The only true prospect of advancement for the average Nord is to earn a seat in one of the Raiding vessels. Each year, immediately following the Kapp-a-Görask, hundreds of freemen flock to the southern coastal towns where the longboats dock. Among those that do make the trip, only a few are selected to join the raiding parties: when the plan is to sail in enemy waters and land on enemy shores, isolated and cut off from reinforcements, a Captain wants to be surrounded only by the finest, strongest and most dependable. For those, however, that do make the journey and catch the eye of one of the Captains, the sky is the limit. The wealth that can be earned in a single successful raid far eclipses anything a Nord might hope for while working one’s own lands. If particularly lucky, a Raider could secure enough captives, wealth and booty to truly secure his household and devote himself entirely to the perfection of his martial abilities. In time, armed and armored by the wealth of the southern kingdoms and forged in the heat of battle and ruthless cold of the north, a Raider could hope to ascend to the rank of Huskarl, a dedicated elite warrior bearing arms for his Jarl.