Day of the 11th week before summer
Crafting flows along. From tree sized tall rolls of birch-bark gathered in the summer Calle assembles various sized boxes and baskets for organizing on the shelves.
(game not currently very bad to put your herb stocks in container so this is a role play thing)
On a leisure stroll to the hills Calle spots a group of foreign traders. This is good news. Calle has made it on to the touring list of places to trade. This time he has both large and small hides to trade.
Having spotted them from high ground by the time he gathered the furs, dressed in the bears and equipped for expedition they had shifted.
Calle gave a sign of peace, patted his fur bundle then said in their language, “Trade furs. Show your things.”
Spruce branches were cut down to make the two blankets. Traders came to see the furs by Calle’s spruce while offering on theirs.
Bevisald finally presents an item of interest. A graceful sweeping one handed axe with a deep edge gleaming of rippling steel. Runes have been etched onto the sides of the axe head. Red dyed leather gave grip to what was a tan oiled hickory handle. This was a true master piece.
“Cut,” Bevisald pointed to one side then the other, “True.”
Calle’s eyes flickered betraying his interest in the peace. Turning he walked to his stacks of furs including winter elk and small animals.
Bevisald looked the stack over. Reaching down Calle’s heart was pacing. Would he have enough to trade?
From the stacks the foreigner lifted only one small fur. The wintered coat of an arctic fox. He put that and only that on Calle’s spruce. Bevisald put the hand axe on the foreigner’s spruce and stood back.
“That’s it?” Calle said in his own tongue. He looked to the other traders to see if they were laughing.
The other traders were nodding with approval.
Calle clapped his hands, walked over and picked up the masterwork handaxe.
“Truth Cutter,” said Calle, “I shall call you Truth Cutter.”
Future crafting would be so much more efficient. All for one small animal fur. How wonderfully strange it is how folks value what they don’t have want a thing and those that do have it don’t want a thing.
Reviews of the other goods find little interest with Calle. Then a man named Evermot stepped forward. He waved both hands wide over all of Calle’s fur as if picking up the whole pile over and over. From his back he removed a cloak from a mass of metal onto the foreigner’s spruce. The mass uncurled to be chain mail leggings. Evermot was willing to trade!
Calle put all his furs on his spruce blanket.
Evermot flicked the ermine fur off disinterested. Then he looked back and forth and gestured for above the fur for more.
Calle shook his head and turned around gesturing at the snow.
No deal was agreed. Each took their goods back from the spruce blanket.
“Next time!” Calle shouted.
“Next time!” shouted Evermot.
A quiet ski home. Coming to his bed his hands smoothly pulled out the fine hand axe that he had started the First Winter with.
“You served me well and true good warrior,” Calle said, “When I see you remind me of the village of my home. Together they gave you to start me on the quest. You are being laid down not as a broken thing but as a victorious thing. So well have you aided me that Calle has come to have a truly great thing: Truth Cutter. Only Truth Cutter has been great enough to take your place on my belt. Still you are not being thrown away. No. You are a good friend. There may come a day I or my children need you again. For this you are being stored until you are called on again.”
A careful cleaning was given the handaxe. Strokes of the whetstone to hone and honor. A wrap of bird leather over the metal to protect it from weather. That would double in protecting others form accidents. A few board was placed under the bed. Gently onto that was laid the handaxe. The last bits of the battled bear fur laid over top. As it was tucked into its bed heather petals were placed on the fur. An offering of respect. Should something move the axe the heather would also be moved.
(turns out currently if you put herbs into a container you can’t get them out in small amounts. So the birch-bark containers were made then deleted to roleplay the better organizing. 4 baskets, 6 boxes)
<CALLE 089 Truth Cutter>>>
Pearl month it is called. When there is that deep layer of snow across the land. North Wind is still at dancing looking to snag the unprepared.
“Preparation is all it takes to live.”
Using the food and trade goods to hire workers seems a good idea. Skiing is easy right now. Collecting the four bows to be traded, arrows and dried elk Calle goes to see what can be found.
