u/Invariable_Outcome

The name is a nom de guerre that means "the greedy one". Her father commanded a pirate fleet based on Stros M'kai and she was supposed to follow in his footsteps. Instead filled with patriotic zeal, she and her followers travelled to southern Hammerfell, to the frontier of Thalmor-controlled territory where guerilla warfare against the Dominion is ongoing. Being unskilled in land-based warfare, her band was ambushed and wiped out, the Thalmor taking no prisoners. Avarica was the only one to escape. With the Thalmor on her heels she crossed into Cyrodil and hence into Skyrim planning to return to Stros M'kai by boat. Instead she was arrested by the Imperials and taken to Helgen.

She escaped Helgen with Ralof planning to join Ulfric Stormcloak's uprising against the Empire, but changed her mind when seeing the overt racism in Windhelm. So far she has not joined up with the Imperials either. Most of her time is spent plundering dungeons to increase her fortune. Captured arms, however, will often be collected as trophies, by no means only unique named items.

Having grown up amongst pirates she kills and steals without remorse, getting frequently into trouble with the law. Thalmor are engaged with extreme prejudice. As child of the sea, she prefers the lakes and the coasts of Skyrim to the woods and forests, she likes to drop her arms and armour to go for a recreational swim. She also prefers seafood to venison or beef, stopping to fish whenever the opportunity presents itself. Before exploring a dungeon she'll eat a bowl of crab stew to keep herself powered.

I feel like that wasn't properly set up or expanded upon. But maybe I'm missing something. It's also kinda weird that they do it on the job in a dingy basement. They were in a hurry, I guess. Idk what you think

A comprehensive overview over that dynamic period of history. In successive chapters Chickering examines the empire's economic and political structure, its heavy-handed policies towards religious and ethnic minorities such as Catholics, Jews, Poles, Danes and Alsatians. Gender relations and the women's movement are also discussed at length as is the labour movement and the Social Democratic Party. Lastly, Chickering analyses the foreign, colonial and military policy and the descent into the World War and the empire's downfall.

It's in a poor state, very visibly read, but it's free, and it was actually on my list

A comprehensive overview of the Viking Age, specifically focused on overseas colonisation. Forte, Oram and Pedersen take a broad view and start their account with the battle of Teutoburg Forest. A bold choice, but they convincingly argue that the contact with the Roman military sphere started a process of professionalisation among Germanic warriors that extended into Scandinavia and down to the middle ages.

The Scandinavian settlement in Ireland, England, the surrounding islands, the Faroes, Iceland and Greenland is recounted in detail, including the eventual assimilation into the Scottish and English kingdoms and identity.

Towards the end, the narrative briefly covers the Northern crusades of the 13th century that saw the consolidation of the Danish kingdom and the further integration into the European Catholic sphere. On the process of the consolidation of the Scandinavian kingdoms past the Viking Age, I can recommend Cross and Scepter, which delves into the complex power dynamics between kings, aristocracy and the church.

Personally, I don't know. To me it feels a bit like rehashing the COVID pandemic, but maybe it could be cool, the writing team could be doing a creative spin on it.

I can recommend this volume on the Staufer emperor. Abulafia recounts Frederick's life and argues that the popular image of the emperor as a crypto-atheist or Muslim is the result of papal propaganda and that of him as a renaissance man prefiguring modernity is largely exaggerated. In his view, Frederick was a man of his time, a conventional emperor and also an orthodox Catholic and a sincere crusader.