[DarK_RaideR] The Heroic Domains of Ysgard

[DarK_RaideR]

Continued from my Battle Log:

 

“Fight me over drinks, then. Tell me your story and I’ll tell you mine.”

 

The two men picked up the chairs and table, sitting down. Felgar appeared the next instant, holding two mugs which he placed in front of them. "My name is Skorri" began the dwarf, after gulping down some beer. "I hail from the Keep of Karak Azul, south of the World's Edge Mountains. It is the only southern Dwarfhold that hasn't fallen into Greenskin hands, a place of miners and metalworkers. My past is irrelevant, at least to you. What you need to know is that I follow the path of the Slayer. It's an ancient tradition of my race, for dwarves that have suffered great disgrace. Suicide is considered an even greater disgrace and it is against our nature to give less than our best effort in what we do, whether it's mining, crafting, brewing, drinking or fighting. So, dwarves like me, we shave our hair into a mohawk and dye it orange, along with our beards. We abandon all armor and protection, seeking an honourable death against a worthy foe as the means to redeem ourselves for what has befallen us. Most start as Troll Slayers, some go on to seek worthier foes and become Giant Slayers, while a select few advance to Daemon Slayers. It's a sick joke really, the mightiest are also the greatest failures, as they have failed to meet their purpose for so long. I'm probably one of them... I'd almost slain a Greater Daemon, when it disappeared back into the Warp and tossed me in this thrice-damned city. I came here hoping to find the mighty foe that would give me a hero's death, but once again, I failed."

 

Raider listened, until the dwarf was done and began drinking more beer. "Your words answer many of the questions in my mind, Slayer" he began. "And I do not *know* whether you believe in fate or destiny, but it seems like I can help you. I am a Planeswalker, a traveller of the dimensions that make up the cosmos we live in. Some are nice, others are downright murderous. I seek a companion in my next journey and it seems you could be him. My next destination is the Heroic Domains of Ysgard, where the mighty gods of the Norse dwell, joined by their finest warriors who battle amonst themselves and defend their domains from the wicked frost giants. I intend to enter on the first layer, Ysgard, travel to the tracherous second layer of Muspelheim, the land of fire giants, then descend to the third, the caverns of Nidavellir, in order to visit the Forge-Cities of the Norse Dwarves. Join me and seek your glorious death against the mightiest of heroes there."

 

Welcome to my second challenge! I hope you enjoyed the story and stick around for the incoming awesomeness.

 

Main quest: Enjoy the summer and gather enough courage for the coming year. By enjoy, I mean do more than just lay around and occasionally go to the beach. At the same time, I don’t want to let go too much as far as my training and diet are concerned. So I guess the key word for this challenge is “Balance”.

 

Quest 1: Never back down from a challenge. Ysgard is the land of heroic exploits and the biggest disgrace is to deny a challenge or back down from a duel.

 

Since holidays will be involved, it’s impossible to set a SMART goal in a “train at least X times per week” format. Program will be unstable, so the goal by definition will be set too high or too low. “As much as I can” is not SMART either. So, my goal is to participate in every RPG Fanatics and Rangers challenge, every week, plus do some personal mini-quests I’ll set up for myself every week. Of course I’ll still be going to the gym, but that’s just not part of the quest.

 

Rewards: +1 WIS for consistency and perserverance. Not my prime focus, plus most challenges have stat rewards anyway.

 

Quest 2: Heroes’ feast. Fighting is not the only past-time activity in Ysgard. The heroes feast in great halls, singing songs of great deeds and mighty battles.

 

For this quest, I’ll follow my 10-day diet plan twice. First is July 28 to August 6, second is August 7 to 17. After that, it’s no takeout or delivery until the end of the challenge. I’ll be hosting a visiting friend until the 25^th, and then I’ll go out of town for holidays, my cousin’s wedding and his son’s baptism in Aug. 30 so I won’t have control over the cooking but I can at least try to eat healthy.  No pork was too easy during the first challenge, so in order to make the goal more specific than just “eat healthy” I’m setting the bar to no takeout/delivery for that part of the challenge. Sounds easy, but let me remind you that I'll be not staying at my place, so the difficulty is greater that it would initially appear.

 

Rewards: +5 CON. I really need to focus on this, especially the post-diet part so max points to motivate me.

 

Quests 3: Swords, axes, hammers, spears, bows. They may be all weapons, but have different design, techniques, strengths and weaknesses. The ideal warrior should be master of all types.

