Asbjörn and Tingsman Jensi don't have any sensible suggestions about Sasgaerda either, but I don't think they understand the problems. At least Jensi and one of the councillors are clearly jealous that beautiful and incredibly busty Sasgaerda is going to be my nidambott, with whom I must have lots of sex and try to make pregnant. And she clearly desperately wants that, having forced me to make her my Nidambott after I rejected her as Frilla. They would definitely have tried to have several children with her, and would probably not have turned down her offer to become a Frilla. I don't think Asbjörn would have either.

Damn Sasgaerda!

Damn these laws and culture!

They have even commented that I should 'take' Adallaug before selling her, but they've hardly been alone in that, and admittedly Adallaug herself have suggested we have sex, like that would somehow make sure Heila stay as my Frilla.

Sometimes the Elves views on life, what is right and not, and moral considerations are just so different and alien from my view.

At least a messenger has been sent to get two Tingswomen who can act as independent witnesses and guards for Sasgaerda, who will bring chains and locks, etc. Since I have the status I have, with the possibilities that Thrymheim has proven and now well-known have to hold prisoners etc, and that I cannot put my life on hold because of Sasgaerda, the current plan is for Sasgaerda to be guarded as a prisoner, locked up in Thrymheim's basement, where the Tingswomen have the key and use their own chains and locks on Sasgaerda and the door, and sleep outside and eat the same food as Sasgaerda so that there is no foul play with the food or drink. All contact with Sasgaerda takes place when they are present, and all contact is through them, and no other man will even get close to her. So Sasgaerda will have to live for many weeks or even months locked up in our basement, with two Tingswomen guarding her, until it is clear that Sasgaerda is menstruating and they can start keeping track of Sasgaerda's period, and I have to start having sex with Sasgaerda until she is pregnant, in front of one of these Tingswomen, which will be awkward, at least for me. Once I have clearly made Sasgaerda pregnant, she has an obligation not to do anything that could harm the child or cause her to lose it, but sorcery and witchcraft are definitely a possibility, so in this case it is best to keep Sasgaerda under guard until she hopefully gives birth in about 11 to 18 months. 11 to 18 months! If she has not become pregnant within 6 to 9 months, then I 'should consider' trying to make Bodfrid pregnant. Gah! Nope! I actually really hope Sasgaerda gets pregnant! Heila is bad enough, and I'm not going to touch Bodfrid, no matter what people here think about that!

At least we can get rid of Sasgaerda and the Tingswomen once she is clearly pregnant, by keeping Sasgaerda locked up and guarded in Tingshamn or here in Borgheim in Borgarsandr, and once Jalida has given birth to a child who will hopefully clearly be half-human, it will be a different matter. And then there's Haera too. But that's still 8 months away.

Damn Sasgaerda, who really enjoys what she has said and done so that she will actually defile our lives with her presence! She seems so damn pleased that she deserves to be forced to execute her sons! They don't deserve that, but I have basically no choice about it. I understand why both Iselin and Ciara bitch-slapped Sasgaerdas breasts, buttocks and pinched her nipples when she was being measured for the straitjacket dress, prison dress and bra.

We continue talking, and the prisoners from the raid becomes Asbjörn's slaves to do with as he wishes as long as they are not close to here, as thanks for his support; partly because he will surely want to interrogate them, and partly because I don't want them near me and mine. So six more or less healthy slaves Asbjörn can subject to what he wishes for and for the worst jobs, is not a bad thing in his book, and they seem to be heading for a mine. Rewarding his warriors as I have with others could be interpreted as a purchased service, which could undermine our alliance and agreement. However, giving Asbjörn silver and some animals as a 'Thank you' that he can pass on is a completely different matter. Asbjörn can pass the silver on to them, and the animals can be slaughtered when it suits them for their own feast. Of course their names and such information have been written down, and will be in that book with others, and for many that is more important than a couple of months wages of silver. That is written down glory and in the future clear proof that they were part of that raid, and something to tell their children and so on.

From our talks, Asbjörn has become somewhat familiar with long-distance communication by different means, and has discussed it with Tingsman Jensi and Councillor Efi, and even though Asbjörn hopes for 'radio' for really long distances, optical signalling would be possible for certain short but important connections, if the weather is good. With the help of Tings people and some of his warriors, Asbjörn has used a couple of dark long winter evenings testing bonfires and smaller fires and tested using large pieces of fabric to block the light to signal.

