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First Lieutenant
1 Badges
Nov 27, 2007
231
1
  • Europa Universalis III
I would like to welcome you all to my newest AAR based around a vampire named Majhar forced to help the King's of Norway achieve greatness. This AAR will be separated in a similar fashion to Mr. Capitalist's "Homelands" AAR, but will be a mix of History book and Roleplay updates, often alternating. Updates should come out roughly once a week sometimes, two a week. I hope you all enjoy.

Blood and Ice:
Book One


The Hardrada Years:
(1066-1083)
-- A Night Time Meeting --
-- My New Home --
 
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-- A Night Time Meeting --

This is the tale of a land, a cold and hostile place. This place is called Norway and in 1066, I arrived there…but we to get to know each other better first. My name was Appius Pontius Rullus, I say was as I am a vampire. Now my name is simply, Majhar, Vampire for “ancient one”.

I was born In the year of our Lord, 159 in the, then, Roman city of Londinium, the son of a Roman merchant and his Briton slave. I achieved little in what was my human life. I was turned one night after I had become very drunk. Waking up three days later, I found myself in the vampires den. Being a quick learner helps a young vampire, within a year I was on my own living in the streets.

December 25, 1065

Rome is covered in a light snow and the whole city honors the birth of the infant Christ. All, spare one man, moving swiftly through the streets and alleys of Rome, until finally he came upon it. His goal. The home of the Holy Pontiff Alexander III. A meeting had been arranged between the two to allow the strange man a chance to confess his sins unto the only man he saw holy enough to absolve them.

The strange man knocks twice on the door of the Pontiff’s home, with an instant the door creaked open to reveal a spry young man, likely a priest. “Yyyoouurr the oooonnnee, rrrrigggghhhttt?” The young priest stammered in fear of the thing that stood before him. The thing simply nodded and stepped past the boy and pointed to a room. The boy nodded himself and shut the door as the visitor departed for his goal.

The room was, in truth, a grand hall meant for entertaining Kings and Emperors. This night, it appeared different, the room was vacant except for a single man sitting at one end of a long table with a plate of food before him and another beside him. The visitor moved toward the other occupant of the room. Upon reaching him, the stranger spoke. “I am Majhar, the vampire who wished to confess unto you his sins, good Pontiff.” While speaking the words, Majhar was kneeling before the Pope.

The Popes response was delayed as the truth of the moment sunk in. “I wish that I could say it was a pleasure to meet you. I am Pope Alexander III and I shall your confessions as the Lord has commanded of me. Please sit.”

Pulling the chair away for the table with careful and purposeful concern for his life, Majhar sat as the Pope had asked. Now finding himself in front of a plate of food, something the vampire hadn’t needed in many years but could still eat. Relaxing into the car, Majhar spoke. “So, good Pontiff, shall I confess my sins before thee?”

The scared man of God could manage a nod and gesture urging his guest to continue. The sins flowed like water down a waterfall overwhelming the seasoned priest. “STOP! JUST STOP! Please! In the name of the Lord God Almighty, please just stop!” Alexander cried huddled in his chair trying to run away from the vampire without leaving his seat. Pope Alexander sprung from the seat and stood closer to the fire in the center of the room. “I have been giving thought to what could erase nearly one thousand years of sins, there seems to be only one way you could make up for that much evil. I am sending you to a Kingdom of wild men, of violent and untamed souls. A land of bitter cold and even more harsh lifestyles.”

Mahjar is notoriously impatient and had had enough of the Pope’s overly dramatic lead-up. Jumping from his seat, the vampire leaped for Alexander’s throat. Upon grabbing it, Majhar began to squeeze and raise the Pope from the ground. “Stop playing games with me, child! Where is the God forsaken land you are forcing me to be confined to?”

Pope Alexander could barely choke out the word with the vice like grip around his throat. “Nnnnooorrrrwawawayyy” The vampire released the Pope dropping to the floor gasping for air. “The King is named Harald Yngling, the man is a true Viking in every sense of it. Harald has been told to expect your arrival. I have arranged for a boat to transport you to Nidaros, the capital, from there you will be given further instruction from a priest.”

With that Mahjar turned to leave the hall and enter back into the cold streets of Rome. He would need to gather his things before going on the boat ride to Norway, possibly to never return.​
 
-- My New Home --

January 7, 1066

The boat ride had taken more than a year to complete, with stops in several prominent European cities as it was a merchant ship. I spent most of the trip below deck in my quarters only emerging when docked so that I could feed and would not need to resort to the crew for food. Pope Alexander was smarter than I had thought, perhaps Norway won’t be so bad.

I had been told that Scandinavian winters were harsh and often very frigid. It being the middle of the winter, the harbor of Nidaros was frozen over in most places. The option available to reach the city would be to exit the boat on the ice and trek across it to the beaches. On the shore was a tall stocky priest with blonde hair and blue eyes, a Norseman. The priest a simply black cloak to shield him from the frigid cold that he seemed completely at home in. Upon reaching the beach, the bulky priest fell to one knee and hid his face, “Master Majhar, the Holy Father sent me to deliver you safely to the King” came his thundering voice.

We began to move through to busy streets of Nidaros, it was still frigid but one could not tell from the reactions of the people, acting like this was a beautiful sunny day is Italy. Soon we came to a grand castle that I assumed held the King, Harald Hardrada. The main entrance to the castle was a large, simple wooden door on which the Norse priest knocked and several seconds later, the door was answered by an equally brutish man with similar hair and eyes, a Norseman as well.

“Hello, Guttrom, this is Majhar. The guest of the King. Allow us entrance.”

“The King has been expecting you. Besides you are several days late. His Highness is in the dinning hall.”

With that the man stepped aside and opened the door motioning us forward. As I passed the large and physically impressive man, one could see his face turn pale from the site of me and what I was. Sadly, that is the normal reaction to seeing me. I hoped the King would be of stronger constitution than his guardsman. I followed the priest down a corridor to another large door, it was becoming clear that large doors would be a common occurrence, barbarians. On the other side of the door was a simply room with animal heads displayed on the walls, a fireplace and rough wooden. A lone man sat at the table, there was no food in front of him only three goblets holding what I assumed to be alcohol as they were accompanied by a large pitcher of similar metal as the goblets. The man at the table stood and began to speak.

“I am Harald Yngling, King of Norway, Heir to England. You must be the man I was told to expect.”

“I am.” I responded, “My role is to be that of an adviser to you and your successors.”

“So they told me. Please, sit.” The King said motioning to the chairs placed around the table. “I trust Svien has treated you well.”

The three of us sat down; the others simply stared at me. I was sure I knew what they were looking at me for, many humans do it, they wanted to see if I could drink. Nodding, slowly raising the goblet to my mouth, I let the liquid flow in and down my throat. “There. I can drink. Now, stop staring.” The King and the priest quickly broke their gazes looking anywhere except my face. The three of us would spend the next several hours talking and setting up how things would work, I was to spend my nights in living in a small often unused castle held by Harald from a distant relative near Nidaros, most my days would be spent at court like any other adviser to the King.​
 
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