 

Just like not all weapons are swords, not all training is done by exercising. For this quest, I’ll have to do a different type of activity each week, unrelated to typical exercising. Long walks, running, playing football or basketball, cycling, whatever, I gotta do it. Also, since it’s summer, I’ll have to go and swim at least twice every week.

 

Rewards: +1 STR, +1 DEX, +1 STA, +1 WIS. Physical improvement plus WIS for finding out different and fun ways to work out.

 

Life Quest: No two battles are alike. Different terrain, numbers, morale, visibility, weather, a multitude of factors make each battle unique. Woe to the one who gets lazy in his comfort zone.

 

So last challenge I had complete control but my social life suffered a bit. This one I’m pushing myself through exposure to situations of peer pressure and not that much control in my hands. Besides, last year’s stuff made me too busy and anyway old friends are hard to get around anymore, so gotta go out there and socialize with new people! For this quest, I must go out at least twice a week. At least one of those times, it has to be to a place I haven’t been before. Also, I have to meet at least one new person each week. The idea is to go out more and stop going to the same old places with the same old people doing and saying the same old things.

 

Rewards: +2 WIS +3 CHA. Another priority quest.

 

Bonus Quest: Earn Skorri’s respect

This one is mostly to incorporate the small victories and losses, as well as take into account unexpected events. Positive points are awarded every time I complete the Neila Rey training linked to Skorri’s character or do something noteworthy that’s unrelated to my goals but I’m proud of (new PR, extra event like last challenge’s OutDoor Training etc). Negative points subtract from the overall score and are penalties for doing bad stuff outside my main quests (cancel a training, eat unhealthy stuff etc). As a bonus, I’ll be doing the Bezerker challenge and each time I make it, I’ll score a Bezerker Point. Those will affect the storyline and ultimately can change Skorri’s behavior in the end.

 

Motivation: I need to get out of my shell and socialize, immediately. Other than that, I need to enjoy the summer holidays well enough to have power to make the coming work year but not too loose that I undo the training and diet progress made so far.

 

Once again, welcome and thank you for following. One last note, expect plenty of Norse/Viking music on this thread, just to set the mood. Here's one to go with Skorri's tale and his ambition of a glorious death in combat.

 

 

Visual reference for Skorri

and for my character

 

 

 

 

Progress tracking spreadsheet

[DarK_RaideR]

WEEK 1

 

Raider and Skorri stepped out of the portal into a small town, dominated by a huge hall clad in plates of mirrored steel. Most of the locals were humans, clad in armor and carrying weapons no matter what they were doing. Several others stood watch over the town’s great walls. “This must be Himinborg,” began the githzerai, “entrance to the Norse Halls of Asgard, where the power Heimdall guards the Bifr…”

 

“Spare me the academics” Skorri cut him off. “If this is where the bravest heroes that have fallen in battle go, I’d say it’s hell. Where’s all the fightin’ you told me? This place is BORING!”

 

A bystander paused and looked at Skorri. “You’d better watch your attitude, dwarf” he said in a sharp tone. “Or what?” replied Skorri mockingly. The man was about to respond, when the sound of a horn cut them off, sending the warrior running to the city gate. “That sounds like an alarm, of sorts” remarked Raider. Moments after, rocks came crashing down from the sky and onto the houses around. “Giants!” cried Skorri in excitement. “Now that’s proper action!” he said, drawing his weapons and dashing towards the way the man went earlier. â€œDefinitely an alarm” muttered Raider to himself. He sighed in resignation, drawing his trusty bastard sword. “Oh well” he said, as he strided to catch up with his companion. “I suppose it’s the most appropriate way to meet the locals.”

 

It’s the first week and it starts with a bang, an attack by frost giants! Because of that, the personal mini-challenge for week 1 will be to do extra workouts, every day of the week. Woodchoppers, punches, squats, situps, planks, pushups and burpees are the plan, minimum of 40 each, every time. No one said fighting giants is easy.

 

SHOW NO FEAR. ATTACK!

