Scarburg Meadhall Discussion Thread

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Originally Posted by Folwren

Now, Saeryn was pregnant when we last ended writing, and for some reason I felt she had twins, but I'm not sure if we ever established that.

I am not sure, but I think there's nothing contradicting that, so if you want it to be that way, I think that might happen. It would be nice. (And depending on the length of the time jump, there might be a couple of very small kids messing around )

Originally Posted by Folwren

Something to keep in mind is that sometimes boys were sent places to learn trade or take place in someone's household - another lord or knight, etc. - so those of us who have boys growing up in the game may consider that. I don't think that affects me, as that was the reason Javan was sent to Eodwine in the first place.

That's actually a pretty good point, why haven't we thought about it. So that's also one way to get rid of characters, and also by the way a good door for new characters to come in (someone taken apprentice at the Hall - even possibly by older characters who are present, specifically, if somebody wanted).

[Mithalwen]

Yes, that is what I was thinking of when I metioned the time jump might enable me to recycle my old character. He is a farm boy at heart but I don't think he will be able to follow his heart's desire without sometime soldiering... so no doubt he would be sent to some lord's household to learn the trade. Or I cold think of someone new.

[Folwren]

Mithalwen, it would be neat if you could bring in an old character, rather than feeling obliged to make a new one.

My character, Javan, was such a character as I mentioned, Legate. That is, he was sent by his father to Eodwine to be trained up in his household.

Originally Posted by Elempi

5 years into the future sounds good to me. Eodwine's wife is an issue. I wonder if Folwren isn't too busy with being a successful teacher these days in RL?

I just now saw this. I won't be too busy to keep up some semblance of a presence for Saeryn (and Thornden and Javan, for that matter), but maybe I won't write as much as I used to.

[littlemanpoet]

What do we need to get started?

I propose that all those with thoughts on the question above, say what they think, and after about a week (or less?) I'll draw them together in a rough priority list which anyone is encouraged to respond to with proposed revisions or a thumbs up or whatever.

Ready, go!

[Galadriel55]

A question occurred to me last night - how far along after the Fell Winter would we jump to? The end of the winter? Early/late spring? Is the winter going to be mainly flashback, or are we going to "live through" at least part of it in "real time"?

As for what we need to get started - we already have an outline, we just have to decide to what extent we want to either flesh it out or leave it brief and vague. (For the record, I vote for fleshing out). Potentially decide for sure which characters are gonna be gone. Think of where exactly we will be starting and what the characters would look like at that point. And off we go. We've already done a lot of that in parts.

[Firefoot]

I think I've said all I need to say on where I'm at. I've already started writing an intervening post for Scyld; all that really needs to be settled for him is the length of the jump. Same with Leof, though I think his story fitting the jump will be relatively uneventful and much more quickly summed up. I'm on vacation for the next week but I'll try to pop in when I can and comment here if need be. Eager to get going again!

[Folwren]

Someone's going to have to tell me what the Fell Winter is. I feel ignorant asking.

Elempi,, I propose, in answer to your questions that first, we decide how many years it is we are going to jump (did we all agree on 5?), and then second, we do as Firefoot is doing and each of us write posts for what happened to our characters in the between time.

We may need to know big key events, for instance - did we indeed decide that Athanar left and Eodwine took up his role as eorl again? Which characters left and why? I think those are the only two things that will affect my characters.

And we might even want to know what kind of natural events occurred.

Any deaths in the hall? That'd be interesting.

[Galadriel55]

Originally Posted by Folwren

Someone's going to have to tell me what the Fell Winter is. I feel ignorant asking.

A winter of our invention that would create drama and cause a few deaths.

Originally Posted by Foley

We may need to know big key events, for instance - did we indeed decide that Athanar left and Eodwine took up his role as eorl again? Which characters left and why? I think those are the only two things that will affect my characters.

And we might even want to know what kind of natural events occurred.

As per Nog's post:

1# year

The Mead Hall was more or less built within a year after we left writing the story (I think it was not yet ready when we ceased writing and there were some major things to do & to change according to Athanar's plans). Saeryn will give birth.

The things settled down a bit even if there were some occasional rifts and a few people were given minor penalties by lord Athanar's court because of misbehaviour.

The local lords were licking their wounds and having their own internal power-struggles so they were not able or willing to cause any trouble.


2# year

There could then have been a period of a lot of travelers the next year because of king Aragorn's trip, and the local lords would have been nice and relaxed as there were a lot of folk around & revenue to be made etc. A year of prosperity and relationships getting better within the Mead Hall.


3# year

The year of problems in the east. With king Eomer's muster also the Mead Hall would have been forced to give away a host of soldiers - both lord Eodwine's and lord Athanar's men (more of the latter as Athanar rode in with a larger host of active-duty soldiers).

It might even be lord Athanar would have been summoned by king Eomer to lead a force of rohirrim from those parts of Rohan (as king Eomer knew that Eodwine was getting better but not well enough to lead cavalry into a battle - but he trusted Eodwine would nevertheless be in good condition enough to run the hall). At least Athanar's sons would be summoned...

Local lords are called for as well (under the command of Athanar?) and so they are not doing any plotting or things like that this year.


4# year

The killer-winter -year (I'd prefer a harsh winter to a plague, but if most people think plague is better I'm fine with it).

Understaffed the Mead Hall suffers greatly because of the winter. Other local lords / their farmsteads suffer as well. Everyone suffers as death walks around randomly here and there.

Here we get rid of characters no one will be writing any more.



5# year

The end of the fell winter... This might also be the place we start our writing!

A nice place for the new characters to join the Mead Hall - refugees, wanderers, travelers... caught up by the harsh winter and trying to find shelter / been kicked out of former shelters, coming back from the war in the east etc.

Lord Athanar could be dead - or maybe promoted to a Field Marshal, or given a new eorlship... whatever. But we'd be rid of him from the story. Those left behind of Athanar's men could be ordered by king Eomer to stay under the command of Eodwine... and maybe one or two of his sons would join the Mead Hall after the battles...

That's the outline of the main events.

Originally Posted by Foley

Any deaths in the hall? That'd be interesting.

Yes. A couple during the Fell Winter - Theolain for sure, one of Stigen's/Garstan's folk, potentially characters whose writers have disappeared a very long time ago. Wulfric is going to die in the war in the East, and Wilheard will return with the trauma. Who did I miss? I'm sorry if I forgot anyone's character. I think these are the only deaths that were decided on more or less for certain.

[littlemanpoet]

Is this Fell Winter something we're making up, or is it in the history of the Fourth Age? Apologies if this question could be answered by simple research; I don't have my sources with me.

I've contacted Lhunardawen, who says that she will not be able to write. I've asked her to let us know what she wants done with her characters.