Hard Winters Planning/Discussion Thread

[littlemanpoet]

Athanar is given the chieftainship of the frontier of the Rhun, guarding against further attacks from the east. He is answerable directly to the Prince of Ithilien. So he leads both Eorlings and Gondorians. Should be just the right fit for such a man of action.

[Firefoot]

I hope everyone's not so busy playing Werewolf to have forgotten this... My first posts for Scyld and Leof are basically ready but waiting to see the official first posts of the game to make some final tweaks and make sure the details line up.

Did anyone contact Inziladun?

[Thinlómien]

Originally Posted by Firefoot

I hope everyone's not so busy playing Werewolf to have forgotten this... My first posts for Scyld and Leof are basically ready but waiting to see the official first posts of the game to make some final tweaks and make sure the details line up.

Did anyone contact Inziladun?

Not yet I guess since no one said they did? Why don't you send a pm to him since you seem to have time in your hands.

I have been horribly busy with like a million things - werewolf included, touché - but I will try to write a draft of Wilheard's first post in the weekend, so I can post it whenever everyone else (Elempi? Nog?) feels ready to start.

I was thinking of writing a post with possibly some details about the journey from Edoras without too much of Wilheard's reminiscing. Two questions:

1) Are there any notable characters or NPCs that are coming with Wilheard from Edoras? Anybody have any preferences about what kind of people the caravan consists of? (A couple of peasants/servants and some soldiers to guard it? Something else? We don't need to be too specific bc honestly I doubt Wilheard is even paying much attention, even if he's in charge. )

2) Any preferences about where I should leave off? Wilheard arriving on the yard with the caravan and greeting Eodwine? (I assume he'd come out to greet them if the kids warned him in time?) Would this mean people would want to rather start writing from the kids running back with the news about the food and write their characters reactions to that, or is it clearer to start with a post ending "Westu hal, Eorl Eodwine! here is your food" (NOT those words exactly but you know what I mean )?

[Firefoot]

I have Scyld coming back with the caravan.

[Mithalwen]

I was thinking that since no one expressed a preference that Elfthain might come with the caravan. I had thought he could have been transferred there if they were short handed but I think now maybe he could come as part of the escort and perhaps ask for a transfer in order to perhaps make a name for himself away from Edoras where everyone knows him and his family and vice versa.

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Ha, I actually wanted to raise the question about how are people planning to introduce their new characters already several days ago, but totally forgot about it... Also been awfully busy these days (mostly Werewolf, but also other stuff in the rest of the spare time).

Anyway, that was one of the reasons I was being slow in posting the bio of my new character, because I was deciding in the end if I shouldn't make her come all the way from Edoras, which would shuffle around the end of her up-to-now story. But originally I was thinking she could be just living nearby (around one of the local lords' places) and she could technically come up even a bit later... or maybe she could arrive when the supplies come, since the Mead Hall will be sort of the "distribution center" for the local area, am I right? It might be an extra reason for her to come there...

[littlemanpoet]

Well, the official first post has been posted here.

Pio was going to copy and paste it to the game thread. I guess that hasn't happened yet.

I'm uncomfortable starting without Folwren.

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

The intro post is now on the RPG thread.
~*~ Pio

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Originally Posted by littlemanpoet

I'm uncomfortable starting without Folwren.

I think she is now traveling, in any case she should pay a visit around here in, like a week, or a bit less? Which is, incidentally, also the "deadline" we kind of agreed on to be ready for the transition... So I think we can consult her then, among other things, even if she does not have time otherwise.

[Nogrod]

Originally Posted by littlemanpoet

I'm uncomfortable starting without Folwren.

Folwren is going to visit us here in finland between June 20th - 23rd. And I got the impression Finland is their last stop in their voyage - so they'd be home on Wed June 24th.

I have two suggestions.

1) We start on the Midsummer's Day (or Eve) as it is a nice day to start in principle. Folwren won't be able to post on the few first days (that shouldn't be a problem as nothing that much probably happens in the early stages as most people probably wish just to bring their characters forwards to the scene?).

2) We wait for Foley and decide fex. that the game starts on Wed June 24th.