 

It was past midnight when the frost giants retreated. It had been a long and hard fight, but Himinborg was still standing. Raider searched for his companion in the torchlight. Even though he was short, his great orange mohawk was hard to miss. The dwarf caught sight of him and walked to meet him. "An' what's that all about?" said Skorri in frustration, as he stretched out his arms in front of himself. Both of them, along with all his body, were full of wounds. Within moments, the bleeding stopped and the skin was pulled together, not even leaving a scar behind as witness. "That would be the academics you wished to be spared of" replied the githzerai. "You see, this is one of the realms where wounds heal rapidly"

 

Skorri raised a questioning eyebrow "How'm I s'pposed ta die then? Hmphf, I'd kill you for this trickery, if only you were a worthier opponent that those giants". Raider smiled. "Go ahead. It wouldn't change a thing". His calm demeanor baffled the dwarf, who slid from angry to completely lost. "You see," continued the githzerai as he sheathed his blade, "all who have fallen in battle here, are brought back to life at first light of dawn. Guess it's easier for them to be brave with backups like this"

 

Skorri had gone into pure despair. "This.. really is.. hell" he muttered. "Well, if you're trying to die, it's not the most convenient place" mused Raider. "But once you've made it, I'd say it's a pretty decent posthumous retirement destination. Come on, let's find a way out of here, we gotta get to the portal for the next layer."

 

Most fitting video. Complete with flaming nuns, trolls and burning churches

 

WEEK 2

 

The great drakkar, the dragon-headed viking warship, slid lazily over thin air and nothingness. Ysgard was composed of great land masses floating in nothingness, so these longboats were the only means of travelling from one to another. As soon as they hit the shore, Skorri jumped down, eager to be back on solid ground. Raider followed close behind. In front of them was a small walled village. "Any academics I should be aware of?" grumbled the dwarf with a sideways glance. "Not really" replied the githzerai with a shake of his head. "This should be Skeinheim. It's residents call themselves the Ring-givers, they're a cult based on giving things, so try not to drink all their ale".

 

Indeed, the guards at the gate were extremely helpful in providing information about navigating the town. The two men walked to the Circle Hall, the closest thing around resembling a seat of local authority. There, they presented themselves before Factol Ingwe Alting, the leader of the Ring-Givers, who was more than happy to provide them with directions to a local one-way portal to Muspelheim, the plane's second layer, along with the portal key and directions. "Feel free to go around town and gather the supplies you will need" he advised them.

 

"Well, what do we need to go there?" asked Skorri. "Short version" he added, hastily. The githzerai took a deep breath, trying to remember what he knew about the blazing second layer of Ysgard. "It's a realm of searing heat" he began. "I remember reading that the ground is so hot it burns shoes, then instantly cauterizes one's feet, so that he never feels it. We would do well to get some shoes that would last, probably rings of magical resistance against fire would be useful as well... and water. We need a reliable source of water."

 

The slayer frowned. "Let me guess. They will have all these things conveniently around. And they'll just give them to us. No money, no grand quests to help them before they reward us with those things. Where's the catch?". Raider shook his shoulders. "There is no catch. It's what they believe in, their belief extends to their actions as well. Although I do feel like we're robbing them. Maybe it's the climate here, but I'd like to offer them something as well."

 

Personal mini-challenge for Week 2 is all about giving. Whether it's helping a beggar or packing my old clothes and giving them away to charity, everything counts. Since it's a bit hard to make this goal a SMART one, I'll just award respect points for every occasion.

[DarK_RaideR]

The change was immediately felt once they stepped out of the portal. The heat made the air ripple, while the landscape was a barren wasteland, just empty fields of sharp, volcanic rock. After struggling to get used to breathing the hot air, they were both drawn to the source of the heat; looking upwards, the sky was a raging inferno, flames reaching down to the ground instead of upwards. "This is even crazier than before" remarked Skorri. "That is because here, the earthbergs float upside down. Previously, we had a nice warmth rising up from the ground, now the ground and sky have switched places, but at least gravity still works, lest we'd be soaring down towards the flames." replied Raider.

Skorri snorted. "I don't like those magic trinkets you got, but they are keeping us from burning. So, where's our fight?". The githzerai looked around. "See those mountains at the horizon? Our destination, the Spire of the Fire Giant god, Surtur, lies beyond them. To get there we have to brave the mountainline, called the Serpent's Spine. Every pass is guarded by Fire Giants, which should provide plenty of challenge for you. So, shall we?"

The dwarf looked puzzled for a second, trying to understand whether Raider was making fun of him, then began walking with him towards the mountains ahead.

"I think this is the beginning of a love/hate friendship"

 

Personal mini-challenge for Week 3 was supposed to be about drinking plenty of water, but the RPG Fanatics got to it first, plus I'm leaving to go camping at a place where water is scarce anyway. Instead, it'll be about remembering to use sunscreen every time I'm at the beach and moisturizing cream at the end of the day. Skin burns are a nasty, nasty thing.

