Hard Winters Planning/Discussion Thread

[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.

[Mithalwen]

Originally Posted by 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.

I don't think you need to worry too much as a new character. I think most of the planning etc is because people are reprising existing cbaracters with histories with other players characters which have to be taken into consideration.

I have opted to have my character as a new arrival so I can learn with him about Scarburg as we go... however since I have used him elsewhere I just like to tie up his history for my own satisfaction.

[Snowdog]

I have been working on some back story myself since I took a partially developed character from a past storyline and fit her in since the timeline and general geographic area (Greater Rohan) area is the same.

[littlemanpoet]

Might as well include Harreld and Garreth as my characters, you all know I'll end up writing for them. :P

[Firefoot]

What all are we waiting on at this point?

[Firefoot]

Inzil - I've had Leof approach Ladavan.

If any of you others with characters with horses would like your character to overhear and jump in, feel free.

[Inziladun]

Firefoot, he's answered. It helps that Ladavan and I are equally strange to the Meadhall. Cluelessness is not always easy to imitate.

[Firefoot]

By the way, I was referencing Folwren's post here concerning the layout of the hall. Since Nogrod made mention of a woodworking shop, and I figure Harreld and Garreth had a real smithy by this point, I made reference of those buildings as well - I imagine them somewhere on the right side of the map.

This map is also quite useful, I think.