Chapter 5 Chapter 3 The Hall of Mead

Crossing the unmarked tundra to reach the northernmost border of the Forgotten Kingdom, dozens of miles north of Ten Towns, the ground has already been covered with a layer of white ice due to the winter frost.A ruthless wind blows from the east, bringing the cold air of Reg Glacier, but there are no mountains or forests that can slightly block the bite of this cold wind.The huge icebergs of the Sea of ​​Ice Drift slowly past, and the cold wind howls violently from the towering ice peaks, reminding the coming season.However, at this time, the nomadic tribes who migrated north with the reindeer herd in summer have not followed the migration of the reindeer to the more suitable place to live in the southwest of the peninsula.

A lone encampment jutted out of the flat horizon, the largest gathering of northern barbarians in over a hundred years.In order to receive the patriarchs of various ethnic groups, several deerskin tents were erected in a ring shape, and each tent was surrounded by a circle of campfires.In the very center of the circle stood a huge tent, a buckskin tent built to accommodate all the barbarian warriors.Barbarians usually call it "Hengorot", which means "Hangorot, the Mead Hall" (Hengorot, the Mead Hall): it is the most sacred place for regular gatherings among the tribes of the barbarians, and is regarded as

A place of celebration to offer wine to Tempus. .It was a place of honor to the savages of the north, where they shared food and drink as a counter to Tempso, the God of War in the Forgotten Realms, commonly known as Tempus, The barbarians call them Tenos.gift. Tonight, the campfire outside Mead Hall burns low, for King Heafstad of the Elk Clan will arrive before night's end.The other tribes who came to the Hall of Mead first have already begun various feasts before the assembly.Glasses of mead were set on every table, and entertainment-style wrestling was everywhere.Although there are often wars among the tribes of the barbarians, in the holy place of the Mead Hall, no one cares about those grievances.

King Biog stood solemnly in front of the main table.With tousled blond hair, a beard that's gradually turning white, and a brown, lined face, he's a tough warrior.As a representative of his tribe's people, he stood tall and tall.The average barbarian in Icewind Dale is more than a head taller than the residents of Ten-Towns.These barbarians swept across the wild tundra like wildfire. Barbarians seem to be a natural match for this wild tundra.Like the land they ran on, their brown faces were wrinkled by the sun and the wind.That emotionless, tough and tough expression was like wearing a mask that didn't welcome outsiders.They despised the residents of the Ten Southern Towns. To them, those people were just weak people who only knew how to chase wealth.

But in the most sacred hall of the barbarians, there is a "greedy man" in it at this time.The only non-savage, a dark-haired southerner, stood beside King Biog.Dibner had watched the others in the hall warily.He knew very well that these barbarians didn't like outsiders at all, and even the youngest barbarian in this hall could easily snap him in half with both hands. "Calm down!" King Bioge instructed the southerners. "Today you are drinking with the tribe of wolves, if they find your fear..." Although he didn't finish his sentence, Dibner knew how these barbarians deal with the weak.He took a deep breath and tried to straighten his shoulders.

Even King Biog was quite nervous.King Heafstad was his strongest opponent in this wasteland, and the barbarians under him were comparable to King Biog's tribe in terms of courage, discipline, and numbers.King Biog's plan this time was not an ordinary plunder. He planned to conquer ten towns in one go, enslave the fishermen, and rely on the special products in the lake to prosper the barbarian tribe.King Biog saw an opportunity to free his people from the dangerous nomadic life but to live better.The key to everything now is the consent of King Heafstad.King Heafstad was a savage, interested only in personal glory and savage plunder.King Biog knew that even if he succeeded in capturing Ten Towns, he would still have to deal with his old enemy.King Heafstad will not easily give up the bloody lifestyle that has brought him to his current position.But for the leader of the wolf tribe, this is a problem for the future.The first priority now is to get King Heafstad to agree to this plan.If he disagrees, the other clans will be forced to choose a side.And maybe after today is over, we will have to meet each other in battle.This is a great harm to the entire barbarian tribe. Even the winning side will have to face the cold winter in the future. The reindeer herd has already migrated to the south, and there is not enough food in the caves along the way.Chess Master Schiffs is very cunning, and he also knows that the tribe who arrived so late can only obey the decision.King Biog wondered what his strongest enemy would say.

Biog was quite satisfied with this gathering. There were no major battles among the tribes gathered, and the atmosphere of everyone gathered tonight was full of friendship and joy.Everyone's beard was covered with mead foam.Bioge believes that the barbarian races can be united in foreign affairs under the common interests.Everything seems to be going well so far. But that brutal Heafsta is still the key to the whole thing.    The earth trembled under the iron hooves of the Heafstar tribe.The majestic one-eyed king himself led the army, striding forward with great strides.On the one hand, he was interested in King Biog's plan, and on the other hand, he noticed that this year's winter seemed to be coming earlier. Even in this cold night, King Heafstad still decided to continue marching.Stop for short breaks and meals only when necessary.Although the name of his bravery and skill in battle was widely praised among the barbarians, King Heafsta was actually very scheming.The warriors of other tribes will respect the elk tribe even more after seeing this majestic military appearance.King Heafstad will not let anything be in his favor, given the opportunity.