 

[DarK_RaideR]

Skorri had been absolutely unstoppable. Once they had crossed the land to reach the mountains, any fire giant stronghold in their way had to face his wrath. Raider had trouble keeping up with the Slayer and his bezerker fighting. The dwarf's mouth may have been frothing, but he seemed at peace when in the clutches of fury. His moves were direct, without question and without mercy. He took every hit instead of attempting to evade it and shook it off just as easily. All-out attack, recklessness, caution thrown to the wind, this was the most suicidal fighting style the githzerai had ever witnessed, still Skorri just wouldn't stop.

 

"This...is too... easy" said Skorri trying to catch his breath, as he connected with reality again and tried to catch his breath. "Let's... move on". The githzerai nodded and pointed out of the keep's window. "That's where we're headed. The Spire of Surtr" he said, his finger on a black spike in the horizon. "He better be there" Skorri said with glee. Raider wished for the opposite under his breath.

 

As they left the fire giant keep to get back on the road, they stumbled upon a strange sight. Fire giants aren't the most nimble creatures, so the sight of a young one trying to hide was at least pathetic. Raider took advantage of Skorri's confusion to hold him back, wishing that he was too winded to fly into another fit of bezerker rage. "Please, no kill Ogrin!" The sight became more and more pathetic. "Give us a good reason not to" answered Raider, who had no idea what kind of leverage he could use or how he could turn the situation to his advantage. "Ogrin give you gold" replied the cowering fire giant. "Other giants no take Ogrin's gold. Ogrin have troll blood, so he stay out. Ogrin have plenty of gold, he go mercenary with efreeti. You mercenaries?"

The githezerai still was a bit confused. Skorri's brain had melted already a while ago. "We might be. What about it?"

 

Ogrin's face split into a long, ugly smile. "Ogrin want girlfriend. We steal giant maidens who take care of Surtr Spire, but Ogrin never go near. Other giants keep Ogrin away. Ogrin pay you to go with him to Surtr Spire. Ogrin get his wife, little ones get mercenary gold". The githzerai tried hard not to laugh. "You have yourself a deal. Take us there"

 

The Slayer was still lost. "This be another o' ye masterplans?" he managed to mutter. "Of course" Raider replied proudly. "We have a guide to take us there, extra muscle, plenty of giants in our path for you to slay and we get to the portal in the Spire for the next level."

 

Personal mini-challenge for Week 4: Covering the distance to the Spire means walking, swimming etc. No set goals, no pressure, just want to see how far I can go.

 

[DarK_RaideR]

Things had gone downhill.

 

There is a saying about mortals making plans and gods having a laugh, but Raider was sure they'd never tried tossing a bezerker dwarf in that mix. The walk had turned out fine, but instead of guardians around the Spire of Surtr, the group had found a circle of fire giants battling each other for the opportunity to get inside but also get out with their abducted future wife. Seemed about right too, since fire giants are too unruly to make good guards. Competition and natural selection managed to weed out the weaker ones just fine.

 

Of course, such a sight couldn't leave Skorri indifferent. Before the githzerai had a chance to react or even think something along the lines of "Oh sh..", the dwarf was already charging into the fray. That was all Ogrin needed to consider their mercenary contract breached. Fire giants... too chaotic to stick to a plan, too stupid to look at the bigger picture and their actual goal. Within seconds, regardless of whether they wanted it or not, they had all joined the huge all-against-all rumble. Escaping the giants' attention wasn't that hard, at least for the nimble githzerai. Skorri was too busy shouting challenges and cleaving opponents. Talking was out of the question and dragging him along was easier said than done, at least without serious risk to one's well-being. Adapting to the situation, Raider threw some blows his way to get the Slayer's attention, then switched to full defense as he danced out of the fray and towards the portal to the next layer. He was bleeding heavily by the time they made it through, but at least all his limbs were still in place.

 

Walking through this portal was like walking through an ordinary door. Not only because the transition was smooth, realized Raider, but because there was also a fight going on here. They were in some dark underground realm, standing next to a group of obsidian-skinned elves who were busy butchering a group of heavily outnumbered dwarves. The elves were dancing around them like a pack of hyenas and every once in a while, one would step out to stab a dwarf with deadly grace. There was something morbidly fascinating in that scene, until a familiar warcry split the music of metal on metal. Skorri was still lost in his sea of bezerk fury.

 

Great. This was about to get even better.

