Be sure to read the previous chapters!
Chapter I
Chapter II
Chapter III
Chapter IV
Chapter V
Chapter VI
Chapter VII

The night is dark and still.

The endless expanse of space stretches far and wide beyond the deck of your ship. A sea of stars washes around the fleet, swathes of flickering light amidst an eternal night so deep and cold. The silence of the void has pressed through the shields, blanketing the ship and its crew. As you sit on the prow, eyes sightlessly peering through the shadows ahead, you know this same stillness has overcome the entirety of the fleet.

Everything is set. All the preparations made, the new mechanics tested as thoroughly as possible. The jump coordinates have been entered; all that remains is the signal from the Sleipnir.

The massive command ship sits quiet in the midst of the fleet.

For now, in these precious moments before launching into the unknown, it is the time for peace and reflection. Now is the time to pause and consider your life, your choices, your path. To determine the depths of your resolve, to make the choice of whether or not to continue. Each soul aboard must look inside themselves and pursue the calling of their own path.

Ahead lies the ultimate uncertainty - a nigh impossible journey through the unexplored dangers of a black hole. What awaits you, you could never begin to guess. Even the Snake Clan Vikings have no idea what awaits on the other side, if it exists, or what the journey entails.

And so each of you sits in silence, lost in the seas of your mind.

The risk is great, but the reward… is Valhalla.

Welcome back to Chapter VIII of the Epic Quest - Valhalla!

Here’s how the Epic Quest works: I will host an activity each month that plays into the story being told. You’ll earn small prizes for each activity you complete - like points, HPD, or cash shop items. You’ll also earn XP points, and the player with the most XP points at the end of the year - December 2021 - will win the grand prize:
1. This fully coded layout (currently a WIP) and
2. Matching animal CSS and
3. A 1-year upgrade!

Participate in the Epic Quest activity every month of the year, and you’ll earn a special prize:
1. An official HP achievement and
2. A store pair with 100k points.

If you haven't joined yet but would like to, check out Chapter I to figure out how to create your Viking! You need to message me with a clan, a specialty, and a name - then you can join one of the crews below!

If you have any questions about the quest, prizes, or how it works, don’t hesitate to message me!

CONTEMPLATION

Before you begin your journey into the unknown, you must take the time to settle your thoughts and motives, to make peace with the path you’ve chosen to walk. This is something that can only be done alone - there will be no collective crew rewards for this Chapter.

Your task? Reply to this forum thread with something you are thankful for, something that makes you happy, something that brings you contentment. You can reply in character or as yourself, and you can reply up to 10 times a day.

Each reply will earn you 1 XP point.

The catch is that you cannot double post - you must wait until another Viking has posted their contemplative thought before posting another of yours. Also, you cannot post the same thing twice.

You may post your thoughts until 11:59 pm HP time on Sunday, Nov. 28th.

REMINISCENCE

Message me up to two choices you’ve made or events that have happened to you that were very important to you. Make sure these are HP appropriate events/choices that you are ok with other HPers knowing about. 

You can choose events that happened here on HP or in real life. You can also choose to make up these choices or events as things that have happened to your character, rather than real things that happened to you.

For each event/choice you message me, you will earn 5 XP points.

You have until 11:59 pm HP time on Sunday, Nov. 28th to message me.

PRIZES:
Each contemplative reply to this forum thread - 1 XP point.
Each event/choice messaged to me - 5 XP points.
BONUS: Message me the HP animal you are proudest of training for 10k points (that can go on any animal you want, not limited to the one you send me).

FIND YOUR CALM BEFORE THE STORM, VIKINGS

Something that brings me contentment is snacking on my favorite foods with my favorite people!

Oof. Nadhima the lack of RL friend's is really rough. -snuggles- I have like three-four close friends at the moment, and I believe at least one to three of them originated from HP. Then I have a variety of acquantiances that have orginated from different sources, but none of them are really close to me geographically, except my sharkie shark and Koni. Sharkie is still a good 8 hour drive and Koni is a good 4ish hours from me so still not close and I hate driving. 

I've already said how thankful I am for my close friends though, but I really cannot stress enough how much I adore them all.

I am thankful that I can go to college to obtain a degree in something I love while working not one, not two, but three jobs that I really adore. I love that I am focusing on stuff that I love and that will only get better as I get further into my careers and college courses.

Something that makes me happy is being able to spend time with my kitties. They are such characters that can turn even my cloudiest days into sunshine and smiles. They are the best!

Thanks Con!

But I'm thankful that my mother in law doesn't have to babysit her other 2 grandkids 4 days a week anymore. She was so exhausted and burnt out, it's not even funny. 

The only downside is it's because they're moving so my son won't be able to play with his only cousins anywhere near as often. That's going to be rough (for him and me).

I am thankful for a nice hot cup of hot chocolate now that it's getting super cold!

My equine vet did an amazing job on my mare's leg injury a few years back. That was a terrifying experience! I thought I was going to have to put her down.

My kitty Auggie. The smile he puts on my face when I don't feel like smiling, he's the sweetest 💚 even when he tries to suffocate me while I sleep lol

For programs like Visual Studio Code that are free so that the cost of college goes down just a little bit more. :D

That I can afford to heat my house! It's freezing in Maine during the winter!

I had a friend who lived in Maine and the winter stories he told did sound extremely cold! 

I am thankful to work with such great people and to just have a job I love!

Yeah, but I'd rather that than deal with hurricanes and tornadoes down south.

But thankfully they have such a thing as hot cocoa. I drink a lot of it during the winter since I dont like coffee.

I am thankful for Tragedy, Aeon, Nadhima, and the other amazing coders / graphics artist here on HP. :D

The players of HP. A few of you make it a point to reach out and include me and I cannot tell you how grateful it makes me feel to have a community like this.

My car

Reeses. Which may sound dumb but the one type of candy that makes me happy dance.

Something I am thankful for is my education and the fact I am about 2yrs away from paying off my student loans. Sooo close!!! Ugh! D:

My medical bill from my pregnancy is finally paid off!

I am thankful for the green bean casserole I have cooking.

You've said that before, Nad! :P

I'm thankful that I have the means and ability to gift things to others!

I'm thankful I have family that hosts thanksgiving. I dont have to do the cleanup afterwards all by myself in my own house. I hate washing dishes.