In the frozen north, long after the old gods fell silent, the sea still remembered its ancient names.Eirik Skorne, Jarl of Vardhjem-the Wolf of Godspire-led his clan through starvation winters, burning longships, and plagues that broke lesser men. To the desperate he was salvation; to the wise, a storm wearing human skin.When Odin and Thor withdrew, refusing even blood and fire, Eirik listened deeper. Beneath the black mountain lake something vast and patient answered: a voice older than glaciers, promising unbreakable strength and wisdom to outlast empires. It asked only a price.But another hunger had already claimed him first-a quiet, ravenous thing that slipped into his blood like frostbite disguised as warmth. It fed on pride, on certainty, on the bright marrow of a man's soul, growing stronger with every victory his people cheered.This is the saga of the Skorne bloodline: of whale-road war-hosts wreathed in fire, of a slumbering god dreaming in cold light beneath the world's roots, and of the terrible toll when one man dares answer voices never meant for mortal ears.It begins with a single ripple on still water-and a heart fearless enough to lean close.