Either way I think we should decide on some exact time the game begins and after which posting is free - and Lommy could send her first post with Wilheard to kick it up then (I still like that idea that the first actual post would be describing the caravan coming to Scarburg).

[piosenniel]

Originally Posted by Nogrod

(I still like that idea that the first actual post would be describing the caravan coming to Scarburg).

Clarification, please - I put lmp's introductory post on the game thread as the first post. Are you saying that there will now be another first actual post to the game?

I'll close the RPG thread until whoever writes that post is ready to post it on the game.

[Snowdog]

it's looking like this may get started soon! A couple simple questions from someone who has not been involved with the past .... If I was looking at a map of Rohan, where exactly would I find the Meadhall? and has the in-game year and month of starting been decided? I haven't been following all the back and forth among the elder writers between the other thread and this one. I'm hoping a summary of the scene and setting will be covered in an opening post to help get us new folk orientated.

That said, Halcwyn is ready to 'show up' at the hall in my first post, which I'll finalise after the opening post(s) are up and the RP is running.

[Undómë]

So, Arry, Granny Haesel's bio is now up on my original post for Fana - HERE

That was fun thinking about her character!

[piosenniel]

Originally Posted by Snowdog

If I was looking at a map of Rohan, where exactly would I find the Meadhall?

Here's a link to a Map by Nogrod of where the Meadhall is: HERE

See other hand-drawn maps and a detail of the Meadhall and the outbuildings - HERE

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

It's Year 19 of the Fourth Age -- May
See HERE

Hope that helps!

~*~ Pio

[Thinlómien]

This looks all very interesting! Welcome Undómë, Arry and Inzil!

When I write the "first post" I can leave it partly vague who's coming along with Wilheard. Like I said, he's hardly a people's person anyway, and he's probably been even more immersed in his own thoughts since his brother's death; so I'm not going to spend the post writing his observations about his travelling companions... But still good to know Scyld and Elfthain are with the caravan.


Inzil - veeery interesting! I daresay you will end up writing with me and Nogrod. Nog's character Stigend is the resident carpenter, and my character Modtryth is his wife and half-Dunlending herself. So lots of connections with the little family of ours!

I'm actually excited about a Dunlending character from the perspective of writing Modtryth. Seeing as she identifies as an Eorling and has been previously mistreated thanks to her Dunlending looks, I can see a lot of drama in the horizon if she has to interact with an actual Dunlending. She's generally a kind and understanding woman but I think ironically enough she might show a bit of her hostile side to someone who belongs to a group she very clearly wants to disassociate herself from... oops.

Also there's the adorable 1/4 Dunlending teenager son of Stigend and Modtryth's, Cnebba, who might be curious about the folk his mother's mother belonged to... So if Ladavan has already been to the Mead Hall for a while, we might need to establish some sort of history for the interactions between these characters. Or then he could only come now and we could let it all play out on the thread...? Thoughts?

[Thinlómien]

I know I have way too many characters already, but I just couldn't resist when I remembered I had a character in the Green Dragon Inn (nine years ago, eek) that I only wrote a couple of posts for. Terrible waste of a developed character, methinks. So, she's going to visit the Meadhall, and if I think I can juggle 3 1/2 characters and/or enjoy writing her very much, she may stay. I also added two NPC soldiers that might be interested in staying in Scarburg for longer.

~*~

NAME: Brith (short for Brithiel)

AGE/GENDER/RACE/WHERE FROM: 26, female, from the city of Calembel in Gondor

APPEARANCE: Brith is a beautiful woman with long black hair and sparkling dark eyes. She is slender, if not even too thin, and always well dressed.

BITS OF CHARACTER/HISTORY YOU FEEL MIGHT BE HELPFUL IN DEFINING THE CHARACTER: Brith is very kind, shy and sensitive. She relies more on emotion than reason, and her logic isn't always the easiest to follow. She has seen a lot of the world for a young woman, but is still prone to daydreaming.

Brith is the middle child born to a captain of the guard and a seamstress favoured by the Lady of Calembel. As a young maid she learnt her mother's craft, even though she never had her older sister's skill with needle and thread. She has also been somewhat reared in the manners befitting a court lady.

