Scarburg Meadhall Discussion Thread

[Nogrod]

Originally Posted by Folwren

Oh, wow. That was quickly dealt with. I guess it would be...makes sense.

Heh. Let's say it is quickly dealt for the time being.

As Eodwine asked for leave to discuss with Saeryn, Athanar thought it wise to not let the whole bunch just sit and wait - especially as Eodwine's words opened a kind of path that might lead into abandonment of furthering the whole case, or at least a serious reconsideration of it (if Saeryn would come to her senses after speaking with his husband etc.). So he decided just to punish Scyrr from his behaviour a) on forgetting his rank while drunk, and b) how he behaved there at the "court" - and let it open whether there would be added penalties for him; depending on Eodwine's and Saeryn's willingness to demand them (on the insult issue), or how the general public would react to this decision.

So you should probably write a scene between Saeryn and Eodwine as to, well first and foremost about their relation to be sure, but also about would they like to continue the case or let Scyrr off the hook with what he got there.

Originally Posted by lmp

I suppose I could argue further as to how such terms as "libertarian" and "utopia" are meaningless in the context of LOTR in general, and The Mark specifically.

And you would probably win that argument if anyone decided to take the opposite position... But yes, I only used them as shorthand markers referring to our previous discussion about the society in Mark - in which I think you used many phrases I have heard from American libertarians in today's discussion. But yes, labels are secondary things. The more important thing is to get a shared view on how that society "works" so that we have a common ground from where to write our characters and their reactions to different situations. In that vein I find your suggestions good ones in deed.


So yeah, let's say the primary way these three "landlords" have risen to their position at Mid Emnet is their stature as war-heroes, of course, but especially their economic power with which they have managed to turn some independent landholders (aka. farmers) into... being heavily debted to them - which someone else might call serfdom or slavery or peasantry - or whichever words one wishes to use (I'd know some more suitable terms in Finnish but I'm not sure if they mean the same in English so I'm not even trying them here). But yes they are free in some sense but so strongly tied to these wealthier lords by their debt they have no possibility but to obey them and live in poverty (not all should be in that sad situation, of course).

But the idea behind all this would then be, that they charge unfair interests of what they lend etc. So they use the others' plight into their own advantage.


There is one question though I think needs some thinking over.

So how about the power of judgement?

If I've gotten it right, one of the Mead Hall's basic functions is to stand as King's justice at the area. Before there had been none at Mid Emnet but now there would be. But how were disputes, arguments or crimes solved before? Everyone for himself? Mob rule? Surely they wouldn't take every issue to the king far away from their home - and the king wouldn't have time for them if that was a common way of doing things everywhere where there was no mead Hall around?

And even an "Althing"-kind of system where all the free men, or households, gathered to make decisions would require some people having special roles.

Now there are several mentionings in the thread that the lords (the three richest ones) have also being giving the law thus far. We can thus accept that (and come up with an explanation as to how that has happened), take thats as a mistake and go back editing all those parts from the thread, or just ignore that.

I think the best way to approach this is to come up with the best possible solution as to how the legal system of Mid Emnet would have worked and then see how it fits with what we have already written, and then deciding should we do something about what has been already written.

One scenario that comes to my mind would be a kind of a slow emergence of the "judical power" of our three lords (or two, or one of them if we wish).

Let's say that at year zero me and my neighbour have a dispute over whether I can use the pond at the borderline of our farms he uses to water his fields to water my livestock (okay, bad example, but whatever). So how do we determine that question if he thinks I have no right to water my stock from where he waters his fields, but I still think he has no right to deny me the use of the pond? Now it might enter our minds that there lives this great warhero nearby who has stature over us both and probably no personal interest on the matter. Why shouldn't we ask him what to do? And from cases like that, during the years, a decade, and more... it would have kind of become natural that a few people have the authority to judge on that kind of matters... and little by little they would have started to take care they gain from their "work as judges" of sorts?

Well, that's an idea. Other ideas?

[Folwren]

In the old Mead Hall, Eodwine held court. So maybe that sort of judicial system is already in place. Do you mean that the richer landlords, like Freduhelm (that's the elderly chap, right?) already carried on court like that, before Eodwine came to Scarburg?

