Hunter of Beasts was a virtual representation of one of Eivor Varinsdottir's genetic memories, relived by Layla Hassan in 2020 through the Portable Animus HR-8.5.
Description[]
Eivor began to track down her old enemy, Gorm Kjotvesson, by investigating every one of his camps in Vinland.
Dialogue[]
After she talked to Olav the Unlucky, Eivor approached the nearby Kanien'kehá:ka merchant.
- Eivor: He seems eager to trade goods and wares.
She traded him the goods Olav gave her with for some basic gear. Before leaving, she spoke to Olav again.
- Eivor: Olav, tell me about your falling out with Gorm.
- Olav: He caught me stealing from his locked chests. I wished to trade with the villagers here.
- Eivor: Then he gave you a good thrashing, did he?
- Olav: Yes, yes. Now I stay in my safe place.
Eivor left the village of Karonhiakèn:iate' and set off to check the camps installed by Gorm.
- Eivor: I can hike into the woods, straight for Gorm... or gather raw materials and trade for better weapons.
As she hiked into and through the wilderness, Eivor kept her mind focused on her goal.
- Eivor: Gorm is in these woods somewhere.
I will find you, Gorm. No matter how long it takes.
Where are you hiding, Gorm?
- At some point, Eivor was critically injured to the point of near-death and collapsed. She woke up back at a hut back at the village.
- Eivor: Gods, hurting all over... thought I was dead.
- Eivor was visited by one of the village leaders.
- Karonhiaktátie': Tó:tek, órie. Tóka' enhsà:iake' kí:ken, entewa'serón:nenhte' tsi saronhiá:ken. Sà:iak. (Don't talk, friend. These berries will ease your pain. Eat them.)
- Eivor: You want me to... to eat these?
- Karonhiaktátie nodded yes. As Eivor ate a bowl of elderberries, Karonhiaktátie sat down next to her.
- Karonhiaktátie': Kahrhakwé:kon iotahión:ni ne ken' niwahiò:ten's. (The woods are full of these fruits.)
- After some time, Eivor walked out of a hut and talked to Olav.
- Eivor: Our friends healed me with their berries. I am grateful.
- Olav: Yes, yes. And elderberries have a good taste, too. And good for you.
- Eivor: I feel much better. Do these elderberries grow wild around here?
- Olav: Yes, yes. All through the land, here and there.
After some time—including after recovering from her potential injury—Eivor could speak to Olav once more.
- Eivor: How did you come here, Olav? Are you a prisoner here?
- Olav: No, no! The cave is my safe place. Safe from Gorm and his anger. Safe from the talking crystal.
- Eivor: I see.
- Olav: Watching, always watching Olav! The talking crystal!
Eivor resumed her hunt for Gorm. She reached one of the camps in the woods on the riverbank near the village.
- Eivor: A camp near the village. Gorm could be there.
Eivor arrived at Steinnhus Camp.
- Eivor: One of Gorm's camps. I might learn where he's hiding. Or find some resources at the least.
After dealing with the men at this camp, Eivor came across a note and some resources.
Muddy Note
With this, Eivor learned the names of all the camps she should check.
- Eivor: One step closer.
Following the road southwest from Steinnhus, Eivor found herself at Brúhamarr Outpost. As she dealt with the guards and found more resources, Eivor discovered another note.
Torn Note
Eivor reflected on this finding.
- Eivor: Gorm must be near. His doom has come.
As she fought with more guards, Eivor recovered another note from one of the stronger guards in the camp.
Bloodstained Note
- We have found a more promising dig site, deeper inland.
It is to the northwest.
We are headed there now.
–Gorm
Eivor continued on her path to the northwest and found Hvallgrof Outpost. In the Outpost, she encountered several strong warriors with trained wolf familiars.
- Eivor: Why is this place so heavily guarded? What are you hiding, Gorm?
Dealing with the guards and obtaining their resources, Eivor caught sight of another note.
Crumpled Note
- The glass ball does nothing in this cave.
I must travel further north to the next site.
Too much time wasted digging these damn holes.
–Gorm
- Eivor: The leader of this bridge cliff camp may know Gorm's whereabouts.
With all but one camp explored, Eivor travelled north from Hvallgrof and arrived at Narfljot Camp. There, Eivor finally caught sight and sound of Gorm yelling orders.
- Gorm: Keep digging, you beardless dogs!
- Thegn 1: You heard the man! Move those shovels!
- Gorm: Power beyond measure awaits us, men! A mountain of silver to the first digger to open the way!
- Thegn 2: Gorm, we have found nothing but a gate we cannot open.
- Gorm: I shall call upon our ally. Heed me, Gorm of the Order. Ancient Ones, I summon you! Speak to me, you stone-dwelling god-woman!
The crystal ball spoke.
- Juno: In time, what once was, shall be again.
- Gorm: What does that gibberish mean? Gods burn it all. Keep digging, mules. Power beyond measure awaits. Power beyond measure.
- Eivor: Gorm Kjotvesson.
