Silence... The skald pauses her tale. Time passes in heartbeats. Every sound echoes, continues a fragment of the story. The crash of distant waves invokes the whale-road, long ships traveling its path, their sides covered with brightly painted shields. The creak of ropes reminds you of Jormungandr, the Midgard Serpent, the world wrapped in its scaly embrace. Faraway wolves howl and call, echoing along the path to Niflheim, Hel's...