. It was not okay that his brother was now scraped and bleeding. It wasn't fair that their numbers had fallen so low that they could not hold their birthright. And it was not fair that some bastard who had no respect for anyone. Bloodthirsty and nasty that would take the humble life that their father made and attack it. It made him so angry. And sad.

However, Sven knew they could not hold their own much longer. It was not possible. However, he also knew that he could take some of this beast with him when he left. Steel eyes met his brothers sea green and he dipped his head. Letting his brother know he understood. But his own fierce gaze also let them know. I'm taking my pound flesh.

Sven pivoted and aimed for the shoulder of the beast. He knew it wouldn't be a hard hit at first. But he wanted to gauge his opponent. 

This was not going to be as easy as they wanted. This wolf was battle tested and tried. Sven and Ujurak were young, but this was their home. And he would be back again. He would not leave this wolf in peace. He hoped this jerk knew it.

A snarl at the man Við endum allavega á Valhöll. Þú ert dæmdur til helvítis sem bastarður.

asvardr steps into the light, hackles bristling, and eyes the foolish boys with distaste. he has been watching, cloaked in shadow, waiting for his jarl to summon him. finally he tires, steps forward to stand beside the larger man. does not speak, simply glares down his crooked muzzle at the children.

tail curls high above his back, ears shoved forward, and his lip curls to reveal yellowed teeth, tongue flicking in warning. they will cut their losses and flee, or he will maim them.

Ujurak will be targeting Asvardr for his attack. rolled a 1 for damage lol
Ujurak: 25/30
Asvardr: 29/30

Ujurak steadies himself with a sharp inhale. He understood his brother's ire, and would not deny him his chance at tasting the man's blood. Instead, turquoise eyes leave Draugr as he exchanges send offs to Valhalla with Sven. A new man stalks into the circle, standing at arms with Draugr. Another enemy. Ujurak could feel the earth shift beneath his toes.

He and Sven were separated.

It is with no fanfare that Ujurak rushed the shadowspun man. He would not give Asvardr the chance to wheel against Sven if he could help it. Teeth bared, Ujurak lunged for the man's limbs. He would not be kept from his brother.

rolled 7 for attack on sven.
draugr: 27/30
sven: 23/30

---

ᚦ —the hit to his shoulder is nothing more than the bite of a fly. the buzzing of a gnat in his torn, jagged ears. a low grating chuckle and the crack of yellowed teeth at young sven's bravado.
asvardr's arrival is met with the draw of eyes down to crimson stare, and then arrogance flagging. where the boys stood little chance against him alone, they now had sealed their sorry fate. northman squares stance and wheels quickly.
spine rippling with tension wrought and power plunging through flank as he tears for the dark-colored yearling. teeth flashing and aiming for his face; to thresh, to take teeth to snout, eye—whatever he could grab. doing so with renewed vigor and relishing in the taste of blood when it wets his tongue.
he will shake violently.

rolled 4 for attack on retaliation or defense.
draugr: 23/30
sven: 23/30

---

Sven found his distaste for this wolf growing. He didn't fight with honor. He didn't honor the dead. He took and gave nothing back. In his eyes he was small. This wolf could act as large as he pleased, but he was small minded, close hearted and mean. Disgusting really.

Sven growled lowly when another arrived upon the scene. Two against two. Okay odds were good, if you were battle tested. Which Sven and Ujurak were not.

Sven saw the attack and he was not quick enough to block completely, but he did manage to press his muzzle down. And twist. The jerk got his snout tearing bloody punctures into the soft flesh. Ripping scours into his cheek that would surely scar if they ever were fixed. Sven not sure what to do. Slammed his muzzle harder into the other man's jaw and face. Hoping to jar him enough that he could tear away and regroup.

I am imagining he is trying to twist his muzzle out of teeth. Which would leave deep grooves, scour marks and punctures in his cheek, snout and lip.

rolled 1 for attack on retaliation or defense.
ujurak: 25/30
asvardr: 29/30

one rushes him recklessly, teeth clipping the larger man's leg. the nip hardly breaks skin, but serves to feed the flames of asvardr's temper.

he spies the weakling, already wounded, and sees his opportunity to end this needless brawl. lunges with jaws agape, aiming not for the boy's throat but lower still. a leg, and he aims not just to wound, but to cripple. to break. punishment for hubris.

