The culture of any place is diverse.
The islanders worship Freya, the goddess of fertility, love, beauty and harvest, and the patron saint of seers, fortune tellers and psychics.
But Freya is not the only god in Skellige. Various beliefs will arise in any place for various reasons, such as the one that the seven family lords are discussing at this moment - Svalblod.
The islanders have no way of verifying whether there is really such an evil god named "Svalblod". However, a cult was indeed established in the Skellige Islands around this evil god, and it became popular in some areas.
The Cult of Svalblod has only one commandment: Killing. This is in line with the character of some of the Skellige Pirate families, and therefore they are extremely loyal.
Among the countless "miracles" of the Svalblod sect, the one that drives the warriors crazy the most is the "Berserker". It is said that believers who have a loyal faith in the evil god can enjoy the gift and gain the ability to transform into a giant bear.
This is also the reason why the lords can now accurately target the Svalblod sect - the sudden appearance of those bears at the banquet is enough to explain the problem.
However, this sect with such "miracles" and powerful warriors was eventually destroyed.
Because the Svalblods were very fond of sacrificing living people to the gods, they used this as an excuse to massacre almost all the villages in the Skellige Islands. This made the lords realize the seriousness of the matter, so they united to destroy the temple of the Svalblods, tied their believers to longboats, removed the sails, and sent them into the deep sea.
But now it seems that the original faith extermination campaign was not clean enough, otherwise today's accident would not have happened.
That is why King Bran's proposal was accepted by other lords - the merit of completely destroying the Svalblod sect is enough to support a lord to become king.
The reason why he made this suggestion was partly for Easter - the people of the islands should not stop their relatives and friends from pursuing glory, so even if King Bran believed in his heart that Easter's challenge to the Frost Giants was tantamount to suicide, it was still difficult for him to dissuade her directly.
But King Bran is still looking for a way to make Easter give up the fight against the giants.
The idea of "whoever kills Svalblod will be king" was an opportunity that King Bran was looking for: a defeated general who was crippled by the Skellige people and could only survive was easier to deal with than the peerless ferocious beast that had existed for hundreds and thousands of years in the legends of the islanders.
…
After King Bran made the initiative, no one wanted to be the first to speak out in this situation.
Those who were qualified to speak were also shocked by King Bran's decision at this moment and became speechless - such as Easter.
However, although the hall was quiet, the various flashing eyes could clearly express the emotions of each lord: some were so excited at the good news that they could hardly contain themselves, some were worried and didn't know how to deal with it, and some looked dazed and kept out of it.
After a few breaths, the respected old lord Dona an Sinda finally coughed twice and stood up.
He exchanged glances with King Bran, looked meaningfully at the anxious Easter and Lann who was also shocked by King Bran's decision, and spoke to the lords of several other major families.
"Your Majesty's decision is reasonable. The Svalblod Cult was the enemy of our elders, and is also our enemy today. Destroying the Svalblod Cult is equivalent to completing the feat that our ancestors failed to do, and it is also washing away our current shame and avenging us. Such people deserve our support and win our support."
After hearing this, the lords exchanged glances and nodded.
"agree."
"However, I still hope that Your Majesty will give it more consideration. What is happening now is not your fault, and it cannot cover up your previous achievements. I hope you can..."
"I have made up my mind, Donaar," King Bran interrupted. "Those warriors who fell at my feast should have had more splendid adventures, fighting the Isles' enemies. Now their glory has come to an abrupt end, and it is a shame that I cannot wash away.
…
All the lords left after a brief exchange of opinions. Some immediately began to rush around, obviously wanting to seize this rare opportunity that would convince everyone and ascend the throne of the archipelago.
Some looked indifferent, as if they had no interest in this position at all. However, these lords did not have a close relationship with the king, so they did not stay long and returned to their respective fiefdoms early. They still had a lot of things to deal with.
Before leaving, the lords expressed some gratitude to Lann, no longer scrutinizing and fearing him as before. The islanders treated each other with one thing in mind. Even though Lann was definitely an East supporter, the force he had displayed in front of everyone shocked everyone. The islanders admired the brave, so their attitude towards Lann would naturally change.
Secondly, it was an indisputable fact that Lann had saved everyone in the banquet hall before, and the lords had to thank him for that.