-- Foley

[Galadriel55]

Originally Posted by Folwren

Freduhelm (that's the elderly chap, right?)

Friduhelm.

Nog, I think your scenario example of the evolution of the judicial system is very reasonable, and more than that, it sounds probable.

[Nogrod]

Originally Posted by Folwren

In the old Mead Hall, Eodwine held court. So maybe that sort of judicial system is already in place. Do you mean that the richer landlords, like Freduhelm (that's the elderly chap, right?) already carried on court like that, before Eodwine came to Scarburg?

Yes and no...

I mean The Mead Halls, as I understand them, would be places where there would be a kind of King's legitimized court - like what Eodwine carried out in the older Mead Hall. Thus far there has been none like that in the Mid Emnet - and King Eomer has wished there to be one - and thus he has founded the Scarburg Mead Hall.

But what I was after was that there should have been some kind of system for making judgements on different disputes or crimes even when there hasn't been a Mead Hall as the legitimate King's court around.

My idea was, that in the absence of a Mead Hall and an eorl to make verdicts with the king's legitimation, the more powerful local lords might have kind of taken / gotten that priviledge to themselves as it seems clear there has to be some kind of a stage from where to settle the disputes there always will be. So it would not be a "court like that" aka.a Mead Hall, but something like a un-official (from king Eomer's POV) judical system working on a Mead Hall's place and which the locals had adopted... and which the lords might have then abused later on.

[littlemanpoet]

I have it!

We have a built in time of turmoil, in the War of the Ring.

There had been two eorls, the East Emnet and the West Emnet, with Meduseld as a "final arbiter". It was, however, most convenient for the people near Edoras, such as those of the Middle Emnet, to use Meduseld as their first court.

But the War created problems. For one, Saruman was keeping Theodred and Eomer (the two eorls) too busy, and (here's where things come in for the Middle Emnet), orcs and Dunlendings were running about. Now, granted, neither orcs nor Dunlendings had gotten to what is now the Middle Emnet, but Wormtongue had Theoden in thrall, for who knows how many years?

Now, while the three lords who are the war heroes in the area were away fighting, you had scum such as the previous owner of Scarburg taking advantage of Theoden's illness, robbing and pillaging as he pleased, and that didn't stop with the end of the war - now Theoden is dead and Eomer is very busy trying to reestablish order, doesn't have time for the regions near Edoras, so he appoints Eodwine as Eorl of the new Middle Emnet.

But before he does that, the three ware heroes are back, and use the nefariousness of what's-his-name who was at Scarburg, as their excuse to establish themselves as local arbiters, creating an expectation and precedent for themselves to be - sort of - sub-eorls. So there it is, and they got used to it, and they didn't take kindly to there suddenly being a new Eorl in the area who has the king's authority.

So the simple non-warrior landowners - farmers who are not warriors - are by this time poor, their lands overrun, depleted and whatnot by robbers and such, and the three lords taken advantage of their suffering by putting them in their debt - easy enough to do by loaning them what they need at sharp interest.

What do you think?

[Galadriel55]

*applauds*


And once you have power and people in debt you can go on increasing that debt and that power. I recall from Athanar's visit to Faramund's place that Faramund put a man in bond because he borrowed money and could not pay it back, so Faramund took all his land, or something of that sort. And now the old man is basically a slave, except that he's not called that.

So it's quite possible to create a "money drainage system" that way. Just suck out more and more for every little bit people owe you, and make it impossible for them to pay back, and you're in power and abusing it.

So...yeah.

[Nogrod]

I like that lmp!

Especially as it loops back to from where this Mead Hall began - coming to the ruins of a place that had been burnt. Maybe our characters are still all quite newbies around these corners of the land?

I remember we then had some ideas as to our characters trying to "find out" what had happened there - and there were different suggestions to form a plot from there which were in turn forgotten as other, more pressing things started to happen.

But something along these lines would give us interesting prospects of also coming back to that original mystery - and how local people or our three "lords" were involved with it.

I like it very much!

