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Four - You could have been a Volva.
Let's see what other colorful characters await us in this nameless village.
Music - Village Classique
Down this path is a single house all by itself. I wonder why.
Well, there are Humor options here, but they seem a little mean. Plus, since Haþuwīgą has an imaginary friend of her own, it would be a touch hypocritical to make fun of this guy for it.
Hello you two.
Botka the Hunter: You know, we all feel sad for what is happening to you. Suho too lost his father, it took him months to get over it.
It was a little... sudden, you know.
Botka the Hunter: Bah, life goes, you know. A little booze and some optimism. And friends. Friends are important. You got someone your age that you can talk to?
Wisdom.
Tell me about my father.
I didn't intend to completely sidestep the question here, it's just one of the few options that doesn't refuse the offer of alcohol.
Botka the Hunter: Well, listen. I am not going to lie to you: your dad wasn't the talkative kind... and that's an understatement. Even Suho, who's always there to cheer up people, she never got a word out of him. So an old hunter like me, who can't even line up three words in a sentence when he's sober...
Botka the Hunter: So that's that. It's true I would have liked to talk a bit more. But the past is the past. It doesn't do us any good to mull over it. Like I always say, you have to look towards the future. Want a refill?
Gladly. One more for the road. You seem tired.
Hell yeah. Armed with some hunter's booze, we are ready to face all challenges.
I like how half the houses here are halfway between bedrooms and communal dining rooms. No privacy in small towns, regardless of time period.
(Smile) "Such is life, what can I say?"
Seije Thel: (She laughs lightly.) You could have been a Volva. It's dumb to say, but such is life. Sooner or later, it all comes down to that one day. I am actually surprised everyday to see my old man still alive... Bad weeds...
Yeah, we could have been a Volva, but we already did that path.
Indeed, such is life... Well. And you two, how are you doing?
Seije Thel: Oh, me, you know... My stupid father is still alive and kicking, and perfectly able to blabber idiotic things all day long... I don't know how my mother can put up with him.
Same.
Esti: Come on, Seije... Silk isn't that bad... If you forget about the, er, "accidental" groping. His habit of doing magic is amusing. I find him a rather sweet old man.
Seije Thel: (She snickers.) You have a very peculiar notion of what is funny. But anyway... My mother's younger, so she is still very healthy. Come by and visit them during the day, they'll be glad to see you. When it comes to Ulrik... I suppose I am the only one who can put up with him anyway. There is not one woman in the village who has my patience. Even my sisters have given up. The qualms of marriage... But you should rather ask Esti, she knows all about it...
Seije Thel: (She laughs.) You are not optimizing reproduction, Esti! You need some advice?
Esti: (She darts her a killer look) By the way, we're still waiting for you to give birth, my dear! I don't mind optimizing the reproduction quotas, but Stig isn't in a hurry to optimize either... He's not Ulrik, if you see what I mean. I should ask my brother how he did it...
Seije Thel: Veikko doesn't really have family pressure on his wife's side... Every cloud has a silver lining. Time passes, peacefulness, married life... Grounds that grandma Lisakki seems to have forgotten altogether.
Esti: Tell me about it... I am getting desperate.
(Facetious) Perhaps Seije could lend you Ulrik, since she seems to be on top of things in that regard...
Esti: (She laughs) No, I'll wait, I am patient... Let's hope they will be too.
I am glad we talked, anyway. I'll return to my business. Take care!
Esti: See you later, Haþuwīgą. Hang in there!
Seije Thel: Yes, take care. And don't pay attention to my father's idiotic rambling if you meet him!
Definitely some weird 
politics going on in this town too. Maybe we should leave after all. Speaking of which, there's a foreigner right over there we can talk to! Maybe he knows a good place we can go.
Hello. It's rare to see strangers here. Where are you from?
Vili Matkusta: From Sapphire Bay, Miss. I am Vili Matkusta.
Pleasure to meet you. I am Haþuwīgą.
Vili Matkusta: Pleasure to meet you, Haþuwīgą. Is there anything I can do for you?
Strangers are rare to come by, especially those from the capital. Could I ask you a few questions?
What brings you so far from the capital?
Vili Matkusta: It's a valid question to ask oneself. To tell you the truth, I work for the Ministry of Eternal Snows. I was sent to write a report on the northernmost villages of the Kingdom. A difficult task, since the villagers are not very cooperative, and the climate is rather... difficult.
The Ministry of Eternal Snows?
