Nagli Rings
"Smooth as a baby's ass," Snaebjorn ran his hand over the smoothed wood of the repaired hull, and turned to grin at the shipwright. "In a few more days we can leave this crowded shore and take our luck south."
Falgeir snorted, "Ya, and getting more crowded every day. Surely you've noticed" He nods at the Si'qal men laughing and playing at some sort of gambling game not far from the working Ostians.
The two blue eyed, bearded men are inturrupted by a smaller man, bearded and in similar clothing. "ears listen, but we need to talk" he says through his teeth is a desoto voice., then very loudly. "Snaebjorn , yer a fool t' think luck will follow you anywhere!" Snaebjorn roars and grabbs the smaller man, delivering a resounding headbutt and the man falls limp in his hands. The small audience of Si'Qali warriors laugh and some token change hands, they are enjoying the show.
Throwing him over his shoulder, Snaebjorn carries him away from the still beached longboats. Still speaking for his audience, he booms out, "Looks like you need some instruction in manners, skraeling."
Later, away from prying eyes, Snaebjorn hands Loki a cup of mead and a wet cloth. Loki grimaces as he daubs at his split eybrow, and drinks a bit of the mead. "F'ther's blood," He swears, "ya could've pulled your blow just a bit."
Sneaborn chuclkes, "Ya knew I had to sell it. Now we have t' privacy ya craved. What tale ha' ya, scald?"
"The qveen is past patience," Loki says grimly, "we have a day, maybe two , before she sends her warriors to sieze our ships 'n take us all as slaves."
Snaebjorn leans back. "We've both seen them in their warboats. They are cunning and match us for speed. We can't outrun them, even if we were at full strength. But we have seed and animals, not to mention the farmers. They could handle an axe at need, but they're no match for the Ti'Sqali warriors." He sighs, and stares at the hearthfire. "To come so far, just to find a path to Valhalla... I'll not take a slave's collar, Loki."
"Don't go a beserking just yet, Ring-giver. I've been talking with that Phastian trader; the one who sold us coal. We have a plan..."
"And then they took all the iron nails out of the ships!" yells a little boy, bouncing up and down, interrupting the old scald. The old man chuckles and waves at the boy to sit back down.
"Yes, yes, Callie. They did indeed. For all that night, they sabatauged their own ships, taking almost all the precious iron nails and fittings."
"And Snaebjorn Ring-giver GAVE them ALL rings made from the nails! My granfa has FIVE," boasted a little girl. This prompts an outbust of boasting and arguing among the children.
History
The tradition of crafting and collecting Nagli Rings dates back to the arrival of Ostian settlers, led by Snæbjörn galti Hólmsteinsson. A year after their escape from the fierce coastal tribes, and a sucessful harvest at their new settlement (Vantage), Snaeborn himself crafter rings from the nails of his lost fleet. Each and every Ostian was gifted one of these rings.
Ring-giving has always been an important part of Ostian culture. But as the Ostian community was so small, ring-gifting becalme less the domain of rulers, and more a act to memorialize new bonds between people. As the commiunity prospered, people began to mark unusual achievements, or admission to an exclusive association, with the giving of iron rings crafted in some way to symbolize the occasion. After driving off a series of orc raiders, Ingiborg Huginsdóttir gifted her shield sisters iron rings set with ivory from the tusks of the fallen orcs. When the immigrants accepted Chaundea's clerics and honored her as a local represtation of Freya, the new Acolyte crafted iron rings patterend with wheat sheaves and adorned with one small piece of white quartze. These were given to each who came that day to accept Chaundea's blessing.
Execution
Ring-gifting confers prestgue upon the giver. The ring is almost always of trivial monetary value, but hold great social value. Most are made from iron, but some are made from silver or even gold. Engravings, small gems, and other fine work are usually incorperated to make each set of rings unique.
But people will dismiss you if the occassion is too trivial to mark.
Most Ostians wear their rings on fingers, or woven into their braids. Rings that are very old, or fragile are usually kept with the owner's prize posessions, and only worn on special occasions.
When an Ostian dies, all their rings are displayed at the funeral rites. Those who can show matching rings can claim the corresponding ring of the deceased (among multiple claiments, the oldest is given the ring). Some rings are passed to the heir of the deceased - those that relate to family lineage. Each person who retrives a ring, leaves an item for the grave goods. Sometimes the gifts offered are valuable, most often they are connected somehow to the event or relationship represented by the ring. The remaining rings are noted, a rune representing each inscribed on the gravestone, and then burried with the gravegoods.
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