First is the Kuamo homestead of Maiden’s Stream. One of the boys sees him and runs wildly to their main hall. Calle chuckles. This is his first time coming dressed as a bear! At one of the small houses the girl Rauni recognizes him. They laughed at the boy’s flight.
“Though to be fair,” said Calle, “Stranger danger is a good instinct. If you don’t recognize them it could be danger. Get an adult. Ask if they know the right stories.”
Rauni says, “Well yes but I remember you. Sampsa and Konsta told me stories about the time the three of you fought the bear! They tell it often this winter. Calle the Winter-Proven. One day I’m going to take the First Winter challenge too!”
“A moment is all it takes to die. Preparation is all it takes to live,” said Calle, “Start preparing your skills.”
“They won’t let me fell a tree yet,” she pouted, “but chopping fire wood is good practice.”
“Oh you’ll be chopping a lot of wood,” laughed Calle, “Trust me. In your First Winter you will want a lot of firewood.”
“Hey, you’ll want to see these,” Rauni said, “Foreign traders came through. They were given our furs for this metal shirt. An adventurer needing food and fur clothes traded an old looking helm. Its beat up but it makes a great drum.”
Calle goes to where she points to the trade goods of armor: a mail habergeon, rusted mail leggings, mail knee cops, mail cowls and indeed a damaged iron spectacle helm. Calle remembers missing out on the well made helm so that is what he picks up.
“Rauni, tell the adults Calle wishes to trade.”
Rauni nods and waves over Nyri.
“Good to see you again Calle,” greeted Nyri, “We know you are a good man. You want the looking helm. What did you bring for trade? More tubs and boards?”
Calle smiled, “This time something a hunter would like even better.”
Opening his trade bundle he pulled out one of the longbows. Nyri’s eyes widened happy to see something he himself could use. They settle on three of the four bows and a few of the bone tipped arrows. Nyri and Rauni then help Calle adjust the helm’s straps to fit him right. Its strange to look out the eye loops. Calle thought it would be hard to see out. So close to your eyes the frontal armor only blocks the outer edges of sight. Taking up his bow he can still see to aim a shot.
“This is good for both of us,” Calle patted the helm.
Holding a bow up high Nyri said, “Yes is is! This prepares me for my hunt. I am going to ski out soon now that its the pearl time.”
Rauni shouted, “Preparation is all it takes to live!”
The two men laughed at the ancestral wisdom of the girl.
The boy from Calle’s arrival was leading back an old man.
Old Ollie, “Yes that is Calle bear fighter. Can Calle use his young limbs to help this old man?”
“Yes of course friends,” Calle stood up making a point to bobble his head with the new helm.
With his youth, tools and skills the chores were a quickly done. A bit of chopping, a bit of hauling and replacing the legs on a bench. Calle would be rememberd for his work next time he came to trade. For now he skied off to Button Stream.
Arriving rather tired he first went to their hall to trade stories and sleep. In the morning trade goods were shown. Calle offered to take up two of their shirts for extra elk meat he carried. This was agreed on. One shirt was woolen for winter and other linen for summer. Both were a bit unsteady in the weaving, probably made by one of the girls learning the skill. Calle was still happy to be able to swap out his nettle tunic that he had been wearing every single day for over a year!
Changing into the woolen shirt he was a bit worried about something. Both these villages had recently taken winter wolf furs for trade. There had been a pack prowling the area. It is good that he had Swan Cabin and the friendly spirits to be in during the harshest of the winter.
Apro the Kaumolais tribesman came up, “We have our village in good stocks right now. Did you want a helper at Swan Cabin? You weren’t able to come with me to your Reemi lands. That’s the way sometime. Your people treated me well when I was there.”
Calle smiled, “Glad your trip was safe. It is a long way. You understand then why I couldn’t go with you then. As to the help yes indeed. Always more lumber work at a new homestead. Here, there is one more longbow I made for trade in the Dead times. This will be your payment.”
When the bow was passed to him Apro looked it over and gave it a test pull, “This is more than enough payment. I’ve not my own bow so couldn’t hunt this year.”
“It feels right,” Calle said, “and if there are more wolves you will be glad of the bow.”
<CALLE 090 Spec helm and worker>>>