He didn't want any trouble in the mead hall either.King Heafstad respects King Biog very much. In the past, he had fought against the king of the wolf tribe twice, but both were tied.If Biog's plan is really as good as he said, King Heafstad will also agree, as long as both parties have the same power.He didn't care if after the victory the people would give up the nomadic life and make their fortunes on steelhead like the fishermen did.As long as it can give him the pleasure of war and victory, he is willing to temporarily let King Biog be his daydream.Just take a good loot for a while, and spend the winter warmly.After that, he will tear up all agreements and rewrite the distribution of power among the barbarians.

When the light of the campfire appeared in the dark night, the troop's pace involuntarily quickened. "Sing out loud, my proud warriors!" Heafstad ordered. "Sing out loud! Let those guys know that the Elk Clan is coming!"    King Biog was not particularly surprised when he heard the song of Tempus in the distance.He knows his opponent's strategy well.The blond king reacted immediately. He jumped onto a table and signaled for silence. "Listen, People of the North!" he roared, "listen to the challenge of the song." The mead hall instantly fell into commotion.Warriors of all races quickly gathered together.All the people sang the praises of the god of war, and sang the heroic deeds and heroic sacrifices on the sacred battlefield.Every barbarian boy is taught to sing this song when he first learns to speak. Among the barbarian tribes, the Song of Tempus is a symbol of clan strength.The difference between ethnic groups lies in the number of people who sing.The singing of the soldiers gradually became stronger, because those who won the battle of songs could be heard by Tempus.

King Heafstad led his people to the entrance of the mead hall.In the mead hall, the singing of the clan of wolves prevailed.But King Heafstar's warriors are strong enough to contend with King Biog's clan. Under the overwhelming singing of the wolves and elk, the other smaller tribes stopped singing one by one.The two remaining races fought against each other, trying to gain an advantage over their god.In the mead hall, warriors of other races held their weapons nervously.There were not just one or two wars caused by the inability to decide the winner in the Battle of Songs. Finally, the door of the tent was lifted, and King Heafsta's emissary came in.It was a tall and proud young man, observing everything carefully with eyes that were not suitable for his age.He took out the whalebone horn, put it to his lips, and blew a note.According to tradition, both tribes stopped singing at the same time.