Following an unfortunate breaking of her engagement, Brith left Gondor seven years ago and hasn't been back since. She briefly visited the Shire and then made her way to Arnor, where her uncle is among the settlers re-establishing the North Kingdom in the name of King Elessar. In Arnor, Brith was once again engaged to be married, but things went awry for the second time.

Soon after, Brith decided to make her way back south. Her plan was to find her first betrothed, who had left her for an Eorling woman all those years ago, and finally lay the ghosts of her past to rest. She has now spent the winter in Edoras and learnt her former intended's wife is from a family near Scarburg, and consequently joined the caravan heading for the Meadhall.

~*~


Fréa and Caranthir are NPCs, freely to be used by any writer.

NAME: Fréa and Caranthir - 2 soldiers travelling with Brith

Since leaving Arnor, Brith has been travelling with two soldiers in their middle to late forties. Fréa, an Eorling, and Caranthir, a man of Gondor, are veterans of many wars together and nigh inseparable brothers-in-arms. In their old days, the two have sought more peaceful employment, protecting travelers and merchants across Middle-Earth. Recently they made a decision to return to Fréa's homeland, the Riddermark. They are currently seeking more permanent employment.

Brief descriptions of Fréa and Caranthir:

Fréa is tall and sandy-haired and has an amiable personality. Caranthir, more quiet and taciturn, is sturdy and has a salt-and-pepper beard. Caranthir speaks the language of the Men of the Mark fluently but with a Gondorian accent.
__________________________

LINKED ~*~ Pio

[littlemanpoet]

Sorry, I do not have time to research it, Nogrod or Lommy, can you tell me what Wilheard's ''erratic behavior" is?

thanks!

[Thinlómien]

Okay Folwren and Firefoot, Wilheard is now at the stables! Please correct me if you want me to change something I said about your characters, also (this is a general note that goes for all my writing) I know next to nothing about horses so please nitpick if you feel like I'm writing nonsense.

I couldn't resist making a little dig at Javan, after all I don't want to write Wilheard too nice and responsible and besides he really did hold a grudge about him having that fight with Aedre, he would have gone and beaten the poor boy had his mother not explicitely forbidden it. Also I'd say Wilheard would be like 6'1'' or 6'2" so he can probably comfortably look down at poor Javan. (Until Javan's giant of a big brother can come and look down at Wilheard in turn, haha.)

PS. Just as a general note - Wilheard was briefly in Scarburg in the autumn with Athanar's party, but he was freshly back from the war and Wulfric had just died, so I think he was suffering from pretty severe PTSD and grieving his brother, so he was mostly keeping to himself and going out with his horse, or maybe drinking, so I doubt he interacted with any of the locals much during the two months of so when he was around.

[Folwren]

Originally Posted by Thinlómien

I couldn't resist making a little dig at Javan, after all I don't want to write Wilheard too nice and responsible and besides he really did hold a grudge about him having that fight with Aedre, he would have gone and beaten the poor boy had his mother not explicitely forbidden it. Also I'd say Wilheard would be like 6'1'' or 6'2" so he can probably comfortably look down at poor Javan. (Until Javan's giant of a big brother can come and look down at Wilheard in turn, haha.)

Oh! I cannot WAIT! Javan may be little, but I'm sure he's up for any sort of trouble. I was thinking writing an eighteen year old was going to be boring, but with Wilheard around to make mischief...yes...this will be fun...

[Galadriel55]

I'm sorry for my lack of posting lately. I will have some time this week, so I think I'll post some wrap up for the potato chaos, if everyone is ok with it and ready to move on. Thoughts/requests?

[Folwren]

I have put Searyn back in the kitchen right after Elfthain asked his question, but I didn't have her say anything because I didn't want to interrupt in case one of the other ladies wants to go ahead and respond to him. Normally, she'd introduce herself and welcome him, but she's kind of tired, as they all are, and not quite herself, and I think she'll just wait to watch and see what happens. She senses she interrupted something anyway. Ya'll play it however you like, obviously, but that was why I didn't have her say anything to him.