Eivor followed Gorm, after his speech, as Gorm talked to one of his men.
- Thegn 2: Gorm, did you find Olav the Unlucky?
- Gorm: I did. I locked him away for thieving. And when I return, I will see that the beasts of the woods pick at his flesh 'til his bones are clean. Nobody steals from me and walks away breathing. What news from our camps?
- Thegn 2: In truth, they have grown quiet. Little to no word at all.
- Gorm: Hm. No matter. Focus our efforts on the dig.
- Thegn 2: Sir, I hate to ask, but...
- Gorm: What? Spit it out.
- Thegn 2: It may be your talking crystal is a Dwarvish trick. As in the sagas when—
- Gorm: Silence! Speak no treason against my Order. We are all-wise, all-knowing, and all-powerful. Better to cut out your own tongue than speak against the crystal goddess.
Eivor assassinating Gorm
Having heard enough, Eivor snuck through the camp and assassinated Gorm.
- If Eivor was detected, she exchanged a few words with Gorm as they fought.
- Gorm: Eivor Wolf-Kissed!
- Eivor: I crossed the broad sea for you, Gorm. Are you not flattered?
- Gorm: For one reason only, I see. You snake.
- Eivor: One reason only!
Despite Gorm's bravado, Eivor defeated and killed him. In the Memory Corridor, Gorm ran in excitement towards what he expected to be Valhalla, before looking around in distress.
- Gorm: Wait. Wait. This is not the hall of five hundred doors. This is not the rock of the fallen. Where are the women on the winged horses?
Gorm dropped his axes and fell to his knees as Eivor walked towards him.
- Gorm: Where are the Choosers of the Slain?
Eivor and Gorm in the Memory Corridor
Eivor circled Gorm before stopping in front of him.
- Gorm: You. My blood enemy.
Eivor gestured to the wide expanse of nothing around them both.
- Eivor: This is Niflheim, the hell of mist and cold. This is where faithless dead come to die again. This is where ghosts fade to mist, to be forgotten.
Gorm stood up, shook his head at Eivor, and replied.
- Gorm: Your meddling has doomed us all, crow of battle.
As Gorm reached to pull out the Crystal Ball, Odin walked from behind him to stand at Eivor's side.
- Eivor: More lies from a liar born. Now speak the truth. What brought the Order to this place?
Gorm revealing the Crystal Ball in his possession
Gorm showed Eivor the Crystal Ball, Isu markings glowing brightly.
- Gorm: To free a goddess, a creature of power and light... buried by the Jötnar in ages past.
As he spoke, a beam of light appeared above them, growing in intensity. Gorm, Eivor, and Odin all looked up to its source. Eivor stared at it for a moment, entranced, before looking back at Gorm.
- Eivor: A pity, Gorm. You will not meet her now.
Eivor picking up the Crystal Ball
Eivor reached forward and took Gorm's Order medallion as his spirit immediately vanished. Eivor picked up the Crystal Ball afterwards.
- Eivor: Gorm's crystal-eye. It hums with a strange feeling. Unearthly. What was Gorm digging for? Something deep inside this cave?
Outcome[]
Eivor assassinated Gorm and received his Crystal Ball among his personal effects.
Behind the scenes[]
The first time Eivor's drops to a critical level, the scene where she learns about elderberries will trigger, regardless of when or how it occurs. Eivor is unable to harvest elderberries for rations until after this, and it is possible to go the entire Vinland saga without ever triggering the scene, requiring those players to trigger it deliberately. It effectively acts as one free "rescue" from an otherwise lethal situation plus teleport directly to the village, one that is not available until this memory begins in earnest.
The note recovered from Hvallgrof Outpost triggers dialogues directing Eivor to investigate both Steinnhus Camp and Brúhamarr Outpost, referencing "a camp near the village" and the "ridge cliff camp" respectively. However, the most likely course of gameplay progresses from Steinnhus to Brúhamarr to Hvallgrof in sequence, concluding at Narfljot. In fact, the note at Steinnhus updates the log to name all four camps and is the only one to explicitly call out Narfljot, a note at Brúhamarr points northwest to Hvallgrof, and the note in Hvallgrof that triggers the dialogues in question actually points further north, the direction in which lies Narfljot. Thus, it is likely the comments directing to the "earlier" camps is simply matched to the wrong notes.
Juno's response to Gorm's attempt to summon her is taken verbatim from her reply to the Colonial Assassin Ratonhnhaké:ton during the memory "Chasing Lee" in the 2012 video game Assassin's Creed III.
The ghostly Odin only appears in Gorm's Memory Corridor cutscene if A Brother's Keeper is not yet completed. Vinland is not a required prerequisite to unlocking the pledge to Hordafylke, and as Odin has no dialogue during this memory, his presence affects nothing. Similarly, he is not present for many of the other Order of the Ancients Memory Corridor cutscenes—particularly those of the Zealots and those not tied to a shire or city story arc—which allows for those assassinations to logically take place at any point in the story.
Gallery[]