The messenger crossed the room and walked up to King Bioge, his eyes fixed on King Bioge without blinking.Heafstad picked a good emissary, King Biog thought. "Great King Biog," said the emissary when all commotion had subsided. "And other kings. The elk tribe hopes to drink with you in the mead hall, and let us offer a feast to our god Tempus." King Bioge watched the messenger carefully, and paused deliberately to see if the messenger would be frightened. But the envoy didn't blink his eyes, never took his eyes off King Bioge, and was still full of composure and confidence. "Of course." Biog was impressed. "You're welcome." He grumbled under his breath. "It's a pity Heafstad doesn't have your patience." "Let me introduce the king of the elk tribe, Heafsta!" the messenger announced loudly. "Son of Khothof the Mighty King, grandson of Ankh the Brave King. Brave Bear Slayer, Twice Conqueror of Tamaran. Slew King of the Bear Clan in one battle, Rag Donin." (Causing a commotion in the Bear tribe, especially the son of Rag, the current king of the Bear tribe, Halfdan) The messenger continued to read out every famous deed and every title of Heafstar , took a long time. Just as the Battle of Songs is a competition between clans, this long list of titles and deeds is a competition between individuals, especially between kings.The strength of the warriors of each tribe will directly affect the glory that the kings can get.For a moment King Biog was even awed, for his rival seemed to have more honor than he.He knew that Heafstad had arrived so late on purpose so that the kings of all clans could hear.Because the kings of all clans met Biog's envoy privately when they came here, this is the advantage of the host clan.It was late when the kings of all clans gathered at the end, and Heafsta evened the disadvantage. The messenger finally finished reading the long list of titles of King Heafstar, and walked back to the door of the tent to raise the mast curtain for his king.King Heafstad walked slowly through the mead hall and walked up to King Biog. If people were impressed by King Heafstad's title of merit, his appearance wouldn't disappoint them either.The red-bearded king of the elk tribe was almost seven feet tall, with a body bigger than King Biog's and covered with scars that made him proud.One of his eyes was blinded by a reindeer horn, and his left hand was crippled in a fight with a polar bear.The king of the Elk Clan has seen more battles than anyone on the tundra, and it looks like he'll see more in the future. The two kings looked at each other solemnly, not to mention blinking, and there was no movement of any part of the body. "Wolf or elk?" King Heafstad asked curtly, a fitting question after the deadly battle of Song. King Biog was careful to respond appropriately. "Well come and well sung," he said, "let Tempus' sharp ears decide, though she may have trouble deciding." After the proper etiquette was exercised, Heafsta finally let go of his stern expression.He smiled at his opponent, "Long time no see, King Biog of the Clan of the Wolf. Glad to see you without my blood on the tip of your spear." Heafstad's friendly words surprised Biog, who didn't expect such a good start for the war meeting.He returns the kind compliment. "Then I don't have to dodge your mighty tomahawk." When King Heafstad saw the black-haired man beside Biog, the smile on his face suddenly disappeared without a trace. "What's the matter? Why did this southern coward step into the mead hall in Tempus?" the Redbeard King asked, "He should stay where he should be, and he should be with the women when he is great." "Trust me once, Heafstad," King Biog explained. "This guy is Dipper Nazen, a key figure who can make us win. His value is the intelligence he has gathered in Ten Towns for more than two years." "Then what role does he play?" King Heafstad further questioned. "He has information." King Biog repeated. "Then you've already got the information!" Heafsta said. "What use is he to us now? He can't fight alongside our warriors." Biog took a look at Dibo, and suppressed his disdain for the dog who sold the farm for money. "Guys from the south, tell yourself. I hope Tempus will find you a place to bury your bones on the battlefield." Dibner tried to meet the steely eyes of King Heafstad, but in the end In vain.He said it as loudly and confidently as he could, "When Ten-Towns are conquered, you'll need someone who understands the southern market. I'm that guy." "Oh! So what have you got?" King Heafstad roared. "A comfortable life," Dubner had replied. "And a respected position, that's all." "Hmph!" King Heafstad snorted. "He will betray his people, and one day he will betray us too!" King Heafstad took his battle ax from his belt and pointed it at Dibernazen.King Bioge's face changed drastically, knowing that one mistake would ruin his entire plan. With his battered left hand, Heafstar grabbed Tib Nazen's dark hair and pushed his head aside, exposing his neck.He looked the Southerner in the eye, and swung his tomahawk at the target.But King Biog has previewed many times for southerners, although this is against tradition.Dubner had been warned that if there was any resistance, he would die without a burial.But if he was willing to take the axe, and if King Heafstad was only testing him, maybe he could save his life.Using his greatest willpower, Dibner once looked firmly at King Heafstad, even though death was imminent, but did not resist at all. At the last moment, King Heafstad deflected his tomahawk an inch, and the blade brushed just a hair from the southerner's throat.Heafstar let go of his hand, but the look in his eyes still made Dippert Zeng unable to move. "An honest man accepts the sentence of his chosen king." Dibner had tried to sound calm in his voice. Everyone in the mead hall cheered in unison, and when the cheers stopped, King Heafsta turned to face King Biog. "Who will lead?" the huge warrior asked bluntly. "Who won the battle of songs?" King Biog replied. "Very well, great king!" Heafstad saluted his opponent. "You and I will lead together, no one can violate our destiny!" King Bioge nodded in agreement, "Whoever dares to defy will die!" Dibner let out a deep breath, let go, and moved his legs defensively.If Heafstad or Biog noticed the puddle between his legs, his life would be gone in an instant.He moved his legs nervously again, looking around.When he saw the young messenger's eyes, his face turned pale with fear, ready to meet his death.However, beyond his expectation, and in an unthinkable mercy for a barbarian, the messenger averted his eyes and said nothing. King Heafstad stretched out his arms, raised his axe, and looked at the roof.King Bioge also quickly took off the battle ax from his waist and made the same movement. "Tampus!" they cried in unison.Looking at each other again, they used the battle ax to draw a wound on the arm that was not holding the ax, so that the battle ax was stained with their own blood.Almost at the same time, the two turned around and threw the battle axes in their hands, and the two battle axes were nailed to the same mead wine barrel at the same time.In an instant, those closest to the cask rushed to catch the first drop of mead blessed with their king's blood, cups in hand. "I have drawn up a battle plan, just waiting for your approval." King Biog told King Heafstad. "Wait a moment, my noble friend!" replied the One-Eyed King. "Let's celebrate our upcoming victory tonight!" He patted King Biog on the shoulder and blinked his one eye. "You should be happy for my arrival, your preparations for this party are really not enough!" King Biog looked at him suspiciously, but King Heafsta winked at him strangely again, alleviating his doubts . Suddenly, the vigorous giant gestured to his general, nudging his opponent with an elbow, as if urging him to join in the fun. "Call the maids up!" he ordered.