Hard Winters Planning/Discussion Thread

[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

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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]

by profession/attachment, hopefully helpful especially to the new players... my confused comments in italics, to be removed once someone refreshes my memory/ clears things up.


Residing nobility
Eodwine, the Eorl of Scarburg, played by littlemanpoet
Saeryn, his lady wife, played by Folwren
Eoghan and Ruari, their 4 or 5???? year old son and daughter, played by Folwren
Wilheard, son of the former Eorl Athanar, no official position in Scarburg yet, played by Thinlómien

Soldiers and such
Thornden, steward? master at arms???? someone enlighten me please, played by Folwren
Hilderinc, guardsman, played by Legate of Amon Lanc
Áforglaed, guardsman, NPC
Osmund, guardsman, NPC
Elfthain, newly arrived warrior-in-training, played by Mithalwen

Craftsmen and other established masters of the hall
Léof, stablemaster, played by Firefoot
Stigend, carpenter, played by Nogrod
Garreth and Harreld, smiths, played by littlemanpoet
Scyld, a half-professional leather worker, played by Firefoot

Household (serving) women
Modtryth, played by Thinlómien
Rowenna, played by littlemanpoet
Ledwyn, played by Galadriel55
Stefnu, played by Legate of Amon Lanc

Young Meadhall residents
Cnebba, 12-year-old son Stigend and Modtryth, played by Nogrod and Thinlómien
Javan, 18-year-old brother of Thornden, does he have a profession now that he's an adult???, played by Folwren
Garmund and Leodthern, 13- and 9-year-old orphan brother and sister, adopted by Stigend and Modtryth, NPCs

Locals
Haesel, herbs-woman, played by Undómë
Fana, her granddaughter and apprentice, played by Undómë
Secg and Thystel, Fana's little brothers, played by Arry
Heafoc, a hunter, played by Envinyatar

Visitors (???)
Halcwyn, played by Snowdog
Ladavan, travelling carpenter, played by Inziladun
Cerwyn, Léof's little sister, played by Firefoot
Brith, travelling seamstress, played by Thinlómien
Fréa and Caranthir, sellswords, NPCs
Balan Bard, a traveller and storyteller, played by Galadriel55

[Thinlómien]

^ I will keep the list above updated.

Comments would be very welcome since I've been mia from Scarburg for pretty long (oops). Especially Folwren and Gal, please check what I wrote about your characters and comment. Anyone else want to correct me, be my guest.

I have a couple of questions.

1) Any other characters that are around from the old thread? NPCs? Carry-along characters? My biggest question would be about Ginna, Kara and Frodides. Should someone message Lhuna and Kath (maybe on facebook). Nog, did you hear back from Celuien about her old characters?

2) I assume the total amount of people in Scarburg must be higher than this. So making up NPCs is welcome.

3) Speaking of which, I think we may have some rather important positions even unfilled. (Especially, for example, if we don't have Frodides/Kara as the cooks anymore.) Thoughts? What positions are there in the Mead Hall that should be filled by an NPC, an old character getting a promotion or that should be acknowledged to be open? (For example again, if the Mead Hall doesn't have a cook. I'm sure the household women would manage, but they do have a lot to do already with the child-rearing - if there are children, though, and not just a bunch of teenagers - and cleaning and assisting Saeryn and serving and generally seeing the domestic affairs in Scarburg run smoothly.)

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

So, as you see, I finally posted the bio I've been drying here for ages... Figured out it would be the easiest to add the few finishing touches if I just post it here. The original idea, as mentioned on the old thread, was to have Stefnu come with the intention (her intention, at least) to eventually marry Áforglaed, one of Athanar's men who stayed behind. But I decided to let it develop on its own, now she is freshly widowed and it mostly serves as one more incentive for her to appear (and to be received, having met many of the men - not just Athanar's! - before).

Now, my dilemma is thus - whether I let her come to Scarburg together with the caravan (snows have melted, now she feels okay to travel) or (I might have slight preference for that one at the moment) that she came sometime after her husband's death, basically after realising she can't really cope on her own, I'm envisioning a lonely voyage through the snow with a sack of whatever provisions she had left in her home. Given that husband might have owned decent supply of some "exotic" food thanks to his profession, she would have perhaps even something small to bring to the Hall with her which she would dig up from her husband's hidden personal store, sad leftovers of what they hadn't eaten already. Of course it would be of little help to the amount of people in the Hall, but in such conditions... it would probably also ease her acceptance to the Hall. She would then gladly take on any tasks required to contribute. Speaking of which...