To be honest, if Lann asked these lords to give up running for king now, he might be able to get some of them to agree under the influence of personal relationships.
Lan really wanted to do this, but was stopped by Easter in the end.
Because this goes back to Easter's original intention of conquering the Frost Giants: to become king while having enough prestige to mobilize the armies of the major families.
It is true that through Lann's favor, competitors can be persuaded to give up, but no one can say for sure how much they will carry out East's orders afterwards.
It would be better to leave Lan's kindness behind and wait for a more appropriate time to let it come into play.
At this moment, the brothers Easter and King Bran were still staying in the conference room. In addition to Lann, there were also Kratz and Dona an Sinda of the Searose family.
Three of the seven major families, this is the current strength of East's side.
The most powerful Clete family and the Tursek family had long been determined to be closely united, and the joining of the Sea Rose family made Lann even more surprised.
"I'm old, and I just had to take on the responsibility of the lord because there are no young people in the family who can take charge." Dona explained with a smile, "I don't dare to think about becoming a king, it's too difficult for an old man like me."
King Bran introduced to everyone: "I have been lobbying Dona all along, and his position has always been very close to ours. He is one of the families that promised to send troops to support Cintra before - and he is even the family with the strongest support."
"If Bran resigns from the throne, no other lord will be eligible for my support. After much thought, I think Easter is the most suitable." The old man smiled and nodded, looking at Lann, "It turns out that my choice was not wrong. I haven't even started to fulfill my obligations, but I have already received a favor - thank you for saving my life, lion."
Lane smiled modestly.
"Dona's joining is also the reason why I put forward this initiative." King Bran added, "He is on good terms with the priests of the Temple of Freya, and they will definitely spare no effort to fight against heretics like Svalblod, which will enable us to achieve twice the result with half the effort."
"Don't underestimate them. Although the priests may not be proficient in combat, they still have various divine arts - the Holy Mother Freya also has the priesthood of 'prophecy'!"
Dona nodded with a smile.
Come to think of it, King Bran dared to propose "Whoever kills Svalblod will be king", he must have paved the way for his brother.
"But this time, Easter needs your help, Lan. I need to investigate the loopholes in the castle." King Bran said with a gloomy face.
"Letting the enemy enter the castle and kill my allies. If this matter is not investigated thoroughly, the glory of the Tursek family will be destroyed."
…
[Discovery Mission - Silent Rage:
The Skellige people are known for their savagery and bellicosity, but even they cannot tolerate the cruel Svalblod cult. They thought they had banished this bloody and cruel cult from the islands, but now it has returned to the islanders in a tragic way. In order to complete the unfinished work of their ancestors and to wash away their own shame, the king decided to let the one who destroyed Svalblod inherit the throne - this may also be your chance, lion. 】
This was the first time Lane had been given conflicting assignments.
Previously, he received the mission of hunting down the ice giant and winning the crown through Easter, and this time the mission is to destroy Svalblom and become king. It is obvious that these two cannot be completed at the same time.
If given a choice, Lann would prefer to accept this mission generated by King Bran's request.
Even Easter, after thinking for a while, accepted King Bran's proposal with mixed feelings. He was not a stubborn person, and he could also become king, gain the support of the lords, and thus avenge Calanthe on Nilfgaard. Svalblod, who had been crippled by the islanders once, was easier to deal with than the ice giants.
The next itinerary was thus determined - follow Dona an Sinda to the island of Indarsfair, seek help from the Freya sect, and annihilate the Svalblod sect.
…
Before officially setting off, Lan had one last thing to do.
