by Jorgen Raev, “The Unifier”, “Vanquisher of Darkness”, Bastard Raev
A thousand torches poured out from the frozen bog. A thousand pale travelers came as well. We called them Troll Slayers, for no less a creature could have survived the murderous mire. They called themselves Vehlemen, which we mistook for “from Hell men.” It only made sense… They had come from beyond the bogs where Hell creatures lived.
The man that led them was called Elvo Thorvison. His hands were made of cracked stone. His beard was of hanging ice. His skin was the color of sunlit frost. He had eyes of cold blue. His Swordwife was tall and broad, and also made from stone. They spoke nonsense words, but they did so with kind smiles. We welcomed him. We welcomed them all.
They felt welcomed, and they made their homes near ours. For though they were different, we felt a kinship, and one always makes room at the hearth for kin. We drew pictures together, and the pictures told our stories. Our stories were the same, except that ours was older. We too had braved the deep dark and ice to arrive at this new home.
Elvo and the pale thousand brought stories of dangers across the frozen swamps. Beyond the bogs and trolls were men with evil hearts. He took his people away from evil, fleeing the deep dark for a place of light. We were the light he did not know he would find. They were the light that could not be extinguished by the dark of evil men’s deeds.
We taught Elvo Thorvison the ways of gathering and hunting in the North. Elvo and his warriors taught us of forged iron and cut stone. We learned one another’s words and beliefs. We found that they were not so different. We were all men and women, blessed by our spirits. We all found comfort in the warm Sun, and feared the cold dark.
It took only two winters for our people to begin sharing roofs. They were few, but they were strong and wise. We were many, but we were spread far and wide. Elvo gave our tribes reasons to come together, learning and teaching, trading and thriving. We began to plant roots, to grow crops. They were becoming us, and we were becoming them.
Our wisest was the Elder Elge, a shaman and chief. He had the hands of the warriors, the hearts of the wives, and the blessings of the spirits. He claimed the Elk as his totem, and he roamed far. His tribe followed him and all other tribes watched in awe. He bowed to no one, but he knew even the Elk looked marveled at the Sun. Elvo Thorvison was like the Sun.
Elvo and ELge saw eye to eye. So too then did Nanuq, Upkik, Qaaglax and the other tribes look upon Elvo as an equal. He had not come to conquer, but to find kin. He had not come to take, but to give and receive in equal measure. He had not come to gain, but to keep us from losing. He found a home, and we found that two people could become one, united.
We had not wished for an incursion, and we had not prepared for a lasting kinship. We learned that not all invasions are malign. They learned that not all that is different is evil. Common ground is where we built our first shared home. We called it Elvo’s Tent, for it was where he first made his home. It was there that a kinship of differences thrived.
Upon that place of unity we built a temple within which to share. We found that their spirits were like ours, but less present. The Sun and the Moon and the Earth all played their parts, but they were distant. Our Foxes and Salmon and Wolves and Seal were present and guided our lives, but even they drew strength from the Sun, Moon, and Earth.
It took little effort to find a shared story. The story wrote itself, we had but to listen for it. Our people were one, no longer separated. Our lives were shared, and we all grew stronger. Our shared strength in a land of plenty has allowed us to thrive. For the Sun looked favorably upon the spirits of our ancestors as it does the spirits of the land.