[Galadriel55]

Perhaps the lords rebelled against the old eorl/lord/ruler of Scarburg because he was of Wormtongue's sort, and mistreated his subjects, and etc., and thus gained the trust and support of their people (and also burned the Meadhall). Yet after a while they started doing it themselves (and the rebellion would give them enough initial power to start the drainage).

Too complicated? No? What do you think?

[littlemanpoet]

His name was Sorn and he abducted the princess of Dol Amroth that was at Scarburg for a little while. "Abduction in Edoras" was the rpg and can be found in Elvenhome. From it Scyld was introduced, not to mention Scarburg itself, but without that name.

So there never was an eorl at Scarburg until Eodwine. Just setting the record straight.

Might be a useful tour of about 4 pages if you want the background on Scarburg, G55.

http://forum.barrowdowns.com/showthread.php?t=12824

[Nogrod]

Never use those "undo" and "redo" buttons unless you really know how they work!

I had a longish post on the making and managed to delete part of it because the laptop had decided to paint a part of the text when I was pushing the delete-button for an extra letter... the result: everything gone.

I soo hate technology when it offers you no recall of what you have just done.

So let me try and be brief as it's getting considerably late in here.


Yes Galadriel. It might be an idea Wormtongue appointed that Scarburg Hall owner into an eorlship (it would be quite blasphemous but it might work for our story) - and that it had been kind of forgotten from the POV of Meduseld (no one probably knew or remembered it there). But was he a wrongly apppinted eorl or not, he would have taken a kind of role of an eorl there when all the decent eorlinga were fighting the war - and that would also explain why not all the farmers around look at the present Mead Hall positively as they have bad memories on how things were handled by that place earlier...

But another issue took me over then, and it was a question of the three warlords' ancestry. So had they lived at the Mid Emnet for all their lives or had they been moving there only after the war. And then I got this idea I think might serve us well with developing the plot.

So how about, after the war, Friduhelm aged about 35 then came back to the age-old home of his family - where little Faramund (then probably five or something) was happy to meet him back from the war. Now he would then be about fifty, so a little older than Athanar and Eodwine and their mate form the war - and Faramund would be like twenty.

Alboin would have come back to his home as well but with different feelings as he would have carried his father's corpse with him back home. So Alboin, about age twenty back then, would have had to assume the leadership of his family at that young age and to bury his father. War and the death of his father might be things, which added to too much power too early, might have made him into the nasty character he is. That story might need some twists and they shouldn't be too hard to come up with, but let's not dwell into them here.

But then I think Tancred should be originally from somewhere else. He has been the kind of leader there until now and he is a highly ranked commander from the war. Right. But how about he is originally from Westfold or from the Fords of Isen - and at last coming back from the war he found his home and village burnt down by the Dunledings / Saruman's orcs, and none alive in the whole village?

Now king Eomer might have wished to show honour to his great captain and help him with his loss by giving him a vacant rich farm from the Mid Emnet? And thus he would have moved in - with possibly a later found original servant or even a child! (I'd love the idea he had a daughter who had escaped the Dunledings and found his dad after five years or something, but yes, let's see if we have use for these complexities)

Whatever, Tancred would be like 55 now (if Eodwine and Athanar are forty-somethings). Still in good health and top intelligence if not in a top form anymore. But with his charisma and commanding stature he would do away with any challenge he might face at Mid Emnet (aided by a handful of eorlinga riding for him). Unless Eodwine or Athanar can prove it otherwise...


But then I got also an idea for Friduhelm. I mean why is he different, why is he not that happy to go with the others even if he clearly is binded to them and has more or less followed their ways until giving the lordship of his house to his son?

Let's create some psychological skeletons to help us with that.

Tancred made war as a great commander and beat the enemy at the Pelennor fields. When he got home he realised it had been for nothing to himself as all his efforts hadn't saved his family. Despite the victory of the nation he felt he had lost everything he had - which is kind of true. So he grew nihilistic or at least cold of emotions to shut the tragedy out from his mind. And that might then explain how he was able to turn into an oppressive "landlord" at his late years. A bitter old man who thought he owed anyone nothing and that others owed him everything...

