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expedition pt ii
MÖT MIG I MORA
It's been two years since the expedition to the Silent World. Each of our adventurers has returned home, some to great fanfare and some (blessedly) to some deserved peace and quiet. A few of our crew have been privy to their collective spoils: knowledge curated from the Old World. A few months with the books had resulted in research grants that shuttled top scientists from the known world to the labs of Reykjavik. Numerous other expeditions, both privately funded and backed by the Nordic Council, have successfully been carried out in Denmark, in parts of Sweden, and around Finland. Four months ago, Copenhagen was cleansed and reclaimed.
A library was opened in Mora for all the books that were returned to safety from the various missions, where bright-eyed adventurers gather as a meeting point before setting off into the vast wild unknown. One night burning the midnight oil, an offhand note of breakthrough research for the rash was discovered, mentioning an Old World city somewhere a little bit further away than Denmark.
A group of very familiar individuals gathered again in front of the Nordic Council with a proposal, and a budget.
Now Taru Hollola, Trond Andersen, and Törbjörn and Siv Västerström are gathered outside of the Library of Mora, waiting for some adventurers to arrive.
A library was opened in Mora for all the books that were returned to safety from the various missions, where bright-eyed adventurers gather as a meeting point before setting off into the vast wild unknown. One night burning the midnight oil, an offhand note of breakthrough research for the rash was discovered, mentioning an Old World city somewhere a little bit further away than Denmark.
A group of very familiar individuals gathered again in front of the Nordic Council with a proposal, and a budget.
Now Taru Hollola, Trond Andersen, and Törbjörn and Siv Västerström are gathered outside of the Library of Mora, waiting for some adventurers to arrive.
After surviving the two-week quarantine period without a scratch, Tuuri lasted about two days back in Keuruu before she got restless again. This time, however, she had somewhere else to go. She was offered the opportunity to help present their findings as a courtesy, but quickly found herself assisting the team of experienced skalds who were tasked with reviewing the documents that the research expedition had brought in. As the significance of their findings became more and more apparent, Tuuri's responsibilities on the academic team grew (as, unfortunately, did her ego). She even got to travel to Iceland to confer with some of the foremost skalds of the day! When the Nordic Council floated the idea of another expedition, Tuuri's hand was the first to hit the air. She even cut her hair again for the occasion.
You wouldn't believe it but Lalli hasn't done anything very interesting in the past two years. He was offered a rank as a scout but he refused it. Because he has no desire to stay back and plan instead of being out there on his own. The spoils of the trip are mostly saved up in a tin box under his house. He bought a few things. A new knife, better shoes - things he appreciates every day. But other than that, life has been pretty much the same as it was before the trip. He's followed curiously the news about cleansing Copenhagen but other than that his time has gone to working and a little bit of reading. He might have written a few letters. (Mostly corrected Emil's poor Finnish and sent them back with a few words of greetings.) To everyone's surprise, when Taru asked him if he wanted to go to a new expedition, he said yes.
Considering the trip to Sweden didn't kill him, Onni has ventured into Copenhagen before the rest of the group even gets there, before the expedition is proposed. He's been helping with protective magic on the site. Silent world still makes him cover with fear but at least travelling between the cleansed locations isn't that stressful. The success that the first expedition to Denmark was kind of surprised him out of his shell a little bit. He's been studying some Scandinavian languages and done a little bit work with Icelandic mages. Hearing that his sister and cousin are heading out there again, made him lose his dinner a few times. Don't judge. He might actually join them on the expedition this time if someone doesn't stop him before...
All Emil wanted out of this trip was fame, accolades, and boundless fortune. He'd gotten all three in spades, once the books were appraised and he got cut a fat check of his treasure. He quickly rose in ranks with the Cleansers, becoming a commanding officer of a unit that adored him and put him up on a pedestal. It was everything he wanted, but sometimes he liked to escape and work on writing letters, each one with his Finnish improving from the last. He started spending more and more time alone, or mired to his work, feigning sick when his fellow soldiers would go out for partying on a night off. Making excuses to get out of interacting socially. Leveling recruits with a look when they made too off-color a joke about how uneducated the Norwegians were. When he got a call from his aunt and uncle wondering if he could come visit, wondering if he was willing to go on another assignment, well. He was on the next train out.
Two months back at home and Sigrun had already become restless, feeling like she'd already fought every troll and giant in Norway. Though it was nice to have her old crew back and be among her family again, she grew tired of having the same sparring partners for six months, and then a year, and then two. She was carrying a bear she'd wrestled to death on her shoulders back to the house when she saw that Trond came by with news. He'd hardly mentioned that she'd be on open waters with possible sea giants, that she'd let the bear drop from her shoulders with a loud thunk. Even though he had said he wasn't sure which of her old crew had agreed to come on the journey, she packed a bag and found a train out. She was the first to arrive.
Going home was an odd experience for Mikkel, because it made the whole expedition feel like a dream. He quickly adjusted to regular life again when he got a call that he was needed to aide in the parsing of notes that were similar to some that he'd uncovered on their trip. After that, he'd spent most his time in Iceland helping piece together research. Though he'd tried to go home several times, he was intercepted and coerced back to Iceland. So he wasn't given a real choice in the matter of returning to Mora, though looking around here sparks some nostalgic memories that make him feel that it was a good decision.
He was just finishing up mage training, proper mage training in Reykjavik, and looking forward to going home and spending some time with his sheep, as a sheepherder. His brothers and sisters all came home and wanted to hear of his stories, which he tired of telling pretty quickly. After all, he hadn't done much worth noting, really-- everyone else had done so much! Despite all his efforts to blend into the background, he was a popular partner choice among his classmates, and was even asked to give a speech at his graduation. It's why he put off responding when they called him. Another expedition! He could hardly believe it. He slept badly for weeks. But, having given it a lot of thought and having almost gotten off at numerous stops along the train to Mora to double back, Reynir shows up anyway, running towards the library. Last to join the group, as always.
Kitty has been spending the last two years alongside Reynir in mage training, learning how to be a proper familiar. Now a grade B cat, Kitty has accompanied Reynir on a number of different assignments and is ready to get back in the field. Curled up in his arms, she mewls upon arriving to the library, eyes lighting up as she's greeted by some old friends.
New Beginnings!
<NAME>! Hey, they told me you might show up. It's good to see you; how have you been?
On The Catship!
It's pretty far south, where we're going. What do you think it'll be like there?
no subject
[Have you ever heard of anything so exciting? Famous rocks!]
no subject
[ He blinks ]
Like mountains?
[ Perhaps Tuuri has, in her excitement, forgotten the word for mountain! Because Reynir cannot comprehend this rock business. But... he's excited about the islands! ]
I hope it is warm... Maybe we'll find some clean water to swim in, if it's so hot!
no subject
Ooh, like a beach! Can you imagine? We're going to an ancient country, who knows what we're going to find!
no subject
[ He thinks it sounds kinda lazy, especially compared to those old-world temples called churches, which he thinks are rather impressive buildings. ]
But I hope there's tons of stuff we've never seen before!
[ EXCEPT TROLLS ]
But... I had no idea the rest of the world was so big. The people in the old world must've traveled everywhere...