在伊斯特他们做着准备的时候，狮瞳青年走进自己的会客厅。
一双琥珀色的猫瞳朝着他看过来，显然等待已久。
这束目光不是来自杰洛特、寇格林姆、柯恩中的任何一人，而是那个在宴会中独斗一头巨熊并且战而胜之的拳击手。
这个拳击手高且壮。他比身边最魁梧的一名史凯利格护卫都要高出半个多快一个头的高度；他肩膀极宽，手臂粗虬，兰恩一时间都有把雷索用传送门召过来跟他比一比身材的冲动。
他头上留着莫西干辫子，身上的装扮也已经换成了一身棉衣为底、锁子为衬、钢板外覆的铠甲样式。**胳膊，穿着皮革护手、护肘，将半个大臂和整个肩膀露出来，上面肌肉鼓胀，好似岩石。
这人身上的盔甲上的钢板看上去非常厚重，但是在他的身上却只给人恍若“轻甲”的视觉效果。之前兰恩就一直觉得这个人和那头巨熊对战的时候，就好像一头熊击倒了另一头熊。
而事实也接近兰恩的想法——这个男人的背后也背负着标志性的双剑，胸口一枚雕刻着熊首的徽章正放肆咆哮。
……
从皮肤和五官的轮廓来看，这个人明显不是出身于史凯利格，但是他的发型、着装、乃至于性格，此刻都展现出了被岛民同化的趋势。
在看到兰恩的一瞬间，这个壮汉的眼睛就亮了起来，他豪迈地大笑着朝着兰恩走过来，高声地表示着自己见到兰恩的欢喜之情，表达赞叹。
“辛特拉的兰恩对吗？雄狮！我听过你的名字，但是我从来没有想过真正见到你会是这么地让人惊讶！”
“我更没想到你会是一名狮鹫！而且还跟狼、蛇一起组队，这是什么新风潮吗？还是说大陆局势发生了什么我不知道的变化？”
“我一直以为你是一名伯爵，但是我刚刚听你带过来的人说你已经变成公爵了，恭喜！”
“我不得不说你的法印实在是太漂亮了！那个【亚登法印】居然能够分辨敌我，而且还能够覆盖整个大厅，你是怎么做到的，方便交流一下吗？不介意的话我可以用我独家的【昆恩法印】技巧来跟你交换！”
壮汉朝着兰恩走过来，闷而响的笑声好像在岩石在咆哮。
那豪迈的样子让兰恩觉得自己下一刻就会陷入熊抱之中，饶是兰恩这种久经社交场合的人，见到这种场面都一时间愣了神。
但是好在对方也知道是初次见面，走近几步之后就在离着兰恩三个身位的地方停了下来。
他伸出手，那也是一只掌距极宽的手。
“初次见面，我是格德，熊学派猎魔人。”
……
在集齐了狮鹫、狼、蛇、猫之后，兰恩终于又遇到了新学派的猎魔人——熊。
理论上讲，熊学派也是猎魔人如今名声败坏的源头之一，他们完美地符合了常人对于猎魔人的一种刻板印象——猎魔人的突变会消除掉他们的感情。
熊学派的创始人叫做阿纳哈德，由天才术士阿尔祖亲手改造出来的初代猎魔人之一。
初代的技术极其不成熟，那突变的不稳定性哪怕放在阿尔祖个时代也是惊世骇俗的。但是阿纳哈德偏偏在那样乱来的实验中活了下来，并且迥异于除了他之外的所有猎魔人。
阿纳哈德有着极其发达的肌体力量，能够挥舞比其他人更重的武器，覆上比其他人更厚的甲；同时他也有着极其淡漠的感情，几乎从来没有什么情绪起伏，不愤怒、不悲伤、不快乐，与伙伴之间毫无温情。
同时，阿纳哈德也是猎魔人教团解体的直接推手。阿纳哈德对于教团“保护民众而讨伐怪物”的高尚追求一直嗤之以鼻，在教团领袖远走之后，更是把猎魔当做了一份简单的“拿钱办事”的工作。
在某一次委托中，阿纳哈德遇到了其他的猎魔人同行。那个时期的猎魔人在遇到这种情况，本应该惊喜于有同伴可以助自己一臂之力，可是阿纳哈德偏偏认为对方抢了自己的“生意”，产生了争执，最终刀剑相向。
据说阿纳哈德只用了一剑就将那位同胞从肩膀劈到腰，差点当场身亡。
不过那个时期的猎魔人也都是夸张的强悍。那名被阿纳哈德打伤的猎魔人居然硬撑着一口气，施计用原本要讨伐的羊角魔拖住了阿纳哈德的步伐，随后拖着重伤之躯逃进荒野，将阿纳哈德的暴行告知了其他的猎魔人同伴。
