Roots: The Isle of Stirk
As they pulled in view of the docks, Tor requested they all join him for a feast in celebration of the end of the war. He told them he lived on the Northern rim of the island not far from the docks, and his father was preparing a massive feast for his return. It struck Ashled rather suddenly that he had never once asked Tor about his life in Stirk. All he had been able to gather is that Tor did have a wife and a son who was a year old or so at the start of the war. It very quickly, however, became apparent why such a massive, toughened warrior was not a member of the Gryphons. If he lived on the north side he surely had some allegiance owed to the Jurgikssen family, as they owned almost the entire Northern shore. The island of Stirk wasn't particularly large, just big enough to be worth drawing on a map of Tamriel. It sat in the Abecean sea, near equidistant from the coasts of Hamerfell, Cyrodiil, Valenwood, and the Summerset Isles.
The climate was warm and temperate with uncommon tropical storms that blew in from the South irregularly every few years. Much like the infamous Stros M'kai, Stirk was a haven for pirates. Among the pirates it was known for its steel, its big men, and its beautiful women. Stirk was unique in that the iron collected through mostly surface mining was of exquisite purity, which meant the steel was higher quality. Pure steel combined with Stirk's warrior culture and hardworking smiths lead to the invention of the aptly named "Stirk Steel," which was an incredibly durable and hard steel that held an edge longer than any other (on earth we would call this Bainite.) The only other smiths who could achieve this temper of steel were the Gray Manes who worked the Skyforge. Stirk steel blades were common on the island, but to the few outsiders who got their hands on them they were priceless weapons that may as well be magic.
The city that took up most of the space on the island was founded around 1500 years prior to the great war by sea raiders who were looking to settle down. They never minded trading with pirates. Pirates were perfect customers as they were never organized enough to overpower the warriors of Stirk, and their presence on the island maintained the rumors that the island was a lawless no man's land. No country deemed the island worth the trouble of clearing out the pirates and so they were left alone and unaffiliated with any country. The island country was mostly desert originally, however, planned irrigation and generations of farming had turned many parts of the island into perfectly decent farmland. By keeping the island's population small, the "Serpents" were able to maintain their ideal situation of a self-sufficient, and therefore, "secret" Stirk.
As previously mentioned, the island could be easily divided into two main sections being the North side and South side. Those of the South lived a harder but freer life. The South preferred men and women settling their disputes with duels rather than debates, they preferred long days farming or fishing under the sun rather than long nights of studying by candlelight. The people reflected this on their faces. Men of the South wore large beards paired with flowing manes, while the women wore battle-braids. In addition, they usually wore creases between their brows by the age of 30 and scars on their arms and faces from years of battle and work. The buildings they lived in were classic Nord houses reminiscent of something you may find in Whiterun, right down to the imported wood and scaled roofs. The streets were uneven cobblestone and all circled around or sprung out from the great mead hall of the Gryphon Slayer's Warrior Guild. The entire Southern half of the island was built around the guild's mead hall. It was the pride of the South if not the whole island. The exterior featured intricate carvings of all the greatest warriors and battles to come from the guild. It was the dream of every Southern Stirk citizen to one day adorn the walls of the mead hall. Upon his return, Ashled would be happy to see himself immortalized on the walls next to his siblings.
Alternatively, the North of the island took pride in their wealth, class, and access to knowledge. Men of the North kept short practical hair and beards that were combed and styled when needed. The women of the North often preferred the domestic life to the hard life of a Southern battlemaiden. Whereas women and men of the South were both deemed more attractive the stronger physically larger they were, only the men were expected to be rugged in the North while women strove for elegance, grace, and intelligence. The homes in the North were more refined as well. Never snooty, but the abundance of dark wood, clean straight lines, and symmetrical design ensured the North told those who walked through the streets "you're not welcome here." The docks up North were crowded with stands run by traders offering imported commodities that were fresh off the boat. In the south, no such traders existed. If a Southern man needed food for dinner he grew it, killed it, or spoke directly to the farmer who had. Up North they had developed refrigeration using frost salts. Down south there was no need, dinner's meat was alive that morning. No one way of life was superior, only different. However, one thing was universal amongst all men born in Stirk: You trained every day to be the biggest and most deadly warrior you could be.