Vili Matkusta: Ah, perhaps you are not familiar with our Kingdom's political structure... Let me briefly explain. The Queen is surrounded by four ministries: the Ministry of Calmness and Majesty, which is in charge of the military security; the Chancellery, which deals with the Treasury and external relations; the Ministry of the Interior Sea, which manages the homeland affairs of the Kingdom; and finally the Ministry of Eternal Snows, which explores and establishes the cartography of the Kingdom.
So you're a cartographer?
Vili Matkusta: Indeed. I take care of the cartography of the north of the Kingdom, to establish a census of the life and habits of its inhabitants. It's a very interesting field of work, but often very dangerous. (He smiles.) That's it for my work. I think I have told you everything!
Wasn't the road too difficult?
Vili Matkusta: It's all relative. None of the roads is in very good shape, that far north. The weather is rather nice, but I think the winter will be harsh. That's what the most knowledgeable people have been saying at least. Some roads are already hardly manageable... At least, there are plenty shelters, and that's what matters. That's that. Is there anything else you'd like to know?
Can you tell me about Sapphire Bay and the Kingdom?
Vili Matkusta: (He laughs.) That's a vast subject! Where should I start... The Kingdom of the Three Rivers, based in Sapphire Bay, is the federation of the land of the three rivers. Governed by the Queen's hand of steel, a wise yet merciless monarch, it stretches until the mountains of Rosa Gallica in the South. These last fifteen years, the Queen has had a lot of roads built, including that which leads to the village, as well as many administrative and education structures. The city that has known the most changes is probably the capital itself, Sapphire Bay, which we also call the City of the Mist. Twenty years ago, it was still a large fishing port. Today, it's a gigantic, tentacular city, which expands on a large area of the Fjord. Dominated by the high towers of the citadel, which are perpetually in construction, it stands as the embodiment of the Kingdom's and the Queen's power and stability.
This Queen seems like an unusual character...
I still hate that this is the only option here, though I guess it's slightly more in character for Haþuwīgą than it was for Frida.
Is she pretty?
Vili Matkusta: (He laughs.) Ha, ha, oh yes, very. And by the way, if you're interested, I believe she likes women at least as much as men... if not more. Is there anything else you'd like to know?
I think I have no more questions. Thank you for all these explanations!
Vili Matkusta: You're welcome... It was my pleasure. Don't hesitate to come back and see me, young lady.
Interesting stuff.
To the right is the village market, which of course is very small.
Wow, rude.
It sounds like you envy me. Are you bored at home?
Sygg: Puh! If I could avoid your sight, I would be gone already.
Even ruder.
Kerkko: Hello, Haþuwīgą. It's a pleasure to have you here, even if your heart is not necessarily rejoicing.
Thank you, Kerkko. You really are your father's son.
Kerkko: I could take it the wrong way, you know...
I meant it as a compliment.
Kerkko: Then I will take it as such. (He winks at you)
Kati Lisakki: You're always so charming, Pekko... Maija is a lucky woman.
Pekko Aynuri: (He laughs) No, not at all, I am only a humble worker who cares for his young and pretty clientele...
Kati Lisakki: (Facetious smile) And what can we buy from you, apart from bowls?
Pekko Aynuri: I don't know. Kati, what would you wish for? There's always a way to... accommodate... my good clients.
Should... should we be here for this?
Stig Lisakki (Note: the blonde guy over to the left): (He seems dejected.) Kati, for heaven's sake, could you please stop doing such things?
Kati Lisakki: (Mocking) And you, brother, are you going to start doing something - anything, but SOMEthing? I think your dear Esti is in a delicate situation...
Stig Lisakki: (He blushes, coughs a little, grumbles then returns to arranging his display without another word.)
Pekko Aynuri: (He laughs.) Well, hmmm... What were we saying... Oh, Haþuwīgą! My condolences on the death of your father... What can we do for you?
Nothing, I'll leave you to your playful activities... (Smile)
For one reason or another, we are clearly not wanted here in the market. Let's bounce.
Gotta admit, "the Hawker" is a pretty badass moniker.
Okay, so the Humor option is mean again... but he's not talking about his imaginary friend, so let's try it.
(Mocking) Well, apart from the unexpected death of my father... Everything is hunky-dory.
(Mocking) Looks like you still haven't bought yourself a sense of humor...
Miska the Hawker: Listen, considering your state of mind, I think it would be preferable that we leave it at that for now. Come back when you have calmed down a bit.
And that ends the dialogue, with only a couple hundred xp! Oh nooooo! We can still salvage things by talking to him again though.
I honestly have no clue what the first option means, but it also prematurely ends the conversation, so I guess not anything he wants to hear.
Yeah, you can say that. How about you tell me what happened with your father?