Originally Posted by Thinlómien

3) Speaking of which, I think we may have some rather important positions even unfilled. (Especially, for example, if we don't have Frodides/Kara as the cooks anymore.) Thoughts? What positions are there in the Mead Hall that should be filled by an NPC, an old character getting a promotion or that should be acknowledged to be open? (For example again, if the Mead Hall doesn't have a cook. I'm sure the household women would manage, but they do have a lot to do already with the child-rearing - if there are children, though, and not just a bunch of teenagers - and cleaning and assisting Saeryn and serving and generally seeing the domestic affairs in Scarburg run smoothly.)

...just looking at Stefnu's bio, I realised her CV could qualify her for example for the cooking and similar tasks. I did not intend her position to be that, in the beginning, but if it is something we are looking for, it actually seems she could fit neatly in there.

But yes, with that said, if I go with variant B (her being in the Hall for a few months already, during the winter), it possibly might be easier, people would be assumed to know her, even though still little enough so that all the relationships could be basically built from scratch. That would both give us the option of genuine relationship-building without the need to pre-invent anything and at the same time spare us the first encounters "Hi, what is your name" which might just be tedious if there would be a lot of new characters anyway...

[littlemanpoet]

Lommy, I contacted Lhuna and she will not be able to write for Ginna. Therefore, I have it that Ginna becomes lost during the hard winter, and Harreld has given her up for dead after a long search. So her actual doom is unknown, which is how I prefer to leave it until things shake themselves out. And I get to write a morbid Harreld if I choose.

[Snowdog]

Thanks for pointing me to the info Pio. I'll try and get my head around this as it seems that planning and backstory is to the nth degree. At this point, my character will be a casual visitor that happens by the Meadhall. Will try and work it in from there.

[Galadriel55]

Originally Posted by Thinlómien

Comments would be very welcome since I've been mia from Scarburg for pretty long (oops). Especially Folwren and Gal, please check what I wrote about your characters and comment. Anyone else want to correct me, be my guest.

Yup, Ledwyn's description is good. I imagine that she has some skill with string-related crafts (probably some rudimentary weaving), like I briefly mentioned in her filler post, but that would be on-the-side. She would maybe occasionally make something, but do that in her "free time" as opposed to a main job.

Originally Posted by Lommy

I assume the total amount of people in Scarburg must be higher than this. So making up NPCs is welcome.

And the total number of dead people probably exceeds one boy. But we could leave the dead people unnamed, possibly referring to them as "the three men who dies last night" or somesuch.

Originally Posted by Lommy

3) Speaking of which, I think we may have some rather important positions even unfilled. (Especially, for example, if we don't have Frodides/Kara as the cooks anymore.) Thoughts? What positions are there in the Mead Hall that should be filled by an NPC, an old character getting a promotion or that should be acknowledged to be open? (For example again, if the Mead Hall doesn't have a cook. I'm sure the household women would manage, but they do have a lot to do already with the child-rearing - if there are children, though, and not just a bunch of teenagers - and cleaning and assisting Saeryn and serving and generally seeing the domestic affairs in Scarburg run smoothly.)

That's another thing I was also wondering about. Surely, with all the people in the Hall, the twins wouldn't be the only children born in 4 years? But that requires a lot of major changes in the lives of characters whose writers are either not active or don't want these changes to happen [so quickly]. Maybe we should invent some NPC children, or even a whole young family unit?


And since I'm posting here anyways, I thought that maybe it's fitting that Ledwyn should get mild frostbite sometime in the winter. It's such a delightful possibility that's been discussed but not really applied. I don't want the idea to go to waste, and I think it would benefit her in the sense that it would make her even more unbalanced. However, I'm debating which body part I should ruin. Not anything major, but perhaps a finger or toe, maybe an ear. You frostbite experts - which would you say is the most realistically probable case considering she wouldn't have spent that much time outside the Hall? I suppose the ear is the least realistic, fingers and toes are more likely. But even so, what could she be doing outside for so long when there's nothing to do due to the snow? Inside the Hall, it wouldn't be warm, exactly, but there is at least one fire, so it doesn't make sense for someone who spends the whole winter within a two-minute walk from it to get serious frostbite. Any suggestions?

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Originally Posted by Galadriel55

That's another thing I was also wondering about. Surely, with all the people in the Hall, the twins wouldn't be the only children born in 4 years? But that requires a lot of major changes in the lives of characters whose writers are either not active or don't want these changes to happen [so quickly]. Maybe we should invent some NPC children, or even a whole young family unit?

Unless most of the children born in the last 4 years also for example died during the winter. They are a bit of a risk group, to be sure (although again it would be the families' priority to protect them).