 

Personal Mini-challenge for Week 5: Let them fight it out, I have wounds to tend and breaths to take. This week's mini is two-fold

A) Healing the wounds: Managed to get sunburned all over, so I need to apply moisturizer at least once every day until the end of the week.

B ) Realizing I've become too jumpy with people for my own good. To the point that I might overhear a stupid conversation from a nearby table and get negative feelings for the rest of the evening. Since it's bound to happen every day (it actually happens more than once every day) I'll just have to try and let it slip by.

 

[DarK_RaideR]

Skorri was dancing on top of a small corpse pile. It was a slow dance, as he desperately swung his axes left and right. The dark elves had given him little space to use his weapons but he had managed to take most of them down. Still, they were more than the solitary dwarf. They were faster, they were not as exhausted and they certainly hadn't lost as much blood. Raider stood up to his feet, taking a moment to calculate his next move. He could let Skorri meet his long-awaited demise, even defending his rock brothers in the process. Well, not exactly defending, but they were fewer and smart enough to keep their distance. While they were still targets for the bezerker, their chances of survival were increased compared to the drow. Or, he could step in. Sure, when Skorri came back to, he wouldn't be happy about it, but the githzerai had learned to deal with this. Somehow, he would be able to convince the slayer that if they had gone fresh into the fight, it would have been too easy. His moral compass told him that he'd be wrong to idly stand by, but then again, morality was for knights in shining armor. He was a practical person, and given the situation, "practical" said that if he let Skorri fall, the remaining elves would make short work of the githzerai and the other dwarves, not to mention what could happen in case they met any other hostiles around. They were in Nidavellir, the underground third layer of Ysgard. Things able and willing to kill them were more common than rocks.

 

Raider drew his blades and stretched his arms down. Purple flame engulfed his entire figure. With a glare of determination, he began walking towards the fray, the blade tips clanging on the ground every few steps he took. Not willing to put up with another sizeable foe, the dark elves returned to the shadows. They didn't move as much as flowed back into them, graceful as snakes and twice as vicious. Of course, this meant that Skorri had run out of targets, save for a flaming purple thing nearby. Who knows what his bezerk eyes were seeing, perhaps he thought it was some demon. The axes came down and met the githzerai's crossed blades in a parry. Lucky for him, the dwarf was too exhausted to put enough strength behind his blows. Luckier even, the dark elves didn't have a magician among them, one still standing at least, so the purple fire illusion had intimidated them enough without draining the githzerai too much. No use in pushing his luck further, Raider dismissed the flames and looked deep in the slayer's bloodshot eyes. "Sleep now, yes?"

 

The dwarf fell on his back and lay on top of his dead enemies. Quite the poetic moment, if the remaining dwarves hadn't interrupted. "Who are you? What is the meaning of this?" one of them shouted. Raider sighed. He wanted to reply "The one who saved your butts" but managed to swallow his anger. Dwarves were never a race of diplomacy and formalities (unless they were a part of tradition, of course) but expecting them to thank you for anything was too much to ask. You'd have to at least kill a dragon and liberate a lost stronghold full of riches before they'd consider thanking you. "I am Raider" he said, in the friendliest tone he could muster. "That's Skorri, companion in travel and battle-brother in combat. We would like to visit one of your fabled forge-cities, perhaps buy some things we could afford and then return to Sigil. Who am I honoured to ask for such a courtesy?" The dwarf fixed his beard and took a deep breath. The githzerai smiled. You could always count on dwarves for some things, one of them being that they loved to introduce themselves. "I am Athkar Brimstone, son of Uthgar Brimstone, grandson of Brognar Brimstone. These here are my men. We patrol the routes around these parts, keeping the monster population in check and away from the settlements. Usually it's cave beasts or some kobold troupe, but today we had our hands full when we walked straight into a drow ambush. The others need to know, before the dark elves decide to try anything crazy. We have a cart around that tunnel's turn. Let's loot what we can from the drow, load our dead men for a decent burial and carry your friend. Let's get moving, the carrion crawlers might show up any moment now."

 

Personal mini-challenge for Week 6: Preparation. Yes, as the challenge draws to its end. Raider has to think of what he'll tell Skorri and the leader of the dwarf community, prepare for the interaction and the trip back home. In a similar fashion, I have to get ready for coming back to work, picking up my diet, workouts and preparing for the next challenge. At least one of those things every day should do the trick.