Alboin was shocked in a similar vein, but being so young when all this happened and brining the corpse of his father back to his home he had only been given all the responsibilities and troubles of leading the family, when he would have just wished to cry for his dad. Now why Eodwine thought him a coward might come important here: maybe it was partly because of Alboin's cowardice his father died? In that situation he would be haunted by his bad conscience - and even if many people carry that kind of loads for no good reason - they feel very real for those who carry them. And that would be the starting point of his "downfall" into a brutal exploitation of his surrounding farmers and trying to raise his status...

Friduhelm in turn could have been like Tancred's second in command or something along the lines during the war: like that they would have been really close and admired each other (at least Athanar thought highly of him and I think it was written somewhere that Eodwine both knew and honoured him as well). So Friduelm - who had been able to come back to a family - had not faced such troubles the other two had and stayed sane on his mind. So even if a war-experience always tends to leave it's mark on people, and Friduhelm surely had his own problems, he never got into that mode Tancred and Alboin got into. But appreciating Tancred so much he didn't wish or dare to rise up against him (and we could come up with endeless possibilities to the nuances of this storyline) and in the end rather gave up his lordship to his son to "wash his hands" from everything he saw happening. Lord Athanar's visit might have awaken him from that state, but if he will be killed because of that... then that's bad (but a good story).


What did I say? A short version then?

[Nogrod]

Sorn! Yes. I actually remember that name now when reminded of it...

And we should keep him with or without the added plot that Wormtongue had something to do with his stature.

Hev was "the man" during the war and took every advantage of people around. Then enter the "lords" (ours) + 13-14 years.

Now what exactly happened then we probably need not know, but we should have some outlines about the developement of things (see my post above for some rudiments).

Anyway things ended in a way that Sorn and his place were burned by someone - and probably not 14 years ago but a lot closer to our time?

[Galadriel55]

Originally Posted by Nogrod

Anyway things ended in a way that Sorn and his place were burned by someone - and probably not 14 years ago but a lot closer to our time?

When Eodwine&co. arrived at the ruins of the Meadhall they found a body or too - and enough of it to make me think that if it was dead for 15 years it would have been in a worse state. So I second that guess. I could go back and look for the place in the thread if you think it's an important bit.

Firefoot did not forget to mention Sorn as Scyld's master - and not a very nice on either, but I have not associated him with the previous lord of Scarburg.

And I shall read that RPG. And maybe at some point I'll read the White Horse Inn (that's where it began, right? Or am I mixing things up?) I do have quite a bit to catch up to...

[Nogrod]

Originally Posted by Galadriel55

When Eodwine&co. arrived at the ruins of the Meadhall they found a body or too - and enough of it to make me think that if it was dead for 15 years it would have been in a worse state. So I second that guess. I could go back and look for the place in the thread if you think it's an important bit.

I think that part should be readily available at the beginning of the Scarburg Mead Hall thread as if I remember it right this thread begins with Eodwine & co coming into this place... so anything related to that should be there in the first page (about) and also in the first pages of the discussion thread.


By the way, this Scyld, then... now I remember many people mistook him with Scyrr, but what is his history and what is he in the first place? If anyone of you has a decent idea, would you share that?

[Galadriel55]

Originally Posted by Nogrod

By the way, this Scyld, then... now I remember many people mistook him with Scyrr, but what is his history and what is he in the first place? If anyone of you has a decent idea, would you share that?

I used to confuse them at first too. Scyld was sold to Sorn by his father (I forget the exact reason), and was in his service for 13 years when Linduial was abducted (just read that, so the number is exact). In another day or two I would be able to tell you how he managed to survive through that business and then join the new Meadhall. From the hints Firefoot dropped about him in the SMH thread, he helped Linduial's escape and I believe killed Sorn... but maybe not... Firefoot, could you just tell us instead of me? You would know best.

[littlemanpoet]

Unless we want to revise feigned history: The Middle Emnet did not exist as a separate entity before Eodwine was appointed as its eorl. There was no eorl at Scarburg because there was no eorl there at all. Not until Eodwine. This is covered toward the end of The Eorling Meadhall thread.

http://forum.barrowdowns.com/showthread.php?t=12545

See, Bethberry used to be the host of The White Horse Inn and asked me to take over. I did by replacing the White Horse Inn with The Eorling Mead Hall, but the way it was treated in the storyline was that Bethberry, the character who owned the Inn, sold it to Eodwine and went to visit her mother Goldberry (but that is another story). Anyway, to give The Eorling Mead Hall some reason to exist as the entity I had envisioned, I had Eomer create Eodwine as the eorl of the newly founded Middle Emnet.

