Arvid and Frøya returned from England with a bounty of riches, while Jarl Varg’s eastward raids proved a dismal failure. Rufus, believing himself in command, guided a band of outcasts toward Rome.

Orm and Rufus found themselves acquainted with the other prisoners. Jarl Varg, seeking a particular skill, engaged a mercenary from the Orient for a discreet undertaking. Meanwhile, Liv returned, bringing with her a series of significant al…

Jarl Varg required a new servant, yet discovered in the year 791 that the craft of metalworking had progressed little. His other slaves took offense at Orm’s presence.

A conspiracy steeped in violence against the Law Speaker thrusts Orm and Rufus back into the heart of Norheim’s affairs. Meanwhile, the common farmers voice their discontent over Arvid’s newly imposed tax, veiled as protection.

Peasant uprisings rarely endure. Arvid, now a fugitive for disrupting the assembly, faces a precarious existence. Frøya harbors a suspicion that Orm and Rufus are conspiring with Jarl Varg.

Following Jarl Varg’s retribution and the acquisition of the western map, Norheim began to chart a course for the future, one deliberately excluding Orm, Liv, and Rufus.