About 2 km west of Tingshamn, on the other side of the river and valley, there is a mountain peak, and from there it is possible to see and signal all the way down the river valley to large areas just east of Borgarsandr and further south, but unfortunately not directly to the town itself and his castle. It works well to Borgheim, which is on the top of a small hill in that area, which has a really good view north along the river valley, and of course also east over Borgarsandr and further south. However, there is a suitable ridge-hill jutting out on the rivers eastern shore halfway to Tingshamn, that is visible from his castle and most of Borgarsandr, and also the hills and mountains south of Borgarsandr to the east of Borgheim, which include far south along the inland valley continuing south where the large rivers turn to the sea and where Borgarsandr is. On the other side of that hill with that ridge-hill jutting out, is an inland valley heading northeast towards Meysala lake that has Meysala monastery island, and the populated area further northeast of there, and that valley could be reached with another tower, also seen from Borgarsandr and Borgheim, but not from the ridge-hill.

From Tingshamn mountain top, it is possible to also signal northeast along the river valley and half-way to Laxlanda, where the river and valley turns north, and Laxlanda could be reached with another tower and probably one on a high peak outside Laxlanda. But Tingshamn mountain top can also signal westwards to the coast, where there is a small but high mountain island between Tosra island and the mainland, and from that high mountain island, it is possible to see most of the northern and western archipelago, including a couple of the larger and more populated islands in the archipelago due west of Borgarsandr, so from far to the south all the way to Tosra, and even to Orusingen and Ackerek islands in the north. Although Thrymheim is too low down to be reached, the glimmer of its roof can be glimpsed through the winter trees, and the mountain peak just north of Thrymheim can be seen clearly. I think I know which high mountain island he means, as we've sailed past many times going to Borgarsandr, and that peak is something like 130-140 meters above the sea, on an island not even a square kilometer.

From a peak north of the river in Borgarsandr, the more southerly populated islands in the archipelago could be reached, the same islands that can be seen from that high small island. The island I think of as 'Vinga' with its future lighthouse furthest out in the archipelago could be seen from both, and thus perhaps provide a warning of raids or similar, or simply spread information more quickly, warning Borgarsandrs inhabitants or preparing for defence and gathering Leidung warriors.

Asbjörn is very willing to support the construction of signal towers with some accommodation for its operator, and the operating costs, for some form of regular optical telegraph contact with Tingshamn, the archipelago and between us, and for more efficient gathering Leidung etc in the region, and Efi and Jensi thinks it would be a good idea, even if someone else becomes king in the future and the 'royal seat' is moved. Borgarsandr is the largest town on this coast, and probably the largest in the nation, and very important for trade, and it partly protects trade via the river and Tingshamn and the very important Northmen's Ting location, even though the 'northern river', which is a river branch just south of Tingshamn, also leads out to the sea, while the southern and widest branch leads to Borgarsandr and the sea there. It does not cost much to build a few wooden towers to provide some protection and extra height and a clear view for signalling, and to gain experience of the weather and usability over a couple of years, and then, if it is worth it, replace them with stone towers. Asbjörn and Efi would have liked to have a couple of combined lighthouses and signal towers in stone on a couple of the large and more populated islands west of Borgarsandr, as this would aid both navigation and communication, and make it more difficult to sabotage the lighthouses and towers in the event of an attack. Considering how the lighthouses are built, I can't see any major problems with installing optical telegraph equipment on the lighthouses, and it could be something more permanent and larger on the roof above the lighthouse light, because the lighthouse light doesn't need to have free access to the sun and sky, just a narrow horizontal angle around it, or just partially around it.

I have absolutely no objection to equipping Borgheim's roof with a proper viewing platform and signalling equipment and allowing it to function as a relay station or telegraph station where people can leave messages at the front gate. This will make the guards there feel more important and give them more purpose, and it is beneficial that Borgheim can officially receive and send messages to distant places without people knowing that Borgheim also has a radio station.

I am also willing to check what can be seen from the top of Small Ackerek's highest mountain top just north of Thrymheim, by paying for something like four volunteers to travel to other distant peaks and, at sunset in the evening, light a smokey fire in suitable places where they seem to be able to see Small Ackereks top, and simply check which compass directions and fires they can see from each location. Smoke will make it easier to see where in the terrain before it is dark, but if the light from a fire on the ground works, then a future tower will only be more visible and distinct.

Of course the design and location of the signal tower depends on the signal equipment itself. The cheapest option would be something with plates or movable arms that are visible against the sky. I believe Sweden was the second country in the world after France to have an optical telegraph network, and while the French system was towers with arms with paddles that sent letter by letter, I know that the Swedish system was a fast and efficient 'digital' system with tiltable plates in a 3 by 3 configuration with an extra plate on top, which sent octal code and had 1024 combinations, and used a code-word book to really speed up traffic. Such a system has its advantages in terms of simplicity and low cost, but requires that the tower's plates be visible against the bright sky, which limits the tower's location quite a lot and restricts the angle to other stations in the signalling chain. With Asbjörns description of the tested locations, and their location in regards to others, that will not work. Someone also has to sit and look through a telescope all the time to detect signals from any of the other stations in the chain and start mimicking them, and that person needs to keep an eye on both directions. And that system only works in daylight, and during the winter months here there are basically 6 or 7 daylight hours. It is of course possible to add a night system with light sources under plates in both directions, but this requires 10 light sources and 20 plates, and lightning up all these light sources is a problem, as is detecting if any of them have gone out, etc.

