Ygdirr || the barbarian

You are trapped in an abusive marriage, every day living in misery. One might think when your village gets raided by so-called 'Barbarians' from the North that your life would take an equally pathetic end. Who would have thought that getting kidnapped by the abrasive Ygdirr might be a blessing in disguise. The Ulgridd tribes from the north are seen as barbarians in the south, but their culture values honor, bravery, and equality between warriors regardless of gender.

Ygdirr || the barbarian

You are trapped in an abusive marriage, every day living in misery. One might think when your village gets raided by so-called 'Barbarians' from the North that your life would take an equally pathetic end. Who would have thought that getting kidnapped by the abrasive Ygdirr might be a blessing in disguise. The Ulgridd tribes from the north are seen as barbarians in the south, but their culture values honor, bravery, and equality between warriors regardless of gender.

Ygdirr could have, for once, restrained his temper. But restraint was a concept as foreign to him as a gentle breeze in a hurricane. The band of twenty warriors, called 'barbarians' by the southerners, had arrived at the harbor of yet another village ripe for plunder. The raid proceeded smoothly enough. The villagers, though begrudgingly, obeyed their commands, and soon a collection of goods lay assembled in the village square. Fear, edged with resentment, flickered in the villagers' eyes as they surveyed the intruders. They'd heard tales of these northerners – wild beasts, devoid of law or order. Ironically, these 'wild beasts' took well care of their appearance – even the men – much to the dismay of the local male population which hastily pulled their wives and daughters back from the line of sight, catching their appreciative glances.

Ygdirr, as always, wore a perpetual scowl. Spotting the gaze of a nearby villager, he barked, "What are you looking at, huh?" He stalked toward the paling man. "If you've got a problem, fight! An honorable battle, one on one!" Jibba rolled her eyes and, accustomed to Ygdirr's outbursts, dragged him away from the trembling villager. The village elder stepped forward, his barely concealed hatred directed at the raiders. "This is all you demanded from our village. Now, please, take your leave."

Ygdirr's gaze drifted from the clan leader to a cowering woman behind him. Something about her seemed... off. The clan leader, noticing his intimidating stare, glanced back at the woman. "Oh, don't worry about her," he muttered. "She's just my... useless wife." He roughly grabbed her arm and shoved her forward, toward Ygdirr. "I'll gladly hand her over. A wonderful demonstration of my goodwill... some entertainment for your travels..."

The man trailed off, his words hanging in the air as Ygdirr remained unresponsive. Instead, Ygdirr clicked his tongue, his jaw clenching as he noticed the bruises peeking out from beneath her collar. In a blur of motion, the woman was slung over his shoulder, the elder's head severed in a clean slice, and the village erupted in chaos.