It felt strange that the Eorling Mead Hall was in Edoras, just a walk away from Meduseld - which literally means Mead Hall in Anglo-Saxon. So when Sorn's land came free, I got to thinking that it made more sense for the Mead Hall of Middle Emnet to NOT be in Edoras, but in the middle of Middle Emnet. And it just so happened that Sorn's lands, which were renamed Scarburg, suited just right.

When Eodwine and company rescued Linduial, Sorn's keep was not burned down. So it got burned down in the short interim between then and Eodwine and company showing up there to live - a matter of months at most.

Hope that helps to give reasonable background.

[Firefoot]

...and seems not a moment too soon. Y'all have been busy this summer. I've skimmed the last couple pages of discussion thread and it looks like interesting things are happening.

Summary of Scyld: Pressed into Sorn's service because his father owed a large debt to Sorn, and he was there for something like 12 years (at the end though it was voluntary since his term was up - but he didn't have anywhere else to go). During Linduial's kidnapping, Scyld served as her jailor and through conversations with her he basically decided that Linduial was more worthy to help than Sorn and he helped her escape. She asked him to come back to Edoras with him and said that she would ensure his pardon, but although Scyld sort of wanted to believe her his life experience didn't really leave him any room to believe in the mercy of authority figures. When Eodwine & co. arrived at Scarburg, Scyld decided to come and see what the people were like that Linduial told him all about. Also partly for a lack of anything else to do... he's sort of adrift right now.

Relevance to current affairs... Scyld would be very familiar with the politics of the area, though he would be really reluctant to admit it because then people might be able to start making connections about his past.

[littlemanpoet]

Originally Posted by Firefoot

...and seems not a moment too soon. ... Relevance to current affairs... Scyld would be very familiar with the politics of the area, though he would be really reluctant to admit it because then people might be able to start making connections about his past.

Indeed! Glad you're back. Speaking of relevance to current affairs, I'm thinking that those who know of Scyld - say Faramund for example might - that the Scyld/Rowenna plot line could get tangled up in this whole thing in unforeseen yet interesting ways.

Thoughts, Firefoot?

Just thinking - S & R have more or less agreed to speak to each other about their pasts, in a sort of tit for tat careful self-protective way....

[Firefoot]

Any potential history you're coming up for the area and the motives for the landlords should account for Sorn somehow - he's not been dead for even a year yet. It might be easiest to put Sorn at about the same level as the other local lords and to say that they all got along well enough in a live and let live sort of way. This would make it highly probable that someone would recognize Scyld - Sorn had a very small household and you could probably say that Scyld was like a trusted lieutenant/servant.

If that was so, Sycld would probably personally know people at other farms... though he wouldn't have been friends with them because he doesn't trust people, and they probably wouldn't have trusted him anyway because Sorn was a pretty bad and kind of crazy dude. So maybe contact was fairly minimal...

And yes, Scyld and Rowenna certainly have things to say to each other, but darned if I know what. Did Rowenna know Linduial?

[littlemanpoet]

Looking back through our feigned history, I found some things that might be worth remembering:

First, to answer Firefoot's question, Linduial left The Eorling Mead Hall some little time before Rowenna arrived. So they don't know each other.

Second, there's this little piece of context:

"An aptly put question," Eodwine replied. "The King's command is for me to move my seat of rule from Edoras. He has given me Sorn's lands to be my own."

"But that's some of the poorest land in the realm!" cried Garstan, who had had a first hand look when they had rescued Linduial, the niece of the Eorling queen, from the outlaw Sorn.

Eodwine nodded. "I am aware of that, of course. The King has commanded me to drain the marshes near Sorn's holdings, and every inch I can make to grow crops or feed cattle, is mine for the claiming. On either side of the Scar."

"Scar? What's that?" asked Falco.

