Eorling Mead Hall Planning/Discussion Thread

[JennyHallu]

*sigh*

Agh...busy day...and my time yesterday was cut short by the long process of filing an accident report with MP. (No injuries, minimal, localized, mostly cosmetic damage, not my fault, other guy will pay to fix my car...just took a while.)

I will try to get a post up before my lunch hour. I'm going to make it fairly brief, and set Farahil and Linduial out on their way at the end of it.

Also working on an idea for Marenil, Eodwine, & Thornden, (no kidnappings, don't worry), but I'll save that for when I have more time.

[JennyHallu]

Double...but I wanted to make sure this was noticed:

Celuien, I've reread your post and noticed something I'd missed before. I really don't think Lin would have the ability one-handed to lift a hefty and squirmy five-year-old. If it weren't for the broken wrist...

I'm going to write my post as though Saeryn obligingly lifted Leodern up to hugging range and go from there. If that sounds good, just edit accordingly.

[Celuien]

Originally Posted by JennyHallu

If it weren't for the broken wrist...

Oops. Will edit later.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Pio, now would be a good time to post Lommy's. Or I can add it myself to my own post after work...?

-------------

EDIT:

Done . . . and thanks!

~*~ Pio

[JennyHallu]

Fea, luv...could you send Modtryth to Marenil's room to discuss how they'll handle the accounts? He's working on taking the reins of the stewardship. LMP, I'd also like some word from you on just what, exactly, Marenil is responsible for. I would have thought the Steward would be handling hiring, honestly, at least for artisan labor and tasks involving access to the coffers. And I foresee some clashing between Marenil's experience and Saeri's earnestness...Saeri's new to the job, and Marenil hasn't had to deal with female authority higher than a housekeeper for 15 years. He took on a lot of the roles of Farlen's Lady...

It would be great to see a list of Saeryn's, Marenil's, and Thornden's duties, as well, perhaps, as those duties Eodwine prefers to make himself.
And as steward, shouldn't Marenil be attending the meeting between the Lord and Lady and the contractors?

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Originally Posted by JennyHallu

Fea, luv...could you send Modtryth to Marenil's room to discuss how they'll handle the accounts?

Sure I can. Just had to go to work first before I posted again. I can have Saeryn ask Modtryth to send Marenil down when he's done...?

And I foresee some clashing between Marenil's experience and Saeri's earnestness...

Oh, certainly. Saeryn's got experience in her old household, but not in this one. Same goes for Marenil. No doubt they'll be stepping on each other's toes left and right until Eodwine sorts things out.

It would be great to see a list of Saeryn's, Marenil's, and Thornden's duties,

I agree, that way I know which rules I'm breaking when I have her doing somebody else's.

[JennyHallu]

Originally Posted by Fea

I agree, that way I know which rules I'm breaking when I have her doing somebody else's.

Exactly.

Of course there's also the joy of eventually getting a functional, smoothrunning household...if we feel like it. (And eventually we probably will. Settling new people in with fewer hiccups allows the other trouble we create for ourselves to be more far fetched.

Oh and a question for Lommy: How fluent is Modtryth in the Rohirric tongue?

[littlemanpoet]

Originally Posted by JennyHallu

Fea, luv...could you send Modtryth to Marenil's room to discuss how they'll handle the accounts? He's working on taking the reins of the stewardship. LMP, I'd also like some word from you on just what, exactly, Marenil is responsible for. I would have thought the Steward would be handling hiring, honestly, at least for artisan labor and tasks involving access to the coffers. And I foresee some clashing between Marenil's experience and Saeri's earnestness...Saeri's new to the job, and Marenil hasn't had to deal with female authority higher than a housekeeper for 15 years. He took on a lot of the roles of Farlen's Lady...

It would be great to see a list of Saeryn's, Marenil's, and Thornden's duties, as well, perhaps, as those duties Eodwine prefers to make himself.
And as steward, shouldn't Marenil be attending the meeting between the Lord and Lady and the contractors?

I haven't time to answer this right now, busy busy busy! Except for this: Yes, Marenil should be part of the meeting too. Eodwine will be apologizing to him for his failure to think of it. What I'd like is if Marenil could make these very suggestions in the RP that you're making here. What do you think? It could be interesting.

Nogrod, please post up. I won't have time to introduce the thing. Perhaps you could just put suitable words in Eodwine's mouth?

As for a residential wing, we're all thinking too much in modern terms. A Mead Hall was a place in which people just parked themselves in the main Hall as they could find room. Eodwine will be against adding a new wing on two grounds: 1. expense (he doesn't have much cashflow); 2. He thinks that the open hall is good enough for overflow guests. This is what he'll say when asked. If you want your characters to argue the point with Eodwine, by all means go for it.

Let the conflict ensue!

And Trystan, Eodwine wants those privies cleaned out by the end of the the afternoon. Got a that?

[JennyHallu]

I think that Marenil will suggest that Eodwine's famed generosity is bad for business. I am thinking he might suggest that Eodwine institute a use-fee for guests who wish more than a pallet in the hall, and a meal more complex than simple porridge and mead. That could help with his ready-cash, and prevent low-lifes from taking advantage of him (which may have happened quite a bit during the Fair). After all, the hall is a governmental center, not a soup kitchen. Marenil will also suggest that as the permanent household is growing, more permanent and private lodging for those sworn to Eodwine may be in order.

Which reminds me: If you have not selected and been assigned a room, please PM me with your choice so I can update that. See the Eorling Mead Hall map (linked to in the first post of this thread). If you chose one and I never updated the map, PM me with a scolding and a reminder.

Oh, and I updated the job descriptions I developed above...LMP, did you see those?

[Celuien]

Originally Posted by littlemanpoet

Eodwine will be against adding a new wing on two grounds: 1. expense (he doesn't have much cashflow); 2. He thinks that the open hall is good enough for overflow guests. This is what he'll say when asked. If you want your characters to argue the point with Eodwine, by all means go for it.

Does that include the previously approved fire-break corridor to the kitchen? Garstan won't press for its construction if Eodwine has reconsidered, since he realizes that approval was given somewhat hurriedly in the midst of watching Leof's victory at the races (as I recall)...

Edit coming soon for my post. In fact, I'm doing it now!

[Nogrod]

Originally Posted by littlemanpoet

As for a residential wing, we're all thinking too much in modern terms. A Mead Hall was a place in which people just parked themselves in the main Hall as they could find room. Eodwine will be against adding a new wing on two grounds: 1. expense (he doesn't have much cashflow)

I think here might be bolded one more remnant of modern thinking...

1) A lord, if he is having people to live with him as workers, will have fixed expences over them no matter what they do - or whether they do nothing. It's not like today when hiring a carpenter or a stoneworker costs you a small fortune.
2) A lord straight under the supervision of the king would have quite nice opportunities to any resources. Even a layman might be able to go and hack stone from somewhere or possibly even fell wood. Every square-inch of the world was not owned by some individual or other back then. And surely if some lands were assigned to the king, he would surely look benevolently towards a small request by his Eorl...
3) In a Mead Hall like this there seems to be ample workforce and equipment to do all those things on their own, so no need to hire or pay for any outsiders. Eodwine could just say: now you three work the next days getting us some stone from place X?

It's completely another thing then, that at least Stigend would require baulks (or building timber) that have been peeled and dried at least three years beforehand so that they would not "live" any more and thence warp or twist as they will be made part of a building... But surely the king at least would come to back Eodwine on that? He could give some from his stock of dried baulks and just require the matching amount of fresh ones to be given back to him (which Stigend with some help from the others could then produce). Or something...

But I believe that much could be done with no additional expenses in that era's economy.