 

 

Raider sat on the dwarves' cart, keeping an eye on Skorri. The bezerker had fainted once the battle was over and who knew when he'd wake up again. This was not going the way he planned it. He was a planewalker of course, so his goal of traversing Ysgard was done, but secretly he had been hoping for more.

 

He had dreamt of returning with an item made in the famous forge-cities of the Norse Dwarves, but his initial approach went downhill. The dwarves would never offer him a gift for simply saving a few lives and even if he had any money, he'd never be able to afford the prices. He'd have to stay for a while and do things for the dwarves if he wanted a shot, but even then, being a non-dwarf was a strong barrier.

He had hoped Skorri would be able to walk out with a brand new axe, perhaps magical even. Thanks to his bezerking fit, the dwarves didn't have the best impression and learning about the Slayers, they'd probably look down on him as a failure.

 

The githzerai sighed. "Let's just see the figurehead and find a way back to Sigil, get this whole story over with" he whispered to himself.

 

**************************

 

Skorri opened his eyes. He was deep underground, staring at a dwarven ceiling. For a moment, he wondered if he had actually made it, but immediatelly his entire body flooded his brain with signals of pain, reminding him he was still alive. The dwarf took a deep breath and let it out as a sigh. "I figured that fainting from exhaustion and being devoured by scavengers while unconscious didn't exactly register as a heroic death" came Raider's voice from somewhere nearby. If dwarves weren't known for their complete lack of understanding when it comes to humor, he would have noticed that the githzerai was sarcastic rather than in a good mood. "I... remember giants" he muttered. The sound of footsteps on a rock floor brought Raider into view. The githzerai checked Skorri's wounds, then sat by his stone bed to do the catch-up.

 

"Yes, the giants. We fought hard but I had to drag you along to the portal. They were so many that your death was guaranteed but certainly not heroic.We stumbled into the underground of Nidavellir, the third and final layer of Ysgard. A dwarf patrol was under attack by some obsidian-skinned elves, you were still lost to your rage, so things went about their natural course. Thankfully for everyone, you managed to spare your kin, which is why they brought us here to their Forge-city. I've spoken to their leader, so we are now aware of the nearest portal back to Sigil and the key to activate it. As soon as you are back on your feet, we can get going. That is... if you want to."

 

The last words struck oddly with Skorri. Raider read his face and explained. "You see, they patrol the tunnels, but also have kind of mercenary companies. Freelance patrolling, they raid their enemies once in a while to keep them in check... they get rewards per head and keep the loot. I figured out you might want to join one. They could use your skills and you may find the honourable death you seek while defending your race. Better than travelling with me. I..." the githzerai paused. "I feel like I've failed you. This whole trip was a failure"

 

"Don't give me that whiny talk like cryin' lass!" snapped Skorri. "You wanted to see this place, you saw it. Don't sell yourself short, you're a good leader, you got us through and dealt with myself. Ain't a bad fighter either, although you could do better. Ye'r the one always rambling about *knowing* stuff, so shuddup already, you know a whole lot more than when we met in the Bottle & Jug". The githzerai took a moment to consider his situation once more, as the dwarf went on. "Speaking of bottles, I could use a drink. Some proper dwarven ale, since we're here. I'm better with a cooler drink. Then I'll see what I'm gonna do next."

[Elder]

Look at you planning ahead!

[DarK_RaideR]

Look at you planning ahead!

I even have the entire first post written and saved in a Word file, I'm just delaying it until the story from by Battle Log catches up

[Leothil]

And here I thought I'd get to read some new awesomeness from you. Well, looking forward to the construction being finished.

[DarK_RaideR]

And here I thought I'd get to read some new awesomeness from you. Well, looking forward to the construction being finished.

  Awwww stahp, you make me blush....

Good to have you around again, I know there's going to be at least ONE person to read my long storylines  Still waiting to see your thread for this Challenge

[rita lin]

Wow with the planning, taking a note out of Teros' book? lol

[Leothil]

Good to have you around again, I know there's going to be at least ONE person to read my long storylines  Still waiting to see your thread for this Challenge

 

I wouldn't dare to miss it. My thread is probably going live this weekend, I'm still forming the final draft of the challenge in my mind.

[ShadowLion]

Just popping it to say, "Hi!" Can't wait to read your story and follow all the awesomeness we have come to admire and respect.

 

Oh, and you are an official Ranger now, too - congrats! Can hear a lot of raucous singing down by the shore, in fact...