"Its'a rocky spine that runs east to west across a small portion of the plains. It is of little use, but one cannot simply move entire hills one does not like. We shall have to see what can be done with them. At any rate, I've decided to call the place Scarburg. It seemed fitting. So it will fall to each of you whether you wish to stay here, at the White Horse Inn, or to come with me to Scarburg, for the King will let me keep this Inn, so that it may once again be a hostelry for travelers who are willing to pay for room and board. So that is hwo it is."

It may be that only the Scarburg area is really marshy land; but this may extend elsewhere near the Scar, making it even harder for some farmers nearby.

I'm sure that neither Scyld nor Rowenna have any idea what to say to each other, but it'll happen on the fly when they're in each other's presence and chemistry takes over.

[Firefoot]

So what happens now? The Scyrr subplot is wrapped up, so what's going on for the rest of the day?

[littlemanpoet]

There are a couple things:

1. Harreld & Theolain and Ledwyn continue their storyline.
2. Laerdil is ready to communicate with whomever.
3. Scyld and Rowenna may cross swords again.

The first one needs resolution today; the second can be left hanging and so can the third, but all three could be followed up.

[Galadriel55]

As for the first one, I thought I wrapped up the Ledwyn part of it, in a sense, but it's not a problem to add something to it anytime.

And I'm not sure as to how to go about the Harreld&Theolain part. Between them I posted last, but the post was very inconclusive and vague. I think we should decide on what is going to happen and then, uh, make it happen. There's Kara involved too - Saeryn sent her to fing the boy. Would Harreld catch him before she comes?

[littlemanpoet]

I forgot Kara's writer isn't around.

[Nogrod]

Originally Posted by Firefoot

So what happens now? The Scyrr subplot is wrapped up, so what's going on for the rest of the day?

Unless Eodwine and Saeryn are of a mind Scyrr needs to be punished from things other than Athanar punished him from already... I mean he was punished from his behaviour, lack of respect, stepping outside his rank etc. from what Athanar knows for sure aka. what happened at the hall and what he admitted there. But he has left it open that if the two have more to ask he would be willing to add to the punishment if the request was substantial (well nyway, if there was something he didn't know about) and shown over a reasonable doubt.

What comes to the other loose ends, I don't think we need to tie every knot before opening new vistas for the story - but at the same time I'd encourage everyone to wrap up this day.

Meanwhile we should plan a bit what the major storyline would be concerning the upcoming plot.

IT was a good spotting that Sorn's hall was burnt down just little before Eodwine and his hall moved in - so it means there has been a recent resentment among the people there, at least some.

Maybe those who were discontent wished to halt any further action to see whether Eodwine took the reons and did something - and now when Athanar then has done something they'd become emboldened? A secret plot then? Possibly involving our friends Scyld and Stedford?

Or maybe burning down Sorn's house was more of a local affair? BUt maybe sympathised by other oppressed around? ANd during the summer people would have met secretly to come up with a plan - and now they would argue whether to act alone or ask for the eorl's help?

Numerous possibilities here. What do you think?

[littlemanpoet]

Eodwine won't ask for additional punishments.

I guess my thought of why the place was burned down was resentment about Sorn, and the burning was adding insult to injury. But just as much, there was stuff left there and nobody guarding it, and looting occurred. Whoever looted (and left the dead body in the meat locker) burned the place to hide the evidence.

Whether Scyld had something to do with that is for Firefoot to say.

[Nogrod]

Originally Posted by littlemanpoet

Eodwine won't ask for additional punishments.

I thought as much.. and I think Athanar thought the same - but he can't be 100% sure...

I guess my thought of why the place was burned down was resentment about Sorn, and the burning was adding insult to injury. But just as much, there was stuff left there and nobody guarding it, and looting occurred. Whoever looted (and left the dead body in the meat locker) burned the place to hide the evidence.

So let's think about this. Those farmers who lived in the proximity of Sorn were badly treated by him (and Sorn operated in accordance / in cahoots with our three lords anyway). Maybe Sorn was the worst or maybe he had the most independent-minded / hot-headed people living around him and they decided enough was enough and some of them burnt the place down? After it was burnt down they looted what they thought they were due - and maybe some others were drawn in as well to make gains from there.