As the three longships pulled into the docs on the North side, the sails were pulled down and some of the men sat down to row the rest of the way in. Waiting on the docks were women, children, and elderly calling out to their husbands and wives, sons and daughters, mothers and fathers whom they hadn't seen in five long years. Ashled and Tor were amongst those rowing, so they could not see the crowds on the docks but just the sounds of the joyous hordes crying out to the soldiers left tears flowing freely down the face of Tor.
"I can't wait for you to meet them Ashled, Gods how I've missed my Family." choked out Tor "My son, Torson, he'll be seven soon."
"We'll see him soon brother." Ashled couldn't imagine having to leave behind a son who was so young. But he believes Tor did the right thing, the empire needed him. The boats got closer to the beaches and some of the men were so eager to see their loved ones they jumped off the boats and swam to shore. Ashled and Tor continued to row hard and fast until the ships were all beached. The four warriors quickly grabbed their things and disembarked to thunderous applause and uproar from the citizens. Ashled looked out and saw his mother and father waving to him and Breela. He wondered if they had heard about Aslan yet. He was saddened to have to tell them about his brother, but overjoyed to be alive and to show them the woman to whom he would soon be married. He wore Aslan's axes next to Yggdrasil on his belt as he pushed his way through the crowds to see them. Meanwhile, just beside the boats, Tor looked out for his family. Before he had completed a full scan of the area he was greeted by a child's hug around his left leg with the power of a young boy in full sprint behind it. The death of his closest comrades couldn't have brought Tor to his knees as quickly. He looked his son in the eyes and said,
"Torson my boy look at you! You've gone and Grown into a full man while I was away!" before picking him up, placing him on his shoulders, and asking "Now where's pops and mama?" he made his way over to his father, Tarn, and wife Dorne. He hugged them both with his long thick tree trunk arms and pulled them in tightly. It had been so long since he had felt the warm embrace of a loved one. As the four of them wiped the tears from their eyes and gathered themselves, he urged his father to come with him to meet Ashled. As he tugged them along, he told them of the stories of Ashled The Fleet and how close they became, even referring to each other as brothers.
On the other side of the docks Ashled was finally face to face with his mother and father. Breela opted to hold a more stoic presence, wearing only a genuine smile, while Ashled did his best to hold back tears. He was flooded with guilt over the death of his brother and tried his best to apologize to his parents for letting them down and allowing his brother to die in battle.
"No no my son you're truly a hero. No family is without loss today" whispered his mother.
"Aslan looks down on us from Sovngarde now my son, he knows how much you love him." his father added with a pat on the back. After Ashled had collected himself. He introduced his new fiance to resounding approval. Alcedonia radiated the kind of class, grace, and firmness a Bjornson ought to strive for. Once introductions were complete, Ashled insisted his mother and father, as well as sister come to meet the man Ashled held in the highest regard.
"This is truly a man's man father, an honorary Bjornson if I had ever met one!" he exclaimed.
"If he's even a fourth of the man you tout him to be, I'll be impressed!" his father chuckled.
"Oh I promise Ashled is being modest" Alcedonia interjected.
"The name Tor sounds familiar, is he a gryphon? I may have met him." Aslong continued. Ashled responded:
"No he's a Northerner unfortunately, but perhaps we could get a home built for his family on the South side, he is kin to me now father." the four continued to follow Ashled as he led them through the crowded streets. Ashled looked around to find Tor and then, like fate, the two made eye contact over the heads of the mob. Their enormous height made the two stick out like torches in a dark cave. They both cut their way through the people towards each other until eventually the brothers stood in front of each other again at last. However this was not the only significant meeting taking place. The signature broad smile fell from Tor's face, and Ashled's heart sunk into his stomach. Ashled The Fleet stood directly across from Tor The Destroyer, and next to them, Aslong Bjornson stood directly across from Tarn Jurgikssen.