Originally Posted by G55

And since I'm posting here anyways, I thought that maybe it's fitting that Ledwyn should get mild frostbite sometime in the winter. It's such a delightful possibility that's been discussed but not really applied. I don't want the idea to go to waste, and I think it would benefit her in the sense that it would make her even more unbalanced. However, I'm debating which body part I should ruin. Not anything major, but perhaps a finger or toe, maybe an ear. You frostbite experts - which would you say is the most realistically probable case considering she wouldn't have spent that much time outside the Hall? I suppose the ear is the least realistic, fingers and toes are more likely. But even so, what could she be doing outside for so long when there's nothing to do due to the snow? Inside the Hall, it wouldn't be warm, exactly, but there is at least one fire, so it doesn't make sense for someone who spends the whole winter within a two-minute walk from it to get serious frostbite. Any suggestions?

Fingers and toes. You could make it an ear if you wanted to exploit the trouble you hinted at in your fill-in post in which she seems having to keep scarves on. As for a reason to go outside: just like everyone, to gather firewood. One badly timed part of afternoon outside is enough, having some head-cover, losing it thanks to wind as foreshadowed, and then farewell to arms. I mean, ears.

[Firefoot]

Fingers would probably be the most interesting (fun fact: forget about waistlines - hands are the second most important body part for self -body image, after the face).

Similar to what Legate said, you could have her out for firewood and take her glove off for some reason (too bulky/clumsy).

As for which finger(s), the thumb would obviously be bad news. But if I had to choose a finger to lose, it would be my index finger. Your middle and ring fingers can compensate pretty well. Losing the middle finger would be more awkward but still okay. Your ring and pinky fingers are really important for grip strength and stability (imagine carrying a heavy plate or tray with just your thumb and first two fingers). Missing either of these fingers, especially the little one, I would expect to see increased clumsiness, possibly dropping things.

The other thing to keep in mind is often with frostbite you only lose part of the finger, but the remainder/tip is often uncomfortably sensitive to touch, making it less useful than one might expect.

Hope this helps!

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by Thinlómien

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?

Intriguing! I really am ambivalent as to Ladavan's means of arrival. I rely on the opinions of the"regulars" as to the potential for maximum drama.

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

NAME: Stefnu

AGE/GENDER/RACE/WHERE FROM: 36, female, Eorlinga, Midemnet (originally from near Dunharrow)

APPEARANCE: 5' 6'' tall, a bit stocky, golden-red hair usually worn in two braids or under a scarf, grey eyes

BITS OF CHARACTER/HISTORY YOU FEEL MIGHT BE HELPFUL IN DEFINING THE CHARACTER: Stefnu was born in the shadow of Dwimorberg in the White Mountains as third of four daughters, but she had then lived for years with her older husband, Mildric, who was a traveling merchant, originally from the Scarburg area. Because of her husband's occupation, she often remained behind in his house near lord Friduhelm's hold. At first, she had the company of Mildric's son from his first marriage. He eventually began to accompany his father to learn the trade, and around that time Stefnu bore Mildric a second son. That kept Stefnu's life busier for some years, but when the boy reached his late teens, he left to learn a trade of his own. Mildric, growing older, remained more often at home those days, but there were still long periods of time when he and his firstborn son traveled around the Mark and sometimes beyond.
After Athanar's soldiers arrived to Scarburg, Stefnu met several of them when they were riding by on errands. Being home alone, she found new occupation for herself by preparing refreshment for the soldiers and treating them with meal whenever they were out long, which was duly appreciated. Especially young Áforglaed seemed to enjoy Stefnu's company and she liked to jest with him. When Athanar's men left to war, she made sure to wish them well on their journey, and she also heartily welcomed them back when they returned.
During the Hard Winter, Stefnu's husband remained at home, while his firstborn stayed in Edoras, where he reputedly had found himself a wife. As the winter hardened, Mildric, being already old and frail, took ill and eventually, one cold December night, he passed away. Stefnu mourned for him, but one thing seemed clear to her: she did not want to remain alone in the house belonging to her stepson. As soon as the weather permited, she decided to head for the Mead Hall in hope to find herself a new place.

Stefnu is an outgoing person, but having spent much of her life alone, she is not the type to stick her nose in other people's lives without invitation. She is respectful to others, but quick to speak up whenever she thinks otherwise. She is fairly intelligent and possesses a decent ability to judge people quickly. She also does not always keep her judgements to herself, even though she does it in a kindly manner. Having had her hands on raising two children of a very different kind, it has been proven she has something of a gift in addittion to experience with raising kids. She is a decent enough cook, but possesses better skills from other areas that she has honed while being home alone, such as her hobby of basket-weaving or making small decorative objects of natural materials. She has some knowledge of herbs and more ancient lore which has been passed down in her family; songs and tales of the old mountain-folk. She has a somewhat deep, very melodic voice, and likes to sing while working and sometimes even while not.
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LINKED ~*~ Pio