The question then becomes IMO how the other farmers living nearer our three lords would have reacted to that? Is it like a local "Arab spring" when they tell themselves "yeah, we need to rise up against these guys as well, let's just prepare first" or is it more like "well things need to change, but not in that manner", or "cool, but we don't dare trying that", or something else altogether?

Am I right in thinking that it is something like less than a half-year or about half year when Sorn's place was burnt down? It was summer or late summer when Eodwine came, right? And we have been writing about crispy autumn days and of need to get supplies for the winter - but it sure isn't winter yet. Right?

Whether Scyld had something to do with that is for Firefoot to say.

Agreed. And then what she thinks will also make a real difference as to how the plot would be... so Firefoot, do you have any strong opinions and if yes, which are they?

[Firefoot]

Scyld wouldn't have been involved with the burning. Following Linduial's kidnapping and rescue, Scyld's impulse was to get away from there - he only came back when he found out the place was being inhabited again. Those several months are something of a blank spot in his story right now, but I wouldn't say anything very important happened then.

However, it could be very interesting if he were accused of it (maybe by the true culprit?) - he certainly has a motive, and if it comes out how much of his past he's been hiding he'd look extremely suspicious, I'd imagine.

[littlemanpoet]

My thought is that this is not an uprising but an opportunistic moment; people who had been abused by Sorn went and got payback.

But that does leave the mystery of the dead body.

And I can see Rowenna, once she thinks of it, or learns just enough about Scyld, will think that he may be guilty and in a bit of twisted loyalty will become protective of him, causing some fun misunderstandings and otherwise inexplicable actions and words.

We really need to do some follow-up on that dead body.

[Firefoot]

Sorry if I've left you with a difficult hook, lmp - I'm feeling a little rusty...

Also, wanted to say that my time online may be limited in the next two weeks.

[littlemanpoet]

No problem, I'm too distracted by RL to deal with this minor issue right now. But I'll get to it.

[Nogrod]

Let's not take blame anyone.

We all have our lives and obligations.


In principle I think we should take a week or two to wrap up the things that are going on the day we're writing about right now. Possiby three weeks as I'm going to be quite busy for a while when the schools start next week.

Meanwhile we can plan a little what kind of a scenario we're putting in front of us. I think there seems to be a general agreement at the moment about some outlines of it, but it will not be enough when we start writing about it.

So any input is warmly welcomed!

I mean I can come up with any kind of scenarios and I bet lmp can do it as well - but it would be great to hear other suggestions as well...

[littlemanpoet]

Hah! Leave it to Scyld and Rowenna to prolong this day...

I'll write before the weekend is out.

[Galadriel55]

Should we finish the day faster or get the Scyld-Rowenna plot more interesting? I have an idea about the second, but it can wait if we're prioritising the first.

[Firefoot]

Sort of depends on what Rowenna says next, I guess - whether curiosity or duty comes first... as I see it, either way it's going to happen, it's more a question of how long they have to brood about it first.

[littlemanpoet]

Far be it from me to hold things up for everybody else while two writers take over the whole thread. I've posted so that we can move to a new day. I guess we could go to the new day right away, or Firefoot could write one more post for Scyld, if she is so inclned.

[Galadriel55]

I edited the second half of my last post because I wrote it in a hurry and didn't finish it the way I wanted to. It doesn't change the story in the end, but I thought I should mention it.

[Folwren]

Sorry about my long absence. I don't know how consistant I will be now that school is about to start up. We'll see. I hope I do not have any leading characters in the upcoming plot, because I don't know what's about to happen. Once I catch on and if I can find a groove in it, then I'll more likely join in. I'm looking forward to seeing what follows.

-- Folwren

[littlemanpoet]

Um, if nothing's going to happen, maybe I should change Rowenna's response and at least have something happen. What do you think?

[Nogrod]

Sorry about being away for some time, but schools started last week and I have been mega-busy. Things should eventully calm down in a short while, though.

[Firefoot]

Things are about to calm down for me, as well. I can either respond to the post as is and move to the next day, or whatever. Very likely tomorrow.