Starspawn (IC)

[Thevshi]

Lofoten Islands, Norway
Late November, 2015
3:25 PM local time 

Thurde flew over the Vestfjorden, the "West fjord", a body of water in northern Norway between the Lofoten archipelago and the mainland.  Cold winds blew from the north, accompanied by light snow, but the Asgardian was not bothered by the cold. 

Word had reached her of reports of something that was killing live stock near several villages on Vestvagoya island.  Most recently, there had been an attack a fishing boat from Ballstad village, in which one crew member had been killed. 

As Thurde drew near the shore of Vestvagoya, she could make out Ballstad ahead of her.  Situated on several small islands at the mouth of the Buksnesfjorden, the village was made up of several dozen buildings, contained within the small area by the sharp rise of the land nearby, the most dominate being Skottinden mountain, which lay just two kilometers to the west of the village. 

A small layer of snow covered the village, as smoke rose from most of the buildings, but the harbor was busy with several boats making their way back in after a day out on the water, trying to get the last hauls of cod before the real winter snows came in and froze the harbor.

[N/A]

The goddess smiled and closed her eyes for a few moments at the feel of the Northern winds upon her face while she soared across the Northern skies.  These days, those few who kept to the old gods were spread far and wide.  But if there was any place on Midgard she could truly call "home," it was the peninsulas and archipelagos of Scandinavia, the cradle of the civilization built by her grandfather's students, the mortals to whom he taught the hunt and the runes and even the brewing of mead, at the cost of his very flesh and blood.

 

The ground shook beneath her feet when she landed near the busiest port she could find.  Stray bursts of lightning danced along her massive axe Hridgandr and up and down her body.  She shouted in the local tongue to no one in particular, "RETRIBUTION IS AT HAND!  TELL ME OF THOSE WHO PREY UPON THEE, THAT I MAY SMITE THEM IN THY NAME!"

Edited November 21, 2015 by ShaenTheBrain

[Thevshi]

Thurde's sudden and dramatic appearance startled the various people gathered around the busy docks she chose to make her landing at, sending a few people tumbling into the snow as they tripped over various obstacles as they quickly backed away from the source of the commotion.  For a moment, the crowd started in awe at the goddess as she stood with her massive axe in hand. 

Finally, an middle aged man in rough spun clothes and a dark knit hat on his head stepped forward.  "I am afraid there are scant detail we can give."  He replied in Norwegian.  "Most of the attacks have been at night here or in nearby communities, with livestock being killed and taken from fields.  The attack on one of our fishing boats took place yesterday evening, as the sun was setting and the ship was on its way back in from the banks." 

"Those that made it back said that there was some large mass that slammed into the ship, sending most tumbling to the deck.  Whatever it was, it snatched up a net full of fish, and killed one of the crew with its claws before it flew away in the darkening sky."

[N/A]

"COWARDLY BEAST, hiding its foul deeds under cover of DARKNESS!" Thrude roared as she shook her fist at the sky.  "THY RECKONING HAS COME!"  She turned back down at the weathered longshoreman and vigorously shook his hand.  "I thank thee, brave sailor.  Fear not!"  She took a step away and raised her axe above her head.  "For I SWEAR on the BLOOD of Grandfather Odin the All-Father HIMSELF, I shall leave NO STONE UNTURNED in my search for this SAVAGE BEHEMOTH!  A search which I SWEAR will end only in MY death, or HIS!"  A bolt of lightning surged down from the sky, breaking against the axe's blade and showering Thrude in sparks.  Thunder roared directly overhead.  A vortex of mist swirled around her legs and buoyed her into the air.  She flew in a circle around the area, descending whenever she neared a field to look for signs of the monster's passing.

[Thevshi]

At Thurde's loud promise of vengeance, several of those in the crowd once again shirked back, unsure about how safe it was to be near the towering woman with the gigantic axe.  The experienced sailor held his ground, however, apparently confident she was not going to attack him.   

After the goddess swore her oath to locate whatever was terrorizing this and other nearby villages, she easily took to the air, leaving behind awed villagers. 

The sun was already starting to set as Thurde took to the air, flying out over the snow specked fields and hills around the village.  Scattered around Ballstad were several small homesteads with spacious fields around them for livestock.  While modern technology was present in some aspects of their lives, in many others the inhabitants of this village and the surrounding area still lived as their ancestors had for hundreds of years. 

For at least an hour Thurde flew over valleys and down near fields, looking for any sign of whatever it was that was attacking the livestock.  But there seemed nothing out of place at the moment, several cows and sheep moving nervously away as her shadow passed over. 

Then, when the last rays of light had fade away to black, Thurde heard a loud piercing shriek echo down a valley somewhere ahead of her…

[N/A]

Thrude had no wish to frighten the mere mortals with whom she came into contact, but she was, as usual, oblivious to the uneasiness her bombast tended to inspire.  The ground shook beneath her as she took off into the air, and errant sparks left scorch marks on the docks.

 

The goddess let a grin creep across her porcelin face when she heard the shriek in the distance.  "At last..."  Tendrils of electricity flowed from the blade of her massive battle axe, engulfing her entire body.  The funnel cloud surrounding her legs morphed into the shape of a gargantuan eight-legged war-horse, with sparks for eyes.  Thrude pointed her axe forward, and the horse-shaped cloud charged across the sky, leaving thunder in its wake with every hoofbeat.

[Thevshi]

Heading in the direction of the sounds, Thurde flew over the nearby valley, which opened up into another field at the base of the foothills of Skottinden mountain.  As she reached the fields, below her in the snow she saw several sheep running in apparent terror. It was not too difficult for the goddess to roughly determine the direction of whatever danger they had been fleeing from. 

Flying in that direction, Thurde soon reached a section of the fields that lay right up against the rocky hillside of the mountain's foothills.  There, in the shadows of those hills, she could faintly make out some large dark shape, hunched over something.  At the sound of her approach, the figure appeared to look up toward the sky, but was too much in shadow to adequately make out any details...

[N/A]

Thrude shouted a challenge at the unknown entity.  "CRAVEN BEAST!  THY REIGN OF TERROR IS AT AN END!"  Her words were punctuated by cracks of thunder echoing across the sky.  "THOU HAST SLAUGHTERED THY LAST VICTIM!  I AM THRUDE!  DAUGHTER OF SIF HARVEST-QUEEN, AND THOR THUNDER-KING, SON OF ODIN ALL-FATHER!  I AM THE DAUGHTER OF STORMS!  THE PRINCESS OF ASGARD!  CHOOSER OF THE SLAIN!  THIS REALM AND ALL ITS PEOPLES STAND UNDER MY PROTECTION!  THOU HAST VIOLATED THEIR SANCTUARY, AND NOW THOU SHALT FACE THE JUSTICE OF THE AESIR!  MAKE PEACE WITH THY GODS, DEMON!  DRAW STEEL, AND PREPARE THEE TO TASTE THE LIKE OF MINE!"

 

[Thevshi]

As the thunder boomed in the sky and Thurde's voice echoed over the land, the shadowy shape below her let out a high pitched shriek that managed to pierce through the night sky.  The figure stood upright, appearing to tower at least seven feet in height.  As it stood, larger leathery wings extended out to either side, as it appeared ready to take to the air as well. 

A few flashes of lighting that accompanied Thurde provided brief flickers of light, which revealed a dead sheep at the thing's feet.  Of the creature itself, the goddess only caught the briefest of glances, of some grotesque monstrosity that appeared to be covered in some sort of chitins hide.