[DarK_RaideR]

Wow with the planning, taking a note out of Teros' book? lol

Not just taking a note, I stole was inspired by the entire format. Check the edited first post

 

I wouldn't dare to miss it. My thread is probably going live this weekend, I'm still forming the final draft of the challenge in my mind.

I'll keep an eye out. Oh, and the story is up, check the first post.

 

Just popping it to say, "Hi!" Can't wait to read your story and follow all the awesomeness we have come to admire and respect.

 

Oh, and you are an official Ranger now, too - congrats! Can hear a lot of raucous singing down by the shore, in fact...

It's the imp bourbon that's got me in the singing mood  Great to have you around, ShadowLion. Hope you enjoy yourself.

[Leothil]

I'll keep an eye out. Oh, and the story is up, check the first post.

 

Love the story! And your challenge looks very well modified for the vacation season. Great thinking!

[ChristArtist]

i'm here, I'm here...don't start without me!

 

;-)

 

you gotta see the vid on my first page! ;-)

[Arya Sapphire]

Alright DarK_RaideR you need to stop being awesome. That's impossible? Okay, okay...  

 

I really liked your intro and that Skorri looks badass (must be the beard)! I'm definitely looking forward to reading more from you and following your progress and epic quest and all that. Keep rocking!

[Cledbo]

DWARVEN MOHAWKS FTW!!

 

 

Ahem...

 

Sorry, the gamer in me just jumps out every now and then, I can't help it!

 

I love that your quest includes one of those hardest of all things - social interaction. Talk to people in line for stuff, or sitting next to you in a cafe. I love that

I'm feelin' ya on the no takeout goal too - that's one of mine, and I think it's going to be a challenge (one worth doing, of course!). We should swap recipes,

 

So subb'd, can't wait to watch you kill it again.

[Endor]

Have you read Sun Tsu's "Art of War"?  I reckon that's a book you'd enjoy. 

[Shello]

Awesome challenge and a bonus story line.  I'm def subbing to keep track. 

 

Your goals are great.  Very flexible and a great way to allow for weekly modifications and just to keep you on your toes!

[DarK_RaideR]

Love the story! And your challenge looks very well modified for the vacation season. Great thinking!

Woot! Thanks a lot, still waiting for yours. I've tried to adapt to the situation, especially when it comes to setting SMART goals. I think I did pretty good in the end.

 

i'm here, I'm here...don't start without me!

 

;-)

 

you gotta see the vid on my first page! ;-)

You can't start any adventure until you've got a healer in the party

 

I saw it before, but hesitated to click. I detest campfire (and beachfire, for that matter) songs >.<

 

Alright DarK_RaideR you need to stop being awesome. That's impossible? Okay, okay...

 

I really liked your intro and that Skorri looks badass (must be the beard)! I'm definitely looking forward to reading more from you and following your progress and epic quest and all that. Keep rocking!

I'm the Avatar of Awesome! (hey, that's a catchy name...)

 

Stay tuned, that's one crazy fellow I brought along for the ride

 

DWARVEN MOHAWKS FTW!!

 

 

Ahem...

 

Sorry, the gamer in me just jumps out every now and then, I can't help it!

 

I love that your quest includes one of those hardest of all things - social interaction. Talk to people in line for stuff, or sitting next to you in a cafe. I love that

I'm feelin' ya on the no takeout goal too - that's one of mine, and I think it's going to be a challenge (one worth doing, of course!). We should swap recipes,

 

So subb'd, can't wait to watch you kill it again.

I know, right? How can you not love dwarves. And mohawks. Mohawked bezerker dwarves? That's, like, OVER 9.000!

 

I can manage casual small talk with people that I'll never see again, it's the "deeper" social interaction and making new friends that I want to work on.

 

I really love cooking, once I'm done with the diet I'm definately up for recipe exchange. Not that I have many, I just open my fridge, cupboards and spice rack, thinking what to combine for the day. It's another reason why I like this diet, it gives me specific stuff to buy and cook.

 

Have you read Sun Tsu's "Art of War"?  I reckon that's a book you'd enjoy. 

Several times. It's wonderful how it's a completely different read each time, depending on your experience, ideas and areas of application.

 

Awesome challenge and a bonus story line.  I'm def subbing to keep track. 

 

Your goals are great.  Very flexible and a great way to allow for weekly modifications and just to keep you on your toes!

Thank you very much. Good to have you around.

 

I did have a hard time thinking this challenge out, given the situation in August. Think the end result is good, I can keep up with my goals without feeling that I set the bar too low.

