Yet Another Journey. But This Time....East-bound.

So, a lot has happened since I last wrote. Leif's cheiftain, Ivar, was killed during a local feud between him and another chieftain, Igor. As result of this, Leif has been named the official "cheiftain" of the crew that originally left Viksfjord. After a few months of determining the direction the crew would be taking, Leif finally decided to take the crew and me, East-bound towards a settlement named Staraja Ladoga being run by people calling themselves the "Rus". Word is that fellow Norse-men have been settling there. It was previously established as a small craftworking and trading settlement and is currently, the gateway to the Baltic and other eastern powers. Leif has decided that as a crew, we need to enhance our trading relationships with eastern powers as opposed to continuing to rely on raiding for our prosperity in the west. Times have become somewhat difficult as numerous viking crews have been defeated by various sea-borne attacks and we are being forced to extend our power in other areas. Plus, vikings have already been establishing numerous settlements in the East. Leif thinks that we can grab a piece of the stew if we utilize our force and intelligence of trading.

Another big occurrence took place right before we left for our journey. The day before we packed up, I discovered that I was pregnant. I have yet to tell Leif. I am just too terrified of our circumstances. I will just be waiting, I guess.

After our arduous journey eastward, we decided to pass by Ladoga, taking the River Volkhov and stopping in a town named the "New Town." Here, Leif was instantly confronted by various leaders within the town. With his poise, he ensured them that we were here only to initiate trade rather than raid. After his discussions with various Norse men, we were soon welcomed into the small, fortified, hill top settlement. I have no idea what to expect here. We are definitely being watched upon with careful eyes. The first thing I noticed was that there are so many different types of people here. I noticed fellow Norse people but their dress seems so different than what I am used to. Also, there are people of different colored skin and dark hair. I just hope this will be a safe place to have my baby.