这个消息最终传回了猎魔人教团。
这是历史上第一次发生猎魔人之间的内部冲突，教团内的其他猎魔人格外愤怒，本就看不惯阿纳哈德平日做派的同伴发誓要惩罚阿纳哈德。
阿纳哈德对于这种情况似乎已经有了预料，于是紧接着他又主导了历史上第二次的猎魔人内部冲突——而且这一次是大规模的武装冲突。
最终结果就是阿纳哈德带领着一批对于教团宗旨不以为然的猎魔人与教团正式决裂，并且由此拉开了猎魔人教团解体的序幕。
这支第一批出走教团的猎魔人团体用“熊”作为自己的标志，在矮人们的指点下他们于南北交接处的阿梅尔山脉设立了学派的大本营，用那里的严寒天气以及苛刻的地理环境锻炼自己的学徒。
阿纳哈德作为初代猎魔人中的特殊个体，他的突变内容有过额外的研究。他将这种研究成果带了出来，导致熊学派之后的学徒都跟他一脉单传一般地具备了冰冷的情感和强壮的肉身，还有着极其务实的人生观：干活收钱，不谈理想。
如果有必要，他们不介意把刀剑指向挡了自己道路的人类乃至于猎魔人同胞。他们和猫派唯一的区别就在于他们不会主动接取杀人委托。
当然，就和其他学派一样，熊派如今也没有大本营了。但是他们的故事却戏剧化了许多：
事情的起因似乎是由于某次对吸血鬼的失败讨伐引起了周边暴民的不满，他们早就有怨怼——比起和没有感情的变种人，他们宁可和怪物比邻而居。
而当这些变种人“没有了”讨伐怪物的能力之后，暴民们就决定将他们消灭掉。
这可能是唯一一场没有术士在幕后作为推手的暴动，而一群感情淡漠的重甲魔法剑士对上只有草叉镰刀的暴民，最终结果可能真的很难说。
但是熊派偏偏就没有这种集体作战的意愿，在得知暴民上山的消息之后，熊学派的成员依旧显得冷漠，他们既不想做无谓的杀戮，也没有那份保护学院的赤诚，便分道扬镳，留下一座空城。
熊学派就此解散。
……
看到格德之后，兰恩迅速地在脑海中过了一遍熊学派的历史。
就和盛产疯猫的学派中也能有理智者一样，眼前的格德显然也是情感淡漠的熊派中的一个另类。
这是一个只出现在背景故事里的人，却也是给人留下深刻印象的人。
格德的身上原本有着一整套的熊派装备蓝图，兰恩也是前世作为玩家收集图纸的时候了解他的故事。
简单地说，这是一名在死后还能有岛民为他写诗著史的人，作为一名熊，他比多数的狮鹫还要受欢迎。
从诗中选取几段就能看出他的为人：
【正义英勇、不惧死亡。
这就是狩魔猎人格德！】
【有朋友的人最幸运。
能够安心离开家园。
在回家时一切安好。
正是归功狩魔猎人！】
被属于格德的背景故事里，他几乎是以一边唱歌一边喝酒一边打牌的方式转遍了群岛，在他人的请求下狩猎了吸血妖鸟、女海妖、甚至还有一头龙。
不过现在看来，格德还没有完成自己的那些传奇事业，而是正在修行中，这回是被因自己而举办的七大家族齐聚的宴会吸引来的。
……
兰恩虽然脑子还在思考着，但是他的表情、动作和思维是彻底脱节的。
听到格德对自己的赞扬和自我介绍之后，他还在回忆熊派和对方的历史，嘴里却几乎是条件反射性地回以问候。
“你好，我是辛特拉的兰恩，兰恩·兰尼斯特·雷安伦。”
“你过奖了，我是狮鹫学派的，在法印上面有所特长是非常正常的。”
“你的力量才是让我感到赞叹，我是第一次见人用【昆恩】硬扛着巨兽的攻击，用匕首硬生生捅死对方。”
格德却突然噎了一下，他并没有对兰恩的夸赞感到高兴。
“嘿，伙计。你还是太谦虚了，我可是看到你那种到处闪光然后一口气干掉五头巨熊的手段了——话说那也是法印吗？”
“而且你走了之后我也用猎魔人感官查看过现场，我发现了一头巨熊，是被人用拳头活活打死的，你的那位公主正在到处宣扬这件事情呢……”