 

Edit: Here's my spreadsheet for this challenge, also on the first post. Will be updated as the challenge progresses. Cause you know, we all love spreadsheets.

[Chris-Tien Jinn]

I like quest #3 - change up the workouts and diversify!!  I hope you have a LOT of fun and share ideas on movement that's not always the WORKOUT. 

[Varelse]

Some viking music for your motivation!

 

[DarK_RaideR]

Incoming long (but awesome) post alert

 

I like quest #3 - change up the workouts and diversify!!  I hope you have a LOT of fun and share ideas on movement that's not always the WORKOUT. 

Felt like challenging myself, plus main reason I switched to crossfit was that I wasn't having fun at the typical gym. Enjoying your workouts is serious motivation, instead of pressing yourself to do them. Hope I discover some nice stuff and will try to come up with photos too. Feel free to be inspired and try out stuff!

 

Some viking music for your motivation!

I LOVE Wardruna, discovered them when they put out the Yggdrasil album and started listening to their other stuff. Definately part of the music to be played down the challenge, mostly for when I want a more atmospheric approach. Thanks for the tune!

 

 

Alright, by popular demand, here's a bit of D_R awesomeness for the masses. Take it as a preview of things to come, once the challenge gets underway.

 

Thursday night, I was supposed to go see an old classmate and army buddy who was playing music with his cousin at a restaurant. Plus, his mother was the one that gave me that employment case I was stressing out about last week and during our last appointment, I'd promised them we'd meet there. I was supposed to go with another friend of mine, but he got called up for work, so I decided to just drop by just to say hi and have a glass of wine. What I didn't know was that at the table would also be my friend's aunt with her daughter and two of the daughter's friends. Oh my... it was a great night, I almost began my bezerker challenge, but was stopped dead on my tracks when I was told they were from out of town and just visiting for a few days. There certainly was something in the air and a definite reaction, but I wasn't going to push for a one-off thing, especially when the "target's" mother was right there sitting next to her. Anyway, we had lots of fun, I'll just say we left the place at 4am, when it closed.

 

Next morning, I woke up feeling rested and thinking I never heard my alarm, which had been set for 8. Surprise, it was 7, a whole hour before it was supposed to ring! So with 3 hours of sleep and feeling perfectly ok, I went to work and did wonders once more. It was a rough day, not so much because of work, but because of dealing with annoying people. Anyway, hit the CF box afterwards and after the Rope Jump D/Us warmup, I DESTROYED the challenge they presented me with. Had 20kg on the barbell, had to do 100 thrusters (a.k.a. front barbell squat into an overhead press) and every time I dropped the bar, I had to do 8 burpees into negative pullups before I was allowed to take a break. Not only did I pull through in 30/15/20/20/15 sets and about 20mins overall, my PTs couldn't believe the resolve they were witnessing. Seriously, they were asking if I'd show up again, fearing I'd drop out of trainings after what they were making me do! Another great thing, friend of mine also going to the same box, she told me she's looking for people to rent a sailing boat with for the holidays, so of course I said I'm interested. Seems like the "get to know new people and do different things" goal is already off to a great start. Needless to say, I was hungry like a wolf afterwards, so I finally managed to cook the last piece of salmon from my freezer.

 

That's salmon fillet, wrapped in tinfoil, cooked on the frying pan's plate, showered with a spicy mustard/olive oil/sea salt/balsamic vinegar/dash o' brown sugar/caper sauce and sprinkled with some fresh pepper. Oh, and my tomato salad on the side.

 

In the evening, I took my visiting friend to see my mom, who's also her godmother. We had a nice evening chatting and enjoying coffee, watermelon, pineapple and my cats being silly. When we got back, we found the rest of the crew plus others, about 20 people in total, in some seafood restaurant. They'd just eaten, so I skipped ordering extra stuff. We went for a drink and had fun, but I again managed not to have anything, which nobody noticed in all that crowd enjoying their beers. On the way back home, I did buy 3 chicken skewers (unhealthy gyros and other stuff successfully resisted) and went to bed at 2am. Woke up today at 2pm, which means a grand 12 hours of sleep! Just had my turkish coffee while browsing the forums, I'm about to make a custom light spaghetti carbonara with 1,5% milk and smoked turkey waffers and do some housework. Schedule's pretty much about lounging, cause at night I'm invited to a country home international party one of the guys from yesterday is throwing.

 

SO.MUCH.WIN!

[Cledbo]

 

Zoey agrees, D_R is WINNING.