Trade

Everyone is very self-sufficient on their own land. Bartering and trading is for wants and luxuries, everything we need we make or get ourselves. Silver is a very acceptable form of payment, and ring-form is preferred since it is the easiest to carry. Auðin recently struck a deal for some very nice glass beads that came in on a trade ship. Its important to show your status in what you wear. Ribe is surrounded by a moat, since the fear of attack is always there. We don't want to look weak and defenseless to any ship who would consider raiding instead of trade. Ribe is also rather old for a town, and still here.

~Aldís~

Craft and Ships

In his leatherwork, Auðin specializes mostly in harnesses, scabbards, and protective gear. Sometimes he will have his work inlaid with silver or another metal before brining it to Ribe. The crafts there are mostly bone, wood, metals, or leather. Pottery and glass are rare and very valuable. A trade ship was recently finished in Ribe, it took many months because each plank must be split, chopped, and whittled with an ax to a perfect fit to make the ideal ship. The ships that come from Sweden are often smaller than the others, because they are built for shallow lakes and rivers.

~Aldís~

Art and Religion

Auðin's father, Ávarr, was taken to a runes master when he was sick before he died. The runes master knows how to use the power of runes for healing and other spells. The runes were obtained at a great cost, so the wisdom and power of using the runes for ritual are known by few. Ávarr was buried with a runic memorial stone nearby. Since our son was named after him, he is now his guardian spirit. We worship the agrarian Gods of agriculture for our farm. A lot of the artwork for sale and trade in Ribe has beautiful intertwined serpents on them, and most art has animals or ships worked into it.

~Aldís~

Introduction

My name is Aldís Aghenardottir. I am 24 years old, and a free woman near Ribe, Denmark. My husband (Auðin) and I are farmers with a moderate amount of land. We have a field of cows and sheep, as well as some horses. We mostly grow grains, a few root vegetables, and of course some hay for the animals. I spend most of my time preserving food, making or mending clothes, and teaching our son, Ávarr. Auðin is also a craftsman, making leather goods to trade and sell in Ribe. He went to Ribe for a few days to sell some of his leather work, so I took over some more duties of the farm while he's gone. Ávarr is learning to fish, and is getting very skilled at it.

~Aldís~