Miska the Hawker: Bah, not miraculously, that's for sure. I was sad, but I had to eat; that keeps you busy. And I found some distractions. I met Peregrini during one of my first hunts. I was fourteen, he came to me, and we've been inseparable since then. He is an excellent hunter you know. I don't think there is anything more precious than a faithful animal. I mean, sometimes I wish he'd talk to me. That he'd say good night before going to sleep, you know. Well that's fine for the daytime. Once the night falls, you find yourself alone at home. For most people, there's only alcohol, and you know where that goes. I have this deck of cards, that I bought from a salesman. Oftentimes, I play for hours and hours. Also, the illustrations are very pretty, so when I am tired of it, I just look at them and invent stories. It's a bit as if I could read.
These cards are really gorgeous. Do you know who the characters are? Do they come from a famous poem?
And your falcon? Does he also have a past? Was he also an important individual?
Miska the Hawker: Maybe. Peregrini is more than an animal for me. He joins me in my ordeals, in a way, but not only. The few joys I had in my life, he was there to share them, and when I talk to him, I am also talking to this old me from another era. It helps me get over the difficult times we face.
Well, thank you for this talk, Miska. I learnt a few things.
Miska the Hawker: I hope I was able to help. Come back whenever you want.
That slightly-more-weirdly-translated-than-usual conversation nets us almost as much xp as not pissing him off to begin with. In fact, it's enough for a new level!
5 is the limit something can be increased with each level, even if it started below the maximum at character creation. Conversations are about done in the village at this point, so there's less point in pumping Memory now.
As for skills, Altruism is the next Support ability on our way to Imaginary Friend.
That's worth a nice chunk of Energy.
Passive skills don't reflect on the level-up screen though, only once combat starts.
Anyway, let's continue making our rounds.
Thank you Leila. Aren't you working with Pihla today?
Leila: No. I knew you'd be coming, so... Even if we have more work than the previous years, that's true.
It has been a warm and fair season. That's understandable.
Leila: Yes... Well... Are you sure you're ok?
Not really. Why are you asking me this... out of the blue?
I can protect myself.
Leila: No! You're only a village girl! There are dozens of stronger, more violent men... (She clearly has tears in her eyes.)
Leila, you almost seem more moved than I am by what happened. Are you alright?
Leila: No... I'm... Sorry, it will pass. Bad memories, which... It'll pass. That's ok. I am sorry.
That's two of us, in that case. (Smile)
Leila: Sorry. I think I am going to lie down a bit...
Get some rest, then. I'll see you soon.
Dunno about you guys, but I could use another mental combat as a palette cleanser.
When we get near our buddy Veikko's house, one starts before we can even get inside to talk to him.
Music - Village combat
With our build, this battle is incredibly easy.
As long as we stay away from the Sudden Memories, which can't move, we only have to worry about the Insistent Memories. And not much about them, thanks to Humor's damage reduction.
Both behind and in front of this tree, trippy.
Clicking End Turn a bunch...
Okay, so not the most exciting battle for our particular character, but it does give us access to a much nicer conversation.
Hi, Veikko...
Veikko: I was worried... You want something to drink? How are you feeling?
Only if the drink is booze.
I'll feel better tomorrow. Knock on wood. (laugh)
Veikko: You have to rest. We are very worried about you. I would have offered to come sleep here for a while but... (He glances at the little girl in the corner)...We don't have enough beds.
I don't know. I may leave. This village is getting to me.
Anna-Liisa: I know it's hard. But you must hang on, and be courageous. Things are going to get better soon. It's only a bad phase. You know you can always count on us, if you don't feel well.
Veikko: Anna-Liisa is right. You can't let it overwhelm you. Have you slept? No, I am sure you haven't slept...
Is it my stupid habit of staring past you that makes you say that? (laugh)
Veikko: I know you well. You look tired, and you were still here last night when I left. You must sleep, you know. Things aren't going to bet any better if you don't.
I can't. Everytime I try to rest, I feel like the shadows are going to... swallow me whole. When I walk through the village, I am terrified. I almost fainted twice before I reached your doorstep.
Veikko: Did you... talk about it with Volva Inkeri?
Yes. For the moment, she said I should get some fresh air. It's not really working so far...
Veikko: Well... She's probably right. Get some air, and rest if you can...
Yes. And I am going to stop bothering you with my problems.
Anna-Liisa: (She has a faint grin) No, no, you are not bothering us...
Veikko: You're not bothering. Come back anytime.
Will do. See you soon, Veikko.
Anna-Liisa: ...See you soon, Haþuwīgą...
Veikko: See you later, Haþuwīgą. (He smiles sadly.) Take care of yourself.
Can't say I blame a girl growing up here for being weird.