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A single stronger flashing light signal is easier to detect and can have many other advantages if the system is designed for it. So I prefer a more expensive and complex solution with light signalling and Norse code, and the principle that the entire message is sent between stations instead of a floating repetition of symbol by symbol, from end to end of a chain.

Sure, something like a heliograph on a tripod on an open platform works and is fairly inexpensive, but something brighter, more weather-resistant, more stable and quicker to align and use is advantageous, especially in this climate and weather. Considering how the system will be used, I think it is most practical to separate transmitter and light source. The transmitter itself is a signal device measuring something like 50 cm in diameter, which is essentially a 45-degree upward-angled mirror that expects light to come from straight above, with a persienne aperture in front of it facing the distant target which is what is used to send the signals. The device can rotate around a vertical axis and is easily adjusted to the desired horizontal compass degree and vertical angle, with marked snap locked positions towards other signal towers. So just rotate until it snap lock towards the desired tower and start to transmit, without having to think about the position of the light source itself in relation to the transmitting direction. A telescope is mounted on the transmitter and is thus automatically aligned towards the distant target, to make it easier to see a weaker light signal.

Both an oil lamp and future electric spotlight can then be light sources that is stably mounted above and to the side where they are easy to start and control, and their collimated light is directed towards the vertical axis, where a 45-degree downward-angled mirror redirects the light down to the transmitter mirror itself. This makes it easy to change which light source is used by rotating the upper mirror towards the correct light source, and there can be several light sources. The lightsources can also give some room lightning for the operator to write the message down and such. The mirror that redirects light downwards can be angled away so that the sun tracker on the roof can be used if there is sunlight.

The sun's path across the sky are predictable due to latitude and day of the year, and the solar tracker on the roof is basically a large mirror under glass whose vertical angle and horizontal rotation can be easily adjusted from below using a crank. Pretty much like the sun collectors for salt production, I've already made, but smaller and better. With a clockwork mechanism, the sun can be tracked accurately enough to reduce the need for constant adjustment while transmitting. So the sunlight hits the solar mirror, which directs the light horizontally to another mirror that directs the sunlight straight down to the transmitter. Only one crank handle is needed to set the sun's path-angle, which is predictable based on the day of the year, and then another crank to align horizontally for local solar time, verify that the alignment is correct by a simple light or shadow dot that should be perfectly centred on a small internal target, and then activate automatic tracking.

A pendulum clock mechanism can easily solve this sufficiently well, and if the pendulum clock is equipped with a dial and a small striking mechanism, it is easy to keep track of the time for time-synchronised regular contact with other towers, and marking the time on messages. The whole transmitting-receiving mechanism is stable, easy to handle, align and maintain, as most of the equipment is located high up, and the signal room can be quite large with outward-leaning glass windows all around that can be opened for better transmission, and a sturdy roof, as the roof only needs to be glass around the solar mirror itself. A simpler heliograph on a tripod can be used as a backup and, if needed, placed on an external walkway or roof platform.

This is obviously a much more complex mechanism than just wooden plates on a wooden arm or wooden frame, but it will work around the clock as long as the weather provides reasonable visibility between the towers, and can send and receive from all of the surrounding area. Even if someone only has a simpler mobile heliograph or similar device, they can reach the tower, and that can easily be aligned.

I have the others full attention as I'm sketching a suitable square tower design in wood. The height for the light does not need to be more than 10 meters, at least not for tests if it already works with fire on the ground, but pine trees, spruce trees and deciduous trees can be taller than that, and either the trees nearby need to be cut down, which has advantages and disadvantages, or the tower needs to be tall enough to rise above them, and it may be necessary to check the heights of trees between stations that may have been overlooked now during winter, although most of the trees on rocky hills are pine. The height of the tower must be adapted to the location and needs, and the tower needs to be sufficiently wide-legged and have diagonal bracing and cross bracing so that it does not sway in strong winds, and be well anchored to the rock/ground. The tower has space for signalling equipment at the top and a walkway outside and a platform on the roof. A simple crane arm with a block and tackle makes it easy to hoist equipment up to the walkway outside. The tower should have a retractable ladder or staircase, and a lockable hatch in the floor makes it a little safer, although it can probably be climbed. The tower will partly be 'isolated' without close neighbours, so it is a good idea to use the empty space below the top to create a couple of floors for accommodation, a toilet, kitchen, storage, fuel and a future battery bank. If electric light is to be used, a wind turbine is needed at the top to charge, which will be located north of the solar mirror where it will never block sunlight, and is easily accessible for servicing etc, as it must of course be possible to access both the solar mirror mechanism and the wind turbine for maintenance.

