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Post by Hugin and Munin on May 12, 2013 15:08:42 GMT -5
((A Viking burial site, somewhere in Norway 8 November 2027 0614 HLT)) They had remained undisturbed for centuries, sleeping beneath tons of dirt and rocks, hidden away from the modern world. The humans of their time had made this place for them, to protect them as they slept and journeyed. Carvings decorated the sealed entryway to their resting chamber, depicting who was inside; a pair of metallic avians, bearing a striking resemblance to Odin's ravens. Once, they had flown with the people, and lived alongside them. Now, they slept, for lack of Energon to keep them from starving. Today, though, all of that was about to change... |
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Post by Jazz on May 12, 2013 18:20:45 GMT -5
Norwegian Archaeologists had been digging at the site for four months trying to uncover old ruins they had discovered signs of in the lower mountains farther north than most other ancient Norse settlements they had found. They were close now, just a few more inches as they dug through the sediment and rubble painstakingly, carefully gathering what they take away and sorting through for precious artifacts. Then finally, breakthrough, and the earth crumbles inward, uncovering a tunnel that caves in under the Archaeologists, though is no more than a few feet deep. Once the dust settles, the two who were caught in the cave in are able to get up, none the worse for wear outside of a few bruises and scrapes, and a little dirty. Looking around, they find the end of the tunnel is only another few feet away, terminating at a fallen door way. In the other direction, however, the 5 foot diameter tunnel continues deep into the hillside for farther than the two men can see. "Looks like we might have a burial chamber in here." one of the men says as they are helped out of the hole.
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Post by Hugin and Munin on May 12, 2013 18:22:56 GMT -5
Blue and red lights flickered to life at the first vibrations as systems that had been inactive for hundreds of years kick started. Someone was disturbing their safe place. Dust and dirt fell off the forms as they rose quickly and shook themselves off. A shriek, warning the intruders away, was sounded before they began moving quickly up the tunnel, their size too big to take flight. They would fight, if need be, to make sure the intruders would leave.
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Post by Jazz on May 12, 2013 18:27:37 GMT -5
The men heard the shriek and retreated from the tunnel for a moment, unsure of what had been awakened and wondering if they had disturbed some animal. One man moved towards the hole, however, despite the protests of the others warning him to stay away. "It's lights!" he said in astonishment as he looked into the tunnel. "Red and blue moving lights."
"Moving where?" another man asked.
"They're coming towards us." he answered and dropped into the hole, crouched down and peering into the darkness, flashlight in hand trying to see the source of those strange lights and shrieking noise.
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Post by Hugin and Munin on May 12, 2013 18:38:04 GMT -5
Hugin was first, hissing and flaring his wings as much as the tunnel allowed when he saw the man. #"Trespassers!"# He yelled, speaking in an ancient version of Norwegian. #"How dare you disturb our rest!"#
Munin was right behind her brother, letting loose another shriek as the two slowly advanced on the man.
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Post by Jazz on May 12, 2013 18:44:06 GMT -5
The man reeled back as he saw the angry avian hissing at him, another one behind it shrieking in answer. He had no idea what they were saying, but their mood was clearly evident as he reached up to scramble back out of the hole. "Giant metal birds and one of them can talk! Sounds like it's speaking old Norse, and they're really pissed off!" he told the others, grabbing a nearby shovel to defend himself as he looked to the others who were likewise brandishing picks and shovels, backing a few feet from the hole, staring at it and what lay within, the still dirt and dust covered man remaining closest to the hole, standing only 6 feet from it while everyone else had retreated to twice that distance.
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Post by Hugin and Munin on May 12, 2013 18:52:44 GMT -5
Hugin advanced more slowly as he watched the man, his wings folding back some, though they were not completely tucked away. He could not understand what the human was saying, and it seemed like the human could not understand him either. His head lowered to look more closely at the man, noting his garb, before looking at his sister. #"I think that we have been asleep for a long time, Munin. The clothing and language have changed."#
Munin stood next to her brother, her wings folded to her sides. #"Humans do have short life spans, but accomplish much. We should find a way to communicate with them."# Her attention turned to the man, and she motioned to her brother with a wing. #"Hugin."# She then motioned to herself. #"Munin."#
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Post by Jazz on May 12, 2013 18:58:27 GMT -5
The humans were wary, but the one man regarded the two curiously, trying to make out the language and maybe figure out some of what they were saying. Then his eyes went wide in shock as the one spoke two words that he did know, two words that had not changed. "Odin's ravens... Dear God, they're real?" he breathed in surprise and stepped forward towards them, the shovel in his hand lowered nearly to the ground. "Hugin and Munin, Thought and Memory..." he murmured, and that revelation seemed to move through the eight other men standing there. They all knew the legends, but none had believed in the Ancient Nordic gods in hundreds of years.