Rolled 8 on retaliation/continued attack on Asvardr
Ujurak: 24/30
Asvardr: 21/30

---

His teeth merely grazed that taller man's leg. This one too was quick on his feet. A disgruntled growl rolled in the back of Ujurak's throat. He caught the flame within the man's crimson gaze. The widened maw seeking to crush. The snap of Asvardr's jaws scraping the skin of his right foreleg, it was only a quick change of his own step that spared the stone prince's leg from a devastating blow. Scarlet trickled down the silvery limb.

Ujurak clenched his teeth, eyes wildly searching for an opening. Changing trajectory, Ujurak skirted to Asvardr's right, jaws outstretched for the soft flesh of his flank.

continuing attack on sven for 5
draugr: 23/30
sven: 18/30

---

ᚦ — pain splits along his face.
a snout slams into his, bone-to-bone, a jarring strike that rattles his teeth and draws blood from between his gums.
he surges forward like a boulder breaking loose from frost-bound heights. no words now. no growl. only the thud of paws, the coil of shoulder, the flash of teeth—
he lunges low, fast, aiming for sven’s chest. to knock him clean off his feet and sink teeth deep.

using this to get away from draugr rather so just small blow on Draugr for 2
draugr: 21/30
sven: 18/30

---

He tasted his own blood, the beasts blood. Just blood everywhere. And it sucked. Sven was not a prideful wolf. This had nothing to do with pride, but blood rights. His father's grave. This wolf fought for hubris, for rights he did not deserve
 And it infuriated Sven. And as such it cost him when he grew angry.

The blow was a hard one. And though Sven kept his feet. He did feel his paw roll. Pain shot up his leg. And teeth sunk deep into breast. Did not meet bone, but it was enough to hurt bad.

 He did not aim to fight this time. But rather defend his wound. So he used his own momentum for falling to push paws under where the beast bull rushed. And hopefully unbalance enough that he could pull away and take stock of the battle.

asvardr: 21/30
ujurak: 23/30

---

a baleful, guttural noise, exacerbated by shredded vocal chords. asvardr will kill this boy, flay his skin and hang it as a warning.

he bucks, hind legs lifting, and sends the boy flying off of his back. then whirls on him with a snarl, tongue flicking across teeth. he should have fled long ago. jaws open, close, mouthing a silent curse.

Ujurak takes the damage from Asvardr without retaliation. He has shifted his target to Draugr. Rolled a 9. He aims to free Sven.

Draugr: 12/30
Sven: 18/30

Ujurak: 23/30
Asvardr: 21/30

He tastes iron, crimson coating his teeth as he made his mark. The noise that erupts from Asvardr jars him. A hollowed out sound from deep within the man's chest as he bucked wildly. Ujurak is forcefully casted to the ground, taking a mouthful of shadowy fur with him. He lands roughly on his already battered shoulder. Wincing, Ujurak forced himself to his paws.

Asvardr was whirling for him.

As Ujurak finds his feet, he catches a glimpse of Sven. Fresh lines carved into his face, caught in a vice by Draugr.

Ujurak can feel the cut of Asvardr's teeth, they carve a line into his left shoulder as he pushed past. Ujurak ignores the silent shadow. His wounds no longer matter.

Eyes narrowed, Ujurak rushes Draugr. His shoulder jutting forth to dig into the man's ribs. He seeks to shove the goliath off his brother.

sven gets away! turning targets to ujurak for 10
draugr: 12/30
sven: 13/30

---

ᚦ — a furious roar when he is rushed from the side, feeling teeth rip into flank and bleed him. his own crimson humid in the air now and he smells it in thick gusts. wheeling around, snapping viciously like a croc on the warpath now.
blinded by rage, by a maddened fury induced by the gods. he will kill this child. he will make the boy prince wish he had never stepped foot within the steinvardr as he bleeds him above the graves of his—what? father? mother? grandsire?
the thought--of familial devotion to the dead--laughable.
going for the face of the stone gray child, jaws unhinged and thick with the blood of his brother he fought to save from the wrath of northman. the wight snarls and seeks to clamp teeth down upon the left side of his face, teeth scorring for eye and cheek flesh, to saw viciously.