Rainwater should be collected from the roof and stored in a small water tank, as there is unlikely to be drinking water nearby when the signal tower is located on a small mountain top or similar location. It is a really good idea to install a lightning conductor on a mast, as the signal tower is generally located on top of a small mountain. It is also a good idea to plan for a large 'church bell' for sound signalling and warning at shorter distances, and the bell can actually function as an hourly signal for the immediate surroundings, if this is appropriate and desired by local residents. If the roof is made of copper or more likely cheaper tiles for rain collection and fire protection, a special open fireplace can be installed that can be lit as a signal fire and with smoke to call for help, warn the population, or just 'prepare for war now' to quickly spread the word to the public. Simple patterns with flashes of fire light could be used a bit like a lighthouse to give the public more information about the type of crisis involved. A large light-wind block that can rotate around the signal fire might be effective enough for all around signalling, by just cranking a handle, and if that light block quickly can be changed to one to three sections with light between, that is three different codes. Or a large signal fire can be prepared and lit 20-30 meters away from the tower. It is also a good idea to build that lightning conductor mast as a flagpole so that a few simple signal flags can be used. The signal tower operator can also collect weather data, and warn of forest fires.

Of course, all of this is not necessary and a bit over the top, but it is wise to prepare for it during the construction and testing phases so that we can test everything, and most if it is cheap. If the signal towers prove to be worth the investment and worth to build more secure, similar stone or brick towers can be built. Very similar to lighthouses, but with a different purpose.

I am absolutely willing to pay for a signal tower like this on the highest peak in my Furstdom which is on that mountain just north of Thrymheim on Small Ackerek, and have someone man the signal tower and work as lookout. And on that high small island, just to help with building the testing network, and make it easier to test equipment between 'my' towers. In addition to the fairly advanced light transmitter that needs to be built and tested, I can design some good, simpler heliographs on tripods with a secondary mirror on an arm to enable transmission in all directions, and where the mirror on the arm can be replaced with a focused oil lantern. I already can make more than sufficiently powerful electric arc lights, so once lights, batteries and wind turbines are in production, signal lamps can also be installed, at least on more important towers. Heliographs and signal lamps are certainly valuable technology from a military point of view, and would be worth keeping for myself, but Asbjörn and others have already been told enough and have started thinking in simpler terms, and I am happy to spread heliographs and signal lamps throughout the kingdom to make it stronger and be a good ally, and it will be good to have some form of backup for any future electric telegraph or telephone I create. Optical telegraph is the most practical and cheaper option for those islands, and they're unlikely to get underwater electrical telegraph lines.

Asbjörn and councillor Efi are considering creating a brick and roof tile manufacturing business, and invite me to become a partner. There is already a brick 'factory' in Borgarsandr, but Asbjörn and Haera have clearly considered my views that the kingdom should establish a proper brick and cement manufacturing industry, so that most of Borgarsandr and other ship accessable towns can be built with brick instead of wood. There is certainly plenty of wood here, but brick buildings last much longer and look nicer, and should reduce the risk of fire spreading. Furthermore, most of the buildings in the cities in the nations across the sea to the south are apparently made of brick, and Asbjörn, Haera and their children like the way they look. Many norse merchants and travellers share this opinion. Asbjörn has been trying to motivate some people to build in stone or brick in Borgarsandr to reduce the risk of fire and fire spreading, but most see it as an unnecessary expense. If he starts manufacturing bricks, it will of course be seen as him wanting to make money from it too, but if bricks become cheaper than they have been, it might be perceived a little differently, especially if I become a partner in the business. Asbjörn is completely correct in that I plan to build a lot of buildings, and would prefere to do so in bricks and tiles. I mainly used wood because it was fast, easily available and cheap, and I was thinking more about houses than factories.

Of course, brick and tile production is something Asbjörn and Efi can solve by themselves, but they want me involved primarily because they expect me to see it from a very different view and be able to think things through better than them, and help streamline production and make machines that help. And they are right - with all my building plans, it will be cheaper to buy bricks and roof tiles from a manufacturer where I get a good discount and a share of the profits. And I might start a trend to build like that. Thrymheim and other buildings on my islands have clearly had a lot of people considering how they want to live.

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