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Post by Hugin and Munin on May 12, 2013 19:02:10 GMT -5
Munin stepped forward more, recognizing the word "Odin." #"They know of the All-Father, Hugin."# Slowly, she extended a wing, motioning at the men one-by-one, then tilted her head, waiting for a response, trying to ask them their names.
Hugin gave a slow nod. They now had at least something of a common ground with these humans. One could hope that it now continued that way.
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Post by Jazz on May 12, 2013 19:04:24 GMT -5
The other men stayed back, yet this one edged forward towards the two large metal birds, setting the shovel down now, trying to determine what dialect they were speaking. He knelt down then, reaching down and smoothing the dirt in front of him, then he pulled out a pen to use as a stylus and began to scratch marks in the dirt, Elder Futhark Runes, one by one, spelling out the names of the two avians, then looking to them for confirmation. If they knew the runes, then he knew they spoke the later Runic Norse language. If they didn't, then he knew it was a much earlier dialect, likely proto-Norse, though given that the names they spoke had not changed, he doubted it was the latter.
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Post by Hugin and Munin on May 12, 2013 19:06:52 GMT -5
Hugin looked at the runes, settling down on the cave floor, much like how a bird does on its nest. He gave a nod, pointing to the words and speaking them. He then used his beak to scratch runes of his own into the dirt, a simple question, asking the men who they were.
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Post by Jazz on May 12, 2013 19:13:00 GMT -5
There was no word he could think of in the Runic Norse, but he thought for a moment, then began scratching new Runes in the dirt. -"We follow history, stories, learning our past."- he wrote, then added -"Our language has changed, we have changed. Most do not know the Runes anymore."- He looked to the birds again, a sad expression on his face for a moment, then looked to his colleagues who seemed to be growing less fearful and more curious now. "They speak Runic Norse, more than a thousand years old. They know the Runes, so I can at least communicate with them a little." he told them.
"Well, I guess it was a good thing you studied it then." another man said, taking a tentative step forward.
"But they're isolated, alone, remnants of a culture long lost. It makes me wonder if Odin was real and maybe he died and these two were somehow left behind..." he said softly, turning to look back to the Ravens.
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Post by Hugin and Munin on May 12, 2013 19:15:29 GMT -5
A delighted chitter sounded from Munin, excited that a form of communication had been established. -"Show us what has changed. We have slept long. If you are still around, then the All Father's dream has not come true yet, and Jormungunder still rests at the bottom of the sea."-
Hugin sat upright, watching the humans carefully as his sister communicated with the one who could, at least, write the language the two of them had given the first humans they had met.
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Post by Jazz on May 12, 2013 19:20:33 GMT -5
The man smiled at that, they wanted to learn, to know what had happened, and they knew the Midgard Serpent still slept. He nodded and carefully wrote -"I can take you to our camp, I have writings and pictures there I can show you."- he told them and stood, beginning to walk slowly backwards, beckoning them to follow.
"What are you doing?" another man asked sharply in a hushed tone, moving to intercept him.
"They want to know what has changed, I'm going to show them." he answered simply, smiling at the other man.
A third man spoke up then. "What are you going to show them? There's nothing left of the old ways. No one follows Odin and the gods anymore." he said nervously.
The man simply smiled at him. "That is where you're very wrong. Some do still follow Odin, Freya, Thor, Tyr, Hymdal and the others." he replied, pulling a necklace out from under his shirt, a necklace bearing three metal talismans representing Odin's eye flanked by two ravens, and a second necklace bearing Thor's hammer. "Some of us still believe." he said, turning back to the ravens and letting the two necklaces lay over his chest outside his shirt for all to see.
"Are you crazy? You're a scientist! Since when did you believe in faerie tales?" the second man blurted out indignantly.
He simply looked at the guy and shrugged. "Something always drew me to the old stories, and the more I read them, the more I wanted to learn about them, and the more I learned, the more they called to me. Besides, how can you not believe when Odin's messengers are standing right in front of you?" he asked, gesturing to the two large metallic ravens.
That rocked the others back on their heels more than a little as they looked at the two avian bots, then back to him again as he led them back towards their camp. They followed behind, murmuring to each other, one of them snapping photographs of the birds as they followed the man.
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Post by Hugin and Munin on May 12, 2013 19:27:56 GMT -5
Hugin and Munin both nodded, following the man as he began walking. More excitement grew in them upon recognition of the symbols the man was wearing.
Stepping outside for the first time, the siblings stretched out to their fullest, shaking themselves off of what remaining dust they could. Their colors could be seen more clearly now. They were both black, with Hugin having red optics and Munin having blue ones, but their bodies were also adorned with semi-similar accents. Hugin's head was golden with red markings. His claws were the same. Munin had similar designs, but was silver where there was gold on her brother, and blue where there was red.
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